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MMA: Opio ready for Nigeria’s Thompson in Lagos
MMA fighter James Opio during training. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Opio had threatened to knock out Thompson on August 10 but the event was postponed due to nationwide protests in Nigeria.
Ugandan Mixed Martial Arts fighter James Opio is unfazed about his plans to knock out Nigerian Cornel Thompson, in Lagos when the two meet in a cage fight at the African Knockout (AKO) Championship this Saturday.
Opio had threatened to knock out Thompson on August 10 but the event was postponed due to nationwide protests in Nigeria.
Later, it was rescheduled to August 31. But Opio, who dreams of once winning the World Mixed Martial Arts title, felt somehow disrupted but will put in his best.
“I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to fight on 10th (August) then proceed with other things but I believe all things work out for the good and God has a reason for it,” Opio told Daily Monitor during a stopover in Nairobi.
In late March, Opio made a surprise entry into the franchise that imitates the lucrative UFC by knocking out Nigerian homeboy Abdul Basit in the second round, earning four points and a bonus, to place third in the lightweight division behind Benin’s Jean Dos Santos on 10 points and Nigeria’s Jibrin Baba on seven points.
Dos Santos, aka Black Panther, and Baba have three fights each while fourth-placed Ghana’s Richard Asiedu also has four points after winning one fight and losing the other.
In March Opio had little time to prepare for the fight. Now if he hadn’t switched off in the extra three weeks since the postponement, he should be more than ready.
Last time, Opio had to borrow the services of a Kenyan trainer. This time, he travelled with Josiah Lumunya, one of his trainers, who is also the AKO representative in Uganda.
Opio needs four wins to contest for the AKO lightweight title.
AKO: LIGHTWEIGHT STANDINGS
1. Jean Dos Santos (Benin), 10 points Black Panther
2. Jibrin Baba (Nigeria), 7pts
3. James Opio (Uganda), 4 pts
4. Richard Asiedu (Ghana), 4 pts
5. Cornel Thompson (Nigeria), 3pts
6. Emmanuel Nworie (Nigeria), 3pts
7. Lawrence Mukiibi (Uganda), 0 pts
8. Abdul Basit (Nigeria), 0 pts
9. Francis Ahizi, 0 pts
10. Kokou Olympio, 0 pts
