On Friday, March 28, Lion Fight hosted its 21st event from theĀ Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. The night’s main card aired live on AXS TV.
In the night’s main event, the promotion’s super lightweight champion,Ā Kevin Ross, looked for revenge as he rematched Japan’s Tetsuya Yamato. The pair clashed at Lion Fight 11 in September of 2013 with Yamato taking a hard-fought split decision. Since then, Ross had reeled off three straight wins in the Lion Fight ring. He defeatedĀ Chris Mauceri in May and then bested Australia’s Michael Thompson in July to capture theĀ super lightweight belt. Yamato, meanwhile, got revenge onĀ Sagetdao Petpayathai in November and entered the fight riding a three-fight winning streak.
The night’s co-main event featured former featherweight champion Tiffany van Soest, who clashed with MoroccanĀ Chajmaa Bellakhal. Van Soest made her make 11th appearance in the Lion Fight ring, with her lone loss coming againstĀ Caley Reece last February.Ā Bellakhal, who lives and trains in Holland, was coming off a split decision win overĀ Jeri Sitzes at Lion Fight 19.
Tiffany van Soest def. Chajmaa Bellakhal by unanimous decision (50-45 x3)
Malaipet def. Ben Yelle by unanimous decision (50-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Victor Saravia def. Sam Poulton by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44. 49-45)
Josh Shepard def. Jose Lopez by knockout (knee to the body). Round 1, 1:33
Nick Chasteen def. Tony Fausto by TKO (referee stoppage). Round 4, 2:19