Tuesday, 21 May 2013 01:10

Isuzu Tournament Finals, June 11, Results from Siam Omnoi Stadium, Channel 3

This weekend was big for Muay Thai. Kem Sitsongpeenong captured first place in the Isuzu Tournament and Dernchonlek Sor Sor Niyom took third over Prakaisaeng Sit-Or in the same tournament. Both wins came by knockout.

Kem knocked out Nopparat Keatkhamtorn in the third with a fantastic stabbing left elbow. At no point in the fight did Nopparat seriously threaten. Kem looked stronger and seemed to be a step ahead of Nopparat in attacking. Nopparat seemed troubled by his power and had trouble countering after kicks. They seemed about to get into the rhythm of the later rounds when Kem pawed Nopparat's right hand down and landed his elbow. The first two rounds consisted of them testing each others' defenses with hard single shots. Kem got the better of the exchanges.

The prize for first place was 1 million baht and an Isuzu pickup truck. He also earns a spot in the next Thai Fight series.

Dernchonlek's win came after a very rough first round. He threw a rear leg teep which Prakaisaeng caught and countered with a stiff right hand. The rest of the round consisted of Prakaisaeng chasing Dernchonlek around the ring slinging right and left hands while Dernchonlek covered with a tight guard against the ropes. Prakaisaeng looked like he was debating whether to keep chasing a couple of time, but he kept up the pressure with the hands, catching Dernchonlek a few more times. He could also have used the opportunity to deal damage to Prakaisaeng's legs or wade in with elbows.

In rounds two and three, Dernchonlek came forward with knees in the clinch and it became a close fight, with Prakaisaeng defending and landing hard counter knees. He was already ahead because of the first round and seemed to pull even further ahead in the third. Dernchonlek wore him down in the fourth and knocked him out with a string of left knees and two bodyshots after trapping him in the corner.

Dernchonlek was awarded two checks totalling 500,000 baht and given a bonus of 30,000 for his KO win.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 01:10

If you didn't already know, It's Showtime is holding an event in Warsaw, Poland tomorrow. It seems that this card isn't getting much attention and it definitely deserves some. Like the recent It's Showtime event on May 21st, the card is not star studded by any means. We all saw how that card turned out though, right? It was much more entertaining and competitive than the star studded Lyon card. A lot of these fighters may not be known to casual fans of the sport, but I suggest everyone start following them.

The card tomorrow has the 2 top Polish fighters at -70kg fighting with Rafal Dudek taking on Michal Glogowski. You may remember Glogowski from his stint in K-1, where he lost to Yoshihiro Sato at the Final 8. You might also remember Rafal Dudek from his decision loss to Chahid Oulad El Hadj, in which he gave Chahid some problems with his height. This fight will be a good, technical clash between two of Poland's best.

Also on the card we have a sure barnburner in Errol Koning vs. Murthel Groenhart. If you've followed It's Showtime, you know Murthel Groenhart is one of the most exciting fighters in the world. Groenhart always fights at a high pace and is never in a dull fight. His opponent, Errol Koning is not well known but after this fight you should definitely take notice of him. Koning is a very lanky fighter and has a vicious step up knee to look out for. this fight has fireworks written all over it.

Hafid el Boustati returns after his domination of Mohammed Medhar and takes on Piotr Woznicki, who will be at home in Poland. el Boustati is never in a boring fight and this one should bring some excitement.

Yep, Daniel Ghita is fighting too. Ghita takes on Erhan Deniz in what is pretty much a stay-busy fight. Who doesn't want to see Daniel Ghita though? If you like crushing leg kicks then you have to tune in tomorrow because there's sure to be plenty of them.

Last but not least, we have a It's Showtime 95MAX World Title Fight. The champion Danyo Ilunga defends his belt against Serbian Nenad Pagonis. Ilunga is masterful in the ring, as evidenced by the clinic he put on Wendell Roche in March. Ilunga is really deserving of some hype right now. He's not well known to most but he's excellent to watch. Ilunga can move around the ring masterfully using footwork and angles to set up combos and leave opponents confused as to how to get to him. Not to mention, he has 32 KOs in 36 wins. Pagonis is no pushover however, already holding 2 wins in It's Showtime. Last year, Pagonis joined Mike's Gym so you know he'll be prepared for this one.

So, what are you waiting for? Be sure not to miss this event tomorrow. You won't be disappointed. You can order the event on www.showtimefights.com or if you're in Canada, watch it live on The Fight Network. The event begins at 3PM EST/12 PM PST.

For the full card, click here.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 01:10

We reported last week about the fight card going down in Rotterdam on June 18. Since then, the card has taken another turn. The main event will now feature Errol Zimmerman vs. Paul Slowinski, in place of Sergei Lascenko. Originally, Gokhan Saki was supposed to fight Lascenko but Saki pulled out due to injury and Zimmerman stepped in. Now Lascenko is out and Paul Slowinski is in.

Another addition to the card is Hafid el Boustati taking on Kenneth van Eesvelde. el Boustati is coming off a win over Mohammed Medhar on the May 21st It's Showtime event in Amsterdam.

The heavyweight tournament has also had a bit of a shake up. Mourad Bouzidi, Filip Verlinden and Abderahman Coulibaly are in. To win the tournament, a fighter will have to win 3 times to claim the crown. The full 8 man tournament line up is as follows:

Abderahman Coulibaly
Wendell Roche
Nicolai Falin
Mourad Bouzidi
Filip Verlinden
Utley Mariana
Tommy van Wijngaarden
Dennis Stolzenbach

Overall, a good tournament line up. It features some already well established names such as Mourad Bouzidi and Wendell Roche while there's some good fighters you may not know about in Filip Verlinden and Abderahman Coulibaly.

Thanks to FightStarTV for the updates.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 01:10

If you told me that Melvin Manhoef had a collection of arcade cabinets at his house, I'm not sure that I'd believe you without photographic evidence. Well, that is exactly what we have, taken from his Facebook page. Apparently Melvin fancies himself a gamer.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013 01:10

The big fights are what attract fans to kickboxing, and while there are rumblings of K-1 returning at some point this year and putting on shows featuring Heavyweights and Super Heavyweights, but no one is quite certain if the same line up of elite fighters will be willing to do business with K-1 due to outstanding debts and fears of not being paid promptly. Where K-1 lacks, other promoters will always step forward and pick up the slack, which is what is happening now. According to Romanian site GSP.ro (I know, I know), Daniel Ghita is set to do battle with Badr Hari not once but twice.

"It's an honor for me to fight the best K-1 fighter," Ghita told the press.

The first fight is apparently set to happen on September 11th of this year in Amsterdam promoted by none other than It's Showtime. This is a fight that has been a long time in the making, with rumors of the fight being in negotiations before the May 14th Lyon It's Showtime show. What's interesting is that it appears that It's Showtime will continue with their pattern of putting on two big shows back-to-back, with the Fast and Furious tournament happening on September 24th in Brussels, Belgium featuring a 70kg MAX tournament between the best in the world. If the September 11th fight is indeed to take place in Amsterdam, the question to ask is where the fight will take place. There have been rumors that It's Showtime was still looking to run the Amsterdam ArenA in the fall, but with no concrete date or headlining fight yet.

A fight between Daniel Ghita and Badr Hari would seem to be that big fight that could help spur a huge event, but there are a lot of venues for them to promote, so we'll have to wait and see.

Eduard Irimia, the promoter of the Local Kombat series in Romania is also quoted saying that Badr Hari will once again face off with the Romanian Ghita for Local Kombat in early 2012, which coincides with his statements a few weeks ago that he was putting together a Ghita and Hari showdown in Romania "soon."

It is a fantastic matchup and I'm sure no one will complain about coming back for seconds. [source]