KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 9 ― Malaysian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Muhammad Aiman secured a stylish victory at ONE: Beyond The Horizon against hometown favourite Chen Lei.
The “Jungle Cat” landed a body kick towards the end of round two before getting on his opponent’s back and pulling off a rear naked choke submission.
Chen Lei managed to hang on a little longer than expected but Aiman got a tighter grip of his opponents neck.
The 23-year-old then capitalised on Chen Lei’s fatigue before the referee called for a stop at 4.35s of round two.
The defeat puts an end to Chen Lei’s unbeaten career (8-1) while Aiman moved to 5-2 in his career.
“I thought he was going to survive it until the end of the round, he’s a really tough dude.
“The game plan worked and who’s next? I’m still young, I want to fight and I’m trying to make some money,” the 23-year-old said.
The Bali MMA fighter then looked towards his corner and told them: “You told me I need to work on my ground, and look at that.”
Chen Lei started off aggressively, attempting to take Aiman down to the ground, and after several attempts the Chinese fighter managed to bring him down in the fourth minute of round one.
Aiman struggled to cope with Chen Lei’s physical strength but the Malaysian fighter’s patience and takedown defence truly shined as the referee put a stop to round one.
Round two started off in similar style but it was Aiman who connected first with a left kick that shook his opponent.
The 23-year-old Malaysian was the more dominant of the duo in the second round and after receiving two kicks to the groin, he was more fired up.
After the injury break Aiman let loose, throwing several jabs before that body kick and rear naked choke secured a win with 25 seconds ticking before the end of the round.
