Grant Gehlert
New York Fashion Week took New York city by storm, drawing in people of all walks of life. As many explored the countless works by famous fashion designers, others in New York found themselves drawn to a different form of entertainment, the underground fight circuit.
Headed by Bekim Trenova, FNT Fight Night took place on Friday, February 9. The event hosted numerous different dance and musical acts, though primarily showcasing the local talent in combat sports.
Throughout the five fights that took place, every form of stand up combat known was exhibited, from boxing, to Muay Thai to Pride FC style mma matches.
Grant Gehlert
The first bout of the night featured a lightweight Muay Thai match between Joseph Lyles and Jose Olivaez. Lyles found himself frustrated throughout the fight, attempting to close the distance against a taller opponent in Olivaez.
Lyle had bright moments in the fight, finding the most success when he countered the kicks of Olivaez, but Olivaez fired off enough kicks to keep Lyle at distance as he cruised to a Unanimous Decision victory.
Result: Olivaes via UD
The second bout of the night featured two heavyweights clashing in FNT’s first ever MMA fight. New York native Jamal Pottinger met Hamdy Abdelwahab, an Egyptian who migrated and is currently training in New York.
Unfortunately, for the the New York native, the fight barely lasted 15 seconds.
A few slight jabs were traded between the two fighters before Abdelwahab dropped his opponent with a leg kick. As Pottinger scrambled to his feet, he was met with a thunderous uppercut that sent him crashing back onto the canvas, unconscious.
Abdelwahab, cool as ever, held up his hand in victory to the crowd before his opponent even finished falling.
Result: Abdelwahab via KO 1
Grant Gehlert
The third bout of the night featured local lightweight prospect Orlando “One Shot” Ortega taking on Dhruv Soni in a Muay Thai match. Ortega used his superior boxing skills, as well as cracking leg kicks to dominate as he cruised to a wide Unanimous Decision.
Immediately after being declared winner, One Shot took the microphone and warned everyone in the building, “watch out for me!” Ortega has been making noise in the local combat circles and is looking to showcase his full set of skills as he steps into the ring again in March 8.
RESULT- Ortega via UD
Grant Gehlert
The final bout of the night featured one of Orlando Ortega’s stablemates, Will Cavalli as he stepped into the ring with Diego “Dutch” Jagessar.
The action in this fight began quick, as both fighters came out swinging for the fences, but began to stagger after the first round due to excessive holding. Cavalli’s superior head movement rendered Jagessar’s boxing largely ineffective, but Jagessar found repetitive success in both his constant kicks to the body and in the clinch.
The body work showed throughout the match, as Cavalli began to slow down in the second and third rounds, and Jagessar began to find success in his boxing as well. After letting loose several unanswered strikes, the referee jumped in, stopping the bout in the third round.
RESULT- Jagessar via TKO 3
