The second time proved to be the charm for ONE Super Series ace Fabrice Fairtex Delannon at ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The bantamweight Muay Thai bout between the three-time Max Muay Thai World Champion Delannon and six-time Muay Thai World Champion Yodpanomrung Jitmuangnon delivered a thrilling back-and-forth contest that had the crowd at the Jakarta Convention Center on the edge of their seats.
After losing out on his debut at ONE: PINNACLE OF POWER in June, Delannon returned to put things right and claim his first win in ONE Super Series on Saturday, 22 September.
Delannon, 36, started the bout the faster of the pair, finding a home for his straight punches early on as he took the battle to “The Lightning Knee” throughout the opening frame.
“The Funky Drummer” shaded the striking exchanges, but Yodpanomrung showcased his dominance of the clinch by twice hurling the French-Guianan athlete to the canvas.
The 24-year-old Thai star kicked off the second round with a third sweep as he threw Delannon to the mat, but he was not to be denied.
The French-Guiana athlete continued to beat Yodpanomrung to the punch, initiating most of the exchanges with jabs, two-punch combinations and step-in elbows.
Yodpanomrung threw “The Funky Drummer” to the mat for a fourth time after catching a high front-kick intended for his face.
The third round opened with a high-octane exchange as the pair exchanged punches and body kicks before Yodpanomrung dumped Delannon to the canvas again.
Undeterred, Delannon came firing back and landed with straight punches and close-range knees to the body as the bout went all the way to the judges’ scorecards.
When the verdict was revealed, it was Delannon who took the win via split decision, as he captured his 56th career victory – and his first in ONE Super Series – after a controlled, composed performance against one of the best Muay Thai athletes on the planet.