LFA 84
Justin Gonzales def. Jake Childers
In the main event of the evening, Justin Gonzales was able to pick up his 11th straight win as a professional as he finished the previously undefeated Jake Childers and became the LFA Featherweight champion. J-Train looked in control for the majority of the fight, although he did need to escape some tough positions in the second round. As the fight went on, Gonzales was able to punish Childers both to the head and the body en route to a 4th round T/KO. I believe that Gonzales just punched his ticket to the UFC and we will be seeing him in the octagon sooner rather than later.
Boston Salmon def. Shawn West
This was both the highlight and the lowlight of the night as Shawn West was disqualified for an illegal knee on Boston Salmon. After a competitive first round, both fighters stunned each other with Salmon coming off slightly worse. As West tried to capitalise on the opportunity he rushed in and threw a knee to a downed Salmon. This put the Hawaiian out cold but unfortunately for West, it was deemed illegal and he was DQed. Despite Boston Salmon his hand raised, he still sustained a brutal knockout that may affect his future career whilst Shawn West will be kicking himself for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Bruno Souza def. Kamuela Kirk
In a battle of two interesting prospects, Lyoto Machida protege Bruno Souza was able to pick up a split decision win over DWCS veteran Kamuela Kirk. Souza opted to stay on the outside and pepper Kirk with body kicks and quick straight punches whilst the Hawaiian adapted a more boxing centric approach. Souza’s lateral movement frustrated Kirk and didn’t allow him to get his offence going until the third round. I still scored the fight to Kirk as he landed the more eye-catching head shots and was able to take Souza’s back late in the first round. Nonetheless, this was a good win for Souza and I’m interested to see where both men go from here.
KSW 53
Mateusz Gamrot def. Norman Parke
One of KSW’s biggest rivalries finally came to end as Mateusz Gamrot stopped Norman Parke. From the opening bell, it was evident that Gamrot had a significant advantage in the boxing department. The Pole peppered his opponent with quick strikes and despite never really hurting Parke, the damage kept adding up. The pivotal moment came in the second round after Gamrot damaged Parke’s eye with an elbow. The eye continued to swell up until the doctor called a stop to the fight in the third round. This was a huge win for Gamrot as he established himself as one of the best lightweights outside a major promotion.
Borys Mankowski def. Marcin Wrzosek
A fun back and forth fight between two former KSW champions. Both fighters had a similar game plan and tried to force the grappling, however, due to good takedown defence a lot of the fight was spent in the clinch. Mankowski’s strength allowed him to stay slightly ahead in the grappling exchanges. In the striking department, both men had success with Mankowski showing good body attacks whilst Wrzosek landed the better head shots. At the end of the fight, the judges agreed that Mankowski did enough to get his hand raised.
Andrej Grzebyk def. Tomasz Jakubiec
Jakubiec and Grzebyk met in the middle and Jakubiec were landing the jab and hook essentially at will but Grzebyk toughed it out. Grzebyk eventually forced a brawl and knocked Jakubiec down once and continued with a ground assault; the ref was close to stopping it in the first. In the second, Grzebyk landed a left cross (maybe hook) right away, knocked Jakubiec down again, and landed a bit of GnP before the ref swiftly stepped in. This was Grzebyk’s debut for KSW; he wants to be a star within the organization and seems to have a bright future with them.
MMA Series-9
Kiril Kornilov draw Sultan Murtazaliev
The main event ended in a draw between former Glory kickboxer Kiril Kornilov and Sultan Murtazaliev. The fight was largely a tepid affair with Kornilov pressuring and feinting but not throwing a lot of volume. Murtazaliev was able to secure several takedowns throughout the fight but couldn’t do a lot of work on the ground. Kornilov finally got going in the third round and was able to hurt his opponent with an uppercut and a body-head combination. The judges scored the fight a draw whilst I thought that Kornilov did enough to get the win. This will be a good learning opportunity for Kornilov as it showcased some holes in his game.
GFC 26
Renat Khavalov def. Khasan Esmurziev
In the main event, Renat Khavalov was able to stop Khasan Esmurziev in the first round and become the promotion’s inaugural bantamweight champion. The fight started with both fighters feeling each other out in the striking department before Khavalov was able to time a takedown. On the ground, Khavalov was able to pass to side control and land a big knee to the body. From there, he took Esmurziev’s back, flattened him out and unloaded heavy ground and pound for the finish. This is a big win for the 22-year-old who dedicated this fight to the late, great Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Keep an eye on:
Imamshafi Aliev (1st round T/KO vs Shokhrukh Ikhomov): The middleweight showed impressive grappling as he mixed up ground and pound, submissions whilst maintaining top position.
Vyacheslav Svischev (1st round T/KO vs Mark Volkov): He showed an aggressive striking game with good read and combinations backed up with natural power.
ACA 106
Artem Frolov def. Ibrahim Magomedov
In a fight between a veteran of the Russian regional scene and a highly touted prospect, experience was a key factor. Frolov immediately settled into his role as the aggressor and walked Magomedov down. Although it wasn’t a high volume fight, Frolov landed the bigger punches whilst Magomedov stayed on the outside and was unable to get his offence going. Magomedov landed some oblique kicks and went for takedowns but was unable to hold Frolov down who scrambled well. At the end of the fight, the judges declared Artem Frolov as the winner.
Andrey Koshkin def. Magomedsaygid Alibekov
A fight that was made on short notice as both men had their initial opponents fall out. Andrey Koshkin was in control of the fight for the majority of the fight. Koshkin was the sharper striker and was able to get his shots off first, especially the body kicks. Alibekov was able to have a bit more success when he initiated a brawl but it wasn’t enough to earn him the decision.
Bibert Tumenov def. Alexander Matmuratov
The dynamics of the fight were set from the opening bell with Bibert Tumenov pressuring forward and Alexander Matmuratov being content to circle the cage on the backfoot. Tumenov took a bit of time to get going which allowed Matmuratov to land several body kicks. After Tumenov was able to settle in he threw a variety of combinations both to the body and the head. As the fight went on, Tumenov’s pressure and consistent body attacks slowed his opponent down. Matmuratov did hold his own in the exchanges but was still a step behind the decorated amateur boxer. Tumenov picked up a unanimous decision and will look to continue his rise to the top of the division.