Team PNG Headhunters face a challenging night, with three fighters missing out on the World Title in Sydney

Team PNG Headhunters recently competed in a professional bout staged in Sydney, and out of the four fighters who took the ring, three were defeated by TKO, with only one fighter securing a win.

​Veteran Mark Sondo challenged the current WKF Heavyweight Champion, Rustam Attai, and the fight ended before the final round (Round 5) with Sondo unable to continue due to a left knee injury.

Rustam Attai came on strong in the fourth round, exploiting Sondo's known weak spots. Sondo had recently won the Oceania title in September 2025, in Port Moresby, and was called in as a strong contender, but didn't make it to the final.

In another bout, ​rising star Daniel Bruno stepped in for Nelson Samson, who had visa issues and could not travel to challenge cruiser weight champion Matt Stapleford in the 88kg division.

There was a bit of controversy. Bruno was significantly lighter, weighing in at 78kg and making him 10kg underweight for the cruiser weight division. Despite the weight mismatch, Bruno took the fight to ensure the event proceeded for the fans who had purchased the tickets.

It was an electrifying contest, in which current champion Stapleford leveraged his height advantage and used knee techniques to the body, a rule that most PNG fighters are not familiar with (K-1 rule). The PNG fighters are all known for their kickboxing rule. 

“In my view, sometimes the promoters are not fair to match a fight according to the rules we are familiar with," Nandex raised this concern after the controversial fight between Bruno and Stapleford.  

“However, Bruno pressured the champion with strong leg kicks, but ultimately could not overcome the technical advantage of Stapleford, going down in the second round of the 5x3 rounds contest.”

Another challenger in the heavyweight division, ​Kondup Samson, has an impressive record of 2 wins and qualified to take on world title holder Rastovic Milos in the main event. 

Both fighters started strong, utilising combinations of punches and kicks. Milos, a 6-foot man, used his height advantage and repeatedly held and grabbed Kondup, using his knee kicks against Kondup.

In the second round, Kondup landed power punches that made Milos wobble, but the champion quickly recovered to maintain his stamina. Kondup went down in the second round with 8 counts, and the referee stopped the fight. 

​The overall results out of the four fighters, three lost by TKO in the world title challenge, while only one fighter, Afe Eyu, won his second fight since he has been in Australia for the past two months. 

The ​PNG Kickboxing Federation President and head coach of PNG Headhunters, Stanley Nandex, responded to the losses as a learning curve for the young fighters, describing that the plan was to quickly allow his fighters to secure a spot in the international ranking and allow them to fight around the world.

The ‘Headhunter’ emphasised that the event was a valuable test and experience for his rising fighters, giving them a taste of top-level competition and preparing them for future international events. 

Mr Nandex noted that there’s more work to be done when they return home. There will be more opportunities offered for the 2026 season, with partnerships being established with four different promotions around the country. 

In addition, ​the three other junior class fighters are scheduled for a fight on December 13th in Sydney as they are all preparing to return on December 15th, 2025.

Nandex mentioned that as they prepare to graduate from amateur level, his fighters were given a fair opportunity to prove their abilities this year and are now focusing on the professional level in 2026. 

Moreover, ​Nandex acknowledged the PNG Sports Foundation, National Youth Development Authority, Ultimax Security Services, and other sponsors for their support in this trip. 

President Nandex also thanked the Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, National Capital District Commission, Ok Tedi Mining Limited, and the office of the Prime Minister for their support from 2024 to 2025.