AKO Championship 2 delivers unforgettable night of fights and surprises
The Good Village witnessed an electrifying series of nine fights during the AKO Championship 2 event, showcasing an exceptional night of action that surpassed all expectations and significantly reshaped the rankings across various divisions in the 2023 Championship.
Despite venue changes and potential athlete withdrawals threatening the event, AKO Championship 2 defied the odds and presented one of the most thrilling mixed martial arts spectacles of 2023 on African soil.
The evening commenced with four consecutive technical knockouts, featuring Richard Ashiedu, Richard Muzaan, Cherif Drame, and Jibrin Inuwa Baba, all finishing their opponents before the final bell. These contests led to shifts in the light heavyweight, middleweight, and lightweight divisions, with two of the initial bouts falling within the lightweight weight class.
Ananias Mulumba jubilates after his victory.
Ananias Mulumba, the sole representative from the Democratic Republic of Congo, showcased his prowess by securing a Rear Naked Choke submission against Cornel Thompson early in the second round. This bout marked the mid-point of the event, setting the stage for the remaining action-packed fights that maintained the high energy throughout.
The following encounter featured the sole women’s match of the night, with Jane Osigwe and Juliet Chukwu competing to ascend the women’s bantamweight rankings. Despite both fighters exchanging blows until the end, Chukwu emerged victorious with a unanimous decision.
The lightweight division returned to the cage, showcasing a West African showdown between Benin’s Jean Dos Santos and Togo’s Olympio Bamikey. The two fighters delivered an exhilarating performance, with Dos Santos dominating and ultimately securing the favor of all three judges.
In the featherweight category, fan-favorite Emmanuel Bernard faced Gasmire Diatta. However, the fight ended quickly as Diatta pulled off a major upset with a first-round knockout – the sole KO of the AKO Championship 2 event. Just 24 seconds into the fight, Diatta stunned his opponent with a perfectly-timed right hand, creating ripples of excitement that resonated far beyond The Good Village. This victory marked ‘Killa’s’ first triumph in the AKO cage, leaving a remarkable impact.
The main event of the night featured a middleweight clash between Daniel Emeka and Sare Yacouba. Serving as the climax to an intense championship event, Emeka and Yacouba delivered an evenly-matched performance from the start. Both fighters sought to establish supremacy in the 185-pound division, resulting in an enthralling display for fight enthusiasts worldwide. The intensity escalated in the third round, as neither competitor was willing to leave the outcome to the judges’ scorecards. Instead, they aimed to seize control of their fate and secure an additional point through a definitive finish. Emeka showcased his superiority by unleashing a flurry of strikes on his opponent, securing a TKO victory. With this accomplishment, ‘Big Shark’ positioned himself comfortably in the middleweight rankings, achieving it in a remarkable manner.
The AKO is Africa’s first of it’s kind MMA promotion owned by the Nigerian-born UFC legend Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman, comprising an amateur MMA reality tv production “The AKO Show” which currently streams on Netflix; and a series of professional MMA fight nights “Face Off”.
AKO aims at promoting the sport of MMA into one of the major sports in Africa by providing a platform for young talents to own a space at the global stage and giving MMA fans a new and unique experience of watching professional MMA fights live.
Here are the complete results of the event, along with the recipients of the performance bonuses.
FULL RESULTS
Middleweight Bout
Daniel Emeka def. Sare Yacouba via TKO – Round 3 (01:50)
Featherweight Bout
Gasmire Diatta def. Emmanuel Bernard via KO – Round 1 (00:24)
Lightweight Bout
Jean Dos Santos def. Olympio Bamikey via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Juliet Chukwu def. Jane Osigwe via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight Bout
Ananias Mulumba def. Cornel Thompson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) – Round 2 (01:40)
Lightweight Bout
Jibrin Inuwa Baba def. Victor Dooga via TKO – Round 1 (02:45)
Middleweight Bout
Cherif Drame def. Emmanuel Christian via TKO – Round 3 (02:12)
Light Heavyweight Bout
Richard Muzaan def. Xavier Adams Boa via TKO – Round 1 (04:13)
Lightweight Bout
Richard Asiedu def. Emmanuel Nworie via TKO – Round 1 (04:11)
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