Honorio Banario, the reigning URCC lightweight champion, handed Eric Kelly the first loss of his career in the main event of ONE FC 7, stopping the Filipino up-and-comer with strikes midway through the fourth round to earn the promotion’s inaugural featherweight title.
Banario controlled much of the action throughout the opening three frames, darting inside and out with precise striking to win exchanges from range while successfully defending many of Kelly’s takedown attempts. Kelly briefly stunned the 23-year-old with a wild overhand right early in the second stanza, however that would be his lone bright moment as Kelly appeared content to headhunt for the remainder of the fight and was unable to mount any sustainable offense.
In a bizarre finish, Banario found his mark with a hard left hook a minute into the championship rounds. Kelly staggered back, then slowly crumpled to the ground holding his eye and complaining of an eye poke. Referee Yuji Shimda was unaware of the alleged infraction and ultimately waved off the fight. The victory lifted Banario to an 8-1 record, with all eight wins coming by way of stoppage.
In the co-main event of the evening, former Shooto champion Shinichi Kojima choked out previously unbeaten Filipino Rey Docyogen with a second-round guillotine to earn a shot at the inaugural ONE FC flyweight championship. After a wild opening frame that saw both men stagger the other with power shots, Kojima seized the fight-ending submission inside the clinch before jumping into guard and locking it up to coax a frantic tap.
ONE FC 7 took place at Putra Indoor Arena in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event streamed online via pay-per-view for North American audiences. Complete ONE FC 7 results can be seen below.
Main Card:
Honorio Banario def. Eric Kelly via TKO at 1:01 of round 4
Shinichi Kojima def. Rey Docyogen via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:47 of round 2
Lowen Tynanes def. Vuyisile Colossa via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:37 of round 3
Peter Davis def. Leo Krishna via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 2:01 of round 1
Adam Kayoom def. Zuli Silawanto via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:41 of round 1
Thanh Vu def. Ryan Diaz via TKO (punches) at 1:03 of round 1
Melvin Yeoh def. Raymond Tiew via submission (triangle choke) at 3:29 of round 2
Jian Kai Chee def. A.J. Lias Mansor via unanimous decision
Preliminary Card:
Gianni Subba def. Saiful Merican by submission (armbar) at 4:08 of round 2
Jake Butler def. Antoni Romulo via TKO (strikes) at 2:46 of round 1