|
 KOTB 6: Estrangulamento
For the fourth consecutive Friday, the King of the Beach promotion filled Rio’s The Underground to capacity while crowning an inaugural champion. This card was dubbed ‘Estrangulamento’ and featured an extra bonus for fighters who finished their fight with a choke submission.
Opening the card was a matchup between two welterweights looking for their first KOTB victories. Unfortunately for the Canadian striker Brandon Thompson, this fight was spent entirely on the mat. Inci Yarakos, who the locals have dubbed ‘The Turkish Scarecrow,’ started both rounds with early takedowns. It would be all Yarakos from there, as he mounted and took his opponents back while mixing in strong ground strikes and submission attempts. Yarakos would eventually force a tap from a rear naked choke in the second round, earning the first themed bonus on the night.
Inci Yarakos (2-3, 1-2) defeats Brandon The Wonder (0-2, 0-2) via Submission (RNC) - R2, 03:50
It was Canada vs. Europe again, as Mike Loner took on Italy’s Salvator Ferrara in the light-heavyweight division. This one was a bit of a grinding affair as Ferrara was determined to get the fight to the ground. Loner, however, did just enough work on the feet and in the clinch to make up for all the time spent on his back. Ferrara had his best success in the second round with submissions and ground and pound, but ultimately didn’t do enough damage to take any other rounds in the judge’s eyes.
Mike Loner (2-2, 1-1) defeats Salvatore Ferrara (0-1, 0-1) via Decision (Unanimous)
The European invasion of the undercard continued, as 6’6” Swedish grappler Magnus Karlsson made his KOTB debut against 6’3” Polish striker Gregor Barnett in the super-heavyweight division. This was a frantic three minutes, with Barnett pushing things into the clinch and Karlsson countering with takedowns. After an initial Karlsson takedown and Barnett escape, Karlsson would pull guard, sweep and eventually mount his opponent. From there, a series of elbows opened up a nasty gash on Barnett, covering both fighters in blood and forcing the doctor to call off the bout.
Magnus Karlsson (4-0, 1-0) defeats Gregor Barnett (1-3, 0-2) via TKO (Cut) - R1, 03:25
In the second light-heavyweight matchup on the card, Suriname-born Diederik Boschman took on Bulgarian brown belt Papas Kanamun. Boschman continued to make his former-Olympic wrestling father proud with his crushing Greco-Roman clinch game. Kanamun never got a chance to take things to the ground, as a barrage of punches and elbows put him to his knees, forcing the referee to intervene. Boschman looks like he made the right switch when he decided to pursue MMA, as he now looks forward to a title eliminator bout.
Diederik Boschman (2-0, 2-0) defeats Papas Kanamun (1-4, 1-2) via TKO (Strikes) - R1, 00:52
Closing up the European-filled undercard was a featured super-heavyweight clash between British wrestler Harry Milne and Parisian striker Jean Ben Faur. Milne’s KOTB opponents now have had an average height of 6’9” after taking on the towering Frenchman. This would not be much of a factor, however, as Milne had no trouble taking his opponent to the mat and blasting him with ground and pound. This onslaught would wear on Ben Faur until the 4:57 mark, where a series of strikes from half guard would force the stoppage. Milne took to the mic after the fight and made his case for a title shot. Commissioner Dr. Jones loved the confidence and performance enough to grant him the shot, so Milne will now fight the winner of the KOTB 7’s main event later in the month.
Harry Milne (4-0, 2-0) defeats Jean Ben Faur (0-3, 0-2) via TKO (Strikes) - R1, 04:57
Opening the main card was an exciting all-Brazilian featherweight matchup between Augusto Azevedo and Bruised Rib Aldo. Azevedo came out quite aggressive on the feet with strikes and takedown attempts, but this allowed Aldo to counter with a series of precise punches. After seeing his own blood from an early cut, Azevedo completed a takedown and got the fight where he wanted. From there, it was academic, as Azevedo mounted Aldo before taking his back, where he would finish a rear naked choke with just one second on the clock, earning him a ‘submission of the night’ and themed bonus in his first professional fight.
Augusto Azevedo (1-0, 1-0) defeats Bruised Rib Aldo (3-1, 0-1) via Submission (RNC) - R1, 04:59
In the ‘fight of the night,’ American Diesel Hendrix would make an impressive organizational debut against KOTB veteran, Walood Kassab. The Omani fisherman Kassab had a successful first round after suffering from an early cut, by getting a clean takedown and riding out the round on top and staying active with strikes. Hendrix would take over in the second round, however, as he picked apart his foe with punches. A devastating uppercut got things started, but an even more impressive spinning backfist finished off the job.
Diesel Hendrix (3-0, 1-0) defeats Walood Kassab (2-2, 1-2) via KO (Strikes) - R2, 01:44
In what should be considered a moderate upset, Jim Thompson took a decision against fellow American Gary Finkler in the only lightweight fight on the card. The much taller Finkler was expected to contend for the title in his next fight, but couldn’t keep Thompson on the ground long enough to do any meaningful damage. Thompson kept busy with escapes and reversals, while backing his opponent up stinging leg kicks, head kicks and punches. In an unexpected move, Dr. Jones has scheduled a title fight on KOTB’s first ‘Challengers’ card in just over a week against Major Major, who made an equally impressive performance at KOTB 5.
Jim Thompson (1-0, 1-0) defeats Gary Finkler (3-1, 0-1) via Decision (Unanimous)
The co-main event featured an important fight in the super-heavyweight division, as Ezekiel Puchowski looked to rebound from his first career loss against KOTB newcomer Tim Wallace. It was vintage Puchowski for the first round, as the Polish boxer kept things on the feet with an active clinch game and damaging punches. The much bigger Wallace rebounded and finally got his takedown in the second round but couldn’t hold his opponent down for long. Wallace, looking a bit fatigued from a hard training camp, bowed out in the second round after an array of hooks and combinations. Puchowski now who looks forward to a rematch with his rival, Thiagus Davaru Silva.
Ezekiel Puchowski (5-1, 2-1) defeats Tim Wallace (3-1, 0-1) via KO (Punches) - R2, 03:30
The main event saw the crowning of KOTB’s first ever Brazil-born, Brazil-based champion, as James Diaz decimated British boxer Edward Smith in a grueling 24-minute clash. Edward Smith, who made his first appearance since moving to Brazil, was confident standing and in the clinch, but it would ultimately prove to be his downfall, as Diaz showed his muay thai dominance with soul-crushing knees and kicks to the body. Diaz easily took every round and didn’t slow down and take the easy decision, instead finishing Smith off with a scar-inducing elbow that the doctor couldn’t ignore. It was an impressive performance for Diaz who now has a hungry division of challengers knocking on his door.
James Diaz (4-0, 3-0) defeats Edward Smith (3-1, 0-1) via TKO (Cut) - R5, 04:25
Article views:
160
» Donate to this author |
