YOKKAO 25 - 26: The True Spirit of Muay Thai!
YOKKAO 25 - 26 will be a night etched in the memories of the Hong Kong fans and everyone who tuned in LIVE from around the world. Round after round of intense action enthralled the audience from the start till the end. Hordes of fans arrived at Rotunda Hall 2 of Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre (KITEC) for the promise of great action and they were not disappointed. YOKKAO 25 - 26 delivered a magnitude of action that simply exploded off the richter scale!
[caption id="attachment_3723" align="alignright" width="250"]
Muay Thai Hong Kong: Nobita YOKKAOSaenchaiGym[/caption]
YOKKAO 25
First up was YOKKAO 25 with back-to-back action right from the onset. Intensity escalated quickly as soon as YOKKAO Thailand Team member, Nobita took to the stage as the third fight of the night. The former boxer was a WMC champion known for his strong punches, with an unblemished boxing record of 13-0 including 9 KOs. Nobita may soon contend for the place of The KO Kid with his win over Hong Kong opponent Yiu Tat Fai via KO just seconds into round 3. The win marked his earliest forays into the sport of Muay Thai and what a great way to kickstart the new direction in his career.
Spencer Brown "the Body Snatcher" followed up with an all-out brawl against Hong Kong fighter Lui Chun-Yin. Spencer unleashed a series of strong strikes that felled Lui, looking close to collecting another KO win in round 1. Lui bounced back in round 2 and a war ensued for both fighters, who matched elbow for elbow, fist for fist. After a climatic round 3, Spencer’s hand was raised to bring home the win along with a swollen nose from the hard-fought battle.
Without a doubt, the biggest shocker of the night was the YOKKAO 25 main event matchup between Singdam and Russian fighter, Kazbek Kabulov. With approximately 1 minute left to the end of the first round, Kazbek’s sudden and immaculate execution of a spinning back kick met Singdam right in the face and left him out cold. Singdam’s loss is a testament to YOKKAO as one of the best international Muay Thai promotion, showing the impartiality of the event. YOKKAO shows are
[caption id="attachment_3726" align="alignright" width="350"] Singdam YOKKAOSaenchaiGym[/caption]
true Muay Thai fights that always pits the best against the best. In the game of Muay Thai, expect the unexpected as everything is possible. True champions stumble but pick themselves up just as quickly. It is safe to say that Singdam will make a quick comeback in his next fight.
YOKKAO 26
After a brief intermission, the night continued with the scheduled bouts of YOKKAO 26. As with the earlier segment, the highlight matches were definitely the ones featuring members of the YOKKAO Thailand team.
Erhan took to the ring in the fourth bout to face homegrown champion, Billy William. After a series of headshots that left Billy stumbling onto the canvas in round 1 and visibly shaken, Erhan sealed the deal with another win for the night via TKO in round two. Along with Spencer, the foreign stalwarts have done the YOKKAO Bangkok camp proud once again.
[caption id="attachment_3730" align="alignright" width="350"] YOKKAO 26: Manachai YOKKAOSaenchaiGym vs Carlos Araya[/caption]
Up next was Manachai, who gave yet another dominating performance showing why he is one of the top fighters to look watch now. The intense bout between Manachai and his Spanish opponent, Carlos Araya was every bit as thrilling as expected. Although the European champion put up a good fight, Manachai proved to be the better man with a win over unanimous decision. Manachai’s next fight is scheduled on 30th September when he will return to fight in the second installment of All-Star Fight alongside Buakaw Banchamek and Pakorn PKYOKKAOSaenchaiGym.
The night ended with the main event starring the legend, Saenchai - the man that everyone in the crowd had arrived to see. He was up against Spanish challenger, Jonathan Fabian who is an 8-time Spanish Muay Thai champion. The living legend took this fight very seriously knowing that he would be facing a worthy opponent and had taken to training in the 30 days leading up to the event. Once again, Saenchai captivated fans with his diverse repertoire of Muay Thai skills and dominating the fight in all 3 rounds. No surprise at the end when Saenchai was declared the winner.
[caption id="attachment_3732" align="alignright" width="270"] Muay Thai Hong Kong: Yodchai YOKKAOSaenchaiGym[/caption]
Other than Singdam’s unanticipated result, it was an overwhelming win for the fighters of the YOKKAO Thailand team. Many of them were making their debut fight appearance in the city of Hong Kong and they made sure to give in all they have got. Their valiant performance left a deep impression on the crowd and garnered many new fans for themselves.
Local fans rooted for their homegrown fighters but cheered equally enthusiastically for their opponents. Fights were won and lost but respect between opponents was always given. YOKKAO 25 - 26 was a night of great sportsmanship that truly exemplified the spirit of Muay Thai.
The next event in the pipeline is of course, YOKKAO 27 - 28 in Bolton UK about a month from now. Stay tuned for more exciting news and updates. Tickets are almost sold out at www.yokkao.com/events
** YOKKAO 26 RESULTS **
YOKKAO Fight Team vs Spain 65kg
Saenchai PKSaenchaiMuayThaiGym def. Jonathan Fabian by decision
YOKKAO Fight Team vs Spain 65kg
Manachai YOKKAOSaenchaiGym def Carlos Araya by decision
YOKKAO Thailand Team vs YOKKAO Hong Kong Team 72kg
Erhan Gungor def. Billy William by TKO (referee stoppage round 2)
[caption id="attachment_3734" align="alignright" width="350"] Muay Thai Hong Kong: Spencer Brown[/caption]
Thailand vs Hong Kong 50kg
Kwok Hoi Ling def. Donus Jornguangym by decision
Hong Kong vs China 56kg
Liu Hin Jung def Chung Zhou Kang by knocout (knees round 1)
Hong Kong vs Hong Kong 62kg
Yan Sok Wah def. Selina Hui by decision
** YOKKAO 25 RESULTS **
YOKKAO Fight Team vs Russia 66kg
Kazbek Kabulov def. Singdam YOKKAOSaenchaiGym by knockout (spinning wheel kick). Round 1
YOKKAO Thailand vs YOKKAO Hong Kong 62kg
Yodchai YOKKAOSaenchaiGym def. Ng King Chung by TKO (front kick and elbows round 20
[caption id="attachment_3736" align="alignright" width="370"] Erhan YOKKAOSaenchaiGym[/caption]
YOKKAO Thailand vs Hong Kong 64kg
Spencer Brown def. Lui Chun Yin by decision
YOKKAO Thailand vs Hong Kong 50kg
Nobita YOKKAOSaenchaiGym def. Yiu Tat Fai by knockout (knee)
Hong Kong vs China 67kg
Haozhan Wei def. Chong Fu Wa by decision
Hong Kong vs Philippine 57kg
Vander Dave Ramos def. Leslie Wong by decision
[caption id="attachment_3738" align="alignnone" width="800"] YOKKAO 25-26 Hong Kong[/caption]
