Anthony Engelen Notches His Second First-Round Finish In 8 Days

Anthony Engelen earned his second straight first-round stoppage victory in less than two weeks.

Just eight days removed from his 39-second knockout of Meas Meul in Singapore, he made a dynamic return at ONE: WARRIOR’S DREAM on Saturday, 17 November.

The 33-year-old Dutch-Indonesian competitor submitted the Philippines’ Jimmy “The Silencer” Yabo in front of a raucous home crowd at the Stadium Istora in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Engelen, who replaced Zach Zane in the 72-kilogram catch weight affair, came storming out of the gates in the first round with a series of blistering leg kicks. He then latched onto a body lock and dragged Yabo to the mat.

“Archangel” was methodical as he looked to pass the 37-year-old Filipino’s defense, and remained busy while patiently waiting for his opponent to make a mistake.

When “The Silencer” attempted to scramble out of the position, the Dutch-Indonesian sprung into action to take his back and immediately sink in his hooks.

From there, Engelen landed a few punches from the back, which opened up Yabo’s defenses even further. A split second later, he slid his left arm underneath his opponent’s chin and locked in a deep rear-naked choke.

The grimace on Yabo’s face was undeniable, and he was forced to tap out at the 2:35 mark of the opening round.

After being announced as the winner, Engelen spoke to Mitch Chilson about receiving the opportunity to compete in front of his home crowd.

“I got the call to step up in my hometown of Jakarta and I’m like, ‘Why not? Let’s do it,’” Engelen said.

It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for “Archangel.” After winning at ONE: HEART OF THE LION on Friday, 9 November, he makes a quick return to get his second consecutive first-round stoppage victory.

Now, he improves his professional record to 8-4 and looks forward to more success in 2019 — that is, unless he is offered another short notice bout before the year ends.