Burnaby, B.C. played host to a memorable evening at Mamba Fight Night 8 on Friday night.
The main event saw Gagan Gill (now 3-1) bounce back from his first pro defeat a year ago, putting away Grant Gorsegner (now 0-2) via first-round TKO.
Gill and Gorsegner exchanged strikes on the feet for most of the opening round until Gill unleashed a brutal elbow that opened a gash on Gorsegner's face, then finished the job with ground and pound late in the round.
The co-main featured Keanan Kellar (now 2-0) picking up a unanimous decision over Johnny James Jr. (now 1-1) in a clash between promising prospects.
Kellar weathered a heavy shot and a double-leg takedown early in round one, spending much of that period on his back, but rallied to control the remaining two rounds and secure the win.
"The fight played out exactly how I envisioned it against Johnny. I wanted a quality matchup and I wanted to push through some adversity," Kellar told MMA Empire.
"He landed a solid shot in round one and took my back. It was tough to get comfortable. But in the second round I came out composed, kept my composure, and controlled things for the rest of the fight."
After winning his pro debut at Rise FC 4, Kellar had difficulty finding an opponent as several potential matchups fell apart.
The young fighter sees this win as a positive indicator and has already identified a specific challenger he'd like to face.
"I'd love to step in the cage with Colton Cronkite. He's probably ranked higher right now since he's 3-0 and I'm 2-0, but he's faced some easy competition and I'd love to show him what I'm really made of," Kellar said.
"That's the kind of fight I'd love to get next."
Sitthikoun Now a Champ
At the amateur welterweight championship, Sean Sitthikoun (now 3-2) captured his maiden title, stopping Joe Westbrook (now 2-4) with a second-round TKO.
Sitthikoun reflected afterward that he felt noticeably more at ease and self-assured entering this bout compared to previous outings, and that mental shift was evident in his performance.
"I was genuinely at peace going into this fight," Sitthikoun told MMA Empire. "Normally I get fired up before stepping in, but this time I stayed completely composed, and that carried right through to the cage."
"I could read everything he was throwing. I stayed methodical the entire time. Felt like I was running through a video game."
With five amateur bouts under his belt and a newly minted championship around his waist, Sitthikoun says he intends to maintain his upward trajectory.
His goals are clear: seek out the hardest tests, defend his title, and potentially rack up more gold.
"I'm geared up to keep grinding, step up to stronger competition, grab additional belts, protect this one, whatever comes next," Sitthikoun said.
"I haven't picked a specific target yet. My focus is getting back into camp, staying injury-free, staying prepared, and facing whoever proves the most difficult."
Bernie Liu claimed the amateur lightweight crown, while Jag Bhullar and Bruce Hamilton also secured victories on the card.
