Brilliantly bloody Abu Dhabi Warriors

Matt Jones - Editor 02:10 05/10/2015
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  • Rameau Sokoudjou versus Paul Buentello was the main event.

    The popularity of MMA proved its strength amongst UAE residents on Saturday night as a sizeable and raucous crowd turned out in the capital for the third instalment of the Abu Dhabi Warriors.

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    A card of 10 fights was both brilliant and bloody, with a variety of styles, fighters and matches on show to appease all types of fight fans.

    American Paul Buentello won the showpiece event of the night, beating Cameroon’s Rameau Sokoudjou with a brutal flurry of attacks in the third and final round to claim the heavyweight title.

    One of the most torturous matches was the penultimate fight of the night, Russia’s Alexander Sarnavskiy and Canada’s Jesse Ronson going toe-to-toe for 15 straight action-packed minutes in a thrilling lightweight bout.

    A bloodied Ronson was cut several times during the fight, as his Russian opponent took a unanimous decision after the final bell.

    France’s Karl Amoussou looked in trouble against Russian Abdulmajid Magomedov in the early stages of their welterweight encounter but a cleverly-executed armbar while in a tight spot immediately had the 28-year-old tapping out.

    Amoussou had entered the ring to House of Pain’s classic ‘Jump Around’ anthem but it was his opponent who found himself in a world of pain. Waylon Lowe was in complete control of his fight with Montenegro’s Vaso Bakocevic, who just could not counteract the American’s physical presence as Lowe won their battle to claim the lightweight title.

    Buentello, 41, was the oldest fighter on the card, but overcame fatigue as his bout wore on to unleash a devastating combination on Sokoudjou that left the 31-yearold floundering.

    Buentello told the crowd after his win: “Please come back in December. I’ll be here and I’ll remember every single one of your faces.

    “I’m going to put another show on for you and I can’t wait to come back and show you what warrior spirit is all about.” Fans can also expect to see Sarnavskiy again in two months’ time.

    “I would like to thank everybody for their support. Of course I would like to come back and fight in Abu Dhabi,” he said, who extended his impressive MMA record to 31 wins and just three losses. Amoussou, 29, said the result of his fight was never in doubt.

    “I was dominated for a time but the truth is on the floor no one dominates me and I was not worried for a second. It was just a matter of time,” he said.

    An emotional Lowe is already looking ahead to coming back to the UAE and heaped praise on the Warriors’ organisation for all that they do behind the scenes.

    “I can do more next time,” said Lowe. “This means the world to me and I just want to thank you guys for being here. There’s no other motivation to fight for. I want to come back and make you guys proud.

    “Abu Dhabi Warriors really look after their fighters, it’s amazing and that’s what I tell everybody.”

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