By Andreas Georgiou
In a new series to MMA PLUS, we take a look at the weekend’s big talking point, and some lesser publicised news with equal importance. This week, a kickboxing and muay thai special.
Buakaw Screwed Buakaw?
To nearly every kickboxing fan, there is one name that already resonates into the status of legend that is Buakaw Banchamek, but his disappearance, and subsequent loss this weekend highlights a few key problems in the K-1 franchise. Having watched the fight, I thought that Kehl took the first round, with Buakaw stealing the second. The third was much harder to give, but I leaned slightly towards the Thai. The judges saw it as a draw, but who knows if Buakaw even knows that yet?
At first it was believed that Buakaw walked out in disarray, because he thought he had won the fight in the mandatory three rounds. However it has come to light that he left the arena before a decision was even reached.
There are numerous rumours flying around why Buakaw walked out on K-1. A scandal with a hooker, match fixing in K-1, a WCW-like switch to TopKing, either way we won’t know fully until The White Lotus releases his statement in the coming days.
Prospect Watch
The Macron in Bolton played host to a great night of thai boxing, as SupershowDown presented a Yokkao double header event. Overall it was an interesting show from Yokkao, with quite a few standout performances going unmentioned. One of the shining lights from the pre-event was a staggering performance from Sandee Academy fighter Dakota Ditcheva. The young girl from Manchester put on a five round clinic against a formidable opponent in Leigh Newton, however Ditcheva’s experience at such a young age saw her execute a very mature gameplan to pick up the win.
You can check out the full reviews of Yokkao 10 and Yokkao 11 right here:
From Russia with Love
Sergei Kharitonov took a TKO victory over Anderson Silva in Russian promotion W5, which went mostly unnoticed this weekend. One thing we did pick up on however was Anderson Silva yet again lose a fight he had dominated. Despite some good attacks from Kharitonov it was the Brazilian who came out on top after round one. He looked just as bright in the second but a left-right combination sent Braddock tumbling to the mat, unable to answer an eight count.
Silva bested the Russian back at GLORY 16 in Denver, and now it’s 1-1, so let’s have the rubber match in Brazil?
TNT Implodes
Now to some sad news coming out of the weekend, UK kickboxing veteran Tim ‘TNT’ Thomas has called time on his career after a TKO loss to Sabri Sadouki. The Nak Soo Muay Thai fighter took to Facebook for the announcement:
“I lost the fight by TKO in the 2nd round, just an accumulation of shots n couldn’t recover quick enough in the eyes of the ref.. Think im truely done fighting nw + will retire… i’m not the same level fighterI I once was prob due to having such ridiculously hard fights in my career along woth getting older. the tolls I have put on my body are unreal and now i must concentrate on my future. Thank to those who have Always supported me, fans and team mates @NakSoo.”
Without a win in 2014 Thomas steps away from the ring, but those who have enjoyed his thriving career, which included two ISKA title wins, will remember him as a true pioneer of British muay thai.
With his exit from the ring, it has also been announced that TNT’s slot in the Superfight Series Championship £4,000 4-man is up for grabs, when the promotion makes its debut in 2015.
That’s all for this edition of Under the Rader, make sure to join us next time for another round of undetected euphoria.
