Two former strawweight champions faced off at ONE: Fists of Fury III in Singapore. The event was broadcast Friday, as Alex Silva was narrowly edged out by Hiroba Minowa.
Minowa held the Pancrase 115-pound title, while Silva is a former ONE Championship strawweight titleholder. The Brazilian fighter looked in complete control during the opening round with the action playing out almost exclusively on the ground.
Silva was able to get the fight down and then attack with leg locks, constantly trying for submissions without ever threatening to finish the fight. This pattern continued in the second stanza, although Minowa managed to land some gentle ground and pound when he found himself on top.
Sensing he was behind, Minowa made a fast start in the final round. He looked to land straight punches, but Silva wasted no time on shooting for a takedown and getting the fight to the floor, even if he was forced to give up top position in the process.
Silva was able to reverse, but not before Minowa had landed more punches. They clinched against the cage and the Brazilian dragged the fight down, but again found himself on the bottom with his opponent landing sporadic punches.
Silva executed a textbook sweep and got to his feet. With a rare opportunity to use his striking, Minowa went to work, landing a flurry of punches, as his opponent’s right eye started to swell shut.
Silva responded with a takedown. A stalemate on the mat ensued. It made for a nervous wait as the scorecards were tabulated, but two of the three judges saw it in Minowa’s favor.
Minowa improved to 13-2 after his second split decision win in a row. Silva dropped to 9-6. It is back-to-back split decision losses for the Brazilian, who will be cursing his luck.
Earlier in the night, Roshan Mainam (6-2) made it three wins in a row for ONE Championship. The Indian finished Indonesia’s Aziz Calim (5-5) with a rear naked choke in the opening round.
Jenelyn Olsim (4-2) scored a very impressive submission win over Maira Mazar (7-4). The Team Lakay prospect finished the Brazilian with a guillotine choke in the third round of their flyweight fight.
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ONE: Fists of Fury III results
- Kickboxing: Regian Eersel (c) def. Mustapha Haida by Decision (Unanimous) (For Lightweight Title)
- Muay Thai: Janet Todd def. Alma Juniku by Decision (Unanimous)
- Hiroshi Minowa def. Alex Silva by Decision (Split)
- Roshan Mainam def. Aziz Calim by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:45 of Round 1
- Jenelyn Olsim def. Maira Mazar by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 0:43 of Round 3
- Hu Yong def. Yodkaikaew Fairtex by Decision (Unanimous)
ONE: Fists of Fury II fight highlights
(Video courtesy of ONE Championship)
Hiroba Minowa edges out Alex Silva at ONE: Fists of Fury III
