Video: Ahavat Hashem defeats John Lineker
Israeli fighter Ahavat Hashem (Golden Boy) Gordon had one of the greatest moments in his career on Monday when he defeated John Lineker in the headlining fight of the GFN 1 (Gordon Fight Night) event at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv. The sold-out crowd created an extraordinary atmosphere, transforming the fight night into an Israeli celebration.
The Lineker, an experienced Brazilian MMA fighter, went into the night with a record of 37 wins and 11 losses, compared to Gordon's perfect 12-0 record. The Israeli fighter began the fight with determination, looking to score his 13th victory. However, Lineker took advantage of his experience and won the first round.
The situation completely turned around in the second round, once Lineker began to show exhaustion, having trouble making contact. Gordon saw the opportunity, recovered quickly, and took control of the fight with a combination of punches and kicks. At the end of the round, which was clearly won by the Israeli, the arena exploded into cheers.
Three members of the Gordon family participated in the event: along with Ahavat Hashem's headliner, Ruach Hashem Gordon faced the Moldovan Maximus Bejenuta in a Muay Thai kickboxing match, while Kibedy Gordon met Jose Alberto Quinonez, knocking him out within a minute.
Video: Radek Štádler's moving speech
That being said, the one who stole the stage was the Czech fighter, Radek Štádler. While he lost his match against the Israeli Zohar Hayut with a TKO, he moved the crowd with what many described as the nicest speech of the night.
"I'm so happy to be here, making Israeli martial arts history," Štádler declared. "I'm so sad the fight was like this. I wanted to show you more. I'm so sad because all the people here pay for tickets for that ****, I'm sorry. I must say one thing: before this fight, I was an atheist. But you took me to Shiloh and to Jerusalem, and I see the path that Jesus took, and now I believe! Thank you, I love you guys!" he added and was met with a loud ovation.