ONE Championship’s weekly subscriber-only spectacle, The Inner Circle 27, delivered on its billing inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, August 21.
In the night’s main event, Banluelok Sitwatcharachai stole headlines with a unanimous decision win over former ONE atomweight Muay Thai world title challenger Songchainoi Kiatsongrit.
The Thai duo threw everything but the kitchen sink at one another throughout their high-stakes showdown. Banluelok kicked things off by testing Songchainoi’s defense with a round of left kicks. The latter, on the other hand, stuck to his piston-like punches to keep action tight.
Things stayed that way for a minute or so until the former title challenger from Kiatsongrit Muay Thai Gym started finding a way to counter with solid right hands off his Thai compatriot’s kicks.
Songchainoi continued where he had left off in round two, using his footwork and working on his counters to frustrate Banluelok. While that worked, it didn’t take long for Banluelok to switch styles, and he soon started throwing big strikes to finish the frame strong.
Round three was another back-and-forth battle between the two. Banluelok’s volume troubled Songchainoi, but the latter had no quit in him as he returned fire with fire until the final bell.
After nine entertaining minutes, all three judges awarded the victory to Banluelok, which pushed his record to 91-22. Above all, it pushes him closer to a US$100,000 main roster contract.
Komawut ekes out a split decision over Kyaw Swar Win
The co-main event featured another three-round war between Komawut FA Group and Kyaw Swar Win. The pair duked it out in a bantamweight Muay Thai battle.
The Thai slugger headed into this clash riding a five-fight losing streak, but he showed plenty of heart and grit to get his hand raised via split decision in the Thai capital this past Friday.
Kyaw came out firing right off the bat, marching down his Thai opponent with body kicks and a couple of strikes from range. The Myanmarese kept his output high, but Komawut’s fight IQ eventually prevailed as the opening stanza unfolded. The FA Group athlete threw elbows every time Kyaw overextended.
Each of his elbows found a home, and that precision stayed on point in the second round. Much like the first, the Thai had to play the counter-attacking game, taking a few kicks to his frame while returning with more damaging elbows.
Still, the Myanmar fighter never backed down. Though painted in crimson from a deep gash, Kyaw went to work and tested his dance partner with punch-kick combos. The Thai, meanwhile, held his own and responded with precise shots until the end – doing just enough to get the nod from two of the three judges at ringside.
The Inner Circle 27 Full Results:
- Banluelok Sitwatcharachai defeats Songchainoi Kiatsongrit via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – atomweight)
- Komawut FA Group defeats Kyaw Swar Win via split decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
- Yodphupa Petkiatpet defeats Saw Min Min via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
- Dalian Dawody defeats Lamin Souayah via TKO at 2:00 of round one (Muay Thai – lightweight)
- Ben Longstaff defeats Kazuteru Yamazaki via TKO at 1:44 of round one (kickboxing – flyweight)
