Kickboxing: Badr Hari Makes Quick Work of Arnold Oborotov in GFC 4 Main Event
When Lithuanian heavyweight Arnold
Oborotov was announced as Badr Hari’s new
opponent inside Global Fighting Championships on just 24 hours’
notice, few gave him much chance -- with good reason.
Hari soundly defeated Oborotov in the GFC 4 main event on Friday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, knocking out the replacement with a right cross to the body in the first round. The bout lasted just two minutes.
Oborotov frantically circled the ring, with Hari occasionally
putting a combination on him. Having spent the better part of two
minutes circling, Oborotov finally threw a kick. It was about two
feet short of Hari, but it was enough to signal the end. Hari’s
killer instinct broke from its leash -- and in he went, with his
trademark combination of a jab to the head followed by a straight
right to the body.
Filling in for Patrice Quarteron, Oborotov folded and nearly got knocked out of the ring. At the last second, he bounced off the ring ropes, dropped to his knees and placed his forehead on the canvas. The referee waved off the bout at the two-minute mark, and Oborotov regained his feet.
As for Hari (104-12, 90 KOs), he did not engage in any celebration. Instead, he commiserated with Oborotov, thanked the crowd and made his way from the ring.
Will the combat sports world see Hari in any major fights soon? GFC will not stage another event until March, at the earliest; Glory has yet to make the Dutch-Moroccan an offer; and the Russian organization Legend remains dormant, outside of a rumor that it may head to France in December. In the meantime, Hari, 29, can focus on regaining the form that once made him the world’s premier heavyweight.
Meanwhile, Melvin Manhoef was slated to take part in a four-man heavyweight tournament, despite also having a middleweight match with Joe Schilling lined up in Bellator MMA on Nov. 15. Whatever wrangling went on behind the scenes, Manhoef was suddenly taken off the GFC card and replaced.
In other GFC 4 action, Zabit Samedov defeated Jafar Ahmadi by unanimous decision in a heavyweight clash, and Ismael Lazaar stopped Sem Tevette on a second-round technical knockout to win the four-man heavyweight tournament. Lazaar advanced to the final with a second-round TKO over Tai Tuivasa, while Tevette qualified with a unanimous decision against Mohamed Karim.
Hari soundly defeated Oborotov in the GFC 4 main event on Friday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, knocking out the replacement with a right cross to the body in the first round. The bout lasted just two minutes.
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Filling in for Patrice Quarteron, Oborotov folded and nearly got knocked out of the ring. At the last second, he bounced off the ring ropes, dropped to his knees and placed his forehead on the canvas. The referee waved off the bout at the two-minute mark, and Oborotov regained his feet.
As for Hari (104-12, 90 KOs), he did not engage in any celebration. Instead, he commiserated with Oborotov, thanked the crowd and made his way from the ring.
Will the combat sports world see Hari in any major fights soon? GFC will not stage another event until March, at the earliest; Glory has yet to make the Dutch-Moroccan an offer; and the Russian organization Legend remains dormant, outside of a rumor that it may head to France in December. In the meantime, Hari, 29, can focus on regaining the form that once made him the world’s premier heavyweight.
Meanwhile, Melvin Manhoef was slated to take part in a four-man heavyweight tournament, despite also having a middleweight match with Joe Schilling lined up in Bellator MMA on Nov. 15. Whatever wrangling went on behind the scenes, Manhoef was suddenly taken off the GFC card and replaced.
In other GFC 4 action, Zabit Samedov defeated Jafar Ahmadi by unanimous decision in a heavyweight clash, and Ismael Lazaar stopped Sem Tevette on a second-round technical knockout to win the four-man heavyweight tournament. Lazaar advanced to the final with a second-round TKO over Tai Tuivasa, while Tevette qualified with a unanimous decision against Mohamed Karim.
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