Ryoshin Fighting Championship 8: A showcase of raw talent and exciting MMA prospects
It was a night of slick submissions and impressive KO’s in the Roadstone Sports Club as two belts were on the line.
The Ryoshin Fighting Championship 8 delivered some very exciting contests and we witnessed some of Ireland’s best MMA prospects in action.
The Lightweight title fight headlined the show and it delivered on its promise to be one of the fights of the night. Dylan Logan (SBG Concorde) made light work of his opponent Ron Butler (Ryoshin Academy) with a fast submission inside the first minute of their bout. The two exchanged strikes but Butler was caught by a right hook from Logan. The fight went to the ground and Logan did impressively to sink a triangle and forced Butler to tap out.
Speaking to Fightstore Media after the fight, Dylan Logan said, “As soon as I locked the triangle there was no doubt in my mind that he’d tap.”
In the Flyweight title fight Hughie O’Rourke (Team Ryano) defeated Matiss Zaharovs (Cill Dara MMA) via arm bar. It was a fight which Matiss had been dominating after a barrage of shots and successful takedown attempts but Hughie showed great determination to stay in the fight and got his reward with a well-constructed arm bar to take the victory. O’Rourke was presented with his belt by team-mate and UFC fighter Neil Seery.
Elsewhere on the night we witnessed an all-out war between Jamie Finn (Team Caveman) and Nathan Kenna (Full Power MMA). The flyweight bout will be well remembered by everyone in attendance as both fighters settled their feud inside the octagon. Kenna was very dominant in the first round, taking top position on the ground and attempting an arm-bar. For his part, Jamie Finn showed an impressive resilience to survive the submission attempt when many felt he would tap.
The second round was a more even contest with both fighters taking control on the ground. In the third round Nathan Kenna finished Finn by TKO. He caught Finn with a one-two and launched a vicious ground and pound which forced the stoppage.
After the fight Nathan Kenna told Fightstore Media, “I think it was an easy opponent. The first two rounds were hard. I couldn’t get the arm bar, that’s what I was going for but in the third round I saw the knock out and I took it. My brother told me to go for the one-two and it came off.”
Fresh from his victory Kenna wasted no time in calling out the new Flyweight champion, “I want to fight Hughie O’Rourke for the title next. I’m going for the belt and I’m going to keep it then I’ll think about going pro.”
Another highlight of the night was the contest between Ian Coughlan (Paul Cummins School of Judo) and Makinde Adeyami (Ryoshin Academy). This match showcased both fighters grappling abilities as they went back and forth on the ground. Both men had successful takedown attempts but ultimately Makinde won by split decision. He produced some great athleticism to spin out of trouble and proved to have the edge over Coughlan.
The preliminary card produced one of the most memorable moments of the night. Adam Nowak (Arena Wexford) finished Dillan Douglas (IMMA Next Gen) by tap-out due to strikes. Nowak caught him with a heavy knee to the body which left Douglas in agony. When Nowak launched his ground and pound straight after there was little that Douglas could do and was forced to tap out.
The Ryoshin Fighting Championship 8 was an entertaining night of MMA action. It is a great platform to develop young MMA talent and it’s clear that the future of Irish MMA is bright with so many exciting fighters on display.
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