On Saturday, July 31, the Garibaldi square of the Sicilian town of Rosolini will host Lion Fight 67. The Las Vegas-based Muay Thai promotion visits Italy for a fourth time after Monza in 2019 and two trips to Rosolini in 2019 and 2020, despite COVID-19 restrictions.
Lion Fight 67 has a card of six Muay Thai bouts including two title fights and will be available on UFC Fight Pass. A preliminary card of Italian Muay Thai and kickboxing bouts dubbed “Evolution Fight” will be broadcast by RAI Sport. The card will start at 7:30 p.m. CET.
The main event will be in the 79-kilogram light heavyweight division and features the first title defense of Enrico “The Fog” Carrara. The Italian faces off with Hungarian Patrik Vidakovics. Carrara holds a notable record of 57-4-2 with 23 knockouts. Fighting out the beautiful city of Pisa, he is a member of the Kurosaki Dojo. Which, despite the name, is the oldest Muay Thai gym in Italy, established in 1979.
In the Lion Fight ring Carrara has a perfect 3-0 record and won the belt in Rosolini one year ago defeating renowned Greek fighter Ioannis Sofokleus. Prior to joining Lion Fight, the 28-year-old psychologist and acupuncturist was a World and European Bronze medalist as an amateur. He is twice an Italian pro champion and fought for Bellator Kickboxing, Oktagon, Thai Fight and Thaiboxe Mania.
The 28-year-old Vidakovics holds a record of 51-19. He is a former WTKA World Champion, WKU and WKF European champ as well as a multi-time national champion. He has won four of his last five bouts, including a pair of knockouts in China.
The co-main event will be a title fight too. In the 84-kilogram cruiserweight division, Lion Fight’s undefeated champ Chip Moraza-Pollard defends his belt against Slovakian Jakub Benko. The reigning champ won his title at Lion Fight 37 with a stellar performance against American rival Paul Banasiak.
Hailing from Plymouth, Mass., Moraza-Pollard has already registered 11 career wins and has title defenses against Kongjak Po Baoin, Mark MacKinnon and Juan Cervantes. This is his second title defense in Europe. He previously kept his grip on the belt with a victory over Jordan Smith in England.
Benko, 41-19, fights out of Bratislava, Slovakia. He has carved a path to the top of the division with several clutch wins including Kongjak and Vasil Ducar. Benko may be the most dangerous opponent Moraza-Pollard has faced yet. The Bratislava-based fighter has 23 knockout victories and is a multi-time European champion.
In the women’s flyweight division, Andy Nguyen will face Lion Fight newcomer Sonia Dinh of Switzerland. The American is an MMA fighter too. In Muay Thai, she holds a record of just 2-2. But in her last match at Lion Fight 64, she got a decision win over Crystal Van Wyk.
The last five-round fight features Italian Jacopo Tarantino against Dutchman Lorenzo Guerink. The Apulian athlete holds a record of 75-6. In his career has already won five Italian, one European and two world titles. He was awarded with a Lion Fight contract after a victory in a four-man Road to Lion Fight tournament. His opponent is just 22 years old, but has fought for Enfusion and holds a record of 16-5-2.
The last international bout of the card will be a three-round affair as Carrara’s teammate Gerardo Luperini will face France’s Kemal Altinpinar.
The opening fight of the card will be an Italian derby as Igli Shkurti from Genoa takes on Michele Pennacchietti from Viterbo.