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Once again the Nordic Fire Championship was live from Suomi International for NFC 137: Reinikainen vs. Protag. 17,323 from all over Helsinki, Finland filled the location to capacity along with nearly another 90,000 watching on pay-per-view from around the globe. Ten fights were contested during the event, with five on the main card featuring title fights from both the welterweight and middleweight divisions along with bouts featuring the former #1 welterweights in the world.
The main card started with Masaru Midget (21-4-0) facing Hemmo Kalske (22-6-1) in the heavyweight division. Midget, who had rebounded from a loss to title NFC 136 title contender George McTrigger with a one-round drubbing of Mehmet Sable, was looking to make it two in a row. Kalske was intending to rebound from a five round decision loss to Challengers Alumni Peter Smith. Early on in the fight, Masaru Midget and Hemmo Kalske swung for the fences early, both landing significant body shots. In the second round, Kalske cut Midget open with a head kick, and later caught him with a knee in the clinch before grounding him with a right hand. At 2:24 of round 2, Hemmo Kalske wins by TKO (Punches).
The next fight featured the NFC Welterweight Champion Felix Flashlighter (28-11-1) putting his title on the line against Dirk Zeldenthuis (18-3-0). Coming off a superfight loss to Otso Jokinen at NFC 134, the world class boxer looked to rebound with a title defense against the man he defeated at NFC 110. After his August 27th loss to Flashlighter, the ADCC champion Zeldenthuis has put on a show, only dropping one fight out of six, his one loss to James Kirk being avenged at NFC 132. The fight started off strongly for Zeldenthuis, taking the first round with numerous takedowns and ground control. Flashlighter did well to stay upright and work his boxing game in round two, possibly winning that round with the judges. Round 3 nearly saw the fight end as Dirk went for an armbar, but Felix defended it well. The championship rounds were split by each fighter. The fight went to the judges decision, and with scores of 47:48, 48:48, and 47:48, it was Dirk Zeldenthuis walking away with the Championship by way of Majority Decision.
Following that was a middleweight bout between Jean Pierre Babin (10-1-0) and Joey Silvera (12-3-0). An experienced prospect with frightening power in his legs, Jean Pierre Babin was building off of his impressive NFC debut victory. Meanwhile, the hometown Silvera has been affiliated with NFC organizations during his entire pro career, and holds the distinction of never being submitted. Not much to this wild brawl- at 3:37 of the first round, Joey Silvera scored a massive right hand and emerged victorious by KO (Punch).
The co-main of the evening featured Waldorf Astoria (29-8-0) fighting Victor Reinhardt (26-10-0) in the 170 pound division, possibly to decide the next contender. Early on, Waldorf Astoria was cut open and taken down, but in the second round, Reinhardt started to get worn down from numerous leg kicks. Round three saw Waldorf Astoria avoiding takedown attempts and picking "Bloodlust" apart from distance en route to a 28:29, 27:30, 28:29 Unanimous Decision victory.
The main event of the evening was next and it did not disappoint, as Kalle Reinikainen (17-3-0) took on Hiro Protagonist (24-8-1) with the NFC Middleweight Championship up for grabs. Protagonist came into the fight on a six fight winning streak dating back to his days in Challengers, while Reinikainen last lost a 185 contest nearly a year ago. The first round probably went to Protagonist. The second saw both fighters, throwing bombs, with Protagonist getting rocked from a left-right combo from Reinikainen. More of the same in round three. In the first of the championship rounds, Hiro started to mount a comeback before catching Kalle with a superb hook. A second left hook to the head dropped Reinikainen for the miracle comeback- at 0:48 of round 4, Hiro Protagonist wins the NFC Middleweight Championship by way of KO (Punch).
Results from the undercard:
Tony Tauno defeated Heikki Kuula by KO (Head Kick).
Mikael Samoth defeated Diaz Brothers by Submission (Triangle Choke).
Sean Michaels defeated Bill Cutting by KO (Punches).
Alfa Uros defeated Guru Majja by Unanimous Decision (29:28, 29:28, 29:28)
Marko Torturo defeated Ming Xin by Unanimous Decision (29:28, 29:28, 29:28)
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