Nguyen Retains 145-Pound Title, Pacio Wins Strawweight Strap At One ‘Roots of Honor’

RIGHT ON TARGET
Martin Nguyen clinches a scintillating flying knee knockout victory to retain the ONE Featherweight World Title! @MartinNguyenMMA #WeAreONE #RootsOfHonor #Manila #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/EF2ShIBQmm

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 12, 2019

One Championship returned to one of its historical places as One: Roots of Honor went down at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, on April 12.

A matchup between One featherweight champion Martin Nguyen and former titleholder Narantungalag Jadambaa headlined the event. The Mongolian veteran tried his best to resist Nguyen’s offense, but the Australian proved to be too much for Jadambaa. The end of the bout came as Nguyen scored a perfect flying knee in the second round, sending his opponent to the canvas, where no follow-up was necessary. The end came at 1:07 of the second round.

Joshua Pacio scores a MASSIVE KO, reclaiming the ONE Strawweight World Title! #WeAreONE #RootsOfHonor #Manila #MartialArts pic.twitter.com/sPWNAN1H88

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) April 12, 2019

The co-main event saw Filipino fighter Joshua Pacio once again challenging One strawweight champion Yosuke Saruta. Their first bout ended in a split decision after a close five-round thrill-er. The plot of their rematch was similar to their first encounter, as they went back and forth for three and a half rounds. In the fourth round, though, Pacio landed a perfect stepping knee to the head of Saruta, faceplanting the Japanese fighter on the canvas. The local hero took home the belt at 2:43 of Round 4.

In a flyweight feature bout, Tatsumitsu Wada bested Gustavo Eddy Balart via unanimous decision. The Japanese fighter advanced to the semifinals of One’s flyweight Grand Prix, where he will square off against former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson. Bantamweight Leandro Issa submitted Changxin Fu via armbar at 3:03 of the first round. “Brodinho” has won four of five bouts since joining One Championship in 2017.

Elsewhere, James Nakashima defeated the Brazilian Luis Santos via TKO due to injury in the second stanza of their bout. After a Nakashima takedown attempt, “Sapo” came up in apparent pain and tapped, the exact nature of the injury unclear. With the strange stoppage, the American managed to run his perfect record to 11-0 and gain his first victory inside the distance. In the main card's opening fight, "The Ferocious" Edward Kelly smashed Sung Jong Lee at the 2:51 mark of the second stanza.