SFT Middleweight Champion Irwing “King Kong” Machado, Joshua DaSilveira & Reginaldo Junior other award winners

2020 SFT MMA Fighter of the Year Manoel “Manumito” Sousa

SAO PAULO, Brazil (February 1, 2021)- SFT MMA (Standout Fighting Tournament) middleweight champion Irwing “King Kong” Machado won the most 2020 SFT awards, however, undefeated lightweight Manoel “Manumito” Sousa was named its Fighter of the Year.  SFT Tournament) is the only Brazil-based MMA promotional company to have a panel of mixed-martial-arts experts, as opposed to a popularity vote, select its annual winners.

“Under challenging conditions due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and protocols,” SFT president David Hudson said, “many of our male fighters excelled and boosted SFT’s stock in mixed martial arts. Manoel Sousa is a rising star, and Irwing ‘King Kong’ Machado shocked the MMA world, Joshua DaSilveira and Reginaldo “Geraldo” Junior established themselves. And the SFT stable is only getting stronger with these award-winning fighters, plus the likes of Rene “Soldado” Passao, Cleber Sousa, Eduard “Camelo” Ramon, Marco “God of War” Andrade, and many others. Considering everything, SFT had a great year.”

The 23-year-old Sousa (6-0-0, SFT: 6-0-0) is a homegrown fighter whose entire pro career has been fighting in SFT. In 2020, Sousa stopped 6-1-0 Vandirson Alvea halfway through the opening round at SFT 21, and he submitted 10-2-0 Estabili Amato in round two of SFT 24.

“King Kong” Machado (16-6-2 SFT:1-0-0) won the SFT middleweight crown at SFT 20 with a fifth-round knockout via punches of Rene “Soldado” Passao in the Fight of the Year, which also earned Machado the Performance of the Year Award.

SFT MMA middleweight champion Irwing “King Kong” Machado

The Knockout of the Year was delivered at SFT 23 by light heavyweight Joshua DaSilveira (3-0-0, SFT: 1-0-0), when he unloaded a perfectly placed kick to the head of Cody Rolling in round one.

  Joshua DaSilveira

Welterweight Reginaldo “Geraldo” Junior (2-0-0, SFT: 1-0-0) used a triangle choke in the second round on Julio Spadaccini at SFT 20 to earn him the Submission of the Year Award.

  Reginaldo “Geraldo” Junior