As well as Leon Calver's New Zealand title victory there was plenty for Wanganui fight fans to saviour out of the local boys in Saturday's River City Rumble.
Towering over his Wellington opponent, fellow NZ belt holder Kyle Gallacher was in no mood for a long night, flooring the ironically named Rehua Smallman with a devastating knee straight through the gloves at the buzzer of round one.
A game Smallman, who could not find the range against the tall Wanganui kickboxer, staggered to his feet but was plainly in no condition to continue.
Muay Thai
Under modified Muay Thai rules, a fired up Brian Alderton hardly gave Wellington's Richard Heaps a chance to breathe, let alone swing, on the way to a unanimous decision.
Recently returned from training in Thailand, Heaps could hardly utilise any of the kicks or knees from the clinch he may have developed as the Wanganui fighter muscled him into the ropes and corners, pounding away non-stop.
Alderton may have lacked finesse but certainly not stamina as he kept the pummelling up for every moment of the three rounds.
It was not such a happy homecoming for Kazuki Campbell, as Masterton's Zane Hopman caught him with a brutal knee to the head early in their bout.
Jess Johnston had his moments against the heavy-hitting Oscar Remihana, but the big Taranaki fighter was the clear winner from their three-round affair.
MMA
Wanganui's Mixed Martial Arts exponents had no interest in finding out what the judges thought, finishing their men inside the distance.
Matt Gibson's judo skills shone through against Palmerston North's Rian Rees, whipping him off his feet and looking to unload with the ground and pound blows.
Rees's best chances came early in the first and third rounds when he briefly got the mount position, only for Gibson to calmly free himself and counterattack.
Trapping Rees near the ropes with nowhere to go, the Wanganui fighter secured the arm and forced the tap out.
At an imposing 102.3kg, the big and popular Kamipeli Latu went to war with New Plymouth's Logan Skelton in a two-round slug fest.
Up for the challenge, Skelton covered up and absorbed most of the Border rugby player's best blows in the early exchanges, taking him down with a head lock and nearly trapping both arms.
But by round two the tank had reached empty and even though Latu was likewise swaying on his feet, he still had that knockout power - a straight shot buckled Skelton before a series of knees doubled him over.
Ring Karate
Wanganui experienced mixed results in the Ring Karate match-ups. Chris Sheahon controlled the tempo in the early exchanges against Waitakere's Siva Faalavaau, who came back in the last round with a series of blows to the midriff.
Both men had to settle for a draw.
Ryan Trevor-Roper's workrate and determination saw him win out over Palmerston North's Bernie Johnstone.
Willing to take punishment to get inside and do damage, Trevor-Roper kept up his hustle to earn favour on the scorecards.
Results of counting fights -
Ring Karate: Chris Sheahon (Wanganui Kyokushinkai) drew Siva Faalavaau; Ryan Trevor-Roper (Wanganui Kyokushinkai) bt Bernie Johnstone (Palmerston North Kyokushinkai), unanimous pts.
MMA: Matt Gibson (Wanganui) beat Rian Rees (Fiteshop Palmerston North), round 2 submission; Kamipeli Latu (Waverley) bt Logan Skelton (New Plymouth Southern Tribes), ref stoppage, round 2.
Modified Muay Thai: Quinten Meyer (Combat Room Wellington) bt Aiden Johnson (Jai Thai Boxing), unanimous pts; Oscar Remihana (Thai Boxing Studio New Plymouth) bt Jess Johnston (Assassins Guild Wanganui), unanimous pts; Zane Hopman (Fortitude Thai Boxing Masterton) bt Kazuki Campbell (Wellington Kyokushinkai), ref stoppage, round 1; Brian Alderton (Wanganui Warriors) bt Richard Heaps (Jai Thai Boxing Wellington), unanimous pts.
Full Thai Rules: Dom Tyler (Combat Room Wellington) bt Terry Cremen (Featherston Muay Thai), unanimous pts; Kyle Gallacher (Assassins Guild Wanganui) bt Rehua Smallman (Combat Room Wellington) ref stoppage, round 1; Leon Calver (Wanganui Warriors) bt Tyrone Campbell (Mana Muay Thai Palmerston North) split pts.