SENSHI has revealed the eight-man bracket for its September 5 Grand Prix in Varna, Bulgaria, with Bulgaria's Eduard Aleksanyan moving up in weight for a shot at the 95k g tournament crown. The event will take place at the beach arena at St. Constantine and Helena Resort.
Aleksanyan, the reigning SENSHI European champion at 90kg, opens his campaign against Romania's Yuri Farcas. The Bulgarian will need to win three fights in one night to leave with the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix trophy, making recovery, composure and damage management a big part of the job.
SENSHI 33 Light Heavyweight Grand Prix
The remaining opening-round pairings are Portugal's Iuri Fernandes against Moldova's Alexandru Burduja, Tunisia's Sharif Ben Mabrouk against Turkey's Emin Ozer, and Italy's Ramon Quirini against Germany's Ali Nasir. The four winners advance to the semifinals later that evening, followed by the final, while SENSHI has also scheduled a third-place fight.
Aleksanyan is the home favorite in the Grand Prix and arrives with a SENSHI title already on his resume. But the move from 90 kg to the 95 kg division changes the equation. The bracket gives him no room for a slow start, with Farcas standing between him and a potential semifinal later the same night.
Two reserve contests will run alongside the main bracket. Democratic Republic of the Congo fighter Mike Kena meets Argentina's Pablo Molina, while Germany's Agon Bellaqa faces Nigeria's Dirrick Binnendijk. The reserve winners could be called into the tournament if an injury or withdrawal affects the main draw.
Molina enters with a notable amateur record in the SENSHI system. He recently won his third KWU SENSHI World Cup for Amateurs title, beating three opponents across two days in July. The reserve format means he may have to wait for an opening, but it also leaves him one phone call away from a much bigger assignment.
Away from the 95 kg tournament, SENSHI 33 will include three Bulgarian-led super fights. Zhulien Rikov, the undefeated SENSHI 30 Grand Prix winner at 75 kg, is set to compete against Spain's Danut Mihail. Rikov said he has been training twice daily and plans to lean on his height, range and technique.
Reigning European K-1 champion Simeon Nakovski will also make his SENSHI debut in a 70 kg super fight against Pedro Granjo, of Spain. Nakovski, who has spent 20 years in combat sports, said he is preparing twice per day and hopes to score a knockout in Varna.
SENSHI 33 TOURNAMENT & RESERVE FIGHTS
- Yuri Farcas (Romania) vs. Eduard Aleksanyan (Bulgaria)
- Iuri Fernandes (Portugal) vs. Alexandru Burduja (Moldova)
- Sharif Ben Mabrouk (Tunisia) vs. Emin Ozer (Turkey)
- Ramon Quirini (Italy) vs. Ali Nasir (Germany)
- Mike Kena (DR of the Congo) vs. Pablo Molina (Argentina)
- Agon Bellaqa (Germany) vs. Dirrick Binnendijk (Nigeria)
SENSHI 33 SUPER FIGHTS
- Giannis Eminov (Greece) vs. Ognyan Mirchev (Bulgaria)
- Pedro Granjo (Spain) vs. Simeon Nakovski (Bulgaria)
- Danut Mihail (Spain) vs. Zhulien Rikov (Bulgaria)
