Eduard Gafencu (born February 9, 1993) is a Romaniankickboxer and former boxer. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for Glory. Gafencu is the first fighter to become a two-division Colosseum Tournament champion, holding titles in two weight classes simultaneously. He has also competed for Dynamite Fighting Show (DFS).
As of 18 August 2020, he is the #14 ranked welterweight in the world, according to the International Professional Combat Council (IPCC).[2]
Early life
Gafencu played soccer from 7 to 14 years old, but quit after an injury. He also practiced swimming. Gafencu then started boxing at the age of 15, but after a short while he switched to kickboxing. At the age of 16 and a half, he had his first fight and practiced kickboxing until the age of 21, culminating in a three-year hiatus.[3]
Professional kickboxing career
Gafencu entered the professional circuit in 2017, after being initiated by the coach Gabriel Moț from Top Fighters Club and taken over from Arnold Nagy (Metalbox) by the Ruben Stoia Boxing Club.[4]
Colosseum Tournament
Gafencu competed for various regional Romanian promotions, in the process amassing a record of 6–0.
In 2018, Gafencu had signed a contract with the Colosseum Tournament. He took part in a four-man super welterweight tournament to determine the Colosseum Tournament's first Colosseum Tournament World Super Welterweight Champion.
Gafencu faced Adrian Cibu on September 17, 2018, in the semi-final of the Super Welterweight Tournament. He won the fight in emphatic fashion via knockout in round one to progress to the final round of the tournament. Gafencu faced Leonard Dorin's student Adelin Mihăilă at Colosseum Tournament 8 in the finals. Gafencu won the match via knockout in the third round. The triumph also earned Gafencu his first Performance of the Night award.[5]
Gafencu faced Flavius Boiciuc on December 14, 2018, at Colosseum Tournament 10. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[6]
Gafencu faced the Fight Institute by Peter Aerts's Thomas Doeve on March 29, 2019, at Colosseum Tournament 11. He won the fight via knockout in round one.[7][8][9] This win earned him his second Performance of the Night award.[10] The tornado kick knockout has been also acknowledged by sites like Sherdog, MMA Fighting, MMAjunkie.com and others as the potential Knockout of the Year for 2019.[11][12][13][14]
Gafencu moved down to the welterweight division. He faced the Bonjasky Academy's Ekrem Doruk for the inaugural Colosseum Tournament World Welterweight Championship on May 9, 2019, in the main event of Colosseum Tournament 12. He won the fight via knockout in the second round, becoming the first Colosseum Tournament fighter to win titles in two weight classes. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award for a third time.[15][16]
In his debut fight for the promotion, Gafencu faced the Hemmers Gym's Benjamin Masudi on March 5, 2020, at Dynamite Fighting Show 7. Eduard Gafencu knocked down Masudi twice in the fight. He won the fight via unanimous decision.[18]
Return to Colosseum Tournament
In September 2020, it was announced that Gafencu signed a deal to return to the Colosseum Tournament.[19]
In his return bout, Gafencu was expected to face Adelin Mihăilă in rematch on October 23, 2020, at Colosseum Tournament 20. However on October 6, it was announced that Mihăilă pulled out due to his COVID-19 recovery, and he was replaced by Alexandru Ianţoc. Gafencu won the fight via knockout in the second round.[20][21]
Gafencu faced Anghel Cardoş in a 3-round non-title on February 26, 2021, at Colosseum Tournament 23.[22] He lost the fight via decision. The result was seen as highly controversial.[23]
Following his first professional loss, Gafencu returned to face Flavius Boiciuc at Colosseum Tournament 25. He won the fight by unanimous decision.[24]
Fighting style
In 2019, Gafencu earned public praise from Romanian legend Daniel Ghiță for his ring performances.[14] He was described by Ghiță as "a highly talented kickboxer".[25]
