STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Pride Fighting Championships veteran
Daniel Acacio may be a poster boy for a laid back attitude, but when he came across the ring with a flying knee and transitioned to an immediate takedown,
Bobby Rehman probably knew he was the one in danger.
Acacio dominated the first and second rounds en route to a unanimous decision at Superior Challenge 4 “Bad Intentions” on Saturday at Fryshuset Arena.
The 31-year-old Brazilian -- who holds notable wins against 2006 Pride welterweight grand prix winner
Kazuo Misaki and former International Fight League standout
Delson Heleno -- has rattled off three straight victories since his knockout loss to
Mamed Khalidov in May.
As the fight with Rehman wore on, the Swede’s face started to resemble that of
Yoshihiro Takayama after his classic slugfest with
Don Frye at Pride 21. Still, Rehman showed his fans true heart in staying in the fight, even as Acacio searched for submissions. The judges sided with Acacio, and as the beaten Rehman left the ring, the crowd cheered for both warriors.
UFC veteran
Mark Weir thanked the promotion for his invitation by throwing two kicks to the body of
Tor Troeng. The Swede answered with his most powerful tool -- the ability to take the fight where he wants.
Troeng was not interested in trading with Weir, so down they went. The British striker was well prepared, however, and locked in a deep guillotine choke from which Troeng struggled to free himself. The battle went back and forth until the third round, when Troeng caught Weir in a triangle choke and forced him to tap out 2:05 into the period.
Unbeaten in six fights, Troeng will next face the dangerous
Matt Thorpe. A win there could conceivably serve as a springboard onto the global MMA scene.
Swedish welterweight
Diego Gonzalez posted his eighth straight victory in a unanimous decision over
Yasushi Kitazaki.
Kitazaki opened the bout in a
Masakazu Imanari-type stance, with his hands low. He moved in an unorthodox pattern, as if he planned to take home the Swede’s lege. None of it bothered Gonzalez, an M-1 Challenge and Bodog Fight veteran who forced Yasushi into a boxing match and attacked him with brutal leg kicks. Ultimately, the decision came down in his favor.
Finally,
Reza Madadi was scheduled to face
Mindaugas Smirnovas in the featured bout, and with a heated weigh-in already behind them, fans anticipated a great fight. However, the Lithuanian fighter fell and broke his finger during his morning walk and had to withdraw from the event.
Late replacement
Andy Walker, who trained a visiting fighter, stepped in on short notice and was no match for the charismatic and talented Swede. Madadi made it a short night for Walker, as he forced the stoppage on punches 1:11 into round one.
Assan Njie def.
Tomas Kuzela -- Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:35 R3
Tchavdar Pavlov def.
Jose Luis Zapater -- TKO (Punches) 2:00 R3
Hamid Corassani def.
Peter Mettler -- TKO (Punches) 3:43 R1
Piotr Jakaczynski def.
Ibrahim Moginot -- Unanimous Decision
Magnus Cedenblad def.
Jonas Hellqvist -- Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
3:37 R1
Navid Yousefi def.
Scott Pooley -- TKO (Punches) 1:37 R2
Meher Aziz vs.
Michael Bobner -- No contest (Eye Poke)
Olivier Pastor def.
Ocimar Costa -- TKO (Punches) 1:46 R3
Nicklas Backstrom def.
Gabriel Mboge Nesje -- Submission (Rear-Naked
Choke) 3:30 R1
Patrick Jenkinson writes for www.mmabloggen.se.. Also, more of Linn Stalberg's photos from the event are located here.
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