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 KOTB 14 would end up being another landmark for the King of the Beach promotion this past weekend. The card would feature a number of close fights, which resulted in a record four decisions. Bruce Zimbardo would set a record with his sixth appearance for the promotion, while Sean Soffman achieved his fourth win and fourth submission - both KOTB records. Things are starting to look legitimate over here in Rio, so we should probably hire some staff and start doing our taxes. Anyone?
A pair of light-heavyweight grapplers would open up our card, as Bulgaria’s Papas Kanamun took on Brazil’s Bruno Santoyo. Kanamun, who held a decent reach advantage, came forward with a number of wild combinations to start the fight. Santoyo avoided them with ease and countered with a pair of takedowns, but looked like he may have tired in the process. Kanamun stayed aggressive, swept the Brazilian and eventually took his back while attacking with subs and strikes. Santoyo looked to be holding on and defending well, but a deep rear naked choke late in the round would force the tap. “Mucata” fought well in a must-win situation and looks towards his sixth promotional appearance next month.
Papas “Mucata” Kanamun (2-5, 2-3) defeats Bruno “Pitão” Santoyo (3-4, 1-2) via Submission (RNC) R1 - 04:40
Up next, we had the second chapter in Alejandro Sepulveda’s “David & Goliath” quest, as he took on Rio’s own Gabriel Santos Silva. “Gorilla” came into the fight with over a foot of height and 100 pounds on his opponent, which was quite the spectacle at the weigh-ins on Friday. This time, however, Sepulveda would find a way to overcome his much larger opponent by finding his chin on a few occasions with surprising power. The final nail in the coffin would be a pair of huge right hooks that planted Silva face-first into the canvas. Sepulveda was expected to move down to the featherweight division after this appearance, but a change of heart came over the Chilean and he chose to re-sign in KOTB’s super-heavyweight division. We’re not sure if this was the result of renewed confidence, financial needs, or pressure from friends and family. Regardless of intentions, one thing we’re sure about is the courage of “Osito”.
Alejandro “Osito” Sepulveda (7-4 1-1) defeats Gabriel “Gorilla” Santos Silva (1-5, 0-5) via KO (Punches) R1 - 00:52
Our next light-heavyweight matchup drew a pair of strikers looking to rebound from recent losses. The fans expected an exciting bout and both fighters delivered in a “Fight of the Night” performance, as the two met in the middle and exchanged for the entire 15 minutes in what was basically a kickboxing match. England’s Edward Smith was the aggressor and looked to take the fight in the clinch whenever he could. Du Vale worked a more accurate counter striking game and had good success with his kicks. All three rounds appeared to be pretty even, but in the end, all three judges would award all three rounds to the Brit.
Edward Smith (4-2, 1-2) defeats Marc Du Vale (1-4, 1-3) via Decision (Unanimous)
A middleweight showdown between former title challenger Bago Biga and local favorite Tito Gomez was up next. Considering both fighters penchant for the ground game, it was no surprise that most of this fight would be decided on the mat. In our second straight decision, Biga would outwork Gomez with strong takedowns, dominant positions and timely striking. Gomez did have his moments, showing strong grappling defense and positioning while also landing a few takedowns of his own, but in the end it wasn’t quite enough. Biga and his new management get a solid, workmanlike win under their belts, while Gomez looks to continue growing as a complete martial artist and will no doubt come back stronger.
Bago “Badaboom” Biga (4-2, 2-2) defeats Tito “Chacal” Gomez (1-2, 1-2) via Decision (Unanimous)
Closing out the undercard was an important fight in our welterweight division between surging Brazilian, Jefferson Murillo and Omani veteran, Walood Kassab. Murillo would take the wind out of Kassab’s sails early with a pair of stinging body shots, followed by a cut-inducing cross and a flooring uppercut. After a referee standup, Murillo pushed the fight into the clinch and began several minutes punishing Kassab before dropping him with another right hand. The end was in sight and Murillo would force the referee stoppage after some particularly devastating ground and pound. Murillo now looks like a future contender, while Kassab looks to continue his habit of alternating wins and losses in his next bout.
Jefferson “Grisahlo” Murillo (3-1, 2-0) defeats Walood “The Dugong” Kassab (3-3, 2-3) via TKO (Strikes) R1 - 04:20
A pair of talented welterweights opened up our main card when Australia’s Rick Sharp took on England’s Dan Howson. Howson, who was making his professional debut, never got a chance to show his skills as Sharp blitzed with a lightning quick flurry of punches, ending Howson’s night in just 22 seconds. Sharp suddenly looks like a legitimate contender and could see a title shot in his near future. Howson, on the other hand, will take a second chance at getting his first professional win when he takes on Walood Kassab at KOTB 18.
“Slick” Rick Sharp (3-0, 2-0) defeats Dan Howson (0-1, 0-1) via KO (Punches) R1 - 00:22
Two of KOTB’s most reliable heavyweight stalwarts took centre stage next in a matchup of two former title contenders. England’s Harry Milne looked great coming off of his recent title loss, as he controlled the entire fight with takedowns and smothering ground attack, while also mixing in some well-timed punches on the feet. Bruce Zimbardo had some success with his kicks but couldn’t land the big shot and spent too much time on his back. Zimbardo is now in need of a win, while Milne solidifies his spot at the upper end of the rankings and continues to shine as one of the more well-rounded fighters in the division.
“The Bulldog” Harry Milne (5-1, 3-1) defeats Bruce “The Great” Zimbardo (5-3, 3-3) via Decision (Unanimous)
Our final decision on the card was a relatively one-sided but entertaining clash at middleweight. Brazilian-born, Montreal-based Starling Silva would stun Miami’s Billy Styles with an unrelenting array of punches, kicks and knees over the course of fifteen minutes and continues to shine in his young career. The Brazilian already looks like a different fighter than what we saw in his debut. If there’s any consolation for Styles, it’s the new fans he gained after showing incredible heart and resilience after getting knocked down in each of the first two rounds.
Starling Silva (2-0, 2-0) defeats Billy Styles (2-2, 2-2) via Decision (Unanimous)
Two heavy hitters took the card back to the super-heavyweight division in our co-main event. As usual, one of the heavy hitters did the majority of the hitting and this time it was New Zealand’s Kevin Koo. The Kiwi surprised some of the fans and is finally showing some of the promise he came into KOTB with, as he came in firing, landing a number of hard body shots to open the bout. Griffin had a nice cut-inducing right hand of his own early on but found nothing but air for the rest of the match, while Koo punished him with heavy shots in the pocket and eventually sealed the deal with a destructive left hook.
Kevin Koo (3-2, 2-1) defeats Tito “The Warrior” Griffin (3-3, 2-1) via KO (Punch) R1 - 02:18
Many fans took to Buzz thought our next fight should’ve been the “Fight of the Night” and they may have a point. If there’s one way to describe Sean Soffman’s first lightweight title defense, it would be ‘frantic.’ Compton’s Lionel Wright came out firing with head kicks as usual, but Soffman avoided and countered with an early takedown. Wright, though, kicked off his opponent, stood up and promptly hit Soffman with a pair of damaging high kicks. As the crowd grew louder, Sofffman hit another clean takedown and jumped for a leg lock, but Wright again used his athleticism to defend and took top control. This would spell his doom, however, as Soffman swiftly moved from a sloppy triangle to a tight fight-ending armbar. Wright took to the mic to continue his aural antics after the fight, while Soffman remained as calm as usual.
Sean “The Strangler” Soffman (4-0, 4-0) defeats Lionel “wutUsay” Wright (3-2, 2-1) via Submission (Armbar) R1 - 01:59
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