At three minutes and 31 seconds in the first round, Sakisat earned his third win via referee stoppage.
Exchanging blows in the first minute, both fighters turned quickly to the ground, with Sakisat landing on Muna.
Struggling for control, Sakisat shifted to a guard position to pummel his opponent. Muna soon turned the game around and locked Sakisat on a triangle choke hold. Slipping away, Sakisat had the upper hand after striking Muna with merciless punches.
“It feels good. Any champion would feel awesome and proud of himself, but taking it is a big stepping stone, only because this guy (Muna) has been training for a long time and he has more experience than I do. The guy (Muna) did a good job in countering my punches and at the same time, I was trying to take him down. I felt his power wasn’t there so I took advantage of that,” said Sakisat.
“The sport is really fun, but right now I’m going to school. I got a lot of stuff ahead of me. However, I still love the sport and I’ll make room for this sport, so you’ll be seeing me around more often,” he added.
Sakisat shared his victory with George “Kamikaze” Manglona, who defeated Saipan’s Derick “Da Gladiator” Chen via unanimous decision. Manglona drew the first blood, after striking Chen in the nose. He tried to wear Chen out, pushing him against the ropes in all three rounds. Despite getting kicked in the throat, Manglona progressed with his strikes, earning the judges’ favor.
Also winning his 18th win was Trench Tech’s Giovanni “Palaxsi” Sablan, who finished Maitai “The Charger” Charley with a rear-naked choke hold 2:05 in the first round. Sablan kept his distance at the start, dodging Charley’s jabs. Turning around, Charley gave an opening to Sablan, who dove in for the kill.
Shining in their debut matches were Saipan’s Eugene Wong and Joe Duenas, who won against Team ZengZung’s Peter Cepeda and Gerry Mundo.
It was a matter of speed over strength for Wong, who was five pounds lighter than his opponent. A few head shots nearly sent Wong to ground, causing him to back up. Cepeda caught him in a full guard, striking him until the end of the first round. Wong continued the fight on the ground, using his weight to pin him down. Trying to get up, Cepeda receives a flurry of punches and losses 2:59 in the second round via referee stoppage.
Duenas slowed down first round after receiving a cut from Mundo. Nearly losing due to safety issues, Duenas decided to continue the night’s bloodiest match. A clean body kick sent Mundo towards the ropes, causing him to fall. A failed guillotine choke forced Duenas to change techniques in the second round, where he finally caught Mundo in a rear mount. Like Wong, Duenas won by referee stoppage.
“I feel really good, especially that it’s my first fight. My stamina really helped me out, and I had to be more aggressive than him. I’m looking forward to fighting again,” said Duenas.
Other victors included Predator Combat Team’s James Justin Castro, Team Zalaka’s Franklin Franklin “Da Tank” Faisao, and Marianas Elite’s Victor Norita and V.J. Pua.
Saipan’s John DL Guerrero received no action last Saturday, due to Rick “2Slick” San Nicolas’ absence. P.J. Cabrera, who exceeded his lightweight fight’s weight limit, was also forced to cancel his match against Tinian’s Peter Ayuyu.
Culpepper tops poker tourney
Following the event was Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino’s Texas Holdem Tournament, topped by Raymond Culpepper.
Culpepper received $1,600 for winning first place, while Manju Hom won $500 for second place. Completing the top five were Ryan Evangelista, Edward Dela Cruz, and Salam Younis, who won $300, $150, and $50, respectively. Also joining the night’s 51 players was Mayor Ray Dela Cruz of Tinian.
