The fourth DARE mixed martial arts competition held at Club Insomnia during the day on March 17 was quite the spectacle. Fans gulped down beers and smoked cigarettes and cigars while watching the seven exhilarating death matches, with fighters competing over a chance to ultimately win USD125,000.
OK, they weren’t actually death matches, but it certainly felt like it at certain points. The whole crowd went silent each time a fight began and every hard-hitting kick to the thigh or punch to the face rang out. It seemed like nearly every fight ended with paramedics rushing into the caged octagonal ring to tend to the loser’s immediate medical needs.
The highlight of the night was the last and most important fight of the night, a clash between Frenchman Arnaud Lepont and Polish Krzysztof Hajtalowicz. Lepont came into the fight with a reputation as a stand-up brawler and more cage fighting experience, while Hajtalowicz is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert and ground fighter. Lepont looked beaten by the Pole after receiving several knees to the face, but pulled a “guillotine choke” – a sudden, nearly neck-breaking maneuver choke maneuver – that forced Hajtalowicz to tap out lest he lose consciousness. The mohawked Lepont went crazy over the come from behind win, jumping around the cage with joy despite the fact that his face was covered in blood. With his fifth consecutive win the French fighter improved to 8-1 and progressed to the semi finals.
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Also celebrating was up and coming Thai fighter Shannon Wiratchai who is winning himself a lot of fans with his fun fighting style and willingness to adapt and learn the MMA game. He took on TDR Panjabutra. He made a slow start not really coming to life until the closing seconds of the opening round when he launched a flurry of punches and kicks. The second round was a different story as Wiratchai landed a couple of perfectly timed counter hooks which rocked Panjabutra and allowed him to take the fight to the floor. From there he was able to work diligently to take his opponent’s back and sink in a rear naked choke which forced the tap. The win saw Wiratchai progress to the semi finals of the featherweight tournament and put him two victories away from the $125,000 prize money.
Full results are below:
Shodiyor Jurabekov defeated Loh Kainkai via TKO (injury)
Will TheKill Chope defeated Saengchot Parkaiphet via submission (rear naked choke)
Shannon Wiratchai defeated Tondamrong Panjabutra via submission (rear naked choke)
Kristoffer Persson defeated Alexandro Machado via TKO (strikes)
Mark Striegl defeated Marko Huusansaari via submission (modified armbar)
Andre Marcolla defeated Daniel Kerr via submission (armbar)
Arnaud Lepont defeated Krzysztof Hajtalowicz via submission (guillotine choke)
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