One: “First Strike” was held on the Singapore Indoor Stadium last night and included the semi-finals of the featherweight Grand Prix. The four bouts were full of action and three winners.
Chingiz Allazov needed just 39 seconds to put Samy Sana out of the fight. The French fighter was determined to get to end the fight sooner. The fighter was hit with a head strike in the first exchange, and was unable to recover.
Allazov was brutal, and as Sana tried to sway him away from the fight, he commenced ending the fight with swift striking combinations that hit the head and body. The Belarusian secured his semi-final place in the most stunning manner possible.
Many knockdowns
Davit Kiria did not have to wait long to get rid his battle with Enriko Kehl. He was a hammer and was successful in taking Kehl down three times. German off three times in the first round in order to secure his semi-final slot.
Marat Grigorian was competing against two-time K-1 Max champion Andy Souwer who was on the ropes in the first 30 seconds. It was a quick knockdown, but it did leave Andy Souwer Dutchman in the middle of a mountain to climb up on the scorecards.
To his credit, Souwer tried to put pressure on Grigorian by kicking his body and head while spinning around. However, Grigorian was the stronger fighter. Armenian had a distinct advantage in regards to power, which displayed at the beginning of the second round, slamming the Dutchman by using a left-hand strike.
It was a quick knockdown, however Souwer appeared to be expressing frustration with his leg. The Dutchman was seen announcing his retirement following the fight, and confirmed that the fight was over due to a shin injury he sustained.
Close contest
The final bout was fought by Sittichai Sitsongpeenong who was in a match by Tayfun Ozcan. In contrast to the other fights, this one was very close, in the sense that the Thai moving forward, while the Turkish fighter aimed to strike back.
Ozcan managed to sneak a couple of punches into his opponent’s defence, but then ate numerous body kicks . Ultimately, Sittichai was awarded a split decision victory. Ozcan will face Davit Kira in one semi-final, while Grigorian faces Allazov in the second.