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Pacio scores split decision win over Amnuaysirichoke; Angela Lee stays as One women's champ

One Championship
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--Joshua Pacio got back to the winning track after handing Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke his second MMA loss at One: Warrior Kingdom at the Impact Arena in Bangkok on Saturday night.

Pacio got the better of a split decision against Amnuaysirichoke in the match that could give the winner another crack at the One strawweight title being held by Yoshitaka Naito.

After a close first round where Amnuaysirichoke showcased his muay thai prowess only for Pacio to get back through his versatile ground game, the latter dominated the second round as the former seemed to have not solved his opponent's all-around game.

Amnuaysirichoke found daylight in the final round, once again scoring on solid strikes, but Pacio survived the round and eventually walked away with the win.

This is Pacio's first win that went through the cards after scoring eight straight stoppage wins before his loss to Naito last October.

On the other hand, the Thai crowd was once again silenced as Amnuaysirichoke fell prey anew in his home country.

In the main event that spilled to early Sunday (Philippine Time), Angela retained her One women's atomweight belt after beating previously unbeaten Jenny Huang.

Lee, known for her grappling, showcased she has solid striking too after going for a ground-and-pound in the third round that forced the referee to call it a knockout at the 3:37 mark of the said period.

In the co-main event, Shannon Wiratchai handed newcomer Richard Corminal a loss in his One Championship debut.

Wiratchai only needed three minutes and 37 seconds for the knockout on the Filipino to atone for Amnuaysirichoke's loss to Pacio and give the Thais something to cheer about.

Meanwhile, Theera Phongwan, also known as Yodsanan Sityodtong, showed that age is just a number after delivering a submission win over the comebacking Ramon Gonzales.

The 42-year-old Thai veteran forced the Filipino to a verbal tapout at the 3:21 mark of Round 2.

Also, Pongsiri Mitsatit knocked out Rabin Catalan with just 15 seconds left in Round 1 of their fight that served as the curtain-raiser of the fight card.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno