3 of the Best Finishes Scored by Combatants Scheduled To Throw Down at ONE 164

ONE Championship returns to the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, next week, with two events crammed with crushing battles.

Hometown hero Joshua “The Passion” Pacio will step back into the Circle for his fifth ONE Strawweight World Title defense when he faces American upstart Jarred “The Monkey God” Brooks in the headline bout of ONE 164 on Saturday, December 3. 

But the action starts long before that highly anticipated tussle goes down. The Singapore-based promotion has lined the card with World Champions, veterans, and young stars, who are ready to make a statement under the bright lights. The athletes competing may come from different backgrounds, but they all share one thing in common – their ability to score a finish.

In order to maximize the hype ahead of this thrilling spectacle, we have broken down some of the best finishes from the stars competing at ONE 164.

#1 Brooks Takes Out Masunyane With Rear-Naked Choke

What was supposed to be a gridlock battle between two excellent strawweight grapplers turned into another easy night out for rising star Jarred Brooks when he took on previously-undefeated star Bokang “Little Giant” Masunyane at ONE 156: Eersel vs. Sadikovic. 

After a couple of back-and-forth tangles, the American began to pull away from his South African foe, and he gained Masunyane’s back from the standing position and sank in a rear-naked choke. “Little Giant” stayed calm on this occasion, protecting his neck to prevent Brooks from locking in the submission properly.

“The Monkey God” reassessed from there and decided to go to work with his fists. He landed a bucket load of shots on Masunyane, who eventually gave away his neck while shielding himself from the barrage. 

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Seeing his chance, Brooks went for another choke. This time, there was nothing his rival could do. The top-ranked strawweight rendered Masunyane unconscious at the 4:39 mark of the opening frame, securing his third promotional win and setting him on a collision course with Pacio.

#2 Vera Knocks Out Cerilli To Defend Heavyweight Crown

It was business as usual for Brandon “The Truth” Vera when he retained the ONE Heavyweight World Title against Mauro “The Hammer” Cerilli at ONE: CONQUEST OF CHAMPIONS in November 2018. The Italian warrior proved to be no match for “The Truth’s” one-punch power, who scored a decisive victory and earned his 11th knockout on the night. 

Vera stalked his rival around the Circle as soon as the battle got underway, priming himself to strike. When he did, it was all one-way traffic. The Filipino legend was clinical in his approach, and he left Cerilli with few options to strike back. Always the competitor, however, “The Hammer” moved to find a way back into the fight as he entered the pocket with wild shots.

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Unfortunately, his defense was lacking. And as “The Hammer” threw a thumping left, Vera saw the perfect opening for his straight left. The strike connected and instantly shut his opponent’s lights out, earning “The Truth” the win at 1:04 of the opening round.

#3 Eustaquio Puts Tauru To Sleep With An Insane Spinning Back Kick 

Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio’s trickery in the striking department has played a major role in his success throughout his career. One example of this is the wicked finish he earned over Toni “Dynamite” Tauru at ONE: MASTERS OF FATE in November 2019.

After surviving Tauru’s grappling onslaught in the opening frame, Eustaquio found his striking range in the second, and he began peppering the Finnish grappling expert with spinning kicks and quick combinations. “Gravity” brought the same intensity into the third frame, and Tauru realized that he needed to get more aggressive to counter the Filipino’s striking – a decision that proved to be his undoing. 

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Eustaquio heaped on the output upon seeing his rival switching gears, and he landed a spinning back kick that connected directly on Tauru’s liver. “Dynamite” felt the devastating blow, and the referee was forced to step in and end the bout at 2:11 of the third round, handing the former ONE Flyweight World Champion his 13th career win.