My FOTN candidate at 53, simply for pure entertainment, simply has to be Mando against Chipfumbu. Desperate to halt a six-fight losing streak, Hell Team’s banger Mahmoud Mando has never been the distance in 12 professional bouts. The kind of fighter who goes out on his shield, he comes out swinging looking for the finish. His submission defence though has been tested lately, most recently tapping to Jalal Al Daaja at the end of a hugely fun bout over a year ago. Even though he has plenty of submission wins on his record, this kickboxer from Alexandria always has fans on the edges of their seats. He faces a man on a mission, the Zimbabwean all-rounder Sylvester Chipfumbu. Though promising to not be looking past Mando, ‘The Gladiator’ is fiercely determined to book a rematch with Jaures Dea to whom he lost at UAE Warriors 32 and to get another crack at the Cameroonians Africa Featherweight strap. Assuring fight fans of another spectacular finish, just like the first-round KO of Imad Bouamri last march, the fighter from Gweru knows that Mando presents an opportunity to remind the promotion of his main-event status and number one contendership by pulling off a jaw-dropping finish once more in Abu Dhabi.
So they’re my picks for the best scraps at 53, and don’t forget, at the last event of this kind, Arabia came away with the majority of wins and several of the African fighters on this card have stated their intent to redress the balance!