SP ICON 2.0 300K ID Official Thread

[Steel]

Octavian "there ya go, losing to Ryan ends careers lol."

[dvjmw]

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Alonzo Trotter

4-1

 

So, I get a message today from the bossman about trash talking Wally Markberg for the #1 contender spot. I say skip da trash talk and just let me blast dis fool. I'd much rather settle dis in da cage.

I'm sure "Wally" is probably da one who suggested dis to da bossman anyway, cuz he doesn't want to throw hands anyway. I'm sure he's a lover not a fighter.

[Slice]

Hey guys; just a quick few predictions for tonights card, up to date rankings will be provided after the event.

170lbs: Marcin Vanna vs Steve Mayweather

Submission Artist Marcin Vanna has had some tough times lately, despite starting off his MMA career relatively well, he seems to fold like a deckchair whenever an opponent is able to touch his chin with a reasonable strike. He has a good chance to get back into the win column here though. Mayweather isn't really known for punching power, probably can't stop Vanna's takedowns, and definitely won't be able to survive on the ground here. All these factors point to a long awaited Vanna win.

Prediction: Vanna via Sub (Round 1)

265lbs: Rayko Oswald vs Kshau Nish

This is likely to be another one-sided matchup, Oswald has a good background in boxing, and has been training MMA for a while now, Nish is yet to win an MMA fight and has no truly outstanding skills to bring to the table. This should be a walk in the park for the newcomer.

Prediction: Oswald via TKO (Round 1)

155lbs: Bobby Tarantino vs Angus Jung

Bobby Tarantino is a veteran of the lightweight division, and has always relied heavily on his clinch game, and doesn't bring a whole lot else to the table. This has led to him coming unstuck against the sharks of the division, Angus Jung is no shark, though. Tarantino's consistency will pay off here, as he uses his solid clinch game to take a pretty comfortable decision.

Prediction: Tarantino via Unanimous Decision

205lbs: Tyson D Amato vs Albert Pulkkinen

This is a very competitive matchup, between two guys who have all the tools to be up there with the very best in a stacked 205lb division. Both are very well rounded fighters, with TDA having a slight grappling advantage, and Albert Pulkkinen having the edge in striking. I anticipate a bit of a war of attrition here, where neither fighter will be able to seriously impose their game, but it will be a fun scrap nonetheless. Albert Pulkkinen's striking will be just about enough to sway the judges as he takes the W in a close one.

Prediction: Pulkkinen via Unanimous Decision

265lbs: Mustafa Fatu vs Jarome Patches

A heavyweight fight between two relative newcomers to the org. Patches has proven to be a difficult matchup for anyone, and this could give him a clear path to the belt in a dire division. Fatu has both the striking chops and the power to clip Patches early, which makes the fight interesting. The problem is, if Patches gets a hold of Fatu, which he is likely to at some point, the fight is over. Patches wrestling and clinchgame will be too much to overcome, and he will batter the striker en route to a surprisingly dominant victory.

Prediction: Fatu via TKO (Round 1)

170lbs: Lucifer Samm vs Kyle Robson

Lucifer Samm has been a solid fighter at 170 for a while now, without being especially spectacular; his takedowns and top control will always have a place in the division. However; when faced with real power, his chin has not held up particularly well. That's bad news against dynamic wrestler turned-power puncher Kyle Robson, who has just about every advantage imaginable over Samm. Robson is an animal, and an exceptionally skilled animal at that. He will brutalize Samm in the stand up, stuffing any takedowns with ease, once again ending it early. If the timing is right, he will be thrown in with a top contender if it all pans out.

Prediction: Robson via KO (Round 1)

155lbs: Milorad Djapic vs Khali Wolvhammer

How did it all go so wrong for Milorad Djapic? Such a skilled fighter, he was less than 30 seconds from capturing the Lightweight Title, when he was flattened in the final moments by lionhearted Grygory Damkratov. Despite being more skilled than everybody else in the division, there is something Djapic is missing, what is it? A chin? A killer instinct? Maybe both? This will be a good test for him; Wolvhammer, while not as skilled, has legit power that could very plausibly hurt Djapic here. It's a really tough one to call because of that power factor. I'm gonna go with Djapic though, who should survive an early scare from Wolvhammer before outstriking him and eventually finishing him late in the fight.

Prediction: Djapic via TKO (Round 3)

205lbs: Crispin Nicolosi vs Evan Zoplias

Crispin Nicolosi is another exciting debut in the org, his clinch game has proven to be strong and his chin could make him hard to handle for many 300K 205ers. Zoplias is capable of making this competitive; if he can establish the clinch and make sure the whole fight is fought there. If he can't do this, he is likely to get clipped by a superior striker, as he has never showed much of anything outside of his clinch game. Unfortunately for Zoplias the latter outcome is simply more likely, Zoplias may be able to survive the first round, but eventually he'll get clipped and finished.

Prediction: Nicolosi via TKO (Round 2)

CO MAIN EVENT:

265lbs: Brutus Leagatius vs Heavy Rain

This fight could really steal the show; both these guys are so evenly matched and so dangerous, that at the very worst case scenario, something crazy will happen in this fight. They are both very skilled strikers, with Heavy Rain having a slight power and chin advantage, with Leagatius being the better volume striker. The most interesting aspect of this fight is probably the clinch, as both men are very good there, so it may come down to manager tactics.This fight will either end by decision, with Leagatius coming out on top, or Rain will land a head kick that puts Brutus down. I expect Leagatius to handliy get the better of the first round, but then Rain will pull something spectacular out of the bag in the second.

Prediction: Heavy Rain via KO (Round 2)

MAIN EVENT:

170lbs Championship: Settakian Fett vs Wally Markberg

A lot of hype for this fight; as the extremely popular Wally Markberg attempts to reclaim the title he lost before his latest win streak. Markberg has been extremely active, and continues to drop guys with strikes inside the cage, despite his wrestling background. He has an extremely tough task ahead of him though, as the champ Settakian Fett looks outstanding as of late, he wears people down with volume, saps their energy, then puts them away. Both guys are extremely good in the clinch, so it could be a stale mate in that area of the fight. Settakian Fett is by far the more polished kickboxer, so it will undoubtedly be hard for Markberg to establish any kind of meaningful advantage. He could take Fett down; but he has never demonstrated much threat in top position and in a 5 round fight, there's no way he just lies on top of Fett for 25 minutes. All this being said; I think Markberg's best way to win is the way he has won most other fights, a Hail Mary, fight changing knockout punch. He could land this on Fett; it is unlikely, but Markberg's power is an X-Factor, to an extent where he can never really be counted out. I am going with the smart money here, that Fett will be too much for Markberg, especially at kickboxing distance, and will outstrike him, before putting him away with good killer instinct early in the 2nd frame.

Prediction: Settakian Fett via TKO (Round 2) To remain the Welterweight Champion

[Steel]

Octavian 'so since my coaches have bothered their asses I've been fucking magic. Saw the Lofmark Ryan fight , fucking hell it was funny , the Ryan camp jumping from their seats with the knockdown then Ryan gets annihilated within seconds like the big pussy he is. Respect to the champ mind, he got dropped from a huge shot and showed why he's the man. Ryan though , made my fucking night.'

[Slice]

Org Rankings and Divisional Recap for May 2017

Hey guys; sorry for the lateness of these rankings, I know I promised them earlier. Unfortunately moving house is busy shit, so I haven’t had a whole lot of spare time to do any write ups at all. Hopefully I can rescue it with this; because as well as giving you the rankings, I’m gonna give reviews of what’s been going on in the divisions in the last few events, as there have been significant results in all the divisions that have not yet been covered in any kind of write up. What I will also be doing is adding manager’s names into the rankings with their fighters, so that everybody can see who’s hot and who is not. So without further ado I’ll jump straight into it.

Division 5: Heavyweight

#1. Otto Dahl © (The Philosopher)

#2. Brutus Leagatius (Marcus Crassus)

#3. Heavy Rain (Pablo Spezziale)

#4. Rayko Oswald (Bronko Buster)

#5. Jarome Patches (James Listerman)

 

Divisional Recap:

I have said this many times, but the Heavyweight Division lacks any kind of depth to it. Otto Dahl may be the most underrated champion in the org right now, and he has been a victim of his own competition. Even the ROTR winner Heavy Rain, billed as potentially a tough opponent for Dahl, with his head kicks and KO Power, was dusted inside of a round. It is very difficult to know how good Dahl actually is, because he’s never actually been in a fight where someone has threatened him. He is rumoured to be rematching the man he won the belt off, Brutus Leagatius, for his next defence. Perhaps the Greek Kickboxer can give him something to think about; otherwise it will result in another struggle for contenders. The one bright spark perhaps is Rayko Oswald; a newcomer to the division, but he has barely any experience, with only two fights to his name, and is likely to get thrown to the sharks a bit too soon, all because there may not be anyone else. Don’t write off Jarome Patches just yet either; the skilled clinch rapist came into some trouble against Heavy Rain, but he has plenty of time to rebound, that’s if we can find anyone for him to fight. We need Heavyweight contenders badly; or maybe we should just send 205lb phenom Jonas Lofmark up there and see how he does against the larger guys….

 

Division 4: Welterweight

#1. Settakian Fett © (Marcus Crassus)

#2. Vinku Intianni (Jay Tycoon)

#3. Wally Markberg (Skood Jedrzejczk)

#4. Joe Derby (Mr Peanut)

#5. Kyle Robson (Stu Mack)

 

Divisional Recap:

This division was previously ranked up at second when I did the March Rankings; it is unlucky to find itself this far down, but the reality is, a couple of the other divisions have improved significantly in the last 2 months and this division is really whacky with some of the stuff that has happened. During March; Settakian Fett made the most of his ROTR win and defeated Vinku Intianni for the championship, which resulted in Intianni changing management and looking pretty savage ever since, destroying 2 reputable opponents in Alonzo Trotter and Trevor Lawson. The funny thing is; Alonzo Trotter was offered an opportunity to talk his way into a title fight. Trotter and Wally Markberg would go at it on the forums and whoever the public voted for would get the next title shot. However Trotter decided against this; instead deciding to badmouth the org and the concept; which got Markberg the title shot by default and got Trotter dismantled by Intianni. So now we have a rematch of the Pinnacle title fight; with Intianni looking to reclaim the title against Fett. These two are clearly the best 2 in the division; so don’t be surprised if they end up fighting yet again after this one.

Also to be considered is the continuously curious situation of Wally Markberg. Markberg has excellent experience in the division, and has beaten most of the guys there, but it is continuously difficult to see the former champion beating the two guys ranked above him. He still has his wrestling and his knockout power; but there is no clear path to victory against the top two other than landing a miracle punch. The Boston born Markberg could end up facing guys he’s already beaten; or hungry prospects looking to take his spot in the rankings, his position is unenviable. Ranked no.4 & 5 are two guys who are to face each other; Kyle Robson and Joe Derby. Robson looks unstoppable so far; bulldozing his way through the lower-mid tier of the division, he is highly touted, with an amateur wrestling background and some pretty nasty power in his hands. He faces his biggest test yet in Derby; who is looking to make his own title run. Joe Derby is the best boxer in the division, this combined with the fact he has power and fights incredibly well off his back make him a handful for anybody in the division. This is an intriguing matchup from a divisional standpoint as the winner will get a chance to potentially break into the top 3 and get a title shot. Stylistically it will answer some fun questions; can Robson impose his skillset on his most skilled opponent to date? Will he need to go back to his wrestling? Can Derby stay away from the power and stay off of his back? The division could really hot up this month and the landscape could look very different this time next month, as 170 has been a volatile environment for a long time.

 

Division 3: Middleweight

#1. Oscar Stolt © (The Philosopher)

#2. Neyman Gariniho (Rocco Mediate)

#3. Archibald Knox (Marcus Crassus)

#4. Vicenzo Nibali (Marcus Crassus)

#5. John Chester (Darren Hayden)

 

Divisional Recap:

Long considered one of the worst divisions at SP ICON; Middleweight has really gained some steam as of late. There have been a few additions which have improved the division overall; not least the addition of former LFC Middleweight Champion Neyman Gariniho. Gariniho is likely one of the most skilled 300K fighters in the entire game at the moment; and it will be a compelling fight when he takes on Oscar Stolt for the Middleweight Championship. It is a champion vs champion matchup; that either brings in some new blood at the top in Gariniho or gives Stolt the legit win he needs to become a true 300K superstar. Either way; the org can’t lose with this fight, and the plot thickens even more when you go into the contenders of the division. Similar to Otto Dahl of the Heavyweight Division; Stolt is defined by his competition, whilst his beat-down of Archibald Knox at PINNACLE was impressive, he has not truly had a challenge in the cage yet. The Philosopher has certainly been unfortunate in the org with both his champions oft without a fight. That is soon to change; you would assume, as in addition to Gariniho, Vicenzo Nibali has arrived in the division. He made an emphatic debut when he submitted John Chester, a feat many did not believe possible, he may now be the best pure grappler in the division, which definitely adds a new dimension to the title picture.

Then of course there is Archibald Knox; who rebounded incredibly from his loss at PINNACLE against Publius Sestius. The one concern however; is that Knox managed to pick up a 15 day injury from knocking a guy out in 40 seconds…. Even so; when Knox recovers, he will be back in the mix as a legitimate threat to the title, with knockout power and a dominating clinch game. The one complication in the division; which probably prevents it from being higher up the list, is that both Nibali and Knox are managed by Marcus Crassus, meaning they are unlikely to ever fight each other. Regardless of this; the next couple of months should see some excellent matchups in the division, as in addition to the bona fide title contenders, there are other solid fighters amongst the division who can make things interesting. John Chester; a very skilled submission artist, may never win the belt, but he is a dangerous fight for anyone and has proved he can still pick up some wins in the division. Publius Sestius and Aaron Ward are still very much a work in progress; but both have potential if they can bring their skills up to par with the big guns.

 

Division 2: Lightweight

#1. Mnajdra Sheze © (Juice Box)

#2. Froyo Hoyo (Mickey Hart)

#3. Jallu Pesonen (Marky Mark)

#4. Widar Blixt (The Philosopher)

#5. Grogory Damkratov (Maxim Serebryakov)

 

Divisional Recap:

This division has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride since March. Long time champion Grogory Damkratov lost the belt to Froyo Hoyo at PINNACLE; before Hoyo succumbed to Mnajdra Sheze’s Triangle Choke just two weeks after he won the title. On top of this Sheze’s first title defence looks to be an extremely challenging task; he faces Jallu Pesonen who has been running through some of the divisions’ very best on his way to the top. His win over Ephram Urani in particular was impressive, as he shut the wrestler down so well that Urani has not been seen since. Both Pesonen and Sheze are undefeated; so it’s very difficult to know how it will go, but it should be a fascinating fight, as Pesonen puts his Bisping-esque rangy boxing and defence against Sheze’s powerful strikes and submissions. On top of that; we have fast rising prospect Widar Blixt, who many fear will put the democracy of this division to bed and establish a solid dictatorship. He is another fighter managed by The Philosopher; a manager who will be looking to hold 3 out of 5 belts with the org if Blixt manages to eventually capture the title. There is also Grogory Damkratov; the former champ who has knockout power, chin of iron and the heart of a lion. Damkratov can make his way back into the fold if he wins a fight or two; and his exciting style would always make for interesting match ups. Ephram Urani may one day resurface in the division; unless he chooses to make his return to the newly formed 145lbs division. Urani is a small Lightweight so the latter option would be understandable; but we all know there are a couple of losses he definitely wants the opportunity to avenge. The real dark horse in all of this is a young fighter named Joan Vila. The Spanish striker has lost two fights; but they were against Blixt and Pesonen, two guys who are right in the mix at the top of the division. He has since changed management; now in the hands of the legendary Klatz Matz, it will be interesting to see what kind of run he can make in this ever growing division. There will be excellent fights in this division; it’s just a matter of time; it may very soon be the best division in the org, with just a couple more quality additions needed for it to rival the marquee division.

 

Division 1: Light Heavyweight

#1. Jonas Lofmark © (Rocco Mediate)

#2. Jimmy Ryan (NorthernNinjas)

#3. Charley Hanagan (Buff Minion)

#4. Joao De Silva (Bradley Burns)

#5. Quintus Octavian (Marcus Crassus)

 

Divisional Recap:

This division has always been the best ever since the 300K restriction was applied to the org; only now, however the position comes under considerable threat. The problem which is surfacing is that the champ Jonas Lofmark has faced more or less everybody in the division, and has beaten them all. There was rumour of a new contender; when former LFC Light Heavyweight Champion Hero Galanos (Managed by Chris Karter) signed with the org. The idea was a super fight between Lofmark and Galanos; however Lofmark wanted to take some well deserved time off as his manager was taking a small break from the game. Unfortunately Galanos did not want to wait; which robbed us of this potential classic. The champ’s career has gone from the dull to the sublime recently. If we go back to March; Lofmark squeaked past ROTR winner Joao De Silva in a majority decision, in a close but extremely tedious affair. A month later; perennial no.1 contender Jimmy Ryan almost took Lofmark’s head off with a vicious head kick, and Lofmark was forced to use his heart and wrestling to defeat Ryan by TKO only moments later. All good things must come to an end; and Lofmark’s title reign has never looked more vulnerable than the moment he was sent to the canvas by Ryan. The question that remains is who will end this reign of terror over the division? One possibility is Charley Hanagan; a jiu jitsu wizard with wrestling comparable to that of Lofmark. We also hear stories about how Hanagan can strike; but we haven’t seen it as of yet, he has simply not needed those skills so far. He does however; look absolutely terrifying, having submitted all of his opponents in short order; most recently Pollo Tropical. How much Pollo has left in the tank after a couple of shocking losses is questionable; but no-one has ever made it look that easy to beat him. Hanagan was able to take him down in seconds; then proceeded to manoeuvre his way into side control before yanking on the arm until Tropical tapped. Hanagan is probably the guy nobody wants to fight right now; because we simply know so little about him other than the fact he is a savage ex-convict outside the cage, and a submission machine inside it. Another possibility of course is Quintus Octavian; the loudmouthed Roman who has had something of a resurgence, finally avenging his debut loss to Anthony Johnson. He now faces Jimmy Ryan; a fight he talked himself into with repetitive taunting of Ryan over the last 3-5 months. It is a very tough fight; and the build-up is sure to be compelling, but if Octavian finds a way to win it, he may finally be in line to fight for the belt after all this time. Another option of course is Jimmy Ryan; who finds himself in somewhat of a limbo at the moment. He has come the closest to beating Lofmark; clearly taking the first round in their first fight, before knocking him down with THAT kick in the second fight. However; the fact that remains, and will continue to infuriate both Ryan and his manager NorthernNinjas is that Lofmark was a little bit better than Ryan both times, so he will have to work very hard to get a third fight with the champ. It will be interesting to see how he rebounds from the second loss; as he finally faces longtime rival Quintus Octavian. Ryan will be looking to shut Octavian up once and for all; but it won’t be easy, Octavian for all his talk is a skilled boxer with underrated jiu jitsu, so Ryan must be very careful in this fight. Then of course you must consider Joao De Silva, who will be in the mix for a long time to come it seems. “JDS” is a tough competitor who whilst not particularly exciting or spectacular; will give anybody in the division a hard time. He is hard to hit; hard to take down and hard to submit, a true challenge for most styles of fighter. He has already competed in a razor thin decision loss to Lofmark; so he has proven he is evenly matched with the champ. It will be interesting to see what adjustments he makes in the coming months in order to right that wrong. The division is still one of the more interesting; but if Lofmark can overcome the next couple of challenges put in front of him, it becomes difficult to see where the next contenders are coming from. So in the next month or 2 we will see a high profile grudge match that should be a great build-up and a very competitive fight, and the next contender for the belt should be determined in time for Jonas Lofmark’s return to competition.

 

Summary:

Thanks guys for reading; I hope everybody is still enjoying the org and I am going to be trying to up the excitement more in the coming months; where we will be looking at who will compete in the next Rumble on The Rocks Tournament! Scheduled for December; same rules as last time, just better prizes! Lastly; I wanna give you some food for thought by making a top 10 P4P list based on my own judgement rather than MMA Tycoon’s broken ranking system. These will be based on skills; hype, record within the org and competition faced.

 

P4P Rankings:

#1. Jonas Lofmark © 205lbs (Rocco Mediate)

#2. Oscar Stolt © 185lbs (The Philosopher)

#3. Settakian Fett © 170lbs (Marcus Crassus)

#4. Mnajdra Sheze © 155lbs (Juice Box)

#5. Otto Dahl © 265lbs (The Philosopher)

#6. Neyman Gariniho 185lbs (Rocco Mediate)

#7. Vinku Intianni 170lbs (Marky Mark)

#8. Jimmy Ryan 205lbs (NorthernNinjas)

#9. Froyo Hoyo 155lbs (Mickey Hart)

#10. Archibald Knox 185lbs (Marcus Crassus)

[Goldenape]

http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/14317142752591.jpg

Max Madwell:

It wasn't but three months ago when I was ranked number two in the welterweight division. Since then I have come against some of the toughest moments in my life and have even contemplated leaving the sport. My manager has always been truly supportive and has given me the time and training camps I have needed. I am currently in a rebuilding process and going off of my last fight things are looking up. I'd like to thank the fans for being patient and sticking by my side through all the trials and tribulations, I make a promise to never let you down again and I hope that one day I can be a contender in this welterweight division once again. Chael Mir, I'd like to thank you for not giving up on me either, you could have easily cut me from the roster but you have reassured me that my place is here. I am not calling anyone out as I don't feel I am in any position to do so, I haven't earnt that right, but I am putting everyone on notice that I will continue my winning ways and Lucifer Samm is going to be another W next to my name.

Thank you.

[Slice]

Red Wedding Quickfire Predictions

 

170lbs: Kyle Robson vs Joe Derby

 

A fight to see which Welterweight will break into the elite of the division. Robson has been on a tear, he has both the wrestling credentials and knockout power to give anybody fits. He faces a tough test in the always durable Joe Derby; Derby has excellent grappling defence and he can scrap too. Difficult choice; but ultimately Derby has been put down before, and Robson appears to be on a whole different level, after struggling to impose his wrestling on Derby, Robson finds the mark with a punch.

 

Prediction: Kyle Robson via TKO (2nd Round)

 

 

155lbs: Grogory Damkratov vs Mateusz Biernat

 

If Biernat can get this one to the ground; it could be very difficult for Damkratov; who we've never seen fight off of his back. One thing we have seen from the former champ so far though; is how hard he hits. Mateusz Biernat has reacted terribly to being hit thus far; being knocked out in under a minute in both of his fights in the org so far. It could go either way; but I see Damkratov landing one on Biernat's chin to get back in the win column on Saturday night.

 

Prediction: Grogory Damkratov via KO (1st Round)

 

 

205lbs: Anthony Johnson vs Joao De Silva

 

Anthony Johnson; the zombie submission wizard, has fought a who's who at Light Heavyweight; and out of those, he has struggled most against controlling wrestlers with good jiu jitsu. Enter 'JDS' one of the best pure grapplers in the division; on paper it is an awful match for Johnson, but with his submission skills, he always has a chance. It will be interesting to see if either of them try to strike; however it is likely JDS will be wanting to submit Johnson to prove a point. I do not see a submission happening on either part here; although it is entirely possible. I think JDS will play his usual game here; take Johnson down, stay on top, advance position, stay out of danger and attempt his own submissions. I don't think Johnson will tap JDS here so it is likely to be a clean sweep of 30-27 scorecards.

 

Prediction: Joao De Silva via Unanimous Decision

 

 

155lbs Title: Mnajdra Sheze © vs Jallu Pesonen

 

Jallu Pesonen has worked his way up the division by beating some highly regarded opponents; he has knocked out former champ Grogory Damkratov, as well as outclassing highly touted Marcus Crassus fighter Ephram Urani. He has looked impressive; and on paper could be a bad matchup for the champ. Pesonen has excellent volume; and has defended really well in the clinch, which is usually where Sheze drags his opponents to the ground. If Sheze cannot get it there; it could be a long night for him. However; Mnajdra Sheze is the best BJJ practitioner in the org (With the possible exception of ex-con Charley Hanagan), and he has an excellent chin. In simple terms; Sheze will be hard to finish; and fighting 5 rounds without it going to the ground is extremely unlikely. I believe this fight ends the first time it hits the ground. Pesonen will show he's a threat; staying on the outside and peppering the champ. He may win a round or 2, but eventually, Sheze will find a way to get the fight down, and the tap will quickly follow.

 

Prediction: Mnadra Sheze © via Submission (2nd Round)

 

 

185lbs Title: Oscar Stolt © vs Neyman Gariniho

 

A super fight between two guys with very similar styles. Both are dynamic and both are champions. Gariniho never lost the belt at LFC, so the fight has a Champ vs Champ feel to it. It will be extremely close the whole way through; they will go back and forth, at a distance and in the clinch. They are evenly matched but I give a slight advantage to Gariniho here, his boxing is just slightly more dynamic, and in a back and forth fight where they both hurt each other, I would imagine Gariniho will just about come out on top.

 

Prediction: Neyman Gariniho via Unanimous Decision

[stpierrecanada]

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Joao Pedro Mauricio "Black Panther" DeSilva (301306)

 

"2 straight wins since my majority decision loss to Lofmark. Both submission finishes. Told you I'd be back."

[Slice]

SP ICON GRUDGE MATCH PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS

 

 

155lbs: Grogory Damkratov vs Khali Wolvhammer

This will be a fun fight between two guys who like to throw leather; both mainly prefer to box and hit incredibly hard for Lightweights, it will most certainly be Survival of the Fittest. It wasn't so long ago that Damkratov ruled this division with an iron fist; and both these guys are more or less the same fighters now as they were at that time, so it would be interesting if it turned out that Wolvhammer could have beaten him all along. Whilst their skills are most definitely close; I believe the better chin and Iron will of the former champ will be enough to earn a victory in what could be a FOTN contender.

Prediction: Grogory Damkratov via TKO (Round 3)



170lbs: Alonzo Trotter vs Jim Dangle

It seems as though Alonzo Trotter has fallen a long way from the days where he was a bona fide contender in the Welterweight Division. However; it is important to remember that the only two guys he lost to are currently no.1 and no.2 in the division. Perhaps it was his rants against Chael Mir the org owner; or perhaps the failure to impose his considerable skillset in his fights, that has led to his current position. This fight looks good for him though; against journeyman Welterweight Jim Dangle, who is dangerous in the clinch but has little else to his game. Trotter can win this more or less any way he wants; but I think he reverts to his power striking to clip Dangle early and follows up for the finish to get himself back in the mix.

Prediction: Alonzo Trotter via TKO (Round 1)



265lbs: Brutus Leagatius vs Jarome Patches

On the face of it; an up and comer off of a loss, vs a contender on a 3 fight win streak, this should be a no brainer right? But no; stylistically it's an intriguing fight. When Leagatius humbly turned down a rematch with Otto Dahl; I'm not sure if he was expecting such a tough matchup with so little to gain. On the face of it; he is the more well rounded fighter and the more skilled fighter; boasting excellent kickboxing skills and knockout power with some solid TDD to compliment it. Patches is a skilled wrestler with a nasty clinch game; which is very difficult to get out of once he catches people in it. I see Leagatius lighting Patches up with an assortment of straight punches and leg kicks from the outside; but at some point in the fight, Patches will establish a clinch and start beating Leagatius up. I believe it wil be 1-1 going into the final frame; and if Patches can score a takedown, the top control points could spell trouble for Leagatius. However; my money is on Leagatius finding just enough to beat Patches to the punch and defend any shots in order to secure a close victory.

Prediction: Brutus Leagatius via Unanimous Decision



265lbs: Heavy Rain vs Rayko Oswald

On paper; in terms of experience, and probably ability, Heavy Rain has this fight won. However it isn't that simple. Rain won his last fight impressively; stuffing the takedowns of an out of sorts Jarome Patches before finishing him in a 1st round slugfest. Before this however; he was left staring up at the lights within the first round of both of his last 2 fights. After looking like such a promising contender and winning the Heavyweight Rumble on The Rocks Tournament, Rain failed to win the title, instead being annihilated by Otto Dahl, he was then upset in a first round finish by Brutus Leagatius. All of this makes me think we can't sleep on Rayko Oswald; the guy has not yet been tested; but what we do know is that he is a good boxer with savage power. Now if Rain can get this to the clinch; he should have his way with Oswald and grab another win, but I have a gut feeling telling me he's gonna get clipped before he can do this. Instead of extending his win streak; Heavy Rain will be used to create another contender in a shallow division.

Prediction: Rayko Oswald via KO (Round 1)



MAIN EVENT:

205lbs: Jimmy Ryan vs Quintus Octavian

It's finally here! After months of hatred and abuse from these two; they will finally get it on tonight! A quick timeline; it all started after Ryan lost his first fight to Jonas Lofmark, Octavian labelled the effort pathetic, referring to Ryan as "chinless" and "heartless". Ryan responded by asking if Octavian wanted to fight him and told him to focus on his own fights. The rivalry piped up again in the build up to Octavian fighting Joao De Silva in the Rumble on The Rocks Final at 205lbs. Octavian accused Ryan of having "special treatment" due to Ryan's manager NorthernNinjas' affiliation with Chael Mir. He also implied that Ryan was an easy fight for champion Jonas Lofmark, whereas he would be the one to expose Lofmark. Ryan then responded by calling Octavian his biggest fan and saying that he had never turned down a fight; he also accused Octavian of "crying" for undeserved title shots, and called him out, saying he'd fight him even if Octavian lost to De Silva. The trash talk all went a little quiet after this; as Octavian would go onto lose two consecutive fights, and the future looked bleak for him.

However; after Jimmy Ryan worked his way into another title shot with 3 consecutive knockout victories; Octavian had also had somewhat of a resurgence, beating both Murphy Stanns and Anthony Johnson. Jimmy Ryan was again unsuccessful in his bid for the title; despite almost finishing the champ with a head kick, and Octavian went back to work. He said that the title effort ranked right alongside the first one as the worst of all time; chopping at Ryan on Buzz. Now that the deal has been signed and the fight made; ironically the talk has all gone a bit quiet, with the biggest noise made being Jimmy Ryan vowing to shut Octavian up once and for all.

Now that the timeline is out the way; let's break down the fight itself. Jimmy Ryan has obscene power; he basically took Pollo Tropical's soul when he knocked him out; he also almost knocked out undefeated champion Jonas Lofmark. Jimmy Ryan is deadly; and he is adding some lethal kicks into his game as we saw in the aforementioned loss; he is a tough matchup for anybody in the division.

Octavian has had his ups and downs; we know his skills and his weaknesses. That's where this fight get's interesting; he has struggled with people who want to take him down or to clinch with him, so wrestlers/grapplers. Jimmy Ryan does not fit this mould at all; and Octavian is the best boxer in the division, so it will be interesting to see what he can do against someone who is willing to stand and trade with him. We may see Octavian let his hands go in this one. The intrigue here is; if Octavian wins he will be 5-3 in MMA, but he may very well get a title shot. The reason for this is that the champion Jonas Lofmark has a chance to break a record in his next defence, he would break the record of 6 consecutive title defences in SP ICON with his 7th defence. Lofmark has already beaten JDS, Jimmy Ryan, Anthony Johnson and Pollo Tropical, in many ways these are the originals of the division. For the majority of the time SP ICON has been a 300K org, these guys were here and were pioneers of the division. Quintus Octavian is the last one of those originals; so a win over him would mean Lofmark has basically cleared out an entire division, ready for the next "generation" to get shots at the title. Plus; beating Jimmy Ryan is beating the perennial no.1 contender in the division, another point to strengthen Octavian's case.



In terms of how I see the fight going; I see it being a stand up war, both guys will win rounds and get their licks in. They will both hurt each other along the way; ultimately I will go with the safe option in Jimmy Ryan; as he has simply defeated slightly better competition. It will be probably the most beat up he's ever been in his career before but I see his power taking over at the end. Octavian can win this fight; but he would need to perform better than we have ever seen him do in order to do that; he has an edge in submissions, but this fight won't go there, Jimmy Ryan via late haymaker.

Prediction: Jimmy Ryan via TKO (Round 5)

[Steel]

Octavian ' The writer of this preview trims the quim of Jimmy Ryan with his teeth. Ryan is a fraud , I'll take him deeper than Lexington Steele takes his hoes , I'll drown the coward in pain, I'm a cobra , a finally tuned combat evolved killlng machine and I'm gonna butcher the org golden child. My hands are too fast my kicks too accurate and Ryan has zero heart, he's a chump with a big punch but I've the chin the heart the skill to destroy this chicken livered Canadian pussy. Lofmark get my belt polished boy I'm coming!'

[NorthernNinjas]

Octavian ' The writer of this preview trims the quim of Jimmy Ryan with his teeth. Ryan is a fraud , I'll take him deeper than Lexington Steele takes his hoes , I'll drown the coward in pain, I'm a cobra , a finally tuned combat evolved killlng machine and I'm gonna butcher the org golden child. My hands are too fast my kicks too accurate and Ryan has zero heart, he's a chump with a big punch but I've the chin the heart the skill to destroy this chicken livered Canadian pussy. Lofmark get my belt polished boy I'm coming!'

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/14718725516634.png

Jimmy Ryan (10-2, 10 T/KOs)

"RE: My Biggest Fan,

Your chin and skills failed to live up to your own expectations. How's that headache?

My coaches worked extra hard on my escapes in recent months and that really was the gameplan, but I decided to humiliate you and mount your punk ass. After I was done toying with you on the ground you finally got to feel real power.

Good luck in your return to the undercard. I'm a nice guy, so I dont mind making you famous for a night. If your skills and fight IQ matched your mouth, you might've gotten somewhere in this sport."

 

[Slice]

Rankings for June 2017

 

 

Division 5: Welterweight

 

#1. Settakian Fett © (Marcus Crassus)

 

#2. Vinku Intianni (Jay Tycoon)

 

#3. Kyle Robson (Stu Mack)

 

#4. Wally Markberg (Skood Jedrzejczyk)

 

#5. Alonzo Trotter (Jeremiah Lukker)

 

Divisional Recap:

This division has been put in last place for a few reasons; one of them is that few things have changed. Fett is still the champion; and looked as good as ever in his last fight, knocking out the stud Vinku Intianni in the very first round. He will next face rising prospect Kyle Robson, who looks pretty deadly as well. Another aspect to this choosing is the division’s lack of depth. Marcin Vanna and Max Madwell are knocking on the door of the top 5 right now. This makes the division fun as those 2 are veterans who have been around since the start of the 300K restriction, it does mean that the division is lacking depth if those two are still close to a title run at this point. In addition to this you have a former champion; an absolute killer in Intianni, who looks to be in limbo as he just can’t beat Settakian Fett, however he beats everybody else in the division. It’s a complicated landscape; I’m not really sure what happens after the Fett vs Robson title fight is done.

 

Featured Fighter:

Alonzo Trotter (303084)

The case of Alonzo Trotter is a curious one. He was a great contender; when he met Settakian Fett in the final of Rumble on The Rocks, however he is inconsistent and it’s not currently clear where he stands in the division. He has only ever lost to Intianni and Fett; the 2 best in the division, but has beaten pretty much everyone else. This leads to the idea that he might be a gatekeeper in the long term. His biggest problem is perhaps a stylistic one; he is a great amateur wrestler with power in his hands, in a division full of excellent wrestlers who hit pretty hard. It is difficult for him to impose his style in a division of guys that do similar things to him. Regardless he needs to make some significant improvements; and these next 2 months will show us whether he is a contender or a pretender. His next fight is against Marcin Vanna; a low reward fight for Trotter in which Vanna is dangerous on the ground but very one dimensional. The fight is winnable; as long as Trotter can keep it standing; he is the superior athlete and wrestler, so he should be able to win convincingly there. However; after this he will likely have to go back to fighting the crème de le crème of the division. He could benefit from adding some new wrinkles to his game; maybe some submissions from top position as he needs to make better use of his takedowns once he scores them, if he is to be a dominant force in the division.

 

 

 

 

Division 4: Heavyweight

 

#1. Otto Dahl © (The Philosopher)

 

#2. Brutus Leagatius (Marcus Crassus)

 

#3. Heavy Rain (Pablo Spezziale)

 

#4. Master Blaster (Tony Scatero)

 

#5. Rayko Oswald (Bronko Buster)

 

Divisional Recap:

So Heavyweight has managed to shift itself from the bottom of the pile in terms of our divisions. The reason why I say that is that there has been a few significant signings over the past month. Fighters from notable managers such as Tony Scatero; Grant Brophy and Soyster Eighty-Nine have joined the ranks this month. This makes the division considerably more interesting and adds some much needed numbers into the mix. The long awaited rematch between Brutus Leagatius and champion Otto Dahl seems to finally be in place. Heavy Rain has picked some momentum back up after back to back losses to the aforementioned two; he will fight newcomer Master Blaster in what should be a pretty epic battle and could offer some clarity at the top of the division. Rayko Oswald suffered a setback in his most recent outing; but time will tell if he can get back on the horse and become a contender. Other exciting additions include Murdo Douglas and Toru Nakamura who should both be having fights in the near future. The division seems to be on the up; but we will have to wait and see what the future brings.

Featured Fighter:

Brutus Leagatius (303521)

Leagatius did well last month to overcome Heavy Rain; and in doing so has established himself as the no.2 in the division, having only lost to champion Otto Dahl in his career so far. The rematch however; is what will truly define him at this point in time; if he wins, he becomes a 2 time champion in the division, and in the process blows the division wide open. If he loses however; he gets put into a similar position to that of Jimmy Ryan or Vinku Intianni, in that he would have beaten more or less everyone, but didn’t have anything for the champion. Leagatius has improved a lot since that first fight; turning into a much more polished striker who still has savage power. Whether or not he can beat Otto Dahl could be the making or breaking of his career, but it will be an excellent fight for the division either way.

 

Division 3: Middleweight

 

#1. Otto Dahl © (The Philosopher)

 

#2. Neyman Gariniho (Rocco Mediate)

 

#3. Archibald Knox (Marcus Crassus)

 

#4. Vicenzo Nibali (Marcus Crassus)

 

#5. Mace Blackwood (Scotty JoeC)

 

 

Divisional Recap:

I am always unsure of how I truly feel about this division; the top of it is awesome, and there are great fights to be made all over. The title fight coming up between Oscar Stolt and Vicenzo Nibali for the belt is mouth-watering. Nibali is one of the most well rounded guys that the champ will have fought and also has a penchant for submissions and ground game. He tapped out submission ace John Chester in the 2^nd round of their fight so he must fancy his chances of doing the same against Stolt should the fight hit the ground. Stolt will be a big favourite on paper; but that won’t stop the hope of an eventual shakeup in the division which Stolt has ruled with an iron fist for months now. Lower down the division; Archibald Knox continues to reign supreme amongst everyone not named Oscar Stolt, as he dusted off the respected Publius Sestius in less than a minute. We have up and comers like Nibali; Mace Blackwood and Miodrag Cleve, in addition to the always tough Trevor Lawson who has just moved up in weight from the Welterweight Division. Things look good guys; we’ll almost certainly see some exciting matchups in this division in the very near future.

 

Featured Fighter:

Neyman Gariniho (302108)

So the last LFC middleweight champion came in to fight Oscar Stolt; the dominant kingpin of the 185lbs division. He was probably a slight favourite going into the fight; and it did turn out being a closely matched fight for the first 2 rounds. Then in the 3^rd round he was hurt by a big combination by Stolt; the champ followed up, and then that was all she wrote for Gariniho. Now he is in a slightly precarious position as it is hard to see what is next for him. There are certainly exciting fights in the division for him; but he would likely be a heavy favourite in most of them. He has nothing to gain other than fighting Stolt for a 2^nd time. It would be exciting to see a rematch at some point between the two; just to see if Gariniho was able to do anything different next time around. Only time will tell if he will live up to the initial hype as an undefeated champion of another org.

 

 

Division 2: Lightweight

 

#1. Mnajdra Sheze © (Juice Box)

 

#2. Froyo Hoyo (Mickey Hart)

 

#3. Jallu Pesonen (Marky Mark)

 

#4. Grogory Damkratov (Maxim Serebryakov)

 

#5. Widar Blixt (The Philosopher)

 

Divisional Recap:

This division is full of absolute killers at the top of it; and there are exciting fights to come in the next month or so. Mnajdra Sheze faces relative newcomer Widar Blixt; who everyone seems to be avoiding; in a showcase fight which consists of 2 10 minute rounds. The belt will be on the line; and whilst Blixt is inexperienced, he is surely the best striker Sheze will have faced in his MMA career. Blixt has shown to have serious power and great technical striking skills; and rumour has it he has also wrestled to a high level, so this could be a tall order for the champ to get it to the ground. You cannot count Sheze out of course; his ground game is quite possibly the best in the org, the way he beat Jallu Pesonen showed yet another wrinkle he has developed when he sat in the guard/half guard and was able to deliver GNP for 5 straight rounds. You have to think he’ll be looking for a submission against Blixt though. Jallu Pesonen was looking great leading up to that title fight with Sheze; he had destroyed Grogory Damkratov and breezed past Ephram Urani, but his undefeated record was smashed by Mnajdra Sheze. He was taken down repeatedly and simply had no answer on the ground. He has a chance to rebound against the always tough Froyo Hoyo. Even though Pesonen is the better all-around mixed martial artist; Hoyo is a deceptively tricky stylistic matchup for him, as he has an excellent clinch game and scrappy stand up skills which can cause many guys problems. Of course Grogory Damkratov is still lingering around the top 5 as well; he faces a tough battle against grappler Peter Smith Jr in his next fight, it could be a tough one as his ground game has rarely been tested.

 

Featured Fighter:

Froyo Hoyo (302371)

Froyo Hoyo is a really good fighter; like really really good. The thing is; he lost to the champ; and the champ is one of the best grapplers in the org; whilst Froyo might be one of the worst, his ground game is non-existent, so as long as Sheze is the champ, Froyo will be playing catch up in the ground game element of the fight. Luckily for him; he has a fight against Jallu Pesonen, which is a matchup perhaps more well suited to his skillset as they will both be looking to stand and bang. It should be close and will be an indicator of whether or not Froyo Hoyo can keep up with the evolution of this division.

 

Division 1: Light Heavyweight

 

#1. Jonas Lofmark © (Rocco Mediate)

 

#2. Jimmy Ryan (NorthernNinjas)

 

#3. Charley Hanagan (Buff Minion)

 

#4. Joao De Silva (Bradley Burns)

 

#5. Albert Pulkinnen (Jorma Oltsu)

 

Divisional Recap:

Long the best division; could the 205lbs division be in need of a clear-out relatively soon? The champion; Jonas Lofmark has been the champion for so long, and has beaten near enough the entire division. The org was looking at having Quintus Octavian get a title shot if he got past Jimmy Ryan. Unfortunately; he got smashed in the 2^nd round which put paid to that idea, so now we are left with Charley Hanagan, possibly the greatest challenge of Lofmark’s career as the next opponent. Hanagan is a black belt with excellent wrestling; and supposedly good striking as well, so he should be able to make Lofmark work really hard for the win. Going down the list; Jimmy Ryan has a deceptively difficult matchup against a guy with a similar style; Kassim Magufuli I V. Rankings wise; Magufuli is nowhere, so it doesn’t do anything for Ryan in that way, however it will be another high level opponent he has beaten if he were to win. It is a great opportunity for Magufuli; and if he were to win, he could be catapulted into contention quicker than expected. We also have the Brazilian Joao De Silva; who since losing a title shot at PINNACLE has submitted both of his opponents, including renowned submission artist Anthony Johnson. JDS is a handful for anyone in the division; if he can be a little more active, he stands a chance of making it back to fight for the title again. Albert Pulkinnen also makes the rankings this month; as it seems nobody wants to fight him, we can’t get him a fight. He is a dangerous striker with excellent anti wrestling skills who is clearly tough as nails, so it’s not surprising, but he makes the list here by default as much as anything else. However; that’s not to say he won’t be a contender in the future, he is an excellent fighter with one of the better managers in the game, expect him to be knocking on that door soon.

 

Featured Fighter:

Jonas Lofmark (300290)

So Lofmark has been taking some much deserved time off after his last fight; which resulted in his second victory over Jimmy Ryan. With that victory he equalled an org record for most consecutive title defences in a single title reign. He currently shares that record with both Virgil Cid (118680), a former SP ICON Lightweight Champion and John Conteh (143769) a former Light Heavyweight Champion. All 3 men are currently on 6 defences of the belt. Given that both the other 2 fought in the unrestricted ID time in the org; it is arguable how comparable the achievements are. However; it would still be an org record were Lofmark to win his next fight and take his defences to 7.

It would be a massive moment for Lofmark that would all but secure his HOF induction when the time comes in September. To do this he must go through talented BJJ fighter Charley Hanagan; and it is difficult to envision his normal path to victory here. Taking Hanagan down is a really bad idea; that’s assuming he doesn’t get taken down himself; striking may not be easy either; although we do not know what Hanagan’s striking is like. The one thing he may be able to exploit is cardio; Hanagan is a short; thickly set Light Heavyweight who has a tough cut to make 205lbs; if Lofmark can wear him out, this may be his best path to victory. It has the makings of an absolute classic, no-one would wanna miss this one!

 

 

 

P4P Top 10:

 

#1. Jonas Lofmark © 205lbs (Rocco Mediate)

 

#2. Oscar Stolt © 185lbs (The Philosopher)

 

#3. Settakian Fett © 170lbs (Marcus Crassus)

 

#4. Mnajdra Sheze © 155lbs (Juice Box)

 

#5. Otto Dahl © 265lbs (The Philosopher)

 

#6. Jimmy Ryan 205lbs (NorthernNinjas)

 

#7. Brutus Leagatius 265lbs (Marcus Crassus)

 

#8. Neyman Gariniho 185lbs (Rocco Mediate)

 

#9. Archibald Knox 185lbs (Marcus Crassus)

 

#10. Charley Hanagan 205lbs (Buff Minion)

[Slice]

Hello all;

 

I am sad to announce I will be leaving SP ICON and leaving it in the hands of a Max Petrov (80677).

 

 

 

This is a decision I have thought hard about and ultimately it came down to the fact that I no longer have the time to run the org the way I would like to, therefore I am releasing it to allow somebody else the chance.

 

I would like to thank all the managers who have made my life easy during the time I have managed the org. The majority of you have been loyal and easy going, which is all I could have asked.

 

 

 

I have had a lot of fun running this org; and I hope you guys have enjoyed it too.

 

I will be making my three HOF inductions before I leave, so congratulations to the 3 fighters I have chosen.

 

 

 

Good luck to everyone for the future

 

 

 

 

 

Chael