There’s a bunch of news coming out of the Asian MMA scene, so here’s a round up to keep you up to date with all the happenings from the region.
URCC ANNOUNCES OPPONENTS FOR FOLAYANG, KELLY
First off, the URCC, which is one of the longest running promotions in Asia, has officially announced the opponents for two of the biggest stars in the region in Eduard Folayang (12-2) and Eric Kelly (8-0). The event dubbed as ‘URCC 22: Dekada’, which marks the promotion’s 10th anniversary event, will be hosted on December 1 at the SM MOA Arena, the largest and newest stadium in the Philippines.
Kelly, who is coming off a win over Jens Pulver at ONE FC 5, will be taking on Brad Terrey, a Phuket Top Team fighter who is dropping down to featherweight. Folayang on the other hand will be headlining a show against Lowen Tynanes an American fighter who has been undefeated so far, competing at KOTC Australia and HEAT in Japan. Both stars are coming off big wins at ONE FC, and they will surely be getting a good welcome when they make their URCC returns this December.
Following ONE FC 6 in Singapore, Victor Cui informed us that their next show is tentatively planned on December 1. the same date as this event. That could be a problem as these two promotions have a working partnership and having events at the same day could be an issue. That being said, the ONE FC CEO has also mentioned that the venue in Kuala Lumpur isn’t finalized yet, so the ONE FC 7 date can still change.
STRIEGL VS. SARMIENTO, CALI VS. TAGLE AT PXC 34
PXC, which holds events in Guam and the Philippines has announced their next Manila event, which will be on November 17. The promotion will also be moving from the 3000-capacity Ynares Arena to the massive Araneta Coliseum, which was the same venue for ONE FC’s Manila event.
Headlining the card will be the Ale Cali vs. Erwin Tagle flyweight title fight which was originally scheduled for their last Manila card, before getting scrapped due to an injury to the champion.
The co-headliner is my pick as the true main event as it pits top featherweight prospect, Mark Striegl (11-0) against the well traveled Strikeforce and WEC veteran, Harris Sarmiento (35-23). This would be by far the biggest test of Striegl’s career, and the 24-year-old will be taking a huge step up in competition. Although the fight will be at 145 lbs, he will be facing the current PXC lightweight champion, a guy with tons of experience and has been in the cage with the likes of Gilbert Melendez, Jonathan Brookins, Nick Diaz, and a laundry list of UFC vets.
ROAD FC SIGNS LUIS RAMOS AND DIEGO SARAIVA
According to our good friends at MMA-in-Asia, top Korean promotion, Road FC has signed two quality fighters and UFC veterans in Luis Ramos (19-8) and Diego Saraiva (21-16). Ramos, or ‘Beicao’ as he is called, is a Nova Uniao product and a UFC veteran who was recently released following bouts against Matt Brown and Erick Silva. ‘The Octopus’ Saraiva on the other hand is a BJJ blackbelt who has faced the likes of Eddie Yagin, Benson Henderson, and Jeremy Stephens.
SFL STARTS WEEKLY EVENTS, PARTNERS WITH INVICTA FC
Super Fight League from India has will be hosting weekly ‘SFL Friday Night Fight Nights’, which will all be streamed on YouTube. Starting this friday they will have cards that will have around 7 fights each, which will consist of 5 fights between their local fighters, along with an international level main event, and a co-headliner for female MMA bouts.
Those co-headlining Female MMA bouts will be a product of their ‘strategic alliance’ with Female MMA promotion, Invicta FC.
Their next card, SFL 4 on October 12, will have the top Indian figther in Kultar Gill (15-4), taking on Amr Wahman (5-1), along with a Female MMA bout between Sanja Sucevic (3-1) and Irene Cabello (1-1). Fight cards for SFL 5 and SFL 6 have also been finalized.
RUFF 5 DRAWS GOOD RATINGS DURING FIRST LIVE BROADCAST IN CHINA
RUFF 5 became China’s first MMA event to be broadcast live, aired last month at both Jiangsu Sports Channel and the Guangzhou Sports Channel. According to the promotion, it drew 1.3 millions signaling a very good start on what hopefully could be one of the catalysts on growing the sport in the region.
Their past events which were shown on a delayed telecast also drew big numbers, with RUFF 4 drawing 2.6 million viewers on the Chongqing Satellite Channel, and 4.25 million if you include broadcasts.
For full results of RUFF 5, you can check out our complete coverage of the event. For highlights, check it out below:
DARE HOLDS ILLEGAL SHOW IN THAILAND
After Dare has hosted 4 shows and started tournaments with a million dollars in cash rewards, politics suddenly caused MMA to be banned in Thailand. That didn’t stop DARE though, as the promotion still hosted an illegal underground show in the country. The show was shrouded in mystery to avoid authorities, and the people were only informed about the venue moments before it was about to start. People there weren’t allowed to release any information about the event, but the promotion is now slowly leaking the fights online and has split them on multiple episodes.
Check out the first episode of what they call ‘The Most Dangerous Game Show’ which features these heavyweights:
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