Saemapetch Fairtex put on a counterpunching clinic as he outpointed Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym in the main event of ONE: NO SURRENDER II on Friday in Bangkok, Thailand.
Saemapetch relied on his cat-like reflexes and perfect timing to score a decision win over his longtime rival, effectively knotting their personal series at two apiece.
More importantly, the Chiang Mai native booked himself a slot in the final of the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Tournament, where the winner gets a shot at ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Gaiyanghadao sometime in the future.
The other slot will be disputed between “The Million Dollar Baby” Sangmanee Klong SuanPluResort and “Left Meteorite” Kulabdam Sor. Jor. Piek Uthai at ONE: NO SURRENDER III on August 21.
From the opening bell, Saemapetch used his counterpunching as he masterfully evaded Rodlek’s advances.
It was the same scenario in the second round. The PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym star had his moments with his aggression but was ultimately on the wrong end of Saemapetch’s shots.
Rodlek continued to up the pressure in the third round, landing leg kicks and looping right hands, but the 25-year-old’s movement was just too much as he rolled into a hard-earned victory.
In the co-main event, Mehdi “Diamond Heart” Zatout dominated Leo Pinto in a ONE Super Series bantamweight kickboxing match.
Zatout was superior in every facet of the match, especially with his hands as he peppered the younger Frenchman with combinations, disallowing Pinto to grow any momentum.
Pinto did try to move forward whenever he could, but “Diamond Heart” had answers to everything he threw as the French-Algerian striker earned a clear-cut decision win.
Meanwhile, there were two sensational finishes in both mixed martial arts bouts of the evening as Akihiro “Superjap” Fujisawa scored a late first-round knockout win over Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit and Yodkaikaew “Y2K” Fairtex came away with a second-round knockout win over John Shink.
In the first pair of ONE Super Series matches of the evening, Sorgraw Petchyindee Academy scored a split decision win over Pongsiri PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym while Fahdi “The Gladiator” Khaled defeated Huang Ding by unanimous decision.
Catch the other semifinals of the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Tournament at ONE: NO SURRENDER III this Friday, August 21.
Watch the event live on One Sports, One Sports+, or the ONE Super App.