22-year-old Ondash’s first fight at ONE Friday Fights 27 in Bangkok, Thailand, coincided with the third anniversary of the catastrophic blast that affected more than half of the Lebanese capital, killed more than 220 people and wounded at least 6,500 others.
Ondash said: “I dedicate this win to the victims of the Beirut Port explosion, and I want to dedicate it also to Lebanon, which is struggling financially and economically, and I dedicate this win to my parents.”
He continued: “In the explosion, we were damaged, my siblings and I, my club, our apartment, but thank God we went back to our feet and didn’t give up”.
Check out the video of his win here
Despite a height disadvantage, Ondash showed his strong spirit throughout the fight against his Thai counterpart Parnpet Sor Jor Lekmuangnon who was performing in front of his home crowd at the world-famous Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.
Throughout the fight, which is made up of three rounds of three minutes each, Ondash used a cautious approach, countering Parnpet’s body kicks with punches.
In the first two rounds, it seemed as if Ondash was heading home with a defeat, but a never-say-die attitude enabled the Lebanese fighter to pull off a fantastic comeback.
With a minute left on the clock, Ondash attacked relentlessly, unleashing punching combinations against his cornered opponent who struggled to keep up with the Lebanese’s pacey and accurate handwork.
Ondash managed to secure the win via knockout (KO) after his opponent dropped only one moment before the third and final round ended.
With this win, Ondash picks up a confidence-boosting victory on his debut at the world’s largest martial arts organization and raises his professional Muay Thai record to 18-1.
Ondash, whose brothers Ahmad and Ramadan are also martial artists, recently moved to Thailand to train at the esteemed gym Tiger Muay Thai. He was born and raised in Beirut.
The Lebanese Muay Thai star was the first fighter to be handed a performance bonus worth 10,000 dollars for his knockout win by ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong.
Founded in 2011, ONE Championship produces events featuring bouts in Muay Thai, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Kickboxing, and Submission Grappling.
