Undefeated youngster Tyler Manawaroa and Fightworld Cup champion Semir Celikovic will face off for the vacant Nitro Middleweight title at Nitro 9 in July.
Although not officially announced at this point, the pairing was revealed to fightnewsaustralia.com today by the promotion.
The two men will vie for the vacant spot left by Gold Coast based Kiwi Dylan Andrews, who is currently fulfilling his promotional duties with the UFC.
Tyler “Young Gun” Manawaroa (pictured left) recently made a successful step up to the Middleweight division following an impressive undefeated 8-0 run as a Welterweight. The 6-foot-1 18 year-old made short work of Temple Dogz’s William Namoa at Warriors Realm 17 with a first round Rear-Naked Choke submission. This will be the Integrated MMA product’s fourth appearance for the promotion.
Semir Celikovic will make his Nitro debut after spending the bulk of his career in Fightworld Cup. In his last outing, the Shindo New Breed fighter submitted Taipari Rikihana to retain the Middleweight Title earlier this month at Fightworld Cup 14. The sole blemish on Celikovic’s record is a loss to Jay Cobain, which he suffered in his only appearance outside the promotion to date, at Brace for War 8.
After an unsuccessful Light Heavyweight Title bid, Chris Lokteff (pictured right) will make his promotional return now with Heavyweight glory aspirations.
“Igor” is set to meet the undefeated Cam Bracewell (3-0) in what has been billed as an unofficial Heavyweight Title eliminator bout.
Although not guaranteed, the winner will more than likely earn a shot at the vacant title later in the year.
For Lokteff (9-1), this fight will be his first for Nitro since losing to Sam Kei in a Nitro 7 Light Heavyweight Title bout late last year. He was heavily favored to beat the Felise Leniu trained fighter, who stepped up on short notice. After dominating the opening round, Lokteff was dropped by a straight right hand in the second, then finished on the ground with strikes. Following the career first defeat, the Integrated MMA fighter rebounded at Roshambo 1, stopping Peter Kennedy in his Heavyweight debut via TKO in less than two minutes. Lokteff will first look to get past Andrew Machin before this one at Brace 20 on May 25.
Cam Bracewell is undefeated after two appearances under the Nitro Banner. In his promotional debut at Nitro 4, “Brickwall” knocked out Matt Walker in 55 seconds, he then went on to finish Marcus Atirai at Nitro 7. Lokteff will undoubtedly serve as his biggest test to date.
Nitro 9 will take place on July 13 at the Logan Entertainment Centre in Logan City, Queensland. For ticket information contact scott@nitromma.com.au / 0412 638 496.
Fights Announced:
Welterweight Title:
- Ian Bone (Champion) vs Corey Nelson
Vacant Nitro Bantamweight Title:
- Chris Morris vs Julian Rabaud
Middleweight Title:
- Tyler Manawaroa vs Semir Celikovic
Heavyweight Bout:
- Chris Lokteff vs Cameron Bracewell
