Keanu Subba Makes Triumphant Homecoming By Submitting Xie Chao

It had almost been a year since Keanu Subba saw action in ONE Championship, but he showed no signs of cage rust in his return.

On Friday, July 13, the 24-year-old blew the roof off the Axiata Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as he tapped out “White Dragon” Xie Chao in the first round of their encounter at ONE: PURSUIT OF POWER.

The crowd was roaring wildly for their Malaysian hero, but that did not seem to faze “White Dragon,” as the 26-year-old confidently went toe-to-toe with Subba.

A right hand from the Chinese featherweight surprised Subba, but the Kuala Lumpur-based warrior returned the favour by landing a head kick on his opponent.

Subba, who trains out of Bali MMA and Monarchy MMA, went for a takedown that signalled the beginning of the end for Xie. Despite his best efforts, the Harbin, China native was forced to defend off his back for much of the round as the MIMMA Featherweight Champion transitioned between dominant positions at will.

As Subba returned to his feet, Xie tried to fend off his opponent from the mat by throwing kicks upward towards him. It was not enough to stop Subba from meeting him back down on the mat and taking mount.

As Xie attempted to buck the Malaysian off him, Subba expertly adjusted his position to snatch his opponent’s arm, and flip him onto his back.

Xie managed to endure the pain and attempted to escape, but Subba was not to be denied – tightening his grip and arching his hips to force the Chinese warrior to tap at the 3:22 mark of the opening round to the delight of the crowd.

The impressive victory reminded everyone why Subba is considered as one of the brightest talents in his division. He improved his record to 6-3, adding a fifth opening-round stoppage to his list of accomplishments.