Some Kickboxing fights to watch for Boxing/MMA fans

I struggle to imagine how Rico would have done in the 90s. Like you, I've never really been that impressed by him, and find him pretty flawed and inconsistent in his performances. He does most everything well enough, but there's just no spark in him that makes me think he'd stand a chance against a prime Hoost or Aerts or even someone like Bernardo. Maybe that's nostalgia or bias talking though.

 

Finally got around to watching this one. That was a very impressive victory for Masaaki Noiri. Tawanchai was quite sharp in this fight. He was doing a beautiful job of landing left kicks to the body, countering Noiri's kicks with his own low kicks, and chaining punches off of his left kick,etc. He was controlling the ring with pivots and lateral movement off his left hooks, as well as keeping him at range with his teeps, forcing Noiri fight from long distance for the first two rounds. But then Masaaki just timed him perfectly, twice, with his left hook when Tawanchai stepped in with a knee.

I've always thought Masaaki Noiri was an excellent talent. He's very exciting to watch. Unfortunately, he has a big problem with inconsistency, but when he's on form, he is a very good fighter. He dropped a couple of fights in ONE. A loss to Sitthichai is nothing to be ashamed of, but then lost to a no-name fighter. It's good to see him finally come through on the big stage against a class opponent.

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It's definitely an uphill battle for Artem, for sure. We agree on that. But I could foresee a scenario where he outslicks him to a close decision victory. 40% odds might have been a little generous, though. We'll just have to see.