Namibian MMA fighter Damian Muller is through to the semifinals of the flyweight category after beating Mauro Silva of Angola on a second round TKO at the MMA Africa Championships in Windhoek on Thursday.
In a dominant performance, Muller set the pace from the start and although the fighters mostly clinched in the first round, Muller broke free in the second, pinning Silva to the ground and after a barrage of unanswered blows, the referee stopped the fight.
Muller said it was a great fight.
“It was a phenomenal experience – he’s an extreme striker and a two-time bantamweight champion, so right now it’s electrifying and I’m ready, the job’s not done, tomorrow is another round with a new opponent,” he said.
“There was a lot of talk and hype around him (Silva), if you just check on immaf.org, it’s been a highly anticipated fight and of course that type of stuff puts you on your nerves a bit, but I just went in there, I trusted what I had in my skillset, and we delivered another win,” he added.
“Knowing that he is a great striker, we knew that he wanted to keep the fight standing up, so I tried to tire him out at his own game, and then from there I took him to the ground and executed my gameplan. My striking is not bad at all but I definitely think people underestimate my strength and my explosiveness, because of my small stature and as they say, ‘dynamite comes in small packages’, so I’m just very happy to have secured another win,” he said, adding that he hopes to go all the way and win the gold medal.
“That’s the job, that’s what we need to complete the job. Thats the aim, that’s the goal, it’s God’s will at the end of the day, nothing is possible without him and I think it’s written in the stars for me if it’s in his will.”
Muller’s compatriot Jayden Iiyambo, however, lost his lightweight quarterfinal fight to Ken Salah of DR Congo when he was overwhelmed in the second round and the referee stopped thefight.
In other quarterfinal results, TJ Esterhuizen of South Africa beat Martial Mballa of Cameroon in a lightweight fight; Ricardo Pireza of Angola beat Daniel Wadieh of Ghana in a lightweight fight; and Josue Wawina of the DRC beat Rafael Viegas of Angola in a welterweight fight.
The semifinals take place today and the finals tomorrow at the Hybrid Fitness Centre.
