MAIN EVENT🐅THRONE OF TIGERS
TING vs SHALORUS
10 Feb 2017 (Fri), 7PM
Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur
Editor’s Note
Thanks to my buddy Dodo for my two free passes to watch the Throne Of Tigers at the 12,000-seater Stadium Negara.
Upon our arrival, we were led to the Super Fan Zone which was right next to the stage area where the Fighters would grandly enter the arena, before walking to the cage for their respective bout. For a huge MMA Fan like me, being so close to the action is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
My First ONE Championship Outing
By pure coincidence, I picked-up two free ONE FC passes from the conspicuous street promoters for ONE Championship: Tigers of Asia (also known as ONE Championship 32) which was held on October 9, 2015 at the Putra Indoor Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After watching so many MMA shows on television, that was the first time that I would see the fights live.
I recalled watching so many exciting bouts with as many 4 TKOs, 1 KO, and 2 submissions. It was a bloody and brutal affair, and the first title defence by Middleweight Champion Igor Svirid ended with the Champion getting his ass whipped good by the skillful Russian Contender, Vitaly Bigdash.
Unfortunately, our two most popular Malaysia Fighters, Peter Davies and Ann Osman were soundly defeated by their powerful opponents Adrian Pang (Australia) and Irina Mazepa (Russia) respectively. Fortunately, the other Malaysia Fighters EV Ting, The Subba Bros, Agilan and Merican all emerged victorious.
It’s Show Time!
MMA is made for great viewing because it’s an exciting and intense real-life drama which can conjure up many human emotions for the spectators, as well as the Fighters themselves.
Furthermore, when the Organiser add sexy ring girls, explosive fanfare, smoke bombs and snazzy special effects into the mix, we end-up with a highly entertaining night out.
The excitement always start when the Emcee introduces the Fighters for the next bout, and when a Fighter appears on stage for the first time, it’s the cue for the crowd to go wild. The ensuing loud cheer is the spectators way of telling the Fighter that we appreciate, respect and support them. In turn, the Fighter acknowledges the Fans by waving to the crowd and doing a little jiggle with their feet and some punching action as the spotlight shines squarely on them.
My wife and I was in the front row, leaning against the steel barrier, and we high-fived each fighter as they swaggered off the stage towards the fight cage. Being in the Super Fan Zone, we came face-to-face with our heroes, and we could see clearly the focus and intensity in those battle-ready faces.
Inside The Octagon
The Fight Cage is the epicentre of all the much anticipated action, and all eyes are transfixed on the two adversaries inside who are trying hard to knock each other’s heads off.
The sounds of the fighters whacking, punching and kicking each other was so brutally real that it even made the spectators flinch. Throughout the bout, we cheered, clapped, and sighed in synchronization with the action unfolding in the cage.
On this rare night, the boys in charge of wiping the cage floors in between each round were quite relieved to see very little blood spilled.
Fame And Anonymity
Like other professional athletes and sportsmen, MMA Fighters are not fighting purely for the money, but for the love of their chosen field. In reality, most fighters depend on ordinary jobs or lifeline careers for a steady income because there are too many competitors and too little prize-money and sponsorships on offer.
Like other professional athletes and sportsmen, MMA Fighters have to make huge personal sacrifices to continue training and maintain their elite fighter status. Only the few brave ones who really love MMA and have the unwavering confidence in their abilities will keep chasing their ultimate dream of winning a shiny Title Belt.
I have huge admiration and respect for those fighters who never give-up on their dream because what the Public don’t see is the countless hours of intense training clocked and the financial strain faced by the Fighters just to get the rare opportunity to compete at the top level.
Weighty Dilemma
To use a crude analogy, it takes considerable time and effort for a person to lose body weight, but, in contrast, it’s so fast and easy to put-on weight. So, the same uneven conditions apply to the Fighters who have to slog long and hard to reach the top, but all it takes is a split-second for them to fall all the way down to the bottom of the heap.
The only reason why I mentioned this sombre point is because there is talk about whether Malaysia’s fast-rising MMA star Agilan Thani, who is enjoying a 7-0 winning streak, should be given a title shot. The 21-year old fighter himself is adamant that he is deserving of that lucrative chance.
However, my fear is that Agilan doesn’t have enough fighting experience against top quality fighters, and a devastating loss in a very high profile bout could destroy his MMA reputation or at least, a huge loss at this delicate stage could really setback the youngster’s fighting career to a point from where it would make it really hard for him to bounce back.
Of course, my assessment could be totally wrong, and Agilan could soon find himself 1 fight away from a championship fight against the current ONE Championship Welterweight Top Dog BEN ASKREN who specialises in dominating & making all his opponents look second rate inside the Octagon, and his impressive record stands at 14-0.
Whatever the future holds for Agilan will ultimately depend on the decisions of ONE FC Bosses who is responsible for selecting the Fighters for the Fight Card which will match the aspirations of their growing organisation.
Report Card
🇲🇾EV TING (MALAYSIA) / WIN
VS
🇮🇷KAMAL SHALORUS (IRAN) / LOSS
MAIN EVENT Decision/Split (R3)
👊Fight Commentary – Shalorus knocked Ting early in the bout, but the 27-year-old talent came back up right away. Ting returned better in the second and third rounds, landing several leg kicks and one good flying knee, while Shalorus insisted on throwing wild punches.
After 15 minutes, two of the three judges scored the bout in Ting’s favor, moving his MMA record to 13-3 with four straight victories. Shalorus, on the other hand, drops to 2-2 inside the ONE Championship cage after his second straight defeat.
🇲🇾AGILAN THANI (MALAYSIA) / WIN
VS
🇭🇰JEFF HUANG (CHINESE TAIPEI) / LOSS
🏆WELTERWEIGHT⏩Submission (R2)
👊Fight Commentary – In the second round of this co-main event, Agilan was in control in the front mount position. Jeff tried to avoid the blows by turning his back. Agilan pounced on this mistake and got a good chokehold on the 38-year old Taiwanese fighter who had to tap before he took a nap.
With this dominating performance, Agilan takes his perfect record to 7-0-0, and in post-fight Interview, he pleaded ONE FC to give him a chance to prove his title contender worthiness.
Agilan is a natural MMA fighter who has the right temperament and his all-round game shows huge potential for this 21-year old rising star. I am a big fan of this boy who carries with him the hope for Malaysia’s MMA future.
🇲🇾ANN OSMAN (MALAYSIA) / WIN
VS
🇰🇭VY SREY KHOUCH (CAMBODIA) / LOSS
🏆STRAWWEIGHT KO/TKO (R1)
👊 Fight Commentary – Ann Osman brought the crowd to its feet with a takedown off a Vy Srey kick, and immediately rained punches down from side mount.
With 30 seconds left in the round, Osman transitioned to the full mount, posted with her right hand on her opponent, and thundered punishment onto the Cambodian’s face until the referee finally stopped the contest.
The end came at 4:58 of the first round.
🇲🇾Keanu Subba WIN (Malaysia)
vs
🇵🇰Ahmed Mujtaba (Pakistan)
FEATHERWEIGHT ⏩Submission (R1)
KEANU SUBBA is one Malaysia’s highly talented MMA fighter who KO’s his opponents with vicious ground-n-pound game 🚑
🇧🇷HERBERT BURNS (BRAZIL) / LOSS
VS
🇷🇺MOVLID KHAIBULAEV (RUSSIA) / WIN
🏆FEATHERWEIGHT Decision/Unanimous (R3)
👊Fight Commentary – This was the classic grappler versus the stand-up fighter. Unfortunately for the Brazilian Herbet, Movlid was too strong and quick to be taken down, and the Russian scored more points in the exchange of punches to take a convincing win.
🇵🇭ROY DOLIGUEZ (PHILIPPINES) / LOSS
VS
🇧🇷ALEX SILVA (SINGAPORE-Based) / WIN
Fight Commentary – Alex’s strength, excellent ground game and experience was too good for Roy.
🇲🇾SAIFUL MERICAN (MALAYSIA) / WIN
VS
🇵🇭BERNARD SORIANO (PHILIPPINES) / LOSS
👊BANTAMWEIGHT⏩KO/TKO (R1)
Pre-Fight Quote – Saiful admitted, “I’ve been out for over a year. I’m so eager to bounce back and get this win. But I know this will not be easy because I have a tough foe in front of me.”.
👊Fight Commentary – Saiful is an exciting & attacking fighter with great showmanship to rally the home crowd🇲🇾
Once Saiful’s knee connected with Bernard’s jaw, Saiful seized on a stunned Bernard and elbowed his way to a deserving TKO.
Merican prides himself in being an exhilarating competitor, who is willing to please the crowd by always seeking the highlight-reel finish.
👏HE CALLED IT RIGHT!
“For sure, it’s going to be a good fight. It will not go into the three judges’ hands for a decision. It will have a decisive finish,” he claimed.
⏬The PRELIMS, 7:30PM⏬
🇸🇬TIFFANY TEO (SINGAPORE) / WIN
vs
🇵🇱PRISCILLA LUMBAN GAOL (INDONESIA) /LOSS
👊STRAWWEIGHT ⏩Decision/Unanimous (R3)
🎧Fight Commentary – Tiffany couldn’t make good use of her reach advantage – Priscilla was only 155 cm, and Tiffany was 165 cm! Although, Priscilla put on a brave display and her backpedaling was frustrating Tiffany, Priscilla got tired and Tiffany finally made her pay with a barrage of hard punches to the face, and the Judges decisions were unanimous in favour of the bigger Singaporean lass.
📹ONE 51 Throne Of Tigers (Official)
📹The Walk Of Fame – Keanu, Priscilla, Tiffany, Bernard, Saiful, Roy, Herbert, Vy Srey, Ann, Jeff, Thani, and Kamal.
📹Saiful Won! 📹Saiful Exits The Cage
📹The Roar For Agilan’s Victory
👊FULL FIGHT CARD
MY HIGHLIGHTS
1st Time In The Super Fan Zone & close to the fighting action.
🇲🇾All Malaysian Fighters were victorious – Aiman, Saiful Vampire Merican, Keanu Subba, Ann Athena Osman, Agilan Thani and EV Ting.
😍Thanks to Dodo for the Fan Pass🎫
#mma #onefc #stadiumnegara #kualalumpur #lifestyle #february2017 #casioexilimmalaysia
REFERENCES
https://onefc.com/events/throne-of-tigers/
http://sports.abs-cbn.com/mma/news/2017/02/10/just-business-saiful-merican-burn-soriano-21677
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ONE_Championship_events#ONE_Championship:_Tigers_of_Asia
*Disclaimer*
To the best of my knowledge, all of the information provided herein is accurate at the time of publishing and the views expressed are based on my own personal opinions and findings, and they don’t necessarily reflect the views of the Product Manufacturer, Event Organiser or any Third Party unless explicitly specified otherwise.
About The Author
Gus is the Founder of Running Toons and a HIIT Fitness Coach. As a freelance WRITER, he has contributed numerous insightful articles to The Star newspaper, Running Malaysia magazine, Cycling Malaysia magazine, Cycling Evolution magazine, Swim Bike Run magazine and more. LIKE Happy Runner for RUNNING UPDATES, Gus Rider for CYCLING NEWS, Gus Ghani for SPORTS INFOTAINMENT and FOLLOW gusghani @IG for LIFESTYLE.
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