The Martlet

Gabriel Varga finished his amateur kickboxing career undefeated, defending his International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) World Light Welterweight title on Saturday, Oct. 3. The unanimous-decision win over Calgary’s Nathen Smandych was Varga’s 15th consecutive amateur victory.

“This was a dream; to finish undefeated,” said Varga. “My goal when I started was to get to 10-0. Then I got there and I had to come up with a new goal — now I’ve met that goal.”

Varga was one of four local fighters to win at “Quest for the Title: IV,” the promotion run by Varga’s father, Keith, and Lisa Mettett.

In a grueling five-round decision that saw Varga scoring the more precise and powerful shots all night, the UVic alum believes his conditioning is what won him the fight.

After the fight, Varga shared a moment with his strength and conditioning coach, Darcy Dommett, who also fought on the card.

“I didn’t gas as much as I usually do,” Varga said. “I usually just run and lift weights in terms of working out, but Darcy really brought in some new elements. He totally changed my cardio.”

Fighting in a modified Muay Thai match, fighters are allowed to clinch with their opponent for five seconds and may throw knees to the head or body. Elbows are not allowed, the main difference between this and traditional Muay Thai.

The first two rounds were as close as it gets, with both Varga and Smandych scoring with leg kicks and short punches, and Varga playing the counter-puncher for the first rounds.

In the third round, however, Varga began to take over, landing more clean strikes. But Smandych was able to throw some nasty knees to the body in the clinch.

Varga was displeased with his effort in the clinch.

“I kept just falling into the clinch. I would drop my weight forward, and he’d have me,” he said.

Varga also scored with a few throws, often foregoing striking to dump Smandych to the mat.

“I didn’t train as hard in the clinch as I think I should have,” said Varga, “but I was surprised I was able to toss him. His camp, they’re real big clinchers.”

With 15 fights to his name and two world titles, Varga is looking to branch out.

He and his brother, Aaron (also an ISKA world champion), opened Varga Bros. Martial Arts, but Varga is still focused on kickboxing as a career. And like most of the top kickboxers in the world, he is looking to Asia.

“There’s a trainer in Ontario who wants to take me on and he’s trying to set me up with a fight in China,” Varga said.

If that doesn’t pan out, don’t be surprised to see him in January’s upcoming “Quest for the Title: V.”