ONE Championship: Stephen Irvine suffers brutal knockout by Suablack Tor Pran49 in showdown at ONE Fight Night 45
Stephen Irvine's quest for flyweight gold in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 45 ended in defeat after a devasting elbow in the second round; the Scot now holds a 30-5 record after his defeat by one of Thailand's most experienced Muay Thai fighters
Saturday 18 July 2026 09:32, UK
Scottish Muay Thai star Stephen Irvine was brutally knocked out by Suablack Tor Pran49 in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 45.
The Glasgow fighter was finished by a perfectly-timed elbow in the second round which earned his opponent the victory and the $50,000 performance bonus.
'El Matador', as he is known, was competing at a new weight class after stepping up from straweight and had been hoping to get a win over the 85-fight veteran to help propel a charge towards the ONE Championship flyweight Muay Thai world title.
And Irvine started well at Bangkok's Lumpinee Stadium, evading Suablack's early boxing combinations before firing back with a crisp right hand that sent the Thai to the mat for an eight-count in the waning seconds of the opening round. For a moment, it looked like Irvine's pre-fight prediction of a knockout and a bonus might actually materialise.
It did, in fact, but sadly for him, it was the Thai southpaw who got it.
Irvine continued to apply pressure in the second round, walking his Thai rival down with punches, the occasional kick, and a few heavy elbows.
It all changed, though, nearly a minute into the frame when Suablack exploded forward with a left cross that knocked down the Scot and shifted the momentum.
Irvine answered the referee's eight-count and appeared completely level-headed, but the reprieve wouldn't last long.
The Scot moved forward in search of a knee strike, but Suablack retaliated with a body kick, another left cross, and then lunged forward with a powerful elbow that smashed Irvine's face with sickening precision and immediately crumbled him to the canvas.
Once again, the referee administered an eight-count, but when the Glasgow striker stumbled and failed to rise, the match was waved off.
For Irvine, fresh off earning a lucrative contract and a place on ONE Championship's global roster just nine months earlier, this was a harsh introduction to the flyweight division's elite. The move up in weight, which he'd convinced himself would play to his strengths, instead highlighted how much work remains before he can challenge for world title gold.
Suablack improved to 63-23 and announced himself as a genuine force in the flyweight Muay Thai division whereas Irvine will need to bounce back from a sobering defeat.
