3 Mind-Boggling Knockouts From the Stars Competing on ONE 160

Published 08/19/2022, 9:50 AM EDT

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ONE Championship’s next spectacle, ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II, is loaded with heavy-hitting knockout artists from start to finish.

On August 26, the promotion returns to the Singapore Indoor Stadium with a star-studded card topped by two MMA World Title showdowns featuring four of the biggest stars on the roster.

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But fans can expect world-class action throughout the evening, with jaw-dropping finishes all but guaranteed.

To get hyped for ONE 160, we take a look at three of the best knockouts from the athletes competing on August 26.

#1 Christian Lee Knocks Out Iuri Lapicus With Punches In Bunches

ONE 160 main event competitor Christian “The Warrior” Lee defended his ONE Lightweight World Title for the first time in style against Iuri Lapicus in October 2020.

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The United MMA and Evolve standout took the contest to his challenger from the opening bell but got hit by a leg-wobbling straight right hand from the Moldovan early on.

With momentum on his side, Lapicus caught the defending king in a clinch before slamming him to the mat.

However, the Hawaii-based athlete recovered from his rival’s guard, brought the contest back to the feet, and then reversed the roles on the canvas.

The challenger, to his credit, did well to slide out of Lee’s mount. But the World Champion positioned himself onto Lapicus’ back in a sudden change of the tides before unleashing a barrage of punches that forced the referee to intervene at 2:19 of the first stanza.

#2 Thanh Le Puts Yusup Saadulaev To Sleep with Crushing Knee

Reigning featherweight king Thanh Le got his ONE tenure off to a perfect start with a sumptuous knockout over Yusup Saadulaev at ONE: FOR HONOR in 2019.

The Vietnamese-American dynamo constantly tried to set up his striking attacks in the first round, but his Russian rival’s movement and grappling prowess eventually got the better of him.

 

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However, in the opening moments of the second canto, Le flipped the script in a blink of an eye.

He came out of his corner and threw away a lightning-quick head kick at Saadulaev. “Maestro” attempted to duck underneath it and shoot in for another takedown – but he paid the price.

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Le expertly followed up his kick with an accurate knee that caught his opposite number’s chin, and he drove in the final nail with a right hand to gain a highlight-reel finish just 12 seconds into the frame.

#3 Amir Khan Shuts Down Sung Jong Lee In A Thrilling Back-And-Forth War

Singaporean knockout artist Amir Khan thrilled his hometown fans when he knocked out South Korean warrior Sung Jong Lee in May 2018.

The two lightweight stars engaged in a spectacular striking firefight right from the opening bell.

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Khan attempted to break his rival down with left hooks, straight rights, and a couple of elbows during the exchanges, but Sung replied with similar shots to hurt the local star.

 

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As the match progressed, Khan’s striking power proved too much for his rival to handle. As a result, Sung decided to take the contest to the mats.

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That plan eventually proved to be his downfall, as Khan stayed calm to fend off his submission attempts, then connected with a knee and some huge right hands to earn his ninth finish inside the Circle at 3:39 of the second round.

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Written by:

Deepak Kumar

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Deepak Kumar is a UFC author at EssentiallySports. His love for MMA comes from the chaos and violence the fight game brings to the table. A BJJ aspirant, Deepak began following the sport as a casual fan when Ronda Rousey was finishing her opponents in seconds.
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Edited by:

Rohini Kottu