It's Showtime: Sporthallen Zuid Amsterdam Afterthoughts

Sunday's main card opened up with an extremely exciting bout between Chahid Oulad el Hadj and Robin van Roosmalen. Although van Roosmalen is perhaps not easily recognized by more casual fans, he really delivered in this bout. Van Roosmalen's speed and ability to dictate the pace of the fight really were the difference here, as he appeared to narrowly take the first and third rounds. El Hadj managed to land vicious blows at times, but was plainly outdone by van Roosmalen. Truly a great bout, and it's a great thing that the notoriety which Chahid Oulad el Hadj has gained after his recent bouts will allow a fighter like Robin van Roosmalen to get some extra attention.

The second offering on the main card saw Rachid Belaini take on William Diender in a rematch of their 2008 bout, which Diender won by decision. Although Diender was victorious in 2008, Belaini did break his jaw in the course of the action and the two men stated a certain dislike for one another in the lead up to this rematch. It certainly did deliver, as Diender effectively used a distinct size advantage to control where the bout took place. Although Belaini spent much of the bout up against the ropes or backed into a corner, Diender's utter disregard for defense left him continually open for counters. Belaini was more than happy to oblige, landing a number of solid left hooks in a spirit effort. It plainly wasn't enough though. Diender threw and threw and then threw some more. The first round was rather close, but Diender ran away with it on the scorecards and took a unanimous decision.

Wendell Roche entered his 95kg. MAX title bout against Danyo Ilunga joking that he might be the father of his German opponent (both men tracing their heritage to the Congo). Well, Roche certainly tried to fight the fight of an experienced man, but Ilunga used effective movement and a stiff jab to make him look old early. The closest thing to an opportunity that Roche had came in the fifth and final round, as he stumbled Ilunga momentarily. He plainly didn't have the energy to follow up however, and Ilunga returned to form and finished the bout strong. Danyo Ilunga is not someone whose name has been heard by many fans, but with him coming out of nowhere to defeat a strong veteran like Wendell Roche and capture an It's Showtime title, you should expect more great things from him in the future.

A look at the three final bouts after the jump.

The Ukranian Artur Kyshenko entered his bout Sunday with many wondering just how he might look in light of his recent move to the famed Mike's Gym. Certainly, Kyshenko was already training there for his December victory over Marcus Oberg, but with the extra time with the camp and the larger stage, there was real intrigue in his bout with Gago Drago. As it turned out, the move to Mike's Gym appears to have been everything we thought it might be for Kyshenko. The K-1 MAX veteran decisively beat Drago over the course of three rounds in a fan friendly affair. Drago tried with his leg kicks, which at one point seemed to be his only hope. It was a spirited effort, but Kyshenko was too sharp and too quick. Kyshenko dominated with his southpaw stance, landing his cross almost at will at times. He also worked to the body effectively, threw a number of excellent knees, and sent a head kick or two in Drago's direction. There is still talk of Kyshenko meeting up with Giorgio Petrosyan later in the year, but personally I would like to see a bout between him and It's Showtime 70kg. MAX champion Chris Ngimbi.

Andy Souwer affirmed his spot among the top fighters in the world as he took on L'houcine Ouzgni in another 70kg. battle. Ouzgni was unable to use his distinct height and reach advantage, with Souwer working leg kicks effectively and throwing combinations that gave the Moroccan-Dutch fighter absolute fits. While the first round was well contested, the beginning of the end came early in the second as Souwer sent Ouzgni to the canvas with a wonderful left hook. From there, Souwer used wonderful hand speed in working to the body and tacked on leg kicks for good measure. He was declared the winner by unanimous decision following the third round. Despite the defeat, it is evident that Ouzgni could be a real force in either the 77kg. or 70kg. divisions. I don't buy that the weight cut is too much for him, but either way, I anticipate success wherever he ends up.

The main event of the evening saw Hesdy Gerges and Daniel Ghita go all out. Honestly, it's impossible to have not enjoyed this bout. The first round saw a number of leg kicks that was almost incomprehensible, with Ghita throwing the bigger share. Be that as it may, Gerges used superior hand speed to narrowly take the round, landing a particularly nice set of crosses later in the round. The second round was more definitive, as Gerges dominated with his hands early. In response, Ghita dropped his hands and Gerges proceeded to punch him a number of times. Truly a wild moment. Later in the round, what appeared to be a low blow sent Ghita to the canvas. Unfortunately for the Romanian K-1 veteran, it was determined a knockdown and he received a standing eight count. Ghita did solid work with his kicks throughout the round again and surged toward the end, but the damage was done. The third was an entirely different story however, as Ghita - who looked to be fading earlier - poured it on and wore Gerges out with a number of punches and kicks to the body. With under a minute to go, Ghita wobbled Gerges with a huge right hand. The two fighters exchanged right hands once more and the bout wound down with a little more action. The third round was not enough for Ghita, however, and Hesdy Gerges won via unanimous decision. Following the bout, I'm sure that many of us are thinking the same thing: we need to see the second edition of Badr Hari vs. Hesdy Gerges.

This was an amazing card. I don't have much else to say as far as the general tone of it goes. No stoppages on the main card, but wonderful action. If you watched it, thanks for joining us and we hope you enjoyed the coverage. If you missed it, I'm sorry. We'll have videos when they become available.