WGP 81 crowns Lucas Rafael as the next Super Middleweight challenger on a night of three GPs

WGP Kickboxing returned to Brasília and delivered an unforgettable night this Sunday, September 28, at the IESPLAN gym. The 81st edition of Latin America’s biggest kickboxing event went down in the history books with the unprecedented staging of three GPs in a single night. The big highlight was the Super Middleweight Challenger GP (78.1kg), which determined Marcos Carvalho’s next title challenger. And the winner was Lucas Rafael, who defeated Rafael Sonak and Cicero Evangelista by decision and secured the trophy and the challenger spot. Two other highlights were Mateus Machado and Julio Assunção, who won two fights each to take the Qualifiers GP in their respective divisions and secure a place in the next Challenger. WGP 81 was once again held in partnership with the Secretariat of Sports and Leisure of the Government of the Federal District. The agency has long been a great ally in promoting and supporting martial arts and athletes in the state and has been transforming the federal capital into Brazil’s main combat sports hub.

The highlight of the night was the Super Middleweight Challenger GP, which put four big names in the division face to face. In the first semifinal, Iury Souza faced Cícero Evangelista in a clash of opposite styles: technique and movement against aggression and powerful low kicks. And what the ring saw was a battle with an incredible turnaround. After starting behind with a knockdown, Cicero recovered, knocked Iury down twice and scored the knockout to advance to the final. In the other bracket, Lucas Rafael and Rafael Sonak fought an even and aggressive bout, with plenty of support from the Brasília crowd for Sonak. But it wasn't enough. With more impact in his strikes, Lucas came out on top by unanimous decision.

In the grand final, Lucas and Cicero fought a war worthy of two of the best in the division. With plenty of movement and aggression, both showed great power and technique to fire up the crowd in the night's most important fight. At the end of the three rounds, Lucas Rafael’s greater volume of strikes was decisive in giving him the win, the trophy and the chance to challenge champion Marcos Carvalho in a rematch.

The event also marked the debut of the Qualifiers GPs, which made room for new talents to shine. In the Welterweights, there were two international semifinals. First, Mateus Machado paid no attention to Peruvian Renzo Torres and scored a first-round knockout after three knockdowns. On the other side, Gabriel Mollotov faced Argentine Enzo Vicente and this time the win went to the visiting athlete. With great ring control and excellent kicks, he scored a third-round knockout and advanced to the final. In the grand final, it was a true battle between Mateus and Enzo. With both men alternating good moments and showing plenty of aggression, the fight got the crowd at the IESPLAN gym in Brasília going. At the end of the three rounds, Mateus came out on top, winning by split decision.

Among the Super Lightweights, the semifinals were marked by balance, and both victories — Julio Assunção over Lucas Sorin and Bruno Santos over Dilvando Castro — came by split decision. In the grand final, the crowd saw a true monologue from Julio Assunção. Aggressive from the start, he was far superior to Bruno and earned the win and trophy by knockout in the third round. The winners of the two Qualifiers secured a place in the next Challenger GP in their respective divisions.

The card also featured four super fights. In the women's bout, Carol Sousa faced Fabiana Fraga and both put on a very even fight, which energized the crowd in the gym. At the end of the three rounds, Carol came out on top, being more effective and winning by unanimous decision. Among the GP reserves and the fights that opened the night, Matheus Madara looked great and controlled the bout with Ícaro Martins to win unanimously in the Super Middleweights. Vítor Magão was also clearly superior to his opponent Vitinho Billy and won comfortably in the Welterweights. In the opener of the night, Kauan Lee and Gustavo Sete put on an even fight, with Lee coming out on top by split decision in the Super Lightweight division. WGP 81 not only consolidated Brasília as one of the main stages for world kickboxing, but also went down in the organization’s history as the edition that brought together, for the first time, three GPs in a single night.