MMA star’s retirement leads Tinkerbell on road to possible title glory
The EFC middleweight division has of late been left without a champion, which gives local JP Kruger another shot at glory.
This is after champion Liam Cleland had to retire due to medical reasons.
But it is not lost as the division enters a new era, and EFC has wasted little time to kick-start it.
To lay claim to the EFC middleweight number one, Rafal ‘The Polish Tank’ Haratyk will fight South Africa’s JP ‘Tinkerbell’ Kruger for the title at EFC 49 in May.
At EFC 41 in July 2015, Liam Cleland made history by beating Michiel Opperman to claim the vacant middleweight EFC championship in spectacular fashion.
It was then announced that Poland’s Rafal ‘The Polish Tank’ Haratyk would be the number one contender and next to challenge for the coveted belt.
However, as part of Liam Cleland’s last post-fight medical check, it was found, on a precautionary MRI scan, that the middleweight champion’s risk of injury was higher than that of an average athlete.
Doctors have advised that his risk of injury to be above that of a normal competitor. With that, Cleland, the EFC middleweight champion, laid down the title.
“We are all really sad for Liam that he will not be able to compete, something that he loved doing,” said EFC President Cairo Howarth.
So now Haratyk, undefeated in the EFC hexagon, will finally get his chance to prove his dominance on one of the world’s biggest stages, but Kruger, the last man to defeat Liam Cleland, is eagerly standing in his way.
When asked for his thoughts on the match-up for the title he left vacant, Cleland said, “The first and most obvious contender is Rafal Haratyk.
“He earned his shot already last year, a fight I really wanted to test myself in. The second guy is the last man to beat me.
“The loveable ginger, JP Kruger. He is super deserving of this fight, having only ever lost once in his career against ‘Soldierboy’ in a championship bout.” – @SabeloBoksburg
