Ely “The Dragon” Fernandez failed to make a strong first impression in his ONE debut, falling to Coopar “Rush” Royal at ONE Friday Fights 40 at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Filipino bet out of Index MMA tapped out to a rear naked choke at the 1:38 mark of the first round in a tough first outing in The Home of Martial Arts.
Fernandez got hit with leg kicks and took a knee to the face before he was taken down. It only meant disaster for him as Royal locked in the submission and secured the quick finish.
This kept the momentum going for Royal, who won his last three fights before his promotional debut in ONE.
Meanwhile, Fernandez’ defeat extended the tough stretch for Filipino alumni who came from ONE Warrior Series that tasted bitter losses in their debuts, among them being Adonis Sevilleno, Anacleto “Tenacity” Lauron, and Ernesto Montilla.