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| Ivan Saldajeno |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PARAÑAQUE--The coronation of the second Filipino world MMA champion in the past two months happened in the wildest way possible.
But when the victor was named, at least a good size of the crowd at the Solaire Grand Ballroom were in shock.
Jenel Lausa became successful in his first world title shot as he won the vacant PXC flyweight belt by a split decision stunner over title favorite Crisanto Pipitunge early Sunday.
The all-Filipino main event of PXC 51 started around 12:23 a.m. and ended just before the clock struck 1 a.m.
But the pro-Pipitunge audience members got silenced when the scorecards revealed that two judges had it 48-47 Lausa with the other one giving Pipitunge the 48-47 lead.
Pipitunge tried to neutralize Lausa's boxing skills by going for the ground game, while the latter connected on a number of significant strikes, electrifying the good-sized Solaire Ballroom attendance.
In the end, however, Lausa and his supporters, including billiards legend Efren "Bata" Reyes, became jubilant with his fourth straight win.
Pipitunge, who once held the PXC bantamweight title before dropping weight, lost in his second bid to become the first Filipino MMA title to win a championship in two different divisions. He beat Alvin Cacdac in their supposed flyweight title match that was downgraded to a five-round non-title one when both fighters came in overweight, forcing Cacdac to vacate the belt.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
But when the victor was named, at least a good size of the crowd at the Solaire Grand Ballroom were in shock.
Jenel Lausa became successful in his first world title shot as he won the vacant PXC flyweight belt by a split decision stunner over title favorite Crisanto Pipitunge early Sunday.
The all-Filipino main event of PXC 51 started around 12:23 a.m. and ended just before the clock struck 1 a.m.
But the pro-Pipitunge audience members got silenced when the scorecards revealed that two judges had it 48-47 Lausa with the other one giving Pipitunge the 48-47 lead.
Pipitunge tried to neutralize Lausa's boxing skills by going for the ground game, while the latter connected on a number of significant strikes, electrifying the good-sized Solaire Ballroom attendance.
In the end, however, Lausa and his supporters, including billiards legend Efren "Bata" Reyes, became jubilant with his fourth straight win.
Pipitunge, who once held the PXC bantamweight title before dropping weight, lost in his second bid to become the first Filipino MMA title to win a championship in two different divisions. He beat Alvin Cacdac in their supposed flyweight title match that was downgraded to a five-round non-title one when both fighters came in overweight, forcing Cacdac to vacate the belt.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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