Gafurov beats Jadambaa in Beijing to become ONE featherweight champion

There was intense hostility highlighted by blood-spattering punches followed by a display of sportsmanship only hugs and backslaps can provide.

Russian fighter Marat Gafurov recieves the golden belt for undispute ONE Championship Featherweight champion from ONE CEO Victor Cui (left) at the Gymnasium of National Olympic Sports Center Saturday night in Beijing. [chinadaily.com.cn]

The One Wujie: Dynasty of Champions world-class mixed martial arts show rocked the Beijing crowd at the Gymnasium of National Olympic Sports Center Saturday night with both the brutal action of MMA and the sport's nature beyond its physical appearance.

Jointly presented by Singapore-based MMA organization ONE Championship and local partner Beijing Wujie Sports Development Co Ltd, the sold-out fight card reached its climax when Russian challenger Marat "Cobra" Gafurov squared off against reigning featherweight champion Mongolian Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia.

After withstanding a string of well-timed kicks and pinpoint punches from Jadambaa, Gafurov secured a breath-taking rear naked choke in the fifth and final round to beat the Mongolian by technical submission to become the undisputed ONE featherweight champion of the world.

"I didn't expect so much support here in China, I was surprised. It is very important for me to win here in China because the first martial art style I learned was Wushu (or Sangda) which originates from China," Gafurov said after winning the title.

In the other main event, Kazakhstan wrestling specialist Kairat Akhmetov showcased his superior takedown ability to trump Brazilian fighter Adriano Moraes to capture the championship belt.

Some up-and-coming Chinese fighters signed by ONE also shared the spotlight with their elite foreign counterparts by battling head-to-head in a series of lead-up bouts.

In the highly-anticipated Beijing Featherweight Tournament II final, four Chinese fighters battled it out before the main event; Yang Sen from Beijing Shaolin Martial Arts Academy took down his opponent Zhang Jiacai by submission to win the tournament trophy.

"It's really excited to fight on such a high-profile stage. The professional atmosphere with lighting and music was so electrifying and I would love to fight more under ONE Championship," Yang said after the fight.

In an evenly matched ONE official flyweight contest, Li Weibin and Wang Yayong both put on an amazing show of striking and grappling during three grueling rounds. A spinning back kick landed for Wang in the second round but Li accomplished more down the stretch. Two judges had Li winning the fight as he was awarded with a split decision victory.

In other fights, Russian Nikolay Aleksakhin utilized impressive submission to defeat Burenzorig Batmunkh of Mongolia in a welterweight bout after Jeff Huang of Chinese Taipei beat Malaysian Trestle Tan by technical knockout in the same category.

The Saturday event was the second ONE Championship promotion in Beijing following the Beijing Featherweight Tournament I last December.

Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship said, "I am really happy that the Beijing audience could enjoy the fight tonight. We just did what we were supposed to do that is to bring MMA to its birthplace in China. Tonight was just the beginning and we hope to bring more high-level fights to China."