FIGHT PREVIEW - Ross Levine vs Igor De Castañeda II
by Mac Tyson • 2023. Mar 03
Ross “Turbo” Levine became the undisputed Middleweight Champion at the Season 4 Finale last year. Turbo earned his title shot with a spectacular spinning hook kick KO against Igor “The Iberian Bull” De Castañeda. While this was a very flashy technique, Levine didn’t get lucky with this shot. The entire sequence perfectly encapsulates Ross Levine’s striking.
Turbo set up this kick first with a Go No Sen counter (taking the initiative immediately after the opponent attacks). He countered with a clean Ura Tsuki (Uppercut) and lead Kagi Tsuki (Short Hook) combination that landed flush as well as a Jodan Mawashi Geri (High Roundhouse Kick) that barely missed.
Ross Levine then steps forward switching stances as a feint to gauge a reaction out of the opponent. Seeing he is still dazed from the Ura Tsuki he makes a split second decision to throw this spinning hook kick against his opponent leaning against the Pit wall. Getting the KO via a wall extension combo like something out of Bandai Namco’s Tekken.
However, some including Igor have contested that it was an early stoppage. Some have argued that since Igor stepped up immediately after the fight was stopped that he should have been allowed to continue. While others have argued that it’s the referees job to ensure the safety of the fighters and that it was a good stoppage.
Either way, since this loss De Castañeda has found himself back in the win column with a devastating KO of Franklin Mina. Igor set this KO up by slipping low and clinching Mina in the first two rounds. Then in the third round he slipped down low again but when Mina thought he was going to clinch again, he hit him clean with a devastating right hand that KO his opponent cold. This punching power is one of Igor De Castañeda’s greatest weapons in the Pit.
When asked after the fight if he wanted to fight Ross Levine again for the title, De Castañeda responded by asking who’s Ross Levine?
This slightly irked the Champion who was in attendance. It also didn’t help that Sasha Palatnikov forgot his name and called him Adam Levine in his Post-fight Interview. But Ross Levine is determined to remind everyone why he’s on the top of the mountain in this next fight.