The Home of Martial Arts, ONE Championship brought the heat by putting an exciting middleweight contest on the lead card of ONE 161. Ali Foladi and Matheus Felipe collided in a short but entertaining contest to kick off the ONE 161 card.
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The bout started with Felipe pushing Foladi to the Circle Wall. Both fighters showed aggressive intent in the first minute of the bout. The Brazilian was pushing to close the distance but the Iranian athlete showed good movements.
Ali Foladi picked his shots and looked to take deep breaths in the first round. It appeared Felipe’s pressure was causing the 31-year-old to fatigue. However, Foladi picked his attacks to land some good shots on the Brazilian.
The Iranian showed his power is second to none as he put down the Brazilian fighter with a straight right hand with seconds left on the clock. And referee Herb Dean took no time to call off the fight and save Felipe from taking any unnecessary damage.
MMA fans react to the first-round KO finish from Ali Floadi at ONE 161
The Iranian marked his debut with a spectacular performance. The fans globally were mesmerized by the vicious of the shot. Besides, no one saw it coming.
Wow. Out of nowhere. #ONE161
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) September 29, 2022
#ONE161 Replay: Ali Foladi puts his opponent out cold🥶#ONEChampionshippic.twitter.com/wKK8mjCyqj
— MMAdissect (@mmadissect) September 29, 2022
Foladi just KO‘ed a LHW. Damn, beautiful straight after the lead hand snap down.
— ArwinismMMA (@808MMAINSIGHT) September 29, 2022
Foladi just caught a body jesus. #ONEonPrimeVideo2 #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/91SdigRqjw
— RĐA NĂTIØN⚔🏴☠️ (@AlexioMMA) September 29, 2022
Felipe wasn't keeping his guard up, and Foladi just cold-cocked him. Out. #ONE161
— Combat Press (@CombatPress) September 29, 2022
Foladi with a straight stunner in his ONE debut. #ONE161
— Harry Williams (@Harry_Williams) September 29, 2022
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Foladi stiffens Felipe after getting his nose smashed 30 secs in
— SoDeans Yusuff (@sparran_d) September 29, 2022
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After such a strong performance, it would be interesting to see what direction ONE goes with the Iranian prospect. But the way he overcame the debut jitters and excelled, only sky is the ceiling for Foladi.
What do you make of this bout and Ali Foladi’s performance? Share your views in the comments.