PetrosyanMania Gold Edition 2026: Vinotti loses his unbeaten record, Vranceanu claims the world title and Măcăilă heads to Tokyo

PetrosyanMania Gold Edition 2026 delivers surprises at the Allianz Cloud in Milan: Stefan Vranceanu stops Eddy Vinotti in the fifth round, while Aaron Măcăilă secures his place at the K-1 World GP 2027. All the results from the night.

On Saturday, November 7, 2026, the Allianz Cloud in Milan hosted another edition of PetrosyanMania Gold Edition, the international kickboxing gala organized by brothers Giorgio and Armen Petrosyan. Twenty bouts, 32 fighters representing 12 countries, five belts up for grabs and two knockout tournaments, including one offering qualification for the prestigious K-1 World GP 2027 in Japan.

It was a decidedly long night, starting at 5:30 p.m. and not ending until after 12:30 a.m., with only four bouts finishing inside the distance and several results that were anything but predictable. Above all, there was the defeat of young Eddy Vinotti, unbeaten until Saturday, who was stopped in the fifth round by Romania's Stefan Vranceanu after coming within a whisker of ending the fight in its opening seconds.

But this edition also carried a particular significance: it was the first since Giorgio Petrosyan retired from professional competition. Together with his brother Armen, he is trying to turn an event historically built around his own name into a genuine international circuit, capable of developing new talent and offering real opportunities to Italian fighters.

An ambitious project, certainly not something you build in a single night, but one that is beginning to show promise thanks to its partnership with Japan's K-1 circuit.

Vinotti starts at full throttle, but Vranceanu turns it around to claim the world title

The main event, contested for the PetrosyanMania world title at 65 kg, pitted Eddy "The Golden Boy" Vinotti, a 20-year-old Italian from Team Tsunami Petrosyan, against Stefan "The Black Samurai" Vranceanu, a 19-year-old Romanian who has already made his mark in several international competitions.

Vinotti entered the fight with a perfect record of 14 wins in as many appearances, a streak that looked likely to continue after an explosive start: just 22 seconds after the opening bell, the Italian sent his opponent to the canvas with a heavy knockdown.

It looked like the start of another triumphant night for the Golden Boy, but Vranceanu clearly had other ideas.

The Romanian managed to weather the worst moment of the fight, gradually clawing his way back and finding the adjustments he needed as the rounds went by. It was no ordinary comeback, especially considering the psychological impact of suffering a knockdown just seconds into a title fight.

The decisive turning point came in the fifth round, when a high kick from Vranceanu forced Vinotti to take a count. Shortly afterwards, the fight was stopped on medical advice, giving the Romanian a TKO victory in the fifth round and the PetrosyanMania world title at 65 kg.

That brings Vinotti's unbeaten run to an end, with the Italian suffering defeat in front of the Milan crowd in one of the most important fights of his young career. A painful setback, certainly, but not necessarily an insurmountable obstacle. At 20 years old, there is plenty of time to correct mistakes, improve and return to competing at the highest level.

On the other hand, it would be unfair to dismiss the result as simply a bad night for the Italian. Vranceanu showed that he could absorb an extremely difficult situation, keep his composure and turn around a fight that already seemed to be heading in one direction. And at 19 years old, that is probably worth more than many victories earned without having to overcome any real adversity.

There was also a special reward for both fighters: according to The Shield of Sports, Arman Tsarukyan, a lightweight contender in the UFC, decided to award a special €5,000 bonus for their fight, to be shared between the two men. Giorgio Petrosyan and Pavel Saharevsky, a representative of Tsarukyan's team, also expressed optimism about the possibility of staging a rematch in 2027, although no official date or arrangements have been announced so far.

Aaron Măcăilă qualifies for the K-1 World GP 2027

If the main event delivered the biggest shock of the night, the 90 kg tournament was probably one of the most significant sporting attractions on the entire card.

There was more at stake than just another belt or trophy to put on display at the gym: qualification for the final stage of the K-1 World GP 2027 in Tokyo, a genuine opportunity to compete on the international stage of one of the most prestigious circuits in kickboxing.

The man who secured that place was Romania's Aaron Măcăilă, after a virtually flawless run through the tournament.

In the quarterfinals, he stopped fellow Romanian Alexandru Amaritei inside the distance, then repeated the feat in the semifinals against Italy's Samuele Pugliese, considered one of the tournament favorites. In particular, the kicks targeting his opponents' calves proved decisive, progressively compromising their mobility.

In the final, Măcăilă faced Switzerland's Loïc Njeya, who had reached the last bout after knocking out Amin Aarafa and defeating Lucian Genunchi by split decision.

No KO this time, but a unanimous decision victory that earned the Romanian his ticket to Japan.

For Pugliese, there is the disappointment of seeing a major opportunity slip away in the semifinals, while Măcăilă can now prepare for an event that could mark a turning point in his career.

And this, in my view, is one of the most interesting aspects of the new PetrosyanMania: giving fighters opportunities that extend beyond a single gala, connecting the European scene with major international competitions.

Samo Petje takes the world title, Ruggiero conquers Europe

The other PetrosyanMania world title, at 70 kg, went to Slovenia's Samo Petje, who defeated Ukraine's Stas Kazantsev by unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds.

For Petje, an experienced veteran of international kickboxing, it is another important victory in a career that has seen him compete for numerous promotions.

There was good news for Italy in the European title fight at 60 kg, where Fabrizio "Pongo" Ruggiero, a fighter from Crotone representing Team Tsunami Petrosyan and a former WAKO Pro world champion, defeated Georgian-Spanish Aleksandre Mukbaniani by unanimous decision. Mukbaniani had been introduced ahead of the event with a record of seven wins from seven fights.

Ruggiero, who had also claimed the interim WAKO Pro world title in July 2025 in Crotone by defeating Erdal Gölçek, adds another belt to his collection.

Things went less well for Andrea Rigamonti, who lost on points to Morocco's Ilyass Chakir in the fight for the European title at 77 kg.

The Italian women's WAKO Pro belt at 55 kg went to Italian-Algerian Houda Boutebdja, who defeated Ilaria Pizzuti by unanimous decision.

Also worth highlighting is Aimane Farjaoui's success in the 70 kg Grand Prix, which he won by defeating Haitham El Mazahi by unanimous decision in the final. Farjaoui has therefore qualified for the PetrosyanMania European final scheduled for 2027, having beaten two opponents on the same night.

PetrosyanMania looks to the future: will the belts be enough?

With Giorgio Petrosyan now retired, the event inevitably faces a new challenge: building an identity that no longer depends on its founder stepping into the ring.

The signs are promising. The partnership with K-1, the participation of athletes from several countries and the opportunity to qualify for international competitions are tangible elements, far more meaningful than simply multiplying the number of belts and titles on offer.

Because, let's face it, in the world of combat sports, world and European titles are hardly in short supply these days. If anything, there may be far too many of them. And a belt, however impressive it might look, does not become prestigious simply because it has "World Champion" written on it.

Prestige is built over time, through the caliber of the opponents, the quality of the fights, the credibility of the decisions and, above all, the consistency of the people organizing the events.

PetrosyanMania has an important name behind it, a well-established organizational machine and, above all, the experience of two men who know combat sports rather well. Whether all of that will be enough to build a competitive and recognizable circuit beyond Italy's borders remains to be seen.

The Gold Edition 2026 nevertheless delivered interesting fights, a few surprises and, above all, a fairly clear reminder of just how unpredictable this sport can be.

Vinotti was unbeaten, had knocked Vranceanu down after 22 seconds and looked to have the fight under control. Four rounds later, it was the Romanian celebrating with the belt.

Fortunately, once the fighters step into the ring, predictions still count for a lot less than punches and kicks.

All the results from PetrosyanMania Gold Edition 2026

Main Card

• Stefan Vranceanu defeats Eddy Vinotti by TKO in the fifth round — PetrosyanMania world title, 65 kg.

• Samo Petje defeats Stas Kazantsev by unanimous decision — PetrosyanMania world title, 70 kg.

• Ilyass Chakir defeats Andrea Rigamonti by unanimous decision — PetrosyanMania European title, 77 kg.

• Fabrizio Ruggiero defeats Aleksandre Mukbaniani by unanimous decision — PetrosyanMania European title, 60 kg.

• Houda Boutebdja defeats Ilaria Pizzuti by unanimous decision — Italian WAKO Pro title, 55 kg.

• Aimane Farjaoui defeats Haitham El Mazahi by unanimous decision — Grand Prix final, 70 kg.

• Aaron Măcăilă defeats Loïc Njeya by unanimous decision — K-1 World GP Italy Round final, 90 kg.

• Riccardo Ivasco defeats Andrea Festa by unanimous decision.

Preliminary Card

• Andrea Mengarelli defeats Fallou Fall by unanimous decision.

• Samuele Pugliese defeats Maikel Frank by unanimous decision — K-1 World GP quarterfinal, 90 kg.

• Aaron Măcăilă defeats Alexandru Amaritei by KO — K-1 World GP quarterfinal, 90 kg.

• Loïc Njeya defeats Amin Aarafa by KO — K-1 World GP quarterfinal, 90 kg.

• Lucian Genunchi defeats Cristiano De Toffol by unanimous decision — K-1 World GP quarterfinal, 90 kg.

• Mohamed El Aamraoui defeats Mihai Cernescu by unanimous decision.

• Sammy Tevette defeats Ludovico Toia by unanimous decision.

• Aymen Kamil defeats Ouassim Touzi by unanimous decision — Grand Prix reserve fight, 70 kg.

• Aaron Măcăilă defeats Samuele Pugliese by KO — K-1 World GP semifinal, 90 kg.

• Loïc Njeya defeats Lucian Genunchi by split decision — K-1 World GP semifinal, 90 kg.

• Aimane Farjaoui defeats Laurențiu Partenie by unanimous decision — Grand Prix semifinal, 70 kg.

• Haitham El Mazahi defeats Mouhamed Niang by unanimous decision — Grand Prix semifinal, 70 kg.