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Golden Glory (17-2) vs Mitchell Stehling (21-6) - 265lbs Title Fight
Head-lining this colossal night of fights and defending his heavyweight crown, Golden Glory took on Mitchell Stehling in a compelling rematch of top tier mixed martial artists. Glory came into this fight fresh off losses to fellow former pound for pound crown holders Jeremy Tonal and Abayo Bokhari, and with added pressure not to drop the dreaded 3 fights in a row. Since the last time these fighters have met, Stehling has amassed a 3-1 record including some thoroughly convincing stoppages. After taking his last 3 opponents out over a course of lengthy wars, Stehling rightfully earned his rematch for the title. The taller Glory was able to truly impose his will in the stand up portion of the bout, and proved why he was once the top fighter in the world. Stehling offered limited offense against the former pound for pound champion, despite his immense wrestling pedigree. An undoubtedly flawless performance, Glory seemed untouchable. After stifling the takedown of the former Olympic wrestler, a thick flood of pin point and devastating strikes were unleashed upon the stunned Stehling. After suffering a cut and some significant damage to his legs and ribs, Stehling was on queer street with the wind taken out of him. The coup de grace came in the form of tremendous right handed strikes, which forced the referee to halt the bout at the 1:21 mark of round 1. Golden Glory proves to be in constant evolution as he literally improved ten fold on his previous victory over Stehling and retains his cozy heavyweight NFC belt.
George McTrigger (13-2-1) vs Masaru Midget (20-3) - 265lbs
Another pair of heavyweight titans clashed in the co-main event as Masaru Midget returned to the NFC on an 8 fight win streak to take on veteran George McTrigger in a bout with possible future title shot implications. The 5 time NFC vet George McTrigger has only lost one fight with the organization, and having avenged that loss he can be considered a truly dangerous contender in the division. His hybrid combination of striking with an offensive top game make him a tall order for many heavyweights. Midget returns to the NFC with 5 clean victories since his departure and has generated a tremendous amount of momentum. When the bell rang McTrigger wasted no time trying to solve the puzzle of the much taller and heavier Masaru Midget. Impressively out striking his sky scraping opponent, he was able to land at will and capitalize on some defensive deficiencies of Masaru Midget. Perhaps Midget had a mental block, or perhaps he just seemed very disrupted with the strikes he was absorbing. A crisp head kick which tumbled Midget to the floor highlighted the beginning of the end for the monstrous warrior. After waving up his delirious adversary McTrigger followed up relentlessly with an unexpected takedown and landed in mount for his efforts. Showcasing some pure killer instinct, McTrigger delivered some lightning quick punches to the bread basket of Midget who collapsed and tapped out at the 2:09 mark of round 1.
Ej Balingit (22-5) vs Sumopainija Hokanen (15-5) - 265+lbs
Eight time NFC veteran Ej Balingit found himself with a home field advantage as he welcomed some talented fresh blood known as Sumopainija Hokanen to the organization. A durable sprawl and brawl wrestler, Hokanen has a history of throttling opponents with his commanding wrestling and surfacing knockout capabilities. Within the first round of the fight, Hokanen was able to land some strikes that opened up a notable and problematic cut on Balingit's forehead. After securing a crucial and hard fought take down, Hokanen continued to aggravate the cut with the hopes of some medical intervention. No such thing would transpire, and round 2 saw a rejuvenated Balingit do some heavy damage in the clinch resulting in 2 of the judges scoring the round 10-8 for Balingit. The accumulation of body shots proved to be a big dent in the plans of Hokanen, as he was unable to capitalize on the large cut he had opened previously. Although he was able to secure a second takedown at the end of the 3rd frame, his posture was controlled and was ultimately too tired for notable offense. Balingit was able to hold on and had scored a significant amount of powerful knees and punches in the clinch to give him the nod. Ej Balingit has his cut attended too as the announcer declares the judges scores of 29:28, 29:27, and 29:27 and awards him with the unanimous decision victory.
Sampsa Siloposki (23-10) vs Kosti Johannes (26-11) - 185lbs
With a staggering collective total of 70 fights, middleweight Nordic warriors Sampsa Siloposki and Kosti Johannes met in a heated and bitter rematch stemming from the distant month of May. Having lost a close decision to his foe, and fuelled with thoughts of redemption, Siloposki was able to maintain a frightening balance of power and accuracy. He was able to neutralize and capitalize on everything Johannes had up his sleeve. Johannes was seemingly reckless, coming up short on crucial strikes and finding none of the success he had 8 months earlier. After inducing a cut, Siloposki utilized his superior reach advantage and technique to find a home for his right hand. The cut seemed to have been the turning point, and a dazed and confused Johannes invited another laser sharp punch which landed on his jaw and rendered him face first on the floor. Showcasing some crippling power and excellent instincts, Siloposki disposes of his younger foe at the 1:43 mark of round 1 with a brutal knockout. The 32 year old catapults himself to the top of the division and a future title shot could very well materialize for the veteran.
Thomas Pinta (17-5-1) vs Esko Morko (24-7) - 205lbs
The passionate muay thai combatant Esko Morko entered this light heavyweight contest versus the destructive Thomas Pinta as the underdog, having come off 2 losses and with his back against the wall. Pinta is a proven and durable striker, employing kicks and punches as a large stock of his arsenal. As the men sized each other up they began to trade strikes, throwing caution to the wind and remaining in the pocket. Morko was able to avoid enough of the clinching capabilities and land some clean strikes to edge out the first round. A competent and alert Pinta was able to find a comfortable and crippling rhythm in the second round. After trading a large amount of punches and kicks on the outside, Pinta decided to initiate the clinch position once again and proceeded to significantly damage his foe with hard punches. After being satisfied with his job in the clinch, Pinta was comfortable enough to break free and fight on the outside. It seemed the momentum gained was immense, and as Morko started to accumulate more damage he was caught with a crisp punch combination that rattled his senses and forced the referee to intervene at 3:14 of round 2. Pinta extended his win streak to 4 in impressive fashion and showed once again his high degree of killer instinct and durability.
265lbs - Mehmet Sable vs Janne Maunonen - Sable wins via Unanimous Decision.
185lbs - Jeggu Bomb vs Carlos Arienzo - Bomb wins via TKO (Strikes) at 3:41 of round 2.
265lbs - Kalle Kujansuu vs Tony Tauno - Kujansuu wins via KO (Punch) at 1:25 of round 1.
170lbs - Maddy Rock vs Kake Nyrkki - Rock wins via Unanimous Decision.
155lbs - Raimo Tikkari vs Rolf Thorkildsen - Tikkari wins via TKO (Strikes) at 0:46 of round 1.
Mehmet Sable looked outstanding tonight. Excellent anti-grappling and striking with a good showcase of weapons. Jeggu Bomb put forth a performance that should send shock waves through the division. His defensive grappling and clinch domination was simply outrageous. Kujansuu scored a tidy knockout victory over the capable black belt utilizing his brilliant boxing techniques. Former Fire FC superstar and organizational legend Maddy Rock exerted a beautiful performance which included his traditional and flavorful kicking styles. Raimo Tikkari might have the most misleading record in all of mixed martial arts. He has found success despite enduring crippling misfortune at the beginnings of his career. He recorded his first stoppage in over a year via TKO, and might be the most compelling figure to continue to fight for the Nordic Fighting Championship.
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