One of kickboxing’s biggest promotions, the World League of Fighting (WLF), continues to push forward with its newest brand of combat sports, Rise of Heroes.
The kickboxing organization, which was established in the United States, currently consists of two brands operating out of Zhengzhou, Henan, China, under the Beijing Wanmingyang Media group. The top brand, Glory of Heroes, is the sanctioning body’s premier showcase for many of China’s top kickboxing talents. The last event, Glory of Heroes 5, featured some of the world’s top fighters, including Israel Adesanya, Qiu Jianliang and Ilias Bulaid.
The second brand, Rise of Heroes, was created with the purpose of developing up-and-coming fighters in the growing Chinese marketplace. Rise of Heroes was introduced this past September with Rise of Heroes 1, featuring Wei Rui, Adesanya and Jianliang. The WLF brings another solid card and four more one-night tournaments for its third installment in the Rise of Heroes brand. The event is scheduled for a delayed broadcast on Beijing TV in China.
In the evening’s main event, one of China’s best kickboxers, Tie Yinghua, meets Thailand’s Tepthanee Winai. Yinghua recently claimed victory at Glory of Heroes 4 in August. Yinghua, 23, has won 36 of his 41 bouts, with 13 victories by way of knockout. The 25-year-old Muay Thai champion Tepthanee has 316 victories and 45 defeats in his illustrious career.
In addition to the evening’s main event, the fight card features four one-night tournaments in four different weight classes spanning from 63 kilograms to 80 kilograms. In the 63-kilogram tournament semifinals, China’s Fang Feida meets Romanian’s Adrian Spectcu and Spain’s Christian Gruber fights China’s Wang Wanli. In the 65-kilogram tournament, Chinese fighters Fu Qingnan and Liu Xiangming face New Zealand’s Taranki Guade and Spain’s Manuel Ferandez, respectively. In the 75-kilogram tournament semifinals, China’s Huang Zhenyou takes on Portuguese kickboxer Diogo Adelino and Brazil’s Matheus Pereira meets China’s Guo Xichuang. In the final four-man tournament, 80-kilogram Chinese fighters Li Hui and Zhang Zhan meet Spain’s Imanol Garcia and Belorussian Aliaksandr Sviryd, respectively.
Kong Long vs. Tuengphan Apinan
Yang Zhuo vs. Kerpact Sokrat
Wei Rui vs. Piyawong Katika
Alimu vs. Kianrong
Zhang Zhan vs. Aliaksandr Sviryd – 80-kilogram tournament semifinal
Li Hui vs. Imanol Garcia – 80-kilogram tournament semifinal
Guo Xichuang vs. Matheus Pereira – 75-kilogram tournament semifinal
Huang Zhenyou vs. Diogo Adelino – 75-kilogram tournament semifinal
Liu Xiangming vs. Manuel Ferandez – 65-kilogram tournament semifinal
Fu Qingnan vs. Taranki Guade – 65-kilogram tournament semifinal
Wang Wanli vs. Christian Gruber – 63-kilogram tournament semifinal
Fang Feida vs. Adrian Spectcu – 63-kilogram tournament semifinal