A rematch for the 75 kg kickboxing championship belt will take place at the UTMA 21 tournament – the current champion Nikola Cvetkovič (3-0, UTMA) will defend his title against Raimondas Avlasevičius (5-1-1, UTMA).
This fight will take place in the under 75 kg weight category, and is scheduled for five rounds.
“The 75 kg category is extremely large, title defenses happen frequently, and we are happy about that. In some ways, this category is similar to the 67 kg category, as there is a lot of competition in it. We hope that fighters returning from injury will make this category even stronger, and in the future, we will see even more uncompromising fights,” stated UTMA CEO Viktoras Gecas.
The UTMA 21 tournament will take place on November 28 in Kaunas, at the “Žalgiris” Arena. Tickets are distributed by kakava.lt, and the PPV broadcast can be purchased at UTMA.lt.
This will be the second meeting between these fighters; however, this time the belt is in the hands of the other fighter.
R. Avlasevičius won the UTMA 75 kg kickboxing championship belt back at the UTMA 12 tournament when he defeated his teammate Henrikas Vikšraitis.
The “Sparta” gym fighter had to defend the title at the UTMA 13 tournament – that is exactly where N. Cvetkovič got his chance as a replacement.
Although the fight was competitive and it seemed that the momentum was shifting in R. Avlasevičius’s favor, ultimately N. Cvetkovič managed to secure a victory in the fourth round and took over the championship belt.
Following this tournament, N. Cvetkovič defended the title one more time – the Serbian did so at the UTMA 17 tournament when he defeated Nauris Lukošiūnas.
“Nikola is one of the highest-level fighters in the world; it won’t be easy for anyone in the UTMA organization against him. He is a true professional and has proven this on more than one occasion. A long climb up a very high mountain awaits Raimondas,” commented the head of UTMA.
After the UTMA 13 tournament, R. Avlasevičius appeared in the UTMA ring two more times – at the UTMA 17 tournament, he defeated Sabri Ben Henia by technical knockout in the second round, and at the very recent UTMA 20 tournament, in a bout for the opportunity to face the champion, he confidently defeated Akram Belmekki.
“Raimondas left a good impression at the UTMA 20 tournament. I really liked his adaptability. Akram might have surprised him a bit at the beginning, but Raimondas adapted very quickly – two solid knockdowns and an even more solid victory. We will see how he looks against the champion,” said V. Gecas.
The head of UTMA emphasizes that this will be a top-level kickboxing fight – not only within the UTMA organization but also in a global context.
“This is already a fight of a corresponding caliber in Lithuania and the world. Both participants of this bout could easily fight other representatives of the 75 kg category – whether in ‘ONE’ or ‘Glory’. I believe that this category and its rankings will get stronger and will be filled with the best foreign and Lithuanian fighters,” stated V. Gecas.
The UTMA 21 tournament will take place on November 28 in Kaunas, at the “Žalgiris” Arena. Tickets are distributed by kakava.lt, and the PPV broadcast can be purchased at UTMA.lt.
