Syafiq vows to return after quick KO

SINGAPORE- It was short, brutal and decisive and left Syafiq "The Slasher" Abdul Samad hoping he can rebuild his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

The 20-year-old Juggernaut Fight Club instructor was knocked out cold by South Korea's Hwang Gyo Pyung after just 42 seconds of their lightweight contest on Rebel Fighting Championship's inaugural bill at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

"I was trying to close in and got hit by something but I don't really know what happened," said Syafiq of Hwang's flying knee to the jaw that detached him from his senses in the co-main event of a 12-fight card.

"I tried my best. I feel bad that I let down people who came out to support me, because they gave me a really good reception.

"I felt great in there, Hwang was smiling at me and then it was all over.

"I'm going to take a break and then get back in the gym to try and work out a few things."

It was the Republic Polytechnic student's first defeat in three professional MMA contests although his young age - and the rare nature of his defeat - left others confident that he will be able to return in style.

"This was a small setback but it only paves the way for a bigger comeback," said fellow Juggernaut instructor Muhammad Abdillah Alkhatib.

Syafiq was not the only fighter to succumb to an early finish on the show, which played out in front of many empty seats.

Three of the seven amateur contests did not make it out of the first round while four of the five professional bouts also ended in the opening session.

Australia's Rob Lisita took his top-of-the-bill featherweight contest against Takeshi Inoue into the comparatively deep waters of the second round, before finishing his Japanese rival with a bulldog choke.

"I'm strong, I don't lift weights and I don't take steroids, I'm just a beast," bragged 30-year-old Lisita after becoming the first man to submit Inoue in 29 contests.

After paying tribute to everyone from God to his mother, he added: "This show beats any other show in Singapore."

That statement may not sit well with fans of One Fighting Championship, which attracts much bigger audiences, or America's Ultimate Fighting Championship organisation, which hosts its first show in South-east Asia at Marina Bay Sands on Jan 4.

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