Petje Retains FFC Lightweight Title After 5 Round War With Gazani
Las Vegas, NV, (November 17, 2018) – The Main Event of “FFC 34” featured an unforgettable Kickboxing title bout that was filled with non-stop action for all five championship rounds.
Samo Petje (36-6-1) retained his FFC Lightweight Kickboxing Title by outpointing a very game challenger, Bruno Gazani (60-7-0), by majority draw (47-47, 47-47, 46-48).
As advertised, these two warriors (Gazani and Petje) went toe-to-toe in a very entertaining Main Event that had no shortage of crowd-pleasing highlights and thrilling moments. Gazani came forward and pressed the action for most of the night, using his solid boxing skills to his advantage. Petje was able to counter with high knees and vicious body kicks that ultimately led to the majority decision victory. It looked as if Gazani had knocked Petje down in the fifth round but it was ultimately ruled as a slip.
The night’s Co-Main Event, was another war that featured two MMA Heavyweights standing and striking for three straight rounds. Tony “Hulk” Johnson (12-4-1) defeated D.J. “Da Protégé” Linderman (21-15-0) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in what was an absolute slugfest. Linderman suffered a large cut above his right eye early on in the fight and despite the constant stream of blood running down his face, he still decided to stand in the pocket and trade blows with Johnson.
Kevin “Thunderstorm” Johnson (6-1-0) went the distance with Isaac Luna (3-1-0) in their Super Lighweight Boxing bout. Keys won by unanimous decision (59-55, 58-56, 59-55) in an exciting fight where Luna kept coming forward and forcing Johnson to engage all night long. Johnson countered well and was able to use crisp combinations to get the decision.
In a Kickboxing Catchweight matchup, Meletis “Nightmare” Kakoubavas (33-7-0) caught Jermaine “J.J.” Soto (24-7-0) with a high right kick to the side of Soto’s head at the fifty-two second mark of round two of their three round fight. The fight was stopped after Soto rose to his feet from the canvas, resulting in a TKO victory for Kakoubavas.
The night began with Heavyweight Zac Cavender (1-0-0) winning his professional MMA debut with a first round TKO victory over Marius Cantoneru (0-2-0). Cavender’s ground and pound worked to perfection as a series of fists to the side of Cantoneru’s head caused the stoppage at the 2:30 mark of round one.
“FFC 34 promised to deliver action-packed fights, and as advertised, that is exactly what we delivered to our fans,” said FFC CEO/Founder, Orsat Zovko. “All of our fights, in every discipline, were competitive and that is what this Fight Dome experience is all about.”
“FFC 34” took place at its permanent home, “Fight Dome”, which is located at Caesars Entertainment’s Rio Las Vegas. The event aired nationwide on CBS Sports Network, and Claro Sports in Mexico and Latin America.
Final Fight Championship (FFC) is the first and only professional combat sports franchise offering fans a unique ‘multi-discipline’ experience (Boxing, Kickboxing and MMA), where every event culminates with a championship title bout. All FFC events take place inside “Fight Dome” at Caesars Entertainment’s Rio Las Vegas, the all-new mecca of combat sports.
Complete “FFC 34″ MMA results below:
OFFICIAL RESULTS
(KICKBOXING) FFC LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Samo Petje (36-6-1), Ljubljana, Slovenia
Majority Draw, 5 Rds. (47-47, 47-47, 46-48)
Bruno Gazani (60-7-0), Sao Paulo, Brazil
(Petje Retains FFC Middleweight Title)
(MMA) HEAVYWEIGHTS
Tony Johnson Jr. (12-4-1), Nashville, TN
Win by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rds. (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
D.J. Linderman (21-15-0), Yreka, CA
(BOXING) SUPER LIGHTWEIGHTS
Kevin Johnson (6-1-0), Las Vegas, NV
Win by Unanimous Decision, 6 Rds. (59-55, 58-56, 59-55)
Isaac Luna (3-1-0), El Paso, TX
(KICKBOXING) LIGHTWEIGHTS
Meletis Kakoubavas (33-7-0), Athens, Greece
Win by TKO, Referee Stoppage, (:52 – 2nd Rd.)
Jermaine Soto (24-7-0), Los Angeles, CA
(MMA) HEAVYWEIGHTS
Zac Cavender (1-0-0), Tooele, UT (Pro Debut)
Win by TKO, Punches, (2:30 – 1st Rd.)
Marius Cantoneru (0-2-0), Las Vegas, NV