Sam ‘the Hunter’ Haggitt returned to the ring last Saturday night in the co-main event of Impact Fight Night 5, stopping Yuuma Kohori via leg kick TKO in the third round to win the North Island WKA 70kg title.

The event was hosted by Freestyle MMA Morrinsville and was held at the Morrinsville Event Centre.

With his usual trainer Wayne Vaega away, Haggitt had to call in the big guns from Fight Science Queenstown to corner him. Rob Horrocks answered the call (pictured above).

The victory was Haggitt’s first in a title fight, though he hopes to soon extend that to two belts. He is set to compete for the vacant ISKA 69.5kg New Zealand belt at the upcoming King of Kings fight show on April 18^th in Christchurch.

Sam Haggitt lands a left hand to set up another low kick (photo credit: Wayne Logan Photography / The Friday Edition)

Saturday’s fight was fairly one-sided, with Haggitt feinting his way in from the outside to set up his savage leg kicks. Ultimately it was too much for Kohori, whose lead leg was brutalised over three rounds before eventually the damage was too great and he couldn’t continue.

Round 1.

Both men traded kicks in the centre early, with Haggitt the more active fighter, blitzing in with hand combinations and ending with chopping low kicks.

Kohori used his kicks as rangefinders, but Haggitt would often counter with fast hands upstairs before landing shin-to-thigh down low.

The round ended with Haggitt being swept off his feet by a teep from Kohori, but the first frame belonged to the Hunter through superior output and leg kick damage.

10-9 Haggitt.

Round 2.

Haggitt took the centre early, feinting to draw a reaction from Kohori before letting rip with a sidekick-to-back-kick combination – his Tae Kwondo roots showing through.

Kohori lunged forth with his own combination, leading with the hands, but Haggitt wore it on his guard before countering again with another right low kick.

The leg kicks were starting to add up by this point, with Kohori’s lead leg visibly red. As Kohori threw a right leg kick, Haggitt timed the chop: slashing again with his right shin into the supporting leg, sending him crashing to the canvas.

Kohori seemed not to have an answer for the varied and constant offence of Haggitt, who stayed out of range, circling and feinting on the outside unless it was him throwing the shots.

10-9 Haggitt.

Haggitt unleashes as Kohori covers up (photo credit: Wayne Logan Photography / The Friday Edition)

Round 3.

They feinted again in the centre before Haggitt angled out and threw a lead hook into a brutal leg kick which smashed the lead leg of Kohori like a falling tree, sending him to the canvas in obvious pain.

From here the end was not long coming, as Haggitt would feint the leg kick to draw the check from Kohori, only to throw punches upstairs before landing the leg kick anyway.

After a couple more of these nasty leg kicks, another one sent Kohori down unable to get up in time for the referee’s count.

The fight was called off, with Sam Haggitt crowned the new North Island WKA 70kg champion via technical knockout!