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Japan and New Zealand were among the 15 countries represented at “ONE: Warriors of Light.” It was the second ONE Championship event in 2019 held in Thailand.

Featuring three kickboxing contests, four Muay Thai matches and five mixed martial arts bouts, “ONE: Warriors of Light” took place at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand on May 10, 2019. The 10th bout of the evening was between Shoko Sato, 31, of Japan and Mark Fairtex Abelardo, 27, of New Zealand.

While Sato was one of the four fighters who represented Japan at “ONE: Warriors of Light,” Abelardo solely represented New Zealand. Algeria, Australia, Cambodia, China, Chinese Taipei, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Portugal, Thailand and the United States were also represented.

Blue Corner

Abelardo is a winner of the prestigious ONE Warrior Series and is also known for his finishing ability. He is of Filipino descent and is training out of Fairtex in Bangkok.

“ONE: Warriors of Light” marked Abelardo’s second ONE Championship bout not including his two successful ONE Warrior Series bouts. On February 16, 2019, he knocked out Daichi Takenaka, 29, of Japan at “ONE: Clash of Legends” at the Impact Arena.

Red Corner

Training out of Sakaguchi Dojo and Fight Base Toritsudai, Sato is a former Shooto Bantamweight Champion and a mixed martial arts veteran who is known for his knockout power. Nearly half of his overall victories have come by knockout finish.

Sato made his ONE Championship debut at “ONE: Warriors of Light.” He previously competed in Shooto, Road Fighting Championship and Pancrase, among others.

Fight Result

Sato and Abelardo competed in an MMA match in the strawweight division. Yoshinori Umeki served as the referee.

Umeki put a stop to the contest after 1 minute and 58 seconds in the second round. Sato knocked out Abelardo.

Winning at “ONE: Warriors of Light” improved Sato’s professional MMA record to 32 wins, 16 losses and 3 draws. On the other hand, Abelardo now has 18 wins and 6 losses.

“ONE: Warriors of Light” Main Events

Petchdam Petchyindee Academy, 20, of Thailand and Elias “The Sniper” Mahmoudi, 21, of Algeria competed for the inaugural ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship in the co-main event. The Thai contender won via technical decision after an accidental groin attack in the fourth round.

Hiroaki “Kaibutsukun” Suzuki, 34, of Japan challenged reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-o Gaiyanghadao, 32, of Thailand in the main event. The Thai defending champion won via unanimous decision.

The official open workout for “ONE: Warriors of Light” took place in Bangkok on April 25, 2019. It featured Nong–O and Petchdam along with their fellow Thai ONE Championship athletes “The Iron Man” Rodtang Jitmuangnon, 21, Singtongnoi Por Telakun, 38, Superlek Kiatmoo9, 23, and Pongsiri “The Smiling Assassin” Mitsatit, 22.

Check the complete results for “ONE: Warriors of Light” on Conan Daily. Watch the recap here: