Lion Fight 26 Fight Card: Nick Chasteen vs. Turan Hasanov set as co-main event

Lion Fight announced the main event for Lion Fight 26 a few days ago and they have now confirmed the remainder of their fight card. Five more fights will accompany the main event bout between Tetsuya Yamato and Greg Wootton. 

The night's co-main event will feature Arizona's Nick Chasteen taking on New York's Turan Hasanov. Chasteen has been training in Thailand for this fight as he looks to continue his development in the sport. Hasanov is a gritty fighter who might not be active often but when he steps in the ring he leaves it all out there.

Victor Saravia vs. John Nofer will also take place on the card. Saravia will look to keep his perfect record in tact and improve to 5-0. Since turning pro the Californian has made a name for himself with his vicious style that has lead to some amazing stoppages.

Rounding out he card will be Josh Shepard vs. Ben Peak, Julio Pena vs. Tim Amorim, and Pedro Gonzalez vs. Sean Fagan. Most of you might know Fagan because of his website www.Muay-Thai-Guy.com where you can find some great fight training tips and tutorials.

Lion Fight 26 will take place November 20 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, CT and will air live on AXS TV.

Fight Card:

Tetsuya Yamato (c) vs. Greg Wootton for Lion Fight Super Lightweight Championship

Nick Chasteen vs. Turan Hasanov

Victor Saravia vs. John Nofer

Josh Shepard vs. Ben Peak

Julio Pena vs. Tim Amorim

Perdro Gonzalez vs. Sean Fagan

Matches to Make after Lion Fight 16

Lion Fight 16 took place this past Friday in Las Vegas, NV. It was a night full of action as Kevin Ross was crowned the Lion Fight super lightweight champion with his win over Michael Thompson. Also on the card Tiffany Van Soest scored another win and called out Caley Reece as she continues the path to regaining her Lion Fight featherweight title.

So what’s next for the North American based Lion Fight 16 competitors? Here we play match maker and list fights that  we feel would make sense for the winners and some of losers from Lion Fight 16.

Kevin Ross vs. Demian Alamos

Ross is riding a three fight win streak and seems to have now regained his old form. Always a crowd pleaser Ross could be matched up with most likely anyone and it will be an exciting fight. Alamos made waves when he won the prestigious Lumpinee Championship back in 2012 and since then has become the first non-Thai to defend a Lumpinee title. Ross vs. Alamos would be a huge fight for Ross and a treat for American fans to get to see someone with the skill set of Alamos fighting in the states.

Tiffany Van Soest vs. Caley Reece

Since losing her Lion Fight featherweight title to Caley Reece at Lion Fight 13, Van Soest has won back to back fights. She defeated Lucy Payne, and Sindy Huyer in one sided victories and should be the obvious choice for Reece to defend her title against. The first fight was as close as a fight can get and these two ladies going another five rounds would only be fitting.

Gaston Bolanos vs. Jose Palacios

Bolanos scored an impressive one sided victory over Tyler Toner. From start to finish Bolanos was in control and was too much for Toner. Palacios is a tough veteran that would prove a solid test for Bolanos and would likely result in an exciting fight.

Casey Parlett vs. Damien Early

Parlett won his pro debut by handing Josh Shepard his first pro loss. A fight against another one of North America’s young guns would be perfecta and Damien Early fits the bill. Early has fought for Lion Fight before and is 2-1 as a pro. It would be a nice step in the right direction for Parlett if this fight were to happen.

Josh Shepard vs. Nate Chambers

Shepard tasted defeated for the first time against the debuting Casey Parlett. Shepard should be looking to get in the ring soon and make his first career defeat a distant memory. Nate Chambers, another Las Vegas based fighter would likely be an exciting fight for Shepard and a good way for him to try to get back on the winning track, although Chambers won’t be an easy fight.

Lion Fight 16 Results and Recap

Lion Fight 16 took place last night from The Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas, NV. The night's main event featured a clash between America's Kevin Ross and Australia's Michael "Tomahawk" Thompson for the Lion Fight Super Lightweight World Championship, and as expected the fighters two did not disappoint. 

As always Ross came out looking to meet in the middle and trade and Thompson was more than willing to do the same. Ross was clearly the bigger of the two fighters and for those that say size doesn't matter, it does. Ross was able to bully the gutsy Aussie with his size and constant pressure. Ross seemed to get stronger with each round and in the end it was too much for Thompson to over come and the judges awarded Ross a unanimous decision victory. It was a great performance for Ross who has now won three straight for the first time since 2010. With the win Ross is Lion Fight's inaugural super lightweight champion.

Tiffany Van Soest continued her road back to the title as she took on Sindy Huyer and it was business as usual for "Time Bomb". After a close first round where Van Soest and Huyer were feeling each other out things picked up in favor of Van Soest. In the second round Van Soest landed a beautiful spinning elbow that dropped Huyer. Despite being able to recover and beat the count the remainder of the fight was all Van Soest. In the final round a teep to the face from Van Soest also resulted in a wardrobe malfunction as Van Soest's foot pulled down the top of Huyer. As Huyer turned to pull up her top Van Soest connected with punch and the referee stepped in and stopped the bout. Van Soest was clearly on her way to a victory unless some miraculous comeback occurred, but the referee definitely made a bad call. Huyer fought hard enough that she deserved to continue to fight on. None the less Van Soest put on a great performance and after the victory called out Caley Reece in hopes of getting a chance to avenge her only career loss and winning back her Lion Fight belt.

Rungravee Sasiprapa made his Lion Fight debut against Adrian Morilla. Rungravee started the fight slow compared to how he normally fights, but by the end it was all Rungravee. Much credit has to be given to Morilla for hanging tough and trying to go toe to toe with a seasoned veteran like Rungravee, but in the end the Thai Terminator was just too much and the judges awarded Rungravee a unanimous decision win.

In the night's other two pro fights Gaston Bolanos improved to 2-0 with first round (T)KO over Tyler Toner. Josh Shepard tasted defeat for the first time in his pro career with a split decision loss to Casey Parlett, who was making his pro debut.

Results:

Kevin Ross def. Michael Thompson via Unanimous Decision

Tiffany Van Soest def. Sindy Huyer via (T)KO in Rd. 5

Rungravee Sasiprapa def. Adrian Morilla via Unanimous Decision

Gaston Bolanos def. Tyler Toner via (T)KO in Rd. 1

Casey Parlett def. Josh Shepard via Split Decision

Lion Fight 16 fight card official

Lion Fight 16 will take place July 4th from The Pearl at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas. The Independence Day event will feature a Lion Fight Super Lightweight title fight between America's Kevin Ross and Australia's Michael Thompson, the co-main event will feature Tiffany Van Soest vs. Sindy Huyer. The remainder of the card will feature Thai stand out Rungravee Sasiprapa vs. Adrian Morilla as well as Katel Kubis vs. Michael Corley.

Ross recently defeated up and comer Chris Mauceri by third round (T)KO at Lion Fight 15 in Connecticut. Ross cut Mauceri early in the bout and eventually the cut forced the doctor stoppage. Thompson is one of Australia's best up and coming fighters and has a huge in under his belt over Pornsanae Sitmonchai.

Van Soest will look to win back to back fights when she takes on Italy's Sindy Huyer. It will be another solid test for Van Soest as she looks to climb back into title contention to regain the title she lost to Caley Reece earlier this year. Huyer has frequently trained in Thailand and will definitely benefit from a victory over a fighter like Van Soest.

Fight Card:
Kevin Ross vs. Michael Thompson
Tiffany Van Soest vs. Sindy Huyer
Rungravee Sasiprapa vs. Adrian Morilla
Katel Kubis vs. Michael Corley
Tyler Toner vs. Gaston Bolanos

Josh Shepard vs. Casey Partlett

Lion Fight 13 Results and Recap

Lion Fight 13 took place last night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The night's main event featured a women's title fight between American Tiffany Van Soest and Australian Caley Reece.

Van Soest is known for her explosiveness but it seemed she really had trouble getting into a rhythm. Reece did a good job staying out of Van Soest's range and when the distance was closed immediately going into the clinch where she was able to stifle Van Soest from being able to explode with any strikes. While in the clinch Reece delivered knees to Van Soest's mid section. even when Van Soest had Reece against the ropes Reece continued to work her knees. In the end the judges awarded Reece a split decision victory. With the win the Lion Fight Women's Featherweight Title goes to Australia with Reece as Van Soest taste defeat for the first time in her career.

In the co-main event Kevin Ross and Matt Embree met in rematch from Lion Fight 10. Embree won the first encounter by unanimous decision after using and effective clinch to stifle Ross. In the re-match Ross did a good job at avoiding extensive stays in Embree's clinch and worked his boxing well for the first two rounds. In the third round Embree began to force the fight into the clinch where he worked knees and elbows. Going into the fifth round it seemed the fight was likely two rounds a piece. Embree looked tired going into the round but kept pressing for the clinch, but referee Steve Mazagatti had quite a few premature break ups of the clinch which has drawn some criticism from fight fans. Despite the early break ups both fighters kept at it until the final bell and it wasn’t clear who the judges were going to side with. When the official decision was announced it was Ross who got the nod by split decision. A rubber match is something that seems to be a guarantee now so that the rivalry can be settled.

In another re-match Coke Chunhawat and Rami Ibrahim fought in a winner take all fight. The first fight went to Chunhawat by majority decision. In the re-match Chunhawat was just a step ahead of Ibrahim throughout the fight. Chunhawat used a well rounded attack and Ibrahim was never able to get into any kind of rhythm leading to Chunhawat taking home a unanimous decision win and the entire fight purse.

Jason Andrada and Andy Singh met in a fight featuring two of the sport’s most exciting fighters with both putting their unblemished records on the line. Singh jumped out early to take the lead but as the fight wore on Andrada started to get into his groove. Despite eating a few good shots from Singh, Andrada worked a nice attack to the body throughout the fight and continued to press forward. In the end Andrada took home a unanimous decision and improved to 5-0.

Nick Chasteen improved his pro record to 2-0 after defeating Jonathan Del Rosario by unanimous decision. The decision, however, has garnered criticism as it seems most thought Del Rosario had pulled out the win.

In the night’s opening bout Josh Shepard out pointed Daniel Kim to kick off the night’s action. Shepard started off strong, but seemed to fade late when Kim tried to rally but it was too little too late in the end as the decision went to Shepard.

Results:
Caley Reece def. Tiffany Van Soest via Split Decision
Kevin Ross def. Matt Embree via Split Decision
Coke Chunhawat def. Rami Ibrahim via Unanimous Decision
Jason Andrada def. Andy Singh via Unanimous Decision
Nick Chasteen def. Jonathan Del Rosario via Unanimous Decision
Josh Shepard def. Daniel Kim via Unanimous Decision

Fight Card for Lion Fight 13 officially announced

Lion Fight has officially announced the fight card for Lion Fight 13. Once again the hosting venue will be The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and all of the action will go down on February 7, 2014. The night’s main event will feature Lion Fight women’s featherweight champion Tiffany Van Soest as she looks to defend her for the first time title against Australian Caley Reece.

Muay Thai Authority previously reported that Kevin Ross and Matt Embree will meet in a re-match and that news has now been confirmed. The pair previously fought at Lion Fight 10 with Embree taking home a unanimous decision. Ross who has an exclusive contract with Lion Fight will be looking to end a two fight skid as he tries to avenge his previous loss to Embree.

In another re-match Coke Chunhawat and Rami Ibrahim will meet in what according to Lion Fight is a winner take all fight. This is the second time this happens at Lion Fight, the first time was at Lion Fight 5 when Simon Marcus scored a (T)KO victory over Joe Schilling and took home both fight purses. The first fight ended in a majority decision in favor of Chunhawat and Ibrahim will be looking to even the score.

The remaining pro fights on the card will feature Nick Chasteen vs. Jonathan Del Rosario, Josh Shepard vs. Daniel Kim, and Jason Andrada vs. Andy Singh.

Fight Card:
Tiffany Van Soest vs. Caley Reece
Kevin Ross vs. Matt Embree
Coke Chunhawat vs. Rami Ibrahim
Nick Chasteen vs. Jonathan Del Rosario
Josh Shepard vs. Daniel Kim
Jason Andrada vs. Andy Singh

Lion Fight 11 Results and Recap: Yamato and Ross put on a show in co-main event, Cris Cyborg dominates

Lion Fight 11 took place tonight at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas, NV. The night’s main event featured Cosmo Alexandre vs. Nampon PKMuaythai in what was a slow methodical fight. Alexandre returned to Muay Thai action after two years away from the ring to focus on MMA and he was clearly the stronger of the two fighters, but seemed content to score just enough to steal each round. Nampon didn’t offer much in way offense and when he did Cosmo answered with kicks or punches. It was a technical performance by Cosmo, but probably not one the fans will be talking about. He apologized in his post fight interview for his performance.

The night’s co-main event between Kevin Ross and Tetsuya Yamato stole the show. Yamato came out looking sharp in the first round landing some big right hands that seemed to have Ross hurt. At the end of the first round he blitzed Ross and cornered him landing several elbows that seemed to have Ross in serious trouble. Some cuts on the nose of Ross were opened up as well as one behind his head, Ross turned things around in the second round and pushed the pace mixing up his punching and kicks well.

Ross started the third round strong but Yamato started to come on late in the round. In the fourth and fifth round Yamato went to work with more elbows opening up more cuts on Ross, this time over his eye. Ross was a bloody mess but continued to push forward showing nothing but heart. Yamato accurately countered and in the fifth round seemed to have Ross in some more trouble. It went to the judges and the damage Yamato caused with his elbows nullified the aggression that Ross fought with as two of the three judges awarded the fight to Yamato. This was an excellent fight as Yamato and Ross made sure the fans got their money’s worth.

MMA powerhouse Cris “Cyborg” Justino was moonlighting in Muay Thai and she had no problem dealing with Jennifer Colomb. From the opening bell until the referee stopped the fight in the third round this fight was all Justino. In the third round some heavy body shots finally put Colomb down and the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Credit to Colomb for taking the fight on short notice, but Justino was too strong and aggressive.

In a fight that was another mismatch Malaipet Sasiprapa defeated Caio Urugai in less than one round. As soon as the fight started a crisp right hook from Malaipet knocked Urugai down and he was in complete survival mode after that. Two more knock downs followed the last due to a right hand that hurt Urugai which Malaipet followed up with an elbow. The referee started the count but Urugai’s corner threw in the towel giving Malaipet his fourth consecutive win.

Angela Hill and Monique Travis both made their pro debut on the night and both put on a solid performance. The difference in the fight was Hill’s work in the clinch; she clearly had the advantage when they clinched. Both were pretty even when not fighting in the clinch, but when they locked up the taller Hill used her leverage well to control the clinch and deliver knees and elbows. Hill was awarded a unanimous decision and starts her pro career with a win.

Scotty Leffler and Jose Palacios met in a re-match that went the distance after their first fight lasted only 25 seconds. It seemed Palacios was on his way to win a decision due to some crisp counter striking and move to 2-0 against Leffler, but to the surprise of many Leffler was awarded the unanimous decision. Before the fight Leffler had announced he would retire after this bout and for now he rides of into the sunset with a victory.

In the nights first pro bout Josh Shepard defeated Jonathon Wyderko by majority decision. With the win Shepard improves to 2-0 as a pro.

Results:
Cosmo Alexandre def. Nampon PKMuaythai via Unanimous Decision
Tetsuya Yamato def. Kevin Ross via Split Decision
Cris “Cyborg” Justino def. Jennifer Colomb via (T)KO at 0:54 of Rd. 3
Malaipet Sasiprapa def. Caio Urugai via (T)KO (Corner Stoppage) at 1:52 of Rd. 1
Angela Hill def. Monique Travis via Unanimous Decision
Scotty Leffler def. Jose Palacios via Unanimous Decision
Josh Shepard def. Jonathon Wyderko via Majority Decision

Pictures: Lion Fight 8

Scott Hirano was ringside at Lion Fight 8 to shoot all of the action of Lion Fight 8. The event was Lion Fights debut on national television as the event was broadcast live on AXS TV. It also featured the American debut of Muay Thai legend Yodsanklai Fairtex. You can check out a slide show of all of Scott's photos below.

Also make sure to go like Scott Hirano's official facebook page.

 Pro Fights

  

Amateur Fights

 

Lion Fight 8 Results and Recap: Yodsanklai Fairtex impressive in American debut

Lion Fight 8 was in full swing tonight at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The event was Lion Fight’s debut on AXS TV as well as the American debut of Muay Thai legend Yodsanklai Fairtex.

In the main event of the night Yodsanklai took on Gregory Choplin and although Choplin was able to hang tough to start the fight, Yodsanklai was able to break him down and score a knockout in the third round. Yodsanklai attacked with heavy kicks early to the head and body. In the second round it seemed Choplin was able to get into a grove moving well and landing solid kicks and punches of his own, but in the third round Yodsanklai took over. A right hook dropped Choplin and then after he recovered Yodsanklai pounced and put him down for good with a right to the head and a left to the body. Great way for Yodsanklai to follow up his KO of Kem Sitsongpeenong.

In the night’s co-main event Tiffany Van Soest and Alexis Rufus were in a tightly contested fight up until the fourth round. Rufus seemed to be getting the better of Van Soest in the clinch as she continuously worked knees and continued to push forward, but in a split second things were over. Van Soest rocked Rufus with a head kick and then dropped her with a right hand. Rufus was unable to beat the count and Van Soest walked away with an impressive knockout victory to remain undefeated.

Kevin Ross had a successful return after a year long layoff in which he went through surgery to repair his ACL. Ross was able to out point Chris Kwiatkowski for five rounds using solid boxing and leg kicks. Despite being out struck Kwiatkowski hung tough until the final bell. Good showing for Ross in his comeback fight.

Shane Campbell and Remy Bonnel fought for five hard rounds with Campbell walking away with a unanimous decision victory. Campbell pressed forward the entire fight using some solid boxing and leg kicks to take home the win. Campbell ended the fight with a nice spinning heel kick in what was a great performance by the man they call “Shaolin.”

Malaipet Sasiprapa defeated Vishnu Gulati in the second round with low kicks after it was clear that Gulati injured his shin after Malaipet checked one of his kicks. Malaipet immediately went on the attack and was able to force a referee stoppage after four knockdowns in the round.

In other action Vivian Leung out struck Kate McGray to take home a unanimous decision. Jason Andrada won his pro debut with an elbow knockout in the first round over Cody Moberly, and Josh Shepard won his pro debut by majority decision over Damien Earley.

Results:

Pro Fights
Yodsanklai Fairtex def. Gregory Choplin via KO at 2:40 of Rd. 3
Tiffany Van Soest def. Alexis Rufus via KO at 2:05 of Rd. 4
Kevin Ross def. Chris Kwiatkowski via Unanimous Decision
Shane Campbell def. Remy Bonnel via Unanimous Decision
Vivian Leung def. Kate McGray via Unanimous Decision
Malaipet Sasiprapa def. Vishnu Gulati via (T)KO (Leg Kicks) at 1:57 of Rd. 2
Jason Andrada def. Cody Moberly via KO (Elbow) at 2:59 of Rd. 1
Josh Shepard def. Damien Earley via Majority Decision

Amateur Fights
Nick Chasteen def. Jonathan Parsons via Unanimous Decision
Fanny Tommasino def. Jessica Rico via Unanimous Decision
Jason Caldwell def. Ron Cruz via Unanimous Decision
Chris Martin def. Tony Berceau via Unanimous Decision

3 bouts to keep your eye on at Lion Fight 8

Lion Fight 8 (@LFPLasVegas) will feature a fight card with eight pro bouts, the most since the promotion began in 2011. The event will feature the American debut of Yodsanklai Fairtex as he takes on Gregory Choplin. All of the fights on the card are great, but here are three that fans should keep their eye on come the 25th of January.

Kevin Ross (@DaSoulAssassin) vs. Chris Kwiatkowski
Kevin Ross has been out for over a year and will returning from knee surgery. Fans are anxious to see the return of Ross and if he will look like his old self when he gets back in the ring. Chris Kwiatkowski is being considered by many a warm up fight for Ross as he eases his way back into action. Kwiatkowski, however, stated in an interview MyMuayThai.com “I’m just coming in to rain on the parade.” If he is indeed able to defeat Ross it would really make things interesting and raise a lot of questions. Regardless of the outcome both fighters are exciting in the ring and this fight should prove to be full of fireworks.

Remy Bonnel vs. Shane Campbell (@ShaolinStyleMMA)

Remy Bonnel has not competed since his split decision loss to Chaz Mulkey at Lion Fight Promotions “Battle in the Desert 3” in August of 2011. Campbell returned to Muay Thai action in June after a few years of focusing on MMA and has gone 2-0 since returning. If Campbell can pull out the win there are various interesting match-ups that should follow within the North American 154-160lb weight class. If Bonnel pulls of the win then he is again back in the mix as one of the best active 154lb fighters based out of North America.

Josh Shepard vs. Damien Earley (@Earley_Damien)
Josh Shepard will be making his pro debut while Damien Earley will be fighting in his second pro bout. Both fighters have potential to be part of the next wave of North American talent to make an impact. Both fighters have exciting styles and this bout could easily end up being the fight of the night. Don’t be surprised if five years from now one or both of these fighters are considered two of the top North American fighters.

Pictures: Amateur fights of Lion Fight Muay Thai VI

Pictures: Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 5" Amateur Fights

Pictures: Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" amateur bouts

Here are the photos from the amateur portion of Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 4" event by Scott Hirano. We hope everyone enjoys them.

Pictures: Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 3" amateur fights

Some very talented amateurs competed at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 3". Below are some pictures by Scott Hirano of the amateur fights that took place at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 3".

Pictures: Battle in the Desert 2 amateur fights

Enjoy some pictures by Scott Hirano from the amateur portion of Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 2".