The African Knockout Championship [AKO] held its fifth edition on August 31. It was a night to remember by fans. The event occurred at the This Day Dome in Abuja, Nigeria, featuring exhilarating bouts across all divisions.
The tournament’s headliner was a middleweight bout between Nigerian fighter Segun Ogunnoiki and Ivory Coast’s star Yao Marcel. In the Co-main event, “The Smiling Assassin,” Jackiel Ayana faced Kudzete Fred in the featherweight division.
Marcel came with a quick left and right swing that almost cost Oguunoiki the game, but he quickly recovered and went for a grapple. They were soon in a sprawl, with Segun taking the fight to the ground, but Marcel kept his defences up. The two were soon back on their feet, but not for long, as Segun took the fight to the ground. Marcel landed on top and landed a few shots before returning to his feet.
The fight continued with devastating blows from Marcel and Segun on his back as he tried to secure a heel hold. Segun gave him his back, and the two clinched up. They separated afterwards, and Segun landed a high kick that rocked Marcel. He followed with a couple of punches that dropped Marcel and went in for the kill with a ground and pound. Marcel tried to protect himself, but “The Machine Gun” gave no leeway. The referee stopped the fight, and Segun claimed victory via TKO in the opening round.
At the co-main event, Venatius Iyinagolu battled Melvin Ugochukwu in the light heavyweight division. Both fighters came in swinging. Melvin came kin with a flying knee kick, but Venatius retaliated with a left swing. The fighters exchanged hard punches with savage tenacity but kept their defences up. The two went into a sprawl, with Venatius putting him in a headlock, but Melvin broke through.
The two clinched up against the cage but managed to break through. Melvin landed an uppercut, but Venatius was quicker and followed it with a left hook. He followed with another overhand left and a right that knocked Melvin out, making him the winner via TKO.
The tournament also featured other thrilling fights and had an unexpected turnout for Josias Musasa. After his last iconic win at the AKO show, the “KO Wizard,” AKO CEO Kamaru Usman announced that the fighter will be competing at Dana White’s Contender Series.
Main Card
Segun Ogunnoiki defeats Yao Marcel via first-round TKO
Venatius Iyinagolu defeats Melvin Ugochukwu via first-round TKO
Abdoul Sankara defeats Daniel Iwuoha via unanimous decision.
Faout Yossef defeats Andere V Odiwuor via round two armbar submission.
Yahaya Muhamed defeats Emmanuel Christain first round TKO
Xavier Adams Boa defeats Dennis Johnson via first-round KO.
Cornel Thompson defeats James Opio via unanimous decision.
Theresa Ajiboye defeats Amenan Kouassi via split decision.
Jackiel Ayana defeats Kudzete Fred via a unanimous decision.
