Friday Night Fights returned to Broad Street Ball Room last Friday (6/15) for another round of high intensity muay thai fights. In total, twelve fights went down on a card mixed with men/women, professional/amateur, and modified/full rules. The fights were again featured on UFC’s Fight Pass. Here’s some highlights of the action:

Hannah Edmunds is fantastic

One of the early fights featured two lesser known fighters: Hannah Edmunds (4-3) vs Danielle StLouis (5-1) (pictured on the left in the above photo). I’m not one to speculate on a female’s age, but Edmunds was clearly the elder in this battle. I had seen her before on Raktan’s Instagram and was very impressed that someone her age was shredding pads. But, I hadn’t realized she was a bona fide amateur muay thai fighter. So, when I saw her calmly entering the ring, you could say I was a little surprised (as I’m sure many other viewers were). But, this lady is the real deal. Her kicks were nimble and her boxing on point. Unfortunately, Edmunds did not come away with the victory on this night. But, her spectacular display of athleticism at her age is inspiring. Keep killing it, Hannah!!!

2. Troy Jones and Ariel Abreu had the fight of the night

Arield Abreu and Troy “Trouble” Jones faced off in the 170 lbs division co-main event of the evening. This was Abreu’s fifth professional fight and Jones’ eighth and was worth every penny of admission. Abreu and Jones traded in a fury of kicks, knees, fists, and one GIGANTIC elbow (which you can see in the video above from Friday Night Fights). The two came out of the gates swinging, much to the delight of the crowd. Jones appeared to be the more veteran fighter in the clinch, leading to the massive, fight ending elbow. His nickname proved true; trouble indeed.

3. Ognjen Topic proved, again, why he’s one of the best American Thai boxers

A three-time world champion, Topic is one of the most well known American Thai boxers, with sponsorship from InFightStyle and Onnit. His kicks are notoriously viscous. He finished his bout with Miguel Martinez early in the first round in the main event of the night, again showing why he’s America’s #1 ranked fighter and improving his professional record to 31-20-2.

Side note: I was fortunate enough to sit by Topic’s father who was a very sweet Serbian gentleman. He told me Topic’s mother doesn’t attend the fights, due to the stress of watching her son in participate in a brutal martial art. After Topic had secured the victory, he looked to his old man and gave him a wink. What a Father’s Day present!