Gabriel Varga’s performance in the GLORY 17 LOS ANGELES Featherweight Contender Tournament was outstanding, a master class of technique, heart and skill.
In the semi-finals, the Canadian faced young Thai prospect Yodkhunpon Sitmonchai (83-22-1, 51 KO’s), a highly-ranked fighter from the Muay Thai world who, despite being just 20 years old, already has nearly a hundred professional fights to his name.
Varga then met Shane Oblonsky (9-3, 3 KO’s) of California in the final. Oblonsky is a fighter who likes to get stuck in and throw heavy leather. After his technical display against Sitmonchai, Varga had to wade into the trenches for a firefight with Oblonsky.
“I felt strong and good in both fights,” says Varga, who rises to 22-5 with 8 KO’s. “Now I want to follow [welterweight champion] Joe Valtellini’s lead and bring another belt back to Canada.”
When he looks back on his tournament fights last weekend, Varga is largely more than satisfied with his performance.
“The first one went exactly according to plan. We trained specifically to face Sitmonchai and yeah, no complaints, it was easier than I thought it would be.
“The second fight was the surprise. I thought I would cruise through that one and that one was the harder of the two.
“I perform better when I have a gameplan so jumping in against a surprise opponent on a half-hour’s notice doesn’t suit me as well as just preparing for one opponent.”
On facing Sitmonchai, Varga says preparation was the key. “We trained for his jumping knees and making sure we were ready to deal with his right round kick. He’s very good at throwing his round kick then stepping off to his left and throwing another one.
“When he throws his right kick he will follow with a cross before he drops his foot. Little off-beat timing tricks that he has which I didn’t want to get caught with. I think I did a good job of avoiding those.”
Often the shorter Sitmonchai was left swinging at air as Varga broke away after delivering his combinations. In the final round the Thai’s face was the very image of frustration.
“I feel like I was one step ahead in the fight,” says Varga.
“I didn’t get to talk to him because of the language barrier. Maybe he was having an off night. Or maybe I just have that style that allows me to beat the Thai fighters who are used to that slow, calm pace where they set the pace and push forward.
“I like to make sure I control the pace. Maybe I just have the right style to beat Thais, I don’t know.”
Heading into the final for a fight with Oblonsky, the Varga team had a plan. But as the famous military saying goes, “No plan survives contact with the enemy.”
Varga had initially aimed to get in there and exploit his technical superiority to score on Oblonsky and outfox him. Then Oblonsky cracked him in the jaw a few times; Varga went to war.
“I wasn’t supposed to go in and do that. Both coaches told me we were going to go in and be technical, keep a safe guard. But he caught me a couple of times and I guess I lost my focus and just decided to go head to head with him,” he laughs.
“He was a little stronger than I expected him to be. He didn’t make weight and he is a big guy to begin with.
“It wasn’t exactly the fight I wanted, I don’t prefer to brawl, but that’s what it was and I felt that he was tiring out. Even though I was getting tired I felt like I could keep going and he would slow down so I decided to take advantage of that and keep pushing the pace.”
Varga now finds himself headed into a Featherweight title shot, either in a straight title fight or as part of a World Championship Tournament. Stay tuned to GloryWorldSeries.com for updates.
