Barbir and Kraska remain champions, Stošić knocks out Hardy
Ahilej FNC 31 by Meridianbet will go down in the history books, and the organization will remember its fourth visit to Belgrade for a very long time
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Another record-breaking night is behind us, and nothing less was expected given everything that had been promised for Ahilej FNC 31 by Meridianbet at Belgrade Arena! We witnessed an incredible 11 bouts, while the evening ended in disappointment for the hometown crowd of Aleksandar Ilić, but in celebration for still-reigning middleweight champion Đani Barbir.
In the main event of the evening, Barbir defeated Aleksandar ‘Joker’ Ilić via armbar in the first round after both fighters unleashed a wide range of attacks from the opening second. The crowd had far more reason to celebrate in the co-main event, where Darko ‘Hammer’ Stošić knocked out American giant Greg Hardy. In the second title fight of the night, for the welterweight championship, champion Kamil Kraska delivered a dominant performance against challenger and absolute legend of regional and European MMA, Ivica ‘Terror’ Trušček.
After last year’s loss to Miloš Janičić, Marko ‘Skull Crusher’ Bojković returned to winning ways, outpointing Poland’s Piotr Niedzielski over three rounds and earning a unanimous decision victory. Two of the night’s biggest surprises were Hrvoje Sep’s MMA victory over another regional legend, Vaso ‘Psycho’ Bakočević, by first-round TKO, while the light heavyweight clash between Valeri Atanasov and Tomislav Spahović went the distance, with the Bulgarian fighter taking a unanimous decision win.
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The Belgrade crowd also witnessed a high-level contest between former UFC fighter Michał Figlak and Dobroshokh Nabotov, with the Pole emerging victorious after 15 minutes of battle. In the clash of regional icons, Stanislav Krofak defeated Aleksandar Janković on the judges’ scorecards. The main card was opened in spectacular fashion by former welterweight title challenger Igor Cavalcanti, who knocked out Marek Jakimowicz near the end of the first round.
Serbian-Dagestani fighter Khanbulat ‘Honda’ Irisbiev also enjoyed a successful FNC debut, earning a unanimous decision victory over Dalibor Dragojević. The event itself was opened by the biggest underdog on the card, Brazil’s Iago Silva, who forced hometown fighter Luka Pisarić to submit. Ahilej FNC 31 by Meridianbet has secured its place in the history books, and the organization will remember its fourth trip to Belgrade for a very long time.
But there is no time to rest. The curtain has only briefly fallen on the cage, because in just three weeks, on Saturday, June 20, FNC 32 powered by Supersport awaits us in Osijek. The best promotion in Southeast Europe returns to Gradski Vrt Hall after five years, the venue where FNC held its first event outside the old American Top Team arena.