WGP 70 crown Ariel Machado and Petros Cabelinho with titles

The WGP 70 had all the ingredients for a memorable edition. And it lived up to all expectations. On the night of Saturday, July 17, in São José dos Pinhais, in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, the audience saw two champions being crowned. In the main fight of the night, Ariel Machado defeated Lucas Paredes by unanimous decision after a great performance and won the coveted heavyweight title. In the co-main event, Petros Cabelinho had more difficulty maintaining his welterweight title by split decision against Jones Coliseu. Another highlight of the night, which was filled with knockouts, was Argentine Facu Suarez's victory over Brazilian Jordan Kranio in a great battle. The WGP returns on July 9 in São Paulo, with the 71st edition packed with great fights, title disputes, and Challenger GP.

The main fight of this historic edition had a lot at stake. After a long time, the heavyweight title returned to contention with Felipe Michelleti's decision to dedicate himself exclusively to Glory Kickboxing. Ariel Machado, a well-known figure in the category and the biggest contender for the title, faced Santa Catarina’s Lucas Paredes, who had moved up two divisions to challenge for the belt. Inside the ring, those who thought Ariel would have an easy match because of Lucas's elevation in category were surprised. In the first two rounds, Paredes landed good counterattacks despite Ariel's aggressiveness and potency. Starting in the third round, Machado's hand and low kicks began to connect, and the duel started to tilt more in favor of the curitibano. From then on, it was just about controlling the fight and waiting for the final result. Ariel Machado is the new heavyweight champion of WGP by unanimous decision.

The co-main event of WGP 70 marked the first defense of the welterweight title by curitibano Petros Cabelinho. And the opponent was Paulista Jones Coliseu, one of the highlights of the national scene in the division. Inside the ring, the audience saw what they expected: a true war. The athletes took the initiative right from the start and alternated good moments. With a reach far above that of his opponent, Petros sought to maintain distance and punish with low kicks. Meanwhile, Jones tried at every moment to shorten the distance and land a counterattack. At the end of the five rounds, the details decided the fight in favor of champion Petros, who confirmed the title retention.

In the international duel between Brazil and Argentina, Jordan Kranio and Facu Suarez engaged in a rivalry that was created before the fight at the official weigh-in. As Kranio did not make the weight limit for the category, he started the fight with a point deduction in the initial round. And that ended up deciding the duel. Although he performed better in the first and the last rounds, the Brazilian ended up suffering a knockdown from the Argentine and with the point deduction, lost by split decision.

The match between Kadu Lima, who replaced the injured Maykol Yurk at the last minute, and Paraguayan Guido Cardozo was lukewarm. With a lot of clinch and few exciting moments, the victory went to Guido for his greater potency. Finalist of the last All-Star GP for Super-Mediums, Matheus Nogueira moved up a category to face compatriot Allyson Campos. And what was seen inside the ring was a true battle, thrilling the audience present. After nine minutes, the victory went to Matheus, by unanimous decision, who was more aggressive and sought the fight more.

A Knockout Show Opens the Event in Grand Style

In the fight that closed the Super Fights of #WGP70, the striking was intense. Marcos Carvalho and Cicero Evangelista faced off and delivered one of the best fights of the night. At the end of three rounds, Marcos came out on top by split decision. The international duel between Paraguayan Teodoro Rui Diaz and Chilean Camilo Zenteno excited the audience present. After a balanced start, the Paraguayan unleashed his game and overwhelmed Camilo with a beautiful knockout in the second round.

Gabriel de Lima and Gabriel Neguinho also put on a great battle in the gym in São José dos Campos. With a lot of movement and both alternating good moments, Gabriel de Lima was the better, being more potent and winning by unanimous decision.

The clash between Daniel Antunes and Bruno Roverso generated high expectations among the audience due to their contrasting styles. With a significant reach advantage, Antunes controlled the fight and achieved a knockout in the second round after a beautiful knee strike. The first two fights of the Super Fights raised the excitement in the gym in São José dos Campos. The matchups between João Victor against Gilberto Naka and Hugo Caveira against João Fejaozilla were marked by the balance and aggressiveness of all four athletes. At the end of three rounds, João and Hugo came out on top, winning by unanimous decision, much to the joy of the present fans.

The Undercard of WGP 70 set the record for the most fights in a preliminary card of WGP. With 10 bouts contested, the preliminary fights opened the event in grand style. There were six knockouts, with highlights including Heliazir Estefani, Fernando Mineiro, Luan Videogame, and Maria Sinistrinha.