ONE Fight Night 42: Dzhabir Dzhabrailov emerges with comeback knockout victory as Sam-A Gaiyanghadao delivers masterclass
Saturday 11 April 2026 09:40, UK
Turkish sensation Dzhabir Dzhabrailov authored a stunning first-round comeback to knock out American powerhouse Chase Mann while Muay Thai legend Sam-A Gaiyanghadao landed a breath-taking walk-off head-kick knockout of Elmehdi El Jamari in co-main event at ONE Fight Night 42.
Dzhabrailov had never been truly tested in his professional MMA career. Six battles, six finishes, and his last four ending in the first round.
The 21-year-old Turkish phenom faced his sternest examination yet against Chase "Mannimal" Mann in the main event of ONE Fight Night 42 - and although he encountered tremendous adversity along the way, he ultimately passed with flying colours.
Once the opening bell rang, Mann immediately took control of the action.
The American powerhouse dragged Dzhabrailov to the mat within seconds and pinned him against the ropes, showcasing the immense strength he previously amassed from his powerlifting days. When the young Turk scrambled to his feet, Mann greeted him with a vicious right hand that sent him crashing back down to the canvas.
'The Mannimal' attacked while the Turk was trying to stand up, as he unleashed a knee down the centre, peppered him with heavy rights, and then picked him up and dumped him in the corner. The 29-year-old followed that up with a plethora of short elbows, punches, and knees to the head.
Throughout his ONE Championship tenure, Dzhabrailov had never been threatened, and if he didn't try to remove himself from that dreadful position, his flawless reputation would be completely destroyed. Knowing this, he stood up in the corner, avoided his rival's single-leg takedown attempt, and circled away from him.
Mann continued punching his way into the takedown, but the tide was turning. The Turk fended him off, created some distance, and landed a few hard shots of his own. He even pushed him away with some front kicks.
Mann confidently stepped away, patiently waiting for his opponent to walk forward with the hope of landing the finishing blow. But it never came.
Instead, Dzhabrailov threw a wild right hand that missed entirely. But his momentum carried him through, his hips rotating perfectly as he unleashed a left hook that caught Mann flush on the button.
The American dropped like a stone. Dzhabrailov pounced, landing two hammerfists before referee Olivier Coste could pull him away at 2:31 of round one.
That surprising comeback victory extended Dzhabrailov's flawless record to 7-0 and marked his fifth consecutive first-round stoppage win. More crucially, he'd passed his toughest test under the brightest lights, proving he possesses the heart to match his devastating finishing ability.
Mann's record fell to 7-1 in his first professional defeat, and now, the Turkish wrecking machine has positioned himself for a shot at Christian Lee's ONE Welterweight MMA world title. However, whether he gets the nod remains to be seen.
Sam-A delivers masterclass in defying expectations
At 42 years old, Sam-A should be thinking about retirement. Instead, he's thinking about another crack at world title gold, and it is becoming more and more difficult to deny him.
The Thai legend produced a captivating second-round knockout of Elmehdi 'The Sniper' El Jamari in the strawweight Muay Thai co-main event, surviving a dramatic knockdown to land a walk-off head kick that left his Moroccan opponent spark out on the canvas.
El Jamari barrelled forward from the opening bell, throwing punches in bunches. His Western boxing background caused Sam-A problems early, a stiff right hand cracking off the veteran's skull. But the icon has seen every trick in the book across his 427 previous professional bouts. He remained patient, waiting for El Jamari's aggression to create openings.
The second round was absolute bedlam. Sam-A caught the 28-year-old Moroccan when he was flexing and knocked him down hard with a left hand. El Jamari climbed upright and answered the referee's eight-count, only for a straight right to put him flat on his back again.
One more knockdown, and the Thai icon would earn an automatic second-round TKO.
But somehow, El Jamari summoned the energy for one final rally. He charged forward recklessly, swinging wildly, and connected with a left hook of his own. Sam-A hit the deck as the Lumpinee Stadium crowd erupted in disbelief.
Legends, however. aren't built on winning when things go to plan. They're built on winning when everything goes wrong.
Sam-A stood back up, circled deliberately to his left, and waited. The duo mixed it up in the clinch, forcing the referee to separate them several times. But when the Moroccan lunged forward once more with a left hook, Sam-A's left leg whistled through the air, his shin crashing into El Jamari's temple with sickening precision.
The Moroccan crumbled instantly as the referee frantically stopped the match and the living legend celebrated his third straight victory.
But that wouldn't be the only reason for him to celebrate. Sam-A's shocking highlight-reel performance earned him a $50,000 performance bonus and could place him back into contention for the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai world title.
Full Results
- Welterweight MMA: Dzhabir Dzhabrailov defeated Chase Mann via knockout at 2:31 of round one
- Strawweight Muay Thai: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defeated Elmehdi El Jamari via knockout at 2:43 of round two
- Bantamweight Muay Thai: Suakim Pongsuphan PK defeated Vladimir Kuzmin via unanimous decision
- Strawweight MMA: Hiroba Minowa defeated Karen Ghazaryan via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:07 of round one
- Flyweight Muay Thai: Black Panther defeated Diego Paez via split decision
- Welterweight Submission Grappling: Dante Leon defeated Kenta Iwamoto via unanimous decision
- Flyweight MMA: Joshua Perreira defeated Gilbert Nakatani via knockout at 0:38 of round one
- Bantamweight Muay Thai: Dmitrii Kovtun defeated Mohanad Battbootti via unanimous decision
