The brackets have been filled up for PXC’s featherweight tournament that has been slated for PXC 37 on May 18th in Pasig City, Philippines. Former champion Joe Taimanglo (18-4-1) vacated the Featherweight strap following his departure to Bellator MMA.
Mark Striegl, Yusuke Yachi, Jang Young Kim and Nate Thorell are the fighters that will be competing in the Featherweight tournament. The finals will be held in an August event, where the winner will be crowned as the promotion’s new 145-lbs champion
Recently signed Yusuke Yachi (9-3) is a former Shooto title holder. The Krazy Bee native is just 22-years-old, and has had the chance of working with the likes of former ONE FC lightweight champion Kotetsu Boku, and UFC fighter Norifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto. With incredible technique to go along with his aggressive fighting style and conditioning, Yachi is arguably Striegl’s toughest opponent to date. The Japanese fighter was last seen competing on March 16th, where he gained a Unanimous Decision victory over Yuji Hoshino.
Welcoming Yachi to the Pacific Xtreme Combat will be Mark ‘Mugen’ Striegl, who is undoubtedly the favorite to get the 145-lbs strap. The 24-year-old Filipino sensation has an unscathed professional MMA record of 12-0, and boasts a resume that includes wins over the likes of Bae Young Kwon, Yusuke Kawanago and Strikeforce veteran Harris Sarmiento. Striegl remains as one of Asia’s hottest MMA commodities, and a crowd-favorite under the PXC banner. With 10 submission wins to his credit, it’s no secret that Striegl’s grappling prowess poses a threat to all fighters in the MMA scene. ‘Mugen’ was last scheduled to face Joe Taimanglo, however, that bout was scrapped following the latter’s move to the United States.
The next tournament match-up will see Korean Top Team’s Jang Young Kim (5-5-1) going up against Nate Thorell (4-1). Kim will be getting another crack at the PXC featherweight strap, following his recent TKO defeat to Joe Taimanglo. After a 2-4 start to his professional MMA career, the 28-year-old amassed a record of 3-1-1 under the PXC banner. Thorell, in the meantime, will be making his 2nd appearance in PXC, following his promotional debut win over Robert Wusstig. At 6-feet tall, Thorell will be looking to use his height and reach advantage to get the better of his opponents in the tournament.
The PXC 37 fight card will be headlined by a Bbantamweight title tilt between Michinori Tanaka (7-0) and Crisanto Pitpitunge (4-1). Rising Singaporean MMA starlet, Syafiq ‘The Slasher’ (1-0), will also be making his promotional debut at the event when he takes on fpur time PXC veteran, Glen Ranillo (2-2).
Keep it locked to MMASucka.com as we bring you more news and updates with regards to PXC 37.
As it stands, here’s the updated fight card:
- Crisanto Pitpitunge vs. Michinori Tanaka (For PXC Bantamweight strap)
- Mark Striegl vs. Yusuke Yachi (PXC Featherweight Tournament Bout)
- Jang Young Kim vs. Nate Thorell (PXC Featherweight Tournament Bout)
- Syafiq ‘The Slasher’ vs. Glen Ranillo
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Follow Thinesh on Twitter (@ThineshJohnMMA), and keep up with the latest MMA news from MMASucka via Twitter (@MMASucka) and Facebook
