Mad Dog does a Demolition job
Lino came out aggressively and drew first blood with face damaging punches and ground and pound
Fans lifted the roof at the sold-out Sun Park Arena at Sibaya when Ballito’s Amanda “Mad Dog” Lino wrote EFC history, taking the inaugural women’s flyweight title, defeating Pretoria’s Jacqualine “Demolition Jacqui” Trosee on Saturday night.
Lino came out aggressively and drew first blood with face damaging punches and ground and pound.
An unrelenting Trosee took the punishment like a champ and kept coming back with powerful counter punches.
‘Mad Dog’ had the upper hand in the clinch and repeatedly brought Trosee down with textbook hip throws before defeating her four minutes and 52 seconds into round two with an armbar that forced Trosee to tap.
Lino exploded into celebration, dropping to her knees and then ecstatically running around the hexagon before acknowledging Trosee for giving her the best fight of her life.
“I have to give it to Jacqui, she is a tough opponent. She held on for a long time and I have to say congrats to her.”
Tipped as the favourite, the pressure was always on Lino, yet it did not bother her.
“This was the calmest I have ever felt before a fight. I said to my coach Rodney van der Vlugt there must have been something wrong with me because I was too calm.”
Although still just as aggressive, Lino has evolved into a more composed fighter and was stoked with her first submission.
“I am a different fighter all round and now that you have seen a little bit of my ground game, you know there is more to me than just coming out and throwing punches. I have been waiting to get a submission for a long time so when I saw Jacqui’s arm sticking out I took the armbar.”
EFC president, Cairo Howarth said he would personally love to see Lino defend her title against the French Mademoiselle, Isabelle Pare, who upset Lino last year at EFC 43 with a rear naked choke a minute into the first round.
Lino, who said now that she has the belt, she would never let it go. She relishes the prospect of being given a chance at payback and defending her title against Pare.
>> Expect to find the latest trends in Health, Wellness and Beauty in Ballito.
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