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Victory Kickboxing 40 Man Heavyweight Grand Prix


Alfred

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Path to Glory – The Final 8 Review
(5th December 2020)

Tom Obama (4-1) vs. Elifasi Msomi (5-0)

Coming in off the back of a massive TKO victory over Chris Karter protégé Vasko Madzarov, Tom Obama had all but erased any memories of the sole blip on his record, a decision loss to Alexx Kayy and had the bookies scratching their heads as to who the favourite was going into this one. 

South African slugger Elifasi Msomi had coasted into the final eight with a near flawless record and some decent scalps along the way but somehow there were still few that truly considered him any kind of favourite to take the tournament. This was a big opportunity to silence the naysayers but unfortunately for him, things just didn’t his way. 

Both fighters looked the others equal during the brief exchanges at range but it was inside of the clinch that Tom Obama’s superiority was really apparent. Msomi still brought his trademark aggression but found it hard to land anything of significance whilst Obama in turn landed over half of what he threw. With round one well under control for Obama, the fighters met each other in the center of the ring for round two and in a flash, Obama landed a massive uppercut out of nowhere that wobbled Msomi badly. Msomi lashed out of pure instinct but was easily countered and Obama finished the job ended the fight just ten seconds into the second round. 

A superb run from Elifasi Msomi who might well have a promising future in KT down the line but for now, his first loss of the tournament is the one the eliminates him at the final eight. 

Roberto Congo (5-0) vs. Jason Hightower (5-0)

Without a doubt the biggest fight of the Quarter-finals and perhaps of the whole tournament so far. Two undefeated fighters in Belgian brawler Roberto Congo and three hundred pound behemoth Jason Hightower. 

Congo, guided by returning former number one manager G Wad, had demolished his group during the initial stages, winning all four bouts by KO. A much tougher fight awaited him in the first knockout round against Roch Doisneau but still he managed to get his hand raised with a 48-47 unanimous decision victory. 

El Paso, Texas native Jason Hightower was my pick to win it all after steamrolling his group with all first round KO victories along the way before topping it off with another KO over Billy Arseworth led Flor Delicada. Suffice to say five knockout wins in a row were enough to see him as the slight favourite coming into this. 

On the day, it was Roberto Congo who ended up getting his hand raised and moving on into the next round after a tactical approach to proceedings earned him a unanimous decision victory. Hightower managed to open up a cut on Congo in round one with his fans hoping it was a sign of things to come but aside from that it was a fairly even and competitive match up with neither fighter able to really trouble the other. Both fighters fought at roughly the same pace but it was perhaps Congo’s marginally more accurate striking that won the day for him and takes him a step closer to the grand prize. 

Something of a surprise for me to see Hightower go out to a decision loss but without a doubt a potential star in the making for the KT heavyweight scene down the road. 

Bento Barboza (4-1) vs. Joe Armstrong (4-1)

A disappointing turn of events as rebounding brawler Joe Armstrong was unceremoniously dumped by his manager Scotty Jc who abruptly quit the game in a cloud of mystery (hopefully everything is cool wherever you are bud) just weeks before this big quarter-final showdown and left his fighter to fend for himself against heavy hitting Portuguese fighter Bento Barboza led by Action Jackson

Though not undefeated after losing a decision to Elifasi Msomi, Barboza had been earning a reputation as a knockout specialist after racking up three KO’s in the group stage and then dismantling Tim Bravo in the first round of the knockout stages to get here. 

So what was at first expected to go down as a highly explosive but competitive bout ended up being something of a blood bath. Despite having only the arena’s janitor in his corner, Armstrong came to fight and tagged Barboza in the face a fair few times in the first couple of rounds. Barboza opened a cut on Armstrong in the first round and proceeded to take it on most judges scorecards but Armstrong came back to take the second despite a worsening cut throughout. Heading into the third round, a straight right from Barboza really opened up the cut even more and shortly after a massive left hand dropped Armstrong to the floor for a ten count. Armstrong was quickly to his feet but obviously very wobbly and combined with his now horror movie like face wound, the doctor called a stop the bout. 

A great performance by Bento Barboza but perhaps not under the circumstances that he would have wanted. 

A shame for Joe Armstrong to go out this way but he has managed to find new management fairly quickly and we hope that he can still go on to have a healthy career.

Macaco Cidadao (5-0) vs. San Diego Maradona (4-1)

The final remaining undefeated fighter in the tournament Macaco Cidadao had exceeded all initial expectations to get here after riding a wave of luck so unbelievable there had been cries of foul play and favouritism from the event organiser (which can’t be true as no one likes Doctor John Zoidberg) Winning all four of his group fights by KO, most of which were in the first round, Cidadao added to that with a second round KO over iron chinned Chad Billingsley in the first phase of the playoff finals. 

His opponent was Finnish hippie San Diego Maradona who was being guided by FinnFighters head honcho Marky Mark. A single KO loss to Roberto Congo the only blemish on his record with the remaining group stage bouts being won by KO alongside his third round finish over undefeated Patrick Turgeon in the first round of the knockout stages. 

The fight was easily the best of the night with Cidadao throwing everything he had at Maradona and the plucky Finn showing some tremendous heart in taking it. Both fighters were making sure to leave everything they had in the ring for this one, something that was more than apparently to an appreciative crowd especially as the bout drew into the latter rounds. 

Maradona took the first round but Cidadao started to pull ahead during two, three and four. Going into the fifth round, Maradona likely needed a KO to get the win and pressed ahead as he had done throughout. Both fighters were exhausted but around a minute into the round it was obvious that the body shots from Cidadao had done their job and that Maradona was running on fumes. A perfect lead left dropped Maradona to the canvas and left him out for the count. A superb bout and one that won Cidadao knock out of the night and both fighters the fight of the night honours. 

San Diego Maradona goes out in a blaze of glory and does extremely well to reach the semi-finals. We hope he sticks around as he looks like an exciting prospect in the KT world. 

Another top notch performance from the Brazilian but you have to wonder when his luck will run out

Path to Glory – Final 4 Preview

Semi-Finals

Tom Obama (5-1) vs. Roberto Congo (6-0)

This one could so easily have been the final but alas the fate of the draw brings them together a little earlier. 

There’s no question that Roberto Congo has the slight edge in skills going into this and there is also the fact that he is as yet undefeated. His early run of knock outs seem to have dried up as the competition has progressed however but instead we’ve been seeing a much more methodical and tactical approach to his fights. 

Tom Obama has a single loss on his record but he has never yet been finished. He has had the more impressive play-off performances with a knockout over Vasko Madzarov and most recently Elifasi Msomi. 

Both fighters are guided by highly skilled managers but at the time of writing we have Tom Obama’s manager Blake Phoenix as the games #1. An extremely tough fight to call but with perhaps Roberto Congo as the very slight favourite. 

Bento Barboza (5-1) vs. Macaco Cidadao (6-0)

On the other side of the bracket we have Bento Barboza taking on undefeated Macaco Cidadao. 

It’s easy to forget that Barboza has yet to be stopped himself and in truth he has flown somewhat under the radar in this tournament so far. Perhaps that is due to having had one of the easier groups to qualify from and arguably the easier route into this semi-final match up. Still, that is not Barboza’s problem and he has done everything that he needed to do which is win in decisive fashion. 

His opponent, 6-0 Brazilian phenom Macaco Cidadao has so far managed to dispatch of everyone put in front of him and with none of his opponents managing to go the distance with him. A perfect record of six KO’s out of six will no doubt give him the edge in confidence coming in. 

Bento Barboza is guided by former #1 Action Jackson whereas Cidadao’s manager Doctor John Zoidberg has yet to go beyond the top #18. In fact, he is the only remaining manager not to be a former or current #1

Barboza perhaps has a very slight edge in overall skills in the head to head but generally speaking both fighters look fairly similar with neither truly specialising in any one skill. Both have made a reputation of being heavy hitters and it is there that Baboza’s almost forty pounds weight advantage might make its presence felt a little more. 

Again, a very difficult fight to choose an obvious winner and evens odds being the most likely offered. 

5th Place Play-Off – Finals

Derrick Thomas (4-2) vs. Kevin Faulk (4-2)

The path of redemption comes to an end with Derrick Thomas taking on Kevin Faulk in the fifth place play-off finals. 

Both fighters with records of 4-2 in the tournament and identical records of knock-out's both for and against. Also very similar on paper skills wise with Faulk having a razor thin advantage in the striking aspects. The biggest difference between the two is the large height disparity in which Thomas will tower over Faulk by some 43cm. 

Just one more fight where picking an obvious favourite isn’t really possible so again the bookies will have it down as evens. 

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Heavyweight Grand Prix Award Standings

(At the end of Round One Knockout Stage)

 

Iron Man Award

(Undefeated Steak)

*If no undefeated fighters left at end of tournament then prize will go to longest undefeated streak instead

Roberto Congo (6), Macaco Cidadao (6)

 

Problem Solver Award

(Most KO Wins)

Macaco Cidadao (6), Roberto Congo (5), Bento Barboza (4), Tom Obama (4), Derrick Thomas (4), Kevin Faulk (4)

 

Decision Maker Award

(Most Decision wins)

Roberto Congo (2), KT Panda (2), Aleex Kayy (2), Tom Obama (1)

 

Granite Chin Crew Award

(Lost but never KO'd)

*If reaching a point where no one meets criteria then award will change to most losses without a KO

Roche Doisneau (5 fights, 2 Losses), Tom Obama (6 Fights, 1 Loss), Bento Barboza (6 Fights, 1 Loss), Jason Hightower (6 Fights, 1 Loss)

 

CTE Award

(Most KO Losses)

Nelson Junior (4), Cyril Cabo (4), Archy Banks (4), Demarcus Brown (4), Joseph Pisun (4)

 

Gunslinger Award

(Fastest KO)

Roberto Congo (12s), Derrick Thomas (26s), Tom Obama (34s), Macaco Cidadao (35s), Bento Barboza (43s)

 

Cro-Cop Award

(Most Head Kick KO's)

Wiaan Cronje (2), Bas Bonjasky (1), Hassan Fezzik (1), Elifasi Msomi (1)

 

Unnamed Spinning Back Fist Award

(Most Spinning Back Fist KO's)

San Diego Maradona (1),

 

The Butcher Award

(Most Wins due to Cut Stoppage)

Mateusz Radovic (2), Bento Barboza (1)

 

Paper Skin Award

(Most Losses Due to Cuts)

Skipper Eureka (1), Nathan Eternity (1)

 

Satisfaction Guaranteed

(100% Rating)

Cyril Cabo (3 out of 4), Demarcus Brown (3 out of 4), Wiaan Cronje (3 out of 5), Derrick Thomas (3 out of 6), Tom Obama (2 out of 6)

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28 minutes ago, actionjackson said:

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Beware Macaco, the Angel of Death awaits to beat you like a rented mule.

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Macaco Cidadão

Calls himself "Angel of Death", but in reality looks like a stand in bassist for the Village People. And who gives a fuck for bassists?

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2 minutes ago, actionjackson said:

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At least I don't look like a dead beat dad from Arkansas with bad taste in sportswear.

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"In favor of your winner, by unanimous decision... Elifasi Msomi!"
You looked pretty dead beat after fight end tho.

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On 12/21/2020 at 5:31 PM, Alfred said:

Path to Glory – Final 4 Preview

Semi-Finals

Tom Obama (5-1) vs. Roberto Congo (6-0)

This one could so easily have been the final but alas the fate of the draw brings them together a little earlier. 

There’s no question that Roberto Congo has the slight edge in skills going into this and there is also the fact that he is as yet undefeated. His early run of knock outs seem to have dried up as the competition has progressed however but instead we’ve been seeing a much more methodical and tactical approach to his fights. 

Tom Obama has a single loss on his record but he has never yet been finished. He has had the more impressive play-off performances with a knockout over Vasko Madzarov and most recently Elifasi Msomi. 

Both fighters are guided by highly skilled managers but at the time of writing we have Tom Obama’s manager Blake Phoenix as the games #1. An extremely tough fight to call but with perhaps Roberto Congo as the very slight favourite. 

Unsubscribe. Hack journalism at it's worst. Fake News.

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Roberto Congo's cut is absolute horrible now. This looks like something out of a horror film with blood covering both fighters.
Obama lands with a right to the head.
Obama creates a bit of distance and cracks Congo with a massive left hook! Congo crumples out of camera shot, completely unconscious! He's been Nelmarked! Obama stares at him for a moment then struts over to his corner, victorious.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:50 of round 5, we have a winner by way of KO (Punch). Tom Obama!

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On 12/27/2020 at 1:35 PM, actionjackson said:

Thanks, great fight indeed. I thought Macaco was going to heart his way to a victory there for awhile. Tough sucka!

Solid chin, good confidence, good heart, reasonable KO power... Good hiddens indeed

Just sucks his learning speed is dumb fuck lol
Had I rolled something above 6.0 he could have a real chance at this

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Path to Glory – Final 4 – The Aftermath

(26th December 2020)

 

Tom Obama (5-1) vs. Roberto Congo (6-0)

 

Once again the curse of Alfred Winterbottom reared it’s ugly head as for about the millionth time, his prediction on who would win this fight was dead wrong. Rumour has it that Congo’s camp pretty much hit the nightclubs upon hearing his prediction and cancelled any pre-arranged sponsorship deals made on the assumption of victory.

The actual fight was a great one however. Extremely hard fought and competitive throughout. Congo looked solid early on taking both rounds one and two but Obama was able to knuckled down and get himself back into the fight winning rounds four and five. With both fighters exhausted and going into the final round two apiece it really came down to who wanted it more and on this occasion it was Tom Obama who came into the fifth round guns blazing and handed Roberto Congo his very first professional loss and ended his superb tournament run.

The win for Obama makes it four in a row now with the last three coming by way of KO. His recent performances have been absolutely top class and against a level of competition that not many others could claim to have faced. He has without question earned his place in the final of this tournament and has every chance of being crowned the Victory KT heavyweight champion at the end of it.

It’s been a terrific run from Roberto Congo and in truth, it’s a little surprising to see that he will not be in the final. After his victory over previous favorite Jason Hightower, Congo was seen by many to be the next in line but with this loss he is now relegated to the third place match up and will have to make peace with that. Will he be able to keep his motivation up for it? We will see soon enough.

 

Bento Barboza (5-1) vs. Macaco Cidadao (6-0)

 

Too close to call going into this, the fight between Bento Barboza and Macaco Cidadao was an intriguing one. Both fighters had earned reputations as being ferocious knockout artists with none of their respective opponents managing to go the distance with them. The sole difference between them in terms of records was a unanimous decision loss suffered by Barboza back in the group stage meaning that even in defeat, Barboza had never been stopped. With such knockout power at their disposal there was no way this fight was going to be anything but explosive and it surely lived up to the hype on the night.

Barboza come out very strong in round one scoring not one but two knockdowns within the first three minutes and starting a small cut on Cidadao’s face. Somehow Cidadao was able to weather the storm and made it back to his stool to prepare for round two. With such a brutally decisive first round, many thought that Cidadao was done but to their surprise he was able to rally and actually managed to take the second round for himself. Round three followed much the same as the second with Cidadao calm and composed for the vast majority and doing just enough to stay ahead. He did have another scare near the end of the round however when Barboza dropped him once more with a counter straight left. Going into round four there was a sense that Barboza had figured out Cidadao a little better and it showed as he skillfully evaded everything Cidadao was throwing. Very quickly Barboza started to punish these misses with counters and then only thirty seconds into the round dropped Cidadao with a massive right, left combination that left the Brazilian face down on the canvas. The referee didn’t even bother to count and called there fight there giving Barboza his sixth professional victory and ending the flawless run of Macaco Cidadao.

 

It’s been easy to dismiss Bento Barboza’s tournament challenge after his decision loss to Elifasi Msomi in the group stages and a debatable easier run up until this point but this victory over undefeated Macaco Cidadao is as legit as they come and goes along way to putting to rest any doubts over his chances in the final. With six KO victories out of six fights, Barboza obviously has enough power to threaten anyone.

 

A great run from underdog fighter Macaco Cidadao. He proved they naysayers wrong firstly when he topped his group during the first phase and he has continued to do so in reaching the semi-final of this tournament. He looks like a solid prospect for KT in future and we look forward to seeing him in action against former favorite Roberto Congo in the fight for third place.

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Heavyweight Grand Prix Award Standings

(At the end of Round One Knockout Stage)

 

Iron Man Award

(Undefeated Steak)

*If no undefeated fighters left at end of tournament then prize will go to longest undefeated streak instead

WINNERS - Roberto Congo (6) & Macaco Cidadao (6)

*Neither Fighter finished undefeated but both have the joint longest undefeated streak and cannot be overtaken or matched

 

Problem Solver Award

(Most KO Wins)

Macaco Cidadao (6), Bento Barboza (6), Tom Obama (5)

 

Decision Maker Award

(Most Decision wins)

Roberto Congo (2), KT Panda (2), Aleex Kayy (2), Tom Obama (1)

 

Granite Chin Crew Award

(Lost but never KO'd)

*If reaching a point where no one meets criteria then award will change to most losses without a KO

Roche Doisneau (5 fights, 2 Dec Losses), Tom Obama (7 Fights, 1 Dec Loss), Bento Barboza (7 Fights, 1 Des Loss),

 

CTE Award

(Most KO Losses)

WINNERS - Nelson Junior (4), Cyril Cabo (4), Archy Banks (4), Demarcus Brown (4), Joseph Pisun (4)

 

Gunslinger Award

(Fastest KO)

Roberto Congo (12s), Tom Obama (34s), Macaco Cidadao (35s), Bento Barboza (43s)

 

Cro-Cop Award

(Most Head Kick KO's)

WINNER - Wiaan Cronje (2)

 

Unnamed Spinning Back Fist Award

(Most Spinning Back Fist KO's)

San Diego Maradona (1),

 

The Butcher Award

(Most Wins due to Cut Stoppage)

Mateusz Radovic (2), Bento Barboza (1)

 

Paper Skin Award

(Most Losses Due to Cuts)

Skipper Eureka (1), Nathan Eternity (1)

 

Satisfaction Guaranteed

(100% Rating)

Cyril Cabo (3 out of 4), Demarcus Brown (3 out of 4), Wiaan Cronje (3 out of 5), Derrick Thomas (3 out of 6), Tom Obama (2 out of 6)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Everybody was sleeping on group G.  Way to show em Barboza!   Morale victory for me giving him his only loss ?   Had my guy not been a super fast learner I wouldnt have been able to take him far as i did.   Awesome tournament! Cant believe it concluded without Hardly any setbacks.  Too bad most of the bunch ended up being turds 

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Path to Glory – The Final – The Aftermath

 

Bento Barboza (6-1) vs. Tom Obama (6-1)

After almost five months of progress the Victory Kickboxing Heavyweight Grand Prix had whittled itself down to only two fighters. Portugal's Bento Barboza and Russia's own “Uncle” Tom Obama. 

Neither fighter were coming in perfect having both suffered little decision loss blips along the road to reach this point but both had been undeniably impressive in large portions and both very worthy contenders for the crowning of the Victory Kickboxing heavyweight crown. 

Both Barboza and Obama had much improved since starting the tournament with both starting to look like bonafide KT stars not far from the top levels of the game. Barboza's boxing was looking remarkable and coupled with his equally remarkable wrestling skills, you had a fighter looking dangerous both at range and inside the clinch. On the other hand, with much less focus on his grappling training, Obama's Muay Thai had reach an exceptional level as well as a superb grasp on the fundamentals of boxing making him a very dangerous out an out striker. 

These improvements from their humble beginnings only added to the excitement of the final and it didn't disappoint. 

It was a slow start but Obama landed a big cross that opened up a cut on Barboza just a little over a minute into the first round. Barboza was taking his time lining up the range but Obama was sharp enough to counter on a few occasions and take the round handily. 

Obama decided to change things up a little in the second round and instantly moved to the clinch which was surprising given Barboza's undeniable wrestling superiority. It was a bold move and as to be expected, Barboza shifted the tide of the fight his way landing the more numerous shots and taking the round making it one apiece. 

Round three and Barboza is starting to look like the stronger fighter. Barboza comes forward landed shots but Obama isn't able to land anything in return. Around the two minute mark Barboza clobbers the Russian was a massive counter uppercut that drops Obama to the ground. He manages to beat the count and is wobbly but quickly regains his senses and starts to fire back unsuccessfully. Round number three goes to Barboza. 

Round four and Barboza smells blood in the water. A body shot, a stiff jab both narrowly avoided by Obama but then a nice shot to the liver, a left hand followed by a right hook that hits Obama square in the jaw. Obama falls to his knees and the lights are out. Somehow he manages to get to his feet before the ten count and the fight continues. It's a formality at this point however as Barboza mercilessly clubs him with a left hook that seals the deal. Bento Barboza is the winner and new champion of Victory KT!

Bento Barboza def. Tom Obama by KO (Punch), 00:37 of Round 4


Well folks, after many months we finally conclude this tournament. For the most part it has run smoothly (Ryan get a big pass, hope everything's OK. Runt, you do not. Don't bail on the Alliance tournament) so I want to thank everyone for helping that happen as well as those that aren't particularly keen on KT and just created to help out. Also to Raichu and Captain Spaulding who jumped in late to help keep things going fairly. 

Will finish this up when I have a little more time but in the meantime, 1 Year's VIP going to Action Jackson

 

 

 

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