FIST Gym’s Richard Redman snapped a three-game losing streak in overwhelming fashion, forcing a taller Brian Paule into submission right in the first round to reign supreme in their highly anticipated welterweight encounter in the Casino Filipino Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars V last March 23 at CF Manila Bay in Ermita, Manila.
Nicknamed “The Cannibal”, the 5’7” Redman bucked a five-inch height disadvantage against his six-foot foe as he displayed awesome power and aggression from the opening bell to defeat Paule via rear-naked choke.
The victory was Redman’s third win in eight fights, while Paule remained unsuccessful in two professional battles after emerging triumphant in an amateur contest against Jem Romero in 2014.
In the co-main event, Arvin “Asintado” Chan was spot-on with his fierce striking as he also made short work of Ace Almeria, who tapped out in just 18 seconds of their fight after absorbing solid blows to the body.
With his second straight first-round win following a submission victory over Joel Labonero in CF BETS IV last December, Chan’s record improved to 3-8-0 (win-loss-draw). The loss, on the other hand, was Almeria’s first in nine professional outings.
Another highlight of the eight-fight card, which drew throngs of mixed martial arts enthusiasts, was the exciting women’s strawweight division tiff between Denice Zamboanga and South Korean Hye Seon Kim.
Zamboanga, the younger sister of Universal Realtiy Combat Championship bantamweight champion Drex, swiftly submitted Kim in the 2:47 mark of the second round via arm bar after punishing her opponent with heavy fists and knee strikes in the early goings of the match.
It was Zamboanga’s second straight victory as a professional fighter after her successful debut in Korea in January this year.
BETS V was presented by CF and URCC through Live Artists Production.
“We’re very happy that the fifth installment of the CF BETS series exceeded expectations as far as generating excitement is concerned. All the fights were fiercely fought and the fighters really gave their best not only for personal glory but also to entertain the casino crowd. With this, we’re very certain about attracting huge mixed martial arts spectators in future CF BETS events,” said Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Assistant VP for Entertainment Bong Quintana.
In other matches, Victor Torre scored a split decision win over Cebuano warrior Dennis Salazar, while Baguio City native Lucky Mateo knocked out Kevin Park in the second round. The lone upset by the visiting Korean gladiators over their Filipino counterparts was scored by Kim Ki-Sung against Niel Larano whom the former knocked out in round two to bounce back from a loss to Filipino-American Mark Striegl in CF BETS IV.
Likewise posting an easy win was Norman Agcopra, who mercilessly demolished Kim Kyu Hwa with relentless striking right in the opening round.
