By Thinesh John
Hohhot, CHINA –Wang Guan once again proved why he’s become the class of the RUFF featherweight division, easily handling BJJ and Capoeira black belt Sandro da Silva at RUFF 4, securing a unanimous decision victory, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27.
Improving to 4-0 in the RUFF cage with the win, Wang, for the first time, was pushed the distance, but da Silva’s repertoire of heel kicks and aggression could not outdo Wang’s sheer striking power. Wang also showed some impressive takedown defense in his “Nike Fight of the Night” performance, only succumbing to da Silva’s single and double leg attempts on one occasion.
“[Da Silva] was really tough; much tougher than my previous opponents. But during the second round I was able to figure him out,” explained Wang, who’s established himself as a top contender for the 2013 RMB 1,000,000 Super Fight. “In previous fights I wasn’t always that focused, but tonight I really had to concentrate on my game plan and use all my skill to win.”
Bantamweight Irshaad Sayed cruised to victory over Ayideng Jumayi in the RUFF 4 co-main event, landing a number of significant strikes before taking Jumayi to the ground and sinking his hooks in for a rear naked choke at 4:40 of the first round. Sayed and Jumayi previously did battle in a three round slugfest at RUFF 2, but unlike the first matchup, Sayed implemented some new techniques from his improving ground game, earning his first-ever submission win.
“The last fight with Ayideng was a hard fight, but I made it hard for myself and fought his fight; I stood and brawled with him and that’s what he’s good at,” commented Sayed. “This time I stuck to my game plan. I found that I was better than him on the floor and I thought I’d have an advantage taking him to the ground.”
Liu PingYuan notched his second straight armbar win, positioning himself at the top of RUFF’s new flyweight division in the process. After spending much of the first round striking with Yang Liang, trading punches and low kicks, Liu went to the mat in round two, securing a triangle, before transitioning to an armbar that was named “Hohhot BJJ Submission of the Night.”
“This was my first fight at 57 [kilos],” offered Liu “I feel like I have more power [in the division], and my body feels really good in the new weight class.”
RUFF 4, the second event in RUFF’s Super Fight series, also saw a number of first-time winners in the RUFF cage, with newcomers Yuan ChunBo and Shang ZhiFa earning submission victories (armbar and rear naked choke respectively), and Inner Mongolia natives Li JiXiang and Zhao EriDeMuTu winning via a pair of T.K.O.s, with Zhao taking home “Ducati Knockout of the Night” honors.
Thai fighter Arthit Hanchana, another first time RUFF winner, pulled the upset of the night, silencing the entire crowd at Inner Mongolia Indoor Stadium with his triangle submission of Inner Mongolia-born Zhang LiPeng.
“As you can see, it’s getting closer to the million, closer to the championship fight and the talent is coming up,” stated RUFF founder Joel Resnick. “If anybody’s had a chance to watch the videos from RUFF 1 to RUFF 4, all you see is [the talent] going up and up and up.”
Prior to the main event, Resnick confirmed the addition of the light heavyweight division to the 2013 RMB 1,000,000 Super Fight, and unveiled the main event forRUFF 5, a lightweight showdown between Rodrigo Caporal and new RUFF signee Wu HaoTian, one of China’s most promising contenders.
Wang Guan def. Sandro da Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Irshaad Sayed def. Ayideng Jumayi via submission (rear naked choke), Round 1 4:40
Arthit Hanchana def. Zhang LiPeng via submission (triangle), Round 3 2:53
Yuan ChunBo def. Dong YanJun via submission (armbar), Round R1 2:49
Liu PingYuan def. Yang Liang via submission (armbar), Round 2 3:03
Shang ZhiFa def. Amu RiJiRiGaLa via submission (rear naked choke), R1 4:35
Liu LianJie def. Wen JunCheng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Li JiXiang def. Kong HanDong via T.K.O. (punches) Round 2 1:04
Zhao EriDeMuTu def. Ta Yier via T.K.O. (punches) Round 2 1:41
