One of Russia’s most exciting regional promotions is back in action this week: Absolute Championship Akhmat. ACA 114 is set to go down in Lodz, Poland, and in a week short on MMA action, it will hopefully tide fans over.
At ACA 114, the main card kicks off with a middleweight bout between Bartosz Leśko (9-1-2) and Rene Pessoa (22-6). Following the opener, featherweights are on deck with Dmitriy Parubchenko (14-1) facing Leonardo Limberger (13-1). The night moves on with Romanian Aurel Pîrtea (21-11), squaring off with Georgian native, Levan Makashvili (17-3-1). After that, Rafał Haratyk (13-3-2) will have a chance to represent Poland when he battles the Bulgarian, Nikola Dipchikov (19-7) in the co-main event. Finally, the monster fight card is topped with a vacant heavyweight title fight, as Daniel Omielańczuk (24-9-1) and Tony Johnson Jr. (13-5-1) square off. Action starts with six preliminary bouts and the event will ultimately end with someone taking home gold.
Bartosz Leśko vs. Rene Pessoa
Dmitriy Parubchenko vs. Leonardo Limberger
The Ukranian born Parubchenko went fourteen wins before encountering defeat. Even though he suffered his first loss to Lom-Ali Eskijew via strikes, he amassed a lot of wins before that. Unlike Limberger’s style, the Ukranian has shown a lot of finishing power. Prior to his only loss, Parubchenko’s “club and sub” style was the perfect combination. Now, the pressures of being an undefeated fighter vanish, and the Ukrainian native will need to adapt to the changing winds. Unlike Parubchenko, Limberger has less finishing ability. Since his acumen for competing has kept him unbeaten since 2013, Limberger holds the momentum at ACA 114.
Aurel Pîrtea vs. Levan Makashvili
After a dominant second round TKO at ACA 109, Makashvili reiterated his dominance in the lightweight division. In Pîrtea’s defense, he has an extremely dangerous guillotine choke. Ideally it would serve the Georgian to close the distance, since most of his wins have come by way of submission. Pîrtea has shown his capacity for grappling with quick finishes in the first round, to also submitting foes late into the final rounds. Ultimately the threat of a quick submission may cause Makashvili to play it safe at the beginning.
ACA 114 Co Main Event – Rafał Haratyk vs. Nikola Dipchikov
ACA 114 Main Event – Daniel Omielańczuk vs. Tony Johnson Jr.
Fighting out of Nashville MMA where UFC athlete Dustin Ortiz trains, Johnson is looking to capitalize on this vacant heavyweight title opportunity. The “Hulk” Johnson is looking to make a statement after dropping a decision loss to the formidable Evgeny Goncharov. Evidently, Johnson would show more than just typical heavyweight power, as he opened eyes at ACA 92: Poland with a submission win. Now the American-born fighter, will look to use every tool available at ACA 114.
Opposite to Johnson, Omielańczuk is riding momentum with a four fight win streak. Without a doubt, Omielańczuk’s power will be the story of the fight. At heavyweight, it doesn’t take much so Johnson will need to be extra careful. The Polish wrecking machine stopped his last three opponents in round one by strikes and retired one of them. Omielańczuk will undoubtedly look to end the fight early to secure the vacant heavyweight title. Get ready for all the action live November 26, 10AM ET! But first, let’s take a look at the preliminary bouts.
