Sexyama lands buckling knockout for first post-UFC victory at ONE: King of the Jungle

(James Goyder is the owner/editor of AsianMMA.com)

ONE: King of the Jungle took place behind closed doors because of concerns over the coronavirus in Singapore. So UFC veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama found himself performing in front of an empty stadium. The 44-year-old scored his first win since 2014 by stopping Sherif Mohamed.

The Egyptian sensed the opportunity to secure a career defining win against an MMA legend. He came flying out of the blocks, attacking Akiyama with an onslaught if wild punches and dropping the veteran in the early exchanges.

Akiyama was content to bide his time and barely attempted any counters, although when he did connect with a low kick, it buckled Mohamed’s legs. The Japanese welterweight’s patience was eventually rewarded as he landed a perfectly timed counter.

Mohamed charged forwards and this time Akiyama timed him and connected with a right hook. 

The Egyptian collapsed instantly and was in no position to defend himself from the punches that followed.

The finish came at the 3:04 mark and saw Akiyama taste victory for the first time in his post-UFC career. His record improves to 15-7-0-2 ,while Mohamed drops to 9-6 after suffering his third straight ONE Championship loss.

Martial arts legend Yoshihiro Akiyama 🇯🇵🇰🇷 drops Sherif Mohamed 🇪🇬 with a DEVASTATING right hook for the first-round knockout! @akiyamayoshihir #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #KingOfTheJungle pic.twitter.com/ywi6gbWPKa

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 28, 2020

In the atomweight division, a new star was born when Denice Zamboanga (7-0) scored a convincing win over Mei Yamaguchi (21-11-1). The Filipina did damage throughout the three-round contest and was rewarded with a unanimous decision win and a shot at reigning champion Angela Lee.

Denice Zamboanga 🇵🇭 defeats Mei Yamaguchi 🇯🇵 via unanimous decision to earn a ONE Atomweight World Title shot against Angela Lee! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #KingOfTheJungle pic.twitter.com/CqT8LjpmgO

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 28, 2020

Also in line for a title shot is Tiffany Teo (9-1). The Singaporean looks to have secured a rematch with strawweight champion Xiong Jing Nan after stopping Ayaka Miura (10-3) with seconds remaining in the third and final round.

Tiffany "No Chill" Teo 🇸🇬 FINISHES Ayaka Miura to earn a shot at Xiong Jing Nan's ONE Strawweight World Title! #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship #KingOfTheJungle pic.twitter.com/HT4kJHB4ik

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) February 28, 2020

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ONE: King of the Jungle Official Results

• ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship: Janet Todd defeats Stamp Fairtex by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds
• ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defeats Rocky Ogden by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds
• Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight: Kimihiro Eto defeats Amir Khan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:39 minutes of round 1
• Mixed Martial Arts Welterweight: Yoshihiro Akiyama defeats Sherif Mohamed by Knockout (KO) at 3:04 minutes of round 1
• Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight: Tiffany Teo defeats Ayaka Miura by TKO (Strikes) at 4:45 minutes of round 3
• Mixed Martial Arts Atomweight: Denice Zamboanga defeats Mei Yamaguchi by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight: Troy Worthen defeats Mark Fairtex Abelardo by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Mixed Martial Arts Featherweight: Honorio Banario defeats Shannon Wiratchai by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds
• Mixed Martial Arts Atomweight: Ritu Phogat defeats Wu Chiao Chen by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
• Mixed Martial Arts Welterweight: Murad Ramazanov defeats Bae Myung Ho by TKO (Strikes) at 4:53  minutes of round 1
• Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight: Jeff Chan defeats Radeem Rahman by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:00 minutes of round 2