Battered, bloodied and bruised, Australian Adrian 'The Hunter' Pang bravely came back for more and was rewarded for his courage in the end - although some spectators at last night's Legend Championship did not agree with the result at Hitec's Star Hall in Kowloon Bay.
Pang, fighting for the first time in Hong Kong, in last night's main attraction, was in trouble early in the first round of his 70kg fight with South Korea's Nam Yui-chul, but came back strongly in the third round before the fight was declared a draw.
The 29-year-old Pang, who lives in Brisbane, but spent some time training in Hong Kong as a teenager, had the upper hand late in the third round after being dominated in the first two rounds. But time ran out for him just as it seemed the contest might swing his way. The Korean was a surprise and had showed his skills from the onset when landing several punches to Pang's head, opening a deep cut in the Australian's right eye.
Pang needed treatment and was bothered by his bloodied eye in the second round as the Korean sensed victory. But Pang stood his ground and, despite twice being hit in the groin for which his Korean opponent was given a warning, Pang finished the stronger fighter. After five minutes anxiously waiting for the judges' scorecard to be calculated, the result was finally declared a majority draw.
Some fight fans disagreed with the result, but Pang had no qualms with the result as Hong Kong witnessed a mixed martial arts competition for the first time. 'I must thank the crowd. I thought it was a really good fight and my Korean opponent was a really tough opponent. He hit me in the groin twice, but it was OK. It wouldn't have changed anything. If the crowd wants a rematch, I am ready anytime,' Pang said.
'He hit me in the eye early and it was harder for me to judge the distance, so I was slower to get started. Nam is tough and very strong.