PXC 34 Unofficial Fight Awards
When In Manila, mixed martial arts has grown leaps and bounds since foreign promotions Pacific Xtreme Combat and ONE Fighting Championship frequented the country with stacked fight cards one after the other. Last Saturday’s PXC 34 was no exception, featuring a 12-fight card headlined by a flyweight championship bout between Ale “Young Gun” Cali and Erwin Tagle, and a featherweight match between Harris “The Hitman” Sarmiento and Mark “Mugen” Striegl. Two UFC fighters in “The Korean Zombie” Chan-Sung Jung and Max Holloway were also present during the event cornered their teammates in their respective fights.
The event was pure action from start to finish, but we feature three fights that would most likely have earned the Fight, Knockout, and Submission of the Night if only it were a UFC event.
PXC 34 Fight of the Night: Dustin Kimura vs. Guy Delumeau (Knockout – Round 3)
Undefeated Hawaiian prospect Dustin Kimura surprised fight pundits when he fought a stand-up war against Guy Delumeau. As a BJJ black belt, Kimura is a proficient grappler and submission specialist.
In the 1st round, Delumeau was getting the better of the exchanges, lunging forward with hard shots that would visibly snap Kimura‘s head back. Kimura began to find his range come the 2nd round and continued to work on Delumeau‘s head and body in the 3rd. In the final minute of the fight, Kimura landed a head-and-body combination that sent Delumeau crashing to the ground. Kimura swarmed on the badly hurt Delumeau until Referee Tony D. stepped in to stop the contest.
It was a risky gameplan for Kimura, but it surely paid off this time around. Even with the victory, I’m sure his girlfriend wouldn’t appreciate his swollen face though.
PXC 34 Knockout of the Night: Eugene Toquero KO’s Jerome Wanawan via Knee Strike (Round 1)
An incredibly exciting stylistic match between Muay Thai specialist Eugene Toquero and wrestler Jerome Wanawan paved the way for one of the baddest knockouts of the year! Both fighters capitalized on their strengths, with Wanawan taking down Toquero every opportunity he could and Toquero clinching to inflict serious damage with his elbows and knees.
After several well-placed shots, Toquero landed a knee flush on Wanawan, causing the wrestler to crumple to the canvas. Toquero smothered Wanawan and just as he was just getting back up, Toquero landed another hard knee, sending Wanawan down a second time. Though officially ruled a TKO due to Doctor Stoppage, Wanawan was clearly out, unable to safely defend himself even before the bell rang.
According to insider reports, Toquero is planning to challenge Ale Cali for the flyweight title after his Submission Sport teammate Erwin Tagle failed to claim the victory during the same night.
PXC 34 Submission of the Night: Mark Striegl Submits Harris Sarmiento via Scarf-Hold Armlock (Round 1)
In the co-main event of the evening, PXC lightweight champion and well-travelled veteran Harris “The Hitman” Sarmiento faced undefeated grappling phenom Mark “Mugen” Striegl. Whoever was able to impose his gameplan on the other was the clear victor of this match between dominant wrestler and powerful striker.
After a brief feeling out process, Striegl dragged the fight to the ground as he worked on passing from half guard to side mount. And just like deja vu, “Mugen” trapped Harris‘ arm with his leg and proceeded to working his trademark “Fil-Americana”, pulling Harris‘ head up to put tremendous pressure on Sarmiento‘s arm and shoulder.
A key victory for Striegl as he faced his toughest opponent yet. Harris is known for his good takedown defense, so the idea of Striegl dominating and winning in such convincing fashion is just scary!
When In Manila, PXC 34 delivered a great night of fights as the promotion moved to their biggest Philippine venue yet. Both Toquero and Striegl made convincing statements with their victories, providing strong claims to title contendership in their respective divisions. The next PXC event in the Philippines will happen early next year. Two-division UFC champion BJ Penn is reported to visit and corner his brother in the upcoming event (sans the security overkill of ABS-CBN). While that event is yet to come, tune in to AKTV sports channel for replays of PXC 34 throughout the week.
Visit MMA Philippines to read on the main card recap of PXC 34 and other MMA-related articles.
PXC 34: When In Manila’s Unofficial Fight Awards Go to Kimura and Delumeau, Eugene Toquero, and Mark Striegl
