The next tournament we set off for was the “MUAY THAI AND K-1 BALTIC CHAMPIONSHIP”.
On March 26, 2026, around 4:00 PM, we departed from the headquarters of our club, ARKADIA, and headed straight to the airport in Alicante. Our first stop was the airport in Wrocław, where we boarded a bus and drove towards Riga. During our journey, we drove across all of Poland and Lithuania, eventually arriving at our destination in Riga, Latvia. Since we arrived early before registration, we rested at our booked hotel, “Hampton by Hilton”. Around 4:00 PM, our fighters were registered and weighed. In the evening, from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, a meeting for coaches and referees took place, where the draw for individual pairings and brackets was held.
Our Arkadia fighters were seeded in the following classes and order:
- Fight 16: Jakub Nowakowski | Weight cat. 76 kg | Class N (0-5 fights) vs. Emilis Putinauskas (AMBER FIGHT GYM, Latvia)
- Fight 37: Mateo Gavilandes | Weight cat. 81 kg | Class N (0-5 fights) vs. Maxymilian Beibarovs (MTA, Latvia)
- Fight 39: Ruben Llido | Weight cat. 67 kg | Class N (0-5 fights) vs. Stephanne Muller (TKACHENKO GYM, Latvia)
- Fight 44: Azoddine Gaffa (Aziz) | Weight cat. 71 kg | Class A (5+ fights) vs. Samilis Dzamaldajevs (TKACHENKO GYM, Latvia)
Match Summaries:
- Jakub’s Fight: The match began with an offensive from the opponent, who was very aggressive and practically dominated the entire first round, primarily using boxing techniques. The beginning of the second round unfolded similarly, but halfway through, the opponent started to lose steam and Jakub began to make up ground. However, the judges still awarded the second round to the opponent. The third round was more evenly matched, and the opponent started catching Jakub’s kicks, which resulted in a point deduction for him near the end of the round. Unfortunately, Jakub lacked the stamina to tilt the verdict in his favor, and ultimately, the fighter from Latvia won deservedly.
- Mateo’s Fight: Mateo completely controlled his fight from the first to the last round, demonstrating superior technical and physical training. He perfectly executed his tactical game plan. There was even an opportunity to finish the fight early, but the referee intervened quite often whenever the opponent’s nose bled, sending our fighter to the neutral corner and thereby giving the Latvian fighter time to recover. The fight ended with a unanimous victory for our fighter.
- Ruben’s Fight: Our debutant in the up to 67 kg category, Ruben Llido, fought next. Ruben faced an opponent who already had 4 fights under his belt and showed himself from a very good side. All rounds were packed with action at a very fast pace with practically no breaks. Ultimately, our fighter lost on points with a very small margin in the judges’ scorecards. Thus, Ruben had a very good debut, with the fighter from Latvia taking the win.
- Aziz’s Fight: The last fight of the day, and also the final fight for our team, was Aziz’s bout. Aziz decided to fight in Class A, which meant he would certainly face a more experienced opponent, and that proved to be the case. His opponent had a vast amount of amateur and professional fights and was also a KOK federation professional belt holder. To the surprise of most fans and coaches, the first round was very aggressive, with Aziz being the dominant side. The next round started similarly under Aziz’s dictation, but over time, the opponent began to recover and increasingly showcased his skills. At the end of the second round, Aziz received an unfortunate kick to the inner part of his bicep, which aggravated an old injury. Ultimately, the doctor did not allow the fight to continue. After the fight, an ambulance took Aziz for an X-ray and examination of his arm. Following the check-up, Aziz was discharged from the hospital, and we headed back to the hotel.
Return Journey: On 1.03, after leaving the hotel, we began our return journey. Driving through Lithuania, we visited Vilnius before heading towards Poland to the Modlin airport. From there, we took off for Alicante at 5:55 AM.
I am satisfied with our fighters’ performance. They gained more experience, which will certainly pay off in their future competitions.
Special Thanks:
- Michał Bilowszczuk: for help in the corner.
- Arek, Patryk, Łukasz: for help with transporting our team.
