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The King of the Beach returns to Hayashi’s Lounge on Saturday, as we’ll be hosting two title fights on top of a fun card that will see the introduction of a number of new and exciting fighters, as well as some old favorites.
Bruce "Hoodlum" Lee (3-0, 1-0) v Chris "The Dragon" John (1-0, 0-0)
Our main card will open with the only middleweight fight on the card, as Chinese striking phenom Bruce Lee looks to keep his perfect record intact against Indonesian Muay Thai specialist, Chris John, who makes his promotional debut. Although both strikers prefer to use their hands, they do it quite differently. Lee is a determined combination striker who prefers to throw it all on the line in a frenzied attack in the pocket. John, on the other hand, prefers to press his opponents against the cage and grind them with a heavy, dirty boxing assault. I don’t think this one will hit the mat, so expect a spirited back-and-forth standup war to start off the main card.
Ryo "Yoshi" Takajiri (5-0, 0-0) v Lionel "wutUsay" Wright (3-3, 2-2)
We have an intriguing matchup at lightweight next, as KOTB’s Compton badboy, Lionel Wright, takes on Japanese TWGC champion Ryo Takajiri. Wright is a former title contender and one of the more wild fighters in the division, throwing head kicks with reckless abandon and talking as much trash as you would expect from any Compton native. That style has got him in some trouble in his past two fights and, if he doesn’t connect early, could cost him here as well. That’s because his opponent is the most dangerous blue belt we’ve seen around these parts since Sean Soffman’s reign. Born in Shinjuku, Takajiri has had great success in his grappling history, winning the Division 4 title by submitting all of his opponents, but has also submitted all five of his MMA opponents in the first round. Since Takajiri is still learning English, Wright’s words might not play a part in this fight.
Blob "Voodoo Child" Sapp (4-2, 2-2) v Alejandro "Osito" Sepulveda (8-4, 2-1)
Up next we have the next chapter in one of KOTB’s more compelling stories, as 5’3’’ 150 pound Chilean fighter, Alejandro Sepulveda, takes on a 6’5’’ 300 pound American in Blob Sapp. Sepulveda has taken his poor hometown’s financial burden into his own hands, as he signed onto KOTB’s super heavyweight division as a way to provide his family and friends with the resources they need to survive. The action fighter has managed to win two straight against his giant-sized opponents and has also managed to pick up two ‘fight night’ bonuses along the way. His biggest test to date, literally, will be the man he meets on Saturday night, as Blob Sapp is a big, powerful striker who’s never seen more than two minutes of fight time in any of his matches. “Voodoo Child” brings spooky power with his persona, and Sepulveda’s family has been expressing growing concerns about their fighter’s health as he continues to move up the ladder. Can Sepulveda continue to be the David to a division of Goliaths?
James "Flames" La Grande (10-1, 2-0) v Terrence Mitchell (4-0, 0-0)
Our co-main event sees a title fight at welterweight, as grappling superstar James La Grande takes on a deeply talented newcomer in Terrence Mitchell. La Grande exploded onto the beach with an impressive title victory over the previously unbeaten Murphy MacManus and followed it up by submitting Seok Yi in the first round for his first defense. La Grande has submission wins in all 10 of his victories, and has recently received his brown belt to go along with a growing standup game. His opponent this time, however, is also a brown belt with strong wrestling chops. Mitchell, who makes his first appearance outside of Australia, prefers to mix it up on the feet a bit more, so it’ll be interesting to see if the champion follows suit in this matchup.
Sandu "Big Bear" Lungu (7-1, 4-1) v Conrad "The Joker" Mcgillicutty (5-2, 1-0)
And finally, the main event KOTB fans have been waiting for, as Sandu Lungu defends his super heavyweight title for the first time against Conrad Mcgillicutty. There has been a lot of talk from both competitors leading up to this event, but somewhere deep within the trash talk resonates some sort of admiration for one another. Lungu has been a stalwart for KOTB since the early days, and the big Romanian has put in work into to finally get the belt around his waist and becoming a complete martial artist. Usually a reserved man, his opponent has seemingly brought another side out of “Big Bear”. Mcgillicutty, on the other hand, is about as consistent as it gets when it comes to the art of talking smack, but also has the skills to back it up. The boastful Irishman carries cinder blocks for hands and has a granite chin, both which were on full display in his promotional debut. Another thing of note is that Lungu will be the smaller man in the cage for the first time in his career, so it’ll be interesting to see if he tries to use his mobility and ground skills to outwork the bigger man, or if Mcgillicutty’s words force him into a crowd-pleasing brawl.
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