After 650 days as the UTMA 81 kg kickboxing champion, Mindaugas Narauskas is stepping down from the throne, leaving the championship belt up for grabs.
“If it weren’t for my injury, I would be the champion of both the 75 kg and 81 kg divisions. But for now, everything is pushed back. I’m vacating the 81 kg class to give others a chance, and I will return to the 75 kg division, which suits me better, to chase the belt there,” Narauskas stated.
Having made his promotional debut at UTMA 3, M. Narauskas generated the most intrigue through his matchups against Dominykas Dirkstys, ultimately capturing the championship belt against this very fighter.
UTMA 9 featured the rematch between M. Narauskas and D. Dirkstys. Following a grueling battle, M. Narauskas secured the victory and became the UTMA 81 kg kickboxing champion.
Since then, 650 days have passed, and M. Narauskas is finally vacating the title – one that no one managed to take from him.
“This was one of the very first UTMA belts and a significant milestone for the organization’s growth. Moving forward, we have changes coming to the organization, which we will introduce in the near future. The title itself means a lot, and the fact that Mindaugas is vacating it now doesn’t make him any lesser or weaker as a fighter – he wants to compete at 75 kg because he feels he can’t unlock his full potential at 81 kg,” commented UTMA Head Viktoras Gecas.
Following the UTMA 9 tournament, M. Narauskas never returned to the 81 kg weight class: he fought to a draw against Raimondas Avlasevičius in a 75 kg bout at UTMA 10, fell to Ričardas Kulis in the 79 kg category at UTMA 16, and suffered a defeat against Akram Belmekki in the 75 kg division during UTMA 17.
Over the summer, the UTMA organization is heavily putting in the work behind the scenes, with one of the key tasks being a thorough review of the weight classes, their contenders, and the championship belts. As the promotion gears up for its upcoming events, UTMA will deliver even more structural updates.
“The time had come for this decision. Mindaugas has a lot of unfinished business in the 75 kg division. This is a good move both for him and for the entire promotion. Soon, we will witness more than one fierce battle on the road to crowning a new 81 kg champion, and we will soon see the top fighters in the 81 kg division clash for gold. With guys like Tomas Banskis, Isa Gocmen, and many others, this category is going to be red hot,” Gecas said.
