It’s 2013 and an Argentinian Fox Affiliate is broadcasting a kickboxing meetup between their own nation and Brazil. Like all neighboring places, Argentina and Brazil share a lot of common culture as well as a bitter rivalry.
The featured fight on the card was Ignacio “El Missil” Capllonch (Argentina) versus Eduardo Viera (Brazil).
Both men entered the ring quickly and you can instantly tell that the hometown fighter “El Missil”, was the clear fan favorite.
His Tae Kwon Do based kickboxing style is a crowd-pleaser, but is it enough to stop a Brazilian Muay Thai fighter ready to defend his nation’s honor? After the introductions and a touch of the gloves, the long awaited match up begins.
Viera throws a quick jab to judge distance, then follows it with a one-two. After a high kick is blocked by Capllonch, he throws a well placed low kick to the inside of Viera’s right leg. The kick seems to surprise him a bit due to the speed and knowledge of Muay Thai coming from someone billed as a TKD champion.
“>
Viera shuffles back and throws a left Teep to gain some distance between himself and Capllonch, which Capllonch answers with a sidekick. Viera throws a right hook and then catches a ducking Capllonch with a short knee after a quick clinch.
The referee separates the fighters and it looks like the beginning of the round, a one-two by Viera and another low kick by Capllonch. Ignacio moves forward and Viera toward the corner throwing some meaningless shots in Capllonch’s direction.
On his way out of the corner “El Missil” shows he earned the nickname as he places another furious kick on Viera’s leg which clearly gets his attention. Capllonch continues to chase him down and throws a jump spin roundhouse that Viera narrowly avoids. Before he can gain his composure however, Capllonch throws a jump spin back kick that sends Viera to the canvas.
Not looking terribly hurt an utterly overwhelmed Viera throws out a “no mas” and the crowd celebrates.
While entertaining, this was certainly not competitive in the least. Another classic example of promoters putting asses in seats by putting an exciting hometown fighter against a hopelessly overmatched competitor.
