Hot off the heels of a tremendous SFL 16 event, SFL 17 proved to be no different – showcasing some great action and entertainment to the Indian audience. Furthermore, SFL 17 had 6 finishes on its fight card; 3 of which came in the 1st stanza. The event took place in Mumbai, India as part of its fortnightly ‘Friday Fight Nights’ initiative.
The main event was a Bantamweight Championship tilt between top contender Tom McKenna (7-3) and Anup Kumar (4-2) The former remained patient in the opening exchanges, allowing Kumar to score with his striking. Eventually, a beautifully timed knee along with a slick transition to the back was all she wrote for Kumar who succumbed to a Rear-Naked Choke submission just 0:14s before the end of the 1st round. McKenna vowed to take the Bantamweight strap before the fight, and he certainly backed up what he said.
In the co-main event, Mohamed Abdel Karim (2-2) defied the odds by gaining a TKO win over the much fancied Daniel Amar Singh (1-1). But it wasn’t all Jekyll and no Hyde for Karim. He had to weather the early storm from Singh, who was relentless in pursuing the takedown. Although Karim did manage to lock in a Guillotine choke attempt, it was Singh who ended the round in top position. In the 2nd stanza, it was more of the same for Singh although this time around, Karim managed to land the takedown. After raining down continuous punches and elbows, the referee had clearly seen enough and stopped the contest. Interestingly, the stoppage of this bout was reminiscent of the Diaz vs. Thomson tilt back at UFC On FOX 7, whereby the towel thrown into the cage was concurrent with the referee’s intervention.
Other notable fights:
Charanjit Singh vs. Yash Kumar provided some heavy fireworks as well. Yash Kumar showed he was no pushover, by showcasing his heart and grappling prowess for extended periods of the fight. His opponent, Charanjit Singh, dominated the stand-up exchanges, and even had a near Triangle-Choke submission that Yash managed to get out of. Despite getting the TKO win, however, Charanjit would have undoubtedly been disappointed with his ground work and takedown defense.
Amitesh Chaubey decided to adopt the Diaz brothers’ style of fighting, by taunting his opposite end, Saeed Asghartabar, for certain periods of the fight. Coming in as late replacements, both fighters were determined to put on a show and did just that with a rousing display that would have definitely garnered praise and applause from the SFL promoters. An incredible first round saw both fighters stand and trade with each other, although Saeed had a failed North-South choke towards the end of that round. In the 2nd and 3rd stanzas, Asghartabar demonstrated the power of his chin by taking an incredible amount of punishment from Chaubey. In the end, the decision was a no-brainer, and it went in favor of the local fighter, Amitesh Chaubey.
MMASucka.com’s SFL 17 Three Stars:
1. Amitesh Chaubey
2. Tom McKenna
3. Satender Bankura
Check out the full results of SFL 17 below:
- Tom McKenna def. Anup Kumar via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:46 of Round 1
- Mohamed Abdel Karim def. Daniel Amar Singh via TKO (Punches) at 3:40 of Round 2
- Daizy def. Ola Ahmed via Submission (Neck Crank) at 0:43 of Round 2
- Amitesh Chaubey def. Saeed Asghartabar via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
- Charanjit Singh def. Yash Kumar via TKO (Punches) at 4:45 of Round 2
- Satender Bankura def. Harvinder Rana via KO (Punch) at 1:18 of Round 1
- Abdul Muneer def. Pawan Goyat via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:29 of Round 1
The Super Fight League returns in two weeks as they bring you SFL 18: Friday Night Fights, so keep it locked to MMASucka.com for more information and updates.
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