The Galway Black Dragon Kickboxing Club will kick off the New Year with a bang this Saturday evening when they host an International Ireland V Belgium and France Kickboxing & K-1 fight night in the fabulous Ardilaun Hotel on Taylors Hill in Galway City.
The fight night, aptly named
"Rumble On The Hill", will feature no less than eleven home
fighters on an explosive twelve fight card.
The main event will feature
IKF European K-1 Champion and three time World gold medallist Cian "The
Ginja Ninja" Mc Cormack from Kinvara, who fights out of the Galway Black
Dragon Kickboxing Gym, locking horns with Belgian Champion Dario De Brabander
from the famous Lamiro Fight Club Gym in Brussels and the fight will be under
Pro K-1 rules.
McCormack, who hasn't fought
in over a year is itching to put on a performance for the Galway fight fans but
De Brabander insists he's not coming to Galway for a holiday.
Cian's fight has kindly been
sponsored by Hugh McGeady HMG & Company Chartered Accountants.
Black Dragon fighter Tom
Hopwood from Galway City is also taking on Belgian opposition under K-1 rules
and he squares off with Anass Khajou from the renowned Muay Thai FMK Gym in the
Flemish region of Ronse.
Tom's fight has kindly been sponsored by Way Out West Event Logistics LTD.
Black Dragons Oisin Concannon
from Barna will take on Belgian fighter Younes Bouloufa, also from Muay Thai
FMK and this fight will be under full contact kickboxing rules.
Oisin’s fight has kindly been
sponsored by Cunniffe Electric and Hanley’s menswear in the Headford Road
Shopping Centre.
This will be Tom and Oisins
first International fights and both men have been training diligently for the
event.
Black Dragons Current Light
Cruiserweight All Ireland Champion and last year’s World gold medallist Jamie O
Sullivan from Clonberne will take on Louis Van Der Bruggen, who also
fights out of Muay Thai FMK and this fight will also be under full contact
kickboxing rules.
Jamie’s fight has kindly been
sponsored by J O S Solicitors and big thanks also to Core Fitness at the
Claregalway Hotel for sponsoring Jamie’s fitness and recovery training at their
state of the art gym.
Black Dragon fighters and
crowd pleasers Sean Ryan from Cong and Dara Mannion from Westside will mix it
up with two French fighters from the World famous Team Lamouret from the city
of Tergnier in North France.
Sean, whose fight is kindly
sponsored by Neale Park Construction and M Scaffolding, will take on Mamad Sy
in his first K-1 rules contest and Dara Mannion, whose fight is once again
kindly sponsored by The Lough Inn Bar in Woodquay, will face off with tough
Frenchman Julien Crinon under Low Kick Kickboxing rules.
Other Galway Black Dragon
fighters who will make up an impressive undercard are Thomas Scarry from
Moylough taking on Eamonn Byrne from Top Pro Gym in Kilkenny under Low Kick
Kickboxing rules, Ivan Aguas from Spain taking on Ciaran Healy from O' Neill
Fitness in Oldcastle, Co Meath under K-1 rules, Darren Woods from Corofin
taking on Luke O Connor from Spirit MMA in Tralee under K-1 rules, Jerrid Curry
from Washington taking on Cian McCabe from Black Dragon Gym in Cavan under Low
Kick rules and Evelyn Coffey from Salthill taking on Roseanna Shanahan from
Limerick Hub under Low Kick Kickboxing rules.
As a special treat, current
IKF All Ireland Lightweight Champion Tyrone Cronin/O' Brien from Limerick Hub
Kickboxing will make a first defence of his title to number one contender Shane
Lawless from the Na Fianna Gym in Athlone.
These two fighters train out
of two of the top gyms in Ireland and this fight promises to be a war with both
men looking for a knockout victory.
This title fight has kindly
been sponsored by LG Lawless Group Transport.
Doors open on Saturday evening
at 6pm with the first fight scheduled for 6.30pm so early seating is advised as
it will be busy.
Some tickets may still be available from the fighters and also the Ardilaun Hotel reception and a limited number will be admitted at the door.
