Mr Magnificent defies Law and Order
16 aug 2011
After two swift submission losses in his last two EFC AFRICA bouts, Mawande ‘Mr Magnificent’ Vapi vows that he won’t be so easily defeated again. To prove it, he takes on one of the middleweight division’s toughest and most respected fighters, Jacques Joubert. Already holding one win over Joubert from a previous encounter, Vapi now wants to show that lightning can strike twice.
“I fought Jacques about 18 months ago,” said Vapi. “I was dominating the fight and I could feel that it was only a matter of time until I got the win. But Jacques has very sneaky elbows and he dropped me, then followed up with a knee to the head while I was down. He was disqualified and I got the win, but it didn’t feel like a win to me. I’m a knockout specialist and I won’t be happy until I show that to the EFC fans. I’ve had quick losses in my last two EFC fights so I’ve spent many hours on the ground to stop jiu-jitsu guys getting any more easy wins from me. Although my ground game has improved, don’t expect me to go for any submissions in this fight. My game plan is always a knockout.”
Vapi knows that a win in this fight would do wonders for his career, but he also knows that taking on a top 5 ranked fighter is a dangerous prospect. Instead of worrying about risks, Vapi focusses on opponents that will bring out his fighting spirit. “Jacques is a very good fighter. He recently fought for the EFC title and I could see that he’d improved a lot since we fought. Also, his title shot was a very close fight; he went four rounds and gave Garreth hell. Guys like that are the opponents I want, guys that will test me, make me work hard and show the fans what Mawande Vapi is all about. I believe I can beat Jacques and, if I beat him convincingly, that means I’m up there with the best in the division.”
