Lion Fight 17 @ Foxwoods: World-Class Muay Thai
This past Friday, the Lion Fight Muay Thai promotion returned to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT (we’re sure you saw our teaser here) with a packed fight card that promised much and delivered even more.
The main card started off with another stellar performance by Pedro Gonzalez. This MMA veteran turned Muay Thai newcomer proved that his 2nd-round finish over Nick Chasteen at Lion Fight 15 was no fluke by earning another TKO upset victory, this time over Tim Amorim. This makes him 2-0 in his budding pro Muay Thai career and puts the rest of the welterweights on notice: “The Beast” Gonzalez is a force to be reckoned with.
Victor Saravia finished Andy Singh in a fast-paced bantamweight fight. The back-and-forth action balanced Singh’s unorthodox fighting style against Saravia’s sheer power, but in the 4th round a bloodied and bruised Saravia prevailed with a high kick to the head that dropped Singh. After an eight-count the fight resumed but Singh was forced to fold a few seconds later under Saravia’s relentless barrage of punches.
Next, Rami Ibrahim and Carlos Lopez went at each other with everything they had in a very close and entertaining fight. A checked kick reopened an old cut on Lopez’ right shin and it started to bleed profusely, but this turned out to be more of an issue for the ringside photographers’ lenses (and t-shirts!) than for Lopez himself who went on to earn a unanimous decision.
Brett Hlavacek came out strong in the fourth fight, a rematch against the very experienced Cyrus Washington. Seeking to avenge his loss in their first fight, Hlavacek came out guns a-blazing and dominated the first two rounds with nasty elbows and brutal knees in the clinch and knocking down Washington late in the second round. Washington rallied in the latter half of the bout but it proved to be too little too late as the man from Brooklyn earned a majority decision against the man from Queens.
In the co-main event, the always-entertaining Cosmo Alexandre faced Jo Nattawut in a very technical fight, one that Alexandre took on only 10 days notice. Fans were treated to lightning-fast attacks and impeccable defense from both fighters ~ just a beautiful display of high-level Muay Thai for 5 rounds. In the end, Jo Nattawut walked away with the narrow split decision ~ a testament to both fighters’ skills. Never one to take long vacations, Alexandre is scheduled to fight Ben Brewer just two weeks from now at Legacy Fighting Championship 38 in Mississippi.
The main event was a rematch between Muay Thai legend Malaipet Sasiprapa and Justin Greskiewicz. Malaipet (then 144-29-6) said that he was seriously thinking of retiring should he lose this fight. Luckily for his legion of fans, he set the tone early by dispensing a vicious knockdown in the first 30 seconds of the fight and never looked back. His weapon of choice was the right kick to the side of Greskiewicz, which landed again, again and again until the entire left side of Justin’s body was a purple, gruesome mess. All in all it was a dominating performance by Malaipet, one that is sure to put to rest any doubts about his immediate future in the sport.
Lion Fight’s star has been on the rise for quite a while now ~ and rightly so ~ and we can’t wait for them to come back to the East Coast for another night of Muay Thai action!
Lion Fight Promotions
Foxwoods Resort Casino
Official Results and Ringside Pictures
Main Event: Malaipet SASIPRAPA def. Justin Greskiewicz (UD)
Co-Main Event: Jo NATTAWUT def. Cosmo Alexandre (SD)
Brett HLAVACEK def. Cyrus Washington (Majority Dec.)
Carlos LOPEZ def. Rami Ibrahim (UD)
Victor SARAVIA def. Andy Singh (TKO @ 1:42 Rd 4)
Pedro Gonzalez def. Tim Amorim (TKO @ 1:43 Rd 4)
Undercard:
- Patrick RIVERA def. Nathaniel King (UD)
- Nicole SCIMEME def. Jessica Palencar (UD)
- Bryce LAWRENCE def. Stephane Smarth (UD)
- Billy KEENAN def. Chanon Kuldaree (SD)
- Jared TIPTON def Jose Rivera (UD)
