Titles on the line at Fightstar 9

Audiences were treated to an evening of explosive action at this weekend’s Fightstar 9.

With a fight card filled to the hilt with enthusiastic fighters, each eager to make their mark, and the promise of a girl fight and even some blood, Saturday’s event, held at the St John’s Hellenic Hall in Wychwood, didn’t disappoint.

Fightstar 9 boasted a total of 22 fights, after two were cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

The final two matches on the programme were title bouts and saw the current title holders in both the bantam and featherweight divisions battling it out to maintain their titles.

These fights marked the first time that a title had been defended at a Fightstar event.

The bantamweight encounter saw current champion Jasen van der Merwe defending his title against JP Bezhuidenhout.

The crowd gathered in the St John’s Hellenic Hall went crazy as the competitors entered the hexagon.

Both men exploded out of their corners in the first round of the match, neither hesitating for a moment.

The action quickly found the mat of the hexagon and both men scrambled for dominance.

Supporters of Bezhuidenhout could be heard screaming words of encouragement and some instruction.

The crowds’ chanting seemed to have its intended effect when Bezhuidenhout was able to regain his feet and slam van der Merwe head first into the mat, bringing an end to the first round.

The back and forth action continued between the two men for the remaining four rounds, with neither wanting to give an inch.

The judges were tasked with the tough choice of deciding which competitor had won this gruelling match-up.

Van der Merwe was thrilled that he would keep his title when he was named the winner by a split decision.

The night’s last match saw featherweight fighter Aly Kallamby take on defending champion Jjaart Henning.

The crowd were on their feet as the two men faced off.

Both were able to land their opening low kicks as the round begun.

Henning charged Kallamby into the fence and landed a number of key punches and well-timed knees to the abdomen.

While Kallamby was able to dodge two incoming punches from Henning the third found it target.

The men broke away from the fence with Kallamby driving Henning to the mat.

As the men struggled for dominance on the mat of the hexagon, Henning was able to get his legs around Kallamby’s neck, trapping him in a triangle choke hold.

Henning was able to hold this position until Kallamby submitted, three minutes and 41 seconds into the first round.

Some of the other matches on the evening ended as follows:

•  Phillip Lemmer took on Jason Lunderstad in the night’s opening match.

The two men fought in a heavyweight (HW) weight division fight.

Lemmer dominated throughout the match and, at the end of the third round, he was named the winner by unanimous judges’ decision.

•  Dewald van der Walt took on Sean Maher in their welterweight (WW) match-up.

Both men came out of their corners ”guns” blazing, but it was Maher who landed a well-timed punch, knocking van der Walt to the floor.

Medics were called in to assess van der Walt after the blow.

The match was stopped by the referee and Maher was named winner by technical knockout (TKO).

•  Featherweight fighters Frans and Nathan Schroeder clashed.

The match up came to an end two minutes and 33 seconds into the first round, when Frans was able to get Schroeder to submit through kimora.

q Leon White fought Mohamad in the fourth match of the evening.

The competitors showed their tactical strategies from the onset, but it was White who walked away the winner, two minutes and seven seconds into the first round.

He was able to take the win through submission, when he trapped Mohamad in a guillotine choke hold.

•  Ntumbe Claude faced Rodric in the night’s next match-up.

Rodric opened this match with two well-timed punches, but Claude maintained his composure.

His calm presence paid off when a well-timed left jab knocked Rodric out.

The referee called an end to the match two minutes and 17 seconds into the second round.

•  Match six saw Joseph Phutiagae face off against Christopher Pedro.

The match was won by Pedro 41 seconds into round two, by TKO.

This happened when Pedro was able to dodge an impressive attack from Phutiagae.

This allowed him to ground an off-balance Phutiagae and to rain a series of punches onto his head, giving the referee reason to call off the match.

•  Rudi Roets and Mark Harmse faced off in a featherweight match.

Roets was able to win the match two minutes and 27 seconds into the second round, when Harmse submitted to Roets’s reverse arm bar hold.

•  Stephen Goncalves took on Theo Scorpion in a FW match.

Though it seemed the Scorpion had the upper hand in this bout, it was Goncalves who won the match by TKO one minute and 38 seconds into the second round.

•  Josemare Octavio, from Namibia, took on Roevan de Beer in what would prove to be one of the evening’s surprise fights.

Octavio quickly dominated the match, leaving de Beer bloody, but not yet beaten.

De Beer managed to turn the match around in the third round, when he was able to trap Octavio in a triangle choke hold.

Octavio submitted one minute and four seconds into the third round.

• The much anticipated ”girl fight” saw bantamweights Shanna and Iris face off in the 18th fight of the event.

Unlike the men, the woman fought a far more tackle match, leaving it to the judges to decide who the winner would be.

After much deliberation Shanna was named to winner to her supporters’ great delight.

•  Quid Openshaw took on Leandre Brettchneider in what would be only a one minute 58 minute match.

Openshaw brought the short match to an end through an arm bar hold, which saw Brettchneider submit.

The event’s organisers closed the night by thanking the sell-out crowd for their incredible support.