WGP 82 defines the All-Star GP quarterfinals on a night of knockouts

The 82nd edition of WGP Kickboxing delivered everything it promised on the night of Sunday, November 16, at Centro Esportivo Mané Garrincha in São Paulo. The event closed the night by determining the eight qualifiers for the All-Star GP Lightweight quarterfinals. In an electrifying round-of-16 sequence, the winners still alive in the race for the trophy and the chance to face the division champion are Cabelo Monteiro, Edgar Boca, Watson de Castro, Paulo Victor Madureira, Jackson Elitelmo, Francisco Mairon, German Badallo and Jhonatan Hora. Each of them showed why they belong to the elite of the up-to-60kg division, putting on intense duels at Centro Esportivo Mané Garrincha. Now, they are already beginning to look ahead to the next chapters of the tournament, which will be decided at WGP 84 on December 19, when the quarterfinals, semifinals and grand final promise to write one of the most memorable chapters in the organization's recent history.

Knockouts mark the All-Star GP round of 16

The main fight of the night featured the category champion, Cabelo Monteiro, as the big star in his duel against Yuri Costa. He lived up to his role as division champion. With plenty of technique and aggression, he controlled the fight from the first minute and secured the knockout as the bell sounded for the second round. In the next stage, he faces Jhonatan Hora. Ranked number 1 in the division, Edgar Boca faced a major challenge against Angelo Cantizani. But he showed why he is at the top of the division. With very sharp boxing and an aggressive approach, he controlled the fight and came close to a knockout in the first round with two knockdowns. At the end of the three minutes, he won by unanimous decision and secured his place in the quarterfinals to face Argentine German Badallo.

The fight between Paraguayan Teodoro Ruiz and Brazilian Watson Castro was only decided last night. Watson was supposed to fight on the undercard, but Cristian Castro, Teo's opponent, missed weight and he got the opportunity of a lifetime. And he made the most of it. With a forceful style, he dominated the Paraguayan to secure a place in the tournament quarterfinals against Brazilian Francisco Mairon. Another standout from the first stage of the All-Star GP was Paulo Victor Madureira. He faced Fernando Mineiro and showed all the aggression the public had already seen in the WGP ring. With great momentum, he controlled Mineiro's attacks and won by knockout in the second round. In the next stage, he meets Jackson Elitelmo.

The duel between Brazilians Leandro Jobu and Jackson Elitelmo got the crowd in São Paulo on its feet. With plenty of movement and flashy strikes, the bout was marked by balance. At the end of the three rounds, it was Jackson's turn, the winner by unanimous decision. The All-Star also brought to the ring a long-held wish of the organization: one of the country's greatest Muay Thai athletes, Fracisco Mairon. He faced Paraguayan Fabrizio Alcaraz and did not have an easy time. After a balanced start, Mairon loosened up and went on the attack, landing powerful body shots and then controlled the fight through the end of the three rounds to win by unanimous decision.

The clash between Argentine German Badallo and Brazilian Nicolas Tardioli also heated up. The home fighter was scheduled for the undercard and entered the All-Star GP at the last minute after one of the fighters missed weight. And that made a difference in the bout, with Badallo taking control of the fight to win by knockout in the third round. In the first fight of the All-Star GP, Brazilian Jhonatan Hora made quick work of Chilean Felipe Artillero. With a steady performance from the start, he dominated the bout to win by knockout and secure a spot in the next stage.

In the opening fights of the night, the standouts were Clayton Ferreira and Ubirajara Calixto. While the former produced the event's biggest turnaround by suffering a knockdown and then knocking out Dioginis Overeem still in the first round, the latter opened the event with another beautiful knockout against Fabio Pimentel, also in the opening round. Thel Henrique and Jackeline Oliveira were other winners of the night.

WGP 82 - Official Results

Cabelo Monteiro defeated Yuri Costa by knockout at 3:00 of the second round
Edgar Boca defeated Angelo Cantizani by unanimous decision
Watson de Castro defeated Teodoro Ruiz Diaz by unanimous decision
Paulo Victor Madureira defeated Fernando Mineiro by knockout at 2:58 of the second round
Jackson Elitelmo defeated Leandro Jobu by unanimous decision
Francisco Mairon defeated Fabrizio Alcaraz by unanimous decision
German Badallo defeated Nicolas Tardioli by knockout at 1:27 of the second round
Jhonatan Hora defeated Felipe Artillero by knockout at 1:42 of the second round
Clayton Ferreira defeated Dioginis Overeem by knockout at 2:03 of the first round
Thel Henrique defeated Wagner Santos by unanimous decision
Jackeline Oliveira defeated Gi Bona by unanimous decision
Ubirajara Calixto defeated Fábio Pimentel by knockout at 2:50 of the first round