British standout Liam Harrison put on an emphatic performance against Malaipet Sasiprapa in the headline of Friday’s Lion Fight 23 in Temecula, California.
After Malaipet controlled the first two stanzas, the shift of momentum turned on behalf of Harrison, who started to show his dominance from round three onwards.
‘The Hitman’ cut Malaipet in the fourth round, with a glancing forward elbow, and used his low leg kicks and sweeps to score big points before the final bell.
Despite one judge; Kim Kongkriangkai, somehow giving the fight 50-46 in favour of Malaipet, the Bad Company fighter scored a rightful decision win.
In the co-main event, Tiffany Van Soest put on a technical master class against Martyna Krol over five rounds.
Krol was never able to use her length to keep Van Soest away, as the Californian continued to pile on the pressure throughout the fight.
‘The Timebomb’ landed several hard kicks to the body which eventually wore down the Pol for a unanimous decision victory.
A suggested bout against Legacy Kickboxing’s Valentina “The Bullet” Shevchenko is arguably the toughest option open for Van Soest, who continues to impress against all comers in Lion Fight.
Also, in the biggest shock of the night, young Rungrat Sasiprapa finished American veteran Kevin Ross with a huge second round flying knee TKO.
Ross looked the more comfertable in the openning round, but Sasiprapa used his speed in the second to score a huge upset at Pechanga Resort Casino.
Elsewhere, UK prospect Daniel McGowan was unlucky in his TKO loss to Romie Adanza.
McGowan had dominated much of the fight, using his push kicks and strong left head kick to keep Adanza at bay. However a crunching left elbow to the face of the Brit opened up a cut on his lip, forcing the doctor to stop the fight.
Lion Fight 23 Main Card Results
147lbs: Liam Harrison def. Malaipet Sasiprapa via decision (split) (48-47, 46-50, 49-46)
Women’s Featherweight Title: Tiffany Van Soest (c) def. Martyna Krol via decision (unanimous) (50-45, 50-45, 50-44)
140lbs: Rungrat Sasiprapa def. Kevin Ross via TKO (knee) at 2:13 – Round 2
122lbs: Victor Saravia def. Stan Mancebo via TKO (elbow) at 3:00 – Round 3
187lbs: Mike Lemaire def. Andrew Kapel via TKO (knee) at 2:35 – Round 5
118lbs: Romie Adanza def. Daniel McGowan via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 2:19 – Round 3
Photo Credit Lion Fight Promotions
