BY CARLO ANOLIN
The Zamboanga siblings proved their worth Friday, besting their respective rivals by submission but Fil-Am KC Carlos yielded to her Thai foe in muay thai in ONE: A New Breed in Bangkok, Thailand.
With seconds away from the end of the second round, Drex Zamboanga made one stunning move to outmaneuver Thai Detchadin Sornsirisuphathin on the way to a successful debut in ONE Championship’s flyweight division.
The two showed back-and-forth action in striking and grappling throughout the match, but Zamboanga showed the same aggressiveness in the first round to take the win away.
The newcomer from the Philippines, improving to an 8-5 win-loss slate, found the perfect opportunity to execute a rear-naked choke and put Sornsirisuphathin to sleep.
His younger sister, Denice, was equally impressive as she outclassed Watsapinya Kaewkhong of Thailand in their women’s atomweight bout.
Denice towered over Kaewkhong in striking before the two took the game to the ground.
The 23-year-old Filipina ended the match in the first round with a slick Americana lock to remain undefeated in her career and in the promotion, boosting her record to 8-0.
Thailand, however, bounced back in muay thai bout after Wondergirl Fairtex beat Fil-Am KC Carlos in the strawweight division.
Carlos sustained a broken nose after a solid elbow strike from Wondergirl, prompting the referee to stop the fight in the second round and declare the fighter from Fairtex the winner.
The event was held in closed-door and audience-free venue in compliance with health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
