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Empire: 6 is Sunday night, which also happens to be Flag Day. At least I think it is Flag Day. Nobody ever knows when Flag Day is, what Flag Day is, or why Flag Day exists. How does one exactly celebrate Flag Day? Does not knowing anything about Flag Day make me less patriotic, even though no Americans actually know the answers? No one can really say!

Pointless holidays aside, there are a pair of title fights on the card, I will mostly focus on those. The first fight is between a pair of poor fighters in Sucks and Fernandez. I’ll take the Mexican, as he is the superior boxer and wrestler, by TKO on strikes in the 2nd.
The second fight is a pretty even matchup, but rumors have it that Danconia Jr. has been pretty disgruntled in the build up. That may be the difference in what may be an otherwise close fight. Therefore, I think Howard will win by unanimous decision.
The third fight has 1-0-0 Joe Dinapoli facing 1-2-0 Jaco Camden. Dinapoli should take this one being the stronger boxer and wrestler. I’ll take him by TKO on strikes in the 2nd.
Next up, in a 145 lbs fight between a pair of 25 year olds, Sampson should be the better fighter both standing and on the ground, so I think he will prevail by unanimous decision.
The next fight is a super-heavyweight contrast in styles between a pair of fighters from the Caribbean. Pivo will look to knock Ruiz out before Ruiz takes him to the ground. I do not think he will be able to do so, leading Ruiz to win by submission in the 1st round.
Up next is a 170 lbs fight between a pair of impressive 18 year olds. Chiddell is an incredible boxer, and he can pack a nasty punch, but McWrestler is better at everything else. I like the Indian by unanimous decision.
After that exciting fight, we get another all Caribbean matchup between the 25 year old Ruiz and the 20 year old Miles. Ruiz has a decent shot if he can take Miles to the ground, but Miles is better on his feet. I think Ruiz pulls it off by submission in the 3rd.
In the fight before the main events, we see another contrast between a standup fighter in Robshaw and the grappler Kallas. Robshaw won his last two fights by KO and TKO in the 1st. I see him winning this one by TKO in the 1st as well.
The co-main event is the 145 lbs title fight between Rico Wilson and Corsair Light. The English champion is just 18 years old, but he is 3-0-0, having defended the belt twice already. Light is a submission specialist, having won all of his three professional fights in that manner. In the other corner will be Rico Wilson, a 20 year old Jamaican fighter. Although he is more well-rounded and older, he will be a massive underdog entering this fight. If Wilson can stay upright, he will have an advantage, but any slip ups and it will likely end in disaster. I think it is unlikely that Wilson has a perfect fight over 5 rounds. In fact, I think it will only take one round for Light to take Wilson to the ground and win by submission.
In the other title fight of the night, Michael Howardson gets a chance to win back the belt against Pedro Gonclaves. Howardson is an incredibly strong and skillful Muay Thai fighter, but he may struggle in other areas of the fight. In their first meeting, Howardson was able to dominate in the clinch and avoid a submission on the ground. Gonclaves is a strong boxer, but he can also win a match on the ground as shown in their last fight. The Angolan champion won the belt by submission in their last meeting, and I do not expect things to go any differently this time around. I think Gonclaves will defend the belt by submission in the 2nd round.
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Empire: 7 is rapidly approaching, and while the card features one main event, there are some other storylines worth watching, too. Most of the undercard sees debuting fighters, so I will briefly discuss those fights before focusing on the important ones.


In an opening matchup between a pair of 18 year olds making their Empire debuts, I’ll take the overall stronger fighter, Jamaican Trevor Barnes, over the Moroccan Hadr Bari by unanimous decision.


The next fight is another set of debuts, but this one is only one round. In a fight that will likely only last one of the five minutes planned, I’ll take Muay Thai specialist Aydan over Panamanian Machado by TKO in the 1st and only round.


In the third straight set of debuts, two 18 year old Brits fighting out of London will battle it out. I’ll take another Muay Thai specialist in Saint George by TKO in the 1st round over his opponent Abbot.


The fourth fight of the evening is a matchup of two Empire veterans. Michael Turner is 2-0-0, and I expect him to continue his winning streak by defeating the 1-2-0 Eddie Miles by unanimous decision.


After a brief break, we see another pair of Empire debuts in match number five. Manny Duran is the second Panamanian on the card, and he is the second Panamanian I am picking to lose, this time to the Nigerian Mia by submission in the 2nd round.


Yet another matchup of Empire debuts awaits in the sixth fight of the card, in which I expect 18 year old Costa Rican Samuel Sanchez to continue the trend of Central American losses when he loses to the older Scotsman Freddie McDowe by majority decision.


Now onto the more exciting matchups, as 25 year olds Ken Mokoto and Jerome Biggs face off at 205 lbs. Mokoto is a very one-dimensional fighter, always looking for takedowns and submissions, but he will likely struggle against Biggs, who is a much superior wrestler and boxer. Biggs should win as long as he stays upright. I have him scoring a KO in the 3rd round.


The next fight is a matchup of two debuts vying for the top challenger spot at 145 lbs. The Italian Golami is a marginally better boxer, which is how I expect this fight to be fought. If it goes to the ground, Golami should have an advantage there as well. I think Golami wins comfortably by unanimous decision.


In another fight between potential title contenders, this time at 205, Max Payne faces Hunter Broderick. Payne may be a strong boxer, but will be outclassed on his feet by the younger Broderick, so his only hope may be to get a submission off a fighter who is a stronger wrestler than him. I think Broderick wins by TKO in the 2nd round in a cakewalk.


Finally, the main event is the much-anticipated super-fight between super-heavyweight champion Buster Gruff and 205 lbs champion Hatebreed Rebel. Rebel, who is moving up to fight “The Bully Goat” after starting his career 7-0-0, faces a much tougher challenger than he has previously faced in his Empire career. Rebel’s two previous opponents, Eddie Miles and Max Powers, are each 1-2-0, which may not prepare him for the 6-1-0 Gruff. While Rebel has not exactly faced stellar competition, the same goes for Gruff as well, as his previous fight does not look as good following Danconia Jr.’s loss to Howard. Stylistically, the Australian Gruff is a strong boxer whose wins have all come by a knockout of some variety. However, his one loss came by submission, the method by which six out of Rebel’s seven wins have come. In this fight, Rebel is looking to become the undisputed King of Empire, securing the belt at the two heaviest weight classes while remaining undefeated at that. Meanwhile, Gruff is looking to continue as the champion at his division and stake his claim as Empire’s top dog. In what I believe will go down as a hard-fought match, I think Gruff’s experience in the super-heavyweight weight class will prevail in a tight majority decision.

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After a long wait, the Empire Grand Prix is finally here. The bracket is full of entertaining fighters, so I will spend a short amount of time highlighting each matchup.


In the tournament opener, Flilipino muay thai specialist Rounin Hashima faces off against Brazillian wrestler Tyson Abreu. Both are incredibly one-dimensional fighters, so it will depend on if Abreu can take “Darui” down enough to get the win on the scorecards, while avoiding a knockout in the clinch. I think Abreu will get just enough done to win an awful unanimous decision.


After that, we see a matchup of nearly identical debuting fighters in Darius Rucker and Danny Peterson. Rucker, a strong boxer who shares a name with a singer, looks to avoid “Drowning” in his fight against a similarly strong boxer in Peterson. However, I think Peterson will end up saying “Goodbye Girl” when he leaves Rucker “Only Lonely” in the octagon with a face looking like a “Cracked Rear View” after a 3rd round TKO.


Enough with the Hootie & the Blowfish puns, and onto the international matchup between teenagers Bonner and Park. The 19 year old Bonner is the much stronger boxer, but struggles massively on the ground. Meanwhile, Jung Ho Park out of Busan is a similarly strong muay thai fighter, but is not nearly as good of a boxer. I think the Irishman will take this one by 1st round KO.


Next up is Manhattan native Ernesto “Lights Out” Powers facing off against the Belgian 19 year old Huckleberry Flint. Not much is known about Flint, as his hometown is listed as f, Belgium, but he is 1-0-0 with a submission victory. Powers is making his professional debut, and I think he will struggle on the ground, which is where this one will be fought. I think Flint will take this one by submission in the 2nd.


The fifth fight of the evening is between Croat Dario Balic and Puerto Rican BJJ specialist Damian “The Devil” Molina. Molina is an incredible force on the ground, but that may not mean much against a proficient wrestler in “Dragi” who should be able to stuff takedowns. I expect the man from Split to take the fight into the clinch and dominate from there in a one-sided fight ending by TKO in the 2nd.


In fight number six, we see the Turkish Ergun Cerrahoglu face off against Aussie Rony Stark. Stark will look to “Leave a Mark” on the ground as his nickname would suggest, but Cerrahoglu is the stronger fighter on their feet. While Cerrahoglu should be one of the tournament favorites on paper, he has struggled thus far in his grappling and MMA careers. I think Stark will score the upset in an ugly unanimous decision.


In the penultimate first round matchup, Icelandic fighter Jax Sigthorsson faces Las Vegas native Jim “The Grim” Reefer. Sigthorsson, a 1-0-0 BJJ specialist hailing from the capital of Reykjavik, will look to win this one by submission on the ground, while Reefer is a 0-1-0 boxing and wrestling specialist who will look to stay on his feet. Despite this, I think Sigthorsson will be able to get the submission he needs in the 1st.


In the final fight of the first round, we see the 3-0-0 Ricardo “Monkey Style” Morra Jr. face Tokyo native Akihiro Imanari. Morra Jr., arguably the tournament favorite, is a skilled muay thai specialist, which is unsurprising given he is from Thailand. While Imanari is the stronger fighter on the ground, Morra Jr. is just too well-rounded for Imanari to deal with, so I expect Morra Jr. to win by unanimous decision.


In the two non-tournament fights of the night, I see Arnold Kallas defeating Simon Slade by submission in the 1st. Similarly, I expect Corsair Light to successfully defend his belt against Steve Barnes by submission in the 1st. It should be an exciting night, one that managers from all over are looking forward to.

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Empire MMA matchmaking-Guys, I have had a few complains from ya'll regarding matchmaking in recent weeks, and hence I wanted to clear the mess once and for all. So..

 

1) we will definitely match your fighters up against others who are of the similar age and similar skill levels at the beginning of the journey here at Empire MMA, but, that is going to change as you move up the rankings (it will be out soon). And when your guy get's close to a title shot, then we can't be giving your guy matchups against similar aged fighters (so don't expect that from us).

 

2. We try to give at least 2 weeks of rest between fights, for your fighters to train and recover. (It might be a bit longer now, because of the upcoming Grand Prix, so please bear it for the time being, it will get better).

 

3. Any fighter callouts here will be noted, but you can't call out a champion if you are not one of the top contenders or else we won't consider the callout.

 

So this is it, I hope that I have made the picture of how we make matchups much more clear to you all. If you all have any questions regarding this, then feel free to pm me.

 

And fight on!

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The Empire MMA (145 lbs) champion Crosair Light has beven stripped of his title due to inactivity for more than 30 days. Hence we are looking for new challengers at 145lbs to challenge for the vacant title. So if any of you guys have any 145lbs 360k fighters who are good enough to challenge for the title, then do let me know through a pm, and if that fighter turns out to be deserving of a title shot, then I will send the contract immediately.

 

Also, this is a warning to all the contracted fighters at Empire MMA...

"Please do not become inactive, otherwise there will be consequences."

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The first round of the Empire Grand Prix is now in the books. I’ll briefly recap the fights here.


In the opener, two 18 year olds duked it out, but it was Tyson Abreu who came up victorious. It did not look that way initially, as it was Rounin Hashima who dominated the early going, scoring a cut on Abreu early on, but Abreu scored takedown late in the 1st to stem the tide and another one early in the 2nd leading to a submission later in the round.


The second scheduled fight was a no-contest since Darius Rucker missed weight. Danny Peterson will move on. I will spare you the Hootie and the Blowfish puns this time.


The second actual fight was another matchup of youngsters, as Jung Ho Park dominated Irishman Myke Bonner. The “Korean Wonderkid” lived up to his billing in this one as he dominated from the very start. Bonner was only able to escape the clinch for a brief moment before Park took him right back in and ended it by TKO in the 1st.


In the fourth fight scheduled, Huckleberry Flint destroyed Ernesto Powers. Powers scored the early takedown, but the Manhattan native was thoroughly outmatched by the Belgian who took Powers to the woodshed. Flint was unstoppable on the ground, and the referee rightfully stopped the match for a TKO in the 1st.


In the next one, Croatian Dario Balic scored another win for the European contingent through a likely fight of the night winning performance over Damian Molina. “Dragi” looked like a contender for the championship when he took the Puerto Rican into the clinch early and landed all 13 of his punches leading to a TKO less than a minute into the fight.


Following that electric performance, Ergun Cerrahoglu cruised past Aussie Rony Stark. The Turk won 30:26 on all three scorecards in a match which consisted of Stark hoping and praying for a submission while taking obscene amounts of punishment. Cerrahoglu looked like a top contender, unsurprising as he is one of the more experienced fighters in the field.


The seventh fight on the card was a quick one, as Icelandic fighter Jax Sigthorsson defeated Jim Reefer. The Pittsburgh native was the more aggressive out of the gate, but “The Grim” Reefer was unable to do much before Sigthorsson scored a takedown and wrestled away control of the match, leading to a quick submission.


The final match of the tournament’s first round featured pre-tournament favorite Ricardo Morra Jr., who did not disappoint making quick work of Akihiro Imanari. Imanari was unable to land a single attack on “Monkey Style” Morra, who landed an astounding 34/36 punches in the clinch in just 3:31 before the referee stopped the match for a TKO.


The other two fights were also quite entertaining. First up, Arnold Kallas continued the trend of 1st round stoppages by beating the pulp out of Simon Slade en route to a TKO 1:57 into the match. In the main event, 170 lbs champion Michael Howardson was upset by 21 year old upstart Ricardo Miles. “The Butcher” tried to clinch repeatedly, but “The Soca Warrior” took Howardson down from the clinch and got a submission for the belt 2:41 into the match.


It was an exciting night, as the first round of the tournament lived up to its billing, a new challenger emerged at the super-heavyweight division, and a new champion won the welterweight belt.

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Empire: 8 is soon, and it features a title fight at the 265+ weight level. First up is a pair of debuts between Deon Big Daddy and Hector Rodriquez. In what should essentially be a muay thai sparring match, I expect Deon to take it to his older opponent, winning by 2nd round TKO.


Next up is a matchup between Leon Abbot and Chod Piiice. Chod will want to take this one to the mat, but Abbot is no slouch there, as seen against Saint George. I think it ends in a draw.


The third fight sees 2-0-0 Canadian Steve Barnes against Vince Richardson. Richardson just lost to Vito Golamiby KO, but I think he bounces back and wins this one by KO in the 1st.


Next is a fight between Dude McWrestler and Enrique Machado. Dude is coming off a loss, but Machado has no chance even coming off a big win. I got Dude by 1st round submission.


The fifth fight has 1-0-0 fighters Cu Chulainn and Lucas Ardin. Ardin, the Canadian known as “The Aardvark”, is the better BJJ fighter, but I think he loses to “The Hound” by TKO in the 1st.


Luck Chiddell features in the next fight against the debuting Jubei Akechi. “The Iceman” can box, but his Japanese opponent is too well-rounded and will take it by unanimous decision.


Next up are a pair of BJJ specialists in Valentino Piskochini and Damian “Sparry” Mia. The winner of this one will likely face 170 lbs champ Ricardo Miles, so the stakes are high. That said, they’re essentially the same fighter. I’ll take Mia by unanimous decision in a toss up.


Finally, we’re onto the big ones. Jerome Biggs is 4-1-0 in his light-heavyweight career, and he is coming off a nice win against Ken Mokoto, but he has not faced very tough competition thus far. That will all change when he faces Hunter Broderick. Broderick is 3-0-0 for his career, and has won all of his fights in dominating fashion. I do not expect this one to go the distance, and I think Broderick will win what will essentially be a boxing match by TKO in the 1st round.


The next fight is another blockbuster at the 205 weight class, arguably the best Empire has to offer. Ravana Lanka is 5-0-0, but he is making his Empire debut against Joe “Levels” Dinapoli. Dinapoli is an exceptional boxer, but he is more than just that. In his last fight, he KOed Jaco Camden by spinning backfist in the 1st round. Both of these guys are standup fighters, but “The Demon King” may struggle to stay upright after taking enough of Dinapoli’s punches. I think Dinapoli will win this one by 1st round KO.


The main event is the super-heavyweight title fight. Just Do is just 1-0-0 in his career, but his one win came by KO just 65 seconds into the match. He will need to bring similar power if he wants to have any shot against Aussie champion Buster Gruff, who is coming off KOing 205 lbs champion Hatebreed Rebel in just 30 seconds. Gruff and Do are pretty similar fighters. They both are wonderful boxers with enough skill to stay on their feet, but Gruff has much more experience. I think that will make the difference in a tight fight. I’ll take Gruff by 1st round KO.

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Empire MMA Rankings 7/12/20:

Record in parentheses is Empire MMA record


145 Rankings: Will be announced upon the completion of Empire Grand Prix.



170 Rankings: Miles © 5-1-0 (4-1-0)

1. Howardson 5-2-0 (4-2-0)

2. Piskochini 2-0-0 (1-0-0)

3. Gonclaves 4-3-0 (2-2-0)

4. Sanchez 2-0-0 (1-0-0)

5. Akechi 1-0-0 (1-0-0)

6. Machado 2-0-0 (2-0-0)

7. Mia 2-1-0 (1-1-0)

8. Chiddell 1-1-0 (1-1-0)

9. Barnes 1-0-1 (0-0-1)

10. Bari 0-0-1 (0-0-1)

To watch: Dude McWrestler, Khizri Aliyev, Freddie McDowe


Recap: Ricardo Miles is the new champion after a first round submission of Michael Howardson at Empire: 8. Piskochini gets the next title shot after winning a grappling battle against Damien Mia. Rising star Jubei Akechi won his last fight and looks the part of a future champion, while Luck Chiddell and Enrique Machado have each defeated Dude McWrestler.


Upcoming Fights:

Empire GP2: #9 Barnes vs. McWrestler

Empire 9: #3 Gonclaves vs. #4 Sanchez, McDowe vs. Ruiz, Duran vs. Murphy



205 Rankings: Rebel © 7-1-0 (2-1-0)

1. Dinapoli 3-0-0 (2-0-0)

2. Broderick 4-0-0 (3-0-0)

3. Lanka 5-1-0 (0-1-0)

4. Payne 2-1-0 (2-1-0)

5. Biggs 4-2-0 (4-2-0)

6. Piiice 1-0-0 (1-0-0)

7. Chico 1-2-0 (1-2-0)

8. Turner 2-1-0 (2-1-0)

9. Abbot 1-1-0 (1-1-0)

10. Mokoto 2-1-0 (2-1-0)

To watch: Christian Kulvics, Maximillian Powers, Karl Van Horn


Recap: Hatebreed Rebel lost in his attempt to go up to 265+, but the 205 division looks stronger than ever with two undefeated challengers leading the way. At Empire: 8, Joe Dinapoli beat highly touted newcomer Ravana Lanka, while Hunter Broderick took care of Jerome Biggs. Dinapoli gets the first shot at the title, but Broderick is lurking behind him.


Upcoming fights:

Empire 9: Camden vs. Boxer

Empire GP3: © Rebel vs. #1 Dinapoli, #8 Turner vs. Kulvics



265 Rankings: Gruff © 8-1-0 (3-0-0)

1. Kallas 3-1-0 (3-1-0)

2. Chulainn 2-0-0 (1-0-0)

3. Do 1-1-0 (0-1-0)

4. Ruiz 1-0-0 (1-0-0)

5. Big Daddy 1-0-0 (1-0-0)

6. Slade 2-1-0 (0-1-0)

7. Howard 3-2-0 (2-2-0)

8. Pivo 2-2-0 (1-2-0)

9. Ardin 1-1-0 (0-1-0)

10. Rondirquez 0-1-0 (0-1-0)

To watch: Kason Rose, Hinski Grang, Artis Freibergs


Recap: Buster Gruff is the undisputed king of this division, having beaten Hatebreed Rebel and Just Do by absurdly fast KOs. His nearest competitor is Arnold Kallas, who is coming off a big win over Simon Slade. Cu Chulainn, Deon Big Daddy, and Glenn Ruiz each won their first fight, so they could be challengers in the future. For now, it’s just Gruff at the top, though.


Upcoming Fights:

Empire 9: #4 Ruiz vs. #7 Howard, Spong vs. Green, King vs. Barron

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From now on, Empire MMA will have weekly roundups, which will be a combination of every little thing that has taken Empire MMA in the past week, plus, we will be doing a fighter interview every week and possibly a fighter profile writeup every week too, so enjoy the exciting times ahead , and if you haven't already, then join us (get your fighters in here)in the revolution of taking Empire MMA to the very top (one day!).

 

Our new PR manager will be announced very shortly, after finalising the finer details in his contract, and let me tell you, he is good!

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