MMA - One Championship: Clash of Heroes

Clash of Heroes

I know that even my father would never believe me that I went to watch a mixed martial art competition as he knows that I do not like to watch the wrestling (acting much). Thanks to Metro Events, I am no longer a mixed martial arts competition virgin and shocking enough (even to myself), I loved it!
Yes. I won the tickets worth RM116 via Metro Events contest! (now you realised you have missed out on the contest - go and check out other contests there).
Clash of Heroes lined up 10 fighters from various countries and the highlight of the night was the fight between locally grown hero - Ev 'ET' Ting versus Eric Kelly (The Philippines). Based on their fighting records, it was hard to predict who will come out victorious.

Female Catchweight Bout: Jenny Huang (Taipei) defeated Amira Badr (Egypt)

The match began with two female fighters which were won by Jenny Huang from Taipei. These two are to watch for in the near future, especially Jenny.

Lightweight Bout: Saygid Guseyn Arslanaliev (Dagestan) defeated Mishal Alfad (Indonesia)

The second match was such a quick win that it was over before I even know what was going on. I think Mishal also felt the same as he was defeated by Saygid.

Middleweight Bout: Agilan Thani (Malaysia) defeated James Kuoame (Canada)

Next came a local hero by the name of Agilan. Judging from their physiques, I expected James to win. But looks can be deceiving as Agilan was very agile and on point with his punches. Agilan won and I was estatic!

Featherweight Bout: Christian Lee (Singapore) defeated Mahmoud Mohamed (Egypt)

When Mahmoud and Christian Lee entered the stage, I immediately felt sorry for Christian as Mahmoud was domineering in size but again, size doesn't matter in MMA. It is the matter of the tools and the accuracy of the punches that win the match. Christian Lee won in the first round.

Lightweight Bout: Keanu Subba defeated Rayner Kinsiong

The next fight was all about Malaysian heroes. Keanu Subba, a KL born fighter versus Rayner 'King Karabaw' Kinsiong, a Sabah born fighter. It was an intense fight and the win went to Keanu Subba.

Lightweight Bout: Samir Mrabet (Belgium) defeated Sami Amin (Egypt)

I assumed it was not the night for the Egyptian fighters. Sami Amin submitted to Samir Mrabet's head and arm shold hold in Round 2.

Catchweight Bout: Geje Eustaquio (Philippines) defeated Saiful Merican (Malaysia)

When Saiful Merican walked into the stage, I was estatic for a fellow Malaysian. But in the stage of MMA, one can never expect the unexpected. With just one blow from Geje, Saiful dropped to the floor and with another kick to Saiful's head, the referee declared TKO for the match. 

Catchweight Bout: Jake Butler (USA) defeated Tatsuya Mizuno (Japan)

Jake Butler wanted to finish the match with such haste that Tatsuya finally has to give in and submitted. This one was a fierce punch and kick throws by both fighters.

Lightweight Bout: Eduard Folayang (Philippines) defeated Tetsuya Yamada (Japan)

The next match was done after 3 rounds. During most of the rounds, Tetsuya was always on the ground, with his back on the ground and waited for Eduard to come down and tackle him. The crowd was annoyed with his lack of action but Eduard was patience enough not to give in and when the situation permits, he laid some punches and kicks on Tetsuya. After 3 rounds and with unaninous decision, Eduard won.

Featherweight Bout: Ev Ting (Malaysia) defeated Eric Kelly (Philippines)

The moment that everyone was waiting for has finally arrived. The match between Ev 'ET" Ting and Eric Kelly lasted for 3 rounds and everyone was on their feet cheering for the fighters. Both fighters were determined to win. Punches, kicks, locks and backflips were seen throughout the match. However, Eric finally has to give in after Ev gave him a giloutine move that he couldn't get out from.

All hail the Hero!

Being it was my first time ever watching MMA, I was glued to my seat until the end of the match. And I enjoyed the match too - the adrenaline of watching the punches and kicks and to scream my support to fellow Malaysians - that was an unbelievable experience.
Watching it live has a totally refined experience as compared to watching it on your set ot via youtube.
Credits to the photographer of One Championship. Haiqal Rawlins
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