Rika Ishige Delivers Fireworks At ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES

Rika Ishige Delivers Fireworks At ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES
Rika Ishige Delivers Fireworks At ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES
PHOTO: Rika Ishige Delivers Fireworks At ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES

For the second time in two months, Thailand’s Rika “Tinydoll” Ishige brought the fans of ONE Championship to their feet and delivered fireworks.

The 28-year-old entered the Singapore Indoor Stadium dressed like Street Fighter’s Chun Li, and gave a performance worthy of the arcade heroine. Ishige defeated Indonesian debutante Nita Dea via rear-naked choke during their atomweight showdown at ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES on Friday, 26 May.

“I trained hard and I prepared my striking, but the first time she came at me with her punches, I got hit and was dizzy,” she says, after the bout. “But after that, I tried to take her down and get the submission, and that was it. I really like this fight, because I almost got knocked out.”

Dea came out swinging for the fences right off the bat, but for the most part, Ishige was able to keep her distance. However, when “Tinydoll” went in for the clinch and attempted to take her down, the Indonesian wound up on top.

That would not last. Merely seconds later, the Bangkok native transitioned from the bottom to take Dea’s back with grappling finesse. The Thai eventually transitioned into an armbar, but the Central Java native courageously held on and fought out of the deep submission.

Dea ended up on top, but “Tinydoll” was not done with her impressive grappling, as she transitioned for another failed armbar attempt. But when the Thai took her rival’s back again, she was able to flatten her out, and secure a very tight rear-naked choke.

The Indonesian had no choice but to tap out at the 2:39 mark of the first round.

Ishige gets her second-consecutive finish, and advances her record to a perfect 2-0. While Ishige’s meteoric rise continues, Dea falls in her mixed martial arts debut, and will look to build upon her 0-1 record in the near future.

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