Sun, Sep 14, 2014 page20

• Sung tops tough rival ‘for Taiwan’

  • By Adrian Hardie / Staff reporter
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  Brazil’s Adriano Moraes subdued Geje Eustaquio of the Philippines to become ONE FC’s inaugural flyweight champion in the main event, while Taiwan’s Sung Ming-yen survived a scare at the end of the first round to hand Radeem Rahman his first loss in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday night.

  In the co-main event, the US’ Caros Fodor submitted the Netherlands’ Vincent Latoel by rear naked choke with only seven seconds remaining in the second round.

  Eustaquio edged Moraes by virtue of aggression in a largely uneventful first round, before Moraes stepped up his own aggression in the second. Moraes began to get the better of the increasingly wild exchanges, scoring with a number of straight rights. Moraes attempted a two-legged takedown, backing Eustaquio against the cage, and managed two brief takedowns before sinking a guillotine and dropping to his back to force the tapout at 3:54 minutes for the win, and the title.

  

  Taiwan’s Sung Ming-yen, right, lands a straight right on Radeem Rahman of Singapore during their bout at a ONE FC event in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Friday.

  Photo: Courtesy of ONE FC

  Fighting on the undercard, Sung, 34, started strongly against the undefeated Singaporean, 27, landing a sharp straight right before scoring his first takedown with a throw only 24 seconds into the round. Sung passed Rahman’s guard to take side control before Rahman made his feet, only to be thrown again, with what appeared to be a judo-style inner reap. Rahman again made his feet, but was briefly sent to the canvas a third time when Sung caught his kick and unbalanced him.

  Sung landed a one-two combination and a roundhouse kick to Rahman’s head before throwing him yet again, but as Rahman made his feet, he caught Sung with what appeared to be a short left hook that caught Sung off-balance, sending him briefly to the canvas and following with a series of punishing hooks to the head that had the Taiwanese hurt.

  The fighters clinched against the cage, with Rahman landing knees. In the final minute, Sung again threw Rahman, but Rahman was able to take Sung’s back before transitioning into full mount. Sung tried to escape, again giving up his back, and Rahman sank a rear naked choke just as the sticks sounded for the final 10 seconds of the round.

  However, Sung was able to hold on to survive the round.

  By the time the second round started, Sung had clearly recovered and began to reassert control, timing Rahman easily to land crisp combinations. At 1 minute, 32 seconds into the round, he hurt Rahman with a straight right, then rocked him with a series of hooks to the head. Rahman tried to clinch, but Sung landed another left hook. Rahman then attempted a two-legged takedown, but Sung sprawled and caught him with a knee to the chin as he stood.

  Sung landed a looping left hook, then a lead right hand that staggered Rahman midway through the round and continued to dominate the exchanges thereafter, beginning to find a home for vicious uppercuts and hard kicks to the outer leg. Rahman clinched to see out the remainder of the round.

  In the final round, Sung began where he left off, landing low kicks and combinations against an increasingly tentative Rahman. He continued to take Rahman down at will, first catching a kick and unbalancing the Singaporean, then employing judo throws, following an outer reap with an inner reap that landed him in half-mount, where he was content to remain before being stood up by the referee.

  Sung then scored a two-legged takedown.

  Rahman made his feet, only to be taken down again, with Sung taking side control and transitioning to north-south to end the round.

  Sung was awarded a clear-cut, unanimous decision for his second ONE FC win in three months, to improve his record to 4-1-0.

  “I had a very tough opponent and he has a strong heart,” Sung said in his post-fight interview. “His punches are hard too. But when I am in there, I fight for Taiwan and those who love martial arts, so I know I can’t give up. In the first round, I took a few punches, but heard my girlfriend, who was in my corner. Things turned in my favor and I used some judo throws. He is a great opponent who deserves respect.”

  The event was the first in Cambodia to be staged by the rapidly expanding ONE FC, which had its first event in Taiwan in July and its first in the Middle East last month, in Dubai.
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