VISHAL Sharma proved to be an emerging Indian force in mixed martial arts as he easily disposed of his Filipino foe in awesome fashion in the main event of the Balikatan MMA 14 held recently at the Marikina Sports Center.
Fighting out of Budo Kai Do MMA gym based in Punjab, India, Sharma scored a well-orchestrated Guillotine Choke against Bobby Besuna right in the first round of their middleweight fight.
Sharma’s win broke the Indian losing spell and earned him the Main Event and Best Event trophies.
Earlier, his teammates Maanpreet Singh Insan and Gagandeep Sharma dropped their respective matches.
Maic’s Gym fighter Jued Castillo knocked out Insan with a thunderous leg kick, with just 12 seconds gone in the first round to bag the Knock-Out of the Night Award.
Team Iran Greco-Roman fighter Ehsan Mousaei easily won over Sharma via Tapped also in the first round.
Power-punching Teddie Marie Cruz of Spartacus MMA dominated her opponent from Oman, Sahara Hamayon, with power punches on the way to a unanimous decision win in their female bantamweight fight.
Balikatan organizer Sir Henry Kobayashi was very happy of the turnout of the event, emphasizing the need to put up more amateur events like this to enhance the talents of up-and-coming fighters wishing to go professional.
“Dapat i-welcome ang mga bagong promoter na tulad ko na sa amateur MMA para mas marami pa kaming matulungang start-up fighters. Ang balikatan ay para sa mga fighters na gumanda ang laro at skills. Sa kanila rin naman iyun mapupunta pagdating ng araw,” said Kobayashi.
He thanked UGB MMA president Ferdie Munsayac for lending him the UGB cage used in his biggest yet Balikatan event.
In other matches, Spartacus MMA Gym fighter Dick Lopez and Yaw-Yan Batangas Fighter SandipTalwar fought to a split draw.
Higher Ground MMA’s Edrion Macatangay submitted Arden Vallejo via Rear Naked Choke; Yaw-Yan Kampilan’s Jhong Hurtado decisioned MAP Rizal’s Derric Sy; Herdoza Fitness’ Michael Dulnuan armed bar Benjie Gil Angeles of Hitman; Empire Boxing’s Franco Jose Gallardo defeated Yaw-Yan Kampilan’s Ace Darwin Ross via RSC and Hybrid Yaw-Yan’s Jose Maria Mendoza dominated Titan MMA’s Jerry Manalus.
Gibbor MMA fighter Charles Dominick Sayson won via Rear Naked Choke over Black Unicorn Martial Arts Gym’s Jomar Garcia; Yaw-Yan Kampilan’s Eric Heinz Llagas won via Ground and Pound against Samson College’s Keith Brian Lasquite; United Sikaran Alliance’s Reynold Vargas and Yaw-Yan MAC ‘s Ryan Canata battled to a split draw; veteran fighter Melanio Rayanon Jr. of Hybrid Yaw Yan bagged the Fastest Submission Trophy by submitting Francis Legaspi in the first round.