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Iuri Fernandes Wins SENSHI 33 Grand Prix With Three First-Round Knockouts Iuri Fernandes had no interest in a long night at SENSHI 33. The Portuguese fighter stopped all three opponents in the opening round to win the inaugural SENSHI Light Heavyweight Grand Prix World title at 95 kilograms in Varna, Bulgaria. Fernandes fought three times on September 5 at the beach arena in Saints Constantine and Helena, and none of his bouts reached Round 2. He beat Moldova’s Alexandru Burduja in the quarterfinal, Romania’s Yuri Farcas in the semifinal, and Italy’s Ramon Quirini in the final. The title-winning run came with a Knockout of the Night award, giving Fernandes extra hardware to figure out on the flight home. Iuri Fernandes Takes World Title at SENSHI 33 The format offered no margin for a slow start. Eight athletes entered the one-night bracket, with the champion needing to win a quarterfinal, semifinal and final in succession. Fernandes did exactly that, controlling the pace with kicks to the legs and body before closing the show each time. Fernandes opened against Burduja, who represented Moldova, in the quarterfinal round. He repeatedly worked downstairs and forced a first-round knockout, clearing the first hurdle without taking much visible punishment. The win put Fernandes into the semifinal against Farcas, who had already removed local entry Eduard Aleksanyan from the tournament with a first-round calf-kick knockout. The Farcas fight followed a similar pattern, though it offered the clearest look at Fernandes’ control. He knocked the Romanian down twice before the referee stopped the contest in the first round. Farcas had entered the semifinal after upsetting Aleksanyan, the reigning SENSHI European champion at 90 kilograms who moved up for the Grand Prix, but Fernandes did not allow him to build any momentum. By the time he reached the final, Fernandes had separated himself from the rest of the field. He had been active, accurate and composed through two fights, while avoiding the kind of wear that can change a one-night tournament. Quirini reached the final after stopping Germany’s Ali Nasir in the second round of their quarterfinal, then beating Tunisia’s Sharif Ben Mabrouk on points in the semifinal. That gave the Italian a longer route than Fernandes, who had finished both prior opponents in Round 1. The final lasted less than 90 seconds. Fernandes again targeted the leg, and a calf-kick sequence ended Quirini’s challenge in the first round. It was the third knockout in a row for the Portuguese fighter and secured the SENSHI Light Heavyweight Grand Prix belt in one of the fastest possible ways. There was no drawn-out comeback, no close scorecard and no need for a final-round push. Fernandes made the tournament look simple, although three knockout wins in a single evening are never routine. He kept his output measured, picked his moments and invested early in attacks that reduced his opponents’ ability to move and answer back. Full SENSHI 33 Grand Prix Results The SENSHI 33 bracket was held at 95 kilograms and featured competitors from Portugal, Romania, Moldova, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, Germany and Bulgaria. Fernandes was one of four men to win by knockout in the quarterfinals, but he was the only fighter to carry that finishing pace through every stage. Farcas beat Aleksanyan by first-round knockout, with the Bulgarian unable to continue after a heavy calf kick. Ben Mabrouk defeated Turkey’s Emin Ozer on points, while Quirini stopped Ali Nasir in Round 2. In the semifinals, Fernandes knocked out Farcas in the first round and Quirini beat Ben Mabrouk by decision. Ben Mabrouk later took third place against Argentina’s Pablo Molina on points. Outside the Grand Prix, Bulgaria’s Simeon Nakovski beat Spain’s Pedro Granjo on points in a 70-kilogram superfight, while Julien Rikov defeated Spain’s Danyuts Mihail at 75 kilograms. Greece’s Yannis Eminov earned a decision over Bulgaria’s Ognyan Mirchev. SENSHI 33 was the promotion’s first light heavyweight Grand Prix at 95 kilograms, staged in Varna as part of an international card featuring fighters from 13 countries. The event was available worldwide through DAZN‘s free streaming offering, with Bulgarian broadcasts also carried by Bulgaria ON AIR, DIEMA and Max Sport 1. Fernandes left with the new world title, three first-round knockout wins and the night’s knockout award. More importantly, he left with very little damage from a tournament designed to test a fighter three times in one evening.