A HOST of local fighters will get the rare chance to show their wares on home soil when AMMA Oak Flats hosts its second Beach Bash fight night at Towradgi Beach Hotel on Saturday.
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Team AMMA will feature heavily on a stacked fight card that will also include fighters from all over Australia and New Zealand along with a strong Illawarra-based contingent.
Two-time Australian muay thai champion Jordie Bargallie, who has trained at AMMA under Shihan Nick Moulas since the age of eight, will head-line the card when he takes on Auckland-based fighter Jeffry Kelly with the South Pacific featherweight title on the line.
Moulas says his charge will be primed for the bout having lost a close-fought split decision to the tough Kiwi in a fight of the night bout last year.
“Jordie’s going in for his 20th fight against a really tough kid from Strikeforce in New Zealand,” Moulas said.
“He’s fought him before and Jordie lost by split points. It was a great fight, a really close fight, so he’s out for revenge.
“That’s the biggest fight of the night for us. We need to get that title.
“It’s a good looking belt and he’s worked hard for it. He’s trained really hard and he’s just coming of a recent Australian title win so to get the South Pacific title is the next level up.
“We’ll be doing absolutely everything we can to get it.”
The highly anticipated featherweight clash won’t be the only South Pacific title to go on the line at Waves with Kelly’s stablemate Ben Spears to take on Nakharin Pakudoch, fighting out of Sydney’s Taipan Gym, for the South Pacific junior-featherweight strap.
Pongsatharn Thiagthae, from the Perth-based Diesel Gym stable, will also face-off against Danny Roberts from Sydney’s Bujutsu gym under full thai rules in another featured bout on the card.
On the local front, AMMA’s Joey Elhazouri will face Nowra’s Southern Martial Arts’ fighter Duncan McIntosh in a state title bout. He’s one of a 13-strong AMMA contingent.
“Joey gets his first title opportunity, a state title, against Duncan McIntosh from Southern Martial Arts down in Nowra,” Moulas said.
“It’s a great local bout and it should be a cracker of a fight. It’s massive for us, to fight at home, on a big card like this. We’ve got 13 from our own gym fighting, a few first-timers and a few mid-range experienced guys so there’s a real good variety of guys and bouts.
“Not many other gyms would take on that challenge. It’s pretty full on but it’s a really good opportunity for all the guys to show the Illawarra what they’ve got.”
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
