We'll make young mixed martial artists world-class – Obiudo
Chief Ife Obiudo, president, One Fight Ultimate (OFU) on Sunday said the mixed martial art championship would be used to discover budding talents at the grassroots.
Obiudo said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos during the OFU Fight Night 2, which held at the RedBar Restaurant in Lekki, Lagos.
He said the fighters had lived up to expectations, and that with more investments in the sport, the country would raise young talents and develop them to world beaters in the international circuit.
“We are proud of the event, it was a thrilling and very competitive event that got the fans of the sport cheering and appreciating every fighter that stepped into the cage.
“We are highly encouraged by this and would see to it that we continue to do more for the sport and give more youngsters the opportunity to showcase their qualities.
“Indeed, the fight night would go down as one of the best ever staged in Nigeria as the ambiance of the venue was top notch and made the night spectacular.
“We would be back sooner than expected for OFU Fight Night 3,” Obiudo said.
NAN reports that the fighters gave quality performances to wow the crowd and kept them on their feet.
In the main event of the night, Ebenezer Imbu, the Dragon, waisted no time to dismiss Nani Chima in a second round victory by submission after he applied choke hold.
Imbu’s victory over Chima was in the Welterweight Category.
An elated Imbu told the crowd after his victory that he was just getting started and the fans should watch out for him as he had what was required to defeat any opponent.
In the Lightweight Challenge, Philemon Britus(Jeb Junior), a rookie in the Mixed Martial Arts, crushed hard fighting Goodluck Opara (d invisible) in the first round.
Much was expected from Opara who was a gold medalist at the last National Sports Festival in Delta in 2022.
However, Britus proved too hot for Opara to handle and was beaten few minutes into the bout.
Britus told NAN that being a rookie in the MMA did not hinder him in anyway, and that he was well prepared ahead of the fight and his victory proved he was a better fighter than Opara.
“I beat him silly, he is a gold medalist, but I don’t care. I’m a better fighter than him, I look forward to beating all the champions out there,” Britus said.
Samuke Ogedengbe (Sammy Black) beat Ozioma Orji in the second round knockout in their Welterweight Challenge.
Chwukwumerie Okoli beat Geoffrey John in a split decision following three rounds of hard fighting.
In the women’s encounter if the fight night, Faith Nwakwo beat Omolola Bello in a unanimous decision in their Kickboxing challenge.
