ShaolinVenom Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 INFERNO COMBAT SERIES 41 PREVIEW LA MEMORIAL COLOSSUSEUM Xavier: Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Inferno Combat Series and specifically, welcome to ICS 40! In the booth with me tonight is the brash Furious Styles! Styles: Brash? Yes, to many people I’m certainly that way but I don’t have time to blow smoke up anyone’s ass, Xavier! I break it down to molecules in the way I see it and if people don’t like it, they’re entitled to their opinion, but I’m entitled to mine as well. I get paid for mine so that’s extra frickin sweet! Xavier: Absolutely! Everyone is entitled to think and say what they observe in this life, at least that’s the hope, and despite the tangible tension in the air, this country is still excellent because you’re allowed to speak your mind. Unfortunately, there are situations where people aren’t allowed to speak their mind or given the opportunity, but we’re free to think and feel as we see fit as humans. Styles: Well said. I know there are various controversies occurring right here in Los Angeles due to a spike in the number of COVID-19 infections, but we’re dealing with the situation as best as possible. There’s no one right answer and that’s the biggest obstacle to deal with but I truly think we all just want to get through this pandemic crap alive and well. That’s enough of that talk, however. Tonight, we have an outstanding night of fights to see so let’s kick it into that business! MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION: ANDRIY VORONIN (21-14-2; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSCROWN “THE ASCENDED ONE” HALO (9-10-0 MMA | 14-10-2 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES) Styles: Startin’ the night of brutality, blood and beatings tonight are Voronin and Halo! Voronin steps into this fight with a good amount of combat experience, especially for a 32-year-old fighter. He’s five years younger than Halo and I do believe that’ll play factor in this fight because Halo does have more combat experience, but technically he should due to being the older of the two. Additionally, Halo has more miles on his tires, so to speak, and that accumulated damage is absolutely a factor that Voronin can take advantage of! Currently with his second management team, and the assumption is this will be his final management team as his solid career nears its end, Voronin has established himself as a multiple-time champion and in doing so, has earned a great deal of respect from numerous warriors. His first title was earned by defeating Dave Wearmouth by Triangle Armbar at CCF FN 15: Wearmouth versus Voronin early in the first round! He would lose his title in the rebound match against Wearmouth by TKO early in the fifth round at CCF 19: Voronin versus Wearmouth II. He would then battle on until he earned another title by defeating Dan McClain by TKO late in the fourth round at Pride FC 6! He would successfully defend that title once before having it taken from him by John Ruth via Kimura late in the fourth round at Pride FC 19. He hasn’t had a title opportunity since that point in time and frankly, if he’s going to earn the right to once again have a title match, he’s going to have to put in some serious work and go on a nice run to place himself into the title contention conversation! Due to the number of battles he’s been involved in, Voronin has pretty much seen it all and done it all, so despite the experience disadvantage he has in this fight, he’ll still be able to handle himself no matter what Halo decides to throw at him during this fight. Since he hasn’t won a fight by TKO since defeating Jimmy Cathaway with a flurry of kicks and punches, Voronin may opt to try and make this a battle of endurance, especially since he could expend more energy and have more in the tank strictly due to him being younger. He could look to make this a grappling battle and try and control the action there. Either way, Voronin wins this battle by unanimous decision! Xavier: It’s obvious that confidence is not an issue with Halo. Anyone with the nickname “The Ascended One” certainly has a great deal of faith in himself and his abilities, pardon the pun. Everyone knows that confidence can carry anyone a very long way, and in some cases, it can carry them farther than they would be able to go if they didn’t have that confidence. That being said, it’s also easy to have a lot of confidence, in my opinion, when you’re of world class skill in boxing and Muay Thai, and that’s exactly what Halo is! That makes a great deal of sense due to his winning record and fighting experience in the KT circuit where he proved himself to be worthy of being a champion when he defeated Duke McStoner by unanimous decision at GAMT 62 McStoner versus Halo. He did lose the title in his very next battle against Alexander Berkman by unanimous decision at GAMT 66 Berkman versus Halo, but that doesn’t erase the very valuable championship experience he earned! After enjoying early success in his career, he hasn’t had an opportunity to win another championship, despite having a couple of different management teams guide his path. It’s difficult to see Halo earning another title opportunity as his career draws to a close and he decides if he wants to be a trainer, coach, analyst or perhaps pursue another avenue of interest. Obviously, he has a great deal of fighting experience and with his outstanding grappling skills plus a purple belt, he definitely knows how to handle business and pressure in the cage. For this fight, I absolutely see Halo wanting to keep the action in the vertical plane for as long as possible because he understands that’s the best opportunity for him to earn the victory tonight and halt his 3-fight losing streak! If he allows Voronin to drag him to the mat, he’ll have to spend unnecessary time and energy trying to deal with that situation plus score points on the judges’ scorecards. Halo would much rather nail Voronin accurate strikes that also have some power shots mixed in to test Voronin’s ability to withstand Halo’s power. If Halo senses that Voronin’s chin seems to not withstand the strikes, then you better believe Halo will increase the pressure and power until Voronin either drops or stops him in his tracks! I think Halo has enough in the tank to stop Voronin and stop his losing streak by knockout out Voronin!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Halo by KO; Styles – Voronin by Unanimous Decision WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: RI ZAADHA (20-13; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES)VERSUSBESSARION ALEXIUS (33-20-2; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES) Xavier: The Stepdads make their debut tonight for this event after changing their alliance name back to its original name. The 30-year-old warrior from Romulus brings plenty of skills as he’s world class in boxing, Muay Thai and grappling plus he’s earned a brown belt, so, in short, Zaadha knows how to handle himself in any given situation. Yes, it’s understandable that a battle featuring two fighters who have a combined 5-fight losing streak wouldn’t necessarily make headlines, but give credit to Zaadha for continuing to battle plus he trains arduously to sharpen his skills and his abilities in the cage can’t be denied whatsoever! Additionally, give some credit to Zaadha’s opponents as many of them are very high-achieving warriors who’ve earned a great deal of respect in this business. What’s interesting to me is Zaadha’s current management team has returned after having managed him earlier in his career, not that long ago, actually, before they decided a mutual split was best for all parties involved. At the beginning stages of his career, Zaadha cemented himself as a hard-hitting aggressive fighter who wasted no time or energy! Starting off his career with a 7-fight win streak catapulted himself right into the spotlight and earned a title shot in his eighth career fight against the well-known and highly respected Lain Tower! Through an intense battle, Tower was able to overcome Zaadha by knockout early in the third round at IFC 35 – Tower versus Murha, but Zaadha was not finished. He continued to fight and earned another title opportunity at IFC MW 35 Gellar versus Lomachenko where he defeated Naiki Nekele by unanimous decision! He would successfully defend his title once before losing to Super Heavyweight by knockout with one second left in the first round at IFC 71: Murha versus Super Heavyweight. He would go on to have two more title opportunities but lost the first by knockout and the second by unanimous decision. If he’s going to earn another championship opportunity, he has to turn around his recent fortunes quick, fast, and in a hurry! I think he knocks out the much older Alexius by knockout tonight! Styles: The 40-year-old Romanian from Beius, who you’d have no idea he was forty because he has the physique of a twenty-five-year-old and the face of a man in his late twenties, knows very well that this is going to be a tough fight for him! Fighting against anyone ten years younger than you is tough, especially when they’re highly trained, and that’s what Alexius has to deal with tonight. From the comments and polls I’ve seen on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the consensus is that Alexius needs to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible and keep it there as long as possible. I have to say that I agree, X, because while Zaadha does have world class grappling just as Alexius does, the wily veteran is a bit better in BJJ with a brown belt and he could quite possibly make Zaadha frustrated with their technically equal skills in grappling. Zaadha may not be able to finish Alexius because he’s not quite as skilled and Alexius could very well sneak in a submission that Zaadha doesn’t see or feel coming. Even if that’s not the case, Alexius could score points on the judges’ scorecards and put pressure on them as well to make a decision once all is said and done. Alexius wants to avoid getting locked into a standup battle with Zaadha like it’s the plague, because the longer this fight stays standing, the better the chances Alexius regrets every minute of that situation. Alexius has had a good number of management teams guide his career over the years and despite those altering philosophies and approaches to training, he’s cemented himself in the history books as a champion. His championship fortunes were quite difficult to begin because he lost his first two opportunities to Hans Huber and Yngve Stolt, respectively. It wasn’t until a good time later where he fought Anselmo Harris for a second time with the first clash resulting in a draw at NSC 31: Maximus versus Nielsen. In the second go round, Alexius bested Harris by unanimous decision at NSC 35: Filch versus Cha. Alexius defended his new title three times in a row before leaving NSC and now, he’s here in ICS. Since joining ICS, to say that he’s had a very tough road is putting it mildly. He’s 0-3-1 to date and there are whispers that after he completes his contract here, he’s going to hang up the gloves and become an analyst while being a fitness model on the side. I’m sure he’s be a rather popular analyst with the ladies so don’t be surprised if that’s the way he goes once his career in the cage concludes. I say Alexius wins this battle by split decision!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Alexus by Split Decision; Xavier – Zaadha by KO LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: JACK WILDER (23-17-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSURI “THE BENDER” GELLAR (35-16-2; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Styles: The CFF Fighting Force steps into the limelight of combat with their representative tonight being the well-traveled and very experienced warrior named Jack Wilder. The 36-year-old hails from Sin City, one of my all-time favorite cities to visit, X, even with this COVID-19 crap happening, and he steps into this fight with Golden Gloves boxing, very good Muay Thai, solid grappling and a brown belt. I think he will be able to use his slight height advantage over Gellar to frustrate him and keep him at a distance because I’m almost certain Gellar will want to try and counterattack Wilder as long as this fight stays in the standup, and should this fight end up going to the ground, I think it will be a major struggle for both of these men, frankly, because they’re technically quite even in terms of their overall grappling ability. Wilder has had numerous management teams during his career and that has caused some difficulties in terms of consistency from what I see here. Looking at his recent scope of work, I see he captured a championship some time ago when he defeated Ouje Bougoumou by TKO at AFC #4 First Champion! He lost that title to Conor Tiernan in his next fight at AFC #6 by majority decision, and since that point in time, he’s only had one other championship opportunity when he battled Do Ho Joy at NSC 27: Zuma versus Wolf and he lost that fight by majority decision as well. Since stepping into the ICS, Wilder’s record is 2-3-1, so the struggle to stay consistent has become quite apparent. If he can find the form that allowed him to win 5-fights in a row and avoid the form where he lost 4-fights in a row, then he’ll be good to go. Wilder keeps this fight vertical and he takes home the win by unanimous decision with energy and precision! Xavier: I’m not quite sure what Gellar is bending when he’s battling in the cage, but “The Bender” has a tough task on his hands tonight despite being two years older and having a good amount more combat experience. Gellar is fully aware that standing toe-to-toe with Wilder would be an unwise decision because the younger warrior could very well just have more energy in his reserves and as the fight wears on, the cumulative damage that Gellar has suffered will begin to shine through as his movements, decisions and reactions slow due to fatigue! The Israeli warrior began his career very well by winning his first four fights in row, and during that stretch, he became a champion in just his third fight! When he defeated Alberto Rossi by unanimous decision at TIT 15 – Rossi versus Battock. He then lost that title to Uzziel Bell by Guillotine in the first round at TIT 21 – Battock versus Bell. He would defeat Uzziel Bell by TKO via a flurry of punches and a nasty knee strike at TIT 30 – Bell versus Battock in the third round. He would defend that title an impressive five times in a row before losing it to Maxxy Baby by unanimous decision at TIT 57 – Baby versus Battock. He won the title once again by defeating Joao Vitor Xavier by TKO in the fourth round at TIT 59, then he’d lose it to Rocco Dangerfield before winning it back and defending it another three times. Once he left The Island, his championship opportunities became very dry, very quickly, and to this point in time, he’s only had two more championship fights, a far cry from the earlier days of his career! He lost the opportunities by knockout and Triangle submission, respectively, and he’s fighting on pure guts and desire as he brings in a 2-fight win streak, both by unanimous decision, and I think that momentum will carry him to victory tonight as he counterattacks Wilder with quick, stinging strikes while he looks for that one opportunity to floor the younger opponent. Gellar wins this fight by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Gellar by KO; Styles – Wilder by Unanimous Decision MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION: ANANADA “MULTI ALEX K” BUNYASARN (21-8; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSCASPER “OL SKOOL” TIMMERMANS (29-18-1 MMA | 4-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Xavier: YABAI is on the scene as the warrior from Bangkok – Styles, don’t say a word – Thailand, steps into action, and hopefully he takes off that jewelry or rope that’s hanging around his neck because that could potentially get used as something nasty and mean against him. Bunyasarn is another fighter who uses a nickname to lob a verbal jab towards Alex K. of The Stepdads, and we’ve seen another fighter make reference to Alex K. with his nickname, but I won’t get into that because I’m here to report about combat business. Wars of words are between fighters outside of the cage and that’s their business. Bunyasarn is six years younger than Timmermans and has quite a bit less combat experience, but he’s proven himself to be capable in that cage and I don’t think the experience difference will have a great impact on this fight. Make no mistake, it’s certainly something Timmermans can use to his advantage should the opportunity to do so present itself, but as we always speak about, Styles, the flip side of having an older and more experienced fighter, in the vast majority of cases, means that older fighter has absorbed more damage and is technically more susceptible to being hurt faster. I highly doubt Bunyasarn would have an issue with that if that is indeed the case and he’ll only be galvanized by any signs of slowdown or inability to sustain a high level of output by Timmermans. This man is all about momentum and win streaks as his best output in that department has been 9-fights in a row, a very impressive accomplishment! His worst losing streak has been 3-fights in a row and unfortunately for him, that losing streak has been recent. Heading into this fight, he lost a very tough battle against Ciro Terranova by unanimous decision at ICS 37. In order for him to turn things around, he’s going to have to find the confidence, speed and power he exhibited when he defeated Steven Cold by TKO late in the second round at AEW 15 that brought him his first and only championship from what I see. I say Bunyasarn wins this by knockout using his speed and youth advantage! Styles: Mr. Cool blue shades from Gent, Belgium, steps into this fight representing the Keyboard Warriors who make their first appearance tonight. The highly-skilled warrior brings his world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-level grappling and brown belt into the cage and as you spoke of, Xavier, Timmermans has the experience advantage in this fight and you better believe he knows how to use it! Knowing that his opponent is six years younger, Timmermans will rely on intelligence and timing to balance out the potential energy imbalance simply due to time and the amount of damage he has absorbed due to the number of battles he’s endured. He’s only had one other management team during his lengthy career, so he’s accustomed to consistency and familiarity, and those allowed himself to establish his championship mark early in his career. In terms of his MMA experience, it only took him three fights to earn and win a championship! Aksel Stenger fell to Timmermans via unanimous decision at Just Bleed 13/12 and history was established for Timmermans. He defended that title four successive times before losing it to Harry Winston via an Armbar at Aspire MMA – Just Bleed 36 very late in the third round. He would wear gold once again by defeating Reuben Kincaid by unanimous decision at Aspire 47: McGee versus Sarkisyan. One more title defense is what occurred before losing that title to Vito Mazzini via Guillotine at Aspire 66: Casper versus Mazzini in the first round. He would have a good number of battles before earning, and winning, another title when he battled and defeated Zeus Obliteratii by bleeding out TKO at CEC 603 late in the second round. He would then lose that title to Landon Till by knockout at CEC 609 early in the third round. That was the last time he tasted title opportunity and the assumption is he may not have that opportunity anymore and he’s battling for the love of the sport, the respect he has for it and for those who have respect for him, as well as pushing himself as far as he can because that’s the type of man that he is. I think Timmermans wins this by unanimous decision because he wants to avoid losing three fights in a row!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Timmermans by Unanimous Decision; Xavier – Bunyasarn by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: GABRIEL ARONES (23-15; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSMOSHIN “PURE POWER” ZAIDI (18-16; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Styles: The LEGION OF DOOM make their presence felt tonight for the first time in the shape of Arones, the proud Brazilian from Santa Catarina. The 34-year-old is not only five years older than Zaidi but he’s also technically more skilled and that spells trouble for Zaidi! With world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class grappling and a black belt, Arones has proven time and again to be a dangerous matchup for any opponent. He’s slightly taller and heavier than Zaidi but from what we’ve seen, he’s just as skilled as Zaidi in the ground game and he knows how to attack and defend extremely well on the ground so being the taller man won’t hurt him, as far as I’m concerned, because it’s not a major height difference and Arones absolutely knows what he’s doing in any given situation. If this fight goes to the mat at any given point in time we could very well see a mighty struggle for either of these very talented warriors to overwhelm the opponent because the entire scenario could play out to a deadlock with neither of them being able to gain the upper hand briefly, if at all. With that in mind, I think the obvious approach for Arones to prevent any unnecessary grappling and defense against various submission attempts is to keep this fight in the standup where he can exploit his outstanding skills there and take full advantage of his height and weight advantage! Being able to put that extra weight behind measured strikes will make them the most effective and absolutely will wear down the younger Zaidi who does enter this battle with concerns about his ability to sustain damage. Arones could very well have enough pop in his strikes to surprise Zaidi and keep him from being very aggressive, which, of course, works greatly in Arones’ favor. Zaidi finds the form that allowed him to defeat Brett Taylor by Triangle at DFC 26: Taylor versus Arones with one second left in the fifth round to surprise Zaidi by scoring the knockout! Xavier: “Pure Power” may have to rely on more physicality than anything else, quite frankly, if he’s going to emerge victorious from this battle! The soft-spoken fighter from Peachtree City, Georgia, brings very good overall skills into this fight, but we all know his go to, his wheelhouse, his bread-and-butter is the ground game, and it should be. With Olympic-skilled grappling ability and a black belt, it’s very hard to argue against his accomplishments and capabilities in the ground game, though, looking at his overall scope of work and record, it’s easy to assess that Zaidi has struggled with consistency and pushing himself a bit further than he would like to be at tis point in time. Granted, he’s only 29-years-old and still has a good number of years left in his career to turn around the current path and pattern he’s traversing, but being two fights above the .500 win percentage mark isn’t exactly something he feels he can brag about. Every warrior wants to do their very best to be as superior as possible for the duration of their careers, and as we’ve seen time and again, while some warriors are legendary, there are numerous others who are considered good, pretty good, decent, average, and below average. Zaidi has trained diligently to avoid being an average fighter and I definitely don’t see him as average, but the statistics do raise a cause for concern and argument, and he’s had to deal with hearing those whispers his entire career! That can be very mentally taxing but, much to his credit, each time he’s stepped into the cage from what we’ve seen, his fighting spirit has been strong and his morale has been very high, and I give credit to his passion for improvement to be the driving force behind that. The aggression and power he’s shown over his last two fights, specifically, carry his momentum forward tonight and he secures a third win in a row by making Arones tap out!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Zaidi by Submission; Styles – Arones by KO HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: “METHRY OUTLAW DALL” MILKTOAST DIDDLYBOTTOM (30-26; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUS“THE SURGEON” LEONID MARTINYUK (16-7; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: UnderGround Fights Enterprise steps onto the scene with the grizzled and wily veteran with one of the most unique names in the industry! I know you like this guy’s name, Styles, but for the sake of time, we won’t get into that like we have in the past. The 39-year-old highly skilled warrior from Dainty Lane faces a very tough challenge tonight not only from an age perspective because being eleven years older than your opponent makes any fight much tougher, but the pure fact that you’ve also absorbed a considerable amount of more damage than your opponent only adds an extra layer of difficulty to overcome. Now, no one can question Diddlybottom’s heart nor can they question his desire for combat because this man has fought a great number of times and he continually gets into the cage despite the fact he knows his lengthy career is nearing its end. That, in itself, speaks volumes about the type of person that he is and that has earned him a great deal of respect around this industry. Add in the fact that he has won multiple championships and it’s easy to see why young up-and-coming fighters have sought his advice on how to handle various situations they’ve faced at various points in time of their careers. His first taste of championship gold arrived when he defeated Bunny Antsey by Armbar at CEFC 333 early in the second round. Prior to that, Diddlybottom had an opportunity to win a championship when he squared off against Kristian Johansson at HFC 76: Johansson versus Dall. However, Johansson won that battle by TKO early in the second round and Diddlybottom had to battle his way to the title shot I previously mentioned. His most recent title was earned when he defeated Tong Po by unanimous decision at Pride FC 28 then he lost that title in his next fight by TKO late in the first round at Pride FC 36 to HLMencken. No title opportunities have crossed his path since that point in time but he did halt an ugly 5-fight losing streak by defeating Ryan Riggs by Kimura in the first round at ICS 37, so he does have momentum and confidence heading into this fight. He’s going to have to try and make Martinyuk tap out as quickly as possible, especially since he looks a bit fatigued in the locker room. Diddlybottom wins this fight by submission! Styles: “The Surgeon” is on the scene for The Stepdads and the man who enters the cage with blood on his white business casual shirt, along with suspenders, is absolutely aware that he’s a heavy favorite to win this fight for various reasons, and, actually, that level of favoritism puts a lot of pressure on the shoulders of the warrior from St. Petersburg, Russia! Can he handle that pressure? Of course he can! Does he know that he’s eleven years younger than his opponent and his opponent doesn’t even have a full gas tank for this fight? Of course! Does he know that, in comparison to other 28-year-old fighters, he doesn’t have that much combat experience? Of course he does! Is he aware this is a prime opportunity to finish an opponent off quick, fast, and in a hurry so he can get right back to training? You’re damn right he does! In fact, I’d make a wager that Martinyuk will be disappointed in himself if he doesn’t end this fight in the first round. No disrespect towards Diddlybottom meant at all, here, but you know I don’t sugar coat anything nor do I bullshit anything. Martinyuk, for all intents and purposes, should make short work of Diddlybottom because Diddlybottom didn’t even have enough respect for Martinyuk to show up completely ready for this fight! Stepping into combat with that much obvious fatigue is ridiculous, especially at this stage of his career and at this level of competition, and Martinyuk should absolutely make him pay for such irresponsible actions. Though shorter and much lighter than Diddlybottom, Martinyuk can use those physical traits to his favor by applying a great deal of pressure on his already fatigued opponent and simply sap the wind from his sails, as the saying goes, and that will open up numerous striking opportunities for Martinyuk to take advantage of, especially by counterattacking with speed, ferocity and power! His Golden Gloves boxing and excellent Muay Thai will enable him to secure the win tonight by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Martinyuk by KO; Xavier – Diddlybottom by Submission WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: RODERICK “RIGH” TURNBULL (25-9-2 | 0-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSJESUS MALVERDE (14-5-1; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS) Styles: Edinburgh, Scotland, stand up! Turnbull is in the house and represents the Keyboard Warriors as he steps into battle as being the more experienced warrior despite being three years younger than Malverde. In fact, Turnbull has nearly twice the amount of combat experience and could very well rely on that experience to place Malverde in difficult situations if he’s able to outthink and outmaneuver the older fighter. Looking at the technical skills of these warriors, they’re very nearly identical and that makes his fight become a chess match because neither of them will be able to simply overwhelm the other with physical capabilities nor is there a gap in skill level large enough to exploit any known weaknesses. As we’ve mentioned through the broadcast, X, the amount of damage that some fighters have absorbed as compared to their opponent absolutely is a factor and that’s the case in this fight. Turnbull, for all the experience and love of fighting that he obviously has, pays for that with the amount of damage he’s absorbed at various points in time in his career. He’s obviously an outstanding warrior with a very impressive record and list of accomplishments, but the fact of the matter is the longer this fight progresses, the more in favor it swings towards Malverde for the simple fact Turnbull has been in many more brutal battles. As expected, Turnbull is a champion and earned the right to be called that when he overwhelmed Rip Snorten by unanimous decision at AFC #41. That victory was extra sweet for Turnbull because, prior to that, there were some doubters and haters who said he’d never become a champion due to what he didn’t show in his title opportunities against Nate Lopez and Elgin Turner before that victory over Snorten! Concerns have been raised about his chin in light of his most recent loss to Nick Graves by knockout in the fourth round at ICS 34, but he has the heart of a champion and Turnbull will dig deep and win this fight by unanimous decision! Xavier: The Mexican brawler representing YABAI tonight brings his world class standup skills, outstanding grappling and black belt into this fight, and the man with the well-kept haircut and trimmed moustache knows he’s going to have to outthink his opponent here tonight because the experience disadvantage he faces is absolutely a challenge. The supposition can be made that Malverde will be able to physically apply a great deal of pressure on Turnbull due to the difference in wear and tear on their bodies, but the fact remains Malverde is the older fighter and a battle of attrition may not be the most desired approach to this fight. I also assume Malverde sees taking this fight to the ground as a calculated risk that should only be considered if, for whatever reason, he’s not able to deal with the pressure that Turnbull will bring in the standup portion of this fight. However, I think Malverde would be willing to test Turnbull’s endurance and chin in a clinch battle if fighting at a distance doesn’t yield the results he’s looking to procure from standing toe-to-toe with Turnbull. If and when he’s able to sap the energy from Turnbull and make his defenses be rendered less effective, then Malverde can step up the level of pressure and really make this fight uncomfortable for Turnbull. Keep in mind that Malverde is a champion, having earned that distinction when he defeated Blue Kandle by Kimura late in the first round at Friday Night Fight 2, so he can rely on that experience if he finds himself in a jam or unable to determine the best course of action early on in this fight. He does bring in a lot of momentum and confidence from his 4-fight winning streak, which ties his best winning streak, by the way, so he’s rolling along at the right time and feeling great about himself. That will undeniably be a factor in this fight and if he can soften up Turnbull enough in the standup, Malverde could very well go for another submission victory, but I think he brings this one home by knockout out Turnbull!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Malverde by KO; Styles – Turnbull by Unanimous Decision FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: FUTOSHI MATSUNAGA (26-13-2; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES)VERSUSBED INTRUDER (28-16-1; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Xavier: The good news for both of these men is one of them, or even perhaps both of them, will end their respective two-fight losing streaks that they bring into this contest. The Evil Empire makes their presence tonight in the form of Matsunaga, the Japanese warrior from Kitakyushu. The 32-year-old highly skilled warrior searches for a way to end his current drought, and having world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class grappling, and a black belt will certainly help the cause! Intruder brings a very similar skillset into this fight so, once again, we will have a chess match on our hands for this contest because neither man will be able to completely exploit one facet of their opponent’s abilities in the cage. In essence, it will be similar to fighting a mirror, at least from the technical standpoint, and battles such as these boil down to the intangibles! Matsunaga is shorter and ten pounds lighter than Intruder, so the assumption is he will have the speed advantage and perhaps a bit better balance due to the lower center of gravity, and those attributes could very well come into play. Assuming there’s a difference in speed, Matsunaga can absolutely use that to land accurate, fast strikes in the counterattack perspective because he can test his range, ability to get inside of Intruder’s defenses effectively, and also land sporadic power strikes to see how Intruder stands up to those. If he begins to waver or falter, Matsunaga absolutely has enough experience and wherewithal to sense that and he can step up hi level of aggression and seek the finish he undoubtedly wants to earn in this fight! One painful but tremendous source of motivation for Matsunaga is he’s never worn championship gold around his waist. He definitely hears about his four opportunities not being capitalized upon, and you better believe that adds to fuel to his burning warrior internal fire. Matsunaga ends his current skid by getting to Intruder’s chin for the knockout! Styles: The man with the troublesome name hails from Lincoln, Nebraska, where he’s without question registered as a sex offender merely due to his name! There’s no way to tell, of course, if the people of Lincoln are proud of his name but I have no doubt they take pride in what he’s been able to accomplish in the cage. Like his name or not, or like him or not, the man has earned the right to be called a champion and he earned that right when he defeated Gary Tonon by unanimous decision at OFC 355: Jones versus Puno. Make no mistake about it. Matsunaga had to endure some tough losses, especially two losses when he had a title opportunity within his grasp! Twice he faced the same man, Settakian Fett for a title and both times, he fell short. Instead of letting that destroy his psyche, he mutually parted ways with his management team at that point in time, signed with another team, and fought quite well while with that team. In fact, he defended his title twice before losing it to Max Barathian by TKO early in the second round at OFC 367: Grimson versus Montezuma. He would then defeat Barathian by TKO in the second round at OFC 374: Barathian versus Bed III. Nick Shamrock would then alleviate him of that title by unanimous decision at OFC 382: Shamrock versus Intruder Intruder would then become a champion yet again by defeating Jack Daniels, a battle that many people have difficulty with, by split decision at Pride FC 17. Derek Harris would best him by majority decision in his next battle at Pride FC 24, but Intruder wouldn’t let that deter him. He defeated Min-Sik Song by unanimous decision at Pride FC 46 and defend that title once before relinquishing his hold on it when Teodors Ozolinsh defeated him by unanimous decision. To this day, that was the last time he was a champion, but his title reigns can not be forgotten nor deleted from history, and that championship mettle gives him an edge that few have in this business. Intruder ends his current losing streak by knocking out Matsunaga!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Intruder by KO; Xavier – Matsunaga by KO HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: GYUKOSHO “FUJIZILLA” FUJIMOTO (26-9; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) VERSUSHEAVY RAIN (27-12; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: “Fujizilla”, I dig that nickname, by the way, X, steps into battle representing The Evil Empire in this contest, and the 29-year-old from Sendai, Japan, brings major skills and ability! World class on his feet, he also has outstanding grappling and a black belt so he can get the job done in all facets of combat! He’s proven that time and again with his outstanding record As with the territory of the land of giants and heavy men, Fujimoto has numerous victories by TKO and straight-up knockouts, and that’s why the heavyweight and super heavyweight divisions are so beloved by mixed martial arts fans! Each of these warriors bring the potential to put a dent in a man’s skull or make him bleed so badly that his own mother thinks he’s auditioning for a role in a horror movie. It’s also not common for heavyweight and super heavyweight fights to make it past the first round. Granted, Fujimoto has had a good number of fights make it out of the first round but early in his career, he was all about first-round battles no matter the end result. That aggression and body-breaking power made him an immediate fan favorite and respected warrior in the cage. The first time he had an opportunity to win a championship, he ran into a runaway fright train named Rick Piano and was overwhelmed early in the first round, eventually getting knocked out. Instead of being emotionally decimated by that loss, he picked himself up off the mat and kept right on getting back into the cage. After enduring two more losses in a row, a light in his mind clicked and suddenly he knew what he had to do. He won five fights in a row, lost one, then went on another winning streak, this one lasting eight fights, and that has been his best winning streak to date. During that solid winning streak, he defeated Santu Avisu Kona by TKO in the first round at TAFC: Avisu Kona to earn his first championship. He would go on to defend that title twice before losing it to Link Gaetz by knockout at Pride FC 45 with one second left in the second round. He would get his vengeance against Gaetz at Pride Xmas by knocking him out with two seconds left in the fourth round and defeat him in their next battle as well by TKO. He would defend that title once more before losing it to Kvame Zulu in the third round by TKO at ICS 19! Since he knows he can defeat Heavy Rain after having done so at CEC END GAME, Fujimoto knocks him out here tonight! Xavier: The Syndicate step onto the scene with their excellent fighter from Hong Kong! The very highly skilled brawler is world class in the standup as well as with his grappling, and he has a brown belt to support those skills, and he’s established himself as a man to be respected in the cage. Rain has been involved in some very classic battles and those are signified by various Fight of the Night awards as well as Knockout of the Night awards. Opponents know Rain brings aggression, attitude and devastating strikes into the cage and he’s definitely earned a good amount of success utilizing those tools. He has a substantial height advantage in this fight, and you can be rest assured he’ll use that reach advantage to the best of his ability. Add in the fact that the previous loss he suffered at the hands of Fujimoto probably stings his psyche a bit and you have a very motivated, dangerous fighter that Fujimoto better be well prepared to face. Rain had to take his share of damage and disappointing loss to earn the right to be called a champion. The first time he was faced with the possibility to become a champion was when he battled Deacon Frost at PINNACLE 2017. Frost ended that fight by knockout in the first round and Rain learned his lesson from that loss. He lost his next fight but then he figured things out and went on a five-fight win streak and put himself right back in the discussion of being one of the best heavyweights to keep an eye on. He would lose his next fight but then go on a 6-fight win streak, his best run to date, and he figured out how to carry that momentum with him. Despite a couple of losses, one of which was for another title opportunity against Brak Maugen, he finally placed gold around his waist when he defeated Brad Lansar by knockout in the third round at CEC 662! He defended that title twice more before losing it to Richard Kuklinsy by TKO at CEC 674 early in the second round. Rain wants to give a better performance than he did in his last fight against Kvame Zulu where he lost late in the first round at ICS 35, and he’s going to win tonight by knockout to gain some vengeance for losing to Fujimoto the first time they crossed paths!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Rain by KO; Styles – Fujimoto by KO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: KVAME “BRAHMA” ZULU (28-8; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS)VERSUSMISTER “WHITE TYSON” McNASTY (27-12-1; CURRENT STREAK: 5 WINS) Xavier: This is going to be one hell of a clash, Styles! These behemoths bring a combined 9-fight win streak into this battle. so the timing is perfect for the both of them because their form, morale, heart and confidence are soaring very high. That always makes for a great battle, especially when you have two very capable heavyweights in the cage! Zulu, representing YABAI, has a substantial height advantage and there’s no doubt he’s going to look to exploit that advantage early and often in this fight. The “Brahma” bull from New Xade, Botswana, brings plenty of smoke into that cage because his knockout power is incendiary, and he can light an opponent on fire with one clean shot at any point in time! Momentum is the name of the game for Zulu because taking a look at his body of work shows that he knows how to take a hold of and run with momentum when he has it. A 9-fight win streak has been his best to date but he also has a winning streak of seven fights in a row, so he’s proven time and again that he’s very capable and dangerous in the cage when he’s feeling he can do no wrong! Naturally, and as expected from a heavy hitter such as he is, he became a champion for the first time by defeating Konstantin Sokolov by TKO early in the first round at DARE 64: GODS OF WAR. He defended that title once before having it stripped from him by Larry Shreve Jr. by bleeding too heavily in the second round at DARE 76: SCAREDOWN. Admittedly, Zulu has had a sporadic issue with bleeding as we’ve discussed on previous broadcasts, but we make mention of that facet because it is a factor, especially when absorbing strikes that feel like a car crash repeatedly for however many rounds a given fight lasts. Zulu has the psychological advantage in this fight because he knows for certain he can defeat McNasty. That was determined by unanimous decision at EMP Ispa versus Marceau. Give credit where it’s due, however. McNasty lasted the entire fight and only one other man can say that when it comes to Zulu, so McNasty has proven that he’s one very tough dude. Tonight will not be easy by any means, but I think Zulu is very locked in and he’ll defeat McNasty again, but this time it will be by knockout! Styles: Cromulent Doom is in the room as McNasty seeks vengeance for losing to Zulu the first time they locked horns, as you made mention, X. However, obviously, that was then, and this is now! McNasty has been on a tear as of late and the evidence is right there in the body of work he’s put in over the last five fights! Three of those wins have been by TKO so he’s letting his strikes fly with very bad intentions and he’s earning the results the way he knows he can, and that has put him right back into title contention against a man he has yet to defeat. Similar to his opponent tonight, McNasty knows how to get the job done, especially when the lights are shining their brightest and the pressure is at its peak. McNasty first became a champion when he defeated Damatang Camara by TKO in the third round at SyFi 31! He defended that title four times before dropping it to Melvin Comeau by unanimous decision at SyFi 80. He went on to defeat Melvin Comeau by making him bleed like a stuck hog at SyFi 100 late in the fifth round. He defended that title once before losing to Blake Phoenix by unanimous decision at SyFi 119. Since that point, McNasty has only had one additional championship battle opportunity and that was against Rick Piano at EMP Piano versus McNasty. He lost that battle by unanimous decision then lost to his opponent tonight the very next battle he had, but he didn’t let that deter him because he strung together his current 5-fight win streak and has placed himself right back in front of Zulu for another go round! He obviously doesn’t want a repeat performance of what transpired the first time he crossed Zulu’s path so look for him to counterattack Zulu in an effort to get inside of his long reach so he can try and tax Zulu’s energy with body strikes and leg kicks. If McNasty is able to make Zulu start dripping life juice from a cut, then he’ll absolutely look to target that cut and make it bleed more heavily since there’s an obvious history of bleeding involved with Zulu. McNasty could even opt to try and drag this fight to the ground to try and use Zulu’s height against him, but I think his best bet is to test the champion’s speed and endurance, and McNasty will be patient enough to find that one opening he needs to unload a cannon shot to Zulu’s jaw to knock him out!PREDICTIONS: Styles – McNasty by KO; Xavier – Zulu by KO Styles: That’s our time, ladies and gentlemen. Once again, Xavier and I sincerely thank you for tuning into our broadcast for our insight and perspective. We’re ever grateful to all of you. Xavier: We would be remiss if we didn’t thank Ma Balls Is Hot Clothing for their generosity and excellent products. Check them out and buy what you like quickly because they sell clothes very quickly. Take care, be well, be safe and we’ll see you at the fights. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 The Inferno- Ma Balls Is Hot "Hottest fighter" award for ICS 41 in Los Angeles is Futoshi Matsunaga managed by Randall McSweeney https://www.mmatycoon.com/fighterprofilepublic.php?FID=311308 This is Futoshi's 3rd win in the Inferno organization. This takes him to a 27-13-2 record, # 164 P4P and number 21 145 lb fighter in the world 20000 dollars has been sent to Futoshi's manager Randall McSweeney from the Naughtley Crew alliance 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 MA BALLS IS HOT/ INFERNO CHAMP SHIT ONLY SETS Starting from July any fighter winning a title fight at Inferno will receive a champ shit only package sent directly to their fighter These kits will be for sale in store as well MBIH Forged In Fire series Now available in store Ma Balls is Hot would like to thank designer Jason JBomb Smith for his great help and skills in making this happen Jasons outstanding designs can be found at Conquer clothing in Las Vegas https://www.mmatycoon.com/clothingpublic.php?cid=6010 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleakardor Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/13986921787980.png Great Tiger "A great fight against a great fighter. I was not favored in fight, but warrior spirit is strong. I await next challenge." 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted July 7, 2020 Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 The Inferno- Ma Balls Is Hot "Hottest fighter" award for ICS 43 in Los Angeles is Vasilios "Ceasar" Megalos managed by Silent Bob https://www.mmatycoon.com/fighterprofilepublic.php?FID=314205 This is Ceasars 8th fight and 5th win in the Inferno organization. This takes him to a 23-12 record, # 487 P4P and number 64 145 lb fighter in the world 20000 dollars has been sent to Ceasar's manager Silent Bob from the Keyboard Warriors alliance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted July 7, 2020 Report Share Posted July 7, 2020 Latrobe Arundel (1 P4P) and Cole Reynolds (5 P4P) both retained their titles at ICS 43 Champ Shit only and Baddest BMF'er packages have been sent to both fighters Congratulations gentlemen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 INFERNO COMBAT SERIES 44 PREVIEW LA MEMORIAL COLOSSUSEUM Xavier: Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Inferno Combat Series and specifically, welcome to ICS 44! In the booth with me tonight is the excitable Furious Styles! Styles: Excitable is a very good word for me this week, X! I’m definitely feeling pumped up because there’s still a lot going on in the world and there’s a lot of hype here in Los Angeles! People are antsy, trepid and feisty and you better believe all the fighters tonight are just as antsy to get into the cage and let the world see what they’re capable of! Xavier: I have no doubt every fighter is bristling with the desire to let his fists and feet fly to work off the nerves and possible anxiety from the outside world! On behalf of Furious Styles, we apologize for our broadcast being unviewable. We experienced some technical difficulties and were unable to rectify the situation before the event occurred. Please forgive us and we’ll work diligently to avoid a situation like that again. That being said, let’s get down to business! FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: IKER RAMIREZ (25-5-2; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS) VERSUSBOBO NIELSEN (25-13; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Xavier: Despite being the same age, Ramirez finds himself on the short end of the experience stick, so to speak, but I don’t think that’ll be a disadvantage for Ramirez because he obviously has an outstanding record. Quite frankly, I’m surprised there isn’t more hype and popularity for this man because he’s an excellent fighter, but sometimes this industry can be quite tough in terms of rankings, hype, popularity, and results. That’s just the way it is. Representing La Familia and hailing from Malaga, Spain, Ramirez is definitely feeling good about himself and that is evidenced by his last four fights. He brings in confidence along with his outstanding skill set of world class boxing, Muay Thai and Wrestling, and he’s earned a brown belt as well! It’s quite surprising a fighter with this much ability has been released by two different management teams. Ramirez obviously learned how to deal with those situations quite well because the man is a multi-time champion. Yes, each of his losses have been by knockout and there has been widespread concerns about his ability to take a power punch, but I think the twenty-five wins proves that he’s figured a way to keep his chin from getting cracked too much while handling business in the cage and managing to be quite successful. When he defeated Mark Lopez by unanimous decision at Pride FC 3, he had his first taste of championship gold and was galvanized by that victory because he defended the title with a nasty head kick knockout of Peter Manuel at Pride FC 11. He lost the title to Thomas Power by knockout early in the second round of their fight, but he managed to come back and defeat Sambulo Yeboah by TKO in the second round at Pride FC 30. He defended the title an additional six times before signing on with ICS. He hasn’t won a title yet here but that could very well change if he defeats Nielsen tonight to propel himself into the title picture even more! Ramirez wins this fight by knockout! Styles: The man from Denmark hailing from Rajjeskold represents Convicted Inc. in this battle and he knows immediately he’s going to be able to use his experience advantage over a fresher and presumably less damaged Ramirez tonight. Looking at this fight from a technical perspective, Nielsen knows he’s going to have some issues trying to match the skills that Ramirez brings into this fight because he is a very highly skilled fighter. Nielen is going to have to figure out a way to use Ramirez’s skills against him, especially when the fight is in the standup because as I see it, Ramirez has a distinct advantage in the standup despite the questions about his chin! Since Ramirez is the taller and heavier fighter, Nielsen could very well opt to utilize more counterattacks, especially with his boxing ability, because he is a Golden Gloves boxer. He’ll obviously need to be on the lookout for any quick kicks Ramirez unleashes, especially if they’re aimed at Nielsen’s head. Nielsen’s Olympic-level grappling and brown belt could end up being a difference maker because this fight may end up in the clinch, and if it does, Nielsen will have enough ability and wherewithal to not get overwhelmed in the battle for positioning. Should this fight go to the ground, it’s possible that Nielsen will be able to score vital points while frustrating Ramirez by not allowing him to gain the positioning he wants. Nielsen has proven that he still possesses knockout power and Ramirez will absolutely have to be on the lookout for that because one simple mistake could end up being his undoing. Nielsen, likewise, is a multi-time champion, having won championship gold on four separate occasions. Nielsen wins this fight by knockout to end his two-fight skid!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Nielsen by KO; Xavier – Ramirez by KO MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION: CIRO “THE ARTICHOKE KING” TERRANOVA (23-8; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS)VERSUSHARRY “OPIE” WINSTON (29-25; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS) Styles: Terranova represents an alliance who recently changed their name to NAUGHTLY CREW. I dig that play on words of Motley Crue so that’s all good with me! We have a battle of win streaks in this fight and that will add just that much more intensity and drive because, obviously, neither of these men want to lose the momentum they’ve worked so arduously to establish. Terranova knows that he’s at quite a disadvantage in terms of combat experience when compared to Winston, but he’s also aware that means he’s absorbed much less damage and, in turn, he can be a bit more aggressive because he could very well tire out the more battle worn warrior standing across the cage from him tonight! He’s also six years younger than Winston so I fully expect Terranova to be very aggressive in this fight because he can push the pace and test the older fighter’s cardio, along with his ability to take the various types of strikes that Terranova will launch. World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class grappling, and a brown belt make Terranova a threat under any circumstances. A 5-fight win streak has been his best body of work in terms of that while his worst slide has been 2-fights in a row. He’s been in a good groove over the past few fights so his confidence is right where it should be for this fight, plus he can allow the sting of having had two title opportunities fall to his wayside to push him through any trepidation or doubt he may have. Terranova established himself early in his career as a knockout threat who has only been dropped twice in his career, so his chin should be able to withstand any strikes from Winston tonight. Terranova wins this fight by knockout! Xavier: The LEGION OF DOOM make their first bit of noise on tonight’s card in the form of the wily and crafty Winston who has seen a great deal of combat over the course of his career. He made a mark for himself by becoming a champion in only his fourth fight in his career, a very impressive feat on any level. After defeating Botond Robert by Armbar in the second round at StrikeForce Union #3, he lost the title by TKO to Sergey Sklemin at StrikeForce Union #9. He would later defeat Sergey Sklemin by Armbar in the first round at StrikeForce Union #30 to wear championship gold again then lose the title to Yef Yew by TKO late in the second round at StrikeForce #34. He would then wear gold once again by defeating Casper Timmermans by Armbar, apparently one of his most effective submission weapons, with five seconds left in the third round of Aspire MMA – Just Bleed 36. Reuben Kincaid would then defeat him with a brutal head kick in the first round at Aspire MMA – Just Bleed 41. That would be the last time he had an opportunity to be a champion so there’s plenty of motivation there for Winston to win this fight. A 4-fight win streak has been his best so far while losing 6-fights in a row has been his worst on the downside. That places even more emphasis on the fact he’s established a four-fight winning streak and despite being a tested veteran, the confidence gained from that streak is undeniable and probably necessary due to various factors. His world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class grappling, and black belt prove that Winston is a dangerous opponent no matter what angle the fight is seen from. Terranova definitely can’t underestimate Winston nor allow himself to feel overly superior to Winston because that could enable to the warrior of many battles to surprise Terranova and put him into a predicament he doesn’t want to be in! I say Winston surprises a good number of people by making Terranova tap out tonight!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Winston by Submission; Styles – Terranova by KO LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: “THE TICKLE MONSTER” AZRIAN BATHORY (23-3-1 MMA RECORD; 4-3 KT RECORD; CURRENT STREAK: 9 WINS)VERSUSTEODORS OZOLINSH (31-14; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS) Xavier: Now this is going to be on hell of a fight! Combined, these men have won a very impressive thirteen fights in a row so we’re looking at a tremendous amount of confidence on both sides of the cage tonight. It’s very surprising that Bathory didn’t have much more success in the KT circuits but he obviously made the right decision, along with his management team, to focus on MMA and this man has earned every bit of success, respect and hype that’s tied to his name! His very impressive MMA record has allowed him to be a very well-respected multi-time champion. His first taste of gold occurred when he defeated Ephram Urani by unanimous decision at PFC 113 Urani versus Bathory. He’d defend the title twice before losing to Will Rock by Rear Naked Choke in the second round at PFC 126 Yoshida versus Nordskov II. He would then defeat Kai Yamaguchi by unanimous decision at PFC 155 Yamaguchi versus Bathory and he would defend the title a very impressive six more times to present day! He leaves his PFC legacy behind and brings his skills and iron will to the IFC in his organizational debut tonight! Looking at his overall body of work, it’s obvious he’s not considered a knockout threat but the fact he’s won so many fights by unanimous decision demonstrates his intelligence as well as his ability to push the pace, stay ahead on the judges’ scorecards, and also avoid being devastated by his opponents. In fact, Styles, Bathory has never been knocked out and I don’t think that greatly impressive streak ends here tonight in his IFC debut! I don’t think Ozolinsh brings that amount of power to cause Bathory to be concerned about absorbing his first knockout loss. Additionally, Bathory steps into this fight with a very high level of skill as evidenced by world class boxing, Muay Thai and grappling, plus having a black belt! I say Bathory continues his outstanding win streak and pushes it to ten wins in a row with a unanimous decision win and keeps Convicted Inc. smiling widely! Styles: The Keyboard Warriors are on alert in the form of Ozolinsh, the man who hails from Kuldiga, Latvia. Ozolinsh has the combat experience advantage tonight and he has proven himself to be a very capable and accomplished fighter in his own right, but he knows he has to slow the momentum train of pain that Bathory has established for himself, and that will not be an easy task! With Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class grappling and brown belt, Ozolinsh is certainly no slouch! However, he also knows that technically, he’s at a disadvantage in this fight from any angle you look at it. For Ozolinsh, this could very well boil down to being a battle of will power over skill, and that can’t be overlooked by any means. Ozolinsh is very slightly taller so there’s no advantage there to even lean on in the standup, which means, in my opinion, Ozolinsh is going to have to win this fight by being ugly, nasty, and brazen in the counterattack and try to knock Bathory down while simultaneously stunning him. If Ozolinsh can manage to do that then he’ll definitely put himself in prime shape to win this fight and surprise some of the doubters that have begun to chime in both verbally and via social media. On four separate occasions, Ozolinsh has become a champion with his most recent championship victory being over Min-Sik Song by split decision at ICS 40! That surprised a great many people because, obviously, Song is an established champion in the ICS, and it can be easily understood why so many people thought Song would win that battle. Ozolinsh has never been knocked out in his career and I don’t think he has to sweat that possibility here tonight either, X. His toughness is what’s going to earn him this win tonight despite facing uphill odds against an outstanding fighter. Ozolinsh wins this tough battle by Majority Decision!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Ozolinsh by Majority Decision; Xavier – Bathory by Unanimous Decision LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: OSIRIS EGYPTIAN (21-11-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSHUGH HONEY (23-7; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The 33-year-old Egyptian from Cairo, which I think is self-evident from the fancy headdress he wears, brings the FinnFighters into the spotlight for their first time on this fight card tonight. Yet another highly skilled fighter on the roster, Egyptian steps into the cage with world class boxing, Muay Thai and grappling, along with a brown belt, so the man knows how to handle himself under any given circumstances. At this stage of his career, he isn’t quite capable of bringing the striking power he displayed earlier in his career but that doesn’t mean he’s still not a dangerous opponent. Look at his last fight and that’s a testament to my statement right there because he blasted Flyero Lermontov with a vicious head kick that sent him into the middle of next week at ICS 38 late in the third round! It would be foolish of Honey to think he has no need to worry about being dropped where he stands because Egyptian absolutely has the ability to land an unexpected and unseen strike that could rock Honey’s foundation. Basically, as expected at this level of the fight game, Egyptian is a multi-time champion in his own right, first earning that distinction in his fifth ever fight! His TKO victory over Samuel Cooke at EFA 40 Turner versus Kingi in the third round gave him his first championship exposure and experience. He would lose that title to Elgin Turner by unanimous decision at EFA 54 Egyptian versus Turner. He’d have another taste of gold when he defeated Jallu Pesonen by unanimous decision at EFA 86 Pesonen versus Egyptian. Jack Daniels would take that title off of his hands at Pride FC 9 by unanimous decision and that would be the last time he wore gold. He had two more opportunities to win a championship but fell just a bit short and I have no doubt that fuels him somewhere in the back of his mind. Building off the momentum of his last fight, Egyptian wins this battle by unanimous decision! Xavier: Honey is a bit shorter than Egyptian in this fight and I expect him to counterattack Egyptian’s attacks using his world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai and outstanding grappling. He also has a brown belt so if this fight ends up on the ground, he won’t be overwhelmed or uncomfortable with anything he faces from Egyptian. The LEGION OF DOOM member from Philadelphia brings his jovial smile and championship experience into this fight that could be a very difficult one for him since he’s technically not quite where Egyptian is and Egyptian has the experience edge. However, despite having endured changing management teams a few times, Honey has managed to make the most of it and he does have championship mettle as proven by his defeat of Nomor Gai by unanimous decision at BCS 14. He went to Tokyo Rebels and became a champion there when he defeated Marat Magomedov in his first fight within that organization. He defended his title against Emilio Rojas by TKO in the fourth round at TR 14: Araujo versus Muller. That was the last taste of gold Honey would have and you better believe he wants to have more of that sweet successful nectar! Thus far in the ICS, he’s 1-2-1 so he’s looking to pull even and try to build off of the momentum he gained in his most recent fight against Demetrius Tektas at ICS 40 by unanimous decision. A very impressive 10-fight win streak has been his best while he’s only lost 2-fights in a row on a couple of different occasions, so he knows how to figure things out quickly to get himself back on the winning track in this industry. I think this fight boils down to intelligence and will because these warriors are pretty close to one another skill wise and neither one of them is a serious threat to knock the other man out. Honey figures out how to push the pace and he scores the crucial points on the scorecards to emerge victorious by unanimous decision!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Honey by Unanimous Decision; Styles – Egyptian by Unanimous Decision HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: CHRISTOPHE DUPREE (19-16 MMA; 3-5 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES)VERSUSTONY “BLACK MAMBA” MONTEIRO (23-19; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Xavier: The light shines on Syndicate for the first time tonight as the Montreal, Canada product in the form of Dupree steps into battle. The good news in this fight is, with the exception of a draw, of course, one of these men will halt a current losing streak so that, in and of itself, should serve as enough motivation for them to step their game up and halt their losing ways. As tends to be the case with the mammoth-sized men in the heavyweight division, many of Dupree’s fights didn’t last too long and, as expected, he’s dealt his share of vicious brutality and has absorbed his own large amount of unforgiving damage, but he’s managed to keep himself above the even mark in terms of his record so give the man his due respect. Additionally, he does have championship experience from his knockout victory over Howlin Wolf at NSC 47 PPV in the fourth round! He did lose that title in his next fight as he was dropped by Johnny Bizihwaeile early in the second round at NSC 54: Dupree versus Bizihwaeile. A 5-fight win streak has been his best while losing 3-fights in a row has been his worst in the streak department, anyway. The only aspect of combat he hasn’t been involved in is a win or loss by bleeding out, so maybe we’ll see that tonight though I doubt it very much. Dupree is going to have to keep this fight vertical because he doesn’t want to go to the ground and risk being tapped out by Monteiro despite being much shorter and lighter than Monteiro! Sticking-and-moving will be the name of the game tonight for Dupree because he can wear down the older and heavier Monteiro while pushing the pace with fast, accurate strikes that setup his power punches to test Monteiro’s chin. If Dupree senses Monteiro can’t withstand his striking power, then expect to see Dupree really go for the finish early and often! Dupree wins this fight by knockout! Styles: The green-bearded behemoth from Barneveld, Togo, steps into this battle with the experience advantage as well as the technical skill advantage. World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-level grappling and a black belt round out his skill set and Monteiro will absolutely look to stay on the outside and bomb away with his long arms and legs, especially since he weighs so much more than Dupree. If Monteiro can sink that weight into his strikes and land clean strikes repeatedly, this could end up being a very short fight! There’s no doubt the NAUGHTLY CREW thinks Monteiro can drop Dupree where he stands but if the fight goes on longer than they expect then Monteiro will have to make a crucial decision. Does he continue to keep this fight on the outside and try for the knockout or does he move in, lock Dupree in a clinch and try to take this fight to the ground where he could possibly use his weight advantage to slow the younger, less heavy fighter, and slow the pace of this fight while making it a grappling battle? It’s a risky proposition for Monteiro to take this fight to the ground, despite his superior skills, because his size and weight can work against him if Dupree has enough energy and strength to maintain dominant position and control of the fight should it go to the ground. Monteiro has had numerous managers and fighting philosophies thrown his way, so I’m impressed he’s stuck it out this long and this well because a mentally weak man would’ve been broken by all of that diversity. Keep in mind, also, X, that Monteiro does have a championship to his name. He earned that when he defeated Randy Springs by TKO at UVC 5 in the first round! That occurred during a 6-fight win streak which happens to be his best streak. He lost 5-fights in a row as well, so he needs to get this turned around quickly tonight or he’ll end up dropping a third fight in a row and that won’t do much good for his morale! Monteiro wins this fight by knockout tonight!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Monteiro by KO; Xavier – Dupree by KO WETERWEIGHT DIVISION: “THE HIGHLANDER” ROBERT DRUMMOND (15-8-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSRYU “THE WATER MOCCASIN” AOKISON (25-22-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The Guardians are featured for the first time tonight as the man from Edinburgh, Scotland, steps into battle. Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding grappling and a black belt are what he brings to the table. Drummond is the shorter, lighter fighter, so he’s going to have to rely on speed and precision because he doesn’t want to stand toe-to-toe against Aokison and trade strikes with him time and again! Drummond is going to have to be crafty, fast and sharp if he wants to walk out the winner tonight and avoid sustaining any potential major damage in the standup portion of this fight. He’ll want to avoid going to the ground as if doing that would cause him to be exposed to the plague! Although Aokison would physically be at the disadvantage in the grappling aspect, I’m not sure Drummond wants to test Aokison’s abilities on the ground because, in the very least, that prevents Drummond from landing potential knockout strikes plus it takes a substantial amount of time away from Drummond’s chances of exploiting his standup skills. Drummond is with his fifth management team and as I see it, that’s partially to blame for his lack of having a championship tied to his name because the inconsistency of training and fighting philosophy has obviously taken its toll on the man. A 6-fight win streak is the best he’s managed thus far in his career while he’s lost 2-fights in a row a few times but has managed to avoid the taboo three losses in a row, so kudos to him for that. I think he can manage to keep his head shifting around while using footwork to get inside of Aokison’s defenses and landing the strikes to the body and head he’ll need to score the knockout victory tonight that I see him achieving! Xavier: Combat experience, height and weight are the advantages Aokison steps into the cage with for this fight, and along with those attributes, he also brings UnderGround Fights Enterprise into the lights and action! The Japanese product from Fukushima and, apparently, the 11th Planet, obviously loves to fight, and the 35-year-old has been involved in a good number of punishing battles. What’s interesting about Aokison in this fight is he could look to take this fight to the ground despite his height advantage, and I think he takes that approach for two primary reasons. The first reason is to keep his chin away from Drummond’s counterstrikes, especially if Drummond is able to get inside of Aokison’s defenses and land a few painful leg kicks that make Aokison think twice about checking a kick from Drummond, to only see Drummond feint a low kick and tag Aokison on the head with a powerful kick that turns out his lights. The second reason is I think Aokison would feel comfortable making this a less than pleasing aesthetic fight where he keeps Drummond grounded, frustrated, and also makes him fight Aokison’s fight. Similar to Drummond, Aokison has had numerous managers and fighting philosophies over the years but he managed to win a championship fairly recently when he defeated Abner Applegate by TKO late in the second round at Pride FC 55. He defended that title once before losing it to Gideon Navarro by Head Kick at Pride FC 61 in the fourth round. He’s had two stretches where he lost 5-fights in a row, but his best win streak has been 8-fights in a row, so he knows what to do with momentum once he gets a hold of it. I think Aokison surprises Drummond by taking this fight to the ground and getting the tapout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Aokison by Submission; Styles – Drummond by KO LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: ANTI HALF ASSED (18-9-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUS“THE JAVAN ZOMBIE” TEKE BAMALOG (19-7-2; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: YABAI step onto the scene in the form of the quarantine-level hairy dude from Bay Pines. Despite having Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, very good grappling and a black belt, Assed doesn’t have a championship to his name and I think that’s one hell of a motivational force for him, Styles, to keep fighting as he does. Keep in mind he’s only 28-year-old so he does have time to pursue said championship gold, but he also knows now is the time to hone in on that path if he wants to achieve that before his window of opportunity shutters and he can’t manage to open it anymore. Looking at his right resume, if you will, it’s apparent that Assed is a balanced fighter who has victories both by knockout and by submission, so his opponents can’t only focus on one key aspect and try to exploit that because Assed can adapt to any given situation he faces. He does have two knockout losses on his record so there may be a bit of concern with his ability to withstand striking power but he’s the heavier man in this battle so he should be able to deliver the more damaging blows in the standup portion of this fight. He will have to keep in mind that he’s probably going to be a speed disadvantage so he can’t throw caution to the wind because Bamalog knows how to utilize his speed well and can potentially counter Assed with fast, well-aimed strikes that cause Assed to be frustrated and, of course, potentially damaged. Assed still has incendiary power in his strikes and he can rely on that in this fight because he can lock Bamalog into a clinch, lean his weight against him, and while keeping him pinned against the cage, he can unload power strikes to test Bamalog’s ability to withstand body damage as well as the knockout power that Assed possesses. If Bamalog shows any signs that he can’t take the power strikes, then look for Assed to increase his intensity as he goes for the finish and wins this fight by knockout! Styles: The Stepdads are on the board for the first time tonight as Bamalog brings his very good boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding grappling and brown belt to the table. The Indonesian product from Cipamingkis, is with his third management team and carries around the distinction that he’s had two opportunities to win a championship in his career but lost both of those opportunities by unanimous decision in both cases. Taking nothing away from those fighters because they are both proven champions, Bamalog definitely feels like he let himself and his fan base down with both of those losses and he’s been very difficult upon himself in terms of berating his shortcomings in those opportunities. One fact to keep in mind, Xavier, is Bamalog has a victory over Assed so there’s that mental advantage of knowing he can defeat Assed. Granted, that fight occurred some time ago when both men were in the EFC, but a win is a win, and Bamalog outlasted Assed on the scorecards. Both men know that was a different time and place for them both but rest assured, there’s always a piece of that mental aspect each man carries with them and I’m sure both men will watch the previous footage to see what has changed and what has remained consistent. Bamalog has shown sporadic power in his fights and Assed knows full well what he’s capable of doing in the cage so he’ll have to keep moving or Bamalog may find that sporadic striking power just in time to unleash some unexpected damage in this fight and turn the tables rather quickly! Speed, accuracy, will and counterattacks will be the winning formula for Bamalog tonight and he’ll walk out of the cage the winner by unanimous decision!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bamalog by Unanimous Decision; Xavier – Assed by KO HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: FRANK GRANGER (16-7; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS)VERSUSULYSSES “THE GOLDEN BEAR” BLAZKOV (12-5 MMA; 4-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS) Styles: Granger is going to have to rely on speed and counterattacking in this fight because he’s giving up some height and a lot of weight to Blazkov. If the Syndicate representative from Switzerland is going to emerge victorious in this fight while remaining relatively unscathed, he’s really going to have to focus a lot of his energy on the stick-and-move approach because any letups could very well be the beginning of the end, especially if he lets Blazkov lock him into a clinch! Unconventional wisdom says Granger can try and drag this fight to the ground and if he opted to do so, he would have to shoot in from the counterattack position because I don’t think he has the strength to manhandle Blazkov in the toe-to-toe portions of this fight plus that would be very risky because he would expend a lot of energy just trying to do that and the energy used for that can be better used to try and wear down Blazkov with punches in bunches, especially to the body, to take the wind out of Blazkov’s sails and sap the power advantage he’ll begin this fight with. Granger will especially have to avoid absorbing too many kicks from Blazkov because those will chop Granger down, slow his movement, obviously, hurt him, hinder his footwork and also lose energy. He wants none of those things to happen to him in this fight, I assure you. Granger does have a championship to his credit and that occurred when he defeated Rich Silva Jr. by knockout in the first round at RFL 44.5 Silva Jr. versus Granger 2. He lost that title to Benny Alison by knockout early in the fourth round at RFL-50 Hungry Lions. Granger does have a good number of knockouts on his record so he definitely possesses the ability to knock Blazkov out if he can get past the big man’s defenses. I say Granger does exactly that and he chops down the golden tree known as Blazkov by knockout! Xavier: The Macedonian golden bear from Kriva Krusha represents YABAI in this fight and the big man has been feelin’ himself lately with the three wins he’s tallied recently. The 28-year-old doesn’t have that many fights on his record so, in a manner of speaking, he’s still learning and figuring out the fight game. He’s the lesser experienced warrior in this fight but I think he’s had enough fights to not let that be a major deciding factor tonight. His solid run in the KT circuit helped him realize more of his potential as a standup fighting nightmare and he’s also a tough, stubborn fighter who doesn’t let his spirits get down, even when he suffers a knockout loss, and he’s suffered four of those overall, which isn’t bad a whole, but take into consideration a recent 3-fight losing streak came as a result of being knocked out three times, twice by the same hard-hitting man, and while his fighting spirit and toughness are admirable, I’m under the assumption he doesn’t want to be knocked out any further in his career. Despite the knockouts absorbed, he’s also dealt some pretty severe damage over the course of his career and he also still has the one championship to his name, and that was added to his list of accomplishments when he defeated Frank Greene early in the second round at MMAHelsinki – 9. He’s looked very sharp over his recent three fights and that has turned around a losing streak he was dealing with. He absolutely wants to keep this momentum going tonight and will look to overwhelm Granger with power and sheer physical force. If he can prevent Granger from wearing him out, especially in the early portion of this fight, then Blazkov will be able to lay some wood into Granger’s jaw and body, wear him down then knock him out!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Blazkov by KO; Styles – Granger by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: “SLENDERMAN” SCOTTY BAPP (14-6; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSJEREMY JONES (18-5; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS) Xavier: Here you go, Styles! An inter-alliance battle between two members of The Stepdads! Bapp hails from Atlanta and the Georgian fight product steps into this fight against his fellow alliance member with world class boxing, very good Muay Thai, outstanding grappling and a brown belt. The 27-year-old recently established himself as a future threat to the light heavyweight division when he went on an eye-opening 9-fight win streak that was halted by future Hall of Fame entrant Akoni Gray, but Bapp came right back after that loss and defeated Harald Gormsson by unanimous decision at ICS 37. I have no doubt Bapp is very happy he decided to enter contract negotiations with his current management team because he’s been a whole new fighter since that happened. He’s only been knocked out twice in his career which is impressive considering the number of fights he’s been involved with so far. He’s also shown that he can drop an opponent in a flash with surprising power and he’ll need that power against Jones. One important aspect to consider is Jones knows Bapp well because they’ve trained together sporadically, or at least that’s what’s been said, and if that’s the case then they know each others’ strengths, weaknesses and quirks. That’s valuable insight to have because minute details can make a vast difference in any fight. Bapp has a substantial height advantage over Jones so expect him to stay outside and force Jones to work around his reach, which Bapp could use to set Jones up for power strikes or chopping kicks that slow Jones down and sap his energy. Bapp wins this fight by knockout because he’ll be able to make Jones adapt to the fight Bapp wants and Bapp will tag him with a knockout punch! Styles: The 28-year-old London product steps into battle with Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding grappling and a brown belt. With a slight edge in combat experience, I think Jones is going to have to consider counterattacking the taller Bapp initially, but ultimately, I think it would behoove Jones to drag Bapp to the ground and keep him in the horizontal plane. In doing that, Jones obviously avoids sustaining unnecessary and undesired damaged in the standup plus he can use Bapp’s height against him on the ground because as we all know, the taller a fighter is, the easier it is to manipulate that fighter’s limbs on the ground, depending on a few factors of course. Looking at the scope of work for Jones, what jumps out to me are the number of knockouts this man has amassed! Yes, he’s been knocked out three times and yes, he’s lost to Bapp previously and both men are fully aware of that fact. However, I think Jones manages to dig a little deeper tonight to find the power he needs to take this fight because he’s already had to endure Bapp giving him crap about losing to him by unanimous decision, plus I have no doubt other fighters in The Stepdads alliance gave Jones grief for the loss. Jones’ approach to battle is either knockout or be knocked out, and I think that aggression makes the difference for him in this second-go-round against Bapp tonight! Also keep in mind that Jones is a champion who earned that distinction by defeating Lighty LightHeavyweight, a very strange name, by the way, with a nasty Head Kick in the first round at RISE 102 LightHW versus Jones. He defended that title twice as well so he can rely on that experience and success if and when he needs to. Tonight, however, Jones let’s his fists fly and scores the knockout he seeks!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Jones by KO; Xavier – Bapp by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: MELEK TAUS “THE RECKONING” (13-3 MMA; 16-2 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS)VERSUSAKONI “KING OF KINGSTON” GRAY (44-6-1; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Styles: It’s on like Donkey Kong in this fight, ladies and gentlemen! The 31-year-old Taus from Homs, Syria, steps into this fight with his Lord of the Rings cloak and faceguard plus that purple-white snow that follows him wherever he goes, and I don’t know what that’s about, but hell, whatever works because the man obviously knows how to get the job done in the cage! Representing YABAI, and you know full well they’ll all watch this fight very intently, Taus brings his world class standup skills along with outstanding grappling and a brown belt, but we all know what he brings to the table as well as what Gray brings to the table! Taus is seven years younger than Gray and you better believe that’s going to be impactful. As much respect as I have for Gray, and I have a tremendous amount, I think Taus will be able to wear down the Kingston wonder because Taus has less wear and tear on his body. Sure, the argument can be made that Gray’s experience advantage outweighs the physical differences in this fight but I can also make an argument that the collective battles that Gray’s been involved in have taken their toll, even on a fighter of his magnitude and incredible condition. Obviously, both of these men are multi-time champions and Taus looked very sharp against Harold Nicolas at ICS 35 where he defeated Nicolas by majority decision. I assure you that wasn’t the ending Taus wanted but he’s no fool. He’ll take that victory each and every time. One thing to keep in mind, X, is Gray has the mental edge advantage in this fight because Gray knocked out Taus with a Superman Punch, so it was a highlight knockout on top of that. You can bet your ass that Taus will use that as motivation in this fight tonight to overcome the legend that Gray is. Taus wins this fight by knockout! Xavier: What more can be said about Akoni Gray? The proud Jamaican is a bit shorter and heavier than Taus but, obviously, Gray knows what the hell he’s doing in that cage. The Stepdads will be watching this fight as intently as YABAI will, that’s a guarantee! The “King of Kingston” carries world class boxing skills with excellent Muay Thai, world class grappling and a brown belt. Instead of hammering away and sound like a broken record, because, honestly, what can I or anyone else say that’s not been said already about this legend and future Hall of Fame inductee, I’ll just touch upon highlights. An outstanding 15-fight win streak has been his best, but he’s also had a 13-fight win streak. He’s knocked out 39 opponents! Thirty-nine! That’s an insane number of knockout victories! He’s only been knocked out twice, which is incredulous, especially since his first fight is one of those knockouts, and he’s only lost 2-fights in a row one time, and that was at the beginning of his career. So, in a nutshell, the dude is bad ass and knows how to kick ass! He’s won a championship in four different organizations and I won’t even count how many times he defended various titles because I only need to say he’s a multi-time champion for a very good reason. Gray continues his legacy of outstanding fighting and wins by knockout by scoring yet another knockout tonight against Taus!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Gray by KO; Styles – Taus by KO Xavier: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Again, we’re very sorry about the technical difficulties last week and we’ll work diligently to ensure our broadcasts can be seen by all MMATycooners so they can look in on the action here in ICS! Styles: Ma Balls Is Hot Clothing continues to make an excellent name for themselves by making very cool products plus they hook up deserving ICS fighters with sweet bonus packages. That’s always an excellent incentive for any fighter. On behalf of Esiah Xavier, I’m Furious Styles, and we wish all of you a safe and fun night of action-packed fights. We’ll see you at the cage! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted July 13, 2020 Report Share Posted July 13, 2020 The Inferno- Ma Balls Is Hot "Hottest fighter" award for ICS 44 in Los Angeles is Scotty "Slenderman" Bapp managed by Scott Park https://www.mmatycoon.com/fighterprofilepublic.php?FID=325413 What a great night with lots of excellent fights and performances by Ma Balls Is Hot fighters. This was a tough choice! This brings Scottys record to 6-1 in the Inferno organization. He has been steadily moving up the rankings and must be thinking a title shot is within his grasp This win moves Scotty to a 15-6 record, # 29 P4P and is now the number 6 Light Heavyweight fighter in the world 20000 dollars has been sent to Scottys manager Scott Park from the Stepdads alliance 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 INFERNO COMBAT SERIES 45 PREVIEW LA MEMORIAL COLOSSUSEUM Xavier: Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Inferno Combat Series and specifically, welcome to ICS 45! In the booth with me tonight is the inquisitive Furious Styles! Styles: Certain questions needs to be asked, Xavier, and I’m the man to ask them! I don’t care if the questions make some people uncomfortable. The questions I ask go right to the root of whatever the issue is, and I bypass the fluff and sugar-coated crap. No one has time for that, especially these days! Xavier: I certainly can’t argue with you about the urgency of information during these unprecedented times, Styles! From what we’ve all seen on various social media sources, people aren’t reluctant to express their opinions about a topic or event. Look at the comments the most recent UFC fights received. If comments were jabs, there would be quite a few fighters, and some referees for that matter, would be quite punch drunk! Let’s get down to business because there may very well be some fighters who end up being punch drunk after their fights tonight! LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: GABRIAL ARONES (24-15; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS)VERSUSBRAULIO “BANG” ESCOBAR (25-10-1; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS) Xavier: Kicking off the night of the action are the LEGION OF DOOM as the 35-year-old Arones steps into the cage representing the proud people of Brazil. The highly skilled warrior from SC brings world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-class grappling and a black belt into this fight, so he can handle himself in any given situation and is comfortable on his feet or in the horizontal plane. This fight will obviously see one of these men have their winning streak halted and that adds a layer of intrigue to this fight because there’s pride on the line along with the chance to extend their respective winning streaks. Many fighters consider Arones to be a submission specialist and it’s difficult to argue against that moniker, especially when looking at the beginning of his career where he started off winning the first 6 fights, which happens to be the longest winning streak he’s been able to amass as well. Although he has caused many an opponent to tap out, let’s not overlook the fact he also has a couple of wins by KO and TKO so there is some power in his fists. Naturally, the argument on the other side of that is he has suffered a number of defeats by being knocked out so there are warranted concerns about his chin. There’s no doubt Escobar is aware of that fact and will attempt to exploit those concerns, but none of that matters if this battle ends up on the mat where Arones excels! There have been two instances of him losing 3-fights in a row, but he’s managed to overcome those, and the bottom line is he has a winning record, and that should be respected. Add in the fact he’s a champion from his victory at DFC 26: Taylor versus Arones when he made Brett Taylor tap out to a Triangle with literally one second left in the fight! Arones takes this fight to the ground and forces Escobar to tap out, ending his current winning streak and extending Arones’ own! Styles: The 37-year-old warrior from Mexico City, Mexico, knows full well that, despite having earned a black belt himself, he doesn’t want to take the risk of trying to outwrestle and outwit a seasoned veteran like Arones. Arones does have more combat experience, though not much, but due to him being the younger fighter, he could have a slight edge in the conditioning department, and that will become a factor in the later rounds if and when those are reached. If the battle goes to the ground, Escobar should have enough confidence in his BJJ ability to not get tapped out easily but he may have a hell of a time trying to gain dominant positioning, plus the potential amount of time he has to score the knockout he’ll seek against Arones will be limited. Escobar is shorter and lighter than Arones and that could play well into his hands because I expect him to keep this fight in the standup and try to crack Arones’ jaw repeatedly with powerful counterattacks! Technically, Escobar doesn’t quite have the skillset that Arones has, but the very good boxing, excellent Muay Thai, solid grappling and black belt Escobar does have can’t be discounted, especially if he’s able to land clean shots on Arones and put him in early trouble. Escobar has had to deal with a good deal of diversity as he’s had numerous management team come and go throughout his career. To his credit, he earned a championship at RS 145 Killing in The Name Of by knockout out Harry Owen in the first round, and he defended that title once before losing it by TKO to Donsone De late in the third round of their fight. He recently knocked out Huggie Muffin Sweetie Pie in the second round at ICS 25 so he still has plenty of boom left in his knuckles, and the momentum he’s built over the past three fights will absolutely be a factor tonight! Escobar lights up Arones’ jaw tonight and knocks him out cold!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Escobar by KO; Xavier – Arones by Submission WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: ABNER APPLEGATE (27-14-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSJESUS MALVERDE (14-6-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The 37-year-old Englander from Birmingham represents the LEGION OF DOOM and has a distinct combat advantage that we see immediately. He’s yet another very skilled warrior who has seen a very good amount of diversity in the cage and that has served him well, obviously, and his record is a testament of his accomplishments. World class in the standup with his boxing and Muay Thai, Applegate is also very solid on the mat with outstanding grappling and a brown belt. He’s slightly taller and heavier than Malverde but not enough of either one to have a distinct physical advantage, so this fight will whittle down to a battle of skill and will! Technically speaking, these warriors are evenly matched, so this promises to be a very intriguing battle because we’ll see a chess match played out in the cage as opposed to two warriors just trying to bulldoze one another with sheer power and force. As we mention at various times, being involved in more battles also means that fighter has absorbed more damage than the lesser experienced fighter, with some exceptions of course, but Malverde could very well be the fresher man in this fight, and that means Applegate will have to open up Malverde’s defenses with feints and crafty footwork, which he is very capable of handling. I think Applegate will want to keep this fight vertical because he’s proven to have enough knockout power to make any opponent more cautious about absorbing strikes from him! Looking at his career, he’s definitely a momentum fighter as evidenced by his various win streaks, the best one being 6-fights in a row while having a couple of 2-fight losing streaks. He’s been involved in many decision fights as of late, but I think he knocks Malverde out tonight! Xavier: Malverde puts YABAI in the spotlight for the first time tonight as the 35-year-old warrior from Mexico enters the cage. As you mentioned, Styles, the combat experience advantage leans heavily in Applegate’s favor, but I’m on the flip side of the coin with your comment pertaining to less damage and wear and tear on the body. Malverde could very well have more in the tank in terms of the battle of attrition with conditioning and if he concurs with that assessment, expect him to be very aggressive in applying pressure on Applegate in an effort to wear him down as the fight progresses. Malverde isn’t exactly known as a knockout machine so he’s going to have to rely more on speed and accuracy as opposed to brutal, crushing strikes. Since that’s the perspective I see from him, I fully expect him to try and drag this fight to the ground where he can expend energy and apply pressure on Applegate as they battle for positioning. If Malverde can outmaneuver Applegate on the ground, then he can utilize his black belt skills to try and cinch in a submission from various angles that he creates during the battle for positioning. Malverde knows he’s going to have to be light on his feet and keep his head moving while using quick footwork to move inside of Applegate’s defenses to land strikes that score points on the judges’ cards because he doesn’t want to get caught flat footed with a full power shot from Applegate at any point in time. Malverde’s chin hasn’t shown the ability to take a lot of damage so counterattacking may be the best option of him getting this fight to the ground by shooting in and scoring a single of double-leg takedown. I highly doubt he’ll want to try and score a takedown from the clinch because that puts his chin in harms way of Applegate’s striking power. Malverde earns the hard-fought victory tonight by forcing the tapout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Malverde by Submission; Styles – Applegate by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: BILL “THE SPEAR” GOLDBERG (16-12; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS)VERSUSTHOR “THE KNOCKOUT GOD” HAMMER (20-14; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: “The Spear” versus “The Knockout God” sounds like a fight made for the movies and like an action movie, we could very well see some action worthy of being highlighted on a big screen. The 32-year-old Iselin product brings his spiky Mohawk and aggressive attitude into the cage with a bit of a combat experience disadvantage, but he may very well be able to overcome that through pure aggression and desire to win! He’s taller and lighter than Hammer so he could very well stay on the outside and opt to test Hammer’s chin with timely power strikes, though that could very well prove to be a difficult task since Hammer has shown to be an outstanding fighter in the standup. Well-timed attacks will be the name of the game for Goldberg tonight because I highly doubt he wants to try and outwrestle Hammer because he may not get tapped out but the battle of positioning could be lost and the opportunity to test Hammer’s ability to absorb power strikes to the chin will be diminished as well. Goldberg tends to have one gear when he fights and if he’s not careful, Hammer could use that massive aggression against him so Goldberg may opt to slow down just a bit sporadically to change the pace of the fight enough to keep Hammer guessing. Additionally, Goldberg can’t risk giving Hammer any clean looks at his jawline because his ability to absorb power strikes isn’t exactly renowned. Goldberg will score the knockout tonight using his reach advantage, change of pace and accurate strikes! Styles: The 33-year-old Norway warrior from Visthus puts the UnderGround Fights Enterprise into the limelight for the first time tonight. Although dude looks like he’s been lost in the woods for some time with his wild hair and scraggly beard, no one can doubt his skill level! World class boxing, very good Muay Thai, world class wrestling and a brown belt make him formidable in every battle he’s in! He’s a bit shorter than Goldberg so I fully expect him to land counterattacks on Goldberg before potentially opting to take this fight to the ground! Hammer knows he can outwrestle Goldberg and that works to his advantage for a couple of reasons, Xavier! Hammer can frustrate Goldberg by taking this fight into the clinch and forcing Goldberg to adapt to the pace Hammer wants to establish while having to keep his chin tucked and head moving to avoid feeling the punching power Hammer still possesses! Looking to slow this fight down and controlling the action is the other way Hammer can frustrate Goldberg because Hammer can keep this fight grounded and score the vital points on the scorecards while Goldberg has to defend against potential submissions. Hammer will also be extra motivated tonight to avenge an earlier loss to Goldberg when they first crossed paths at ICS 7 where Goldberg floored Hammer late in the first round with repeated strikes that led to a TKO. Hammer avenges his loss to Goldberg by forcing him to tapout tonight!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Hammer by Submission; Xavier – Goldberg by KO LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: BEEZOW-DOO-DOO-ZOPPITY-BOP-BOP-BOP (31-15-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSSASHA “ALEX K IS GAY” BELIY (21-15; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: Now, all of you know I’d normally make various comments about Bop’s entire name, but since I’ve let it be known where I stand on his very unusual name that sounds like a jazz song or a kid’s made up dessert, I’ll just get down to business. The 38-year-old Philly product puts the Hey Steve alliance into focus for the first time tonight. I wonder who Steve is. Well, whatever. I will say this. Hey Steve is a one-man alliance and I give props to dude for doing quite well for himself and outperforms some alliances by himself! The man does have 29 fighters in his stable so it’s like he’s two or three people in an alliance, but hey, it’s all good! Some managers like to manage a large fighter stable and if they can handle that amount of management and fight planning then more power to them! Bop is a well-rounded fighter with Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a black belt, so he knows what to do whenever he sees an opportunity arise. He has the combat experience advantage tonight, but really, he should because he’s six years older than Beliy and by normal accounts, if you will, the older fighters tend to have more combat experience. Early in his career he knocked out a decent number of fighters, enough to make people take notice of his striking power, but he’s caught more people by surprise with brutal head kicks that have put some dudes nighty night! This man has only been knocked out once by TKO and that’s extremely impressive considering the number of fights he’s been involved in! That’s one tough dude to say the least. He’s taller and heavier than Beliy so Bop may be able to keep this fight at the range where he can unleash numerous strikes on Beliy each time he attempts to get inside o Bop’s defenses. Due to the fact he’s taller, I think Bob will want to keep this fight vertical and if he feels he can’t score a knockout, he’ll rely on his reach advantage to land accurate strikes and win by decision. However, I think Bop wants the finish, so he’ll score a knockout! Xavier: The Stepdads step into the lights in the arena for the first time tonight as Beliy and his unusual nickname step into the cage of pain. The 32-year-old San Bernardino product and his purple flat-top fade will look to light up the arena against an older and more damaged opponent. Admittedly, Beliy doesn’t have an overwhelming overall record but he has a winning record and that’s enough to warrant respect for his abilities in the cage. Weighing 10 lbs. less than Bop makes me think Beliy will use that speed advantage to wear down the older fighter, especially with strikes to the body in an effort to slow down the older fighter plus take some of the sting out of his strikes. If Beliy is able to do that early and often, the momentum will swing greatly in his favor and that could very well open up Bop to counterattacks and counter takedowns. It will be a calculated risk to go to the ground against Bop, especially in the early going of the fight, but that could be a strategy utilized later in the battle if and when Bop has visibly slowed and weakened. It will still be difficult for Beliy to force Bop to tap out, but Beliy could very well move ahead on the scorecards by controlling the space and pace of this fight from start to finish. While in the standup, I think Beliy will sporadically try to land power strikes but overall, I think this will be a battle of patience and desire. Technically, they’re quite evenly matched so the first fighter to make a costly error will be the one to suffer the consequences of any miscalculations or missteps. Beliy could very well throw caution to the wind as well because he knows he has the youth advantage and can try and overwhelm Bop with repeated strikes. I think Beliy lands the one clean shot he needs to end this fight by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Beliy by KO; Styles – Bop by KO FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: BED INTRUDER (28-17-1; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES)VERSUSJALLU PESONEN (20-5-1; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Xavier: The good news for both of these fighters is they have the opportunity to halt their respective losing streaks. With a combined five-fight losing streak, both of them can definitely use the break in their struggles. The 34-year-old Lincoln, Nebraska, product has a bit of a combat experience edge over Pesonen and for Intruder, that could very well be the difference maker tonight! World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-class wrestling and a black belt certainly help support the cause, but Intruder will want to take advantage of his height and weight advantage by keeping this fight on its feet where he can maintain the desired distance he needs to land effective and repetitious strikes as Pesonen attempts to close in to either land counterstrikes or quite possibly try to take Intruder to the mat. As is hinted by his name, Intruder is quite skilled and comfortable on the mat, so I expect him to drag Pesonen to the ground if he can’t secure the knockout that has only happened to Pesonen a couple of times. If Intruder sees his strikes aren’t having the desired effect then he can increase the quantity and accuracy of the strikes until there’s an opportunity for him to either shoot in with an attempted takedown or lock Pesonen into a clinch and drag him to the mat from there. Intruder is a multi-time champion and that experience has helped in win some very difficult fights, but he’s taught himself how to win the battle attrition and the vast majority of his recent fights have been decided by the judges, so he has no qualms in opting to outlast his opponent while landing the more accurate strikes. I think Intruder turns this into a conditioning battle and he emerges victorious with the unanimous decision victory! Styles: The FinnFighters are on deck as Pesonen steps into the cage to represent them. From Oulu, Finland. The 34-year-old veteran is a well-balanced fighter with Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a black belt. Similar to Intruder, Pesonen has had a good number of fights end up on the scorecards and though he’s accustomed to it, I have no doubt Pesonen would like to get the finish tonight to silence a few critics plus show he still has what it takes to become a champion. It’s been a while since he last wore championship gold when he defeated Elgin Turner by Guillotine at EFA 83 early in the second round. In general, Pesonen has had an up-and-down career, highlighted by a 4-fight winning streak while having a couple of 2-fight losing streaks occur as well. Though he does have some knockouts to his credit, Pesonen has proven that he likes to control the pace and space of battles and keep everything in front of him, be it standing or on the ground, so he can decide as to whether he should shift his body and focus to an opponent’s side or even to their back. Doing so keeps him out of harms way because he has been knocked out a couple of times and there’s no need to potentially put himself in harm’s way to find out the hard way whether or not his chin can withstand Intruder’s striking power! While in the standup, Pesonen is going to have to rely on speed and counterattacking to score points in the vertical plane while trying to figure out a way to get this fight to the ground. Pesonen will eventually score the takedown and get the submission win he wants to get tonight!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Pesonen by Submission; Xavier – Intruder by Unanimous Decision HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: “KING DON” DOMINIC GOTTI (13-2 KT; 9-8 MMA; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) VERSUSMIKE MURHAA (16-14; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The yellow glasses wearing, gun toting, aggressive attitude havin’ big man steps into the cage and, as always, is anxious for battle. The Brooklyn, New Yorker, is 34 years old and obviously had a great deal of success in the KT ranks before deciding he wanted the full monty and became an MMA fighter! During that very impressive run, he became a champion in his eighth career fight, a testament to his knockout power, aggression and training regimen. He established himself as a man to be feared due to massive knockout power in which he laid out many an opponent who stood toe-to-toe with him! I very much doubt Murhaa wants to stand toe-to-toe with Gotti because that’s just asking for a world of hurt. Gotti is a multi-time champion for a very good reason. Yes, he’s lost some battles because he was knocked out, but when it comes to the Heavyweights, anything is possible because in the blink of an eye, one fighter lands a massive blast of a punch and it’s more than likely going to damn near break said opponent’s jaw. A word of caution to Gotti, however. Because of the number of times you’ve stared up at the arena lights after being KO’d or TKO’d, it may be prudent to approach this fight with some patience to ensure the knockout strikes that are launched have a much better opportunity to land and be effective as opposed to burning yourself out with high aggression and an attempt to knock Murhaa out in less than a minute. Naturally, if Gotti is able to land early devastation then of course he should throw caution to the wind and try to end the fight right then and there. I think Gotti wins this fight by knockout in a standup war with Murhaa! Xavier: The 31-year-old Finnish fighter from Sjk represents the LEGION OF DOOM in this fight, and we immediately see that Murhaa is a good amount shorter than Gotti, so he’s automatically going to have to rely on footwork to get inside of the reach advantage Gotti has in this matchup. Since he’s heavier, he can put more weight into his strikes and possibly put Gotti in trouble, especially early in the fight when both men have a lot of energy and determination. Neither man has an advantage in terms of combat experience since they’ve basically had the same number of fights, so this is another skill and will matchup that will test the limits of each man! Murhaa is very good in boxing and Muay Thai, but his bread and butter are the world class wrestling and black belt he has. If he’s able to score a takedown then he can lean that extra weight on Gotti and force the big man to expend energy supporting his weight and Murhaa’s, an intelligent tactic to execute while Murhaa makes an attempt to exploit the difference between a blue belt and a black belt. Murhaa wants to make sure that he’s the one to instigate any attempts to get this fight to the horizontal plane because allowing Gotti to tie him up in a clinch battle will definitely thwart Murhaa’s plans to lock in a submission. Gotti will be able to lean his weight on Murhaa against the cage and make it that much harder for him to take the fight to the ground. The fast Murhaa gets this fight to the ground then the better his chances because he absolutely doesn’t want to taste Gotti’s striking power in the standup. Murhaa wins this tough battle by tapout when he uses Gotti’s aggression against him and takes this fight to the ground! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Murhaa by Submission; Styles – Gotti by KO LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: VALERIO “WARHEAD” BARTOLI (19-5; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) VERSUSMIN-SIK SONG (32-10-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: The 29-year-old Firenze, Italy warrior brings The Stepdads into the cage once again for what promises to be an intense battle. Some have called Bartoli the “Italian Zombie” because he admittedly does have a stoic gaze about him, but the man is all but lethargic in the cage! A world class boxer, excellent Muay Thai practitioner, outstanding wrestler and brown belt earner in BJJ has demonstrated the ability to be a menace in the cage when an opponent gives him any opportunity to showcase his talents. Very slightly shorter and heavier than Song, I fully expect Bartoli to look to chin check Song early and often because Song hasn’t exactly established himself as a powerful striker, and Bartoli has shown the willingness, toughness and aggression to stand toe-to-toe with anyone who lacks striking power and apply a great deal of pressure on them in an effort to simply overwhelm them or wear them down methodically before going for any type of finish. The level of intrigue in this fight lies in the fact that they are very similar with their skill set so this will be another battle that boils down to what each man is made up of mentally and how well they understand their own abilities as well as their opponent’s capabilities. A battle of wills is what we’re going to behold between these two men and the physical chess match will speak volumes about what each of these men can handle and enforce. Bartoli is five years younger than Song and has substantially less combat experience, but as we’ve touched upon many times during our time in the IFC, Styles, having less experience isn’t always detrimental because that does mean, in the very least, less damage and wear and tear on the body. There’s no doubt having more experience comes in handy in very trying times when fighters find themselves in various forms of trouble, but at this level plus with the amount of skill Bartoli has, that experience disadvantage can be overcome a bit. Plus, Bartoli has proven he knows how to get the job done and that’s proven by his excellent record. Expect Bartoli to be very aggressive in seeking a knockout because, again, I don’t think he has any trepidation about taking strikes from Song who isn’t known as a devastating striker. Bartoli wins by knockout! Styles: La Familia is front and center for the first time tonight in the form of Song, the 34-year-old warrior from Busan, South Korea. The baby-faced brawler brings a very similar skillset to Bartoli’s as you touched upon, Xavier, and due to that, Song is going to have to rely on his excellent championship experience, and he has plenty of it! Primarily, however, I believe he’s going to rely heavily on his speed because he should have that advantage since he’s the lighter man in this battle, plus he doesn’t rely on power to get the job done. His striking power can’t be completely overlooked, however, because he does have six TKO victories as well as one KO victory, so there is some pop in those fists! If he’s able to land enough clean strikes against Bartoli then the possibility of him knocking Bartoli out with volume as opposed to sheer force is a very viable occurrence. No one questions Bartoli’s ability to withstand powerful strikes because he’s proven himself to be tough, but he doesn’t have the type of chin that causes opponent’s to damage their knuckles severely when they connect clean with his chin, so Song’s ability to knock Bartoli out simply can’t be overlooked. Song has been involved in 15 battles that had a championship on the line! That’s nothing to sneeze at, as the saying goes. The man has been runnin’ through a championship gauntlet over the past eight fights he’s had, and he went 6-2 over those last eight fights! Give the man his just due and kudos because he can handle himself very well in that cage despite not being an overpowering force of devastation. He’s a methodical fighter who likes to dissect his opponents and that will be the approach he takes in this fight, especially because he knows how aggressive Bartoli will be. Being able to use that aggression against Bartoli will be the key to victory tonight for Song because he knows how to handle very aggressive opponents. Additionally, he definitely has a very high level of confidence despite his most recent loss to Teodors Ozolinsh by split decision at ICS 40! Song wins this battle by methodically picking Bartoli apart and staying ahead on the scorecards for the unanimous decision!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Song by Unanimous Decision; Xavier – Bartoli by KO HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: ROSS KEMP (19-10; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES)VERSUS“THE SURGEON” LEONID MARTINYUK (17-7; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Styles: The 28-year-old Kemp launches The GBU into the spotlight for the first time tonight, and the Stanhope, England, product is a very highly skilled warrior who is tall, heavy, strong and nasty! World class on his feet as well as with wrestling, and supported by a brown belt, Kemp likes to get right in his opponent’s face, apply pressure from start to finish, and look for the knockout finish. Plain and simple, Kemp is very straight forward, all systems go, and what happens, happens! That makes him both fun to watch and dangerous to battle because he can turn out an opponent’s lights very quickly and rather painfully! Pay very close attention to this fact, ladies and gentlemen. Every single fight Kemp has been involved in has ended in a finish! There has not been one fight he’s been in that the judges had to give a verdict. That’s very telling of a few factors, folks. First and foremost, that tells me that Kemp truly does not give a damn about his own well being and that has endeared him to a great many MMA fans because they love seeing fighters who throw caution to the wind, especially in the heavyweight division, where that attitude is the most costly because the behemoths in the division can cause a great deal of damage in a very short period of time. Only five of his fights have even gone past the first round, so we’re not used to seeing a whole lot of time involved in his fights. He’s been involved in 10 fights that had a championship on the line and he’s a multi-time champion himself, so the very aggressive devastation has paid off for him more than once. The question tonight is, will Kemp’s technically superior skillset allow him to overwhelm the precision and power that Martinyuk brings into the cage? I personally think that will be the case tonight so look for the very aggressive and hard-hitting Kemp to knock Martinyuk out early and brutally! Xavier: The 28-year-old combatant from St. Petersburg, Russia, knows full well what he’s facing in the cage tonight, Styles, and I guarantee you he will be ready. Martinyuk is a thinker when he’s in combat, and one very obvious truth tonight is he has a very prominent speed advantage over Kemp! That’s simply the fact of the matter and that speed advantage will be a very distinct advantage he has during every second this fight lasts. The question for Martinyuk is can he utilize that speed to stay away from the devastating strikes that Kemp is capable of unfurling on an opponent, especially if Kemp corners Martinyuk, locks him in a clinch, and leans that extra 44 lbs. of mass on him! Martinyuk absolutely dose not want to be pressed against the cage while having an extra 44 lbs. of humanity leaning against him because that will sap his strength as effectively and quickly as absorbing numerous body strikes from a strong opponent. Footwork, counterattacks and agility will be the keys to victory tonight for Martinyuk. He’s proven time and again that he has the power to knockout larger opponents who outweigh him, so there will be no qualms about getting in Kemp’s face and testing his chin just as much as Kemp wants to test Martinyuk’s chin. Although Martinyuk has been involved in five fewer fights than Kemp, similar to Kemp, Martinyuk hasn’t been involved in a lot of extensive fights. 11 of his fights have gone past the first round but only two of those 11 have gone past the second round, so that’s the methodical approach I’ve referenced. One distinct disadvantage Martinyuk will have in this battle is the lack of championship experience. Surprisingly, at least to me, he hasn’t won a championship as of yet but he’s still young and has many more years of fights left in him. I definitely expect him to become a champion very soon, and if he can utilize the confidence and momentum he’s built up from his past two fights, he’ll extend his fight streak to three and put himself more firmly into the championship conversation. Martinyuk wins this fight by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Martinyuk by KO; Styles – Kemp by KO MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION: ARJAN BHULLAR (31-15-1; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES)VERSUSISPA MURHAA (25-8; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: This fight is right up your alley, Styles! An inter-alliance clash will be witnessed tonight in that cage between two excellent fighters from The Stepdads. Bragging rights on the line? Check. Two excellent management teams clashing? Check. Two accomplished fighters squaring off? Check. One of the fighters a current CEC champion? Check. Intrigue, skill, will and thrill is what we’ll see in this fight tonight, ladies and gentlemen! Bhullar is the current Claymore Elite Combat champion, technically, despite that organization appearing to be closing its doors after an excellent as one of the most reputable, successful and impactful organizations in the industry. That’s truly a damn shame but we’ve witnessed many outstanding organizations eventually close their doors for various reasons. However, I’m certain there’ll either be a new president to take over the CEC or a new organization will rise to the forefront and offer various competitors the opportunity to showcase their talents against other fighters who are of excellent caliber. Bhullar brings world class boxing, solid Muay Thai, Olympic-level wrestling and a black belt into this fight against his alliance mate, so we can fully expect to see outstanding techniques executed in this fight. Bhullar is another exciting, devastating, brutal striker who has major aggression and intent behind everything he does! His philosophy is basically to try to hurt or put the opponent to sleep before the opponent does that to him, and, obviously, Bhullar has had more success than failure with that approach. This man has been involved in 14 championship battles. That in and of itself should tell the story about what he’s capable of doing. Among those 14 championship battles, he’s won eight of them, so give this man his due respect for that accomplishment, especially considering how many fighters we see who never have one opportunity at a championship. That extensive championship experience is absolutely of benefit to Bhullar, especially considering the fact that he’s the older fighter by three years and has the in-cage combat experience edge over Murhaa. Bhullar is a little shorter and lighter than Murhaa and I expect him to use that slight speed advantage to counter the potential leg kicks he’ll see from Murhaa since he has the superior Muay Thai abilities from what we’ve seen in the cage. Bhullar wins this battle by counterattacking for the knockout! Styles: The 30-year-old Finnish fighter from Sjk has proven one thing above all else: dude likes to fight! At this age he has a good number of fights under his belt, though it may not be to the same extent Bhullar has in the three years he has over Murhaa, but time will tell with that when all is said and done. World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class wrestling and a black belt are what he has earned, and as you can see by his overall record, he knows how to handle business in that cage! What immediately jumps off the page for me is his Muay Thai advantage because we all know that fighters of this caliber know how to exploit any and all advantages. You can bet your ass that Murhaa is going to test Bhullar’s ability to withstand his kicking ability because that can be a factor for two obvious reasons: Bhullar absorbing too many kicks will slow him down and make him more susceptible to Murhaa’s strikes, but the kicks will also push Murhaa ahead on the judges’ scorecards if this match ends up lasting the entire time. However, I don’t think that’s going to happen merely due to the aggression that Bhullar brings to each of his battles. Murhaa is going to have to adapt to that aggression and I have no doubt that’s exactly what he’ll do because he’s been involved in nasty brawls before! Although he doesn’t have quite the same level of championship experience as Bhullar, 10 battles with a championship on the line isn’t exactly something to be sneezed at, as the saying goes! Of those 10 battles, Murhaa won nine of those in a row! Come on now, folks. That’s kickin’ ass and takin’ names! What I like about Murhaa is he won two fights with a flying knee! That’s frickin’ awesome and that’s also something Bhullar is going to have to keep in the back of his mind because if he has a lapse in judgment about Murhaa’s kicks, he could very well eat a knee sandwich that doesn’t taste good at all. I think Murhaa’s Muay Thai advantage will be the difference maker tonight and that will enable him to score the knockout win over his fellow alliance mate!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Murhaa by KO; Xavier – Bhullar by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: ANDY BANGSIT (29-23-2; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS)VERSUSTHIAGO “PITBULL ASSASSIN” THIAGO (24-15; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: And we’ve reached the final squabble of the night! We have the 38-year-old veteran of numerous fights representing the LEGION OF DOOM who has seen it all and done it all. The fact this man has a red belt tells a deep story by itself because that’s just not a common occurrence in this profession, so that alone garners plenty of respect because that’s a great deal of work and sacrifice to reach that level! Bangsit is five years older than Thiago and has a good amount of more in-cage combat experience than Thiago, so I expect the Swede from Malmoe to utilize that experience to his full advantage as he obviously wants to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible and utilize those outstanding grappling skills to take this victory home. An excellent boxer and Muay Thai practitioner, Bangsit is certainly capable of handling business in the standup but he definitely prefers to use those standup skills to soften opponents for his devastating ground control tactics and, of course, his ability to lock in a submission from any angle imaginable, especially with his flexibility, know how and intelligence! Over his last six fights, he’s had a resurgence, if you will, of locking in and securing victories, as he is 5-1 over his last six, an excellent record and indication of his ability to gain momentum an use said momentum very well. He won his last two fights in the first round so I fully expect him to have the same aggression in this fight tonight against Thiago. Bangsit has been involved in six championship battles over his career, and of those six battles, he won three of them, so he’s proven he has championship mettle in the face of great pressure! One area of concern for Bangsit tonight is keeping his chin out of harm’s way while he works to get this fight the ground and keep it there, because Thiago could very well possess the power to turn out Bangsit’s lights if he’s not careful. Calculated counterattacks could very well be the best method for Bangsit to get to Thiago’s chin and score vital points on the scorecards while figuring out the best way to either shoot in for a takedown, go for a leg trip from a counterattack, or lock him into a clinch and pull guard. Either way, it’s imperative Bangsit keep his chin tucked while he eventually forces Thiago to tap out! Xavier: The 33-year-old Brazilian from Curitiba puts Convicted Inc. into the spotlight for the first and only time tonight, and this experienced and accomplished warrior is slightly taller and heavier than Bangsit, but the approach to this fight, in my opinion, is very straightforward for Thiago. Keep this fight vertical, even if that means taking the chance of locking up with Bangsit in a clinch, and the longer this fight is in the standup, the better the chances Thiago walks out with his hand raised in victory! Thiago definitely isn’t afraid of grappling with Bangsit because he has Olympic-class wrestling and a black belt he can rely upon, but he knows he has the advantage in the standup with his world class boxing and Muay Thai, plus he has enough experience and intelligence to know that he doesn’t need to take unnecessary risks by allowing this fight to go the ground. Why take the chance when obvious tactics that have been used successfully are right there in front of him? Personally, I’m rather surprised that Thiago doesn’t have more championship experience because he’s proven under various circumstances that he can get the job done and has done so against quality opponents. It seems that’s just the way it goes sometimes for various reasons and he’s only had the two opportunities, one of which he won by knockout out Enzo Perez in the fourth round at ABW 187 Perez – Thiago. Thiago is 3-2 since signing with ICS and his last fight was one hell of a battle against the legendary Akoni Gray. Despite losing that battle by knockout late in the third round, Thiago is still very proud and confident in his abilities because, after all, he did knock out the two opponents prior to the fight against Gray. That confidence and striking power will be the difference maker tonight and that power is going to turn the lights out on Bangsit when Thiago is able to feint and make Bangsit leave himself open just enough for Thiago to crack his jaw and put this fight to bed. Thiago emerges victorious by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Thiago by KO; Styles – Bangsit by Submission Xavier: That concludes yet another broadcast from my partner in crime, Furious Styles, and myself. We thank you wholeheartedly for joining us in the booth once again and allowing us to bring you our perspectives on what we’ll potentially see in that cage tonight. Styles: We hope we’ve been able to entertain and interest you, ladies and gentlemen. Also, of course, we give a great deal of thanks to Ma Balls Is Hot Clothing because they provide us with outstanding gear. If you’ve not checked them out yet, make it a point to do so because they have awesome clothes! Take care, everyone, be well, and we’ll see you at the fights! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 Awesome work as always!!!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted July 19, 2020 Report Share Posted July 19, 2020 Awesome work as always!!!! Thank you very much, brotha :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted July 26, 2020 Report Share Posted July 26, 2020 INFERNO COMBAT SERIES 47 PREVIEW LA MEMORIAL COLOSSUSEUM Xavier: Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Inferno Combat Series and specifically, welcome to ICS 47! In the booth with me tonight is the gregarious Furious Styles! Styles: What’s goin’ on good people!? I’m definitely gregarious when I’m at the beach in Santa Monica or Malibu! Even though I wear a mask and make sure I stay 6 feet away from people if and when I have it off, I can still talk to some of these smokin’ hot honies in SoCal! Xavier: There are definitely gorgeous women in southern California! Going to the beach is a bit different due to obvious reasons but you’re right, Styles, that doesn’t stop a lot of people from heading out to the beaches, especially with this great weather. Hopefully we’ll figure out this stupid COVID crap so we can resume life as normally as possible! Styles: I hope so, man! It’s hard to be a smooth playa’ over a stupid Zoom meeting! Xavier: With that, let’s get down to business! MIDDLWEIGHT DIVISION: PUTINYA ONYERKIESTER (17-12; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSCROWN “THE ASCENDED ONE” HALO (9-11 MMA; 14-10-2 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 4 LOSSES) Xavier: Before I begin, I must say that Kiester’s shirt is pretty frickin’ cool! With that, the member of Vendetta from London steps into the cage with world class boxing, very good Muay Thai, Olympic class wrestling and a brown belt, a rather solid set of skills for the 30-year-old. The struggles for Kiester have been well documented, especially over the past six fights in particular. He defeated Guillermo Pato at ICS 36 by unanimous decision but lost the other five fights and that’s definitely an issue that has to be addressed, especially at this point in his career. Aside from the sporadic exception, typically once a fighter hits his early 30’s, it’s a major struggle to either improve upon their skills or build upon them, especially if they train rigorously and end up losing quickly due to the accumulation of damage over the years. If they have a weak or damaged chin, that’s even more risky. Kudos to Kiester for showing the heart of a warrior and continuing to step into the cage of punishment, but I do wonder how much more he can take before his body tells him it’s time to step despite what his mind may say. The championship experience we’ve discussed previously is still there but sometimes the body isn’t capable despite the mind being able. I think he’ll have to finish Halo off quickly in this fight because the longer it drags on, the better the chance he’ll eat the one clean shot that ends this fight. In light of that, Kiester wins this fight by knockout because he’ll be very aggressive in seeking Halo’s jaw! Styles: Halo represents the UnderGround Fights Enterprise, and the 38-year-old Jamaican is world class on his feet, very good with wrestling and has a purple belt. Judging by his winning record during his KT stint, as well as being the man who technically has the better standup skills, I fully expect Halo to go for the knockout in this fight, especially since he knows Kiester’s jaw has been cracked more than an iPhone on Craigslist! Halo’s slightly taller and heavier than Kiester so he should be able to use that slight reach advantage to test Kiester’s chin early and often and I believe he still has the power, even at his advanced age, to drop Kiester where he stands. Similar to Kiester, Halo has been suffering as of late, having dropped his last 4 fights in a row. That’s definitely a sign of trouble, especially being 38 years old, so he’s going to have to try and end this fight early because he could lose simply by being more tired. We’ve previously discussed his KT success, including winning a championship, and like his opponent, he can lean on that experience to help him squeeze out a close fight, but I don’t think this fight is going to last long enough for that to even be a factor. Halo’s aggression and will, coupled with his overall experience, will carry him to victory by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Halo by KO; Xavier – Kiester by KO MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION: ANDRIY VORONIN (22-14-2; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSCASPER “OL SKOOL” TIMMERMANS (29-10-1 MMA; 4-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES) Styles: The 32-year-old Kiev, Ukraine, product steps into this battle with Golden Gloves boxing, solid Muay Thai, very good wrestling and a brown belt. He has won championships previously, two to be exact, the most recent one stemming from a TKO victory over Dan McClain at Pride FC6 late in the fourth round. Ever since then, he’s basically been winning and losing at an even keel, and that has his management team concerned because they know full well he can’t maintain that type of pace due to the physical toll being in fluctuating battles costs! He’s been knocked out four times and overall, that’s not bad at all because he’s been involved in a lot of fights. However, that does give Timmermans a slight chance of being able to get to his chin and all that’s needed in the fight game is a chance. Voronin knows he has the youth advantage in this fight and he could very well try to win by overwhelming Timmermans with energy and aggression, but he has to be careful to not leave his chin exposed to counterattacks because that could very well end up being very detrimental. Voronin is slightly shorter and lighter so there should be a bit of a speed advantage there for him to use, but I think his best bet is to push the pace and make Timmermans fight the battle of attrition. Voronin should be able to win the endurance battle while keeping himself from taking too much damage, but he’s technically not at the same skill level as Timmermans so he’s going to have to be very accurate and sure of himself in the standup. As long as he avoids a clinch battle, Voronin wins this by unanimous decision! Xavier: The 37-year-old Belgium brawler from Gent puts the Keyboard Warriors into the limelight. Stepping into battle with world class boxing, outstanding Muay Thai, world-class wresting and a brown belt, this very seasoned veteran is still a dangerous opponent if he’s underestimated. It’s no secret that his long career is drawing near the end but that doesn’t stop him from battling for all he’s worth every time he steps into the cage, and that’s very admirable. He knows he’s five years older than Voronin and will need to either finish this fight fast or take control of Voronin in the clinch and win the battle for positioning to leave the cage as the winner tonight! Now, Timmermans definitely has the option of trying to take this fight to the ground because he’s the better grappler. I’m not sure if he’d want to try and score a submission against an opponent who looks to have the same level of skill and ability in BJJ as he does, but having the grappling advantage, at least from what we’ve seen, can definitely come in handy if he’s unable to secure a clinch and dominate Voronin there. We’ve previously spoken about the championship experiences and accomplishments Timmermans has so I won’t delve into that. He can see if those experiences can help him avoid or escape any uncomfortable situations he may find himself being in, especially early in this fight. I think Timmermans locks Voronin into a clinch and wins this fight by unanimous decision because he’ll control the pace and space!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Timmermans by Unanimous Decision; Styles – Voronin by Unanimous Decision HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: MICHAEL “THE WOLF” BRAKELEY (31-19; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSTONY “BLACK MAMBA” MONTEIRO (23-20; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES) Xavier: What we have here are two war-torn warriors who refuse to go into the night quietly, and as martial arts practitioners as well as fans of MMA combat, we all can respect that amount of heart, passion and desire! The 42-year-old brawler from The Compost of Kent in England brings his eff you attitude as well as solid boxing, good Muay Thai, respectable wrestling and a purple belt. Technically, the very experienced veteran can’t match the skillset that Monteiro brings to this fight, so Brakeley is going to have to rely on his attitude, nasty disposition and will to win to pull off this victory! Physically, there’s not much of a difference between these warriors so this could very well be a battle of human chess, if you will, because it’s very possible neither of them possesses the knockout power to end this fight in a flash. Brakeley obviously has the in-cage combat experience advantage and has the past championship experience, although his overall experience in championship battles isn’t anywhere near the level he’d like it to be. We’ve discussed his past accomplishments in detail previously, but his sole championship win came at the cost of a KO over Tee Nah at XF 30 in the first round. He’s 6-5 over his last eleven fights so he’s another fighter fluctuating back and forth and has been unable to truly build any momentum beyond the 3-fight winning streak he had recently until he lost to Dominic Gotti by TKO in the second round at ICS 40. It’s very possible that this stubborn warrior still possesses the knockout power to drop Monteiro like a sack of rocks, but in order to do that, he’s going to have to be very patient and precise. I don’t think he’ll be able to overwhelm Monteiro so being calculating will be the key to victory tonight that enables Brakeley to knock out Monteiro! Styles: The green-bearded member of NAUGHTLY CREW steps into the cage representing Barneveld in Togo. The grizzled veteran has world class boxing, outstanding Muay Thai, world class wrestling and black belt skills, so he’s still very capable and dangerous! He knows full well that his opponent tonight is older and doesn’t have the same technical skill he has, but said opponent is also aggressive and still carries enough explosive damage in his strikes to be respected and avoided. Due to Monteiro’s skill set, he can definitely play this fight by ear and if one approach doesn’t work, he can quickly switch to another. Frankly, he has the entire gamut of strategies available to him because of his outstanding skill set! He can keep this fight on its feet and see if he can get to Brakeley’s jaw before Brakeley gets to his. He can lock Brakeley into a clinch and battle it out up close and personal against the cage and force Brakeley to adapt, or he can shoot in, drag Brakeley to the ground, and aggressively look for the submission finish because he undoubtedly feels very confident in his grappling ability! Though it was quite early in his career, Monteiro still does have championship experience and knows the pressures of the spotlight. Additionally, he does not want to lose a fourth fight in a row, plain and simple, because that would make his management team, as well as himself, question whether he has much left in the tank for combat. He’s been TKO’d and KO’d in his last three fights, not a good look, so I expect him to drag this fight to the ground and secure the submission win!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Monteiro by Submission; Xavier – Brakeley by KO LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: FIYERO LERMONTOV (21-13-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSHUGH HONEY (23-8-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The NAUGHTLY CREW is busy tonight as Lermontov represents them as well as Ornsk, Russia, as he steps into this fight. World class in the standup, along with outstanding wrestling and a black belt make him a dangerous man! What I notice immediately is Lermontov should technically have a bit of an edge over Honey and with that in mind, he could very well be able to keep this fight in the standup and look to defeat Honey by using quick, accurate strikes to pull ahead and stay in front on the judges’ scorecards. I don’t think either of these men still possess the knockout power they displayed earlier in their careers, though all of us have seen unexpected knockouts occur in this business. Still, I feel that Lermontov being five years younger will be the biggest factor in this fight because both of these warriors may struggle against one another in the standup and, obviously, the deciding factor in that aspect lies in who can land most effective strikes. Why try to outscore Honey in the standup when Lermontov can take this fight to the horizontal plane and make Honey have to try and outwrestle him while comfortably looking for any number of submissions that Lermontov is well versed in? Like most fighters in the ICS, Lermontov is a former champion and knows how to handle the pressure in the spotlight. Pressure will be the key to victory for Lermontov tonight as he outmaneuvers Honey, takes him to the ground, and controls the pace and space of this fight while locking in the winning submission! Xavier: The joyous 34-year-old Honey from Philadelphia represents the LEGIION OF DOOM in this fight and brings a very solid skill set as well. World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a brown belt round out what he’s achieved, and as you spoke of, Styles, technically, Honey is at a bit of a disadvantage. Add in the fact he’s five years older than Lermontov and Honey definitely has a bit of a hill to climb. However, he can’t be overlooked because he’s a smart fighter who knows how to take advantage of mistakes that his opponents make, and that’s something he’s learned to do as a previous champion. I don’t think Honey has the power to knock Lermontov out in this fight so he’s going to have to rely on counterattacks with speed and accuracy as opposed to trying to rearrange Lermontov’s face with unadulterated power. Honey has been involved in numerous battles that have gone the distance and he’s very comfortable with that situation, but one thing he absolutely doesn’t want to do in this fight is allow Lermontov to lock him into a clinch. If that happens, Lermontov may very well be able to frustrate him by controlling the action in the clinch and scoring vital points while looking for potential takedowns. Honey does not want to try and outwrestle Lermontov so keeping this fight vertical is paramount to any success he procures tonight! I think Honey has the physical ability to withstand the early aggression from Lermontov and use that aggression against him by landing numerous strikes with intelligent counterstriking to emerge the winner by unanimous decision!PREDICTIONS: Xavier - Honey by Unanimous Decision; Styles – Lermontov by Submission WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: RYU “THE WATER MOCCASIN” AOKISON (26-22-1; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS)VERSUSABNER APPLEGATE (28-14-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: The 35-year-old Japanese fighter from Fukushima represents the UnderGround Fights Enterprise, and though he has a winning record, I would assume Aokison would rather have a few more wins under his belt, especially at this point in his career. No one questions his skills because he brings Golden Gloves boxing, very good Muay Thai, Olympic-class wrestling and a black belt, so it’s obvious he can get the job done in any situation. However, seeing that his grappling skills technically outweigh his standup skills, I suspect Aokison would like to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible to test Applegate’s grappling abilities. Aokison is both taller and heavier than Applegate, so if he does manage to get him to the ground, he may have more difficulties than he expects in trying to force the tapout because Applegate will have an easier time avoiding Aokison’s longer limbs, at least that’s what I think. One fact to keep in mind in this fight is these two have crossed paths previously when they clashed at Pride 50 LA with a championship on the line. Aokison won that fight by TKO late in the fifth round so there’s the confidence for Aokison that he knows he can defeat Applegate, especially under a great deal of stress. When this fight is in the standup, expect to see Aokison utilize counterattacking measures until he can shoot in for the takedown. He definitely doesn’t want to try to score a takedown from the clinch because Applegate will be able to keep him locked in the clinch and potentially do some damage. In the very least, he’ll score points and move ahead on the scorecards, and that’s a scenario Aokison doesn’t want to have occur! Aokison wins this fight by submission because he’ll take it to the ground quickly! Styles: The 37-year-old Englander from Birmingham represents the LEGION OF DOOM tonight, and this standup specialist must be salivating at the thought that he could potentially lock Aokison into a clinch and keep him there like a fly caught in a web while he unloads multiple strikes in an effort to knock Aokison out! I absolutely think Applegate has enough bang in those fists to make Aokison go nighty night with on clean shot, especially since Aokison isn’t known for being a feared knockout artist nor is his chin renowned for being very solid. Additionally, Applegate wants to avenge his previous loss to Aokison when they crossed paths as you spoke of, Xavier. World class standup skills supported by outstanding wrestling and a brown belt are what Applegate brings to this fight, so it’s very apparent he’ll want to handle his business while in the vertical plane and avoid going to the ground as if it’s covered with poisonous snakes! Using his educated feet and fists are the name of the game for Applegate in this fight. Locking Aokison into a clinch has a bit of a risk factor to it but he can also control the action and frustrate Aokison into make mistakes that will end up costing him positioning and potential scoring. Applegaate can use his multiple championship experiences to adjust to whatever aggression he feels from Aokison and interject his own aggression when the time is right. Applegate will be able to weather the early storm from Aokison and use that aggression to move in close, hit the jab then finish the job with a hook that knocks out Aokison!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Applegate by KO; Xavier – Aokison by Submission MIDDLWEIGHT DIVISION: WILLIAM “BRAVEHEART” WALLACE (30-15; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSEMIL “FUTURE” MARINOV (7-1 MMA; 21-16-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: I’m telling you, Xavier, Wallace should have his arms checked out by professional surgeons because they just don’t look normal to me. Maybe that’s just how he develops from lifting weights and such, but still, those are some odd-looking arms. His pet monkey is cool as hell, though. The 41-year-old Scot has a balanced set of skills with Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, very good wrestling and a purple belt. At 41, it’s difficult to see Wallace having many more fights because he’s pushing himself as much as he can, but everyone has a limit. Props to him for having fought forty-five times but that’s a lot of miles on the car, so to speak. Wallace is slightly taller and lighter than Marinov and that may come in handy because I think his best bet is to try and outstrike Marinov with accurate, fast strikes as opposed to trying to knock him out because I’m not certain Wallace has the knockout power to pull off a win that way. He could, of course, and shut me up, but I think Marinov is slightly better in the standup plus he’s the younger fighter, and this could be a battle of attrition for the first couple of rounds. If that’s the case, then I believe the momentum lies with Marinov. Wallace also wants to ensure he absolutely doesn’t let Marinov get this fight to the ground because that would be all bad for Wallace. Wallace may have to settle for being very aggressive with a great deal of accuracy if he lands any power shots and it becomes apparent that he can’t stop Marinov in his tracks. Using his previous championship may be a key factor as well but still, it’s difficult for a warrior his age to muster up substantial knockout power repeatedly, so I think Wallace wins by unanimous decision! Xavier: Hitokiri-13 is in the limelight for the first time tonight, and the 34-year-old Bulgarian from Plovdiv steps into this fight with world class standup skills, very good wrestling and a purple belt. One would think that knowing you have a youth advantage by seven years would be enough to get a fighter fired up, let alone the fact that he’s going to get into a fight because fighters love to fight, and Marinov has had enough of them, especially during his KT days. However, I have to say, Styles, when I saw Marinov backstage with his management team, despite looking energetic, he didn’t have the look in his eyes you’d expect a fighter to have, especially on fight night! That lack of desire for combat could absolutely be his undoing in a very winnable fight, especially if this fight stays in the standup where can use his outstanding standup skills to outduel Wallace from my perspective. In terms of championship experience, he’s at a disadvantage because he’s never won a title, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the means to win this fight. What that does mean is he’ll need to end this fight quickly so Wallace doesn’t have the opportunity to rely on that championship experience later in the fight where that factor becomes much larger. I absolutely think Marinov has the ability to get the job done but, again, his lack of enthusiasm is disturbing, to say the least, but in spite of that, I’ll roll the dice and I’ll predict Marinov to win this fight by knockout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Marinov by KO; Styles – Wallace by Unanimous Decision FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: QUAN “CHIEN BINH” LE (27-9-2 MMA; 0-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSPABLO “EL LOCO” NORIEGA (19-6-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: The Keyboard Warriors are on full display in this inter-alliance battle and all eyes of this alliance will be on this fight because as we’ve said multiple times, inter-alliance battles boil down to bragging rights between whichever fighters end up battling, so pride is on the line as well. Le, the 32-year-old warrior from Hanoi, Vietnam, is shorter and lighter than Noriega so he’s going to have to use that to his advantage by counterattacking Noriega as often as possible in the standup until he can get this fight to the ground. Le can absolutely hold his own in the standup against Le, but from what I can ascertain, his advantage lies in the grappling game because he may be able to outmaneuver Noriega with setting up potential submissions and that could be the difference maker. Noriega has the advantage in the standup from my perspective because Le has to work to get inside of Noriega’s defenses until he can lock him into a clinch and drag him to the ground or just opt for a single-leg or double-leg takedown. Until that point in time, he’s potentially playing right into Noriega’s strengths and he obviously doesn’t want to do that. He can rely on his championship experience, of course, but I don’t think he’ll have to do that much because the path to victory is quite plainly laid out. He knows how to win the long, drawn out fights because he’s been involved in a multitude of decision battles so that won’t be anything new to him. Patience is something Le is very good at displaying in the cage, so he won’t get rattled by anything that Noriega does, even if Noriega opts to be very aggressive in the standup and look for the knockout. Le has some TKO wins but overall, his knockout power isn’t something to totally fear, so he can expect Noriega to be aggressive, and Le will use that aggression against Noriega to score the takedown and tapout! Styles: Aw yeah, baby! Inter-alliance fights are always the best because there’s just that extra bit of motivation of not wanting to hear a bunch of crap being talked by alliance mates for weeks on end, and that in and of itself can push a fighter to new heights! The 34-year-old brawler from San Salvador, El Salvador, doesn’t have as much combat experience as Le despite being two years older, but nonetheless, he brings world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a brown belt to the party, so he’s a force to be reckoned with as evidenced by his excellent record. Surprisingly, he hasn’t won a championship as of yet and to me, that’s hard to believe because he definitely knows how to get the job done and has done so time and again. Similar to Le, he does have some TKO and KO wins on his record, but in general, he, too, is accustomed to being involved in battles that end up being wars of attrition. If that’s what ends up happening then this could turn into a high energy, fast-striking, battle of accuracy and wills as opposed to one man overwhelming the other and that’s fine with me because sheer determination is very interesting to watch. Neither man will want to give in, even if and when they get dog tired, and digging down deep is what separates the outstanding fighters from the good ones. Keeping this fight vertical is paramount for Noriega and he can even take the risk of locking Le into a clinch because he can feel Le go for a variety of takedowns and defend against them while making him tired plus score points in the clinch where he may have enough of an advantage to score more vital points on the scorecards. Noriega takes this fight by unanimous decision!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Noriega by Unanimous Decision; Xavier – Le by Submission FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: GREAT TIGER (21-11; CURRENT STREAK: CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS)VERSUSFUTOSHI MATSUNAGA (27-13-2; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The Syndicate is on the board as Tiger steps into the cage to represent them. The 28-year-old man from somewhere in India has very good boxing, excellent Muay Thai, solid wrestling and a black belt, so like the vast majority of warriors in ICS, he can get the job done no matter the situation and environment. Tiger is slightly taller and heavier than Matsunaga and that extra weight, if he can utilize it well, is an asset in this type of fight because he’s going to have to hurt Matsunaga with counterattacks that carry some serious pop with them! If Tiger makes every counterstrike count, then he absolutely has the opportunity win this fight while keeping himself out of harms way. One truth of this fight is he absolutely does not want to go to the ground with Matsunaga because doing that could lead to his undoing despite his black belt. Matsunaga can opt to either control the pace and space on the ground or even opt to try and lock Tiger into a clinch and if either of those occur, Tiger is going to be very frustrated because he definitely wants to have the opportunity to test Matsunaga’s chin early and often! Tiger has both deal and felt nasty knockouts, so he definitely is aware he needs to keep his chin tucked and head moving while looking for the effective counterattacks he’ll need. He also has championship experience so if the pressure gets turned up an extra notch, he’ll still be comfortable and will know how to deal with the mental pressure, especially, that occurs when a fighter finds themselves in an uncomfortable position. Tiger wins this fight by unanimous decision! Xavier: The 32-year-old Japanese warrior from Kitakyushu represents NAUGHTLY CREW in this fight and he brings excellent skills. World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-level wrestling and a black belt round out the skills and he definitely knows how to handle business. He has a bit of an in-cage combat experience edge over Tiger and that experience could be the difference tonight because he’s four years older and the longer this fight lasts, the more the age difference becomes a factor. One knock against Matsunaga is he’s had four opportunities to become a champion, and despite the obvious ability and skillset he has, he wasn’t able to seize the opportunity to become a champion, and that has haunted him for his entire career. Early in his career he established himself as a fighter with solid knockout power, but he’s relied more on patience until he’s been able to get the fight to the ground where he can take full advantage of his tremendous grappling skills! He recently had a 6-fight win streak snapped by a split decision loss to Pablo Noriega at ICS 32 but he recently defeated Bed Intruder by Triangle Armbar late in the third round at ICS 41 so he does have some momentum heading into this fight. Matsunaga can play this fight by ear because he can either try to keep Tiger in the clinch and win on points, or he can score the points first then focus on scoring the takedown he needs to win the battle of positioning on the ground before finishing Tiger off with a submission!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Matsunaga by Submission; Styles – Tiger by Unanimous Decision MIDDLWEIGHT DIVISION: GEORGE SALVADOR (27-12; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS)VERSUS“COOL HAND” LUC GAGNON (26-11 MMA; 0-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: The 33-year-old English product from Ferryhill brings a very high-level set of skills to the cage! World class in the standup and on the ground, plus a brown belt, makes him a very accomplished warrior who has had his share of very brutal and difficult battles. This member of Vendetta is slightly shorter but heavier than Gagnon, but due to his technical proficiency in all facets of combat, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he went straight at Gagnon in search of a crushing knockout. He’s won multiple championships, and rightfully so, and while he’s earned a lot of respect to go along with those championships, he’s also paid a heavy toll by being in some seriously painful wars. There’s no question he’s won a good number of those standup wars and he still has some brutal knockout power as I see it, but his chin has absolutely paid the price for those highlight reel fights so he absolutely has to keep his chin tucked and his head moving because one clean shot from Gagnon could very well be all he needs to bring this fight to a quick close. Aggression is the name of the game with Salvador and I don’t expect that to change whatsoever against Gagnon in this fight. If Salvador can’t get the fast finish, then he can control the pace of the battle by locking Gagnon into a clinch and scoring those points for control as opposed to outright looking for the knockout finish. Leaning his weight on Gagnon will also tax Gagnon’s endurance and open him up to more strikes and control but I think Salvador finishes this fight with power, aggression and attitude! Styles: The Stepdads are on the board in the form of Gagnon, the 32-year-old Canadian from Gatineau, QC. He brings a very balanced skill set to the cage tonight with Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a brown belt. Staying on the outside and landing counterstrikes is the key to victory for Gagnon tonight because he should have the speed advantage due to being the lighter fighter, and that speed could be the difference maker tonight, especially against Salvador who has shown he still has the ability to make people take a forced nap at the age of thirty four. He recently had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Latrobe Arundel at ICS 43 by bleeding too heavily in the fourth round, but Gagnon has basically the same experience level as Salvador and has been involved in very many championship battles. This multi-time champion was once the #1 P4P fighter so he obviously has earned a great many accolades and the number of championships he’s won, as well as the number of championship battles he’s been involved in, is an indication of what he’s been able to do in this industry. Similar to Salvador, he’s both punished and has been punished in bloody, painful battles but that’s the way it goes sometimes. He has shown surprising knockout power recently, earning two TKO wins and a KO win until he crossed paths with Arundel. That tells me he has the opportunity to put Salvador to sleep early, so expect Gagnon to equal the aggression and energy that Salvador brings to this fight, and I think Gagnon lands the one clean shot he needs to abruptly halt Salvador’s state of consciousness!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Gagnon by KO; Xavier – Salvador by KO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: KVAME ZULU (29-8; CURRENT STREAK: 5 WINS)VERSUSBRAK “SOULEATER” MAUGEN (29-10; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Styles: Well, well, well! Our final fight of the night is a YABAI party, and trust me ladies and gentlemen, we know about YABAI parties! This is not only for bragging rights in the alliance but there’s some gold on the line as well, so there’s no need for any extra motivation because both of these excellent fighters are ready to go! Zulu, the 32-year-old brawler from New Xade, Botswana, has been feelin’ it lately and his 5-fight win streak isn’t a fluke, ladies and gentlemen! He’s in a groove and if he hadn’t had his head kicked like it was a damn football by Lain Tower at EMP Graves vs. Chavez, Zulu would be on an eight-fight win streak. Be that as it may, I don’t think he minds too much that he had his head punted as if he were a WWE wrestler against Randy Orton and “The Viper” booted him on the temple! Zulu’s obviously a multi-time champion and can use that experience if he needs to lean on that, but in this division, anything is possible because they hit each other with the same impact a car crash has! Zulu has a substantial height advantage in this fight so look for him to stay on the outside and unload the heavy artillery, forcing Maugen to react to that and try to work his way in close enough to Zulu to land counterstrikes. Technically these men are even, so this will be a battle of wills and desire. Since Zulu has more to lose, I think he finds the will of a champion a bit faster than Maugen does and that will allow Zulu to land the one clean shot he needs to dent Maugen’s chin and force him to go nighty night! Xavier: It’s not too often we comment about an inter-YABAI battle and, obviously, our affiliation with that alliance makes this fight very intriguing for us, but we also understand we have to be impartial and fair, thus Styles handled his portion of the commentary very well. Maugen is going to have to use counterattacks and counterstrikes to get inside the defenses of Zulu to unleash any serious damage and give himself an opportunity to win this bragging rights battle plus become a champion yet again! The 34-year-old warrior from Kamu, Liechtenstein, say that fast three times in a row, brings pretty much the exact same skill set that Zulu does: world class boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling, supported by a brown belt. Admittedly, Maugen doesn’t have the same level of championship experience that Zulu has and that could absolutely be a factor if this fight extends into the third round and beyond. However, I don’t think this fight lasts more than two rounds because both of these warriors are hard-hitting, aggressive and highly skilled men who have proven they know how to get the job done. They’ve also shown how tough they are and how crazy they are by being willing to get back into the cage after some very painful losses that undoubtedly took some longevity off of their careers. Basically, as with most heavyweight fighters, either Maugen knocks out his opponent or he gets knocked out. That’s just the way it is and each man either accepts that and lives with it or changes professions. There’s no alternate to that, quite frankly. That being said, I think Maugen knocks Zulu out and becomes the new heavyweight champion!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Maugen by KO; Styles – Zulu by KO Xavier: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, and after the conclusion of the Maugen versus Zulu fight, I have no doubt Styles and I will be called to the locker room area to give respect and congratulations to both men for putting it all on the line and bringing a bit more respect to YABAI. Hopefully there’s no serious injuries because we do want to see our alliance mates come back strong no matter the outcome of this fight. Styles: Absolutely right! It’s all love in YABAI, even if we give each other crap, so we’ll kick it with the homies after this fight is over. If Maugen wins then you, Xavier, owe me a steak and lobster dinner! If Zulu wins then I owe you one. Lastly, we have to thank Ma Balls Is Hot for providing very cool and humorous clothing. We greatly appreciate it. On behalf of Esiah Xavier, this is Furious Styles, signing off, and we thank you for joining us. We’ll see you at the fights! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseppe Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 Hopkins: before i sign a multi million contract with the best 340k org in the business(SFL) i just wanna say im a free agent right now and if AKONI wins his next fight im down to throw with him #letsgowilliam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator001 Posted July 29, 2020 Report Share Posted July 29, 2020 The Inferno- Ma Balls Is Hot "Hottest fighter" award for ICS 46 in Los Angeles is Harry "Opie" Winston managed by Rodrigo Rojas http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/14/14w16.jpg http://www.mmatycoon....php?FID=283863 What a great night with lots of excellent fights and performances by Ma Balls Is Hot fighters. We really had to go with Harry Winston here though. Thought of as a being well past his best, Harry has really hit his straps in 2020 having won 5 of his last 6. Rodrigo has definitely worked out the best way to manage older fighters and get the best out of them This brings Harry's record to 5-2 in the Inferno organization and with a couple more wins, who knows where this ends up This win moves Scotty to a 30-26 record, # 257 P4P and is now the number 34 Middleweight fighter in the world 20000 dollars has been sent to Harry's manager Rodrigo Rojas from the Legion of Doom alliance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted August 2, 2020 Report Share Posted August 2, 2020 INFERNO COMBAT SERIES 49 PREVIEW LA MEMORIAL COLOSSUSEUM Xavier: Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Inferno Combat Series and specifically, welcome to ICS 49! In the booth with me tonight is the aggravated Furious Styles! Styles: You’re damn right I’m aggravated tonight! It seems every time I go to Santa Monica Pier or Malibu to kick it and see what’s up with the honey’s, I’m either getting hated on because they think I’m too close without having my mask on, or when I put my mask on, they complain they can’t hear me well because there are a lot of people talking. I invite them to a quieter spot to speak and they’re not havin’ it! Xavier: Can you blame them for being cautious, Styles? I mean, come on, man. These are uncertain times. Styles: I get that, X, but if this Covid crap is in the air then that’s just the way it is! Why should my ability to show a fine woman a good time be hindered? I wash my hands, I wipe them often with hand sanitizer, I keep my mask on when within six feet of others. It’s freakin’ weak, dude! Xavier: I can tell it’s very difficult for many people, thus why Zoom and other video chat apps have become very busy. At least you can have a chat with someone on camera. Who knows where that’ll lead? Styles: Sure, but that’s not the same thing! You know that! Xavier: I’m sure you’ll figure something out. With that, let’s get down to business! LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION: URI “THE BENDER” GELLAR (36-16-2; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS)VERSUSBEEZOW DOO-DOO ZOPITTY-BOP-BOP-BOP (31-16-1; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Xavier: Our night begins with a clash between two 38-year-old fighters who are battling for dignity, respect, and rounding out their accomplished careers in the style they choose to do so. Gellar, representing Israel, has looked sharp as of late, hence his current winning streak. His respectable boxing, solid Muay Thai, good wrestling and purple belt are overshadowed by his heart and desire to win. Earlier in his career, he established himself as a multi-time champion who refused to stay down if and when he lost a title fight. Again, that’s a nod towards his championship heart and warrior passion, and everyone can respect that! As the twilight years of his career have begun to set in, long gone are the days of being a champion but the experience and knowledge from those battles is indelible, as we often speak about, but they’re an important facet to consider in each fight a warrior of this caliber partakes in. Understanding how to deliver under intense pressure and with high stakes on the line is no easy task as numerous fighters fail to even earn a title shot, let alone actually win a championship. Gellar has shown sporadic instances of surprising striking power and I think for him, that’ll be the difference maker tonight. He’s much shorter than Bop and a bit lighter, so he’s going to have to rely on speed and counterstriking. He’s technically not on the same skill level as Bop so he doesn’t want to allow Bop to establish the pace and place of the fight because that would be the beginning of the end for Gellar, and he knows it. Counterstriking aggression will allow him to score the knockout victory! Styles: Everyone knows this dude’s name annoys me so let’s just get that out of the way. Regardless of how I feel personally, I have nothing but respect for what Bop has been able to accomplish in the cage and no one can take anything away from him. Representing Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as well as Hey Steve, an alliance looking to establish themselves amongst the best, the purple-haired Mohawk-sporting warrior is very technically sound as you alluded to, Xavier. Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a black belt make him dangerous at any point in time despite his advanced age, if you will. He has a substantial height advantage in this fight and I fully expect him to exploit that to the best of his ability. One unexpected weapon he may use in this fight is the head kick because he can setup Gellar with accurate strikes to establish striking range before unleashing a head kick that causes Gellar to crumble to the mat before he truly knows what hit him! Despite Bop’s skills, he doesn’t have the championship pedigree that Gellar has, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Bop is a multi-time champion in his own right. His struggles as of late are well documented but he has the prime opportunity to turn things around tonight and I absolutely think he’ll do that by peppering Gellar with a multitude of punches before unloading the one brutal head kick he needs to put Gellar to bed by way of knockout!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bop by KO; Xavier – Gellar by KO FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: THOMAS “THE WARRIOR” POWER (28-21-1; CURRENT STREAK: 3 LOSSES)VERSUSFINNISH EXPERIMENT II (20-13 MMA; 2-0 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 2 LOSSES) Styles: Well, the good news tonight is one of these men, unless they fight to a draw of course, will snap their losing streak. This fight may not be a hot ticket seller for the fans, but it’s still a battle of two very technically skilled warriors who are close in age and skillset, and combat experience. Power steps into this fight representing Vendetta, and the warrior from Stanhope, England, definitely enjoys being involved in combat! Just look at his face! Tattoo’s on his head, along with a deep scar on the right side of his face, are evidence enough that this dude has seen his share of wars in that cage, and despite the ebb and flow of his career, he’s still going at it like a man with something to prove, and at 34 years old, that’s very admirable. World class on his feet, he’s also an outstanding wrestler who holds a brown belt, so the skills are there to handle himself in any given situation. He’s a bit shorter than Experiment in this fight so look for him to try and counterattack, especially to the body, to slow down Experiment and set him up for quick, accurate shots mixed with the occasional power strike to see how Experiment handles that. Like the majority of fighters at this level, Power has had his time in the spotlight as a multi-time champion so that knowledge is there. The question is, can he finish this fight before Experiment potentially gets to his questionable chin? I look for Power to start off very aggressive with power strikes from counterattacks in an effort to test Experiment’s chin early and often and try to finish this fight in the standup. Power halts his losing streak tonight with a knockout win! Xavier: I’ve always found it a bit ironic that warriors who spend countless hours training their skills in the gym, ring and cage partake in activities that could potentially be counter-productive to all of that hard work. They’re grown men and to each their own, but it’s funny to me that Experiment II is a known smoker because that saps conditioning, in the very least, and I wonder if some of his losses have been a direct result of him not being able to fully fill his longs with oxygen in battles that wound up going the distance and he didn’t quite have enough gas in the tank, so to speak, to finish the fight strong. Hailing from a secret lab in Finland, the FinnFighter’s representative brings a technically even higher level of skills than his counterpart this evening. World class in boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling, he also has a brown belt, so there are options Experiment has tonight that make him dangerous to Power! Experiment could opt to make this a standup war, a clinch battle, or a ground-positioning battle if this fight goes to the mat. Personally, I think the smart approach for Experiment is to exploit his height and reach advantage, especially if Power opts to try and land multiple counterstrikes, because Experiment can keep him just out of range with relentless accurate strikes, and if Power manages to bypass his defenses to get close enough to land clean strikes, Experiment can lock him up and control the action from the clinch. I think Experiment takes this fight by knockout because he’ll be able to time Power’s counterstrikes and when he tries to land a power shot, Experiment will capitalize on the miss and end the fight right then and there with a knockout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Experiment by KO; Styles – Power by KO FEATHEWEIGHT DIVISION: DO HO JOY (24-12; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSBED INTRUDER (28-18-1; CURRENT STREAK: 4 LOSSES) Xavier: The FinnFighters are back at it again with their alliance representative, Joy. The South Korean from Seoul steps into this fight with world class boxing and Muay Thai supported by outstanding wrestling and a brown belt. Slightly shorter and lighter than Intruder, I have no doubt Joy will look to keep this fight vertical because, though he’s obviously skilled on the ground, I’m not sure he wants to test his luck on the mat against Intruder! Additionally, I’ll state the obvious that Intruder is struggling as of late. Three of his last four fights have ended in either a TKO, which occurred twice, or a tapout to a Triangle Armbar. That has to be disconcerting for Intruder but music to Joy’s ears because he definitely feels he has enough explosive impact in his strikes to turn the lights out on Intruder early in this fight! Look for Joy to be very aggressive as soon as the bell rings because he does have recent victories by KO and TKO, and he also should feel that Intruder’s striking defense isn’t quite what it used to be, though he’s still a very technically skilled fighter who can’t be overlooked or underestimated. If Joy does either of those, he’s going to find out what it feels like to be the man who loses to a fighter on a losing streak. If Joy ends up being frustrated and/or halted in his approach to this fight initially, he can definitely rely on his championship experience to figure things out quickly while avoiding taking major damage. The bottom line for him in this fight is to not allow Intruder to drag him to the mat where Joy’s chances of scoring the knockout are diminished. I think Joy wins this fight by knockout by being very aggressive and trying to rush Intruder into making mistakes that make him expose his chin for the one clean strike Joy needs! Styles: The 34-year-old fighter from Lincoln, Nebraska, steps into this fight needing a win badly, cut and dry. Four losses in a row at any point in time is difficult to deal with, and when I spoke with his trainers in the locker room area, they expressed concern about his confidence an energy level heading into this fight. Intruder is always confident so don’t get it twisted, but they said he’s just not quite up to par as he normally is, so that’s something to keep an eye on. A world class boxer with excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-level wrestling and a black belt, the slightly taller and heavier warrior has the edge in experience along with championship experience, so he always has that option at his disposal if he finds himself struggling yet again. Many of his most recent fights have been battles of attrition so he’s accustomed to the long game, but, of course, if there’s an opportunity for him to end this fight quickly then all the better, especially if he manages to get this fight down to the ground where has a better chance to control Joy while winning the position battle and potentially locking in a submission, though Joy is definitely versed in BJJ enough to prevent himself from getting tied up into a submission very easily. The only way Intruder will want this fight to go an extended period of time is if he manages to control the action quickly, possibly catching Joy off guard by counterattacking with a double-leg takedown then floating right into a more dominant position where he can see and feel everything Joy attempts in an effort to counter the attacks and movements Intruder opts to utilize. Intruder is going to have to match Joy’s level of energy from the get go because the only way he’ll be able to drag him to the mat will be to catch him by surprise or overwhelm him in the standup. Intruder snaps his losing streak by making Joy tapout!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Intruder by Submission; Xavier – Joy by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: BILL “THE SPEAR” GOLDBERG (17-12; CURRENT STREK: 4 WINS)VERSUSGABRIEL ARONES (25-15; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS) Styles: Whenever two streaking fighters clash, there’s always an extra level of interest and incentive involved because, obviously, neither one of these men wants to have that momentum snapped, especially at this point in their careers! It’s very impressive that they’re a combined seven wins in a row, a testament to their dedication and hard work, let alone the level of skills they bring to the cage. The 33-year-old from Iselin is all about aggression and that has obviously worked very well for him over the past four fights. Don’t expect that approach to change whatsoever! I’m not sure what it is that has caused Goldberg to have an epiphany of sorts but whatever it is, he seems to have figured something out for himself, even at this late stage of the fight game for his career, and it’s been impressive to see! He’ll basically want to end this fight as soon as possible, and his striking power, coupled with his very good boxing, decent Muay Thai, solid wrestling and brown belt, should enable him to do exactly that. Slightly taller and lighter than Arones, Goldberg should be able to capitalize on his reach advantage while managing to keep Arones at a distance. One thing Goldberg wants to avoid like a bad case of the Hershey squirts is getting dragged to the ground by Arones. If this fight ends up on the ground it could get very ugly and painful for Goldberg because Arones knows how to manipulate the limbs of taller opponents, and Goldberg doesn’t want to play the painful game of forced Twister! Goldberg wins this fight by landing effective power strikes that are enforced by his aggression! Xavier: Arones knows he’s the more technically skilled fighter tonight, and though he’s two years the elder of Goldberg, their combat experience is basically identical. The LEGION OF DOOM member from Brazil has the advantage if he keeps a level head, Styles, and I think that’s exactly how he’ll approach this fight tonight. Being methodical and allowing Goldberg’s aggression to be his downfall is what I see Arones doing tonight because he knows he can control the action in the standup or on the ground, and if Goldberg begins to build momentum in the standup, Arones can lock him up in a clinch to slow Goldberg’s momentum, frustrate him because Arones can control him in the clinch, then continue doing that or drag this fight to the ground where Goldberg absolutely does not want to be! Arones also has championship experience and he’ll be able to rely on that if he feels a bit overanxious during this fight. It’s imperative for Arones to avoid absorbing clean shots to the jaw from Goldberg because Arones’ chin is definitely questionable, and he’s absorbed some brutality over the years. It absolutely helps Arones’ cause that he’s the shorter man because that will enable him to move into various positions with his transitions skills, and he knows how to lock in submissions from numerous angles. Obviously, having this fight on the ground also keeps his chin from taking unnecessary damage in the standup, so look for Arones to counter Goldberg’s aggression with a very aggressive takedown and float over right into dominant position where he can finish Goldberg via tapout!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Arones by Submission; Styles – Goldberg by KO FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION: “THE SAMOAN SCRAPPER” MALAKI FISO (17-10; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUSSARFAZ ALI (25-11-1; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: Both of these skilled warriors are coming off of a loss, so unless there’s a draw, obviously, one of these men will get back into the win column and I highly doubt either man will complain about that. The Guardians make their presence known tonight in the form of Fiso, the warrior from Manono Island (Apai Village), Samoa. The 28-year-old brings Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a black belt into this fight so expect him to handle business no matter what situation he faces! Fiso established himself as a champion early in his career, and those early achievements allowed him to build up a high level of confidence and belief in himself. That allowed him to become a multi-time champion, one of many on the ICS roster, and having the ability to lean on that experience at this age is a major benefit! The scope of his work demonstrates him being akin to forcing opponents to submit and that may prove to be more difficult against Ali, who is just as technically sound as Fiso is. Fiso is taller but lighter than Ali so it’s quite possible that Fiso will look to keep Ali off balance by landing quick, accurate strikes with the reach and assumed speed advantage in this fight, and that could end up frustrating Ali into making critical errors that enable Fiso to take advantage and get fight to the ground. It will obviously be more difficult for Fiso to force Ali to tapout because Ali’s shorter and more difficult to manipulate, but Fiso is four years younger and the assumption is his energy level is larger than Ali’s. If that’s the case then Fiso can simply use high levels of aggression on the ground to control the fight there, and even if he doesn’t secure the submission, he’ll still score vital points and that will be the difference tonight. Fiso wins this by unanimous decision! Styles: The Stepdads step onto the stage with Ali representing them tonight. The warrior from Islamabad, Pakistan, is just as equally skilled as Fiso with Golden Gloves boxing, excellent Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a black belt. To say this fight may be a potential struggle for both men is an understatement. I think the biggest concern for Ali tonight is energy. As you said, Xavier, Ali is four years older and has more miles on his engine by having more fights, but that also means he has the experience advantage, and that, combined with being a multi-time champion, makes Ali a dangerous opponent at all times. There’s no doubt he’s suffered some painful losses recently that have called into question the ability for him to take power strikes from various opponents, but he still has enough fireworks in his strikes to make any opponent at least slightly trepid. Fiso can’t throw caution to the wind in this fight because Ali definitely knows how to take advantage of such situations, especially if Fiso tries to take this fight to the ground early in an attempt to establish dominant positioning. When this fight goes to the ground, the man who was able to score early points in the standup will have the distinct advantage in my opinion, because it’s anyone’s guess what will transpire when these two end up on the mat. If Ali feels he’s behind on the scorecards then look for him to step up his level of aggression and take the chance that he’ll burn through energy faster than Fiso, but it could very well be worth it if this fight ends up in the judges’ hands. I think Ali uses Fiso’s aggression against him to control the space and pace of this fight and wins by unanimous decision!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Ali by Unanimous Decision; Styles – Fiso by Unanimous Decision WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: RODERICK “RIGH” TURNBULL (26-9-2 MMA; 0-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: NONE)VERSUS“THE UNBREAKABLE” GIDEON NAVARRO (26-11; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Styles: The Keyboard Warriors are on the board as the 32-year-old Scottish brawler from Edinburgh steps into the cage with Golden Gloves boxing, world class Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a black belt. Although he’s two years older than Navarro, their in-cage combat experience is nearly identical, so there’s no distinct advantage for either man in that regard. Turnbull may have a bit of a speed advantage in this fight since he’s the lighter man, but overall, there’s nothing that jumps out for either of these men that makes them an overwhelming favorite to win this fight. What that boils down to, then, is sheer will and intelligence. Both men have championship experience, though the argument can be made that Turnbull doesn’t have the same amount of that experience, but that doesn’t delete the fact he has that experience. Turnbull hasn’t necessarily been known for being an overwhelming fighter, so I expect him to dissect Navarro in this fight by playing the precision game with his striking and takedown attempts into control. He knows he can’t match power with Navarro, but he doesn’t have to if he can keep sticking-and-moving while taking advantage of opportunities that Navarro’s aggression will open. If Turnbull has to win this fight ugly by making it a slow, drag em’ out affair on the ground where whoever controls the pace will win the round on the judges’ scorecards, then so be it. Turnbull’s intelligence and ability to avoid the power strikes from Navarro will be the difference maker tonight as he wins by unanimous decision! Xavier: The NAUGHTLY CREW makes some noise as Navarro enters the ring, representing them as well as Honolulu. Navarro has been in some brutal battles, ladies and gentlemen, but he’s had some major victories on his career resume as well, so he knows what he has to deal with tonight in Turnbull. Very much like Turnbull, Navarro enjoys causing opponents to lament in pain while tapping out, but I don’t foresee that occurring tonight for Navarro unless he takes advantage of the standup. Despite being the heavier man, I think the smart approach is to land accurate strikes that not only score vital points on the scorecards but also allow him to get a feel for Turnbull’s aggression, especially when counterattacking, because Turnbull may not want to try for the early takedown. The longer Navarro can keep this fight standing, despite his penchant for grappling, the better because his youth and better skills will pay dividends in what I expect to be a tightly contested battle. Navarro definitely has a championship experience advantage over Turnbull and for him, that will be the difference maker. As you said, Styles, this fight will weigh heavily on wit and intelligence, and Navarro has proven himself to be quite intelligent. Additionally, neither of these men want to taste the power of the other fighter because neither of them are known for having solid chins, so look for Navarro to wear down the older Turnbull with numerous body strikes before possibly attempting any takedowns to attempt the ground-and-pound or submission win. Navarro wins this fight by knockout, however, because I think he has enough power to catch Turnbull off guard with a power blast when Turnbull attempts a takedown!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Navarro by KO; Styles – Turnbull by Unanimous Decision HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION: ULYSSES “THE GOLDEN BEAR” BLAZKOV (13-5 MMA; 4-1 KT; CURRENT STREAK: 4 WINS) VERSUSSAMSON FORTIER (13-9 MMA; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Xavier: YABAI is on the scene in the form of the large Macedonian bear from Kriva Krusha. Blazkov has been feelin’ it in the cage lately, folks, as evidenced by his current four-fight win streak, his second-best career winning streak! Now, everyone knows our association with YABAI so we can go in on alliance mates’ fighters a little bit more than other fighters because we can joke with one another and it’s all good. When I saw Blazkov backstage, I told him that I was very impressed he was able to find a cool red gi from SynCity Fightwear, but I had no doubt they had to make that a very special custom order because gi’s just don’t get made that size normally. Blazkov smiled and put me in a headlock but it was all in fun, so the big man is ready to go tonight. The key to his latest string of victories has been his aggression, Styles. Yes, he went the distance with Frank Granger, a nod to Granger’s toughness and fighting skills, but the other three fights ended in the second, first, and first rounds, respectively. Establishing himself early will be the key to winning this fight tonight against the taller, crushing striking-powered, aggressive Fortier! It’s no mystery that Fortier is full steam ahead and damn the caution. Blazkov is going to have to use Fortier’s aggression against him tonight because if he doesn’t, this fight will be over rather quickly and Blazkov could very well need to get his jaw readjusted. With world class boxing and Muay Thai supported by outstanding wrestling and a brown belt, the key to victory for Blazkov is to avoid the early onslaught Fortier is sure to bring and potentially lock him into a clinch to control the action from there and prevent the potential takedown, though I don’t think either of these men gives a damn about going to the ground because all of their destructive power comes from the vertical base. Blazkov wins this fight by knockout by using Fortier’s aggression against him! Styles: That’s a very good point about that gi being custom made because Blazkov is a big boy. Fortier is definitely not a small man by any means, and his height advantage in this fight plays right into his hands, especially with that aggression you mentioned, Xavier! Typically, at this level, championship experience isn’t that much of a deciding factor, but in this fight, Fortier’s lack of championship experience may be a slight detriment to him. True, he’s overcome that lack of championship experience with sheer aggression and nitrous in his fists, but his body has paid the price for such aggression, especially his chin, and he absolutely doesn’t want to see if his chin can withstand the striking power that Blazkov brings into the cage. Ending this fight early is the name of the game for Fortier and with his power and reach advantage, that’s absolutely a distinct possibility. He puts Convicted Inc. in the spotlight for the first time tonight from Lome, Togo, and his world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-class wrestling and brown belt will be put on display tonight. I think the key to victory tonight for Fortier is to not only be aggressive and using his reach advantage, but to also mix in a good amount, of counterattacks to keep Blazkov off balance. If that doesn’t seem to work, then Fortier could opt to try and take this fight to the ground as a change of pace, though he does take a risk, of course, due to being the taller man. Still, he may have enough of a grappling advantage to score vital points on the scorecards if it seems he can’t turn out Blazkov’s lights with a few clean strikes to the jaw! However, I think Fortier wins this fight by knockout because he still has dangerous and very effective striking power!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Fortier by KO; Xavier – Blazkov by KO FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: COLE REYNOLDS (25-6-2; CURRENT STREAK: 9 WINS)VERSUSIKER RAMIREZ (25-6-2; CURRENT STREAK: NONE) Styles: The Stepdads are in business tonight not only with Reynolds in this championship fight, but they’re also battling one another in the co-main event, and you know I love that, Xavier! However, before we get to the other main event, let’s focus in on this Featherweight Championship battle! Reynolds, the man from Sac Town, as the folks in Sacramento say, brings his intensity into this fight and, technically, he is on a 9-fight winning streak! Yes, he fought to a draw against Quan Le in one hell of a fight, but he didn’t lose, so it’s still technically a winning streak. Argue the semantics if you want, but you can’t argue the results. TKO after TKO, and a head kick KO mixed in, shows what Reynolds is all about; pain and destruction! Despite his aggressive approach to fighting, he’s only been knocked out twice, so that’s an indication of his toughness and his damn hard jaw as well! When he steps into the cage, his only thought is to end the fight as fast as possible and that lust for destruction makes him a very dangerous opponent. Add to the mix the championship experience he has and it’s no wonder he’s one of the very best in the business. World class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, world class wrestling and a brown belt is what he brings into this fight, along with nasty knockout power, and there’s also the mental edge Reynolds has over Ramirez because he knocked him out in the first round at ICS 3! Yes much has happened since that point in time but that doesn’t mean either of these men have forgotten that first clash, and I assure you Ramirez has been doing his homework on Reynolds in an effort to find anything he can exploit to make this battle sway to his favor. Reynolds levels Ramirez once again to defeat him by knockout! Xavier: La Familia heads into the spotlight for the only time tonight but what a spotlight it is. Ramirez knows what’s on the line and so do his adoring fans from Malaga, Spain! He’s tasted Reynolds’ power previously and it absolutely left a nasty aftertaste in his mouth once he picked himself up off the canvas. No one denies Ramirez’s abilities in the cage because the man is a proven multi-time champion, but he absolutely can’t ignore the whispers that he can no longer stand and bang against other heavy hitters because his jaw isn’t what is used to be. There’s no doubt he’s laid waste to many a good fighter as well, but he’s absorbed some wicked power due to some brutal knockouts, and seeing how his last fight against Bobo Nielsen ended, there’s no wonder those questions are being raised. No disrespect to Ramirez at all, but Nielsen knocking him out in the first round wasn’t a good luck from any angle and Ramirez is going to have to dig deep to overcome the powerhouse named Reynolds! He obviously knows to not leave his chin exposed for Reynold to try and rearrange it so I expect Ramirez to utilize his Muay Thai ability a bit more to try and keep Reynolds off balance long enough to potentially test his chin. If he can’t get to Reynolds’ chin early and often, he may opt to try and lock him into a clinch where he can use his taller and heavier frame to lean against Reynolds and land some crucial strikes there while making Reynolds support their combined weight against the cage. I don’t think Ramirez wants to try his luck on the ground because his taller frame could be used against him, so look for Ramirez to try and do his damage in counterattacks from a distance. His world class boxing, Muay Thai and wrestling, as well as his brown belt, will be put to the test once again against a familiar opponent. Ramirez will dig deep and obtain vengeance by knocking Reynolds out!PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Ramirez by KO; Styles – Reynolds by KO LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BATTLE: AKONI “KING OF KINGSTON” GRAY (45-6-1; CURRENT STREAK: 3 WINS)VERSUS“SLENDERMAN” SCOTTY BAPP (15-6; CURRENT STREAK: 2 WINS) Xavier: The final fight of the night is The Stepdads’ showcase as they have one hell of an inter-alliance battle that I know Styles will eat up the entire time. The ageless wonder who defies many levels of reality and expectations continues his incredible run towards cementing his legacy as one of the very best to ever grace the cage! What can be said about this man that already hasn’t been said!? We’ve talked about him extensively and why wouldn’t we? Look at his championship pedigree and that speaks volumes about his achievements. The people of Kingston treat him like an idol and he’s a very proud Jamaican, as he should be! Aside from world class boxing, excellent Muay Thai, Olympic-level wrestling and a brown belt, he brings one hell of a championship heart and a vast warrior spirit! He’s 39 years old yet fights like a 24-year-old, and that’s absolutely mind blowing, especially considering the vast number of fights he’s been in! Usually, the wear and tear of being in so many fights saps the energy and skill of a fighter but there are always exceptions to the rule, and this man is the exception to a great many rules! I won’t even hone in on the numerous championships because we know all about those, but the fact he’s defeated Bapp previously does not bode well for Bapp! Now, there are no assumptions made and it’s quite possible that Bapp has been able to formulate a plan of attack since he’s seen Gray train up close and personal, but he knows what this man brings to the cage. Tonight, I just don’t see Bapp having quite enough to overcome the legacy that is Gray, and Gray will add yet another victory to his extensive list by knockout! Styles: You know me too well, Xavier! I absolutely can’t wait for this fight because the inter-alliance battles always bring that extra layer of intrigue because neither member of that alliance wants to hear all the crap being talked every day from a member of the alliance who could very well be a training partner at various points in time! Bapp has an advantage of sorts by only having a total of twenty-one fights under his belt because, as you referred to, Xavier, the wear and tear on Gray’s body will eventually catch up to him. That could be the difference tonight and it could absolutely be Bapp’s time to catch the legend on the downslope, enabling Bapp to take full advantage of him being the twelve-year-younger fighter who hasn’t absorbed as much collective damage. However, we all know that in the back of Bapp’s mind, his loss to Gray at ICS 32 is still fresh in his mind! Yes, that was some time ago and Bapp has looked solid in his last two outings, but the whispers and footage simply can’t be ignored. World class boxing, solid Muay Thai, outstanding wrestling and a brown belt are the tools Bapp’s working with tonight, as well as a substantial reach advantage. It’s imperative that Bapp utilize that height and land as many clean, quick, accurate strikes as he can on Gray, especially to his bod, in hopes of keeping him at a distance plus wearing him down so he’s not as fast and effective if and when he gets inside of Bapp’s defenses! Bapp has to implore the stick-and-move approach to this fight and absolutely avoid being locked into a clinch as if Gray has the desire to slice him in the clinch. Bapp wins this fight by unanimous decision by outworking the legend in the standup and avoiding being locked into a clinch!PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bapp by Unanimous Decision; Xavier – Gray by KO Styles: That’s our time, ladies and gentlemen! As always, we’re very grateful to all of you for giving us your time and attention, and we hope you’re enjoyed the show and are as excited about these fights as Xavier and I are! Xavier: We absolutely appreciate each and every one of you, and we hope you enjoy the fights as much as we do! Ma Balls Is Hot Clothing continue to produce outstanding articles of clothing for everyone to enjoy so please check them out and enjoy their goods. On behalf of Furious Styles, I’m Esiah Xavier thanking you for allowing us to be a part of your lives, and we’ll see you cage side! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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