All fights for the UTMA 20 event have been confirmed, and the fight card is final. Spectators at the Vilnius Arena will witness no less than 15 top-level bouts featuring all the best fighters from Vilnius and major UTMA stars.
“We are anticipating one of the most interesting fights of the night between ‘good and evil’. Naglis Kanišauskas, stepping up to a higher weight class, will meet Ignas Pauliukevičius in this bout. Vilnius residents will also be able to see the returning Raimondas Avlasevičius, who will compete in a title eliminator for the chance to face UTMA 75 kg champion Nikola Cvetkovič. Another important fight is Tomas Banskis versus Isa Gocmen. They will fight in the semifinals for a chance to advance to the final, where the winner will claim 50,000 euros and the UTMA 81 kg kickboxing championship belt. We will see experience against a huge young talent. We will see who is better right now,” UTMA head Viktoras Gecas said about the highlights of the upcoming UTMA 20 event.
In the main event of the evening, Ignas Pauliukevičius (7-1, UTMA) will face Naglis Kanišauskas (4-1, UTMA). This will be an under 95 kg weight class bout scheduled for three rounds.
“The most intriguing part is that everyone probably understands this fight can be called ‘good vs. evil’. Although this metaphor isn’t entirely accurate to those who know Ignas personally, it probably fits the public perception. We saw what happened in the arena, we saw what happened during the face-off, and we saw that these men do not like each other. This fight is quite similar to the meeting between Edvinas Šalkovskis and Ignas Pauliukevičius, when they were even put into a cage together, so a similar emotion surrounds this fight as well,” stated V. Gecas.
In the evening’s co-main event, an under 75 kg weight class bout, Raimondas Avlasevičius will face Akramas Belmekki.
Perhaps the most important detail of this bout is that it will be a fight for the opportunity to challenge for the UTMA 75 kg kickboxing championship belt, a true title eliminator clash.
“Cvetkovič is already prepared and, to my knowledge, is waiting for his next opponent. If everything goes well and there are no fighter injuries in October, it is entirely possible that the 75 kg title defense could take place in November, closing out the UTMA year with a bang,” stated V. Gecas.
The semifinals of the 81 kg 8-man tournament will generate just as much intrigue. The winners of these semifinals will meet in the final at the UTMA 21 event to fight for the championship belt and the 50,000 euro prize.
In the first semifinal, Deividas Jemeljanovas (4-1, UTMA) will step into the ring against Rodrigo Mineiro (1-0, UTMA). In the quarterfinals back at UTMA 19, D. Jemeljanovas defeated Arnoldas Misiūnas, while Rodrigo Mineiro secured a victory over Oskaras Buinickas.
In the other semifinal, Tomas Banskis (5-0, UTMA) will meet Isa Gocmen (3-1, UTMA). In the quarterfinals, T. Banskis achieved victory over Mantvydas Perednis, and I. Gocmen overcame Ričardas Kulis.
Also bidding farewell to the ring and combat sports in Vilnius will be Tomas Pakutinskas. The Lithuanian combat sports legend will step into the ring for the final fight of his career in the 95+ kg weight class, where he will face Ion Grigore under kickboxing rules with small MMA gloves.
The talent-packed UTMA 20 fight card will also offer intrigue in the early prelims, which UTMA fans will be able to watch for free on the UTMA YouTube channel.
“A truly important bout will be between Arūnas Gruodis and Eimantas Zarėčnyj, as a kickboxing championship final will transition into the UTMA ring. Also appearing in the event and fighting each other will be Ainas Baranauskas and Armandas Maknys, who both recently earned UTMA contracts. These will be the first steps for these young fighters in the real UTMA ring,” stated V. Gecas.
This will be the third time a UTMA event takes place in the capital.
“It is always important for the organization to return to Vilnius, to continue building a connection with the capital’s fans, and to grow their ranks here. We are happy for this opportunity and hope that next year we will be able to increase the number of our events in the capital,” V. Gecas said.
Tickets for the UTMA 20 event, taking place on October 24 at the Vilnius Arena, are available via Bilietai.lt, and the PPV broadcast can be purchased at UTMA.lt.
