YerMaw Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 EPL Season 9 THE FINAL Gymer Alexandersson vs. Ashley Harrington http://i.imgur.com/tmEq37l.png In a break from the usual EPL format, this final clash of the titans is scheduled for five 5-minute rounds. An important detail which could be crucial in deciding the outcome of this fight, but more on that later... Both of these opponents have had a tough road to the finals – last week Harrington proved unable to submit Newmark but produced a big flurry of strikes to win the bout by TKO as we approached the final minutes of the round. On the other hand Alexandersson produced a masterful performance as he outpointed Rasputin in the standup to win via unanimous decision. However, the Swede's big win came at a significant price... Alexandersson goes into this bout still not having fully healed from that last fight with the Mad Monk and this could well be a very significant factor in both the respective strategies of these two opponents and potentially how this bout plays out. Under the standard 10-minute format used in the regular season this wouldn't have been too much of a problem for the Swede, but with five potentially gruelling rounds to slug through (not to mention Harrington's penchant for accurate striking) alarm bells may well be ringing in the Alexandersson camp. Simply put the Swede will need to knock Harrington out before he has time to further exploit the cuts sustained last week. Fortunately knocking out opponents is what Alexandersson does best. Nonetheless it's going to be a big ask given the quality of Harrington's striking defence. In addition, should the fight find its way into the clinch, Alexandersson may be forced to abandon the strategy of pulling guard that worked so well against Rasputin – Harrington has a very solid submission game and presumably would have no objections whatsoever if Alexandersson attempts to take the fight to the floor. Ultimately this fight will be a battle between the power of Alexandersson and the finesse of Harrington. The Englishman is quite capable of outpointing Alexandersson on his feet (as we saw in the previous matchup between these two) and, if he can connect with enough shots, potentially finish the fight as well. The one thing Alexandersson has going for him is the sheer amount of power possessed in that right hand – and at this weight class that can be a very substantial advantage indeed. The longer this fight goes on the more that will favour Harrington, but if Alexandersson can establish his range early and start connecting clean with some of the power shots he likes to throw this fight could easily be over in the first round or two. Harrington is the more technically versatile and experienced fighter but he has suffered KO losses before – it won't be an easy task by any means but Alexandersson does possess the tools to get the job done. Finding the balance between pressurising Harrington early while simultaneously avoiding the clinch will be key however; Alexandersson knows he need to finish early but an overly aggressive strategy may play into the Englishman's hands (unless of course he can wobble Harrington in the opening exchanges). Regardless of the outcome this should be a great fight to watch: Harrington is one of the most technically gifted fighters out there while Alexandersson's KO-power can lead to some highly explosive exchanges. Personally I see Harrington evading the early onslaught from the Swede and pulling off a (T)KO win either by doctor stoppage or a straight knockout, perhaps late in the second or the third; however, it would be foolish to ignore Alexandersson's immense right hand – if he can put it to good use it could just as easily be lights out for Harrington. Prediction: Harrington by KO 3RD PLACE PLAYOFF Bobby Newmark vs. Grigori Rasputin http://i.imgur.com/ixwaoPH.png Earlier on in the tournament both of these opponents looked like strong favourites to go all the way; Newmark tallied up an strong lead earlier on in the season while Rasputin went on a nine-fight winning streak to finish the regular season at the top of the table. Unfortunately it was not to be and both fighters found themselves undone in the semis: Newmark outworked by Harrington and Rasputin found lacking in the standup exchanges with Alexandersson. However, they are still in with the chance of walking away with a 3rd place finish and I expect both opponents to go all out in their efforts to finish the post-season with a redeeming win. The previous matchup between these two ended as quickly as it started, Newmark delivered a stunning three punch combo just twenty three seconds into the round to inflict Rasputin's only loss of the regular season. The Mad Monk then went on to exact his revenge on the likes of Tyson, Curry, Newmark and Harrington with some sensational knockouts but one thing is clear: Newmark most certainly has the ability to get to Rasputin's chin. The Mad Monk will want to get the fight into clinch as soon as possible: if he can do so this is his fight to lose – Newmark was exposed last week as Harrington repeatedly pummeled him on the inside and Rasputin will be looking for a repeat performance here. On the flipside Newmark will know exactly how much power he needs to stop Rasputin and I'd wager he won't make much in the way of changes (if any) to the strategy he employed in that fight. Like the final, this bout is scheduled for five rounds although it seems highly unlikely this fight will go the distance – in short, either Newmark will get the early KO or Rasputin will find his way into the clinch and grind the American down until either the referee steps in or Newmark's chin eventually gives way. The chances of this fight going to the floor are virtually nil so fans should be in for a great viewing spectacle with Rasputin looking to ramp up the aggression and take the fight inside while Newmark goes head hunting in search of another early knockout. One way or another, there will be fireworks... Finally I'd like to give a quick shout out to both of these fighters: despite coming up short in the semis they had a hell of a season – Rasputin enjoyed the longest winning streak of his career (thus far) and added some big names to the list of opponents he has KO'd, while Newmark (a fighter on the brink of retiring before the start of the tournament) belied his ageing years by storming to an early lead in the regular season and putting on some terrific performances against strong opposition. Although I'm sure they would have preferred to be starring in the main event of the evening, both fighters can be very proud of their achievements over the course of Season 9. Prediction: Newmark by KO. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornmma1 Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 http://i.imgur.com/z1yc2EW.gif Respect man for your great previews!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YerMaw Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Respect man for your great previews!! Cheers - it's been a lot of fun covering this season but gotta say I'm really looking forward to taking a break from writing been doing articles for almost six months now so I'll be enjoying a bit of time off I'm pleased to announce TonyScat will be doing the previews for Season 10 so again we'll have full coverage of the tournament, I'll also be keeping the league table up to date each week so everyone knows where they stand - really strong lineup next season so should be a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stpierrecanada Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Excellent write up man, once again. I can't pick against Michael Knight so I pick Gymer by KO. I think Bob Vendarra and Rasputin win the third place fight by KO, I've seen him beat a lot of top guys in CEC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBK16 Posted April 27, 2016 Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 Awesome preview man, happy to know I inspired a bit of it and you pulled it off spectacularly. Gonna be a tough finals, I am predicting Harrington wins with Rasputin in third. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YerMaw Posted April 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 28, 2016 Final results: 1st - Ashley Harrington 2nd - Gymer Alexandersson 3rd - Grigori Rasputin 4th - Bobby Newmark A big congratulations to all - Scott will be sorting out your prize money when he gets home 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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