ShaolinVenom Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 @Shaolin Great writing man ! Wow ! Week by week ,you are getting better ! Who can stop Bjornsson ? Another win for RFC's GOAT ! Thank you very much, Alex M, I truly appreciate it! Bjornsson is definitely a major beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexManiatakos Posted November 30, 2019 Report Share Posted November 30, 2019 Damn , that boy Hopkins is a killer ! The BEST LHW fighter in the entire 340K range !!! Antunes's right hand a weapon of mass destruction... That much KO power should be illegal ! Great job from James Fusi in Super Heavyweight ! After a mediocre career in the HW division , he seems to be unstoppable in Gangsterweight . Kilo Maluga, Heavyweight's next big star ? He Knocked former Champ out in the 1st round .. Give this guy a shot to the title already ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 36 PREVIEW HAYASHI’S LOUNGE Xavier: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 36! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the outspoken Furious Styles! Styles: You’re damn right, X! I’m going to speak my mind and if people agree or disagree, that’s the prerogative! I’m here to brighten, enlighten, and frighten! Xavier: Who are you planning on frightening, Styles!? Styles: I know I frighten you sometimes with the insight I have on some fighters as well as your personal life! Xavier: You only know what I tell you about my personal life when we chill and have lunch or dinner before or after a preview so we can discuss RFC business! Styles: We talk business, no doubt, but we both know that we get into personal business, especially me, because I want you to know what it’s like to be here in beautiful Tokyo with all the kick ass technology, sweet cars and hot women! Xavier: What makes you think I’m not aware of or involved in all of that, Styles!? Styles: Playing video games and watching drifting competitions doesn’t count, X! You need to see and experience some of the incredible technology being developed here, drive some of the sports cars that are only available here, and of course, some of these smokin’ hot women who are more than willing to serve you sushi off of their bodies! Xavier: Styles!! This is a family show, man! Cool out with that sushi vibe! Styles: What? I’m just sayin’! Xavier: Once again you’ve said too much! Just…focus on RFC business! Can you do that for the next hour!? Styles: Of course I can! I can do a great many things! Xavier: I can only imagine what you can do with some technology, let alone what you do with sushi! Styles: Don’t get mad at me because I’m willing to test out their synthetic dolls! Xavier: Styles!!! Styles: All right, I won’t tell nobody else! Xavier: Tonight…we have an outstanding lineup of action three weight classes! Although there are usually more weight classes spread among the action, believe me ladies and gentlemen, the wars you see in the cage tonight will show you that there’s no need to worry! There’s a prime opportunity for fighters to set themselves apart as the best of the best and put themselves in prime position to battle for a chance at the title in their respective weight class! Styles: Any and every chance that a fighter gets to move up while proving he’s worthy of moving up and being both feared and respected should be taken advantage of! The name of the game is climbing to the top of the mountain and staying there, and we have some outstanding champions in RFC who pose a threat to any highly-skilled fighter looking to knock them off! In addition, fights without a title on the line give the champions a chance to scout the potential competition for their titles and that only adds layers of intrigue to these battles! Xavier: There will be three Lightweight fights, five Welterweight fights, and two Middleweight fights on the card tonight! Positioning, ranking and cases for glory are on the line tonight as these warriors step into the cage to battle! Also, keep in mind, Styles, that the end of the year approaches and that means fighters will be considered for tournaments or for the chopping block! Styles: That’s absolutely right! Special year-end tournaments can be very beneficial for fighters to not only gain valuable experience, but to also battle against various styles, opponents and philosophies plus it’s a chance to fatten that bank account! Kickin’ off tonight’s battles will be Ronaldo Gonya and Blake Westcutt! “Mesta” Gonya brings a very good 11-5 overall record into this fight and the young fighter from South Africa recently knocked out Yanji Klushinwa at RFC 52! That first-round knockout not only was a bit of redemption but also snapped a 2-fight losing streak that he was on! Avoiding that third loss in a row was big and he obviously wants to keep that momentum rolling here tonight! Gonya has shown that he favors the submission game but he does have a KO head kick victory on his resume plus TKO wins to back up his recent KO win, so he can get the job done wherever as long as he starts fast and maintains control! Xavier: That fast start is a very important aspect in any fight! Against Westcutt, Gonya has the height and weight advantage, though not by much, but he may able to utilize that at key moments in this fight, especially at the very beginning of the fight when they’re both standing! “The Cowboy” Westcutt is a very impressive 10-2 overall, and the grappling specialist from Austin will absolutely look to get Gonya to the ground as soon as possible! Westcutt has a six-year age advantage over Gonya and that could come in handy when he looks to figure out how to get him to the ground with the least amount of damage to himself! Westcutt looked on top of his game when we saw him defeat Abraham Alcantara by Armbar at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 in the first round! However, despite that impressive victory, he and his management team had a discussion about their futures together and they mutually parted ways! Westcutt has a chance to start off on the right foot with his new management team and trainers, so we’ll see what approach they have him take for this fight! Styles: I think Westcutt will figure out how to get this fight to the ground quickly because he does have the experience and age to combine excellent ability with knowledge! What Gonya has to ask is will Westcutt be ultra-aggressive with his takedown attempts from the get-go or will he bait Gonya into thinking he’s faster and able to keep distance while landing strikes to only create his own opening for Westcutt to counterattack with a takedown and float right into dominant position on the ground!? Since Westcutt has only been knocked out once, he’s shown that he fully understands how to avoid damage so I think he takes the counterattack approach because Gonya is very aggressive by nature! None of his fights have gone past the second round for a reason, X! Westcutt takes this fight by submission! Xavier: I think Gonya has the overall ability to not only land damaging strikes in the standup but if the fight goes to the ground, he’ll be able to not only keep himself from being dominated position-wise but will also be able to avoid being badly beaten in the ground-and-pound plus avoid being locked into a painful submission! Gonya is steadily improving in every facet of fighting and does have submission victories so he’s aware of how to defend against submissions plus put himself into better angles with transitions! I’m sure he understands that the best probability of victory tonight is to keep this fight on its feet, even if that means locking Westcutt into a clinch and keeping the fight leaning against a cage where he can land sporadic strikes while controlling the pace! Gonya wins this fight by knockout because he’s improving his striking ability and will put it on display tonight! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Gonya by KO; Styles – Westcutt by Submission Xavier: Toussaint Bissainthe and John Titor are next into the cage! Styles: How many times do you think Titor had to hear variations of his last name used to mock and insult him as a kid? Xavier: I’m sure he’s heard it so many times that he doesn’t even pay attention, Styles! Styles: Poor guy! Just in these few seconds, I’ve thought about a good ten or eleven ways to twist his last name! Xavier: I’m not surprised…nor am I impressed! Styles: Shut up! Xavier: “dokte sosye” Bissainthe is an excellent 7-1 with his only loss being early in his career at the literal hands of Gareth Colton at Scrap Fights 5! After being knocked out, Bissainthe has absolutely locked in and that focus has improved him rapidly, and he’s riding a 6-fight win streak! That confidence is key because he feels he can knock anyone out and with the exception of two unanimous decision wins, he has absolutely knocked out his opponents with both his hands and feet! Needless to say, he’s established himself as a dangerous striker and there’s a reason he’s the Welterweight champion! His opponent this evening is basically the same height and weight so I fully expect Bissainthe to try and check the chin of Titor early and often! The Haitian Sensation, as various YABAI members call him, has been working diligently on improving his skills in a balanced fashion and what that means for Titor is this! Don’t be surprised if Bissainthe uses strikes to setup takedowns and keep this fight on the ground to make Titor prove that he can hang with him in the grappling and BJJ game! Styles: “The Time Traveller” Titor, who still hasn’t been told that he’s spelling taveller wrong but I digress, is a solid 9-3 overall and is feeling good about himself as he brings a 3-fight win streak into this fight! He’s done an excellent job of avoiding taking major damage over the course of his young career, and like Bissainthe, he’s only been knocked out once and that was against Watari Kan in a Quick Fight Championship battle! Both of these warriors are quite equally skilled in my opinion, X, and this should be one hell of a fight because it could be a chess battle just as much as it is a battle of who gets the first clean shot at the chin of their opponent! Although Titor doesn’t have as many knockout or TKO victories as Bissainthe, he’s proven time and again that he can keep up a high level of pressure while defending himself very well against any type of attack, and that’s going to be vital in this fight! If he can start off pressuring Bissainthe and avoid those brutal knuckles then he’ll put himself into an excellent position to win this fight, even if he has to control the pace and make it a battle of attrition! Xavier: The Polish time traveler will definitely give Bissainthe one hell of a fight as I see it, Styles! With that being said, I think Bissainthe’s knockout power will be the difference maker tonight! There’s no doubt Titor has excellent striking defense and knows how to keep his chin tucked and head moving to avoid absorbing brutal damage, but Bissainthe has also shown a propensity for setting up his opponents into making mistakes! This fight will bypass the physical and boil down to the fight intelligence of both men, and I think Bissainthe has the smarts and wherewithal to set Titor up with feints and unexpected body and head kicks that will catch him off guard and will setup Bissainthe to get the knockout on a counter punch! Styles: Titor is an attrition warrior, X, and although that’s not as sexy and exciting as a knockout artist or a tapout machine, it still equates to wins and winning is the bottom line of this industry! I don’t give a damn if a man has to lean an opponent against the cage and hit him once every ten seconds or take him down to the mat and make it a battle of side control and half guard! Titor knows how to win just as much as Bissainthe does, and Titor has the patience and understanding to get the job done either way! He could shock all of us and come out like a bat out of hell and go full throttle at Bissainthe and make him adjust to that level of aggression and energy! Personally I think Titor uses speed and accuracy to land timely strikes while keeping his head moving to avoid being napped out and he’ll frustrate Bissainthe into getting into a clinch situation where Titor can prevent the takedown and score points in the clinch! Titor wins by unanimous decision! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Titor by Unanimous Decision; Xavier – Bissainthe by KO Styles: Luis Gonzales and Abdul Rahman are set to do battle next! “El Elegido”, which translates to “The Chosen”, is 5-4 overall so a bit of a struggle for the Cuban battler! I wonder if he’s a LeBron James fan. Xavier: I don’t know, Styles! Styles: You know LeBron called himself that and has “Chosen” tattooed on his back, right? Xavier: Yes, Styles, I’m very well aware of that! Styles: Just making sure you’re up on your basketball and pop culture, X! Sometimes I wonder if you’re in the loop of anything beyond MMA! Xavier: Thanks for the vote of confidence! Styles: You’re welcome! As I was saying, Gonzales has struggled a bit overall and after a victory over Jungle Prince at FNF Summer Madness II in the third round by knockout, he and his management team decided to part ways! His current management and training team spoke with him and they obviously agreed mutually that they think they can get his career aimed in the right direction. His first fight under new management didn’t go the way they planned as he tapped out to a Triangle Choke forty-six seconds into the first round to Tumleh Schmitt in a Quick Fight Championship battle! Word around the campfire is he was shaken by that loss and angry because he felt embarrassed, and that embarrassment has led him to over-train while not being in the best of mindsets, and if that’s true, all that’s going to do is subject him to pain and punishment in this fight! Xavier: “The Sheik” Rahman steps into battle with a 4-2 record and the young Heritage member from Riyad, Saudi Arabia, is licking his chops for this fight! He recently had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of John Titor in the third round at RFC 53! He was disappointed in that fight because he felt he was the better fighter and this is a pristine opportunity for him to get right back into the win column, especially if the reports about Gonzales not being fully mentally and physically ready for this fight are true! Rahman has some thunder in his fists and he’ll look to unload that heavy ammunition on Gonzales’ chin tonight! It’s a shame if Gonzales isn’t at his best for this fight but that’s a choice he’s going to have to live with! In light of that, I say Rahman knocks Gonzales out in the first round because Gonzales isn’t ready and Rahman is very anxious to show he’s capable of being a knockout threat! Styles: I absolutely agree with you, X! This is going to be a massacre because Gonzales allowed himself to get caught up in his feelings rather than shake off that loss and have a better attitude about the change of management and trainers! He’ll be kissing canvas tonight but he’ll have brought it on himself! Rahman by knockout in the first! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Rahman by KO; Xavier – Rahman by KO Styles: Rollin’ right along, we have Demetrious Waters and Jonny Baker squaring off next! “No Mercy” brings his flow from Trinidad and Tobago into the cage with an 8-10 overall record! See what I did there, X!? Waters, flow!? Xavier: Yeah, I got it. Styles: You don’t appreciate cleverness! Anyway, Waters has had a rough go of it lately, dropping three of his last four fights! Xavier: Or, in other words, the waters have been choppy? Styles: Ha! You see, X! I knew I could get you in on these clever puns! Xavier: Why did I even go there? Styles: Waters tapped out to Thiago Neves at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32 when he got locked into a Triangle fifty-six seconds into the first round, and he was visibly upset and embarrassed by that! That, along with only wining once in his last four fights, has this man questioning himself and his abilities, X, and we both know that’s a death knell in this business! When his mind is right, he’s quite capable on the ground, specifically in the submission aspect, but aside from that we’ve not seen much else from him! Xavier: He does have a pronounced height advantage over Baker tonight, Styles, but that won’t matter if your insider information is accurate, and it normally is! On the other side of the cage, Jonny Baker is 7-7-1 overall so he hasn’t had the impactful career either, though he does sit at .500! Tonight I have no doubt that record will improve to 8-7-1 in light of what’s being said, and I’m sure the Russian from Moscow will be more than happy to end Waters’ night very fast and painfully! I’m sure the game plan for Baker is to drag Waters to the mat as soon as possible, establish dominant position, and ground-and-pound him out, so I say that’s exactly what will happen! Baker by knockout! Styles: Agreed, and ditto! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Baker by KO; Xavier – Baker by KO Styles: Billy Quinn and Doko Dokov are scheduled to butt heads next! “Bubba” Quinn is 7-5 overall and is looking to get back into the win column after losing a tough battle by knockout to Nuclear Penguin, that name still cracks me up, at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33 in the third round! Prior to that he had a TKO victory over William Bonin and there’s no doubt he wants to mimic that success! Most of Quinn’s victories have been unanimous decisions so he’s shown a willingness to slow the pace down, control the movements of his opponent, and land opportunities strikes when possible! That approach could very well make Dokov take more chances because he may get anxious and want to try and finish the fight earlier than he’s prepared for, and that could be a costly error! Quinn may also opt to try and slow the pace because he’s the shorter man and will take more risk in striking against Dokov! However, that may be a risk he’s willing to take if he lands a couple of clean shots and he sees Dokov begin to fade! Xavier: “The Huricane” Dokov is an even 5-5 in his young career! Styles: Come on, X! Help these warriors out with the spellings of their nicknames! If they’re going to use a nickname in English, they could at least hook it up properly! Xavier: Maybe it’s intentionally done to make fun of English, or maybe it’s an inside joke, Styles! Just relax! Styles: It just bugs me, man! Xavier: Are you an English professor? Styles: Well, no! Xavier: Then chill! The Bulgarian brute from Stara Zagora has submission and knockout wins to his credit and I expect him to choose one of those methods of demise and unleash it on Quinn here tonight! Throughout his career, one has to admit that Dokov has absorbed a hell of a lot of damage for only being twenty-three years old! That amount of damage will definitely end up taking years off his MMA career but I don’t think that matters to him to be honest, because he’s never changed his approach to any of his fights! He tries to impose his will through sheer physicality and will as opposed to more polished skill, and whether or not that proves effective tonight against Quinn is the big question! If he’s going to take that approach then he’ll have to take the chance that Quinn will be very aggressive in seeking an early knockout because he can use that aggression and speed against Quinn if he approaches is smartly! Counterattacks and powerful, accurate strikes are the name of the game for Dokov in this fight! If he can land heavy artillery early and often, he could very well change the complexion of this fight! Styles: I have a feeling that Quinn is going to punish Dokov with sharp and crisp punches, coupled with well-timed kicks to the legs, that not only slow down Dokov but also set him up for a knockout! Dokov has simply absorbed too much damage in a short period of time and his body can’t stand up to power shots, especially if he takes strikes to the body, and Quinn knows exactly how to get the job done and quickly! Quinn by knockout tonight! Xavier: I know Dokov has a big mountain to climb, so to speak, but I think he’ll surprise Quinn with unexpected speed, movement and punching power! I’m under the impression that Dokov feels trying to stretch this fight out into a battle of conditioning is not the smart thing to do and he’ll look to end this fight before going to the scorecards for the judges’ decisions! Dokov surprises Quinn tonight with a counterattack knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Dokov by KO; Styles – Quinn by KO Xavier: Stepping into the cage next will be Ameqran Anto and Charlie Astro! Styles: Charlie Astro? I guess his parents are really into the cosmos and celestial bodies? Xavier: That’s something you’d have to ask him, Styles! Styles: I bet growing up he liked The Jetsons, Star Wars, Star Trek… Xavier: We get the point, Styles! Styles: What? I’m just sayin’! Anyway, Anto, the fireman out of Cleveland is 2-1 so far in his career! The 21-year-old has a 2-fight winning streak heading into this fight, and the last time we saw him was his battle against Mama Tosen at RFC 51! He won that fight by unanimous decision and various LEGION OF DOOM members have said that decision, though a victory, inspired him to work even harder in the gym and studying film because he felt he should have finished Tosen! This particular fight has a layer of interest because we have our hands a good ol’ fashioned inter-alliance fight! LEGION OF DOOM is up front and center tonight with this fight and we’ll see how they react to the action that unfolds between these two! Another point of interest is both Anto and Astro have lost to Angel Morales, so it’s possible they’re both using that very same fight footage for analysis of shortcomings! Enough time has passed to where they’ve improved, no doubt, but there’s still potentially something there! Xavier: Astro is currently 4-1 overall so he literally has two more fights worth of experience under his belt, and he’s a year older which may be an advantage for him in terms of sheer physical development! He’s had more time to shape and build his physique if he chose that route but also more time to cultivate his skills and sharpen the tools he feels he’ll need for this contest! Prior to that loss to Angel Morales that I referenced, Astro was sending opponents into orbit with his punching power! Dude definitely has a bulldozer driving his fists through a wall and Anto’s striking defense better be razor sharp tonight or he’ll find out first-hand, literally, how much impact Astro brings into the cage! The only fight he’s had that hasn’t been stopped in the first is the Morales fight so Anto may see an opportunity to try and make this a conditioning battle, but when a fighter has explosive hands like Astro, that’s a very tricky approach to take! Anto could very well take a methodical approach to this fight and primarily use counterattacks as a means to slow Astro’s aggressive launching of the missiles he calls fists! If Anto can manage to keep Astro off balance long enough, he could very well cause him to leave an opening that Anto can use to take this fight to the ground and test his luck there! Styles: I’m rollin’ with Astro for the mere fact I dig his last name! Never mind that he can level a man’s brain matter with one solid shot! I like the fact he’s associated with space because I dig science fiction movies in space! Astro knocks out Anto and wins the bragging rights amongst LEGION OF DOOM members until they have a rematch further down the line! Xavier: Interesting to chose him based off of his name but to each their own. I think Anto has the ability to keep Astro at bay with his boxing ability and can even land a few chopping leg kicks to make Astro think about his aggression! If he can make Astro slow down even just a little and cause him to think about his strategy, that could be the opening Anto needs to launch into a takedown and gain the upper hand on the ground with superior positioning and BJJ ability! Once he gets Astro to the ground, Anto can dictate the pace and action, especially if he transitions his way into full mount! Anto wins this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Anto by Submission; Styles – Astro by KO Xavier: Marcin Cutlas and Tim Drive keep the intense action going as they get locked inside the cage! The 21-year-old Mexican warrior, or guerrero, Cutlas, is 3-2, and this fight is a rubber match between he and Drive! They locked horns at RFC 49 and after letting it all hang out, Drive emerged victorious by unanimous decision! In fact, this is the third meeting between these two combatants and the first time they went at it at RFC 42, Drive won that battle as well by split decision and that really ground away at Cutlas’ psyche! Will the third time be the charm that Cutlas seeks over Drive!? I think Cutlas uses a great deal of aggression in this fight merely due to the previous losses sitting in the back of his mind! He’ll be motivated, to say the very least, to finish Drive before allowing judges to decide who did what in that cage! Styles: Losing close fights can make or break any fighter but especially a young one, X! I’ve seen confidence levels shot to hell because one or two close fights didn’t go a fighter’s way and suddenly they let self-doubt creep into their mind, and when that happens then it’s very difficult to overcome! “Lovable Sex” Drive obviously feels very confident heading into this fight because the Canadian representing UnderGround Fights Enterprises has defeated Cutlas twice now! He could consider himself to be Cutlas’ kryptonite and if he wins a third fight between them, he very well could be that! This is also a chance for Drive to avoid dropping two fights in a row! The last time we saw him was at RFC 53 where he lost by unanimous decision to Skjoldr Leifsson! If he’s going to pull this off tonight, I think he aggressively keeps this fight on its feet where I feel he has a distinct advantage! Even though he’s an even 4-4 overall, he still has a combat experience advantage, and from what we’ve seen from both fighters, Drive can win this fight in the standup! Like Cutlas, I wonder if Drive wants to finish this fight early so he can prove that he, too, is capable of finishing a fight early as opposed to going the distance like he has twice before against Cutlas! Xavier: If Drive is going to get the job done again, I think he comes out as aggressive as he possibly can to try and lock Cutlas into a clinch and go to work on him there, especially if he’s able to land punches and knees to the body! Sapping Cutlas’ energy early could very well lead to him being more exposed to a knockout because his hands will drop far more often and that will be emphasized if he absorbs damage to his body and he becomes very focused on preventing that pain and suffering! I think Drive gets the trifecta successfully tonight and wins by knockout! Styles: Cutlas doesn’t want to lose to this man three times in a row, X, and that’s as simple as that! He obviously feels he should have won the first fight and he underestimated Drive the last time they brawled! Tonight, there will be no underestimating nor will there be any unexpected surprises from Drive because Cutlas is ready! He’s had time to brood over the two previous losses and they will fuel his fire of vengeance tonight! We’ll see a very determined Cutlas tonight and he will win this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Cutlas by KO; Xavier – Drive by KO Styles: Ryan Landry and William Bonin cross paths here tonight! Landry steps into this fight with an unblemished 3-0 record! The Stepdads very highly of this young Canadian’s potential to be a great champion one day and so far, he’s looked the part! His three victories have all been by decision, the first two of the unanimous flavor, and the last a split! He definitely had one hell of a fight on his hands against Bosse Severus and there’s no doubt he’s focused on improving upon his abilities so he can have a better showing tonight! Landry has a good height advantage in this fight and I expect him to utilize it as best as possible! Xavier: Bonin of The Devil’s Rejects is an even 4-4 overall, and this Connecticut product has shown a heavy bias towards the standup aspect of fighting! He seems to avoid going to the mat like a plague so don’t expect to see Bonin trying for any takedowns in the near future! People may fault him for that approach but he is a world class boxer and muay thai practitioner, so it’s very difficult to argue against those accolades! In a nutshell, if Bonin keeps a fight on its feet then he’s extremely capable and dangerous! Now, I know what you’re thinking, Styles. Styles: What, that I’m getting very hungry for sushi and a hot chic!? Xavier: No, dammit! Will you focus and leave your after-party events to yourself!? Styles: Hey, this is a family show, remember! No cursing! Xavier: I swear you make me sick sometimes! Styles: That means I’m doing my job! Xavier: Yeah, you’re doing something all right! Moving on, I was going to say you would wonder why I think Landry would want to stand and bang with Bonin with his height advantage despite Bonin being world class on his feet! Styles: Oh! Well, yeah, why do you think that!? Xavier: Landry can use his height to counterattack Bonin and force him to come in closer to him to get inside of his defense, and when he does that, Landry can lock him in a clinch and trip him to the ground with his grappling skills then quickly look to lock in a submission using his BJJ skills! It’s obvious that Bonin wants to stay out of the grappling angle of a fight and may become desperate in that plight to avoid being taken to the ground! That disapproval of the ground could work in Landry’s favor if he plays his cards right! I think he does just that and wins this fight by submission! Styles: Golden Gloves and world class muay thai skills make for a very dangerous competitor, X! Bonin obviously knows Landry wants to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible, and I guarantee you he’s been working on takedown defense to avoid that situation all together, plus sparring with proven veterans who can teach him how to keep this fight on its feet where he can capitalize on his outstanding standup skills! Bonin will keep this fight vertical and Landry will find himself laying on the ground, horizontal, with his eyes rolled in the back of his head! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bonin by KO; Xavier – Landry by Submission Styles: Kree P Krawlee and Yves Trudeau are the second-to-last spectacle of the night! “The Next Spider” Krawlee is 3-2 overall and is looking to avoid hitting that .500 winning percentage mark! The YABAI member has shown frustration on occasion in his fights but I have no doubt he’s up to the challenge he faces in Trudeau! After starting off his career with a 3-fight winning streak, he’s dropped his last two fights by unanimous decision, and that’s where the frustration sets in! Against Trudeau, he’s going to have to start off fast in taking this fight to the ground where he can control the pace and space! When he’s able to do that against an opponent, he proves to be very difficult to shake off and he’s going to have to be like a jersey on a football player tonight because if he allows Trudeau too much space, that’s going to be very bad news! Xavier: “The Mad Bumper” Trudeau is 4-3 and similar to Krawlee, he’s looking to avoid dropping to an even winning percentage! The Devil’s Rejects member from Quebec has astounding boxing skills and is as skilled in boxing as they come! His muay thai skills are parallel to world champions so he definitely wants to keep this fight in the standup where he can best utilize those world class skills as he tries to wear down the elusive Krawlee! Trudeau only has one gear when it comes to fighting and that’s full speed ahead! That aggression has led him to only have one fight go past the first round so Krawlee had better be ready to try and weather the punching, kicking, kneeing and elbowing storm he’ll potentially face as soon as the bell rings! Trudeau has lost his last two fights by knockout so damage has been done to him, but that doesn’t deter him at all from rushing in like a bull that sees nothing but red! To him, it’s either make an opponent nap or get napped, so look for him to try and lock Krawlee into a Thai clinch and keep the fight there where he can rain down elbows and launch knees relentlessly until he either gets taken down, Krawlee manages to break free, or Krawlee gets hammered into sleepy time! Styles: In this universal struggle of standup figher versus ground fighter, I’m going with the standup fighter! Trudeau will simply overwhelm Krawlee with his will, power and speed and Krawlee will either have to cover up and take damage in the Thai clinch as you pointed out, X, or he’ll have to take a dangerous risk and try for a trip takedown from the clinch and expose his ribs and chin to potential devastation! Trudeau’s standup skills are simply too much for Krawlee to stop and Trudeau will win this fight by knockout! Xavier: Krawlee may not possess the jaw-crushing punching power that Trudeau does, but he doesn’t need it, Styles! Krawlee has undoubtedly been working on his striking defense as well as his speed and strength, because he knows if he can keep bobbing and weaving, he keeps his chin from getting viciously cracked and he gives himself far more opportunity to get this fight to the ground where he’s in control! Krawlee will use footwork, speed, head movement and smarts to set Trudeau up for counter takedowns and once he gets the one he needs, he’ll immediately float into dominant position and put this one to rest with the tapout win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Krawlee by Submission; Styles – Trudeau by KO Xavier: Luca Blight and Steave Orliely have the privilege of wrapping up tonight’s action! Styles: Steave? That’s a rather unusual way of spelling that name! Xavier: Maybe it’s a cultural reason, Styles! Styles: Yeah, maybe, but it just looks strange! Xavier: You don’t consider your name to be strange to some!? Styles: Furious is a bad ass name, bottom line! Xavier: I concur with its uniqueness, but it’s obviously the name of an emotion. Some may find that rather odd. Styles: They’re the odd ones! My name is awesome! Blight, from Japan, is 0-1 so far in his very young career! Blight? Does that sound like a Japanese last name to you, X!? Xavier: Maybe he’s not Japanese by ethnic background but was born here and claims this country as his own since he was perhaps raised here as well! Styles: I guess so but Blight sounds very European or American! Xavier: I suppose it does! Blight’s loss was to Lewis Rampage by Guillotine in the first round in a Quick Fight Championship battle! Perhaps the young man wasn’t ready for that fight for whatever reason but he’ll have to learn to shake off that loss and refocus on Orliely tonight! He carries a ten-pound advantage over Orliely and he could try and use that weight to tenderize Orliely’s legs with multiple leg kicks or even try to tire him out while damaging his body with body kicks! My assumption is Blight wants to keep this fight at a distance and use counterattacks to try and keep the very skilled boxer away from him! Styles: “Irish” Orliely from, you guessed it, Ireland, is 0-2 so you know the Irishman is very determined to get off the snide and secure that elusive first victory! As you said, X, Orliely’s fists are very well educated and he can knuckle up with many of the top fighters in the business so Blight better keep his chin away from those fists or he’ll be the blemish! See what I did there, X!? Blight means something that causes damage or harm and I said he’ll be the one blemished, so he’ll be the one harmed! Xavier: Again, your cleverness is truly enthralling! Styles: Look, smart ass! I know when you’re being sarcastic so shut it up! I’m droppin’ gems here and you’re not appreciating them! Xavier: Someone’s a bit touchy tonight! Styles: I told you I need some sushi! Xavier: How did I know you’d say that? Styles: Some of the Heritage members told me they feel Orliely will win this fight because he lost to Jake Bird twice by submission, and in doing so he’s learned a lot about defending takedowns and submission attempts! I say he goes ballistic on Blight and repeatedly lights him up with his fists until Blight says good night and falls to the mat unconscious! Xavier: Blight has his work cut out for him tonight, definitely, but he has the ability to pull off the victory if he’s patient, elusive and intelligent! He can’t allow himself to get backed into a corner where Orliely can unload punch after punch and risk his sharp hands not breaking down Blight’s defenses! Blight is going to have to shuffle his feet quickly and look to land opportune strikes to setup the one counter punch or kick he wants to test his ability to knock Orliely out! He may even opt to try and get this fight to the ground and just control Orliely there to try and slow him down and frustrate him. Either way, Blight has one hell of a challenge ahead of him but I think a well-timed counterpunch turns the tide and he wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Blight by KO; Styles – Orliely by KO Xavier: And that concludes the preview for Rapid Fighting Championship Showdown in Tokyo 36! Styles and I thank you as always for tuning in and giving us your time, energy and attention as we break down each fight as best as we can! Styles: A big thank you goes to Kore Fight Nutrition for hookin’ us up with great products and for their fighter sponsorships. We do truly appreciate it and like all of you, we look forward to seeing these fights tonight! Xavier: Good night, take care, be well, and we’ll see you at the fights! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 56 PREVIEWHYASHI’S LOUNGE Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to preview NUMBER 56 for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the intellectual Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you for that, Carr! Intellectual…sometimes, but I do what I can to introduce insightful information and maybe a tidbit or two that people don’t generally know. Carr: That’s all we can ask of you, Ball! As always, the RFC has a stacked lineup of action for you tonight and there will also be a title defense on tap! Ball: That’s right, Carr! The opening salvos launched tonight will pit Moganesh Jain against Killer Kidd with the Bantamweight championship on the line! Before we get into that tremendous fight, let’s break down the entirety of what we’ll see tonight! We have four Bantamweight fights tonight so once the current or new champion are done with their battle, they can pull up a chair and watch some of their future title challengers battle it out! There will be two Featherweight fights, two Lightweight fights, one Welterweight fight and one Middleweight fight! Carr: The Bantamweight division is being highlighted tonight and fans will eat that up because not only are there excellent fighters, but the speed at which they move is truly a sight to behold! Sometimes you can barely see the punches they throw because the velocity is tremendous! All 2,000 crazed fans in attendance tonight are in for a special treat, so buckle up folks and let’s get the fireworks started! Moganesh Jain, the Bantamweight champion, faces a very game and capable opponent tonight in the form of Killer Kidd! “The Monkey God” of The Stepdads is an outstanding 10-1 overall and has been making many a man tap before the snap! This hailed fighter from Gandhinagar, India, is on an absolute tear with a 10-fight winning streak! Confidence, capability and calm is what the champ is about and it’s obviously working very well for him! He make Kreepee Krawlee tap out in the first round via Armbar, his favorite submission by the way, at RFC 52! In fact, Krawlee is now a free agent and I have a feeling the loss to Jain before the loss to Nasib led to that. Killer Kidd has his work cut out for him, but if anyone can give Jain a run for his money, it’s the confident and Bang Cocky Kidd! Ball: Ha! Very clever, Carr! I see you’ve been watching our colleagues, Styles and Xavier, and have gotten into the clever mode of analysis! Carr: I figured they’re not the only ones that can be clever so yes, I decided to get in on it a little bit! Ball: That’s all good! Killer Kidd from Bang Cock, Thailand, though I’m not sure exactly what part of Thailand that is because it’s not officially on the map, is a very good 7-0-2! The unblemished record of this young fighter shows his abilities in the ring, and various LEGION OF DOOM members believe this is his time to face Jain! Kidd has proven his abilities and this is an excellent matchup for him in terms of his standup skills and also to gauge if he can match abilities with one of the best grapplers and BJJ practitioners in the business! We all know there have been questions about Kidd’s ability to finish fights because every victory he has is by decision, with all but one being a unanimous decision! Kidd is going to have to dig deep tonight if he wants to finish the champion before putting his destiny in the hands of three judges! For any chance for Kidd to walk away with the title strapped around his waist, it is crucial that he keep this fight vertical! There’s no doubt he has excellent grappling ability but does he truly want to test that ability against a champion whose calling card is grappling!? Emphasizing his speed, sharp hands and world class muay thai is absolutely imperative and he may even take the risk of trying to put the champ into a clinch to land some slicing elbows and brutal knees! Carr: This will be an explosive battle no matter where it is but I think Jain just has too much momentum entering the cage tonight! He’s faced and has dealt with outstanding strikers and has managed to keep himself from taking massive damage and obviously he hasn’t been forced to take a nap before he was ready! That’s a testament to his striking defense, speed and knowledge of angles, and that knowledge of angles will be the key to victory tonight because he’ll position himself just so when Kidd misses with a combination of strikes! Jain will take Kidd to the mat and frustrate him by controlling the action on the mat! That frustration will cause Kidd to leave just enough space where Jain can take full advantage and lock in one of his patented submissions for the win and successful title defense! Ball: Jain is an outstanding champion and no one can say any different! However, I think it’s time for Kidd to step up and shine in the spotlight now, Carr! Yes, his wins have been by decision. Yes, there’s a question about his knockout power. Yes, there are questions about his chin. However, I think he’s been holding himself back to an extent and tonight, he’ll throw caution to the wind because he realizes there are only so many chances at a title! Accuracy will be sacrificed for power but that’s what it’s going to take to turn the tides of this battle in his favor! There are times when a man has to go balls to the wall and this is one of this times for Kidd! I think he catches Jain unexpectedly with a head kick that levels the champion enough for Kidd to jump in and finish the fight! Kidd wins by shocking knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Kidd by KO; Carr – Jain by Submission Ball: Kieran Busk and Craig Wius are next to do battle in the cage! Kieran Busk of The Stepdads and our colleagues managed fighter, is a solid 9-1 overall, with his sole defeat being a first-round tapout by Armbar to the incredible Litill Bjornsson at RFC 50! His last battle against Billy Brown was a very hard-fought affair that Busk won by Unanimous Decision, and that was deemed the Fight of the Night as well! Against Wius, Busk is shorter and lighter so he’ll have to rely more heavily on footwork and defense against the submission specialist known as Wius! Similar to the battle he had against Bjornsson, Busk has no other choice but to keep this fight in the standup because it’s there where he does his best work! For Busk to emerge victorious tonight, he’s going to have to catch Wius with a clean strike to the jaw and make it count enough to either turn out his lights or daze him enough to where Busk can move in and go for the finish! If that doesn’t happen then I think the longer this fight goes, the more difficult it will be for Busk to avoid being taken to the mat by Wius! Carr: I agree with you on that, Ball! Busk has to avoid going to the ground like a deadbeat dad avoiding child support! If Wius manages to drag him to the mat then it’s just a matter of time before he’ll have to tap like he did against Bjornsson! Wius is a solid 8-4 overall and this grappler from Long Beach knows how to get the job done when he gets an opponent on the ground! He looked very impressive against Yves Trudeau at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32 by defeating him near the end of the first round by knockout! Wius will no doubt look to continue that momentum here tonight against Busk by doing more of the same, and if he can get this fight to the ground then look for him to transition into full mount as soon as possible and try to end the fight with ground-and-pound or submission! If Busk hasn’t worked diligently on his takedown defense then this fight could be very short and painful for him! Ball: I think Wius will be willing to stand and bang with Busk in an attempt to set him up for takedowns later in the round! He could test Busk’s ability to absorb strikes as well as see if his striking defense is on par, and if it’s not then Wius can step up the energy level and aggression to try and do more damage or get the takedown he wants so he can control the fight on the ground and eventually lock in the submission! To me, Wius is the more rounded fighter and that overall skill set will enable him to win this fight by tapout! Carr: Busk definitely felt the sting of that loss to Bjornsson and he bounced back by winning a tough battle! I think Busk has the confidence and ability to avoid being taken to the ground by Wius, and he’d definitely be willing to trade strikes with Wius, especially in the early part of the fight, because Busk may not have the greatest grappling skills but he still has some concussion in those fists, and if he can land a quick, clean shot to Wius’ jaw, this fight may well be over before anyone expects! Busk wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Busk by KO; Ball – Wius by Submission Carr: Balagot Liu and Thing Thing are the next warriors to enter the cage! The Bangkok product, Liu, is an impressive 5-1 overall but had a 5-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Darrel Hill by Triangle submission at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32 in the first round! That was the classic standup versus grappler battle, and usually that boils down to who gets the first shot after the bell rings! Liu obviously didn’t lock in the clinch or get the early knockout and Hill was able to drag the fight to the ground! When Liu manages to keep a fight on its feet, he either wins by decision or knocks his opponent out, and I expect Liu to aggressively seek the knockout tonight, especially since he has a pronounced height advantage! Liu also learned that giving an opponent any space can prove costly so staying outside but keeping the pressure on from distance with jabs, crosses and a variety of kicks is the recipe for success against Thing Thing! Ball: Triple Thing, as I’ll call him, brings his wild green beard and New Jersey disposition into the cage with an 8-4 overall record! The unpredictable UnderGround Fights Enterprise member prefers to make opponents tap out if he can get the fight to the ground and control the pace and space of the match! When we last saw him, he had a 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Martin Eugen at RFC 53 in the Fight of the Night! Eugen walked away the winner by unanimous decision and it was obvious the green-bearded warrior was disappointed with his performance that night! I have no doubt he used that disappointment to fuel his training and tonight he knows he has the opportunity to defeat a very good opponent! Thing is going to have to use quickness and defense to avoid being chin-checked too often by Liu because that could prove to be a dangerous endeavor! Thing understands that his best chance is to look for the submission and I have a feeling he’s willing to aggressively go for the takedown knowing the chance his chin may be exposed just long enough for a brutal shot from Liu! Carr: Liu’s loss to Hill angered him because he felt he was very well prepared for that fight and I have the feeling that his management and training team focused quite a bit on defending takedowns along with making him move faster and improve his recognition of takedown attempts! Tonight we’ll see if that hard work has paid off for Liu because Thing will be relentless in his pursuit of the takedown and submission by my estimations! Once he gets his takedown attempts stuffed or avoided all together, Thing will get a bit more reckless and that will enable Liu to land the clean shot he needs to finish this fight and get the win! Ball: The green-bearded bandit knows he needs to keep Liu off balance with feint takedowns, timely counterattacks and maybe even aggressive clinching to get this win! I think Thing has the defensive ability and speed to avoid getting clipped on the jaw while he gets in close for the takedown he needs and wants to change the momentum of this fight to his favor! Accurate and fast strikes will help Thing set Liu up for takedowns because Liu won’t expect that from Thing and those strikes can be key, especially for scoring vital points on the judges’ scorecards! Thing manages to get Liu in a clinch then trips him for the takedown, floats into side control or full mount and locks in the submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Thing by Submission; Carr – Liu by KO Ball: Zhang Jun and Ichiro Suzuki look to settle their differences in the cage! The Hualin Village fighter of the FinnFighters is a solid 4-1 overall and is currently on a 2-fight win streak! He began piling up wins by submission but his last two wins have been by TKO and KO, respectively, so he’s expanding his repertoire of pain! He looked sharp and aggressive in his first-round TKO win over Theodore Nouveau at RFC 51 and I don’t expect him to change that stance one bit! Aggression and unleashing tendon-tearing strikes are his calling card for setting up finishes on the ground where his grappling and BJJ can shine! Jun is substantially shorter, lighter and he’s also younger, so exuberance, pressure, and getting inside the long reach of Suzuki will be key factors in this fight! If Jun can withstand the barrage of punches that are sure to be launched at his head and avoid having his clock cleaned, as the saying goes, then he can manipulate the long limbs of Suzuki and lock in a submission much faster than he could against a shorter opponent! Carr: “Broom-Broom” Suzuki from Tokyo is 7-4 overall, a respectable record, and as you spoke of, Ball, in this fight against Jun he has a major height advantage and a good amount of weight in his favor as well, so sitting his weight down into any strikes he throws will benefit him greatly! However, seeing that Suzuki favors the grappling aspect of fighting, this will be a rather difficult fight for him because the shorter Jun will have a far easier time isolating a targeted area of the body to try and lock in submissions on! In order for Suzuki to avoid having his long limbs used against him on the ground, he’s either going to have to try and land a surprise counterstrike that knocks Jun out or at least down to the mat where he can go for the finish while Jun is dazed and hurting! I don’t think Suzuki wants to go to the ground early on and see if he can outwrestle and out-submit Jun! Ball: I think Jun’s build and abilities on the ground make this is very favorable fight for him, Carr! He’ll be able to have an easier time getting past Suzuki’s punches unless Suzuki puts a tremendous amount of energy into throwing jabs and crosses from a distance to keep Jun busy by forcing him to bob and weave or step back out of range. That can keep Jun from taking him to the ground but I don’t think Suzuki can keep Jun off of him for the entire fight! Once Jun penetrates Suzuki’s defenses, this fight will go the ground where Jun will finish the fight by submission! Carr: Suzuki is definitely facing a tough task because he’s obviously the taller man but I don’t think his striking skills overall are strong enough to keep Jun at a distance that way, so Suzuki will have to stay on the outside, pump that jab repeatedly at Jun’s face to make him defend himself early and often, then look to land counterpunches and kicks to score vital points while trying to figure out a way to prevent himself from being taken to the ground! I know Suzuki wants to finish the fight, but it may be in his best interest to stick to throwing single shots from distance and using his physical abilities to keep Jun at a distance while scoring points! That’s the only way I see Suzuki pulling this off! If Suzuki is content with throwing more jabs than he’s used to doing the he wins this fight by decision! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Suzuki by Unanimous Decision; Ball – Jun by Submission Carr: Skjoldr Leifsson and Sydney Thift will test one another to see who the better man is tonight! The intense Icelandic warrior is 4-1 overall and this member of Vendetta steps into battle tonight on a 4-fight win streak! He won a tough fight against Tim Drive at RFC 53 which resulted in a unanimous decision victory and the pattern he has shown is he either wins by submission or unanimous decision! If that patterns hold true then Thift will be in for a submission loss unless he can change the course of that! Though intense, Leifsson has shown that he can be patient while controlling the action on the ground, but if an opportunity presents itself then he has no problem very aggressively pursuing it! Various members of Vendetta have said that his world class muay thai abilities will be very valuable in this fight because he can do some major damage while the fight is in the standup and if it goes to the ground, they feel Leifsson’s brown belt will enable him to feel very comfortable defending himself if need be, or imposing his will as he looks for transition opportunities to improve his positioning in pursuit of the ground-and-pound finish or submission finish! Ball: Thift enters the cage tonight with a 6-5 overall record so he’s struggled to find consistency in his career! He has a bit of a height advantage over Leifsson and he’s six years older, so he’ll have to rely on that combat and life experience to win this fight! The Chicago native has been on a roll as of late with a 3-fight win streak, and he earned a unanimous decision win over Doko Dokov at RFC 53, so he knows he can have an attrition battle if the need arises! However, there’s no doubt he’d like to have the result of the two fights prior to his most recent where he won both of those by TKO! He faces a tall task in Leifsson because getting Leifsson to the ground may prove to be rather difficult, and if and when this fight goes to the ground, Leifsson has shown he can handle himself there as well! Thift may also want to try and land a haymaker out of nowhere that can stun Leifsson and set him up for a takedown where Thift can float right into full mount and rain down the ground-and-pound! Carr: Leiffson, in my opinion, is too well balanced for Thift to overcome him tonight! He has developed into a capable fighter in all aspects of fighting, and Thift hasn’t shown me the ability to equal the striking skills or grappling skills that Leifsson has! I don’t think Leifsson will be patient and methodical in this fight, Ball! It seems to me he’ll go for the finish early and to me, he’s more than willing to stand and launch strikes with Thift to test his defense, speed and accuracy! If Thift can’t handle Leifsson’s punching speed or lets Leifsson land some brutal kicks then Thift will fade and Leifsson will step up the aggression and power until he either knocks Thift out or takes him to the ground for the submission win! Ball: Thift knows he has the chips stacked against him, but he may very well thrive as the underdog in this fight! It’s possible that Leifsson will be overconfident and could be too lax which will allow Thift to surprise him with power strikes from various angles that Leifsson isn’t ready for! Catching Leifsson by surprise seems the only way Thift can pull this off but there’s still a chance he can do that! If Thift believes in himself and his timing is on point, he can drop Leifsson and leap on him before he has a chance to regain his senses! Thift pulls the surprise tonight and gets this win by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Thift by KO; Carr – Leifsson by Submission Ball: Angel Morales and Azacca Trounvouche keep up the level of intensity in the cage as they face one another! The 3-1 Sonora, California product and Convicted Inc. member is on a 3-fight win streak after losing his very first fight to Ali Magomed by Anaconda Choke in a Quick Fight Championship fight! Morales has locked in since that loss and has finished his last two fights by TKO so his confidence is high, his fists are damaging, and his sights are set high! He’s a bit shorter and lighter than Trounvouche so I expect him to focus on using speed and maneuvering to put himself into positions where he can test Trounvouche’s defenses and ability to take a clean shot to the jaw! This fight could very well end up being a toe-to-toe bloody war because both of these young lions are excellent with their fists and feet, and since they’re both twenty-two years old, they may want to have a battle of moxie to show who can withstand what! I think it will be difficult for Morales to force Trounvouche to the ground for a grappling battle if that’s the approach he wants to take because Trounvouche has shown great improvement in his grappling abilities! Carr: “The Original Rude Boy” has rudely been rudely knocking out all but one of this opponents and I expect that disposition to remain fully intact tonight against Morales! The only time a fight of his has gone the distance was a unanimous decision victory over Kree P Krawlee at RFC 47! Aside from that, first-round finishes are the name of the game for this proud and capable Jamaican of YABAI, so look for him to pounce on Morales like a tiger catching a gazelle! I think Trounvouche continues his torrid pace of setting the tone early and being very aggressive in looking for the knockout! He’s full of confidence and I don’t think there’ll be any hesitation of staying vertical and bangin’ knuckles with Morales because Trounvouche may have the physical advantage as well as more power than Morales! No one denies that Morales has very good power but Trounvouche may have excellent power and that’s just enough to make the more impactful difference! If Trounvouche lands a clean shot then we’ll see if Morales’ chin can hold up to that test! If Trounvouche feels Morales is his equal in the toe-to-toe trading war then he could elect to lock him into a clinch and look to control the pace and action of the fight there while landing sporadic punches, knees and elbows to soften up Morales and maybe even make him bleed! Ball: This is definitely an exciting fight between two hard-hitting young bucks and I look forward to it! That being said, Trounvouche has a bit more momentum heading into this fight and the confidence of being undefeated is vital! He knows full well he can’t let his defenses or footwork slip at all because he doesn’t want to give Morales a free shot at his chin! If Morales cracks him then he’s going to have to earn it! Trounvouche will mix up his attacks and angles and over time, that will wear Morales down, especially with the amount of pressure Trounvouche tends to put on his opponents! In a hard-fought victory, Trounvouche walks out of the cage with another knockout to his resume! Carr: Morales has become laser focused since that initial defeat to begin his young career, and he’s been rolling ever since then! He’s fully aware that he faces an excellent fighter and this is his opportunity to prove to himself he can handle the pressure and physicality that Trounvouche brings to the cage, but also is a chance to send a message to the rest of the weight class that he’s a force to be reckoned with and respected! Morales digs deep and finds the right angle he needs to crack Trounvouche’s jaw for the knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Morales by KO; Ball – Trounvouche by KO Carr: Tome Faessi and Little Kitty Sripituksakul are set to lock horns next! “Big Chief” from the Solomon Islands is a perfect 3-0 so far in his career and all three of his wins have been by first-round submission so he’s obviously very comfortable in the grappling and BJJ side of business! Faessi is the shorter fighter tonight and works in his favor since he is submission focused. As has been well documented, smaller fighters have a physical advantage over a taller when it comes to the submission portion of mixed martial arts for the mere fact that longer limbs are easier to manipulate. It’s just fact! Another fact is for Faessi to win this fight tonight, he’s going to have to get Kitty to the ground as fast as possible because the longer this fight lasts, the more in favor the advantage swings to Kitty! Being a decent striker isn’t going to be enough in this fight and I’m sure Faessi’s management team has ensured he understands that! However, as with every fight, it’s quite possible that one strike could sneak through Kitty’s defenses and all any fighter needs is one shot to potentially turn the tide of battle or even end it right then and there! Ball: Sripituksakul is a solid 4-1 overall and the Thailand combatant recently had a 4-fight win streak snapped by Anthony Shiina at RFC 52 by a Kimura in the third round! When Kitty is able to let his fists and feet fly, he’s a very effective striker with a good amount of aggression to back it up! He has some first-round knockouts to his credit and I expect that approach to be utilized tonight against Faessi! Keeping this fight in the standup is salient for Kitty to add a win to his total and I don’t think he has any trepidation about locking Faessi into a clinch and looking to wear him down with body strikes as well as trying to knock him out using knees and elbows! Locking Faessi into a clinch also allows Kitty to dictate the pace of the match, keep himself better guarded in close quarters, and he can feel when Faessi attempts takedowns and adjust to that accordingly! Carr: I think the unblemished record of Faessi speaks for itself but I also think he can counterattack the aggressive Kitty in this battle and get the grappling aspect initiated through those means! Since Faessi is older he may very well have a physical advantage over Kitty, and if that’s the case then he can try and use that advantage by aggressively looking to score the takedown either from distance or, if need be, from the clinch though I don’t think he wants to risk a clinch battle with Kitty since he favors muay thai heavily and is quite skilled in it! Faessi uses experience, intelligence and patience to stay outside of the strikes that Kitty throws and he counterattacks with the takedown he’s looking for and immediately goes for the submission before Kitty can recover! Ball: Kitty has the physical ability and skills to keep this fight in the standup where he can pick apart Faessi! As you said, Carr, Kitty’s muay thai skills are very good and very good is good enough in this fight! Sripituksakul can counterattack Faessi, especially with leg and body kicks, and that will tax Faessi’s gas tank and also set him up for brutal head kicks that Kitty can whip to the side of his head in the blink of an eye! I think Kitty uses feints and counters to make Faessi overcommit to a takedown attempt and when he misses, Kitty moves in and lands a crushing kick to the head that begins the downward spiral! After Kitty lands that clean head kick, he’ll rush in with fists flying and will overwhelm Faessi for the knockout win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Sripituksakul by KO; Carr – Faessi by Submission Ball: Chok Delarock and Ariel Schroder are the next men into the cage to prove what they’re capable of! “A Block” Delarock from England is an even 9-9 overall so the 28-year-old Londoner will want to avoid dropping below that even mark! I think Delarock has struggled the way he has because he and his management and training team can’t decide philosophically what they want to do in terms of focusing one either the standup or the grappling aspect of fighting! At this stage of his career, trying to be a well-rounded fighter will be very difficult due to time, physical damage, and young fighters advancing quickly up the ranks! When he’s been able to get on a roll, he’s made many a fighter tap out, but he also ran into a very difficult stretch of his career where he lost six fights in a row! The fact that he even continued to train and came back to defeat Oleg Borisov at RFC 52 after those string of losses speaks highly about his warrior spirit! He’s a bit taller than Schroder but I don’t think that’ll matter because neither of these men have a propensity for standing toe-to-toe and trading strikes with anyone! Carr: You’re absolutely correct, Ball! This fight pits two older fighters against one another who have similar combat experience, results and philosophies! It seems to me the 8-7 German is a bit better in the standup aspect and he may opt to try and soften up Delarock with timely strikes and he could even lock him into a clinch and work on his body to take the sting out of his punches and make it more difficult for him to try and take Schroder to the ground! In addition to that, Schroder can test Delarock’s striking power and ability to maneuver in the clinch, and if Schroder feels he has any advantage there then I fully expect him to keep pursuing the clinch so he can take advantage of his better striking plus potentially pull guard suddenly and try to catch Delarock in a submission off of his back before Delarock can adjust to that! Ball: In this battle of veterans, I think Delarock will win because he does have a slight advantage in experience and age, and though it’s not much, it’s still a factor! To me, his best bet is to counterattack Schroder while the fight is in the standup and use that approach to try and get Schroder off balance so he can get him to the ground but be in dominant position immediately! Even though Schroder is a brown belt, he’d still have to expend energy being on his back and Delarock has enough BJJ ability to see any submissions Schroder tries from his back! Delarock can land some ground-and-pound as well in an effort to slow Schroder down or even go for the finish! Delarock overcomes difficult odds and win this match by submission! Carr: Schroder is the more skilled fighter in this battle and he knows that! With that knowledge comes confidence, and with confidence comes aggression! His energy output at the beginning of this fight will shape its outcome because he’ll force Delarock to weather the storm as soon as the bell rings and I don’t think Delarock will be able to keep Schroder at bay! Schroder will land punishing strikes and will find the opening he’s looking for to land that shot that detonates Delarock’s jaw and puts him to sleep the hard way! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Schroder by KO; Ball – Delarock by Submission Carr: Del Werthers and Abdul Nurmy are the penultimate fight of the evening! Werthers is 7-8 and his immediate motivation is to get his record back to being even! In addition to that, the Bostonian wants to get his path turned towards the positive as he’s only 1-3 over his past four fights! Most recently, he suffered a Rear Naked Choke loss to Daquan Bowman at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32 early in the second round, so he wants to avoid slipping even further down this path of losing! That can be very taxing on the psyche but he keeps on fighting and I give him respect for that because it’s very easy for fighters to quit when they encounter a string of losses! Werthers is shorter and lighter than Nurmy, but it’s imperative that this fight remains on its feet if Werthers is going to take this one and even his record! Aggression from the start and locking Nurmy in a clinch are key elements to victory tonight! Ball: Nurmy steps into the cage with a 5-7 overall record so similar to his opponent, the struggles have been evident! Since Nurmy treats the standup like a ex-girlfriend who stalks you everywhere you go, everything relies on him getting this fight to the ground as soon as possible! That’s going to be difficult, especially if Werthers equals his aggression from the start of this battle! Needless to say, one has to question the psyche and heart of Nurmy after dropping an incredible seven fights in a row! I give him credit for liking to fight and not ducking any challenges, but losing seven in a row is tough for anyone, let alone the physical damage that he’s absorbed as well! With the exception of his most recent defeat, all of his losses have been by KO or TKO! That hurts anyway you cut it but he’s one tough S.O.B. and keeps coming back for more! Carr: While that’s commendable, Ball, I think we both know Nurmy can’t take much more punishment like that! He doesn’t want to be punch drunk and I’m sure he’d like to be able to function somewhat normally later in life after he retires and pursues other avenues in life! No one doubts his toughness but the body can only take so much! Werthers can cause a lot of damage in that cage against many men and against Nurmy, I don’t see him being prevented from doing more of the same! Werthers wins this fight by knockout, plain and simple! Ball: I have to agree with you, Carr! I appreciate one hell of a fighting spirit like anyone else but there also comes a time when a man has to have a serious sit down with himself and figure out if the sacrifices he’s making are worth it, especially in the long run! This is obviously a very tough business anyway you look at it and there are some hard truths to face at different times in life! Werthers is going to add to the pain that Nurmy has been feeling a lot lately, unfortunately for him! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Werthers by KO; Carr – Werthers by KO Ball: And we finally come to the final battle of the evening as Nathaniel Syndicate and Alekanekelo Tamata butt horns! “The Black Heart” of Cromulent Doom is 1-2 so the young warrior has struggled a bit recently, but he has an opportunity to pull his record even tonight! When the intense Blackpool brawler is focused, he can deliver punishment in the standup and hold his own on the ground, but his last two fights have just not been good for the young man! Having been knocked out and tapped out in his last two fights has definitely tested his morale and outlook, but to his credit he picked himself right back up and got back to training. He’s a good amount shorter than Tamata so look for him to fire strikes and knees to Tamata’s body from distance and in the clinch! Syndicate could even say to hell with it and just go full force for the knockout and make Tamata either adjust to that or end up on the wrong side of a brain-shaking shot that knocks him out! Carr: “The Warhead” Tamata is a perfect 3-0 and the 24-year-old from Vanuatu is definitely confident in his abilities! Having the height advantage and the age advantage could be the nuances he relies on to achieve victory tonight! Against Syndicate, I think counterattacking and aggression when he does counterattack is the path to victory! From what we’ve seen of both of these men, Tamata doesn’t quite have the overall skill level that Syndicate does but that doesn’t mean he’s not effective at what he does! All of his victories have been by KO or TKO and that indicates that he has some wrecking ball ability in those fists! Having that kind of power evens out any odds there are in terms of skill level because he has a legitimate punchers chance at winning this fight! Before Syndicate knows it, if he leaves his head extended past his shoulders for too long or raises his chin just enough, he could find out the hard way that Tamata packs quite the nasty punch! Ball: It’s hard to pick against an undefeated fighter, so I won’t do it! I think Tamata has the punching power to even out the odds in terms of overall skill level and Syndicate’s struggles lately may very well lead him to make the one mistake that Tamata needs to end this fight early! I think Tamata’s confidence and pride will allow him to withstand any barrage of strikes that Syndicate launches at him and the counterattack punch he needs to crack Syndicate’s jaw and end this fight will be there! Tamata wins by knockout! Carr: Syndicate is due to catch a break after two tough losses and he learned a great deal about himself from those two losses! He won’t hold anything back tonight and having that approach will enable him to overcome any trepidation he has and he’ll find that he can test Tamata’s chin early and often if he is persistent and remains focused! Syndicate does exactly that tonight and leaves the cage with his hand raised in victory! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Syndicate by KO; Ball – Tamata by KO Carr: That’s the conclusion of this preview, ladies and gentlemen, and we thank you very much for joining us! It’s our pleasure to bring you the exciting lineups, background information and other colorful commentary we hope you find both helpful and entertaining! Ball: Kore Fight Nutrition provides us excellent merchandise and we are ever grateful to them as well! We appreciate your valuable time and we hope all of you enjoy the fights as much as we do! Until next time, we’ll see you at the fights! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorOctagon Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 Excellent writeups! These take a lot of work, so we appreciate it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 Excellent writeups! These take a lot of work, so we appreciate it Thank you very much, Doc Oc, I do truly appreciate that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexManiatakos Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Excellent job ! You deserve the Writer of the Year Award. Voted for you ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Excellent job ! You deserve the Writer of the Year Award. Voted for you ! Same! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Excellent job ! You deserve the Writer of the Year Award. Voted for you ! Thank you greatly, Alex, I very much appreciate it ✌ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 8, 2019 Report Share Posted December 8, 2019 Same! I truly appreciate it, Hare! ✌ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 13, 2019 Report Share Posted December 13, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 37 PREVIEW SHINJUKU INDOOR ARENA Xavier: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 37! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the studious Furious Styles! Styles: What’s happenin’ X!? It’s great to be here and man, these 5,000 rabid MMA fans have this place rockin’ already and we haven’t even had a match yet! Xavier: Shinjuku is definitely causing a spike on the Richter Scale tonight and I have no doubt that a part of that is due to the highly anticipated clash between the legend, Litill Bjornsson, and Third Eye! Styles: The man, the myth, the legend known as Litill Bjornsson steps into title defense mode once again as the Lightweight title is on the line once again! Can Bjornsson continue his monumental tear through the Lightweight division to further solidify himself as one of the absolute best pound-for-pound fighters in this business, period!? Xavier: We’ve been very fortunate to witness the meteoric rise of this incredible fighter and as I can attest to personally from his battle against Kieran Busk, Bjornsson not only is devastating but also very intelligent and humble, and I have a great deal of respect for him due to those characteristics! He’s not a braggart, nor is he disrespectful! He goes into the cage, handles business, and continues training while being humble, and that’s the sign of an outstanding professional! Styles: Excellent points, X! He could run his mouth like many others do in an attempt to draw more attention to himself, but rather he allows his actions in the ring to speak volumes for him and they speak very loudly! The man is walking destruction and he knows how to handle it! The “Mini Mountain” has amassed a staggering 30-1 record! People can and have argued about the level of talent and skill in Rapid Fighting Championship, but I don’t give a damn if a fighter has thirty battles against pencil-thin fighters with floppy ears! Fighting thirty times and winning them is incredibly impressive because in the fight game, anything can and does happen, and for Bjornsson to have maintained such a high level of accomplishment while avoiding being seriously damaged is an incredible feat in and of itself! Xavier: You’re absolutely correct, Styles! There are numerous factors of the unknown when stepping into thirty fights and for him to continue the unstoppable winning streak he has been on is an absolutely astounding feat! This is the first time he will battle Eye and there’s no doubt both men know exactly what’s on the line here tonight! In my opinion, Styles, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of the champion because he basically has to win to not only and obviously retain his championship, but I have no doubt he has a personal goal of winning a certain number of battles in a row! When you achieve success of this magnitude, short-term goals are an absolute must to keep pushing forward and not become complacent with said success! Against Eye, he’s smaller but heavier and that plays right into his wheelhouse of being a submission machine! Styles: Yes it does, X, because Bjornsson can and will have an easier time of targeting a longer limb and having that weight will allow him to lean that weight against Eye while locking in whatever submission hold he’s going for! For the 7-1 Eye to pull this off, his various LEGION OF DOOM members have told me Eye has been training like a man possessed on the grappling and BJJ aspects of his skill set in an effort to thwart the outstanding submission capabilities of the champion! In addition, Eye and his management team feel he has a distinct advantage in this fight in terms of the standup, and keeping this fight on its feet is a crucial variable for Eye because I feel that’s where he can best capitalize on his solid boxing and muay thai skills to score very vital points on the scorecards while attempting to damage and slow Bjornsson! Xavier: I think you’re right, Styles! Eye has shown to be quite capable on his feet and those feet could land some very important and damaging low kicks on the champion to slow him down and make taking Eye down the mat that much more difficult! Chopping away at the legs and body of the champion will sap some of his wind along with some of that incredible strength, and both of those are very important facets for Eye to establish if he wants to pull off the epic feat of defeating Bjornsson! Since he’s taller than Bjornsson, I look for him to use speed and footwork to try and land quick, accurate strikes and he may even try to chin check the champion, but if he opts to do that he obviously runs the risk of Bjornsson counterattacking him with his own solid punching ability and then launch into a quick takedown! Styles: Bjornsson has managed to avoid serious damage for a very long time and his striking defense will be of utmost importance against Eye! Eye has obviously shown he can nap an opponent when the opportunity arises so Bjornsson will have to avoid giving him that chance while looking to get this fight to the ground where he can test Eye’s abilities in grappling defense, transitions and potentially his submission abilities as well! With all due respect to the impressive Eye, there’s no way in hell I’m picking against the legend! Bjornsson will methodically counterattack Eye with well-timed, accurate punches and wait for Eye to be overly aggressive just one time and he’ll use that over-aggression to take him to the mat where he’ll slow the pace and frustrate and tire Eye out with grappling and that extra weight that he has! Eventually, Bjornsson will lock in the submission that helps him continue his title reign! Xavier: We’ve seen a few upsets recently, Styles, and I truly think Eye has the capability, understanding and skills required to halt the unbelievable roll that Bjornsson is on! Eye is going to have to dig deeper than he ever has before but his confidence is very high, his win streak is solid and his confidence is unbending, and that’s what it’s going to take to become the new Lightweight champion! Bjornsson is going to make this battle a living hell for Eye and he’s going to have to push his heart and determination to new levels but tonight is his chance to do exactly that! I think he manages to keep this fight standing and lands the knockout blow that shakes the entire arena and organization tonight! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Eye by KO; Styles – Bjornsson by Submission Xavier: Light Heavyweight’s Dom Severini and Brady Jackson step into the cage after that vastly impactful opening salvo of a match! Severini steps into the cage with a 7-4 overall record, a respectful mark, no doubt, and the Jersey City native recently defeated Royce Gracie at RFC 54 by TKO in the second round! That win helped him overcome a unanimous decision loss to John McSulley at RFC 48! Over his past six fights, Severini is an even three-and-three, so he’s trying his best to break that pattern here tonight against Jackson and establish a win streak, something he hasn’t done since his knockout victory over Joey Johnson at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 6! He’s a little taller than Jackson but I don’t know if that advantage is enough for him to have a major advantage in the standup! Styles: Jackson is three years younger than Severini and I think that’s a factor because he should have more energy and better conditioning heading into this fight! Jackson’s 6-1 record is also telling of the momentum and confidence he has steadily built during his time here! I think his most recent loss to Hector Zorba at RFC 54 in the second round will add a great deal of fuel to his fire, and that fire will allow him to procure the vengeance he seeks in reestablishing a winning streak! Prior to that loss, he won every one of his fights in the first round so aggression and power is the name of his game! He also knows what it’s like to be a champion, having his first title at FC4 Finch versus Jackson when he defeated Tristan Finch in the first round by TKO! He then successfully defended his title against Jack Holloway at WCF7 Lotus Style versus Cruz! After that he came over to Rapid Fighting Championship and is looking to be 2-1 overall here! Xavier: Various LEGION OF DOOM members have told me they feel very confident that Jackson will get the win tonight because he’ll manage to keep this fight on its feet where they feel he has a distinct advantage, particularly with throwing punches, speed and footwork, and if Jackson manages do to exactly that, this fight could be over much faster than Severini would want it to be! Jackson’s punching power is well respected and for good reason! Severini will get a taste of that punching power but it will be unfortunately at the expense of his consciousness! Styles: Severini has an uphill battle tonight, no doubt, but I think he can manage to surmount the challenges he faces in Jackson and will surprise some people with his performance tonight! I think the smartest approach for him to take is to be methodical and use counter attacks to try and get Jackson to the mat as soon as possible where he can test his grappling skills plus avoid those explosive knuckles while doing so! If Severini can get this fight to the ground early and keep it there, he can score vital points for controlling the action in the ring plus doing his own brand of damage with ground-and-pound and submissions! Severini wins this tough battle by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Severini by Submission; Xavier – Jackson by KO Styles: Another Light Heavyweight clash takes place as Five Finger and Mwenye Kwadwo step into the cage to battle! YABAI member “Death Punch” brings a good 3-1 overall record in this fight and the swordsman has been on a roll with a 3-fight win streak! He’s knocked out his last two opponents, most recently a second-round TKO over John Makres at RFC 53! Needless to say, those wins have given him a boost in his confidence and the timing of that confidence is impeccable for this fight! He’s taller than Kwadwo so look for him to be light on his feet as he tries to establish a consistent jab to keep Kwadwo off balance and discouraged while Finger tries to ascertain when to unload power punches while seeking another knockout victory! Kwadwo is seven years older than Finger and that experience could be a difference maker in this fight, especially since on paper, these two warriors matchup very well and have very similar skill sets! Xavier: LEGION OF DOOM’s Kwadwo is 10-7 overall, a winning record, obviously, but there’s no doubt he feels he can be better and he continually strives to accomplish that goal! It’s no secret that Kwadwo has had his struggles recently and endured a 3-fight losing streak before snapping that with a knockout win over Cochise Harris at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31! After that much-needed win, he had a very tough battle against Jambe De Bois at RFC Tokyo 35 and lost that by TKO late in the third round! Looking to rebound from that tough loss, Kwadwo, in my estimation, will need to test Finger early and often with a mix of strikes from various angles to see how the younger fighter responds! If Finger is too anxious to try and defend feints then Kwadwo can use that, as well as his experience, and capitalize on Finger’s anxiousness by making him overcommit to defending a strike and leaving himself open just long enough for Kwadwo to strike with precision and power! Keep in mind that Kwadwo does have championship experience, a very valuable asset, and he knows how to overcome the odds! Styles: He definitely knows how to handle diversity because he’s faced numerous types of opponents whereas Finger is basically just getting started in experiencing how to handle different types of fighters with varying skills! Typically I ride with the proven knockout artist and I consider Finger to be an emerging knockout artist, but tonight I’m choosing the veteran, Kwadwo, to win this fight! I think his combat experience, age and championship mettle are very effective factors in overcoming the younger and potentially more aggressive Finger! Kwadwo will use Finger’s youthful exuberance against him and eventually wear the youngster down for the knockout blow! Xavier: Finger definitely has a disadvantage in terms of in-cage combat, but his fast and steady development under the watchful eye of his management and training teams, as well as fellow YABAI members, has him on a very good path! Physically he matches up very well with Kwadwo, and despite the age difference, I believe his skill set and capability are equal to Kwadwo’s in the very least! That being said, I think Finger’s aggression and accuracy will be keys to victory here because he feels he can drop the older warrior with one clean shot, but to get to that point will take methodical precision that eventually forces Kwadwo’s guard to lower! Once that happens, Finger will pounce on the opportunity and land that coveted knockout blow! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Finger by KO; Styles – Kwadwo by KO Xavier: The Featherweight division has its first fight of the night as Reijo Halli and Ludwig Mandrill lock horns! The Helsinki warrior, Halli, is a very good 4-1 overall in his young career and has shown a propensity to be effective in the grappling and BJJ aspects of combat! After losing to Del Werthers by TKO at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29, he’s rolled off a 2-fight win streak, most recently defeating Dingleberry Jones by unanimous decision at RFC Tokyo 25! Styles: It still absolutely floors me that a dude would voluntarily call himself dingleberry! I mean, come on, X, who in their right mind names themselves after large particles of uncleaned…well, you know! Xavier: The only thing I can think of is it’s an attempt at throwing opponents off their mental game because many people in the world are disgusted at the thought and idea of dingleberry’s, so maybe he’s hoping that makes opponents trepid about engaging in combat with him, especially in grappling because in the back of their mind, they may think he doesn’t practice good hygiene and will be reluctant to get in close quarters with him! Styles: Well, damn, that may be some type of sick intelligence because I could definitely see that causing opponent’s to second-guess locking arms with him! You know, X, sometimes you impress me with your acumen! Xavier: Thanks, Styles, I appreciate that! Styles: No problem, man. Just keep in mind that I said sometimes! Xavier: Right. Styles: Halli has a slight height advantage tonight and to me, that’s going to be very favorable because I don’t think he wants to test Mandrill’s grappling skills, and that’s beside the point of what we discussed about Dingleberry’s name! Halli has shown he’s quite comfortable with grappling but for this fight, testing his striking skills and defense may be the best option! I’m sure he’s confident in his grappling ability, but why risk it if there’s an advantage in the standup? Xavier: Agreed, Styles! If there’s no need to risk injury and defeat then why take it? Mandrill is a very good 9-3 and is currently riding the momentum and confidence of a 2-fight win streak! He looked quite sharp against Daquan Bowman when he beat him early in the third round by TKO! I’ve heard various whispers about Mandrill’s ability to finish a fight, however, because he does have a smattering of unanimous decision victories! As we all know, a win is a win but fighters want to take the fight out of the judges’ hands and place it firmly into their own! He has a good number of TKO and submission victories so I think those whispers are both premature and unwarranted! He’s proven that he can get the job done and finish a very good opponent, plus he’s on a good roll and will probably try to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible! I’m sure he’s fully aware of Halli’s comfort level on the mat but I don’t think Mandrill wants to see if Halli has more punching power than he may perceive! Styles: I’m going to stick with the veteran in this fight as well, X! Mandrill has defeated some tough opponents and has been through the thick of it more than Halli has, and that experience is very valuable, especially in a battle such as this! He’ll take this fight to the ground where he’d much rather take the risk of being out-grappled as opposed to be unconscious! I think Mandrill will surprise Halli with his grappling skills and that will allow Mandrill to score the submission victory after all is said and done! Xavier: Halli will prove that he has the ability to get the job done in the standup as well as on the ground! To an extent his striking ability and power hasn’t been tested and this may very well be a great opportunity for him to both show and learn his striking abilities! Training and sparring are great but they don’t mimic the intent and variables of an opponent who’s sole purpose is to defeat you! Halli will display what he’s been working on in the gym and will keep Mandrill off balance with solid footwork, well-timed strikes and the ability to avoid being taken to the mat! Halli surprises Mandrill with a knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Halli by KO; Styles – Mandrill by Submission Xavier: We return to the Light Heavyweight division with the next battle as Hector Zorba and John Makres square off! “Zen Master” Zorba of The GBU steps into combat with a 9-4 record! The proud Venezuelan recently defeated Brady Jackson by TKO in the second round at RFC 54 after dropping his previous battle against Dom Severini at RFC 44 by TKO in the first round! He’s been a bit back-and-forth lately going an even two-and-two in his last four fights so he’s looking to extend his win streak to two against Makres tonight! When Zorba gets locked in, he’s devastating and has a good number of TKO and KO victories under his belt! Makres will need to keep his chin tucked and his feet moving because if he’s caught off-balance or doesn’t react fast enough then he’ll have an undesired knuckle sandwich that may very well be the last thing he eats for a while if his teeth get rattled from a vicious uppercut! Styles: “F-16” Makres of The Stepdads is a good 5-2 so far in his young career, and he has won by submission and knockout so he’s dangerous in any situation! This fight may very well turn into a standup war because these men are basically the same height but Zorba has the weight advantage, so he may be able to pack more pop in his punches! However, I think that’s a risk Makres is willing to take because he could very well opt to take this fight to the ground and see if Zorba can outwrestle him! Either way this will be a very interesting fight because neither man has a major advantage, as far as I see it, so positioning, accuracy and wits will be the difference maker! Xavier: Although they are the same age, Zorba has nearly double the amount of fights and that experience makes me learn towards him winning this fight! Taking nothing away from Makres because he’s obviously a good fighter, but when fighters are basically evenly matched on paper, the intangibles come into play even more so, and that experience can’t be mimicked! Whatever approach Makres takes towards this fight, Zorba will be able to adjust and do so quickly because of that experience, and in essence, I think he’ll goad Makres into a standup battle because Zorba has that wrecking ability in his punches and will be more than happy to test Makres’ chin! I think Zorba catches Makres clean and makes him go to sleep much sooner than he planned on doing! Styles: Makres is quickly developing into a complete fighter, X, and in that completeness he has learned what to do and when to do it, be it standing or grappling, and I have a strong suspicion that Makres would welcome a toe-to-toe war! He has full confidence in his punching power just like Zorba does, and if he gets into trouble, locking Zorba into a clinch until he gathers his senses is an option, and taking the fight to the ground from the clinch is the next step that Makers could take to clear his head and look to make Zorba tap! However, I think Makers gets the knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Makres by KO; Xavier – Zorba by KO Styles: The Middleweight division makes its first appearance as Jake Bird and Abraham Alcantara step into the cage across from one another! “The Tacoma Ax-Killer” is a very good 5-1, and the FinnFighters representative has been making people tap out at a good clip, winning 3 fights in a row! Those three victories come on the heels of a unanimous decision loss to Athos Knox at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21! Caspian Tennessen was the most recent fighter to tap out to Bird at RFC 54 in the second round! Bird is a rather aggressive fighter as evidenced by only having two fights extend beyond the first round! That aggression will serve him well because he’s shorter and lighter than Alcantara, plus there’s a seven year age difference between the two, let alone the variance in the number of fights each man has had! Since Bird favors the grappling and BJJ facet of fighting, his shorter stature gives him the advantage there in my opinion! Xavier: “All Day” Alcantara is an even 9-9 and the 29-year-old combatant from Djibouti has had a rough go of things over his past two fights! The fact that his last two losses have been by way of submission is bad news for him and great news for Bird! Alcantara is going to have to work hard to avoid having a third submission loss in a row here! Styles: The word Djibouti always makes me laugh! Xavier: What’s funny about that name of a country? Styles: I swear the first time I heard someone say Djibouti, I thought they said the booty! Xavier: You thought that someone said they came from a country named the booty!? Styles: Hahaha! Yeah, I did! Wouldn’t that be awesome!? Xavier: I could see if you said the name of that country sounds like the song, “Da Booty” by A Tribe Called Quest! Styles: Wow, X, I’m impressed! Xavier: I grew up on hip hop, Styles, so I do have a decent bit of knowledge about various songs and groups! Styles: Well, all right! You just scored a couple of bonus points with me! Xavier: Thanks, I guess. Bird has a history of struggling against ground-based warriors! In fact, Styles, every loss with the exception of one unanimous decision has been by submission! Styles: That’s definitely bad news for Alcantara tonight! Xavier: Not if he manages to keep this fight vertical! Since his struggles against grapplers is very prominent and well-noted, using Bird’s very aggressive approach to takedowns and submission holds will be the key to victory tonight! Styles: I know this is going to blow your mind because you’re still trippin’ that I gave you bonus points for the music reference, but I agree with you! Alcantara’s struggles against grapplers is too documented and proven repeatedly for that to be ignored! He’s quite capable in the standup but I feel Bird has the physical ability and skills to take this fight to the ground where that aggression will be on display as he quickly locks in a submission hold and adds to Alcantara’s struggles! Xavier: I’m in a state of shock, Styles! First you give me props and now you concur with my perspective on the winner for this match!? Styles: I know it’s a mind blower, X! Hell, you may as well play the lottery because today’s your lucky day! I absolutely agree that Alcantara will tap out to yet another grappler because that’s just his Achilles’ heel! Bird takes this fight to the ground from a counterattack and makes Alcantara tap out shortly thereafter! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bird by Submission; Xavier – Bird by Submission Styles: We revisit the Featherweight division as Chief Navajo and Shiro Tanaka are set to do battle! The Native-American warrior from Bozeman, Montana, has had a tough time of it as of late! With a 6-7 record, Navajo wants to pull his record even, and the experienced fighter will definitely look to have this fight be in grapple mode as fast as he can get it there! He avoids the standup portion of fighting like a baby momma looking for child support so we’ll have to see if Tanaka is willing to oblige him and let the fight go to the mat! The eight years advantage Navajo has over Tanaka, along with the fight experience, will have to be leaned upon big time if he’s going to get Tanaka to comply with his program! Xavier: This fight is the classic standup versus ground clash and “Shining Sun” Tanaka, at 6-2, wants to keep this fight on its feet at all costs! I say that because he’s been working diligently in improving his striking and striking defense, and all of that training would summarily end up a moot point if he allows this fight to end up on the ground where he’ll have to try and out-grapple a grappler! Tanaka has solid BJJ skills but I don’t think he wants to chance it! Various members of Cromulent Doom concur with my perspective and feel that, in particular, Tanaka’s muay thai abilities will be the difference maker tonight! They said to not be surprised when we see Tanaka being very aggressive in the standup, especially with utilizing various types and angles of kicks in an effort to not only slow the older Navajo down, but to also make him open up his defenses for a potential head kick knockout! Styles: Here’s a scary thought, X! Nearly unprecedented, I’m going to agree with you again! Xavier: Seriously!? Are you feeling all right, Styles!? Styles: I feel great, X, thanks for asking! Tanaka ends the night with a knockout victory, bottom line! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Tanaka by KO; Xavier – Tanaka by KO Styles: The Welterweights have their only showcase on the card as Danny Corleone and, oh for cryin’ out loud! You gave me this name on purpose, didn’t you, X!? Xavier: I know how fond of his name you are so knock yourself out! Styles: Dammit! All right! Corleone’s opponent is Aslambek Marowadoigowiegow! Xavier: Well done! Styles: Shut it up! Corleone steps into the cage representing the LEGION OF DOOM and he brings with him an even 5-5 record! The warrior from Copenhagen was having an absolute nightmare of a time in the cage during a 4-fight losing streak! He lost those four by an armbar, unanimous decision, and two TKO’s back-to-back! However, much to his credit and to his opponent’s chagrin, he didn’t let that get him down and he kept coming right back for more! His last battle against…aw come on! Xavier, what the hell!? Xavier: What’s your problem, Styles!? Styles: You’ve given me two of the most difficult names in the business to pronounce! Xavier: What’s difficult about that name!? It’s English! Styles: I know that, smart ass, but look at the length of that name! It doesn’t even fit on the fight announcement advertisements! The jumbotron can’t even display all of that in the arena! Xavier: You’re a professional, Styles! Handle it as you see fit! Styles: Oh, believe me, I’m going to handle this! Okay, the last time we saw Corleone at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33, he defeated…a bunch of Ed’s, Bob, Mike, some Earl’s, and a series of numbers by armbar in the third round! Xavier: You see!? That wasn’t so bad! Styles: Shut your yap! Since Corleone’s win, there’s no doubt he’s feeling great again after getting back into the win column and he obviously wants to do what he can to stay there! In order to do that, he’s going to have to lock in on his grappling because submissions have given him the best results of his career! He’s quite a bit taller than Aslambek so he may have a more difficult time trying to lock in submissions, but that really depends on what he attempts and when! Xavier: Aslambek Marowadoigowiegow…see, Styles, I pronounced it just for you! Styles: Well…I appreciate that! It’s not an easy name to pronounce! Xavier: No, it’s not! Aslambek is an even 6-6 so his record is similar to Corleone’s! Aslambek has shown some ability with his boxing and he defeated Juanito Ferguson by unanimous decision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32! However, Styles, I did have a chance to speak with him backstage and guess what. Styles: What!? Did he spill his alphabet soup and add even more consonants to his name!? Xavier: No, he looked like a damned zombie! Distant, cold eyes, not locked in, and not wanting to fight! Styles: Hold up! We both had to pronounce that difficult name and now you’re telling the dude isn’t even ready for a fight!? Xavier: Bingo. Styles: That’s some serious bull! All right, dammit, Corleone wins this by knockout because I’m pissed off! Xavier: Not to piss you off anymore, but we again agree! Styles: Oh, that’s just rich! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Corleone by KO; Xavier – Corleone by KO Styles: Our second-to-last clash of the night features the Bantamweight division as Diogo Jimenez and Steven Lurkman stand across the cage of battle from one another! “El Pollo Loco” Jimenez, the cool Columbian, is 2-1 so far and for a twenty-three-year-old, that’s not a lot of combat experience! However, the YABAI member has had sporadic fights through his career in tournaments and other past events, so his current record that I refer to doesn’t include the 1-2 TWGC record! He has had victories by way of a kimura and an armbar so he’s capable, but there’s doubt about his ability to finish a fight before the bell rings! He has a chance tonight against Lurkman to prove that he’s capable of finishing a fight before the time expires and judges have to become involved! He’s a couple of years older than Lurkman but has fewer fights, so that will prove to be an interesting development in this fight! Xavier: “Project” X Lurkman is 3-2 overall, a winning record, obviously, but I’m certain the 21-year-old combatant of UnderGround Fights Enterprise wants to expand that to 4-2! In order to do so as I see it, he’s going to need to keep this fight vertical and avoid both the clinch and the takedown! Granted, Lurkman’s BJJ skills are quite good and he’s proven to be formidable on the ground, keeping Jimenez at a distance and using his striking abilities makes the most sense to me, especially if he doesn’t want to take a chance that his brown belt experience isn’t the same as Jimenez’s brown belt experience! There’s no need to take that risk if staying on the outside and relying upon speed, maneuvering, and sporadic counterattacks will help keep him safe while allowing him to score points and cause damage to Jimenez is a very viable option! Lurkman’s aggression and ability to finish a fight when the opportunity arises will be the keys to him winning this fight! Styles: I think Lurkman takes this fight because he has enough grappling ability to defend himself on the ground if this fight goes there, and I don’t think he’d shy away from a clinch battle because to me, he has the better striking ability and if that’s the case, locking in a clinch and making Jimenez work hard to try and take this fight to the ground makes sense to me! Lurkman can work over Jimenez’s body and sneak in some head shots, plus he may be able to land some elbows and knees, and all of that is great for Lurkman! He wins this fight by knockout! Xavier: Jimenez will have to be methodical in his approach to taking this fight to the ground because he doesn’t want to test his ability to absorb a punch from Lurkman! Counterattacks, accurate strikes and strong takedowns are the key to victory for Jimenez and once he gets this fight to the ground, he’ll have the option of either making Lurkman tap or ground-and-pound him out! Either way, Jimenez becomes the crazy chicken on the mat and makes Lurkman tap out! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Jimenez by Submission; Styles – Lurkman by KO Xavier: The final battle of the night features the Middleweight division as Orla Wanker and Michael Scott conclude the outstanding action we’ve seen tonight! “Onanisten” Wanker is 4-6 and this member of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise has been struggling overall, but he’s only twenty-two-years-old so there’s plenty of time to get things on the right path! The Denmark fighter won his last battle against Nathaniel Syndicate by kimura in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29! That win came right on time because he had lost his previous two fights, both in the second round, by guillotine submission to Malachi Bolton, and TKO by Roc Le Phat! The victory over Syndicate has him feeling good about himself again and definitely helped him with his training! He’s been on a pattern of losing two, winning two, then losing two. Wanker has the height advantage but I don’t think he’ll want to stand and bang with Elliott, so that height won’t do him any good if and when this battle ends up on the ground! Styles: Elliott is currently 2-1 in his equally young career, but obviously Wanker has a good amount more of actual combat experience as compared to Elliott! Elliott will probably choose to stay in the standup as best as possible because from what we’ve seen, he has very good standup skills and that’s where the advantage is for the Canadian. Jimmy Jackson looked outmatched and the unanimous decision victory by Elliott made him feel good, but he doesn’t look as excited and pumped up as I think he should after a victory! I’m not certain what’s going on with him but his management team definitely needs to get on the ball and make sure his mental state is as ready as his physical! The faster Elliott is able to finish Wanker, the better, because Wanker’s chances improve as time passes of dragging this fight to the ground where Wanker’s grappling skills will sway the battle his way! Xavier: Since you raise concerns about Elliott’s mental standing for this fight, I can’t choose him to win in the right frame of mind! Elliott has a chance to go to 3-1 and for him to not be in prime mental and physical condition makes no sense and you and I have had that discussion sporadically, Styles. Wanker will win this fight by submission because Elliott isn’t going to be able to hang with him since he’s mentally not fully ready! Styles: We’ve definitely spoken about being mentally and physically locked in and primed for combat! It just makes no sense for a fighter to know that he’s going to enter the cage and face an opponent who wants to unleash as much damage on him as possible and not be as fully prepared for that as possible! Not being prepared only leads to potential damage and it makes no sense to take potential damage unnecessarily! Elliott is unfortunately setting himself up to be hurt but he’s going to learn the hard way! Oh yeah, he’s going to learn! Wanker by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Wanker by Submission; Xavier – Wanker by Submission Styles: That’s our time good people, and as always we thank you for tuning in and supporting us by sending in your questions, comments and suggestions. We also appreciate your social media posts about the action you see in Rapid Fighting Championship, and definitely the commentary about the content Xavier and I provide! Xavier: We’re very thankful to all of you and we hope that we’re able to help the bettors decide who to take in certain fights and also provide some of our fans with insight they may not have known previously! Also, we would be remiss if we didn’t thank Kore Fight Nutrition for providing outstanding products! Take care, be well and we’ll see you at the fights! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 13, 2019 Report Share Posted December 13, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 57 PREVIEWHARD KNOCKS ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to preview number 57 for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the ebullient Chris Ball! Ball: I appreciate the kind words, Carr! It’s definitely a pleasure to be here rocking the house with these 3,000 wild and crazy kids making the Hard Knocks Arena the place to be! As the holidays approach quickly, tailed by the new year and a new decade, many people around the globe are in the giving mood, and tonight there are numerous fighters who want to give the gift of pain to their opponent for the holidays! Carr: Haha! That’s a very good point! There are definitely plenty of people in Rapid Fighting Championship who want to be very magnanimous with their punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and twisting of vital areas to make men tap out! The warriors on the card tonight will be more than happy to make painful donations that last a lifetime and impact their standings in this organization! On tap tonight we have another very explosive and highly impactful Heavyweight title defense as the champion, Conor The Barbarian, puts his title on the line against a very game challenger in Alojz Sanel! Overall, we have in store for all of you two Heavyweight fights, one Middleweight fight, one Bantamweight fight, two Super Heavyweight fights, and three Light Heavyweight fights! Ball: I know our fans are used to seeing ten fights on a card but there are times when that’s not possible. However, I don’t want our fans to think that there’s anything wrong because the lineups Rapid Fighting Championship brings each and every time are excellent and are the best that can be assembled at various points in time! It’s not always easy to schedule some fights due to various reasons but know that the organization works very diligently to bring you the best they can at every single event! Carr: That’s absolutely correct! Management works very hard to organize exciting, hard-hitting and interesting fights that have a big influence in their respective divisions as well as overall rankings, so we definitely hope you enjoy what all of do to bring you the best! And speaking of the best, we kick off the show with one of the very best Heavyweight champions to have graced Rapid Fighting Championship! The gym rat, the train-aholic, the perfectionist, Conor The Barbarian, steps into the cage with an outstanding 11-1 record, and the Irish cannon is on a 10-fight winning streak! Needless to say, his confidence is extremely high and each win adds the very valuable championship experience to his young career as well, and that makes him that much more dangerous! With a multitude of first-round knockouts, and every victory ending in a knockout, it’s obvious that Conor has some seriously heavy artillery packed into those fists! The champion steps into this fight with a pronounced height advantage and a massive weight advantage! If he utilizes both of those to their fullest extent, this could very well be a very short and very painful night for Sanel! Basically every member of La Familia told me they feel this fight will be done in the first round! Like the members of La Familia, I expect one hell of a toe-to-toe war that will leave one of these men kissing canvas! Don’t be surprised if Barbarian decides to shake things up a bit and try to get the knockout with one nasty head kick as opposed to a wrecking ball punch! Sanel is highly likely expecting a slew of punches from various angles so Conor may use a feint or two to set him up to angle his body where Conor can unleash one brutal head kick and blast Sanel into sleep mode right then and there! The champion will win this hotly-contested battle by knockout! Ball: I can certainly see why La Familia members would feel that way, Carr, because it’s very difficult to argue with the outstanding accolades of the champion! Sanel has one hell of a fight on his hands and the fact he’s much shorter and lighter than the champion can be seen as a detriment to some, but if Sanel can see that and use that as a benefit then his chances increase! He obviously has figured out how to use his physical structure to its best because the man is 11-4 overall and has a chance to be a Heavyweight champion! Various LEGION OF DOOM members indicated that Sanel knows full well what he needs to do to overcome the odds and sheer power of the champion, and all of us who witness this battle will be very impressed and maybe a bit surprised at Sanel’s abilities! Keep in mind that he’s had winning streaks that reached six and another one that reached four, so when he’s rolling, he rolls very well! Very much like the hard-hitting Conor, Alojz can detonate an opponent’s chin with one clean shot! Sanel also has never been to the third round in any of his fights so he either naps the opponent or gets napped! That pedal to the floor attitude has obviously worked very well for him, but against the champion, he may want to exercise a bit more caution because the lights can be turned out quick, fast and in a hurry! Similar to Conor, Sanel has educated feet and his kicks can be very damaging as well! You raised a very good point, Carr, about Conor using his punching skills to setup a potential head kick knockout! I feel Sanel can do the same thing to the champion as well because he, too, could be expecting an all-out assault with punches and could leave himself open for one well-placed kick to drop him to the canvas! Sanel is literally going to have to stay on his toes this entire fight and be as elusive as he can be while taking advantage of his supposed speed advantage if he’s going to pull this off! Keeping that chin tucked away and out of range is the best bet, and his striking defense will have to be at its utmost best because he can’t afford to many any mistakes! Sanel can’t try and overwhelm the champion because he’s built to handle that, so Sanel will have to rely on his seven-year age advantage to try and outthink the champion while making him be the one to make that one error that leads to harsh results! Sanel will win this fight using experience, speed, elusiveness and patience to knock out the champion! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Sanel by KO; Carr – Barbarian by KO Ball: Josu Aingeru and Michelangelo Di Lodovico keep the action moving as they step into the cage next! Another LEGION OF DOOM member is on tap tonight as Aingeru brings his 12-3-1 record into this fight and the warrior from New Zealand had an 8-fight win streak at one point in time during his career! Over his past four fights, he’s won three of them, the most recent victory being a first-round TKO over Tracy Minaj at RFC 53! He’s another high-impact puncher and the majority of his wins are by way of his bone-crushing hands! Add in the fact that he’s worn gold previously and that championship knowledge is definitely an asset for any fighter! That win overcame a third-round TKO loss to Toussaint Bissainthe at RFC 53, so he’s feeling very good about himself as he looks to extend his win streak to two! Against Lodovico, he’s shorter and lighter but has a six-year age advantage over the skilled Italian battler! Aingeru will have to keep this fight vertical because I don’t think he wants to take his chances with grappling against Lodovico, and I think Aingeru has the ability to do exactly that! What his approach may include is a clinch because keeping Lodovico close can allow him to feel the takedown attempts much better as opposed to trying to defend takedowns from a distance where Lodovico can build up momentum, speed and strength to have a better chance at scoring the takedown! Staying in close quarters and preventing the takedown is what will lead to Aingeru winning this fight by brutal knockout! Carr: “Il Divino” Lodovico from Caprese, Italy, touts an 11-4 record and the UnderGround Fights Enterprise member is known for his grappling skills in particular! He had an 8-fight winning streak at one point during his career so he’s quite capable, and since he’s only 23-years-old, there’s a lot of potential for much great accomplishments! During his time in the Some organization, he won a title and defended that title numerous times, so as we speak of when applicable, having that championship experience is very valuable because it allows said fighter to dig very deep and find the mettle to continue and overcome when other fighters who don’t have that mettle aren’t able to find that next gear or next level like champions can! Lodovico is undoubtedly fueled by the most recent loss he suffered at the hands of Michael Swango at RFC 52! That unanimous decision loss definitely didn’t sit well with Lodovico because he felt he could have shown much more ability and promise in that fight so don’t be surprised if he comes out like gangbusters, very aggressive with the intent of causing major damage as efficiently and quickly as possible! Getting this fight on the ground is the primary objective here and make no mistake about that. However, it’s possible that Lodovico could be more patient in terms of counterattacking Aingeru because Lodovico could mix in more kicks into his standup tactics in an effort to try and make Aingeru overcommit to punches and neglect kicks, so to speak. Keeping Aingeru off balance is a key aspect in this fight because I don’t think Lodovico wants to test the punching power that Aingeru possesses, and shifting his weight around while looking for takedowns is key to avoiding being put to sleep much earlier than he’d like to be! I think Lodovico uses kicks to slow the lateral speed that Aingeru possesses and some well-placed body kicks can help sap some of the power out of Aingeru’s hands, which, in turn, will allow Lodovico to get closer to him and potentially lock in a Thai clinch where he can land sporadic strikes before dragging him to the mat! Once this fight goes to the ground, Lodovico will be ultra-aggressive in locking in the submission to make Aingeru tap out! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Lodovico by Submission; Ball – Aingeru by KO Carr: Obi Wan Kenobi and Branimir Simeon are next into the cage, and how appropriate is it that we have a Star Wars themed fighter on this card? Ball: What do you mean? Carr: The Rise of Skywalker will be released next week and this will be the final episode of the Star Wars saga! The world is Star Wars crazy right now! Look at how popular Baby Yoda is, right along with The Mandalorian! That’s an awesome show, by the way, in case any of you are considering seeing it but haven’t yet! With the popularity of Star Wars at such a massive level, having Obi Wan Kenobi fight tonight is just excellent timing! Ball: I’m sure he’s very appreciative of that and I bet you he’s had tickets to The Rise of Skywalker for at least a month! I also bet he was one of the first people to buy Jedi: Fallen Order! Carr: I don’t doubt that at all! “The Master Jedi” is 7-2-3 and continues his development into a very good overall fighter! Ever since he changed his management and training team, he’s 3-1-2. He’s expressed slight disappointment in the fights that have ended in a draw because that doesn’t happen too often, quite frankly, and it’s happened to him three times already. He doesn’t want anyone to doubt his ability to finish a fight and I think he’ll be highly motivated to try and finish Simeon before the fight goes to the scorecards so he doesn’t have to hope the judges decide in his favor! Kenobi looked very sharp in his fight against Uriah Chin when he won with a third-round TKO and absolutely wants to use the momentum and confidence from that win to help him overcome Simeon tonight! I believe the odds are stacked in his favor because he has the height and weight advantage tonight, and though he’s seven years younger than Simeon, I think he’ll be able to avoid being coaxed into making a mistake by the wise veteran! Keeping this fight on its feet is imperative for the young Northern Englander and I fully expect him to do exactly that! He has the physical tools to muscle Simeon into a clinch if he chooses to do so but I have a feeling he’d rather stay on the outside and pump jabs and combinations into Simeon’s face to force Simeon to be more on the defensive! Kenobi can also mix in some low and high kicks to keep Simeon at a distance and also very wary of getting his chin blasted by a brutal shin shot that could end the fight right then and there! Lastly, I believe Kenobi has enough grappling ability to defend against any submissions or ground-and-pound attempts Simeon makes should this fight end up on the ground! Kenobi will win this fight by knockout because he’ll successfully use his height advantage and will slow Simeon with body punches, body kicks, and ultimately a nasty cross that makes Simeon’s temple pulse while he takes a nap from being knocked out! Ball: Here we have yet another LEGION OF DOOM fighter! They sure are busy tonight and rightfully so because they have a collection of very good warriors who represent themselves and the faction very well! The 10-5 Los Angeles native has the age advantage in this fight so using his intelligence and wits mixed with his combat experience will be a key aspect for this fight! I think he’ll have to implore stick-and-move tactics against Kenobi since he’s shorter and lighter and I think the veteran will be rather comfortable doing that. What the veteran isn’t comfortable with is the fact that he’s dropped his last two fights by armbar submission and unanimous decision, respectively! The unspoken and potential 3-fight losing streak is staring him directly in the face, and he wants to avoid that taboo mark to the very best of his abilities! When Simeon is locked in he can definitely get the job done, and the two separate 4-fight winning streaks he put together is an indication of that very fact! He’s also demonstrated the ability to finish a fight in the vertical or horizontal position but for this fight, I feel his best option is to try and use counterstrikes in the standup to penetrate the defenses of Kenobi and test his ability to take a power punch! From what we’ve seen from both men, they’re about even in their grappling abilities and I don’t think either one of them wants to take the chance of trying to outwrestle or out submit the other because, in my opinion, that takes away their best chance of ending this fight early and at this point in time, it’s not their strength as I see it. Dropping the hammer across the jaw of the opponent is their specialty and taking this fight to the ground would take valuable time and energy away from doing just that! Why use a hammer to tear down a wall when you have a bulldozer? I think Simeon wins this fight by using footwork and counterstrikes, specifically accurate punches and quick, low kicks at the beginning of the fight to slow down Kenobi enough to land that monster uppercut that Simeon wants to land to knock Kenobi out! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Simeon by KO; Carr – Kenobi by KO Ball: Ryo Takuma and Ray Vision are next to lock horns in combat! The “Red Dragon” steps into this fight with a very solid 11-4 record, and The Stepdads member from Tokyo brings the incendiary blasts with his fists! He’s had two different winning streaks of 6-wins in a row then 4-wins in a row, so when his fists fly and are on target, much damage follows! Add in the fact that he’s won two different titles in his career and you’ll understand what this man is capable of! His four losses, however, have been evenly divided by submission and TKO’s, so some fighters have questioned his grappling abilities as well as his jaw, but laying out eleven other very capable fighters shows that whatever fight he’s in, there’s always a punchers chance of winning, and that can’t be underestimated! Add in the fact that the majority of his fights end in the first round and you have a dangerous, aggressive, very hard-hitting fighter, and those elements usually equal success! Takuma is taller but lighter in this fight so look for him to use that height advantage by staying on the outside and utilizing stick-and-move tactics as to keep Vision from really sitting down on his punches, as the vernacular goes, and really being able to launch brutal shots at Takuma! Keeping his feet and head moving will pay dividends for Takuma and will enable him to fire off different strikes at angles that cause Vision to either adjust defensively or pay the price for not adjusting! I fully expect Takuma to be aggressive in seeking out Vision’s chin in this fight and I think he manages to do that because of the reach advantage! Make no mistake, there are going to be some very painful shots absorbed and unleashed in this fight and the fans will eat it up! Once the dust clears and all is settled, Takuma will emerge victorious while Vision stares up at the lights in an effort to clear his head after being knocked out! Carr: “Death” Vision of the Heritage alliance steps into the cage tonight with a 7-5-1 record! The Brookline brawler has been up-and-down throughout his career, but as Ball indicated, he has the weight advantage in this fight tonight and that could very well allow him to really sink his hips and weight into his punches, and if he’s able to catch Takuma just right, he could very well cause some major damage! Vision is also four years younger and that could give him the edge in terms of overall conditioning and speed, and if Vision does in fact have slightly better conditioning and speed then he can try and counterattack the certain aggressive Takuma in the standup! Vision could definitely throw a wrench in the works, as the expression goes, and look to take this fight to the ground as opposed to having a toe-to-toe standup war with Takuma! In terms of avoiding potential damage to his body and chin, that’s obviously a very intelligent approach and it could very well be effective as well! Attempting to drag this fight to the ground could prove costly but if Vision feels his grappling is more effective, especially if he’s able to lock Takuma into a clinch and methodically wear him down before dragging him to the ground then that’s definitely a tactic he can put into effect! He’s won a couple of fights by unanimous decision so having a battle of attrition isn’t foreign to him. However, I believe he wants to prove he can stop a fighter of Takuma’s caliber before the final bell rings and if he can make him tap, that would definitely be an impressive feat! I think Vision wins this fight by using counterattacks in the standup, especially unexpected and effective body kicks that Takuma won’t expect, and landing punishing, brutal body kicks and punches is very effective at sapping anyone’s punching power, and that’s been proven throughout history! Vision wins this fight by submission after methodically slowing Takuma down! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Vision by Submission; Ball – Takuma by KO Carr: Alejandro Arciniega and Lurch Addams keep up the intense action as they step into the cage of judgment! “The Kraken” Arciniega of the LEGION OF DOOM, the very busy alliance tonight, brings a 7-3 record, quite good, and he’s only twenty-two years old so there is a long way for him to go in his career! The young Cuban from Houston has had a 4-fight winning streak in his career so he can quickly build up a lot of momentum and use it to its fullest potential! Most recently, after changing management and training teams, he defeated Fester Addams by TKO in the third round at RFC 54, so he’s looking to build on the success of that fight! His M.O. is aggression and ferocity so I expect that same approach tonight as he tries to do as much damage as he can as quickly as possible! I find it interesting that Lurch is fighting Arciniega because Arciniega has defeated Lurch’s family member, Fester, twice now! Blood is thicker than water and Arciniega could very well use that very strong desire for Lurch to uphold his family name against him! Feinting and user counter attacks to slow down and keep Lurch off balance is a definite possibility and a tactic I very much expect Arciniega to use! He’s quite a bit shorter than Addams so getting inside of Addams’ defenses and landing vital body strikes is certainly a key to slowing down the big man and making his defenses open up enough for Arciniega to land one of those conscious-severing blasts he calls hooks! I think Arciniega does manage to successfully counterattack the aggressive Addams because Lurch is looking to exact some revenge on behalf of his family name, and that can very well cause him to throw caution to the wind a bit and open himself up for nasty strikes which, in turn, will lead to him taking an early nap at the hands of Arciniega! Ball: “You Rang” Addams of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise is a very good 9-3-1 overall! The large New Jersey devil, a nickname I just gave him to pay homage to their hockey team, has proven to be a handful when able to string together punches in a bunch, especially if he’s able to land some excruciating kicks from those tree trunk legs of his! Being that tall and heavy is definitely advantageous when his strikes land because even when blocked, they move most fighters a few inches, so the power is there, and not too many men can withstand the power he brings! At one point in his career he had a 5-fight winning streak and over his past five fights, he’s won four of them, so the confidence is high, his power is strong, and his abilities continually expand because he does have a submission victory as well! In fact, the last time we saw him at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 34, he made Yhorm Cinder tap out to a guillotine near the end of the first round! I don’t think he’d want to take the chance of having this fight go the ground and turn into a grappling battle because he’s substantially taller and that could play right into Arciniega’s hands if Addams does that! Keeping his long limbs firing strikes and moving around is very important because that makes Arciniega keep moving as well or pay for not doing so, plus it’s obviously much harder to hit a moving target and Addams wants to not be a stationary target! Addams could even look to lock in a Thai clinch and try to overwhelm Arciniega with a flurry of knees and elbows that cause substantial damage and open up his defenses to the clean uppercut that Addams wants to give as a painful gift! I think Addams wins this fight by knockout after wearing down Arciniega in the clinch! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Addams by KO; Carr – Arciniega by KO Ball: John McSulley and Jon Paul Carp are next into the cage! McSulley of the also busy alliance of UnderGround Fights Enterprise is a good 4-1 and the twenty-one-year-old fighter from Old Vegas is on a 4-fight winning streak so his fighting spirit and confidence are riding high! His winning has oscillated between TKO and unanimous decision wins so finishing an opponent or going the distance is not a problem at all, but I suspect like most fighters that he prefers to finish an opponent before the judges become a factor! His third-round TKO victory over Kasey McRobbie in the battle of the Mc’s was impressive and he’s obviously looking to have that same level of success against Carp tonight! McSulley is a bit taller but a good amount lighter than Carp in this fight, so footwork, speed and positioning will be his allies if he uses them correctly. I think McSulley will rely on his height advantage to keep throwing out multiple punches and kicks from all sorts of angles but, most importantly, he’ll maintain a high level of activity so Carp has a lot of difficulty getting in close so he can try and get the takedown I believe he’s seeking! As long as McSulley keeps this fight vertical, he has an excellent chance of using his very good striking skills to keep himself out of harm’s way while raining down strikes that cause damage and cause Carp’s striking defense to falter just enough to expose his body and jaw to being pummeled by painful and damaging shots! McSulley will pour on the pressure and throw strikes from all over the place until he wears Carp down enough to score the knockout! Carr: “Popefish” is an even 5-5, and this fight has the flavor of an inter-alliance battle as Carp is yet another member of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise! This night is certainly turning into a LEGION OF DOOM and UnderGround Fights Enterprise feature, but that’s all good because bodies will be splayed and laid! I think Carp will want to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible because he doesn’t want to taste McSulley’s punching power by any means, nor does he want to have any shins dug into his legs or body, so Carp’s defenses will have to be very sharp! After starting his young career on an excellent 4-fight win streak, life as a fighter has slowed down quite a bit and recently, Carp has struggled mightily! He is on a 4-fight losing streak so the first question that arises is how is his mental state? Various UnderGround Fights Enterprise members tell me his warrior spirit is primed and ready for this fight and he has extra incentive because he doesn’t want to be seen as a weak link in the alliance! That would motivate anyone, quite frankly, and I know Carp doesn’t want to have McSulley in his ear every time their alliance has a meeting, so look for Carp to step up his level of aggression tonight! Keeping his head moving and chin tucked is of the utmost importance because two of his four losses have been by TKO, so keeping that damage minimal is crucial! Hopefully, Carp has learned from each of his losses and as tough as they are to accept, there’s always something to learn and improve upon, so we’ll see what he’s learned and improved on since we last saw him lose by TKO to Jambe De Bois at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 in the second round! I think Carp turns things around for himself starting tonight because the bragging rights in the alliance will be an extra fuel to add to his fire, and he’ll get this fight to the ground by letting McSulley come at him aggressively and using a counter takedown to gain the upper hand and dominant position before making him tap out! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Carp by Submission; Ball – McSulley by KO Carr: Tobb Le Tobb and Joao Cajo Branca are up next as we draw nearer to the conclusion of tonight’s action! Tobb is 11-6 and the Hungarian fighter brings his world-class boxing skills and very high-level wrestling into this fight! Unfortunately for the big man, his last two fights haven’t proceeded the way he wanted them to and he wound up kissing canvas in both! The referee stopped the fight in the first round against Kilo Maluga at RFC 51, and Sven Svensson stopped him in the first round with a nasty punch at RFC 47! Tobb wants to get things turned around here tonight and avoid the taboo three-fight losing streak that fighters avoid like a disease! Tobb is three years older and that age experience could play a factor in this fight because he may be able to outwit Branca enough to make Branca take actions he typically doesn’t, and if Tobb is able to do that then he can put those outstanding boxing skills to good use by peppering Branca with a multitude of jabs and crosses with his fast combinations! Tobb has definitely absorbed a good amount of damage, even for being so young, so I expect that he’s been working diligently on improving his striking defense as well as learning how to mix up kicks into his tremendously skilled hands techniques! I don’t think Tobb will rely on kicks too much, however, as Branca has proven to have very good muay thai abilities and Tobb doesn’t want to get into a kicking contest with him, especially when his boxing skills are as tremendous as they are! I expect Branca to be very aggressive and Tobb can take advantage of that aggression by using footwork and counterpunches to test Branca’s ability to take a punch! Tobb may even opt to dip down and land some shots to the kidneys and liver of Branca to try and sap his punching power! Tobb will use his height and very highly-skilled boxing to win this fight by launching jabs and crosses into Branca until he tires enough for a power punch to turn out his lights! Ball: Branca, the “Baby-Face Fucka”, a nickname which still surprises me quite frankly, is an impressive 7-2 overall, and the YABAI alliance member from Brazil brings the thunder when he’s in the ring, hence why his ring entrance always has flashing lights and a bolt of lightning! The ever-intense Branca has put together a 4-fight win streak at the beginning of his career and has been a bit back-and-forth since that point. He had a very impressive second-round KO win over Axel Aethelwulf at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33! Prior to that he lost to Kilo Maluga by TKO in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28, so Branca obviously wants to win this fight and in addition to that, he wants to establish a winning streak once again! He has steadily improved as a fighter who can make his opponent tap out or nap out so Tobb will need to be aggressive yet not too aggressive because Branca will definitely take advantage of any opening he sees! I won’t be surprised of Branca is willing to take the chance of locking up Tobb into a Thai clinch and trading punches with him because Branca may also be able to land knees and elbows to slow the big man, maybe make him bleed and even further, possibly knock him out! If Branca feels that’s not as effective as he’d like it to be then he can shift focus on getting Tobb to the ground where they can battle for positioning! Branca may very well feel he has the upper hand in the BJJ aspect of this fight and could look to lock in a submission to end this fight! I expect Branca to be very aggressive from start to finish of this fight and to counter the sharp punches that Tobb has, Branca will chop away at the big man’s legs and torso with snapping kicks while mixing in punches to the body while bobbing and weaving to avoid being dropped! Once Tobb slows down and Branca sees that, he’ll leap into him with an all-out assault and finish this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Branca by KO; Carr – Tobb by KO Ball: Our second-to-last fight features Satchmo Knox and Kasey McRobbie! Here we go again with yet another member of UnderGround Fights Enterprise as the 21-year-old Canadian steps into action! He’s 1-3-1 so far in his career so the struggles are obvious but his determination is palpable! He had a rocky beginning to his career staring with a draw and then dropping the next three fights, a KO, TKO and unanimous decision loss, so for being so young this warrior has endured quite a bit of adversity! However, he continues to pick himself up and presses on so I have a great deal of respect for that ability! It’s quite possible that his first-round KO victory over Paul Rabbitte at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33 is the turning point in his career where he’ll establish a winning streak and that will allow his confidence and skill set to increase! Knox has a substantial height advantage over Knox in this fight and I absolutely expect him to keep this fight standing so he can use said advantage to the best of his ability! Knox is a bit of an enigma in my opinion because he could either choose to be methodical and precise by letting McRobbie dictate the pace but tag him with counterstrikes with his long arms and legs. Doing that allows him to avoid sustaining major damage plus rack up points on the scorecards! McRobbie may burn himself out trying to score the knockout and that will leave him open for Knox to land the hook or head kick he needs to end this fight with a knockout! Carr: “Mad Dog” McRobbie is 5-3 overall so similar to his opponent tonight, he’s had his struggles! However, keep in mind that he does have a winning record and there are many fighters in this business that can’t say that so give the man his due respect! McRobbie is faced with a bit of a quandary tonight, however, because Knox, as Ball said, is the taller fighter, and from what we’ve seen from both of these young men, Knox may have the slight advantage in the striking skills, so McRobbie may either have to go balls to the wall and just be, pun intended, a mad dog who sees a bone and goes for it, or he’ll have to be methodical in his approach and try to counterattack Knox! It’s a tough call but whatever method he chooses, he’s going to have to be fully vested in it because any trepidation will allow Knox to take advantage and potentially land the one or two damaging blows that McRobbie definitely does not want to feel! McRobbie may be fueled by the fact that he’s lost his last two fights by KO and TKO, respectively, and he knows some people are starting to question his striking defense ability along with the ability for him to take a punch and keep on going! He also wants to avoid the snide of a 3-fight losing streak so there are a multitude of factors tonight that will either fuel or break him! Personally I think they’ll fuel him and McRobbie will be the aggressive “Mad Dog” that has achieved a 2-fight and 3-fight winning streak previously! I think the smart thing for him to do is counterattack Knox if he comes out very aggressive, and if Knox decides to try and be the counter puncher then McRobbie is the one who needs to aggressively launch a series of punches and kicks to do as much damage as quickly as possible to get control of this fight! McRobbie will win this hard-fought battle by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – McRobbie by KO; Ball – Knox by KO Carr: The concluding battle of the night belongs to Dan Daniels and Kaikoa Aripua! The 20-year-old Aussie steps into the cage for the very first time in his career, so Daniels is definitely showing a lot of balls, moxie and confidence! We don’t know much about the young man but training videos have surfaced and his boxing abilities are definitely impressive, so my assumption is he relies on those boxing skills in this fight! He’s a little shorter and heavier than Aripua but I don’t think either of those factors work against him in this fight. The young man will definitely learn a lot about himself in this battle against a warrior who is five years older but only has one fight under his belt. In essence, both of these men are new to the fight game as well as Rapid Fighting Championship, so we’ll see what they’re about in a very short period of time! If the untested Daniels is to win this fight, establishing a jab and following that with timely punching combinations along with the occasional kick to the legs and body, to me, is the winning formula! Ball: “The Sword of God” Aripua hails from Nauru, and as you said, Carr, he has one fight to his resume, if you will! That victory was a majority decision win over Randal Payne in the Quick Fight Championship ranks on Halloween, so Aripua, like Daniels, has much to prove, especially as an older fighter in a manner of speaking! From what we saw in that fight and comparing that opponent to Daniels, at least on paper, it makes sense to me that Aripua would choose to counterattack and try to slow the pace of this fight against the younger and presumably more aggressive Daniels! I don’t think he can trade punches with Daniels and honestly, he doesn’t need to! Looking to counterattack the young man makes complete sense to me, especially since he’s untested, and it’s quite possible that Aripua can rock Daniels’ jaw with an unseen punch or unexpected kick that turns out Daniels’ lights! This fight will be very intriguing and is one hell of a way to finish the night of action because we’ll get to see how both of these man handle the pressures of having thousands of people watch you battle while you take on an opponent you know very little about! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Aripua by KO; Carr – Daniels by KO Ball: Thank you for joining us, ladies and gentlemen! Without all of you, none of this is possible and we are ever grateful to each and every one of you! Carr: Well said, Ball, and I also want to thank Kore Fight Nutrition for providing excellent products at incredible prices! Thank all of you once again for joining Ball and I as we break down these fights, we are truly appreciative of your time, and we hope that we’ve provided insight and entertainment as you prepare to watch these fights along with us! Take care, be well and we’ll see you at the fights! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayStanley Posted December 16, 2019 Report Share Posted December 16, 2019 Honestly looking forward to the NYE card preview/review. Card is STACKED!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayStanley Posted December 16, 2019 Report Share Posted December 16, 2019 Is it 13 present or past RFC champs in the line up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zackmartin11 Posted December 16, 2019 Report Share Posted December 16, 2019 Is it 13 present or past RFC champs in the line up? There's only 8 weight classes. Past. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 16, 2019 Report Share Posted December 16, 2019 Honestly looking forward to the NYE card preview/review. Card is STACKED!! I definitely look forward to previewing that and I'll do my best to make it insightful and entertaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayStanley Posted December 18, 2019 Report Share Posted December 18, 2019 There's only 8 weight classes. Past. I'm aware there are only 8 weight class, present or past as in do hold or have held RFC titles. Honestly I thought that was obvious. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubberWinger Posted December 19, 2019 Report Share Posted December 19, 2019 http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/15411793374848.jpg Jay Stanley: Hughes going to sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 37 PREVIEW HAYASHI’S LOUNGE Xavier: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 38! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the festive Furious Styles! Styles: The holiday season is in full effect and that brings out the festive mood in all of us, X! It’s the season of giving and being thankful, and there are plenty of warriors tonight who want to give plenty…of pain to their opponent! Xavier: No doubt! Twenty warriors are looking to give plenty of brutality, pain and suffering to their respective opponents tonight, and the action is going to be intense as always! With no titles on the line, plenty of scouting and analysis from future prospective opponents will occur and, naturally, the current champions will be paying close attention to see what the top contenders are and are not capable of in the cage! Styles: We’re definitely going to see some damage done tonight and I absolutely look forward to it! As 2019 draws to a close, an entirely new decade is upon us on the horizon, X, and you know plenty of fighters will want to make 2020 a very successful year in which they establish themselves as champions, and the push towards being a champion continues tonight for the warriors we’ll be seeing in that cage! Xavier: Four Light Heavyweight fights, two Heavyweight fights, one Lightweight, one Welterweight fight, one Super Heavyweight fight, and one Middleweight fight are on tap tonight, a very good representation of numerous weight classes! As always, each fighter has an opportunity to handle business, look good while doing it, and improving positioning among the contenders in line for a chance to become a champion! Styles: Let’s get down to business! Kickin’ off the action tonight is “The Terminator” Jambe De Bois of The Stepdads and “OG” Spanky Loco of The GBU! De Bois steps into battle with an in-cage and age advantage, so right off the bat, Loco is going to have to establish himself and his fight plan or be forced to adapt to De Bois’ pace, which may not be the best idea! De Bois is a very good 18-5 overall and rides a 4-fight win streak into this fight, so the momentum and confidence is there as expected! All four of those wins have been by TKO so I expect the same approach against Loco tonight! De Bois is generally a patient fighter who is comfortable taking his time to break down his opponent steadily and consistently, but if there’s an opportunity to strike, you better believe he’s all over it! Physically, De Bois is a bit taller and that may be more of a factor than expected because he could choose to stand outside and launch strikes in an effort to keep Loco at a distance! Xavier: That may very well be the case, Styles, because Loco has proven to be quite the adversary when it comes to the ground game, and though De Bois is obviously versed in that aspect of fighting, I’m not sure he wants to test those waters with the tattooed Inglewood product! Loco has earned a solid 7-3 overall record and he was on a 3-fight win streak until he crossed paths with Carter Donovan! That was an intense battle from start to finish and the crowd loved it! Donovan emerged victorious by way of unanimous decision but he knew he was in a fight, that’s for damn sure! Despite that loss, I highly doubt Loco is going to change his aggressive approach to his fights because that’s how he handles business and gets the job done! Obviously, taking this fight to the ground will be key for Loco but De Bois can’t let his guard down because we’ve seen Loco whip a kick upside an opponent’s head for a knockout! Styles: That’s right, X! Loco does have a head kick KO to his credit so he can’t be underestimate despite his preference to grapple and take fights to the ground! He can take the counterattack approach with punches since De Bois does have the height advantage, but kicks have a funny way of evening things out in the striking game of fighting, and Loco’s kicks are to be respected, in the very least! Personally, I think Loco uses kicks to slow down De Bois and minimize his height advantage in the standup, then once De Bois is slowed down enough, Loco will tackle him to the mat with one of his strong takedowns and he’ll patiently use his excellent transitions to place himself in position to land hammerfists and elbows until he can lock in the submission he wants for the win! Xavier: Hey, Styles! Out of curiosity, have you seen the shirt that Loco’s wearing? Styles: I’m not a fashion designer, X! What the hell are you talking about!? Xavier: Loco’s shirt looks like some kind of warped gold nugget cinnamon roll! Styles: It does? That’s different but hey, man, we’ve seen how there are some different fighters in this business! He has a black belt in BJJ! You go right ahead and tell him his shirt looks funny and I’ll be the one laughing when he has you wrapped up like a damned pretzel while you scream in pain and tap out faster than a freshman in high school to the biggest and baddest senior football player in the school! Xavier: Thanks, Styles, I feel the love and support! Styles: Anytime! Xavier: I think De Bois wins this battle by keeping it in the standup and throwing a multitude of quick, accurate strikes at Loco who’ll have to spend time and energy defending against said strikes as opposed to being able to get in close with an attempt to drag De Bois to the ground! In fact, I expect De Bois to mix up strikes from a distance and sporadically get in close to lock Loco into a clinch and wear him down with strikes, elbows and knees in the clinch while, obviously, defending against takedown attempts! De Bois wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – De Bois by KO; Styles – Loco by Submission Xavier: Next into the cage are Sven Svensson and Bryan Mayhem! Styles: I dig that last name! Do you think Bryan is related to that dude in the AllState commercials? Xavier: Dennis Haysbert!? Styles: Dammit, X! No, not the deep-voiced cool brotha who narrates the commercial! I mean the guy who acts like he’s a cat, dog, and other forms of mayhem, hence, the last name, mayhem! Xavier: Settle down, Styles, it was a joke! Styles: Not funny, X! Xavier: I thought it was. Anyway, “The Valhalla Viking” brings his 16-4 overall record into this fight and The Cold North members are in full support of the capable and dangerous Swede from Stockholm! He had a 12-fight win streak at one point in time and was recently on a 3-fight win streak until one very brutal battle against Kilo Maluga altered that course! Maluga’s first-round knockout of Svensson came as a bit of a surprise to some folks but in this industry, anything is possible, especially when you have very large men throwing sides of beef called fists at one another! Tree trunk legs also tend to do damage when they land so there should be no surprises in the heavyweight battles we witness! Aggression, power and a nasty disposition are the calling card for Svensson, and none of his fights have gone into the third round, an indication that his formula is very successful! Add in the fact he’s been a champion and that experience is very valuable! The bottom line is, he either forces a nap on his opponent or gets napped! Styles: Mayhem steps into battle with a very good 14-6 overall record, and both of these young warriors definitely like to fight because that’s a lot of fights for such a young age! Various LEGION OF DOOM members told me that Mayhem’s loss to Grant Alyoshi at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 34 really motivated him because he obviously felt he should have won that fight! Mayhem has had a few different management and training teams so there’s a learning curve for everyone involved! Now, he obviously doesn’t want to continue to learn the hard way if his approach and training are effective while being on the wrong end of TKO losses, so look for him to come out very aggressively against Svensson! Mayhem has shown that he has the power to rock an opponent’s world when he lands that clean punch and Svensson will have to respect that power or he could end up on the wrong side of a vicious uppercut that rattles his brain! Xavier: Svensson’s approach to this fight is simple, in my opinion. Keep it standing and launch salvos all day and make Mayhem adjust or end up kissing canvas! Svensson has world-class boxing ability and that, combined with his devastating power, is one hell of a mix! Add in the fact he has the height advantage and keeping this fight standing is a winning formula, plain and simple! All he has to do is make sure he keeps Mayhem away from getting inside of his defenses and potentially taking this fight to the mat! Multiple punches and timely kicks will keep this fight vertical and Svensson will win by knockout! Styles: Mayhem will have to use head movement, footwork and timing to pull off this win, but he can do it! Counterattacking Svensson is my suggested approach and working on the big man’s gas tank will pay dividends because power is only efficient with oxygen! Sap that endurance and suddenly the sting and pop from strikes begins to wane, and I think Mayhem has the defensive ability, speed and intelligence to time his counterattacks well until he can seize the opportunity to take this fight to the ground where he can very aggressively go for the submission win, which I think is exactly what he’ll get! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Mayhem by Submission; Xavier – Svensson by KO Styles: Thiago Neves and Billy Brown will be the next fighters to bloody the cage! “Boah” Neves of The Stepdads brings his very impressive 14-4 record into this fight, and the proud Brazilian has shown his dangerous ability in the grappling game time and again! Lately, the 29-year-old has had a bit of a tough go as he’s been an even three-and-three over his past six fights! He’s looking to continue the momentum from his first-round Triangle submission win over Demetrious Waters at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32! Keep in mind that Neves has only had one fight extend into the third round so I fully expect him to use speed and aggression tonight against Brown! Xavier: “Bayou” Brown has the height and weight advantage against Neves, and the 8-4 overall record indicates he knows what to do with that height and weight! The Baton Rouge product, who I’m sure is amped about LSU’s success, has had his own success and held a championship previously! That experience is definitely a major benefit but after a change in management, he struggled a bit against a fighter I manage, actually, and lost a unanimous decision to Kieran Busk at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33! Styles: That’s right! I forgot you got into the management game, X! Xavier: It’s not easy, Styles, especially if and when I have to offer analysis for and against one of my own fighters that I manage, but that’s going to happen from time to time! Styles: Well, I wish you the best of luck and I’m sure having to sit up here and watch a fight you have personal investment in is difficult, but you can handle it! Xavier: Thanks, Styles, and I think I can, yeah! This fight will be interesting because both of these combatants prefer the grappling side of life, but Brown may very well opt to stand and bang, or at least try to, with the older fighter! Neves is seven-years older than Brown and Brown could try to test the older fighter’s endurance by being very aggressive from the beginning and trying to overwhelm him with waves of strikes while utilizing counterattacks to keep Never off balance! Styles: I’m rollin’ with Neves in this one, X, because I think his major devotion to grappling will be too much for Brown to handle! Neves has the age and combat experience, plus his father was a legendary red belt who taught his son prior to his death, and we know Neves wants to pay homage to his father by winning as many fights as possible using those excellent grappling skills! Neves scores a quick takedown from a counterattack and though Brown will put up a good fight on the ground because he’s no pushover with his abilities and skills in the grappling game, I don’t think he wants to test those waters! Neves gets this fight to the ground and systematically breaks Brown down, hey, that rhymes, until he’s able to establish dominant position and lock in the submission for the win! Xavier: Brown must keep this fight in the standup and I think he may opt to use accurate strikes as a method of getting in close to Neves and locking him into a clinch! From the clinch, not only can he feel Neves’ attempts at takedowns and thwart them but he can also land his own strikes that can test Neves’ chin and wear him down to make his takedown attempts less effective! Brown is going to have to rely on his youthful exuberance for this fight and keep the pressure on Neves to make him expend a lot of energy to try and keep up with the pace that Brown sets, and Brown will even out the odds with that energy and eventually tag Neves with a hook to the temple that makes him go night-night! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Brown by KO; Styles – Neves by Submission Xavier: Cochise Harris and Huwan Bagwis are the next fighters to settle their grievances in the cage! Styles: Cochise? I wonder if he’s named after that war leader during the Apache Wars? Xavier: Wow, I’m very impressed, Styles! I didn’t think you studied much history! Styles: I’m full of surprises, X, and don’t underestimate my interests or intellectual capacity! Xavier: I’m not doubting your intellectual capacity, Styles! I just didn’t think you had much interest in some aspects of American history! Styles: I have my moments! Xavier: Harris of the Hitokiri-13 has a good 8-4 record, and he continues to round out into a very good overall fighter! This 22-year-old definitely likes to fight and the proof is right there in the number of Quick Fight Championship fights he’s had! Most fighters have one or two but this gentleman had six of them, and three of those six were against the same guy! I guess they had a personal vendetta! The story with Harris is very easy, Styles! He either drops his opponent with his fists or he eats his opponent’s fists and goes to sleep before he planned to do so! Harris has the weight advantage in this fight and he could very well use that weight to sit on his punches with a bit more pop than Bagwis expects or can deliver! Styles: Bagwis, the Filipino swordsman of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise is a solid 5-2 so far in his young career, and similar to his opponent this evening, he is quite effective in the standup portion of fighting! In addition, he does possess the ability to crack an opponent’s jaw hard enough to make their eyes roll into their head while they travel down dream street, so look for this fight to be a toe-to-toe chin-check war, just like I like! Bagwis had a 3-fight win streak snapped by one hell of a vicious head kick from Valentin Taneyev in the first round at UnderGround FC 68, so look for Bagwis’ striking defense to have improved since that humbling defeat! See what I did there, X!? De-feat! Get it de-feat…feet!? Xavier: Yes, Styles, I picked up on your rather dry pun about Bagwis losing because he got kicked upside the head by a foot! Styles: Don’t get mad at me because I’m clever and you’re not! Xavier: Give me a break! I think that last knockout literally rattled Bagwis and though his standup abilities are lauded, I have to wonder if he’ll be more jittery because of that? If he is, Harris has the ability to sense that, especially with his fight experience advantage, and if he sees Bagwis flinch in even the slightest each time Harris goes to throw a kick, he can feint with a kick and level Bagwis’ jaw with an unseen and unexpected overhand right that sends Bagwis back to the drawing board after he wakes up from being knocked out cold! Styles: Bagwis learned a lot from that last loss, and though this is his debut battle in the RFC, the young warrior knows how to handle business in the cage, and he’ll show Harris that he’ll not get his head tagged by a kick anytime soon! I also have no doubt that Bagwis has been sharpening his standup skills and he’ll surprise and overwhelm Harris with his striking speed and the angles he’s able to take while delivering punishing strikes! Bagwis wins his debut by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bagwis by KO; Xavier – Harris by KO Styles: Ryan Landry and Abdul Rahman are the next lions to enter the cage! The unblemished 4-0 record that Landry has The Stepdads speaking very highly of his potential, especially since the young Canadian is only 22 years old! The only whispers of concern that have been heard outside of The Stepdads, who are quite busy tonight with the number of fighters they have on the card, is the fact that each victory by Landry has been by decision! We all know that winning is winning, but if Landry is going to make the kind of noise that he wants to make, finishing opponents will be very high on his list of priorities! Xavier: There’s no doubt the ability to finish an opponent sends a particular message to any opponent that fighter faces, but the ability to win fights by attrition is just as impressive because not everyone is able to withstand high pressure, pain and skill for numerous minutes! “The Sheik” Rahman from Riyad is a very good 5-2 overall, and the 21-year-old Heritage member is quickly developing into a very good all-around fighter! When his fists are on target, they are very impactful and unforgiving! He looked very good in his first-round knockout of Luis Gonzales at RFC Tokyo 36 and he’ll obviously look to carry that momentum over into this fight! Despite being a bit shorter, I expect this fight to be a toe-to-toe battle with the winner being the one who can deliver the most damage in the shortest amount of time! Someone’s jaw is going to get tuned up tonight! Styles: I think Rahman’s attitude, aggression, and quickly-improving standup skills will be the difference maker tonight, X! Yes, he’s a bit shorter but he knows how to get in, land the damage, and get out without absorbing damage himself! That will definitely be very key in this fight because Landry has dynamite in his fists as well, and Rahman will have to keep his chin tucked and head moving to make it that much harder for Landry to land any clean shots! I think Rahman surprises Landry by dropping him with a fast, powerful and crushing kick to the noggin for the knockout! Xavier: Kick to the noggin? That’s a word you don’t hear too often. Landry’s confidence is sky high and it should be because so far, he hasn’t tasted the agony of defeat! That, in itself, will keep him very motivated to sustain that winning feeling and drive, plus there’s a certain pride taken in not losing, and if he can run his record to a perfect 5-0, that would be quite an accomplishment! Landry should expect a standup war tonight and I think he welcomes that because he believes he has the power and ability to crack any man’s jaw enough to dislodge it while knocking him out, and so far that hasn’t happened but that’s not to say it can’t! Winning by decision is good but I think the young warrior wants to silence his critics and show he does possess the punching power to stop a very good fighter like Rahman! Landry gets his first knockout win here tonight! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Landry by KO; Styles – Rahman by KO Xavier: Yhorm Cinder and Fester Addams will step into the cage and shake it to its foundation! “The Giant” Cinder from Sweden is a respectable 7-4 overall, and the very large man from Anor Londo had a very tough battle against Fester’s relative, Lurch, at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 34! Unfortunately for Cinder, Lurch locked him into a Guillotine in the first round and forced the big man to tap and that loss was his second loss in a row! In fact, Cinder is 2-4 over his past six fights to he’s definitely struggling, but he has a heart the size of a refrigerator and he keeps right on fighting! He’ll need that determination tonight if he’s going to snap his 2-fight losing streak! Styles: “Uncle Festerman”, which sounds like a B-level horror movie, is 6-4-1 overall! The New Jersey product and UnderGround Fights Enterprise member has a distinct size disadvantage against Cinder! In order for Addams to get in close to the gargantuan Cinder, footwork, timing and speed will be essential! If he doesn’t manage to keep moving and land strikes using agility for those awkward angles a fighter needs against a fighter the size of Cinder then this could be a very short and very painful night for Addams! I’m sure Lurch has offered his relative some insight about the big man and to me, Fester will have to get in close to Cinder to not only take away that massive height advantage, but he’ll also need to close that distance so he can unleash those furious punches he has that have made some men bleed! Xavier: I think Fester wins this battle against the walking building named Cinder because he’s lighter and younger, and I think having less weight and that young energy will tax the big man, plus Fester has some brutal knuckles that have sliced upon a couple of faces on more than one occasion, and not every warrior responds well to being bled! Fester gets inside the big man’s defenses and unloads on his body until he drops his guard and catches a knuckle sandwich to the nose that cuts him while knocking him out! Styles: Cinder wins this fight by casting bombs out like he’s carpeting an area in a war zone! Throwing strike after strike prevents Addams from getting in close to take away that height advantage, and if Mayhem does manage to get in close, Cinder will lock him into a clinch and lean that extra twenty pounds on Addams and make him carry that weight plus his own, and that will wear Addams down to the point where Cinder can tee off on him and not have to worry about trying to take this fight to the ground to try a submission! Cinder wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Cinder by KO; Xavier – Fester by KO Styles: Vaai Finau and Dmitry Boitsov continue the intensity of the night! The proud Tongan, Finau, is 3-2 overall so he is struggling a bit but is still winning! After a brutal start to his career where he got knocked out by punches and a riveting head kick, he’s been on a roll with a 3-fight win streak! His last outing against Krisko Kurtev at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33 was a very good one with him winning in the second round by TKO! Hey, X, he smeared Krisko all over the mat! Xavier: Did you really just take it there, Styles!? Styles: You’re damn right I did! You know we both grew up in households where Crisco oil was used for cooking! Xavier: Yes we did. Styles: Well, you see? Crisco…Krisko!? Xavier: Yeah…I got it. Styles: You just don’t appreciate clever humor! Anyway, Finau has a pronounced height advantage in this fight and I think he opts to keep this fight in the vertical plane and use that height advantage as best as he can! Xavier: “Boets” Boitsov is definitely at a disadvantage height-wise, but with everything else, Styles, I think he’s right on par with Finau! Not only do they have the very same 3-2 overall record, but from what we’ve seen of both fighters, they compare quite equally in terms of their abilities and skills in the cage! The strong Russian is well-versed in the grappling focus of fighting and has earned a black belt in BJJ, an indication that Finau really wants no part of that if he can avoid that at all costs! Taking nothing away from Finau and his brown belt, but taking the chance of trying to outgrapple Boitsov, especially when he’s taller, is a dangerous proposition! That will be a change for Boitsov because he favors the submission battle, but tonight I think he should try to use counterattacks in the standup to land opportune strikes in an effort to slow Finau for the knockout! Styles: Boitsov was very disappointed by his last performance at UnderGround FC 65 where he lost a split decision to Aapo Jukola! In his RFC debut, Boitsov will want to prove to himself and all of his future potential opponents that he can adapt to any circumstances and handle his business! Look for him to be very aggressive and work hard to get close to Finau so he can test his chin repeatedly until he lands the one shot he needs to turn out Finau’s lights! If that doesn’t happen, he can wear Finau down enough to where he can take him to the ground to lock in the submission for the win! Xavier: Finau is rolling, Styles, and that momentum and confidence will continue to serve him very well tonight in this evenly matched battle! I concur that he doesn’t want to take the chance of going to the horizontal battle against Boitsov because that’s a major and unnecessary risk, as I see it, especially when Finau’s height would work against him on the ground! Finau keeps this fight on its feet and tests Boitsov’s jaw time and again until the Russian’s ability to absorb damage falters and he gets put to sleep! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Finau by KO; Styles – Boitsov by Submission Xavier: Lurifax Andersen and Augusto Pinochet are the next warriors to lock horns! Andersen of LEGION OF DOOM and hailing from Denmark is a good 5-2 overall, and the Copenhagen combatant has shown a propensity to put his opponent’s to sleep using lead-filled knuckles! Similar to other fighters with knockout power, his fights either end up with him cracking the jaw of an opponent or getting his cracked, and of course, the fans in attendance loves those types of fights! There’s something wickedly satisfying about hearing a bone-crunching knockout blast unleashed on a trained fighter! Over his past four fights, Andersen has had some difficulty and is an even 2-2 from those fights! He’s a good bit taller than Pinochet but weighs less so speed and movement, in general, will be what he’ll need to rely on! He’s also five years older and more experienced, and those are factors that work in his favor, definitely! Styles: “El General” Pinochet is 2-1, and this LEGION OF DOOM member, yet another faction that’s having a busy night, is rounding out into a very skilled and solid fighter! With only three fights under his belt, he’s still figuring things out and two of his wins have been by punching the lights out of his opponent, so expect that to be the case here tonight as well in terms of his approach! He did lose by TKO to Xavier Blackblood at RFC 48 in the first round so he can’t forget about that nor throw caution to the wind in this fight! Since Andersen has proven he can bring the smoke with his fists, look for Pinochet to use a high output of kicks to slow Andersen down! Xavier: I think Andersen’s combat and age advantage will allow him to overcome the high level of energy that Pinochet brings to his fights and will also allow Andersen to be wary of Pinochet’s kicks! If Pinochet attempts and misses with a head kick, Andersen has the timing and skill to follow his leg back and rock Pinochet’s jaw with a wall-leveling blast that will put him to sleep quick, fast, and in a hurry for the win! Styles: Pinochet knows he has the advantage with his educated feet here tonight, X, and I can absolutely see him going kick crazy because Andersen can’t handle that level of activity nor stinging power that Pinochet’s kicks have! Pinochet will use his kicks to setup his punches and he’ll feint with a kick and cause Andersen to look down while lifting a leg, and that’s when Pinochet unloads a Street Fighter uppercut that separates a few teeth in Andersen’s head as he gets knocked out! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Pinochet by KO; Xavier – Andersen by KO Styles: Martin Kabara and Jimmy Jackson step in as the penultimate battle, as you like to say, X! Kabara has had a hard time with his very young career and is 0-2 so far! He keeps coming back to fight so his heart is there, but you have to wonder about his confidence level! To make matters worse, both losses have been by knockout, TKO and KO respectively, so he’s suffered some harsh punishment already, plus there are now whispers about his jaw! That’s not the way a 20-year-old wants to start his career but if he’s going to get going in the right direction, he’s going to have to rely on his Golden Gloves boxing ability! Xavier: Jackson has a major age advantage plus an overall combat experience advantage! He’s 4-7 overall so he’s not overwhelming his opponent’s, but he’s capable of handling business and he’ll know how to handle the height advantage he has in this fight! Getting this fight to the ground is imperative and I think both he and Kabara are aware of that fact! Styles: This is the classic clash of standup versus ground fighter, X, and whoever can keep the fight in their comfort zone will walk out the winner, plain and simple! I think tonight is the night where Kabara gets off the snide and lands his first win because Jackson has lost a few fights by TKO due to bleeding out like a slasher horror film, and Kabara will definitely look to open him up with his fists! Kabara wins this fight by TKO because Jackson will have rivulets of blood flowing from his face! Xavier: Jackson knows he’s a bleeder, Styles, and therefore his striking defense will be on point, his movement purposeful and he’ll be able to avoid the sharp punches that Kabara throws to counter attack him with a takedown and he’ll immediately float into dominant position where he can rain down ferocity until Kabara taps or the referee saves him! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Jackson by KO; Styles – Kabara by KO Xavier: And the final clash of the night honors goes to Ronaldo Souza and Riley Pierce! “Jacare” Souza is 6-19-1 so the Brazilian likes to fight! However, the problem is, that number of losses has really affected him on a physical and mental level, and since he’s only 22-years-old, the damage he’s absorbed is similar to a professional football player in his 40’s! Needless to say, that’s not a good thing! He does have a couple of submission victories on his resume so he can surprise an opponent when his head is on straight, but that’s a wild card, to say the least! Styles: “The Lurker” Pierce of YABAI is an even 1-1 overall so he has a major combat disadvantage here despite being the same age as Souza! However, Pierce has absorbed a cut on his finger in comparison to the damage Souza has absorbed! It’s like Souza has been in multiple car accidents and by comparison, Pierce stubbed his finger on the car window! Pierce’s lone win so far was an Armbar on Little Bi at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 34 so look for Pierce to do the same to Souza and make him tap! Xavier: Yes, Styles, I absolutely agree! Souza has mentally checked out because I saw him watching The Mandolorian on Disney + on his tablet in the locker room and was bragging about how saw Star Wars yesterday on its opening day! He’s going to get punished by the force that Pierce brings, I assure you of that! Styles: You tryin’ to get clever!? Xavier: I thought it was, yes! Styles: Keep thinking that! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Pierce by Submission; Xavier – Pierce by Submission Xavier: Thank you for joining us, ladies and gentlemen and fans of MMA action! We’re honored and privileged to have you take your time to give to us and we hope we provide insight to help you better understand the fights you’re going to see! Styles: And to Kore Fight Nutrition, thank you very much for your support and outstanding products! We truly appreciate them and all of you as well. We’ll see you at the fights and Happy Holidays to each and every one of you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 20, 2019 Report Share Posted December 20, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 58 PREVIEWHYASHI’S LOUNGE Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to preview number 58 for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the gregarious Chris Ball! Ball: Good to see you as always, Carr! Happy Holidays to everyone and unfortunately for some of these fighters tonight, they’re going to be hurting and possibly battered for their holiday season, but that’s the price to pay when you do this for a living! Carr: We’re definitely going to see some seasons beatings tonight, Ball! The rabid fans willing this arena have the place rocking and without further ado, let’s get rolling! On tap tonight we have two Middleweight fights, one Super Heavyweight fight, one Lightweight fight, two Bantamweight fights, and two Welterweight fights! Ball: We kick off the festivities with Michael Swango and Twisty Kneereaper! Swango, the 12-4 FinnFighters member is making a name for himself in the industry and for good reason! He’s had two different winning streaks and has defeated some of the top fighters in the RFC! Over his past six fights, he’s developed a pattern of winning then losing, then repeating that cycle. Tonight, he definitely wants to maintain that pattern and score a big win over Kneereaper! Swango had a hell of a fight against the champion, Edison Atunes, and although he took the champ all three rounds, Atunes was simply too much in the end and was able to level Swango’s jaw with one of his devastating rocket blasts of a punch! That’s only the second time Swango has been knocked out and both have literally been at the hands of Atunes! Against Kneereaper, he has a substantial height advantage and he’s going to need it because Kneereaper has proven that he’s quite capable on his feet! I don’t think Swango’s under the impression he can outbox Kneereaper so look for him to rely on speed, head movement, and timely rushes if and when Kneereaper leaves an opening with a missed strike! Swango could also level Kneereaper with a brutal head kick that he doesn’t see coming from a counterattack as well! Either way, I think Swango wins this fight by knockout! Carr: Kneereaper of The Stepdads is 7-4 overall, and the Brockenhurst Englander is 4-1 over his past five fights since changing management! Though he prefers to take the fight to the ground and make it a grappling battle, he doesn’t shy away from the vertical game and I think in this fight in particular, he’ll welcome the possibility of a toe-to-toe rampage because he’s been steadily improving that aspect of his fighting capabilities! In addition, I think Swango will be so hell bent on preventing this fight from going to the ground that his overzealousness will make it easier for Kneereaper to take this fight to the mat from the standup because he can hang with the skills and talents Swango possesses in the standup, and from my perspective, Kneereaper may have the advantage there despite the major height disadvantage he has! His shortness will allow him to have an easier time slipping and blocking the strikes from Swango while he advances position to get in tight and make Swango uncomfortable! If this fight ends up in the clinch, I think Kneereaper has the advantage because Swango will look for takedown attempts and while he focuses heavily on that, Kneereaper can let his hands go and light up Swango’s jaw and ribs! Kneereaper wears Swango down in the standup then drags this fight to the ground where he forces the tap! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Kneereaper by Submission; Ball – Swango by KO Carr: Luis Maestre and Ari Baba are the next young lions into the cage of combat! “The Dexter Creole” is building up quite the fan base, and this 10-3 LEGION OF DOOM member from Colombia enjoys rocking opponent’s jaws with his unrelenting punching! This very large man has brutalized numerous opponents with his concussion blasts for knuckles, and he does have championship experience, although his title opportunities against Ryo Takuma and James Fusi, respectively, have both ended very badly and painfully for him as he was knocked out in both of those battles! However, that doesn’t slow down his desire to fight and he truly does enjoy fighting! It’s rare that he battles men of equal size but that’s the case tonight so he’ll have to adjust to that accordingly! I expect Maestre to take the same approach as he always has and will look to stand and bang to test the jaw that Baba has plus see if he can dish out what he can take! If Baba doesn’t keep his hands up, chin tucked and head moving, this will be a very short and brutal night for him! Should Baba land some painful and effective kicks, Maestre can lock him up in a clinch and unload on him until Baba either drops or manages to rock Maestre! I think Maestre wins this by knockout! Ball: “Dono” Baba from the Netherlands is 8-5 overall, and this UnderGround Fights Enterprise member likes to bring the heat from knuckle blasts, just like his opponent! When Baba is locked in, he’s very effective and dangerous because he brings a lot of bone-crunching power with his punches! In what many consider to be an odd development, after starting off a perfect 4-0, he had a disagreement with that management team and decided to leave. With his new management, he’s had more success than failure but hasn’t been able to replicate that unblemished start to his career! Add in the fact that this is a rebound match from their first encounter at RFC 54 where Maestre knocked him in the first round, and there are some intriguing story lines in development here! Baba has undoubtedly reviewed the footage from that fight on November 23rd time and again in preparation for this fight, and I’m sure he’ll use it as fuel tonight as he seeks revenge of sorts against Maestre! Like many of the super heavyweights we see, he either wins by knockout or losses by knockout, at least the majority of the time, and I expect nothing less tonight! He’ll aggressively seek out Maestre’s jaw and when he finds it, he’ll reshape it painfully with an uppercut that rattles Maestre to the core for the knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Baba by KO; Carr – Maestre by KO Ball: Craig Wius and Azacca Trounvouche step into the cage of clashes! Wius is 9-4 overall, and the 28-year-old from Long Beach faces a very tough task tonight in trying to hang the first loss onto Tronvouche’s record! Wius will have to rely on his six-year age advantage and his in-cage combat experience to overcome the Jamaican hurricane! Although Wius has the height advantage tonight, I don’t think he’ll want to stand and trade strikes with Trounvouche! Instead, I think Wius will try and make Trounvouche overly aggressive and in doing so, Wius can land precise counter strikes before going for the takedown that he seeks! It’s imperative that he slows Trounvouche down because if he doesn’t, taking this fight to the ground will prove to be a very dangerous endeavor! However, Wius has the ability and experience because he’s dealt with high-energy and high-impact strikers before, so he won’t be overwhelmed by the aggression that Trounvouche is sure to bring! Wius will let Trounvouche make the mistake that Wius needs to get this fight to the ground and then, Wius will be very patient and methodical in advancing his positioning to lock in the submission for the win! Carr: “The Original Rude Boy” Trounvouche from Kingston is an unblemished 6-0, a very impressive accomplishment for a 22-year-old warrior! During this 6-fight win streak, the YABAI member has shown that he’s as dangerous with his hands as he is with his feet! If the fight doesn’t go the distance then it ends in the first round, an indication that Trounvouche can establish and maintain a high level of energy and aggression throughout all three rounds! That’s bad news for Wius because he’ll have to expend a lot of energy just to try and keep Trounvouche at bay, especially if he opts to take the counterattack approach to this fight! I think Trounvouche will simply overwhelm Wius with his energy, aggression and high level of skill because Trounvouche has Golden Gloves boxing skills and can definitely hold his own in muay thai combat! Trounvouche unloads painful and devastating strikes relentlessly until Wius can’t defend himself anymore and gets chin-checked into a nap! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Trounvouche by KO; Ball – Wius by Submission Carr: Zhang Jun and Little Kitty Sripituksakul, that’s always a tongue-twisting last name, are the next to show what they’re capable of in the cage! Jun is a very good 5-1 overall, and the young FinnFighters representative from China likes to take the fight to the horizontal plane of grappling where he’s proven to be quite formidable! He’s currently on a 3-fight win streak so the timing of this fight is great for him as he looks to continue that string of success, and the confidence from those wins is absolutely percolating! Most of his fights have ended in the first round and that aggressive approach will be on display here tonight as well, I guarantee it! It’s an advantage for Jun to be much shorter than Little Kitty because that will make it easier for him to lock in any number of submissions after isolating one of Kitty’s longer limbs! Kitty is no slouch in the grappling focus of fighting, don’t get it twisted, but Jun, in my opinion, is a bit more versed in it and Kitty better pick and choose his spots if he opts to test his skills against Jun’s in the grapple! As long as Jun keeps his eyes moving so he doesn’t catch a kick to the face or side of the neck that he doesn’t see coming, he should be just fine and will be able to wear Kitty down with fast, accurate punches until he forces the takedown where he gets the tapout for the win! Ball: Kitty Sripituksakul, from Thailand, is 5-1 overall, a very solid record, and Kitty has both made opponents nap and tap, and his only loss was by Kimura to Anthony Shiina at RFC 52! Kitty is unusual in his favoring of the grappling side of fighting life because we all know Thailand produces some of the very best standup warriors on the planet, hands down! They take a great deal of pride in being the birthplace of muay thai and thousands upon thousands of kids grow up wanting to learn muy thai and represent their country and culture in arenas of combat around the world! Kitty’s preference of BJJ just shows the cultural influence that Brazil has had upon the martial arts world, just as the Chinese, Japanese, Indian, etc. have. Kitty definitely possess very good muay thai skills and I highly doubt Jun wants to get into a kicking or thai clinch contest with Kitty! That works in Kitty’s favor because he can capitalize on his height advantage and rain down strikes from all angles while Jun tries to cover up and get in closer for takedowns! Kitty can use feints to make Jun drop his hands or angle his body one way then boom, Kitty unloads a body or head kick that makes Jun bit down on his teeth in pain and that momentary lapse of defense opens him up for a head kick that puts him to bed and gives Kitty the victory! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Sripituksakul by KO; Ball – Jun by Submission Ball: Sydney Thift and John Titor are the next warriors into the cage! Thift enters this fight with a 6-6 record, so he obviously wants to avoid falling below that even mark! The 29-year-old Chicago native had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Skjoldr Leifsson by Armbar at RFC 56 in the second round! When Thift has been locked in and focused, he’s been able to achieve victory by TKO quite a bit, so sticking to aggression will be a key aspect for him tonight! He faces a difficult task in slowing down his 23-year-old counterpart but using his age advantage does provide a boost, in my opinion! He’s had to face a good amount of adversity and diversity in his career and though Titor has fought a lot of times, especially for being so young, there are aspects of fighting that he’s not fully aware of that Thift does know because of life experience, in general. For Thift to pull out this victory, however, he’s definitely going to have to rely on that age experience as well as his devoted time to studying his opponents to force Titor to make mistakes because physically, I don’t think Thift can enforce his will on Titor! Counterattacking Titor and testing his ability to take a punch, to me, is the key to stunning Titor long enough to drag him to the ground and getting the submission! Carr: “The Time Traveller” Titor is 9-4 overall, and the Polish warrior is fast becoming a very well-rounded fighter who can get the job done in the standup or on the ground! Titor has racked up victories with unanimous decision wins as well as TKO’s, and as he improves steadily, I believe he’ll learn how to finish off an opponent once he discovers or creates holes in their defense! He recently had a 3-fight win streak snapped by Toussaint Bissainthe at RFC Tokyo 36, so he’s looking to get back on the winning path and to do that against Thift, I think he can either strictly focus on dropping bombs on him from the outside by pumping jabs and crosses towards his face and hooks and uppercuts to his body and jaw, and if Thift is able to avoid major damage there and gets in close to Titor, I think Titor simply locks him into a clinch and continues punishing Thift’s body and jaw with a mixture of strikes, elbows and knees! Titor’s aggression in the clinch and in the standup will be the difference maker in this fight, and the longer this fight is vertical, the more damage Titor unloads on Thift until he collapses from fatigue or from being knocked out! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Titor by KO; Ball – Thift by Submission Carr: Uriah Chin and Ariel Schroder bring their intensity and determination into the cage next! Chin, out of England, is 10-5 overall, a very good record, and he’s won and lost fights by every which way except bleeding out! Recently, he’s had a bit of a struggle over his past six fights, going an even 3-3 during that stretch! His last battle against Obi Wan Kenobi, who I’m sure is just giddy with excitement that The Rise of Skywalker is in theatres and raking in the cash, ended with a TKO in the third round at RFC 54! Lately it seems that Chin either gets the knockout or gets knocked out, so starting off fast and establishing the pace and space is vital for his success! I don’t think he’s built for starting off slowly and trying to mount a comeback! He’s also absorbed a good amount of damage over his career so he’s going to have to keep his striking defense up but in this fight, I don’t think he’ll be overwhelmed because from what we’ve seen, Chin has a bit of an edge in the standup against Schroder, and he’s going to absolutely have to capitalize on that! I expect Chin to start off like his cojones are on fire and keep the pressure on Schroder to unfurl a storm of strikes on him and end this one fast by knockout! Ball: Schroder, the product from Hamburg, Germany, is 9-7 overall, a winning record, yes, but not the type of record that Schroder would like to have! Be that as it may, in this fight against Chin, he’s going to have to keep Chin off balance with counterattacks, feints, and accurate strikes from a distance because he does have a slight height advantage, and any advantage he can use is very valuable, especially with his overall struggles! In my opinion, Schroder’s best shot at getting this fight on the ground where he has his best opportunity at victory is to try and land counterstrikes to Chin’s body to slow him down and drain his energy enough to where he can’t as efficiently stave off takedown attempts, and once Schroder gets this fight to the ground, he has a chance to shine! Schroder does have to be prepared to go to war on the ground if and when the fight goes there because Chin is skilled there as well, but Schroder has to be willing to take that risk to snatch victory from the jaws of destiny tonight! Schroder will pull off a minor upset tonight by outwrestling Chin and making him tap out! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Schroder by Submission; Carr – Chin by KO Ball: Little Big and Caspian Tennessen are the second-to-last squabble of the night! “Fist” Big is 1-2 so far in his young career, and the Canadian Heritage member with Golden Gloves boxing ability lost a humbling fight against Riley Pierce in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 34 by Armbar! That loss clearly upset him because he greatly felt he should have won that fight! Will he use that loss as motivation or will it affect him negatively in this fight? That’s a question he’ll have to answer tonight with his performance! Also, the question remains if he can finish Tennessen or not because so far, his only win has been a unanimous decision! That’s surprising because he does have excellent boxing ability but that doesn’t necessarily equate to knockout power or the killer instinct we hear so often when sports are involved! Tennessen is exactly his height and weight so the physical aspect is even from what I’ve seen! The man who can impose his will is the winner of this fight, plain and simple, and Big is going to have to shake off that last loss and focus in for this fight! Keeping this fight in the standup is crucial for Big and I look for him to go for it all and be ultra-aggressive as soon as the bell rings! He’ll overwhelm Tennessen with punches from seemingly every section of the cage until he makes him succumb to his punching power! Carr: “The Viking Lord” is an even 3-3, and this Norwegian who’s a member of Cromulent Doom, in a nutshell, Ball, doesn’t want to fight! It’s a shame because other Cromulent Doom members work very hard and they speak with a professional if and when they’re feeling down and their morale has taken a hit after a loss, but, quite frankly, to have such a bold nickname, he’s not doing said nickname any justice if he’s not going to pick himself up, get himself together and keep on fighting! Vikings are renowned for their will to fight against all odds, and even after they suffer a loss, they came right back just as anxious to fight as they were the previous time! Maybe Cromulent Doom members can have an intervention with him or something, but until then, I don’t see him winning any fights anytime soon! That being said, Big wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Big by KO; Ball – Big by KO Carr: Bosse Severus and Juanito Ferguson bring this night of combat to a close! The purple-haired Mohawk-sporting fighter from Las Vegas, otherwise known as Sin City, represents the busy alliance of LEGION OF DOOM tonight! Severus has shown he has Golden Gloves boxing ability and against Ferguson, he’ll need to use that because he’s the shorter fighter, so look for him to counterpunch Ferguson as often as possible while moving in closer to him where he can unload more power strikes! Although Ferguson is six years older than Severus, I feel Severus’ skill level is just as good as Ferguson’s in terms of grappling, and in the vertical base, Severus has a major advantage! That translates to him keeping this fight on its feet and just peppering Ferguson’s face with punch after punch until Ferguson drops from unconsciousness! Severus knows full well he doesn’t fear Ferguson’s standup fighting ability so he can be as aggressive as he wants to be tonight and he’ll get the job done by knockout! Ball: “La Alimana” Ferguson is 4-6 overall, so one would think he’d be hell bent on trying to improve his record to at least an even 6-6! In addition, he, too is from Las Vegas, and I thought a chance to fight a fellow Vegas resident would inspire him to bust his ass in the gym in preparation for this fight! When I saw him backstage, Carr, I looked him right in the eyes and he didn’t look like he really wanted to be here! Here’s an opportunity for him to show he can overcome his lack of standup skills by defeating a fighter with outstanding boxing ability like Severus has, yet Ferguson looks as interested in fighting as I have in watching a chic flick! It’s truly beyond me when fighters aren’t amped and bustin’ their ass to get themselves together for a fight, but that’s their choice and everyone pays some sort of consequence for their decisions and actions! Ferguson is going to pay tonight with pain and discomfort! Severus wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Severus by KO; Carr – Severus by KO Ball: And that concludes the fights for tonight, ladies and gents! As always, Carr and I are very grateful and thankful for your time, patience and interest in our previews and we truly hope you find them interesting and entertaining! Carr: We also truly appreciate Kore Fight Nutrition for being our merchandise partner! Their excellent products and prices are absolutely outstanding, and we hope all of you are taking advantage! On behalf of Ball, I thank you for joining us tonight and we’ll see you at the fights! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP NEW YEAR’S EVE PREVIEW BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA (PART I OF II) Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and Happy New Year to some of you in various parts of the world! For the rest of you, Happy New Year’s Eve! Welcome to a very special preview for Rapid Fighting Championship! We have a full house tonight because this is obviously the end of the year and as such, RFC is bringing you a tremendous night of exclusive and supremely exciting fights! There are a massive three titles on the line tonight, and for this very special occasion, we have Furious Styles and Esiah Xavier joining Ball and I in the booth! Welcome, gentlemen! Styles: What’s up, Ball and Carr!? Xavier: Greetings, gents! It’s a pleasure! Ball: The party is definitely jumpin’ off tonight with you two joining us! Styles: That’s right, Ball! We in the house and we’re gonna get rowdy rowdy and ‘bout it, ‘bout it, because this, as you know, is the final night before we enter an entirely new decade! Carr: That’s absolutely incredible to me, gentlemen! I know nine years have passed because all of us have obviously grown nine years older and we’ve seen loved ones grow as well, but the speed at which that time passed is unbelievable! Styles: No doubt, Carr! It’s so true that the older we get, the faster time passes, and it’s freaky that 2020 is right around the corner! Xavier: There are always millions of people who make New Year’s resolutions but they seem to take a new meaning when a brand new decade is staring them in the face! Have you gentlemen made any resolutions? Ball: I resolve to continue living a healthy lifestyle and just appreciate being alive! Carr: I’ve resolved to maintain and improve my physical shape and try to improve my knowledge base so I can be a better color analyst! Styles: I resolve to keep chasing fine, hot women because I don’t know about you fellas, but I don’t look my age or act my age, and there’s a reason why I work out like I do! As long as I keep my body tight and my appearance right, I’ll be the one layin’ the pipe at the end of the night! You know what I’m sayin’!? Xavier: Styles! This is a family show! Carr: We get it, Styles, but you can save those comments until we’re off the air! Ball: I have no problem with what he said because, hell, who doesn’t want to have fun with hot women!? Styles: Thank you! Ball is feelin’ what I’m talkin’ about! Xavier: There are those who prefer to engage in other activities besides chasing women, gentlemen, so let’s just be mindful about inclusivity! Styles: Aw come on, X! Don’t take all the fun out of the job! Xavier: I’m not taking any fun away. I’m just ensuring that we’re mindful of various personal and lifestyle choices. It’s our job to be informative, inclusive, neutral and entertaining! Carr: That’s absolutely correct! Xavier, I appreciate your professionalism and perspective! Xavier: Thank you, Carr! Ball: Hey, Styles! Two peads in a pod, right? Styles: Ha! You know it, Ball! Carr: All right, that’s enough, you two! Let’s get to the business at hand, shall we? Ball: Break it down then, Carr! Carr: Tonight we have three Lightweight fights, one Super Heavyweight fight with the Super Heavyweight championship hanging in the balance! We have two Light Heavyweight fights with the Light Heavyweight championship on the line! We have one Heavyweight fight, two Bantamweight fights, and one Featherweight fight on tap tonight! Xavier: That’s an impressive lineup, especially with three titles on the line tonight! The landscape of RFC could change rapidly by the end of the night! Styles: Yeah it could! Even fighters who aren’t on the card tonight will be paying close attention to these fights because it’s a chance, as a fighter, to scout opponents, and as a fan, it’s a chance to see some damn good fights! Ball: No doubt, Styles! These fights promise to at least prove to be interesting, but like the 5,750 fans in attendance tonight, I’m hoping that these fights are fast, brutal, and bloody! Styles: Finally, someone who understands me! Carr: I had a feeling Styles would bring out Ball’s more violent side! Xavier: He does have that effect on quite a few people, Carr, believe me! Styles: Don’t hate me ‘cause you ain’t me! I’m who I am and people either accept or reject that! I’m not going to stop being me! Xavier: Trust me, I know! Ball: I respect that because that’s how it should be! Carr: Up first, we have Martin Eugen and Litill Bjornsson kicking off the action in a Lightweight battle, and what a way to start this incendiary night! Eugen of The Stepdads steps into this fight with a 23-4 record, which is very impressive! The 29-year-old from Ohio, or at least I assume it’s Ohio because Columbus is his hometown, is on an 8-fight win streak! After changing management and training teams due to a loss to Lapu Lapu by knockout on The Island, Eugen and his new team have been on an absolute tear! He has either won by KO or TKO five out of his last eight fights, an indication of the punching power he possesses! What’s impressive to me is that he’s only been knocked out once and that was by Lapu Lapu! Two of his losses are by submission and one by unanimous decision, so Eugen’s done an excellent job of keeping the damage absorbed reduced, which attributes his success as a knockout artist! Ball: And, as I like to point out, he has invaluable championship experience and that’s a major factor in any fight, gentlemen! Xavier: That’s a very important facet of being a fighter and being a champion! Technically, everyone with a functioning body can be a fighter, but to be a champion is another level of dedication, ability, technique, and hey, if said fighter happens to be blessed with heavy hands, or a nearly adamantium chin, as well as a high IQ, then that makes your path to being a champion just a bit easier! Styles: They still have to put in the work, and that’s what separates the men from the boys, X! Anyone can go to a gym for one hour or more, but it’s not about the time spent. It’s about how much work you put into that time! Carr: Well, said, Styles! How many times have we seen the Mirror Lifters in a gym who spend more time posing in the mirror as opposed to actually putting in work!? Styles: Don’t even get me started on that! Don’t get me wrong, however, because I have no problem with a hot woman with a smokin’ hot body posin’ for her phone or whatever! That’s motivation to work out even harder! Ball: I’m sure you were doing something harder! Styles: Ha! Carr: All right, you two! Xavier: I see you have to deal with that to an extent also, Carr! Carr: I think you have it worse though, X! Xavier: No doubt about that! He’s a bad influence on Ball, no denying that, but I have to deal with him every week! Styles: Don’t act like you don’t enjoy my company, X! I make your points more impactful while providing you good humor that you sometimes can appreciate! Plus, stop being such a nerd! Adamantium!? What next, are you and Carr going to debate if adamantium or vibranium is the stronger substance!? Xavier: Hmm, well, actually, I hadn’t thought of that until now… Styles: Shut up! Carr: Back to the business at hand! Eugen’s winning streak obviously has his confidence at full peak and he’s going to need that confidence as he fights the legendary Bjornsson! Ball: This is the proverbial unmovable object facing an unstoppable force! Xavier: That can be said for many of these fights tonight to be honest, Ball! Ball: That’s a valid point! Styles: Most of them, yes, but not every fighter tonight has the resume that these two do! Carr: That’s also true! Eugen is a little taller than Bjornson but he’s a bit lighter, and we all know Bjornsson likes to use his weight and tremendous strength to take his opponents to the ground and make them tap, so that weight will be an advantage in this fight! Ball: “Mini Mountain” is an incredible 30-2 overall, and this Icelandic warrior legend of La Familia a whopping 22-fight win streak snapped by none other than Third Eye! That’s right folks, in case you didn’t pay attention, Third Eye defeated this future hall of famer by unanimous decision at RFC Tokyo 37! That loss sent a shockwave through the entire industry because numerous people assumed Bjornsson would continue that incredible win streak but it was not meant to be! Styles: I’m not going to lie! I thought Third Eye had very little chance but he sure as hell shut me up with an unbelievable performance under the most difficult of circumstances! To be a champion, you have to obviously beat a champion, and to accomplish that under high levels of duress, scrutiny and analysis is an extremely impressive feat, especially when you defeat one of the very best in the business! Carr: Many people expect a rematch between Eye and Bjornsson, and if and when that happens, that will be absolute must-see TV! Ball: All right, Miz! Bjornsson has won twenty-one battles by submission, gentlemen, so he obviously knows how to handle himself when a fight ends up being horizontal! He’s also shown the ability to adapt to many styles and levels of aggression throughout his career and that’s a major factor as well because not every fighter has the ability or intelligence to adapt to adversity while in the middle of a fight! Xavier: The heart and determination that Bjornsson has is vast because we’ve seen him tested by some excellent warriors and he has managed to push through basically each and every time! That, in itself, is superb because we’ve seen many a man falter after taking one or two clean shots to the jaw and/or body! Not every fighter has the ability to push through the pain and keep in mind that it hurts to hit someone else! Even if a fighter absorbs zero damage from an opponent, it still hurts to punch or kick that opponent, and even scoring a takedown and submission can be painful because you have to contort your body! Carr: That’s definitely an overlooked facet of fighting, X, and some fighters have the ability to recover from injuries faster than others, and of course, there are those who are able to take more damage than others and not be affected in the same way! Styles: Oh, great! Are you two going to start talking about Wolverine and get back into that adamantium comment!? Xavier: No! We’re simply raising a point about individuality amongst fighters and their ability to handle certain situations! Ball: Bjornsson is accustomed to fighting taller opponents so that won’t be an issue tonight, at least as I see it! Still, getting this fight to the grapple and ground range is imperative for Bjronsson so he can eliminate that height advantage! Carr: Neither Bjornsson or Eugen throw a lot of kicks in their fights from my estimation, so expect to see fists fly while this fight remains in the standup! Obviously, Eugen will want to keep this fight standing so he can unload those vicious punches in an attempt to dent the features of Bjornsson while trying to force a nap on him! I won’t be surprised at all if Eugen takes the chance of locking Bjornsson into a clinch and trying to land elbows and knees along with the dirty boxing skills he has because that could prove to be very taxing on Bjornsson! If Eugen feels he can almost match Bjornsson’s power then his concern about being taken to the ground dissipates greatly, and really his only concern at that point would be to not get taken down by Bjornsson pulling guard! Xavier: Eugen has knocked out, or technically knock out, eighteen opponents! Eighteen opponents have been stopped by the cement blocks he has for fists and there’s no doubt that Bjornsson is very well aware of that! Styles: I can bet you anything that he worked hard as hell on keeping up and improving his striking defense to make sure he doesn’t get chin checked, because I don’t think he wants that to happen, despite how great he is! Eugen, again, has only been knocked out once so getting to his chin is a very tall task that I don’t think Bjronsson will try to utilize! Ball: For Eugen, I think his best bet is to be very aggressive as soon as the bell rings and just throw punch after punch at Bjornsson and make him stay on the defensive! That way, Bjornsson can’t land one of his renowned takedowns and immediately float into dominant position! Eugen is well-versed in the grappling aspect of fighting, definitely, but I don’t think he wants to test his skills against Bjornsson’s on the mat! Eugen may be able to sneak in some body kicks and chop away at Bjornsson’s legs to slow him down and sap his energy, but I don’t know if he wants to risk attempts at head kicks, because if he misses a head kick, Bjornsson can leap right into a counter takedown and put Eugen into a very bad spot! Carr: For Bjornsson, counterattacking Eugen is a wise approach because he can avoid that flood of punches from Eugen more efficiently plus land his own strikes that can slow Eugen down and deplete some of his strength for an easier time with takedowns. Once Bjornsson lands that takedown, I think he’ll be very aggressive in his pursuit of a submission or ground-and-pound win because the longer this fight goes, the more opportunity Eugen has to land damaging punches in particular, and that’s obviously something Bjornsson wants to avoid at all costs! I think Bjornsson wins this fight with counterattacking and aggressive attempts at submissions once this fight goes to the ground! His recent loss to Third Eye serves as fuel to increase the legacy he has built! Styles: I’m with you on that, Carr! I think Bjornsson has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he can handle any given situation, and I bet if he fought Third Eye tonight, he would emerge victorious because Bjornsson’s ability to understand and adapt is top notch! Bjornsson by submission! Ball: Eugen has been rocking jaws since he stepped foot into a cage and I don’t think that will change anytime soon! Bjornsson is one hell of a fighter and no one can say anything differently, but I don’t know how much longer he can maintain this torrid pace, especially as opponents have more opportunity to intricately study and analyze his battles! I think Eugen has enough pop in his fists to turn the tide of this fight quickly, and Bjornsson’s striking defense may falter due to fatigue, especially if Eugen tees off on his ribcage enough! In one hellacious battle, Eugen walks out the winner because he’ll manage to land that one clean shot he needs for the knockout! Xavier: I have to concur with you, Ball! Bjornsson is simply tremendous and nothing less can be said about him! However, Eugen’s punching power can’t be denied and tonight, I don’t think he’ll be denied, though he will have to work extremely hard to earn the win, he wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier and Ball – Eugen by KO; Styles and Carr – Bjornsson by Submission Xavier: The next war in the cage puts the Super Heavyweight Championship on the line as James Fusi and Conor The Barbarian square off! Styles: Before hearing about “Relentless” James Fusi, I had no idea where Dodoma was! Carr: Don’t look at me! I’m decent when it comes to geography but there are way too many cities in this world for me to be able to know where all of them are without consulting my phone! Ball: The only reason I knew anything about Tanzania is because there was a woman from there who I was tryin’ to holla’ at! Styles: My man, Ball! The international playa over here! Xavier: Please don’t encourage him, Styles! Carr: Ball, you’ve never spoken about that previously and we’ve been working together for a little bit of time now! Ball: Sometimes only certain people can relate to what you have to say so I left it alone until now! Styles gets me! Styles: Hell yeah I do! I’m not picky when it comes to a fine lady! Xavier: Yes, you’re like Captain James T. Kirk on the USS Enterprise! Dude would get down with green, blue, yellow or red women! Styles: Hey, X, it’s all good! If a woman is that fine, I don’t give a damn if she’s purple with orange hair! I’m going to do what I’m going to do because my game is strong! Xavier: Oh lord! Ball: Don’t hate the playa, hate the game! Xavier: Right. Fusi steps into this fight with an overall record of 10-6! The narrative is very simple and straight with this warrior! He either drops you brutally or he gets dropped brutally! The expectation from many people, truly, is in the super heavyweight division, someone is going to get knocked the hell out! These are typically very large and heavy men who bring a tremendous amount of velocity behind their strikes, and no matter how tough and strong a man is, taking too many strikes can make even the toughest man with a lead jaw fall! Styles: Here we go again with the hard substance talk! Carr: You got on his case about the adamantium comment so he’s using lead as the substance and that’s a legitimate metal as opposed to adamantium! Ball: Yes, lead is very real, obviously, but I think Styles is referring more to the possible tangent about hard substances! Styles: Ball and I are on the same page! Educate these two dudes! Xavier: I’m plenty educated, Styles, because I used an actual element that exists on this planet! Would you rather I say he has a chin as hard as a diamond? Styles: Diamond chin? That sounds like this one chick I met in Las Vegas! Xavier: It’s a family show, Styles! Styles: I won’t say anything else, but I’m sure all of you can figure out my meaning! Xavier: Fusi is a very aggressive fighter as well and only three of his fights have gone past the first round! That means he has very large cannons in his fists and he launches them rapidly! Fusi’s career has been up and down with a mixture of win streaks and losing streaks, but what’s important here is he’s currently riding a 3-fight win streak so everything is clicking at the right time and his confidence is very strong! Carr: It makes sense that he’s that aggressive since he has the ability to make an opponent nap quickly! His fastest knockout so far is a mere thirteen seconds! Ball: That’s true and that can’t be denied! However, the fastest that he has been knocked out is ten seconds, and that was at the hands of Jimrex Jaca! Luis Maestre knocked him out in a mere eleven seconds! In fact, he and Maestre have fought four times and Maestre has won three of those battles by knockout! That’s a personal vendetta that will probably continue for as long as they can extend it! Styles: You said extend! Xavier: For crying out loud! Carr: He’s definitely a bad influence! The assumption here is that he’s dealt and absorbed a large amount of damage in his career already, and he’s 22-years old, so I don’t know how long that can last before his ability to absorb punishment is depleted and he simply can’t stand up to any power punches from any fighter in any weight class! Xavier: Excellent point, Carr! There’s only so much damage the human body can take before it quite literally begins to shut down, and his threshold of pain and ability to take damage has to be questioned already! Against Conor, he’ll get no reprieve either because Conor brings a hell of a lot of heat with his punches! Fusi is the shorter fighter tonight so he’s going to have to keep moving and his footwork will have to be pinpoint accurate, because one little slip leaves that chin exposed long enough for Conor to potentially shatter it! Styles: Conor The Barbarian of La Familia, is obviously a very serious gym rat! Not only is he a mixed martial artist but he also competes in bodybuilding events when he can! Ball: Can you blame the guy!? I wonder how long he takes in the gym to complete a full workout that he’s designed? Carr: It wouldn’t surprise me if he was in the gym from four to eight hours a day! He’s fortunate that in this profession, he’s earned enough financial foundation to have the time and resources to train all day, every single day! However, that’s part of what makes him such a tremendous force! Members of La Familia speak volumes about his work ethic, plus add the fact that he’s from Ireland and we all know Ireland has produced outstanding fighters, and you have a young warrior on the rise! And don’t say I said, “rise”! Styles: Damn! You beat me to it! Ball: It still got said so it counts! Carr: Unbelievable! Styles: Conor is an outstanding 12-1 overall, his only defeat being at the hands of Sven Svensson when he sliced Conor open and forced the referee stoppage at a Quick Fight Championship battle! Aside from that, very much like his opponent, he clocks opponents quickly and harshly, and has made twelve men get napped out! Only one fight has gone to the third round and three others have gone to the second round! That means Conor and Fusi are going to be like two raging bulls who lower their head and run top speed at one another to see who can withstand the tremendous impact! Xavier: Conor brings with him into this fight an astounding 11-fight win streak! Talk about championship-level confidence at its full peak! With both men bringing an impressive win streak, especially Conor, this promises to be an incredibly skilled, brutal and bloody battle! Styles: Let’s hope so! I can’t wait to see these two beat the snot out of one another! Ball: Fusi is going to feel like, to an extent, he’s fighting a mirror! From what we’ve seen of these two warriors, they bring devastating power in their punches! Some La Familia members made sure to tell me that we may see active kicking techniques from Conor as setups for his massive strikes because he has obviously relied upon his fists more than his feet so far but that doesn’t mean his world class muay thai skills will be shunned! Kicks take a back seat, so to speak, when you have sledgehammer fists and that’s just the truth of the matter! If Conor feels the need to use kicks to keep Fusi at a distance plus potentially crack him upside his head with a brutal kick, then I’m sure he’ll have no qualms about doing that! Styles: I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised if Conor feinted a couple of punches to get Fusi to lean to one side then boom, drop him with a head kick that would pop a soccer ball! Xavier: It’s hard to argue against lack of kicking techniques when you can knock out opponents in nine seconds! In just his third career fight, he dropped Jessie Junior in nine seconds at GR 10: Kaiba vs. Ortega! I’m sure Junior was absolutely embarrassed by that but it does happen sometimes! Conor’s knockout record is an homage to his dangerous abilities in the ring, and when you have two knockout artists that clash and both of them are on winning streaks, you know you’re going to see some seriously brutal and high-impact punches that could very well shorten one or both careers by the time this fight is finished! Ball: Their careers will definitely be shortened if they unload bomb after bomb on one another! I have the distinct feeling that this fight will be like a car crash with whoever can take the damage the best ending up the winner! I don’t think there’s going to be too much focus on footwork, feints, getting in and out after landing strikes, etc. No, this is going to be a tremendous toe-to-toe, I’m going to impose my will and I want to see you stop me type of war! Expect both of these men to bleed and expect injuries that take at least a few weeks to heal, if not longer! Carr: Doctors and pharmacists will be quite busy when all is said and done after this fight but that’s what the fans love and they will eat up this action all night long! Styles, don’t say a word! Styles: Damn, you guys are getting good because I was just about to make a comment! Carr: Trust me, I know! I also know that for this fight, I’m going to pick Conor The Barbarian to win because he’s just an absolute animal in that cage and the punching power is frighteningly strong! Fusi may be able to avoid being dropped within ten seconds, but I don’t think he can dodge Conor’s fists the entire fight and eventually, Conor will land that one unforgiving punch that makes Fusi go night-night! Xavier: I couldn’t have said it any better myself, Carr! Conor’s simply too much of a devastating force and his momentum can’t be stopped by Fusi! Conor wins by knockout! Ball: I’m rollin’ with the underdog in this fight, gentlemen! I think Fusi has what it takes to shock the RFC with a knockout of one of the most punishing knockout artists to have graced this organization! Yes, Fusi has lost more fights! Yes, he’s absorbed a tremendous amount of damage already! And yes, he keeps coming right back and training just as diligently because he’s driven! That drive and the pop in his punches will lead him to the knockout victory! Styles: You know what? I’ll roll with that too, Ball! The easy pick is Conor but we’ve seen the underdog shine when the lights were brightest, and for Fusi, this is a fight that has multiple floodlights shining on it! Fusi will dig deeper than he ever has and will find the will, determination and strength to knock out the machine known as Conor The Barbarian! PREDICTIONS: Styles and Ball – Fusi by KO; Xavier and Carr – Barbarian by KO Styles: The Light Heavyweight title is on the line as Giuseppe Hopkins and Jackson Trigger step into the cage to lock horns! Hopkins hails from Afghanistan, and this member of The Stepdads is 11-0-1! That’s an outstanding record, hands down! To be undefeated for over five fights, in my opinion, is saying something, but to have more than ten without a loss definitely sets that fighter apart from numerous others! Carr: What’s impressive is how well-rounded he is for only being 23-years old! Technically he has a 7-fight win streak due to the draw against Venom Killer at FARTMMA 22, which drew Fight of the Night honors, and rightfully so! Hopkins has some TNT in his fists and only four of his fights have been unanimous decision victories, so he understands the importance of finishing a fight if the chance presents itself, but he also shows the patience and understanding that you don’t have to knock out an opponent every single time! Winning the battle of attrition while keeping yourself out of harms’ way is definitely an intelligent approach! Xavier: Hopkins does have a 41-second knockout on his resume and there are also four fights in which he knocked out his opponent before the two-minute mark of the first round, so when he’s locked and loaded, he’s definitely capable and dangerous! I don’t think there’s any concern about him being focused and ready for this fight because having the title on the line has a funny way of making warriors fight that much harder to hold onto that prestigious title! To me, one can only be considered a legend in this sport if they’ve won at least one title! Multiple titles is more impressive, definitely, but at least winning one is vital to set yourself apart from the massive pack of fighters in this industry! Ball: Hopkins doesn’t have a height advantage and, in fact, he’s thirteen pounds lighter from the weigh-in so speed, agility and timing will be crucial tonight for him to retain the title! He knows full well he can handle the pressure that Trigger is sure to bring and Hopkins will bring his own brand and style of pressure as well! Styles: “Bang Bang” Trigger… Xavier: Styles…don’t say it! Styles: I wasn’t going to say anything, X! Geez, take all the fun out of the job! Anyway, the Aussie who represents The GBU is a very impressive 11-2 overall! This young lion has been training very diligently to round out his very solid skill set, and much like his opponent, he has championship experience! Also, keep in mind that this is a rebound match of shorts because this is the second time these two will lock horns! The first time they threw down, Hopkins won by unanimous decision at RFC 47! It was apparent that Trigger was very dissatisfied with that outcome and he showed his improved skills when he thumped his knees into Alojz Sanel time and again in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32! Sanel’s head became Trigger’s muay thai kneebag because he tagged him with repeated knees like he tried to steal a meal from Trigger’s table! Sanel was overwhelmed by those knees and that was all she wrote! Ball: What was equally impressive about that victory over Sanel was the fact he gained a form of vengeance for the TKO loss to Alojz Sanel in the second round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 15! Being able to bounce back and defeat an excellent fighter of Sanel’s caliber is no small feat, especially when Trigger tasted defeat at his hands previously! I’m certain those two will cross paths again but that’s not the focus tonight! Carr: Correct! Tonight, Trigger’s focus is Hopkins, and from what I see, whichever of these fighters is able to start the fight faster than the other and apply immediate and intense pressure will be the one to win this fight! Yes, obviously, both of these men are capable of turning each other’s lights out at any point in time, but landing a clean enough punch to test the opponent’s chin will definitely be one hell of an undertaking! These are two of the best 23-year-old fighters in the industry, hands down, and they make it very difficult for any opponent to land any clean shots! Xavier: In this extremely touted fight, it’s very difficult to side with one or the other because they’re both tremendous in that cage! However, going against an unblemished and proven champion is not a practice I’m very apt to do! Hopkins’ momentum and very impressive record makes it easy for me to say he wins this fantastic matchup by knockout! Styles: I know this will shock the crap out of you, X, but I’m actually going to agree with you! Xavier: Whoa! Are you feeling all right!? Styles: Shut up and let me explain! Hopkins has a very proven track record! Trigger obviously does as well but I do wonder how much damage was done to him in that loss to Sanel? He’s only been knocked out once but how much did that affect his psyche? Only time will tell but I’m rollin’ with Hopkins in this one for the knockout! Ball: I tend to stick with the more seasoned fighter, and though they only have a two fight difference between them, I’m choosing Trigger to win this explosive battle because I think he’ll be the one to establish the pace of the fight from the get go and will be able to avoid Hopkins’ dynamic punching power long enough to position Hopkins in a disadvantageous area of the cage and land repeated strikes until Hopkins can’t take it anymore and gets knocked out! Carr: I’m with Ball on this one, gentlemen! It seems to me that Trigger is the fighter who’ll be able to test Hopkins’ striking defense, ability to deal with high levels of energetic pressure plus have the mettle and desire to continue fighting after he eats one or two heavy shots from Trigger! I think Hopkins won’t be able to dodge the onslaught and aggression he’ll face tonight and Trigger will emerge the victor and the new champion! PREDICTIONS: Carr and Ball: Trigger by KO; Styles and Xavier: Hopkins by KO Carr: After that very high-impact collision course, Kilo Maluga and Ryo Takuma will step across the cage from one another! The brawla’ from Tarawa is an impressive 6-1 overall, and the Convicted Inc. member has a calling card of first-round knockouts written all over it! Focus, intensity and unbridled aggression is his style and Takuma will have to be ready to face the ferocity as soon as the bell rings! Ball: Maluga’s sole loss is to Grant Alyoshin by TKO in the first at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 20! That particular loss did cause some to question Maluga’s ability to hold his mud, as the saying goes, but keep in mind that Alyoshin is a very hard-hitting heavyweight! Despite his nickname being “Sweet Ass Knees”, he has stockpiled some impressive knockouts, though his only TKO victory by making the opponent bleed happens to be Maluga! Xavier: Maluga reestablished a 3-fight win streak after that loss to Alyoshin, gentlemen, so he’s obviously feeling great about himself, and there’s no doubt he’s mentally and physically ready for this confrontation! Although his last two fights have nearly extended to the second round, don’t forget that he has a ten-second knockout to his credit so anytime he’s able to get to an opponent’s chin cleanly, it could be all over right then and there! Styles: Maluga will definitely have to work hard to get to Takuma’s chin in this fight because Takuma is both taller and heavier, so he may be able to keep Maluga at a distance simply by throwing jabs and crosses that make Maluga slow down his advancements and focus more on defense! From the history of these two fighters, I’d say Maluga has a distinct advantage when it comes to launching kicks from various angles and height! His hands and feet are both world class and if Takuma is going to win this tough fight, he’s going to have to avoid those educated strikes from Maluga, especially if this fight goes to the clinch! For Maluga, using his height advantage is crucial and if he keeps pumping jabs and crosses at Maluga then he won’t have to worry about the possibility of being locked in a clinch he doesn’t want to be in! Xavier: “Red Dragon” Takuma brings a very good 12-4 overall record into this fight, and he won a brutal first-round knockout over Ray Vision at RFC 57! Like most of the heavyweight and super heavyweight fights we see, they either knock out or get knocked out! Sporadically there’ll be submission wins and losses, but it seems to me that the behemoths like to stand toe-to-toe and test the others’ ability to withstand massive punching and kicking power! Although that’s not highly recommended for any very large combatant to do if they want to have an extensive fighting career, it’s undoubtedly the most exciting style of combat for men of that size and, naturally, the fans eat it up! Carr: Speaking of eating up, Takuma began his career by eating up six opponents while compiling a 6-fight win streak when he was a part of FARTMMA! Over the course of his career, this 29-year-old Japanese warrior and member of The Stepdads has only been knocked out twice and that’s impressive in the very damaging and seriously brutal super heavyweight division! Various people will say that Takuma’s lack of desire to throw various types of kicks or not being willing to have a clinch battle may have cost him some wins along with less pain and damage, but it’s very difficult to argue with a man who has won multiple championships! Aside from the physical advantages Takuma will have in this fight, his championship experience will be a very important factor! Ball: You’re absolutely right it will be, Carr! No disrespect to the excellent Maluga, but he has yet to wear a title around his waist and until he manages to do so, when he faces opponents who have championship experience and can match up with him in most cases, he may very well experience difficulty overcoming the odds and becoming a champion! Do I think he’ll be a champion in the near future? Absolutely! It’s merely a matter of time, frankly, and that time will arrive in the near future. I’d bank anything on that! However, Takuma’s knowledge and ability to win a championship and defend it can even any odds he faces! For this fight, I’ll stick to the experience and age formula! Takuma is six years older and, again, has that championship experience that so many fighters covet! If Takuma were to get into trouble in this fight, he can and will rely on that life experience, in-cage combat and championship experience advantage to get himself out of said trouble, and position himself to turn the tide of battle very quickly with one well-placed punch for the knockout win! Styles: Once again, Ball, you and I are on the same page my man! Maluga is a bad ass and like you said, he’ll have his day in the sun and will sit atop the super heavyweight throne, but for now, experience and power will win out in this fight! Will Takuma have to work his ass off avoiding the very damaging strikes from Maluga!? You bet your ass he will! Xavier: Styles, watch it! Styles: X, give me a break! I hear two-year-old kids saying the word, ass! Take a chill pill, man, you’re crampin’ my style! See what I did there!? Style…Styles!? Xavier: Here we go, again! Carr: He’s persistent, I’ll give him that! Ball: I think it’s great! Styles: Thank you, Ball! Anyway, Styles, Takuma will have to be in pristine condition against Maluga but I think he’ll pull it off with a counterpunch to the temple that topples Maluga! Carr: Maluga may not have the championship pedigree that Takuma does, but his punching power makes him effective and dangerous in any given situation! We’ve seen his skill set progress steadily and there’s still a lot of potential in the young warrior! I think he realizes some of that potential here tonight by knocking out a knockout artist! Xavier: Maluga brings serious heat and pressure with him due to his approach to every fight and that energy output will wear down the older, and presumably slower, Takuma until Maluga finds that one angle he needs to wreck the chin of Takuma for the knockout win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier and Carr – Maluga by KO; Ball and Styles – Takuma by KO Xavier: Tamid Nasib and Moganesh Jain are the next warriors to face one another in the cage! The Hawaiian warrior known as Nasib is an impressive 12-4 overall! This LEGION OF DOOM member had an 8-fight win streak to begin his career and he was making plenty of noise! He’s been a bit back and forth since that impactful beginning, but he obviously has a winning record and knows how to get the job done! In addition to that, he’s worn championship gold in this organization and that carries a lot of weight as we’ve alluded to at various times. Styles: He looked solid against Kreepee Krawlee at RFC 58 where he won that battle by TKO in the second round! Over his past five fights he has a 3-2 record, so he’s definitely looking to extend the win streak to two at this point! Also, fellas, he and Jain have crossed paths before! Specifically, they locked horns at RFC 40 and when they did, the “Monkey God” forced Nasib to tap out in the fourth round! Nasib showed a lot of heart in that battle because as we all know, Jain is very good at the grappling and submission focus of fighting, but I know Nasib doesn’t believe in moral victories! Ball: I don’t think any of the fighters in this industry believe in moral victories! You either have your hand raised or you do not! There are no third options here. Nasib has proven himself to be a rather dangerous striker, specifically when his hands are loose and finding their target over and over again! I general, he hasn’t absorbed a lot of damage so I assume he still has some fireworks in those knuckles and Jain will have to be sure to stay focused and constantly moving when this fight is on its feet! Carr: Nasib has as substantial height advantage in this fight and that bodes very well for him tonight! Being able to stand outside and launch a multitude of strikes isn’t only advantageous, but as I see it, it’s completely necessary! Nasib is going to have to keep Jain very busy defending himself because allowing Jain to get inside of Nasib’s reach and cinch in a clinch, let alone a takedown, is definitely not on the menu for Nasib! Staying light on his feet and making sure he has a wide base will serve his cause very well to not get taken down to the mat, and even if this fight ends up in the clinch, I suspect Nasib has enough confidence in his muay thai and grappling ability to keep it there while feeling for any takedown attempts! Styles: On the other side of the cage, “The Monkey God” Jain is an equally impressive 10-2 overall! This member of The Stepdads makes Gandhinagar very proud each and every time he steps into combat, and despite his recent loss to Killer Kidd at RFC 56 that cost him the Bantamweight championship, Jain looks very confident, unfazed, and relaxed! That unanimous decision loss snapped a 10-fight win streak, so we all know Jain wants to get back into winning form as soon as possible, and he has that opportunity here tonight! Xavier: Although Jain is primarily known for his grappling, it’s apparent that he’s been working steadily on improving his standup skills. Against Nasib, he’s giving up a seven-year age difference as well, and Nasib’s overall experience may allow him to surprise Jain with a couple of unexpected moves so Jain will have to keep his eyes and reflexes sharp! This is the classic standup specialist versus the ground specialist, but the question also remains about who will be able to force their respective advantage the fastest? At this level of competition, being overaggressive can be very costly and sitting back on your heels can also prove to be detrimental, so the decision as to who’s going to throw caution to the wind and try to force their will is the x factor here! Ball: That’s a good point, Xavier, and to me, Jain has the most leeway in this fight because if he doesn’t get the aggressive submission, he can always opt to control the action on the ground and score very important points on the judges’ scorecards while controlling the octagon! In addition, if Nasib is able to thwart Jain’s takedown attempts, he knows well enough to stay away from Nasib’s punching power because he did that before! The previous battle these men had will factor in heavily here because yes, there have obviously been battles between that meeting and this, but I don’t believe the approaches to combat have really changed that much since they last crossed paths, plus Nasib’s power is well documented just as Jain’s submissions skills are well documented! There’ll be no surprises on paper, per se, but in the cage, one of them may mix up their approach in an attempt to unbalance the opponent! Carr: I think Jain has the advantage in this fight, definitely, because the previous encounter exposed areas of both men’s skill sets that the other can possibly take advantage of! Nasib should absolutely lean on his physical stature advantage in this fight but Jain knows how to manipulate limbs from multiple angles, and Nasib being that much taller plays right into Jain’s hands when this is on the ground! In addition, if Jain locks in the clinch, he can focus on taxing Nasib’s gas tank by working his body over and sapping his strength and stamina, therefore making it much easier for Jain to lock in any number of submissions when Nasib’s defensive grappling wanes due to fatigue! I think Jain gets the job done tonight and makes Nasib tap out again because he knows how to avoid those brutal fists of Nasib’s and has had time to improve on his striking defense to ensure that’s the case! Jain by submission! Ball: I agree that Jain wins this fight by submission! I think he has enough combat experience to overcome the age difference plus he can choose to be very aggressive with his submission attempts or he can play the precision game and counterattack Nasib to keep him off balance until he’s able to secure the takedown that leads to the inevitable tapout! Styles: Nasib brings plenty of smoke in those fists and I don’t think Jain will be able to extinguish that inferno tonight! Make no mistake about it. Nasib will be very aggressive in this fight because he knows the longer this fight goes, the more chances Jain has to take him to the ground and he obviously wants no piece of that! He’ll do everything in his power to keep this fight vertical and launching multiple punches with very bad intentions is how Nasib is going to get the job done tonight! Nasib wins this by knockout! Xavier: I know this will be difficult to believe, but I actually concur with you, Styles! Styles: That’s right! Get on the bus and get to the back and let me drive you to the answers and truth! Xavier: I didn’t say all of that! I just think Nasib will be extremely motivated in this fight because the taste of that loss to Jain the first time they met is surely very pungent, and there’s no motivator like vengeance to make a man push himself to his limits! Speed and accuracy will be very prominent for Nasib because he can’t afford to miss any power strikes and put himself out of position to defend against takedowns, so when he unloads the heavy strikes, he’ll have to be balanced, fast and true with his aim! Nasib will test Jain’s chin until Jain can’t take the power anymore and takes an early nap! PREDICTIONS: Styles and Xavier – Nasib by KO; Ball and Carr – Jain by Submission 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP NEW YEAR’S EVE PREVIEW BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA (PART II OF II) Ball: Darrel Hill and Thing Thing will bring the noise and the pain in the cage next! “Hitman” Hill of The Stepdads, who are finding themselves rather busy tonight, is an excellent 11-2 overall! The gray-haired grappler from Savannah has proven that he’s very capable in the grappling and BJJ areas of fighting, and various members of The Stepdads have touted Hill’s work ethic in developing his striking abilities to make him a more rounded fighter! Looking at Hill’s history, not only has he rattled off a 9-fight win streak, but he’s also had one hell of a time with Martin Eugen! Then again, many people have had a hell of a time dealing with the 23-4 Eugen who is also a member of The Stepdads! There have been whispers that Hill held back in each fight against Eugen because of their friendship and alliance loyalties but I’m not sure I believe that! Styles: I don’t believe that! Yeah, it can get a little awkward kickin’ it at the same gym or hangout place with an alliance member you just fought and potentially beat the crap out of, but these are professional fighters, Ball, and they definitely know how to separate personal and business aspects of his industry! Besides, if one or both of them truly have an issue with an alliance member, they can easily just step into an alliance gym, put on the gloves, and settle their differences right then and there! After they finish that unofficial battle, they shake hands and go to a bar or whatever and it’s all good! Some of the best and most interesting fights we see in this organization are the inter-alliance battles! I love those because the extra incentive of bragging rights is surprisingly important to many fighters, and whatever motivator a fighter can find only helps their cause! Carr: Although Hill is a little younger than Thing, from what we’ve seen as far as my estimation goes, he’s just as evenly skilled as Thing, if not more! That’s important because any separation of skill sets can either enhance an advantage or exacerbate a disadvantage! Styles: Exacer-what? Carr: Exacerbate. You know, to make a bad situation worse? Styles: Why didn’t you just say that!? I swear I thought I heard you say masturbate! Xavier: Dammit, Styles! This is a family show! Styles: Language, X! Language! Xavier: Shut up, Styles! Ball: Easy, Xavier! You just said this is a family show but you cursed! Xavier: Don’t start with me, Ball! You know full well dammit is nowhere near as harsh as masturbate! Styles: There you go again, X, saying words that are too risqué for a family show! Xavier: Make me sick! Ball: Get some medicine, then! Carr: It’s like I’ve gone back in time and am back in high school! Styles: You must have had an awesome high school! Carr: Actually, it was pretty cool but that’s beside the point! Xavier, there are a bunch of fighters here beating the snot out of one another and leaving blood and pain in the cage! I don’t think saying the word, dammit, is going to offend anyone, and neither is masturbate! Yes, we occasionally have sixteen-year-old fighters step into battle, but let’s be honest here. Sixteen-year olds are saying much worse than either of those words! Xavier: I can’t argue that! Styles: Well there you go then, X! Take a chill and let me do my thing! Carr: Hill has proven himself to be excellent in the grappling and BJJ aspects of combat and from what we’ve seen, his standup abilities are increasing as well! Despite being member of the same alliance, one has to wonder if other members of The Stepdads are trying to teach Hill what areas to improve to increase his chances of defeating Martin Eugen the next time they square off, assuming that will happen again! To his credit, Hill has championship experience and that can be utilized in various ways in any fight! Against Thing Thing, Hill enjoys a substantial height advantage and that gives him an obvious reach advantage as well! Although he favors the ground game, a fighter of his intelligence and caliber has to definitely recognize that it would behoove him to use that reach advantage to attack Thing with various types of strikes! Xavier: Hill could very well opt to mix up his strikes and stay on the outside to force Thing to adapt to him as opposed to Hill feeling he has to take this fight to the ground. He can definitely test how Thing reacts to his mix of strikes and if Hill gets the sense that Thing can’t prevent him from landing clean and timely strikes, Hill will definitely step up the level of aggression and see if he can overwhelm Thing! If Thing responds with solid strikes and disrupts the timing and rhythm that Hill will look to establish then Hill can naturally try for takedowns in the clinch or from shooting in from distance, and if he can either trip or drive through Thing to get him to the mat then Hill will be in business as soon as both of their bodies end up on the mat! Styles: The green-bearded fighter out of New Jersey is 8-5 overall! It’s apparent that Thing isn’t satisfied with that overall record and he faces an excellent opportunity for him to put his name back in the main conversation of this weight division! There’s no question that Hill is one of the best featherweights so Thing knows he can take a hold of his future far better if he manages to defeat Hill tonight! The UnderGround Fights Enterprise member had a 4-fight win streak to start his career but since that point, he’s been up and down. Ball: He said up and down! Carr: Ball! Don’t you start! Xavier: Oh lord! Is nothing sacred? Ball: Of course there are sacred things! Styles: You said things! Xavier: See what you did, Ball!? Now he’s going to be like Michael Scott in The Office! Ball: That’s a funny show! Styles: It’s pretty funny, yeah! Anyway, if nothing else, I like the boxing gloves that Thing is wearing for this fight tonight! Carr: What is it about his gloves that you like? Styles: They look like he has burnings hands waiting to launch a fireball! Ball: That’s pretty sweet right there! Xavier: That’s what she said! Oh lord, now you’ve got me caught up in that! Carr: Help us all! Styles: Ha! That was pretty good, Styles! He’s lost his last two fights, both by unanimous decision to Balagot Liu and Martin Eugen, respectively, and he’s an even 3-3 over his last six fights, so he’s trying to establish a new win streak against Hill! Thing has proven to be effective as a submission specialist in general, but he may find it quite difficult to take this fight to the ground due to the muay thai and grappling skills that Hill has displayed in previous battles! Should Thing manage to get Hill to the mat via takedown from distance or a clinch, he’s going to have to work very diligently to keep the fight there and take risks to try and lock in a submission or ground-and-pound win because keeping this fight on the ground and finishing it off as fast as possible is the only way I see him winning this fight! Xavier: Thing could try and buck the trend, as the saying goes, and go more on the defensive and take a counterattack approach in the standup and try to land one lucky shot that could change the ebb and flow of this fight! In most any fight, if a fighter lands one shot that an opponent doesn’t see, that’s the one shot that can either daze the opponent or just flat out turn off their lights and make them take a nap! I don’t think Hill will overlook Thing but I’m not sure if he has any concerns about Thing’s punching power heading into this fight! If Hill isn’t worried about taking damage or being knocked out then Thing will really have to dig deep and if he uses a counterattack approach, he’ll have to load up and swing away with everything he’s worth! Carr: That obviously carries it’s own risks but to defeat some opponents, risks have to be taken! In life, there are times when caution has to be thrown to the wind and in this fight, Thing will have to seriously consider stepping outside of his comfort zone and try to outsmart and outmaneuver Hill! Taking nothing away from Thing, I just don’t see him being able to pull this off because Hill is the better overall fighter in my opinion plus Hill has major motivation to not allow two losses to pile up in a row on his record! He’s never lost two fights in a row and I don’t think that changes tonight! Hill wins this fight by knockout by keeping it vertical! Ball: I absolutely agree, Carr! Thing is a tough fighter and he’ll make Hill work for the win, but Hill has plenty of ability to accomplish that work and Thing won’t be able to get this fight to the ground! Hill wins this by knockout! Styles: Although I like Thing’s style, I have to agree with you both! Hill has been on a better roll in his career and he’s the more balanced and well-rounded fighter! Yes, Thing could definitely catch Hill by surprise with one major strike and alter the course of what we believe will happen, but like you gents, I just don’t see that happening! Hill gets the knockout win tonight! Xavier: This will be a rare moment in time as I see it, but we have a clean sweep of opinion, gentlemen! Like yourselves, I just don’t see Thing as having the defensive capability to keep Hill away from his chin long enough to prevent the knockout from occurring! Hill wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier, Styles, Ball and Carr – Hill by KO Xavier: Up next we have a fighter I currently manage, Kieran Busk, and his opponent tonight is Konstantinos Nevrakis! Styles: A fighter you currently manage? Xavier: That’s correct. Carr: That sounds to me like you may not be managing him in the future? Xavier: I will say, gentlemen, that you are rather perceptive! Ball: Hold on! After this fight, Xavier, will you continue to be Kieran Busk’s manager? Xavier: Busk approached myself and the other members of my management team, and after a very honest and professional discussion, it was mutually agreed upon that Busk will seek other representation after this fight tonight against Nevrakis! Styles: Wow! I never thought I’d hear you say that, X! Xavier: Busk is an outstanding gentleman and he will always have my respect. However, we both agreed that the hiatus he took from fighting to address personal issues truly set back his early progress, and that’s truly too bad because he showed quite a bit of promise initially, and that’s evidenced by the solid win streak he began his career with. However, taking that time off to address personal business halted that momentum and it also seemed to take away his keen eye for knockouts, and that’s a shame because he was a knockout artist for sure! Carr: You raise a good point about training, Xavier! In this business, it’s very difficult to take extended time off because there are fighters that train very diligently on a regular basis, and those who are able to finish fights early are obviously able to get back into the gym earlier than fighters who have long, arduous fights that sap their energy and require them to take much more time to recuperate their energy. Busk has done what he can in the gym and sparring with some of the other fighters in the gym where he trains, but it’s time for me to focus my attention on a new Native-American prospect I have been speaking with and hope to sign soon after Busk finishes his contractual obligations to this fine organization! Ball: Well, I wish Busk the best in whatever he does after tonight. Hopefully an aspiring manager will pick him up and maybe be able to help him hone in on certain skills that will allow him to have the type of success he seeks! Xavier: I appreciate your words, gentlemen! Busk has fought his way to a 9-2 record overall, and the Calgary native began his career on fire, as I previously mentioned! Under my management, however, the struggle has been real! He fought valiantly against the machine known as Litill Bjornsson as well as Craig Wius, but he fell short in both of those fights, unfortunately! Against Billy Brown, he showed some signs of life and ability by winning that fight by unanimous decision but just wasn’t able to carry that momentum over. Having lost two of his last three just hasn’t translated well for either one of us and thus, the mutual decision to go our separate ways. Styles: As you said, X, he was knockin’ out folks left and right for a while but the engine has been slowed down lately. He’s taller than Nevrakis in this fight and obviously his wheelhouse is the vertical game, so Busk will have to do everything he can to keep this fight in the standup because this boils down to the classic standup versus grappling fighter, so whoever’s able to establish themselves first will be the winner, plain and simple! Carr: What’s interesting to me is Nevrakis and Busk both used to be members of The Stepdads, so their may be some familiarity between them that both of them can use to their advantage! However, it seems to me that this fight is simple in terms of the philosophical approach. Nevrakis began his career on a submission tear and has proven to be quite capable and dangerous on the ground, but overall, he’s been struggling just a bit! For Busk, I think he’ll have to step into this fight with a very aggressive mindset and just go for a knockout as soon as possible! The longer this fight progresses, the more chance Nevrakis has to take this fight to the ground and control the action there until he wears Busk down for the decision win or the tapout! Ball: I agree with that, Carr! Busk needs to make Nevrakis go to sleep fast because if he doesn’t, this fight will be a done deal for him! Nevrakis, now of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise, an equally very busy alliance tonight, is a very impressive 12-3 and like Busk, he’s a former champion that can rely on that experience in a pinch! The Greek warrior tore it up during his time in FARTMMA and that can’t be overlooked or underestimated! His ability to take fights to the ground quickly is an asset because he’s able to establish the pace and space from the beginning and that’s a major feather in his cap! Styles: Feather in his cap!? My grandfather used to say that, Ball! How old are you, man!? Ball: Old enough to get the job done, Styles! We’re cool so don’t mess that up, son! Styles: All right, Ball, relax! I was just sayin’! Carr: In his last fight, Nevrakis took some pretty solid damage from James Smith because Smith was able to score the takedown into side control and he landed brutal ground-and-pound until Nevrakis couldn’t defend himself anymore and the referee had to stop the fight! That was near the end of the second round and the frustration was evident on Nevrakis’ face after the fight concluded so like Busk, he’ll do all he can to avoid going on a two-fight losing streak! Ball: Similar to what I think will give Busk his best chance for victory, aggression and speed will be the key for Nevrakis as well! Nevrakis doesn’t want to find out if Busk still has enough pop in those fists to give him whiplash and make him go night-night, so setting the tone will be key for both of these warriors! Nevrakis has been better than Busk as of late by going 4-2 over his last 6 fights, so momentum and confidence is definitely there for Nevrakis! I don’t think Busk is lacking in confidence but if he gets taken to the mat again, he may get frustrated because that’s obviously his greatest weakness and having that exposed repetitiously is surely frustrating! Xavier: Believe me, Busk is definitely frustrated by the weakness that is the grappling aspect of combat, Ball! He’s a perfectionist and again, due to the amount of time he took off from combat and training, he’s not at the level he feels he should be as compared other fighters his age who are far more accomplished. That can mess with a man’s psyche nut to his credit, he has the heart of a champion and doesn’t give up! Changing management may very well be what he needs. Tonight, I obviously will pick Busk to win his swan song fight as far as our connection is concerned. In a tough fight, Busk wins this by knockout! Styles: Sorry, X, but it seems to me that Busk struggles far too much against grapplers, and Nevrakis is an excellent grappler! Nevrakis will get this fight horizontal quickly and work his way into dominant position to win by submission! Carr: I agree with you, Xavier! I think Busk wants to end his current contract on a high note because his new management team, if he is picked up as a free agent of course, may very well sign him to another organization, and before that possibility, I think Busk wants to show he still has the ability and power to be a dangerous competitor! Busk wins by knockout! Ball: And I agree with Styles on this one, fellas! Nevrakis is a proven grappler plus he has more combat experience and is older, so he’s seen just a bit more adversity and diversity than Busk has, and those small advantages add up to a bigger advantage! Nevrakis wins this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Ball and Styles – Nevrakis by Submission; Carr and Xavier – Busk by KO Ball: The Bantamweight strap is on the line as Anthony Shiina and Killer Kidd step into the cage to determine who should be called the Bantamweight champion! The 10-3 Singapore warrior of The Stepdads has had two different instances of establishing 4-fight win streaks! As anyone can see from his resume, he’s a submission specialist and he’s quite good at it! Another overlooked aspect of his fights is the fact that he hasn’t taken a lot of damage because all but one of his losses have been by submission, so he has plenty of opportunity achieve his large potential and can have a longer career than other 23-year-old fighters who have absorbed a lot of damage for various reasons! Xavier: During his time with different management, he suffered all three losses, and had a two-fight losing streak that initially cost him the Bantamweight title when Moganesh “The Monkey God” Jain made him tap out at RFC 36 in the second round by Armbar! That doesn’t take away from the fact that Shiina has that championship experience and mettle, and as we’ve touched upon a good amount over recent previews, that championship experience is invaluable! At the beginning of his career, his submission ability coupled with aggression allowed him to make a good number of combatants tap out in the first round! As more opponents were able to scout his fights and also develop their own skills, his fights in general have gone past the first round! The fact he’s won the majority of them is a nod to his training and skills, plus the two losses he suffered were to excellent fighters, so he has no reason to hang his head! However, after he lost two fights in a row, his previous management team decided to part ways with him. Styles: After moving to The Stepdads, he’s won two fights in a row with the most recent victory a first-round Arm Triangle versus Genji Kamogawa at RFC 55! In this fight, he has both the height and weight advantage, so this will prove to be an interesting fight because submission specialists definitely prefer to be the shorter of the two fighters, or at most, the same height. Kidd has proven to be a handful despite his smaller stature and of course, he recently defeated Jain at RFC 56 by unanimous decision to win the Bantamweight title! What’s fascinating about Kidd all of his victories have been unanimous decisions! Despite defeating an excellent champion in Jain, there are whispers in the RFC that Kidd doesn’t have the ability to finish a fight early, and that onus of sorts will hang over his head until he starts to waylay opponents and forcing them to sleep or submit! Carr: A win is a win and Kidd has proven that he can get the job done, period! He may not be the most popular fighter amongst the RFC fans but believe me, all of them respect his skills and abilities! The LEGION OF DOOM Thai fighter is 8-0-2, and despite only being 23 years old, he’s very impressive with his well-rounded skill set, especially in the standup aspect of fighting! He’s sharp with his punches and kicks and of course, his background is muay thai for obvious reasons! His ability to lock in a very tight Thai clinch and land opportune strikes, mixed with elbows and knees, has caused a great deal of pain to man of his opponents, and naturally those strikes add up on the scorecards and he’s very skilled at starting off quickly and maintaining a high level of energy output plus keep pressuring his opponents to outscore them! I think this is as great opportunity for him to show the RFC bantamweight division that he can finish an opponent because he’s currently riding a 4-fight win streak so his momentum and confidence is right where it should be, and we all know that winning a recent title boosts confidence, so he’s riding very high right now! Ball: Shiina should consult with Obi Wan Kenobi because two draws on Kidd’s record are from him! If Kenobi is able to offer some valuable insight to Shiina then that gives him even more of an edge and opportunity to emerge as the new Bantamweight title holder! Styles: Maybe he has the power of The Rise of Skywalker pulsing through his veins in the form of the force! Xavier: I hate to state the obvious, but those fights happened long before the movie was released. Styles: That movie was done long before its release and maybe Kenobi saw a special viewing of the movie before it was finished being edited! Ball: Well, there is that possibility. Carr: Don’t encourage him! Xavier: It’s too late for that, Carr, trust me. Styles: I’m over here droppin’ knowledge so just be grateful and pay attention! Xavier: Right. Ball: Kidd, in my opinion, will have the speed and agility advantage in this fight so I expect him to stick-and-move from beginning to end, and if Shiina gets close to him, he’ll have the confidence and ability to lock him into a clinch and keep the fight where he wants to be, and that’s on its feet! If the fight does end up on the mat, I think Kidd has the ability to defend himself well against any submission attempts Shiina makes and maybe even surprise him with submission or ground-and-pound attempts of his own! He definitely could flip the script and catch Shiina completely off guard and force him to tap out! How ironic would that be!? However, I think Kidd’s ability in the standup is too much for Shiina to handle and the newly crowned champion will be too overwhelming, fast and accurate with his strikes for Shiina to handle and Kidd will get the coveted stop he seeks to stop the whispers! Kidd by knockout! Styles: That would definitely be crazy for Kidd to very unexpectedly make a submission artist tap out! However, I think that’s too much of a chance to take, especially when we’ve seen his high level of skill in the standup! Kidd gets the win by knockout to begin cementing his legacy! Carr: Shiina is being overlooked here and I think Kidd is doing the same! Yes, he’s the new champion and yes, he was locked in and obviously defeated an excellent fighter! However, he may be riding on cloud nine just a bit much and if he allows Shiina to surprise him with unexpected power or sharp, accurate strikes in bunches that allow him to outscore Kidd on the scorecards, the champion will find himself in a situation where he has to fight for the finish or try and fight from behind, and that approach can be very risky, and I don’t think Kidd wants to take any more risks than necessary! Shiina surprises a lot of people tonight and uses counterattacks to soften Kidd up for the submission win! Xavier: Shiina is undoubtedly the underdog in this fight and I think he’ll use that as extra motivation for this fight! Yes, the championship is plenty of motivation for any fighter but having people doubt you brings out the best in certain fighters! Shiina has the opportunity to show what he’s about when he faces long odds, and in this fight, he faces plenty of odds. I think Shiina catches Kidd off guard with a timely shot to the chin that causes Kidd to get stunned long enough for Shiina to rush in and unleash a series of strikes until he gets the TKO win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier and Carr – Shiina by Submission; Styles and Ball – Kidd by KO Xavier: The next two warriors into the cage will be Seymour Hughes and Jay Stanley to bring us our penultimate battle of the night! Styles: You know, X, I don’t know why you don’t just say the second-to-last fight of the night instead of using the word, penultimate! Xavier: Our job is to provide insight and entertainment, yes? Styles: Yes! Xavier: Is there something wrong with bringing a little education as well? We have fighters from all over the globe who speak various languages, and some of them speak a multitude of languages themselves. Sharing English words that aren’t layman terms may help them better understand the message plus we’re being more succinct, and the best communicators are people who can clearly and concisely deliver their message. Carr: That’s true, Styles! How many windbags do we see on the internet and television, especially in the political arena!? Some of those politicians talk for hours and they don’t need to because they basically say the same thing repeatedly. If they were clear and concise, they could keep people more interested plus get their message across much faster! Ball: Now that’s definitely something I agree with! Take time out to watch some of the daytime trash television shows and you’ll see there are a lot of people out there that definitely need education and enlightenment in how to communicate clearly! Styles: I understand your point but there are people out there who are not going to read anything except scandalous stories or heresy! Xavier: I understand your perspective, Styles, but everyone has a choice! I choose to utilize the sporadic utilization of advanced vernacular to add spice and content to our broadcasts. Styles: Whatever, X! You go ahead and you do you, and I’ll keep it simple! Xavier: All right, that works for me. “Bulldog” Hughes of The Stepdads steps into battle with an 11-2 overall record, which is outstanding, and the warrior from Fresno, California, fought one hell of a battle against the future hall of famer, Litill Bjornsson! Although Hughes lost by unanimous decision, he showed everyone that he’s very capable of battling some of the very best in the business, and also keep in mind that prior to that loss, he stepped into the cage with a 5-fight win streak! In fact, gentlemen, his two losses are both to Bjornsson and prior to the first time they crossed paths, Hughes had fought his way to a 6-fight win streak! Styles: Very good, X! Six plus five equals eleven! You get a gold star for today! Xavier: Shut it up, Styles! Ball: Do you want a graham cracker with milk, too, Xavier, for being such a good boy? Carr: Don’t you start, Ball! Xavier: It’s like a nursery, here! Anyway, Hughes has a multitude of finishes by knockout or submission, and only one of his victories was by unanimous decision, so this man is a brutal puncher, versed submission artist, and aggressive as well! That’s quite a formidable combination! Styles: Absolutely! Proving that you’re dangerous in any situation is definitely formidable, X, and Hughes fits that bill very well! He has one hell of a fight on his hands tonight and to top it off, he’s both shorter and lighter than Stanley, so he’s going to be tested much like he was against Bjornsson! Carr: Hughes will definitely want to get this fight to the ground to eliminate the height disadvantage he has plus Stanley has shown to be very capable in the standup aspect of fighting, and I don’t think Hughes wants to take too many chances of having a toe-to-toe fracas and absorbing damage unnecessarily! In addition, Hughes’ best opportunity in this battle, in my opinion, is to get this fight to the ground and keep the fight there! Both of these warriors are capable in all aspects of combat so look for positioning to be a very key aspect in this fight along with speed and aggression! Ball: Jay “The Best Boss” Stanley steps into this fight with a solid 7-2 record! Xavier: The best boss, Stanley? Hold on a second. As you gentlemen know, I was a member of The Stepdads for some time until recent developments. During my tenure with that excellent alliance, there was a member of The Stepdads named Jay Stanley. Styles: I guess he made such an impression on this fighter that his name is the same and he’s paying homage to the former Stepdads member with the “Best Boss” nickname! Xavier: I guess so, Styles. Carr: That’s a little odd but hey, to each their own! Ball: In this business, you’re going to come across some rather unique situations, names and people, so all we can do is just roll with whatever we have to deal with, and if he wants to call himself Jay Stanley, then more power to him! If he thinks that dude is the best boss, then so be it! The New York brawler is a member of LEGION OF DOOM and similar to his opponent tonight, Stanley had his run-in with Bjornsson and that didn’t end well for him! Bjornsson forced Stanley to tap out in the second round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 33, and in doing so, he also snapped a 7-fight win streak! During his 7-fight win streak, he showed that he’s a brutal knockout artist who gets the job done with his educated hands and feet. Any and all opponents needs to have their hands up, chin tucked, and head moving constantly because if he locks in on any angle and gets one clean shot, be it from a punch or kick, damage will be done and pain will be dealt! Styles: His aggression is one of the best and most effective weapons that he has because his goal is to unleash the most amount of fury and destruction in the shortest amount of time! If Stanley gets the jump on his opponent, it’s pretty much a wrap folks, and he knows how to get the job done! The fans eat up this style of fight and against Hughes, the fans will not be disappointed because this will be an aggressive, hard-hitting, brutal battle with an exchange of knockout power, finishing ability and intelligence! The assumption is Hughes will be very aggressive in trying to take Stanley to the mat while Stanley will try to keep this fight standing. However, don’t be surprised if Hughes and Stanley decide to have a clinch battle to test one another’s capacity to both land and absorb punishing strikes because they may both opt to forgo the battle of attrition and just flat out go for it! Carr: If they both throw caution to the wind and just duke it out, I don’t think either man would last past the first round! Launching salvos from the get go is risky on both sides because if one man misses, it leaves them wide open for a counterattack plus that expends a good amount of energy! Both of these men are in excellent shape but everyone gets tired eventually, and fatigue is a destroyer of even the best fighters! The guard drops, the reactions slow, and the timing gets thrown off, especially when attempting counterattacks! However, as I said, I don’t think either of these men could withstand the unforgiving impact they can unfurl upon one another for an entire three rounds! Either someone’s jaw will falter tonight or Hughes will get the tapout! That’s the only way I see this fight ending in either scenario! Xavier: This is an extremely tough decision to make because both of these men are absolutely excellent fighters, but I lean very slightly towards Hughes tonight! I think he’s proven his track record just a bit more in terms of being a more complete fighter! Yes, from what we’ve seen, Stanley has the superior standup skills and no one can deny that, but Hughes still has a puncher’s chance of landing that one clean punch to rock someone’s world and make them crumple to the mat! Stanley is one tough customer but I don’t know if he can withstand too many shots to the jaw with the type of power that Hughes has! I think Hughes implores a counterattack approach to make Stanley be the aggressor and open himself up to the one mistake that Hughes needs to drag this fight to the ground to control the action there and eventually lock in the submission! Ball: I agree with Xavier on this one, gents! It seems to me that Hughes has enough capability to withstand any onslaught that Stanley brings into this fight in the standup and he could very well surprise Stanley with an unexpected or unseen counterpunch that doesn’t necessarily drop him right away but stuns him enough to where Hughes can either swarm him with strikes and go for the TKO, or use that moment of being stunned to launch into Stanley for the takedown and immediately go for the submission win immediately! Carr: I have to go with the other side of the coin on this one and choose Stanley to win! I think Stanley will be able to stick-and-move easily while avoiding any takedown attempts from Hughes, and if Hughes happens to get close enough to try a takedown, Stanley can wrap him up in a clinch and do some serious damage there with aggression and power while avoiding any power shots from Hughes because he’s the faster man! Stanley wins this fight by knockout! Styles: I actually agree with Carr on this one! I think Stanley will use his height advantage very well here tonight and use a series of successful strikes to keep Hughes at a safe distance and while keeping him at that distance, Stanley will whip a kick to the side of Hughes’ head that either drops him right then and there or hurts him enough to where Stanley can line up a finishing punch that levels Hughes and brings this fight to a close right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Styles and Carr – Stanley by KO; Ball and Xavier – Hughes by Submission Styles: The final squabble of the this outstanding, fascinating and incredible night of action features Hector Zorba and John Makres! What an honor to be the last fight on a card of this magnitude and in front of this many people! Xavier: Each and every fighter on this card deserves this honor so I have no doubt each of these men is tremendously honored by this! Styles: “Zen Master” Zorba is 9-5 overall, and this GBU member from Caracas, Venezuela, is very intense when the fight ends up on the ground! Xavier: Have any of you been to Venezuala? Carr: No, not me. Ball: I have been. It definitely has some very beautiful areas and I saw some unbelievably gorgeous women there as well! Wow, there was this one at a nightclub I went to that every dude in the joint was trying to pick up on! Styles: Did she dance with you!? Ball: Actually she did because I was the tallest guy in there plus I was one of only a few Americans, and I guess I looked different to her, plus, I have to admit, I was looking rather dapper that night! Styles: Well, all right! We’ll talk later because I don’t want to put you on blast or offend anyone. Zorba has fought valiantly to eradicate the connection to his father because, unfortunately, his father is mixed up in the illegal drug trade industry! I can only imagine what Zorba saw as a child but luckily for him, he managed to obviously escape that life in one piece and went to Japan where his life changed. One thing is certain when it comes to Zorba and that’s his enjoyment of making an opponent either tap out get napped out from his vicious ground-and-pound attacks! Xavier: Zorba is definitely ruthless when he’s able to obtain and secure dominant positions on the mat, especially if he’s able to lock the opponent into side control! He’s very effective at landing hammer fists and elbows from there and he’s very difficult to stop once he’s positioned himself there! One important fact to keep in mind, however, is his opponent knows how to overcome that because this is a rebound match! Makres took the fight to Zorba late in the first round of their battle at RFC Tokyo 37 and four seconds before the conclusion of the opening round, Makres hurt Zorba with a clean punch and as soon as Zorba showed signs of being dazed, Makres was all over him like Ball was on that Venezuelan woman! Styles: Ha! Good one, X! Ball: That was good! Carr: Why do I have the strong suspicion that all four of us are going to be called into human resources as soon as this broadcast is finished!? Styles: Relax, Carr! HR won’t be open because it’s the holidays! They wouldn’t call until January 2nd anyway! Carr: That’s very reassuring. Styles: I know. The assumption here tonight is Makres has the upper hand because of that first-round win over Zorba so he’s very confident in his ability to cause the same result! Zorba is the shorter but heavier man in this fight so I fully expect him to try and get this fight to the ground as soon as possible to not only control the action and avoid being hurt in the standup, but also to make Makres carry his weight while he works to prevent Zorba from putting him into a bad position for ground-and-pound or submission attempts! The longer Makres has to carry Zorba’s additional weight on the ground, the worse it is for him and the easier it will be in the long run for Zorba to be effective with ground-and-pound because Makres will be too tired to defend against the relentless strikes! Carr: On the other side of the cage, “F-16” Makres from Larissa, Greece, is a very good 6-2 overall, a solid start for a young fighter! This member of The Stepdads has shown that he can get it done on the ground and in the standup! I have no doubt Zorba painstakingly watched the footage of their fight to see where he went wrong but Makres almost assuredly has done the same thing! The approach may be the same overall but the steps taken to get to that point may change a bit for one or both of these men! Obviously, they’ve had time to improve upon their respective skill sets and it will prove interesting to see what approach each man takes. I highly doubt the approach will be the same but the fact of the matter is, Makres still possesses that knockout power, and that, gentlemen, is the biggest x factor in this fight! Ball: Anytime a fighter can bring the wood, it definitely plays a part in every single fight because in the blink of an eye, the battle can be swayed from one side to the other and the momentum can be stolen from right beneath a fighter’s feet! Styles: You said wood! Xavier: I knew that was coming! Ball: That’s what she said! Carr: HR will be calling at any minute now! Ball: With Makres, the formula is pretty much this: either he knocks the opponent out or he gets knocked out! In fact, only one of this fights has been a unanimous decision and that was his first ever loss, and that was at the hands of Royce Gracie at RFC 43! His only other loss was to Five Finger when they crossed paths at RFC 53 where Finger got the TKO win in the second round! The pattern for Makres over his past five fights has been a win, loss, win, loss and win, so he’s obviously looking to break that pattern and end the night on a 2-fight win streak! Some members of The Stepdads told me that Makres has been working very diligently on improving his defensive grappling and BJJ skills overall, and the timing of that training is excellent in a fight like this! It’s possible that even if Makres gets taken to the mat by Zorba, Makres may now have the capability and understanding of how to escape completely or transition out of being in a less dominant position and if that’s the case, Zorba’s really going to have to figure out how to adapt! Styles: Makres definitely has the upper hand in this fight because he’s defeated Zorba before, obviously, and I don’t think he’s taken a step backwards from that point in time! Despite the time they’ve had to train, Makres has the dynamite in his knuckles and Zorba knows full well he can’t take any clean punches from Makres or this will be a rather abrupt and excruciating night, especially if he loses to the same fighter twice in a row! Unfortunately for Zorba, I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen here! Makres has the knowledge and skill to keep this fight on its feet and Zorba will be overwhelmed by Makres’ aggression and punching power, and the result will be another loss for Zorba! Makres by knockout! Xavier: I have to agree with you, Styles! It seems to me that Makres has the skill set, mind set and confidence to step into this battle feeling that he knows how to avoid any of Zorba’s strengths because he did that not too long ago! The only way I see Zorba winning this fight is if he lands a lucky haymaker that Makres doesn’t see for some reason or Makres is overaggressive and he leaves himself open for a counter takedown and Zorba floats right into dominant position! I just don’t see that happening and Makres eventually gets the knockout! Carr: Zorba will be extremely motivated to win this fight tonight because no fighter wants to lose two fights in a row, let alone two fights in a row to the very same opponent! Taking nothing away from the very capable Makres at all, I think that extra motivational factor is key tonight for Zorba and he figures out a way to push past the very good standup skills that Makres possesses while keeping his chin clear of any severely damaging strikes! It will be a difficult fight for Zorba, make no mistake, but I think he digs very deep and finds the right timing and passion to overcome Makres and win this by submission! Ball: Although they’re both 22 years old, Zorba does have two more fights under his belt. I know that’s not a major difference in experience but it’s a difference nonetheless! In this business, you either learn to take advantage of and exploit any of your own strengths and your opponent’s weaknesses or you lose, plain and simple! I think Zorba learned a lot from that loss and he’s very eager to show Makres what he’s learned! I expect to see an ultra-aggressive Zorba who is vastly determined to get the submission win and gain his vengeance! PREDICTIONS: Ball and Carr – Zorba by Submission; Styles and Xavier – Makres by KO Ball: I know the four of us had a lot to say tonight ladies and gentlemen, but we assure you that we did so because this is a very special event on a very exclusive night! The fact that we’re entering an entirely new decade is unbelievable to me and I’m sure my broadcast partners, as well as many of you in the world, feel the same! This is an opportunity for all of us to reflect upon the past decade and make decisions on how we want the new decade to progress for ourselves on many levels! Carr: Well said, Ball! It’s absolutely fascinating to me that not long ago, I vividly remember the Y2K scare that everyone seemed to feel to some extent and we obviously made it past that! Here we are now looking at twenty years later staring at us right around the corner and we continue to face unknown events and there are endless possibilities in the world, both as individuals and as collective human beings! Styles: I know I can be a bit difficult to work with at times because of my brash nature and inhibitions when expressing myself, but I don’t mean any disrespect! The things I say come straight from the heart and I feel they need to be said, even if they end up hurting someone’s feelings! I am who I am and I’m not going to change, but I can absolutely appreciate everything that all of you have done for me and for us, and I thank you very much for that! Xavier: As humanity continues to push forward into the unknown, we obviously face various challenges on an existential level daily! That being said, I do have faith that enough people on the planet care about one another to help one another overcome what adversities arise! Yes, there will be times when we as humans will feel pain, sadness, etc., but together we can strive forward and achieve far greater feats than we have so far in our history! Each one of us here thanks you very much for giving us your time, we do truly appreciate it, and lastly, thank you, Kore Fight Nutrition, for supporting us and providing numerous people excellent products! I’m Esiah Xavier. Styles: I’m Furious Styles. Carr: I’m Eric Carr. Ball: And I’m Chris Ball, and to each and every one of you, we wish you a very happy, safe, fruitful and beautiful New Year! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexManiatakos Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 Martin Eugen tweets '' I ll either put Bjornsson to sleep or he ll do the same to me ..There will be no decision win tommorow ... Take that to the bank. #RFC #FightOfTheCentury 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubberWinger Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 Get ready Hughes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjsquirrel Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 Wow, Bjornsson - Eugen was a real war. Hughes - Stanley too, fantastic card and a good read to go with it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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