Jump to content

GBK16's Writings


GBK16

Recommended Posts

INSANITY



185lbs Mad Cash Tournament



Round 1



Live from the King Theatre in Los Angeles!



Good evening ladies and madmen, and welcome to Insanity’s preview for the first round of their Mad Cash tournament, for the 185lbs division! Following on from the success of the Mad Hatter tournament, the Mad Cash tournament is going to be even bigger, and with a host of big names involved, promises to be one of the tournaments of the year! So without further ado, let’s begin!



Fight #1



DeBo Train (J.J Media) 2-3-0



vs



Lionel Santos (Frank Cross) 10-2-0



The first fight in the tournament has (according to Mickey “I give horrible odds” Hart) 12/1 DeBo Train taking on 5/1 Lionel Santos



DeBo Train is 2-3-0 in his MMA career so far, having gone 1-1-0 under previous manager Jonah King, he was picked up by J.J Media and has gone through a turbulent start with his new management. A record of 1-2-0 shows they having gotten everything in place yet, but they may feel a tournament is just the way to show what they can do. He is well rounded, but it is clear he prefers to fight on his feet, as he has shown no clinch offense or ground offense so far.



Lionel Santos is a well known grinder in MMA, and he knows what he needs to do to win. Having won 7 fights via decision, he has also displayed the ability to get a TKO with well timed strikes. He was 7-0 under previous manager Joe Smith, and is 3-2 currently under Frank Cross, pretty good considering how some careers get messed up due to a change in management. His overall ability is solid, and will cause a number of problems for Train in this fight.



Prediction: Lionel Santos to win via Unanimous Decision



Fight #2



John Dillinger (Harry Bagofdonuts) 6-1-0



vs



Pera Pulkkinen (Jorma Oltsu) 8-1-0



This next fight in the tournament has 5/1 John Dillinger taking on 4/1 Pera Pulkkinen.



John Dillinger is one of the favourites for this tournament, but he is coming up against another favourite in the first round. He has thunderous KO power, with all of his wins coming via KO in the first round, with the longest lasting under 3 mins. His only loss has come via Unanimous Decision, showing Dillinger has a warrior’s spirit, and has all the necessities to be a top fighter. Starting his career at just 16, he is still young at 23, and could set himself up for a great career with a tournament victory.



Pera Pulkkinen is just ahead of Dillinger on the favourites list, and he is currently riding a 5 fight win streak, the last fight of which on Fight of the Night honours in TTFC. He has a slight advantage in Boxing and Wrestling, with his opponent gaining the upperhand in Muay Thai. He has also demonstrated the ability to take fights into the later rounds, and will not be fearful of being dragged into the deep end.



Prediction: Pera Pulkkinen to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #3 - Non Tournament Fight



Sharky Shark (Marky Mark) 5-5-0



vs



John Paul Wani (G Wad) 5-0-0



A special guest fight in the tournament is a Heavyweight fight pitting Shark Shark taking on John Paul Wani.



Sharky Shark is in a bit of a rut in his career, going 5-5 so far and still looking to find a solid patch of form. He has won 4 fights via (T)KO, and not losing yet to a KO. He will be tested roughly against a solid fighter here, but a win could launch him and allow him to finally go on a decent run and get to the upper levels of the division.



John Paul Wani is still undefeated in MMA, and was 5 wins on his record. With 4 of his wins via (T)KO, he has the power to get to anyone, and his elite boxing is his go to weapon here, as he is outskilled in the other 3 styles. He gives up a small bit of height to his opponent, but their weights are almost identical, so this fight will come down to a game of sliders.



Prediction: John Paul Wani to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #4



Chan Sung Aoki (Scooby Ali) 5-5-0



vs



Sam Hall (Scott Davies) 7-2-0



Continuing on with a Mad Cash clash now as 8/1 Chan Sung Aoki takes on 12/1 Sam Hall.



Chan Sung Aoki is 5-5-0 in his MMA career so far, but he is on a 3 fight losing streak at the minute. You have to be aware though that his last loss was against a much more experienced fighter, so this shows he is willing to take on any challenge put in front of him. He has some good KO power, and has yet to be finished by KO in any fight. He has the edge in training and experience over his opponent, so it will be interesting to see if he can make it count.



Sam Hall is the youngest fighter in the tournament, at just 21 years of age. Despite that, he has racked up an impressive 7-2-0 record, and will be entering the tournament under a new manager in Scott Davies. This is his 4th manager, and he has suffered 2 losses in his previous 2 fights. He will be looking to prove he hasn’t lost it, and show that he isn’t to be underestimated.



Prediction: Chan Sung Aoki to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #5



Charles Grace (Gale Hawthorne) 6-5-0



vs



Vlad Putin (Ivan Drago) 8-1-0



The next fight of the tournament has 5/1 Charles Grace taking on 10/1 Vlad Putin.



Charles Grace is a well rounded fighter, who has not been on the good end of a number of judges decisions in his career. Winning 4 fights via (T)KO, he has seen 6 of his 11 fights go to a decision, of which he has lost 4 times. He is managed by Gale Hawthorne, who at the time of writing is the #4 Ranked manager in the game. He has a good mind behind his sliders, so don’t be surprised to see him rack up multiple wins in this tournament.



Vlad Putin is not as well rounded as Grace, as he relies mainly on his Boxing and BJJ to win him fights. With 4 wins via (T)KO and 2 more via Submission, with his single loss in his career coming against Kang Xi Jia, which is the calibre of fighter he will need to overcome if he hopes to achieve glory for the motherland in this tournament.



Prediction: Charles Grace to win via (T)KO in Round 1



Fight #6



Lance Legstrong (Severo Del Bosque) 9-6-0



vs



Donnie Felterbush (Bear Stevenson) 7-4-0



Ground fighting at it’s finest now as 9/1 Lance Legstrong takes on 8/1 Donnie Felterbush.



Lance Legstrong is a dangerous grappler who has gained 6 of his 9 wins (Don’t think dirty you people) via Submission...It doesn’t help does it? Since being sacked by Rory Daly, he was then signed up by Severo Del Bosque, who signed him to Troid where he has gone 4-5 so far. He can be dangerous against any fighter he comes up against, but his main weakness is his striking which is a bit lacklustre. With rumours flying that he is close to earning his Red Belt, he will need to show off his ability in this bout to progress.



Donnie Felterbush has jumped around a few orgs, spending time at BEEF and CFC before he moved to Epicity. He won his last fight in Epicity before signing up to this tournament, in a fight that won Fight of the Night honours. He has Elite Wrestling and a Brown Belt, but he will need to be wary of taking it to the ground due to his opponent’s ability there. He may look to keep it standing, where he holds a slight advantage, and can do the most damage.



Prediction: Donnie Felterbush to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #7



Octavio Saades (Louie DePalma) 11-1-0



vs



Lard Pecs (Mickey Hart) 5-6-0



This next fight features heavy favourite 4/1 Octavio Saades taking on 14/1 outsider Lard Pecs.



Octavio Saades is a dangerous fighter, having lost only one fight in his whole career. He has won his last 5 fights, with his last fight coming against fellow Mad Cash competitor Pika Chu. He throws a good mix of strikes, constantly making his opponent guess what he is planning next, and allow him to take advantage of any holes his opponents games might have.



Lard Pecs has a rounded game that is still below the level of other competitors in the tournament. His MMA career is sandwiched between his two spells in KT, and he is now back in MMA hoping to make a name for himself. He has never been KO’ed, but has gained 4 KO wins in his career, so even if he may seem like a lucid threat, Saades will still need to be careful or he may be in for a rude awakening...Literally!



Prediction: Octavio Saades to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #8 - Non Tournament Fight



Steve Belliveau (James Listerman) 13-5-0



vs



The Beast (Dom Jaehnke) 6-4-0



Another break from the tournament before the Co-Main and Main events as debutant Steve Belliveau takes on The Beast.



Steve Belliveau is a hugely experienced fighter, having competed in BEEF, WarZone and MFN, he has signed to Insanity, and is making his debut in this fight. With deadly KO power, he has achieved 11 of his 13 wins via (T)KO as well as displaying a sturdy chin. He won his last fight over Harland Sanders, and will be looking to make a push for the championship and show he is the best around.



The Beast is a bit of an enigma. He appears to have not been training for while, but is still ready to go for this fight. He has Elite wrestling to go with his Black Belt, with his weak point being his striking which isn’t as impressive. Despite this, he is currently on a 2 fight winning streak, and will be looking to show the new guy the ropes with a win.



Prediction: Steve Belliveau to win via (T)KO in Round 1



CO-MAIN FIGHT


Sponsored by GBK16’s Writings



Fight #9



Fernand Mondego (Joe Kingpin) 4-0-0



vs



Pika Chu (Grant Brophy) 14-5-0



Our next fight of the tournament, and the co-main event of the evening, sees 14/1 Fernand Mondego taking on 12/1 Pika Chu.



Fernand Mondego is an interesting fighter. With no fights outside the QFC, he has a 4-0 perfect record, and will be looking to make his name in this tournament. With little to no striking to speak of, he relies on his wrestling and purple belt to get the job done for him, utilising a slick Ground and Pound offense. This will be his toughest test so far, and will be where he sees if he can cut it in a competitive environment.



Pika Chu is a classic Sprawl and Brawler, racking up a 14-5 record which has seen him earn all of his wins via (T)KO. He lost his last fight, and his debut in Insanity, to Octavio Saades, but has said that he knows how he lost, and is working on improving himself. He has a record of being able to strike with anyone, but his one weakness is his opponents strength, as his BJJ isn’t as good as his other skills. Nevertheless, with his opponents lack of striking, he should feel pretty confident of being able to get at his opponents chin.



Prediction: Pika Chu to win via (T)KO in Round 1



MAIN EVENT



Sponsored by DC Unrivaled, the official clothing partner of Insanity



Fight #10



Nolan Sackett (Barnabas Sackett) 16-1-0



vs



JT Redman (Joe Lang) 15-5-1



Our main event has two superstars collide as Insanity champion and 3/1 tournament favourite Nolan Sackett takes on the least favourite 18/1 JT Redman.



Nolan Sackett is a true superstar in MMA. Going 16-1 so far, his sole loss was to Jackson Teller, a loss which he would immediately avenge in his following fight. Blistering KO power is backed up by a Granite Chin, and these are the ingredients that make him the tournament favourite. Oh, and then you throw in the fact he has Barnabas fricking Sackett for a manager and you would question the sanity of anybody that wouldn’t put him as the favourite for the tournament. He faces a solid striker in his first bout, and you can imagine he will have the perfect plan to win.



JT Redman was one of KT’s hottest names, before he decided to try his hand at MMA and jump in the deep end with this Mad Cash tournament. His Boxing and MT are all great, with his Wrestling and BJJ lacking due to his KT career. He has a 1-1 MMA record, and a 14-4-1 KT record, and a win here would be a huge shock, but it is something he is capable of. He just needs to keep the fight standing, and hope he can connect before he is dragged under.



Prediction: Nolan Sackett to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Well that’s it for the first round preview of the 185 section of the Mad Cash tournament. Be sure to check out the 155lbs preview written by John Hetfield, and I want to give one piece of advice to anybody out there thinking of being a writer.



Don’t do writing while you have a hangover...It sucks.



  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

EVO 175: Bloodsport!

Live from Wombley Arena, London

Live on the Tycoon Network!

In association with Pearson Specter Litt

“Home of the finest threads in MMA Tycoon”

Hello everyone, and welcome to our preview of the upcoming EVO event, EVO 175: Bloodsport! This promises to be a huge event for the fans in attendance, and those watching worldwide. With only the one title fight on show, this card is still stacked from top to bottom with highly ranked contenders, and it is an event that won’t disappoint. With a headlining fight of EVO Heavyweight Champion Leonardo “Voodoo Child” Ferreira taking on Troid Heavyweight Champion “Cocky” Rocky McColgan, it is the most dominant Heavyweight in the world right now taking on what many have called the future of the Heavyweight division. Without further ado, let’s get right down into the action!

http://i.gyazo.com/469b185c7fd69f005521f2f87b57ccab.png

Our first fight of the evening features former NGF, EVO and CEC champion Enzo Moretti taking on Vlad The Impaler.

Enzo Moretti has held titles in four different orgs, including EVO, and he will be looking to get back to the top, and that road starts now. Currently on a two fight losing streak, which consisted of him losing his CEC title, he has shown great survivability, only suffering a stoppage loss on 3 occasions in his career. He is an expert in Boxing, MT and Wrestling, with very few holes in his game. It has been over 4 years (In game time) since he was last knocked out, and he will be confident in being able to stand and bang with anyone.

Vlad The Impaler hasn’t won any titles in his career, losing his 3 title shots he had, 2 of which are to long time foil Nelson Muntz. He is currently on a 3 fight losing streak, with losses to Johnny Fantastic, Ziggy Cliff and Artem Bessmertin. Like his opponent, he has shown great resilience, losing only one fight in his career due to stoppage. This fight will come down to who can last longer in the pocket, but any outcome is a possiblity in this fight.

Prediction: Enzo Moretti to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/19a01c4840d0723ad2afd8543b198f89.png

Coming up next, we have a featherweight showdown between Anton Dorozhkin and probably the best fighter to have not reached the #1 P4P spot,Waru Kuzuri.

Anton Dorozhkin is an elite level grappler who has trained up in his striking to make himself a threat to anybody he steps into the cage with. A former Ryze: New York title contender, he has yet to taste gold, but is currently on a 4 fight winning streak to put himself on a right path to another future title shot. He faces one of his toughest tests so far in his career, and it will send out a statement if he is able to overcome this hurdle.

Waru Kuzuri is a living MMA legend, and one that has not experienced the glory of being the #1 P4P fighter, although he shaved it as a close #2. His career speaks for itself. Winner of numerous tournaments, champion in many of the orgs he has fought for, and now here he is, on the hunt for another experience of glory. A tricky customer to finish, he has KO power himself, which makes him a dangerous competitor in any environment.

Prediction: Waru Kuzuri to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/ce06603f4f7b1f2b7b137a1117684738.png

A slight move up the weight classes now, with a Lightweight bout between former champion Jacque Schtrappe and “The Lion” Nick Shields.

Jacque Schtrappe is an Evo veteran, with this being his 21st in the org. He ended a 3 fight losing streak in his last fight with a unanimous decision win over Kale Kummola. He is a dangerous striker, with 24 (T)KO wins in his career, and he is sturdy enough to survive the majority of what his opponents have thrown at him. He holds a lot of size over his opponent, so it will be interesting to see how he uses this to his advantage coming into this bout.

Nick Shields is currently on a tough run of results, having lost his last 3 fights to some big names in Anabolinen Steroidi Jr, Juan Koski and Bjorn Helgi. Despite this, he still has never been knocked out, with only a solitary submission loss ruining it. He has the ability to submit and knock his opponents out, making him dangerous two fold for any opponent. A great grappling game is supported by a sturdy striking game, but he will need to gain a dominant position in this fight.

Prediction: Jacque Schtrappe to win via (T)KO in Round 2


http://i.gyazo.com/f74ae5c11ab31c9cfcf2154f660fa73c.png

A trip to the land of the giants now as the heavyweight division gives us a clash between Thor Skarsgard and Renzo Machida.

Thor Skarsgard is a true knockout machine in MMA. With 36 wins on his record, 35 of those have been finished early due to his striking, a fearsome record that no fighter should take for granted. However, he is currently 0-3 in Evo after moving over from the now defunct CONFLICTION MMA. If he keeps on this slippery run of results, he may find himself on the scrap heap before long. He does have a height advantage in this bout, so if he can exploit that, he may be able to turn his Evo career around.

Renzo Machida is more experienced than Skargard, and is one of the old guard of MMA. 65 fights in MMA have yielded 44 wins for him, 35 of which were (T)KO wins, showing he is a dangerous striker. He defeated Constantine Titanus in his last bout, but is struggling to string a win streak together, something he will be hoping to do before he eventually hangs up his gloves.

Prediction: Thor Skarsgard to win via (T)KO in Round 2


http://i.gyazo.com/ae2f82dd1669ce7b2ba29e516cef78d0.png

Back down to the Middleweight division now as former Gamma Contenders champion Brian “The Bitter” Donnelly takes on undefeated KT legend “The Time Machine” Tommy Grunge.

Brian Donnelly is currently on an 11 fight win streak, with his single loss coming in his first MMA bout. Despite this, question marks have been raised as he fought in Gamma related orgs, with many claiming this is down to favourable booking. Well now he has shown he has the balls to move to the big times, and is looking to make his stamp in one of the biggest orgs around. With a decent striking game, many point his main weakness as his BJJ, which is only at a Purple belt level. However, in this fight he will be in there with a KT fighter, which will keep the fight in his favoured place, although it will also be in his opponents speciality.

Tommy Grunge was one of the most recognisable names in KT. Embarking on a career that would leave him 20-0 on his record, he made the jump to MMA. A former EFFA champion, he has shown his striking is some of the best in the world, and he showed that in his MMA debut against Felix Tilthammer. He will feel at home in this bout, with little threat of his opponent trying to work a ground game. His superior striking makes him a strong favourite in this bout.

Prediction: Tommy Grunge to win via (T)KO in Round 1


http://i.gyazo.com/cfe441fb7fa015261ec742651459dbe8.png

We drop further in the weight classes with a Lightweight fight that sees Tarrance Clam Digger take on former NGF champion Bjorn Helgi.

Terrance Clam Digger is making his Evo debut in this bout, having failed to capture the Ascension 155lbs title in his last bout. He has a great record, and has shown his ability to win fights with both (T)KO’s and Submissions. Another point of his record, is he has never been (T)KO’ed, although 2 submission losses prevent him from being an indestructible shield. Growing up in Compton has taught Terrance a thing or two about survival, and he will be bringing that into the cage here.

Bjorn Helgi is a dangerous fighter, with elite levels of Striking and Wrestling. He has trades wins and losses in his last 8 fights, and will be hoping he can gain another win in this bout. His questionable chin is the one big mark over him, and it is something Terrance may look to exploit in this fight. Despite this, Helgi is a fighter that Clam Digger can’t underestimate, or he risks being punished heavily for it.

Prediction: Terrance Clam Digger to win via Unanimous Decision.


http://i.gyazo.com/0b2354ac8d757efa411f46328f463664.png

Another Lightweight division bout now as ITFL Season 3 Winner “Don” Juan Koski takes on former Evo Lightweight Champion Anabolinen Steroidi Jr.

Juan Koski has traded a win and a loss since signing for Evo after claiming glory in the ITFL individual season finals. He has lost twice via TKO (Cuts) in his career, which could be a problem against any fighter with the ability to exploit it. However, he was won 7 fights via (T)KO and a solitary submission win, to show he can win by more than just the regular means. With all of his skills up to a good level, he now faces a tough challenge in the former champion, and this will be a big stage for him to prove himself on.

Anabolinen Steroidi Jr is one of Igor Byhenikov’s best fighters, and it was a proud moment for Igor when he claimed a victory over Henrik Torhammer to becoming the new champion. However, that reign was shortlived, but it instilled a confidence, and a passion, in Steroidi Jr, and he is determined to win that title back. He has shown great resilience with only 3 of his fights ending in him losing early. He has (T)KO and Submission wins, but he has shown he favours control of his opponents over the risk of going for the finish with 14 decision wins. He has the edge over his opponent in skill and experience, and it will be interesting to see if he can make this count.

Prediction: Anabolinen Steroidi Jr to win via Unanimous Decision


http://i.gyazo.com/48b7f51ee60a730fa14541a382c70f4d.png

Oh look at that, another Lightweight clash now as the aforementioned former champion Henrik Torhammer takes on Danny Volcanic.

Henrik Torhammer is a former NGF champion, who lost his title to Bjorn Helgi on his last fight in the org. From there, he captured the Evo title in his debut and would go on to hold it for almost 4 months before he dropped the title to Steroidi Jr. However, he bounced back from that loss with a TKO (Cut) victory over Juan Koski. He has the ability to win fights through both his striking and his submissions, the issue is his opponent has to figure out what he will be aiming for.

Danny Volcanic has had an amazing career. Going 51-15-2 in his career, he has never lost via stoppage, with all of his 15 losses coming via Decision. With elite levels of boxing and wrestling, he has won 18 of his fights via (T)KO, showing an aptitude for taking fights the distance. He is at a height disadvantage in this bout, but has the ability to win it regardless.

Prediction: Henrik Torhammer to win via (T)KO in Round 3


http://i.gyazo.com/bd4b1e094fba80ab00252971320d8063.png

Our Co-Main event of the evening is sponsored by GBK16’s writings. For quality and consistency, just PM Grant Brophy (93477) for availability.

A Super Heavyweight clash awaits us now as Alexander Emelianenko takes on “Rock Em Sock Em” Rockford Knight.

Alexander Emelianenko is currently on a 5 fight winning streak, which has stretched over his spell in AMSFC and his one off appearance at Forbidden Violence’s (Then) closing show. He won his debut fight against Tigran Badoyan where he was able to expose his susceptible chin to attain victory. With the ability to win fights through both (T)KO and Submission, he gives his opponent more things to consider in their game plans, while only he knows what he will be aiming for in his fights. His last loss was over 6 months ago to Hamish Kersikov, and a win here could lead to either a title fight, or let him get closer to a rematch to avenge said loss. Only he knows what his future plans are.

Rockford Knight is currently on a 4 fight winning streak, with wins over notable names such as Thor Skargard and Wei Pei. He has serious KO power, but many have questioned his chin in the past, although fighting at HW can mask the lines between a good chin and a bad chin. With a former #1 manager in Baby Face Nelson backing him, he can game plan for how to play to his strengths, but sometimes, that just isn’t enough.

Prediction: Rockford Knight to win via (T)KO in Round 2


http://i.gyazo.com/ede79ee97c7bed8c003385dbee5156ab.png

Our main event of the evening is sponsored by Evolution’s merch partner: Pearson Specter Litt. When you visit PSL, you know you are among quality. Visit Pearson Specter Litt for the finest in quality threads in MMA Tycoon.

Now, our Main Event of the Evening is a Heavyweight title clash which pits Evo HW champion Leonardo “Voodoo Child” Ferreira against Troid HW champion “Cocky” Rocky McColgan!

In my previous preview, I listed Leonardo Ferreira’s recent history, from the time he debuted in Evo, up until his recent win over Rocky Tyson. Now, I will refer to his victory in his last bout. In a “Champion vs Champion” clash with then 205lbs champion Doctor Doolittle, Ferreira took it into the 5th round, dominating each of the first four rounds, and from there he swarmed. After rocking Doolittle with a crisp jab, he pounced, throwing hook after hook, and all of them connected, leaving Doolittle wondering where he was, and seeing stars. Ferreira immediately wanted the challenge of McColgan, and the deal was made.

“Cocky” Rocky McColgan is undefeated in his career, and is one of the biggest prospects in the entire sport. He started out his career under Ezekiel Rage, before he left the game. Rocky competed in one fight under Rage. Upon being left by his management, he was picked up by Janne Finland, who spent time training him up before signing him with BEEF, where he went 10-0, capturing the HW championship and defending it successfully four times. From there, BEEF merged with Umbrella, ran by Igor Byhenikov. Rocky immediately made an impact there too, capturing the title in his first bout. He would have two more fights in Umbrella, defending the title successfully against Mike Maczynsky before engaging in a non title fight with Joe Gage, which he again won. This put Rocky at 14-0, with his org records being 10-0 in BEEF and 3-0 in Umbrella. From there, he was signed to Troid, and in typical Rocky fashion, won the title in his debut fight against fellow Irishman Seamus Farrelly. He successfully defended his title against Mack Luster and Captain Boromir, before agreeing a superfight with SFC’s HW Champion Chick Bowdrie. McColgan won that fight with a KO in the first round. He returned to Troid to find a familiar face in former champion Seamus Farrelly as the #1 contender, but much like the first fight, McColgan dominated and won via TKO (Strikes) in the first round. As part of a deal between Evo and Troid, McColgan made the step up, and as he has done in his last 2 orgs, he is fighting for the championship in his debut fight. Will McColgan pull off a shock by defeating Ferreira? Or will Ferreira continue his dominance by defeating the young prospect? Well, only way to know will be to keep an eye on this fight at 6pm GMT!

Prediction: Leonardo Ferreira to win via (T)KO in Round 4

Well that’s it from me, and it was a pleasure to preview another amazing card from Evolution, where the big question of who wins between Ferreira and McColgan will finally be answered. Be sure to spoiler the fight, as it call kicks off at 6pm GMT!

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Epicity Productions presents…



http://oi59.tinypic.com/301qdna.jpg



EP 30: The Terrible Thirties!



Live from the Wandalay Bay Arena, in Las Vegas!



Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our preview of Epicity Productions’ upcoming event, EP 30: The Terrible Thirties! A big event for EP here, as the 170lbs championship is defended by the top ranked org fighter Bobby “The Next Big Thing” Shamrock against Sinbad “The” Sailor! Add into that you have org mainstays Lotus Suzinuki and DeMarcus DeSilva clashing in our Co-Main Event, and you have all the makings of a classic night of fighting. Without further ado, let’s get right down to the action!



Fight #1 - Welterweight Division!



Nathan Rook


vs


Raizer Sorrow



Our first bout of the evening is a Welterweight clash as Nathan “Left Hook” Rook takes on Raizer Sorrow.



Nathan Rook is a new signing to Epicity, having competed in the QFC so far in his career. He has shown considerable KO power in his last 3 outings, however they have usually come against fighters with little to no striking. On the flip side, his one loss was against an opponent who vastly outskilled him, so he will be starting off on a carte blanc in EP. A classic example of a Sprawl and Brawler, he possesses little in the way of Muay Thai or BJJ, but has very high levels of Boxing and Wrestling.



Raizer Sorrow is a more rounded fighter than his counterpart, possessing a BJJ Brown Belt, he also has good levels of Boxing, Muay Thai and Wrestling, but his BJJ is definitely his most dangerous weapon, picking him up 4 of his 7 wins via Submission. But with his other 3 wins coming via (T)KO, he has shown he isn’t a one trick pony.



Sorrow is a diverse fighter, but this may lead to his undoing. He lacks the Wrestling to make landing a takedown a certainty, and that leaves him in an area where he is outmatched by the more experienced Rook.



Prediction: Nathan Rook to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #2 - Heavyweight Division!



Sammy Sammich


vs


Lou Sanus



Next up we have a heavyweight bout pitting Sammy Sammich against Lou Sanus.



Sammy Sammich recently made his debut in EP against Softly Weeping in a winning effort. Before signing for EP, he was a QFC regular, participating in 2 QFC’s under previous managers, both of which were losing efforts. Following that, he got picked up by Mark Harrington. From there, he won 2 QFC bouts, including one brutal 5 second head kick KO. Following that, he impressed EP head honcho Dick Hardwood who offered him a contract, and he debuted at Epic Fight Night 3. He survived an early takedown from Weeping, and then unleashed some brutal strikes which ended with a brutal combination beatdown. He has the power to get to his opponents, and he will be hoping his good form under his new manager can continue.



Lou Sanus is one of the more unfortunate fighters competing on the card. Starting off his career 1-5 under his previous manager, he was signed up by current manager Dr Jdw. From there, he moved from WarZone to Cornell Cage Fighting, having improved fortunes as he went 2-3 in the org, before leaving and signing with EP. He is making his debut in this bout, and he has shown in the past the main things to look out for are his Muay Thai and his BJJ. With his past two wins coming via Arm Triangle submission and Head Kick KO, he has shown a variety of weapons under his new management, and will be feeling more confident than he did under his previous management.



I think Sammich’s better all round game will be the key to his victory in this bout. At the Heavyweights, it is a case of energy levels being the extreme factor, but Sammich has the advantage heading in.



Prediction: Sammy Sammich to win via (T)KO in Round 1



Fight #3 - Featherweight Division!



Jamey Jasta


vs


The Steel Penn



Moving down the weight classes again, we have a Featherweight clash that sees Jamey Jasta taking on The Steel Penn.



Jamey Jasta is making his EP debut in this bout, having spent his entire career so far in Insanity. He joins with a respectable record of 6-3-1, with his last bout resulting in an unlucky submission loss to Predator Burns. He has a sturdy chin, with none of his losses coming via (T)KO but by Sub and Decision. He is another well rounded fighter, with no glaring weaknesses, but his best overall weapon is his boxing. It is his go to offense, and can pick apart any unwary foes underestimate it.



The Steel Penn is another fighter making his debut in this bout, having signed from London based org Troid. He has also competed in Evil Empire: Amsterdam in the past where he is a former champion. He has lost his last two fights, and is currently 2-5 in his last 7 bouts. He will be hoping a change of scenery will give him a fresh run, and get him back into the positive. Although he has sub standard striking, he has Elite wrestling combined with a Black Belt, making him a very dangerous grappler to compete against. With 8 submission wins, it is clear what his intentions are for this bout, but he faces tough opposition to achieve it.



While The Steel Penn’s grappling is at an elite level, his opponent is much more rounded, and will be better equipped to deal with Penn’s offense.



Prediction: Jamey Jasta to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #4 - Lightweight Division!



Junior Borg


vs


Virgil Dreesen



Staying in the lighter divisions, we have a Lightweight bout now as Junior “John” Borg takes on Virgil “The Violator” Dreesen.



Junior Borg is competing in his second EP fight here, having made his debut at Epic FN 2 in a losing effort against Boreste Bardanos. The former Troid champion is currently 3-3 in his last 6 bouts, and will be looking to make that 4-3, and 1-1 in EP with a win here. His main weakness appears to be his ground defense, as he has lost the majority of his fights via this fashion, while he has won 8 of his 9 fights via (T)KO. He has high levels of Boxing and Wrestling, and his Muay Thai and BJJ are also up to good levels, showing he is one of the most skilled fighters at first glance. Not many are sure what the issue is what prevents him from going on a dominating run, but his management will be hoping it can be rectified and he can make a run for the EP title.



Virgil Dreesen makes his 3rd EP appearance in this bout, having won his first two fights in the org that makes him 4-0 under his current management. He began his career under the management of Chris Meat, despite being managed by 2 other managers previous to this, but a KO loss led to Chris dropping him, where he was then signed by current manager Freddy Krueger. Since then, he has had 4 fights, winning all 4, with the last 3 being (T)KO wins. He has developed an exciting style under his new manager, and will be fancying his chances despite facing the more experienced opponent.



Overall, I think Dreesen will have the upper hand heading into this bout. Borg has been unable to find any sort of form, and will feel pressurised by his opponents pressure inside the cage.



Prediction: Virgil Dreesen to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #5 - Welterweight Division!



Tyrone Biggums


vs


Jalmari Pullo



A great Welterweight clash now on display as Tyrone Biggums takes on Jalmari Pullo.



Tyrone Biggums has had a shaky start to his EP career, going 0-2 so far, including a title fight loss in his debut to Lotus Suzinuki. He followed that with a loss to DeMarcus DeSilva, but is looking to get back onto the right path here with a win. Before signing for EP, he was 8-4, and was on a 4 fight win streak before making the jump over to EP. He has a fantastic grappling game, with high levels of Wrestling and BJJ, and he has been working up his Boxing and Muay Thai to patch over the holes he had in his game.



Jalmari Pullo is making his first appearance under the EP banner here, and indeed, his first appearance under any sanctioned org banner! His career so far has seen him fight in the QFC 6 times, going 4-2 over the course of this. An Abu Dhabi champion who has been described as having extremely high levels of cardio, he has gained 3 of his 4 wins via Submissions, with his 2 losses coming via Decisions. He will be making a big step up competing in an org, and it is time to see if he will sink or swim.



Tyrone Biggums has the skill advantage, and I believe he has enough about him to cope on the ground, but Pullo’s disadvantage in the striking area could be the key difference here.



Prediction: Tyrone Biggums to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #6 - Welterweight Division!



Snich Clinchwork


vs


Yang Terbaik



The Welterweight division plays host again as we see Snich Clinchwork taking on Yang “The Best” Terbaik.



Snich Clinchwork is a major Muay Thai fighter, but uses his Wrestling to dictate the position of the fight and set himself up to get the best out of his striking. 5-1 so far in a career that has seen him fight in EP for all of it, he went 5-0 before losing in his last bout to Wrestlefuck Wrestling. He needs to recover from that loss, and get back to what he does best in order to get the win in this bout.



Yang Terbaik is 14-9 in his career, starting off on The Island where he went 5-0 before losing in the Season 1 end of year tournament. He was dropped by his manager following this, and subsequently signed to current manager Rodrigo Augusto. He signed with MMA Helsinki, going 9-6 in the org to bring his record up to 14-7 before signing for EP. He suffered a loss in his debut to Andy Carroll with a first round TKO. A 30 second KO loss in the following fight to Tre Spar followed, but Terbaik is hopeful he can get back to winning ways in this bout.



Both fighters are very similar, as both focus on their Muay Thai and Wrestling to dictate the fight. Personally, I see Clinchwork’s higher morale as a potential decider, but it will be tight against an older opponent.



Prediction: Snich Clinchwork to win via (T)KO in Round 1



Fight #7 - Middleweight Division!



Dale McCann


vs


Kocoa Ebone



A move up one class to the Middleweight division now as Dale “Mac” McCann squares off against Kocoa Ebone.



Dale “Mac” McCann is a former WBC amateur boxing champion who has racked up 16 KO victories from a career that saw him go 22-2. Touted as the next big star for the sport, he was sidelined after tragically losing his dad at the age of just 16. He started to go into turmoil from this point, until his uncle got him back on the right path by taking him to a local gym. From there, he met MMA manager Frank King, and hey presto, he started his career. Fighting in orgs such as BEEF, SFC and Death Squad, he went 13-9 before signing for EP, and has gone 3-2 in the org so far, including a loss to Dominick De Struicao for the title. He will be looking to get back on a winning roll, and fight for the title once more.



Kocoa Ebone is a highly touted prospect in MMA, racking up a 7 fight winning streak in his career. He was formerly managed by Scooby Ali, who picked him up from Robert Glenn. Having one fight under Glenn, he was dropped by Ali without competing in a single fight. He competed in 3 QFC bouts under new manager JJ Media, winning all 3, including one vicious KO via Elbow. From there, he signed to EP, winning his first two bouts against Mack Bolan, which won Fight of the Night honours, and Ruarc Harris. He then went up against fellow undefeated fighter, and someone I know very well, Bray Wyatt in a clash to see who would be losing the 0 in their loss column. Ebone dominated the fight, gaining a 30-27 unanimous decision win to take him to 7-0, and push him further up the rankings.



Dale McCann has the slight edge in skill and experience, but he is facing off against Ebone who is feeling extremely confident in every fight. McCann also has a questionable chin, and his opponent has shown considerable KO power.



Prediction: Kocoa Ebone to win via (T)KO in Round 1



Fight #8 - Light Heavyweight Division!



Pete McKallister


vs


Dark Fear



A feisty Light Heavyweight encounter now as Pete McKallister takes on Dark Fear.



Pete McKallister is a proud Irishman who began his MMA career at 16 under Chris Karter, who saw McKallister doing some great work on his family farm in Ireland. Noticing this, Karter offered to pay for him to get into MMA as long as he looked after some of Karter’s notorious farms. Unfortunately, McKallister ended up partaking in most of the stock he was in charge of, and Karter couldn’t have that, so he stranded him somewhere before Joe Kingpin found him, and flew him to LA. Since then, he has gone 11-1-1 in his MMA career, displaying he has KO power, but often adopting a more cautious approach, something Karter’s backhand taught him. He has gone 2-0 in his EP career so far, and will be looking to continue to prove himself. Rumor has it, he has grown an affection for the sweet green plant, and wants to build up enough cash to buy a supply of Karter’s finest. Whatever motivates him is clearly working, as he is undefeated in his last 7 bouts. A solid wrestling game allows him to dictate the fight, and dominate his opponents.



Dark Fear is a new signing to EP, moving over from DSC, and will be looking to introduce himself to the fans in style with a win. Currently on a 3 fight win streak, Fear is 11-5-1 in his career, which has seen him gain 10 (T)KO victories over his opponents. He has only fought in DSC and Forbidden Violence, and will be hoping EP is the place he can finally go on to become a champion. He is very well rounded, but it is clear his preference is to strike it out with his opponents, as he has often found himself victorious through this method.



Fear is the better striker, while McKallister is the better wrestler, which he will try to use to again control the fight and avoid getting into many major striking exchanges. I feel McKallister’s best hope is to grind his opponent down for the later rounds, but whether he can survive that long is to be questioned.



Prediction: Pete McKallister to win via Unanimous Decision




http://i.gyazo.com/ed14b508d28f4fdec3c51c03515aef64.png



Our Co-Main Event of the evening is sponsored by GBK16’s writings. For quality and consistency, PM Grant Brophy (93477) for availability of writing.



And now, our Co-Main event is a Welterweight clash pitting former champion Lotus Suzinuki against former contender DeMarcus DeSilva.



Lotus Suzinuki was a former 2 time Ohio State wrestling champion who moved to Tokyo, Japan following the sudden death of his father in a boating accident. Under the management of Peel Steel, he began his MMA career, but made his debut in WarZone in Amsterdam. He went 9-2 in WarZone, before making a brief appearance in Impact MMA for the “Corporation vs Scholars” alliance war event as a representative of the Scholars, where he unfortunately lost. He then signed to Hilo Fight Nights, where he went 2-3 before being dropped by Peel Steel, with a record of 11-6. He was then signed up by Steve Unsinn of the Cold Blooded Killers alliance, and he signed him up to EP. He has a blistering start to EP life, defeating Andy Barclay in his debut before defeating current opponent DeSilva to become the new champ after the belt was vacated from Wrestlefuck Wrestling. He followed up with wins over Jeremy Smith and Tyrone Biggums, but was defeated for the belt by EP’s hottest new signing Bobby Shamrock. He is now on the road to redemption for the title, and will have to conquer one of the ghosts of his past to begin it.



DeMarcus DeSilva began career under controversial manager Axia Inc, going 6-1 in his career, being dropped after suffering the first loss of his career. He was then signed up by Bradley Burns, but suffered a loss in his first QFC bout with him, leading to him being sacked once more. He was then signed up by ultra popular manager Scooby Ali, who helped him to a win in their only bout with each other before they agreed to part ways. With a record of 7-2, he then signed up to current manager Nick Force, and they got off to a winning start with a TKO (Slam) victory in what was an impressive performance for his EP debut. He lost his next bout, the aforementioned title clash with Suzinuki, but followed up with a win over former contender Derek The Brave. A loss to another former contender Jeremy Smith was redeemed, with a win over yet another former contender in Tyrone Biggums. He is now looking for revenge in this bout, and become the new one for a shot at Bobby Shamrock’s gold.



A great fight for the main event, but honestly, I believe Suzinuki should be winning this bout. He has the superior KO power, and just needs to hold onto his defences before landing with a sweet connection.



Prediction: Lotus Suzinuki to win via (T)KO in Round 3



http://i.gyazo.com/83c06db65445a1f2b4009a8e63e4d10b.png



Our main event of the evening is Epicity Production’s Merchandise Parner - Conquer Clothing! Welcome to Conquer!



The Main Event of this evening sees the hugely popular champion Bobby “The Next Big Thing” Shamrock take on the #1 Contender Sinbad “The” Sailor!



Bobby Shamrock is truly one of the biggest Welterweight stars in MMA. Starting his career in the GAMMA chain of orgs, he went 4-1 in the org, including a Superman Punch KO before moving on to join up with HONOR FC. From there, he went 5-4 in the org, bringing his total record to 9-5. He was to really make his mark in MMA however with his next org, as he signed with Hilo Fight Nights. He went on a 7 fight winning streak in a run which also led to him capturing the title and defending it once successfully. He would lose the title to Viktor Krum before defeating Nelly Haynes in his final fight for the org. He then signed with EP, and his reputation was such that he earned it only took him one fight to earn a title shot, defeating Lewis Scott via TKO in the first round to send out a statement. In his last bout, he defeated Lotus Suzinuki via Unanimous Decision to win the title, and has looked impressive in his training since coming into this bout.



Sinbad Sailor spent his entire career before EP in WarZone under former manager Anita Baker. He lost his debut fight, but then went on a great run of 9 straight wins which included him winning the title, similar to Shamrock’s run in HFN. He then lost a 265+ fight to Ivan Strashko before returning to the 170lbs division and going on another 3 fight winning streak before his manager’s inactivity resulted in the belt being stripped and Sailor found himself without management. He then signed with current manager Alan Sutton, and just like Shamrock, found himself being offered a title clash after one victory in EP, this one being a KO victory over Lewis Scott. He will be looking to win another title, but faces tough competition in Shamrock.



Plain and simple, I feel Shamrock should be retaining his title. While Sailor is a dangerous opponent, Shamrock is an extremely dangerous fighter and I fancy him in this bout.



Prediction: Bobby Shamrock to win via (T)KO in Round 2



That’s it from me for this preview. Some cracking fights on display, and the fans will surely be delighted to see some of their favourites in action. Be sure to look out for the results which will be particularly telling of the future of the Welterweight division!



  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Insanity’s Mad Cash Tournament



Round 2



Good evening ladies and gentleman, and welcome to our preview for Round 2 of Insanity’s Mad Cash tournament! The first round nerves are out of the way, with some shocks occurring, and others living up to the hype. With 2 more events happening in 2 different cities, we will be going with what happens in chronological order, starting with…



185lbs division!



Live from the Credit Card Center in New York!



Results from the last round:



Lionel Santos def. DeBo Train via TKO (Strikes) in Round 1



Pera Pulkkinen def. John Dillinger via Submission (Kimura) in Round 1



Sam Hall def. Chan Sung Aoki via Unanimous Decision



Charles Grace def. Vlad Putin via KO (Punches) in Round 1



Lance Legstrong def. Donnie Felterbush via Submission (Kneebar) in Round 3



Octavio Saades def. Lard Pecs via Unanimous Decision



Pika Chu def. Fernand Mondego via KO (Punches) in Round 1



Nolan Sackett def. JT Redman via TKO (Strikes) in Round 3



Now, after a hell of a first round, we are beginning to separate the real fighters from the pretenders, and that continues here, so without further ado, let’s get right down to it!



Fight #1


(Written by John Hetfield)



Carson Battistoni (Uncle Lar) 7-5-0



vs



Dingus Datsik (Free Datsik) 1-1-0



The very first fight of this evening is a light-heavyweight bout, it seems unnecessary, but yes it is a non-tournament fight.



Carson Battistoni is dangerous boxer, he is one of the elite for sure. He has 3 wins and 1 lose with Insanity so far, out of his 7-5-0 record. I believe that Battistoni can make it far in Insanity, but I do hope he will start implementing a more well-rounded strategy for his fights. Adding a few kicks in the fights might make him an unstoppable force in the division. He has great punches, good KO power and the heart to keep on going. I reckon that against his opponent he will do well, but will it be enough to walk away as the winner?



Dingus Datsik is a new face to MMA and so far only fought once with Insanity in a winning effort, standing at a 1-1-0 record. He has a very solid striking game, one that might provide Battistoni with some trouble. Looking at both his fights so far, Dingus really mixes it up well, something his opponent has not really been doing. Dingus more than likely will take the points with that and that will come in handy if the fight goes the distance. But I honestly do not see that happen, so it’s a good thing that besides scoring points, he will also be damaging his opponent all over. It’s hard to say if he has the right skills to beat an experienced fighter like Battistoni, so this fight will be a great test for him, win or lose.



Prediction: Battistoni by TKO in the 2nd



Fight #2


(Written by John Hetfield)



Mike Allen (Mickey Hart) 10-10-0



vs



Justin Hunter (Jack LaBear) 8-5-0



A non-tournament lightweight fight is up next between two experienced fighters, Mike Allen and Justin Hunter.



Mike Allen was part of the 155lbs Mad Cash Tournament but got eliminated in the first round. However he is not going to let that set him back and is ready to get back in there and work his way to a W. He has the skills to do so, but with a 10-10-0 record you must wonder what is going on his head when he fights. Perhaps its just bad luck, who knows. I can only hope Allen is able to get a win again soon and end his 5 fight losing streak. He relies heavy on his boxing, and I would suggest to him to throw in a few more kicks to have a more diverse game plan, and hurting his opponent all over and keeping them guessing.



Justin Hunter has finally be let go of a strangle hold and has found himself a new management team. Hunter has some solid skills and will be able to make it far, and what better way to do so on a big stage like the Mad Cash tournament. Even though it’s a non-tourney fight, all eyes are on the card and he can do an impressive performance for tons of fans to see. Much like his opponent it seems that Hunter focuses on his boxing more than anything else. I would also advice him to implement kicks in his game plan. He would become a much more dangerous fighter and he might be raking in the wins once he does.



Prediction: Hunter by Decision



Fight #3


(Written by John Hetfield)



Alfredo Barbosa (Mike Hunt) 7-6-0



vs



Ashton Eaton (Jeff Richardson) 11-7-0



The next fight is in the featherweight division and as you might have guessed, is a non-tournament fight.



Alfredo Barbosa is a well-rounded fighter, with high skills all over. He has gathered a 7-6-0 record under 4 different management groups. One can only hope that Barbosa finally find a good home where the management is able to do well with his skills and start raking in the wins. Barbosa usually is the kind to mix up his striking rather well, keeping the fight at a distance or closing in for the clinch. He has find success wherever in those positions. He should keep in mind that his opponent might look to get a takedown and work the superior BJJ skill. Barbosa needs to keep the distance and pick his opponent apart with the leg kicks to slow him down and then go in for the kill.



Ashton Eaton is also a well-rounded fighter, but seems to prefer the ground game over striking. He has 5 submission wins on his 11-7-0 record and against a dangerous striking like Barbosa, he should be careful on the stand up, and when to shoot in with the takedown. One big counter might end the fight a lot quicker than he would like. He has to be patient, work his usual strategy and then get the takedown late to take advantage of possible fatigue. If he has the fight on the ground, I imagine he will take the fight and the win.



Prediction: Ashton Eaton by Decision



Fight #4 - Mad Cash Fight!



Charles Grace (Gale Hawthorne) 7-5-0



vs



Lionel Santos (Frank Cross) 11-2-0



Coming up next we have our first Mad Cash tournament fight pitting 5/1 Charles “The Master Debater” Grace against 5/1 Lionel “Behemoth” Santos.



Charles Grace was the most dominant fighter in Round 1 of the tournament, scoring a 17 second KO victory over Vlad Putin. He showed stunning power, the kind of which makes him a threat to any opponent he comes up against. His striking is crisp and disciplined, and it will require a strong defence from Santos to get past this.



Lionel Santos also dismissed his opponent in Round 1 in swift fashion, with a TKO victory over DeBo Train inside the first round, although that is a rarity for him as he is known as a decision fighter more. He possesses a Granite Chin that has only seen him a (T)KO loss once in his career, although he will need to be wary in this bout or he will see that increase.



Quite honestly, I believe Grace having a better manager will be the key difference to this bout, but expect Santos to survive the opening 2 rounds.



Prediction: Charles Grace to win via (T)KO in Round 3



Fight #5


(Written by John Hetfield)



Alvin Loredo (Uncle Lar) 9-4-1



vs



Jose Santiago (Buster Canavan) 7-2-1



The next fight is a non-tournament fight in the featherweight division. Loredo and Santiago are both long time Insanity veterans and this is the first time they meet in the cage.



Loredo is a great boxer with a possible greater chin, in his 9-4-1 record he has never been knocked out once. He relies heavily on his punches and occasionally throws in a kick. We never seem go for the takedown, even though he has the wrestling and BJJ skills to do well. One could say he is a featherweight Rampage Jackson, but he defianetly should implement more kicks in his game plan as we all know, simply relying on throwing KO powered punched is not always the way to go, even though it has worked for Loredo so far in his career.



Jose Santiago is a proper mixed martial artists, he has good striking and a good ground game, and his record shows both TKO and Sub wins. I think Santiago has found himself a good opponent in Loredo, as both men still seem to prefer to strike over anything else. Though I am expecting Santiago to implement his grappling in this fight. He has to avoid the KO power of Loredo and slow him down with leg kicks. I reckon if Santiago is able to do that, he’ll be able to get the fight down and work his superior BJJ skills.



Like most fights, it can go either way, but this fight seems a bit harder to predict than others. It’s a tough call, but I am going with..



Prediction: Jose Santiago by submission in the 3rd round



Fight #6



Silent Bob (Louie DePalma) 9-3-1



vs



Paul Green (Bob Vendarra) 9-1-0



A non tournament bout here as former Tycoon MMA Championships participant Silent Bob takes on Paul “Bang Boom Bang” Green.



Silent Bob is undefeated in his last 3 bouts, scoring 2 wins and a draw. With wins over Bryan Manibusan and Randy Savage, he has really improved his standings, and is now the highest ranked fighter in the division outside of the champion and the Mad Cash tournament participants. With this info, it will be interesting to see if a win here will give him the boost needed to challenge once more for the title.



Paul Green has been making waves since joining Insanity under manager Bob Vendarra. After jumping from manager to manager, and org to org, he was signed up by Vendarra who then signed him to Insanity, and has found some good fortunes since then. Currently on a 3 fight winning streak, he has beaten some game opponents in Homer Jaysimpson, Liam Lee and Oh Yeah. He will need to tighten up his striking however if he wants to reach the top levels of his game.



This is a very tight contest to predict, but I expect one fighter to come out and dominate. Both are very good managers, and I expect a tense battle will be there before one fighter finds his rhythm faster.



Prediction: Paul Green to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #7 - Mad Cash Fight!



Lance Legstrong (Severo Del Bosque) 10-6-0



vs



Octavio Saades (Louie DePalma) 12-1-0



Our next fight is the second of the Mad Cash fights tonight as 9/1 Lance Legstrong takes on 4/1 Octavio Saades!



Lance Legstrong left it late (Alliteration ftw) in his first round fight, submitting opponent Donnie Felterbush with just 4 seconds left in the fight. He mixed his takedowns in with his striking, and when it hit the ground, he made full use of his skills to dominate. He will need to use his ground experience once more in order to win this bout.



Octavio Saades dominated his first round bout against Lard Pecs, using a great mixture of punches and kicks to work his opponent over and outscore him on points. That fight would have ended via (T)KO if it wasn’t for the fact Pecs has a hell of a Granite Chin.



I see the major difference here being Saades amazing diversity in his striking. He has a strong ground game, and his Muay Thai is at extremely high levels meaning every kick deals a lot of damage, while his Punches help him to disguise the kicks.



Prediction: Octavio Saades to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #8 - Mad Cash Fight!



Pera Pulkkinen (Jorma Oltsu) 9-1-0



vs



Nolan Sackett (Barnabas Sackett) 17-1-0



Another Mad Cash bout here, as 4/1 Pera Pulkkinen takes on 3/1 Nolan Sackett in a clash of the tournament favourites.



Pera Pulkkinen pulled a bit of a rabbit out of the hate in his first round matchup, as he scored the first Submission win of his career against John Dillinger. He scored an early takedown, and managed to lock in a Kimura which had Dillinger tapping, and alert his future opponents that he has more than just his striking in his arsenal.



Can you say Clinch Rape enough? Because that is exactly what Sackett did in his first round bout to dispatch former KT fighter JT Redman. Peppering his opponent with strikes, it still took til Round 3 for Sackett to land an uppercut which dropped Redman before landing more strikes to finish the bout.



Two of the best managers in the tournament, and indeed in the game today, collide here, and it will be difficult to pick a stand out winner. However, I believe Sackett has an edge going in, and should eventually come out on top.



Prediction: Nolan Sackett to win via (T)KO in Round 3



CO-MAIN EVENT!


Fight #9 - Mad Cash Fight!



Sam Hall (Scott Davies) 8-2-0



vs



Pika Chu (Grant Brophy) 15-5-0



Our final 185 Mad Cash bout sees 12/1 Sam Hall take on fellow 12/1 Pika Chu.



Sam Hall scored a Unanimous Decision victory over Chan Sung Aoki in his first round bout, scoring with a mixture of Punches and Kicks to earn favour with the judges. He showed good ground defenses, opting to control his opponent in order to force the stand up, but will be facing some different offense in this bout.



Pika Chu had, arguably, the easiest draw for the first round in the whole tournament. A strong striker, he faces a grappler with no striking game, and proceeded to win via KO (Punches) in 53 seconds. He has a great striking record, but will be facing a hot prospect who could catch him.



Pika Chu does have a great record for getting the KO, but his opponent is more skilled overall. It will come down to whether Pika Chu can land a damaging strike, but with Hall striking with both punches and kicks, it is up in the air about who will win.



Prediction: Sam Hall to win via (T)KO in Round 2



MAIN EVENT


Fight #10 - TITLE FIGHT



Shintaro Nomo (AJ Nex) 16-3-0



vs



Jozef Beast (Jeff MMA) 15-5-0



Our main event tonight is a title clash as #1 contender Shintaro Nomo takes on the champion Jozef Beast.



Shintaro Nomo is challenging for the title here after an impressive debut over Tyrone Spong. Previously to that, he claimed the gold medal for UNFC in the Tycoon MMA Championships, but then felt his calling to Insanity following the tournament. He has a developing striking game, but he can provide a challenge for any opponent.



Jozef Beast is the reigning champion, having claimed the title all the way back in February in a Unanimous Decision victory over Victor Loosa. Since then, he has claimed Unanimous Decision victories over Johnny Charco, Andy Barclay and, once again, Victor Loosa. He is a dominant fighter, but could find himself in trouble against Nomo.



Honestly, I think Nomo is tailor made to win this fight. He has superior grappling which he can exploit to win, while his budding striking and Granite Chin should help him to survive and get Beast down to the ground where he can dominate.



Prediction: Shintaro Nomo to win via Submission in Round 3



Now that concludes the 185lbs division of the Mad Cash card, and it has some big fights on it which goes down at 10pm GMT on the 20th June! Now just 4 hours later in Los Angeles, we have…



155lbs!



Live from the Venice Beach Arena in Los Angeles!



Results from the last round:



Boyko Kersikov def. Konrad Husky via TKO (Strikes) in Round 1



Mateus Gracie def. Mike Allen via Submission (RNC) in Round 1



Eight Twentythree def. Norman Parke via Split Decision



Dickie Dirty def. Logan Sackett via Unanimous Decision



Antoni Hong def. Beaver Hardwood via Unanimous Decision



Yushin Yamamoto def. Timothy Robinson via Unanimous Decision



Chad Didion def. Kang Xi Jia via Split Decision



Siguard Lodbrok def. Tyroil Smoochie Wallace via TKO (Kicks and Punches) in Round 1


A lot of decision results occurred in the first round, with many taking a tactical approach to it. It will be interesting to see if anyone goes for a different strategy to combat against other styles, or if they go for their own game. Only one way to find out, so let’s get right into it!



Fight #1



Roberto Gonzales (Jim Gold) 0-0-0



vs



Home Jaysimpson (Omicron PerseiEight) 7-12-0



Our first bout of the 155 mad cash card features Roberto Gonzales taking on Homer Jaysimpson.



Roberto Gonzales is making his debut in MMA here, and while it is hard to judge what he is like, he is not as skilled as other fighters at his age. High levels of boxing are supported by a decent wrestling game, but apart from that, not much else to report, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure of his first bout.



Homer Jaysimpson is a Sensational Wrestler with a Brown Belt, but despite his obvious ability, along with a small amount of striking, he has found himself on a 5 fight losing streak, with his last win coming back in September. Mix that with a questionable chin, and he seems to be a fighter who may have to consider his future in MMA, but despite this, I believe he can turn it around in this bout.



To be honest, Jaysimpson should be taking this bout, and I expect him to grind out a decision win.



Prediction: Homer Jaysimpson to win via Unanimous Decision



Fight #2



Anthony Joseph (Randle McMurphy) 7-1-0



vs



Javier Arroyo (Louie DePalma) 5-3-0



Our next bout on the card sees Anthony Joseph take on Javier Arroyo.



Anthony Joseph is a skilled wrestler who has a reputation for knocking his opponents out. Currently on a 2 fight winning streak since joining Insanity, his debut fight saw him pick up a KO Of The Night award for a monstrous head kick that turned his opponent into a human version of a flip flop. He will be looking to keep that run going with a victory here, and a potential highlight reel knockout.



Javier Arroyo is a highly skilled Muay Thai and Wrestling practitioner, but he hasn’t had the best of fortunes inside the cage, having lost his last fight and been unable to string a number of wins together. He will be up against it here, as he faces a proven finisher, but he will be feeling confident of avoiding the damaging blows and securing a win.



I personally feel Javier Arroyo will emerge victorious from this bout, but I can see Joseph getting a (T)KO at any moment.



Prediction: Javier Arroyo to win via (T)KO in Round 3



Fight #3



David Wuzz (Shape Shifter) 6-6-0



vs



Rocco Roman (Romano Schoots) 5-5-0



Continuing on the action sees David Wuzz throw down against Rocco Roman.



David Wuzz is a highly skilled Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and he has demonstrated this by gaining 6 submission victories. Since signing to Insanity from Troid, he has lost his last 2 bouts in a row, and was unable to show the full range of skills he possesses. However, in this bout, he is being given the perfect opportunity for that and will be feeling confident of landing another submission win.



Rocco Roman is another Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, but unlike his opponent, he has racked up a couple of KO wins along with some Submission victories. He lost his first fight in Insanity last time out, and he has been devastated by that loss as his morale is rock bottom.



I believe Roman’s low morale will be the deciding factor in this bout, and it shouldn’t take long for Wuzz to take advantage.



Prediction: David Wuzz to win via Submission in Round 1



Fight #4



Ricky Blazer (Sean “BuckFutter” Connery) 10-5-0



vs



Ivan Belshiknolav (Dalvarius Helgarion) 9-15-0



Coming up next, we see who will emerge victorious when “The Tyrannical Teabagger” Ricky Blazer takes on Ivan Belshiknolav.



Ricky Blazer is a long time Insanity competitor, signing after initially taking part in a QFC tournament. He is currently on a 2 fight losing streak, but has shown he can win a fight at any moment. His last 3 wins were all KO finishes, and all won him a KO of the Night bonus. With his levels of boxing supported by his wrestling, he is a dangerous competitor to come up against.



Ivan Belshiknolav is a strong Muay Thai fighter who has gone on a poor run of results, losing his last 5 fights in a row. He has a questionable chin, and regularly succumbs to submissions. Unfortunately for him, he will also be coming into this bout with reduced energy and morale, making this bout even more difficult for him.



Honestly, this should be a simple fight for Blazer to navigate, due to his opponent’s lack of energy and morale. If Belshiknolav has these up to scratch, it would be a different fight, but as it is, I have to go with a swift win for Blazer.



Prediction: Ricky Blazer to win via (T)KO in Round 1



Fight #5



Kajun Puno (Chris Karter) 6-5-0



vs



Macho Randy (The Antidote) 6-2-0



Our next fight on the card sees Kajun Puno take on Macho Randy.



Kajun Puno is the son of MMA legend Fidel Puno, and will be looking turn his fortunes around after going 1-4 in his last 5 bouts. Possessing a Granite Chin, his most dangerous weapon in his past fights has been his slick BJJ game, which has claimed 5 victims by way of Submission. With a dangerous ground game, and a good defensive game in most areas, he will be a difficult fighter to catch off guard.



Macho Randy is a dangerous striker who has been developing his Wrestling and BJJ as a defensive mechanism, which is really required in this bout. He lost his last fight via KO to Roosevelt Coleman, having previously been on a 3 fight winning streak, and he will be confident about getting back on the right path. The key for him in this bout is defending well against Puno’s ground based offense, and making his strikes count when he can land them.



I see Puno being able to land a takedown in this fight, but the question is whether he can end the fight while he is there, or even keep the fight there and grind out a decision. Randy’s hope is to get a (T)KO, but I believe Puno will drag him under at one point.



Prediction: Kajun Puno to win via Submission in Round 2



Fight #6



Chris Severn (Sean McDonnel) 9-6-1



vs



Machine Gun (Chris Fraser) 12-4-1



Our final non-Mad Cash fight here for you now as Chris Severn takes on Machine Gun.



Chris Severn is entering his last bout before joining Team Misfits for the ITFL, and it is clear why he was selected to be a team member. High levels of striking is also back up by high levels of grappling. The only issue is he has a bit of an issue with his chin, something which can be exploited by any potential opponent.



Machine Gun, who named himself that after learning it was the object his father used to threaten his mother as he was conceived, has high levels of Boxing and Wrestling, while his Muay Thai and BJJ Purple Belt play as more of support beams for his gameplans. He lacks a bit of KO power, but he has a Solid Chin, and that can be what works out for him.



To be honest, I feel Chris Severn should be winning this. He outmatches Gun, has a better manager, and his hiddens match up better imo as he can work it in his favour.



Prediction: Chris Severn to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #7 - Mad Cash Fight!



Boyko Kersikov (Dean Sutherland) 5-1-0



vs



Mateus Gracie (Louie DePalma) 10-2-0



The first of our Mad Cash fights now as 3/1 Boyko Kersikov clashes with 10/1 Mateus Gracie.



Boyko Kersikov is the favourite of the tournament, with the only other 3/1 fighter Logan Sackett being eliminated in Round 1. He is currently on a 5 fight winning streak, with his debut fight being a loss that, rumour has it, might have been a planned defeat. Nevertheless, he is a very dangerous fighter, with some of the best Muay Thai seen in MMA, and his strikes leave his opponents in a daze. Managed by #1 manager Dean Sutherland, he is going to be a tough competitor for anyone, and he will fancy his chances in this fight.



Mateus Gracie is still undefeated under current manager Louie DePalma, who has managed to get the best out of his BJJ Black Belt. He mixes up his takedowns with his strikes, looking to lull his opponents into a false sense of security before taking the fight to the ground and dominating his opponents. He faces his toughest challenge to date, and will send out a real statement should he emerge victorious.



Overall, I think Kersikov has the upperhand here. The fight starts where he is comfortable, and he has a good level of wrestling that can keep it standing, but he will need to hit hard to bring Gracie down before he gets into trouble.



Prediction: Boyko Kersikov to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #8 - Mad Cash Fight!



Yushin Yamamoto (The Can Crusher) 7-2-1



vs



Antoni Hong (Topo Topologies) 9-3-0



Our second ITFL bout sees 5/1 Yushin Yamamoto take on 5/1 Antoni Hong.



Yushin Yamamoto is currently on a 2 fight winning streak, having defeated Timothy Robinson in the last round via Unanimous Decision. He displayed some good defensive grappling to dominate a fellow black belt, despite being taken down in each round, he managed to reverse the position and hold off his opponent’s submission attempts to take home the win.



Antoni Hong is the current Insanity 155lbs champion, and he defeated Beaver Hardwood in the previous round via Unanimous Decision. Despite losing the first round to Beaver Hardwood, he started to mix in his takedowns in Rounds 2 and 3 better, and took both of those rounds on all of the judge’s scorecards. He dealt with his opponent’s striking well, and dominated him on the ground.



Personally, I feel Hong is the better fighter, as I see his striking to be more crisp, while his ground defences seem solid to deal with his opponent’s threats.



Prediction: Antoni Hong to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #9 - Mad Cash Fight!



Chad Didion (Huey Freeman) 12-5-0



vs



Eight Twentythree (Scott Davies) 5-0-0



Our Co-Main event, and penultimate fight of the 2nd round, sees 10/1 Chad Didion takes on 10/1 Eight Twentythree.



Chad Didion grounded out a Split Decision victory over Kang Xi Jia in the last round, using his striking well from range, but also forcing the fight into the clinch, and even onto the ground, in an effort to push his opponent to the limit. A lot of people claimed Xi Jia should have gotten the win, but Didion is the man here, and he will be looking to take full advantage.



Eight Twentythree also won a Split Decision in the first round, gaining the win over Norman Parke. He found the most success at range, picking his opponent off and winning Rounds 2 and 3 to take the fight. He will need to be careful, as Didion is a capable fighter in all areas.



The way I see it, Didion needs to make this a grappling form of fight, while Twentythree needs it to be striking from range. We know Didion can fight anywhere, but we have seen Twentythree struggle inside the clinch and on the ground, so I see Didion taking advantage for a Decision.



Prediction: Chad Didion to win via Split Decision.



Fight #10 - Mad Cash Fight!



Dickie Dirty (Bjorn O’Donnel) 11-1-0



vs



Sigurd Lodbrok (Ragnar Lodbrok) 11-5-0



Our main event of the evening sees 7/1 Dickie Dirty take on 18/1 Sigurd Lodbrok.



Dickie Dirty caused probably the upset of the tournament, and even a potential upset of the year contender, with a victory over Logan Sackett in Round 1. Nobody gave him much of a chance, but he surprised everyone by performing amicably. He scored well on the ground, and avoided taking too much damage in striking while firing off his own shots. People won’t be underestimating him for the rest of the tournament however, but he is one of the frontrunners now with that win.



Sigurd Lodbrok disposed of his opponent in Round 1, Tyroil Smoochie Wallace, in quick fashion. He came out of the box flying, landing punches and kicks early, and rocking Wallace with two swift jabs. He followed this up with a big head kick that dazed Wallace, and followed up with strikes to force the ref to stop the fight. He has shown he has explosive striking, and he will be looking to do more of the same.



I see this going one of two ways. Siguard Lodbrok will need to end this fight in Round 1, as I feel Dirty’s grappling will wear him down going into the later rounds. I don’t believe Dirty will finish Lodbrok, but I do feel if he can survive an early onslaught from Lodbrok, he will get a decision win.



Prediction: Dickie Dirty to win via Unanimous Decision



That finishes up our preview for the Mad Cash Round 2 events. Hope you all enjoyed the writing, and I hope you all look forward to the results. Remember, the 185 round is happening at 10pm, while the 155 event happens at 2am. Also, a big thanks to John Hetfield for his contribution to the preview. Best of luck to all competitors, and I will see you all next time for the Preview of Round 3!



  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Epicity Productions

presents…

http://mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1435103776EP%2032.jpg

EP32: International Intricacy!

Live from the Saku Dome in Tokyo!

in association with Conquer Clothing!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our preview for EP32: International Intricacy! This represents Epicity Productions’ first foray overseas, and they hope to excite the Japanese crowd with a great display of MMA action. With the Heavyweight title on the line, EP is sending a solid delegation to represent, so without further ado, let’s get right into it!

UNDERCARD

Fight #1 - Light Heavyweight Division!

Shaw Shank (1-0-0) vs Wayne Conner (3-3-0)

Our first fight of the evening pits relative newcomer to MMA Shaw Shank take on Wayne Conner.

In this fight, I expect it will be an easy enough victory for Shank. He is the more skilled fighter, and Conner has not looked convincing in his career thus far.

Prediction: Shaw Shank to win via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #2 - Featherweight Division!

Chris Cross (6-7-0) vs Guto Silveira (17-16-0)

Next up is a Featherweight clash as Chris Cross takes on veteran Guto Silveira.

Cross is the more rounded fighter here, as Silveira relies heavily on his boxing to carry him through fights. Cross’ better overall skill set should carry him through here.

Prediction: Chris Cross to win via Submission in Round 2

Fight #3 - Featherweight Division!

Jon Hopkins (5-2-0) vs Baki Hanma (5-5-0)

Another Featherweight clash here as Jon Hopkins does battle with Baki Hanma.

Jon Hopkins is the older fighter, and his striking advantage is backed up by his wrestling advantage. Having said that, if Hanma can get it down, he has a good chance to finish, but I feel Hopkins will get the (T)KO before that.

Prediction: Jon Hopkins to win via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #4 - Light Heavyweight Division!

Jack Shaw (5-0-0) vs Santiago Diablo (5-0-1)

A Light Heavyweight clash now as undefeated Jack Shaw takes on fellow undefeated fighter Santiago Diablo.

Realistically, this fight should have been a lot closer than it will be. Diablo is coming into this fight devoid of morale, and it should be easy for Shaw to pick him off and end his undefeated streak.

Prediction: Jack Shaw to win via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #5 - Featherweight Division!

The Sigit (13-4-1) vs Arc Turian (10-3-0)

Our last fight on the undercard sees The Sigit fight Arc Turian in a Featherweight bout!

Going by skills, Arc Turian appears to be a favourite for this bout, but when looking closer, he is not a finisher by any stretch of imagination, while The Sigit is an accomplished Submission expert. Turian’s inability to finish fights will provide Sigit with the opportunity to take it down and lock in a finish.

Prediction: The Sigit to win via Submission in Round 2

MAIN CARD


Fight #6 - Featherweight Division!

Gio Avila (10-5-0) vs James Granger (13-9-0)

The first fight on our main card sees Gio Avila face off against James Granger in the Featherweight division.

Gio Avila is a submission specialist who has gained all of his wins via Submission. While his Striking is not at a great level, he has a decent level of Wrestling which works well in tandem with his BJJ Purple Belt. His last fight saw him make his EP debut, securing a second round submission win with a tight Arm Triangle against Guto Silveira.

James Granger is also a BJJ specialist, although he has also secured wins via (T)KO and Decision to show he is not just a one weapon man. He has the superior grappling, but he will need to be wary about potentially being caught off guard. His last bout was a TKO loss to Andrew Morgan in his EP debut, so he will be hoping to bounce back with a win here.

Prediction: James Granger to win via Submission in Round 3

Fight #7 - Middleweight Division!

Coaker Kluge (10-7-0) vs Harrison Yates (9-0-0)

Rolling on with the main card we see a Dogs of War clash here as Uncle Lar’s Coaker Kluge takes on Mello Jones’ Harrison Yates on the Middleweight Division.

Coaker Kluge is a classic sprawl and brawler, but he has the Muay Thai and BJJ to show he is no slouch outside of his own comfort zone. He has some good KO power, and also a Granite Chin, providing him with enough to stand in the pocket and trade blows with anyone. In his last bout, he defeated Lucas Pierce in his last fight at NYFN before it’s closure in a 3rd round TKO victory.

Harrison Yates is undefeated in his MMA career thus far, and many have attributed that to his advance level of Muay Thai, as he peppers his opponents from range while also working them over in the clinch. In his last bout, he secured a unanimous decision victory over Donnie Datsik in a fight where he displayed his great striking skills, as well as demonstrated some great defensive grappling to nullify his opponent.

Prediction: Harrison Yates to win via (T)KO in Round 2

Fight #8 - Welterweight Division!

Sam Rogers (20-10-0) vs Tre Spar (8-6-1)

Our last bout before the Co-Main event sees veteran Sam Rogers take on Tre Spar in a Welterweight bout.

Sam Rogers is a veteran of MMA, who has only competed in 3 fight orgs in his career, Attack Fighting League, Death Squad MMA, and now Epicity Productions! His ground game is well known, as he can make you submit, and also pound your face into the canvas if given the right situation. He lost his debut in EP in his last bout, losing a Unanimous Decision victory to Wrestlefuck Wrestling.

Tre Spar is coming into his 4th EP fight here, as he looks to move up the ranks. A well rounded fighter with nothing in particular standing out, he still knows how to win, with 7 finishes in his 8 wins. In his last bout, he suffered a swift KO loss to Andy Carroll, but he will be looking to bounce back here.

Prediction: Sam Rogers to win via (T)KO in Round 2

CO-MAIN EVENT!

Fight #9 - Lightweight Division!

Jeffrey Miller (13-6-1) vs Dorian Yates (8-2-0)

Our Co-Main Event of the evening is sponsored by GBK16’s writings. For quality and consistency, contact Grant Brophy (93477) for availability.

The Co-Main Event sees former champion Jeffrey Miller take on ITFL bound Dorian Yates.

Jeffrey Miller’s main strength is his stand up prowess. With 8 wins via (T)KO, he has shown he has the capabilities of ending his opponent’s nights early, and he has shown great improvements under his current management. Going on a 6 fight win streak, he claimed the EP title before losing it to Yaniv Schulmann in his last bout. With Schulmann also due to head to the ITFL, Miller will be looking to use this fight as an opportunity to stake his claim to the crown depending on what Dick Hardwood does in regards to the title.

Dorian Yates is currently undefeated under his manager Mike Jursllla, racking up a 5 fight win streak which has put him immediately among the upper levels of the division. His main weakness is his tendency to allow the fights to go to a decision, which could be dangerous if he is behind on the cards. Despite this, he is a solid fighter, and Miller will have his hands full trying to cope with Yates.

Prediction: Dorian Yates to win via Unanimous Decision

MAIN EVENT!

Fight #10 - Heavyweight Division! - Title Fight!

Mellow Mood © (14-3-0) vs Jacques Saint-Perrilloux (7-0-0)

Our Main Event of the evening is brought to you by Conquer Clothing - The Most Epic of Clothing Stores!

The Main Event sees a Heavyweight title clash as Mellow Mood defends his title for the first time against undefeated number one contender Jacques Saint-Perrilloux!

Mellow Mood was a recent signing to Epicity, but he had a huge crowd following from his run in WarZone, which brought him to the forefront of media attention. There was a huge scramble for him, but Epicity won out and, such was his reputation, awarded him a title shot in his first fight. He won the title from Zoey Malone Jr due to Doctor Stoppage after he opened up a nasty cut which finally bled too much in the fourth round. He is a highly skilled striker, and his grappling is no small game either as he has become an incredibly rounded MMA fighter, and he will be confident in continuing his reign and the Heavyweight champion.

Jacques Saint-Perrilloux (JSP) is also a very talented and skilled mixed martial artist. With 7 wins and no losses in his career, he has made a good start, going 5-0 under former manager Scooby Ali before being dropped, and he was then signed by current manager Gale Hawthorne, who signed him up to EP. Two dominant performances over Matt Weston and Joe Louis put him in the spotlight for a title shot, and here he is now. He has the power to trouble Mood, but he has yet to be put into any major trouble, and it may be the deciding factor in this bout if he can handle the pressure Mood will put on him.

Prediction: JSP to win via (T)KO in Round 4

That’s it for this preview of EP’s latest event! Apologies for the lateness, but I hope to have the previews done more in advance in future. It looks like it will be a great event, so be sure to keep an eye out for the results!

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Havoc Fighting League

 

presents…

 

Causing Havoc 19!

 

Live from Hayashi’s Lounge in Amsterdam!

 

In association with AnonymouS

 

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this short notice preview of Causing Havoc 19! My name is Grant Brophy, and I will be doing some previews for Havoc for the foreseeable future until a more permanent writer is found. With less than 12 hours remaining until the event, I will simply be doing a prediction for the under fight cards, with the main card getting a full preview! Now without further ado, let’s get right down into it!

 

Undercard

 

Predictions

 

Rod McLaren to defeat Lenny Lukens Jr via Submission in Round 2

 

Kim Woo Bin to defeat Djin Dawn via (T)KO in Round 2

 

Jimmy McDonald to defeat Juan Dela Cruz via (T)KO in Round 1

 

Manuel La Bor to defeat Nicolae Filipescu via (T)KO in Round 2

 

Kim Jong Un to defeat Tien Shinhan via (T)KO in Round 1

 

MAIN CARD

 

Fight #6 - Light Heavyweight Division!

 

Rodolfo Vieira (4-1-0) vs Steven Johnson (4-3-0)

 

Our first fight on the main card sees Rodolfo “The Black Belt Hunter” Vieira take on Steven “Wonderboy” Johnson.

 

Rodolfo Vieira’s main plan here will be getting the fight to the ground, where he has a slight advantage. He has been improving his striking skills, but his grappling remains his most dangerous weapon.

 

Steven Johnson is a Submission artist too, albeit, slightly less skilled than Vieira. He too has been improving his striking, but with Vieira holding the ground advantage, it will be interesting to see if Johnson keeps it standing or tries to go to ground.

 

Prediction: Rodolfo Vieira to win via Submission in Round 2

 

Fight #7 - Middleweight Division!

 

Kai Kha (2-1-0) vs Khal Drogo (4-0-0)

 

Middleweight clash to follow up now as Kai Kha takes on “The Great” Khal Drogo.

 

Kai Kha is making his fourth appearance in Havoc here, improving his skills greatly since his debut, with many earmarking him as a future top prospect. He

prefers to strike at range, using leg kicks effectively, and working the body as well with punches and the occasional kick. He defeated Hans Huber in his last bout via Unanimous Decision, so it will be interesting to see if he hunts for the KO or not.

 

Khal Drogo has been hailed by many as the next big thing in MMA. Extremely skilled for such a young fighter, many have called for his physical attributes for his weaknesses, but reports indicate Drogo has been working hard to make himself as physically ready as can be. No losses yet on his record, he was won fights via Sub, (T)KO and Decision, and it will be this diversity that leads him upwards.

 

Prediction: Khal Drogo to win via (T)KO in Round 2

 

Fight #8 - Heavyweight Division!

 

Sam Wilson (4-1-0) vs Tamati Ngata (4-1-0)

 

Penultimate fight before the Main Events here as Sam Wilson takes on Tamati Ngata!

 

Sam Wilson is a highly talented Wrestler who has been working on his other skills in order to bring them up to scratch. He likes to mix it up, striking from distance, the occasional takedown and clinching up. His favourite appears to be clinching where he can use his great wrestling to gain a dominant position, and he will be looking up towards the title should he win.

 

Tamati Ngata is the former Heavyweight champion, and he will be looking to get back on track here. Good levels of Boxing and Wrestling are his forte, and he won the Darkness title with those skills. He defeated Santeri Laukkanen in his debut fight in Havoc before facing off against Robert Baratheon for the vacant title, in a losing effort. He will be more focussed than ever, but this may be one challenge to much for him.

 

Prediction: Sam Wilson to win via (T)KO in Round 2

 

CO MAIN EVENT

Fight #9 - Featherweight Division!

 

Ricky Monroe (5-2-0) vs Otso Koski (5-4-0)

 

Co-Main event here as Ricky “Manuki” Monroe takes on Otso Koski.

 

Ricky Monroe is an accomplished ground fighter, possessing high levels of Wrestling, and getting his BJJ up as well in order to defend himself from any dangers. His tactic is simple, take you down and turn your face into a pancake. If Koski can avoid this, he stands a chance. The main issue for Monroe is his lack of striking will be his downfall if he comes up against a fighter skilled in striking and on the ground.

 

Otso Koski is a great Muay Thai fighter, gaining 5 (T)KO wins from 5, but his bane is BJJ fighters, something his opponent will be delighted to hear. Koski has been improving his Wrestling, but the question is, will it be enough come fight time? Koski will need to get the (T)KO before the fight can go to the ground.

 

Prediction: Ricky Monro to win via Submission in Round 1

 

MAIN EVENT

Fight #10 - Featherweight Division!

 

Darren Brown (7-2-0) vs Dupraz Herve (3-2-0)

 

Our main event of the evening sees former title contender Darren Brown take on Dupraz Herve.

 

Darren Brown is on something of a slide lately. After going 6-0, he is now 1-2 in his last 3 fights, losing a title shot and his morale has been shot lately. Lack of funds has seen him get booted from his gym, and his manager has gone MIA. Everyone is pointing to him losing here, but stranger things have happened in MMA. He is a dangerous BJJ fighter, gaining 7 submission wins from all 7, and he will be hoping he can turn his misery around with a win here.

 

Dupraz Herve is a developing fighter from France, and like Brown, he will be hoping he can turn his fortunes around. Currently 0-2 since signing for Insanity, he has good levels of Muay Thai and Wrestling, His boxing is also coming along nicely as he looks to remove any weaknesses in his game. He is also coming in well rested and with good morale, so he is my pick for this bout.

 

Prediction: Dupraz Herve to win via (T)KO in Round 1

 

Well that’s it from me. I hope you enjoyed the Preview, and I hope you enjoy the future writing being done for Havoc, which will be a lot better quality.

 

Thank you for reading, and best of luck to everyone in the fights!

 

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/1415204146k2o7wm.jpg



Evolution presents



HALL OF FAME



2015 Inductees



Good evening everyone, and welcome to the induction of two great fighters into the Evolution Hall of Fame. There are 14 fighters in the Hall of Fame so far, among them such great names like Otso Jokinen and Mitchell Stehling. With very few fighters in there, it has gained a prestige of sorts, and now here, we take a look at two fighters who have truly become two of the best fighters, not only to have fought in Evo, but to have competed in MMA period. These two fighters have actually competed against each other in the past, and now they are here again to take their place among the gods.



Our first inductee is one of the best fighters in the world today, and has previously been called the GOAT. The following are his accomplishments so far in his MMA Tycoon career:



#1 P4P Fighter


New Generation Fighters (NGF) Hall of Fame member


Former NGF Heavyweight Champion


Former NGF Super Heavyweight Champion


Tycoon Summer Olympics Bronze Medallist


Tycoon Winter Olympics Gold Medallist


Former EVO Heavyweight Champion


Current EVO Super Heavyweight Champion


3 Fight of the Night awards


9 KO Of The Night awards


Fight of the Year 2014 winner


Super Heavyweight Fighter of the Year 2014


Fighter of the Year 2014



Current MMA Record: 40-6-0



Of course, there is only one man we can be talking about and now we would like to take you through the career of the man known as……



http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/3/3w1.jpg



RINKY “THE GANGSTER” SPIDER



Early Career



Rinky Spider was spotted by Bowser BigDog early on, and spotting his potential, Bowser signed him up and had him take part in a test fight. Showing great prowess, Spider knocked out his opponent, Muhammed Jolly, within 3 minutes, and also showed he had a Granite Chin, thereby influencing Bowser to keep him signed on.



He took part in a fight at SPFT, KO’ing his opponent, Rick James, in just 45 seconds to really started having people talk about his potential. He would then sign with the org where he would start to build his reputation, New Generation Fighters.



New Kid at New Generation Fighters



Following his signing to NGF, Rinky would have his first fight at NGF Fight Night 6. He took on Petr Jakovlev, another young fighter with an undefeated record. It wouldn’t last long however, as Spider ended him with a brutal head kick midway into the first round to announce his arrival, as he was awarded the KO of the Night award. He would win his next three fights in a row, all via (T)KO within 2 rounds. This would set up a title shot against Sam Winchester (Now known as Alojz Cerny), in a fight between two of the hottest prospects in the division. Despite a hard fought battle, Spider would be unable to finish Winchester, and would lose the judge’s decision to mark his first defeat in MMA.



Despite the loss, Spider rose to the challenge of climbing the ladder again to the top, defeating Firco Nowack in his next fight with an incredible Spinning Backfist KO in the first round. He followed that up with a TKO (Cut) win over Carlos Quintana (Now known as Carlos Cutwood) to earn another shot at the gold. This time he would be competing against Polish Engineer for the belt, and he would finally capture the title with a TKO (Strikes) victory at 2.20 of the first round.



The Next Big Thing



After capturing the gold, many had claimed Rinky was the next big star in MMA. In order to live up to those claims however, he would need to keep the momentum on his side. This would start with defending the belt against the first man to defeat him, Sam Winchester. In a shock, Rinky would end the fight within a minute, finishing Winchester off with a Head Kick to retain his title, and earn the KO of the Night award.



He would suffer setback in his next bout however, dropping the title to Wei Pei, and suffering his first TKO loss in his career. He would battle Vadim Kalashnikov in his next bout, showing typical Spider attacking by winning via KO (Head Kick) in the first round to earn another title shot. This time however, he would be facing Shavo Odin for the Super Heavyweight belt, and like before, he would win the title via TKO (Strikes), albeit in the second round this time.



He would then take part in a supercard being organised by Immortals NY, as he took on and defeated Tobias Larsson. Upon his return to NGF, he Karol Cropp in a non-title bout. He would go on to defeat Samson Miodek and Wei Pei in title defences, before making the jump to Evolution.



Early Days at Evolution



After making the jump to Evo’s Super Heavyweight division, Spider suddenly found himself in shark infested waters, with everyone wanting a piece of him. He would challenge for the title in his debut, losing to Neo Kable. He would lose two fights in a row for the first, and only, time in his career in his next bout as he dropped a decision victory to Liro Tolonen in an Evo vs Ascension event. He would then go on a tear, picking up 5 wins in a row in Evo, capturing the Super Heavyweight title, and avenging the two losses to Kable and Tolonen.



He would then go on to represent Evolution in the Tycoon Olympics, which involved some of the biggest orgs in MMA Tycoon. He would pick up a win in the first round against James Proudstar via TKO (Strikes) in the 5th round, in a fight which was voted the Fight Of The Year 2014.



A loss to Ghengis Congo would follow in the next round however, and Spider would then find himself competing against Emeka Shakur for the Bronze Medal. Spider would claim the victory, courtesy of a doctor’s stoppage due to a nasty cut being opened on Shakur. This victory would really show he had arrived on the world stage, and many had him pegged as the new poster boy for Evo.



Dominance in Evolution



Spider’s reputation was becoming such that people believed he was going to be the best fighter in the world. Well, following his Bronze Medal, he continued his strive for greatness, as he defended his title against Bas Severn successfully. He would follow up that with successful title defences against Antonio Manoel, Leonardo Ferreira and Ernesto Oliveira.



Following these successes, he would take part in a clash with Simon Williams for the Heavyweight title. With the Super Heavyweight title secured, this was a chance for Rinky to display his dominance of the heavier weights and unify the two titles. He would do that, and in dominant fashion with a first round TKO victory.



From there, he took a one fight deal with Team Thomas Fight Club, defeating Daniel Silva in the first round. From there, he would return to Evo to defend his title once in the Super Heavyweight division, as he beat Declan Sweeney via Unanimous Decision to retain his crown.



From there he would represent Evo in the Tycoon Winter Olympics, and in his first round match up, he defeated Jon Hess in a high profile fight which further showed Rinky’s dominance of the heavier divisions. A hard fought battle with Codi Gale would follow in the Semi Finals. but Rinky would again end it with a head kick late in the 5th round. He would contest the finals against Yeo Jae Suk, and would finish him with a second round TKO finish to claim the Gold medal to go with the Bronze he won in the Summer Olympics.



Return to Evo



This next part brings us up to the present day Rinky Spider. After claiming Gold, he returned to Evo again to defend his titles. He took on Vyacheslav Kalashnikov, twin brother of Vadim Kalashnikov who Rinky defeated early in his career, in a bout for the title. Rinky made light work of him, forcing Vyacheslav to submit to strikes early in the second round.



His next fight would see him take on Bo Juggernaut, Ascension’s Heavyweight champion. In what was becoming a common theme for his career, Rinky won the fight and made it look relatively easy with a KO (Punch) victory in the second round.



The next fight however, was to be one that would change Rinky’s career.



In a highly anticipated clash between the rosters of Bowser BigDog and Dean Sutherland, Rinky Spider was slated to fight a former foe in Leonardo Ferreira. Rinky had defeated Ferreira previously, but that was under Choose Life’s (Mannetosen) management. Now that Ferreira was under Sutherland’s, there was an air of unpredictability coming into the bout. Sutherland claimed he would go 10-0 in the entire event, and claimed he felt supremely confident in winning, as did Bowser BigDog when asked about his thoughts on the bout. When it came to the fight, the world was shocked as Rinky Spider’s 13 fight win streak was snapped via Unanimous Decision, as he lost the Heavyweight championship.



However, rather than sulk in the corner, Spider got right back into the action, defending his Super Heavyweight title successfully against Tiny McGee. Following this was a superfight of sorts with CEC champion Rocky Tyson, a fight Rinky continued his comeback with, scoring a first round TKO.



He would then defend his Evo title against Rau Utu, and got a rarity when he didn’t win due to a finish, but rather a Doctor’s stoppage as he scored a TKO (Cut) win in the second round. A trip to Aggressive Damage followed, as he scored a quick first round KO against Cinder Smaug.



His last fight saw him defend his title against Rockford Knight, and he saw out a Unanimous Decision win to leave him at 40-6-0 in his career, and rocked atop the mountain at #1 P4P.



He is next scheduled to face Varg Velde, in a bout which could have implications of a rematch with Leonardo Ferreira should he be able to win.



With the career behind him, Rinky Spider is truly one of the best fighters in MMA Tycoon history, and he now takes his place deservingly in the Evolution Hall of Fame!



Next Inductee to follow soon…


Link to comment
Share on other sites

Havoc Fighting League

 

presents…

 

Causing Havoc 20!

 

Live from Hayashi’s Lounge, Amsterdam!

 

In association with AnonymouS

 

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Preview for Causing Havoc 20! No title fights on the line this week, but a number of upcoming stars feature in what showcases some of the best young talent Havoc has to offer. Without further ado, let’s kick off with our predictions for the Undercard!

 

Undercard

 

Predictions

 

Otso Koski def. Melvin Garcia via (T)KO in Round 1

 

Robert Bruce def. Cliff Burton via (T)KO in Round 2

 

Dae Kyung Kim def. Demir Kartal via Submission in Round 1

 

Aidan Harrison def. Andrewle Martin via (T)KO in Round 1

 

Ekong Bell def. Karl Karlsson via (T)KO in Round 2

 

Main Card

 

Fight #1

 

Featherweight Division

 

Carlton Leach (6-2-0) vs Terrell James (3-5-0)

 

Our first fight of the evening sees the Featherweight division’s resident footsoldier Carlton Leach take on Terrell “Thunder” James!

 

Carlton Leach has had a pattern throughout his career, picking up 2 wins, followed by a loss consistently. Despite this, both of his losses have come via Decision, and both of them were Fight of the Night winners. He comes to fights to give the fans a show, and with all 6 wins coming via (T)KO, he has the power to get to his opponents.

 

Terrell James is currently on a bit of a downer, having lost all 5 fights he has competed in since joining Havoc. Despite this, he has a solid grappling game that can trouble any opponent. The big problem is that he is known to crumble under pressure, so he will look to take the fight down asap to avoid the big hits from Leach.

 

Prediction: Carlton Leach to win via (T)KO in Round 2

 

Fight #2

 

Heavyweight Division

 

Ernesto Silva (4-0-0) vs William Cutter (3-3-0)

 

Our next fight on the main card is a Heavyweight clash between undefeated Ernesto Silva and Gangs of New York Season 2 participant William Cutter!

 

Ernesto Silva has a diverse skill range, choosing to be a jack of all trades, and master of none. He has a BJJ Purple Belt that he has used to gain 3 wins via Submission. He has a solid chin which lets him survive long enough to gain the takedown, and he will be relying on it again here.

 

William Cutter is a young Muay Thai fighter who is competing in Havoc for the first time. He competed in the Gangs of New York tournament, going a respectable 3-2 throughout the season. He is a Heavy Handed fighter, and he has a decent chin which has held him in good stead so far, but this fight will rely on him avoiding the takedown.

 

Prediction: Ernesto Silva to win via Submission in Round 1

 

Fight #3

 

CO-MAIN EVENT (As it stands)

 

Middleweight Division

 

Carl Grimes (5-5-0) vs Hans Huber (4-2-0)

 

Our Co-Main event (as it stands) sees a Middleweight clash between Carl Grimes and Hans Huber!

 

Carl Grimes is a BJJ fighter with an expanding skill set. He has gained all of his wins via Submission, but his major flaw is his glass jaw, which has seen 4 of his losses come via (T)KO. He will need to shore up his defences if he wants to win fights, because his ground offense is solid and gives him a good base to work with.

 

Hans Huber is a boxer who is coming into this fight in an attempt to right the wrongs of his debut in Havoc where he lost. A Granite Chin with some dynamic fists, he has shown he has the potential to go very far in MMA, and his diversity in his skills is ever growing. He will be looking to see how his game plan against grapplers works here, as he looks to earn a title clash in the near future.

 

Prediction: Hans Huber to win via (T)KO in Round 1

 

Fight #4

 

MAIN EVENT (As it stands)

 

Light Heavyweight Division

 

Yuuto Yoshida (8-2-0) vs Wyatt Earp (4-2-0)

 

Our Main Event (as it stands) of the evening is a Light Heavyweight clash as Yuuto Yoshida locks horns with Wyatt Earp.

 

Yuuto Yoshida is currently on a 7 fight winning streak, stretching back to his run in Choke. He is a well rounded fighter, with high levels of Muay Thai and Wrestling, as well as great Boxing and BJJ. He has won all 8 of his fights via (T)KO, and has shown he can win at any point in a fight. He will need to use these attributes to pull off a win here, and he will be banging on the door for a future title bout.

 

Wyatt Earp is an excellent Muay Thai fighter who has developed his Boxing and Wrestling to good levels in order to support this. With only 1 (T)KO win, he has shown a tendency to drag the fight to the judges, and has come away on the good end thrice. He has a Granite Chin, and that will come into use in this bout as he looks to survive any onslaughts that Yoshida can throw at him. This will be a big test of him, and he will be launched into the higher ends of the division with a win.

 

Prediction: Yuuto Yoshida to win via (T)KO in Round 3

 

THE FIGHT CARD IS STILL TO BE FULLY CONFIRMED. FIGHTS MAY MOVE ABOUT AS A RESULT, AND THERE IS STILL 1 FIGHT TO BE WRITTEN.

 

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/1415396798Troid%20Logo%201.jpg

http://mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1405694816Next%20Top%20Fighter.jpg

TROID’S NEXT TOP FIGHTER!

The Final Chapter


Live from the Camden Conference Centre!

In association with Voodoo Nutrition!


Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Preview for the last round of fights in the Troid’s Next Top Fighter tournament. I am going to be honest, when I first started the tournament, I expected it to be mediocre at best. I had no previous experience running a tournament, I had only just taking over Troid and was running it single handedly, and I was asking for a quite a lot in order for the tournament to be successful. Thankfully, due to a great number of people who signed up, were helpful and supportive, and thanks to the fact a number of great managers were involved, the tournament turned out to be a huge success. Not many tournaments can run for nearly an entire calendar year straight, but we managed to pull it off, and we even managed to pick up “Tournament of the Year 2014” as a result, beating off some huge competition in the ITFL and even the mega tournament that was the Tycoon Olympics. I would like to place on record my thanks to the managers who stuck with this tournament through to the end, and also thanks to those managers who entered replacement fighters when the tournament was looking doomed in order to save it. This has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my MMA Tycoon career, and it is all down to the community involvement and fun that came with some top managers being involved. My favourite part of this tournament would probably be during the first few events, chat would always have a few people in there and we would be waiting for the results to see who is going up and down the table. Was always fun to discuss the fighters and what we feel about them, and hopefully some future seasons can retain the same kind of feeling around them. Now, with all the sombreness out of the way, we do still have one last round of fights to preview, so without further ado, let’s get right into it!

http://i.gyazo.com/0d9463e8295ad5b8c0b76c2b16f91149.png

Our first fight sees popular smacktalking Irishman “The Cork Convict” Conor McCracken take on the quiet and conservative (not the political party) Gregor MCconnor.

Conor McCracken has shown himself to be one of the most outspoken participants of the Season. With a vocabulary that could only come with growing up in Ireland, he has talked the talk, and put on a fight against everyone he came up against. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, he has gained 7 of his 8 wins via Submission, and most impressive of all, is that he has won using a different submission every time. One has to wonder if he will pull off another submission, or possibly even a legendary TDPW. Only time will tell, but expect McCracken to take the fight down to his zone.

Gregor MCconnor hasn’t had a great tournament run, but he has shown incredible heart by staying in the tournament til the end. He has lost his last 6 on the spin, although having said that they were mostly all the top contenders. He will be hoping he can survive McCracken’s submissions and come away with another decision, as I don’t see him gaining a (T)KO.

Prediction: Conor McCracken to win via Submission in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/87646ad9e05a45e21c78fa3d50b51520.png

Our next fight sees formerly dropped Sebastian Scrooge take on tournament replacement Matt Smith.

Sebastian Scrooge was an original entry in the tournament, under the management of Dave F. However, after going 0-5 in his first 5 bouts, he was dropped by his management and looked to cause an issue for the tournament. However, he was picked up by myself in order to keep the tournament going. After an initially promising start, going 2-0-1 in his first three fights, including a draw against top competitor Jimmy Doyle, Scrooge would go 0-4 in his next 4 fights, with one of those being an auto win after his opponent dropped out. His competition during these 3 tournament bouts were tough however, competing against McCracken, Carlyle and Boshtok. He will be looking to finish on a high before he leaves the MMA scene, and a win here will do the job.

Matt Smith was a tournament replacement, and he has shown he could have been one of the top competitors has he been involved from the get go. After going 4-1 in QFC bouts, he got involved in TNTF and has since gone 4-2 with wins over Yuri Boshtok and Commander Shepard. He is a dangerous Muay Thai fighter, and will be looking to finish the season on a high also, and his dangerous clinch game could be the decisive factor.

Prediction: Matt Smith to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/6f5a97659521c5de22f822ed10c2bfe7.png

Midway through the round now, and we see tournament leader Yuri Boshtok attempt to secure first place as he takes on another tournament replacement in Gerry Khan.

Yuri Boshtok has been a dominant fighter in TNTF, as he has racked up a 12-2 record. His big issue is fighting grapplers who are sound defensively. He was brutalised in the clinch by Matt Smith, showing a possible flaw in his game, but he was also beaten by popular fighter Jimmy Doyle. Despite this, he leads the tournament with 10 KO wins giving him the points needed to be in first place, as well as one round of NC which gave him an auto win. He has a fantastic wrestling game, and can change levels to control where the fight occurs. He will most likely be looking to take this fight to the ground, and if he does, he will be in a great position to finish.

Gerry Khan is a great Muay Thai striker who has the KO power to end anyone’s night early. Joining the tournament as a late replacement, he has gone 3-6 in the tournament but has proven to have a weakness against strong grapplers as his only losses in the first round have come via Submission. He will be hoping to keep this fight standing, and look to use his Muay Thai to great effect.

Prediction: Yuri Boshtok to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/17980180572d44d477291aac5723e8e0.png

Our penultimate fight of the tournament sees huge crowd favourite Geralt of Rivia take on another popular fighter in Commander Shepard.

Geralt of Rivia has been one of the true revelations of the season. Insane KO power is coupled with a strong Sprawl and Brawl developed game which has allowed him to deal with a variety of styles and end them all with his fists. He is also one of the most spoken fighters in the tournament, regularly talking to the media regarding his opponents and this has only seen the media attention continue to swirl around him as the tournament has progressed. Once you see his KO record, you also have to add in that he has shown a great chin, and is one of the more difficult of the fighters to compete against. He will be hoping Gerry Khan can pull off an upset against Boshtok, as if he does and Geralt wins, he will claim first place. He will also be hoping Doyle can defeat Carlyle, which will guarantee Geralt claims second as long as he wins.

Commander Shepard is one of the more flashy fighters in the tournament. He has picked up 6 KO Of The Night awards as well as 2 Fight Of The Night awards. He has gained a reputation for pulling off big finishes, with Head Kicks, and even a Flying Knee, being added to his record. He has a strong wrestling game, and likes to attack his opponents with his striking. However, he does have a diagnosis of having a glass jaw, and against an opponent like Geralt, that is not something you want to have.

Prediction: Geralt of Rivia to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/c6e2b031ac55e94eab65354bc93398c5.png

Our last fight of the tournament is a battle for third place, and probably Fighter of the Season, as Charles “Crossbow” Carlyle takes on Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle.

Charles Carlyle is one of the most well rounded competitors in the tournament, and has proven himself to be a real force. High levels of Wrestling and BJJ are supported by his ever growing striking game. He has shown he can finish fights, with 4 (T)KO wins and 5 Submission wins, but it is his 3 decisions wins which are preventing him from claiming the second place spot. Alongside that, he is in a fight for his third place position here as Jimmy Doyle is breathing down his neck in 4th. He will be hoping for a finish here, not only as he looks to secure 3rd, but also to possibly overtake Geralt or Yuri if they should slip up.

Jimmy Doyle is another well rounded fighter who is a serious contender for the Fighter of the Season award. Doyle is pretty much even with Carlyle, except for a Draw with Scrooge which has put him a point behind in the fight for 3rd. Two losses at the start of the tournament is all that prevented Doyle from claiming 1st, as he has gone on a 12 fight unbeaten streak which has yielded 11 wins. With excellent levels of BJJ, Wrestling and Muay Thai, Doyle will go on to have a great career following TNTF regardless of where he goes, and he will be hoping to add one of those medals to kick off his collection. He has the ability to beat Carlyle, it all comes down to a game of sliders in this one.

Prediction: Jimmy Doyle to win via Unanimous Decision


That concludes our preview of the TNTF fights, and it has been a great chance to look back at the fighters in the tournament and how they have done.

It has been a pleasure to host this tournament, and I want to say best of luck to all participants in the final round, and in their careers following TNTF.

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Insanity’s Mad Cash Tournament

Round 3

THE SEMI FINALS

Live from the University Park in Los Angeles!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Preview for Insanity’s latest event in their Mad Cash tournament - Round 3! Some shocks occurred in the last round, and some favourites managed to live up to the billing, so let’s take a quick look at the results from the last round:

155lbs

Mateus Gracie def. Boyko Kersikov via Submission (Kimura) in Round 1

Chad Didion def. Eight Twentythree via Unanimous Decision

Yushin Yamamoto def. Antoni Hong via Unanimous Decision

Dickie Dirty def. Sigurd Lodbrok via KO (Superman Punch) in Round 3

185lbs

Charles Grace def. Lionel Santos via KO (Head Kick) in Round 2

Octavio Saades def. Lance Legstrong via TKO (Strikes) in Round 3

Nolan Sackett def. Pera Pulkinnen via TKO (Strikes) in Round 3

Pika Chu def. Sam Hall via Submission (Strikes) in Round 1

Now that we are caught up to speed on the tournament, without further ado, let’s get right into it with the Under Card!

UNDERCARD

Fight #1 - Lightweight Division

Tomas Marley (6-2-0) vs Mike Allen (11-10-0)

Tomas Marley is a fighter who loves to strike anywhere, as he mixes up the range and the clinch, all while threatening to take you down and land some Ground and Pound. Mike Allen on the other hand is a striker who purely likes to keep the fight at range and work his opponent over with his punches.

Marley’s great diversity should provide a path to victory for him in this bout.

Prediction: Tomas Marley to win via (T)KO in Round 2

Fight #2 - Featherweight Division

Alfredo Barbosa (8-6-0) vs Boyko Kersikov (5-2-0)

Alfredo Barbosa is a Muay Thai fighter who likes to mix up his strikes from range with punches and kicks, and also use the clinch to land punches and he mixes in the odd knee or elbow into his game. Boyko Kersikov is also a fantastic Muay Thai fighter who has also improved his Boxing to high levels also. He strikes with a variety of punches and kicks like his opponent, but is more comfortable from range than he is in the clinch.

Barbosa could win this, but I feel Kersikov’s superior skills will pull through for him in this bout.

Prediction: Boyko Kersikov to win via (T)KO in Round 2

Fight #3 - Lightweight Division

Roger Cantor (12-9-0) vs Harald Hildetand (7-8-0)

Roger Cantor is a Wrestler who uses this and his BJJ in order to take the fight down and control from there. He throws a large volume of strikes to mask his takedowns, where he might be better off going more for a takedown. Harald Hildetand is a striker who also has a BJJ Brown Belt in order to be able to do some damage even if he has been taken down.

Roger Cantor should be winning this bout, unless he get’s caught with a strike or a submission attempt. As long as he can control, he will be fine.

Prediction: Roger Cantor to win via Unanimous Decision

Fight #4 - Featherweight Division

Jason Mewes (14-9-0) vs Rodney Carney (11-6-0)

Jason Mewes is a striker who has some KO Power, but he does have a history of being KO’ed by his opponents. He relies on his strikes, but can also take his opponent down and use his Black Belt to sink in a submission. Rodney Carney meanwhile is a pure grappling fighter with a Granite Chin. He uses his powerful wrestling to get his opponents down and works them over with strikes to set up his deadly submissions.

I feel Mewes ability to fight both standing and on the ground will help him in this bout as he can work his opponent over and still threaten from his back.

Prediction: Jason Mewes to win via (T)KO in Round 2

Fight #5 - Lightweight Division

Norman Parke (11-5-0) vs Kang Xi Jia (12-4-0)

Norman Parke is a diverse fighter, striking in large volumes while also shooting for Takedowns often which often catches his opponents off guard. He prefers to box from range, as his punches are far more effective than his kicks. Kang Xi Jia prefers to strike from range, but has the ability to threaten on the ground also. He has Kicks in addition to his Punching ability which could be the key difference in this bout.

I think Kang Xi Jia should take this bout, as his chin should hold well against Parke’s striking, while Xi Jia can also threaten from the ground if he gets taken down.

Prediction: Kang Xi Jia to win via Unanimous Decision

MAIN CARD

http://i.gyazo.com/e777fa5ed9eac829b9b2edc59fe45e63.png

Our first fight of the 155lbs Mad Cash round and the Main Card as we see 5/1 Yushin Yamamoto take on 7/1 Dickie Dirty.

Yushin Yamamoto is a very light fighter, coming in at just 140lbs in weight. He uses this to his advantage, as he uses his speed to maximise the effectiveness of his wrestling. Not blessed with amazing power, he does however have the ability to control fights and keep it to the tempo he likes. He is primarily a decision fighter, but he can also lock in a takedown should the opportunity arise.

Dickie Dirty is a well rounded MMA fighter, as he strikes in quantity while standing and mixes up his offense by shooting in for takedowns also. He has shown considerable conditioning, as he is able to keep pace in the later rounds even when his opponent’s are tired. He is also a Decision fighter mainly, but his can finish his opponent’s if they get tired too early.

Prediction: Dickie Dirty to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/9def42d4eec768cafd6bff65c07a8472.png

Sticking with Mad Cash, we now go to one of the 185lbs Semi Finals as 5/1 Charles “The Master Debater” Grace takes on 4/1 Octavio Saades.

Last time around, I predicted Charles Grace to win via (T)KO in the third round, and while I got the method right, Grace showed more ruthlessness than I expected as he scored it in the second round. Similar ruthlessness will be needed in this bout as he seeks to progress to the finals.

Octavio Saades meanwhile I predicted to win via (T)KO in the second round, what what do you know, he decides to win via (T)KO in the third round instead! He defended well when it went to the ground, but rather than leave it to the judges, he went in for the kill and got the win late on.

This will be a tough fight for both men, but I feel Saades has more about him to secure a finish.

Prediction: Octavio Saades to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/0336a5d1683277b9abd04a6fedbc9070.png

Our other 155lbs Mad Cash Semi Final sees 10/1 “Mexican Wolverine” Chad Didion take on 7/1 Mateus Gracie.

Chad Didion did better than I expected, as I predicted him to win via Split Decision but he went on to take it via Unanimous Decision. Performing well from range while transitioning well with the Clinch and Takedowns, he outclassed his opponent and will be hoping to performing similarly in this bout.

Mateus Gracie proved me wrong last round, as I expected him to lose via (T)KO in Round 2 to Boyko Kersikov. However, he went on to defeat Kersikov via Kimura in Round 1, and now he looks to move on again. His grappling is dangerous, and can catch any unwary opponents.

I believe Gracie will win this bout, but I don’t think it will make it to the third round. Most likely, it will end within the first 2 rounds.

Prediction: Mateus Gracie to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/345803e10d3bc5e2b837c02b39fb1733.png

Our Co-Main Event of the evening is sponsored by GBK16’s Writings. For quality and consistency, contact Grant Brophy (93477) for all your writing needs.

We have a Heavyweight clash now as former champion “Angel Maker” Cyril Makarenko takes on debutant Hector “Hailstorm” Hernandez.

Cyril Makarenko recently came to the end of his second spell as Insanity’s HW champion, losing to Niko Alzate for the first time in 4 fights. He is truly one of Insanity’s veterans, as this will be his 17th time inside of the Insanity cage, and many believe a run of wins will mean a likely Hall of Fame spot for him, and he will be hoping he can live up to those expectations by securing a win in this bout to get back into the hunt for a title bout.

Hector Hernandez is making his debut in this bout, having signed from NYFN after their closure. He has rocket launchers for fists, having secured 11 (T)KO’s from his 11 wins, and he will be looking to announce his arrival to the org in explosive fashion here. He will look to hit hard and early, and this is certainly a fight which will have an influence on the Heavyweight division’s future.

Tough one to call here, as either fighter could easily win. If Makarenko can survive early, he will find his chances better, but it will be a good fight.

Prediction: Hector Hernandez to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/7030315c7036a9c2cd18c79198e3a91d.png

Our Main Event of the evening is sponsored by DC Unrivaled - The official Merchandise Partner of Insanity!

Our Main Event of the evening is our final Mad Cash fight, the 185lbs Semi Finals and it sees 3/1 favourite Nolan Sackett takes on 12/1 underdog Pika Chu!

Nolan Sackett hit my prediction dead on the head, securing a (T)KO victory in the 3rd round last time against Pera Pulkinnen. He will be looking to his Granite Chin to help him survive Pika Chu’s explosive power, He holds some impressive power himself with 15 (T)KO’s in 18 wins, and he will be feeling confident going into this bout.

I predicted Pika Chu to lose in his last bout, as I expected him to be outskilled by Sam Hall. He proved me wrong however, breaking Hall’s chin and forcing him to Submit due to strikes in the first round. He is facing a big step up in competition here, but if he can win this bout, he will be feeling confident of beating anybody in the finals.

Overall, I just expect Sackett to have too much for Chu. Chu has impressive power, but Sackett’s ability to take a punch is remarkable, and he will be looking to dominate more as the fight goes on.

Prediction: Nolan Sackett to win via (T)KO in Round 2

That’s all from this preview of Insanity’s next event. Some high quality match ups, and the excitement is building as we see who will be competing in the finals of the Mad Cash tournament. Be sure to look out for the results, and I will see you all next time!

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Causing Havoc 21

11th July 2015

Live from Hayashi’s Lounge in Amsterdam

In association with AnonymouS

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to our preview for Havoc Fighting League’s next event: Causing Havoc 21! Some big fights happening at this event, including a Heavyweight title clash, and we can expect to see some future title contenders also feature on this event. Without further ado, let’s get right into it with a quick prediction list for the undercard!

UNDERCARD

Fight #1 - Johnny Lawrence def. The Bong via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #2 - Jugram Haschwalth def. Avarell Dalton via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #3 - Markus Landfill def. Phoenix Wright via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #4 - Ground n Pound def. John Hornsby via Unanimous Decision

Fight #5 - Djin Dawn def. Tjorben Bauwens via (T)KO in Round 1

MAIN CARD

Fight #6 - Lightweight Division

Anderson Laurent (4-1-0) vs Makar Vershinin (2-1-0)

Our first Main Card fight is a Lightweight bout that sees Submission specialist Anderson Laurent look to avenge his loss against Makar Vershinin.

Anderson Laurent demonstrated his dangerous BJJ game in the QFC, where he went 4-0 while racking up 3 submission wins. However, after signing for Havoc he suffered a loss to his opponent tonight in his debut, with a TKO loss in the first round. He was unable to throw anything in that fight, as he was completely rushed by his opponent. If he has learned from that loss, he has a good chance of coming away with a win in this bout.

Makar Vershinin is a highly skilled 19 year old, with high levels of boxing, it is also clear he is developing his Muay Thai, Wrestling and BJJ also in order to make himself a more complete MMA fighter. He suffered a loss in his debut fight, a KO (Head Kick) loss, but since then he has won his last 2 fights in a row since signing for Havoc. He will be looking for a repeat performance and establish himself more in the division.

Prediction: Makar Vershinin to win via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #7 - Welterweight Division

EA Poe (5-3-0) vs Yoshimitsu Kano (1-1-0)

Next up is a Welterweight clash as EA Poe takes on Yoshimitsu Kano.

EA Poe is a dangerous striker who has been working on other areas of his game in order continue to evolve as a fighter. He suffered two hard (T)KO losses early in his career, but has looked more assured striking since then, and this will be a good test against a strong opponent.

Yoshimitsu Kano is a BJJ Brown Belt who has made obvious improvements to his other disciplines. We have seen his Muay Thai improve throughout his career, and now he isn’t a guy who can only attack with one style. He will be looking to see how it goes striking, but can always take it to the ground and use his BJJ in order to dominate.

Prediction: EA Poe to win via (T)KO in Round 1

Fight #8 - Featherweight Division

Diego Brandao (6-3-0) vs Julian Thompson (2-3-0)

Our last fight before the main events is a Featherweight fight as Diego Brandao goes one on one with Julian Thompson.

Diego Brandao is a deadly striker with some of the most impressive KO power the Featherweight division has to offer. Possession a Solid Chin, he was dropped by previous manager Moyses Mattos before signing to an org and was then signed by A Thoupz who agreed a contract with Havoc. Since joining, he has won his two fights both by TKO, as he looks to punch his way to the top.

Julian Thompson is another of Havoc’s young prospects looking to become the next big thing. With impressive Boxing and Wrestling, he also has a Granite Chin and has faced some tough competition so far, losing to Darren Brown via Anaconda Choke before then securing a TKO victory over Crackhead Jon Jones. He will need to hope his defences are good enough as he faces a slightly more skilled opponent.

Prediction: Diego Brandao to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/7162a9ae398d7c9a06096cfa6bfaac1f.png

Our Co-Main Event of the evening is sponsored by GBK16’s Writings. For quality and consistency, contact Grant Brophy (93477) for all your writing needs.

Our Co-Main Event of the evening is a Light Heavyweight division as Rodolfo “The Black Belt Hunter” Vieira takes on Tien “Pokemaster” Shinhan.

Rodolfo Vieira is just on the outside of the top 5 and will be looking to crack it with this fight. Starting off his career going 4-0, Rodolfo stepped up to face current title contender Khal Drogo and suffered his first loss via Unanimous Decision. Undeterred, he has concentrate on his training and has shown improvements to his striking which will help round his skills as his grappling is well known to his competitors. He picked up a Unanimous Decision victory in his last bout against Steven Johnson, and another win here should leave him with only 1 or 2 wins away from a title shot of his own.

Tien Shinhan is a jack of all trades, and master of none. He has a very unorthodox style of fighting, but his love of leg kicks is apparent. He is currently on a two fight losing streak, and many are wondering how many more losses he can really take. He has a slight striking advantage that he will really need to take advantage of to have a realistic chance in this bout, but I am afraid his opponents superior grappling will be too much for him.

Straight to the point, this fight is all Rodolfo Vieira’s to lose. His grappling is better, and he should have enough to survive his opponents striking until he secures a takedown. The fact Shinhan isn’t even in a gym right now doesn’t help my opinion of his chances.

Prediction: Rodolfo Vieira to win via Submission in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/8f057a36b4e0c5e240dcf5fb2d7c2286.png

Our Main Event of the evening is sponsored by AnonymouS - Expect them.

Our Main Event of the evening is a Heavyweight Title Clash as undefeated Heavyweight champion “The Usurper” Robert Baratheon takes on dangerous BJJ specialist Tarmo Rautakallio.

Robert Baratheon is primarily a grappler who has used the clinch in his career to dominate his fights. Overtime though, he has built up his other skills to make himself more of a striker, while also making sure he is defensively sound wherever the fight goes. He is still undefeated in his career, and has won 6 of his 8 fights via (T)KO. He has also gone the distance on 2 occasions, one being 25 mins and the other being 50 mins, to show he has the cardio also to keep competing as the fight goes on. He will be facing a tough challenge here which will test the defensive side of his grappling.

Tarmo Rautakallio is the opposite of Baratheon, in that he uses his grappling to take the fight to the ground where his BJJ allows him to control the fight. An interesting fact however is that Rautokallio has never beaten a fighter with a BJJ Purple Belt or higher, all of his victories have come over Blue or White belts. That makes for a positive omen for Baratheon, but as we all know, things are made to be broken. Baratheon will need to be wary, as Rautakallio is a very active fighter on the ground, and he can easily find himself overwhelmed.

Overall, I think Baratheon’s wrestling should be good enough to keep the fight standing, but he will need to avoid the clinch in order to avoid having Rautokallio pull guard. Striking from range is his best bet, and it is up to Rautokallio to get the fight down.

Prediction: Robert Baratheon to win via (T)KO in Round 1

That’s all from me, and this is shaping up to be a very impressive card from Havoc with popular names such as Poe, Brandao, Vieira and Baratheon on it. Be sure to keep an eye out for the results, and until next time, take care.

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

EP35: Showdown in the Bay



http://mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1436545523Epicity%2035.jpg



11th July 2015



Live from the Wandalay Bay arena in Las Vegas!



In association with Conquer Clothing!



Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to our preview for Epicity’s latest event, EP35: Showdown in the Bay! Following Wednesday’s epic battle for the Welterweight title, the focus now shifts to the Lightweight division as Yaniv Schulmann defends his title one last time before moving on to compete in the ITFL. He will be competing against Ossilus Chiarmanda, who makes his EP debut in this fight also. The fans are excited for this card, so without further ado, let’s kick off this preview with my predictions for the undercard, followed by the preview of the main card!



UNDERCARD



Fight #1 - Guthrum Oskar def. Pepe Lopez via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #2 - Test Subject def. Jalmari Pullo via (T)KO in Round 1



Fight #3 - Chet Lamare def. Virgil Dreesen via (T)KO in Round 3



Fight #4 - John Hoop def. Andrey Danilov via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #5 - Stefan Kung def. George Baba via Submission in Round 2



MAIN CARD



Fight #6 - Middleweight Division!



Ho Chi Min (5-3-0) vs Noirtier De Villefort (7-2-0)



Kicking off the main card we have a Middleweight bout that sees Ho “Noodles” Chi Min take on “The Bonapartist” Noirtier De Villefort.



Ho Chi Min is a dangerous Muay Thai and BJJ fighter who is known for finishing his opponents as well as being difficult to finish. He has spent his entire career in EP, and recently broke a 2 fight losing streak with a TKO victory in the third round against Guthrum Oskar. In addition to his style, he also has a Granite Chin which he will be hoping will allow him to time to take effect with his strikes and secure a win.



Noirtier De Villefort also possesses a Granite Chin, and he recently made his EP debut with a TKO Strikes victory early in the third round against Pepe Lopez. He has a solid record of 7 (T)KO’s from 7 victories, and the only 2 losses he suffered both came at the hands of Insanity 185lbs champion Nolan Sackett. He will be confident of winning the striking battle, while his ground defences seem to be solid.



Overall, I think De Villefort has the edge going into this fight, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Ho Chi Min came away with a win, but he will need to dictate the tempo to stand a chance I feel.



Prediction: Noirtier De Villefort to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #7 - Light Heavyweight Division



Boogie Knight (11-6-0) vs Selfrid Bergman (8-4-0)



Following up that fight is a Light Heavyweight contest as Boogie Knight goes toe to toe with Selfrid Bergman.



Boogie Knight is currently 6-1 under his current Freddy Krueger and has recovered well from that solitary loss with 2 wins in a row, both via Unanimous Decision. He has a good record of (T)KO wins, with 9 of his 11 wins coming via stoppage. His BJJ and Wrestling are mostly used for his defense, as we have seen he loves to strike from range using both kicks and punches, and is no slouch inside the clinch either.



Selfrid Bergman is a grappler who is a workhorse when it comes to getting the fight to the ground and remaining active when he gets it. He recently avenged his EP debut loss to Pete McKallister with a second round TKO win over my own former fighter Bray Wyatt. He faces a much more skilled opponent in this bout however, but will really show his potential if he pulls off a victory.



Overall, I think Boogie Knight is just too sound defensively, but if Bergman can get him down, he can cause some serious damage. I expect Knight to take this though.



Prediction: Boogie Knight to win via (T)KO in Round 2



Fight #8 - Welterweight Division



Lewis Scott (13-4-0) vs Ronin Mori (9-6-0)



Our last fight of the Main Card before the Main Events is a Welterweight fight that sees former Gamasi champion Lewis Scott take on former ITFL Season 3 competitor Ronin Mori.



Lewis Scott is going into this fight with his third manager in three fights. He was sacked by manager Jacob What after suffering consecutive losses to Sinbad Sailor and Bobby Shamrock, before being picked up by Ivan Drago, who also sacked him after a win against Derek The Brave. He is a Sprawl and Brawl fighter who has good levels of Muay Thai and BJJ also. He has a great record of KO’s, with 12 in his 13 wins showing he has devastating power, and he will be relying on that in order to get a victory.



Ronin Mori is on a good run under new manager The Can Crusher, going 2-0 early on in their partnership. Mori has a Granite Chin which has kept him in contests on plenty of occasions, and it has been displayed with 0 (T)KO losses in his career. He has almost elite levels of Wrestling, and his Striking is a dangerous weapon. He has shown the ability to take a punch while continuously pressing forward, and he will be looking to that to win here.



Overall, I think Mori’s Granite Chin will be his saving grace. If he has high levels of Clinchwork, he should use it to control the action, and continuously work over his opponent with strikes.



Prediction: Ronin Mori to win via (T)KO in Round 2



http://i.gyazo.com/5b84ec9135679c1905a313f8ac12ad4c.png



Our Co-Main Event of the evening is sponsored by GBK16’s Writings. For quality and consistency, contact Grant Brophy (93477) for all your writing needs!



Our Co-Main Event of the evening is a Middleweight clash as Ricky “Sticky” Icky makes his EP debut against another debutant in Raoul De Muerta.



Ricky Icky is making his EP debut here after undergoing a bit of a transformation. After competing under the name of Carlos Hulk as a client of Moyses Mattos, he was released by Mattos and changed his name by deed poll to Ricky Icky. He got off to a winning start under Ryan Epicity’s management, with a KO finish within 2 mins against King Cult in MFN. He signed with EP, and is now competing against another fighter who used to be in NYFN, in Raoul De Muerta. Icky possesses formidable KO power, and when combined with his Granite Chin, he is a fighter with a lot of potential who will be looking to start his rise here.



Raoul De Muerta is a fighter who really packs a punch, as his 9 KO victories display. His 3 losses all came against tough competition, with all 3 of those fighters being touted as potential stars of the future. Muerta himself is a former Middleweight champion at NYFN, and decided his best move upon leaving NYFN was to sign for EP, and he is now looking to make an immediate run at the title. While his opponent has a Granite Chin, Muerta possesses KO Power that can easily crumble it.



It’s a tough contest, as both fighters have great potential. Muerta’s KO Power can easily win him the fight at any time, but Icky’s Granite Chin can keep him in the fight long enough to use his own KO power to get a win. Don’t be surprised at either guy winning here.



Prediction: Ricky Icky to win via (T)KO in Round 2



http://i.gyazo.com/1300a9f366db448cfac43eee90ad055f.png



Our Main Event of the evening is sponsored by Conquer Clothing - The official merchandise partner of Epicity!



Our Main Event of the evening is a Lightweight fight for the championship as Yaniv “In The Closet” Schulmann takes on debuting title contender Ossilus Chiarmanda.



Yaniv Schulmann is one of MMA’s brightest prospects right now, being 10-0 so far in his career, he has also compete in 5 different orgs so far in his career, with this fight equalling his record for number of fights in any one specific org. His debut in Epicity saw him capture the title in a Unanimous Decision victory over Jeffrey Miller, before he defended the title successfully against Joaquim Antunes with a Submission victory. With this being his last fight before leaving for the ITFL, Schulmann will be looking to leave with a victory, and will need to be at his best to do so.



Ossilus Chiarmanda is competing for the title in his EP debut here, having signed upon the expiration of his Troid contract. Currently on a 2 fight winning streak, he has used his striking well in gaining 9 (T)KO’s in his 13 wins. A former KT champion with 2 different orgs, he is 3-2 so far in his MMA career, and will feel claiming a title in MMA as showing he made the correct decision to move over to MMA, but he faces a tough challenge in Schulmann.



Overall, I think Chiarmanda is the favourite coming into this bout, but he will need to use his striking efficiently. Schulmann can dominate fighters if he is given the opportunity, so it is up to “The Optician” to ensure he hits Schulmann hard and control the fight. However, if Schulmann can get it to the ground, I feel he can end it.



Prediction: Ossilus Chiarmanda to win via (T)KO in Round 2



That’s all from me in this Preview. Some big fights happening, and a lot of fights that will be pretty tight come fight time. Be sure to look out for the results just after 2am GMT, but for now, it’s good night from me.



  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

ITFL Season 4

http://i.imgur.com/zfUAyxA.png

The Teams

Grant Brophy is sat in his office, looking out the window following a big event in Troid which launched them back into the top 10. Sure, celebrations were on his mind, but he knew the hard work was only just beginning.

Soon to be held in Troid was the prestigious ITFL tournament. Shortfuse had run this tournament successfully, and now he was looking to Grant to take it over and continue it’s history of being a great tournament to be involved in.

Grant had to talk to a lot of people to get this to work, devising a format everyone would compete with, and that was the first challenge that faced him.

Now, however, it seemed everything was now falling into place. All the fighters are signed, all the events were booked, and now it was just a case of ensuring the captains made their fight picks quickly and efficiently following each event.

Grant had another glance out the window before getting up to go to the first of Troid’s newly launched Post Fight Press Conferences. He got into his car, and had a think about the teams participating in this season. He smiled when he heard about the teams that were entering, as he knew that the calibre of managers and fighters would ensure the tournament was a success. A quick flashback to the meetings with each team reminded Grant of how each team was formed……

http://i.imgur.com/kO8Lfvf.png

Shortfuse and Blunts are sat in Shortfuse’s apartment, both talking about the Tycoon world and about their fighters. They begin to reminisce about Team Conquer’s showing in Season 3 of the ITFL, remembering how The Antidote, Stu Pidasol, Jbomb and Johnny Sorrow joined Blunts on the team on their way to finishing second behind Team Davies.

Shortfuse begins to think about the ITFL, and he wondered how it would fair now that it had been taken over by Grant Brophy at Troid. Brophy had recently made the announcement of the fourth season, and their topic changed to Team Conquer possibly entering it.

Shortfuse: I am thinking we could grab some of our guys and get Antidote in here again. Would just need another guy to sort our team.

Blunts: I dunno, I think just getting any team we can together would be pointless. I don’t wanna put out a mediocre team for the sake of entering.

Shortfuse: Fair point there. I’ll put the feelers out and see if we can get some other guys to join us.

Following that, Shortfuse would send out a few messages, and it would be a few days before he would get the responses he was waiting for.

A quick trip to Los Angeles would follow, and to one place in particular: Winston’s. Blunts and Shortfuse took a seat at a table, and ordered 7 drinks, 2 for themselves and 5 for the people they expected. The first person to walk in was their old friend, The Antidote. Antidote would take a seat and take an immediate swig of his drink.

Shortfuse: Hey Antidote. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen you. I’ll get straight to the point. We need some fighters for Team Conquer this season. Blunts doesn’t have any guys, and I have Durlag Trollkiller entering. You got any guys we can throw in?

Antidote: Sure, I saw the requirements. I can enter Itse Perkele and Pernell Whitaker Jr if you want? Would mean we need one less guy.

Shortfuse: Actually, I was hoping you would put two guys in. We’re just waiting on some more guys, and if it goes to plan, we could have our whole team sorted.

No sooner had Shortfuse said that than four men all entered the room. All of them pulling up a seat, it took a small glance around the table before their faces were recognised by all the men. Ethan Downs, Louie DePalma, Gale Hawthorne and Rodrigo Costa all said their greetings, and immediately got down to the discussion of who to enter. All of them were happy to enter, and within a matter of minutes, Team Conquer had secured their team for the season. Downs would enter Jamal Jackson, Louie would enter Anakoni Kai, Gale would enter Bruce Wayne, and finally, Rodrigo Costa would enter Jay Gatsby.

All men finished their drinks, shook hands, and with that, only Shortfuse, Blunts and Antidote were left at the table, all smiling with the result of the meeting, and happy enough that they all ordered another drink to celebrate.

http://i.imgur.com/RhHJmLW.jpg

Joe River was sat in his garden, still recovering from the months of health issues he suffered from, as he was listening to the radio. It had been a long and hard road for Joe, but while he wasn’t back to his full strength physically, the battle has made him much stronger mentally.

He had been out of it for a while with all things MMA, and had recently been inviting his Dogs of War friends over to his house to get all the latest happenings, while also using it as a chance to catch up.

He heard a knock on the door, and then heard his wife tell him he had a visitor. Opening up another beer for his guest, he took a long gulp of his own. The seat next to his was promptly taken, and his guest took a mouthful.

Joe: Hey buddy, how have you been getting on?

Bjorn: I’ve been really good Joe. Been having some run ins with a few managers, but nothing I can’t handle. How have you been?

Joe: I’ve been pretty good. You should just ignore any managers who try starting shit with you, it’s not worth it. I’ve not really been around much so I dunno what has been going on in the Tycoon world.

Bjorn: I know, but I just really hate bullies and I wouldn’t let them think they can continue their harassment of me. It’s good to have you back Joe, the rest of the alliance will be glad to see you at the meeting. Will we head off?

Joe: Sure, just let me finish this part of the radio programme

As Joe listens to the radio, he suddenly finds his show has been interrupted.

Radio: Breaking news now as it has just been announced by Troid owner Grant Brophy that the fourth season of the hit tournament “The International Team Fighting League”, more commonly known as the ITFL, will begin in late July or Early August. Teams are advised to sign up quickly, and Mr Brophy has said further details will be provided over the next week.

Joe gets an interested look on his face, and a smile slowly creeps onto it as well.

Joe: Bjorn...I think I just had an idea

Joe and Bjorn get a cab to the local bar, and they find most of the members of the Dogs of War already waiting for them. They all give a cheer as Joe walks in, and they sit down and order a cold beer each.

Scooby: Great to see you back Joe, been waiting a while to see you at one of these meetings again.

Joe: Thanks Scooby, it’s good to be back. I have to ask though, where are the rest of the guys?

Frank: Some freak storm happened in Europe mate. None of the planes can get through, so their trip home from their lads holiday to Magaluf got cancelled mate.

Joe: Damn, that sucks to hear, but listen, I wanna come back in style, and I have a great idea. You heard that the next season of the ITFL is starting right?

Frank: Yeah I heard it mate. I asked Shortfuse about it cos I could have taken it over but Grant took it over mate. I’ve been waiting for him to announce when it would begin Joe mate.

Joe: Well, there was a breaking news story before we came over, and he announced Season 4 was beginning in late July or early August. I can’t think of a better way to come back than to enter a tournament with you guys.

Joe then goes on to list the rules of the tournament, and there is a general nod of agreement that they would enter a team.

Frank: I can enter Jack Daniels into it mate. He is the 170lbs champ in Troid already so I think he would do really well for us mate.

Bjorn: I can enter Fabian Hoi into it too. He’s had some top managers in the past and I manage to get him over a bunch of top managers when he was an FA. He would be a great entry for us!

Jeremiah: Hey guys, I know I am pretty new around here, and it is great to meet you Joe, but I have a guy I would love to enter. I wanna show I am ready to represent us. I think with some help from you guys, that my fighter Joe Louis could do really well for us.

Joe: It’s cool Jeremiah, once you are in with us, you are treated as an equal. We would love for Joe Louis to be on the team. I can enter Bernhard Adelhard into it. I count that as four guys, we got any more?

The rest of the guys shake their heads and start saying they don’t have anyone.

Joe: We need three more guys, anyone know people we can enter?

Bjorn: I know a spot we can go to where a bunch of managers hang out. I’m sure we can find some guys there who will join.

Joe and Bjorn hop aboard a jet, with their destination being the Big Apple, New York City. They enter the renowned Southside, and sit up the bar while observing some of the managers there. Bjorn feels a pat on his shoulder, and he turns to see JLP standing right in front of him.

JLP: How are you doing Bjorn? Haven’t seen you for a while. Been busy I guess?

Bjorn: Hey JLP! Yeah it’s been a while, but I have to fly to a lot of places for business you know. Actually, I am here on business right now. We are entering a team in the next season of the ITFL, and we need three more managers for our team. Do you have anyone you can enter?

JLP: I can slip you Artie DeVanzo I suppose, just need to clear a couple of things with him first.

Bjorn: That’s great, we just need two more now!

Joe: Hey, that’s Topo Topologies over there! I’m gonna ask him.

As Joe walks over and explains the situation, Topo begins to smile and nod along.

Topo: Sure, I can enter Antoni Kristofer Hong. Be a cool experience for him.

With the Dogs now having 6 of their 7 members, they began scouring the bar for their last member. They hear laughter coming from around the corner, and as they look around, they see Dino sitting in the corner with the a number of the Keriskov clan. Bjorn immediately strides over to the corner, stopping briefly to talk to Joe.

Bjorn: I can get Dino on the team, we will have this tournament sorted.

Joe: Uh Bjorn wait, don’t you think we should…

Joe never got to finish his sentence, as Bjorn was already on his way over to the Scotsman, and the laughter from the corner died as they noticed Bjorn approaching.

Bjorn: Hey Dino! Great to see the Kersikovs here with you!

Dino: Well, they are my fighters…

Bjorn: Oh yeah, of course. Anyway, I was coming over because I wanted to ask you about the ITFL. We are getting a team together, and we only need one more member. I think if you joined our team, we could win it with ease!

Dino takes a moment to compose himself, before he replied.

Dino: Bjorn, do you know what one of my favourite quotes is? No? Well I will tell you. You have heard of Billy Connolly right? Well known Scottish comedian? Yeah? Good. Anyone, this quote comes from him.

“Fuck Off. It’s such a lovely pair of words, and it’s international. I don’t care where you are, if someone is fucking with your bags, at Lhasa Airport in Tibet, and he’s got a shaven head, and saffron clothes on, and you say “Hey! Fuck off!” He knows exactly what you mean. Exactly. He will Fuck Off, Off he will Fuck. Fuck Off doesn’t mean go away, Fuck Off means Fuck Off, and everybody feels what it means. Nobody can write it down (ironic when I include it in a written post I know). There is no English equivalent for Fuck Off, because it is English Fuck Off, ya know? English expressions don’t have English equivalents, because they are, ya know.”

Now, having quote this to you Bjorn, can you guess what my next words are?

Bjorn: Fuck off?

Dino: Don’t talk to me like that ya wee prick. Now, fuck off.

As Bjorn walks back to the bar, he sees another person talking to Joe and JLP.

Joe: Hey Bjorn, we just found our seventh member for the team! Meet Whymar Von Mastodon!

Whymar: Hey Bjorn. I wanna join the team, and I can put Wilder Wein on the team.

Bjorn grins widely at this, and as he looks back at Dino and the Kersikovs, he hears them laughing when one makes another joke about the fuck off quote.

Bjorn: Perfect, now we can dominate this tournament.

The party of managers all make it back on the jet, and after returning to the pub, they find Frank King shaking his head as his fighter Jack Daniels is unconscious in the corner.

Joe: What happened Frank?

Frank: It’s his alcohol addiction mate. He came in here saying he should be constantly celebrating, being the champ and all that mate. He ordered drink after drink and I just couldn’t stop him mate. He’s gonna have to go to rehab for this Joe, he won’t be able to join the ITFL now mate!

The rest of the team shake their heads, wondering if there were going to be any more hiccups along the way. The door to the bar opens, and the man walks up to the group.

Uncle Lar: Been a while fellas, I only just made it back from Witness Protections!

Joe: Lar! Great to see you buddy, how are you doing?

Lar: Better now I don’t have to keep watching my back.

Lar notices Frank trying to revive Jack in the corner

Lar: What the hell happened to him?

Joe: Alcohol happened. Not surprising really. His first birthday present was a bottle of absinthe. Now we need to find another guy for our ITFL team.

Lar: ITFL? I heard the restrictions and wanted to talk to you about that actually. Mikaiah Rynn wants to enter on the team, said he wants the money for some venture or something.

Joe: That would be perfect! I’ll get the team sign up sheet now and send it off.

They all celebrated their team finally being finalised, and there has still been no sign of Jack Daniels since as he recovers in rehab.

http://i.imgur.com/e5CBmm0.jpg

James Listerman is occupied in his office in the middle of New York City. His different interests were taking their toll on his MMA management career, and he was contemplating hanging it up. A call came through from his secretary, who informed him his 12.30pm meeting was due in 10 minutes. Standing up and brushing himself off, he went into the meeting room, and sat down among his fellow Corporation members.

They went through the usual razzmatazz of meetings, and finally arrived at the A.O.B portion of the agenda.

Mark: So we’ve gotten promoted to Division 1. Since we are gonna stay there, we might as well capitalise and find some ways to show the other alliances we mean business.

Listerman: Well, I dunno if I will be much good for that. Thinking of calling it quits ya know. Got a lot of stuff going on right now outside the Tycoon world.

The discussion of potential ideas was disrupted momentarily by a brief argument between John Hetfield and Bob Vendarra over who had posted the hottest women in the “Beautiful Women” thread.

A brief intermission was called, and they all went to the office kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Listerman however would head outside in order to take a phone call from his old friends at MMA Hype - Brett and Jared. After nearly an hour of catching up with the duo, Listerman hung up and went back inside. When he returned to the meeting room, he noticed the rest of The Corporation looking particularly sheepish.

Listerman: Okay, I just got some good news from Brett and Jared over at MMA Hype.

Mark: We have some good news as well, but you go first.

Listerman: Well, the guys have saved up some cash over the years, and now they have decided to open an MMA Apparel store. For obvious reasons, they are calling it “MMA Hype Apparel” and they asked me to run it for them.

Aaron: That’s awesome to hear man, be good to give you something to focus on.

Listerman: So what’s your news?

Mark: Well…

At this moment, Mark directs him to the monitor on the wall. Listerman notes it is some kind of a press conference, and recognises Grant Brophy on the screen. Aaron then resumes the video.

Grant: It’s been in the works for a while to get this finalised, and now I am proud to announce the arrival of the fourth season of the ITFL! The format has changed somewhat, and we already have 5 of the 6 teams entered, so only one more space remains, and we hope to have them entered within a week.

The video ends there, and all eyes turn to Listerman.

Listerman: I’ll get onto Grant about it. We got enough guys for a team?

Bob: Well, since you were gone for a while, we had a look at our fighters, and we think we have a team that can compete well. We just need to talk to Ragnar about two of his fighters possibly entering.

After nearly a week, Ragnar finally got into contact with the rest of the team. Apparently he spent the week pillaging villages in his native Denmark on a stag do, but hey, to each their own. Ragnar agreed to enter his two fighters, and the appropriate paperwork was filled out.

As The Corporation chartered one of their jets to meet with Grant regarding entering, Listerman stopped before entering, and had one thought before boarding - “Stay Classy”

http://i.imgur.com/v0ucUm8.jpg

FinnFighters

Somewhere in Finland, a place where really nobody knows but a select few, a group of men arrive at a barren location, where a single building is located. All men are hidden from view by their clothing, and as they enter, take a seat in a room while only removing their hoods.

The men became as recognisable as their notoriety was well known throughout the MMA world. The first person to speak was also the first man who entered the room.

Marky: Good to see you all again. It’s been a while, but I feel there has been a couple of recent issues that required some attention.

John: Hope it’s important, it’s a bastard to travel all the way out here.

Marky: Well firstly, it seems Castor has left the MMA scene for a while. Seems like he couldn’t go through on his quest to eradicate us, so a nice little point to start on. Next, there is an upcoming ITFL season. Now, we almost had a chance to defend our title in the World Domination tournament, but that got changed to a Gangs of New York season instead. It’s been too long since we really wrecked house on the other alliances, and I heard quite a few of them are entering. What do you guys think?

Now, since the Finns are particularly secretive with their discussions, not much else is known about what was discussed, however, that is not the last we will see of them.

In London, it is 4.30am, and Grant Brophy is asleep in his house. He hears a sudden banging, but such is how he reacts, he doesn’t like the thought of leaving his bed. When he hears a second bang however, he leaves his room and goes to the front door.

To his surprise, he finds the lock had been broken, and the door was closed. Feeling a bit apprehensive, he slowly moves towards to his phone, when he notices an envelope left on his kitchen table. The letter simply says on the outside “To Mr. Brophy”.

With a bad feeling in his stomach, he opens the envelope and reads the contents. After he is finished, he simply puts the letter down and moves back over to the phone. He calls a 24 hour locksmith who comes by and puts on a new lock.

He updated the news page of the ITFL tournament announcing a new team entering in the tournament. As he returned to bed, all he could simply think was “Damn Finns”.

http://i.imgur.com/TUhfC8I.png

Scott Davies had just finished his weekly game of Rugby. His team scoring a last minute try to win the match, and he was feeling elated in the pub that night. A few beers turned into a few pitchers, and then those few pitchers turned into a few vodkas, and before long, he was necking down shots at a rapid rate. The night was a blur for him, but he distinctly remembers doing push ups with the other Rugby lads, singing classic songs the loudest he could, and finally, throwing up everywhere en route to the toilet.

He woke up the next morning with the most splitting hangover imaginable. The remnants of a kebab lay on his kitchen table, and he staggered over to the sink for a glass of water.

After sleeping off the worst of the hangover again, he woke up to find his phone buzzing with messages. Reading through them, he read a lot of messages regarding his Organisation, Ascension.

However, he also had a bundle of messages from other managers he didn’t quite understand. These managers were apparently agreeing to join his team for a tournament, and told him which fighters would enter. He had to look through his Sent box to see he had messaged these managers asking if they would enter a team into the next season of the ITFL.

He then had a look again at the managers who agreed to enter, and felt growing confidence in his drunken decision. The likes of Klatz Matz, AJ Nex, Aylib 2.0, Harry Bagofdonuts and Whymer Von Mastodon all agreeing to join his team.

He then looked at his texts and saw he had already messages Grant Brophy to enter the team, which he had to squint to read:

“Alright mate? Wanna enter a team into the ITFL. Sending on the managers in the next message. Hope all is good with you?”

Thank god he had enabled autocorrect onto his phone, or did he? Maybe being drunk was the key to it.

Anyway, he needed a last member, but he received a phone call as he was about to eat lunch. He couldn’t make out the number, so he just answered without looking?

Scott: Yeah?

Shortfuse: Hey Scott, had a message from Dino last night saying you asked him to join your team for the ITFL?

Scott: I don’t remember at all to be honest mate, all I know is apparently I entered a team.

Shortfuse: Yeah, he mentioned something about it being the clearest he had ever seen you message him. He had about 20 messages from ya. Anyway, he mentioned to me you had a spot on your team, and I have a guy I can enter.

Scott: Ah sweet, which fighter?

Shortfuse: Chris Severn. Thinking we could do alright in the tournament.

Scott: Great, i’ll let Grant know the last fighter on the team. I’ll speak to ya soon

Shortfuse: Alright take care

As Scott was about to hang up, he could hear Shortfuse still on the phone

“Dino said the money would be in my account by 5 right? Didn’t know he was this desperate to not be on Davies’.....Ah fuck”

And with that, Shortfuse promptly hung up the phone.

Scott didn’t care anyway, his entry for the tournament was already planned in his mind, a fighter who had recently parted ways with his recent management team, and Scott couldn’t wait for it all to begin.

http://i.imgur.com/uXXftn1.png

Funnily enough, this part of the story keeps us with Grant Brophy. Upon announcing the tournament was beginning, Brophy had an idea for a Vendetta team entering the tournament.

This idea was shared by the other members of the alliance, as Eric McCormick contacted him shortly after to register his interest in a team being formed.

The alliance was having a meeting on the same day as his announcement and it was a topic of discussion, as Grant laid out his plan for the team, and asked if there was an interest in the team.

Severo Del Bosque, G Wad and Ryan Epicity all agreed to enter fighters. Mike Jursllla and Igor Byhenikov arrived fashionably late, and greeted the other members.

Mike: Sorry about the lateness. We had a long session at the gym, and Igor wanted some advice on a gym and nutrition plan.

Igor: If I am going to be the number one manager, I might as well also have a good physique.

Grant: Alright guys. We were discussing a potential team to enter into the ITFL. We already have Flavius Odoacer, John Paul Wani, Lance Legstrong and Bosco Brown entering. My own fighter Pika Chu may also enter if his entry into the Mad Cash tournament ends early, but he isn’t a guaranteed fighter for us. Do either of you have any fighters to enter?

Mike: Dorian Yates has a fight coming up in Ryan’s org, I can enter him if you want?

Ryan: That’s like the 5th fighter from my org in this tournament. Damn it.

Grant: And what about you Igor?

Igor: Ruslan will crush all his opponents in this tournament. Count him in.

Grant: Alright great, that’s our whole team sorted for it so. Pika Chu fights in the tournament in a weeks time so if he loses I can enter him, but if he wins, then we will need to find another guy.

Fast forward now to the 20th July, 11pm GMT. Grant Brophy took his jet to New York, and is present in the Credit Card Centre enjoying the show held by Insanity. He had just witnessed another fight in the tournament, as Nolan Sackett defeated Pera Pulkkinen. He knew the winner of Pika Chu’s fight would face the winner, and he was waiting with eagerness.

Pika Chu and Sam Hall made their way out to the cage and the fight was soon underway. Despite being heavily nervous, Grant saw Pika Chu finish Sam Hall in 2.22 of the first round, and after the happiness of the victory, Grant messages the rest of his team about the result, and telling them they needed a final team member.

The next week, Grant is sat in his office, going over some preparations for Troid’s next event. Being heavily buried in his work, he barely noticed a knock on the door, and just called for the person to come in and greeted the men without lifting his head from his work.

Grant: Hey, how can I help you?

Dino: Not a very friendly way to be greeting someone who travelled all the way from New York to talk to ya.

Grant: Ah shit Dino, didn’t realise it was you. What brings you here? Thought I sorted Jintao out with his next fight?

Dino: Ya did, but it’s not why I’m here. Heard ye were looking for a man to enter the ITFL on yer team?

Grant: Yeah, my guy won a fight so he can’t make the tournament. Why? You looking to enter it?

Dino: Well, I want ta enter, but the issue is, i’ve been asked already by Bjorn and Scott, and neither of them are very appealing to me. I’ve seen the rest of the teams have their entrants already, and yer in need of a last man. Seems like it makes sense for my sanity.

Grant: Wow, not really what I expected to be happening today when I woke up. I’ll have a word with G Wad, he is the guy captaining the team, but I doubt he will have any objections to it.

Dino: Sure, just let me know which fighter ya need and i’ll sort him out to enter it.

With that, Dino leaves to attend to some business he has up in Scotland, most likely regarding the recent revelation of a fighter using his name.

Grant contacted G Wad immediately, explaining what had just happened and asking if he was against it. G Wad agreed it was the best solution possible, and the team was formed.


The next day, following all of the teams entering, Grant Brophy would make the huge announcement of all the teams that were entering, and began organising all of the arenas for the tournament. With a number of big managers entering, Grant couldn’t help but feel this was going to be a guaranteed success. The limo arrived at the press conference, and Grant put the thoughts of the ITFL aside for a few hours to get to work.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

EVO 184: TycoonMania!

Live from Wombley Arena, London!

Live from 6pm on the Tycoon Network!

In association with

Pearson Specter Litt

“Home of the Finest Threads in Tycoon”

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the preview for EVO 184: TycoonMania! Once more, the premier fighters of MMA are competing on the same card to bring to you a true extravaganza for the die hard fans. Not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR titles are on the line here tonight, and there is a real fever which has gripped the audience. Not only that, but this is also the first event that EVO is holding which uses their new payment plan of managers earning a percentage of the event profits! With such a high level of fights taking part, I can talk all day about them, but that’s what the preview is for, so without further ado, let’s get right into it!

http://i.gyazo.com/e29e65e3926d0f639dc8b3b143de9839.png

Our first contest in the event is a Heavyweight fight as “The Moray Eel” Adelbert Gainsborough takes on Lucas Bane.

Adelbert Gainsborough is currently on a two fight losing streak, with losses to Irving Brown and Freddie Fiddler ensuring a torrid time for the Kiribati native. Competing in his 11th EVO fight, Gainsborough attacks with a high quantity of punches, with the odd kick thrown in to keep his opponents on their toes. 12 (T)KO’s in 14 wins show him to be a man who hates the judges, most likely as they have gone against him 5 out of the 7 times his fights have gone to them. With his dislike of the judges clear, you can be sure he will be looking to score a KO swiftly.

Lucas Bane on the other hand has never fallen foul of the judges call. He has, however, fallen foul of an opponent’s fist….a lot. With a style that is very much about entertaining the fans, he goes for the finish in all his fights, and while it has seen him suffer 10 (T)KO losses in his career, he has gained 12 (T)KO wins as well as 7 decision wins. While his style of pressing the attack can see him land a good proportion of his strikes, it leaves him vulnerable to getting countered, and with an opponent like Gainsborough, that is dangerous territory.

Overall, I feel Gainsborough should have the power to get the win, particularly since Bane is prone to heavy hits and I think it will be a first round finish.


Prediction: Adelbert Gainsborough to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/01eed7ff32b18d7c1dc7caf683e86b9b.png

The Heavyweight division plays host again as Lee “Scratch” Perry takes on “The Speciesist” Russell Wallace.

Lee Perry would suffer defeat in his last outing, his debut in EVO against Shane Luger via Split Decision. Elite levels of Boxing and Wrestling compliment his style, as he mixes up punches and kicks whilst always searching for the takedown so he can get the fight down and unleash his dangerous Ground and Pound. He will need to be wary in this bout however, as his opponent is capable of catching him in a submission and ending his night early.

Russell Wallace has evened out his record in EVO, losing his last bout against Hans Beck after winning his debut against Elias Eberhard. He was the reigning champion at Worldwide Fighting Championship before he left the org. He is primarily a striker who uses his grappling skills defensively in order to keep the fight at striking range where he can really land the damage.

Overall, I feel Perry’s diversity in his offense is what will win him this fight. Through persistence, he can land a takedown and then go to town with his strikes.


Prediction: Lee Perry to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/1c6a2ee50eba415578d55339e3850995.png

Another Heavyweight bout here as Freddie Fiddler takes on Samppa Linna.

Freddie Fiddler is looking to continue the good times with a win here, having experience the euphoria of a first EVO win by defeating Adelbert Gainsborough. He lost his first fight in EVO to Tigran Badoyan, but his latest win has lifted his spirits. A member of Death Squad MMA’s Hall of Fame, he is a striker who prefers avoiding the clinch as he battles. He is accurate with his single shots, and finds success moderately with his kicks which is primarily a supporting tool for his real weapons on the end of his arms. He will be looking to add to the 17 (T)KO wins he has already achieved in his career.

Samppa Linna is a similar fighter to fiddler, in that he prefers avoiding the clinch and striking from range, a style that means this fight will be great for viewing. He signed for EVO from Umbrella Corp, and has gone 3-3 in the org. Both of his decision wins have come in EVO, but with the other 13 wins coming via (T)KO, he has the ability to test his opponent’s chin with his striking.

This is going to be a close fight, but I feel Samppa Linna will gain the (T)KO win late on in the third.


Prediction: Samppa Linna to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/9a1293043de9ef01b45abcaa671a0688.png

In a statement that shocked nobody, this next fight is from the Heavyweight division as Apollo Gutz takes on Moyses “Athos” Mattos.

Apollo Gutz is a fighter with a real mean streak, as he looks to take his opponent’s head off in every fight, whether that be through striking or through Ground and Pound. An Elite Wrestler, he comes from the roster of Mr Gutz, and will be looking to get the fight down and take away his opponent’s base power. A (T)KO victory will be no shock for Gutz, but he will need to plan carefully in order to control the fight.

Moyses Mattos has lost his last two fights in a row, first losing to Brick Tires at EVO 173 before then losing his UVT title to Thiago Tavares. An Elite MMA fighter, he has mastered his Boxing, Muay Thai and Wrestling, but despite this, he relies majorly on his boxing to deal the crucial damage, whether it be from range or from inside the clinch. He has shown great KO Power in his career, gaining 27 (T)KO wins, but his 8 (T)KO losses have a question mark painted squarely where his chin is.

It will be a tough fight for Gutz, but I do feel he will win this bout in the second round by exposing Mattos’ chin issues.


Prediction: Apollo Gutz to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/f47c7c7162e5efc76130c1e612d2a3b6.png

It’s like deja vu on this card as it is another Heavyweight fight, and the last fight on the undercard, as Damien Hardacre takes on Anthony Ventura.

Damien Hardacre has exchanged wins and losses in all of his fights since joining EVO. From that pattern, it would appear he is destined to lose this bout, but we all know MMA fighters love hitting their problems, and Hardacre’s problem is called Anthony Ventura tonight. Possessing good KO Power, Hardacre loves barraging his opponents with leg kicks and picking off the weakened opponent with head strikes using his hands and feet.

Anthony Ventura makes his EVO debut in this bout, having fought in a variety of orgs and under a variety of managers previously. Under his current management, he would defeat Yeo Jae Suk with a first round TKO before losing to Fidel Durberry via TKO in the first round. Following that, he signed to EVO, and no doubt he will be looking to use his impressive wrestling to control the position and nullify Hardacre’s offense.

Hardacre is solid defensively, but he will need to keep this fight at range in order to win. If it enters the clinch or hits the ground, Ventura will be all over him like a rash, but he has the power and survivability to get the job done.

Prediction: Damien Hardacre to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/c8c7ea22c4f649449f14aa22410b0186.png

Our first title match of the night, and a highly anticipated rematch as Daken “Mongrel” Akihiro takes on Anabolinen Steroidi Jr for the Lightweight Championship!

Daken Akihiro is the current EVO Lightweight champion, and is currently on a 5 fight winning streak. Following a loss to Henrik Torhammer for the title, Akihiro would bounce back with wins over Noel Contemprato and Bjorn Helgi to earn a shot at the title once more, only this time, it was Steroidi Jr holding the title. Akihiro would win the championship via Unanimous Decision, before moving to Syn for one fight, a draw with Eiji Kawashima. In his last fight, he defended his title against Danny Volcanic as he walked out with a Unanimous Decision victory. It has been a long time since we have seen a finish in one of Akihiro’s fights, as you would have to go back to November 2014 when he defeated Akisame Hikaru via KO (Punch).

Anabolinen Steroidi Jr has gone on a two fight winning streak since losing his belt to Akihiro, and it is that form that has seen him work his way back into title contention. Wins over Juan Koski and Bjorn Helgi in convincing fashion have caused many to claim this is an improved Steroidi Jr coming in to compete for the belt here, and he will need to be at his best to claim the belt once more.

In their first fight, Steroidi Jr dominated any time it hit the floor, while Akihiro dominated from striking and clinch ranges. Steroidi Jr needs to work a game plan to get the fight down more often, and if he succeeds, he will win the belt, but I am gonna go with Akihiro’s TDD holding out enough in the fight for him to claim a Unanimous Decision win once more.


Prediction: Daken Akihiro to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/7f9aab08ca451aeea15c7f483ff5cb2b.png


The solitary non-title fight on the main card sees Ada Reyes take on Colin Croft.

Ada Reyes recently enjoyed a short lived title reign, losing the belt in his first defence. On his EVO debut, he defeated Bartholomew Roach and would earn a shot for the title as a result. At EVO 173: Marquee, he would defeat Doctor Doolittle for the Light Heavyweight championship. He would lose the title in his first defence to Vagner Love, suffering a TKO loss within one minute. He would recently bounce back from that loss with a KO victory over Funky Punch, and now he is looking towards his KO Power to get him back on the path to a title shot, and with 26 (T)KO’s from 27 wins, it is a good indicator of what he can achieve.

Colin Croft is a former fighter of mythical manager Matt Cave, and it was thought by many that Croft would be lost to the sands of time following Cave’s quitting of the MMA scene. However, he would be signed up by Dean Sutherland, and wanting to see how far Croft can go in his career, brought him out of retirement and managed him in his most recent fight, a KO victory over Doctor Doolittle. Blessed with a Granite Chin, he has a diverse offensive range, with a submission win included as he has secured 9 (T)KO’s in his career thus far.

This is a very interesting match up, as we see the KO Power of Ada Reyes go up against the Granite Chin of Colin Croft. Either side can win, but my gut feeling is that Reyes will take this, even if my head says Croft.


Prediction: Ada Reyes to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/b74e186e4479d8216b925caca7c4b844.png

Back onto the title fights now and it is a battle for the Welterweight championship as reigning champion Bowser Stormcrow takes on the challenger Edogawa Conan.

Bowser Stormcrow is the current #1 fighter in the world P4P rankings, and for good reason. Only suffering 2 defeats in his last 24 fights, he is currently on a 4 fight winning streak with wins over well known names in Johnny Fantastic, Simeon Malaya, Shinichi Onizuka and Ray Fayth. A decision specialist, he has won 28 decisions throughout his career, and it a notoriously hard fighter to put under pressure as he seems to glide about a cage with ease as he controls the range in which the fight takes place. Add on top of that, he has never been finished as all of his losses have come via Decision, and you have what makes the current best fighter in the world. He will be looking to cement his legacy as one of the all time greats with a win here, and move on to continue dominating his division.

Edogawa Conan is the undefeated challenger for the title, and he comes in with some pedigree behind him. He made his name in Dark Soul Combat, winning the championship there before making the move to EVO. He has defeated a trio of top names in the division since arriving, gaining decision wins over Enzo Moretti, Ziggy Cliff and Johnny Fantastic. He is a diverse fighter, beating his opponents with KO’s, Submissions and Decisions, but now he faces the hardest test of his career by taking on Stormcrow.

Honestly, I don’t see Stormcrow losing this bar a lucky submission should the fight hit the floor.


Prediction: Bowser Stormcrow to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/aca0cfafb822b639c7294d5eaabdae80.png


Our Co-Main Event of the evening is a fight for the Super Heavyweight championship as the champion Rinky Spider defends his title against Scott Norton!

Rinky Spider has enjoyed mixed fortunes since the last time we wrote about him at EVO 170: Awestruck. After moving to Aggressive Damage for a one off fight, he defeated Cinder Smaug via KO in the first round. His next fight saw him defending his Super Heavyweight title against Rockford Knight, but in his next bout, he lost to Cornell Cage Fighting champion Varg Veide. His hope of a trilogy with Ferreira would be delayed with that loss as Veide would get the next shot at Ferreira, and now Spider is on the path to getting back to winning ways.

Scott Norton makes his debut in this bout and is immediately challenging for the title. Currently on a 4 fight winning streak, he has a great record of knockouts, with 20 (T)KO’s from 21 wins, but the main issue in his game is his chin as he has suffered 7 (T)KO losses in his career, which is something you don’t want when you come up against someone with a Granite Chin and a history of KO’s.

Rinky Spider has the chin to survive in this bout, and his KO power should see him turn Norton’s chin into dust.


Prediction: Rinky Spider to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/8ca72097e6928464354a2cacd786c66a.png

Our Main Event of the evening is sponsored by Pearson Spector Litt - The finest quality threads in Tycoon!

The Main Event of the evening sees reigning EVO Heavyweight champion Leonardo Ferreira defend his title against Varg Veide.

Leonardo Ferreira’s 5 fight win streak is like a list of who’s who in the world of Heavyweight fighters. Wins over Thor Skarsgard, Rinky Spider, Rocky Tyson, Doctor Doolittle, and more recently, Rocky McColgan has seen Ferreira at the top of the pile and lacking challengers. Well, that was until Veide beat Spider and become the top challenger.

Varg Veide is the current CCF champion, and is currently on a staggering 15 fight win streak. Blessed with a Granite Chin and KO Power, he is a very similar competitor to Ferreira and will be feeling this is his moment to arrive on the world scene by defeating the top fighter in the division, and also the #2 fighter in the world. Veide is slightly taller and bigger, but he will need to avoid being complacent to get the win in this bout.

This is going to be an absolute classic of a fight. Both fighters have legitimate ways to win, and it really will be purely dependant on who establishes themselves earlier in the fight, but I am going with Ferreira on this one.

Prediction: Leonardo Ferreira to win via (T)KO in Round 5



Well that’s all from me. An absolute classic event being held here, featuring the very best fighters in the world. All the rankings, particularly in the EVO Heavyweight division, will be shaken up after this, so all you can do is keep your eyes out for the result, and I will see you next time!

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/1415396798Troid%20Logo%201.jpg

TROID PRESENTS

photo-22962.png?_r=1362008753

INTERNATIONAL TEAM FIGHTING LEAGUE

SEASON 4

ROUND 1


Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the first round of the new season of the ITFL! This season sees the tournament moved over to Troid in London, and there is a real excitement about this season as we will be seeing a number of top managers and top fighters competing for not only the glory of their team, but for their own glory as individuals.

On this weekend, we not only have the beginning of the prestigious ITFL tournament, but it also features the very first PPV card in Troid’s history, and it includes one of the ITFL fights on the card. With this being probably the biggest weekend in Troid’s history,


We have 6 teams competing in this season, with 7 fighters on each team. Those 7 fighters are split into two weight groups: The 170lbs and the 265lbs. Each team has 3 fighters in the 170lbs division and 4 fighters in the 265lbs division. They have made their picks, the teams are good to go, so without further ado, let’s get right into this!

TEAM MATCH 1

http://i.gyazo.com/167ed8a161c575997e91e5bdf5690c42.png

Our first team match of the round sees the notorious FinnFighters face off against The Misfits!

http://i.gyazo.com/2696b677ae9517d60768219d7660fc4d.png

Our first bout of this fight sees the FinnFighter’s Taisto Perala take on The Misfit’s Johnny Luca.

Taisto Perala is a former fighter of Mannetosen’s before his brief departure from MMA Tycoon, and he was subsequently picked up by Jorma Oltsu following his spell on the FA market. He signed up with Tokyo based org UNFC, and enjoyed a 3-1 run in the org, winning all of his fights via (T)KO before signing up to the ITFL. With a Solid Chin, he has shown finishing ability, with 4 (T)KO’s and 2 Submissions from 7 wins. He has never been knocked out, and now looks to represent his team with pride.

Johnny Luca is a Muay Thai fighter who enjoys striking at range, but it is activeness inside the clinch which is most impressive, even if his strikes from range find the target more. A fighter who has competed under both Insanity and AMS FC in his career, he had found both of his managers gone missing under suspicious circumstances before finding a solid routine under Harry Bagofdonuts. He lost in his last bout to Arturo Atunes, in a fight which saw im knocked out in the last second of the fight, and now he is looking to the ITFL to rebuild himself under his new manager, and is looking to make Taisto Perala his first victim.

It’s going to be a great fight to start us off, but I am going to go with Taisto Perala to win this bout late in the fight.


Prediction: Taisto Perala to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/48429daf89d32597e8174eadf38c06ee.png

Continuing on the brawl, the next fight sees Sambo Rambo take on Shintaro Nomo.

Sambo Rambo, despite appearing to be a Sprawl and Brawl style of fighter from his skills, is actually a highly accomplished BJJ fighter who has achieved 4 submission victories in his career, with none via (T)KO. He is currently on a 3 fight losing streak which has dampened his record, and many have pointed to his lack of kicks as being his weak point coming into this fight. He will need to sink in a takedown swiftly in his bout in order to minimise the potential damage he could suffer.

Shintaro Nomo is a very similar style of fighter to Rambo, with a great submission record, but Nomo has the advantage of the record of knocking his opponents out also. While he does possess some kicking ability, I don’t believe it is at a high enough level to trouble Rambo enough. He will be looking to rely on his fists to give him the advantage standing, while his ground game is developed enough that he should be defensively sound while also being able to threaten, although the same can be said for his opponent.

Overall, I think Nomo’s superior striking could be the difference. I don’t believe Rambo will gain a finish, but he could hold the position after gaining a takedown and pull home a Decision win, but I have to go with Nomo for this one.


Prediction: Shintaro Nomo to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/8acf23e203444e2e4eccd36657bbeb8d.png

A highly anticipated clash follows here as Helix “Black Heart” Cabrera takes on EP Champion Yaniv “In The Closet” Schulmann!

Helix Cabrera may not have the greatest of fight records, but this tournament is made to change the fortunes of fighters. As he puts it, Cabrera is “bad to the bone” and upon accepting this fight, he told me that “The 0 has got to go”, referencing Schulmann’s undefeated record thus far. Blessed with a Granite Chin, Cabrera has developed his overall MMA game well to limit the weaknesses his opponents can exploit. He will be looking to his striking to get the job done in this bout, and will be looking to avoid allowing Schulmann to control the fight, which he has specialised in throughout his career.

Yaniv Schulmann is currently riding an 11 fight winning streak which has seen him go undefeated in his career so far, although it could have been a different life for him. On the 1st September 2014, he actually retired from MMA, shortly before his 22nd birthday. He would unretire from MMA a mere few days afterwards, but since then, he has a renewed enthusiasm for the sport. He was 6-0 before retiring, and is now 11-0, which included a win in EVO and also a run in Epicity which saw him claim and defend the title there. While not known for his ability to finish, he knows how to use his skills to control the fight and grind his opponents down.

This is going to be a difficult fight for Cabrera, but he has the power and durability to get the job done. I expect Schulmann to control the early stages of the fight before Cabrera surges in the second round to claim the win.


Prediction: Helix Cabrera to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/aadbd8f8d890842381dbdc0bf4679537.png

Midway through this team battle, we now see Algot Van Panzerhosen step into the cage against Dante Cross Furia.

Algot Von Panzerhosen has been described by his own manager as a “Chinless Bastard”, so much so that he adopted it as his nickname. He has been unable to string any sort of form together since a loss to Rung Thrym last August in CEC, as he would win 2 fights before trading wins and losses since. This type of form would indicate he is due a win next, but a tournament setting is a whole different ball game to an org setting. He will be heavily relying on his Muay Thai to get him a KO before his chin gives way, and he could be a potential weak link in an overall strong team.

Dante Cross Furia is a dangerous fighter who has extremely high primaries, but there are questions as to whether his secondaries are up to the same level. Nevertheless, he has 4 (T)KO victories in his career, but also 2 (T)KO losses which have come in his last two fights. There have been questions raised about his chin, but like his opponent, he relies on his KO power to win him fights before his own chin gives way.

2 similar fighters in that their chins are ticking time bombs and it is only a matter of time before they give way. Dante’s superior skills should give him the edge, but I wouldn’t be surprised by either fighter winning inside the first round.


Prediction: Dante Cross Furia to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/11779dcd0be7a150508e05274f472e71.png

One of the youngest fighters in the tournament makes an appearance here now as Urho Berserk takes on Chris Severn.

At the tender age of just 23, Berserk is here to prove himself against older opponents and show he is a highly developed fighter. With dangerous levels of striking, he is another fighter involved in this tournament with previous title credentials, having held a title at both Relativity and Epicity. He relies on his striking from range to damage his opponents, mixing in low kicks with head punches to wear his opponent down and set him up for the (T)KO win.

His opponent Chris Severn meanwhile doesn’t hit often, but when he does, he hits hard. He has sensational levels of Muay Thai and is a very determined fighter, who also has a Submission win on his record to show he ain’t no one trick pony. He has 3 (T)KO losses on his record as well, with further analysis showing he may have a weakness in his durability against heavy shots, but his opponents will still need to be careful for his strikes as they can do the damage he needs if they land.

I feel that Urho Berserk will last long enough in the fight to see his strikes take effect and wear Severn down. I don’t expect him to go in with too much damage, and instead pick Severn apart en route to a victory.


Prediction: Urho Berserk to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/1079a2184dfd6cd1578d803f1bc17f5e.png

We now move to what many have called the biggest fight in this battle as former Insanity champion Joey Kocur takes on current CEC Super Heavyweight Champion Timur Rubin.

Joey Kocur is one of the elite fighters in this tournament, and many have claimed he is the man the FinnFighters will be looking to bring home the wins every week. An Elite boxer, he has an impressive record with 12 (T)KO’s from 13 wins, with the one extra being a Submission win. He is difficult to finish, with only one (T)KO loss in his career which came in his second fight. He has developed his defences since, and more often than not, he ends up knocking the opponent out before they can get their strikes through.

Timur Rubin is a fighter with a similar reputation, having never been finished in his career while enjoying 11 (T)KO’s from his 13 career wins. An elite ground and pound wrestler, his game plan in simple. Get the takedown, work into a good position and unleash hell onto his helpless opponents. That isn’t to say he is a slouch when striking however, as he throws a good quantity of punches and kicks to keep his opponent guessing when the takedown will come, and it works to good effect as he lands 50% of his takedowns from range, while being slightly less effective in the clinch at a 47% success rate.

We discussed this fight on the podcast, and the general consensus being that it all hinges on whether Rubin can secure that takedown. If he does, it could well be curtains for Kocur, but Kocur could easily get a win also. This fight will be a good test of the new engine changes, and the manager who adapts the best will win.


Prediction: Timur Rubin to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/dd1e8e1c305192280f8852bd02a70f52.png

Our final fight of FinnFighters vs The Misfits sees Antonio Jose De Sucre (Say that 5 times fast) take on William King.

 

Antonio Jose De Sucre is no stranger to Troid, having competed in 5 fights in the org and amassing a 3-2 record. Antonio is a Granite Chinned fighter who has taken time out to train his skills up, and now he feels the ITFL is his opportunity to launch himself onto the world stage with a great showing in the tournament. A highly talented Striker, he has the power to hurt his opponents, but will need to be sly enough to avoid his opponent’s strikes in order to win this comfortably.

 

William King is a recent FA pick up by Scott Davies, specifically for this tournament, and will be competing in his first fight in an org outside of Insanity where he has spent the majority of his career. He obviously possesses KO power, but his ability to take a punch is of concern, and he will need to be wary of Antonio’s ability to hit hard. Dino predicted King to go 0-10 throughout this tournament, so it is up to King to really prove him wrong and get off to a winning start.

 

Honestly, I feel De Sucre will take this fight with relative ease. With a Granite Chin, he has really developed his game to new levels, and I feel he will just have too much for King.

 

Prediction: Antonio Jose De Sucre to win via (T)KO in Round 2

So after counting them up, I predict the FinnFighters to just edge this contest 4-3 overall to get off to a winning start, but there are some close bouts in this, so don’t be surprised to see the results go the opposite way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TEAM MATCH 2

http://i.imgur.com/kO8Lfvf.png

vs

http://i.imgur.com/e5CBmm0.jpg

The second team matchup sees ITFL veterans Team Conquer take on The Corporation!

http://i.gyazo.com/51d96d67b56cda3d163da01eec09a888.png

We kick off the team match up with one of the biggest fights of the round, as Jamal Jackson takes on Pablo Escobar.

“Jacked” Jamal Jackson is no stranger to a tournament setting, having won the Murderer’s Row Light Heavyweight tournament already in his career. He has displayed some good striking which has seen him claim 4 (T)KO wins, while he has yet to be finished with his one loss coming via Decision. He relies heavily on his punches to win fights, and he appears to lack kicks which his opponent can exploit. Despite this, he has shown solid strategy in his career, and can easily finish a fight with a punch at any moment, something his opponents in the tournament will need to be wary of.

Pablo “The King” Escobar is a recent FA pick up Bob Vendarra signed following his release from the roster of Bragi Ragnarson. He has only had one fight under his current manager, but it was a solid showing in a win in Syn over Hans Beijer. He has only had two losses in his career, with one of those actually coming in a fight with another ITFL competitor, Timur Rubin. His game has vastly improved since then, as he attacks with a barrage of punches and kicks, which will come into effect against the more one dimensional opponent.

I feel the kicks of Escobar are what will come into effect in this fight. If he can use them effectively, he should see a win as an easier goal to achieve, but he will still need to be careful of Jackson’s gameplan.

Prediction: Pablo Escobar to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/b042bda0f07296a446b7fbaf7b083970.png

Old school vs new school match up here as ITFL Season 3 competitor Pernell Whitaker Jr returns to the tournament to take on newcomer Bret Hartlock.

Pernell Whitaker Jr entered the ITFL Season 3 last year as a hot prospect. He was 7-0 going into the tournament, and lived up to the hype by defeating Daniel O’Sullivan and Ronin Mori in his first two fights of the tournament, but then it all went wrong. Successive losses to Jack Daniels and Peter Stumpp came before a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a win against Selestion Mudisbarov. However, that would be a fleeting moment as he would lose his next three fights to Karate Kid, Carlos Hulk (Now called Ricky Icky) and Oliver Queen. He wouldn’t leave the ITFL cards on a downer however, as he would be previous opponent Daniel O’Sullivan once more on an ITFL card before leaving. After briefly being signed to Troid, he would leave the org without fighting once and sign with Syn, where he went 1-1 before joining the ITFL Season 4, looking for redemption from last time. A striker who throws a mixture of punches and kicks, he has shown he is no slouch on the ground as he has secured two submission wins in his career, something his opponent will need to be wary of here.

Brett Hartlock is currently on a 5 fight winning streak, having suffered a loss in his debut MMA fight, he would rack up his win streak competing in orgs such as WarZone, NYFN and Insanity. He is a dangerous BJJ fighter, having attained a Black Belt while also developing his striking as a support tool for his fights. He shoots for the takedown often, but also throws an occasional strike. However, his last fight was all the way back in March, so he has had plenty of time to develop his striking, and it isn’t clear how he will be planning on approaching this fight. You have to believe a takedown is involved, but you never know if he will go straight for the takedown or go for strikes to throw his opponent off before landing a takedown. He will need a takedown, but it may be a case of him just trying to control the fight down there and grinding out a decision.

I feel that Whitaker Jr will be dangerous with his striking, however, Hartlock should be able to land a takedown in the bout. Whether he can do it often enough to gain a decision is unclear, however, I feel Whitaker Jr has a decent enough ground game to survive and will get a (T)KO in a later round.


Prediction: Pernell Whitaker Jr to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/4ba15060982327d9f91c85ab5dbde8fa.png

Heavyweight clash now as former KT fighter Itse Perkele takes on Diego “The Gladiator” Bustamante.

Itse Perkele is under his third manager in his career, having been formerly managed by Agent Dee and Joe Kingpin before finding himself with current manager The Antidote. Popping a Solid Chin in his debut fight, he had never been finished in a fight, suffering 5 decision losses. He is currently riding a 2 fight win streak, having defeated both of his opponents via (T)KO within 2 rounds. His striking is at a very high level, but his grappling is a weak point in his game that he will need to avoid being exploited.

Diego Bustamante is a very similar fighter to Perkele in that he is primarily a striker who has a visible weakness in his grappling. He had three losses in his career, losing once via each different way, but has shown KO Power with 4 (T)KO’s from 7 wins. A dangerous clinch fighter, he strikes with punches and kicks from range while unleashing a barrage of knees inside to gas his opponent and finish their nights early.

Two similarly skilled fighters, but Bustamante will be dangerous should the fight enter the clinch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Perkele come away with the win, but it will be a tough fight for both fighters.


Prediction: Diego Bustamante to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/cebf238523c0b369b159ab8ece2212d5.png

A clash of two Troid fighters here as regular Lightweight fighters Durlag Trollkiller and Paul Landen clash now in the ITFL tournament.

Durlag Trollkiller is a former championship contender in Troid and a former champion in Dark Soul Combat. After being sacked by former manager Lock Down, he was signed up by Sean McDonnel and signed to Dark Soul Combat. He would win the title in his debut fight, a split decision victory over Freddy Quincy which also saw him pick up Fight of the Night honours. He would defend the title successfully against Harald Hillgrund before losing the title to Fernando Pardo in his last fight in DSC. He would then sign to Troid, making an immediate impact in the org with two successive wins against Nate Diaz and Ricardo Mendes to earn a shot against the champion. He would fail to capture the title with a 3rd round loss, and would continue the poor form with another loss to Ossilus Chiarmanda. Before joining up to the tournament however, he would claim a win over Thomas Neidhart to lift his spirits. A dangerous Muay Thai striker, he throws a large quantity of leg kicks and head punches, but mixes in other striking techniques to keep his opponent guessing. Question marks remain over his chances, but he will be feeling this is a good chance for him to showcase himself.

Paul “Scrap” Landen is another fighter from Troid’s Lightweight division, and he is another fighter looking to showcase himself. Starting his career with a win, he would sign with FNPFC (Now known as UNFC) and go 1-1 in the org before signing to Impact MMA with a record of 2-1. He would go 4-0 in Impact MMA to bring his record up to 6-1, with his last fight seeing him capture the title from Pale Monster, before the orgs merger into Troid. A champion vs champion match was set up with the winner unifying the titles and claiming the division championship, and Landen would defeat Matt Green’s one dimensional style with a second round (T)KO to become champion again. He would lose his title in his first defence to Sam Urai, and then go on a tear in the division, winning 4 in a row with wins over Kasper Koltun, Ken Masters, Theodore Ruxpin and Tonnie Mazloum. This would earn him a shot at the title against new champ Hilton Teimosia, but he would lose the fight in the 5th round, suffering a (T)KO loss. A win over Ossilus Chiarmanda would follow, before his final two losses against Demetri Borschtanoff and Hilton Teimosia. He is a well rounded fighter, able to fight in all areas while constantly attacking in different ways to keep his opponent guessing. He maintains a good accuracy ratio with his striking, and will be relying on that, along with his superior wrestling, to get the win.

A pretty good matchup that both managers will be fancying their chances in. I feel Landen will control the position enough in the fight in order to pick up the Decision win.


Prediction: Paul Landen to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/402dee4470d9dc7562cd01588af543b8.png

Two accomplished knockout specialists clash here now as Jay “The Great” Gatsby takes on Bjorn “Ironside” Lodbrok.

Jay Gatsby is making his first appearance in an org outside of Insanity here, as all but one of his career fight have been in the LA Based org. Showing a Solid Chin in his first fight, he tasted defeat on that occasion, but showed potential. He would spend the next 3 years of his life training, and when he felt ready to compete, he signed with Insanity and got his first fight booked. He would enjoy a great 2014 in Insanity, going 5-0 in the org and earning a title shot in the new year. He would lose that fight against Norman Parke, and subsequently lose the fight following that against Jingle Jingle. A win would follow over Mike Allen, but he was looking at his losses column again following a second round submission loss against current Mad Cash finalist Mateus Gracie. He has recovered recently however, with a 2 fight win streak seeing him defeat Harald Hildetand and Jeremy Dunham. He has developed his striking, but it is still his Clinch game which is best known, as he ups the tempo of his output when he gets the fight there and lands heavy shots. He will be looking to this strategy here as he looks to avoid having Lodbrok dictate the pace, and tieing up his opponent while working the dirty boxing seems to be his best chance.

Bjorn Lodbrok makes his return to Troid in this fight, having taken time out to train before signing up to compete in the ITFL. Going 2-0 in QFC’s before signing to an org, he displayed KO Power as he finished both of his opponents in the second round with strikes. He would then sign to WarZone in Amsterdam and continue his good form with another two wins, again, with both coming via TKO within 2 rounds. He would then sign with Troid and continue his impressive form with two more (T)KO wins within 2 rounds. He would suffer the first loss of his career in his next bout however, as he was taken down and suffered vicious ground and pound from Gustav Ragnarson which saw him lose in the first round. He would bounce back from that defeat with a win over Theodore Ruxpin, again a TKO victory within 2 rounds. Another defeat would follow in his next bout however as he lost to Travis Bickle before leaving Troid in order to work on his game. He now feels confident in getting his career back on track, and feels this is an opportunity for him to face and defeat some tough competition. He is a dangerous striker with a kill or be killed attitude, with all of his fights being won within 2 rounds and always via (T)KO. He will need to use his striking from range to good effect in this bout, as being tied up in the clinch will prevent him from using his power to full effect.

I feel Jay Gatsby’s ability to fight in the clinch and also from range will be the winner here. He should be able to survive from range long enough to gain the clinch, and from there, he should be able to prevent Lodbrok from landing the heavy shots while working him over.


Prediction: Jay Gatsby to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/8894900711bf812269c5ab46c23a2a2e.png

A highly anticipated fight here now as “Prodigy” Anakoni Kai takes on Frank Damozzi.

My anakoni don’t want no..Oh, wait, wrong name, nevermind. Anakoni Kai is a fighter many believe can be one of the most successful entrants in the tournament this season, and looking at his record, it’s no surprise why. A former fighter of Mannetosen, he had a 2-1 record before his manager quit the MMA scene and left him without a team. He was signed up by Louie DePalma who felt he had potential, but even then, he had him compete in 2 QFC’s to ensure he wasn’t wasting his time, and two first round (T)KO victories convinced Louie sufficiently. A brief spell in CFC saw him go 1-1, before he took a one fight deal with Cornell Cage Fighting which saw him defeat Cosmo Oarsman with a first round KO. A trip to New York followed, as he competed in two fights in NYFN which saw him go 2-0 with wins over Indigo Starseed and Benjamin BK. He moved to MFN as part of the merger, and in his one fight before the ITFL, he defeated Aleksey Zulughanov. Blessed with a Granite Chin, he is a well skilled fighter with a penchant for landing the damaging strikes and dominating his opponents. He has no major weakness in his game, but should look to avoid the ground in order to win this bout.

Frank Damozzi is a lot more experienced than his opponent, and he will need that experience to overcome the challenge. Starting off his career in Sisu Fights, he went 1-1 in the org before signing to the modern day UNFC, then known as FNPFC, and going 2-0 in the org. He signed with Evil Empire: Amsterdam then, again going unbeaten in the org at 3-0 before moving on to Barbarian Fight Club. He would win his first fight in the org, bringing his record to 7-1-0 and have him on a 6 fight winning streak before seeing that halted by a loss to Aderbal Maia for the title. He would take a one fight deal in HFC, in a fight which saw him gain a first round TKO victory over the aptly named “Chinless cbomb”. Following that, he would sign to Troid and enjoy his longest tenure in any org. Starting off with a loss to Lance Legstrong, he would go undefeated in his next 5 fights, with 3 wins and 2 draws, including a draw with the champion Jackob Johansson. He wouldn’t get his rematch, as he signed up to the Tycoon MMA championships to represent Troid. He would have a great showing, claiming a Silver medal with the loss in the finals being a Split Decision loss that many felt he won. He would return to Troid following this, but has suffered losses in both of his fights since, with losses to both Bary Allen and Flavius Odoacer. He is primarily a wrestler, as he uses his striking to buy him time to land a takedown before going to town with the Ground and Pound. He has a Granite Chin which helps in this, but he will need to be careful for Kai’s diverse offense.

I feel Anakoni Kai will win this bout. He has superior striking, and he seems sound enough on the ground defensively to deal with the threat Damozzi poses.


Prediction: Anakoni Kai to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/8c52b51824fc8a2b97084c0349e83b4b.png

Our final bout of Team Conquer vs The Misfits comes down as the decider for me, as I have them scored at 3-3 so far. The final bout sees former UNFC Middleweight champion Bruce Wayne take on former AMS Light Heavyweight challenger Ivar Lodbrok.

Bruce Wayne is currently 11-3-0 in his career, going 2-1-0 under current manager Gale Hawthorne following a 9-2-0 run under former manager Clark Kent. Under Kent, he would go 2-0 at the beginning of his career in Three Ring Fight Leauge. Following his spell there, he would sign to Ascension: Amsterdam winning his first fight against Daniel Stopframe before losing for the first time against Dee Nice. His final fight in AA would be a TKO victory over Ivan Denisovitch. He would then move to the org where he would make his name, UNFC. After winning his debut fight against Osamu Kido, he earned a title fight against Martinez Eluard which he would win via TKO (Strikes) in the first round to claim the Middleweight championship. After one successful defense against Pete Alexander, he would lose the championship to Arto Bryggare with a KO loss in the 4th round. He would rebound from this with a TKO win over Martine Dincht, before showing a new side to his game with an Armbar submission win over Terry Opdauhl. He would then leave his manager Clark Kent before signing with Gale Hawthorne, and subsequently was given a title shot against Wayde West which he won with a TKO win in just 33 seconds to become a two time champion. He would defend the title successfully against former opponent Terry Opdauhl, before losing the title in his last bout before the tournament to Raise Hell. Wayne lands leg kicks in abundance to weaken his opponent, before swooping in with hard punches which usually ends the fight, apart from the few occasions he has lost. With a submission win, he has shown he has a developed ground game, and that makes him a dangerous fighter for anyone to go against.

Ivar Lodbrok is a true fans favourite, as he uses his Muay Thai to good effect in knocking his opponents out while he himself is prone to suffering a KO loss. It is this kind of style that the fans love, and it is a reputation he has developed in his career. Winning his debut against Chuck Liddell, he subsequently signed to WarZone, and promptly won his debut fight in the org against Patrick Givens. He followed up that win with another over Ajai Hoo, again via TKO as he was building a reputation as a finisher. That reputation would take some damage in the next fight as he suffered a KO loss to Alex Asztalos via KO in the first round. A three fight win streak would follow, as he picked up wins over Julle Hallava, Zoro Fortisimo and Mario Penzer. That run was ended with a loss to Ivan Strashko, and he would go 1-1 in his next two fights with a win over Jaako Merithati followed by a loss to Ron Burgundy. He would earn a title shot with a 3 fight win streak that saw him defeat the likes of Veron Totto, Iso Kaato and Matt Greiner. He would lose the title fight however to Parmalee Sackett in his last bout before joining the ITFL. Throughout his career, he has shown the ability to knock out almost any opponent, but his one big let down is his brittle chin, and that is something that Wayne will be looking to exploit.

I feel this should be a first round win for one of those fighters. Either Lodbrok will come out hitting hard and fast, or Wayne will exploit the chin, but I am going with Wayne for the win.

Prediction: Bruce Wayne to win via (T)KO in Round 1


So there we have it. I predict this fight, like the last one, will end 4-3 with Team Conquer taking the overall win home, but we will have to wait til Saturday to see if these predictions are correct!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TEAM MATCH 3

http://i.imgur.com/uXXftn1.png

vs

http://i.imgur.com/RhHJmLW.jpg


Our last team matchup of the round features two teams new to the ITFL, as Vendino takes on The Stray Dogs!

http://i.gyazo.com/5d9b184c213c284bc42771d5bd0a8354.png

Kicking off the action in Vendino vs The Stray Dogs it’s former Evil Empire: Amsterdam and Insanity champion Bosco “CageDawg” Brown against ITFL season 3 competitor Bernhard Adelhard.

Bosco Brown comes into this tournament with a record of 9-7-0 with his last 5 fights all being defeats. He began his career with a loss in a QFC, and showed the crowd his dancing by doing the moonwalk on his way to the cage. He would sign with Evil Empire: Amsterdam following this, and started off well with a Majority Decision win over Kojak Komodo. He would then face another ITFL competitor, Taisto Perala, in his next fight which he would win via Unanimous Decision. A title fight followed this, and he defeated The Steel Penn to win the championship. He would defend the title successfully once against Paul Crown before his last appearance in an EE:A cage came in a non title bout against Jacob Goodacre which stretched his record to 5-1, and Brown would then move on to HFC for one fight. That fight would be against Romulo Barral in his first fight in the Welterweight division, having competed in the Middleweight division up until then. He would gain a TKO victory, and then sign to another org on a one fight deal, DSC. He would suffer a loss in this bout, losing via Submission in the second round before then signing a long term deal with Insanity. He would gain Submission of the Night in his first bout with a slick Triangle submission to defeat Beef Eater, which earned him a title shot. He would defeat Ozzy McKane via Unanimous Decision to claim the second title of his career, and his first at Welterweight. A successful defence against Richard Robinson would follow, before he would lose the title to Victor Loosa in his next bout. He would then go on to represent Insanity in the Tycoon MMA Championships, but was knocked out in the first round by Troid rep Rupert Psmith. He would fight once more in NYFN, the host org of the division, before signing a new contract with them and being released by his manager. The controversy continued as he was then signed up by current manager Ryan Epicity, who negotiated his release from NYFN and resigned with Insanity. He would suffered consecutive losses to Pete Speedy and Ronaldo Souza in the org before signing up for the ITFL. He is currently riding a 5 fight losing streak, and has no outstanding hiddens, which doesn’t make for a bundle of confidence in him, but he does have a well rounded game. Interesting enough, his previous manager Johnny Lee is actually a member of The Stray Dogs, so he will be able to give some insight into Brown which should benefit Adelhard. I would describe Brown as primarily a grappler, but he has been developing his overall MMA game in preparation for this tournament.

Bernhard Adelhard is no stranger to an ITFL season, having competed in Season 3 in the Legion of Pain team. Before that happened however, he had one fight in a QFC which saw him secure a first round Arm Triangle submission victory. He won his first fight in the ITFL S3, gaining a majority decision win over John Dux before losing the following three fights against Juan Koski, Arthur Bishop and Cole Orion. He would redeem himself somewhat with a win over Tuma Krapal before ending the tournament with a Unanimous Decision loss to Callum Pagnozzi. After the season, he would sign to UNFC in Tokyo and enjoy a resurgence in his career. After securing his first career (T)KO win over Tournament Winner, he would revert back to his grappling to gain a Triangle submission win over Jack Mitchelson. Another KO win would follow against Jimmy Johns before he would make it 4 wins in a row with an Armbar submission win over Orange Joe. In his last bout before the tournament, his winning run would come to an end with a Decision loss to Dominik Kokoszka. He returns to the ITFL as he feels he has some unfinished business, feeling he is a much better fighter overall, and coming into this season a lot more prepared. While not blessed with lightning KO power, he has shown he can work around it, showing good survivability and using his takedowns well to get the fight down. His striking is developed enough that he is no slouch, but it is on the ground where he really puts his opponents in danger.

To be honest, I feel that Adelhard will find it best for himself to try to keep the fight standing, where he holds the advantage, while Brown should be looking to take it down and move to a position where he isn’t at risk of being submitted, while he looks for them himself. However, I do feel it will be a tough challenge for both fighters, but I feel Adelhard will get the win.


Prediction: Bernhard Adelhard to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/b7c2fe93dfdfd98f49b1b0039e43b4cb.png

Moving onto the Heavyweight portion of his bout now as “Freeborn” John Paul Wani takes on ITFL Season 3 competitor Artie “Beer League” DeVanzo.

John Paul Wani has had a colourful career already, despite only having 7 fights. He was first signed under Cavaleiro Templario and competed in his first fight, displaying he had some form of KO Power before he was sacked and picked up by known cheater Axia Inc, while many have questioned the legitimacy of Cavaleiro himself. Anyway, he would then compete in 3 fights under Axia’s management, two in the QFC’s which saw him gain 2 first round KO’s before signing to UNFC and gaining another first round KO. Then, the massive scandal broke out regarding Axia’s cheating and Wani was again finding himself looking for a manager, and he found one in G Wad, who gave him his current name and signed him to Insanity. He would score a KO victory over Sisa Yfitos in his debut, before following that up with a Submission (Strikes) win over Sharky Shark. In his last fight in Insanity before the tournament, he would suffer a 2nd round TKO loss to Nickey Spillane, but the loss didn’t dishearten Wani. His strategy is pretty straight forward, he is going to punch you as fast, as hard, and as many times as he can. He is an Elite boxer who has over time been developing the other areas of his game in order to support his striking, and he can pose a danger to anybody he steps into the cage with.

Artie DeVanzo is another fighter who is familiar with the ITFL, having been a competitor in Season 3 with Team Reaper. Not only was he a participant in Season 3, but his debut fight actually came on the same card as the Team Finale from the very first season! That fight saw him claim a Unanimous Decision win over Kimroy Hoo. He would participate in two QFC bouts following that, picking up wins against Protr Glazatij and Mohammad Ali, both via (T)KO. His next fight was on another ITFL card, this time it was the Individual Finals of the first season, and it would also see the first loss suffered by “Beer League” as fell via Unanimous Decision to Freddy White. After taking some time off to train, he would then sign his first permanent contract with BEEF, losing his debut to Guil Ty before avenging that loss in his next fight via Submission (Strikes). A TKO win over Ben Breeze was followed by a loss to Aleksander Kamenov, before he competed in his last fight in BEEF with a Unanimous Decision win over Mark Cherry. He would then compete in a solitary fight in ECFC, gaining a win Pierre Gautier. He would return to his roots with the ITFL then, competing in Season 3 and he made a good showing. Defeating the likes of Jacob Koch, Mats Soderlund and Willum Gar in the team rounds before defeating Tanner Pond in the individual round. He would suffer defeat in the next round against Oliver Queen, but his reputation had benefited from a strong tournament run. He would continue that run of tournament appearances by competing in the AMS FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, and lost in the first round against Iso Kaato, but had a chance for redemption in the loser’s bracket. He would defeat Veron Totto via TKO in the second round before advancing to the quarter finals of the bracket with a Majority Decision win over Dudley Bradshaw. His run in the tournament would come to an end however with a defeat to Georgy Fokin. Now he enters the third tournament of his career, and he will feel his experience in this kind of format will give him an edge over the other competitors. An elite wrestler with high levels of striking, he is not a natural KO artist but he knows how to score favorably with the judges and wear his opponent down in the later rounds.

I think John Paul Wani’s best hope is to get an early KO, which is quite possibly given his size advantage, but the longer the fight goes on, the more I score it going for DeVanzo, and I feel it will be a late stoppage for “Beer League”.


Prediction: Artie DeVanzo to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/29ac1b89d45c74a97e62799b172a4cca.png

Our next match up sees Lance Legstrong take on Joe Louis.

Lance Legstrong enters this tournament straight after finishing another in the Mad Cash tournament. Beginning his career under Rory Daly, he would start off with a win by gaining a Kimura submission win against Tokyo Whiteman in the second round. He would go one better in his next fight, securing another Kimura submission against Ronny Bruvik (Now known as Arzlan Bathory) in the first round. He would suffer the first loss of his career in his next bout as he lost via TKO to Justin Velemir. A two fight spell in RFN saw him pick up two more submission wins; a Kimura over Paul Frederick and an Arm Triangle over Mikaiah Rynn. His last fight under Rory Daly’s management came in his highly anticipated feud with K Rad in which Legstrong defeated Pauline Hanson via Kimura in the second round. He was dropped by Rory after he decided to take a break from the MMA game, and was signed by Severo Del Bosque, who subsequently signed him to Troid. Starting off successfully, he would defeat Thors Hammer in his first bout via KO in the second round to gain his first stoppage win that wasn’t a submission. He would return back to his bread and butter however in his next bout, gaining a Kimura win over another ITFL competitor in Frank Damozzi. This would earn him a title shot, however he would suffer defeat to the champion Jackob Johansson. His next fight would produce a win as he defeated Forrest Dump via Split decision, but he would go on a bad run of results from then with losses to Ragnar Lothbrok (Now known as Dave McGee), Ajai Hoo, and Flavius Odoacer who is actually a teammate of his this season. He would win the next fight against Shape Shifter via Decision before a loss to Bary Allen in his last Troid fight. He would enter into the Mad Cash tournament following this, winning his first round match against Donnie Felterbush late on with a Kneebar submission. He would be knocked out of the tournament then, losing via TKO to Octavio Saades in the third round. He now enters the ITFL looking to rebuild his career and says he feels he is the best grappler in the tournament. He will be looking for his improving striking and Granite Chin to keep him alive in order to get the fight down and let his BJJ take over.

Joe Louis, like his opponent, didn’t start his career under his current management team. Signed up by Laz Staz, he would make his debut in late 2013, losing a Decision to Deive Pazos. He would rattle off three wins in a row in QFC bouts then, defeating Gabe McFinney, Adam Peri and Hans Gruber, all by (T)KO. He would then sign with Troid, and in his debut, lose to Lexington Snape. Another loss followed, this time to Ruphus Duphus, before he would finally claim his first win in the org against Tyrell Myrell, but unfortunately, it would be his only win. A draw against Jack Bronson then happened, and in the subsequent rematch, he lost via KO in the first round. Leaving Troid and being sacked by his manager, he then signed with Jeremiah Lukker, and accepted a contract from Gamasi Fighting Company. In his debut for the org, he would defeat Jorge Ulrich via TKO in the first round, and followed that up with a first round KO over Sayan Sever. This would earn him a title shot, but he would lose against the champion Jacques Saint-Perrilloux via Unanimous Decision. Following the loss, the org would close and Louis would sign with Epicity Productions in Las Vegas. His debut saw him earn the KO of the night with a KO victory over Softly Weeping, and he would earn another award in the form of the Fight of the night with a third round TKO win over Rutger Snabel. He would face a former foe in Jacques Saint-Perrilloux, but would again suffer defeat as he was TKO’ed in the first round. His last bout before the tournament would see him win via TKO against Akami Hoi via Kimura to claim his first submission win. Louis is primarily a striker, but he has shown a tendency to go in for takedowns and grind his opponents out when he feels the need to.

I feel Louis will need to avoid the takedown in this bout. Both fighters have weak points in their game, and their strengths are their opponent’s weaknesses. I feel Legstrong at some point will get the fight to the ground and can get the submission win.


Prediction: Lance Legstrong to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/04d0dc4af2bd9f09e0e200ef6a648fb9.png

Midway through this event now and we now see Flavius Odoacer take on Antoni Kristofer Hong.

Flavius Odoacer is a 25 year old German wrestler who has developed his striking in order to round out his overall MMA game. Starting his career at Amsterdam based org WarZone, Odoacer made his debut in August 2014 with a 41 second KO win against Brad Mansfield at WarZone 135. He would follow that up with TKO wins against Jason Shono, Ed Bavelock and, sigh, Seymoure Til Alexandros The Seventeenth. He would lose his next bout against a man he would then consider to be his nemesis in his career, Ajai Hoo, via Unanimous Decision in his last fight in WarZone. He would sign for Troid following this, and in his first fight for the org, he defeated Lance Legstrong via KO in the third round. He would lose his next fight against Ajai Hoo, who also made the move to Troid, again via Unanimous Decision. He would bounce back in his next two fights however, defeating Jeremy Stapleton via TKO in the secound round and also defeating another ITFL contestant in Frank Damozzi via Unanimous Decision. With his high levels of wrestling, he looks to control the fight while using effective striking to work his opponents over.

Antoni Kristofer Hong is a similar fighter to Odoacer, in that he is also primarily a wrestler, and has also developed his striking. Suffering a Submission loss in his first fight to Ali Wasielewski, he would sign with Barbarian Fight Club and defeat Ruarc Harris in his only fight in the org via KO. One more fight in the QFC saw him claim a first round TKO win over Frankie Rock before he signed to UNFC where he has spent his career thus far. He would win his first three fights in the org, defeating the likes of Jose Vovchanchyn, Dark Vengeance and Brian Pereira to earn a shot at the title. He would lose the title shot, suffering a first round KO loss to Mario Karlo. A rematch with Brian Pereira followed, and this time he would go the distance and win via Split Decision. He would get back to getting the finish then, defeating both Billy Bulge and Ragnar Danneskjold via TKO in the second and third rounds respectively. Another Decision would follow, as he claimed the win over Roy-Li Taylor before another one again as he suffered a loss to Brad May in his last fight before the tournament.

This is going to be a very evenly matched fight, as both have the same skill set up. Like a lot of fights, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either fighter win, but I see Odoacer getting a decision win here.


Prediction: Flavius Odoacer to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/bff14cb74768fe93319849a459cdb135.png

A highly anticipated fighter here now as Ruslan Mstislav Volkov takes on Wilder Wein.

Ruslan Mstislav Volkov is a highly diverse fighter, having submission and KO wins in his career, he has shown a natural instinct for getting the wins. Starting off his career with a fight against his own family, he defeated Ilya Mstislav Volkov via Unanimous Decision. Continuing to fight in Umbrella, he would defeat Jhon Wuzz via TKO and then follow that up with a win over Ronin Mori via Triangle Armbar submission. He would suffer the first loss of his career in his next bout with a loss to Luka Jelavic with a TKO in the 4th round. He would compete in his last fight in Umbrella then, defeating Tormy Skillz with a Rear Naked Choke in the first round. Following his release from Umbrella, he signed with UNFC in Tokyo, and he would suffer the second loss of his career in his org debut against Orange Joe. That loss would only spur Ruslan onto a stunning run in his career. He would have three more fights in UNFC, winning all of them with Unanimous Decision wins over Dominik Kokoszka and Ragnhildur Haraldsson and a Submission of the Night victory with an Armbar over Alexander Fors. Following his departure from UNFC, he would spend the next 6 months training before signing to Epicity Productions, and he would claim a KO victory over Brogan Kearney on his debut. He would make it 5 wins in a row with a Unanimous Decision win over William Henry Bonney, and go 6 unbeaten with a draw against Chico Dicko. That would stretch to 6 wins, and 7 unbeaten, when he defeated Dicko with a Kimura in Round 1 in their rematch in what was his last bout before the tournament. He is exceptionally well rounded, showing no major weaknesses in his game while have a diverse range of attacking options.

His opponent is the larger Wilder Wein. Wein has had a relatively short career so far, training for a long time before testing the waters with some competitive MMA action. He would mark his debut in style, scoring a Superman Punch KO win over Robert Maudsley on his debut His next fight would come 3 months later, and he would gain another win by defeating Ground Guru via KO, and then signed with Epicity Productions. He would make his debut within a month, scoring another KO with his defeat of Paul Crown. He would earn both Fight of the Night and KO of the Night honours as he defeated Dick Stern to earn a shot at the championship. He would win the title following a first round TKO win over Dominick De Struicao, and won via Unanimous Decision in his first defense against Jerry Seinfeld. His last bout saw him lose to Ruslan’s family when he lost his title to Ilya Mstislav Volkov via Unanimous Decision. Elite levels of striking are what he is best known for, and now he will be fighting a man who will challenge him in every way.

Ruslan will have the psychological edge going into this, as his manager Igor is the only manager to have beaten Wein in his career. With a slight variation in styles, I feel Ruslan will be the favourite going into this fight, and most likely will see the judges read out a decision win for him.


Prediction: Ruslan Mstislav Volkov to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/3178369e15e3d0c0e297560fb5d924fa.png

The penultimate fight of the round features two of the biggest prospects of the season as Dorian “The Terrier” Yates takes on Fabian Hoi.

Dorian Yates is coming into the season on a 6 fight winning streak, and currently undefeated under manager Mike Jursllla. Originally competing under manager Jack Al, he made his debut in mid 2014 in a winning effort as he defeated Jurgen Kohler via TKO in the second round. In his next fight, he defeated Jimi Smokeleaf via Unanimous Decision before signing to Worldwide Fighting Championship. He suffered a Unanimous Decision loss to Haywood Badger for the title in his debut, and recovered from that by defeating Rafal Arsic via Unanimous Decision. In his last fight in WFC, and under manager Jack Al, he would lose via KO to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He would soon be released by his manager and signed by Mike Jursllla. Under his new manager, he would win his first two fights via (T)KO in QFC’s before signing for NYFN. In his debut, he would win via Unanimous Decision against Matt Hughes, before going on to achieve the same result in his next two fights against Jonqw Fray and Shin Dong-Hyuk which brought an end to his NYFN stay. He would sign with EP and manage one fight there before joining the ITFL, as he showed a new side of his game with an Arm Triangle submission win over Jeffrey Miller. He is an Elite level boxer who, while primarily a fighter who wins via Decision, has a high level of striking output and looks to inflict damage on his opponents. With his recent submission win, it is clear he has been adding to his skill range, and that will benefit him in this tournament.

Fabian Hoi is an extremely well skilled fighter who has had a variety of managers in his career. Starting with Ispa Murhapuro, he go 4-0 under him while competing in both a QFC and in three fights in MMA Helsinki, scoring (T)KO wins over John Shortkins, Errol Field, Jonjo Banjo and Janusz Lanus before parting ways with Murhapuro. He would then sign up with Dean Sutherland, and enjoy a winning start as he signed to HERITAGE and defeat Zhan Jiang via KO in the first round. He would suffer the first loss of his career to John Bzdunek via Armbar. Following this, he would be released from HERITAGE and released by Dean Sutherland, and he would find himself signed to his third manager in Jorma Oltsu. He would sign with Dark Soul Combat, and enjoy another unbeaten run there as he secured 5 wins, defeating John Mclovin, Harald Hillgrund and Derek Legion via Unanimous Decision and also defeating Enrique Rold and Kanchai Suya via KO. He would be sacked after his however, and would be signed by current manager Bjorn O’Donnel using an FA dibs. He would sign with his bigest org to date, Syn, and go undefeated in the org before signing up to the ITFL, as he defeated Billy Axe and Don Juan Matus via Unanimous Decision. It’s hard to get a good reading on his consistent game plans, as a result of the number of managers he has had, but his main plan seems to usually be mixing up his leg kicks with head punches which has seen him go on a great run in his career.

Don’t expect this fight to go to ground much, as both fighters will be looking to end the other’s night early. I think it will go into the later rounds, and while Yates could easily pull off a win, I am going with Hoi to get the win here.


Prediction: Fabian Hoi to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/1b0b8cccc50ff96a79c41e4ebe253bee.png

The final fight of the excruciatingly long preview sees highly touted former KT champion Giacomo Benvenuti take on Mikaiah Rynn.

 

Giacomo Benvenuti began his career in fighting in KT, and it is clear what his style is. Originally competing in KT under former manager Furious Styles, he made his debut in Xtreme K1 Kombat and would capture the title within 3 months, defeating Curtis Mayhem, Erv Plower and Mick Mayhem via (T)KO before earning a shot for the belt. He defeated Codin Viperescu via TKO to win the belt. He would move to Extreme Fist Fighting Association for one fight, defeating Tommy Asikainen before returning to his previous org. He would remain undefeated in his tenure in KT, winning all his fights via (T)KO with wins over Reynir Arn x2, Klaas Van Delft, Steel Penn x2 and Shezzo Wicked. Furious Styles would leave the MMA scene, and Benvenuti didn’t have to wait long to find a new manager as he was signed up by Dean Sutherland. Sutherland convinced him to make the change to MMA, winning his first two fights in the QFC via (T)KO over Farrokh Bulsara and Mike Tyson. A brief spell in NYFN saw him defeat Eddie Killer before he moved on and signed with Death Squad MMA. He defeated Ameri CanChopper and Frank Garfunkel via (T)KO, before he would suffer the first loss of his career in a title shot against Seaville Bri, in what was his last fight before the tournament. A heavy hitter who has gained all 16 of his wins via (T)KO, he has been developing the defensive side of his ground game in order to compete, and he has the ability to get to anybody.

 

Mikaiah Rynn has spent his entire career under manager Uncle Lar, and is one of the dark horses to have a great individual run in the season. He kicked his career off with 2 (T)KO wins in QFC bouts, defeating Mason Scott and NaKai Mariner before joining Montreal Fight Nights for one bout which saw him suffer a loss to Dagoth Ur. His career would really be made with his next move however, joining RFN and going on a 3 fight winning streak as a defeated Silberio ZasZas and Ty Daves via (T)KO before gaining a Unanimous Decision win over Yan Yang. A two fight losing streak would follow, as he lost to ITFL competitor Lance Legstrong and Jace Beleren. He would then go on the best run of his career, winning three fights in a row to earn a shot at the title by beating Kazunori Kouya, Ricardo Delivire and Dave Sherk all via KO. In the title shot, he would defeat Kimo Ovaska to win the championship via TKO. The org would change ownership and be rebranded NYFN, and he would retain the title in his first fight by defeating Louis Delmas via TKO. Further wins against Hector Barbosa and Ben Jonathan would see his stock rise further, before his 7 fight win streak would come to a halt after he was defeated by Billy Beast for the title. He would win his next two fights, defeating Ben Jonathon once more while also beating Mestre Bimba. He would represent NYFN in the Tycoon MMA Championships, but would lose in the first round to Fritz Haarmann. Upon his return to NYFN, he would lose his next bout against Claude LeBlanc via Unanimous Decision, before defeating Arzlan Bathory via TKO in his last fight in NYFN. Following this, NYFN would merge with MFN, and in his last fight before this tournament, Rynn would lose to Noah Puckerman via TKO. Rynn is an Elite boxer, and has a proven record of KO’s, and this will be a good test for him to go up against another Elite striker.

 

Overall, I think Benvenuti will just have too much for Rynn. He outskills him in the striking game, and that is what Rynn really relies on to get the wins. Barring some hail mary punch, I expect Benvenuti to get the (T)KO win.

 

Prediction: Giacomo Benvenuti to win via (T)KO in Round 1


Andddddddd finally, that is it for the Preview of the first round of fights in the ITFL Season 4! Be sure to get involved in the Smack Talk if you have a fighter competing, and if you are just a manager looking for some easy cash, why not take part in our Pick Em League where there is a minimum prize pool of 500k up for grabs!

For now, that is all from me, and best of luck to all the fighters!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Insanity’s Mad Cash Tournament

THE FINALS

Live from University Park in Los Angeles!

In association with DC Unrivaled!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to our preview for the finals of the Mad Cash tournament! 4 men have all battled to reach the finals of their respective divisions, and this is the climax of their hard work. We also have some major fights also taking place on the card, so we will be previewing all of the fights on the main card, with a quick prediction of the undercard bouts! We have done all our waiting while the participants battled to the finals, so without further ado, let’s get right into it!

Undercard

Predictions

Alvin Loredo def. Li Kong Ho via (T)KO in Round 1

Ole Nkone def. Micah Hays via Submission in Round 2

Lionel Santos def. Oh Yeah via (T)KO in Round 2

David Wuzz def. Trent Punchy via Submission in Round 2

The Beast def. Randy Savage via (T)KO in Round 3


MAIN CARD

http://i.gyazo.com/72da4c981cbd7e7a9358ef883c3b6f0c.png

The first fight of the evening on the main card is a Light Heavyweight fight as two Finns collide with Matti Molski takes on Antero Mela.

Matti Molski is a good ole fashioned wrassler who loves nothing more than dominating his opponent and pounding his face in. With his developing boxing, he has built a base from which he can exploit his sensational wrestling by trading strikes before shooting in for the takedown when his opponent least expects it. This strategy has seen him pick up 9 wins in his career, of which 6 came via (T)KO. He has suffered a solitary loss under his current management, a loss to Joey Kocur for the Light Heavyweight championship. He is looking to get back on the path to a title shot, particularly with a new champion, as he proves he is the man to lead the division. Another interesting note coming into this is Molski claims he hates his nationality, and has previously claimed he would crush any Finn stupid enough to get into the cage with him. It’s time to see if he can live up to that claim.

Antero Mela is another Finnish wrestler, and this one is proud to be Finnish. With 10 wins in his career, 6 of those have come via (T)KO while another 2 have come via Submission. He is currently undefeated under his current manager, and is making his Insanity debut here after leaving London based org Soul Supremacy Fight Club following it’s closure. With a Black Belt, he has maximised his grappling and will not be too uncomfortable if his opponent gets the takedown first, but he will still be looking to maintain a dominant position if it hits the ground.

Overall, I feel Mela’s double edged offense on the ground of both GnP and Subs will mean he can finish the fight from anywhere. Molski’s best chance is using his superior striking to end the fight as a takedown will be a big risk, but I feel he will go for the takedown and that will be a dangerous zone for him.

Prediction: Antero Mela to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/ea635f8e2b2f1c5aa583755e32422041.png

Our next fight is the finals of the Lightweight Mad Cash tournament as Mateus Gracie takes on Dickie “The Dirt” Dirty for the grand prize!

Mateus Gracie is currently on a 6 fight winning streak, and in the last round of the tournament defeated Chad Didion via Unanimous Decision. Gracie showed impressive striking in that fight, as while he was only able to get the fight down once, he used that time well to grind his opponent down and dominate him from striking range following that. He holds a slight height advantage, but it is clear he will be looking to get this fight to the ground, and if he can he should dominate from then on.

Dickie Dirty meanwhile is in a 10 fight winning streak, and 5-0 under his current manager. Mainly known as a Decision specialist, he has 2 (T)KO and 3 Submission wins also to show he does occasionally take the risk of going for a finish. His main advantage in this bout is his striking, and he will be desperate to avoid the takedown in this bout, as if it hits the ground, he will be in real danger of being finished, but standing, he should be able to score the points to win the rounds.

Overall, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either fighter win, but the big factor in this is whether it hits the ground. If it does, Gracie should be able to win the fight, if not at least win the round. But don’t underestimate Dirty’s grappling, as he can survive quite well, and will need to in order to come away with the win.

Prediction: Mateus Gracie to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/60e0b8071f07bda3bb2c46e863909031.png

Our final fight before the Main Events is a Featherweight title fight as Shin Dong Hyuk challenges the reigning champion Martin Saint Louis.

Shin Dong Hyuk is a Muay Thai specialist who can be considered a decision fighter as he gained 8 decision wins in his career. He also has 3 (T)KO wins and 2 Submission wins to show he has a diversified skill range. Focusing heavily on Leg and Body kicks, his game plan in fights is to work his opponent down with his kicks while also throwing head punches in the hopes of scoring a (T)KO, with an occasional head kick, body punch and takedown thrown in. He will be looking to do business as usual, grinding Saint Louis down with his strikes and try to avoid being taken down.

Martin Saint Louis is the reigning champion, and also won the Featherweight division of the Tycoon MMA Championships, defeating Ferdinand Cortes (UNFC), Bubba Kush (AMSFC) and Tuomari Hurmio (Troid) en route to earning his gold medal. He is currently on a 9 fight winning streak, and in his last outing, defeated Arshnoor Singh. An extremely well rounded fighter, Saint Louis is comfortable wherever the fight takes place, but his bread and butter is his striking, and it allows his KO Power to be shown on full display, with 10 (T)KO wins from 20 in his career. He will be looking to earn a quick (T)KO win in this bout before his opponent can land enough kicks to slow him down.

Overall, I just think Saint Louis’s better track record of getting the finish will be too much for Dong Hyuk. He will be unlikely to get the finish himself, and Saint Louis will be free to land his strikes without a major threat of being (T)KO’ed.

Prediction: Martin Saint Louis to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/9e0834d7541fc989639e42fac454e770.png

Our Co-Main event of the evening sees reigning Light Heavyweight champion Castor Rollins take on Nickey Spillane in a Heavyweight clash!

Castor Rollins is the current Insanity Light Heavyweight champion, having captured the title in his last bout by defeating Joey Kocur via Majority Decision. A Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he has gained half of his wins via Submission, but has most recently been showing his growing striking game, as he is currently on a 4 fight winning streak with 3 of those wins coming via (T)KO. With his skills growing, he is becoming a more dangerous fighter every time he steps into the cage, and he will be looking to show why he is a champion yet again in this bout.

Nickey Spillane is a Heavyweight fighter who uses his grappling defensively, as he relies on his striking in his fights. While not blessed with insane KO power, he has still managed to gain 5 (T)KO’s from his 13 wins, and in this bout, will be looking to use his size advantage in order to overcome the lighter Rollins. If he fails to end it early, he will struggle in the later rounds as Rollin’s will be wearing him down with strikes, but he will also need to be wary of Rollin’s putting him away early.

Overall, I think the weight difference will play a big part in this as Rollins will be looking to wear him down and use his speed advantage, and I can see this being an early night for Spillane, but I think he will survive the first round.

Prediction: Castor Rollins to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/96ee6de76c9e49521d781eeabf44ad82.png

The Main Event of the evening also serves as the finals of the Middleweight Mad Cash tournament as Nolan Sackett takes on Octavio Saades!

Nolan Sackett is currently riding an 8 fight win streak, and reaches the finals after defeating Pika Chu in the last round. Dominating the initial round, Sackett went to work in the second as he landed a number of punches and kicks to work Chu down, before ending the bout with some Ground and Pound after knocking Chu down with a combination. Sackett will be looking to his striking again in this bout, as his great record of 16 (T)KO’s from 19 wins shows he has the power to end anybodies night early. With a Granite Chin, he also has survivability, and has only ever been beaten once in his career, and he avenged that loss already to show he can beat any man he steps into the cage with.

Octavio Saades is also on an 8 fight win streak, having defeated Charles Grace in his last bout to reach the finals. He used a good combination of striking and takedowns to control the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the fight, and he will need to dominate the position once more in order to win this fight. His opponent has the better showing hidden, and that doesn’t bode well for him. He will need to hit his takedowns and control to wear Sackett down, and if he can, then he will be looking for the late takedown.

Overall, having looked at the two fighters in more detail, I feel Sackett has the edge going into the bout. With a Granite Chin and a proven (T)KO record, he will be troubling Saades in the fight, and should be able to get the finish.

Prediction: Nolan Sackett to win via (T)KO in Round 3

That’s all from me, and that’s it for the Mad Cash tournament. Best of luck to the participants, and be sure to look out for the results with the winners each receiving $3m in prize money! For now, that’s all from me and until next time.

  • Grant Brophy (GBK16)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/1415396798Troid%20Logo%201.jpg

TROID PRESENTS

photo-22962.png?_r=1362008753

INTERNATIONAL TEAM FIGHTING LEAGUE

SEASON 4

ROUND 1


Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the first round of the new season of the ITFL! This season sees the tournament moved over to Troid in London, and there is a real excitement about this season as we will be seeing a number of top managers and top fighters competing for not only the glory of their team, but for their own glory as individuals.

On this weekend, we not only have the beginning of the prestigious ITFL tournament, but it also features the very first PPV card in Troid’s history, and it includes one of the ITFL fights on the card. With this being probably the biggest weekend in Troid’s history,


We have 6 teams competing in this season, with 7 fighters on each team. Those 7 fighters are split into two weight groups: The 170lbs and the 265lbs. Each team has 3 fighters in the 170lbs division and 4 fighters in the 265lbs division. They have made their picks, the teams are good to go, so without further ado, let’s get right into this!

TEAM MATCH 1

http://i.gyazo.com/167ed8a161c575997e91e5bdf5690c42.png

Our first team match of the round sees the notorious FinnFighters face off against The Misfits!

http://i.gyazo.com/2696b677ae9517d60768219d7660fc4d.png

Our first bout of this fight sees the FinnFighter’s Taisto Perala take on The Misfit’s Johnny Luca.

Taisto Perala is a former fighter of Mannetosen’s before his brief departure from MMA Tycoon, and he was subsequently picked up by Jorma Oltsu following his spell on the FA market. He signed up with Tokyo based org UNFC, and enjoyed a 3-1 run in the org, winning all of his fights via (T)KO before signing up to the ITFL. With a Solid Chin, he has shown finishing ability, with 4 (T)KO’s and 2 Submissions from 7 wins. He has never been knocked out, and now looks to represent his team with pride.

Johnny Luca is a Muay Thai fighter who enjoys striking at range, but it is activeness inside the clinch which is most impressive, even if his strikes from range find the target more. A fighter who has competed under both Insanity and AMS FC in his career, he had found both of his managers gone missing under suspicious circumstances before finding a solid routine under Harry Bagofdonuts. He lost in his last bout to Arturo Atunes, in a fight which saw im knocked out in the last second of the fight, and now he is looking to the ITFL to rebuild himself under his new manager, and is looking to make Taisto Perala his first victim.

It’s going to be a great fight to start us off, but I am going to go with Taisto Perala to win this bout late in the fight.


Prediction: Taisto Perala to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/48429daf89d32597e8174eadf38c06ee.png

Continuing on the brawl, the next fight sees Sambo Rambo take on Shintaro Nomo.

Sambo Rambo, despite appearing to be a Sprawl and Brawl style of fighter from his skills, is actually a highly accomplished BJJ fighter who has achieved 4 submission victories in his career, with none via (T)KO. He is currently on a 3 fight losing streak which has dampened his record, and many have pointed to his lack of kicks as being his weak point coming into this fight. He will need to sink in a takedown swiftly in his bout in order to minimise the potential damage he could suffer.

Shintaro Nomo is a very similar style of fighter to Rambo, with a great submission record, but Nomo has the advantage of the record of knocking his opponents out also. While he does possess some kicking ability, I don’t believe it is at a high enough level to trouble Rambo enough. He will be looking to rely on his fists to give him the advantage standing, while his ground game is developed enough that he should be defensively sound while also being able to threaten, although the same can be said for his opponent.

Overall, I think Nomo’s superior striking could be the difference. I don’t believe Rambo will gain a finish, but he could hold the position after gaining a takedown and pull home a Decision win, but I have to go with Nomo for this one.


Prediction: Shintaro Nomo to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/8acf23e203444e2e4eccd36657bbeb8d.png

A highly anticipated clash follows here as Helix “Black Heart” Cabrera takes on EP Champion Yaniv “In The Closet” Schulmann!

Helix Cabrera may not have the greatest of fight records, but this tournament is made to change the fortunes of fighters. As he puts it, Cabrera is “bad to the bone” and upon accepting this fight, he told me that “The 0 has got to go”, referencing Schulmann’s undefeated record thus far. Blessed with a Granite Chin, Cabrera has developed his overall MMA game well to limit the weaknesses his opponents can exploit. He will be looking to his striking to get the job done in this bout, and will be looking to avoid allowing Schulmann to control the fight, which he has specialised in throughout his career.

Yaniv Schulmann is currently riding an 11 fight winning streak which has seen him go undefeated in his career so far, although it could have been a different life for him. On the 1st September 2014, he actually retired from MMA, shortly before his 22nd birthday. He would unretire from MMA a mere few days afterwards, but since then, he has a renewed enthusiasm for the sport. He was 6-0 before retiring, and is now 11-0, which included a win in EVO and also a run in Epicity which saw him claim and defend the title there. While not known for his ability to finish, he knows how to use his skills to control the fight and grind his opponents down.

This is going to be a difficult fight for Cabrera, but he has the power and durability to get the job done. I expect Schulmann to control the early stages of the fight before Cabrera surges in the second round to claim the win.


Prediction: Helix Cabrera to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/aadbd8f8d890842381dbdc0bf4679537.png

Midway through this team battle, we now see Algot Van Panzerhosen step into the cage against Dante Cross Furia.

Algot Von Panzerhosen has been described by his own manager as a “Chinless Bastard”, so much so that he adopted it as his nickname. He has been unable to string any sort of form together since a loss to Rung Thrym last August in CEC, as he would win 2 fights before trading wins and losses since. This type of form would indicate he is due a win next, but a tournament setting is a whole different ball game to an org setting. He will be heavily relying on his Muay Thai to get him a KO before his chin gives way, and he could be a potential weak link in an overall strong team.

Dante Cross Furia is a dangerous fighter who has extremely high primaries, but there are questions as to whether his secondaries are up to the same level. Nevertheless, he has 4 (T)KO victories in his career, but also 2 (T)KO losses which have come in his last two fights. There have been questions raised about his chin, but like his opponent, he relies on his KO power to win him fights before his own chin gives way.

2 similar fighters in that their chins are ticking time bombs and it is only a matter of time before they give way. Dante’s superior skills should give him the edge, but I wouldn’t be surprised by either fighter winning inside the first round.


Prediction: Dante Cross Furia to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/11779dcd0be7a150508e05274f472e71.png

One of the youngest fighters in the tournament makes an appearance here now as Urho Berserk takes on Chris Severn.

At the tender age of just 23, Berserk is here to prove himself against older opponents and show he is a highly developed fighter. With dangerous levels of striking, he is another fighter involved in this tournament with previous title credentials, having held a title at both Relativity and Epicity. He relies on his striking from range to damage his opponents, mixing in low kicks with head punches to wear his opponent down and set him up for the (T)KO win.

His opponent Chris Severn meanwhile doesn’t hit often, but when he does, he hits hard. He has sensational levels of Muay Thai and is a very determined fighter, who also has a Submission win on his record to show he ain’t no one trick pony. He has 3 (T)KO losses on his record as well, with further analysis showing he may have a weakness in his durability against heavy shots, but his opponents will still need to be careful for his strikes as they can do the damage he needs if they land.

I feel that Urho Berserk will last long enough in the fight to see his strikes take effect and wear Severn down. I don’t expect him to go in with too much damage, and instead pick Severn apart en route to a victory.


Prediction: Urho Berserk to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/1079a2184dfd6cd1578d803f1bc17f5e.png

We now move to what many have called the biggest fight in this battle as former Insanity champion Joey Kocur takes on current CEC Super Heavyweight Champion Timur Rubin.

Joey Kocur is one of the elite fighters in this tournament, and many have claimed he is the man the FinnFighters will be looking to bring home the wins every week. An Elite boxer, he has an impressive record with 12 (T)KO’s from 13 wins, with the one extra being a Submission win. He is difficult to finish, with only one (T)KO loss in his career which came in his second fight. He has developed his defences since, and more often than not, he ends up knocking the opponent out before they can get their strikes through.

Timur Rubin is a fighter with a similar reputation, having never been finished in his career while enjoying 11 (T)KO’s from his 13 career wins. An elite ground and pound wrestler, his game plan in simple. Get the takedown, work into a good position and unleash hell onto his helpless opponents. That isn’t to say he is a slouch when striking however, as he throws a good quantity of punches and kicks to keep his opponent guessing when the takedown will come, and it works to good effect as he lands 50% of his takedowns from range, while being slightly less effective in the clinch at a 47% success rate.

We discussed this fight on the podcast, and the general consensus being that it all hinges on whether Rubin can secure that takedown. If he does, it could well be curtains for Kocur, but Kocur could easily get a win also. This fight will be a good test of the new engine changes, and the manager who adapts the best will win.


Prediction: Timur Rubin to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/dd1e8e1c305192280f8852bd02a70f52.png

Our final fight of FinnFighters vs The Misfits sees Antonio Jose De Sucre (Say that 5 times fast) take on William King.

 

Antonio Jose De Sucre is no stranger to Troid, having competed in 5 fights in the org and amassing a 3-2 record. Antonio is a Granite Chinned fighter who has taken time out to train his skills up, and now he feels the ITFL is his opportunity to launch himself onto the world stage with a great showing in the tournament. A highly talented Striker, he has the power to hurt his opponents, but will need to be sly enough to avoid his opponent’s strikes in order to win this comfortably.

 

William King is a recent FA pick up by Scott Davies, specifically for this tournament, and will be competing in his first fight in an org outside of Insanity where he has spent the majority of his career. He obviously possesses KO power, but his ability to take a punch is of concern, and he will need to be wary of Antonio’s ability to hit hard. Dino predicted King to go 0-10 throughout this tournament, so it is up to King to really prove him wrong and get off to a winning start.

 

Honestly, I feel De Sucre will take this fight with relative ease. With a Granite Chin, he has really developed his game to new levels, and I feel he will just have too much for King.

 

Prediction: Antonio Jose De Sucre to win via (T)KO in Round 2

So after counting them up, I predict the FinnFighters to just edge this contest 4-3 overall to get off to a winning start, but there are some close bouts in this, so don’t be surprised to see the results go the opposite way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TEAM MATCH 2

http://i.imgur.com/kO8Lfvf.png

vs

http://i.imgur.com/e5CBmm0.jpg

The second team matchup sees ITFL veterans Team Conquer take on The Corporation!

http://i.gyazo.com/51d96d67b56cda3d163da01eec09a888.png

We kick off the team match up with one of the biggest fights of the round, as Jamal Jackson takes on Pablo Escobar.

“Jacked” Jamal Jackson is no stranger to a tournament setting, having won the Murderer’s Row Light Heavyweight tournament already in his career. He has displayed some good striking which has seen him claim 4 (T)KO wins, while he has yet to be finished with his one loss coming via Decision. He relies heavily on his punches to win fights, and he appears to lack kicks which his opponent can exploit. Despite this, he has shown solid strategy in his career, and can easily finish a fight with a punch at any moment, something his opponents in the tournament will need to be wary of.

Pablo “The King” Escobar is a recent FA pick up Bob Vendarra signed following his release from the roster of Bragi Ragnarson. He has only had one fight under his current manager, but it was a solid showing in a win in Syn over Hans Beijer. He has only had two losses in his career, with one of those actually coming in a fight with another ITFL competitor, Timur Rubin. His game has vastly improved since then, as he attacks with a barrage of punches and kicks, which will come into effect against the more one dimensional opponent.

I feel the kicks of Escobar are what will come into effect in this fight. If he can use them effectively, he should see a win as an easier goal to achieve, but he will still need to be careful of Jackson’s gameplan.

Prediction: Pablo Escobar to win via (T)KO in Round 1

http://i.gyazo.com/b042bda0f07296a446b7fbaf7b083970.png

Old school vs new school match up here as ITFL Season 3 competitor Pernell Whitaker Jr returns to the tournament to take on newcomer Bret Hartlock.

Pernell Whitaker Jr entered the ITFL Season 3 last year as a hot prospect. He was 7-0 going into the tournament, and lived up to the hype by defeating Daniel O’Sullivan and Ronin Mori in his first two fights of the tournament, but then it all went wrong. Successive losses to Jack Daniels and Peter Stumpp came before a glimmer of hope appeared in the form of a win against Selestion Mudisbarov. However, that would be a fleeting moment as he would lose his next three fights to Karate Kid, Carlos Hulk (Now called Ricky Icky) and Oliver Queen. He wouldn’t leave the ITFL cards on a downer however, as he would be previous opponent Daniel O’Sullivan once more on an ITFL card before leaving. After briefly being signed to Troid, he would leave the org without fighting once and sign with Syn, where he went 1-1 before joining the ITFL Season 4, looking for redemption from last time. A striker who throws a mixture of punches and kicks, he has shown he is no slouch on the ground as he has secured two submission wins in his career, something his opponent will need to be wary of here.

Brett Hartlock is currently on a 5 fight winning streak, having suffered a loss in his debut MMA fight, he would rack up his win streak competing in orgs such as WarZone, NYFN and Insanity. He is a dangerous BJJ fighter, having attained a Black Belt while also developing his striking as a support tool for his fights. He shoots for the takedown often, but also throws an occasional strike. However, his last fight was all the way back in March, so he has had plenty of time to develop his striking, and it isn’t clear how he will be planning on approaching this fight. You have to believe a takedown is involved, but you never know if he will go straight for the takedown or go for strikes to throw his opponent off before landing a takedown. He will need a takedown, but it may be a case of him just trying to control the fight down there and grinding out a decision.

I feel that Whitaker Jr will be dangerous with his striking, however, Hartlock should be able to land a takedown in the bout. Whether he can do it often enough to gain a decision is unclear, however, I feel Whitaker Jr has a decent enough ground game to survive and will get a (T)KO in a later round.


Prediction: Pernell Whitaker Jr to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/4ba15060982327d9f91c85ab5dbde8fa.png

Heavyweight clash now as former KT fighter Itse Perkele takes on Diego “The Gladiator” Bustamante.

Itse Perkele is under his third manager in his career, having been formerly managed by Agent Dee and Joe Kingpin before finding himself with current manager The Antidote. Popping a Solid Chin in his debut fight, he had never been finished in a fight, suffering 5 decision losses. He is currently riding a 2 fight win streak, having defeated both of his opponents via (T)KO within 2 rounds. His striking is at a very high level, but his grappling is a weak point in his game that he will need to avoid being exploited.

Diego Bustamante is a very similar fighter to Perkele in that he is primarily a striker who has a visible weakness in his grappling. He had three losses in his career, losing once via each different way, but has shown KO Power with 4 (T)KO’s from 7 wins. A dangerous clinch fighter, he strikes with punches and kicks from range while unleashing a barrage of knees inside to gas his opponent and finish their nights early.

Two similarly skilled fighters, but Bustamante will be dangerous should the fight enter the clinch. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Perkele come away with the win, but it will be a tough fight for both fighters.


Prediction: Diego Bustamante to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/cebf238523c0b369b159ab8ece2212d5.png

A clash of two Troid fighters here as regular Lightweight fighters Durlag Trollkiller and Paul Landen clash now in the ITFL tournament.

Durlag Trollkiller is a former championship contender in Troid and a former champion in Dark Soul Combat. After being sacked by former manager Lock Down, he was signed up by Sean McDonnel and signed to Dark Soul Combat. He would win the title in his debut fight, a split decision victory over Freddy Quincy which also saw him pick up Fight of the Night honours. He would defend the title successfully against Harald Hillgrund before losing the title to Fernando Pardo in his last fight in DSC. He would then sign to Troid, making an immediate impact in the org with two successive wins against Nate Diaz and Ricardo Mendes to earn a shot against the champion. He would fail to capture the title with a 3rd round loss, and would continue the poor form with another loss to Ossilus Chiarmanda. Before joining up to the tournament however, he would claim a win over Thomas Neidhart to lift his spirits. A dangerous Muay Thai striker, he throws a large quantity of leg kicks and head punches, but mixes in other striking techniques to keep his opponent guessing. Question marks remain over his chances, but he will be feeling this is a good chance for him to showcase himself.

Paul “Scrap” Landen is another fighter from Troid’s Lightweight division, and he is another fighter looking to showcase himself. Starting his career with a win, he would sign with FNPFC (Now known as UNFC) and go 1-1 in the org before signing to Impact MMA with a record of 2-1. He would go 4-0 in Impact MMA to bring his record up to 6-1, with his last fight seeing him capture the title from Pale Monster, before the orgs merger into Troid. A champion vs champion match was set up with the winner unifying the titles and claiming the division championship, and Landen would defeat Matt Green’s one dimensional style with a second round (T)KO to become champion again. He would lose his title in his first defence to Sam Urai, and then go on a tear in the division, winning 4 in a row with wins over Kasper Koltun, Ken Masters, Theodore Ruxpin and Tonnie Mazloum. This would earn him a shot at the title against new champ Hilton Teimosia, but he would lose the fight in the 5th round, suffering a (T)KO loss. A win over Ossilus Chiarmanda would follow, before his final two losses against Demetri Borschtanoff and Hilton Teimosia. He is a well rounded fighter, able to fight in all areas while constantly attacking in different ways to keep his opponent guessing. He maintains a good accuracy ratio with his striking, and will be relying on that, along with his superior wrestling, to get the win.

A pretty good matchup that both managers will be fancying their chances in. I feel Landen will control the position enough in the fight in order to pick up the Decision win.


Prediction: Paul Landen to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/402dee4470d9dc7562cd01588af543b8.png

Two accomplished knockout specialists clash here now as Jay “The Great” Gatsby takes on Bjorn “Ironside” Lodbrok.

Jay Gatsby is making his first appearance in an org outside of Insanity here, as all but one of his career fight have been in the LA Based org. Showing a Solid Chin in his first fight, he tasted defeat on that occasion, but showed potential. He would spend the next 3 years of his life training, and when he felt ready to compete, he signed with Insanity and got his first fight booked. He would enjoy a great 2014 in Insanity, going 5-0 in the org and earning a title shot in the new year. He would lose that fight against Norman Parke, and subsequently lose the fight following that against Jingle Jingle. A win would follow over Mike Allen, but he was looking at his losses column again following a second round submission loss against current Mad Cash finalist Mateus Gracie. He has recovered recently however, with a 2 fight win streak seeing him defeat Harald Hildetand and Jeremy Dunham. He has developed his striking, but it is still his Clinch game which is best known, as he ups the tempo of his output when he gets the fight there and lands heavy shots. He will be looking to this strategy here as he looks to avoid having Lodbrok dictate the pace, and tieing up his opponent while working the dirty boxing seems to be his best chance.

Bjorn Lodbrok makes his return to Troid in this fight, having taken time out to train before signing up to compete in the ITFL. Going 2-0 in QFC’s before signing to an org, he displayed KO Power as he finished both of his opponents in the second round with strikes. He would then sign to WarZone in Amsterdam and continue his good form with another two wins, again, with both coming via TKO within 2 rounds. He would then sign with Troid and continue his impressive form with two more (T)KO wins within 2 rounds. He would suffer the first loss of his career in his next bout however, as he was taken down and suffered vicious ground and pound from Gustav Ragnarson which saw him lose in the first round. He would bounce back from that defeat with a win over Theodore Ruxpin, again a TKO victory within 2 rounds. Another defeat would follow in his next bout however as he lost to Travis Bickle before leaving Troid in order to work on his game. He now feels confident in getting his career back on track, and feels this is an opportunity for him to face and defeat some tough competition. He is a dangerous striker with a kill or be killed attitude, with all of his fights being won within 2 rounds and always via (T)KO. He will need to use his striking from range to good effect in this bout, as being tied up in the clinch will prevent him from using his power to full effect.

I feel Jay Gatsby’s ability to fight in the clinch and also from range will be the winner here. He should be able to survive from range long enough to gain the clinch, and from there, he should be able to prevent Lodbrok from landing the heavy shots while working him over.


Prediction: Jay Gatsby to win via (T)KO in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/8894900711bf812269c5ab46c23a2a2e.png

A highly anticipated fight here now as “Prodigy” Anakoni Kai takes on Frank Damozzi.

My anakoni don’t want no..Oh, wait, wrong name, nevermind. Anakoni Kai is a fighter many believe can be one of the most successful entrants in the tournament this season, and looking at his record, it’s no surprise why. A former fighter of Mannetosen, he had a 2-1 record before his manager quit the MMA scene and left him without a team. He was signed up by Louie DePalma who felt he had potential, but even then, he had him compete in 2 QFC’s to ensure he wasn’t wasting his time, and two first round (T)KO victories convinced Louie sufficiently. A brief spell in CFC saw him go 1-1, before he took a one fight deal with Cornell Cage Fighting which saw him defeat Cosmo Oarsman with a first round KO. A trip to New York followed, as he competed in two fights in NYFN which saw him go 2-0 with wins over Indigo Starseed and Benjamin BK. He moved to MFN as part of the merger, and in his one fight before the ITFL, he defeated Aleksey Zulughanov. Blessed with a Granite Chin, he is a well skilled fighter with a penchant for landing the damaging strikes and dominating his opponents. He has no major weakness in his game, but should look to avoid the ground in order to win this bout.

Frank Damozzi is a lot more experienced than his opponent, and he will need that experience to overcome the challenge. Starting off his career in Sisu Fights, he went 1-1 in the org before signing to the modern day UNFC, then known as FNPFC, and going 2-0 in the org. He signed with Evil Empire: Amsterdam then, again going unbeaten in the org at 3-0 before moving on to Barbarian Fight Club. He would win his first fight in the org, bringing his record to 7-1-0 and have him on a 6 fight winning streak before seeing that halted by a loss to Aderbal Maia for the title. He would take a one fight deal in HFC, in a fight which saw him gain a first round TKO victory over the aptly named “Chinless cbomb”. Following that, he would sign to Troid and enjoy his longest tenure in any org. Starting off with a loss to Lance Legstrong, he would go undefeated in his next 5 fights, with 3 wins and 2 draws, including a draw with the champion Jackob Johansson. He wouldn’t get his rematch, as he signed up to the Tycoon MMA championships to represent Troid. He would have a great showing, claiming a Silver medal with the loss in the finals being a Split Decision loss that many felt he won. He would return to Troid following this, but has suffered losses in both of his fights since, with losses to both Bary Allen and Flavius Odoacer. He is primarily a wrestler, as he uses his striking to buy him time to land a takedown before going to town with the Ground and Pound. He has a Granite Chin which helps in this, but he will need to be careful for Kai’s diverse offense.

I feel Anakoni Kai will win this bout. He has superior striking, and he seems sound enough on the ground defensively to deal with the threat Damozzi poses.


Prediction: Anakoni Kai to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/8c52b51824fc8a2b97084c0349e83b4b.png

Our final bout of Team Conquer vs The Misfits comes down as the decider for me, as I have them scored at 3-3 so far. The final bout sees former UNFC Middleweight champion Bruce Wayne take on former AMS Light Heavyweight challenger Ivar Lodbrok.

Bruce Wayne is currently 11-3-0 in his career, going 2-1-0 under current manager Gale Hawthorne following a 9-2-0 run under former manager Clark Kent. Under Kent, he would go 2-0 at the beginning of his career in Three Ring Fight Leauge. Following his spell there, he would sign to Ascension: Amsterdam winning his first fight against Daniel Stopframe before losing for the first time against Dee Nice. His final fight in AA would be a TKO victory over Ivan Denisovitch. He would then move to the org where he would make his name, UNFC. After winning his debut fight against Osamu Kido, he earned a title fight against Martinez Eluard which he would win via TKO (Strikes) in the first round to claim the Middleweight championship. After one successful defense against Pete Alexander, he would lose the championship to Arto Bryggare with a KO loss in the 4th round. He would rebound from this with a TKO win over Martine Dincht, before showing a new side to his game with an Armbar submission win over Terry Opdauhl. He would then leave his manager Clark Kent before signing with Gale Hawthorne, and subsequently was given a title shot against Wayde West which he won with a TKO win in just 33 seconds to become a two time champion. He would defend the title successfully against former opponent Terry Opdauhl, before losing the title in his last bout before the tournament to Raise Hell. Wayne lands leg kicks in abundance to weaken his opponent, before swooping in with hard punches which usually ends the fight, apart from the few occasions he has lost. With a submission win, he has shown he has a developed ground game, and that makes him a dangerous fighter for anyone to go against.

Ivar Lodbrok is a true fans favourite, as he uses his Muay Thai to good effect in knocking his opponents out while he himself is prone to suffering a KO loss. It is this kind of style that the fans love, and it is a reputation he has developed in his career. Winning his debut against Chuck Liddell, he subsequently signed to WarZone, and promptly won his debut fight in the org against Patrick Givens. He followed up that win with another over Ajai Hoo, again via TKO as he was building a reputation as a finisher. That reputation would take some damage in the next fight as he suffered a KO loss to Alex Asztalos via KO in the first round. A three fight win streak would follow, as he picked up wins over Julle Hallava, Zoro Fortisimo and Mario Penzer. That run was ended with a loss to Ivan Strashko, and he would go 1-1 in his next two fights with a win over Jaako Merithati followed by a loss to Ron Burgundy. He would earn a title shot with a 3 fight win streak that saw him defeat the likes of Veron Totto, Iso Kaato and Matt Greiner. He would lose the title fight however to Parmalee Sackett in his last bout before joining the ITFL. Throughout his career, he has shown the ability to knock out almost any opponent, but his one big let down is his brittle chin, and that is something that Wayne will be looking to exploit.

I feel this should be a first round win for one of those fighters. Either Lodbrok will come out hitting hard and fast, or Wayne will exploit the chin, but I am going with Wayne for the win.

Prediction: Bruce Wayne to win via (T)KO in Round 1


So there we have it. I predict this fight, like the last one, will end 4-3 with Team Conquer taking the overall win home, but we will have to wait til Saturday to see if these predictions are correct!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TEAM MATCH 3

http://i.imgur.com/uXXftn1.png

vs

http://i.imgur.com/RhHJmLW.jpg


Our last team matchup of the round features two teams new to the ITFL, as Vendino takes on The Stray Dogs!

http://i.gyazo.com/5d9b184c213c284bc42771d5bd0a8354.png

Kicking off the action in Vendino vs The Stray Dogs it’s former Evil Empire: Amsterdam and Insanity champion Bosco “CageDawg” Brown against ITFL season 3 competitor Bernhard Adelhard.

Bosco Brown comes into this tournament with a record of 9-7-0 with his last 5 fights all being defeats. He began his career with a loss in a QFC, and showed the crowd his dancing by doing the moonwalk on his way to the cage. He would sign with Evil Empire: Amsterdam following this, and started off well with a Majority Decision win over Kojak Komodo. He would then face another ITFL competitor, Taisto Perala, in his next fight which he would win via Unanimous Decision. A title fight followed this, and he defeated The Steel Penn to win the championship. He would defend the title successfully once against Paul Crown before his last appearance in an EE:A cage came in a non title bout against Jacob Goodacre which stretched his record to 5-1, and Brown would then move on to HFC for one fight. That fight would be against Romulo Barral in his first fight in the Welterweight division, having competed in the Middleweight division up until then. He would gain a TKO victory, and then sign to another org on a one fight deal, DSC. He would suffer a loss in this bout, losing via Submission in the second round before then signing a long term deal with Insanity. He would gain Submission of the Night in his first bout with a slick Triangle submission to defeat Beef Eater, which earned him a title shot. He would defeat Ozzy McKane via Unanimous Decision to claim the second title of his career, and his first at Welterweight. A successful defence against Richard Robinson would follow, before he would lose the title to Victor Loosa in his next bout. He would then go on to represent Insanity in the Tycoon MMA Championships, but was knocked out in the first round by Troid rep Rupert Psmith. He would fight once more in NYFN, the host org of the division, before signing a new contract with them and being released by his manager. The controversy continued as he was then signed up by current manager Ryan Epicity, who negotiated his release from NYFN and resigned with Insanity. He would suffered consecutive losses to Pete Speedy and Ronaldo Souza in the org before signing up for the ITFL. He is currently riding a 5 fight losing streak, and has no outstanding hiddens, which doesn’t make for a bundle of confidence in him, but he does have a well rounded game. Interesting enough, his previous manager Johnny Lee is actually a member of The Stray Dogs, so he will be able to give some insight into Brown which should benefit Adelhard. I would describe Brown as primarily a grappler, but he has been developing his overall MMA game in preparation for this tournament.

Bernhard Adelhard is no stranger to an ITFL season, having competed in Season 3 in the Legion of Pain team. Before that happened however, he had one fight in a QFC which saw him secure a first round Arm Triangle submission victory. He won his first fight in the ITFL S3, gaining a majority decision win over John Dux before losing the following three fights against Juan Koski, Arthur Bishop and Cole Orion. He would redeem himself somewhat with a win over Tuma Krapal before ending the tournament with a Unanimous Decision loss to Callum Pagnozzi. After the season, he would sign to UNFC in Tokyo and enjoy a resurgence in his career. After securing his first career (T)KO win over Tournament Winner, he would revert back to his grappling to gain a Triangle submission win over Jack Mitchelson. Another KO win would follow against Jimmy Johns before he would make it 4 wins in a row with an Armbar submission win over Orange Joe. In his last bout before the tournament, his winning run would come to an end with a Decision loss to Dominik Kokoszka. He returns to the ITFL as he feels he has some unfinished business, feeling he is a much better fighter overall, and coming into this season a lot more prepared. While not blessed with lightning KO power, he has shown he can work around it, showing good survivability and using his takedowns well to get the fight down. His striking is developed enough that he is no slouch, but it is on the ground where he really puts his opponents in danger.

To be honest, I feel that Adelhard will find it best for himself to try to keep the fight standing, where he holds the advantage, while Brown should be looking to take it down and move to a position where he isn’t at risk of being submitted, while he looks for them himself. However, I do feel it will be a tough challenge for both fighters, but I feel Adelhard will get the win.


Prediction: Bernhard Adelhard to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/b7c2fe93dfdfd98f49b1b0039e43b4cb.png

Moving onto the Heavyweight portion of his bout now as “Freeborn” John Paul Wani takes on ITFL Season 3 competitor Artie “Beer League” DeVanzo.

John Paul Wani has had a colourful career already, despite only having 7 fights. He was first signed under Cavaleiro Templario and competed in his first fight, displaying he had some form of KO Power before he was sacked and picked up by known cheater Axia Inc, while many have questioned the legitimacy of Cavaleiro himself. Anyway, he would then compete in 3 fights under Axia’s management, two in the QFC’s which saw him gain 2 first round KO’s before signing to UNFC and gaining another first round KO. Then, the massive scandal broke out regarding Axia’s cheating and Wani was again finding himself looking for a manager, and he found one in G Wad, who gave him his current name and signed him to Insanity. He would score a KO victory over Sisa Yfitos in his debut, before following that up with a Submission (Strikes) win over Sharky Shark. In his last fight in Insanity before the tournament, he would suffer a 2nd round TKO loss to Nickey Spillane, but the loss didn’t dishearten Wani. His strategy is pretty straight forward, he is going to punch you as fast, as hard, and as many times as he can. He is an Elite boxer who has over time been developing the other areas of his game in order to support his striking, and he can pose a danger to anybody he steps into the cage with.

Artie DeVanzo is another fighter who is familiar with the ITFL, having been a competitor in Season 3 with Team Reaper. Not only was he a participant in Season 3, but his debut fight actually came on the same card as the Team Finale from the very first season! That fight saw him claim a Unanimous Decision win over Kimroy Hoo. He would participate in two QFC bouts following that, picking up wins against Protr Glazatij and Mohammad Ali, both via (T)KO. His next fight was on another ITFL card, this time it was the Individual Finals of the first season, and it would also see the first loss suffered by “Beer League” as fell via Unanimous Decision to Freddy White. After taking some time off to train, he would then sign his first permanent contract with BEEF, losing his debut to Guil Ty before avenging that loss in his next fight via Submission (Strikes). A TKO win over Ben Breeze was followed by a loss to Aleksander Kamenov, before he competed in his last fight in BEEF with a Unanimous Decision win over Mark Cherry. He would then compete in a solitary fight in ECFC, gaining a win Pierre Gautier. He would return to his roots with the ITFL then, competing in Season 3 and he made a good showing. Defeating the likes of Jacob Koch, Mats Soderlund and Willum Gar in the team rounds before defeating Tanner Pond in the individual round. He would suffer defeat in the next round against Oliver Queen, but his reputation had benefited from a strong tournament run. He would continue that run of tournament appearances by competing in the AMS FC Light Heavyweight Grand Prix, and lost in the first round against Iso Kaato, but had a chance for redemption in the loser’s bracket. He would defeat Veron Totto via TKO in the second round before advancing to the quarter finals of the bracket with a Majority Decision win over Dudley Bradshaw. His run in the tournament would come to an end however with a defeat to Georgy Fokin. Now he enters the third tournament of his career, and he will feel his experience in this kind of format will give him an edge over the other competitors. An elite wrestler with high levels of striking, he is not a natural KO artist but he knows how to score favorably with the judges and wear his opponent down in the later rounds.

I think John Paul Wani’s best hope is to get an early KO, which is quite possibly given his size advantage, but the longer the fight goes on, the more I score it going for DeVanzo, and I feel it will be a late stoppage for “Beer League”.


Prediction: Artie DeVanzo to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/29ac1b89d45c74a97e62799b172a4cca.png

Our next match up sees Lance Legstrong take on Joe Louis.

Lance Legstrong enters this tournament straight after finishing another in the Mad Cash tournament. Beginning his career under Rory Daly, he would start off with a win by gaining a Kimura submission win against Tokyo Whiteman in the second round. He would go one better in his next fight, securing another Kimura submission against Ronny Bruvik (Now known as Arzlan Bathory) in the first round. He would suffer the first loss of his career in his next bout as he lost via TKO to Justin Velemir. A two fight spell in RFN saw him pick up two more submission wins; a Kimura over Paul Frederick and an Arm Triangle over Mikaiah Rynn. His last fight under Rory Daly’s management came in his highly anticipated feud with K Rad in which Legstrong defeated Pauline Hanson via Kimura in the second round. He was dropped by Rory after he decided to take a break from the MMA game, and was signed by Severo Del Bosque, who subsequently signed him to Troid. Starting off successfully, he would defeat Thors Hammer in his first bout via KO in the second round to gain his first stoppage win that wasn’t a submission. He would return back to his bread and butter however in his next bout, gaining a Kimura win over another ITFL competitor in Frank Damozzi. This would earn him a title shot, however he would suffer defeat to the champion Jackob Johansson. His next fight would produce a win as he defeated Forrest Dump via Split decision, but he would go on a bad run of results from then with losses to Ragnar Lothbrok (Now known as Dave McGee), Ajai Hoo, and Flavius Odoacer who is actually a teammate of his this season. He would win the next fight against Shape Shifter via Decision before a loss to Bary Allen in his last Troid fight. He would enter into the Mad Cash tournament following this, winning his first round match against Donnie Felterbush late on with a Kneebar submission. He would be knocked out of the tournament then, losing via TKO to Octavio Saades in the third round. He now enters the ITFL looking to rebuild his career and says he feels he is the best grappler in the tournament. He will be looking for his improving striking and Granite Chin to keep him alive in order to get the fight down and let his BJJ take over.

Joe Louis, like his opponent, didn’t start his career under his current management team. Signed up by Laz Staz, he would make his debut in late 2013, losing a Decision to Deive Pazos. He would rattle off three wins in a row in QFC bouts then, defeating Gabe McFinney, Adam Peri and Hans Gruber, all by (T)KO. He would then sign with Troid, and in his debut, lose to Lexington Snape. Another loss followed, this time to Ruphus Duphus, before he would finally claim his first win in the org against Tyrell Myrell, but unfortunately, it would be his only win. A draw against Jack Bronson then happened, and in the subsequent rematch, he lost via KO in the first round. Leaving Troid and being sacked by his manager, he then signed with Jeremiah Lukker, and accepted a contract from Gamasi Fighting Company. In his debut for the org, he would defeat Jorge Ulrich via TKO in the first round, and followed that up with a first round KO over Sayan Sever. This would earn him a title shot, but he would lose against the champion Jacques Saint-Perrilloux via Unanimous Decision. Following the loss, the org would close and Louis would sign with Epicity Productions in Las Vegas. His debut saw him earn the KO of the night with a KO victory over Softly Weeping, and he would earn another award in the form of the Fight of the night with a third round TKO win over Rutger Snabel. He would face a former foe in Jacques Saint-Perrilloux, but would again suffer defeat as he was TKO’ed in the first round. His last bout before the tournament would see him win via TKO against Akami Hoi via Kimura to claim his first submission win. Louis is primarily a striker, but he has shown a tendency to go in for takedowns and grind his opponents out when he feels the need to.

I feel Louis will need to avoid the takedown in this bout. Both fighters have weak points in their game, and their strengths are their opponent’s weaknesses. I feel Legstrong at some point will get the fight to the ground and can get the submission win.


Prediction: Lance Legstrong to win via Submission in Round 2

http://i.gyazo.com/04d0dc4af2bd9f09e0e200ef6a648fb9.png

Midway through this event now and we now see Flavius Odoacer take on Antoni Kristofer Hong.

Flavius Odoacer is a 25 year old German wrestler who has developed his striking in order to round out his overall MMA game. Starting his career at Amsterdam based org WarZone, Odoacer made his debut in August 2014 with a 41 second KO win against Brad Mansfield at WarZone 135. He would follow that up with TKO wins against Jason Shono, Ed Bavelock and, sigh, Seymoure Til Alexandros The Seventeenth. He would lose his next bout against a man he would then consider to be his nemesis in his career, Ajai Hoo, via Unanimous Decision in his last fight in WarZone. He would sign for Troid following this, and in his first fight for the org, he defeated Lance Legstrong via KO in the third round. He would lose his next fight against Ajai Hoo, who also made the move to Troid, again via Unanimous Decision. He would bounce back in his next two fights however, defeating Jeremy Stapleton via TKO in the secound round and also defeating another ITFL contestant in Frank Damozzi via Unanimous Decision. With his high levels of wrestling, he looks to control the fight while using effective striking to work his opponents over.

Antoni Kristofer Hong is a similar fighter to Odoacer, in that he is also primarily a wrestler, and has also developed his striking. Suffering a Submission loss in his first fight to Ali Wasielewski, he would sign with Barbarian Fight Club and defeat Ruarc Harris in his only fight in the org via KO. One more fight in the QFC saw him claim a first round TKO win over Frankie Rock before he signed to UNFC where he has spent his career thus far. He would win his first three fights in the org, defeating the likes of Jose Vovchanchyn, Dark Vengeance and Brian Pereira to earn a shot at the title. He would lose the title shot, suffering a first round KO loss to Mario Karlo. A rematch with Brian Pereira followed, and this time he would go the distance and win via Split Decision. He would get back to getting the finish then, defeating both Billy Bulge and Ragnar Danneskjold via TKO in the second and third rounds respectively. Another Decision would follow, as he claimed the win over Roy-Li Taylor before another one again as he suffered a loss to Brad May in his last fight before the tournament.

This is going to be a very evenly matched fight, as both have the same skill set up. Like a lot of fights, I wouldn’t be surprised to see either fighter win, but I see Odoacer getting a decision win here.


Prediction: Flavius Odoacer to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/bff14cb74768fe93319849a459cdb135.png

A highly anticipated fighter here now as Ruslan Mstislav Volkov takes on Wilder Wein.

Ruslan Mstislav Volkov is a highly diverse fighter, having submission and KO wins in his career, he has shown a natural instinct for getting the wins. Starting off his career with a fight against his own family, he defeated Ilya Mstislav Volkov via Unanimous Decision. Continuing to fight in Umbrella, he would defeat Jhon Wuzz via TKO and then follow that up with a win over Ronin Mori via Triangle Armbar submission. He would suffer the first loss of his career in his next bout with a loss to Luka Jelavic with a TKO in the 4th round. He would compete in his last fight in Umbrella then, defeating Tormy Skillz with a Rear Naked Choke in the first round. Following his release from Umbrella, he signed with UNFC in Tokyo, and he would suffer the second loss of his career in his org debut against Orange Joe. That loss would only spur Ruslan onto a stunning run in his career. He would have three more fights in UNFC, winning all of them with Unanimous Decision wins over Dominik Kokoszka and Ragnhildur Haraldsson and a Submission of the Night victory with an Armbar over Alexander Fors. Following his departure from UNFC, he would spend the next 6 months training before signing to Epicity Productions, and he would claim a KO victory over Brogan Kearney on his debut. He would make it 5 wins in a row with a Unanimous Decision win over William Henry Bonney, and go 6 unbeaten with a draw against Chico Dicko. That would stretch to 6 wins, and 7 unbeaten, when he defeated Dicko with a Kimura in Round 1 in their rematch in what was his last bout before the tournament. He is exceptionally well rounded, showing no major weaknesses in his game while have a diverse range of attacking options.

His opponent is the larger Wilder Wein. Wein has had a relatively short career so far, training for a long time before testing the waters with some competitive MMA action. He would mark his debut in style, scoring a Superman Punch KO win over Robert Maudsley on his debut His next fight would come 3 months later, and he would gain another win by defeating Ground Guru via KO, and then signed with Epicity Productions. He would make his debut within a month, scoring another KO with his defeat of Paul Crown. He would earn both Fight of the Night and KO of the Night honours as he defeated Dick Stern to earn a shot at the championship. He would win the title following a first round TKO win over Dominick De Struicao, and won via Unanimous Decision in his first defense against Jerry Seinfeld. His last bout saw him lose to Ruslan’s family when he lost his title to Ilya Mstislav Volkov via Unanimous Decision. Elite levels of striking are what he is best known for, and now he will be fighting a man who will challenge him in every way.

Ruslan will have the psychological edge going into this, as his manager Igor is the only manager to have beaten Wein in his career. With a slight variation in styles, I feel Ruslan will be the favourite going into this fight, and most likely will see the judges read out a decision win for him.


Prediction: Ruslan Mstislav Volkov to win via Unanimous Decision

http://i.gyazo.com/3178369e15e3d0c0e297560fb5d924fa.png

The penultimate fight of the round features two of the biggest prospects of the season as Dorian “The Terrier” Yates takes on Fabian Hoi.

Dorian Yates is coming into the season on a 6 fight winning streak, and currently undefeated under manager Mike Jursllla. Originally competing under manager Jack Al, he made his debut in mid 2014 in a winning effort as he defeated Jurgen Kohler via TKO in the second round. In his next fight, he defeated Jimi Smokeleaf via Unanimous Decision before signing to Worldwide Fighting Championship. He suffered a Unanimous Decision loss to Haywood Badger for the title in his debut, and recovered from that by defeating Rafal Arsic via Unanimous Decision. In his last fight in WFC, and under manager Jack Al, he would lose via KO to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He would soon be released by his manager and signed by Mike Jursllla. Under his new manager, he would win his first two fights via (T)KO in QFC’s before signing for NYFN. In his debut, he would win via Unanimous Decision against Matt Hughes, before going on to achieve the same result in his next two fights against Jonqw Fray and Shin Dong-Hyuk which brought an end to his NYFN stay. He would sign with EP and manage one fight there before joining the ITFL, as he showed a new side of his game with an Arm Triangle submission win over Jeffrey Miller. He is an Elite level boxer who, while primarily a fighter who wins via Decision, has a high level of striking output and looks to inflict damage on his opponents. With his recent submission win, it is clear he has been adding to his skill range, and that will benefit him in this tournament.

Fabian Hoi is an extremely well skilled fighter who has had a variety of managers in his career. Starting with Ispa Murhapuro, he go 4-0 under him while competing in both a QFC and in three fights in MMA Helsinki, scoring (T)KO wins over John Shortkins, Errol Field, Jonjo Banjo and Janusz Lanus before parting ways with Murhapuro. He would then sign up with Dean Sutherland, and enjoy a winning start as he signed to HERITAGE and defeat Zhan Jiang via KO in the first round. He would suffer the first loss of his career to John Bzdunek via Armbar. Following this, he would be released from HERITAGE and released by Dean Sutherland, and he would find himself signed to his third manager in Jorma Oltsu. He would sign with Dark Soul Combat, and enjoy another unbeaten run there as he secured 5 wins, defeating John Mclovin, Harald Hillgrund and Derek Legion via Unanimous Decision and also defeating Enrique Rold and Kanchai Suya via KO. He would be sacked after his however, and would be signed by current manager Bjorn O’Donnel using an FA dibs. He would sign with his bigest org to date, Syn, and go undefeated in the org before signing up to the ITFL, as he defeated Billy Axe and Don Juan Matus via Unanimous Decision. It’s hard to get a good reading on his consistent game plans, as a result of the number of managers he has had, but his main plan seems to usually be mixing up his leg kicks with head punches which has seen him go on a great run in his career.

Don’t expect this fight to go to ground much, as both fighters will be looking to end the other’s night early. I think it will go into the later rounds, and while Yates could easily pull off a win, I am going with Hoi to get the win here.


Prediction: Fabian Hoi to win via (T)KO in Round 3

http://i.gyazo.com/1b0b8cccc50ff96a79c41e4ebe253bee.png

The final fight of the excruciatingly long preview sees highly touted former KT champion Giacomo Benvenuti take on Mikaiah Rynn.

 

Giacomo Benvenuti began his career in fighting in KT, and it is clear what his style is. Originally competing in KT under former manager Furious Styles, he made his debut in Xtreme K1 Kombat and would capture the title within 3 months, defeating Curtis Mayhem, Erv Plower and Mick Mayhem via (T)KO before earning a shot for the belt. He defeated Codin Viperescu via TKO to win the belt. He would move to Extreme Fist Fighting Association for one fight, defeating Tommy Asikainen before returning to his previous org. He would remain undefeated in his tenure in KT, winning all his fights via (T)KO with wins over Reynir Arn x2, Klaas Van Delft, Steel Penn x2 and Shezzo Wicked. Furious Styles would leave the MMA scene, and Benvenuti didn’t have to wait long to find a new manager as he was signed up by Dean Sutherland. Sutherland convinced him to make the change to MMA, winning his first two fights in the QFC via (T)KO over Farrokh Bulsara and Mike Tyson. A brief spell in NYFN saw him defeat Eddie Killer before he moved on and signed with Death Squad MMA. He defeated Ameri CanChopper and Frank Garfunkel via (T)KO, before he would suffer the first loss of his career in a title shot against Seaville Bri, in what was his last fight before the tournament. A heavy hitter who has gained all 16 of his wins via (T)KO, he has been developing the defensive side of his ground game in order to compete, and he has the ability to get to anybody.

 

Mikaiah Rynn has spent his entire career under manager Uncle Lar, and is one of the dark horses to have a great individual run in the season. He kicked his career off with 2 (T)KO wins in QFC bouts, defeating Mason Scott and NaKai Mariner before joining Montreal Fight Nights for one bout which saw him suffer a loss to Dagoth Ur. His career would really be made with his next move however, joining RFN and going on a 3 fight winning streak as a defeated Silberio ZasZas and Ty Daves via (T)KO before gaining a Unanimous Decision win over Yan Yang. A two fight losing streak would follow, as he lost to ITFL competitor Lance Legstrong and Jace Beleren. He would then go on the best run of his career, winning three fights in a row to earn a shot at the title by beating Kazunori Kouya, Ricardo Delivire and Dave Sherk all via KO. In the title shot, he would defeat Kimo Ovaska to win the championship via TKO. The org would change ownership and be rebranded NYFN, and he would retain the title in his first fight by defeating Louis Delmas via TKO. Further wins against Hector Barbosa and Ben Jonathan would see his stock rise further, before his 7 fight win streak would come to a halt after he was defeated by Billy Beast for the title. He would win his next two fights, defeating Ben Jonathon once more while also beating Mestre Bimba. He would represent NYFN in the Tycoon MMA Championships, but would lose in the first round to Fritz Haarmann. Upon his return to NYFN, he would lose his next bout against Claude LeBlanc via Unanimous Decision, before defeating Arzlan Bathory via TKO in his last fight in NYFN. Following this, NYFN would merge with MFN, and in his last fight before this tournament, Rynn would lose to Noah Puckerman via TKO. Rynn is an Elite boxer, and has a proven record of KO’s, and this will be a good test for him to go up against another Elite striker.

 

Overall, I think Benvenuti will just have too much for Rynn. He outskills him in the striking game, and that is what Rynn really relies on to get the wins. Barring some hail mary punch, I expect Benvenuti to get the (T)KO win.

 

Prediction: Giacomo Benvenuti to win via (T)KO in Round 1


Andddddddd finally, that is it for the Preview of the first round of fights in the ITFL Season 4! Be sure to get involved in the Smack Talk if you have a fighter competing, and if you are just a manager looking for some easy cash, why not take part in our Pick Em League where there is a minimum prize pool of 500k up for grabs!

For now, that is all from me, and best of luck to all the fighters!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...