Ben “The Problem” Woolliss may have tasted defeat at ONE Fight Night 43, but he proved without a doubt that he belongs among kickboxing’s elite.
The 32-year-old Grimsby striker pushed former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus all the way before dropping a competitive unanimous decision to one of the division’s most decorated veterans in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 43, which was broadcast live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Saturday morning from Bangkok Stadium’s Lpinee Stadium.
For a man who battled Crohn’s disease for more than a decade — at one point unable to last 15 seconds on the pads without collapsing — going three full rounds with a former ONE Championship titleholder represented another extraordinary achievement.
But Petchtanong made him work for every second of the match.
In the opening round, the Englishman took a calculated approach as he pressed forward and picked on the Thai veteran. Woolliss changed his stance repeatedly, keeping the Thais guessing as he poked and prodded for an opening. Petchtanong remained composed and stuck out long kicks to control the range.
The pace picked up in round two as Petchtanong moved forward with combinations punctuated by kicks. Meanwhile, the Brit continued to cut angles brilliantly as he threw punches, incorporating independent kicks to the head and body.
Petchfergus lands a left hook
Then, in the final minute of the second frame, Petchtanong aggressively moved forward with his shots and put the Grimsby native on the back foot. The Thai even set a trap – he deliberately left his lead leg exposed, and when “The Problem” attacked it, the 40-year-old waited. His counter kick smashed into Woolliss’ standing leg, breaking his knee momentarily.
When they went to close quarters, Petchtanong got the run of the exchanges. The Thai’s left hand snapped Woolliss’ head back repeatedly, his kicks continued to find their target and he avoided most of the Briton’s attacks.
Woolliss’ record now stands at 4-1
By the latter half of the picture, “The Problem” turned up the heat, and the veteran seemed comfortable backing away. Woolliss gave him no time to rest, opting to throw everything at him in the dying seconds of the bantamweight kickboxing bout, including a wild spinning backfist followed by a desperate flurry.
In the end, the judges were unanimous in awarding Petchtanong the decision, which moved his career record to 360-57.
For Woolliss, it marked his first ONE Championship defeat, just two months after he stopped former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker with a leg kick in the first round.
Although the Grimsby star fell on the wrong side of a decision, he proved to the world that he belongs with the sport’s top talent and that he could become a real “problem” for the bantamweight kickboxing division’s best.
Tang Kai dominates Shamil Gasanov, retains featherweight belt
Tang Kai’s record improved to 20-3
In the main event, China’s Tang Kai enjoyed an impressive performance as he finished Russian challenger Shamil “The Cobra” Gasanov to retain the ONE Featherweight MMA world title.
Gasanov, a near-flawless challenger known for his formidable Dagestani wrestling and submission, was determined to take the reigning champion down to the canvas and work his grappling magic.
Tang Kai retained the featherweight title against his Dagestani challenger
However, Tang stopped almost every one of “The Cobra’s” takedown attempts and forced him to fight on the feet, where the Chinese title holder had a decisive edge.
The 30-year-old Shaoyang native peppered Gasanov with punches and kicks throughout the contest, slowly grinding him down with punches until his body could take no more.
Russian challenger Gasanov’s ONE record dropped to 6-2
It all came to a close in the fourth round when Tang’s low kicks were too much for the Russian to handle. Halfway through the frame, another crushing kick to the lead leg forced Gasanov to crumble to the canvas, and a pair of hammerfists ended the contest.
With the victory, Tang – China’s first ever male MMA world champion – retained his belt and showed everyone that he is more dangerous than ever.
ONE Fight Night 43 – Complete Results
– ET MMA World Featherweight Championship: Tang Kai (c) defeated Shamil Gasanov via TKO (ground and pound) at 2:41 of round four
– Bantamweight Kickboxing: Petchtanong Petchfergus defeated Ben Woolliss via unanimous decision
– Bantamweight Submission Grappling: Diogo Reis defeated Yuki Takahashi via unanimous decision
– Flyweight Muay Thai: Aslamjon Ortikov defeated Jordan Estupinan via TKO (three knockdowns) at 2:06 of round two
– Strawweight MMA: Fabio Henrique defeated Yosuke Saruta via TKO (ground and pound) at 0:39 of round two
– Bantamweight Muay Thai: Nontachai Jitmuangnon defeated Felipe Lobo via unanimous decision
– Bantamweight MMA: Lito Adiwang defeated Eko Roni Saputra via TKO (punch) at 0:34 of the first round
– Featherweight kickboxing: Luo Chao defeated Denis Souza Jr. via split decision
– Atomweight Muay Thai: Martyna Dominczak defeated Johanna Persson via unanimous decision
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