Kang Defeats Eastman At RAW Combat
by Robert Sargent
Continuing his quest back to the Top 10 of the middleweight division, Canadian star Denis "Super Korean" Kang scored his second win in two months by knocking out former UFC contender Marvin "The Beastman" Eastman at RAW Combat: Redemption.
The event, featuring many of the stars of the former Hardcore Championship Fighting promotion, was held in HCF's old home of The Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta.
The night's main event did not last long, as Kang dispatched of Eastman with a volley of punches in just 48 seconds. It marked the second straight loss for Eastman, while Kang has now rebounded with two wins in a row after a pair of devastating and disappointing losses.
Kang, a former top-five middleweight in the world, had once reigned undefeated in 23 consecutive fights, with huge wins in PRIDE over the likes of Mark "The Wizard" Weir, Murilo "Ninja" Rua and "The Japanese Sensation" Akihiro Gono, before an injury cost him the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix. Subsequent losses to Yoshihiro Akiyama and Gegard Mousasi derailed Kang's hopes for a major title in K-1 HERO's or DREAM.
With the knockout of Eastman, however, Kang has made short work of another solid opponent and looks to regain the career high that he attained in 2006. Additional victories over quality competition could see Kang return to the Top 10 of the middleweight division in 2009.
The undercard of "Redemption" was a very solid one, and featured many of the top stars from the now-former Hardcore Championship Fighting promotion.
Results:
Denis "Super Korean" Kang defeated Marvin "The Beastman" Eastman by TKO (Punches) at 0:48 of round one. Kang improves to 31-10-1, 2 NC.
Bibiano "The Flash" Fernandes defeated Len Tam by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 0:58 of round one. Fernandes, whose lone career losses came against the top two featherweights in the world, "The California Kid" Urijah Faber and Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, improves to 3-2-0 with the win.
Trevor Stewardson defeated Brendan Seguin by TKO (Strikes) at 2:03 of round three. He improves to 3-1-0.
Tim "The Thrashing Machine" Hague avenged the only loss of his career by defeating Miodrag "Pele" Petkovic by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. Hague, who lost to Petkovic by Split Decision at HCF "Destiny" earlier this year, improves to 9-1-0 with the win.
Taking a rare fight outside of Maximum Fighting Championships, MFC Welterweight #1 contender Ryan "The Real Deal" Ford defeated Nabil "The Thrill" Khatib by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 8-1-0 and will rematch Pat Healy for the MFC Welterweight Championship later this year.
Andrew Buckland defeated Garett Davis by KO (Punch) at 1:43 of round one. He improves to 7-2-0.
Hardeep Singh defeated Bernie Antle by TKO (Strikes) in round one of their fight, though no official time was given. Singh improves to 8-1-0 with the win.
Nathan Gunn defeated Jaret Evans by Unanimous Decision after three rounds. He improves to 6-0-0.
Brad "The Bonesaw" Cardinal defeated Myles "The Cowboy" Merola by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:15 of round one. Cardinal improves to 7-5-0, while Merola has lost four of his last five fights.
Matt Bagshaw defeated Wes Jaya by Submission (Choke) at 4:13 of round one. He improves to 3-0-0.
Keto Allen defeated Mike Rowbotham by Submission (Body Kick) at 1:40 of round two. He improves to 3-0-0.
With Hardcore Championship Fighting now only a memory, RAW Combat has shown that Maximum Fighting Championships is not the only remaining major promotion in Western Canada, as "Redemption" was another top-notch event.
