Harrogate kickboxer Nathaniel Kalogiannidis’ bid to break through to international glory was stopped in its tracks in London on Saturday when he was knocked out in the second round. 

As we reported last month, the Harrogate muay thai fighter was up against Tyneside opponent Joe Welch in the Road To ONE UK final, organised by the Hitman Fight League at the O2 Arena.

The pair were battling it out for the chance to fight in Canada in November, and the winner of that tournament will win a six-figure contract to fight in the Singapore-based ONE Championship, Asia's biggest fight promotion organisation. 

Kalogiannidis, who went to King James's School in Knaresborough, trains at the Kao Loi Gym on Skipton Road in Harrogate and is currently ranked eighth in the UK in the middleweight division. Joe Welch is ranked sixth.

The Harrogate man started brightly, catching Welch with a big punch and dropping him for an eight count. At the end of the first round, he was ahead on points. 

But this only seemed to spur Welch on and he came out quickly for the second round, closing Kalogiannidis down with inside low kicks. 

He then unleashed a brutal right hook, knocking Kalogiannidis out cold. 

Speaking to the Stray Ferret, the Harrogate fighter said: 

He said he would now take some downtime to let his injuries heal and decide on his next steps, but insisted he wasn’t finished with the sport he loves. He said: 

Muay thai is known as the ‘art of eight limbs’ because it allows the use of eight 'weapons' – the hands, the elbows, the knees, and the legs/feet. 

Joe Welch will now compete in a four-man Grand Prix Final on November 23, 2024 in Alberta, Canada. 

Read more:

• Harrogate's elite fighter preparing for his shot at the big time


• Knaresborough Thai boxer returns to the ring with a win