North American Welterweight Rankings 5/22/2013

Quite a few changes to the rankings have occurred since the last update. Former number one Michael Mananquil is no longer in the welterweight rankings after being moved up to the super welterweight rankings. Justin Greskiewicz enters the rankings after being moved up from the super lightweight division and Liam Tarrant enters the rankings. With those changes Malaipet takes the number one spot, Greskiewicz moves into the number two spot, and Jose Palacios holds at the number three spot. Liam Tarrant takes the number four spot after back to back losses Chris Kwiatkowski drop to number five, while former number five Artem Sharoshkin falls off the rankings after back to back losses including one by KO.

1. Malaipet Sasiprapa (141-28-5)
Malaipet has won his last two fights, he defeated Vishnu Gulati by (T)KO in January at Lion Fight 8 and most recently defeated Sean Kearney via decision in March under the Push Kick Promotions banner. Malaipet just signed an exclusive contract with Lion Fight, and is scheduled to fight Hakeem Dawodu at Lion Fight 10 in July. Malaipet seems to have really turned this around after a bad slump a few years back.
 

2. Justin Greskiewicz (18-10-3) (@MuayThaiStayFly)
Justin Greskiewicz suffered a nasty cut over his eye lid his last fight out against Salah Khalifa at Muay Thai in America: In Honor of the King. Previous to his bout with Salah he had defeated Bryce Krause by (T)KO at K-1 Los Angeles in September of 2012. Greskiewicz has steadily moved up in weight class from 140 to 147, at times even competing as high as 154lbs. Currently there is no time table as to when “The Purple People Eater” plans to return to action, but knowing him as soon as he is ready all he needs is a phone call from a promoter because Greskiewicz truly embodies the fighting spirit of anyone, anywhere anytime.
 

3. Jose Palacios (7-5) (@JEPalacios)
Jose Palacios recently ventured up to 154lbs to competed in the Road to Glory tournament. He won his first fight against Ben Yelle by decision, but was eliminated from the tournament by Troy Sheridan in the semi-finals by decision. Palacios next bout is currently unknown, but with heavy hands and a nice counter fighting style he poses a risk to anyone that steps into the ring with him.

4. Liam Tarrant (4-0)
Liam Tarrant has looked stellar since turning pro. His most recent victory was at the Friday Night Fights 2013 season opener in which he defeated Deshawn Robinson by decision after things were looking bleak early on. Tarrant showed he had moxie by surviving two first round knockdowns and battling back from the brink of defeat to win the bout. Tarrant’s next bout is currently unknown, but he looks poised to continue to make waves in the super lightweight division.
 

5. Chris Kwiatkowski (8-4-1)
Chris Kwiatkowski has dropped back to back fights for the first time in his career. He lost a decision to Jose Palacios at Friday Night Fights to end 2012, and in January of 2013 dropped a decision to Kevin Ross at Lion Fight 8. Kwiatkowski is approaching the end of his career, but odds are he doesn’t want to go out on a loss. There is no return date set for “The Polish Punisher”, but expect him to come out more determined than ever to win his next time out. 

Rankings qualification - Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts are all taken into consideration for the rankings. These rankings are not only based on Muay Thai Fights as many fighters compete in both full rules Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 12 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible. Fighters must be born in North America or permanently reside in North America and are active in the North American fight circuit are eligible for the rankings.

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Matches to make after M-One "Reborn"

M-One “Reborn” took place this past week and it was a nice return for the M-One promotion after a year long hiatus. The theme of the event was Team Thailand vs. The World, and Team Thailand walked away with a clean 4-0 sweep. Despite only one North American based fighter being on the world team, there were several other on the fight card. So what’s next for the winning fighters after M-One “Reborn”? Here are a few match ups that we feel would be good moves for the four North American winner on the under card, and for the only North American on the world team, Romie Adanza, whether they be on a future M-One card or another promotion.

Romie Adanza vs. Jomhod Sagami
Their bout at M-One ended early due to a nicely placed elbow from Jomhod that opened up a cut on Adanza’s head. There is no saying what would have happened had Adanza not been cut so early in the bout. Fans definitely weren’t happy about the stoppage, and would probably be more than excited to see a re-match.

Bryce Krause vs. Luis Bio
Bryce Krause defeated Douglas Edwards by unanimous decision at M-One “Reborn”. Krause used some accurate counter striking to find his mark and out point Edwards. A match-up that would not only be exciting, but would make sense would be against Mexico’s Luis Bio. Both are two of the top 154lb fighters in North America and would likely engage in an exciting bout. Krause’s heavy hands vs. Bio’s clinch and elbow game would be a treat for the fans.

Glen Spencer vs. Shawn Yarborough or Brandon Banda
Glen Spencer stumbled out of the gates as a pro dropping a decision to Mike Lemaire, but has won his last two bouts by (T)KO. His victory over Sebastian Lopez at M-One was a solid victory for the Sityodtong LA product, but it would be nice to see Spencer face a more seasoned veteran his next time out. Shawn Yarborough or Brandon Banda would each fit the bill. Both are veterans that, although not as active lately have been solid fighters throughout their career, and could test Spencer in a five round fight.

Adam Rothweiler vs. Jason Andrada
Adam Rothweiler was active in the MMA scene before switching to Muay Thai, and so far it seems like it has been the right choice. Rothweiler defeated Adrian Morilla in his pro debut, and at M-One “Reborn” scored a spectacular head kick knockout over Jessie Magusen. Rothweiler was known as an exciting fighter when he was competing in MMA never holding anything back and it seems that he’s bringing that trait over to Muay Thai. Rothweiler keeps a fast pace and doesn’t seem to slow down. Andrada is another young fighter who doesn’t seem to have a pause button. From start to finish both of these fighters go full force, and if you place them both in the same ring the only result possible seems to be one of the craziest fights that could ever take place.

Joey Pagliuso vs. Jose Palacios
Joey Pagliuso has seemed like a man possessed in his last two fights. Both fights have been one sided stoppages of his opponents, with Karlos Aldama being his victim at M-One “Reborn”. Pagliuso has come out fighting like a bat out of hell looking to let the leather fly early and it has paid dividends. In 2011 Pagliuso suffered a knockout loss to Jose Palacios after a head kick dropped him in the final round of the bout. Up until that point many thought Pagliuso was on his way to winning a decision. It would be interesting to see these two meet again.

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M-One "Reborn" Results: Sagetdao retains WBC Muay Thail World Super Lightweight Title

M-One “Reborn” took place last night at San Manuel Casino in Highland, CA. In the night’s main event Sagetdao Petpayathai and Tetsuya Yamato fought for Sagetdao’s WBC Muay Thai super lightweight world title. As expected Sagetdao started off slow as he went through the feeling out process, however, once the second round started he began to pick up the pace. Surprisingly to many, he did not try to engage Yamato in the clinch as much as expected. Yamato was more than game as he let the leather fly and answered most of what Sagetdao threw his way. It was a close fight going into the fourth round when Sagetdao began to let his elbows fly and was able to open a cut over the right eye of Yamato. The doctor was brought in to examine the cut and the bout was stopped in the fourth round awarding Sagetdao the fight. With the win Sagetdao retains his WBC world title.

In the night’s co-main event Romie Adanza and Jomhod Sagami got to fight for a little over a minute before a cut was again the culprit of ending a fight early. Jomhod clinched for a brief second and delivered a lighting quick elbow that opened up a nice sized cut on the right side of Adanza’s forehead. The doctor was called in to inspect the cut, and Adanza could be seen pleading to the doctor to let the fight to continue, but despite his pleas the doctor stopped the fight.

Superbon Suppachai started strong against Craig Jose in their bout. In the early rounds Superbon was aggressive with his attacks and continuously targeted Jose’s lead leg with kicks. It seemed Superbon was on the way to a clear cut victory, but in the fourth round the resilient Jose started to turn the pressure up as Superbon began to fade. He went to work with all his tools and by the end of the bout what seemed like it would be a clear cut win for Superbon now seemed like it could go to either fighter. In the end all three judges awarded the fight to Superbon.

In the first of the Thailand vs. The World matches Thanongdeth Petpayathai made quick work of Charlie Peters. The fight was very even until a kick from Thanongdeth seemed to hurt Peters, when Thanongdeth realized Peters was hurt he pounced and delivered a couple of knees that sent Peters down and he was not able to beat the referee’s count. It seemed that Peters might have caught a toe in the eye which is what led to his demise in the bout.

Bryce Krause and Douglas Edwards fought for five hard rounds. The fight was pretty close from the start as both fighters landed their fair share. Edwards pressed the fight, but Krause was more than happy to stand back and counter with crisp strikes. In the end the close bout was awarded to Kruase by all three judges. With the win Krause defended his MTAA National super welterweight title.

The night’s other three pro bouts were all stoppages. Adam Rothweiler scored and exciting head kick knockout of Jessie Magusen, Glen Spencer used knees to the body to stop Sebastian Lopez, and Joey Pagliuso landed a devastating right hand to end Karlos Aldama's night early.


Results:

Pro
Sagetdao Petpayathai def. Testuya Yamato via (T)KO (Cut) at 1:38 of Rd. 4
Jomhod Sagami def. Romie Adanza via (T)KO (Cut) at 1:21 of Rd. 1
Superbon Suppachai def. Craig Jose via Unanimous Decision
Thanongdeth Petpayathai def. Charlie Peters via KO at 2:57 of Rd. 1
Bryce Krause def. Douglas Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Glen Spencer def. Sebastian Lopez via (T)KO (Knees) at 1:35 of Rd. 3
Adam Rothweiler def. Jessie Magusen via KO (Head Kick) at 1:43 of Rd. 1
Joey Pagliuso def. Karlos Aldama via KO at 1:00 of Rd. 1

Amateur:

Eric Luna def. David Huerta via Unanimous Decision

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Mike Lemaire vs. Wayne Barrett added to Glory 9 in New York

Glory has announced that Road to Glory USA middleweight tournament winner Mike Lemaire will make his first appearance for the promotion since winning the tournament at the upcoming Glory 9 event in New York. Lemaire will be fighting against Wayne Barrett, who most recently defeated Strahinja Ivanovic under the Take-On banner. Barrett will be competing in only his second pro bout, but has an accomplished amateur record and is former Georgia Golden Gloves  champion. 

Glory 9 is the first official Glory fight card that will take place in the United States. In addition to the Lemaire vs. Barrett the card is filled with talented names such as Tyrone Spong, Joseph Valtellini, Brett Hlavacek, Danyo Illunga, and many more. All of the action will take place on June 22nd at the Hammerstein Ballroom.

Fight Card: 

Light Heavyweight Tournament Fighters

Danyo Ilunga 

Mourad Bouzidi

Brian Collette 

Dustin Jacoby

Filip Verlinden 

Steve McKinnon

Tyrone Spong 

Michael Duut

Super Fights

Daniel Ghita vs. Brice Guidon

Rico Verhoeven vs. Errol Zimmerman

Joseph Valtellini vs. Francois Ambang

Brett Hlavcek vs. Paul Marfort

Daniel Sam vs. Anderson "Braddock" Silva

Wayne Barrett vs. Mike LeMaire

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Ognjen Topic signs exclusive deal with Lion Fight

Lion Fight has announced that they have signed Ognjen Topic to an exclusive deal. Topic becomes the fourth fighter to sign an exclusive with Lion Fight. The other three fighters currently under contract to Lion Fight include Kevin Ross, Tiffany Van Soest, and Malaipet Sasiprapa. 

 

Topic last competed at Lion Fight 9 where he knocked out highly regarded Thai fighter Paowarit Sasiprapa with a head kick. Topic has long been considered one of the rising stars in the North American Muay Thai scene, and it was more evident as to why, than in his recent victory over Paowarit. Topic will be in action again at Lion Fight 10 as he takes on Coke Chunhawat. 

 

You can read the official press release from Lion Fight below. 

 

OGNJEN TOPIC INKS EXCLUSIVE MULTI-FIGHT DEAL

WITH LION FIGHT, AMERICA’S PREMIER MUAY THAI ORGANIZATION

 

LAS VEGAS – Ognjen Topic today became the latest athlete to ink an exclusive multi-fight deal with Lion Fight promotions and join the list of world class fighters currently topping the premier Muay Thai organization’s roster. Topic, who now fights only for Lion Fight, will take on Coke Chunhawat at Lion Fight 10 Friday, July 26 live on AXS TV and from inside the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

 

“Ognjen Topic is regarded as one of the rising stars in American Muay Thai and proved that with his impressive knockout of Thai champion Paowarit Sasiprapa at Lion Fight 9,” said Scott Kent, Lion Fight CEO. “Ognjen Topic is a fan favorite and has powerful boxing skills and riveting kicks. He returns to Lion Fight on July 26 to fight another Thai Champion in Coke Chunhawat in what promises to be an action-packed stand up war.”

 

“It's great that the best promotion in the business, Lion Fight, has signed me exclusively, and I make this promise to fight fans that they will see me perform only at the highest level against the most elite fighters,” said Topic. “Muay Thai is a beautiful sport, and I’m honored that Scott Kent puts on these great events and that AXS TV is presenting them live across America. I look forward to July 26, to defeating Coke Chunhawat, and to continuing to make a name for myself in Muay Thai.”

 

Ognjen was born in Jajce, Bosnia and during the war his family moved to Serbia. Finally, they moved and settled in America while Ognjen was still in grade school, and as he grew older, he developed a love and passion for boxing. His family allowed him to train in Tae Kwon Do, and after receiving his black belt he started training in the art of Muay Thai. Ognjen soon became one of the top amateurs on the east coast. After he turned pro, he began racking up titles and credentials and quickly proved himself among the best of the best in Muay Thai.

 

He holds a professional fight record of 7-2 with a 13-5-2 amateur record. He is ranked as the 2011 North American Professional Rookie of the year by the Muay Thai Authority website, as well as the 2011 United States Breakthrough Fighter of the Year by the Muay Thai Is Life website. The World Kickboxing Association (WKA) named Topic its December 2011 Professional Fighter of the Month.

 

Topic joins Malaipet Sasiprapa, Kevin Ross and Tiffany Van Soest as the latest fighter to be signed to an exclusive contract with Lion Fight. Kent is signing more top-ranked Muay Thai fighters to his organization and will continue making those announcements as they happen.

 

For more information about Lion Fight, please visit www.lionfight.com and follow on Twitter @LionFight.

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