Raw Diamonds 16 recently took place at the Bonjasky Academy in Almere. It was the first proper edition since the final official lockdown restriction had been lifted and boy, was that obvious. In front of a super charged and roaring crowd, nearly 50 fighters from gyms all over the Netherlands squared off against each other on May 21st.

Raw Diamonds 16 was, as the name suggests, an opportunity for lots of young and upcoming fighters - raw diamonds - an opportunity to fight themselves onto the scene. All fighters from the 1st and 2nd heat (Blok 1 & Blok 2) currently compete in the J-klasse which means that all are under the age of 16 and are either getting into the ring for the very first time or have just 1 or 2 fights under their belt. The excitement was visible on all parents cheering on their youngsters.

From block 1, you may particularly be interested in the fight between Valino Olsthoorn, fighting on behalf of Kassem Gym, and Djay Gijsen from Bonjasky Academy. The fight kicks off at 16:20 and both fighters really give each other a run for their money. It’s a non-stop exchange of jabs and low kicks. Please tune into the replay to find out who wins this fight as we'll stop short from doing that!

If you're scared the short break between heats 1 & 2 would send you to sleep, the fight between Florian Isendoorn and Julian van Vliet that forms the kicks off of the 2nd “Blok” is truly a display of fireworks. Van Vliet’s low kicks that sent his opponent gasping for air. 

As the tournament heads into Blok 3, the day concludes with a couple of higher classed fighters. The fight between Oualid el Bouazati and Wouter Hendrikx proves that the expression “the best is safe for last” still rings true. Whilst hampered by an injury to the eye that sees him lose the first round, Oualid manages to turn around the fight in his favour and puts up one of his most clinical performances so far. Forward to 3h:26 to jump straight in. We promise you won't be disappointed.

Bonjasky Academy in Almere, Netherlands, was the host of this edition of Raw Diamonds. All camera work and editing was handled and managed by Glen Huisman.

You can watch the replay here: https://warriorcode.com/dashboard/livestreams/2