The Colombian finished his opponent in the second round – credit ONE Championship
Although the most popular sports in Colombia are football, cycling and boxing, there are other disciplines that are gradually gaining followers and practitioners in the country, mainly in the field of contact sports such as mixed martial arts.
One of the most prominent exponents of the country today is Johan Estupiñán, who is also called “Panda Kick” for the way he uses his legs to hit his rivals in Muay Thai.a sport that is performed standing up and in which punches, elbows, knees and kicks are permitted, as well as throwing and grabbing.
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The impact that Estupiñán has had is such that on the night of September 6, opened the card for ONE Championship 168, a fighting company headquartered in Singaporewhich is compared in magnitude and reach to the UFC. This event was special because it marked the end of the career of Demetrious Johnson, the company’s champion who at 38 years old decided to stop fighting and dedicate himself to other projects.
“As always, I will leave Colombia at the top of Muay Thai worldwide. Thank you to all who support me,” was Estupiñán’s message to his fans before the fight.
The Colombian opened the card on September 6 – credit ONE championship
It should be remembered that this was not the Colombian’s first fight for ONE Championship, as in May he defeated Japanese Kouta Omori and in July he beat Zafer Sayik, So at ONE 168 he was looking for a new victory, this time against the American Sean Climaco, which would allow him to climb several positions in the ranking of the flyweight category..
During his entrance, the Colombian surprised those present by not using the octagon door and instead entering through the upper part of the sports arena, which would demonstrate the energy that the 21-year-old from Valle del Cauca had.
In the first round, Estupiñán and his rival hit each other on different occasions, but it was not until the end of the second round that the Colombian managed to connect with his opponent on several occasions, which caused the referee to stop the fight and end the match by technical knockout in favor of the Latino.
“Johan Estupiñán stops Sean Climaco in a back-and-forth Banger”was the way the Singaporean company announced the Colombian’s victory on its social networks.
Estupiñán earned a performance bonus at ONE 168 – credit ONE Championship
This was not the highlight of the night for Estupiñán, who after celebrating with his coaches, He was informed that the company would reward him with a performance bonus of $50,000 dollars, which is equivalent to just over 200 million pesos..
In addition to being a reference in contact sports in Colombia, “Panda Kick” is also referenced for his story, since when he was a child he was handed over along with his brothers to the Family Welfare Fund due to the economic difficulties his mother had, who after obtaining a stable job returned for her children.
In the district of Agua Blanca, Cali, he began training mixed martial arts and In 2021, his work allowed him to be crowned at the 2021 IFMA World Championship, being the first Colombian to achieve a triumph of this magnitude..
This allowed him to advance through several promotions until he reached ONE Championship with a record of 25 wins and zero losses. After the victory against Climaco, the Colombian is expected to face a fighter from the flyweight ranking in his next fight and then he can go for the title, which is currently held by Rodtang Jitmuangnon.
