How time flies! Three weeks have already passed since the premiere of Desert Force Al-Academiya 2, and the airing of Episode 4 is just a few hours away. The show started with two unconventional episodes with no single punch thrown; the first witnessing heads shaved, competing for food and shelter, and the second starting out with guns and bullets and ending with fighters bruised, wet, humiliated, and covered in mud.
First, allow me take this opportunity to salute the fighter for showing heart and determination to fight after two harsh days of being true soldiers. Two rounds have put the fighters’ minds and bodies in the ultimate test of withstanding some very tough military training, after which they had to fight through fatigue with only what’s left of their power.
Episode 3 was set to be a fan-pleaser, particularly for those who still did not buy into the military approach! Eight contestants battled it out in 4 back-to-back fights of the first elimination round, with each of Andrew Tarraf, Yasser Zaid, Mohammad Al Azzani, and Younes Al Wakili making it through.
Andrew Tarraf (Lebanon) Vs Amr Abdul Malek (Egypt)
The decision here was obvious with Andrew Tarraf showing really good grappling skills, specially in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. His skilled transitions and good ground-and-pound made the difference in both rounds. Andrew apparently lacked a little bit of punching power, which had the referee keep the fight going even though the ground-and-pound was unanswered. And we have our first fighter to enter the Academy, Andrew Tarraf!
Younes Al Ouakili (Morocco) Vs Emad Hamdi (Egypt)
The second fight of that night had Youness Wakili from Morocco against Emad Hamdi from Egypt battle it out for another spot in the academy. For Younes it was all or nothing! The first round saw the Egyptian do a little more damage, but with none of them fully exposing his skills. Youness was unsuccesful in his takedown attempts, and the Egyptian capitalized on that with some grounding and pounding, yet not the efficient type. In round 2, Ouakili found his pace and managed to use his Jits to earn a close decision win.
Yasser Zaid (Iraq) Vs Ossama Ashraf (Egypt)
The Iraqi Yaser Zeid came in aggressively leaving the Egyptian no time to adjust. Stiff strikes from Yasser left him vulnerable for a take down that was quickly reversed to secure a deep rear naked choke ending the bout in the first round.
Mohammad Al Azzani Vs Hussein Ayad
This was the most aggressive fight so far! Both fighters came in swinging as if their life depended on it… Well, maybe it did 😉 A well-rounded match up with nice Jiu Jitsu skills from both fighters kept the viewers interested. Actually a bit of everything in this fight is what made it special; takedowns, Ground N Pound, Submission Attempts, Escapes, Striking! It was exciting to watch and it was a good decision as well.
Stay tuned on ArabsMMA.com for more on Al Academiya 2!
