JERRY Olsim suffered his first setback while Emmanuel Onyedikachi of Nigeria walked away with a technical decision victory over De’von Morris of the United States in the main event of Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior Series during the weekend in Tokyo, Japan.
Ryoji Kudo of Japan put together an impressive performance, dealing Team Lakay’s Olsim his first loss in his professional mixed martial arts career.
The longer, more powerful Olsim looked to keep the action standing, but Kudo was intent on taking matters to the ground in the first round.
Kudo would shoot for a double-leg takedown in the opening moments of the bout, but Olsim would defend well with a sprawl.
In the second, Kudo turned up the pressure on the feet, doing damage with a well-placed left hook that staggered Olsim momentarily. From then on, Olsim became hesitant and wary of Kudo’s ability to switch seamlessly between his boxing and his wrestling.
In the end, all three ringside judges scored the bout in favor of Kudo to win by unanimous decision.
In the main event, Onyedikachi of Nigeria walked away with a technical decision victory after an illegal kick to the groin caused a halt to the action in the third and final round.
In the opening stanza, it quickly became apparent that Onyedikachi owned the power advantage after landing two huge left hooks in the first minute of the contest. The Nigerian athlete continuously poured on the pressure, with Morris trying his best to weather the early storm.
Morris would find his mark in the second round but Onyedikachi would remain dangerous throughout the bout.
In the third round, Morris increased his activity, pushing Onyedikachi up against the ropes. Morris then inadvertently connected on a kick to the groin, which prompted the referee to give Onyedikachi a five-minute recovery period. With Onyedikachi unable to continue with just 35 seconds left in the match, the judges reached a technical decision.
Warrior Bonuses were awarded to So Yul Kim, Satomi Takano, Ayaka Miyauchi, Sandra Godvik, Yuko Suzuki, and Shoa Arii for standout performances.