Birth of TFC : Thailand Fighting Championship

Thailand, the birthplace of Muaythai used to be a tough market for MMA to penetrate. Muaythai reign supreme due to its historical and heritage significant. But the growth of MMA in fact further elevate Muaythai status as the best striking martial arts there is in this planet.

The popularity of MMA as the fastest growing sports in the world has brought fourth the prominence of Muaythai. As a MMA warrior, your arsenal is definitely lacking if you do not armed yourself with Muaythai skills. With this, the popularity of Muaythai camps sees a great increase in athletes coming to acquire Muaythai skills, especially the ones in Phuket.

DARE was the pioneer in Thailand for MMA events, back in June 2011, two months even before Asia's current leading MMA promotion ONE Championship had their first ever event in Singapore. DARE started the concept of MMA fights inside a nightclub.

After 2013 DARE went quiet, seeing that the demand is still there, the charismatic Jon Nutt founded Full Metal Dojo to filled this void. FMD's first event was in Seduction Club Phuket.
Since then, FMD has successfully held 12 shows. FMD did a fabulous job carving a niche market of presenting live fights mixed with the dizzying night live of Thailand.

In the short time of 5 years from it's birth in 2011, ONE Championship trully grow to became an Asian giant in this sports. More and more Thais fight fans began to understand MMA and wanted to watch live events. It was in May 2016, that ONE finally able to organised a show in Thailand, with ONE: KINGDOM of CHAMPIONS.

It was a huge success for ONE at the birthplace of it's chairman Chatri Sityodtong. Combining live rock music with live MMA actions in Impact Arena Bangkok. I believe the acceptance of the Thai crowds to this concept certainly had to do with the work of what FMD has done to build this market.

But it looks like Thailand MMA scene will grow further, come 18 Jan 2017, Bangkok will see the birth of Thailand Fighting Championship. Going to held it's first event at Build Factory, the biggest and most popular night club in Khao Lak, 80km north of Phuket.

8 pro bouts has been schedule to go down starting at 4pm

Fight 1: Welterweight 77kg - Iceland - Sigurgeir Heiðarsson vs Egypt - Amr ElGohary

Fight 2: Bantamweight 61kg - Costa Rica - Emilio Angulo vs Iran - Mohammadali Amiri

Fight 3: Featherweight 66kg - Malaysia - Hanif Zainal vs Iran - Mazista Monjezi

Fight 4: Bantamweight 61kg - Thailand - Sanan Nonglek vs Thailand - Jaktan Tangjan

Fight 5: Flyweight 57kg - Thailand - Pinuy Nuison vs Thailand - Weerayuth "The Monkey King" Pinyoporn

Co-Main Event 

Fight 6: Flyweight 57kg - Philippines - Biondi Dayangadang vs Thailand - Wisawa King Kaveevaragorn

Main Event 

Fight 7: Flyweight 57kg - USA - Alex Schild vs Malaysia - Mohd Zakhir

The battle field for these MMA warriors will be in a ring rather than a cage and will follow the Unified Rules set used by UFC with 1 exception, knees are allowed at all time even to the head. This will certainly up the ante for action as fighters will not be able to take a breather by touching one hand on the ground to be deemed ground, preventing himself by being knee by his opponent as we often see in UFC fights. ( but UFC has changed this rules in 2017 )

According to Will Chope , Thailand Fighting Championship - TFC goal is to give local Thai fighters and locally based foreign competitors a professionally marketed MMA event to showcase their skills and continue onward to greater, more international stages.

Will Chope is no stranger to the fight scene in Asia. He was a ex UFC featherweight and the current URCC Lightweight Champion. Will is touted as the most busiest fighter in world, but for TFC he is playing the role of matchmaker. 

Will is base in Thailand and is very active in the fight circuit of Asia. He has travel extensively in Asia and has met many coaches and fighters around the region. He took up this role as he wants to help promote potential fighters, give them an avenue to turn pro and gain valuable experience before breaking into the big league.

He is going to be busy as TFC has 4 events planned for 2017. Will is also task with promoting TFC on the social media. Ask on the difference between Asia MMA promotions as compare to western organisation such as UFC, Bellator & WSOF, WIll has this to say,
" On a entertainment level I think Asia is better, The walk outs the promo videos, the atmosphere in the stadiums is way better entertainment wise. The rule sets in Asia, the fighters story lines, the region is way more electrifying on a entertainment level than their western counterpart. But of course if you want to see the best vs the best, UFC is still the benchmark"

Two Malaysian will be featured in TFC cards. Hanif Zainal at featherweight and Mohd Zakhir at Flyweight.

Hanif Zainal

At Featherweight, Hanif Zainal of Combat 360X will fight Iranian Benham Monjezi  of AKA Thailand. Hanif has a record of 6-5-1. He is an engineering student with lots of fight experience. He has been active since the early days of Malaysian MMA, fighting in Malaysia Fighting Championship, Ultimate Beatdown and Legend FC.

Hanif last MMA fight was in the Australian HEX Fight Series 5, in Feb 2016 where he lost by TKO in round 2. He is eager to get back into winning ways by dominating Mazista Monjezi.

It is certainly great to see another fellow Malaysian Mohd Zakhir being featured in TFC's. To have him featured in the main event of the night surely shows how far Malaysian MMA has progress.

Zakhir has a 3-2-0 record and most recently in MIMMA4 last year faced flyweight veteran from Sabah, Eddey Kalai. Zakhir lost to him in a 3 round decision.

In Christmas day last year, Zakhir was the semi-finalist in ONE Silat Championship's flyweight category. (ONE Silat is a pro Silat championship bout with rules set similar to MMA). He lost to Rabin Sornito of Philipines. After a close first round...
" I lost via decision. My plan was to go aggressive on the 2nd round but Catalan got my ribs pretty hard which threw me off my game plan. All in all it was a good fight and at the end of the three rounds, I still had 30% gas in my tank left."

These losses is not dampening Zakhir's spirit. Being an experience sportsman since young, Zakhir has a positive attitude. He knows losses are temporary as he pick up valuable learning from each one to improve himself.

Zakhir in action in MIMMA4. ( pix by YK Tang )

At 24 this year, this Shah Alam lad started his sporting life early with competitive swimming when he was 8. He became so good at it, eventually became a national swimmer during his school years. Ever since then, Zakhir has always been competitive in any sports he dive into.

As fitness became the way of life for him, he decided to do it for a living by working in gym, coaching fitness. As MMA conditioning is one of the most grueling training an athlete can do, as he delve into it, Zakhir eventually became a MMA fighter.

His first competition was done without the consent of his family as they perceive MMA as a violent sports. But after his second fight which he won, bringing home the trophy, he was able to convert his family's thinking towards the sports and they are now his biggest fans.

Zakhir with his UMF team mates

Aside from MMA, Zakhir is also an avid golfer and plays dart to relax. This type of activities certainly builds his mental strength by being calm and patient. He will need all of this as he is facing his opponent Alex Schild in Alex's adopted home. Thai crowd can be very intimidating and Alex is a well known figure in the local martial arts scene. But Zakhir is confident and is preparing himself to produce an upset.

Fighting out of Ultimate Malaysia Fighter, Zakhir just got married last September. As for what motivates him...
"The endless support from my family, wife, coaches and mates motivate me to fight harder and better while my passion and competitiveness always provides me the thirst for more action."

Zakhir's opponent is American Alex Schild. He is a BJJ instructor in the fame Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) in Phuket.  Alex is coming into TFC after a 2 fight losing streak. From WSOF Global 1 in 2015 and recently in Beijing promotion Bullet Fly FC. When not competing in MMA, Alex keep himself busy running BJJ classes in BJJ and actively fight Muaythai in the local circuits.

He is excited and honoured to be in the main card in TFC and he feels that fighting in his second home in Thailand certainly motivates him to win. Alex has world class BJJ skills but also has build himself to be well rounded MMA athlete by his mentor Roger Huerta, whom is a ex UFC veteran and now fights in ONE Championship. Alex also polishes his MMA skills by regularly training with many world class athletes that drops by in TMT. 

When not coaching in TMT, Alex spends his time exploring the many wonderful places around Phuket and Thailand. Alex also founded and runs Sabai Gi, A brand that markets BJJ gi and apparels.

Thailand Fighting Championship will be live in their Facebook. Do follow them in their FB, or better yet get yourself to Khao Lak's best entertainment venue - Build Factory to catch great MMA actions from emerging fighters in this region.

ABU DHABI WARRIORS: ROCKIN' KL WITH MMA ACTIONS

International Pro MMA actions thrilled KL fight fans last 8 OCT 2016 at Kuala Lumpur badminton Stadium. This was for the Abu Dhabi Warriors. After locking down semi-finals in lightweight and middleweight tournament with the events in Thailand and Bulgaria, the series move to the featherweight and welterweight division, in KL 

Fans that filled the Stadium Cheras were treated to an electrifying night of action inside the ring. Partnered with Elite Boxing who oversaw the Muay Thai part of the event. The MMA fight cards:

Featherweight Tournament
Gibum Moon (South Korea) vs. Rodolfo Marques (Brazil)

Yerzhan Estanov (Kazakhstan) vs. Ismael Padavia (Afganistan)

Welterweight Tournament
Ivica Truscek (Croatia) vs. Giovanni Melillo (Italy)
Michael Dubois (Switzerland) vs. Nayeb Hezam (Algeria)

After an EFN Muay Thai super fight that warmed up the audience in the arena it was time for the opening MMA fight of the evening with Gi Bum Moon from South Korea fighting against the experienced Brazilian Rodolfo Marques.

Marques who’s a BJJ black belt fought his 30th professional fight and cashed in the extensive ring experience compared to his opponent. There was a lot of grinding throughout the fight as Marques tried to take down Moon who proved to be a tough nut to crack. 

We have seen attempt after attempt but Moon was rock solid and kept his composure. He had his shots but in the end it was Marques who took the split decision.
Rodolfo Marques def. Gibum Moon via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00 

Next up were Ivica Truscek from Croatia and Giovanni Melillo who represented Italy. 

Ivica Truscek (31-25-0) is definitely one of the most experienced fighters in the MMA arenas all over the world when it comes to comparing his record against all other guys in the tournament. In the last 5 years alone he has fought in over 40 fights which is something unprecedented in the world of mixed martial arts.

His unique stance has surprised many men that faced him in the ring or cage. On top of that, he’s a deadly finisher having won 65% of his fights due to KO or TKO.

Melillo who started his pro career just last year was on a perfect 4-0 run until May of this year when he encountered Karl Amoussou (1-0 as a Warrior) who has inflicted him the first defeat of his career.

Once again the fans witnessed an up-tempo fight even though Truscek had over 50 fights more on his score. The experienced Croatian whose stance is unique in the MMA world had a lot of problems with the fit and muscular Italian who started taunting him from the start. 

But Truscek is far too experienced to fall to that and didn’t show any affection at all as Melillo was inviting him to a slugfest. They exchanged some serious punches and kicks through all three rounds but no one had any real opportunity to finish his opponent. 

It was up to the judges to declare the winner and the split decision went to Melillo in the end although Truscek was also expecting the win. Melillo moved to 5-1 while Truscek will have to wait for another opportunity for his 32nd career win. 

Giovanni Melillo def. Ivica Truscek via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00

In the second featherweight fight of the evening Estanov from Kazakhstan and Padavia from Afghanistan battled it out for a place in the semi-final and a matchup with Rodolfo Marques who clinched a spot earlier in the evening.

Although Estanov is 4 years younger than Padavia his professional record is quite impressive.

Estanov is entering the tournament riding on a 2-fights winning streak, with the last one against Chinese powerhouse Lianjie Liu at Art Of War FC event in April this year. This submission machine with a 44% submission finishing rate in his career is a renowned BJJ practitioner.

36-year old Padavia lives in France but he’s originally from Afghanistan. He’s the Cage Warriors and KOC veteran and also the reigning KOC featherweight Champion. Padavia trains with the Werdum Combat Team which is run by the former UFC heavyweight Champion Fabrizio Werdum.

Someone’s winning streak is about to be ended that night as the two meet inside the ring. The winner will advance to the Road to Abu Dhabi featherweight tournament semifinals where he will face Rodolfo Marques

On a night of split decisions it was time for a third one in a row. Padavia has shown some of his slick BJJ moves in the opening round when he nearly submitted Estanov but the Kazakhstani survived. In the next two rounds the momentum turned in Estanov’s favour who completely bounced back after the tough Round 1 and eventually celebrated his 19th career win. 

Yerzhan Estanov def. Ismael Padavia via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00

The last fight of the evening delivered some of the much-anticipated surprise factor as 13-years younger Michael Dubois from Switzerland squared off against Nayeb Hezam from Algeria. It was Hezam’s second appearance on the Road to Abu Dhabi. 

Last year he had to shake the hands of Diego Gonzales after dominating most of the fight in Bangkok, Thailand. This time Dubois didn’t stand a chance. The young gun came out guns blazing but after a swing and a miss it was all Hezam till the end. Hezam grabbed the legs of Dubois as his punch missed and moved the fight into the red corner. 

Once he got his opponent’s back, Hezam dominated. Dubois tried to defend himself and get out of the grip but Nayeb was just too powerful. Michael tapped after 90 seconds in Round 1 giving Hezam a well-deserved victory that placed him in the semi-final where he’ll meet Melillo.
Nayeb Hezam def. Michael Dubois via. Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 1:30

Now the Abu Dhabi Warriors are moving to Brazil for the last leg of the 2016 Road to Abu Dhabi series. On November 1 we are coming to Sao Paolo.

EFN8 - NEXT STOP: MALAYSIA, ON THE TWIN ROAD TO THE KINGS CUP AND ABU DHABI WARRIORS.

EFN8 - NEXT STOP: MALAYSIA, ON THE TWIN ROAD TO THE KINGS CUP AND ABU DHABI WARRIORS.

Once again featuring both Muaythai and MMA fights on the bill, the 2016 Elite Fight Night (EFN) Series heads to Malaysia on October 8 for the third of four regional qualifiers on the road to twin year-end finales in Bangkok and Abu Dhabi.

Bow Suweilek will replace Aiman Red Army

Having launched with EFN6 in Thailand on August 12, EFN 2016 then moved on to Bulgaria for EFN7 on September 24 for the second event of the joint Muaythai and MMA series. Following EFN8 in Kuala Lumpur, the last of the qualifiers will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil to determine the final places for the two series-end finales.

The MMA final will take place under the Abu Dhabi Warriors banner in the UAE capital on November 22, while the Kings Cup Final in Bangkok on December 5 will determine the EFN 2016 Muaythai champion.

The Road to Abu Dhabi...last Sept

The Muaythai at EFN8 will include one 4-man tournament at 72.5kg and one 4-man tournament at 65kg, with both tournament winners progressing to the Kings Cup Final.

The first semi-final fight in the 72 kilo tournament sees Malaysian fighter Muhammad Al-Salyuti face Thai opponent Thirapong Kiatkorwit. Muhammad holds several local titles and Thirapong was a contender in last year’s EFN 4 man in Kuala Lumpur, losing to the eventual winner Sean Kearney in his semi-final bout.

The second semi-final fight sees Bow Suweilek is native Thai, will be representing Malaysia, face Irish prospect Kurtis Michael Allen, who is the least experienced of all the contenders, but comes with a crowd pleasing, entertaining style and will be looking to put his name on the map with a win in this tournament. 

Bow enroute to winning the Super 4 last year in KL

Bow is a Muaythai coach attached to Borneo Combat Gym (BCG) in Labuan. He was the winner of EFN Super - 4 last year in KL. Almost contemplating hanging up his glove this year, but after BCG founder, coach Alvin Chong gave him a proper diet and nutrition plan through Usana products, Bow felt like a reborn fighter. 

In the 65 kilo tournament, the first semi-final sees Ncedo “Nintendo” Gomba of South Africa face South Korean Kim Dong Hwan. Ncedo, is a coach in TopDog factory Muaythai in Miri and he always brings an aggressive action packed fight to the table and Kim will be looking to cause an upset and make a name for himself.

The second 65 kilo semi-final sees Malaysian fighter Wes Jaya take on Iranian Amir Naseri in another intriguing match-up. Wes Jaya is the founder of Wes Gatos Muaythai in KL. He’s the Canadian Muaythai Champion and is a well sought after Muaythai trainer across Asia. Hailing from Miri Sarawak, Wes also dabbled into MMA before & holds a 3-1 records.

An exciting Super Fight on the card sees Thai fighter Nonthachai Kiatkorwit face Malaysian star and former SEA games silver medalist in Silat, Iwan Merican.

The fight card will also feature four MMA fights with the four winners earning their place at the Abu Dhabi Warriors final.

EFN brings you professional set up to give fight fans the ultimate fight experience

EFN8 has been produced by series organizers Elite Boxing in conjunction with local partner, Leko Beh, the owner of Dragon Fight Club and a passionate supporter of Muaythai in Malaysia. Elite Boxing co-founder, Toli Makris, commented
“We are really grateful for the support from Leko. We always receive a warm welcome in Malaysia and great support from sponsors, fighters and of course the local fans.”

Indeed, it is the fourth year in a row that Elite Boxing has staged an event in Malaysia. Having first brought their TVC brand to Malaysia for a Thailand VS Asia event in 2013, EB has returned with an Evolution event in 2014 and introduced EFN last year.
“We have promoted all three of our main brands here,”
said Makris.
“However, it is the first time for us to bring MMA to Malaysia. The new format of EFN will also help us to attract an MMA audience and we know that there is huge following for MMA in Malaysia.”



To find out more about the EFN Series, click here: www.eliteboxing.tv/efn

MIMMA4 Contender Fights - Day of reckoning

Rio Olympic Mens Badminton Semi-finals...Lee Cong Wei slog it out tooth and nails beating his arch nemesis Lin Dan. Similarly in the MIMMA4 Contender fights, was the day of reckoning for fighters. Time for them to give their all and leave the cage with pride no matter what the results. Winners will bask in the glory of appearing in a bigger stage, where spot lights and media attention will swarm them. And obviously a chance to become champion themselves as they challenge the defending champion for the title.

Those who leave the cage as losers should not feel despair, in-fact they should held their head high as they have reached thus far, and I believe all should take inspiration from Muhd Aiman.

Aiman lost in finals in season 1, season 2 reached finals but didn't make weight, season 3 came back went all the way to the finals and emerge victorious as the featherweight champion. Now Aiman is a professional MMA fighter and had won his debut in ONE Championship the night before on 2 Sept 2016.

As if there's not enough fire to burn the spirits of the fighters fighting in the 7 Contender fights & 2 semi-finals (for Foreign Pride), MIMMA add in another 9 feature fights to warms things up.

The feature fights results are:

Before the first Contender match, fighters had a face off.

Clockwise from top. Foreign Pride Semi 1: Nazri Sutari (SGP) vs Anthony Vincent Lowe (UK). Heavyweigh. Tsan Nieng Khai (SWK) vs Niker Tan Sian Kai (PEN).  Women : Hayatun Najihin (JOH) vs Nur Sabrina Bt Rafiz Azuan (SEL).  Welterweight : Theeban Govindasamy (KL) vs Aaron Tan Kuan Howe (SWK)

Clockwise from top. Middleweight: Bryant Tan Yi Qin (SWK) vs  Faiz Faisal Roseli (PEN). Flyweight: Eddy Kalai (SAB) vs Mohd Zakhir (SEL). Lightweight: Hui Keng Fai (SEL) vs Muhd Fahim Noh (SEL). Bantamweight: Damon Soo Yan Wei (KL) vs  Liew Meng Jun Quency (SAB). Foreign Pride Semi 2: Shaqueme Rock (UK) vs Amro Sulaiman (PALESTINE)

Ok lets move on to the first match in the Contender Fights.

Foreign Pride Semi 1: Nazri Sutari (SGP) defeated Anthony Vincent Lowe (UK) by unanimous decision.. Referee Olivier Coste (FRA).

Nazri displayed a great game of explosiveness and ground dominance. Executing a beautiful double leg take down that slammed Anthony on the canvas in round 1. Although Anthony was not easy to finish, Nazri was able to exert his will on the ground with ground and pound to win all three judges decision.

Heavyweight : Tsan Nieng Khai (SWK) defeated Niker Tan Sian Kai (PEN) via split decision. Referee Abdul Aziz Alias (SEL).

Last year Contender Fight, Niker prevented an all Sabahan affair in the grand finals when he beat Tam Yaw Kent to reach the grand final. This year another Borneon was in his way - which happened to be Tam's opponent in Season's 3 semi final, Tsan Nieng Khai from Sarawak.

For the big boys to slog it out for 3 rounds certainly needs a big gas tank and both showed great improvement in stamina compare to the year before. But the edge went to Tsan whom displayed a better striking from his muaythai kicks and when he was able to control Niker on the ground.

So we will see a Borneon affair in the grand finals where Sabahan Champion Darren Low will be waiting for Tsan in the grand finals.

Women’s Power: Hayatun Najihin (JOH) defeated Nur Sabrina Bt Rafiz Azuan (SEL) by unanimous decision. Referee Yeow Chet Lim (KL).

The female category may only be in it's second year but the standard of skills when you watch these two compete was certainly at another level. In fact this match may have more action than some of the other match in the male category.

These two never stop moving, when they stand after a few strike, in an instance they would engage in grappling and move the action to the floor. At the ground both never stop looking for submission and reversal, it was like watching a Metamoris match. Their corners was shouting instruction non stop, the crowds went wild, supporters for Nur Sabrina was estatic! Kudos to both this elite female for showing true warriors spirits.

But a winners had be announced and it went to Hayatun from Johor.

She will face Joanna Yap of Sarawak in the grand finals, and we may well see another exciting match as both are great jiujitsu athletes.

Theeban Govindasamy (KL) defeated Aaron Tan Kuan Howe (SWK) by unanimous decision. Referee Isaac Yap Weng Choy (JOH).

Aaron came into this fight as a underdog, similar to his fight in the Semi-finals. In that fight Aaron faced the heavily favoured Teh Kah Wai, but Aaron was able to silence the critics and won it. But facing Theeban is another story. Theeban is an ex national karateka and is well known for as a prolific striker.

As expected Theeban kept Aaron at bay utilizing his long range weapon - his kicks. Applying a karate stance, he was able to lunge in and out fast. On the ground he displayed much improved techniques, showcasing what he has learned under David Hullet of Klinch MMA.

But at one point what look like a heel hook did gave Aaron a lot of trouble as he try to escape.

Aaron limp offed the cage and was not happy with the decision loss as he felt the technique applied on him is not legal in amateur level.

Middleweight: Bryant Tan Yi Qin (SWK) defeated Faiz Faisal Roseli (PEN) by split decision. Referee Dana Blouin (USA)

Bryant went in  looking for a finish early, but Faiz of K-ONE MMA Academy was a resilient opponent. The fight stayed standing and this was to Bryant's advantage as his boxing and muaythai background shines. When they are in the pocket he was able to connect with uppercuts and clinch into devastating knees.

It was a three round of energy sapping striking match. Faiz was a worthy opponent that was able to stand toe to toe with Bryant. Upon winning the bout, 2015 Middleweight Champion Muhd Meeraj steps in the cage to face-off with Bryant. Panting from the three round war, Bryant was respectful and cheerished the opportunity to be able to step into the cage facing Meeraj in the grand finals. He said that facing the champ, will ultimately bring out the best in him.

Flyweight: Eddy Kalai (SAB) defeated Mohd Zakhir (SEL) via unanimous decision. Referee Olivier Coste (FRA)

Flyweight are one of the best to watch as they are fast and explosive. Eddy Kalai of Sabah is man on a mission. It's unfinished business for him. Reaching semi-finals for both season 2 & 3, this year he is determined to go all the way. 

Although a cheerful and joyful fella out the cage where he always smiles and joke even during face-off, but in the cage he is one determined and focus fighter.

His boxing pedigree shows through his effective jab and being a counter puncher he outstriked Zakhir even when he was on the retreat.

His ground game is understated but it he is an avid learner from watching countless Youtube tutorial. he was able to control Zakhir on the ground.

Seah Zhang Yu of Penang went through hell and back last year defending his CHampionship belt by outslugging Dhiaal Amal. I believe this year will see the same as both are prolific striker. Perhaps the game changer will be who will be the better grappler should the fight goes to the ground.

Lightweight: Hui Keng Fai (SEL) defeated Muhd Fahim Noh (SEL) by von flue choke submission at 2:32 of Round 2. Referee Olivier Coste (FRA)

Keng Fai is a picture of calmness. A veteran of both season 2 & 3 where he reached the Semi-Finals but a fighter that is always on people's mind as he has so much potential to excel. Due to this even though he lost in the 2015 semis, MIMMA offered him a feature fight vs Nazri Sutari in the grand finals. And Keng Fai showed his calmness weathring the explosive charge of Nazri where he was able to apply a standing guillotine choke in round 1.

Facing Fahim, a veteran of F3 Championship, Keng Fai was able to defend against a single leg attempt. Keng Fai was on top position and was able to execute a submission we hardly see - Von Flue choke. This shows the high level jiujitsu Keng Fai has acquired through Professor Pedro Falbo of Muayfit.

Keng Fai will be challenging Jace Law for the lightweight belt. It's going to be a dream match as Jace is a high level athlete that is well known for his JKO bombs. This match I believe will not go beyond 3 rounds as Jace will be on the constant lookout for a finish. Keng Fai may play the defensive game and look for an opening for submission when Jace lunge in. Bottom line is, it's going to be a heck of a fight.

Bantamweight: Damon Soo Yan Wei (KL) defeated Liew Meng Lun Quency (SAB) by split decision. Referee Isaac Yap Weng Choy (JOH)

On paper it looks like Damon will have an easy victory over Liew. Damon was in season 2 & 3 and stumbled in the quarter finals. As a 18 year old, this is Liew's debut in MIMMA, and he has shown much potential by reaching the Contender Fights.

Liew went into this fight with short preparation. He was expecting to appear in the grand finals fighting Damon hence he started a strength and conditioning program under Borneo Titans and planned to cut weight on the final week of the Grand Finals. The rest of the time he trains in Alpha MMA under Allen Chong ( MIMMA 1 Lightweight Champion) polishing his jiujitsu and MMA.

But MIMMA had planned for a rematch of last year grand finalist of Sabahan Effendy Kalai vs Tee Jac Yoe of Johor. This plan didn't work out as Tee could not be back in Malaysia as he was overseas studying. The rematch was worked out due to 2015 grand finals where a no contest was declared when Effendy pass out due to a controversial behind the back strikes by Tee. As Tee was not able to fight, Effendey goes to the grand finals and it's up to Damon vs Liew to see who challenge him there.

As expected Damon was the aggressor. heavy with his hands was able to bring the fight to the ground. But the ground is where Liew excel. he was able to defend well and constantly shift position to look for a submission as Damon was on the offensive with ground and pound. 2nd round was similar.

Damon seems to be gasping for air in the 3rd round. Knowing he is behind on points, Liew decides to keep the fight standing. Using his boxing experience, a slug fest went on towards the end of the round 3 as both go for broke. In the end, Damon hand was raised, winning a close split decision.

Foreign Pride Semi 2: Shaqueme Rock (UK) defeated Amro Sulaiman (PALESTINE) via split decision. Referee Olivier Coste (FRA)

It was a great way to end the day with these two foreigner as the last match. Shaqueme representing Monarchy MMA using his height advantage controls the striking game and on the ground. Executing great grappling. At one point, victory looks certain for Shaqueme when he was able mount Amro and got high up to his shoulder for a mounted triangle and raining punches from top. But Amro does not give up, he was able to escape and bring the fight standing again.

It was 3 rounds of back and fourth with Shaqueme having the upper hand but Amro is constantly surprising people by coming back strong. Amro's supporters that surround the mall was ecstatic when his hand was raised,...a clearly dissapointed Shaqueme walk off the cage dejected.

But a quick turn around after the bouts when MIMMA officials met and discussed the decision. It was later reverse with the victory of a split decision going to Shaqueme. He will be facing Nazri Sutari of Singapore in the grand finals, and the resilient and warrior heart Amro will be given a feature fight to ensure fight fans a great bouts happening in the grand finals that will be on 8 OCT 2016 in Stadium Negara.

The fire that started in early 2016 will culminate in a truly explosive grand finals. Book your tickets early fight fans, this year grand finals may well be the best fight yet in MIMMA's history.

PS : Thanks to YK Tang Photography for all the great pictures feature here.

Go to YK Tang Photography FB for more awesome pictures.