list
Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals
Edson Lima vs. Robson Rocha R2
Felipe Micheletti vs. Rogelio Ortiz R2
Fernando Maestro vs. Diego David 3R Unanimous decision
Ricardo Soneca vs. Clei Silva R1
Alex Pereira vs. Cesar Almeida 5R Unanimous decision
SUPERKOMBAT World Grand Prix qualification Match: Thiago Michel vs. Miodrag Olar 3R Unanimous decision
Heavyweight Tournament Final: Felipe Micheletti vs. Edson Lima 3R split decision
Semifinals: Frank Munoz vs. Nikolaj Falin 3R
Semifinals: Sebastian Ciobanu vs. Vladimir Toktasynov 3R
Claudiu Badoi vs. Stelios Papadopoulos 3R
Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Jairizinho Rozenstruik 3R
Stauros Exakoustidis vs. Ionut Atodiresei R2
Catalin Morosanu vs. Eduardo Mendes R1
Finals: Sebastian Ciobanu vs. Frank Munoz 4R
Florin Niculae vs. Catalin Sacagiu 3R. Sacagiu negated Niculae's reach advantage by creating chaos, and just outbrawled him throughout the fight. Sacagiu was the aggressor, swarming Niculae and making him look lame by repeatedly resorting to holding. Sacagiu tried some spectacular techniques, but what I liked is he'd flurry anytime anything landed solidly. Niculae had a solid push kick, but Sacagiu was too explosive for him to utilize his height, and Sacagiu would sometimes counter with a right straight. Niculae was the better fighter on the inside when Sacagiu wasn't punching so much he couldn't get off, as he worked the body well with punches and a few knees. Niculae tired first, but both were blown up in the third, and this allowed Niculae to finally get a round. Both bled heavily around the eye. I have no idea how this wound up being scored a draw. Above average match.
Daniel Lazar vs. Flavius Boiciuc 3R. A close fight, with only the second round being a clear Lazar round, and even that was hardly overwhelming. Lazar was the aggressor, throwing in combo, while Boiciuc countered with single punches. Lazar angled well, and appeared to land a higher percentage while throwing considerably more shots. Boiciuc forced himself to be more aggressive after the 1st, but just wasn't accurate enough even as Lazar progressively slowed throughout the third until the last 30 seconds when he finally came on to steal the round. Lazar won a split decision. Average match.
Stefan Szomoru vs. Cristian Ristea R1. A fun, all action match where both men just kept upping the ante. Ristea's combinations were very sharp, often landing 3 shots, and generally doing a really good job of punishing the body. Ristea scored first with kind of a delayed knockdown in that the damaging blow in the combo was the earlier left cross. Szomoru took no time to recover, immediately firing up and fighting the rest of the round as though he were determined to get the knockdown back. He quickly landed a nice flurry of punches, but Ristea raised his level to a place that was just too high for Szomoru. Ristea missed a left, but immediately countered Szomoru's left hand counter with an overhand right for the spectacular KO. Good match.
Ibrahim El Bouni vs. Ciprian Schiopu 3R. Fast-paced, all action fight where the contrast of styles really helped make the match. El Bouni had the size and the skill, but Schiopu was really strong, super aggressive, and just wouldn't back down no matter how many times he got hit. El Bouni is a finesse fighter with far superior technique, but he was more than willing to mix it up even though he probably didn't have to. He landed in volume, but somehow wasn't usually able to phase Schiopu even though he did a good job of setting up big shots, and of catching his perpetually charging opponent coming in. Schiopu was just that tough. El Bouni circled left using his reach to jab and front kick early, but as the match progressed, he set up a number of good combinations, and kept catching Schiopu when he was prone. Schiopu walked El Bouni down and landed the more powerful blows, but was basically just a double tough brawler who wouldn't back down, so although he did obvious damage when he managed to connect and was always a threat to score the KO, El Bouni just had too many physical and technical aspects in his favor. Round 2 was the best with El Bouni landing a great front kick to the face, big right hook and left uppercut, and nice right straight all to hurt Schiopu, but Schiopu had his own moments including a big right hook when El Bouni was sneaking out of the corner. Schiopu was always in the fight and could have won either the 1st or 3rd rounds, but overall this seemed an easier fight to score than the other decisions, and it did wind up being unanimous for el Bouni. Good match.
Middleweight Title Eliminator: Claudiu Badoi vs. Cristian Milea 3R. Another action packed stylistically divergent contest. Milea was the technically superior striker, a good kicker who did a nice job of finishing his punch combos with a right middle kick. He was badly out techniquing Badoi early in the first, but then Badoi woke up and got into full Leonard Garcia mode, winging huge hooks that had big impact when they landed. Badoi busted Milea's nose with a flying knee, and added to the injury with a big uppercut. Badoi continued to push a crazy pace in the 2nd, keeping it a brawl and denying Milea space to throw his kicks. Milea was completely overwhelmed in the 2nd, as he just couldn't keep Badoi off him. Badoi's big wide punches caught up to him in the 3rd, and once he slowed, Milea was once again able to rely upon his superior technique, and began picking Badoi apart with his combos. Each round was quite entertaining, but it was a tough fight to score because Badoi's run of bull rushing ran from late in the 1st to early in the 3rd, so the question was whether Badoi did enough late in the 1st or Milea did enough late in the 3rd to win those rounds. The judges called for an extra round, and just as a was writing that was a big edge to Milea because Badoi now lacked the stamina to make up for Milea's size and skill, Badoi just mysteriously walked out, giving the title shot to Milea. Good match in spite of the disappointing ending.
Kay Bult vs. Danut Hurduc 3R. Bult had the reach and power, but that only helps if you are able to use it. Bult is one big man, but it's hard to get a KO if you are always backing and never throwing. Hurduc was the aggressor throughout, just walking through Bolt as though he was his little brother. Hurduc not only had Bult under constant pressure, but he was landing almost every shot in all his combinations, changing levels so well that Bult never knew where to block. Hurduc did everything but put Bult down, so one can't fault him for the match being subpar, it's just that this was never even remotely competitive. Below average match.
Kostas Papadelis vs. Ionut Atodiresei 3R. Ionut was a head shorter, but man does he close the distance quickly, and with fury in his fists. He was dominating R1 with his punch combos to the point it was looking to be another whitewash like Kay Bult vs. Danut Hurduc. Ionut added knees to his punch combos late in the round, and when he was unloading on Papadelis against the ropes late in the round I thought Kostas was ready to tumble with one more good shot. However, Kostas never stopped believing in himself, and not only survived the 1st on his feet, but came out composed and aggressive in the 2nd. Atodiresei was both more powerful and more accurate, but this Kostas kid had heart, and was just willing his way into the fight. Papadelis right hand began to consistently jar Atodiresei's head in the 2nd. Ionut still had many moments in this round, but I felt now it was Papadelis that was landing the better shots, and that he did just enough to even it at a round a piece. It got really intense in the 3rd as both fighters were going for broke to get the round, so the pace somehow got even faster than in the previous two rounds. Papadelis hit a flying knee early, but Atodiresei pounced on him with a punch combo and seemingly had him in trouble. I say seemingly because Kostas just kept throwing fast and furious throughout the round, and it really became a contest of one-upsmanship, of who could get the most shots off and in. Again, it was close, but I felt Atodiresei did a little more this time, and the judges agreed, giving him the unanimous decision in one of those fights where there was truly no lose, and one big winner, the fans. Very good match.
Zinedine Hameur-Lain vs. Andrei Stoica R2. Stoica had huge advantages in power and technique. Lain was mostly missing, and couldn't hit hard enough to worry Stoica even when he did connect, so Stoica basically just did what he wanted. Lain really had to press the action, but didn't have the stamina to do so, and didn't like the feel of Stoica's counters. Once Stoica began to walk him down though, Lain had no chance at all. Stoica hurt Lain with a liver kick and then buckled him with a body hook. Stoica was already tired though, and not only let Lain survive the first round with no real pressure, he sat back the entire second round. It was enough of a mismatch that Stoica still scored an awesome highlight reel knockout late in the 2nd, dropping Lain like a ton of bricks when he countered a right hook with an overhand right to the chin, but either Stoica was carrying Lain or his stamina is WWE level. Below average match.
Marsan Yohan vs. Bogdan Stoica R1. Stoica busted open a big gash on the top of Yohan's head with a flying knee knee 20 seconds in, and the doctor couldn't even slow it down, so it was a TKO.
Florin Niculae vs. Catalin Sacagiu 3R. Sacagiu negated Niculae's reach advantage by creating chaos, and just outbrawled him throughout the fight. Sacagiu was the aggressor, swarming Niculae and making him look lame by repeatedly resorting to holding. Sacagiu tried some spectacular techniques, but what I liked is he'd flurry anytime anything landed solidly. Niculae had a solid push kick, but Sacagiu was too explosive for him to utilize his height, and Sacagiu would sometimes counter with a right straight. Niculae was the better fighter on the inside when Sacagiu wasn't punching so much he couldn't get off, as he worked the body well with punches and a few knees. Niculae tired first, but both were blown up in the third, and this allowed Niculae to finally get a round. Both bled heavily around the eye. I have no idea how this wound up being scored a draw. Above average match.
Daniel Lazar vs. Flavius Boiciuc 3R. A close fight, with only the second round being a clear Lazar round, and even that was hardly overwhelming. Lazar was the aggressor, throwing in combo, while Boiciuc countered with single punches. Lazar angled well, and appeared to land a higher percentage while throwing considerably more shots. Boiciuc forced himself to be more aggressive after the 1st, but just wasn't accurate enough even as Lazar progressively slowed throughout the third until the last 30 seconds when he finally came on to steal the round. Lazar won a split decision. Average match.
Stefan Szomoru vs. Cristian Ristea R1. A fun, all action match where both men just kept upping the ante. Ristea's combinations were very sharp, often landing 3 shots, and generally doing a really good job of punishing the body. Ristea scored first with kind of a delayed knockdown in that the damaging blow in the combo was the earlier left cross. Szomoru took no time to recover, immediately firing up and fighting the rest of the round as though he were determined to get the knockdown back. He quickly landed a nice flurry of punches, but Ristea raised his level to a place that was just too high for Szomoru. Ristea missed a left, but immediately countered Szomoru's left hand counter with an overhand right for the spectacular KO. Good match.
Ibrahim El Bouni vs. Ciprian Schiopu 3R. Fast-paced, all action fight where the contrast of styles really helped make the match. El Bouni had the size and the skill, but Schiopu was really strong, super aggressive, and just wouldn't back down no matter how many times he got hit. El Bouni is a finesse fighter with far superior technique, but he was more than willing to mix it up even though he probably didn't have to. He landed in volume, but somehow wasn't usually able to phase Schiopu even though he did a good job of setting up big shots, and of catching his perpetually charging opponent coming in. Schiopu was just that tough. El Bouni circled left using his reach to jab and front kick early, but as the match progressed, he set up a number of good combinations, and kept catching Schiopu when he was prone. Schiopu walked El Bouni down and landed the more powerful blows, but was basically just a double tough brawler who wouldn't back down, so although he did obvious damage when he managed to connect and was always a threat to score the KO, El Bouni just had too many physical and technical aspects in his favor. Round 2 was the best with El Bouni landing a great front kick to the face, big right hook and left uppercut, and nice right straight all to hurt Schiopu, but Schiopu had his own moments including a big right hook when El Bouni was sneaking out of the corner. Schiopu was always in the fight and could have won either the 1st or 3rd rounds, but overall this seemed an easier fight to score than the other decisions, and it did wind up being unanimous for el Bouni. Good match.
Middleweight Title Eliminator: Claudiu Badoi vs. Cristian Milea 3R. Another action packed stylistically divergent contest. Milea was the technically superior striker, a good kicker who did a nice job of finishing his punch combos with a right middle kick. He was badly out techniquing Badoi early in the first, but then Badoi woke up and got into full Leonard Garcia mode, winging huge hooks that had big impact when they landed. Badoi busted Milea's nose with a flying knee, and added to the injury with a big uppercut. Badoi continued to push a crazy pace in the 2nd, keeping it a brawl and denying Milea space to throw his kicks. Milea was completely overwhelmed in the 2nd, as he just couldn't keep Badoi off him. Badoi's big wide punches caught up to him in the 3rd, and once he slowed, Milea was once again able to rely upon his superior technique, and began picking Badoi apart with his combos. Each round was quite entertaining, but it was a tough fight to score because Badoi's run of bull rushing ran from late in the 1st to early in the 3rd, so the question was whether Badoi did enough late in the 1st or Milea did enough late in the 3rd to win those rounds. The judges called for an extra round, and just as a was writing that was a big edge to Milea because Badoi now lacked the stamina to make up for Milea's size and skill, Badoi just mysteriously walked out, giving the title shot to Milea. Good match in spite of the disappointing ending.
Kay Bult vs. Danut Hurduc 3R. Bult had the reach and power, but that only helps if you are able to use it. Bult is one big man, but it's hard to get a KO if you are always backing and never throwing. Hurduc was the aggressor throughout, just walking through Bolt as though he was his little brother. Hurduc not only had Bult under constant pressure, but he was landing almost every shot in all his combinations, changing levels so well that Bult never knew where to block. Hurduc did everything but put Bult down, so one can't fault him for the match being subpar, it's just that this was never even remotely competitive. Below average match.
Kostas Papadelis vs. Ionut Atodiresei 3R. Ionut was a head shorter, but man does he close the distance quickly, and with fury in his fists. He was dominating R1 with his punch combos to the point it was looking to be another whitewash like Kay Bult vs. Danut Hurduc. Ionut added knees to his punch combos late in the round, and when he was unloading on Papadelis against the ropes late in the round I thought Kostas was ready to tumble with one more good shot. However, Kostas never stopped believing in himself, and not only survived the 1st on his feet, but came out composed and aggressive in the 2nd. Atodiresei was both more powerful and more accurate, but this Kostas kid had heart, and was just willing his way into the fight. Papadelis right hand began to consistently jar Atodiresei's head in the 2nd. Ionut still had many moments in this round, but I felt now it was Papadelis that was landing the better shots, and that he did just enough to even it at a round a piece. It got really intense in the 3rd as both fighters were going for broke to get the round, so the pace somehow got even faster than in the previous two rounds. Papadelis hit a flying knee early, but Atodiresei pounced on him with a punch combo and seemingly had him in trouble. I say seemingly because Kostas just kept throwing fast and furious throughout the round, and it really became a contest of one-upsmanship, of who could get the most shots off and in. Again, it was close, but I felt Atodiresei did a little more this time, and the judges agreed, giving him the unanimous decision in one of those fights where there was truly no lose, and one big winner, the fans. Very good match.
Zinedine Hameur-Lain vs. Andrei Stoica R2. Stoica had huge advantages in power and technique. Lain was mostly missing, and couldn't hit hard enough to worry Stoica even when he did connect, so Stoica basically just did what he wanted. Lain really had to press the action, but didn't have the stamina to do so, and didn't like the feel of Stoica's counters. Once Stoica began to walk him down though, Lain had no chance at all. Stoica hurt Lain with a liver kick and then buckled him with a body hook. Stoica was already tired though, and not only let Lain survive the first round with no real pressure, he sat back the entire second round. It was enough of a mismatch that Stoica still scored an awesome highlight reel knockout late in the 2nd, dropping Lain like a ton of bricks when he countered a right hook with an overhand right to the chin, but either Stoica was carrying Lain or his stamina is WWE level. Below average match.
Marsan Yohan vs. Bogdan Stoica R1. Stoica busted open a big gash on the top of Yohan's head with a flying knee knee 20 seconds in, and the doctor couldn't even slow it down, so it was a TKO.
Florin Abrudan vs. Cristian Spetcu R2. Spetcu was super aggressive, and his low kicks were truly something special. They were so nasty Abrudan was literally wobbling from the 1st, and was down within 30 seconds. His leg was almost immediately flushed, and he was hobbling before a minute was up. Spectu put a flurry of low kicks on him 90 seconds in, and you just felt bad for Abrudan as he desperately didn't want to quit, but the only thing he could do was turn his back and walk away to give up the 2nd "knockdown". To add insult to injury, Spetcu countered Abrudan lifting his bad leg high with a right uppercut to the knee then swept the other leg for the 3rd knockdown. I couldn't believe Abrudan limped out for the 2nd, but Spetcu decided to show some mercy and just punch him in the face repeatedly. Finally, Spetcu went back to the leg halfway through the 2nd and Abrudan crumbled to the canvas for the KO. Entertaining and memorable squash match. Above average match.
Bogdan Stanciu vs. Kevin Heselink 3R. I gave up looking to the announcers for help with the multitude of fighters I don't know when Cyrus Fees claimed "Kay Bult really had a good outing at New Heroes". Rumor has it that Cyrus was also impressed by the New England Patriots 4th quarter TD in Super Bowl XX. Stanciu just had too diverse a kicking arsenal for Heselink. Heselink would stand toe-to-toe with him, but Stanciu would always be the one bobbling his head or knocking him back. Heselink never seemed to land cleanly, and even if/when he did, he didn't have enough power to even make Stanciu respect him. The biggest threat to Stanciu was his own lack of stamina. Stanciu dominated from the 2nd half of R1 to the later portion or round 2, briefly putting Heselink on his butt 3 times in round one, but never long enough for the Muchan Singh lookalike ref to count. Stanciu's front kick was particularly impressive, as Heselink could never hold his ground after taking one. Stanciu basically shut it down in round 3 since he'd taken the first 2 easily, grabbing and throwing Heselink to stall for oxygen. Heselink did enough by default to win the round, but again never enough to make an impression or any inroads toward winning. Stanciu won a unanimous decision. Average match.
Alexandru Popescu vs. Cedric Manhoef 3R. Cedrick is quick and explosive, but much more patient than Melvin Manhoef. He picks his spots, often looking to counter, but he's very accurate and powerful when he lands. Popescu was no competition, swinging hard, but just creating a heavy breeze whether he tried the spectacular or the basic. Manhoef got a knockdown with a flying knee/overhand right/flying knee combo early in round 2. Popescu recovered enough to go back to missing away, but again got caught with a flying knee for the near KO. Manhoef had a 3rd knockdown with a low kick midway through the 3rd en route to a unanimous decision. Average match.
Miodrag Olar vs. Alexandros Chatzichronoglou 3R. A close fight where the defense was initially too good for the offense, but in the 2nd and 3rd Olar's aggression and ability to bludgeon the body with combination after combination were the defining factors. The first round could have gone either way, as they stayed in the pocket and were aggressive, but neither was landing too solidly, if at all. After this, Olar put so much pressure on Chatzichronoglou that Chatzichronoglou seemed stuck in the mode of having to throw just to keep Olar from smothering him. Chatzichronoglou was very active, but he was really being a pusher who was still failing to control distance. Olar still had Chatzichronoglou against the ropes most of the time, and was landing good combos to the body and finishing to the head or leg. I'd give Olar the first, but he certainly wasn't going to risk such a close round, so he kept the pressure and body work strong throughout the third to ensure the decision. Above average match.
SUPERKOMBAT Middleweight World Title Decision Match: Mike Zambidis vs. Harun Kina 3R. A drubbing. Kina fought hard, but didn't fight smart, looking nervous (especially in Round 1) and just repeating the same doomed pattern throughout. I'm not sure any of it mattered though, as Kina was just ridiculously overmatched against the Greek legend. Kina tried to pressure Zambidis the whole fight, but wasn't being the least bit surprising or elusive. He just plodding straight in without throwing and stood there without angling or even moving his head and watched Zambidis eat him up with one overhand right after another. I swear Zambidis landed more overhand rights in his worst round here than Chuck Liddell landed in his entire career. Zambidis also had consistent success digging into the body with the left hook, and mixed in left hooks to the head to keep Kina guessing, and a few big flying knees. Kina landed rarely, and not with enough power to cause Zambidis any pause. Zambidis was entertaining, but he was just on another level to the point it was almost hard gym sparring for him. I really don't know how Kina managed to stay on his feet all fight, as Zambidis was pushing hard for the KO even late in the 3rd. Average match.
NJ HH 4/17/91 (VG VQ) Best of the Super Jr. II League Match: Owen Hart vs. Pegasus Kid. A solid match, but, especially considering the talent involved, I was looking for something longer, stiffer, and flashier. ***
Cristian Ristea vs. Romelleo da Silva 3R Unanimous decision
Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Giannis Stoforidis vs. Leroy Johnson R2
Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: D'Angelo Marshall vs. Gaetan Sautron R4
Danut Hurduc vs. Vanni Fae R2
Andrei Stoica vs. Dzenan Poturak R2
Ionut Atodiresei vs. Calogero Palmeri 3R Unanimous decision
Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Reamon Welboren 3R Unanimous decision
Heavyweight Tournament Final: D'Angelo Marshall vs. Giannis Stoforidis R3
Ciprian Schiopu vs. Jacopo Bianconcini R1
Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Thomas Vanneste vs. Dorin Robert 3R majority decision
Heavyweight Tournament Semifinal: Jegish Yegoian vs. Ibrahim Aarab 3R split decision
Damian Garcia vs. James Wilson 4R split decision
Redouan Cairo vs. Sebastian Ciobanu R3
Mirel Iacob vs. Francesco Mattioli R2
Bogdan Stoica vs. Amir Zeyada R1
Heavyweight Tournament Final: Jegish Yegoian vs. Thomas Vanneste 3R unanimous decision
WTKA Amateur Title Match: Dmytro Konstantinov vs. Soparedo
WTKA Amateur Title Match: Quinton O'Brien vs. Krushek
WTKA Amateur Title Match: Gennari Machilo vs. Gaorochinko
Mirel Iacob vs. Giannis Fezulai R2
Petjor Dorje vs. Shan Cangelosi 3R
Cristian Spetcu vs. Apirak Sitmonchai 3R
Alexandros Filippidis vs. Kong Fah Sitmonchai 3R
Bogdan Stanciu vs. Ouaida Tergui R2
Daniel Alexandru vs. Clyde Brunswijk R4
Cristian Ristea vs. Fabian Gondorf R3
Enver Sljivar vs. Alex Rossi R1
SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes Middleweight Title Match: Cristian Milea vs. Cedric Manhoef 3R
SUPERKOMBAT New Heroes Middleweight Title Eliminator: Amancio Paraschiv vs. Mohamed Ben Ali R2
Heavyweight Tournament Final Elimination
Giannis Stoforidis vs. Mathieu Kongolo R3
Frank Munoz vs. Muamer Tufekcic 3R split decision
Redouan Cairo vs. Jegish Yegoian 3R unanimous decision
D'Angelo Marshall vs. Pacome Assi R2
SUPERKOMBAT Super Cruiserweight Title Eliminator: Ondrej Hutnik vs. Massinissa Hamaili R2
SUPERKOMBAT Cruiserweight Title Eliminator: Igor Bugaenko vs. Jorge Loren 3R unanimous Decision
Raul Catinas vs. Ricardo van den Bos R1
Catalin Morosanu vs. Daniel Lentie R1
Alexandru Nedelcu vs. Mohammed El Boulahiati R2
Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals:
Redouan Cairo vs. Giannis Stoforidis R2
Frank Munoz (Spain) D’Angelo Marshall 3R
SUPERKOMBAT Super Cruiserweight Title Match: Andrei Stoica vs. Ondrej Hutnik 3R
Alexandru Lungu vs. Mike Bourke R1
SUPERKOMBAT Cruiserweight Title Match: Igor Bugaenko vs. Bogdan Stoica 3R
Benjamin Adegbuyi vs. Pavel Zhuravlev R3
Raul Catinas vs. Paul Slowinski R3
Heavyweight Tournament Final: Frank Munoz vs. Redouan Cairo 4R
WCW #32
Cage Fight Tournament 1st Round
Rene Rooze vs. Andre van den Oetelaar
Oswald Verlinden vs. Errol Maduro
Bob Schriber vs. Ed de Kruijf
Bob Schriber vs. Rudi de Loos
Demonstration by World Champion Nunchaku Kim Silver. He puts apples on a woman's chest and slices them in half with a sword. Later, he knocks a golf ball off a man's head with his nunchaku.
Cage Tournament Final: Ed de Kruijf vs. Rudi de Loos