After months of anticipation and waiting, Rebel Fighting Championship got its first event underway on Saturday night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The event consisted of both Amateur and Professional MMA match-ups, with the promotion accentuating its focus on grooming talents within the local ranks and at regional level.

Rebel FC 1: Into the Lion’s Den – The Aftermath

The featured attraction of the night stipulated a riveting Featherweight tussle between Australia’s top 145-lbs fighter “Ruthless” Rob Lisita (13-5), and former two-time Shooto champ, “Lion” Takeshi (21-9). Lisita did exactly what he said he was going to do by pushing the pace from the get-go, preventing Takeshi from mounting any offense. As the rounds progressed, however, Takeshi, in his methodical and analytical nature, settled into the contest where he started throwing feints and combinations. The finish came at the 3:19 mark of the second stanza, where a rare Bulldog choke submission maneuver applied forcefully by Lisita, forced Takeshi to tap. While it was the Japanese vet’s first stoppage defeat in twenty-nine professional fights, it was a huge statement made by Lisita who continues to evolve in leaps-and-bounds under the guidance and tutelage of Phuket Top Team.

The co-main event, meanwhile, ended on a sour note. And was short lived. Korean Top Team’s Gyo Pyung Hwang (4-3) silenced the home crowd’s raptures for his opponent Syafiq Samad (2-1) with a brutal first round flying knee knockout. Samad started the bout gingerly before Hwang unleashed the first flurry of punches. The Singaporean crashed onto the canvas, momentarily stunned, but managed to recover soon after. As “The Slasher” looked to return punches of his own, Hwang leaped upward with a menacing knee that connected flush on his opponent’s chin. It was immediate lights out for Samad.

Other notable bouts:

Marcos Vinicius’ (20-6-1) UFC experience was taken with a pinch of salt by Japan’s Taiyo Nakahara (14-7), as the latter struck a neat TKO finish over the Brazilian. The southpaw chased proceedings from the start, forcing Vinicius to back up. Although the 34-year-old landed several clean hard shots, it was Nakahara who was pushing the pace and having the better striking exchanges. Soon enough, Nakahara connected with a beautiful left hand that sent Vinicius tumbling onto the mat, where after a few punches for good measure, an intervention was made by the referee. It was certainly an upset on the cards from a neutral’s point of view given Vinicius’ stint with the UFC and his experience in “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil”. Nonetheless, this win was a huge feather in Nakahara’s cap. The Japanese vet is now 6-1 in his past seven outings, with that lone blemish coming by way of of an unfortunate disqualification.

Alberto Mina proved that his stand-up abilities were just as good as his grappling credentials as the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace secured a first round TKO victory over Finland’s Glenn Sparv (7-3). Mina landed a takedown straight off the bat, and started slamming Sparv several times in hopes of opening his guard. The Finnish vet, though, used his strength to get back to his feet, but that presented Mina the opportunity to swarm on Sparv with multiple punches and a strong knee for a TKO stoppage. With that, Mina moved to 10-0 and continued his 100% finish rate.

But the pro bouts weren’t the only ones stealing the spotlight. The amateur fights provided some huge sparks as well. Suman Mokhtarian vs. Mubarak Abdat was undoubtedly the pick of the lot in what was a back-and-forth encounter that saw both fighters throw fisticuffs at one another till the very end. Mokhtarian’s takedowns proved to be the difference in the end, as he took home a Unanimous Decision victory. Abdat’s moments came in the second round where he controlled his Aussie counterpart for the duration of the stanza, displaying his striking capabilities. There was a slight controversial juncture at the end of that round, however, as Mokhtarian was deemed to have gone to sleep following a scissor-hold applied by Abdat. The referee, however, didn’t take any decisive action.

MMASucka.com’s Top Three Fighters of the Night: