Lion Fight 18 Results and Recap

Lion Fight 18 took place last night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event featured a main event title fight between champion Yodsanklai Fairtex and challenger Salah Khalifa. As expected by many Yodsanklai successfully defended his Lion Fight world middleweight title.

Yodsanklai and Khalifa were feeling each other out in the first round, but in the second round Yodsanklai scored with a stinging left straight which he immediately followed up with a knee. Khalifa hit the canvas and tried to pop right back up to his feet but it was clear that he was hurt as his legs were wobbly and he couldn’t move straight. The referee stopped the fight awarding Yodsanklai the second round KO. With the win Yodsanklai has now improved his current winning streak to 13 fights and has not lost since November of 2011.

In the co-main event Jason Andrada looked to rebound from his first career loss against Stan Mancebo and he did just that. The fight went the distance and Andrada scored throughout with big elbows, but Mancebo was game and stayed in front of Andrada the entire fight. In the end the Las Vegas based Andrada took home a unanimous decision to jump back into the winners circle. With the win Andrada now improves his professional record to 6-1.

Nick Chasteen was also looking to rebound from his first career loss when he took on veteran Jose Palacios. After a strong first round Palacios seemed to slow down and he was no longer firing off punches. Chasteen took full advantage of this as he moved well and attacked the lead leg of Palacios. By the end of the bout the lead leg of Palacios was bright red from all of the leg kicks he absorbed throughout the fight and the judges awarded Chasteen a unanimous decision. With the win Chasteen is now 3-1 since going pro, while Palacios has hit a rough patch in his career and drops to 7-8.

Chris Culley and Brian Del Rosario fought for five rounds in an exciting fight that had Culley in full control early before Del Rosario stormed back to try and rally in the later rounds. Culley used a solid counter attack to pull ahead early, even scoring an eight count on Del Rosario in the second round with a perfectly timed counter right hand. Del Rosario got wobbly and his glove touched the canvas. In the third and fourth rounds Del Rosario used some solid clinch work and well placed punches to work his way back into the fight. The fifth round saw both men leave it all in the ring and when it was over the judges awarded Culley a unanimous decision.

The night’s opening bout ended prematurely. After two rounds of action between Damien Earley and Eddie Abasolo it was a close fight. In the third round Abasolo connected with an elbow that forced Earley to turn his back, Abasolo then connected with an illegal 12 to 6 elbow to the back of the head of Earley. The referee separated the fighters and after it was determined that Earley could not continue Abasolo was disqualified.

Results:
Yodsanklai Fairtex def. Salah Khalifa via KO at 2:38 of Rd. 2
Jason Andrada def. Stan Mancebo via Unanimous Decision
Nick Chasteen def. Jose Palacios via Unanimous Decision
Chris Culley def. Brian Del Rosario via Unanimous Decision
Damien Earley def. Eddie Abasolo via Disqualification in Rd. 3

Lion Fight 18 Predictions

Lion Fight 18 takes place tonight and once again Nathan Aripez is back with predictions. The last Lion Fight event was an even split down the middle. I was 3-3 at Lion Fight 17 thanks to a few upsets. Lion Fight 18 features the return of Yodsanklai as he defends his Lion Fight middleweight title against Salah Khalifa. Jorina Baars was originally slated to defend her title, but her bout was removed at the last minute.

There should be some exciting fights on the night and aside from the main event and co-main event which I would say are a close to guarantees as one can give in the fight game, the rest of the bouts are going to be tough to call. Now without further ado here are the predictions.

Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Salah Khalifa
This fight is Yodsanklai’s to win or lose. Khalifa is a good young fighter, but Yodsanklai is on a completely different level. Khalifa’s best chance of winning this fight is by either knocking out Yodsanklai or cutting him and hoping the doctor stops the fight. Yodsanklai has proven in his career he can take damage and if he does get knocked down or hurt he can recover fast meaning that Khalifa would have a small window of time in which to try and capitalize.

Yodsanklai might start off slow so that he can get a feel for Khalifa, but as soon as he picks up on his timing expect Yodsanklai to start firing of kicks and mauling Khalifa in the clinch. Khalifa is a tough fighter but I don’t think he is going to have enough to hang with a wrecking ball like Yod for five rounds. As soon as Yodsanklai begins to connect with powerful kicks to the body Khalifa will start to slow down. This one ends in the second or third round.

Prediction: Yodsanklai wins by (T)KO

Stan Mancebo vs. Jason Andrada
Andrada is trying to rebound from his first career loss, and he should do so against Mancebo. Andrada is a fast paced fighter. He doesn’t slow down and has the gas tank to keep a high level through all five rounds. Most of his opponents can’t match his pace. Mancebo needs to land something big early to stand a chance against Andrada, if not Andrada will dictate the pace and take over. Even if Mancebo happens to hurt Andrada he needs to be cautious because Andrada can put the hammer down at any time. His first fight with Mohammed Lemjerdine is the prime example.

Andrada should rebound nicely in this fight. He is going to come out full of energy as always and he should be able to score a stoppage in the second or third round.

Prediction: Jason Andrada by (T)KO

Jose Palacios vs. Nick Chasteen
Chasteen lost for the first time as a pro in his last outing, and he didn’t get an easy fight to try and rebound. Palacios is a gritty veteran that is as tough as they come. Chasteen has a very straight forward style; he likes to walk down his opponents. This is going to be an issue since Palacios counter fighting style is perfect for this. Palacios is good at avoiding damage and has great counter boxing, if he is patient he should be able to rack up a lead on the judge’s score card.

Chasteen needs to try to keep this fight in the clinch; his height advantage should be useful in gaining leverage when in the clinch. Chasteen should also try and use the clinch to wear down Palacios, if there is anything that could make a huge difference it will be Palacios cardio. At times his cardio has looked rock solid and other times it has not. If Chasteen can wear him down then Chasteen might be able to pull this one out in the later rounds. This really is a hard fight to call and it is probably going to be a close one.

Prediction: Jose Palacios by decision

Chris Culley vs. Brian Del Rosario
This is going to be another difficult one to call. It is going to come down to which fighter can implement their game plan. Culley has a counter fighting style and if Del Rosario chooses to try and simply trade with him then he could be in some trouble. If Del Rosario decides to take this fight into the clinch then Culley might end up in trouble. This is another difficult one to pick, but I think Culley will be able to avoid long periods in the clinch and take home the win.

Prediction: Chris Culley by decision

Eddie Abasolo vs. Damien Earley
This is going to be a good fight between two young fighters. These two fought as amateurs before with Abasolo winning by (T)KO late in the fight. That fight took place over two and a half years ago, but I don’t think the result is going to change. Abasolo has to watch out for Earley’s explosiveness, but as long as he is cautious he should be able to take home another victory over Earley. I don’t think this time around he will score a (T)KO but he will use a well rounded attack to take home a judge’s decision.

Prediction: Eddie Abasolo by decision

 

Nathan's Prediction Tracker:
2014 Record: 8-5
Career Record: 40-23
Last Event (Lion Fight 17): 3-3

Lion Fight 18 Fight Card

Lion Fight 18 will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV on September 5th. The main event will feature Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Salah Khalifa for the Lion Fight Middleweight World Title, the co-main event will feature Jorina Baars as she tries to defend her Lion Fight Women’s Welterweight Title against a soon to be announced opponent.

Yodsanklai will look to make his first title defense since defeating Chike Lindsay in July of last year to win the Lion Fight Middleweight World Title. Khalifa will be looking to score what would be the biggest win of his career. The UK fighter will definitely have his hands full with Yodsanklai who will be looking to win his 13th straight fight.

Jorian Baars will also attempt to defend her Lion Fight Women’s Welterweight Title for the first time, however, her opponent is to be determined. Baars won her title at Lion Fight 14 in March of this year with a unanimous decision over MMA stand out Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

Other fighters competing on the event will be Jason Andrada as he looks to bounce back from his first professional loss against Stan Mancebo. Nick Chasteen, like Andrada will also be trying to rebound from his first professional defeat as he takes on veteran Jose Palacios.

Lion Fight 18 will be broadcast live on AXS TV.

Fight Card:
Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Salah Khalifa
Jorina Baars vs. TBD
Jason Andrada vs. Stan Mancebo
Nick Chasteen vs. Jose Palacios
Brian Del Rosario vs. Chris Culley
Damien Earley vs. Eddie Abasolo

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.

Matches to make after Push Kick Promotions "World Stand Off 5"

Push Kick Promotions “World Stand Off 5” took place this past weekend in what was an eventful night. The night’s main event between Simon Marcus and Chidi Njokuani ended in a controversial draw and has had fans on the internet taking sides.

There was a slew of North American based fighters on the card and here we are going to suggest some match ups that we think might make sense for them as their next bout.

Simon Marcus vs. Chidi Njokuani
Nothing more needs to be said. With the controversial draw there is no reason these two should not fight again. Marcus had the most to lose from the draw, although his record still has a zero in the loss column you can bet he is not happy having that one in the draw column. The controversy surrounded the point deduction by referee Tony weeks in the third round to Marcus because of an unintentional low blow and the strategy that Njokuani employed to get out of the clinch, which was turning his back so that the referee would break them up. Marcus has already stated he wants to fight Njokuani again and there should be no reason Njokuani should be opposed to a re-match especially with all the drama that occurred after the fight.

Sean Kearney vs. Kevin Ross
Sean Kearney at 140lbs is a monster. His size and reach give him a tremendous advantage going into any fight and he showed he knew how to use those assets to his advantage against Matt Embree. Many thought the fight with Embree would determine who the number one North American fighter is and Kearney did enough to take home the decision in the judge’s eyes. Kearney has a move forward style that is exciting; Ross has made his living in the ring off of not backing down. A win for Ross over Kearney would be a good way for him to rebound from back to back losses, and for Kearney a win over Ross really cement his spot a top the 140lb North American division.

Matt Embree vs. Rami Ibrahim
Embree is without a doubt one of the top fighters in North America, up until he ran into Sean Kearney we was easily considered the number one fighter in North America. Unfortunately for Embree after a hard fought battle with Kearney he was on the losing end of a split decision. It was an exciting fight from start to finish and a re-match down the road between the two would be great. The re-match that would be nice for Embree right now would be against Rami Ibrahim. A few years back Embree beat Ibrahim in the opening round of the Journey Fight Series tournament in what was considered by the many the best fight that night. Ibrahim has expressed interest in re-matching Embree so why not have it happen now? Ibrahim would be a solid win for Embree if he could come out victorious once again over the Philadelphia based fighter.

Cyrus Washington vs. Nate Chambers
Both Washington and Chambers lost decisions to Thai’s at World Stand Off 5, but they both put on admirable showings. A match-up between the two would be a nicely matched fight. Both fighters hit hard, have nice technique and have a traditional fundamental base to their style, but they tend to not lay back as much as fighters who fight with a pure traditional style.

Josh Aragon vs. Damien Earley
Aragon and Earley are some of Muay Thai’s up and coming pro fighters. Both have the tools to excel to the top of their weight class in the years to come and it would be a great match up for each fighter to test themselves against another top prospect.

Glen Spencer vs. Shawn Yarborough
Glen Spencer was in prime form against Gabriel Vian this weekend. He exploited the inexperience of Vian in the clinch and it was evident that that hs Muay Thai technique was ready to counter any of Vian’s MMA style attacks. A nice match up for Spencer to test himself would be against Shawn Yarborough. The former WBC champ has not fought in a year and a half after a rough patch in which he went 1-4. He has been looking to make a return to the ring and he should match up nicely with Spencer. For Spencer adding Yarborough’s name to his win column would be a nice accomplishment as well.

Sheldon Gaines vs. Turan Hasanov
Gaines and Hasanov met over three years ago at Take-On’s $10,000 tournament. Gaines was ousted by Hasanov in the night’s opening round in what was a questionable decision. Gaines still believes he was robbed by the judges and you can bet getting another crack at Hasanov would be something he would welcome with open arms.

Glen Spencer and Damien Earley added to PKP 5 "World Stand Off Las Vegas"

A few changes and additions have taken place for PKP (Push Kick Promotions) 5 "World Stand Off" Las Vegas. Glen Spencer will replace Charles Byrd on the fight card against Gabriel Vian and and an additional bout featuring Damien Earley vs. Lee Henry Lilly has been added to the fight card.

Spencer returns to action since his KO win at M-One "Reborn" this past May. Spencer defeated Sebastian Lopez with knees to the body in the third round. Spencer has won his last two bouts both by KO. Spencer also competed at the last PKP event this past March where he scored a second round KO over Brett Martin.

Earley will look to get back on the winning track against Lilly after dropping a decision to Josh Shepard this past January. Lilly has fought primarily in MMA and will be looking to score an upset of one the United States up and coming fighters.

PKP 5 "World Stand Off Las Vegas" will take place September 28th at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, NV.

Fight Card:

Simon Marcus vs. Chidi Njokuani
Matt Embree vs. Sean Kearney
Moses Sangtiennoi vs. Cyrus Washington
Nate Chambers vs. Gornpet DeJrat
Sheldon Gaines vs. San Phomphiphak
Bryan Humes vs. Julian Walters
Daniel Sensintaffer vs. Chase Green
Gabriel Vian vs. Glen Spencer
Damien Earely vs. Lee Henry Lilly
Josh Aragon vs. Steve Claken

Damien Earley talks upcoming fight with Josh Shepard at Lion Fight 8

Lion Fight 8 (@LFPLasVegas) is set to be a huge event with the promotions debut on AXS TV as well as the American debut at of Muay Thai legend Yodsanklai Fairtex. Also on the card will be a fight between Damien Earley (@Earley_Damien) and Josh Shepard, two of America’s young guns. Damien will be fighting in his second pro bout, first with full rules. Damien was kind enough to take some time from his training to answer a few questions for Muay Thai Authority about his upcoming fight.

MTA: Big fight coming up against Josh Shepard how has training for the fight been going?

Damien: Training has been going great I've been feeling real healthy even with this cold weather going on plus no injuries so it has been going just fine.

MTA: Where do you feel will hold an advantage in the fight?

Damien: I believe I’ll have the advantage in all the different aspects of the fight because I have the reach, flexibility, and the technical abilities in and out of the clinch.

MTA: You haven't fought since your pro debut in September. Is six months too long of a layoff for your liking?

Damien: Yes I would of love to have another fight between then but that is part of the game I just had to keep motivated and stay training no matter what!

MTA: You are going to be fighting in Josh Shepard's back yard; does that excite you or add any additional pressure?

Damien: Yes there is always a little added pressure when you fight in somebody’s home town but I am confident in myself and my abilities as a fighter to handle any added amount of pressure!

MTA: Can we get a prediction for the fight?

Damien: The fight will prob a hard grueling in side match because I know Josh Shepard is a powerful guy dropping down from 160 as an amateur to fight me at 156 pro so I’ll make sure to wear and tear on him and maybe get a stoppage by a cut or a knee.

MTA: For fans that haven't seen you fight before what can they expect from you come fight time?

Damien: For the fans that haven't seen fight before they will be entertained no matter what side they are on because I always come to fight win or lose it will be a war.

MTA: Any words for your supporters?

Damien: I would like to thank all the people just coming to support muay Thai in America because if it wasn't for fans like them I would not be able to do what I love for a living!

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.