9 new mixed martial art champions
Published on: Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: The fourth edition of the Jesselton Fight League (JFL) saw the inauguration of nine new champions in the championship's finale at the Multipurpose Hall of Likas Sports Complex, Sunday.The two-day event attracted hundreds of mixed martial art (MMA) enthusiasts and fans.The night started off with the Heavyweight category which saw Kent Tham of Team Karabaw KK won by default after his compatriot, Fahmi Sarto suffered an injured knee during their fight.
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In the Light Heavyweight bout, Wun Yit Vun of Team Nomad took the title despite being overpowered by Team Karabaw KK's Nicholas Sarigus for most part of the match.In the Middleweight final, Team Karabaw Tamparuli's composed fighter, Masko M easily defeated his opponent, Jason George of Team Karabaw KK by submission in the first round to take home the belt.Crowd favourite, Khairul Anuar of Team Nomad clinched the Featherweight title via submission in his match against Team Karabaw Tamparuli representative, Raymond Maah.In one of the most inspiring and epic match of JFL's history, Mohd Hasbullah Sanmin of KMMA fought to the very end to take the Bantamweight title despite being the underdog against Borneo Tribal Squad's Muay Thai seasoned fighter, Dean Hamsah.
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Another history was created when Vallerian R of Sabah Top Team became the first woman MMA champion in JFL after she outwitted Nurul Khairunissa from Team Karabaw Sipitang via judges' scorecard after five rounds of intense Strawweight battle.The first of two co-main event fights scheduled on the night saw former national boxer, Eddy Kalai of Kalai Boxing won by submission against his friend and crowd favourite, Jason Chalton of Team Karabaw Tamparuli in the Flyweight final.
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In the next co-main event match, Team Nomad's Adrian Tham proved he is one of the best fighter in the State by coolly winning his Welterweight fight against Harold Untol of Team Karabaw KK via submission."It's unexpected as anything could happen inside of the cage, but I am happy in achieving my aim of winning the championship belt."I would like to thank my sponsors, my Nomad brothers and also Checkmat family for their support and guidance," he said.The championship's main event saw Tajikistan's Mekhrubon 'Bon' Mardonov representing Gymbox Kuching overwhelmed his opponent, Samuel Lai from Borneo Tribal Squad via knockout in the Lightweight finale."I never expect to win as Samuel, a friend of mine, is a very good fighter. It is always an occasion to win any title and I enjoyed my time here in Sabah. Hope to fight again here in the near future," he said after the match.Meanwhile, Organising Chairman, Rayner Kinsiong who is also an MMA fighter representing Malaysia and co-owner of Team Karabaw MMA and Fitness gym, was pleased with the outcomes of the championship."The finals this year ended with a high note which I am thankful to my organising team in a way that we sacrificed a lot for JFL. The cost of the cage, belts and prizes all came from our own pocket due to insufficient sponsors."Therefore, me and my partner, Edmund Lai are grateful to the sponsors who came in to help especially the Youth and Sports Ministry for helping us with the venue while not forgetting Haji Nazri of Dihnar Group and my best friend, Sham Michael of Borneo Majubina for all their supports," he said to Daily Express.When asked about his point of view surrounding the development of MMA through JFL, "MMA is definitely growing over the years because we have the Malaysian Invasion Mixed Martial Arts (MIMMA) as the first platform but I believe JFL will provide a more localised platform for our young fighters. It's a great sport and it will only go up from here on with time.Rayner added that MMA is not just a sport but also an art of self-defence, a talent born in every Sabahan."With us organising JFL, we hope to show the entire Sabah that MMA is not entirely just two people brawling with each other in a hexagon cage.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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