UFC Singapore - Day 3

Day 3:
The Fight!


Before the fight, a press conference was held to promote the next UFC fight in Macau on 1st March. The celebrity fight would be John Hathway VS Dong Hyun Kim (DHK)

DHK VS JOHN HEATHERWAY

A rugby player turned MMA fighter

DHK trying to be funny

Dinner was served with amazing foods among desserts and bread. Even the soup tasted amazing. It really goes to show how much money was really spent on this.

Now for the autograph session. Seriously at work are DHK, Cung Le and John H. 

DHK trying to do a funny face cos he said that all the pictures I took of him seems so serious

The game is about to start and due to the reshuffling of media seats, I wasn't able to be in the show to do the viewing at first. So I though this was the closest I could get to the game. Before it even began. Seriously how sad is that?!?!?!

So while in the screening room, though the PR Team were all way too busy running around trying to get things done, some not even have had their lunch yet even though it was sitting right in front of them. I kept bugging M to arrange something so I could go in and get some pictures and experience the show first hand. I mean, though I'm not a true blue fan of this sport, but really I don't think I should just sit around in a room watching on a screen how the fight ends. So while bumming, I was bugging too. Haha... And surprise surprise, after the first 2 games, M really got me seats. And not just seats. But ring side seats! Where all the senior writers from Yahoo, CNA, ST, etc were at. And I just couldn't believe that an amatuer like me would be given such chance to sit beside them and peep over their works. 

So at my seat, I could hear even the kicks the fighters served their opponents. How awesome is that?! But anyway, I still had to abide to the rules and not take pictures while the game was going on. So here are what I could manage. 

Finally met up with Jessica. And just as what I expected, she was amazingly friendly too. 

Well now for the main event. I could feel that the atmosphere in the room quickly changed. It got noisier and everyone were so excited the minute Lim and Saffiedine walked into the octagon. You could feel how prepared both of them were just by looking at their faces. 

Here comes Saffiedine

Jessica C - Round 1

Lim's team cheering him on at the side

Azusa - Round 2

After a couple of rounds, Lim was feeling the impact of Saffiedine's kicks and punches. The punches were so strong that Lim at some point couldn't even stand or look straight. And the kicks so lethal that after so many rounds, Lim could barely put any weight on it. But despite it all, Lim perservered and didn't give up. This made the final 5th round even more interesting than it already was. Lim was so fired up that towards the end, after letting out a loud and angry shout, he punched Saffiedine's face so many times that if the time didn't run out, it really was anyone's game. But unfortunately, time did run out and Saffiedine, who started out playing strategically and carefully and maintained all the way actually did win. I guess if Lim wasn't so much a striker but a thinker as well, maybe the game would have gone a little differently. But whatever it is, it is no doubt that among the rest of the fights, this was THE most interesting fight of the night. 

 Saffiedine has claimed his victory

Lim looking so battered and exhausted. But he really put up a good fight.

After the whole show ended, it was time to meet the winners and hear what they had to say. The winners were also awarded their bonuses of $50k each, and Royston was assured that the company would be happy to work with him again. But seriously, I was so tired that I really was just looking forward to seeing only LIM and SAFFIEDINE.

You can see how bruised their faces are 

And when Lim appeared, everyone was so shock at the state he was in just within half hour of walking out of the ring. His knee was so badly injured that it was double his usual size. And he couldn't put any weight on it. Probably for another good month or two. And his left eye was so swollen he couldn't even open it. 

So after the whole thing ended, it was time to pack up and head back. And nothing beats having a final picture of our underdog to end the night. In fact come to think of it, everyone I met during the media session who spoke of Royston all thought he wasn't going to make it because he was just too new. And one even said he came just to see him lie down and get carried out on a stretcher. And he would do a story on that. Hearing all these made me kinda angry at first for some reason. But I'm really proud now that he made it and proved himself worthy of a future we would all be proud of some day. Here's to your 5 years of training and counting! 

Good luck for your future

Special Thanks to: 

PR Team - W and M for letting me experience such an exciting event and letting me tag along and       

                  asking questions and entertaining me with all my lame questions. Best of all, you let me 

                  have the ultimate best seats I could only imagine and to see and interact with all the talents 

                  in the show

UFC - R and J you guys are the best for letting me walk all over the place and for lunch and ice creams 

            and to tell funny jokes

Luv,

Millie