Wade Hammond's leg kicks played a major role in eventually overcoming the dangerous Timothy Steenkamp during their PFC Middleweight K-1 title fight at Camps Bay High School last night.
Image: Buntu Gotywa
PFC Promotions! Take a bow, colleagues! To reference musical genius and the ever-controversial visionary Kanye West’s Dark Fantasy: Can We Get Much Higher?
It was a night filled with action, the fruition of hard work, showmanship, bravery, bravado, heart, endurance, guts, glory, disappointment, drama, joy, heartbreak, hope, passion, frustration, fandom, fury, chirps, fun, and most importantly, big fights - all squeezed into the Camps Bay High School hall.
As the Atlantic Ocean tide ebbed and flowed onto the picturesque Camps Bay beach below, so too were different emotions coming to the fore with each passing fight at PFC Redemption.With 22 Fights, three title fights, and two contender fights, this was the promotion's best fight card yet!
The main event saw veteran and former South African K-1 champion Wade “Weetbix” Hammond stop the lethal and international Muay Thai champion Timothy Steenkamp in the third round of their PFC Middleweight title fight.
After losing a closely-fought Muay Thai fight two years ago, Hammond was hungry to prove he was the big dog in the K-1 rematch.
The MADFit athlete intimated his thinking from the get-go, and it was clear he was baying for blood, looking for a stoppage, just as he had manifested in the lead-up to the fight.
He came out guns blazing in the first two rounds of the five-round Championship bout, trying to overwhelm his opponent with high-volume body and head combos, including some trademark “Weetbix” hooks and leg kicks.
To Steenkamp’s credit, staying true to his nature and demeanor, the Top Primate athlete remained calm and composed, biding his time, waiting patiently for the openings.
Steenkamp seemed to have gained the ascendancy with his Muay Thai tools, running down the middle with knees to the chest and accurate high kicks to Hammond’s rib cage area, which started to swell up.
The ever-focused Steenkamp mixed his leg and knee attacks with some beautiful straight rights and left crosses lefts down the middle, following them up with inside leg kicks as he tried to keep Hammond on the back foot.
Hammond brought a lot of emotion into the clash, and at times, it almost fell to his detriment.But blessed with an experienced corner that included former UFC and PFL athlete Don Madge, the man was brought back down to earth during the rounds as coach Madge reminded him to slow it down, breathe, and follow the gameplan, which was to utilize the notoriously lethal “Weetbix” leg kicks more and “chop, chop, chop” away at Steenkamp’s legs.
Reuben Job and Ezra Solomons delivered one of the most spectacular Bantamweight bouts South Africa has ever seen across amateur and professional divisions.
Image: Buntu Gotywa
In the third round, Hammond parked his emotions and focused on the task. Once he found his rhythm, he put on a clinic with great footwork and combos, with the endgame being an all-out debilitating leg kick attack that eventually disabled Steenkamp at one point as he went to the canvas in pain.
The man showed lots of heart in trying to get up but it was not to be as his right leg was shut down after trying to check a powerful left kick - which then saw the referee call an end to the fight declaring Hammond the new PFC Middleweight champion.
The co-main event of the night ended with cheers and boos as Jason Mackay was disqualified for headbutting Patrick Mbokwe in their PFC Welterweight title fight.
As per officials, Mbokwe landed an illegal knee to the chin of Mackay who then protested the blow before reacting, landing a blow with his head to the face of the former who then went to the ground ultimately leading to the fight stopping.
There were many standout fights on the night, but it would be remiss to omit the Bantamweight bout between Reuben Job and Ezra Solomons.
What an incredible showing, gentlemen!
A high-stakes chess match that included high-level reads, a beautiful kick arsenal, patience, anticipation, and at times, pockets of "in the tire" style boxing.
Another exciting showing was the ladies' kickboxing fight between Roslyn Humphreys and Kaylin Stubbs who came out with something to prove to themselves as they put their marker in the sand and gave it their all, showcasing great cardio, heart, skill, and determination, before Humphreys eventually walked away with the unanimous decision.
Another lady to keep an eye out for in the combat sports scene is the upcoming boxing and kickboxing athlete Lisolethu Majalisa who delivered back-to-back performances in the space of two weeks now.
Last week, after showcasing her kickboxing skills at the Rising Stars event in Wynberg, the PFC Bantamweight boxing champion defended her belt last night against Anzel Kellerman.Majalisa has improved in leaps and bounds and it was a privilege to watch her fight with Kellerman.
While the stoic Kellerman rolled out an economical game plan standing behind her jab, Majalisa was the more active fighter, leading with her jab and moving in and out, beautifully loose on her feet.
One of the standout features of Majalisa’s performances was her slips, feints, reads, breathing, and counter-punches. What a delight to watch. The young lady showed signs of a skilled professional boxer and flowed like water - Bruce Lee would be proud, and so, too, would Kanye, the showman!
Boxing card
Sifiso Smith beat Tumelo Kedikilwe via unanimous decision. (three rounds)
Kane Skywalker beat Kaylim Gabriels via unanimous
Jonathan Kabongo beat Luke Brazier via unanimous decision
Raeeq Mohammed beat Ollie Van Niekerk via unanimous decision
Petra Tanaka Mujokeri beat Innocent Zimani via unanimous decision
Liam Pearmain beat Dilane Foyang via split decision (heavyweight contendership)
Antonio Gomes beat Mateo Cockburn via unanimous decision
Stayed in the pocket, mateo counterpunch, antonio more volume
Lisolethu Majalisa beat Anzel Kellerman via unanimous decision (PFC Bantamweight title fight)
K-1
Bradley Bezuidenhout beat Luke Janson
Driaan Bosman beat Avuyile Mazomba via unanimous decision
Joshua Overberg beat Gerard Mwanza via referee stoppage.
Roslyn Humphreys beat Kaylin Stubbs via unanimous decision
Kenneth Wallace beat Cameron Nicolella via TKO
Phillip Cronje beat Simamkele Stwayi via KO
MMA
Jack Ryan beat Stefan Bester via TKO (ground and pound) in the first round.
Glody Miezi beat Macdelarn Chinambata via unanimous decision
Jonas Dondo beat Nic Laubscher via unanimous decision
Terrance Kuture beat Tapiwa Mugisho by unanimous decision
Kudakwashe Mutanga beat Mpumelelo Dube via submission.
Reuben Job beat Ezra Solomons via unanimous decision
Patrick Mbokwe beat Jason Mackay via disqualification. (Welterweight MMA title)
HEADLINE
K-1 Middleweight title fight
Wade Hammond beat Timothy Steenkamp via TKO in the third round.
@juliankiewietz