Shinya Aoki won't win any ‘Fight of the Year' awards for his victory at ONE Championship 27, but he came away with the hardware that mattered most. Aoki outclassed then out-taunted Japanese challenger Koji Ando to defend his lightweight title with a lopsided unanimous decision Friday night at Singapore Indoor Stadium in ONE Championship 27's main event.
It was the usual master class from Aoki (37-6), as the 32-year-old employed a steady diet of takedowns and smothering top control to frustrate and largely negate Ando (11-4-2). Ando briefly found his rhythm during a puzzling second round that saw Aoki doing nothing but backpedal and eat jabs, but any momentum Ando may have gained was quickly shut down when Aoki returned to his bread and butter takedowns and nearly captured an armbar in the closing moments of the third.