ONE Championship scored big with mixed martial arts fans Friday night with their event fittingly entitled “ONE: Empower” held in Singapore, the first known high-profile all-female combat card. Though the women’s strawweight title was also at stake (champion Xiong Jing Nan of China overwhelmed Brazil’s greatest grappler Michelle Nicolini), what stole the show was the ONE Atomweight Grand Prix quarterfinals, which pit eight incredibly talented female fighters against one another in a step-ladder tournament to determine the inevitable contender for the pregnant reigning champion Angela Lee. The four pairings produced great match-ups that all went the distance.
Though the first known female mixed martial arts match held in the United States took place in 1997, women’s combat sports had always been held in lesser regard than the men’s. That only changed eight years ago, after Ronda Rousey convinced the UFC to hold their first live women’s bout. This time, it took a visionary like Chatri Sityodtong to take it to the next level, to show that women can fill up an entire card, fight at the highest level, and provide action just as dramatic and compelling as men can.
At ONE: Empower, Filipino fight fans were disappointed with the result of the final fight of Grand Prix, as previously-undefeated number one-ranked Denice Zamboanga fell to No. 5 Seo Hee Ham of South Korea via a controversial split decision. The Filipina dubbed “Lycan Queen” had won her first eight fights, but Ham had won six in a row with four knockouts. In the face of great takedown defense by Ham, Zamboanga repeatedly pinned her upright against the steel circle’s walls while consistently striking. However, Ham had the more dramatic strikes when the two were not in a clinch. A head clash in the third round tore open the Filipina’s forehead, but she was still able to get a takedown in the last two minutes, as her blood dripped all over her opponent. However, it was Ham who advanced to the semifinals.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m so speechless right now. For me, I clearly won the fight unanimously,” Zamboanga said at the post-fight press conference. “Nothing surprised me. I had control. I was able to keep up with her in striking and all.”
“Denice controlled the fight and dictated the pace from the get-go,” declares combat sports journalist Nissi Icasiano, co-host of the online show Round By Round. “She shut down Ham’s striking rhythm, basically rendering the South Korean gunshy for the entire 15-minute affair. In the grappling department, Denice scored takedowns when it mattered the most. In the dying minutes of the third round, Zamboanga even planted Ham on the ground with a big takedown and held control until the final bell.”
In the other matches, Japan’s Itsuki “Android 18” Hirata defeated debuting American Alyse “Li’l Savage” Anderson by unanimous decision; India’s diminutive grappler Ritu Phogat scored a huge unanimous decision upset over China’s knockout artist Meng Bo; and Thailand’s Stamp Fairtex got revenge against Ukraine’s Alyona Rassohyna. In their previous battle, the referee said Stamp tapped out, which she vehemently denied.
Overall, the event was streamlined, exciting, well-run and broadcast professionally. In a unique twist, fans get to vote who will face each other in the atomweight semifinals. ONE continues to find new ways to get better and give the fans what they want.