Interim Lightweight Title Stays Vacant After ONE Fight Night 23 Main Event

The interim One Championship lightweight mixed martial arts championship was up for grabs in the One Fight Night 23 main event but no one took it home.

In the five-round headliner, South Korea's Rae Yoon Ok took on Turkey's Alibeg Rasulov , who missed weight and was thus ineligible to win the title. Ok (17-4) came out composed, landing kicks on the outside and sneaking in elbows when clinched, although as the round went on, Rasulov (14-0) managed to control the pace and positioning. The second frame would see Ok start to find success with his jab and land knees to the body inside. The Turkish fighter would begin slowing down in the third but continued going forward and creating moments for himself to shine while dirty boxing.

The championship rounds were needed as Rasulov continued moving forward and staying active despite the tiring nature of the fight. The overweight fighter controlled the war of attrition and was able to find success clinched against the ropes. Both men were exhausted in the fifth, although neither man ever stopped throwing.

After five rounds of action, Rasulov was awarded a unanimous decision win from the judges as the interim title stayed vacant.

Carrillo Smashes Fairtex

The co-main event was between top-ranked bantamweight muay thai fighters Nico Carrillo and Saemapetch Fairtex .

Early on, Carrillo used his longer frame to pick Fairtex apart on the outside with punches. A series of knees would hurt the Thai fighter near the end of the first round. Fairtex would find some success with his leg kicks in the second frame, although his Scottish opponent would score a sudden knockdown that turned the tide. Carrillo scored another knockdown with a well-timed left hook and then would keep up the pressure until Fairtex wilted .

After three knockdowns in the round, the fight was called off at 2:03 of Round 2, and Carrillo called for a title fight.

Ruotolo Outgrapples Chen

In the night's lone submission grappling match, 21-year-old grappling sensation Tye Ruotolo took on the even younger Jozef Chen , who is only 19.

Both men struggled to get the other to the ground as they clinched for the opening three minutes until Ruotolo was able to land a trip. However, Chen got right back to his feet, and the two were largely in a stalemate until the American secured a double-leg takedown. Chen's butterfly guard was effective as Ruotolo struggled to get past it. Both men would look for leg locks to no avail, and they grappled to the 10-minute limit.

Ultimately, the judges preferred the work on top by Ruotolo, who took a unanimous decision win.

Related » ONE Fight Night 23 Round-by-Round Scoring

Grishenko Outstrikes Kang

Heavyweight MMA contender Kirill Grishenko kept his title hopes alive against Ji Won Kang .

After finding his range with kicks to the body, Grishenko (6-2) clinched and controlled Kang (7-3) against the ropes for most of the opening frame. The Belarusian peppered "Mighty Warrior" with jabs in Round 2, staying fully in control of the action on the feet. The South Korean fighter would try to come forward more in the final five minutes, yet it only led to him running into more strikes from Grishenko, who showed little wear after three rounds.

After picking up a unanimous decision win, Grishenko improved to 3-2 inside the promotion.

Kouyate Upsets Lessei

Featherweight muay thai prospect Luke Lessei faced another setback in Bampara Kouyate .

The opening round saw the American take his time against Kouyate, whose fast punches led to a cut around the left eye of Lessei. Kouyate would keep the momentum in his favor as he knocked Lessei down early in Round 2 and used powerful kicks to keep distance. The 28-year-old would get more aggressive in the final round and get dropped by an uppercut from Kouyate . Wobbly upon getting up, the fight was waved off as Lessei was unable to continue.

The fight was stopped officially at 2:08 of Round 3.

Early ONE on Prime Video 23 Results:

In a bantamweight MMA fight, Tatsumitsu Wada (24-12-2, 1 NC)) took a close unanimous decision victory over Wei Xie (18-6); Worawit Madabram got revenge over fellow muay thai fighter Ali Saldoev via a gorgeous head kick knockout in the second round; In the night's first MMA fight, Koha Minowa (14-5) outgrappled Jeremy Miado (12-8) to win a split decision; Ellis Badr Barbosa knocked down Aliff Sor Dechapan en route to a split decision win in their 125-pound muay thai fight; Heavyweight muay thai favorite Oumar Kane quickly finished off Mamadou Kamara with a series of punches at 2:08 of Round 1; in the opening 151-pound muay thai fight, Alexey Balyko knocked out Stefan Korodi with a picture-perfect left hook at 2:41 of the first round.