(James Goyder is the owner/editor of AsianMMA.com)
Remaining undefeated for nearly a decade requires a lot of ability and, sometimes, a little bit of luck. Lowen Tynanes didn’t get any of the latter at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday as he dropped a split decision to Marat Gafurov at ONE: Collision Course.
It was the first time the Hawaiian had ever tasted defeat. But the margins between success and failure could not have been any finer with a takedown attempt in the final seconds of the fight probably making the difference for Gafurov.
With Tynanes only having fought once in the last four years and Gafurov coming off a loss on his lightweight debut, the stakes were high for both men. They made a tentative start with very little action to speak of at the start of the first.
Tynanes decided to utilize his wrestling and take the fight down, but Gafurov stood strong and resisted his attempt long enough for the referee to separate them. The Russian decided to try some flashy spinning strikes at the start of the second, but nothing connected.
Again Tynanes unsuccessfully pursued a takedown. Following a brief pause due to a low blow, Gafurov started to find a home for his body kicks.
ONE Championship fights are scored overall, not round by round, meaning that any sort of success in the final round could be decisive on the scorecards. So it proved with Gafurov scoring a takedown and forcing Tynanes to defend in the final moments, even if he was unable to land anything of note.
A draw might have been an appropriate outcome, but this isn’t an option in ONE Championship. So the judges were forced to choose. Ultimately, it was Gafurov that they picked, with only one of the three voting in favor of Tynanes.
Gafurov improved to 18-3, while Tynanes dropped to 10-1. A place in the top five lightweight rankings awaits the winner, who will be looking to win a title in a second division, having previously held the featherweight strap.
Also breaking into the top five at flyweight should be Yodkaikaew Fairtex (7-2-1), who scored a split decision win over Tatsumitsu Wada (22-12-3). Meanwhile, Yusup Saadulaev (20-5-1) beat Troy Worthen (7-1) by decision in their bantamweight fight.
ONE: Collision Course Results
- Kickboxing: Roman Kryklia def. Andrei Stoica via unanimous decision
- Muay Thai: Nong-O Gaiyanghadao def. Rodlek PKSaenchaigym via KO (punch) at 1:13 of Round 3
- Marat Gafurov def. Lowen Tynanes via split decision
- Yusup Saadulaev def. Troy Worthen via unanimous decision
- Yodkaikaew Fairtex def. Tatsumitsu Wada via split decision
- Xie Wei def. Chan Rothana via TKO (punches) at 1:39 of Round 3
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ONE: Collision Course Fight Highlights
(Video courtesy of ONE Championship)
Marat Gafurov moves into lightweight contention after defeating Lowen Tynanes at ONE: Collision Course