Welcome to the fourth edition of the kickfighting roundup, where fights outside major promotions such as GLORY, ONE, RISE, and K-1 are given the spotlight. This month, Tatsuya Oiwa claimed the Krush Lightweight (-62.5 kg) title, while top Chinese Lightweight Luo Chao made a statement on the world stage with a victory over Aleksei Ulianov.
ALEKSANYAN VS. STYBEN
July 6, 2024 – A rematch between two of the best middleweights unsigned by a major promotion, although this time around, the fight was not as competitive. The taller Styben came out frantically after the opening bell, throwing higher volume, whilst Aleksanyan took shots on his guard and leg kicked the German fighter. The second round played out largely the same, until Aleksanyan started finding his mark with heavy left and right hooks. Eventually, Aleksanyan was able to find his range and drop Styben hard with a left hook against the ropes. Styben was unable to recover and was swarmed by a frantic Aleksanyan with a litany of left hooks, allowing the Bulgarian to stop the German with a flush left hook just short of the end bell in the second round.
REMI PARRA VS. ACHRAF AASILA
July 20, 2024 – Coming off a competitive loss to Hirotaka Asahisa, Remi Parra had a lot to prove going up against Achraf Aasila in the main event of Le Chocs des Gladiateurs 22 at a contested weight of 62 kg. In a highly competitive kick heavy fight, the taller southpaw Parra would find success kicking the arms, body, and legs of the shorter othodox fighter Aasila in the opening round. In the second round, Aasila would find success defending the body kicks of Parra and coming in with punches in bunches, overwhelming the Frenchman with suffocating pressure. Although the fight was very competitive, the decision would go in favour of the Italian Aasila.
HIROTAKA ASAHISA VS. ZHANG LANPEI
July 23, 2024 – Coming off of a major unanimous decision win against France's Remi Parra in March on K-1, Hirotaka made his return to the Chinese promotion Wu Lin Feng once again, as he took on fellow top contender Zhang Lanpei at 63 kg, up from his usual weight of 60 kg. He previously fought above the 60 kg limit against Jin Ying and Wei Weiyang, losing against the 2023 tournament champ Jin by unanimous decision over three rounds. Hirotaka immediately found success with the left and right kicks to the body and legs of Zhang and was giving the Chinese fighter fits with his constant stance switching off the body kicks. The first round foreshadowed the rest of the fight, with Hirotaka largely controlling the fight and his opponent with his deep arsenal of kicks. Ultimately allowing the Japanese fighter to claim a wide unanimous decision victory against the Chinese fighter.
TATSUYA OIWA VS. KENTO ITO
July 27, 2024 – After a major knockout victory against Yuto Shinohara and a unanimous decision victory over Hiroki, Tatsuya Oiwa proved he was more than deserving of a Krush title contest against the reigning Kento Ito. Ito was on a career best five fight winning streak since his loss to Hiroki in 2022, winning two of those five fights by knockout against former champ Yuzuki Satomi in the first and second round.
LUO CHAO VS. ALEKSEI ULIANOV
July 27, 2024 – Not one to take a long layoff, the young Luo Chao faced off against former GLORY Featherweight contender and RCC Fair Fight Lightweight champion Aleksei Ulianov in a career defining fight at Wu Lin Feng 546. Ulianov came into the fight off of a surging five fight winning streak, having claimed the RCC Interim title with a win over Zhora Akopyan and having unified the title against ONE alum Jamal Yusupov. Ulianov's last loss in 2022 was a highly controversial decision loss against former RCC champ Mamuka Usubyan, a fight many had him winning. From the opening bell, the age, experience, and size difference were immediately noticeable. The young prospect Luo was much less measured, more active, and faster than the older veteran Ulianov. Luo Chao took the initiative in most of the exchanges, coming forward and throwing higher volume despite being the taller fighter. Whilst Ulianov used his experience and craft to counter the shots of the Chinese fighter. Luo Chao found a significant amount of success throwing leg kicks and the step up left body kick to Ulianov, leaving the Russian's leg heavily reddened. Whilst Ulianov found success on his counter punches and with the right knee to the body as Luo Chao moved in. The high pace and volume of the Chinese fighter would ultimately win him a unanimous decision. Luo Chao showed a lot of promise with a win over a long standing veteran and will likely get an opportunity on the big stage soon.
