You’ve been binging on fight results all weekend, sure, but there’s nothing like some hair of the dog to make your Monday a little more tolerable. First up are results from Road FC’s latest foray into China, highlighted by the semifinal round of the promotion’s openweight tournament.
In the headliner, K-1 champion and k-pop star Hong Man Choi (4-4, 1-1 Dream) advanced to the finals on the strength of a first-round TKO of Aorigele (2-3-0).
The bout, which looked like some sort of high-stakes Abbot and Costello routine gone sideways, took place largely in the clinch, with the much shorter Aorigele repeatedly backing “The Techno Goliath” up against the fence before lunging forward behind a hail of overhand lefts and rights. It was a surprisingly effective strategy, but Aorigele would experience an abrupt change of fortunes–following another salvo, the pair wound up in something resembling over-underhooks, and Choi effortlessly reversed position, causing the perhaps-exhausted Aorigele to fall limply to the mat, after which a barrage of ground strikes from Choi forced the referee stoppage. This makes for the first time in his MMA career that Choi has won consecutive bouts.
Choi vs Aorigele can be seen here.
Meeting Choi in the finals will be former K-1 nemesis Siala-Mou Siliga, better known as Mighty Mo (9-5, 3-1 Bellator). Siliga earned his berth in the tournament finals with a third-round neck-crank of Hyun Man Myung (3-2-0), thus improving to 3-2 since his departure from Bellator. The forthcoming Siliga vs. Choi will be a rubber-match of sorts–the two met twice in K-1, with Siliga knocking Choi out in their first meeting but dropping a unanimous decision in the rematch. Siliga will enter the third bout with the advantage of having maintained a much more rigorous schedule of competition. He’ll also have the momentum of a three-fight win streak, though for the superstitious among us, it may be worth noting that Siliga has never won more, nor less, than three in a row.
Check out Siliga vs. Myung here.
Also on the card, TUF: China alum Albert Cheng (7-3, 0-1 UFC) improved to 5-0 since his last appearance in the Octagon with a unanimous-decision-worthy effort over Yuki Ishihara (2-3-0).
And at RFA 37, David Michaud (9-2, 1-2 UFC) made a successful return to regional competition with a first-round guillotine of Chris Hugh (16-12-0). Michaud, who was cut from the UFC following a unanimous-decision loss to Olivier Aubin-Mercier, has never lost outside the Octagon.
Also on the card, Brian Camozzi, younger brother of UFC middleweight Chris Camozzi, won his fourth in a row with a knockout of Kenneth Glenn (7-4-0). Camozzi appeared to have a clear striking advantage throughout the fight, ultimately laying Glenn out with a headkick in Round 3. All of Camozzi’s wins have come by submission or (T)KO.
Highlights of Camozzi vs. Glenn can be seen here.
And in Canada, in the main event of Xcessive Force FC, Tim Hague (21-12, 1-4 UFC, 3-0 WSOF) captured the promotion’s vacant heavyweight title and pulled himself out of a three-fight skid with his fourth-round knockout of fellow UFC veteran Kalib Starnes (17-11-1, 2-3 UFC). Hague, who has avenged a previous decision loss to Starnes, improves to 1-1 in 2016. Starnes, who entered the UFC as a middleweight on TUF 3, is 0-1 for the year and 2-2 as a heavyweight.
In the co-main event, welterweight champion Matt MacGrath (18-8, 0-1 Bellator) out-fought Jesse Ronson (15-7, 0-3 UFC) for a unanimous decision win. MacGrath is 8-0 since his lone appearance in Bellator, in which he lost to current UFC talent Nordine Taleb; his last six have seen him capture or defend regional titles. Ronson is 2-2 since being released from the UFC in 2014.
And earlier in the night, TUF 16 alum Mike Hill (9-4, 3-0 WSOF) claimed a split-decision over Spencer Jebb (11-5, 0-1 WSOF).
Other Results
In the main event of Rizin FF 1, Kazuyuki Fujita (15-11, 7-4 PRIDE, 1-2 Sengoku) fell to the strikes of Jiri Prochazka (17-3-1), leaving him in a five-fight slump and eight years removed from his last victory (a first-round north-south choke of Bellator vet Peter Graham).
Also on the card, Daron Cruickshank (17-8-1NC, 6-6-1NC UFC) returned to the win column with his first post-UFC appearance, knocking out Shinji Sasaki (16-9-3) in Round 1.
At One Championship: Global Rivals, Ben Askren (15-0,-1NC, 9-0 Bellator) maintained his dustless record with a unanimous decision win over Nikolay Aleksakhin (17-4-0). Askren is undefeated in four since his departure from Bellator.
Earlier in the night, lightweight prospect Lowen Tynanes (9-0-0) earned a unanimous decision verdict over Koji Ando (12-5-2, 0-1 Sengoku).
In the main event of Chosen Few FC 8, Eric Schafer (14-8-2, 3-6 UFC) succumbed to the strikes of James Heidlage (10-1-0), falling to 2-1 since his last tour in the Octagon.
At IT Fight Series 43, TUF 16’s Julian Lane (10-6-1) submitted Antonio Castillo, Jr. (9-6-0) with a first-round guillotine.
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