Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol Powers Her Way To Emotional Victory

ONEchampionship.com

Priscilla Hertati Lumban Gaol and Nou Srey Pov’s match at ONE: FOR HONOR was expected to be an all-action encounter, and it did not disappoint the fans in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The pair went back and forth in a fast-paced bout that saw both athletes have success in the Istora Senayan, but Lumban Gaol’s dominant grappling was the difference after 15 exciting minutes.

Kun Khmer World Champion Srey Pov attacked with her striking skills early on, but Lumban Gaol did not let her opponent get too comfortable, as she closed the distance and took “NSP” to the canvas.

With the Jakarta crowd chanting in support for their local hero, “Thathie” moved to side control and scored with solid ground strikes before trying to lock up an Americana submission on the Cambodian’s right arm.

Srey Pov battled hard to fend off Lumban Gaol’s relentless pursuit of the submission, and eventually, she was successful in bucking the Indonesian off in the final minute of the round.

The second round was similar to the first as Srey Pov shaded the striking exchanges early on before Lumban Gaol got her hands on the Cambodian and took the action to the ground once again.

The Siam Training Camp product’s control in top position saw her connect with a plethora of ground strikes as she looked to open up an opportunity for a submission.

However, just as she did in the first round, Srey Pov never stopped trying to shake her Indonesian opponent off, and eventually got back to her feet.

The crowd roared their approval at a hugely entertaining battle as the pair went to a third and final round, and their Jakartan hero brought the battle down to where she wanted it again.

Midway through the final frame, an accidental illegal elbow strike to the back of Lumban Gaol’s head brought the action to a brief halt, but she recovered quickly, and the match-up resumed.

There was a late twist as Srey Pov shocked her opponent by reversing position to end up in top position.

Then, with a minute remaining, the pair engaged in a breathless back-and-forth striking exchange, which brought more cheers from the crowd as the contest came to a close.

On the sound of the final bell, the pair embraced in a moment of respect, but there could only be one winner, and all three judges were in agreement that Lumban Gaol’s grappling superiority was enough to give her the victory.

“Thathie” was beaming to receive the unanimous decision victory, which took her record to 6-4 and put her back on track in the women’s atomweight division.

However, there was another reason she was so happy – it was the first time she had performed live in front of her father, who had previously doubted her martial arts career.