Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 4:15 amMay 7th, 2008 written by fightmag
The professional tournament I-1 is an oriental rules muaythai (highkicks, thai-elbows, knee in a head…) championship in the weight devision 65 kilos.
I-1 Grand Prix is a meeting of 8 Worlds strongest middle-weight warriors. The formula of the bouts is 3 rounds X 3 minutes, and the only one fighter who wins in all 3 bouts during one fight-night will bring the prestige WMC Champion’s belt to his home!
WMC I-1 World Muay Thai Grand Prix 2008
In the first fight Andrei faced Leonardo Amendoim Monteiro from Brazil. “We were expecting this bout as a warm-up, something easy, but we were surprised”, - Evgeny Kotelnikov says, trainer of Kulebin. Brazilian guy had been preparing for this tournament at the best training-camp of Bangkok “13Coins”, owned by Songchai. Mr. Songchai is the biggest promoter of Thailand, actually he is pretty old at the moment, but his son and daughter continue the case in promotions. The best fighter of Thailand 2007 SANCHAI is training in this camp.
He is preparing to face Andrei since long. So Leonardo from Brazil was told that if he does not want to loose by KO in the fight VS Kulebin, he must start annoying-hard grappling from the very first round.
So he tried his best, but anyways he lost. Leonardo did not fall down, but he received too much punches and kicks, but also he made Andrei so exhausted like on the past tournament after three full fights. Kulebin cut his opponent with an elbow, but the doctors stopped the bleeding, and Brazilian fighter made a perfect contre-attack. Anyways Kulebin won by unanimous decision.
And then started… during 30 minutes before the next fight get back the forces, do something with the injured legs and get prepared for another opponent, who is completely different from the first one. Mehdi Zatout, the best French fighter 2007, came on the tournament with the legend Kamel Jamal as a coach and cornerman. He is a top fighter with the too powerful punches. The middle distance, top guard, kicks, knees - this saved Kulebin and brought him the Victory. Nevertheless, with all this hard stuff,the fight was much more easier for Andrei than the first one VS Leonardo.
In the fight Rudolf VS Santichai happened the next thing: Santichai won the first round with out any doubts, but in the second and the third Rudolf ordered him the dirty-clinch work, and this gave him an opportunity to win. So Rudolf won the fight, but he was injured with his back. So he was off and Santichai replaced him in the semi-final VS Kieran Keddle (the best fighter from Great Britain). Kieran made a technical fault in this bout and lost it.
So in a final card Andrei KULEBIN from Belarus VS Santichai (Thailand). Santichai made prepared himself morally for this fight as for the last fight in his career. Three times he was in the final of I-1, but never became a champion of Grand Prix. This made him nervous but gave forces from inside. Kulebin VS Santichai was a very beautiful fight, but pretty dramatic. During the last few seconds of the bout VS Kieran, Santichai got a huge cut beetween his eyes, so Kulebin had to make couple of kicks and elbows and the fight would be stopped by TKO in the first round. But he decided to change the work and won this final bout using another kinds of weapons and did not inured Santichai more in this cutted-place.
“After the fight Andrei told me, that he felt the respect to himself from the side of a thai guy, who did not used the dirty work vs Andrei, like before in the combats vs other fighters from Thailand. So Andrei has chosen the harder way to success, in spite of injuring his opponent more. The biggest part of people who came to see this fight-event supported Andrei. Wemen were screaming his name, and men his fight-nick BULLET! After the final fight and Champion’s Belt Award a lot of people came to see the Winner and to make the photos with him. Ex-opponents and their coaches were coming with ice and medicaments to help Andrei with the injures and get the pain-off. Everyone became the true friends. Everyone were drunk during the after-party, excepct of Kulebin and his coach”, - Evgeny Kotelnikov added.
FIGHT CARD RESULTS :
I-1 WGP Quarterfinal 1
Andrei Kulebin (Belarus) vs Leonardo Amendoim Monteiro (Brazil)
Winner: Kulebin by unanimous decision
I-1 WGP Quarterfinal 2
Mehdi Zatout (France) vs Raul Llopis (USA)
Winner: Zatout by unanimous decision
I-1 WGP Quarterfinal 3
Rudolf Durica (Slovakia) vs Santichai (Thailand)
Winner: Durica by unanimous decision
I-1 WGP Quarterfinal 4
Kieran Keddle (United Kingdom) vs Peyman Shahrokni (Sweden)
Winner: Keddle by unanimous decision
I-1 WGP Semifinal 1
Andrei Kulebin vs Mehdi Zatout
Winner: Kulebin by unanimous decision
I-1 WGP Semifinal 2
(Rudolf Durica withdrew due to injury and Santichai stepped in to fight in Semifinal)
Santichai vs Kieran Keddle
Winner: Santichai by unanimous decision
I-1 WGP Final
Andrei Kulebin vs Santichai
Winner: Kulebin by unanimous decision
Winner of WMC I-1 World Muay Thai Grand Prix 2008:
Andrei Kulebin (Belarus)
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