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Art of War 15 in Beijing Saturday

Friday, 27th November 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Art of War, China's most established mixed martial arts brand, puts on its fifth event of the year this weekend at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Beijing (the Olympic handball venue, across the Fifth Ring Road from the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. For Saturday's fight card, check out the Art of War Web site.

The main event pits Ao Hailin (China) against Ueyama Ryuki (Japan). Ueyama's international resume includes appearances in Pride Bushido and K-1 Heros. Ao is 8-0 as an MMA fighter with Art of War. His last fight was a win in Art of War 11.

Ueyama says of his opponent: "Ao Hailin has never faced an opponent of my caliber. I have competed against the best fighters in the world and I am looking forward to putting on a great show for the Chinese audience. They will remember Ueyama Ryuki."

Ao, in an interview posted on the Art of War Web site, says that "The Mongolian blood flowing in my bones makes me a born fighter," and adds that "This will be a harsh battle. Whoever has the most energy and who can take advantage of openings will win the fight."

Other fights of interest include:

Wu Haotian (China) vs. Arthit Hanchana (Thailand)

Wu has something to prove after losing his main event fight in Art of War 13--Shukrat Minavarov of Uzbekistan knocked him out just 21 seconds into the first round. And Hanchana will be looking for his own revenge, as he lost to Wu the last time the two fought.

Vaughn Anderson (Canada) vs. Ivan Ivanov (Bulgaria)

Anderson is still looking for his first win since making his return to the ring after breaking his arm in Art of War 11 last March. The Mandarin-speaking Canadian fought Korean Kim Dong Hyun to a draw in Art of War 14. He faces a younger opponent in Ivanov, who has a record of 5-3 according to Sherdog.com.

Tickets range from 30 to 100 RMB and are available from Piao.com. Fights start at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 28.

Related:

Art of War 13: Results

Art of War 12, Beijing

Tags: Ao Hailin, Art of War, Arthit Hanchana, Beijing, Ivan Ivanov, martial arts, MMA, Olympic Sports Center Stadium, Ueyama Ryuki, Vaughn Anderson, Wu Haotian