Dutch based promotion Levels Fight League’s 2nd event is going down with four Nordic fighters in action across the night. Mohamed Zarey, Nasih El Arja, Hussein Abbas-Zade & Erhan Okuroglu are all in action with Okuroglu fighting former Glory Kickboxing Middleweight Champion, Jason Wilnis in the Main Event.
Mohamed Zarey vs. Tayo Odunjo
Round 1
After some early adversity Zarey gained top position after a takedown against the cage and held the Englishman down there for quite a lot of the first round. Zarey maintained a solid position where he landed some strikes to win the round easily.
Round 2
Straight off the bat Zarey shot for the takedown, despite being unsuccesful with the first two attempts it was third time lucky for the Norweigian. He returned to the same position he had in the first round an continued to wear down his opponent with. He held this position for more than half of the second round, landing shots before the referee stood them up with just under a minute left on the clock.
Odunjo had to deal with the takedown right away but managed to stay on his feet against the cage to avoid being brought to the mat.
Round 3
Odunjo came out looking lively on the front foot but Zarey took him down just over a minute into the fight and returned to top position landing strikes. Zarey continued to display his high level of top control for the rest of the fight in order to secure the win via Unanimous Decision.
Result: Mohamed Zarey def. Tayo Odunjo via Unanimous Decision
Nasih El Arja vs. Aladin Ben Halima
In a comical moment before the beginning of the bout, Nasih El Arja forgot his cup and a quick change had to happen cage side.
Round 1
The Dane took his opponent down early and immediately got to work, he locked in a triangle from top and started alternating between submission attempts. Ben Halima escaped the triangle but continued struggle on his back before getting back to his feet. Both men being back on the feet was short lasting when El Arja took him down, got into side control and hunted for a submission. He was unlucky not to get the win after dominating the round, Ben Halima showed a lot of heart to survive that round.
Round 2
The second round was more of the same as the previous round, except this time both men were a lot more tired. With less than a minute left in the round, El Arja managed to take the back of Ben Halima, snatch the neck and secure the submission win on his pro debut.
Result: Nasih El Arja def. Aladin Ben Halima via Submission
Hussein Abbas-Zade vs. Caolan Loughran
The Norway based fighter was the fifth fight of the Main Card, the highly renowned grappler took on a very game Irishman in Caolan Loughran.
Round 1
Loughran came out early and took the centre of the cage keeping his range to avoid the takedown. Abbas-Zade failed to secure a takedown but managed to landed on the feet after being forced to strike. Loughran continued to back Abbas-Zade up and landed quite a lot of leg kicks. It looked as though Abbas-Zade was going get a guillotine choke near the end of the round but Loughran handled it very well. The round ended with the Irishman in Abbas-Zade’s guard.
Round 2
Abbas-Zade shot for the takedown early but it was stopped by Loughran. He was kept on the back foot for the most part of the round, eating a leg kick on occasion. Not much happened in the second half of the round with Abbas-Zade struggling to get the fight to the ground.
Round 3
Abbas-Zade managed to attempt another guillotine early in the round but wasn’t able to lock it in. They returned to their feet soon after and Loughran continued to stay on the front foot pushing his opponent back against the cage. The fight was very technical but the Norway based grappler struggled to deal with striking of Loughran and lost the fight via Unanimous Decision.
Result: Caolan Loughran def. Hussein Abbas-Zade via Unanimous Decision
Jason Wilnis vs. Erhan Okuroglu
Round 1
Wilnis instantly took the centre of the cage and pressed forward against Okuroglu but the Dane engaged the clinch quickly and pressed Wilnis against the cage. Okuroglu continued to press Wilnis against the cage and hunt for a takedown, eating some elbows in the process.
Unexpectedly, Wilnis swept Okuroglu to the mat before letting the Dane return to his feet. Fatigue was setting in for the Rumble Sports fighter and Wilnis pounced, landing a clean right hand that dropped Okuroglu before following up with some strikes on the ground to finish the fight.
Result: Jason Wilnis def Erhan Okuroglu via TKO/KO, Round 1
