Ireland’s Muay Thai fighters showcase skills at UK’s Machines on Fire

Three Irish combatants featured on the main card of Machines on Fire in Merseyside on Saturday night.

Waterford Thai’s Mohammed Kalf and Shane McConnell, along with Warriors’s Daryl Flood, represented Ireland credibly.

As did Kamikaze’s Maruisz Brozda, who fought on the undercard.

Mohammed Kalf became the new WRSA Celtic titleholder (70KG) after beating Robbie Collins in an enthralling five round battle.

Both men fought with poise and picked their shots beautifully; an unenviable fight to judge.

When the MC prepared to announce the winner, few present could have predicted the outcome with concrete certainty.

But Mohammed Kalf’s hand was raised, his performance deserving of a title.

Kalf is an intelligent fighter with sharp accuracy in his striking; he will entertain crowds for years to come.

Before Shane McConnell clashed with Dan Butler on Saturday night, my colleges told me that McConnnell was one to look out for.

And as the bell rang seconds later, McConnell sprang to the centre of the ring and stung Butler with a spinning heel kick to the stomach.

McConnell has rapid movement and he danced in and out of range with scintillating fluidity.

At the close of round one he received a clean punch to the head, but shrugged it off coolly. Round two was tight before McConnell became more dominant and clinical as the bout progressed.

Butler endured some scathing shots which were frequent in number and ominous in impact.

To survive the distance is testament to his durability.

Deservingly McConnell was named the winner.

Muay Thai followers in Ireland know what a talent Daryl Flood is. On Saturday he suffered a loss to Kyle Schofield via decision.

Schofield is an exceptional combatant and Flood looked more than worthy to be competing with him in the ring.

Flood’s fought in Mexico, Dublin and now the UK in quick succession.

To be achieving such experiences at 17 is staggering, and being under the tutelage of Cian Cowley makes for an exciting mix.

A future rematch with Schofield is one for fans to look forward to.

Flood will have learned more from the loss to Schofield than his phenomenal victory on the Takeover 7 just two weeks earlier.

If Daryl Flood maintains this progression he will help fuel the continued growth of martial arts in Ireland.

Maruisz Brozda came up marginally short against James Grayson in an evenly matched three round contest.

A venomous right hand is Brozda’s most threatening weapon; Grayson felt the force of it on occasion.

Brozda is one of the most compelling amateur Muay Thai fighters in Ireland to watch. No matter the scorecards, he could detonate his right hand at any instant, potentially disastrous for an opponent.

He connected with his signature punch as the final bell approached which troubled Grayson. But it was too late and Grayson was commendably granted the decision.