American bantamweight Troy Worthen has his sights set on a shot at ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes, and the undefeated 26-year-old moved one step closer to that goal with a dominant decision victory at “ONE Championship 109: King of the Jungle” on Feb. 28.
Worthen (7-0) defeated heavy-handed Kiwi Mark Abelardo at Singapore Indoor Stadium in their preliminary card matchup as he extended his perfect professional record with a controlled performance of wrestling dominance.
Worthen mixed up his takedowns with sharp striking as he dropped Abelardo (19-7) with a left high kick. Then, after the Kiwi bounced back to his feet, he picked him up and slammed him down to the mat.
Despite the bout looking like a wrestler versus striker matchup on paper heading into the matchup, Worthen showcased his evolving striking game to keep Abelardo on the back foot as he mixed up his strikes with his bread and butter, his wrestling.
Abelardo’s durability ensured Worthen didn’t get the finish he had hoped for going into the bout, but the American’s controlled performance was enough to secure a unanimous decision to move him one step closer to a possible shot at Fernandes’ title.
Recap the action in full from Singapore via the video above.
