Case ‘Candyman’ Needham is the new WKA New Zealand Super Middleweight K1-Rules Champion, after defeating the Lion Pit’s Stacey Te Kuru by unanimous decision on Saturday night at Roar Fight Night 3 in Lower Hutt, Wellington.

Needham fights out of Jackals Martial Arts and Fitness in Onekawa, Napier. It was clear that he came in well-prepared for Saturday night’s title fight, as he kept a high pace over five rounds to claim the title against Stacey Te Kuru.

From the outset it was clear that both men were elite fighters with good technique. Needham using effective teeps and straight punches to set up his body kicks and Te Kuru with a tight guard and fast hands.

Both men traded leg kicks during the fight, with Te Kuru favouring the inside lead leg kick. Repeatedly, Needham drew the guard of Te Kuru with accurate punches upstairs, measuring his range before finishing with a round-kick to the leg or body.

Te Kuru came hard in the final two rounds, but it was Needham with the superior output and movement, switching stances often and circling out after unloading his combinations.

The final round was perhaps the most action-packed, with both men keeping a frenetic pace until the final bell, both slinging in the pocket trying to seal the victory.

The crowd roared their approval after a great five-round title fight, before the judges gave a unanimous decision to Case Needham, the new WKA New Zealand Super Middleweight Champion.

When asked about the fight, Case Needham had this to say about his opponent:

“Stacey was super tough. I fully underestimated his power in the right hand, and most importantly his inside left kick! I won't be walking for a while but be back training again!”

When asked about what is next after this fight, Case replied:
 

“Yeah, we are off to Thailand to fight at the WKA World Muay Thai Organisation world championships, where I won a bronze medal last year!

“Then a 75 kg title fight in April as the title I won on the weekend is actually a weight class above my usual weight.”

The WKA WMO World Championships are held from the 8th to the 16th of March in Thailand.

You can follow Case on his Instagram page: casenakmuay. Jackals Gym can be found at their Facebook page. Stay tuned to Fight News for updates on Case Needham’s next fights.