411’s Midweek MMA Scouting Report

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ONE Championship: Kingdom of Champions

It was a great night in Bangkok as ONE Championship made waves in their first ever show from beautiful Thailand, but it wasn’t quite the homecoming all-conquering ONE Strawweight Champion Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke (6-1) had envisioned. After paying homage to the King of Thailand in his walk out, former 2-division Lumpinee champion Dejdamrong found undefeated Shooto Champion Yoshitaka Naito’s (11-0) grappling game just too much to overcome as the 32-year old Japanese overwhelmed the legendary kickboxer, eventually achieving a rear naked choke submission at 4:00 of the fourth stanza.

Naito now joins the likes of Ben Askren, Shinya Aoki, Bibiano Fernandes, Brandon Vera, and Roger Gracie as ONE titleholders, maintaining his perfect MMA record. For Amnuaysirichoke, Kingdom of Champions became the Kingdom of Heartbreak, and post-fight interviews were called off given how distraught the former ONE Championship title holder was in the aftermath of this defeat.

Compatriot Kazunori Yokota (25-6), however, failed to return to Japan with ONE Championship gold, as Featherweight Champion Marat Gafurov (14-0) snapped Yokota’s 13-fight win streak with a rear naked choke at 4:25 of Round Two. The Dagestani fighter from Makhachkala is now a perfect 5-0 inside the ONE Championship cage, having won all 5 fights via the same hold, and shows his reign of dominance shows no sign of drawing to a conclusion any time soon.

Timofey Nastyukhin (10-2) needed just 6 seconds to dispose of Australian veteran Rob Lisita (15-8) in a fight also contested at 145 lbs. Nastyukhin has never endured a fight that stretched beyond the first frame, and at Kingdom of Champions he duly recorded the joint-fastest finish in ONE Championship history, tying with Indonesian Mario Satya Wirawan. Wirawan finished Cambodian Chan Heng also in 6 seconds back in December of last year, and utilized the same devastating combination of a knock down via a punch and punctuated by a soccer kick. Nastyukhin is now 3-1 in the ONE cage, his sole defeat coming against Herbert Burns in September 2015. Lisita slips to 1-3, and has been finished in all three of his most recent bouts.

Polish middleweight Marcin Prachnnio (11-2) followed up February’s explosive knock out victory over Brazilian Alexandre Machado with a career-best win over former top contender Leandro Ataides (8-3) by the narrowest of margins. Neither fighter is accustomed to leaving results in the hands of the judges, and Ataides, who came in 6 pounds overweight, may be cursing his luck after dropping a split decision to the Warsaw native. In truth, though, Prachnio’s stand up proved too strong for Ataides, who was unable to make the most of his grappling abilities.

Shannon Wiratchai (5-1) recorded a victory in his home city, besting Kyal Linn Aung (1-1) of Myanmar by rear naked choke at 2:17 of the first round. Aung made a successful promotional debut back in March of this year, and this was his second professional outing, both at 145 lbs. Wiratchai proved to be a step too far, however, and has now recorded three straight wins under the ONE Championship banner.

Singaporean 17-year old Christian Lee (5-0) continued his rise up the rankings at featherweight, with Filipino opponent Rocky Batolbatol (5-3) asking out of the bout at 2:14 of the first round due to a deluge of strikes. Lee, the younger brother of ONE Women’s Atomweight Champion Angela Lee, made his debut in December 2015, and has had all five fights inside the ONE cage – finishing every opponent in the first round. This was Lee’s second fight of the month, having dispatched ONE veteran Cary Bullos just three weeks prior.

There was even more to cheer for the home crowd as former WBA Super Featherweight World Champion boxer Yodsanon Sityodtong (2-1) continued his MMA odyssey with a first round TKO stoppage of Khon Sichan (2-3) at 3:44. Sityodtong’s striking acumen is clearly well above the average MMA fighter, and the key to his continued success undoubtedly remains his anti-grappling capabilities.

Pongsiri Mittsatit (7-0) is another is another teenage star competing for ONE Championship at just 19 years old, and the Chiang Mai native continued his perfect start to his MMA career with another first round stoppage TKO win over debutant Ye Thway Ne (0-1). Mittsatit required only 2:24, finishing with knees to his grounded opponent. An atomweight, Mittsatit may be a hot early favourite to become the inaugural ONE Atomweight Champion should the promotion opt to install the division full time.

In a battle of Cambodians, Kritsada Konsrichai (4-2) recorded a 1:58 KO of Kev Hemmorlor (0-1).

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KSW 35: Khalidov vs Karaoglu

The Polish-based promotion Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki, better known as KSW, has been garnering international recognition for putting on strong shows, but has also received its fair share of criticism over certain decisions and certain actions. KSW 35 provided yet more talking points, both positive and negative, particularly in the form of the main event.

Mamed Khalidov (32-4-2) has long been considered one of the most dangerous fighters never to grace a Zuffa cage, and the KSW Middleweight Champion had finished 10 fights from a highly impressive 11 fight win streak heading into a bout against German-based Turkish national Aziz Karaoglu (9-7). Karaoglu, who had racked up a 3-fight win streak that accounted for some of KSW’s better middleweight contenders, was the first to court controversy as he walked out to a song that has been used on Islamic extremist propaganda videos, though Karaoglu and KSW have both since stated the song choice was a legitimate mistake, with KSW issuing an official statement on the matter.

From there, things didn’t get a whole lot better for the KSW 35 main event, as Khalidov proceeded to put in one of the more bizarre performances in recent memory, the TaeKwonDo and KyoKushin black belt clearly unwilling to engage in a striking match with the undeniably powerful Karaoglu, and at first his tactics seemed to be working. The first round saw Khalidov display some decent grappling and submission attempts, but with Karaoglu able to get out of the first stanza, Khalidov’s confidence appeared to wane. The second and third rounds largely consisted of Khalidov flopping to the ground every time he or his opponent would attempt a strike, with both fighters taking little or no damage. Khalidov’s primary offence took the form of low-percentage spinning strikes that either tended to miss or merely graze his opponent. Karaoglu, meanwhile, appeared frustrated by his opponents tactics, who was generally found in mid-fall each time he attempted to load up on a punch or combination.

Khalidov was eventually given the nod by Majority Decision, although the exact scores were never read out. The scorecards were, however, later published by KSW on Twitter, and read 29-28, 29-28, and 28-28, narrowly in favour of the reigning champion. Khalidov appeared upset with his performance, pinning his belt on Karaoglu’s shoulder and walking away before declaring he would be taking a 12-month hiatus from the sport, while Karaoglu vowed never to fight his ‘brother’ again, refusing a rematch outright.

In the co-main event, former multiple-time World’s Strongest Man Mariusz Pudzianowski (9-5) succumbed to a second round guillotine choke submission at the hands of Marcin Rozalski (6-4). Pudzianowski briefly protested the stoppage, but replays appear to show him tapping to what didn’t necessarily appear to be the most technically proficient choke hold to date. Still, Rozalski snaps a two-fight losing streak, while Pudzianowski again illustrated that he is most dangerous in the opening stanza having arguably won the first round.

Former KSW Middleweight Champion Michal Materla (23-5) may now have to wait longer for a rematch against conqueror Mamed Khalidov after bouncing back from a 31-second KO with this win over Antoni Chmielewski (32-15). After an aggressive start from Chmielewski which had Materla reeling early doors, Materla turned the tables and secured a TKO win at 4:12 of the first round, further cementing his position as one of KSW’s top middleweight. Materla made good use of top position and ground and pound to record a crucial bounce-back win.

Perhaps the most impressive performance of the night came from undefeated lightweight Mateusz Gamrot (11-0), who defeated former BAMMA and M-1 Global Lightweight Champion Mansour Barnaoui (12-4), picking up all three rounds across all three scorecards to claim the KSW Lightweight title. A fast-paced fight that made full use of the many levels of MMA, Barnaoui started strong and provided game opposition to the rolling ‘Gamer’ before tiring towards the latter stages of the fight. Gamrot continues to improve his already impressive résumé, Barnaoui now joining the likes of Andre Winner, Rodrigo Carvalheiro, and tough Russian Marif Piraev as victims of the newly crowned champion.

Marcin Wroszek’s (11-3) one-and-done run in the UFC is well behind him now, as the ‘Polish Zombie’ bested compatriot Filip Wolanski(9-2) to reinforce his standing as one of Poland’s top featherweights. After overcoming a first round scare, Wroszek recovered and took rounds two and three to earn unanimous 29-28 scorecards.

Rafal Moks (11-8) out-pointed Robert Radomski (12-4) at welterweight, though the verdicts were split amongst the judges. One judge preferred the superior stand up of Radomski, while the others felt Moks’ takedowns and submission attempts were the more effective.

In the night’s opening contests, Marcin Wojcik (9-4), a former heavyweight, defeated Michal Fijalka (15-6) at 205 lbs, while Kamil Szymuszowski (15-4) bested Lithuanian Mindaugas Verzbickas (12-4) at welterweight. Both victors enjoyed unanimous decision verdicts.

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M-1 Challenge 66: Nemkov vs Yusupov

There was a major shock in Orenburg, Russia as Wushu stand out Rashid Yusupov (7-2) defied a substantial experience differential once again, this time to wrest the M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Championship from his predecessor, Viktor Nemkov (23-6). Yusupov, who already held wins over vastly more seasoned competitors Martin Zawada and Charles Andrade, showed superior counter-punching and timing as he baited and tagged Nemkov time and again, before rocking him with a well-timed front kick at the start of round three. Round four was more favourable for Nemkov as he sought to defend his gold, Nemkov seeing greater success standing, and punctuating his advantage with a late takedown and top control. The fifth round was contested more evenly, and when the judges scorecards were announced, Dagestani fighter Yusupov was crowned the new M-1 Global Light Heavyweight Champion by way of a split decision.

Former champion Stephan Puetz (14-2) had greater success than his successor Nemkov, rebounding with a win Andrey Seledtsov (5-2) via unanimous decion. The German Puetz was able to fend off Special Forces ‘Berkut’ soldier Seledtsov by making good use of knees throughout, as well as strong takedown defence. Seledtsov proved a very durable and determined opponent, but Puetz had the greater gas tank and wound up in more favourable positions more often as he went on to get the nod. Puetz will now likely target new champion Rashid Yusupov as he looks to regain M-1 Global gold.

Kazakh fighter Damir Ismagulov (7-2) provided a late TKO against Raul Tutarauli (6-4) in what proved a scintillating fight at 155 lbs. The ever-creative Ismagulov delivered several big shots against his incredibly tough Georgian opponent, but was unable to finish Tutarauli until 3:49 of round three. Tutarauli threatened with huge winging punches and chased takedowns and clinches that were largely well-dealt with by Ismagulov throughout, before Ismagulov scored a well-timed takedown of his own, took the back of Tutarauli, and delivered a fight-ending flurry with just over a minute left on the clock.

American Josh Rettinghouse (13-4), representing BJJ Spokane from Washington state provided one of two first round stoppages, besting Belarusian Vadim Zhlobich (3-3) in a catchweight tilt at 140 lbs. Rettinghouse delivered a nasty knee just moments after being dumped on his back by Zhlobich, and the resulting cut would prove to be the end for Zhlobich at 3:10 due to a doctor’s stoppage.

At featherweight, Mikhail Korbokov (9-1) lost his perfect record to Timur Nagibin (7-1) by unanimous decision, while Movsar Evloev (5-0) retained his with a TKO stoppage at 4:09 of the first round against Alexander Krupenkin (1-3) of Ukraine.

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Abu Dhabi Warriors 4

42 year old veteran heavyweight Paul Buentello (35-16) delivered his fastest finish since 2006 when he blasted Bellator veteran Eric Prindle (11-8) with a vicious one-punch KO that is well worth a watch. Prindle and Buentello had barely begun to find their range when a low kick from Prindle was countered perfectly by a brutal overhand right that instantaneously separated ‘The American Soldier’ from his consciousness. Buentello, who has been fighting at light heavyweight in recent years, continued his impressive run of form that has seen him stop both James McSweeney and Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou with decisive TKO’s. The fight lasted just 64 seconds.

Bellator veteran Alexander Sarnavskiy (34-4) put in a strong performance against Jorge Patino (38-18-2, 1 NC) at lightweight, picking up a unanimous decision victory over the 43 year old Texas-based veteran. The fight provided moments for both fighters, but a first round knockdown for Sarnavskiy coupled with great takedown defence and superior striking saw the Russian improve his already impressive record to 34-4, and leave ‘Macaco’ bloodied.

Armenian Akop Stepanyan (23-8) scraped past Will Chope (31-10) by split decision also at lightweight in a back-and forth contest, while impressive Danish 205 lber Joachim Christensen (13-3) bettered US veteran Anthony Ruiz (34-22), picking up a first round armbar submission with 4:47 on the clock. Ruiz opened the fight swinging for the fences, but found himself tagged repeatedly before slumping down beneath Christensen in something resembling a takedown. From there, Christensen dominated with ease, before dispatching Ruiz by submission.

Greek middleweight Andreas Michalaidas (7-2) bested experienced Romanian Ion Pascu (14-6), out-striking him comprehensively across all three rounds, while Russian Alexey Polpudnikov (22-4) illustrated his intentions with a first round TKO stoppage of Brazilian Antonio Magno Pereira (18-6) at featherweight.

Absolute Championship Berkut 39: Young Eagles
Lightweight Fight: Magomed Raisov (5-0) df. Michael Bobner (7-4) via Split Decision (NOTE: This result has been overturned and ruled a No Contest. ACB President Mayrbek Hasiev said it was ‘obvious Raisov did not win this fight)
Lightweight Fight: Said-Khamzat Avkhadov (8-4) df. Ramazan Ismailov (1-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) @ 2:57 of Round One
Lightweight Fight: Yusup Umarov (8-1) df. Aleksandr Panasyuk (11-6) via TKO @ 2:40 of Round One
Lightweight Fight: Anvar Amirli (5-0) df. Lambert Akhiadov (6-4) via Split Decision

Hit Fighting Championship 2
Lightweight Title Fight: Joao Luiz Nogueira (22-6) df. Anthony Dizy (7-2) via Submission (Guillotine) @ 2:54 of Round One
Heavyweight Title Fight: Denis Stojnic (13-3) df. Christian M’Pumbu (19-8) via TKO @ 1:36 of Round Two
Heavyweight Fight: Anderson ‘Braddock’ Silva (1-0) df. Ruud Vernooij (2-3) via TKO @ 2:01 of Round Two

Ice FC 15
Lightweight Fight: Soren Bak (8-0) df. Alex Rodrigues (5-1) via TKO in Round One

Shamrock FC: Aftershock
Heavyweight Title Fight: Bobby Brents (17-5) df. Bubba Grant (4-2) via TKO @ 3:38 of Round Two

Desert Force 23
Welterweight Title Fight: Mohammad Fakhreddine (8-1) (c) df. Aniss Alhajjajy (9-5) via TKO in Round Three

PREVIEWS:

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Cage Warriors 76

Cage Warriors head to Newport, Wales for their second card of the year. Once considered the biggest brand in European MMA, CWFC had branched out and begun running events in the Middle East and Europe, but after a major reshuffle, things have slowed down – at least temporarily.

Having essentially had a near-total reboot, CWFC brings us Cage Warriors 76 as the brand begins to rebuild itself. Headlined by Welsh MMA favourite Jack Marshman (18-5) against Manchester-based Iranian Ali Arish (21-4), this middleweight bout will go some way to filling the void left by departing champion Jack Hermansson, who signed with the UFC this week.

Marshman was once considered the hottest prospect in British MMA, but a titanic clash against Tom ‘Kong’ Watson appeared to have derailed the tough Welshman. Having won six of his last seven fights, however, Marshman appears to be back to his best, and his TKO win over UFC veteran Che Mills arguably represents a career-best win. Ali Arish, meanwhile, can account for a who’s who of British middleweights, but a difficult 2014-15 saw him riding out a two-fight losing streak. He snapped that in Iceland in June 2015 at the expense of Brazilian Julio Cesar Alves, however, and now he looks to return to his homeland for yet another major contest at 185 lbs.

Another tough Welshman, welterweight Lewis Long (12-3) will look to add to a five-fight win streak as he takes on UFC releasee Andreas Stahl (9-2). Stahl entered Zuffa as an undefeated 9-0 prospect, but back-to-back defeats saw him cut from the promotion. Now the Swedish fighter will do battle with Long, an entertaining fighter hell-bent on putting Welsh MMA on the map. A fighter with six submission wins to his name, Long has been to a decision just three times in his career – Stahl, meanwhile, has never been submitted, and dropped a decision just once having gone the distance six times.