Venum Victory World Series 4 Results: Armen Petrosyan, Marcus Fisher win

Venum Victory World Series 4 took place this past weekend in Panama City, Panama. The event was organized by Muay Thai Nights promoter Gianni Carriello and featured a main event bout between Armen Petrosyan and Luis Castaneda.

Petrosyan was in control of the fight being a step ahead of Castaneda throughout. Castandeda tried to come to life near the end of the bout, but it was too little too late. Petrosyan gets back on the winning track after dropping his previous fight in a controversial decision.

It was a huge night for Pittsburgh Muay Thai. Marcus Fisher scored the biggest win of his career when he out struck veteran Marco Pique en route to a decision. Fisher used his boxing to stifle Pique and take home the win. 

Ian Alexander won the middleweight tournament by out pointing Mohammed El-Mir to take home a split decision in the tournament semi-final. In the tournament final he went toe-to-toe with Kader El Kamouchi and the bout was declared a draw and would see go an extra round, but El Kamouchi left the ring not agreeing with decision. He was disqualified and Alexander was declared the winner.

In the heavyweight tournament Claudiu Istrate took home the tournament win. He won a decision in the tournament semi-final over Lucas Alsina, and then scored a third round (T)KO in the tournament final over Rafael De Souza.

Results:

Armen Petrosyan def. Luis Castaneda via Unanimous Decision

Marcus Fisher def. Marco Pique via Unanimous Decision

Middleweight Tournament Semi-Finals:

Ian Alexander def. Mohamed El-Mir via Split Decision

Kader El Kamouchi def. Ricardo Cruz via KO in Rd. 2

Middleweight Tournament Final: 

Ian Alexander def Kader El Kamouchi via Disqualification

Heavyweight Tournament Semi-Finals:

Claudiu Istrate def. Lucas Alsina via Unanimous Decision

Rafael Da Souza def. John Granville via Extra Round Decision

Heavyweight Tournament Final:

Claudiu Istrate def. Rafael Da Souza via (T)KO in Rd. 3

Amateur Fighter Spotlight: Pawel Zawistowski

The Muay Thai and Kickboxing world is filled with amateur fighters. Most of the amateurs won't turn into a professional fighter for one reason or another, while some will go on to make excellent pro athletes. If they go into the pro ranks or not one fact remains, they play a significant role in shaping the future of Muay Thai and Kickboxing. This week's Amateur Spotlight segment features Pawel Zawistowski.

Pawel who fights out of Kings Combat Fitness in Queens, NY recently won the Friday Night Fights 8-Man Tournament. We were able to catch up with Pawel and talk about why he started training, winning the tournament and his future goals.

MTA: When and why did you start training Muay Thai? 

Pawel: I started Muay Thai about 4 years ago. I always was a fan of combat sports especially stand up fighting, one day a friend of mine convinced me to try it out myself. A little time later I fell in love with Muay Thai and have been practicing ever since.

Photo by G. Binuya

MTA: What gym do you represent and what is your record? 

Pawel: I fight out of Kings Combat Fitness, it is located in Queens, NY. Dave Wai Moy is my Muay Thai coach and Andrew Rivera is my strength and conditioning coach. My record is 24W 4L.

MTA: What is your best memory since you started competing in Muay Thai?

Pawel: I would say the best memories are wining for the first time and also a victory in a title fight. Absolutely amazing feeling even until now.

MTA: When you started training was your goal to become a fighter? 

Pawel: At first I never thought I'd be fighting but after a year of training 6 days a week I told myself why not fight if I'm here training every day. So that's how it begun.

MTA: Is going pro something you are planning to do? 

Pawel: Yea I am planning on going pro very soon. I think I'm ready for it and whatever the future brings.

MTA: When can we expect to see you make your pro debut?

Pawel: Hopefully end of this year or beginning of the next. Time will tell.

MTA: What are your strengths that you think will help you in your transition to the pro ranks? 

Pawel: The strengths that will help me transition are my consistency, dedication and power of will. Every time I train for a fight I make sure I put in work and that I train hard every day.

Photo by Fury Magazine

MTA: You recently won the Friday Night Fights 8 man tournament. Can you describe to us the tournament atmosphere and how you felt after winning the tournament?

Pawel: The atmosphere in the room was incredible. Winning in front of my home town crowd and to be the first New Yorker to do so was epic.

MTA: What are your future goals in Muay Thai?

Pawel: The main goal is to be "the best in the world".

MTA: What do you think will be the biggest adjustment going from amateur to pro when you make that step?

Pawel: The biggest adjustment definitely the different pace, longer rounds, tougher competition that means train even harder. Besides that everything is pretty much the same.

MTA: Who are some of your favorite fighters? 

Pawel: There is a few Ernesto Hoost, Ramon Dekkers, Robin van Roosmalen, Tyrone Spong, Saenchai.

Yodsanklai vs. Dzhabar Askerov set for Kunlun Fight 33

Yodsanklai Fairtex and Dzhabar Askerov are set to fight at Kunlun Fight 33 in Hunan, China on October 31st. Their bout will be part of Kunlun Fight's Middlweight Top 16 Tournament.

Yodsanklai will be looking to expand his current 20 fight win streak. He last competed at Origins 7 in Australia where he defeated Marco Tentori by decision. Yodsanklai has finished 12 of his 20 opponents during his current win streak. The Thai great has revived his career in the last three years and is one of the biggest Muay Thai fighters in the world.

Askerov will be looking to win his fourth consecutive fight when he faces Yodsanklai. In his last ring appearance he won the Kunlun Fight 29 Middleweight Tournament. He scored a huge victory by KO over Enriko Kehl in the semi-finals of the tournament. 

It should be an exciting fight between Yodsanklai and Askerov as neither fighter backs down. Askerov has great boxing and his style is great for the Kickboxing rule set, Yodsanklai has adapted to fighting Kickboxing or Muay Thai rules without and issue and is more than willing to get in to heated exchanges with his opponents.

Top King World Series 7 Fight Card

Top King World Series returns October 17 with TK7 featuring the final eight of their super welterweight tournament. The event takes place in Ningbo, China and features an outstanding eight man field. Kem Sitsongpeenong, Khayal Dzhaniev, Sergey Kulyabu, Sergio Mazzetti, Saeid Chahardouli, Dmitry Varets, Pu Dong Dong, and Jimmy Vienot are among the eight fighters remaining in the tournament. All eight fighters advanced to the quarterfinal stage after winning their opening round bouts at TK5 and TK6.

In the previous Top King World Series Welterweight Tournament Reece McAllister was crowned the champion after his opponent, Khayal Dzhaniev was not able to continue to the final due to injuries. The big shock in the tournament came when Dzhaniev was able to defeat Buakaw in the tournament semi-final. Dzhaniev now has another chance to win the Top King World Series tournament and along with Kem Sitsongpeenong has to be considered a tournament favorite.

Additional fights taking place at the event include Thongchai Sitsongpeenong vs. Adrien Rubis, Rungrat Sasiprapa vs. Vahid Shahbazi, and Guo Dongwang vs. Shinji Shikatsu.

Fight Card:

Thongchai Sitsongpeenong vs. Adrien Rubis

Vahid Shahbazi vs. Rungrat Sasiprapa Gym

Guo Dongwang vs. Shinji Shikatsu

Top King World Series Final 8:

Kem Sitsongpeenong

Khayal Dzhaniev

Sergey Kulyabu

Sergio Mazzetti

Saeid Chahardouli

Dmitry Varets

Pu Dong Dong

Jimmy Vienot

Glory 26 set for December in The Netherlands with Verhoeven and Holzken title fights

 

Glory has a huge show planned for December. Glory 26 is set to take place on December 4th in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The event will feature two title fights and a featherweight contender tournament.

Heavyweight Champion Rico Verhoeven will defend his Glory Heavyweight Title against the winner of the Glory 24 Heavyweight Tournament. Verhoeven will be looking to make his third successful title defense since capturing the title back in June of 2014. The four fighters vying for the shot at Verhoeven's belt in the Glory 24 tournament are Ben Edwards, Jahfarr Wilnis, Benjamin Adegbuyi, and Mladen Brestovac.

Welterweight Champion Nieky Holzken will defend his Glory Welterweight Title against the winner of the Glory 25 Welterweight Contender Tournament. Holzken won his title with a (T)KO win over Raymond Daniels at Glory 23. He has won his last eight fights with seven of those fights coming in the Glory ring. Since joining Glory in 2012 he has amassed a perfect 7-0 record for the promotion. The competitors in the Glory 25 Contender Tournament have not been announced so Holzken's potential challengers are not known yet.

The Glory Featherweight Contender Tournament will feature four of the best fighters with the winner earning a title shot against current champion Gabriel Varga. The only fighter confirmed for the tournament as of now is Mosab Amrani.

Fight Card:

Rico Verhoeven vs. TBA

Nieky Holzken vs. TBA

Featherweight Contender Tournament

Mosab Amrani vs. TBA

TBA vs. TBA

Glory 9 set for New York on June 22nd with light heavyweight tournament, Ghita vs. Guidon and Valtellini vs. Ambang set as super fights

Glory has officially announced that they will be headed to New York. Glory 9 will take place at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 22, and will feature and eight-man light heavyweight tournament. In addition to the tournament three super fights have been made official, Daniel Ghita vs. Brice Guidon, Joseph Valtellini vs. Francois Ambang, and Brett Hlavacek vs. Paul Malfort.

Ghita will be returning to action after his recent (T)KO loss to Gokhan Saki at Glory 6. Guidon will be returning to action since his loss to Semmy Schilt in the Glory Heavyweight Grand Slam this December. Both fighters have lost their last two fights, and will undoubtedly be doing everything in their power come fight time to avoid suffering a third consecutive loss.
 

Canadian Joseph Valtellini was last in action when he made his Glory debut at Glory 6. Valtellini scored a (T)KO over seasoned veteran Murat Durekci. Ambang was last seen in the Road to Glory middleweight tournament in which he bested seven other fighters to be declared the Road to Glory middleweight champion. Both fighters are known for their knockout power and this should be and exciting fight with fireworks.

Hlavacek returns to action after falling short in the finals of the Road to Glory middleweight tournament. Hlavacek will be taking on Florida’s Paul Malfort.

Competitors for the light heavyweight tournament currently include Brian Collette, Danyo Ilunga, Filip Verlinden, Mourad Bouzidi, Steve McKinnon, and Koichi.

You can read the official press release form Glory below.

GLORY HITS NEW YORK CITY’S HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM WITH WORLD-CLASS KICKBOXING EVENT FEATURING

EIGHT-MAN, LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

PLUS SUPERFIGHTS:

DANIEL GHITA VS. BRICE GUIDON

JOSEPH VALTELLINI VS. FRANCOIS AMBANG

BRETT HLAVACEK VS. PAUL MARFORT

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

SINGAPORE (April 23, 2013) – GLORY, the world’s premier kickboxing league that is home to the greatest martial arts stand-up fighters on the planet, today announced that it will bring its championship fight series to The United States for the first time ever with a one-night, eight-man, light heavyweight (209 pounds/95 kilograms) tournament at Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center in New York City on Saturday, June 22. 

In one of several Superfights also scheduled for the event, heavyweight superstar and former secret service agent Daniel “The Savage Samurai” Ghita (46-9, 35 KOs) of Romania will collide with Muay Thai champion Brice Guidon (28-8, 13 KOs) of France. 

Tickets for GLORY 9 New York, priced from $48 (plus handling fees), are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, online at Ticketmaster.com and charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000.

“We are thrilled to kick off the expansion of GLORY’s world championship kickboxing series to the U.S. with such a high-caliber event in the sports and entertainment epicenter that is New York City,” said GLORY Sports International CEO Andrew Whitaker.  “We are looking forward to establishing the GLORY brand in the U.S. with this debut event that will showcase the product for what it is – the most exciting and elite form of world-class kickboxing, or martial arts stand-up fighting.”

Slated for battle in the single-elimination tournament, thus far, are hard-hitting KO artist Brian Collette (19-1, 16 KOs) of Norfolk, Va.; four-time world champion Danyo Ilunga (51-4, 41 KOs) of Germany; Muay Thai sensation Filip Verlinden (40-9-1, 16 KOs) of Belgium; Peter Aerts-protégé Mourad “The Silent Power” Bouzidi (75-20-2, 34 KOs) of Tunisia; world Muay Thai and Karate champion Steve McKinnon (42-5, 29 KOs) of Australia and granite chinned Koichi (26-8-1, 15 KOs) of Japan   The remaining two tournament competitors will be announced soon.

In other Superfight action, hard-hitting “Bazooka” Joseph Valtellini (8-1, 7 KOs) of Toronto, Ontario Canada will square off with fellow rising star Francois Ambang (9-2, 4 KOs) of Mechanicsville, Va. in a welterweight (170 pounds/77 kilograms) matchup and Phil Nurse protégé Brett Hlavacek (8-1, 3 KOs) of New York, N.Y. will face three-time Muay Thi titlist Paul Marfort (10-5, 4 KOs) of Orlando, Fla. at welterweight. 

The 27-year-old Valtellini, a high school teacher by day, has become a familiar face in New York, winning six of his pro Muay Thai bouts in The Big Apple, all by way of (T)KO.  Valtellini, who also holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, made a splash, first start in the GLORY ring in Istanbul, Turkey on April 6, stopping Murat Direkci, a veteran with more than 10 times as many fights under his belt than Valtellini, in the third round of their matchup.

Ambang, a 26-year-old native of Cameroon, made a mark in New York City for the first time on March 22, winning the one-night, eight-man development Road To GLORY USA welterweight tournament at Capitale to earn a multi-fight contract with GLORY.  Using heavy body attacks, Ambang defeated three consecutive opponents – two by way of TKO – including a first round stoppage of Hlavacek in the tournament’s championship round.

The 29-year-old Hlavacek reached the championship round of the tournament after scoring a stunning, 41-second TKO on Ryan Parker in the quarterfinal stage of the eight-man affair and earning a unanimous decision over Eric Utsch in the semifinal stage. 

A draw to determine the GLORY 9 New York light heavyweight tournament’s quarterfinal stage matchups will be held on a date to be announced soon.

Doors at Hammerstein Ballroom will open at 5 p.m. EST and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit www.gloryworldseries.com.

Road to Glory 155lb tournament set for "Knockout Kings" in Milwaukee

Glory’s tournament series Road to Glory will return May 11th featuring their lightweight (155lb) tournament. Milwaukee will play host to the tournament, which is being promoted by former Kickboxer Duke Roufus. As the previous Road to Glory tournaments, it will be part of a local fight card. NAFC “Knockout Kings” will the promotions that will be working with Glory. The event will take place at the Eagles Club Grand Ballroom.

There has been no official announcement as to who will be competing in the tournament, but one name that seems like a guarantee is Michael Mananquil of San Francisco, CA. 

Milwaukee's Duke Roufus Returns to His Kickboxing Roots in a Glorious Way

Historic Eagles Club Grand Ballroom Hosts NAFC "Knockout Kings" ROAD TO GLORY

(Milwaukee, WI USA) Few names are as synonymous with professional Kickboxing than Milwaukeean Duke Roufus. As well, even fewer Americans are as well versed in the Thai art of Kickboxing, or Muay Thai, as Duke Roufus.

So it came as no surprise when representatives of international Kickboxing promotions powerhouse Glory Sports International contacted Duke in early 2013 looking for his assistance in helping Glory establish itself in the United States.

What was surprising however, was the fact that one of the cities targeted in Glory's plans was Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they wanted Duke to promote their ROAD TO GLORY 8-Man Kickboxing tournament in his hometown.

It was Glory's understanding that Milwaukee was regarded as a true hotbed for combat sports in the U.S. and Duke Roufus was the main driving force behind that image.

With lifelong international connections bringing the parties together, Duke was humbled at the opportunity to work with such a prestigious organization, and even more humbled at the fact they wanted to bring their exciting brand of stand-up fighting to southeastern Wisconsin.

After months of planning and coordination between Milwaukee based North American Fighting Championship (NAFC) and Glory executives, Duke Roufus is pleased to announce professional Muay Thai and Kickboxing will return to Milwaukee's historic Eagles Club Grand Ballroom, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., Saturday, May 11, 2013. CONCEDE, Speedy Metals and Roufusport present NAFC "Knockout Kings" ROAD TO GLORY USA. Doors and undercard 5:00 pm, main card 7:30 pm.

This highly anticipated show returns Duke to his roots of combat sports, the smashmouth stand-up game of professional Muay Thai and Kickboxing, where the lifelong martial artist is a former 4-Time World Heavyweight Champion.

Showcasing some of the best fighters from across Wisconsin and the Midwest, PLUS top fighters flying in from across North America for the ROAD TO GLORY USA 8-man Lightweight tournament (with a top prize of $20,000.00 going to the winner), makes this one of the most unique ring sports events ever produced in Milwaukee.

ROAD TO GLORY USA is kicking off it's promotions with six events in America over the first five months of 2013, including the May 11th show in Milwaukee's Eagles Club.

In addition to top regional talent battling each other in prestige bouts, each ROAD TO GLORY USA event will consist of a one-night, single-elimination, 8-man tournament in one of Glory's six weight divisions. ROAD TO GLORY Milwaukee will showcase the country's top Lightweight (-155 lbs) Kickboxers who will be awarded a total purse of $42,000.00.

The Milwaukee ROAD TO GLORY USA tournament champion will advance to the next level of the global tournament and be offered a one-year contract to fight for Glory internationally.

Highlights of ROAD TO GLORY USA, operated by GSI (Glory Sports International), will be distributed to over 90 countries by GSI's media partner Total Sport Asia (http://www.totalsportsasia.com/). The Glory World Series (www.gloryworldseries.com) is the world's premier kickboxing fighting league, staging events across the globe and offering up to $1,000,000.00 in prize money to the winners of 16-man 'Grand Prix' tournaments, which are open to only the best fighters in each weight class. The fight series also includes eight-man tournaments and events with traditional, single bouts.

Advance priced tickets can be purchased online at http://nafc.tv/kokingsticketing.php, The Rave Eagles Club Box Office, by calling 414-967-7767 or from any fighter appearing on the card. Regular priced tickets will also be available at the door.

VIP Front Row $100.00 ($110.00 door), Reserved VIP Ringside, VIP Balcony and VIP Stage $60.00 ($70.00 door) and General Admission $35.00 ($40.00 door).

A complete bout lineup will be announced shortly. Featured prestige bouts showcasing high-end North American talent have already been announced, including:

Muay Thai Lightweight -155
Landon Simmons (Cooper’s Gym-Detroit, MI) Mike vs Tom Grimmer (Roufusport-Milwaukee, WI)

Muay Thai Middleweight -185
“Bam Bam” Bryce Franck (Roufusport-Rockford, IL) vs Tim “The Arch Angel” Nixon (Team No Quit-Manistique, MI)

Kickboxing Super Heavyweight +230
Reese Shaner (Waukesha MMA-Waukesha, WI) vs Demian Decorah (Chosen Few-Madison, WI)

Muay Thai Bantamweight -135
Josh Kasee (Oneida Boxing Club-Oneida, WI) vs Boontieng Phetvixay (Yamatah Muay Tai-Milwaukee, WI)

Kickboxing Lightweight -155
Benni Izairi (Yamatah Muay Thai-Milwaukee, WI) vs Dwight Anderson (Gracie Barra-Kenosha, WI)

Muay Thai Lightweight -155
Gustavo “Sidewayzzz” Rodriguez (De La Rosa Submission Wrestling-Rockford, IL) vs Jon Henderson (Canadian Fighting Center-Winniepg, Manitoba, Canada)

If you like your entertainment non-stop, action packed and in your face, then you'll want to make sure you're seated ringside Saturday, May 11th at NAFC "Knockout Kings" ROAD TO GLORY USA.

Join fighters and fans afterward at the "Knockout Kings" Post Fight Party at Brewski's Sports Club, 304 N 76th St, Milwaukee. Remember to take the shuttle to and from the fights from Brewski's, located directly across the street from Roufusport MMA Academy.

NAFC "Knockout Kings" ROAD TO GLORY is presented by CONCEDE, Speedy Metals and Roufusport MMA Academy and is sponsored by Brewski's Sports Club, Combat Corner, Curtis Ambulance, Elevation Training Mask,ExpressMilwaukee.com, FM 102.1, Grit Mouthguards, On The Border, Shepherd Express, UWM Army ROTC, WCGV My24 Milwaukee, WSSP Sports Radio 1250 AM, WI Athletic Club and Workout Boss.

For more information, visit http://NAFC.tv or call (414) 967-7767.

Results and Recap: Thai Fight Quarterfinals

Thai Fight was back last night with King of Muay Thai 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. Buakaw once again headlined the event as he took on Italian fighter Mauro Serra in the quarter finals of the 154lb (70kg) tournament. As always the crowd was going crazy for Buakaw, but Serra came out ready to fight and was willing to engage with Buakaw. The fight was fairly event until the closing moments of the first round when Buakaw unleashed a flurry of punches that ended with a right hand that dropped Serra before the bell rang. In the second round Buakaw came out knowing he had Serra hurt and immediately began to attack, despite easily taking over that round Serra made it to see the third round, but just as soon as it began it was over. First Buakaw connected with a left hook that dropped Serra, after Serra was able to get back to his feet Buakaw attacked him like a mad man looking to finish the fight eventually connecting with a knee to the midsection that dropped Serra and forced the end of the bout. Dominant performance by Buakaw who is now on an 18 fight win streak and has not lost since a 2009 decision to Andy Souwer.

Friday Night Fights Muay Thai annual 8-man tournament set for September 28th

Friday Night Fights Muay Thai’s annual 8-man tournament returns September 28^th. 8 of the top 132lb A-Class amateur fighters from across North America will compete against one another with the last man standing crowned as best lightweight in North America.

In 2008, FNFMT started their single evening tournament format and with the exception of 2010, it has been an annual affair since its start. Many of today’s well known professionals have competed on FNF’s 8 man tournament including: Ognjen Topic, Liam Tarrant, Troy Sheridan, Marcus Fisher, and Turan Hasanov to name a few. “There’s something about the tournament that certain kinds of fighters really get up for” Said Eddie Marini, Event Director for FNFMT, “This is a completely different animal than a regular fight. An undefeated fighter has never won the tournament which really underlines just how challenging winning this thing is” Marini continued.

Opening round tournament bouts for Battle of the Pros tonight in Brooklyn, NY

The Battle of the Pros eight man one night tournament is happening tonight at the Renzo Gracie Academy in Brooklyn, NY. The tournament will feature some of the best up and coming talent in the United States and Canada. Some minor changes have occurred to the fight card since its initial announcement. No longer fighting are Phillip LeGrand and Flavio Brito, they are replaced by Mervin Rodriguez and Peter Kaljevic. 

The opening round tournament bouts are Rafael Machado vs. Nate Chambers, Villi Bello vs. Mervin Rodriguez, Peter Kaljevic vs. Troy Sheridan, and Turan Hasanov vs. Deshawn Robinson. When the night is over the winner of the tournament will have definitely bested a field of tough competitors to take the tournament crown. Check back here at Muay Thai Authority for the tournament results later tonight.

Xu Yan replaces Dzhabar Askerov at Fight Code Dragon Series Final 8

Dzhabar Askerov recently had to withdraw from the Fight Code Dragons Series Final 8 which is taking place in Marseille, France on October 15th. Scheduling conflicts with another match that Askerov has lined up forced his withdrawl, in to replace Askerov is China's Xu Yan.

The official word from Fight Code is that they have decided to include Xu Yan in the tournament based on his fight against Susakorn in Milan during the Final 16. Despite losing a decision they felt that Yan had an impressive showing. He will now face France's Abdellah Mabel.