Reigning ONE welterweight world champion Ben 'Funky' Askren has certainly proved that he’s one of the best welterweights in the world.
The former US Olympian retained his championship title by overcoming Japanese fighter Shinya Aoki via stoppage at ONE: Immortal Pursuit in Singapore, last night.
Askren, 33, left an indelible mark in what was billed as the last bout of his illustrious mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
It took him only 57 seconds to retain the most prestigious award in ONE Championship’s welterweight division.
Askren effortlessly secured the stoppage after Aoki pulled his American counterpart into his patented guard, giving the champion an opening to unleash heavy blows with ease.
As Aoki started to cover up to defend himself, Askren relentlessly poured down a barrage of solid punches that left the referee with no other choice but to call a stop to the contest.
Meanwhile, national hero Muhammad Aiman Raziz Affindi got back to his winning streak by beating newcomer Yang Fei of China in a tactical three-round catchweight bout.
Aiman and Yang employed efficient strategies from bell to bell, with the 22-year-old Malaysian utilizing his speed and power to connect on a handful of powerful strikes on Yang.
Yang responded with solid hooks and takedown attempts, but after going back-and-forth for three rounds, Aiman was declared the victor by way of unanimous decision.
Below are the official results for ONE: Immortal Pursuit
ONE Welterweight World Championship bout: Ben Askren defeats Shinya Aoki by TKO (Strikes) at 0:57 minutes of round 1
Lightweight bout: Amir Khan defeats Adrian Pang by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Bantamweight bout: Leandro Issa defeats Dae Hwan Kim by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Women’s strawweight bout: May Ooi defeats Vy Srey Khouch by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:58 minutes of round 1
Featherweight bout: Ahmed Mujtaba defeats Li Kai Wen by Disqualification (Illegal Blows)
Women’s catchweight bout (58kg): Tiffany Teo defeats Puja Tomar by Submission (Armbar) at 4:07 minutes of round 1
Women’s atomweight bout: Mei Yamaguchi defeats Gina Iniong by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Lightweight bout: Arnaud LePont defeats Richard Corminal by Submission (Arm Triangle) at 3:16 minutes of round 1
Catchweight bout (69.4kg): Muhammad Aiman defeats Yang Fei by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds
Strawweight bout: Miao Li Tao defeats Sim Bunsrun by TKO (strikes) at 1:49 minutes of round 1
Haider Yutim
Sat Nov 25 2017
Ben Askren (left) lands a powerful strike to Japan's Shinya Aoki at ONE: Immortal Pursuit, in Singapore on Friday night. - ONE photo
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