(PRESS RELEASE) -- In the XFC women's division, the Season II Flyweight tournament now has its finals confirmed, while the men's Lightweight & Featherweight tournament sees contenders advance to the semifinals; Brazil reigns supreme of the U.S. competitors.
Bantamweight Superfighter Fernando Vieira shines in XFCi 8 Main Event
In the men's Bantamweight Superfight division, Fernando Vieira secured a Brazilian triumph in the main event of the show, surpassing U.S.A.'s Tyson Nam in a unanimous decision from the judges.
A specialist in jiu-jitsu, Vieira faced a veteran'd kickboxer in the main event of the show. However, the clash of styles was only on paper. The Brazilian did the majority of the striking, connecting solid shots to Nam, through the first and second round. Many attempts at takedowns were made, but only a handful were successful, as Nam showed a well planned and executed defense. Fernando remained composed, even though his world champion level jiu-jitsu could not weaken his opponent. The victory came after three rounds by unanimous decision and moves Vieira higher in the XFC rankings, towards title contention.
"I fought hard, both standing and on the ground, and that makes me very happy. It served to prove that I am always evolving, perfecting myself every day; more in the stand up. I have huge plans for my future in XFC, which hosts an excellent event. Today I got a big win, but I want to go much further inside the organization," warned Fernando Vieira in his post fight interview live on Rede TV!
In other Superfights, the night included two XFC veterans who left the HeXagon with victories.
In the co-main event, the Women's Flyweight Tournament Champion of the Season I, Silvana "La Wicked" Gomez, maintained control over Vanessa Melo in all three rounds, but not without a fight. Gomez & Melo was an all out war, with highlight reel threaded punches, a lot of trade off and non-stop pressure from both corners. La Wicked lived up to the hype, stirring up a war in the HeXagon, dominating the fight against Brazilian Vanessa Melo. Using hard combinations, the Argentine showed the talent that qualifies her as one of the stars of the XFC franchise. Even still, Miss Simpatia, as she is known, Vanessa Melo endured the onslaught of her opponent until the end, but the two knockdowns suffered during the fight were decisive for the Silvana's victory in the unanimous decision. That is Gomez fifth straight victory (3rd in the HeXagon).
In the Lightweight Superfight Feature Bout, Gláucio Eliziário, starred in an intense duel with England's Jay Furness and secured his fifth career victory; third inside the organization. After the first round with free striking from both sides, the Salvamar leaned heavily on his jiu-jitsu to try to end the duel in the final rounds. The finish did not come as hope, but the Rio de Janeiro native got the nod from the judges with a unanimous decision.
Antonia Silvaneide da Silva guarantees her place in the Season II Women's International Flyweight Tournament finale
The second season of the XFC now has its first tournament finale set. Antonia Silvaneide da Silva stamped her pass to the tournament championship with a defeat over Debora Ferreira in the opening fight of the main card of XFCi 8.
To ensure her victory, "Marretinha" opted for the strategy of not giving any space to her opponents favored standup game, instead banking on her own takedowns and ground game. Dictating the pace of the fight on the ground, the Kimura Nova União athlete won every round and waited for confirmation of triumph in the count of the side judges, which was unanimous. The Mossoro, RN native will now face Poliana Botelho, for Tournament Gold and the opportunity to then enter the XFC Superfight Series. This comes after Botelho's match was cancelled on Friday the 12th, after her opponent Taila Santos failed to make weight; giving Botelho an automatic advancement.
Ready to battle, four XFC Featherweights advance to the Semifinals
In clashes that ended the preliminary card of XFCi 8, four fighters ensured their places in the race for the Featherweight Tournament Gold. The Venezuelan, Ranfi Rivas is the only fighter from outside Brazil to advance in the tournament, after the night of fights. Guilherme Faria, Pedro Falcao and Missael Silva all represent Brazil inside the tournament.
With massive support of his crowd inside the arena, Guilherme Faria put on a show and imposed a beautiful knockout over Mexican Carlos Torres, in the first round. Now, the São Paulo native faces Ranfi Rivas, who dispatched the Ecuadorian Giovanni Arroyo from duty with a unanimous decision from the judges.
In what was viewed by many as the best fight of the tournament, Brazil's Missael Silva and Georgian Paata Robakidze put on a spectacle. High intensity from start to finish, they exchanged blows and forced fans to their feet. Heading into round three, with blood streaming from the broken nose of Paata, the action did not stop until the final bell. In the end, the count of the side judges, awarded the Brazilian a unanimous decision.
Pedro Falcao will be the opponent of Missael in the semifinals. The Rondônia athlete ended the fight in an overwhelming way over his US counterpart Michael Stevens. 66 seconds into the fight was all it took for Pedro to adjust an armbar into place and lead to a celebration of triumph.
With completion and knockout, the Lightweight semifinals are set
With four exciting fights, the audience met the XFC International Lightweight tournament semifinalists of the second season. Brazilian's Willian Cilli, Rubenilton Pereira and Fernando dos Santos all victorious, as was Egyptian Mohamed Hassan Badawy.
Relying on good number of fans in the arena for support, Willian Cilli finished fellow Brazilian Luiz Henrique Barbosa with a beautiful armbar in the third round of combat. Now, the Chute Boxe athlete will face Egypt's Mohamed Hassan who debuted at XFCi 8 with a TKO of Alex Franco in the third round.
Rio de Janeiro native Fernando dos Santos secured his place, after dominating all three rounds of his clash against Michel Silva. A win by unanimous decision of the judges advances him to the semi's. Similarly, Rubenilton Pereira surpassed Wilson dos Santos Fonseca for the right to advance towards tournament gold.
"We had a great night of fights in Campinas. The athletes gave their all to attain victory, never surrendered to the pressures of performing on the Worlds largest stage, and gave the fans what they wanted; which is a great show inside the HeXagon. Vieira looked very good, dominated the entire fight. The tournaments are increasingly attractive with the advancements in our men's Lightweight and Featherweight Semifinals. The finals are now set for the women's International Flyweight tournament, featuring Antonia vs Poliana. That fight is between two teammates from one of the best MMA schools in the World, so it's going to be a war. What an incredible night for the organization and our fans! We promise the next XFC event is going to be even more incredible, I can't wait until we announce the full card! Happy Holidays Everyone!" said XFC President Myron Molotky, after the big night of XFCi 8.
For more information on the Season II International Tournament & Superfight Series and all the fighters of the XFC, visit www.XFCMMA.com and follow them throughout training camp on all XFC social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, G+.
RESULTS:
MAIN EVENT SUPERFIGHT: Bantamweight Division Fernando Vieira 11-2 (BR) def. Tyson Nam 12-8 (USA) via 30-27 Unanimous Decision
CO-MAIN EVENT SUPERFIGHT: W. Flyweight Division Silvana Gomez 5-0 (ARG) def. Vanessa Melo 3-4 (BR) via 30-27 Unanimous Decision
FEATURE BOUT SUPERFIGHT: Lightweight Division Glaucio Eliziario 10-2 (BR) def. Jay Furness 10-4 (ENG) via 30-27 via Unanimous Decision; advances to the Semifinals
Women's Flyweight Semi-finals: Antonia Silvaneide da Silva 4-1 (BR) def. Debora Ferreira 4-1 (BR) via Unanimous Decision 30-27; advances to Finals
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Guilherme Faria 13-5 (BR) def. Carlos Torres 13-6 (MEX) via TKO due to strikes at 3:03 of RD 1; advances to Semifinals
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Willian Cilli 8-3 (BR) def. Luiz Henrique 5-2-1 (BR) via Tapout due to Armbar at 4:49 of RD 2; advances to Semifinals
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Pedro Falcao 6-0 (BR) def. Michael Stevens 4-3 (USA) via Tapout due to Armbar at 1:06 of RD 1; advances to Semifinals
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Ranfi Rivas 3-1 (VEN) def. Geovanny Arroyo 3-3 (ECU) via 30-27 Unanimous Decision; advances to Semifinals
Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Missael Silva 10-2 (BR) def. Paata Robakidze 16-4 (GEO) via 30-27 Unanimous Decision; advances to Semifinals
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Fernando dos Santos 8-0 (BR) def. Michel Silva 10-3-1 (BR) via 30-27 Unanimous decision; advances to Semifinals
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Rubenilton Pereira 16-1 (BR) def. Wilson dos Santos Fonseca 3-1 (BR) via Unanimous decision to advance to Semifinals
Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal: Mohamed Hassan Badawy 9-2 (EGY) def. Alex Franco 2-2 (BR) via Tapout due to strikes at 3:23 in RD 3 to advance to Semifinals
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT & SUPERFIGHT SERIES The Next Generation of MMA fighters are now emerging through the XFC International Tournament Series!
As the fighters go fist to fist in their respective weight classes, their Will to become a Gold Medalist Tournament Champion is challenged. At the end of this season, the Male and Female Tournament Champions will advance to the XFC Superfight Series, where they will have their chance to rise through the ranks and prove themselves as a contender for an XFC World Championship Title!