For kickboxing fans, today’s LEGEND show from Moscow, Russia is not one that will soon be forgotten. In the night’s featured kickboxing fight (and, for many, the real main event of the card), Badr Hari was upset by Zabit Samedov. Samedov came out aggressive and with something to prove and he proved it indeed. After knocking down Hari late in round 1, Samedov closed the show in round 2, scoring a KO win.
Hari has been fighting only sporadically over the past three years as he has been more focused on his legal troubles than his in-ring performances. After nearly a year off (a significant portion of which was spent in prison), Hari returned to the ring earlier this year, defeating Samedov in K-1. This marks Badr’s first loss since the DQ to Hesdy Gerges back in 2010, and the 12th loss of his lengthy career. But of those 12, this is one of the most troubling, and one that really makes you wonder if Hari has much of a future in kickboxing.
The night’s actual main event featured MMA action between Alexander Emelianenko and Bob Sapp. It went pretty much exactly as you would expect – Aleks lands a punch, Sapp turtles up, done. Dating back to fall 2005, Sapp is now on a combined 5-27 run in MMA and kickboxing. It’s mind boggling that people still book him at this point.
The other selling point on the card was a 4 man kickboxing tournament that featured both Artur Kyshenko and Dzhabar Askerov in a strong field. Those two men won their semifinal fights and seemed on the path to a great final, but sadly, Kyshenko was forced to withdraw due to injury. Askerov defeated reserve fighter Alim Nabiev to win the tournament. Good fights throughout the tournament here, and a big win for Askerov (who has looked great lately), even if it wasn’t against Kyshenko.
Full results are below, plus gifs of the Hari KO and Sapp KO.
LEGEND Results:
Alexander Emelianenko def. Bob Sapp by TKO in Round 1
Tournament Final: Dzhabar Askerov def. Alim Nabiev by TKO in Round 3
Zabit Samedov def. Badr Hari by TKO in Round 2
Semi-final 2: Dzhabar Askerov def. Enriko Gogokhiya by KO in Round 2
Semi-final 1: Artur Kyshenko def. Yury Bessmertny by Unanimous Decision (Extra Round)
Alexei Nazarov def. Mindaugas Verbickas by Decision
Eduard Vartanyan def. Sergey Khandozhko by TKO in Round 2
Alim Nabiev def. Vyacheslav Borschev
First up, here’s Bob Sapp doing what Bob Sapp does best. Note that masterful skill with which he completely gives up:
Speaking of giving up, here’s Zabit Samedov’s KO of Badr Hari. It’s a great combo from Samedov, no doubt, but surely I am not alone in thinking Hari could have made it to his feet here had he wanted to, right?
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