FEN 33 went down in ?ód?, Poland, over the weekend, and the nine-fight card saw its fair share of thrills and spills. MMA cards are happening thick and fast now, and not every fan has time to follow each event’s ins and outs every weekend.
Here are a few select highlights from this past weekend’s FEN event, headlined by a featherweight clash between Kacper Formela and Damian Frankiewicz. Formela displayed some clinical striking in the main event to earn a unanimous decision victory over his fellow Pole and take his record to 12-4. The 24-year-old is now riding a three-fight winning streak and will be wanting to earn himself a shot at Daniel Rutkowski’s featherweight strap.
Ukraine’s Ekaterina Shakalova produced one of the highlights of the evening with an over-the-shoulder bodyslam of Poland’s Izabela Badurek that would not have looked out of place in a pro wrestling ring. Shakalova came into this bout on a two-fight winning streak, and the 23-year-old two-time Pankration World Champion could soon be a real force in the women’s bantamweight division.
Shakalova’s compatriot, lightweight Andrei Khokhlov, scored the night’s most impressive KO with his opening-round win over Russia’s Mansur Abdurzakov. Khokhlov just over a minute to land the knockout blow, which stopped Abdurzakov in his tracks. The 23-year-old unleashed a heavy overhand right, which effectively ended the contest as soon as it landed. This fight was Abdurzakov’s promotional debut; based on this performance, it will hopefully not be too long before we see him back in the cage again.
FEN is set to return on May 28 with FEN 34. Former UFC fighter Taylor Lapilus will make his promotional debut. The Frenchman racked up a 3-1 record under the UFC banner and is one of Europe’s top bantamweights. In the co-main event, light heavyweights Pawe? Tryba?a and ?ukasz Borowski will meet in a rematch of their FEN 31 clash, which saw Tryba?a win via second-round doctor’s stoppage.