Michael Polanco secures knockout victory at historic MMA event in Dominican Republic

Dominican fighter Michael ‘El Dragón’ Polanco secured a first-round knockout victory against compatriot Vincent ‘El Cuco’ Van Gogh during a historic mixed martial arts (MMA) event in Santo Domingo. Held at the Taekwondo Pavilion of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center, the event featured 11 high-voltage bouts.

The card, organized by Fighting Force and Gamebred FC, marked a milestone for Dominican MMA as the first local event to be broadcast live globally via the DAZN platform. Other notable results included Franklin Mireles defeating Niwel Medina and Gina Joseph winning against Suly Díaz. In the main event, Jordan Heiderman achieved a second-round technical knockout (TKO) over former UFC title contender Anthony Smith.

While some local fighters like Elías ‘La Mole’ Santos and Jhonasky ‘La Máquina’ Sojo were eliminated from the lightweight tournament, the event is viewed as a significant step in increasing the international projection of martial arts in the Dominican Republic.