Boxer Medhi Ramezani earns trip to Melbourne

Dubai: Iranian Medhi Ramezani looked rusty, but he did just enough to defeat Lebanon-based Palestinian fighter Ebrahim Al Zabak and earn his place at the season-ending A1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, in December.

Ramezani, also known as the ‘Sniper’ used his superior staying skills against a tiring opponent to secure his win midway through the second round when a right caught Al Zabak on his jaw sending him sprawling to the mat.

“I’m so happy with what I have achieved with just three weeks of training,” Ramezani told Gulf News.

“Now I have the next few months before me and I want to get prepared for the big one against seven of the best fighters in the world in Australia. This is a one-time opportunity and I want to grab it with both hands,” he added.

The Global Fighting Championships 2, organized by former fighter Amir “Prince” Shafiy Pour’s Golden Cage Promotion and Events, was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in association with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC).

For the first time, there were two tournaments running parallel to each other — one as per A1 Rules and the other a Mixed Martial Arts event — interspersed with five fights in the Super Light division.

Mohammad Mansouri Davar was the other big winner on the night as he emerged as a clear winner after a first round submission of Brazilian opponent Christofer Ataides in the MMA tournament final.

Thai veteran Jamian Srikam was perhaps the most impressive winner in one of the three Muay Thai fights as he beat Okine Al Hassan into submission. Srikam, who has been in the UAE for the past five years now, got a good measure of his Ghanaian opponent in the opening round.

By the end of the second round Srikam had come up with several well-connected combinations on Al Hassan, who could not stand his ground within the opening 30 seconds of the third round. “He did well to put up such a good fight. He took it all. I was impressed,” Srikam said of his opponent.

Also winning the only women’s bout on the night was Greece fighter Milenta Martinou as she earned a technical knockout against Assita Kone of France.

RESULTS

A1 Tournament Final: Medhi Ramezani bt Ebrahim Al Zabak; Semi-finals: Medhi Ramezani bt Taha Alami Marrouni; Ebrahim Al Zabak bt Fahad Abtaan.

MMA Tournament Final: Mohammad Mansouri Davar bt Christofer Ataides; Semi-finals: Mohammad Mansouri Davar bt Gudrat Mamedov; Christofer Ataides bt Gokhan Turyilmaz.

Muay Thai Bouts:: Jamian Srikam (Thailand) bt Okine Al Hassan (Ghana); Aidin Morteza Pour (Iran) bt Abdel Ghani Mounir (Morocco); Milenta Martinou (Greece) bt Assita Kone (France).

MMA Bouts: Sardovek Qodirov (Uzbekistan) bt Amir Golipour (Iran); Hussain Mollamahdi (Iran) bt Marlon Reyes (Philippines).