Joachim Ouraghi Needs to Use Opportunity at One Friday Night Fights 72 to Prove His Worth

Joachim Ouraghi hopes his second fight in ONE Championship is just an aberration. The French-Algerian striker debuted with a flash. Ouraghi knocked out Gingsanglek Tor Laksong in the second round back in January to debut with a win.

But online boxing news shows that when Ouraghi came back for a second fight three months later, he only lasted 36 seconds in a humbling knockout defeat. Life isn’t about to get any easier for Ouraghi.

This Friday night at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Ouraghi will have to find a way to beat Kongsuk Fairtex during a flyweight contest. Kongsuk is a former two-time Lumpinee Stadium Muay Thai World Champion. Kongsuk has seen all five fights in ONE go to a decision.

While Kongsuk has found some success in the promotion, he has lost two of his three fights. During Kongsuk’s last fight, he was able to grind out a decision win over Petsukumvit Boi Bangna. Adding a win over Ouraghi would help point him in the right direction for where he would go.

The promoters will be watching this fight closely. A decisive victory either way could result in either or both fighters possibly earning a six-figure contract. With a lot of potential at stake, this should be a good way to cap off the main event. 

Co-Main Event Will Feature Wild Matchup

Jelte Blommaert isn’t interested in guaranteeing his safety or anyone else’s. Once Blommaert opens up his striking, he is hoping to bring the action to a stop. Blommaert needs to figure out how to consistently put his opponent down.

Blommaert, who is up against another all-action fighter in Theptaksin Sor Sornsing, is 2-3 so far in ONE. However, Blommaert gained momentum in March when he beat Kritpet PK Saenchai in the second round with a TKO. Theptaksin is also coming off a victory, but it wasn’t a dominant one.

He scraped to a split-decision win over Singdomthong Nokjeanladkrabang. Before that, Theptaksin lost his previous fight to Rittidet Sor Sommai by second-round knockout. A majority of Theptaksin’s fights have been action-packed, but they have mostly found a way to reach the judges’ scorecards.

But styles make fights. Blommaert could force Theptaksin out of his comfort zone and make him change tactics. Theptaksin will hope that fighting Blommaert, who is more prone to throwing wild strikes, will open up opportunities for him to strike. MMAfighting latest news shows this fight will be an exciting one.

Roberts Ready for Another Shot

Coming up short in a championship fight is difficult to rebound from mentally. Nearly climbing to the top of the mountain only to tumble down the other side can take a toll on a fighter. Alex Roberts, a 35-year-old Australia native, debuted in ONE Championship to fight heavyweight Muay Thai champion Roman Kryklia.

Kryklia stopped Roberts 25 seconds into the second round to win the inaugural title. But starting with Kryklia, who is also ONE’s light heavyweight kickboxing king, would always be a rough battle. Roberts will have to try to tame Beybulat Isaev during his second fight with the promotion.

The best MMA news sites show that Isaev has won three of his four fights in ONE. Isaev is a European Muay Thai Cup winner with world titles in Muay Thai and K-1. Roberts caught the attention of ONE and other big fans of Muay Thai when he won the WBC Heavyweight Muay Thai World Championship last October.

He will want to get back to form in this matchup. Roberts would like to try to get a dominant victory so he can quickly climb back into line for an opportunity to win a championship fight.

Freddie Haggerty Looks to Match Brother’s Accomplishments

Freddie Haggerty, 19, isn’t expected to be a complete fighter. But Haggerty, the younger brother of ONE bantamweight kickboxing and Muay Thai World Champion Jonathan Haggerty will have some pressure to prove he can fight like his older brother. Earning those expectations has also come because of how he has performed during his career so far.

When Freddie Haggerty debuted in ONE, he impressed everyone in the division by knocking out Dankalong Sor Dechapan 15 seconds into the second round in January. Haggerty’s opponent this time around will be 23-year-old Kaichon Sor Yingcharoenkarnchang.

Kaichon also won his promotional debut in March by winning a unanimous decision over Jompadej Nupranburi.

Ready for Warfare

Leaping from being an amateur fighter to a professional one isn’t a decision that fighters want to take lightly. Even if you are a strong amateur, a different level of intensity comes with fighting when there’s money on the line. Will Drewitt, an English fighter with an amateur record of 9-1, will want to take the next step in his ONE debut by grabbing a victory.

But there’s always a concern about the lack of professional experience. Drewitt’s opponent, Sumit Bhyan, has found mixed professional results so far. Bhyan, who is 1-1 in his professional career, had a disastrous first result during his ONE debut.

Bhyan was knocked out in just 68 seconds. He hopes that having a little bit more professional experience will allow him to give Drewitt a rude welcome to the professional ranks. If Bhyan doesn’t win this fight, his future with the promotion could be in jeopardy.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights for the card not mentioned above:

• Muay Thai (142-pound catchweight), Thongsiam Lukjaoporongtom vs. Pentor SP Kansart Paeminburi

• Muay Thai (118-pound catchweight), Paeyim Sor Boonmeerit vs. Methee Sor Sor Toipadriew
• Muay Thai (122-pound catchweight), Petnamkhong Mongkolpet vs. Lookkwan Sujeebameekiew
• Muay Thai (128-pound catchweight), Songpandin Chor Kaewwiset vs. Muanglao Kiattongyot 
• Muay Thai (122-pound catchweight), Majid Karimi vs. Pataknin Sinbimuaythai 
• Kickboxing (128-pound catchweight), Akif Guluzada vs Haruto Yasumoto
• Banpot Lertthaisong vs. Craig Hutchison (submission grappling – lightweight)

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.