ONE FC 11 took place on Friday in Singapore and the main event was a bantamweight title unification bout as Bibiano Fernandes defeated Soo Chul Kim by unanimous decision.
As the fight opened, Fernandes threw a leg kick where he slipped, but was able to get back to his feet. He would end up scoring a takedown and began to work his ground game from top position. After landing several punches, Fernandes went from an arm triangle choke.
Fernandes would let the submission hold go and transitioned to side control. He would leave side position to return to his feet and the referee would have Kim stand up as well. They would finish the opening round by clinching against the fence and the fight moved into the second round.
At the beginning of the second round, Fernandes wasted little time getting the fight to the ground after he landed a combination. After being on the ground for two minutes, the referee elected to stand the fighters up after what he felt was a lack of action. After exchanging strikes, Fernandes clinched with Kim against the fence but was unable to advance the position, and the referee broke them apart. With 30 seconds left in the round, Fernades took the fight to the ground and the fight moved into the third round.
Kim opened the third round as the aggressor with his strikes. However, Fernandes was able to take the fight to the ground due to that aggressiveness. The referee stood the fighters up after a lack of action and Fernandes immediately looked to take the fight back to the ground. He was unable to get the takedown and the fight moved back to the center of the cage. Kim began to land his strikes and he attempted to get the fight to the ground on several occasions. Once again, Fernandes was able to get the fight to the ground due to the striking aggressiveness of Kim. He would keep the fight on the ground for the remainder of the round, and the fight moved into the championship rounds.
Just like in previous rounds, Fernandes was able to get the fight to the ground early in the round. He would end up standing over Kim but the referee would have Kim stand up as well after Fernandes was not doing anything. After a striking exchange, Kim took the fight to the ground and kicked Fernandes legs. The fight returned to the feet and Fernandes worked to get the fight to the ground. Kim was able to stop the takedown attempt and landed multiple body strikes against the fence before the fourth round came to a conclusion.
In the final round, Fernandes landed a shot to the groin in the opening minute. The fight was stopped momentarily and Fernandes given a warning by the referee. Upon the restart, they exchange punches before Fernandes attempted to get the fight to the ground. He was eventually able to get the fight to the ground with two minutes left in the round. Kim would get back to his feet with 80 seconds to go in the fight. They exchange strikes till the end of the bell and the judges scorecards would decide the winner.
All three judges scored the fight for Fernandes (15-3) and he has now won seven in a row, with three of those wins coming in ONE FC.
Shinya Aoki wins featherweight debut by decision
ONE FC lightweight champion Shinya Aoki dropped down to the featherweight division at ONE FC 11 and was able to use his grappling to score a decision victory over Cody Stevens.
Aoki opened the bout by pushing forward and landed a kick. While the fighters were clinching, Stevens landed a knee to the groin and the action was paused. After taking the full five minutes to recover, Aoki was able to continue and the fight continued.
At the restart, Aoki was able to close the distance and take the fight to the ground. Aoki attempted to secure a submission but he was unable to lock anything in, and Stevens was able to get back to his feet. Aoki would be able to get the fight back to the ground by using a leg sweep with 90 seconds left in the round. The rest of the round would be on the ground with Stevens defending any potential submission attempt by Aoki.
Stevens opened up the second round with a couple of kicks, including a head kick that barely missed. However, he would not be able to stay on his feet as Aoki took the fight to the ground. While on his back, Stevens landed several strikes and Aoki had blood coming out of his nose. Aoki was able to maintain his top position on the ground as Stevens struggled to get back to his feet. As the round was coming to an end, Stevens landed a couple of strikes to the spine of Aoki as he was trying to get back to his feet. The referee gave Stevens a yellow card for the strikes that he landed to the spine of Aoki.
In the third round, Stevens attempted a cartwheel kick in the opening thirty seconds but Aoki was able to dodge the strike. Aoki attempted to get the fight to the ground, which was successful. Stevens was able to attempt a head and arm triangle choke from his back, but Aoki was able to get our of the submission. After getting out of the submission, Aoki was able to maintain top position and Stevens got back to his feet briefly. After getting the fight back to the ground, Aoki was able to get the back of Stevens but was unable to get a submission before the final bell sounded.
Aoki (34-6, 1NC) has now won four fights in a row since losing to Eddie Alvarez last year in Bellator. He is the current ONE FC lightweight champion and it appears that he will continue to fight in the featherweight division.
The complete ONE FC 11: Total Domination Results are below.
Bibiano Fernandes def. Soo Chul Kim via unanimous decision
Shinya Aoki def. Cody Stevens via unanimous decision
Eddie Ng def. Peter Davis via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:46
Tatsuya Mizuno def. Rafael Silva via unanimous decision
Sylvain Potard def. Jake Butler via KO (strikes) – Round 2, :42
Shannon Wiratchai def. Mitch Chilson via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:52
Khim Dima def. Rene Catalan via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:40
Sherilyn Lim def. Ann Osman via split decision
Juan Wen Jie def. Alex Lim via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, :18
Stephen Langdown def. Mark Marcellinus via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:49