mma / Columns

411’s Midweek MMA Scouting Report

July 7, 2016 | Posted by Jon Butterfield

ONE Championship: Dynasty of Champions

Former ONE Championship Featherweight Champion Jadambaa Narantungalag (12-4) continued his journey back towards title contention with an impressive 44 second knock out of Filipino standout Eric Kelly (12-3). The impressive Mongolian turned out Kelly’s lights with a devastating medium-range overhand right that scarcely necessitated the follow up left, and that was all she wrote for the night’s main attraction. Kelly, who is now 5-3 under the ONE Championship banner, finds himself on the first two-fight slide of his career, with a defeat in January to Malaysian Ev Ting further affecting his stock. Still one of his nation’s finest MMA exports, the manner of his destruction at the hands of Jadambaa could scarcely have been predicted by even the most optimistic Mongolian MMA fans. In Hefei, China, though, Jadambaa cemented his status as a serious contender to Marat Gafurov’s title, and a rematch could yet be on the cards. With Japanese veteran Kotetsu Boku already accounted for just two months ago, Jadambaa certainly presents a strong case.

In the night’s co-main event, the host nation has a potential star in Kai Wen Li (6-3), who debuted for ONE Championship in December 2014, winning one of the promotion’s tournament format events. Li has gone on to record two further wins before dropping a defeat to Australia’s Martin Nguyen, yet was able to bounce back here with a unanimous decision win over Malaysian Keanu Subba (3-2). With ONE Championship committed to not only the advancement of MMA in the heartlands of martial arts, it’s refreshing to see the company building and testing new talent on a major stage. Li’s successes may yet pave the way for yet more future stars from all across Asia, as ONE look for more ‘local heroes’ to unearth in countries where martial arts are a way of life.

There was something of a shock as the Maryland-based ‘Burmese Python’ Aung La Nsang (18-9) continued his impressive run of results in ONE Championship with a third straight win over previously unbeaten Alexey Butorin (10-1). Heavy-hitting Butorin had needed little over 8 minutes to dispatch Brazilian contender Leandro Ataides by TKO in his ONE debut, but fell victim to a second round arm triangle as Nsang built on wins over Egyptian pair Mahmoud Salama and Mohamed Ali. Nsang, who weathered some heavy strikes from Butorin, will likely find himself toward the top end of the food chain at 185 lbs, with another Russian, Vitaly Bigdash, the defending champion.

Liaoning Province’s Ze Wu (8-5) remained perfect in terms of fights for ONE Championship with a first round TKO stoppage of compatriot Xiaoliang Zheng (5-2). Zheng, who made his debut for the company, found himself falling victim to a standing elbow despite good periods of control. 21 year old Wu is 4-0 under the promotional banner, and may yet provide a challenge for many at 135 lbs.

Things did not go so well for one of the company’s biggest names, however, as Roger Huerta (22-9) failed to arrest a now two-fight slide when he tapped due to strikes from Ariel Sexton (11-3). Sexton has now won three straight at 155 lbs, his sole professional defeat since 2008 coming against Kamal Shalorus on his ONE Championship debut. With a trifecta of submission wins to his credit since, Sexton is fast climbing the ladder and there was little the Tiger Muay Thai stand out Huerta could do about it.

Malaysian’s top female star Ann Osman (4-2) was also victorious as she bested Egypt’s Haiat Farag (1-1) by first round armbar with just 3:59 on the clock.

Legacy FC 57: Aguilar vs Kelley
Featherweight Title Fight: Kevin Aguilar (11-1) df. Tony Kelley (3-1) via Split Decision
Welterweight Fight: Derrick Krantz (18-9) df. Dave Burrow (14-8) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) @ 4:22 of Round One
Middleweight Fight: Charles Byrd (7-4) df. Quentin Henry (10-4) via TKO @ 2:50 of Round One

Road FC 32
Heavyweight Fight: Aorigele (3-3) df. Bob Sapp (11-19) via TKO @ 0:35 of Round One
Flyweight Fight: Heqin Le (3-1) df. Nori Date (2-3) via Unanimous Decision
Featherweight Fight: Soo Chul Kim (14-5) df. Tuerxun Jumabieke (17-4) via TKO @ 2:51 of Round One
Lightweight Fight: Albert Cheng (8-3) df. Hyung Seok Lee (11-8) via Unanimous Decision
Flyweight Fight: Kai Asakura (6-0) df. Liu Xiaoyang (2-3) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) @ 1:53 of Round One

300 Sparta 11 (Peru)
Sergio Giglio (9-0) df. Sandro de Souza (12-5-1) via Unanimous Decision

Previews:

Cage Warriors 77

The Camden Centre in London, England will be the site of Jack Marshman’s (19-5) second fight in as many months under the Cage Warriors brand. The Welsh ‘Hammer’ made quick work of Manchester native Ali Arish at Cage Warriors 76 and will look to build on that success in a fight for the vacant CWFC Middleweight title. A fancied veteran, Marshman will vie with Frenchman Christopher Jacquelin (8-2), who stunned Irish stand out Chris Fields in rival promotion BAMMA in September of last year. Better known for his chokeholds than his heavy hands, Jacquelin will provide an interesting test to Abertillery’s rolling Marshman who has dispatched five straight opponents, four of them inside two rounds. A heavy favourite to claim the gold, Marshman will look to replace Icelandic import Jack Hermansson as the company’s 185 lb titleholder, perhaps following in his footsteps towards a UFC deal.

At lightweight, long-time Cage Warriors favourite Chris Fishgold (13-1-1) will look to build on an already impressive résumé as he also challenges for vacant gold as the Cage Warriors Lightweight belt will be on the line against Adam Boussif (9-3). Returning from Korea where Boussif recently bested native Jung Min Kang at a joint Top FC-Kunlun Fight event, the Tiger Muay Thai proponent will look to upset the odds against another top talent from Liverpool, hometown of Paul Sass and Terry Etim amongst others.

The number one contender for the winner of the Fishgold-Boussif bout could come earlier in the night, as a pair of scraps at 155 lbs could weigh heavily on the Cage Warriors’ rankings. Tom Green (10-1) and Brad Wheeler (15-10) take the higher billing on Cage Warriors 77 and enjoy a potential preference going forward, but performances will no doubt be closely monitored by CWFC brass. Green, who has feasted on a steady diet of under-impressive talent on the UK MMA scene, will face easily his stiffest test to date against 7 year veteran Wheeler. Wheeler will compete under the Cage Warriors banner for the thirteenth time having enjoyed a 7-5 record during that tenure. Despite a defeat to Scott Clist last time out, Wheeler remains one of the most experienced 155 lbers in Britain, and represents a major step up in class for Green.

The other potential star-maker at lightweight sees Tim Wilde (8-1) face the aforementioned Scott Clist (10-2) in a battle between two fighters presently enjoying three-fight win streaks. Wilde, whose sole defeat came against the highly-rated Sean Carter, recently defeated impressive Scotsman Martin Delaney to become the Full Contact Contender Lightweight Champion, and would love to add more gold to his trophy cabinet. Clist, meanwhile, has finished all his victims within the time, and will feel Wilde should prove no exception.

At 205 lbs, Darren Stewart (6-0), who holds 4 first round stoppages to his credit, will look to score the most substantial win of his young career against French veteran Boubacar Balde (11-8). A surging prospect, Stewart meets a Balde who has recorded back-to-back TKO stoppages, and has fought all across Europe adding some impressive names to his head count. It remains to be seen just how much potential Stewart really has, but so far the 5’10 Brit has displayed impressive fight-ending power, and remains one to watch.

Finally, Paddy Pimblett (10-1) remains a highly intriguing prospect at featherweight, the 21 year old most recently having out-pointed veteran Ashleigh Grimshaw as he continues his climb up the ladder. His mettle will be tested, however, by French ace Teddy Violet (10-2), who recently dropped a split decision to Michihiro Omigawa at a World Series of Fighting Global event. Second only, perhaps, to the impressive Tom Duquesnoy in terms of French lightweights, 24 year old Violet shares Pimblett’s penchant for submissions, and this should be a thrilling scrap.