Dorrer dispels the doubters with quick-kick KO of van Wyk
Daniel Dorrer took little more than two minutes to simultaneously earn his spot atop the SEA FC MMA rankings and restore his lustre following the controversies of SEA FC Fight Night II.
The event’s tagline, Unfinished Business, was coined in the expectation Dorrer would rematch Mose Afoa, with whom he had battled to a bitterly disputed draw in March. But Afoa declined the return, leading Cornelis van Wyk to step up to the plate, lured by the prize of a no.1 contender spot for the winner.
While Dorrer – seen by many to be on the fortunate end of the stalemate – would have wanted to set the record straight against Afoa, van Wyk nevertheless represented a stern test, and one which he could use to remind fans of his pedigree.
Attentions now to turn to inaugural SEA FC championship match
Though rightly considered an underdog, van Wyk opened the bout at Bangkok’s Ambassador Hotel with poise and confidence. As the two men maintained a standup position, van Wyk demonstrated his highly regarded muay Thai background by keeping the older man at bay with his longer limbs, and landing effective knees and strikes when the action entered close quarters.
But in fight sports, timing is everything. Just after the two-minute mark, van Wyk leaned back and Dorrer struck immediately with an upkick to the ribs. The South African grimaced in pain and collapsed to the canvas, prompting the referee’s intervention.
With this demonstration of experience, confidence, strategy and power, Dorrer issued a timely reminder of his capabilities, and showed why he is now the no.1 contender for SEA FC’s first championship, the MMA heavyweight crown.
Afoa will no doubt have his own thoughts on the matter, and it is to be hoped he will accept a keenly anticipated rematch with the German after all.
Dorrer, who has now competed at all three SEA FC events, will fight for the belt next time out against a co-challenger to be determined.
Business remains unfinished with Afoa, but against van Wyk, it is very much a case of chapter closed.
Axelsson excites and aggressors win big on undercard
Muay Thai convert Oliver Axelsson continued his surge up the MMA ranks in the chief support, with an impressive demolition of Jess Morgan.
In doing so, the Swedish striker demonstrated how far his ground game has come along. What was expected to be a match fought primarily from a standing position quickly ended up on the deck, from where Axelsson dominated.
The American middleweight, perhaps taken by surprise by Axelsson’s tactics, had no answer and was stopped by the referee when the younger man applied a brutal choke at the 2:26 mark.
* A whirlwind performance by Indian aggressor Sumit Kumar opened the MMA portion of the card, as he overwhelmed local man Suwattana Takanratti.
A spectacular pro wrestling-style bodyslam just 15 seconds in wowed the crowd and took the wind out of Suwattana, who never regained his composure. Kumar rained in blows as the Thai rolled and covered up, but had no answer, prompting the referee’s rescue at 0:46.
* Filipino slugger Neil Alfred Nicolas brought his intimidating power to play once more in the evening’s sole boxing match.
His opponent, Marn Patiwat of Thailand, was spirited and defiant but outgunned. A second-round standing count hinted at a looming stoppage, but Marn bravely fought his way to the final bell, whereupon Nicolas was awarded a unanimous decision.
Show opens with experimental triple bill
The first three bouts of the evening showcased SEA FC’s experimental attitude to combat sports, with different styles and rule sets.
The opening contest was a grappling match, with a 15-minute time limit and which could only be won by submission.
Ef Visarut of Thailand won this encounter with a choke hold after 4:16 of what had been a fascinating tactical affair against Irish teenager Toby McNerlin, last seen impressively beating Marn Patiwat in a boxing match at SEA FC Fight Night II.
* Much interest surrounded the return of Alex Singh following his desperately unfortunate experience at Fight Night II.
Fighting under “extreme contact” rules – muay Thai with MMA gloves – a freak leg injury after just 18 seconds had curtailed Singh’s match that night against Charles Mainer. They had been set to resume hostilities here, but unfortunately Mainer had to contend with a family emergency. Singh made do with a late replacement – an enigmatic Italian going by the single name of Vico – again in the extreme contact format.
But more bad luck was to befall Singh, as what was a highly competitive affair was turned on its head with a left hook from Vico that inflicted an excruciatingly painful eyeball injury on Singh. He passed the doctor’s examination but Vico applied the finishing touches with two more knockdowns from combination punching at 2:26 of round one.
* Finally, the “trinity rules” format was in effect in the night’s sole women’s contest. This means one round of boxing, one round of muay Thai, and one of MMA. Pang Kanjana proved superior in all three against fellow Thai Stamp Bunsang, winning the first round, scoring a knockdown in the second, and forcing the submission finish in the third with an arm bar.
SponsorsThe Ambassador Hotel / Ape Spirit Brewery / The Bar Bangkok / The Box / Martial Arts Asia / Martial Arts Thailand / Mongkol Fight Gear / Yangon Fight Club
FULL RESULTS
- Daniel Dorrer w tko 1 Cornelis van Wyk (MMA)
- Oliver Axelsson w tko 1 Jess Morgan (MMA)
- Sumit Kumar w tko 1 Suwattana Takanratti (MMA)
- Neil Alfred Nicolas w pts 3 Marn Patiwat (boxing)
- Pang Kanjana w sub 3 Stamp Bunsang (trinity rules)
- Vico w tko 1 Alex Singh (extreme contact)
- Ef Visarut w sub Toby McNerlin (grappling)
NEWS AND FEATURES
Heavyweight eliminator tops bill at SEA FC Fight Night III
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