Ironman Fight Club - Official Thread

[NorthernNinjas]

How dare you discount 17. He is a very well rounded fighter now after his last string of horrible sub losses.

 

http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/14913945358474.jpg

Iain "The CN" Tower (10-0, 10 Finishes, Undisputed King of IFC)

"Seventeen can get it, since he needs a reminder on how it feels to be outclassed.

I'm looking to the top of the rankings across the known Tycoon universe. Tyson Cobb, Bartholomäus Wolff, and John Braddock are all on my hit list now.

Let's see if we can get some superfights going. New Jersey MMA, Global Coliseum, let's make the fans happy"

[Alfred]

Tyson Cobb would be a great match up. I'd love to see that.

[Hello301]

IFC MW 22 - Rasputin VS Impaler

(April 11th, 2018 - King Theatre - Los Angeles)

Prelims

Fight 1 - Heavyweight Division

(2-2, 250 lbs) Alex Snow VS (4-2, 270 lbs) Patrick Thompson

So far every single one of Snow’s fights have come down to a decision whether he won or lost. However, this is not only his IFC debut, but his mma debut as all of his previous fights came in a KT organization. His last two fights were very one sided, but it was hardly a good showing for him and a good showing here would not only help prove that his first two fights were more indicative of his actual skill, but prove that he can also hold his own in the mma octagon.

Thompson recently caught fire, winning three straight fights and looking like the sky is the limit. He has not yet beaten any of the top contenders in the IFC, but he has slowly, but surely regained the ground he lost initially and has finally crested the middle grounds into a place where he can reach for the top. Another win could find him going toe to toe with some of the fighters that are household names in the IFC.

The heavy handed Thompson has a huge advantage standing in this bout, but on the ground they look almost even, but Snow has a good sized advantage in wrestling.

Fight 2 - Lightweight Division

(4-1, 162 lbs) Al “The Butcher” Swearengen VS (7-7-1, 150 lbs) Andy Bogard

Swearengen is new to the IFC and had a tough first bout winning in a split decision that could have gone to either fighter. He has had trouble finishing his fights, winning only one fight via submission and this could come back to bite him eventually. However, despite his troubles finishing fights he has had a good track record (although 3 of his fights came against the same opponent) and he should make a good showing of himself against the energized Bogard.

Bogard has had a problem with his stand up, the root cause being a glass jaw leading to him being knocked out 6 times out of his 7 losses. Thanks to this deficiency he has found that his biggest chance for victory comes on the ground where he can allow his impressive jiu jitsu to make short work of his opponents. He is coming off of two straight victories one over the impressive Moru. Another win here would prove that while he has his weaknesses, his strengths are more than up to the challenge of covering those up.

This fight looks very equal, but Bogard should be able to dictate how the fight goes through his grappling which will allow him to get the win.

Undercard

Fight 3 - Lightweight Division

(3-7, 165 lbs) Kung Le VS (3-5, 142 lbs) “I Weigh” One Fortytwo

Le is not off to a good start so far in the IFC. He has had three straight losses in low hype matches, that ended early and in a lackluster fashion on his part. As things stand its hard to see him making any headway in the near future unless he drastically changes something whether its his strategy going into fights or his training regimen. He is a highly skilled fighter so if he can fix the problems in his gameplan he should be able to go up in the rankings easily.

Fortytwo managed to get his 3rd victory in his last fight winning with an early TKO using his knees. This 7’2” 142 pound fighter looks like a giant stick bug, and his fighting has been similar to what you would imagine a stick bug would fight like. He has been squashed in a majority of his fights, but when he can keep the fight in the clinch he generally makes a good showing of himself.

Both fighters like to fight in the clinch, but while Fortytwo has skills completely focused on muay thai, Fortytwo has a broader skill set that will allow him to deal damage outside the clinch as well. This diversity should allow Fortytwo to win this fight.

Fight 4 - Middleweight Division

(1-1, 193 lbs) Rodrigo “Rocky” Valdez VS (1-3, 190 lbs) Thomas “Elbow King” Farrier

Valdez comes to us from the Dynasty organization having participated in both a kt and mma fight within the organization. Standing he is as dangerous as any fighter in the IFC and if he can shore up his ground game he could easily climb in the rankings. This will be his first fight in the IFC so he will want to make a strong showing of himself, especially since he is facing a fighter who hosts a 1-3 record.

Farrier has had a poor showing thus far in his mma career, winning only one fight against a now unsigned fighter. A win here would both awaken Valdez to the difficulties he may find in the tough IFC competition as well as show that Farrier’s career is on the rise.

Both fighters come in with something to prove as Valdez is making his debut and Farrier is looking to turn his career around. This fight is largely in Valdez’ favor unless Farrier has learned some wrestling since we last saw him fight.

Fight 5 - Middleweight Division

(7-7, 176 lbs) Dex “The Assassin” Arial VS (6-3, 175 lbs) Duc Minh “Ram” Pham

Arial is a tough fighter to judge based on his time in the IFC so far. He won his debut submitting Kung Le in the first round then proceeded to lose against the now 11th ranked Manuel Lora. This fight should allow us to have a more accurate view of just how strong this fighter actually is as he takes on a fighter that while not in the top of the ranks, is at least in the upper middle half of the fighters in the middleweight division. A win in this fight may see Arial with a chance at once again facing one of the names that has appeared in the power rankings.

Pham just like Arial is on the verge of fighting for a spot in the rankings. In his last bout he beat the impressive Bricks Thrower, who although is on a slump as of late was a fighter who has climbed into the power rankings and fought toe to toe with some of the biggest names in the IFC. In only 6 fights with the IFC he has managed to earn himself 3 of the night awards (two KO of the night and one Fight of the night) so you can definitely count on him putting on a great show for you all to see.

This should be a very hard fought match with both fighters grasping for their chance in the limelight. Pham has a definite advantage standing while Arial’s wrestling would give him the advantage if this fight is taken to the ground.

Fight 6 - Lightweight Division

(4-12, 167 lbs) Boyd “The Vanilla Og” Clark VS (3-3, 148 lbs) Lee Tramp

Clark has been around in the IFC for a long long time and has had a poor showing of himself so far, but has been gradually building up hype for himself. Despite his record he has been slowly, but surely improving as a fighter and at this point in time should not be underestimated. He is a very good muay thai fighter and when you combine this with his purple belt in jiu jitsu he is a threat no matter who he fights against.

Tramp has had a relatively short career so far, but is on a roll as of late winning three straight fights before now. He will want to keep this streak alive even now after joining the IFC to continue his hot streak against even stiffer competition. He left the IHOF organization still holding onto the featherweight belt and will want to see if he can’t lay his hands on a completely different belt in the IFC lightweight division. He has trained himself to a high level in boxing, wrestling, and jiu jitsu which he hopes will carry him to the very top once again.

This fight could easily go either way with Clark having strong muay thai which is the only weakness Tramp has shown to date. However, if Tramp can avoid Clark’s clinch attempts he should make short work of Clark in this one.

Main Card

Fight 7 - Heavyweight Division

#10(7-3, 235 lbs) Japa Koniu VS #8(7-4, 292 lbs) Hamish “The Pig” McTavish

I hope you guys are as excited for this fight as I am. We finally hit the household names of the IFC in this one as the 10th ranked Japa Koniu takes on the 8th ranked Hamish McTavish. Both of these fighters have been around in the IFC for a good amount of time and for almost the entire duration of that time they have been names on the power rankings.

Japa Koniu is on a two game skid, losing his title shot against Tower then following that up with an extremely fast paced fight against Rasputin where he lost towards the end of the first round. His two most impressive wins for his career came against Bandichoo and Wilder so it is tough to argue whether or not he belongs on the top 15 list even despite losing two in a row.

In the other corner we have McTavish who also lost his most recent fight, losing to the red hot Impaler early in the first round. He will look to redeem himself in this fight and prove that his spot in the power rankings isn’t a fluke by any stretch of the imagination. If all you have seen of this fighter is his last appearance then don’t expect such a one sided fight, because his ability to get the fight on the ground is usually enough to allow him to be the one with the one sided victories.

This will be a very tough fight for both fighters as they will have to struggle to get the fight into their area of expertise. If McTavish can land a takedown attempt Koniu will have a serious problem getting back to his feet, however if he can deal enough damage without being taken down McTavish will be the one in trouble.

Fight 8 - Heavyweight Division

(6-4, 270 lbs) “The Hunk” Jack Dawson VS (4-2, 255 lbs) Urban “Brutus” Go Bucks

Jack Dawson is a fighter who has rubbed shoulders with some of the best in the IFC, but after losing two straight he fell out of the rankings. However, this hardly reflects his skill as he has been fighting against people in the top tier of the IFC. He is no stranger to fighting on the main card so he should have no trouble dealing with the pressure of the high octane that is fight night.

Bucks has been in the IFC since November, but this will be only the second time he is fighting on the Main Card of the night. He rode the wave of energy to a five second victory in his first time participating in the main card so we will see if he is one of those rare breed of fighters who thrives under pressure, giving the best performances in the most stressful situations.

Both of these fighters have extremely similar fighting styles so who has honed their skills down to the finest point will be the one who walks away with the victory in the end. As things stand you have to go with Dawson who has been a fighter on the verge for a long time, but it would come as no shock if Bucks took Dawson down a peg and claimed the spot for himself.

Fight 9 - Heavyweight Division

(6-1, 265 lbs) “Heart of Darkness” Hercules Fortier VS #14(4-5, 265 lbs) Kenny “The Follower” Tschusuk

Fortier joined the IFC from the KFC having been an ex champion who never actually lost his belt, but left with the update in the organization’s structure. Since joining the IFC he has gone 1-0 picking up a win against Van Rooy who has almost been one of the unofficial gatekeepers for the top tier of the heavyweight division. After proving himself against Van Rooy he is now getting to make his second appearance against the 14th ranked Tschusuk. A win here would almost assure he takes a position in the top 15 of the heavyweight division.

Tschusuk had a very rocky start to his career in the IFC, but he has slowly, but surely picked up momentum, winning 4 of his last 6 fights and finding himself a spot in the 14th rank. In his most recent performance he managed to knock out Bucks in the first round in what most critics thought would be a very tough fight for him. If he can perform like he did that night, I highly doubt he will remain in the bottom of the rankings much longer as he could springboard himself up much higher in the rankings.

Both fighters have looked great in their own right, but Fortier despite only fighting once in the IFC has shown such promise that it is hard to see Tschusuk picking up a win in this fight regardless of where the fight takes place.

Fight 10 - Heavyweight Division

#3(17-3, 241 lbs) Grigori “The Buttsex Monk” Rasputin VS #4(9-2, 275 lbs) Vladimir “The Horizontal” Impaler

The two fighters featured in this next matchup have been climbing the heavyweight division extremely fast, beating many impressive opponents to find themselves very close to the top of the ladder. On one side we have Rasputin has lost to Bell, but then proceeded to beat Koniu earning himself a high ranking, while on the other side we have Impaler who beat both Biscuit and McTavish to climb his way this high.

Rasputin had a very strong showing on the island, fighting his way up to the semi finals before losing. Since getting off the island he started out with a disappointing loss to Bell, but then followed that up immediately beating a fighter who most people would argue is better than Bell in Koniu. His record speaks volume about just how impressive he is as a fighter and despite his inconsistency so far in the IFC, when on the island he lost only one fight and then went on to take his title and defend it 5 straight times before the end of season tournament.

Impaler on the other hand, never went to the island choosing instead to hone his skills on the mainland. He had mixed results early on in his career, but has managed to win six straight fights beating even some of the top ranked fighters in the IFC heavyweight division. His rise in the division was extremely fast, but well earned as he took no shortcuts in gaining the rank he now finds himself at. Now that he has climbed his way up to the top its hard to see anyone stopping him in his effort to some day claim the IFC heavyweight championship belt for himself.

Both fighters have had very impressive careers to date and this fight will further the career of one while setting another back in his efforts to reach the top. Impaler has beaten more impressive fighters in his career so far and as such I expect him to be able to pick himself up a win once again and earn himself a chance at the champ in the future.

 

-Eric Leoanrd

P.S. Sorry for the late posting of this it was a busy weekend, but I will try and keep with the Monday postings of these in the future, sorry, and thanks for the patience.

[Alfred]

Wow what a bunch of upsets tonight.

 

Rasputin beating Impaler is huge in the heavyweight division. He was obviously good on the Island but after changing management and losing to Greg Bell in his debut, I had pretty much written him off as being just another ex-Island hype machine. Vladimir Impaler was on a tear so that is a massive blow to his title aspirations and surely puts Rasputin into contention somewhere?

 

Former title challenger Japu Koniu beating Hamish McTavish was a surpise to me too. Thought McTavish would take him down and ground him out but then Koniu has shown that he has some very good skills in getting back to his feet. Pretty much how he made his debut in the IFC. A big loss for McTavish who has now lost two big fights in a row.

 

Perhaps the biggest shock of the evening was Kenny Tchusuk tapping out Hercules Fortier on the ground. I could maaaybe have seen Tchusuk landing a freak KO but not a first round submission. Again a massive dent in any title aspirations that Fortier might have had going forward. That's two out of two for Tchusuk since joining the heavyweight division but can anyone really see him staying consistent long enough to put together any kind of run?

 

In the middleweight division Dex Arial surprised me with a win over Duc Minh Pham. He definitely had the wrestling to do it but for some reason I thought Pham would get the KO.

 

Thought Rodrigo Valdez made a meal out of Thomas Farrier. Got the win but it took him three rounds to get Farrier out of there. Not the most impressive debut from a fighter that has a lot of eyes on him

[Hello301]

IFC 46 Divac VS Murhaa

(April 14th, 2018 - King Theatre, Los Angeles)

Prelims

Fight 1 - Heavyweight Division

(3-5, 300 lbs) “The Phenomenal” Orgasmic Bliss VS (2-1, 270 lbs) Rouhullah “The Refugee” Abbaspour

Bliss has had a disappointing career to date and probably didn’t expect to be struggling with a 3-5 record at this point in his career. However, he is not a fighter you can go up against with a half hearted effort and come away with a victory. He has beaten IFC hopefuls who came in expecting an easy win and found a fighter with strong wrestling and even stronger jiu jitsu. He will not allow himself to fall into obscurity and you never know when a fighter like this can catch fire and start to rise in the rankings.

Abbaspour comes in from the KFC hoping to prove himself in a new organization after mixed results in his previous. So far all of his fights have ended with extremely quick T(KO)’s, participating in three fights for a grand total of 47 seconds worth of time in the octagon. His blitzkrieg style so far has resulted in more wins than losses, but if he manages to rise in the rankings he may find that this strategy results in himself taking a lot of abuse.

All Bliss needs to do to win this is weather Abbaspour’s initial rush and get him to the ground. I expect Bliss to take Abbaspour relatively easily and win the fight from the ground.

Fight 2 - Middleweight Division

(1-3, 185 lbs) Nino Brown VS (2-3, 200 lbs) Taivon “Mack-10” Arsett

Brown recently joined the IFC after going 0-3 in his tenure at the PFF losing via T(KO) three straight times. He has some serious questions about the durability of his chin, but if he can play around it well he can avoid it limiting his career too much. At only 21 he has much room to improve and his current record shouldn’t be too much cause for concern as long as he can halt the losing streak here.

Arsett was on a three fight skid as well, but managed to halt it in his last fight Beating Ed Killer at IFC MW 18. He is a strong boxer with good takedown defense, which enables him to keep his fight and play to his own strengths. We have heard that he has very heavy hands, but he is yet to really show it in his fights, but if he can find ways to land more punishing strikes we could see him beating some strong opponents.

Brown’s ability in the clinch should do wonders against Arsett who has no skill fighting from the clinch and I expect Brown to be able to pick up the win in this one.

Undercard

Fight 3 - Lightweight Division

(2-2-1, 149 lbs) Ethan Sheehy VS (0-3, 160 lbs) Adlan Aukhadov

Ethan Sheehy is yet another black belt trying to rise in the IFC lightweight division and he comes to us fresh from the NJMMA organization where he had mixed results. If the champion of the lightweight division shows anything its the fact that a black belt can go far in the IFC and we will get to see if Sheehy has skills worthy of the belt he wears.

Aukhadov has had very poor results so far since making his debut in the IFC. As one of the youngest fighters in the lightweight division this isn’t a cause for concern and once he trains himself further there is no way of knowing just where he will land at within the IFC. As things stand he is very effective in the clinch he just needs to improve the other aspects of his game to find more success in the future.

Sheehy should be able to win this one relatively easily, pulling guard from the clinch or just flat out taking Aukhadov down where he can use his superior jiu jitsu to end the fight.

Fight 4 - Middleweight Division

(8-6, 175 lbs) Bea “Rick” Mason VS (2-2, 191 lbs) Vincenzo Hall

Mason was on a roll winning 4 straight fights until he hit the wall of the rankers. Wilder halted his climb and then Koniezko pushed him back down to the middle of the pack in a relatively close fight. He is both effective on his feet and on the ground, but this has resulted in him being inferior to many pure strikers as well as the pure ground fighters. If he can train himself up to the higher tier in both skills you can expect his rise to continue even passed fighters such as Wilder.

Hall will be making his IFC debut in this fight, but I expect great things from this sensational wrestler. He had a rough start in the The Beatdown, but he straightened things out with two straight wins and now he has brought his win streak over to the IFC in the hopes he can continue with his newly found winning habit. His fights tend to go into the later rounds, but his cardio is such that this is usually a good thing for him. If he can utilize his wrestling to great effect expect him to gradually wear his opponent down with ground and pound until eventually getting the TKO or decision victory.

This is a difficult fight to predict, because both fighters are strong in their own right. What this fight will come down to is whether Hall can ground and pound Mason without gassing himself to the point that Mason can use his brown belt in jiu jitsu to get the submission. I expect the answer to be that Hall’s cardio will be up to the task of wearing down Mason, while not leaving an opening for a submission loss.

Fight 5 - Heavyweight Division

(2-1, 240 lbs) Odogwu Agrinya VS (3-5, 285 lbs) Pete “Red Bull” Blowkarski

Agrinya recently returned to the IFC after leaving for a one fight stint against an undefeated champion in the SFC. Unfortunately, for him the roided up monster he challenged ended up winning quickly in the first round. However, losing to an 8-0 super champion is nothing to be ashamed of and hopefully he can return to his winning ways now that he is back in the IFC. He is extremely skilled for his age and while you may not see him in the upper rankings just yet, you can expect that by the time he has climbed the ladder into the position to challenge he will be an even stronger fighter.

Blowkarski has had a disappointing 1-3 record so far in the IFC, but despite hating pizza (Sacrilege) he has shown that he is a good fighter in his own right. With the amount of training he has done to build strength, among other things, you can expect him to be able to go toe to toe with any fighter he gets matched against. As he showed against Bliss his boxing should not be underestimated.

I expect Agrinya’s muay thai to be too much for Blowkarski, but the margin of victory in this one could be extremely small as Blowkarski’s jiu jitsu could enable him to pull guard to escape the clinch.

Fight 6 - Lightweight Division

(8-4, 135 lbs) Chris “The Solution” White VS (5-3, 130 lbs) Xing “Rufus” Pugberg

In White’s IFC debut he managed to earn himself a submission victory over Morris Kirby and will hope to continue his IFC career with another win, this time over Pugberg. White is primarily a jiu jitsu artist, but he has won by TKO twice in his career as well so you can’t completely disregard his stand up skills. Looking at his record you can tell that he is good at finding a way to win, and if his IFC debut was any indication you can not let this guy get you on the ground.

Pugberg is out to prove that White’s debut win was only that simple, because of his opponent’s lack of jiu jitsu. Now that White is facing another fighter who likes to fight on the ground it should be a tougher fight. Pugberg is the perfect fighter for that. His fight history is a clear indication of just how skilled Pugberg actually is. Although he is 0-1 since separating into the lightweight division, his only loss came to McCoy a fighter now ranked 11th in the power rankings. A win here would have him knocking on the door of getting a ranking for himself.

Both White and Pugberg want this fight to go to the ground, however Pugberg most definitely wants to be the one on top due to his large advantage in wrestling. Pugberg should be able to control this fight well and with his defensive grappling, he should be able to take home the win as well.

Main Card

Fight 7 - Heavyweight Division

#11(10-4, 270 lbs) Naiki “The Drunken Finnish Demon” Nekele VS (4-4, 256 lbs) Albert Van Rooy

Nekele has watched all the other fighters in the top 15 move around him, but has remained stable in his own position. He has been in the IFC for quite a while and has picked up wins over well known fighters such as Jack Dawson and Taz Bandichoo. He hopes to add Van Rooy to his list of conquests in this one and continue his stay in the power rankings. His muay thai is largely what carried him to his current position and is what he will most likely rely on to try and get yet another victory.

Van Rooy was in the top 15 until after his loss to Fortier and does not like the view from the outside looking in. Expect him to be extra motivated in this bout as he knows a victory could very well put him right back in the rankings where he wants to be. He has earned himself victories over some good fighters, but has yet to remain consistent enough to face the stars of the IFC heavyweight division.

Nekele and Van Rooy are two fighters with extremely similar skill sets which should make this fight even more interesting to watch. However, due to his track record in the past as well as the slight advantage skill wise you have to give Nekele the slight advantage coming in.

Fight 8 - Lightweight Division

#2(7-1, 169 lbs) Abdel “Fur Coat” Mumu VS #5(7-3, 163 lbs) “Dark and Light” Soul Shadow

Mumu is finally making his debut after joining the IFC from the World Fighting Championship where he hosted an impressive 6-1 record, participating in 5 title fights. While he has yet to grace the octagon in the IFC it is obvious that huge expectations are placed on his shoulders as shown by his second rank. If he can prove himself against Shadow it is almost a guarantee that we will see him in a title fight soon.

Shadow has earned his way up to the top of the rankings more from top fighters losing than from beating top fighters. This will be his first test since losing to Lopez before the weight classes split. A win here would show that his rank isn’t inflated and he belongs in the top 5 of the IFC lightweight division.

Both fighters are all around strong fighters, but Mumu has the clear advantage and it will take strong gameplanning from Shadow for him to come away with a win.

Co Main Event - IFC Middleweight Championship Title Fight

Champion(10-0, 198 lbs) Roman “The Pain Train” Divac VS #1(7-0, 204 lbs) Ispa Murhaa

Divac versus Murhaa will play host to the second weekend in a row where we have an undefeated champion taking on an undefeated challenger. However, will Divac, like Chugman be able to hold off this undefeated challenger or will we crown a new champion?

Divac has never participated in a non title fight in the IFC. He started off his IFC career with a win over perennial powerhouse Light Heavyweight in a 5 round decision victory that saw him winning every round. He then defended his title against another long time powerhouse in Brooklyn Brawler with another 5 round fight that he finally ended with an impressive cross followed by two finishing blows. Despite the short history in the IFC you can’t deny that he is a very impressive champion who many in the IFC call one of the strongest p4p fighters in the IFC.

Murhaa has been with the IFC since Mid Week 8 and has slowly, but surely climbed the rankings with his most recent victories coming against the 13th ranked Porto and the 15th ranked Bogard. At only 21 he is 8 years younger than the champion and no one can argue that he is one of the most talented fighters the IFC has to offer, but is he ready to take on the champion?

Divac has gone 5 rounds against every opponent in the IFC since joining and I expect this one to probably be a long fight as well. While the talented 21 year old looks to be the more skilled fighter I have to give the edge to Divac, because of the two fighters he managed to defeat to obtain his belt as well as the trouble Murhaa had in defeating his last two opponents.

Main Event - Middleweight Division

#4(12-2, 191 lbs) Mew Choo VS (10-4, 174 lbs) Eusebio “Loves Gardening” Zapata

Mew Choo is unarguably the face of the IFC and is one of the only members of the IFC hall of fame. He took the Open weight belt from Steven Kennedy and then proceeded to defend the belt in 6 straight fights until the division split into what you see now. Immediately after the split he fought Light Heavyweight for the new middleweight division belt and was knocked out in the second round. Since then he has fought twice and shown a record of 1-1 against two of the top 10 fighters in the IFC. He has had trouble since the switch to three division and many argue that he is getting too old to keep up with all the new talent rushing into the IFC, but this wily vet is in the hall of fame for a reason and you can expect him to continue to stay relevant in the Middleweight Division for years to come.

Zapata is now with his third manager, joining from the World Class fighting organization with many fans and hype surrounding himself. This should be obvious from the fact that him and his opponent managed to secure the main event of the evening despite their being a title fight on the same night. This is a tough test for him in his IFC debut as he faces one of the greatest of all time the IFC has to offer in Mew Choo and a win here would prove Zapata deserves to be in the top rankings of the division.

Standing Zapata has the probably advantage due to the difference in muay thai, but I expect that if he goes in for a clinch Choo will be able to easily pull guard where his superior jiu jitsu will earn him the victory.

[Alfred]

Nice write up mate!

 

I'm very interested in the Mumu vs. Shadow match up. Think either could potentially be championship material but I think Mumu's time is now.

 

The middleweight title fight is likely going to be fireworks. Murhaa looks a little ahead on skills but both are top 50 managers so I'm sure Divac will known what he needs to do.

 

I think Balls Manager's guys are finally coming up (though I was super surprised Impaler lost to Rasputin. Shocked even). I've watched Nekele develop pretty much from the start and he's been a real slow burner. I think he is coming into his time now and could be a contender in the heavyweight division. Of course, he's got to get past my guy Van Rooy first though haha.

 

It was sad reading about the headliner but I tend to agree with you. I think Mew Choo has had his day and like Ricky "Big Tex" Hughes will start to fall away from the top of the rankings. I think he wins this one though.

[Hello301]

What a fight night everyone! So many decisions and many fights that could have gone either way. Great job everyone and congrats to the new champ

[Hello301]

Iron Man Fight Club - Official Rankings (25th March 2018)

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Lightweight (155lbs and under)

#Champ (Ch) - Klaus Chugman (14-2, W,W,W,W,W, 130lbs

#1 (1) Mister Island (12-5, W,W,W,L,L, 145lbs)

#2 (2) Abdel Mumu (8-1, W,W,W,W,W, 155lbs)

#3 (3) Uri Gellar (21-6, L,W,L,L,W, 158lbs)

#4 (4) Maximilian Kirby (6-0, W,W,W,W,W, 165lbs)

#5 (5) Soul Shadow (7-4, L,W,W,W,W, 162lbs)

#6 (6) Evgeni Lomachenko (10-8, W,L,W,W,L, 152lbs)

#7 (7) Bruce Mafaking (17-5, W,L,W,L,L, 164lbs)

#8 (8) Mike Van Rijn (11-7, L,L,L,W,W, 163lbs)

#9 (9) Feihck Tiote (5-2, L,W,W,W,W, 164lbs)

#10 (10) Gosha Lopez (6-2, W,W,L,L,W, 135lbs)

#11 (11) Willie McCoy (7-3, W,W,W,L,L, 160lbs)

#12 (12) Johnny Walker (9-3, L,W,W,W,W, 170lbs)

#13 (13) Daniel Sainty (10-8, L,W,W,L,W, 150lbs)

#14 (14) Anton Touchard (7-1, W,W,W,L,W, 168lbs)

#15 (15) Jax Thomas (6-3, W,W,W,L,W, 174.5lbs)

Middleweight (155lbs to 205lbs)

#Champ (1) Ispa Murhaa (8-0, W,W,W,W,W, 194lbs)

#1 (2) Light Heavyweight (23-3, W,W,L,W,L, 220lbs)

#2 (3) Jaxson Wilder (9-3, W,W,W,L,L, 205lbs)

#3 (4) Mew Choo (13-2, W,L,W,L,W, 191lbs)

#4 (5) Brooklyn Brawler (12-4, W,L,W,W,W, 190lbs)

#5 (6) Damien OQuinn (10-4, L,W,W,W,W, 216lbs)

#6 (Ch) Roman Divac (10-1, L,W,W,W,W, 198lbs)

#7 (8) Ribociclib Kisqali (9-2, W,L,L,W,W, 220lbs)

#8(9) Jon Ubereem (14-8, W,L,L,W,L, 218lbs)

#9 (10) Sascha Koniezko (6-6, W,W,W,W,L, 185lbs)

#10 (11) Manuel Lora (10-7, L,W,W,W,L, 180lbs)

#11 (12) Steven Kennedy (9-10, L,L,L,W,L, 178lbs)

#12 (13) Alexander Porto (11-8, W,W,L,L,W, 180lbs)

#13 (14) Dennis Fisher (2-0, W,W, 207lbs)

#14 (15) Terry Bogard (7-6, L,L,W,L,W, 179lbs)

#15 (NR) Dany Crosby (12-3, W,L,L,W,W, 200lbs)

Heavyweight (205lbs and over)

#Champ (Ch) Iain Tower (10-0, W,W,W,W,W, 275lbs)

#1 (1) Super Heavyweight (20-3, W,W,W,L,W, 280lbs)

#2 (2) Android Seventeen (11-8, W,W,W,W,L, 280lbs)

#3 (3) Grigori Rasputin (18-3, W,W,L,L,W, 241lbs)

#4 (5) Vinicio Serpico (8-3, W,L,W,W,L, 260lbs)

#5 (6) Big Murha (7-1, L,W,W,W,W, 219lbs)

#6 (7) Steve Butabi (9-3, L,W,L,W,W, 290lbs)

#7(10) Japa Koniu (8-3, W,L,L,W,W, 235lbs)

#8 (9) Greg Bell (8-10, L,W.L,W,W, 300lbs)

#9 (11) Naiki Nekele (11-4, W,W,W,W,L, 268lbs)

#10 (4) Vladimir Impaler (9-3, L,W,W,W,W, 270lbs)

#11 (12) Schmorgen Biscuit (10-5, W,L,W,L,W, 222lbs)

#12 (14) Kenny Tchusuk (5-5, W,W,L,W,L, 265lbs)

#13 (15) Taz Bandichoo (8-8, W,W,L,L,L, 240lbs)

#14 (NR) Urban Go Bucks (5-2, W,L,W,W,W, 255lbs)

#15 (13) Hercules Fortier (6-2, L,W,L,W,W, 265lbs)

**Rankings are determined by hype/pop, p4p rank, win/loss record and a few company internal criteria. Rankings will typically be updated at the end of each week**

[Alfred]

Android Seventeen back into title contention in the heavyweight division! Massive fight v Super Heavyweight coming up

[Cobra7]

Android Seventeen back into title contention in the heavyweight division! Massive fight v Super Heavyweight coming up

After 4 straight k.o's it is time for seventeen to reclaim the #1 contender spot. The last time he fought for a belt was at the young age of 19 and he put on a clinic against them champion new choo. 3 years later seventeen is ready to claim the belt

[Cobra7]

Cant wait for the next awesome write up

[Hello301]

IFC MW23 Wilder vs Kisqali

(April 18th, 2018 - King Theatre - Los Angeles)

Prelims

Fight 1 - Middleweight Division

(1-0, 176 lbs) Virgulino Ferreira Da Silva “Lampiao” VS (3-14, 209 lbs) Lukasz “Cichy” Patryk

Da Silva has not fought since January in a KT event, where he won by decision. He has only fought twice total winning both in decisions against strong opponents in two separate organizations. Now in the IFC he will make his triumphant return to mma against Patryk. Anyone trying to fight this guy on their feet will be in for a bad time, because he is one of the top stand up fighters the IFC has to offer and his low ranking is only due to his recent arrival in the organization.

Patryk has had a long career with poor results so far, but he is not a bad fighter. He has just had very stiff competition, participating in some of the best organizations in the mma world. This will be his second fight in the IFC and he lost his first fight via KO in the first round. He has an all rounder fighting skill with no particular strengths or weaknesses, but if he can target his opponent’s weakness he definitely has a shot against just about anyone.

Going into the fight Da Silva is the favorite with his stellar stand up game, but his lack of experience in jiu jitsu combined with his ok wrestling could hold him back.

Fight 2 - Middleweight Division

(4-4, 190 lbs) Niko Diaz VS (1-5, 184 lbs) Hennig Muller

Diaz has won and lost an even amount in mma and has a 2-0 record in KT. However, his record is very deceptive as he has fought some extremely strong opponents in his career some of which if they were in the IFC would probably be challenging for the title. Diaz is definitely one of the highest skilled fighters in the middleweight division and once he gets some momentum going we could definitely see him challenging people in the top 15.

Muller has been in the IFC for his entire career and has hosted a very poor record of 1-5 so far. He was in consideration with a lot of the rising stars in the IFC, but every time he came up against them he fell short resulting in them rising and him finding himself in his current situation. Diaz will be a tough opponent for a man trying to put his career back on track, but you don’t know who will win until the ref raises someone’s hands.

Diaz is the clear favorite in this fight and it will take some extremely poor gameplanning from him to lose this fight.

Undercard

Fight 3 - Heavyweight Division

(1-2, 265 lbs) Ruben Kirby VS (6-11, 238 lbs) En “Metal Priest” Esch

Kirby has only fought 3 times in the IFC, but has managed to win at 1 of the 3 fights despite being one of the youngest fighters in the IFC heavyweight division. While he is not ready for the big time fights as of yet we can watch closely and see just what kind of a fighter Kirby will develop into as he trains and grows month by month. This fight will be yet another check where we find out just where Kirby stands and how much he has grown since his last fight.

To date Esch has been the fighter that just about every high ranking fighter has to go through in order to climb. His match history hosts 5 of the current top 15 fighters (in various divisions) showing that despite his record he has fought some of the most highly talented fighters in the IFC. He is probably tired of being the stepping stone of others and this fight will be another chance for him to try and climb, but he needs to beat one of the top fighters to truly show his skill.

Esch has a definite edge in this fight with his superior muay thai, but Kirby’s boxing could help him get to the advantage in this fight.

Fight 4 - Heavyweight Division

(7-3, 270 lbs) Wild Turkey VS (6-4, 298 lbs) Bob “The Feast” Snapp

Turkey is joining the IFC from the PFF where he had a 2-3 record and every single match has ended in TKO whether he won or lost. Turkey has sensational boxing and has shown that he is very quick and powerful as well. His rise in the rankings is almost assured, but the IFC is not an organization where you can rise easily and he will be tested many times before he manages to climb high in the rankings.

Snapp is coming from the Kamikaze organization with a lot of hype surrounding him. Just like his opponent he has had a decent run in his previous organization, fighting against impressive opponents and coming away with the victory more often then not. He will get to test himself in a new organization now and it is anyone’s guess as to how far he will go in the rankings.

This fight has me particularly excited, because we have two fighters who recently joined the IFC meeting in the octagon to find out which one is the IFC’s supreme newcomer. The winner of this fight will almost surely find himself in a match against a ranker while the loser will have to prove himself before he can find himself fighting for the top spots.

Fight 5 - Lightweight Division

(11-7, 163 lbs) Mike “The Hammer” Van Rijn VS (6-4, 157 lbs) “Touch of Death” Dumba Diame Jr

Rijn is 0-2 so far in his career with the IFC, but both opponents he fought are top 6 in the IFC power rankings. Now he finds himself opposite a strong new up and comer. His wonderful muay thai has been integral to any success he sees and when combined with some deadly kicks, it will be scary to see what this fighter can do now that he is unfettered by a vested interest in the IFC.

Diame Jr is continuing the theme this night of powerful rookies making their debut in the IFC. He also comes from the PFF organization with a high amount of hype following him. Starting his career off against Van Rijn will be a great test for a fighter who hasn’t yet fought in the octagon. A win here will probably pit him against a ranker in his next fight while a loss will see him bogged down in the middle of the pack struggling to prove himself.

Diame Jr is a heavy favorite coming in with almost equal muay thai and a black belt it is hard to ever picture Rijn managing to win this fight.

Fight 6 - Middleweight Division

#9(6-6, 185 lbs) Sascha “Widow Maker” Koniezko VS #11(9-10, 178 lbs) Steven “The Steamroller” Kennedy

Koniezko has been flourishing as of late, winning 4 straight fights with his most recent coming against Sexyama. He now finds himself ranked 9th in the middleweight division coming in as the higher rank against a long time powerhouse since IFC 1 in Steven Kennedy. This will be the biggest test of Koniezko’s career to date and this will be the fight that proves whether or not he belongs in the octagon with the top tier talent of the IFC.

Kennedy has been around the IFC since the very beginning and has almost always been one of the fighters in the top 15. However, he has recently fallen in rank after losing three straight fights. These may have been some of the most talented fighters, but losing three straight fights must be preying on his mind and he will want to recover in his fight against Koniezko.

Both fighters are matched pretty evenly, however I think that Koniezko isn’t quite ready for an opponent like Kennedy and will probably end up losing in a close fight.

Main Card

Fight 7 - Lightweight Division

#11(7-3, 160 lbs) “Slim” Willie McCoy VS (12-7, 156 lbs) Luiz Correia Azevedo

Some may say that McCoy as a new fighter should not find himself in the 11th ranked spot of the highly competitive lightweight division at this point. However, he has proven himself against two of the stronger fighters in the IFC lightweight division and managed to beat both in the first round. Now he will look to defeat another fighter trying to break into the top tier of the IFC while also cementing his own position within the rankings. A win here would have him looking above at those ranked higher and him trying to position himself for a possible title run.

Azevedo has also fought two very high skill fighters since joining the IFC, however he found himself on the losing end of those two fights. He is still a very good fighter that should not be underestimated despite his 0-2 record in the IFC. He is hungry for that first win in the organization and seeing as how he has only fought the higher tier fighters in the org he is someone you must go through if you want to get onto the power rankings.

McCoy should be the fighter with an advantage having the advantage or equivalent skill in all regards, but don’t count Azevedo out until the match is over.

Fight 8 - Lightweight Division

#12(7-2, 170 lbs) Johnny Walker VS (8-6, 154 lbs) Wolfgang Lee Roth

Walker only recently left the Dynasty organization and now finds himself participating in the main card of his debut with the IFC. He has roots in KT and it shows in how impressive he is on his feet. Despite his history as a KT fighter he has a purple belt in jiu jitsu and very respectable wrestling so we can’t expect him to struggle just, because he is now participating in mma. In his most recent mma fight in February he earned himself a victory win so do not expect him to be out of practice with mma rules.

Roth is a long time fighter in the IFC who has done well for himself just not against the top level opponents he has faced. Walker will be yet another chance for Roth to prove himself against a high level opponent. He will also want to rebound after his 41 second loss to Kirby in his last fight where he put on a very poor showing, barely managing to do anything against his opponent.

I would give the advantage to Walker going in, because he has a huge advantage standing and Roth will have trouble taking down an opponent with better wrestling than himself.

Co-Main Event - Heavyweight Division

#11(10-5, 230 lbs) Schmorgen Biscuit VS #8(8-10, 300 lbs) Greg “The Gronk” Bell

Biscuit will be trying to get history to repeat itself as he faces Bell for the second time. In their fist bout Biscuit one sidedly beat on Bell with ground and pound and received a very lopsided decision victory. Both of these fighters have been around since the very first card the IFC put together and you can expect them to know the ins and outs of eachother’s game.

Bell will have a tough time in this fight, facing an opponent he has already lost to once in his career. In a fight between wrestlers the fighter who manages to get top control will be the one who ultimately ends up winning the fight. If Bell wants a chance this time around he will have to be much more proactive than he was in their previous bout.

Bell has not improved a whole lot since fighting Biscuit last, however the same can not be said of Biscuit who has gradually gotten more and more skilled and is now gaining ranks on his way towards the top of the division.

Main Event - Middleweight Division

#3(9-3, 205 lbs) Jaxson Wilder VS #7(9-2, 220 lbs) Ribociclib “CDK4/6” Kisqali

Jaxson has gone 2-0 since the divisions split beating two strong opponents on his way to getting the third ranking in the middleweight division. Now he finds himself matched up against Kisqali a relative newcomer to the IFC hoping to take that third ranked position for himself. Jaxson will need to prove once again that his boxing is so strong he deserves to keep his high ranking in the division.

Kisqali has only fought twice in the IFC hosting a 1-1 record beating the now 8th ranked Ubereem and losing to the currently 5th ranked Brawler. A win here would have him contesting over the next title shot with other powerhouses such as Heavyweight, Brawler, and OQuinn. Similar to his opponent Kisqali relies largely upon his boxing to get the wins which should make this a very exciting fight to watch with neither side wanting to give ground.

This is a very difficult fight to read, because both fighters love to box, but Jaxson is superior in wrestling and jiu jitsu mainly using those to avoid the ground. However, due to Kisqali’s advantage in the clinch he may want this fight to the ground resulting in this hot mess of confusion not knowing how this fight will happen. For this particular bout I’d give Jaxson the edge due to having the more experienced manager, but this should be a very exciting and close match, ending the night with a doozy of a battle.

[Hello301]

Cant wait for the next awesome write up

I wish I was half as good as Winterbottom at write ups, but I'll keep trying : D (you just want me to pick you to lose again so you can prove me wrong don't ya? =p)

[Cobra7]

I wish I was half as good as Winterbottom at write ups, but I'll keep trying : D (you just want me to pick you to lose again so you can prove me wrong don't ya? =p)

Yup lol

[Alfred]

Damn, big loss for Jaxson Wilder in the middleweight division. A win against Kisqali would have surely made him the #1 contender? Great win for Kisqali. Tend to overlook him for some reason but he is only 21 and has decent skills.

 

Thought Biscuit should have done better against Bell. It was one sided but just think he should have been able to finish him though Bell can be stubborn.

 

Shame to see Wolfgang Lee Roth get beaten like that but that's the game and Johnny Walker is the younger fighter coming up.

 

Same for Willy McCoy in the lightweight division against Azevedo. Four wins in a row and three in the IFC. The lightweight division looks super competitive right now.

 

Very nice win for Sascha Koniezko in the middleweight division against former champ Steven Kennedy. Couldn't finish but got the unanimous decision and remains undefeated in five fights. Looking forward to seeing what he can do now that he is amongst the top end of the division

[Cobra7]

Awaiting write up mania lol

[Alfred]

lol. Eric is a writing beast. He used to do three a week sometimes when he was working for Sydney Fights too. Crazy sutff

[Cobra7]

Cant wait to read "THE MAIN EVENT"

[Affekonig]

IniTech Sports Betting has an agreement with Ironman Fight Club to start covering their fight cards.

[Hello301]

IFC 47 Heavyweight vs Seventeen

(April 21st, 2018 - King Theatre - Los Angeles)

Prelims

Fight 1 - Lightweight Division

(0-6, 165 lbs) Long Thai VS (5-11, 145 lbs) Jason Poller

Thai is still searching for his first victory in the IFC after six straight losses. His biggest problem is the fact that he has focused almost all of his training time into muay thai, to the exclusion of all else. This has resulted in a very predictable fighting style that any opponent who does any research can counter. He is at pretty much the bottom of the IFC and in this bout he will be facing the second lowest ranked fighter in the lightweight division.

Poller as previously stated is one of the lowest ranking fighters in the IFC. However, this particular fight would be his IFC debut, and this organization will be his chance to turn his career around. He is starting from the bottom and has nowhere to go, but up. While he is starting low this gives him the potential to create a story never before seen in the IFC; a fighter who has risen through 50+ fighters on his way to the top. However, he will need to improve much faster than he has so far to have any chance at this happening.

This is a fight between two extremely one dimensional fighters, however Poller’s jiu jitsu should allow him to directly counter the muay thai of his opponent as he can pull guard rather easily and submit from the bottom.

Fight 2 - Lightweight Division

(5-3, 156 lbs) “Notorious” Cj McGregor VS (6-5, 139 lbs) Bright “Quest” Heather

McGregor has not lived up to expectations since joining the IFC. He joined with a 4-1 record and has gone 1-2 since joining, beating one opponent and losing to two others. He has a huge weakness in his game, being unable to do anything when it comes to the ground game and yet not having the ability to keep his feet against good wrestlers. Until he shores up this weakness he will have trouble ever climbing in the IFC.

Heather is another fighter with a 1-2 record since coming to the IFC who also has a large whole in his game. His problem is that the strong point of his technique would be his jiu jitsu, but his wrestling is not at a level that enables him to get the fight to the ground against good opponents.

Maybe these two fighters should be sparring eachother, one needs takedown offense while the other needs takedown defense its a match made in heaven. However, since this is an official event I’ll give the edge to Heather slightly, because he does have the better wrestling between the two fighters.

Undercard

Fight 3 - Middleweight Division

(3-5, 210 lbs) Joe “The Alternate” Average VS (2-1, 185 lbs) Wrecking Ball

Average has so far in his career managed to beat most of his opponents in the bottom half of the division, but then lost to those on the top half. He has proven prone to knockouts, but he is a very skilled fighter who can utilize just about any method to get a victory. So far he has proven most successful with his jiu jitsu where he has a brown belt. If he can ever get over the hump of losing to the top half you could definitely see him going on a run through the rankings.

Ball is one of the fighters who first caught my attention when I first started writing for the organization. Although that was due almost solely to his name, you can’t ignore the fact that his skills are worthy of attention. He currently has a 1-1 record in the middleweight division with his only loss coming against a fighter on the rise in Zaad. This fight will be a chance for him to redeem himself and show that he belongs in the top half of the rankings where he can scratch and claw with all the others struggling to make a name for themselves in the IFC.

This fight should be a close one, but Ball’s wrestling combined with his purple belt should be able to hold off the jiu jitsu of Average and get him the win through ground and pound.

Fight 4 - Heavyweight Division

(3-4, 225 lbs) Ivashin “Imadlo” Dmitrievich VS (5-5-1, 220 lbs) Terje “Nightmare” Warholm

Dmitrievich has had an okay run so far in the IFC, doing nothing particularly impressive, but not looking too bad either. He has lost two disappointing fights in a row against decent opponents and now finds himself against another decent opponent. The fact he is losing to people in the middle of the Division bodes ill for this fighter if he ever wants to make it higher in the rankings. However, at only 20 years old he definitely has room for improvement and he could possibly get skilled enough to rise eventually.

Warholm has been a win one lose one kind of fighter since starting his career. Somehow he managed to tie with Bogard, but other than that he hasn’t done anything to make a strong case for himself as a top tier fighter. He has amassed a good skill set for himself, but he has not yet managed to turn his technique into consistent victories.

These fighters are pretty evenly matched, each having an advantage in different aspects. As such it will come down to who can use their particular advantage better.

Fight 5 - Middleweight Division

(10-7-1, 185 lbs) Boss Yonic VS (1-1, 215 lbs) Glenn “The Hisings Hammer” Svensson

Yonic is a very dangerous fighter who although not in the top rankings, has fought many of the people in those rankings in close fights. He is yet another example of a fighter with the skills to go head to head with the strongest, but just can’t quite manage to pick up a win against the top rankers. He has had troubles finishing fights with fights that have been decided by a decision nine times (he won 6 of the 9) and only managing to finish 4 fights all of which were by submission. If he wants to climb in the rankings further he will need to finish his fights as opposed to leaving it up to the judges.

At only 19 years of age Svensson has done well to find himself in the IFC at all, let alone having a successful debut. In his debut he managed to land his punches at an extremely high success rate, crushing his opponent and getting the knockout win in the first round. He will find that his opponent in this fight will go much further in testing where exactly this young fighter falls in the IFC middleweight divisional hierarchy.

In this fight I would give the advantage to Yonic due to the large advantage he has in wrestling as well as the slight advantage in his jiu jitsu. However, Svensson has a chance in this fight if he can manage to keep his feet.

Fight 6 - Heavyweight Division

(9-9, 264 lbs) Ricky “Big Tex” Hughes VS (4-3, 286 lbs) Neville Southall

Hughes is one of only two members of the IFC hall of fame. He was the first ever champion crowned in the open weight division days of the organization and although he didn’t manage to defend the belt in his next fight, he is a historical figure in the organization’s past. However, in the present he is a fighter struggling to maintain his relevancy against the increasing skills of the younger fighters. He has not won since December and is very thirsty for another victory as he seeks to relive the glory days of the past.

Southall is making his IFC debut in this bout and the fact that he is fighting a hall of famer goes to show just how highly respected he is coming in. He has been in a few organizations with his most recent fights coming in the NJMMA org where he had a 1-1 record. Now, in the IFC he will find out if he can hold up to one of the long time great fighters of his new organization.

Unfortunately, for the hall of famer I’d give the edge to Southall coming in, because of the large advantage in muay thai technique. If Hughes wants a win he will have to avoid closing with his opponent and using his slightly superior boxing to get him the advantage.

Main Card

Fight 7 - Middleweight Division

(4-1, 205 lbs) Matteo “The Werewolf” Boretti VS (9-8, 210 lbs) Chara Zaad

Boretti has been doing pretty well for himself since joining the IFC, hosting a 3-1 record within the organization. The only thing holding him back from a possible spot in a ranking spot is the fact that he has not managed to beat any particularly strong opponents as of yet. So far the best opponent he has faced to date was Touchard and is the only black mark on Boretti’s record. Once he can get over the hump and beat one of the contenders Boretti will probably be a staple in the ranking picture of the IFC.

Zaad has been red hot as of late (although the prodigy Yuri Bezmenov put a damper on that) winning 3 of his last 4 fights losing only to Bezmenov. Now is his chance to continue his winning ways and show he has what it takes to fight those in the rankings for a chance at earning his way to the top. In the current era of the IFC the contest for those top 15 rankings have been particularly close and we are seeing fighters who once would easily have made them, now struggling to find their place on them.

The big wild card in this is the fact that we have not seen exactly how well Zaad does against muay thai. This will be the determining factor as he is the superior boxer, but his opponent’s ability in the clinch is just as advantaged. The winner of this one will be centered around whether this fight takes place in the clinch or not.

Fight 8 - Heavyweight Division

(3-1, 270 lbs) Sal Sizzaro VS (6-2, 271 lbs) Tan Han Tuong

While Sizzaro may have lost his debut upon joining the IFC, since then he has managed to win three street with his crowning win coming over Esch. A win over Tuong would show that his 19 year old is on his way up and woe to anyone who thinks they can earn an easy win over him. He has shown wonderful wrestling skills, with basically 0 stand up and decent jiu jitsu. Whether he chooses to hone his already impressive ground game or to start learning stand up you can expect this fight to continue learning until eventually challenging the fighters at the top.

Tuong has done well for himself in the IFC with a 5-1 record, beating many of the fighters lower in the rankings. However, for whatever reason this fighter has struggled to gain hype despite the winning spree. This may be a safe strategy by the fighter to rise gradually instead of trying to climb in streaks, he is rising steadily, making sure he is not biting off more than he can chew.

Tuong definitely has an advantage standing, however Sizzaro has the slight advantage on the ground so this fight will be determined upon whether Tuong can keep his feet or at least try and be the one in control on the ground. The edge has to go to Tuong due to the fact he is only slightly disadvantaged on the ground, but has a huge advantage standing.

Fight 9 - Co Main Event

(8-8, 190 lbs) “Corpse Making Cowboy” Don Joe VS #13(2-0, 207 lbs) Dennis Fischer

Joe is one of the 28 year olds in the IFC who is trying to hold off the rise of all the younger fighters in the organization. Unfortunately, he has been unsuccessful, losing 6 straight fights going from one of the top rankers to a person barely in the top 4000 of the mma world. He started off his IFC career with a title fight which he lost to the super champion Mew Choo, but followed that up with wins against Hughes, Kennedy, and Bandichoo. However that was the beginning and the end of this fighters time at the top as he has followed those victories with loss after loss. A win here would help reverse his negative trajectory, but he will definitely have his work cut out for him in this one.

Fischer is making his IFC debut in this fight, coming into the organization highly recognized as a very potent fighter as evidenced by the fact he is ranked 13th without fighting. He comes from a KT background on the island so his 2-0 record hardly reflects his true fight experience as it doesn’t take into account his 8-0 time in KT circles where he participated and won 3 title fights and ultimately ended the island season as the 205 lb KT champion and highest ranked fighter. Since leaving the island he has put the work in at the gym to turn himself into an mma fighter, ultimately leading to this point.

This fighter of talented young fighter versus wily vet has been a common trend in the IFC of late which has gone both ways, however in this particular fight I expect the youth to win out, because of the large advantage in their muay thai.

Fight 10 - Heavyweight Division #1 Contender Fight

#1(20-3, 280 lbs) Super “Dominator” Heavyweight VS #2(11-8, 281 lbs) “Red Ribbon Armys” Android Seventeen

Heavyweight is a fighter who came to the IFC expecting to be a champion after dominating on the island. He has fought 5 times in the organization and has lost only to the current champion, Tower. Since losing via submission to Tower, he has had three straight T(KO) victories over other fighters high in the IFC rankings. You can expect that he is coming into this fight expecting a victory, and wanting to find himself back in that #1 contender spot so he can once again challenge for the title belt.

In his way is Android Seventeen. He has been very vocal about his desires for a chance at the title and he has finally put his money where his mouth is and earned his way into the #1 contender fight. He earned his way here by beating Bell in a rather one sided, early first round knockout. If he can fight as impressively as he did in that fight we may finally see a fighter other than Heavyweight holding that #1 spot.

This is a fight that has a lot of people excited myself included. As much as I know this will defend Seventeen’s manager I have to give him the advantage in this fight. While Heavyweight has been the perennial #1 in the Heavyweight division Seventeen has trained himself to a point where technique wise he looks like the superior fighter and you have to give him the edge coming in. However, Heavyweight has been at the top since joining for a reason and underestimating him will be something that ends up with you unconscious on the mat.

[Cobra7]

Wow you didn't get against me this time lol

[Alfred]

Raichu is the man but Super Heavyweight is a killer. I just can't see Seventeen beating this guy. His KO over Vinicio Serpico proved that he wasn't just your regular ex-Island hype monster who had it easy over there. Best of luck to Android Seventeen though. It would be awesome to see him get a shot at the heavyweight champ Tower.

 

Good to see some up and comers on the Main Card. Sal Sizarro v Tuong should be fun but I'm picking Sizarro due to the wrestling. One of my favourite young fighters just before that in Matteo Boretti in the middleweight division. Hope he is able to put on a good performance there but he is fighting a tough veteran in Chara Zaad who has been doing pretty well so far this year.

 

Agree with the prediction of Ricky "Big Tex" Hughes versus Neville Southall. Hughes confidence is shot and he would need to have a great game plan to get past the striking of his younger opponent. Hoping he can pull it off though

[Hello301]

Tough fight for Seventeen. Its my fault for picking you to win, as you always do the opposite of what I say.

[Cobra7]

Lol

[Hello301]

Iron Man Fight Club - Official Rankings (21st April 2018)

(Sponsored by IniTech Nutrition who stock both 160q Stamina Fuel and 160q Muscle Bulk along with their pioneering Chaos Energy 160q Recovery sup)

Lightweight (155lbs and under)

#Champ (Ch) - Klaus Chugman (14-2, W,W,W,W,W, 130lbs

#1 (1) Mister Island (12-5, W,W,W,L,L, 145lbs)

#2 (2) Abdel Mumu (8-1, W,W,W,W,W, 155lbs)

#3 (3) Uri Gellar (21-6, W,L,L,W,W, 158lbs)

#4 (4) Maximilian Kirby (6-0, W,W,W,W,W, 165lbs)

#5 (5) Soul Shadow (7-4, L,W,W,W,W, 162lbs)

#6 (6) Evgeni Lomachenko (10-8, W,L,W,W,L, 152lbs)

#7 (7) Bruce Mafaking (17-5, W,L,W,L,L, 164lbs)

#8 (9) Feihck Tiote (5-2, L,W,W,W,W, 164lbs)

#9 (10) Gosha Lopez (6-2, W,W,L,L,W, 135lbs)

#10 (11) Willie McCoy (8-3, W,W,W,W,L, 160lbs)

#11 (12) Johnny Walker (10-3, W,L,W,W,W, 170lbs)

#12 (13) Daniel Sainty (10-8, L,W,W,L,W, 150lbs)

#13(14) Anton Touchard (7-1, W,W,W,L,W, 168lbs)

#14 (15) Jax Thomas (6-3, W,W,W,L,W, 169lbs)

#15 (NR) Dumba Diame Jr (7-4, W,L,W,W,W, 156lbs)

Middleweight (155lbs to 205lbs)

#Champ (Ch) Ispa Murhaa (8-0, W,W,W,W,W, 194lbs)

#1 (1) Light Heavyweight (23-3, W,W,L,W,L, 220lbs)

#2 (3) Mew Choo (13-2, W,L,W,L,W, 191lbs)

#3 (4) Brooklyn Brawler (12-4, W,L,W,W,W, 190lbs)

#4 (6) Roman Divac (10-1, L,W,W,W,W, 198lbs)

#5 (7) Ribociclib Kisqali (10-2, W,W,L,L,W, 220lbs)

#6 (5) Damien OQuinn (10-4, L,W,W,W,W, 216lbs)

#7 (2) Jaxson Wilder (9-4, L,W,W,W,L, 205lbs)

#8(8) Jon Ubereem (14-8, W,L,L,W,L, 218lbs)

#9 (9) Sascha Koniezko (7-6, W,W,W,W,W, 185lbs)

#10 (10) Manuel Lora (10-7, L,W,W,W,L, 180lbs)

#11 (12) Alexander Porto (11-8, W,W,L,L,W, 180lbs)

#12 (13) Dennis Fisher (3-0, W,W,W, 207lbs)

#13 (11) Steven Kennedy (9-11, L,L,L,L,W, 178lbs)

#14 (14) Terry Bogard (7-6, L,L,W,L,W, 179lbs)

#15 (15) Dany Crosby (12-3, W,L,L,W,W, 200lbs)

Heavyweight (205lbs and over)

#Champ (Ch) Iain Tower (10-0, W,W,W,W,W, 275lbs)

#1 (1) Super Heavyweight (21-3, W,W,W,W,L, 280lbs)

#2 (3) Grigori Rasputin (18-3, W,W,L,L,W, 241lbs)

#3 (4) Vinicio Serpico (8-3, W,L,W,W,L, 260lbs)

#4 (5) Big Murha (7-1, L,W,W,W,W, 219lbs)

#5 (6) Steve Butabi (9-3, L,W,L,W,W, 290lbs)

#6 (7) Japa Koniu (8-3, W,L,L,W,W, 235lbs)

#7 (9) Naiki Nekele (11-4, W,W,W,W,L, 268lbs)

#8 (11) Schmorgen Biscuit (11-5, W,W,L,W,L, 222lbs)

#9 (2) Android Seventeen (11-9, L,W,W,W,W, 280lbs)

#10 (10) Vladimir Impaler (9-3, L,W,W,W,W, 270lbs)

#11 (12) Kenny Tchusuk (5-5, W,W,L,W,L, 265lbs)

#12 (13) Taz Bandichoo (8-8, W,W,L,L,L, 240lbs)

#13 (8) Greg Bell (8-11, L,L,W.L,W, 300lbs)

#14 (14) Urban Go Bucks (5-2, W,L,W,W,W, 255lbs)

#15 (NR) Wild Turkey (8-3, W,L,L,W,W, 270lbs)

**Rankings are determined by hype/pop, p4p rank, win/loss record and a few company internal criteria. Rankings will typically be updated at the end of each week**