Bangkok, Thailand: ONE Championship (ONE) electrified the iconic Lumpinee Stadium with another exciting evening at The Inner Circle 21, which aired exclusively for members at live.onefc.com.
In the main event, Filipino superstar Joshua Pacio successfully defended his ONE Strawweight MMA World Title in a stunning display of grappling mastery, submitting challenger Mansur Malachiev in the first round of their highly anticipated rematch.
AND STILL 👑 Joshua Pacio chokes out Mansur Malachiev to retain the ONE Strawweight MMA World Title!#TheInnerCircle21 | 🔴 LIVE NOW🔴 Join The Inner Circle for only USD9.99/month at https://t.co/SymCf6lx05.🆕 New User? Start with a 5-day free trial.🎁 Save 10% on your first… pic.twitter.com/RH3INnFVPn
— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) July 10, 2026
The action exploded from the opening bell as Malachiev showcased his suffocating wrestling, securing an early takedown and hunting for a rear-naked choke. Pacio displayed immense poise under pressure, fighting off the submission attempt before executing a brilliant reversal to take the Russian’s back.
A breathless sequence of high-level transitions followed, with the reigning king locking in a tight rear-naked choke of his own. Malachiev fought desperately to peel away the reigning king’s arm, but Pacio’s technique held firm, forcing the challenger into unconsciousness to cement his dominance atop the division.
In the co-main event, Shozo “Great Teacher” Isojima secured the biggest victory of his young career, stopping former multiple-time ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang in an absolute firefight.
The matchup opened with sheer fireworks. Following a brief feeling-out period, Folayang dropped his Japanese adversary with a cracking right hand. However, Isojima instantly answered the call, returning fire to stun the beloved Filipino icon with a blistering left hook.
Though the resilient “Landslide” fought his way back and momentarily wobbled Isojima with another right hand, the Japanese standout simply refused to be denied. Isojima uncorked a final devastating left hook that sent the former divisional king crashing to the canvas before following up with decisive strikes to seal the TKO win.
The Inner Circle 21 Results
Joshua Pacio def. Mansur Malachiev via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:23 of round one to retain the ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship
Shozo Isojima def. Eduard Folayang via TKO (ground-and-pound) at 4:29 of round one (MMA – lightweight)
Detchawalit Silkmuaythai def. Tom Casse via unanimous decision (Muay Thai – bantamweight)
Ali Kelat def. Elies Abdelali via TKO (referee stoppage) at 2:29 of round three (Muay Thai – featherweight)
