YOKKAO 31 - 32: A Collision of Power & Will
YOKKAO returned on Saturday 13th October with a co-headlining event at Bolton Macron Stadium. The massive card featured a total of 19 match-offs starring UK's top names along with two of Thailand's best: Superlek Kiatmoo9 and Rambo Phet Por Tor Aor. There was no lack of high-octane action, breathtaking moments, along with a few twists and turns at YOKKAO 31 - 32. Fans were treated to one battle after another, as competitors left nothing in the tank from the get go. The KOs were delivered generously and the adrenaline was kept high throughout the show. It was a collision of power and will as the competitors battled it out in pursuit of their Muay Thai dreams. An undercard of YOKKAO Next Generation bouts kicked off the event as per the previous shows at Macron. 14 young fighters took to the ring and set the fervent pace for the rest of the event.
YOKKAO 31
Once the undercard was served, the double event commenced formally with England's Josh Hill taking the stage against Greek visitor, George Mouzakitis with the latter bringing home the win via decision. The action escalated with each fight that followed, leading right to the KO of the night and the much-awaited main event.
KO of the Night: Niamh Kinehan vs Lucy Lister
In the event's sole female bout, it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. Niamh Kinehan delivered a stunning high kick to send her opponent, Lucy Lister right onto the canvas. More impressively, the KO came in just 27 seconds of round one. Kinehan's promotional debut literally got off on the right foot and fans can expect to see more of her in future shows.
Fight Of The Night: Stuart Stabler vs Wade Sword
Young Stuart Stabler and Wade Sword gave what many consider to be the fight of the night for YOKKAO 31. Stabler came in 1kg lighter but gave a dominating performance. He unleashed a flurry of cracking body shots that reduced Sword to his knees in round 3 and won the fight with a unanimous decision. Even though he ultimately lost, Sword displayed immense heart through all five rounds to win the hearts of all fans in the arena.
Main Event: Superlek Kiatmoo9 vs Jonathan Haggerty
Jonathan Haggerty came face-to-face with arguably the toughest challenge of his career as he took on Superlek Kiatmoo9 in the YOKKAO 31 main event. It was an exceedingly well-matched round one and the fight looked to go the distance. Despite a valiant effort from Haggerty against the multi-time Lumpinee champion, Superlek's sharp and well-timed elbow strikes soon left a gash above Haggerty's left eye in the second round. After deliberate assessment at the end of the round, the fight was put to a stop and Superlek was declared the winner via medical stoppage.
YOKKAO 32
The second half of the event was every bit as exhilarating as the first. After a much talked-about YOKKAO debut in March, Niall Brown continued his rampage with yet another TKO win. Joe Craven and Jake Purdy battled for the UK number one spot at 72.5kg that erupted into an all-out war with Craven going home with the win via split decision.
TKO of the Night: Jack Kennedy vs Craig Coakley
The much-awaited brawl between Jack Kennedy and Craig Coakley was one of the night's most intense matchups. Coakley went into the game looking for the kill while Kennedy kept up a steady pace. Both fighters were evenly-matched but Coakley's persistent elbow strikes paid off in round 3, serving a severe cut above Kennedy's left eye. The Irish KO extraordinaire furthers his KO victory streak on YOKKAO with the win against Kennedy via medical stoppage.
Fight of the Night/Main Event: Rambo Phet Por Tor Aor vs Nathan Bendon
Rambo made a splash with his YOKKAO debut in a highly-anticipated matchup that did not disappoint. The Thai elite fighter found himself up against the UK top seed, Nathan Bendon who put up an undaunted resistance and proved his place among the best in the game. A heated exchange ensued for the first two rounds with no side getting the upper hand. Rambo put on the pressure to outscore in the third and fourth rounds with big body kicks.
Bendon made a comeback in round 5 with vicious punches and leg kicks, but it all came too late and the win was awarded to Rambo via split decision. The 2 fighters gave an unforgettable performance that was deservedly YOKKAO 32 fight of the night. With the successful conclusion of YOKKAO 31 - 32, the promotion team will next head to Hong Kong for YOKKAO 33 - 34 on 29th October.
Look out for more updates in the following post. In the meantime, check out the full results for YOKKAO 31 - 32 below:
** YOKKAO 32 **
Thailand vs England 65kg
Rambo Phet Por Tor or won by points vs Nathan Bendon
England vs Ireland 63.5kg
Jack Kennedy lost by TKO round 3 vs Craig Coakley
England vs England 72.5kg
Joe Craven won by points vs Jake Purdy
England vs England 62kg
Adam Haslam won by points vs Luke Hill
England vs England 72.5kg
Niall Brown won by TKO vs Craig Jones
England vs England 57kg
Jacob Smith lost by disqualification vs Simon Forrest
** YOKKAO 31 **
Thailand vs England 59kg
Superlek Kiatmoo9 won by medical stoppage vs Jonathan Haggerty
Scotland vs England 72.5kg
Owen Trykowski lost by points vs Josh Turbill
England vs England Female Fight 60kg
Niamh Kinehan won by KO vs Lucy Lister
Englands vs Northern Ireland 61.5kg
Myk Estlick lost by points vs Niall McGreevy
England vs England 58kg
Stuart Stabler won by points vs Wade Sword
England vs Greece
Josh Hill lost by points vs George Mouzakitis
** YOKKAO Next Generation **
Kieran Parton lost by TKO vs Darius Palma 60kg B class
John Wedderburn lost by TKO vs Jake Allan 69kg B class
Josh Wiggins lost by points vs Sam Brown 85kg C class
Kieron Lee won by points vs Ben Clinch 64kg C class
Nils Goitom lost by points vs Corey McLachlan 54kg C class
Ryan Stockley won by points vs David Borland 64kg C class Daniel
Charilou won by points vs Liam Heames 60kg C class
