Squiiid28 Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 I love reading these, great work! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 52 PREVIEW –HARD KNOCKS ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 52 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the jovial Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you for the introduction, Carr! We’re here with 3,000 wild and crazy MMA fans and we’re heading towards Thanksgiving and Black Friday very quickly! Carr: It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes! Thanksgiving is obviously a major holiday and many people are very fortunate to be blessed with healthy families and great-tasting abundant food! I know many people, unfortunately, have various struggles and some struggle mightily with providing food for themselves, let alone housing! There are a lot of good people out there who contribute to organizations that help the less fortunate, and this organization does that through these great events! Ball: Well said, Carr! We’re definitely fortunate to be here every week to present our insight and opinion on the action that we’ll behold each week! These fans show their appreciation by packing the arenas and yelling like wild banshees and we love it! I’m going to steal your thunder, Carr, and I’ll break down the various weight classes we’ll see tonight! We have three Middleweight fights, four Bantamweight fights of which one will be for the Bantamweight Championship, one Lightweight fight, and two Featherweight fights! Carr: I know fans are used to having Light Heavyweight to Super Heavyweight fights on the card, but tonight we’re focusing on divisions that have numerous opportunities for change and trust me folks, that’s just as exciting! Kicking off that excitement is Michelangelo Di Lodovico and Michael Swango! This battle of Michaels, if you will, is one hell of a way to get the night started because both of these men are very capable of being explosive, damaging and exciting! “il Divino” Di Lodovico steps into this fight with an 11-3 overall record, an excellent record, and recently overcame an 8-fight win streak snapping at the hands of Edison Atunes by defeating Ronaldo Gonya at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27 by Rear Naked Choke in the second round! Di Lodovico will carry that momentum into this fight along with a distinct advantage in the ground game tonight! The UnderGround Fights Enterprise members believe he will be able to finish the fight on the ground! Ball: This fight is excellent because both of these young lions are the same age and have the same record! They have a different style so this breaks down to the classic standup versus ground fighter situation! Swango, as I said, is 11-3 just like his opponent and has proven to numerous opponents that his fists are very capable of turning the lights out very abruptly, rudely and painfully! Swango’s last fight was a struggle as he was overwhelmed by Edison Atunes’ punching power but many men have fallen to those fists so there’s no shame in that loss! The question is, did that first-round knockout loss at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 cause physical damage only, or did that put a dent in this young fighter’s confidence and morale!? We’ll have those questions answered tonight as he absolutely wants to keep this fight in the standup and test Di Lodovico’s chin early and often! I feel the longer this fight goes, the better chance that Lodovico has of taking this fight to the ground, so I fully expect Swango to start off like a jet taking off for a fight! Swango will undoubtedly let fists fly and if he connects clean with Lodovico’s chin, there might be a very loud and brutal cracking noise that causes Lodovico’s knees to buckle! I have no doubt the FinnFighters concur with my perspective! Carr: I’m definitely looking forward to this fight and my pick will be Di Lodovico! I think he has the defensive ability and counterattacking ability to avoid major damage from the anxious Swango and set him up for a counter takedown right into side control where he can hail down on him with ground-and-pound and either try to finish the fight there or go for the tap! Di Lodovico wins this intense battle by submission! Ball: I think Swango keeps this fight standing by being light on his feet, pumping that jab in Di Lodovico’s face, and using speed and smart footwork to get in and land timely body shots, which will cause Di Lodovico to drop his hands and open his chin up for one hell of a test! If Swango unleashes an uppercut from his waist and gets all that power behind it, he could very well lift Di Lodovico off his feet and this fight will be over right then and there! Swango wins this bad boy by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Swango by KO; Carr – Di Lodovico by Submission Ball: The Bantamweight Championship hangs in the balance as Moganesh Jain and Kreepee Krawlee lock horns! “The Monkey God” of The Stepdads is an excellent 9-1 overall and has been on an absolute tear, in some cases quite literally, by making nine fighters tap before the snap! Obviously Krawlee is very well aware of that fact but knowing what’s coming and being able to stop what’s coming are two entirely different stories! Krawlee is quite a bit taller than Jain but that actually plays into Jain’s hands, in my opinion, because shorter fighters with excellent submission ability have an easier time of manipulating and isolating one long limb as opposed to having to work harder to isolate a body part of an opponent of similar physical stature! Jain is also six years younger than Krawlee and I think that youthful energy will serve him very well because I expect both men to be in outstanding cardio condition, but older fighters do tend to lose wind from their sails faster than younger fighters. Those are just the laws of nature. One approach Jain may take try and catch Krawlee off guard a bit is to start off in the standup and keeping it there! Everyone knows this will probably end up a battle of taps and snaps, but softening Krawlee up before going to the ground would definitely benefit Jain! I’m sure The Stepdads feel just as confident in Jain as he does in himself to handle whatever Krawlee throws at him tonight! Carr: That’s an excellent point! Jain could try and keep Krawlee off balance by keeping this fight on its feet longer than Krawlee would care to be a part of! However, Krawlee and his age experience could also throw a wrench in that approach! Krawlee could patiently wait for Jain to try a combination or a kick that Krawlee avoids and as Jain tries to recover, Krawlee could shoot in for the takedown and before Jain has a chance to execute his outstanding defensive grappling abilities, Krawlee could gain dominant position and sprawl his taller frame out so Jain not only struggles to get a hold of a limb but also ends up having Krawlee’s weight squeeze some of the wind out of his lungs! “The Spider” brings a 9-4 overall record into this fight and is riding a 3-fight win streak, so momentum and confidence is at an excellent level for this title fight! I’m sure YABAI has ensured Krawlee is as prepared for various situations as possible, and there’s no doubt they’re focusing on that win streak to provide that extra boost he needs to overcome an excellent fighter! Ball: There’s a lot of pressure in any MMA fight but a championship fight is especially pressure-packed and stressful! No one wants to make that vital error that could potentially cost them the title and Jain has faced this pressure for some time now! He’s accustomed to it and has obviously learned to overcome it. Tonight, he does exactly that by softening up Krawlee in the standup before taking control of the fight once it goes to the ground! Jain makes Krawlee get too anxious by controlling the pace and forcing the opening he needs to make a very game opponent tap out! Carr: Krawlee’s age and fighting experience will benefit him greatly tonight! Should Jain opt to keep this fight in the standup initially, Krawlee has enough defensive skill and ability to protect himself from absorbing too much damage while not exposing his chin to any potential blasting! Krawlee uses counterattacking to catch Jain off guard long enough to get in position for ground-and-pound and makes Jain tap out and relinquish the title! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Krawlee by Submission; Ball – Jain by Submission Carr: Jb Brown and Seymour Hughes continue the excitement as they face off for battle! “The One” Brown is an impressive 6-1-1 overall and will be extra motivated because Hughes is literally the only blemish on Brown’s record! They crossed paths at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 and Hughes won by KO in the second round, so you know both of these fighters have that fresh in their minds! When Brown can establish the pace and space of a battle, his submission game is on point and so is his striking defense! However, against Hughes, He took a few more chances than usual and it unfortunately cost him a victory! However, this time around, I have no doubt that he and Cromulent Doom have prepared very well for this rubber match! The approach to the fight will be different so we’ll see if Hughes is ready for that! Ball: “Bulldog” Hughes of The Stepdads is an outstanding 10-1 overall and his only blemish is against Litill Bjornsson! Hughes has proven that he’s dangerous in both the standup and the ground game, so it will be very interesting to see how he approaches this rebound battle! He’s shorter and lighter than Brown so if he opts to test the black belt skills of Brown on the ground then he’d have a potential physical advantage because as was touched upon previously, it’s easier for a shorter fighter to lock onto the limbs of a taller fighter and isolate whatever body part they’ve chosen! However, Hughes may feel that Brown hasn’t been tested on his feet and could opt to start the battle like a house on fire and try to engulf Brown with a barrage of strikes to see if Brown can keep himself out of harm’s way and more importantly if he can keep that chin down! Hughes may even use a series of feints to keep Brown off balance and use precision strikes to prevent him from getting the takedown while allowing Hughes to pick his spots where he wants to unleash power punches and maybe head kicks mixed in! Either way, Brown is going to have his hands full with a sound, well-rounded fighter! Carr: I think Brown learned a lot from his first encounter against Hughes and since both of these fighters are so young, they definitely learn quickly and sustain that knowledge and experience very well! I have no doubt Brown reviewed the tape of that fight multiple times and has adjusted his training and fight plan accordingly! I think Brown figures out how to get Hughes to the ground and methodically wears him down while landing opportunistic ground-and-pound while transitioning himself into more dominant positions where he can wait for that one mistake he needs to lock Brown into a submission for the win! Ball: Hughes has the upper hand, in my opinion, because he secured a victory the first time they crossed paths, and that confidence and knowledge is still there! Factor in his impressive all-around skill set and he’s a handful for Brown! I think Hughes surgically dissects Brown’s approach to this fight, frustrates him and keeps this fight in the standup where Brown can’t unleash those devastating and very painful black belt submissions! Hughes wins this outstanding battle by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Hughes by KO; Carr – Brown by Submission Ball: Genji Kamogawa and Ichiro Suzuki step into the cage of judgement next! This battle of two proud warriors from the land of the rising sun, Japan, will be very intense because they absolutely want to prove that they’re the better fighter, but they both also have a great deal of respect for one another as fellow countrymen, and they want to show the world that Japanese fighters are just as tough and capable as any other on the planet! Kamogawa is 7-8 overall so he’s had a tough go over his career, but various members of Vendetta assure me that he’s going to show a side of himself tonight that we’ve not seen in some time! His spirits are high, his morale much improved, and he’s eager to shake off his recent loss to Kreepee Krawlee by Kimura in the second round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29! He’s a few years older than Suzuki and may lean on that life experience to handle what Suzuki brings into the cage tonight! Kamogawa will want to keep this fight on its feet where he can rain down power punches to try and turn out Suzuki’s lights! Carr: “Broom-Broom” Suzuki is 7-3 overall and has been on a bit of a skid as of late! His last two fights have not gone as he’s planned so he’ll be motivated to avoid three losses in a row! Naturally the question about his morale arises but from what I saw, he’s ready for this fight and is itching to show that he’s better than what his last two fights have shown! He obviously wants to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible where he can control the pace! Physically it seems that both of these fighters are very similar both in height and weight, so other intangibles like speed, agility and strength may be a larger factor! In addition, aggression may very well make the difference in this fight and I think Suzuki will be the more aggressive fighter tonight! Ball: I think Suzuki will emerge the victor tonight by dragging Kamogawa to the mat quickly and pressing him up against the cage so he can’t stand up nor keep Suzuki off of him long enough to land any counter punches! Suzuki stays latched onto Kamogawa with body scissors while landing sporadic strikes in an effort to open up his defenses for the submission win he seeks and attains! Carr: Kamogawa is confident and anxious to show he’s much better than what he showed against Krawlee! Kamogawa seems very fired up and I even saw some Vendetta member slapping him around to fire him up so expect him to rush Suzuki and unleash multiple strikes while looking to get in close and lock him in a clinch where he can control him while preventing him from taking him down to the mat! Kamogawa wears down Suzuki in the clinch then breaks the clinch and looks to break Suzuki’s jaw with power punches that knock him out! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Kamogawa by KO; Ball – Suzuki by Submission Carr: Little Kitty Sripituksakul and Anthony Shiina are set to battle next, and it’s too bad Styles isn’t here because he’d have a field day with the name Little Kitty! Ball: We both know all too well what direction he’d go with that and this is a family show, so it’s better that he’s not on this broadcast! Carr: Absolutely! I don’t want to be named in any potential lawsuits because of him! Kitty is a perfect 4-0 in his young career and has shown both aggression and the ability to land bone-crunching punches that can turn the tide of a fight very quickly! Only one of this fights has gone past the first round so expect that high-energy intensity to be present against Shiina tonight! He’s a bit younger than Shiina and doesn’t have as much in-cage fighting experience, so he’ll have to rely on his speed and punching power in this battle to emerge as the winner! Ball: “Aka Supernova” Shiina is a solid 8-3 overall, and this Stepdads member from Singapore has shown an obvious propensity for the submission game! Here we have yet another classic battle of contrasting styles and Shiina’s fighting experience will definitely be of benefit in this fight! Ironically, at least to me, two of this losses have been by submission but I suspect those losses caused him to not only sharpen his submission skills but also work on physical traits to improve his ability to cinch in submissions once he’s earned the positioning to lock them in! Carr: The young Sripituksakul is undefeated and I think that carries a lot of weight! True, he’s younger and less experienced but you don’t have to be a certain age to be able to snap someone’s jaw with an uppercut and cause them whiplash! I think Kitty uses speed and footwork to position himself to test Shiina’s chin repeatedly while avoiding the potential counter takedowns that Shiina will attempt, and one chin check will get through Shiina’s defenses and nap him! Ball: Shiina’s experience is exactly what will earn him this win! Physically they’re similar in size so yes, skill is a factor, but experience allow Shiina to use Kitty’s aggression against him tonight! Young fighters tend to be gung ho and Shiina knows that, especially those who pack some serious heat in their knuckles like Kitty does! Shiina lets Kitty get in close then takes him down with a quick single-leg takedown into side control where he pummels Kitty with ground-and-pound before making him tap! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Shiina by Submission; Carr – Sripituksakul by KO Ball: Yanji Klushinwa and Ronaldo Gonya are up next to see who the better man is tonight! Klushinwa is an even 5-5 overall so he wants to keep from dipping below the .500 mark! He recently snapped a 2-fight losing streak by defeating Gaga Gogo at RFC 49 by unanimous decision, so he’s bringing in a renewed morale and momentum! The majority of his wins have been by unanimous decision so there are questions about his ability to finish an opponent! He’s knocked out a couple of people so the ability is there! The question is, can he finish Gonya? Klushinwa has been defeated in every way except by cuts and you better believe Gonya is fully aware of that fact! Carr: “Mesta” Gonya is 10-5 overall, and though he’s six years younger, he has more in-cage fighting experience! In addition, he’s the taller and heavier man and is very motivated to win tonight because he’s lost his last two fights! Avoiding that unspoken measuring stick of losing three fights in a row is staring him in the face, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem tonight, Ball! I know you haven’t seen Klushinwa but I did earlier and trust me, he wants no part of Gonya! Dude is on a cloud somewhere and isn’t ready to fight! Ball: Oh! In that case, Gonya wins by knockout! Carr: Gonya wins by submission! Either way, Gonya wins! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Gonya by Submission; Ball – Gonya by KO Carr: Chok Delarock and Oleg Borisov pick the pace and intensity back up as they step into the cage of pain! “A Block” Delarock is 8-9 overall and seeks to even out his record at a .500 winning percentage against Borisov! I really don’t know what’s going on with this 28-year-old fighter from England, but he’s on a 6-fight losing streak! I don’t care who you are, losing that many fights in a row takes a major mental and physical toll! He’s taller and heavier than Borisov so that may help him finally snap that nasty losing streak tonight! Ball: Actually, Carr, this time it’s you who hasn’t seen a fighter in the locker room area! I saw Borisov and dude would rather play basketball than step into the cage against Delarock! “jack-screw” is just mentally checked out tonight and that’s going to land him in a world of hurt! He’s a tough Russian, no doubt, but personally I think after this fight, he needs to seriously consider changing professions! In the meanwhile, Delarock will finally snap his losing streak with a knockout tonight! Carr: All right, I’ll go with you on that opinion because I trust you! Borisov goes night-night at the hands of Delarock! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Delarock by KO; Ball – Delarock by KO Carr: Reijo Halli and Abdul Nurmy will hopefully make a more interesting battle than what we’ll see in the Delarock versus Borisov fight! Halli is 2-1 which, at age 22, is a bit unusual because many 22-year-old fighters have many more fights than that under their belt, but to each their own! He’s shorter, lighter and six years younger than Nurmy in this fight, but I don’t think any of those factors will work against him in this fight! He recently lost to Del Werthers by TKO at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29 in the third round so he wants to put on an impressive showing tonight plus earn that victory to snap the loss! Against Nurmy, I expect Halli to keep this fight on its feet where he’ll look for a fast knockout so he can get in and get out of this fight with little to no harm done to his person! Ball: Nurmy is 5-6 overall and after an excellent start to his career, he changed managers for whatever reason and I think that shook his psyche because he’s dropped six fights in a row! In addition to that, Carr, I saw him at the airport when I was getting my luggage and dude looked like he just came back from an all-night bender! He looked disinterested and tired, and we both know those are very bad facets on their own, but combined!? Forget about it! Going into a fight already tired is just asking to get blasted on by strikes and Halli will be more than happy to oblige him! Halli wins this fight merely by attrition but I say he knocks dude out for good measure! Carr: I’ll never understand how a fighter steps into the cage already very fatigued! That’s just nonsensical because you put your very health and well-being at risk! However, be that as it may, it also makes our picks much easier! Halli by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Halli by KO; Ball – Halli by KO Carr: Trymore Nkomo and Beef Stew will hopefully pick business back up in a big way! “Brave” Nkomo and his wild nature feel is 4-3 overall, and this fighter from Zimbabwe recently lost to Theodore Jasper at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 22 by TKO in the first, so he wants to show everyone that he not only fully recovered from that punishment but he’s also in full fighting spirits and ready to show what’s he’s made of! He favors the submission game so his approach to this fight may very well be to get it to the ground as soon as he can and look for that favored submission victory! Ball: Stew, from the Heritage alliance, is 6-5 overall and definitely wants to avoid falling to that .500 even mark we refer to quite a bit! He’s the heavier man tonight and that extra weight may help prevent him from being taken to the mat where the assumption is Nkomo wants to take this fight! Stew may very well choose to lock Nkomo into a clinch and press his body weight against him so that not only prevents him from being taken to the mat, but also wears Nkomo down and frustrates him in the process! Stew has struggled a bit lately and his last outing against Balagot Liu was not beneficial, losing that fight by unanimous decision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25! He’s obviously looking to get back into the win column here tonight and I expect him to be very aggressive in keeping this fight in the standup where he has a distinct advantage! If he manages to do that, victory will be his! Carr: I think Stew is a more diverse fighter and has the ability to finish the fight both in the standup and on the ground! In this fight, he’ll be able to keep this fight standing where he can unleash damaging shots that finish the fight and silence questions about his ability to finish an opponent! Ball: Stew definitely wins this fight by knockout! He has the strength, skill and knowledge to keep this fight on its feet, and I’m sure his fellow Heritage members have assured him of that! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Stew by KO; Carr – Stew by KO Ball: The final fight of the night is going to be very interesting because we have two 18-year-olds who are not only popping their MMA cherry, if you will, but they’re also managed by the same team! What’s even better than that? They train at the same gym! They’ve had a chance to train together and against one another and study each other at length, so this will be a battle of intelligence as much as any physical comparisons! They’re even the same height and weight, Carr, so there’s no distinct advantage there either! I have no doubt various members of YABAI have placed in-house bets of who they think will win this fight and the winner will have major bragging rights over the other! Will it be Logan Barrengarry from Australia, or will it be Juan Christiano from Israel, who, by various opinions, appears to not only resemble the widely-accepted picture of what Jesus looks like, but he also has some odd aura around him! Carr: An odd aura? Ball: You’ll see what I’m talking about when he enters the arena! It’s like dude has a glowing disc-like aura around him with pulsating colors! Carr: Ball, are you sure you didn’t smoke or eat anything…special and are feeling the effects of that!? Ball: Look, Carr! I know what I saw and you’ll see it too, dammit! Carr: Well, in that case, I’ll take the glowing disc man to win this fight by knockout! Ball: Yeah, I’ll take Barrengarry to win by knockout because Christiano freaks me out a little! Carr: He’s not going to hurt you! Ball: I don’t know, man, he’s just…a different dude! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Barrengarry by KO; Carr – Christiano by KO Carr: On behalf of Ball, we thank you very much for joining us for another preview and I apologize for my colleague being a little freaked out! I’ll have to see with my own eyes what’s going on with Christiano! Ball: Oh, you’re going to see, Carr, and then you’re going to apologize for mocking me! Anyway, thank you ladies and gentlemen! We truly appreciate you joining us and we hope you had fun and learned something new! Take care and we’ll see you at the fights! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 Awesome stuff man, gotta love the MUST READ each week! When I see it pop up in the latest posts, it's an immediate "stop what I'm doing, I'm on 15 minute break!" deal. Thank you very much, Hare, I greatly appreciate it as always! I hope I'm not getting you into trouble at work for taking a break to read the material haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 It's a great format for writing and I like that there is some actual research in it as well, and stuff like Last Dragon Thanks a lot, jjsquirrel, I truly appreciate that! I actually saw The Last Dragon when it was released in the theaters and I have the movie on bluray, so it was easy to reference haha I actually met Vanity many years after Last Dragon and Action Jackson. She was very kind and humbled but it was obvious the choices she made earlier in life hit her hard, the poor woman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 8, 2019 Report Share Posted November 8, 2019 I love reading these, great work! Much appreciated, Squiid! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 33 PREVIEW HARD KNOCKS ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 33! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the voluminous Furious Styles! Styles: When I have something to say I want people to hear me! It’s not my fault I have good lungs that can project my voice well! Speaking of projections, the 3,000 fans who are here are projecting plenty of vocal power as they start to ramp up for the fights they’ll be seeing tonight! Xavier: No doubt about that! These fans are wild and crazy, just the way we like them! They have very good reason to be amped tonight because there’s an incredible lineup tonight with two titles on the line! We’ll see two Lightweight fights tonight, one of which is for the Lightweight championship! There’ll be one Bantamweight fight, three Welterweight fights, one of which is for the Welterweight championship, three Light Heavyweight fights and one Heavyweight fight! Styles: Kickin’ off the night is a fight that numerous fans and MMA fighters alike have chimed in about, and that’s Litill Bjornsson battling Jay Bizihwaeile! Xavier: Bjornsson is a tremendous champion and no one can say anything differently! Styles: Yeah, X, he sort of made short work of your dude, Busk! Xavier: Kieran Busk trained his ass off for that fight and he did what he could, Styles! I’m very proud of my management team and training team for what they were able to do with Busk because, again, keep in mind he took a hiatus from MMA and training and during that time, the promise he showed was slowed! It’s definitely not easy trying to recapture youth and skill but he did what he could! Styles: Well, hell, at least he hit Brornsson before he tapped out! If he didn’t even land a punch or kick then I’d really go in on him but I’ll leave it alone! Besides, we have one hell of a story here in this fight! Xavier: That’s right! Bjornsson and Bizihwaeile are not only outstanding fighters and competitors, but they’re also close friends! Many can and will say that Bjornsson is a mentor to Bizihwaeile and my understanding is Bizihwaeile swore up and down that if he or Bjornsson won a title that they would never fight one another for a title! Styles: Damn, really!? That’s going to add some tension and awkwardness to this title fight, then, but both of these warriors are going to have to set aside their congeniality towards one another and get into that destroy or be destroyed mindset that makes them so successful! If either one of them holds back, even in the slightest way, they’re jeopardizing their chance of walking out of that cage as the champion! Xavier: That’s very true but it’s going to be very difficult to set that aside, especially if they train together and speak with one another about deep life events! There’s a lot that’s going into this fight and the fans will definitely be in for a treat! Bjornsson is seven years older and obviously his combat and life experience are very valuable assets because he’s amassed an incredible 28-1 record! This future Hall of Fame inductee has just been on an unbelievable run and if the younger and slightly taller Bizihwaeile from LEGION OF DOOM has a chance to snap the incredible win streak, it’s imperative he keeps this fight on its feet! Styles: Damn right, X! Keeping this fight in the standup gives Bizihwaeile the best chance plus he keeps his limbs away from Bjornsson and doing that is very intelligent because we all know how dangerous the champion is in the submission game! La Familia has every right to have incredible confidence in the champion and it will take a monumental effort from Bizihwaeile to dethrone the champion, but if anyone can, it’s him! However, I have to roll with the champ tonight, X! I’m sorry to say but he had little problem with Busk and that gave him even more time to train and prepare for this fight so I think he has the edge! Age, experience and overall bad assery is in his favor and he wins this fight by tapout! Xavier: As I said, he’s an incredible fighter and champion but if anyone has the ability to halt his massive momentum, it’s Bizihwaeile! Unleashing his damaging and punishing punches and brutal kicks while keeping this fight on its feet, even if that means he has to take the risk of clinching with the champion and trying to press him against the cage to slow down some of his takedowns! I think his youthful exuberance will be the difference here, plus he’s been able to study the champion for quite some time since he works so closely with him! Bizihwaeile wins by knockout in this otherworldly battle! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Bizihwaeile by KO; Styles – Bjornsson by Submission Xavier: Next up we have Billy Brown battling a fighter who I represent, Kieran Busk! Styles: Do you think Busk will have a better showing than he did against Bjornsson!? Xavier: Time will tell, Styles! I know how vigorously Busk has been training and he has one hell of a heart so we’ll see how he looks and performs tonight against a very good opponent! Styles: “Bayou” Brown is a solid 8-3 overall and is shorter but heavier, and since he favors the submission game that actually works in his favor! He’ll be able to manipulate Busk’s arms and legs easier since they’re long in comparison to Brown’s and Busk will have to show much improved takedown defense against Brown! Bjornsson didn’t have much trouble getting Busk to the mat and we know how that ended so I have no doubt, X, that you’ve worked with Busk to try and keep this fight on its feet as best as possible! Xavier: Obviously, Styles! We all know that Busk struggles mightily on the mat and that’s just the way it is! Using his height advantage will be key in this fight because the longer he’s able to stay on his feet and stick-and-move against Brown, the better off he’ll be! I know Brown and his team have worked on countering that and I expect Brown to counterattack Busk when he gets the chance! Accurate strikes and great footwork will have to be employed by Busk to win this fight! Obviously I’m picking him to win this difficult fight because me and The Stepdads feel he can keep Brown from dragging him to the mat! Styles: Sorry, X, but I have to roll with Brown in this fight! I just think he’s too skilled in grappling and submissions for Busk and once he gets in close and lands the takedown, it’ll only be a matter of time before he makes Busk tap! Nothing personal, X, because you’re my dude and Busk is cool, but his struggles are just too prominent to win this fight! Brown wins by tapout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Brown by Submission; Xavier – Busk by KO Styles: Toussaint Bissainthe and Leon Louis locks horns with the Welterweight title on the line! “Dokte Sosye” Bissainthe is an impressive 6-1 overall, and this member of YABAI has shown excellent overall skills, especially for a fighter who is only 22-years-old! He’s currently on a 5-fight win streak and defeated Josu Aingeru at RFC Showdown In Tokyo 29 by TKO with twenty seconds left to go in the fight! When he lands his punches with accuracy and fury, Bissainthe is a knockout artist and Louis has to be on his toes and his striking defense has to be sharp as a blade if he’s going to avoid being napped out tonight! Since both men are basically the same size, there are no distinct physical advantages that I see here so skill and will are the keys to victory tonight! Xavier: Louis steps into this title shot with an 8-1 overall record, and La Familia will be behind him just as much as they’re behind Bjornsson tonight! They have a lot of confidence in this young lion, as they should! His fists are just as dangerous as Bissainthe’s and his aggression is very high as well, so this fight may very well be a high-energy toe-to-toe fight that will thrill fans! Louis was dominant against Kane Thompson at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 with a second-round TKO! That victory snapped his only loss at the hands of Serhey Rishkinov at RFC 38 so his confidence is where it should be! Styles: Confidence is great, but the skill level that Bissainthe has is overwhelming and I think he’ll prove to be too much for the very good challenger! This won’t be a cakewalk by any means, but I think Bissainthe has the knowledge and skill to avoid major damage by Louis while being able to exact his own brand of punishment that wears Louis down and sets him up for the neck-snapping uppercut that Bissainthe likes to unleash on his victims! Bissainthe baits Louis into leaving his chin open just long enough for the champ to rattle his brain and knock him out! Xavier: I think Louis will surprise the champion and instead of making this a toe-to-toe warfare type battle, he’ll use maneuverability and strategy to put himself into position to counterattack the champion and may even take this fight to the ground where he could surprise the champion with his ground-and-pound and submission abilities! Avoiding damage in the standup is key, obviously, and I think Louis will be able to do that then take the champion to the mat for the tapout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Louis by Submission; Styles – Bissainthe by KO Xavier: Robert Grandis and Branimir Simeon are next into the cage of suffering! Grandis, a representative of Whambam! brings a 6-3-1 overall record, a respectable mark, and we’ll see how his confidence is tonight because he’s on a 2-fight losing streak! His last loss stung even more, specifically, because there was a very mixed opinion of who won the fight between he and Obi Wan Kenobi at RFC 49! Who won that fight depends on who you ask, but I’m sure Whambam! has emphasized to Grandis that ending fights early is the best way to avoid controversy! When Grandis is able to locate and sustain his punches in particular, he’s a dangerous puncher who can rock anyone’s jaw and turn their lights out! Simeon’s head will need to be on a swivel tonight or he may find out the hard way that Grandis brings some snap in those fists! Styles: Simeon is seven years older than Grandis and that experience may serve him well tonight! Overall he’s 10-4, a solid record and obviously he’s had more fights than Grandis as well, so don’t overlook the actual in-cage experience advantage he has! Simeon is shorter and lighter so expect to see him try and use speed and footwork as his primary weapons to position himself for chin checks on Grandis to test Grandis’ chin! Various LEGION OF DOOM members told me they feel Simeon will be able to rock Grandis with power punches and maybe even sneak in a nasty head kick that crushes one of Grandis’ temples and turns out his lights that way! The bottom line is one of these fighters will be napped out! Xavier: I concur, Styles, and I think Simeon has a distinctive advantage here with his age and combat experience! I think he’ll be able to make Grandis become overly confident and take more chances than he normally would because Simeon will frustrate the younger fighter with patience and accurate strikes that prevent Grandis from being as aggressive and effective as he’d like to be! Simeon wins by knockout on a counterpunch! Styles: Grandis will bring the heat and aggression to the older Simeon tonight and will overwhelm him! I think Grandis locks Simeon into a clinch and unloads on his body repeatedly to sap the power and energy from Simeon, and once Simeon slows down enough then Grandis will step up his level of aggression and energy and that will be too much for Simeon to handle! Simeon will drop his hands just enough for Grandis to land an overhand that ends the fight right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Grandis by KO; Xavier – Simeon by KO Styles: Billy Quinn and Nuclear Penguin continue the brutality and excitement in the cage! “Bubba” Quinn is a respectable 7-4 overall and recently defeated William Bonin at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27 by TKO in the first round! I fully expect that same approach and aggression tonight against Penguin despite the height advantage that Penguin has in this fight! Quinn has had quite a few decision victories so his willingness to go the distance in any fight may actually serve him well because he frustrates his opponents by controlling the pace of the fight despite their efforts! That can also cause opponents to be more aggressive than usual and that can open up holes in their defense that normally aren’t there because they’re more calculating with their approach! Xavier: Speaking of calculating, “Tactical” Penguin – see what I did there? – is 9-4 overall which is also a respectable record! This member of The Stepdads favors the snap-and-tap approach and I’m sure Quinn is very well aware of that! However, I think Penguin has the physical and combat skills to counter any approach that Quinn takes because, well, he’s very tactical in his approach and may turn this into more of a chess game as opposed to a purely physical and will battle! Outthinking and outmaneuvering Quinn will be the approach I think Penguin takes and he may even opt to counterstrike Quinn because Quinn’s aggression can be turned against him! Don’t be surprised to see Penguin let Quinn get in close so he can clinch him, press him against the cage, and rain down blows before dragging him to the mat to look for the tapout! Styles: I like dude’s name so I’ll roll with Nuclear Penguin to win this fight by submission! As you said, X, I think Penguin plays it cool, pardon the pun, and lets Quinn come to him with aggression and more relaxed striking defense! Penguin will land opportune strikes, especially kicks to the legs and body, and he’ll surprise Quinn with a takedown and will control the action on the mat until he locks in the submission for the win! Xavier: Quinn may surprise Penguin by also taking a more methodical approach and that will keep Penguin guessing long enough to hold his potential aggression at bay! By doing that, Quinn can land pinpoint accurate punches while staying light on his feet and he can look to counter Penguin’s kicks with some of his own! If the fight ends up in the clinch, I think Quinn has enough ability to keep himself on his feet where he’s most effective and wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Quinn by KO; Styles – Penguin by Submission Xavier: Axel Aethelwulf and Joao Cajo Branca are next into the cage! Aethelwulf and that weird blinking fog around him is 10-5 overall, a good record, and this member of The Stepdads from Kiribati has lost two fights in a row so he’s looking to get things turned around as quickly as possible! That desire to get off the snide may add energy and aggression to his approach tonight and that extra pressure may prove to be a difference maker! The formula is simple with Aethelwulf: either he naps you or you nap him! He enjoys cracking skulls and causing lulls with his fists and I don’t expect that to be any different here tonight! Styles: “Baby-Face Fucka”, which is a nickname that I’m surprised the industry allows but hey, that’s their business, is 6-2 overall and as you can tell by his appearance and those damned blinking lights, he likes to make noise and let his presence be known! Against Aethelwulf he’s taller and heavier, and some members of YABAI told me they expect Branca to try and press that weight advantage, literally, against Aethelwulf in the clinch! Pressing his weight and landing body shots will slow down Aethelwulf and sap some of that dynamite in his fists, giving Branca an increased chance of pulling off this win! Branca has won in basically every way possible so he’s comfortable in any situation, which is impressive for a fighter who’s only 20 years old! However, that aggression can be turned against him and a solid counterpunch from the cannons that Aethelwulf has can make things go south real quick! Xavier: I think Aethelwulf will be able to quell the aggression and energy that Branca is sure to unleash in that cage tonight and that will frustrate Branca which, in turn, will cause him to be susceptible to counter attacks, especially if Aethelwulf catches him coming in with a vicious head kick that thumps Branca on the side of the neck and causes some serious whiplash! Aethelwulf will win this hard-hitting fight by knockout! Styles: Branca’s aggression and power is the exact reason he’s going to win this fight! He can crack Aethelwulf’s skull or take him to the mat and make him tap before the snap! I think he’ll want to prove that he’s just as hard-hitting as Aethelwulf and will have no problem standing toe-to-toe with him! The fans love those types of fights of course and I won’t be surprised if one of these warriors is laid out and bleeding! Tonight, however, I think Branca will be the one standing tall by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Branca by KO; Xavier – Aethelwulf by KO Styles: Sssssoooo…what exactly am I supposed to do with this name!? Xavier: What do you mean? Styles: X, look at this! What in the blue hell kind of name is this!? Xavier: What the hell!? Um, I guess just call him Earl or Eight! Styles: Cool! Eight it is! The hell!? Anyway, dude with more names than a residential neighborhood steps into battle against Danny Corleone with a 1-0 record! Hell, he probably beat Ramesh Sharda in 15 seconds because the dude got dazed by all of his frickin names! Anyway, the Canadian from…seriously!? He says he’s from Microsoft.com!? X, are you sure they drug tested this dude!? Xavier: They drug test every fighter days before and right before every fight, Styles! You know that. Styles: What about psyche evaluations!? Xavier: I can’t speak on that! Styles: Get one for this dude, stat! I know you have to be crazy to be an MMA fighter, but this is a whole new level! Xavier: Corleone has a distinctive height advantage in this fight tonight and may choose to stay on the outside and throw a multitude of punches and crosses to keep Eight at a distance! Corleone is 4-5 overall so he obviously wants to even his record to the .500 mark, but let’s be honest here, Styles! Do you really think Corleone wants to lose to this guy with the multitude of names!? I don’t think he could face his fellow LEGION OF DOOM members if he loses this fight! Taking nothing away from Eight because he did win in 15 seconds, but still, the fight experience advantage Corleone has should propel him to victory! Styles: Well, hell, why not!? I’ll take the man with a million names to win this fight by knockout because he strikes me as a fighter who just rushes in with no fear and lets it all hang out, and that could actually cause Corleone to be more cautious which, in turn, takes away his ability to take this fight to the ground where he could look for a submission! I think Eight just goes ballistic and wins this by knockout! Xavier: Corleone has enough ability and experience to know how to handle an onslaught of aggression, especially in the early part of a fight! I think he allows Eight to rush him and he uses that momentum to take the fight to the ground much faster than Eight expects! By the time Eight realizes what happened, Corleone will be in a dominant position and will control the pace and space while frustrating Eight! Corleone ultimately locks in the submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Corleone by Submission; Styles – Eight by KO Xavier: Vaai Finau and Krisko Kurtev lock horns next! The young Finau is an even 2-2 so he doesn’t want to fall below that even mark and will no doubt do whatever he needs to do to avoid that! After a rough start to his career, he’s turned things around lately and is riding a 2-fight win streak, so his confidence and momentum are in tune at a very good time! He earned a TKO second-round victory over Paul Rabbitte at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 and looks to have that same outcome against Kurtev tonight! He’s both taller and heavier than Kurtev and in my opinion, he’s also the more skilled fighter, so he may try to end this fight quickly by knockout! To me, using his height and reach advantage is the smart approach because he can keep Kurtev at distance while landing accurate and power shots, and he may be able to do some real damage with well-timed kicks to Kurtev’s legs and body! Styles: “The Beef” Kurtev is 3-4 so he seeks the pristine chance to pull his overall record even tonight! He’ll have to put up one hell of a fight after his first-round loss to John Makres at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27! That loss also snapped a two-fight win streak so you have to wonder about his confidence level tonight! He has shown knockout ability in his victories so he does have a punchers chance tonight! However, to pull that off, he’s going to have to look for the counter shot that turns the tide of the fight because I agree with you, X! I think Finau is more skilled than Kurtev and it will be a very difficult fight for Kurtev! He can win so don’t get it twisted, but he’s going to have to execute one hell of a fight plan and execute it perfectly! Xavier: If Kurtev is going to pull out a win, he’s going to have to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible! However, Styles, I just don’t see that happening! Finau looks more focused from what I’ve seen of both fighters tonight plus to me, he has more talent and that will carry him to victory tonight! Finau wins this fight by knockout! Styles: Well, X, I know we don’t concur too often on the outcome of a fight, but I’m with you on this one! Finau will win this fight by knockout because he’s the better and more confident fighter tonight! Accurate punches setup the power punches he’ll unfurl and Kurtev’s jaw will get ruptured in the process! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Finau by KO; Xavier – Finau by KO Styles: Jimmy Jackson and Michael Elliott are up next! Jackson steps into this battle with a 4-6 record along with a recent win over Hot Sauce at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 by Kimura in the first round! I have no doubt that Jackson will look to try and mimic that early success against Elliott here tonight! The win over Hot Sauce also snapped a 4-fight losing streak so he definitely wants to maintain that positivity all fighters gain from winning! Against Elliott, he’s taller and heavier but I think instead of opting to stand outside and pump repeated jabs at Elliott, Jackson will look to take this fight to the ground as soon as he can to look for control and a submission! Xavier: Elliott, despite being 1-1 overall which is decent, has a major disadvantage in terms of combat experience and he’s six years younger as well! In order to overcome those disadvantages, Elliott absolutely has to keep this fight on its feet where he’ll have to counterattack the reach advantage that Jackson has! That comes with a big risk, however, because Elliott got his chin checked by Cochise Harris at RFC 48 in the first round! Losing like that can be damaging to the psyche so we’ll see how he looks when he steps into the cage tonight! Personally I think he looks trepid and that’s definitely not good for him because Jackson looks on top of his game and is more than ready for a fight! Styles: I have to go with Jackson because he just looks more confident to me, X! This does boil down to the typical struggle of standup versus ground fighter, yes, but I think Jackson just has more momentum and confidence heading into this fight and it will show as he wins this fight by tapout! Xavier: Well, Styles, we’ll be on the same page for this one as well! Jackson looks more primed and ready for combat and I think he’ll be able to use his height to take Elliott to the ground with physical momentum by using his hips as the point where the balance shifts! Once Elliott is on the ground, Jackson will take over and lock in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Jackson by Submission; Styles – Jackson by Submission Xavier: Our final fight of the night features Satchmo Knox and Paul Rabbitte! Knox has struggled mightily in his young career so far, but surprisingly, not only does he look very confident tonight, but he also has full support from the UnderGround Fights Enterprise members as if he’s undefeated! Having that support system goes a very long way for a young fighter, and that could very well be the x factor he needs tonight for his first career victory! He’s smaller but heavier than Rabbitte so we’ll see if he tries to get through Rabbitte’s defense and look for a clinch where he could potentially land punches, knees and elbows while trying to slow Rabbitte down! I think that’s his best bet! At 0-3-1, he pretty much has nothing to lose at this point! Styles: “The Rab” is 3-7 overall so he’s obviously struggling as well, but he does have victories so he knows what that feels like, and there’s no doubt he wants to recapture that feeling once again! What adds a layer of interest is Rabbitte is also a member of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise alliance, so bragging rights and emotions are on the line tonight in this fight! Rabbittee has lost in every way possible but he’s won by knockout and tapout, so he does have the ability to get the job done if he can get momentum immediately! I think Rabbitte tries his best to get this fight to the ground and finish Knox by submission because standing toe-to-toe with him or even trying to counter his strikes may prove too costly! Xavier: I think Knox gets his first win tonight, Styles! I think he manages to keep this fight on its feet and in close quarters, opting to clinch and try to control Rabbitte’s hands while landing shots of his own to test Rabbitte’s chin and endurance! Knox gets that elusive victory tonight by knockout! Styles: Rabbitte will be especially motivated tonight because he doesn’t want to catch hell from other UnderGround Fight Enterprise members, especially from Knox, if he loses this fight! You’d be surprised how something so seemingly small can really be a major factor, especially mentally, for a fighter! I think that Rabbitte keeps this in the standup and lands damaging counter strikes that turn the lights out on Knox! PREDICTIONS: Styles = Rabbitte by KO; Xavier – Knox by KO Styles: That concludes this preview and as always, thank you very much for your time and attention, we both appreciate it greatly! Xavier: We know there will be a multitude of people tuning in to see these fights, especially the Bjornsson versus Bizihwaeile battle because there’s a lot of backstory and personal involvement on the line tonight! Take care, be safe and we’ll see you at the fights! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 15, 2019 Report Share Posted November 15, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 53 PREVIEWHARD KNOCKS ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another preview for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the jovial and illustrious Furious Styles! Ball: I appreciate the introduction, X! I’m excited for this lineup tonight because there’s a lot of weight classes represented tonight! There’s sure to be plenty of movement tonight and the Featherweight title is on the line! There’s also one Bantamweight fight, one Featherweight fight for the championship, one Lightweight fight, four Welterweight fights, one Light Heavyweight fight, one Heavyweight fight, and finally, one Super Heavyweight fight! Carr: The diversity of weight classes tonight is excellent as always and we kick off the night with the Featherweight title hanging in the balance! Martin Eugen puts the gold on the line against Thing Thing in what should be an outstanding battle! Eugen steps into this battle with a 21-4 record, which is obviously outstanding! The 29-year-old member of The Stepdads is riding a 6-fight win streak, so his confidence is soaring! These two clashed previously at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21 and Eugen defeated Thing Thing by unanimous decision! There’s no doubt that victory is in the minds of both of these warriors as they cross paths yet again! Eugen was very dominant in his last fight as he finished Chief Navajo in 39 seconds by TKO! Ball: Thing “Thing” Thing, or Triple Thing, has another shot at Eugen with his 8-3 record overall, which is solid! Thing is the much shorter and lighter fighter, so he’ll have to rely on speed and agility more to prevent himself from eating too many strikes from Eugen! The UnderGround Fights Enterprise members told me that Thing has been working very diligently on his ground skills because he feels that’s his best shot against the champion! He obviously remembers losing by TKO so getting this fight to the ground as soon as possible is definitely his best bet! He’s on a 2-fight win streak so there’s no lack of confidence on his behalf! I think counterattacking the champion is the most efficient and logical approach to this fight! I don’t think Thing has the punching power or punishing enough kicks to keep Eugen at bay, so dodging his attacks and looking for openings where he can shoot in and try to get Eugen to the mat and try to control him there and position him for ground-and-pound and submissions! Carr: I’m sure Eugen expects Thing to try and drag this fight to the ground and I don’t think the champion is too concerned about that because he has the ability to lock Thing into a clinch and press him up against the cage which not only allows the champion to land punishing punches to wear Thing down, but that also makes takedown attempts by Thing much more difficult because he’s not able to establish any superior positioning that allows him to shift his weight more efficiently to take Eugen to the mat! The longer this fight stays on its feet, the better it is for the champion to land sharp jabs and occasional striking combinations! Landing strikes will keep Thing at distance and prevent him from having successful takedown attempts! Eugen can use that height advantage and make Thing take chances that he normally wouldn’t take! That plays right into the champs’ hands and will allow him to successfully defend his title! Ball: I think Thing and his weird green beard learned from his first fight against Eugen and he’ll know how to get this fight to the ground where he’ll be very aggressive in working to get into dominant position and land damaging shots on the champion until he’s able to make Eugen give up positioning for defense! Thing quickly shifts positions and locks in the submission for the win and for the gold! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Thing by Submission; Carr – Eugen by KO Carr: Josue Aingeru and Tracy Minaj are set to square off after the opening title fight! Aingeru is 11-3-1, a very impressive mark! However, he recently lost to Toussaint Bissainthe at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29 with twenty seconds remaining in the fight! Though that may not have done a lot of damage to him emotionally, that still hurts because that was an opportunity at a championship! He does have championship experience that’s very valuable, especially against an opponent the caliber of Minaj! However, I’m sure he wants to prove to himself and fellow LEGION OF DOOM members that he’s more than capable of defeating highly-skilled opponents and putting himself right back in the title hunt! Look for Aingeru to stick to his calling card of softs and go for the knockout! What’s interesting is his opponent is also a LEGION OF DOOM member so as we say in the industry, bragging rights are on the line! Aingeru wins by knockout! Ball: Minaj steps into this fight with an 8-14 overall record so he obviously wants to get back into the victory column after suffering through a 4-fight losing streak! Each one of those losses occurred early in the fight and all were by knockout, so Minaj’s chin may very well be glass by now! Keeping his head moving and his feet shuffling gives him the best chance of not getting chin checked tonight! I think Minaj will either look to clinch and keep this fight pressed against the cage where he can try and land punches while dirty boxing, or drag Aingeru down and control the pace of the fight there while seeing if he can land sporadic ground-and-pound! That approach keeps his chin from getting checked and he can see if he can physically dominate an opponent who seems to have more skills than he does! I think Minaj gets this fight to the ground where he wins by tapout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Minaj by Submission; Carr – Aingeru by KO Ball: Tamid Nasib and Killer Kidd locks horns in the next battle! Nasib is a very good 11-3 overall and is yet another member of LEGION OF DOOM, who is well represented tonight already! He recently overcame a loss at the hands of Moganesh Jain by defeating Ichiro Suzuki by TKO in the second round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26! He looks to carry that momentum over into this fight and there’s no doubt his confidence is back at the peak where it was! His fists can detonate various parts of the anatomy and those fists have brought him gold, so I have no doubt he’ll look to test Kidd’s striking defense and ability to move his head out of the way of those brutal knuckles! If Kidd isn’t on top of his defensive game and allows one or two brutal shots to slip through his guard then he could be in for a very painful and short night! I say Nasib is able to get through Kidd’s guard with accurate punches, especially to the body, and those body shots open up Kidd’s jaw for the knockout! Carr: Kidd is giving up significant height here tonight, so if he plans on winning this fight, he’s going to have to decide from the get-go if he’s going to try and take the taller fighter to the ground and look for control and submissions, or chop away at the legs and body of Nasib and slow him down enough to try and land power strikes, especially head kicks that Nasib may not expect! Surprise and counterattacking may prove to be the difference maker for Kidd in this fight, and getting this fight to the mat, in my opinion, is his best option! He can take the chance and lock in a clinch and see if he can sneak in elbows to the head that may cut Nasib and land some energy-sapping knees to the body as well before trying for the takedown! I think Kidd catches Nasib by surprise with a brutal head kick that stuns him long enough for Kidd to take him to the mat and lock in a submission before he can clear the cobwebs! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Kidd by Submission; Ball – Nasib by KO Carr: John Titor and Abdul Rahman are the next warriors into the cage! “The Time Traveller” Titor is a solid 8-3 overall and is on a 2-fight winning streak! He’s shown the ability to finish a fight by knockout but he has a good number of unanimous decision victories under his belt as well! I don’t think he wants to see if he can go the distance against Rahman because keeping any fighter in a fight longer than need be is a very risky business! I expect Titor to look for the clinch where he can control the pace and space of this battle while doing damage inside of Rahman’s striking defense! High energy and aggression may be what Titor relies on for this fight and if Rahman isn’t ready for that, it could take away any advantages Rahman has, namely his weight advantage! I think Titor keeps this fight in the clinch and wins by wearing Rahman down and landing that surprising hook to the side of the head! Ball: “The Sheik” Rahman is a very good 4-1 overall but is two years younger and has less combat experience than Titor! That said, I think he has the ability and wherewithal to keep Titor away from his chin and will be able to land kicks very effectively to Titor’s legs and ribs, taking some of the steam out of his power punches and movement! If Rahman can establish that early and often then look for him to step up his level of aggression and go the knockout finish because he’s shown that he’s capable of doing exactly that! I don’t think Rahman is too concerned about Titor’s punching power and that approach can prove valuable because his confidence will enable him to overcome any trepidation he may feel and handle business as he trained to do! I think Rahman makes Titor drop his guard with well-placed shots to the ribs and as soon as Titor drops his guard, Rahman tags him with a vicious uppercut that turns out his lights! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Rahman by KO; Carr – Titor by Submission Ball: John Makres and Five Finger are the next lions to roar in the cage! “F-16” Makres of The Stepdads is a solid 5-1 overall overcame a recent loss to Royce Gracie by making Krisko Kurtev tap out in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27! Sustaining that momentum from his victory is very important because Finger has proven to be a dangerous opponent! Makres has shown diversity with his fighting approach and the types of wins he’s been able to achieve, so I feel mixing his strikes with feints and counterstrikes will keep Finger a bit off guard and uncertain as to how to fight Makres! I think that uncertainty, coupled with the combat experience advantage that Makres has over Finger, will be the key to victory tonight! Makres will land all sorts of strikes with aggression and counterstrikes, and Finger will take more chances to try and land the power shot to the jaw that he seeks! That riskier approach gives Makres the window of opportunity he needs to either land a head kick that rocks Finger’s skull, or enables him to blast Finger with a spine-straightening uppercut for the knockout win! Carr: “Death Punch” Finger, who looks like a character from The Last Samurai, is 2-1 overall and has shown that he can end a fight early with solid punches! It’s imperative that he keep this fight on its feet and he could very well take the approach of heavy counterstriking in hopes of catching Makres by surprise and knocking him into the next sunrise with a devastating overhand punch! Finger may have to rely more on his physical abilities to get in, land strikes and get out without taking any brutal damage! If he opts to counterattack then he can time his punches and kicks well so when he makes Makres miss any takedown from shooting in, Finger can rock him while he gathers himself and gets back to his feet! Various YABAI members told me that they think Finger can pull off the knockout victory with patient counterattacks and I agree with them! Finger wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Finger by KO; Ball – Makres by KO Carr: Doko Dokov and Sydney Thift are next into the cage of brutality! “The Huricane” Dokov is 5-4 overall which is pretty good, but obviously not as good as 6-4 would be if he pulls off the win tonight! This Bulgarian fighter is on a 2-fight win streak and won a hard-fought battle against Aslambek Marowadoigowiegow at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 by unanimous decision! He’s earned victory with his fists as well as with his twists, so it’ll be interesting to see what approach he takes here tonight against Thift! Since he’s shorter and lighter than Thift, plus six years younger, it’ll potentially be an uphill battle! I think his best chance for victory is to keep this fight in the standup because he doesn’t want to run the risk of Thift locking him in a submission or getting dominant position for ground-and-pound! Staying at a distance allows him to avoid major damage plus possibly land some counter strikes! I think Dokov keeps this fight standing and gets the knockout by committee as opposed to a one-shot knockout! Ball: Thift is an even 5-5 overall and has looked very good over his past two fights to earn a 2-fight win streak! Like his opponent tonight, he’s carrying in a good amount of momentum with those two victories! It’s pretty rare that opponents have the same in-cage combat experience but that’s the situation in this fight! However, the age advantage that Thift has may come into play because he can remain calmer than the young upstart Dokov who could allow his aggression to be his downfall! Thift has enough ability to match the energy that Dokov will bring and he’ll be able to feint his way into a single or double-leg takedown and float right into side control where he can drop hammer fists and elbows until Dokov covers up! At that point, Thift transitions and locks Dokov into a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Thift by Submission; Carr – Dokov by KO Ball: Skjoldr Leifsson and Tim Drive are the next fighters into the cage! The aggressive and brash Leifsson brings his attitude, energy, yelling and 3-1 overall record into this fight! He most recently made Phil Domphy tap out in the second round by Rear Naked Choke at RFC 49, and his 3-fight win streak has definitely given him the momentum and confidence he needs tonight! Physically he and Drive are similar so Leifsson will have to rely on outthinking Drive in this fight, but the end goal is the same! Get this fight to the ground as soon as possible for the best chance of locking Drive into one of many submission holds Leifsson is well-versed in! I think Leifsson will use his excellent muay thai skills to soften up Drive’s legs and body before going for any takedowns because slowing him down while tiring him out works very well in Leifsson’s favor! I have no doubt Vendetta discussed that at length when this fight was signed and Leifsson will win this fight by submission when all is said and done! Carr: “Lovable Sex” Drive, a nickname that suggests he either is in the wrong business or is in an additional business, is 4-3 overall so he definitely has a combat advantage over Leifsson in this battle! Although he earned a unanimous decision win over Marcin Cutlas at RFC 49, UnderGround Fights Enterprise members informed me that he really wants to finish Leifsson because he physically matches up well against him plus he’s had his struggles against ground-fighting specialists! Earning a victory over the talented and intense Leifsson would be a big feather in Drive’s cap, no doubt, and his desire to prove he can finish a very good fighter is an x factor tonight! I can see Drive taking the chance to lock Leifsson into a clinch and forcing him to lean against the cage and protect himself from punches, elbows and knees! While doing that he obviously can’t go for any takedowns unless he wants to risk opening up his guard and if he does that, Drive can, pardon the pun, drive a thunderous uppercut into Leifsson’s jaw and end the fight right then and there! Drive wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Drive by KO; Ball – Leifsson by Submission Carr: Juhani Lammikko battles Lurifax Andersen in the next contest! “Cruel” Lammikko is 8-6 overall so he’s had a respectable career so far but probably not as cruel as he’d like to be! He’s shorter but heavier than Andersen and propensity to win fights by unanimous decision indicates to me that he’ll try to win this fight by attrition as opposed to going for a finish by knockout or submission! We all understand that a decision win isn’t as thrilling as a napout or tapout, but a win is a win, and Lammikko knows how to win in tough situations! I think Lammikko tries to lean his weight on Andersen as much as possible in the clinch in hopes of slowing the pace, making Andersen support that additional weight, plus try to land shots in very close range that can add up the points in a hurry! I think Lammikko cautiously gets in close to Andersen and locks in the clinch to squeak out a win by unanimous decision! Ball: Andersen is 4-2 overall and the LEGION OF DOOM has another fighter representing them in the cage tonight! When Andersen works to get the proper angles, he can rock anyone’s chin with his surprising power so Lammikko better keep his hands up and his head moving or he’ll be in serious trouble very early into this fight! Andersen quite frankly got embarrassed in his last fight because he got knocked out in 25 seconds by Tobb Le Tobb, who is an excellent fighter, no doubt, but Andersen was definitely very disappointed by his performance in that fight! We’ll see how he rebounds from that tough loss and he could definitely use that loss to fuel his fire tonight because social media brutally showed him getting knocked out! Nothing motivates someone like embarrassment! I think Andersen gets some dignity back by catching Lammikko with an unsuspecting combination of punches that drops him to the mat and he doesn’t recover in time to protect himself from the storm of punches Andersen unleashes! Andersen by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Andersen by KO; Carr – Lammikko by Unanimous Decision Ball: Kree P Krawlee and Riley Ferguson clash in the penultimate battle of the night! “The Next Spider” of YABAI steps into the cage with his Clockwork Orange regalia and 3-1 overall record! Krawlee has shown his favoritism towards the submission game and Ferguson is obviously well aware of that! Krawlee’s sole loss was a struggle against Azacca Trounvouche that ended in a unanimous decision victory at RFC 47! Krawlee wants to rebound from that loss and that may motivate him to be more aggressive instead of taking the tactician approach to this fight! Feinting and counterattacking is what I expect from Krawlee in this fight because I don’t think he can hang in the standup with Ferguson! Krawlee stays out of harm’s way long enough to land a few sporadic punches before dodging a combination by Ferguson and landing the counter takedown into dominant position! Once there, he’ll pummel Ferguson with fists and elbows until he’s able to lock in the submission for the win! Carr: “El Tigre” Ferguson is an even 3-3 overall and staying away from dropping below an even record could be his motivation for tonight, let alone the fact he doesn’t want to tapout to Krawlee! Ferguson had his 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Ameqran Anto by Kimura at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 in the second round! I don’t think his confidence has been rattled by that loss, especially when he knows full well that keeping this fight in the standup not only gives him the best opportunity at victory, but it’s also his favored style of fighting! I think Ferguson needs to be very aggressive in looking for the knockout in this fight because the longer the fight progresses, the more chances Krawlee has at landing takedowns! I do think Ferguson has the strength and grappling ability to keep Krawlee from successfully getting any takedowns plus Ferguson can land that one crushing shot that catches Krawlee on the way in with an attempted takedown! Ferguson walks out of the cage tonight the winner by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Ferguson by KO; Ball – Krawlee by Submission Carr: And the final explosive battle tonight features Ray Vision battling Vitaly Lebedev! “Death” Vision brings his 6-5-1 overall record into this fight and this Heritage member has had a bit of a tough go as of late! He had one hell of a fight against Fester Addams at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29, which ended in a draw! It was evident that Vision was very frustrated by that result because he obviously felt he did enough to win that fight! Before that draw decision he lost by unanimous decision to Fester’s family member, Lurch Addams at RFC 46! Vision definitely wants to get things turned around here and I’m sure he’s tired of hearing the name Addams, so he may use that as motivation, as strange as that sounds! Vision can get it done by napout or tapout, so Lebedev will need to be in excellent form tonight! Vision wins this fight by sheer brutality and punching power resulting in a knockout! Ball: Lebedev is shorter and lighter against Vision so he’ll have to rely on speed and smarts to overcome his opponent tonight! He’s 5-4 overall, a winning record but he obviously wants to add another “w” to that record! One good thing he has going is a recent victory over Super Man Yes at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 by unanimous decision! That snapped a 3-fight losing streak that had him starting to question his abilities, so having that recent win has given him renewed motivation, focus and momentum! His best chance to defeat Vision is to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible and control the pace! If he can prevent Vision from getting to his feet quickly then the big man may wear down quickly if Lebedev can land solid body shots while working to improve his position on the mat! If he combines those aspects then he’ll be able to position Vision for a submission and the big man will be forced to tap! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Lebedev by Submission; Carr – Vision by KO Ball: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! It’s always a pleasure to share our opinion and insight with all of you and we’re very grateful for you giving us your time and energy! Carr: We definitely are and we most certainly enjoy presenting behind the scenes analysis as well as our opinion of what we expect! Tonight will be an exciting night of fights and we’ll be sure to bring you further insight next week! Be well, be safe and we’ll see you at the fights! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
actionjackson Posted November 16, 2019 Report Share Posted November 16, 2019 Great stuff Venom, great to see this level of research and writing being done! Writer of the year material for sure. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HareRumpler Posted November 16, 2019 Report Share Posted November 16, 2019 Awesome stuff X! Seriously, always enjoy these in a big way! So sorry the posters were a bit rushed this week, but being it's the first time I could get to them in 3 weeks with my workload at work these days I wanted to at least get something out there to accompany such great write-ups. Keep up the awesome work! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubberWinger Posted November 16, 2019 Report Share Posted November 16, 2019 Jay "Chinny" Bizihwaeile "The hands somehow didn't connect though the better man won congrats to the unstoppable beast Bjornsson. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demo Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 great writing @Venom - raising the bar for my previews now really enjoyed reading these previews 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexManiatakos Posted November 17, 2019 Report Share Posted November 17, 2019 Great previews ,great matchmaking ,great staff and owner . RFC keeps the 340K Orgs standards super high ! Keep up the good job guys ! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 19, 2019 Report Share Posted November 19, 2019 Great stuff Venom, great to see this level of research and writing being done! Writer of the year material for sure. I very much appreciate the props, ActionJackson! I'm glad you like the research and the style of writing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 19, 2019 Report Share Posted November 19, 2019 Awesome stuff X! Seriously, always enjoy these in a big way! So sorry the posters were a bit rushed this week, but being it's the first time I could get to them in 3 weeks with my workload at work these days I wanted to at least get something out there to accompany such great write-ups. Keep up the awesome work! As always, thank you very much for your encouraging words! Don't be so difficult on yourself with the posters! They're always cool and colorful, and I don't think there are any complaints about them from anyone. Keep up the great work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 19, 2019 Report Share Posted November 19, 2019 Jay "Chinny" Bizihwaeile "The hands somehow didn't connect though the better man won congrats to the unstoppable beast Bjornsson. That was one hell of a fight and Bizihwaeile, like Bjornsson, is one hell of a fighter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 19, 2019 Report Share Posted November 19, 2019 great writing @Venom - raising the bar for my previews now really enjoyed reading these previews I appreciate it, Demo, and I'm glad I could inspire you to add a bit more to your previews. I have no doubt they'll continue to be great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 19, 2019 Report Share Posted November 19, 2019 Great previews ,great matchmaking ,great staff and owner . RFC keeps the 340K Orgs standards super high ! Keep up the good job guys ! Thanks for the positive energy and motivation, AlexM, I truly appreciate it! RFC is definitely great and I'm glad I can contribute a part to the entirety of what the organization has become! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 21, 2019 Report Share Posted November 21, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 33 PREVIEW HARD KNOCKS ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 34! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the gregarious Furious Styles! Styles: I can be gregarious when I choose to be, yes, so I’ll roll with that! I’m definitely gregarious when there are a bunch of cool, kick ass people around me who like to talk about and watch MMA fights, so that’s why you have the pleasure of kickin’ it with me each week, X! Xavier: I appreciate that…I think. Styles: Of course you do! We both know that being on this show with me each week is the highlight of your week each and every week! Xavier: Is that right!? Styles: You know it! Xavier: Anyway, ladies and gents, we have a fantastic lineup to discuss tonight, so without further ado, let’s get to the goods! It’s a rare event where Rapid Fighting Championship doesn’t have a title fight on the card, but that doesn’t mean anyone’s going to be disappointed! All that means is there are a lot of fighters presented with a prime opportunity to show what they’re about, what they’re capable of, and their right to a future title shot! Styles: Key positioning is on the line tonight, X, you’re absolutely right! Champions get to completely analyze future opponents right along the RFC executives to determine who’s worthy of what title shot in the future, and when! Futures will be made and broken, and every single warrior fighting tonight should know all of the potential involved! Make noise or go play with toys! Xavier: Tonight there will be two Lightweight fights, one Heavyweight fight, three Featherweight fights, two Middleweight fights, one Super Heavyweight fight, and one Light Heavyweight fight! Styles: Kickin’ off our night of beatdowns, naps, taps and snaps will be Scar Ambe and Jb Brown! “Souless” Ambe, who still doesn’t spell his own nickname right but hey, it’s a nickname and it’s his so he can spell it anyway damn way he wants to! He’s 17-8 overall and this capable member of UnderGround Fights Enterprise has been a bit back-and-forth lately with wins and losses, but his most recent fight resulted in a victory over Dequan Bowman by unanimous decision at RFC 46! The question is will he able to continue that winning momentum here tonight against Brown!? Xavier: That may prove to be difficult against the 8-year younger Brown! “The One” steps into this fight with an overall 6-2-1 record so the obvious number that jumps out immediately is the number of fights overall that these two warriors have had! Quite a discrepancy in favor of the elder Ambe but I don’t think that bothers Brown! The Cromulent Doom member is aware of what’s at stake here tonight! Not only does a victory snap his current 2-fight losing streak but it also builds the confidence he has in his BJJ skills! Both of these men favor the ground game and both are well-versed in it so if and when this fight goes to the ground, all of us will be in for one hell of a treat as tactical positioning and submissions from every angle possible will surely be witnessed! Styles: As I see it, for Brown to overcome the age and experience difference, he’s going to have to come out with his fists flying and look for the knockout, or in the very least try to land some serious punches that damage Ambe before he tries to take this fight to the ground! We all know that’s risky move against a veteran fighter but going to the ground too fast in this fight is as equally dangerous! Brown’s going to have to try and keep Ambe off balance with solid punches and maybe sporadic kicks because if he doesn’t, Ambe’s going to launch in, get the takedown and land right in dominant position! I know Brown’s a black belt but that doesn’t mean he can’t be controlled on the ground and lose vital points if this ends up going the distance! Xavier: Ambe will surely expect Brown to rush him and try to control the speed, especially immediately after the bell sounds! Ambe has napped opponents before so Brown can’t underestimate Ambe’s punching power nor can he overestimate his own chin! No one doubts Brown’s toughness, but against Ambe, taking a risk with your chin is definitely something you don’t want to do unless you’re absolutely sure you can withstand the damage he’s capable of producing! I think the veteran takes this fight because he’ll be able to withstand the initial wave of attacks that Brown launches and once Brown slows down just enough, Ambe will either clinch or shoot in for the takedown, gain dominant position with his tireless grappling knowledge and ability, and he’ll make Brown put himself in an angle that benefits Ambe to where he locks in the submission for the win! Styles: Brown wins this fight by keeping it on its feet and testing the older man’s chin, plain and simple! He may not have the overall grappling that Ambe does but Brown doesn’t worry about positioning his own body in close quarters because he can defend against ground-and-pound plus any submissions that Ambe tries! Brown will be able to transition out of any possible dominant position that Ambe establishes and hell, Brown may even want Ambe to get into a certain position so he can slap on a submission off his back that Ambe doesn’t expect and make him tap! However, I think Brown knocks him out before the fight goes to the ground! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Brown by KO; Xavier – Ambe by Submission Styles: Bryan Mayhem, great last name by the way, and Grant Alyoshin are next to square off in the cage! Mayhem, who should be sponsored by Allstate, has battled his way to an overall 14-5 record, which is quite good! His most recent victory by unanimous decision over Edward Newgate at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 18 was a good win, especially after a tough outing against the very tough Conan The Barbarian by knockout! Various LEGION OF DOOM members told me that they feel Mayhem will be able to nap Alyoshin with thunderous punches so expect to see Mayhem aggressively look for an early napout! Xavier: That’s going to be a tall order, Styles, and I mean that literally and figuratively! “Sweet Ass Knees” Alyoshin is the fighter with the very favorable height advantage tonight, plus he’s shown that he’s quite dangerous in the standup! He looked very sharp against Axel Aethelwulf at RFC50, earning a first-round knockout win, and he’s only been dropped once in his career so far, and that was at the hands of Conor The Barbarian! I think Alyoshin would salivate if Mayhem challenged him to a toe-toe-battle because Alyoshin definitely brings enough firepower to light up Mayhem’s jaw! I highly doubt Alyoshin does anything different than his usual very aggressive approach to end this fight in the first round! I bet YABAI members are praying that Mayhem rushes in headfirst so Alyoshin can unload some nasty bombs! Styles: Nasty bombs!? That sounds like something that happens in the bathroom after eating some bad food! Xavier: You know exactly what I mean, Styles! Don’t start! Styles: You know I’m right, X! Lord knows I’ve made some walls sweat with some food that didn’t exactly digest well! You’ve had the bubble guts before! Montezuma’s Revenge! The Hershey Squirts! Xavier: For God’s sake, Styles, this is a family show! Styles: It’s mostly a family show but there are kids that see blood in sports! Hell, let them learn the different names of the bombs they’ll eventually drop from bad food! Anyway, I think Mayhem surprises a lot of people tonight and catches Alyoshin off-guard with brutal counter punches and maybe a head kick or two that dazes the taller man and opens him up for one concentrated uppercut that topples him! Xavier: I definitely think Alyoshin uses his aggression, reach advantage and TNT-laced knuckles to end this fight in the first round by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Alyoshin by KO; Styles – Mayhem by KO Xavier: Daquan Bowman and Ludwig Mandrill are next into battle, and Bowman brings that Compton disposition, “Deebo” attitude, and 10-4 overall record with him! He began his career knockin’ dudes out but has shown a bit of submission ability lately, and that’s bad news for Mandrill! Del Werthers learned firsthand what kind of submission skills Bowman’s beginning to develop and if he continues at this pace, not only will his fists need to be taken into account but taking him to the ground may not be as safe, if you will, as it was before! Bowman is lighter than Mandrill and I expect him to use that to his benefit in a stick-and-move approach to this fight! Styles: Mandrill has fought his way to an 8-3 overall record and anyone can see he’s all about getting a fight to the ground as fast as possible and keeping it there! When he’s able to get the fight in the grapple and tackle, he’s very comfortable and effective as proven time and again throughout his career! Getting Bowman to the ground will be the key to this fight in my estimation, and though Bowman has definitely showed increased ability, I don’t think he wants to test his skills against Mandrill’s in that realm! Mandrill has to be fluid and disciplined in his striking defense because if he falls for a feint or tries too early from too far a distance for a takedown and misses, he could pay severely by taking a temple-popping hook to the head from Bowman! I think his best bet is to counterstrike and counter takedown the more aggressive Bowman and frustrate the Compton brawler until he gives up his back while trying to stand on his feet where Mandrill can lock in one of a few submissions that make Bowman tap out! Xavier: I think Bowman rings Mandrill’s bell early in the fight with punishing, accurate punches that setup the knockout shot! He’ll be on the lookout for takedown attempts and if Mandrill opts to take the counterattack approach, I think Bowman has the speed and agility to thwart that approach, especially because he’s a bit lighter and that helps his footwork for getting in and out of range! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Bowman by KO; Styles – Mandrill by Submission Xavier: The next two combatants into the cage will be Theodore Jasper and Chief Navajo! The young Watts product and Stepdads member, Jasper, has amassed an overall 7-3 record, which is solid for a 20-year-old fighter! He began his career on a major roll then struggled recently, but he overcame those struggles with a TKO victory at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 32 over Gustav Ahr in the first round! Looking to ride that momentum, I’m sure Jasper will look to use his menacing knuckles to earn him another victory and expand his win streak! He’s a little taller and heavier than Navajo but is definitely at a disadvantage age wise! Styles: Navajo is an even 6-6 overall and definitely doesn’t want to fall below that mark! Despite being eight years older, he only has two more fights than Jasper so Navajo will have to rely on his physical advantages, if there are any, and definitely will have to lean on his combat smarts to win this fight! Getting this fight to the ground will be priority one for Navajo because he’s shown that when he’s not able to do that, he unfortunately pays the price for it! His last two fights have been very rough, losing both of them by TKO and KO in the first round each time! Granted, the warriors he lost to are damn good but that doesn’t bypass the fact he still tasted canvas! That physical and mental damage takes a toll on anyone, period, so Navajo will have to keep his chin tucked and head moving if he wants to avoid a three-peat performance! Xavier: I think the younger and hungrier lion named Jasper wins this fight by knockout, Styles! His aggression, speed and power will simply be too much for Navajo to handle, especially because those two knockout losses are still very fresh in his mind! Yes, he’s a proven veteran who should be able to move past those losses but the pain simply can’t be ignored! Once Jasper lands one or two painful shots, Navajo will begin to doubt himself and that doubt will leave him open for the napout! Styles: I think the veteran will surprise the aggressive Jasper with some nice striking defense and footwork that will make Jasper leave himself open for a counter takedown that he doesn’t expect from the wily veteran! Once Navajo scores the takedown he can take his time and land sporadic strikes while working to improve his positioning through intelligent transitions, strength and patience! Navajo has dealt with young aggressive fighters before so this will be nothing new to him and he’ll slow the anxious fighter down long enough to lock in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Navajo by Submission; Xavier – Jasper by KO Styles: Twisty Kneereaper and Abraham Alcantara battle it out next! Kneereaper has twisted his way to a 6-4 overall record while looking to turn around a recent loss to Jesse Kotkaniemi at RFC 49 by unanimous decision! That loss snapped a 3-fight win streak so I’m sure that’s just a bit more motivation for Kneereaper to get the job done here tonight against Alcantara! That’ll be a tough task because he’s a little shorter, lighter, and seven years younger than Alcantara, so he’ll have to use equal parts smarts and intensity to earn this win! There’s no doubt The Stepdads have him fully prepared to do that! Xavier: “All Day” Alcantara is currently 9-8 overall so he’s looking to avoid falling even with a loss tonight! Like Kneereaper, Alcantara had a win streak snapped recently, specifically a 2-fight win streak done in by Blake Westcutt by Armbar at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 in the first round! That’s obviously bad news for Alcantara and very good news for his opponent tonight! Alcantara has struggled against submission specialists so keeping this fight on its feet is absolutely imperative! Alcantara has shown the ability to brutalize opponents in the standup, especially in the clinch where he has unforgiving knees and elbows, so I fully expect him to try and lock Kneereaper into a clinch and test his muay thai skills! Styles: Yeah, X, this will be a difficult fight because both of these guys are quite good at muay thai! Kneereaper obviously wants to drag Alcantara to the mat but if he tries to shoot in from too far a distance, he could eat a nasty kick that stops the fight right then and there! If Kneereaper tries to score a takedown in the clinch he may end up taking some unwanted damage from knees and elbows! I think Kneereaper manages to land some damaging strikes by mixing up aggression and counterattacking tactics before taking Alcantara down to the mat from the clinch! Alcantara definitely knows to look for a takedown but if he absorbs enough damage then he won’t be able to stop that from happening anyway! Once Kneereaper gets this fight to the ground, it’s just a matter of time before he locks in the submission for the win! Xavier: I think Alcantara manages to keep this fight on its feet because he knows how to use his height and weight advantage to its utmost! The age experience he has will allow him to physically be able to keep Kneereaper at bay because he knows very well how to use his body, particularly his agility and strength, to keep the youngster in the striking distance he prefers and he won’t mind if this fight goes into the clinch because he knows how to capitalize with his elbows and knees! Alcantara may even drop Kneereaper with a well-timed head kick because those can be thrown from any angle, especially if Kneereaper misses with a shoot takedown and while he recovers, Alcantara can throw that kick and end it! Alcantara wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Alcantara by KO; Styles – Kneereaper by Submission Xavier: Lurch Addams and Yhorm Cinder are next to baptize the cage with brutality! “You Rang” Addams from UnderGround Fights Enterprise is a solid 8-3-1 overall and was on a good 3-fight win streak until he crossed paths with Ryo Takuma at RFC 49! Unfortunately for Addams, not only did that loss snap his winning streak, along with his jaw, but it also cost him an opportunity to wear gold! Needless to say, if UnderGround Fights Enterprise wants to motivate this young warrior for this fight, all they have to do is remind him of how close he came to winning a title! Trust me, Styles, that’s tremendous motivation! Addams is six years younger and weighs less than Cinder but I think he’ll be able to stand up to and deal with whatever Cinder throws at him, both literally and figuratively! Styles: “The Giant” Cinder is 7-3 overall and the big Swedish warrior is a bit unusual because he favors the submission approach to fights as opposed to the expected battle and brawl of a man his size! He’s had his ups and downs recently and his last battle was, let’s be honest here, a downright damned embarrassment! Taking nothing away from Luis Maestre and his brick-breaking punches but for any fighter to lose by knockout in a mere five seconds is just not what anyone wants to be known for! Usually with an older fighter, I wouldn’t even fathom there being the chance that their psyche is damaged but I saw Cinder backstage, and let me tell you, X, this very big dude looks very emotionally hurt! Xavier: I hate to say it, X, but that doesn’t surprise me! Losing sucks, being knocked out sucks and is embarrassing for many fighters, but as you said, a mere five seconds is just downright pitiful! A fighter puts in all that time to train and then to have it come crashing down around you in five seconds hurts on many levels! In light of that information, you know exactly where I’m going with this! Addams wins this fight by knockout because Cinder isn’t mentally ready to try and overcome that embarrassing loss! Styles: Whoop, there it is! Bottom line is Addams gets another win but I think he gets it by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Addams by Submission; Xavier – Addams by KO Styles: Daleb Managedov and Shiro Tanaka are next into the cage! I’ll keep this real simple, X, so even you can understand this easily! Xavier: What the hell, Styles!? Styles: What!? You and I both know you sometimes struggle understanding my deep analysis! Xavier: I’ve never had any trouble understanding any insight you’ve provided in any of the shows we’ve worked together, Styles! What are you talking about!? Styles: See!? If you really knew what was going on, you wouldn’t have asked what I’m talking about! Xavier: Oh for f… Styles: Fortunate people, I’m here to provide clarity, so pay attention! I saw the very odd “Ak-47” Managedov backstage and for a dude who’s 6-5 overall, I really don’t know how he’s won any fights recently! He looks as interested in fighting as I look when CNN and FOX show commercials about the impeachment trials! Tanaka is going to mop up the ring with Managedov tonght! Xavier: “Shining Sun” Tanaka is 5-2 overall and this Cromulent Doom member claims to be a descendant of the one and only, Bruce Lee! Styles: Hold up, X! The Bruce Lee, as in, Shannon and Brandon Lee’s dad!? As in, the real life kick ass martial artist who created Jeet Kune Do and made Enter The Dragon, one of the coolest martial arts films, period!? Xavier: Yes, Styles, that Bruce Lee. Styles: Pardon my ignorance here, X, but Bruce Lee was very much Chinese, right? Xavier: Chinese and German, to be exact. His mother had some European blood in her. Styles: Right. So, none of that makes me think of Japan, X! Xavier: Anything is possible, Styles! Distant relatives can be from many different places. Styles: Riiiiight. Xavier: Tanaka lost recently to Reginald Budgiehandler at UnderGround FC31 but he’s making his debut in the RFC, so this is a prime opportunity for him to show what he’s capable of! Since his opponent isn’t mentally ready, it seems Tanaka merely has to pick how he’ll win! Styles: I’ll make this easy! Tanaka makes Managedov tap out! Xavier: I say he knocks him out! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Tanaka by KO; Styles – Tanaka by Submission Xavier: Ruff Tuff and Mama Tosen step into the cage to battle it out! Styles: Mama? Do you think he had a hard time as a kid with a first name like that? Xavier: You know kids are ruthless, Styles, so I’m sure he did! Styles: Yeah, X, you’re right! If he went to school with kids like the South Park kids, I bet his life was hell as a kid! Xavier: Ruff “N” Tuff is 0-4 so, to an extent, his name is appropriate because he’s definitely had a rough and tough beginning to his career! His last fight against Jonny Baker at RFC 51 ended in a second-round TKO! In fact, all but one of his losses have been by TKO! Styles: Hell, maybe the dude is a masochist! Xavier: Let’s be honest, Styles! To be a mixed martial arts fighter on a professional level, each and every fighter has a bit of a sadist and a masochist in them! Styles: That’s a valid point and I hear what you’re saying! However, to me, if a fighter gets beat down time and again and doesn’t win then they’re doing it simply because they enjoy the pain! Xavier: I can see why you’d feel that way. He’s only had one fight make it to the second round so I’m not sure what he can change at this point in time! Styles: He can just jump in the cage and go ballistic in hopes he’ll catch his opponent completely off guard and land a haymaker that ends the fight early! Xavier: That may work! Styles: “Duphus” Tosen is 1-3 so it’s not like he’s a dominating force either, but he does have a win and that’s more than Tuff can say! His last fight against Ameqran Anto at RFC 51 ended in a unanimous decision loss but at least he went the distance with dude! That in itself may be motivational enough for Tosen to be confident that he’ll win this fight! I’m sure the Keyboard Warriors have told him he can drop Tuff with a clean shot to the jaw, so I say that’s what happens here tonight! Xavier: I’ll echo that sentiment! Tosen wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Tosen by KO; Styles – Tosen by KO Xavier: Little Big and Riley Pierce are next to inject some excitement into the crowd! Styles: You said inject! Xavier: Will you stop!? “Fist” Big is an even 1-1 with his sole victory being a unanimous decision over Ronaldo Souza at RFC 47! Some Heritage members told me they feel Big will win this fight by knockout because he’s been hell bent on improving his standup skills, especially boxing and he has shown the ability to be a world class boxer, no doubt about that! He’ll have to keep those fists pumping and his eyes open for Pierce’s kicks and takedown attempts! Styles: “The Lurker” Pierce, damn that’s a creepy nickname, is 0-1 so far in his career! He lost by TKO to Freydis Eiriksdottir in the QFC ranks so this will be a big test for him tonight! This boils down to the classic standup versus ground fighter, X! Pierce wants to get this fight to the ground as soon as he can to give himself the best chance, but against a world class boxer like Big, he’s going to have to either throw a multitude of kicks, both high and low, to keep Big off balance before going for the takedown, or risk getting his clock cleaned by the highly educated hands that Big possesses! Xavier: I agree and I think Big wins this fight by keeping the fight at the distance he wants so he can unleash those stinging punches! If Pierce manages to get inside of his striking range then he can lock him into a clinch and punch away at his body until Pierce drops his hands then boom! Big blasts through the middle with an uppercut that takes Pierce off his feet and sends him to sleep! Styles: Pierce will counter Big’s punching ability with his kicking ability, chopping away at Big’s legs and ribs with well-placed and timed kicks until Big starts to really pay attention to his kicks! Once that happens, Pierce can feint low with a kick then snap a foot upside Big’s temple and it’s nap time! Or, he can use the kicks to setup a countertakedown and once he lands that, Big is at his disposal for the submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Pierce by Submission; Xavier – Big by KO Styles: Jamie James and Martin Kabara bring the night to a close with their finale! James lost his only fight so far by Armbar at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 in the first round so he’s pumped and primed to get that first victory! He’s shorter and lighter than Kabara but some of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise members told me he’s been training extremely diligently on his standup skills! I think that benefits him greatly in this fight, X, because if he wants to get that first win, he’s going to have to keep this fight on its feet where he can do the best damage with his fists and feet! I don’t think he’ll mind trading strikes with Kabara at all and may do his best to try and encourage it, especially if he can land combinations of punches and kicks that daze and tire the younger Kabara! Xavier: Similar to James, Kabara is also currently 0-1 so one of these young tigers is assured their first victory unless they end up in a draw, of course! I think the desire and pressure to procure that first win is too great for this fight to end in a draw, Styles! Kabara lost in the second round to Rain Okada by TKO so redemption is on his mind, undoubtedly! If Kabara can establish his fists and keep himself from being kicked on either temple or on the side of the head, or being taken to the mat where James could lock in a submission, he has a chance to earn that first win! Styles: I say Kabara gets the job done tonight by bootin’ James upside his dome for the knockout! Xavier: I think James wins by knockout because his footwork is excellent and his fists and boxing ability are faster and can hit at more angles than Kabara’s kicks! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – James by KO; Styles – Kabara by KO Xavier: That concludes another Rapid Fighting Championship conclusion, ladies and gentlemen! We thank you truly for joining us and we hope we continue to provide you enlightenment mixed with entertainment! Styles: Yeah, and don’t forget about the craziness, too! We especially want to thank our new merchandise partner, Kore Fight Nutrition! Folks, if you haven’t purchased any products from Kore Fight Nutrition then you need to get on it and check them out! On behalf of X and myself, thank you for taking the time to join us and we’ll see you at the fights! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 22, 2019 Report Share Posted November 22, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 54 PREVIEWBONDI OUTDOOR ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another preview for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the jovial and illustrious Furious Styles! Ball: Thank you kindly, Carr! I do appreciate your words and courteousness! Carr: You’re welcome! We have 5,750 wild and crazy people at Bondi Outdoor Arena who have brought the raucous and merchandise since this morning! Folks are anxious and they have very good reason to be! Ball: Tonight’s lineup definitely gives them just cause to act wild and crazy! Two titles are on the line tonight and the man who is quickly becoming lore around these parts, Litill Bjornsson, faces yet another challenger for his esteemed Lightweight title! Martin Eugen, another warrior who is making quite the name for himself, puts his Featherweight title on the line tonight and that fight will be nothing short of explosive! Carr: Overall, we’ll be seeing two Lightweight fights, one Featherweight fight, three Super Heavyweight fights, two Light Heavyweight fights, one Bantamweight fight, and one Middleweight fight! There will be an excellent mix of styles, body types and attitudes tonight! Ball: There’s no doubt about it, Carr! Plenty of attention will be paid here tonight as some men will improve their future while others will damage it! Carr: Let’s get to the action! First and foremost, we begin the night with a seismic blast! Litill “Mini Mountain” Bjornsson brings his incredible 29-1 record into this title defense against Seymour Hughes! The 29-year-old phenom from Iceland just continues to steamroll the competition as he seeks his thirtieth victory! That’s an incredible feat and believe me when I say La Familia is supremely amped and confident! They definitely should feel nothing else because the future hall of fame inductee is an outstanding champion! He knows how to get the job done, period and has seen every angle of approach, every speed, strength and will there is, and Hughes faces an incredible challenge and opportunity here tonight! When this man graces a card, it’s must-see action and he brings out the very best in each and every one of his opponents! Ball: Seymour “Bulldog” Hughes not only has an opportunity to win the biggest match of his young career, but the 22-year-old Stepdads representative could bring an incredible amount of hype and pride to himself and that alliance! Each and every single member of The Stepdads will be in attendance and like everyone else, they’ll be watching very intently as Hughes looks to dethrone the Lightweight king! Despite being seven years younger, shorter and lighter than the champion, his confidence is not shaken! After all, he’s fought his way to an 11-1 overall record which is outstanding! He definitely knows that his BJJ game will need to be at an elite level to withstand the capability, knowledge and power Bjornsson possesses in order for him to have any chance of scoring this major victory! However, let’s not overlook the fact that Hughes does have pop in those punches and if he can counter Bjornsson when the champ tries a shoot takedown, the tide of battle may turn in the blink of an eye! In addition, Carr, when these two locked horns at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 14, Bjornsson won by Armbar in the second round! Trust me that Hughes hasn’t forgotten about that loss! Carr: It’s vitally important for Hughes to stay calm, loose and fluid if he has any chance tonight, but the same holds true for the champion! Always poised and cerebral, he’s fully aware that Hughes could catch him on the chin if he’s not careful, but there’s no doubt he and La Familia are very well prepared for that plan of attack! Either way, Ball, this will be a fantastic fight and I’m very interested to see what approach the champion takes against such a game and capable opponent! Personally, I feel Hughes will send a ripple through the time continuum with a victory tonight! I think he has the power, speed and agility to catch Bjornsson’s chin clean when the champion tries to shoot in for the takedown, and if Bjornsson gets the takedown, Hughes has the power and skill to prevent himself from being tapped plus he’ll be able to transition well into dominant positions where he can wear the champion down before going for the submission win! Ball: Hughes has a chance, definitely, but the champion is just rolling too well to lose by submission! He has no concerns about Hughes’ submission game because the champs’ submission game is just as deep! The speed and power the champion possesses is near unfathomable and I think Hughes will get overwhelmed by both and won’t be able to prevent the takedown and will have to opt for defensive grappling more than attempts at transitions! Bjornsson will work aggressively on the ground to land strikes when they’re their while positioning himself to wear down Hughes before cinching in the submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Bjornsson by Submission; Carr – Hughes by Submission Ball: Martin Eugen and Darrel Hill keep the tremendous excitement and energy ramped up as they step into the cage to decide the fate of the Featherweight title! Eugen, the loud and proud member of The Stepdads has scratched and clawed his way to a 22-4 record, which is fantastic! The champion is feeling himself as his 7-fight win streak indicates, but what’s even more important, in my opinion, is the fact that Eugen has a victory over Darrel Hill already from their encounter at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25! Eugen won by TKO in the fourth round so he knows he can defeat him! Eugen is taller and heavier so I expect him to keep this fight in the standup as best as he can because that’s where he’s most effective in this fight! Carr: “Hitman” Hill, also of The Stepdads, is a very impressive 11-1 overall! The Stepdads are winners in this match either way, but we both know bragging rights are on the line as well, and that can surprisingly be a good motivator! Hill is eight years younger than the champion but has obviously proven he knows how to handle himself! In fact, his only loss is at the hands of the champion so you know this means a lot to him on many levels! If Hill is going to lighten Eugen’s championship coffers a bit then he’s going to have to drag him to the ground as fast as possible where he can be most effective! However, if Eugen doesn’t think that Hill will look to knock him out first then he’d be mistaken! Ball: I doubt Eugen is overlooking that fact, Carr! They’re alliance members and maybe they’ve even trained together, and that makes this fight that much more interesting and difficult for the both of them! There’s nothing either one of them can surprise the other with because they’re close! Inter-alliance battles always have that extra layer of interest and difficulty but that makes them very intriguing! Despite the intrigue involved, age, wisdom and combat experience, along with a championship pedigree, are very difficult to overcome, and Eugen has all of those things in his favor! Yes, Hill will be very energetic and could be very aggressive in looking for the knockout before trying to take this fight to the ground, but Eugen has been in every type of battle there is and can adjust to any given situation! He weathers the early storm and takes advantage of Hill once he slows down by locking him in the clinch and tiring him out while punishing him before knocking him out! Carr: Hill will look for the early knockout in this battle because he wants to beat Eugen at his own game while earning retribution for their first battle! I think Hill knows he can get this fight to the ground but wants to prove he’s more than just a BJJ specialist, and knocking Eugen out is one hell of a way to show that! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Hill by KO; Ball – Eugen by KO Carr: Konstantinos Nevrakis and James Smith step into the cage to see who the better man is! Nevrakis, the proud Greek from Athens, is an excellent 12-2 overall! He’s shown quite the skill level and ability in BJJ as his many submission victories attest to! He’s riding a 3-fight win streak and it’ll be interesting to see what direction his new management team takes him ever since he left The Stepdads after he defeated Coiote Magrin by Guillotine at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27 in the second round! I know it’s unusual for a fighter to split with management after a victory but it does happen! He’s shorter and lighter than Smith so he’ll need to use that slight speed advantage as best as he can! Ball: James Smith of UnderGround Fights Enterprise is 15-8 overall so the immediate combat experience advantage is evident! Add in the fact that like Nevrakis, Smith favors the BJJ and submission game and this becomes quite interesting! Will either of these fighters try and keep this fight standing for a period of time in an attempt to throw the other man off while also looking to do some damage before trying to take this fight to the ground!? I don’t think either of these man loses any confidence if and when this fight goes to the mat so will and determination will be key in this one! Carr: Nevrakis is on a roll, Ball, and I don’t see that momentum being halted! Yes, Smith is well-versed in the submission aspect of fighting but I don’t think he can handle the physicality and aggression that Nevrakis is sure to bring! Nevrakis may opt to use a high energy output coupled with accurate strikes to keep Smith off balance and prevent him from taking this fight to the ground or locking Nevrakis in a clinch to slow the pace and land damaging strikes! Nevrakis will be able to wear the older fighter down faster and once he visibly slows, Nevrakis increases the aggression with the strikes before taking him to the mat where he makes him tap out despite his vast knowledge! Ball: Smith is the veteran in this fight and has fought some very tough battles! He knows how to handle youthful exuberance, aggression and fighters who are very skilled in BJJ and grappling, and he’s proven time and again that he can withstand it and overcome it! He’ll be able to bait Nevrakis into making a mistake by being overconfident and overaggressive, leaving himself open to stifling counterattacks that leave him stunned and dazed until Smith shoots in and takes him to the mat where he methodically breaks the young fighter down and makes him tap out for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Smith by Submission; Carr – Nevrakis by Submission Ball: Luis Maestre and Ari Baba are the next to fight it out in the cage! “The Dexter Creole” Maestre is 9-2 overall, and this LEGION OF DOOM member from Colombia is a very aggressive knockout artist! He’s only had one fight go past the first round and I don’t expect that strategy or approach to change anytime soon! He embarrassed Yhorm Cinder at RFC 50 with a five-second knockout so he’s had plenty of time to get right back into the gym and continue improving himself! He and Baba are exactly the same height and weight, which is pretty unusual, especially for super heavyweights, but it is what it is! I think this will be a good old fashioned Pier 6 brawl where two behemoths stand toe-to-toe and test one another’s ability to take and give a cannon shot for a punch! Carr: I don’t expect anything less from these two bulls, Carr! “Dono” Baba is 8-4 overall and is just as aggressive as Maestre is, so it will be nothing short of a miracle if either one of these two monsters makes it out of the first round! Bones will be brutalized and blood may very well spill early and often in this battle! If either man senses he’s in trouble, don’t be surprised to see a clinch and some leaning of weight against the opponent until the man in trouble is able to regain his senses! Ball: I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of time for that, Carr! This is going to be like two Sherman tanks facing one another and unloading their ammunition! One of these giants will timber like a large tree and my guess it will be Baba because Maestre has proven he can dish out a hell of a lot before his opponents have a chance to retaliate! Aba has been dropped more times plus Maestre has that five-second win, an indication that he can probably break concrete with his fists! Baba tastes canvas tonight! Carr: Baba has a lot to prove and a win over Maestre would definitely make a lot of noise! He has the power and aggression to get the job done and he just has to be the first man to land the jaw-misaligning shot that makes Maestre’s knees weak and his legs wobble! Baba pours on the pressure and scores the knockout win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Baba by KO; Ball – Maestre by KO Carr: Royce Gracie and Dom Severini keep the heat burning as they step into the cage! Gracie is 15-4 and the Brazilian Hybrid Fighting Alliance member has been struggling a bit lately which has resulted in a 2-fight losing streak! When Gracie is locked in he’s one of the best there is when it comes to submissions but getting the fight to the ground lately has been the main issue he’s been dealing with! Against Brady Jackson at RFC 50, he almost made it out of the first round and avoided trouble but time worked against him and he lost by TKO! He obviously knows that he has to keep his head on a swivel and his chin down to repeat the pattern and avoid a third loss in a row! Severini is taller so that works in Gracie’s favor if this fight does in fact get to the ground! Ball: Severini is an overall 6-4 and is coming off of a recent loss to John McSulley at RFC48 by unanimous decision! He’s shown the ability to turn the lights out on opponents and his speed and agility will need to be on point for this fight in order to give himself the best chance at a knockout! Aggression will also be a key element in this fight because Severini can aggressively throw strike after strike while pushing forward and locking Gracie in a clinch where I feel he has a distinct advantage! Naturally he’ll have to make sure he doesn’t get pulled into guard by Gracie but I expect he has enough strength and wherewithal to avoid that while scoring vital points and damage in the clinch! Carr: In another standup versus ground fighter battle, I think Gracie has a major advantage because of how many more fights he’s had than Severini! Gracie knows how to withstand aggression while simultaneously improving his own positioning for a takedown from the clinch or from distance, and that knowledge will be the difference in keeping his chin from getting cracked until he can take this fight to the ground where he’ll teach Severini how to make someone tap! Ball: Severini’s height and reach advantage will work to his advantage in this fight because Gracie has to come to him and try to get inside his defenses for the takedown, and as long as Severini keeps pumping that jab and landing a cross behind it, Gracie will struggle to get close while keeping unscathed! Severini can even feint some punches and land some kicks to Gracie’s body to slow him down or let Gracie miss with a takedown attempt from distance then kick him in the temple as he rebalances himself! Severini wins by knockout with power and aggression! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Severini by KO; Carr – Gracie by Submission Ball: Brady Jackson takes on Hector Zorba next! Jackson is an unblemished 6-0, very impressive, and LEGION OF DOOM is very proud of that accomplishment! During his 6-fight win streak, his fists have smashed, bashed and crashed every opponent in the first round! That aggression and power make a formidable combination! Add in the fact that Jackson is a bit taller and this is a tough situation for Zorba to be in! Carr: “Zen Master” Zorba is 8-4 overall and recently lost to Dom Severini at RFC44 forty-one seconds in the first round! That’s a painful loss to absorb at any point in time and a fighter of Zorba’s caliber definitely shouldn’t have that happen, but it did! Some members of The GBU told me that initially they had a little concern about how Zorba would do with that loss but they give him a ton of credit for snapping right back to form after that loss and he looks hungry for a fight tonight! Staying away from Jackson’s fists is priority number one and Zorba needs to get the fight to the ground as soon as possible! Ball: I have to roll with the undefeated young stallion because his confidence is soaring, his punches are exploding, and his aggression is turbo injected! I think Jackson checks Zorba’s chin very early in this fight and Jackson’s knockout power is too much! Carr: Zorba will counterattack Jackson’s punching power and aggression with intelligence, patience and explosive takedown power! Jackson’s aggression will open up the angles that Zorba needs for the takedown directly into full mount where he can rain down the hammer fists and elbows until Jackson covers up, allowing Zorba to lock in the submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Zorba by Submission; Ball – Jackson by KO Carr: Uriah Chin and Obi Wan Kenobi cross paths yet again! Stepping into this fight with a 10-4 overall record and a recent TKO win over Chok Delarock at RFC 49 in the first round, Chin also has a previous loss to Obi Wan Kenobi when they crossed paths at RFC28 by KO in the first round! That fight is in both of their minds, I assure you, and Chin may take more risks than his previous fight to try and get Kenobi to the ground in an effort to make him tap out! He may even try to clinch with Kenobi in an effort to land some knees before takedown attempts but that’s definitely a risk because Kenobi has proven to be quite formidable in the standup! Ball: “The Master Jedi” is 6-2-3 overall and as you mentioned, he’s definitely very capable in the standup and recently earned a hard-fought split decision over Robert Grandis at RFC 49! Chin has the combat experience advantage and has shown that his fists can abruptly halt any fight so Chin will have to, pardon the pun, watch his chin! Kenobi is the taller fighter and that will help his punches and kicks be just a bit more effective, and if he’s able to throw a multitude off them with accuracy then that will bode well for him because he’ll be able to score points while keeping a safe distance from Chin plus prevent him from getting close enough for an effective takedown! The strikes will also help setup his power punches that could end this fight in the blink of an eye! Carr: Chin will aggressively go for the takedown as soon as the bell rings and I think he’ll be able to pull that off! Once he gets Kenobi to the mat, look for him to establish side control so he can sporadically land ground-and-pound before cinching in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Chin by Submission; Ball – Jedi by KO Carr: Alejandro Arciniega and Fester Addams are the next combatants into the cage! “The Kraken” Arciniega is 6-3 overall and the LEGION OF DOOM member is an effective striker when he gets the momentum in a fight! He’s currently on a 2-fight losing streak and recently changed management after losing by knockout in the second round to James Fusi at RFC 49! We’ll see what his new management does with his young career because he’s only twenty-one years old and has plenty of time to adapt to a new culture and philosophy! Arciniega has a distinct height advantage and that will help in this fight against Addams! Ball: “Uncle Festerman” Addams is 6-3-1 overall and like Arciniega, he’s an effective striker and can turn the lights out with his fists! One thing Addams may do as a surprise tactic in this fight and use counter takedowns and go for a submission! I’m sure Arciniega wants to go toe-to-toe against Addams and Addams could use that as a fake tactic, if you will, to draw Arciniega in close to him then surprise him with a feint, takedown and control on the mat! Once he does that, he could make Arciniega tap out! Carr: Arciniega will end this fight with ferocity, aggressiveness and knockout power! He’ll bait Addams into keeping this fight on its feet and that will bring a smile to his new management team! What a great way to start a new relationship with management by knocking out the very first opponent! Arciniega drops Addams in the first round! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Arciniega by KO; Ball – Addams by Submission Carr: Jake Bird and Caspian Tennessen step into the cage of pain as the second-to-last fight of the night! “The Tacoma Ax-Killer” Bird is 4-1 overall, his only loss being to Athos Knox by unanimous decision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21! Aside from that, he’s won every fight in the first round so don’t expect that approach and aggression to change! He’s a submission specialist and the FinnFighters are sure to have him in top form for this encounter! Tennessen is a good amount taller so Bird will have an easier time locking in a submission on one of his long limbs if he gets this fight to the ground! Ball: “Viking Lord” Tennessen is 3-2 overall so he’s been struggling a bit, and this member of Cromulent Doom has won by knockout and submission, so when he’s focused, he can definitely get the job done! Problem is, Carr, even with his most recent win over Almin Hadzic by Kimura at RFC 47 in the first round, Tennessen doesn’t look interested in fighting! I know it makes no sense but that’s what I saw when I looked him in his eyes! Carr: Well, I know you know what’s happening so Bird wins this fight by submission! Ball: Bird by submission is the deal, yes! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Bird by Submission; Carr – Bird by Submission Ball: Jimrex Jaca and Bretton Pritcharf have the honor of being the final fight of the night! “The Sleeping Pill” Jaca is an even 4-4 and despite a recent loss to Ari Baba at RFC 50 in the first round by TKO, he does have a previous victory over Pritcharf at RFC 43 in the first round by TKO! Pritcharf does have an Ankle Lock victory over Jaca and that was at RFC 28 in the first round! Pritcharf is much taller than Jaca so Jaca can take advantage of that by getting inside of Pritcharf’s reach and striking defense and focus on body shots to slow down the taller man! Jaca can also wear him down by locking in a flinch and leaning his weight against Pritcharf! Carr: Pritcharf is 6-7 overall and in this fight, he’ll have to try and take this fight to the ground! He’s on a two-fight losing streak and against Yhorm Cinder, he lost in the first round by TKO at RFC 46! Despite him being 29 years old, that first-round knockout damaged him physically and mentally, at least from what I can tell! I don’t think he’ll be able to get this fight to the ground because he’s not fully vested tonight, and you know how I feel about that! Jaca wins this fight by knockout! Ball: I’ll second that motion! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Jaca by KO; Carr – Jaca by KO Ball: That’s our time folks! Thank you as always for joining us and we hope we’ve been able to bring you information you weren’t aware of, and for those of you who are placing bets, we hope you win some money from what we’ve been able to provide you with! Carr: We also want to thank our new merchandise partner, Kore Fight Nutrition! We look forward to seeing what excellent products they have and if you haven’t heard of them, take a look and see what they’re all about! Thank you again, take care and we’ll see you at the fights! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexManiatakos Posted November 23, 2019 Report Share Posted November 23, 2019 @Shaolin Great writing man ! Wow ! Week by week ,you are getting better ! Who can stop Bjornsson ? Another win for RFC's GOAT ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubberWinger Posted November 23, 2019 Report Share Posted November 23, 2019 @Shaolin Great writing man ! Wow ! Week by week ,you are getting better ! Who can stop Bjornsson ? Another win for RFC's GOAT ! Bjornsson always underestimated but then you realise he's on another level! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseppe Posted November 24, 2019 Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 Hopkins: think i might lose next just so i dont get Spanky calling me out lmao 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClubberWinger Posted November 24, 2019 Report Share Posted November 24, 2019 Hopkins: think i might lose next just so i dont get Spanky calling me out lmao don't lose hope yet fool. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 35 PREVIEW HAYASHI’S LOUNGE Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 35! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the exuberant Furious Styles! Styles: You better believe I’m exuberant, X, especially with a great night of action that we have on tap! Not only will we be seeing a title defense again, but there are some serious heavy hitters in that cage and we’re going to see some of the best at what they do handle business or get handled! There are 2,000 lunatic fans in attendance tonight that want to see some hardcore action! Xavier: I can’t argue that point, Styles! Styles: Of course not because as usual, I’m right! Xavier: I’ll leave that alone! Tonight we’ll be seeing battles in many divisions so let’s get into the breakdown! There are four Light Heavyweight fights on the card tonight and the Light Heavyweight title hangs in the balance as well! Two Featherweight fights, two Heavyweight fights, one Middleweight and one Super Heavyweight fight round out the action we’ll be seeing in the cage! Styles: I know some of these warriors had a chance to spend time with their families and eat some great food for Thanksgiving, but if any of them have any type of food coma hangover then they’re really going to be in trouble tonight! Xavier: It’s definitely difficult to have mass amounts of great-tasting food laid out in front of you two days before a big fight but that’s part of the discipline and sacrifice of being a mixed martial artist! Granted, some people have faster metabolisms and can eat a lot of food one day and have no problem fighting the next but I don’t know how many of the warriors competing tonight have that ability! Styles: A food hangover can be a death knell for some if they’re not careful! I know I definitely gained about five pounds just on Thanksgiving day! I ate like I was having my last meal on Earth and I passed out in front of the TV at my friends house! The problem is that was at a party so people drew on my face and covered my hands in whipped cream and made me slap myself when I thought a bug was on my face, but hell, that was all in good fun! I got those bastards back, anyway, because they passed out after I was awake! Xavier: Should I even ask how you got them back? Styles: This is a family show so you’d be better off leaving that alone, X! Xavier: As I suspected! Styles: Did you get a chance to eat some great food? Xavier: I was very fortunate and blessed to do so, yes! There’s nothing like a soul food Thanksgiving and I’m surprised I can even function at a decent level today! I can’t imagine how I’d be if I drank alcohol! Styles: You’d probably be worse off than I am! Xavier: That I can’t argue! Moving onto the action tonight, the Light Heavyweight title is on the line as the champion, Giuseppe Hopkins, defends that coveted title against Gok Won Khun! Giuseppe Hopkins of The Stepdads hails from Afghanistan and he has been on a serious roll while amassing an unblemished 10-0-1 record! The champion packs some serious pop in his fists and he’s proven that against some very good fighters! He looked to be in tip-top shape against Carter Donovan at RFC 51, and his first-round knockout supported that very convincingly! Khun is obviously very well aware that his striking defense will have to be very sharp and if he does slip and a punch gets through, he’d better know how to roll with that punch or this fight will be brought to a very painful and fast halt! Styles: “Black Wolf” Khun is a very respectable 8-2 overall and is currently back in the win column with a convincing first-round knockout of Alojz Sanel at RFC 48 in the first round! That victory helped overcome the first-round knockout he suffered at the hands of Jackson Trigger at RFC 44, which also snapped a 5-fight win streak! The timing of his most recent win is excellent because that quells any doubts he may have had after that loss and his confidence returns to where it needs to be against a warrior of Hopkins’ caliber! Having excellent punching power along with world class muay thai makes Khun very dangerous in that cage! Also, his aggression and willingness to stand toe-to-toe with anyone sets him apart from many men! Every single fight he’s been has ended in the first round, even his losses, and that aggression has obviously served him very well! Xavier: Everyone in attendance tonight is in for one hell of a standup war treat tonight because neither of these men will back down from one another and I don’t think either one of them gives a damn about trying to make the other man tap out! I think both of these warriors wants to prove they can knockout feared and respected knockout artists and that’s a recipe for hard-hitting excitement! I simply can’t go against the champion because he has yet to taste defeat! Yes, some of his battles have gone the distance but that only shows he can withstand aggression and power like Khun has and overcome it! Both men have championship experience, yes, but Hopkins also knows how to use aggression against an opponent very well! He doesn’t need to knock Khun out because a win is a win, but I think he’d like to do that just to send a message to the rest of the division! That being said, I think the champ wins by knockout to send that message! Styles: There’s no doubt someone will be taking a nap in that cage between these two! Khun has been steamrolling right along and all of those first-round knockouts tell me he has the power and skill to get the job done tonight against an excellent champion! That overwhelming power and aggression mixed with devastating kicks makes for a very lethal combination and I think Khun will be able to use those kicks and maybe even lock Hopkins into a clinch where he can land knees and elbows to slow the champ down and set him up for the knockout! Naturally a quick and brutal headkick can change the tide of battle in the blink of an eye and Khun is more than capable of delivering such a kick in a moment’s notice! I think Khun’s aggression, speed and power will surprise Hopkins a bit and that will be just enough to land that decisive blow that brings home the gold! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Khun by KO; Xavier – Hopkins by KO Styles: Jambe De Bois and Mwenye Kwadwo step into the ring which very well could be blood soaked by the time they get in there! “The Terminator” De Bois of The Stepdads definitely likes to fight as his 17-5 record indicates! The purple Mohawk-sporting Canadian is on a 3-fight win streak and is 5-1 overall in his last six fights! Needless to say, despite the change in management a while ago, De Bois is feelin’ himself and he should be! He was on point in his fight against Jon Paul Carp at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 in his second-round TKO win! He’ll look to carry that momentum against Kwadwo tonight and that will prove to be quite the undertaking! Xavier: Kwadwo brings his wild hair, bad attitude and 10-6 record into the cage tonight! This LEGION OF DOOM member should be a little concerned that he’s getting an opponent who is well versed on the ground! History shows that Kwadwo has struggled against fighters who are capable on the ground and De Bois is no exception! However, Kwadwo also knows that every single fight starts off on its feet and on its feet is where he has the obvious advantage! His last fight was an impressive knockout victory over Cochise Harris at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 in the first round, and I fully expect Kwadwo to be ultra-aggressive in seeking a first-round knockout tonight! Styles: De Bois is well aware of Kwadwo’s struggles against ground-based fighters and will certainly do his best to continue that trend! I think De Bois’ in-cage combat experience will be very helpful because he’s had to deal with very aggressive fighters with dynamite in their knuckles and he has managed to be successful before, so there’s no reason for him to think otherwise! Counterattacking is definitely an option in this fight because of the highly aggressive nature that Kwadwo brings to each and every one of his fights! De Bois takes this battle by submission! Xavier: Kwadwo definitely knows his best bet is to end this fight as soon as possible and do so while it’s in the standup! Jumping out like a turbo booster as soon as the bell rings may catch De Bois off guard and be enough to gain the upper hand in keeping pressure on him while making sure this fight stays on its feet! If he can sustain a high level of energy and pressure, De Bois won’t have time for any counterattacks because he’ll be too busy defending himself and making sure he’s not exposing his chin for any unwanted chin music! However, the pressure from Kwadwo will be too much for De Bois’ defenses and he’ll get in tight enough to land the uppercut that ends this fight right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Kwadwo by KO; Styles – De Bois by Submission Xavier: Sven Svensson and Kilo Maluga are next into the cage of mercilessness! “The Valhalla Viking” Svensson is an outstanding 16-3 overall! The Cold North alliance is very proud of this young fighter, as they should be, and his confidence level is very high as he rides a 3-fight win streak as well! During said win streak, he knocked out some excellent fighters in the first and second rounds, most recently stopping Xavier Blackblood by TKO in the second round! Styles: Oh yeah, we saw some of that black blood flow all right! Xavier: I knew you couldn’t resist going there, Styles! Styles: Hey, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Xavier: Right. Svensson at one point had an extremely impressive 12-fight win streak until he crossed Conor The Barbarian for a second time! He made Conor bleed badly in their first battle but Conor got his revenge with a second-round knockout! Since that point, Svensson is 4-1 and looks to extend that streak of knockout terror tonight! Very simply put, he wants to bash and bleed all of his opponents so Maluga will have to be ready for that aggressive unleashing of very heavy ammunition tonight! If Maluga doesn’t keep his hands up and movement away from Svensson’s power, we’re going to see some jaw cracking in that cage! Styles: Maluga of Convicted Inc. brings his 5-1 record and Kiribati pride tonight! The intense warrior is riding a 2-fight win streak with his most recent TKO victory over Tobb Le Tobb at RFC 51! In fact, none of this man’s fights have gone beyond the first round so equal aggression, power and know how faces Svensson! This promises to be a very fast, ballistic and brutal encounter! Maluga’s only loss was at the hands of Grant Alyoshin at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 20 so there may be blood in that cage tonight because Svensson has made men bleed! However, Malug’s straight ahead attitude and approach will not stop and it will take a knockout to slow him down! One distinct advantage I feel he has tonight are his educated feet! His muay thai is outstanding and he knows how to use combinations of kicks and punches to setup knockouts! Xavier: I think Svensson continues his demolition tour and wins this fight by knockout! As you pointed out, Maluga has lost by blood spillage and if anyone can slice open Maluga, it’s Svensson! His ferocious fists are just painful, plain and simple, and Maluga can tolerate pain, no doubt, but along with that pain comes cuts! If Maluga doesn’t protect his forehead then he could be opened up again and have this end in a TKO! I don’t think that will happen but I do think Svensson cracks him with the overhand right bomb that he’s adept at throwing, especially if Maluga misses with a head kick and leaves himself open for that split second! Svensson wins this high-impact battle of the bulls by knockout! Styles: Maluga doesn’t care if he has to bleed to win! That attitude will propel him to victory tonight against, as you said, another bull in this business! Maluga knows this is going to be a painful, unforgiving fight but that’s what he lives for! His confidence is just as high as Svensson’s because he knows he can cause him whiplash with either one vicious uppercut or brain-scrambling head kick! If this fight ends up in the clinch then Maluga can wear Svensson down with knees and punches to the body to setup slicing elbows that could end up making Svensson bleed out! Maluga wins this bloody brawl by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Maluga by KO; Xavier – Svensson by KO Xavier: Carter Donovan and Spanky Loco keep the action going in the cage! Styles: Spanky Loco, that’s really a name for an alcoholic drink that was served at Thanksgiving! Xavier: I have read and have seen some rather unique names for alcohol so that does kind of work, actually. Styles: There are definitely some colorful monikers for alcohol out there, X, and I’ve had a taste of quite a few of them! Some of them are very fitting of their name while others need to change the name to some version of toilet water or garbage! Xavier: That bad!? Styles: Oh hell yeah! I’ve had some alcohol that tasted like fire water! Terrible! Anyway, Donovan, the man with the look and style of a 007 agent, steps into the cage with an overall record of 8-4! This aggressive young warrior has shown the ability to drop an opponent in the standup and also make them tapout on the ground, so his well-rounded approach to fighting makes him a difficult opponent to scout! He’s had his struggles as of late, however, and his last showing against Giuseppe Hopkins at RFC 51 did not go well for him! A first-round TKO loss stings but he has bounced back from every loss in his career with a win, so the young man shows heart, confidence and understanding of how to right the ship, as the saying goes! Xavier: “OG” Loco is an impressive 7-2 overall and the young GBU member from Inglewood is already a black belt in BJJ, a very impressive achievement for being so young! The tattooed fighter is definitely fast, aggressive and intelligent! When he’s locked in and able to get the fight to the ground, he’s like a spider going after prey trapped in its web! However, Donovan can’t ignore the fact that Loco also has a head kick knockout win on his resume! Loco could very well make it appear that he’s going for a takedown when in fact he’s feinting, and then boom, he raises a leg and whips it to the side of Donovan’s head for some intense pain! Styles: I like Loco and his aggression, especially on the ground! I don’t think Donovan will be able to keep this fight from going to the ground and once it does, Loco will take over from there! Donovan is very capable on the ground and I’m sure he’ll be comfortable in defending what Loco tries to do, but Loco is too slippery and savvy and he’ll be able to contort himself and Donovan into positions where Loco can slip in the submission and get the win! Xavier: Donovan wants to avenge his last loss, plain and simple! The fact that he has won every single fight after a loss also makes this an easy pick for me! With all due to respect to Loco because he has a great deal of my respect, the ability of Donovan to lock in and refocus after a loss is absolutely beneficial in numerous ways! Add in the fact that he continually improves his overall skillset and abilities in the cage, and he can deal with any adversity he faces! Loco will be one hell of a test for him, there’s no doubt about that, but Donovan will step up to the plate tonight by keeping this fight on its feet where he can capitalize on his impressive and diverse striking ability both in and out of the clinch! I think he catches Loco trying to come in for a takedown and ends this with a knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Donovan by KO; Styles – Loco by Submission Styles: Following up that promising heavy hitter will be Daquan Bowman and Sisu Sisu! “Deebo” of The Stepdads brings that thug attitude and Compton swagger, along with his plaid shirt and 10-5 record, into the cage against Sisu squared! Bowman has been a bit back-and-forth recently in his young career after his career began like a house of fire! Most recently he lost by TKO in the third round to Ludwig Mandrill so he’s obviously looking to get things turned around and quickly! When his fists are flying and are on target, he can drop anyone in the cage and I’m sure Sisu is very well aware of that! Bowman will want to keep this fight on its feet at all costs so look for him to try and lock Sisu into a clinch despite giving up some weight because he’s shown that his muay thai skills are very good and he can unleash damage in various ways while in the clinch! Xavier: “Black Gold” Sisu of LEGION OF DOOM has fought his way to a solid 9-5 overall record! The fighter from Antigua and Barbuda has shown very good ability on the ground when he can get the fight into that realm! In this fight, I have no doubt he wants to get Bowman to the ground as soon as possible to avoid any damage in the standup plus, obviously, giving him the best chance for victory! At one point in time, Sisu had a 7-fight win streak but similar to Bowman, he’s been a bit back-and-forth as of late! In fact, his last fight was also against Ludwig Mandrill and though he didn’t lose by TKO, he did lose by unanimous decision and he has now suffered two losses in a row after winning two fights in a row! To avoid that taboo three-fight losing streak, Sisu is going to have to be very aggressive in looking for the takedown on Bowman! That increased aggression could be both a blessing and a curse as it is in every fight! However, that’s what he’s going to have to do! Styles: Since Bowman lost his last fight by TKO, I personally think he’s a bit embarrassed by that and embarrassment can be an excellent motivator, X! A motivated Bowman is a dangerous one, and I think he’ll be dangerous tonight against an opponent who has the style and approach to make this a potentially very difficult fight for Bowman! Get in, lay the explosives, and get out! That’s the approach and that’s what will happen! Bowman by knockout! Xavier: Embarrassment also plays into the narrative for Sisu, Styles! Losing two fights in a row isn’t something anyone is proud of, especially by unanimous decision both times! Sisu is very confident that he has the ability to put Bowman away on the ground and Sisu will do everything in his power to get this fight to the ground, even if that means he has to sacrifice his chin and take the risk of getting dropped to get the job done! Counterattacking Bowman’s aggression is the name of the game here while avoiding being pummeled by strikes or locked into a clinch! Once that gets done, Sisu wins by tapout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Sisu by Submission; Styles – Bowman by KO Styles: Xavier Blackblood and Scott Barrera are next into the cage to be judged! Blackblood of The Stepdads is a respectable 5-2 overall but this Haitian warrior had a 5-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Sven Svensson at RFC 51 by TKO in the second round! Blackblood spilled plenty of his blood at the punishing fists of Svensson and I won’t be surprised if Barrera targets the same area that Svensson sliced open previously to see if he can have some of the same effect and fortune of making Blackblood bleed! There’s no doubt that Blackblood is fully aware his cuts are a target and will keep his hands up, head moving, and body bobby and weaving with improved striking defense! Xavier: Barrera is 5-3 overall, a winning record, but he undoubtedly wants to expand that win column, and the young Spaniard has his type of fight in front of him tonight! Blackblood and Barrera like to make their opponents take naps and both are very capable of doing exactly that! Somehow I don’t think this fight will end up as a grappling and BJJ contest because both of these warriors like to get in the cage, handle business, and leave as fast as possible, even if it costs them being on the receiving end of a brutal knockout! Similar to Blackblood, Barrera had a win streak rudely halted recently! Barrera’s 3-fight win streak was halted by Conor The Barbarian at RFC 50 in the third round! Many people gave Barrera a world of credit for lasting that long against the incredible fighter that Conor is and Barrera can rebound with a resounding victory! Styles: I’m rollin’ with Blackblood tonight, X, because he had the longer win streak, he’s younger and hungrier, and I think he hits just a bit harder than Barrera! Don’t get me wrong, I definitely feel that Barrera can knock Blackblood out if he gets a clean shot but I don’t think Blackblood gives him that clean shot! He learned a lot from that loss to Svensson and I have no doubt he worked very arduously on improving his defensive skills to avoid a repeat of that result! I think he has the aggression, speed and agility to put Barrera into difficult positions very quickly and he’ll overwhelm the Spaniard with punches from multiple angles until he digs through for that one hook he needs to make Barrera go to sleep! Xavier: Barrera has lost to some of the heaviest hitters in the business and he’s managed to come back each time! That resiliency speaks volumes about his abilities and will, and I think his age advantage comes into play for this fight, Styles! He obviously has an excellent training regimen and I think Blackblood’s style of fighting fits right into Barrera’s strengths! He wants a standup war and that’s what he’ll get! He’ll be able to bait Blackblood into opening up his defenses using feints and accuracy, and as soon as that window of opportunity opens, Barrera will crash through it with a thunderous uppercut for the knockout victory! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Barrera by KO; Styles – Blackblood by KO Xavier: Sifis Pantelakis and Balthazar Theron square off in the cage next! Styles: I like that name, Balthazar! It just sounds regal and bad ass! Xavier: Well, it is a biblical name, Styles! Styles: I know that, X! Balthazar was a king and one of the three wise men was named that also! Xavier: I’m impressed, Styles! I didn’t know you read the Bible! Styles: Absolutely! It says it right here on Wikipedia! Xavier: For crying out loud! “The Minotaur” Pantelakis is an excellent 6-1 overall but recently had his 6-fight win streak snapped by One Two at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 late in the first round! That was a difficult loss, especially since Pantelakis changed management and training teams after a blistering start to his career! Pantelakis is a bit of an enigma because he’s a very large man who favors the grappling and BJJ aspects of combat as opposed to being a bomb-throwing puncher like most men of his size and stature tend to be! Styles: He’s an enigma all right! I saw him in the locker room earlier, X, and let me tell you, this dude is not ready to face Balthazar! He looked very uncertain about himself and I think that loss to One Two shook him because he obviously enjoyed a lot of success with his previous management team! I also know that “The Titan” Theron looks ready to eat his own guts and ask for seconds! He’s ready for battle despite the fact he lost to Ray Vision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21 in the first round by a Kneebar! That makes this pick real easy, X! Theron knocks Pantelakis out! Xavier: I truly don’t understand how an experienced fighter allows one loss to shake him up, especially after winning six fights in a row, but I can’t side with any fighter that allows that to happen! Theron by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Theron by KO; Styles – Theron by KO Xavier: Athos Knox and David Unsworth continue the intensity and excitement! Knox is an even 3-3 overall, and the Canadian UnderGround Fights Enterprise member put on an excellent show at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 by knocking Ronaldo Souza out in a mere thirty-six seconds! That knockout woke people up, ironically, to the fact that despite not having a dominant record, he’s still an even .500 overall and very capable of turning out an opponent’s lights before they know what hit them! If Unsworth underestimates him for whatever reason, that may prove to be a very costly and painful error! Styles: “Rhino” Unsworth steps into this fight with the height and weight advantage, so we’ll see if he’s able to use those advantages! At 3-1, Unsworth is basically just starting his career and The Evil Empire has given him praise about his understanding of when to go for the finish and when to pace himself for the long haul while avoiding absorbing unnecessary damage! He showed his ability to sustain energy and pressure with his unanimous decision victory over Repa Kiki at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31! Naturally he wants to be able to string together victories like the ones he had over Tyrone Waters and Francis Ngonou where he was able to finish them with TKO’s! He’ll have to put in some serious work to have a finish against the skilled Knox but it’s a possibility nonetheless! Xavier: I think Knox has better skills than Unsworth at this point in their careers plus that thirty-six second knockout is nothing to sneeze at! Knox has the ability to tune up Unsworth’s jaw and I believe that’s exactly what he’ll do by using speed and footwork to get inside of Unsworth’s defenses, punching him from various angles to keep him off balance and nullify his reach advantage in the process! Knox wins by knockout! Styles: Unsworth may feel that he’s seen as the underdog in this fight and that may put a chip on his shoulder! That chip could be the difference maker because he’s fully aware of Knox’s knockout ability and his very effective kicks, but Knox may not be ready for the “Rhino Rush”, so to speak, as he launches wave after wave of punches while closing the distance and overwhelming Knox! He scored those TKO’s for a reason and everyone will see those reasons tonight against a very solid opponent! Unsworth by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Unsworth by KO; Xavier – Knox by KO Styles: Cochise Harris and Earle Nelson are the next rams to lock horns in the cage! Cochise sounds like an old school name for a detective or something! Xavier: It’s definitely unique but it has a cool ring to it! Styles: Harris of Hitokiri-13 brings his 7-4 record and Coney Island disposition into this fight, X, and after starting his career with an impressive 6-1 run, he’s struggled a bit lately! His last fight at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 31 didn’t go so well as he ate too many big punches from Mwenye Kwadwo and tasted canvas near the end of the first round! Prior to that he had knocked out Michael Elliott but lost the two fights before that victory, so being 1-3 in his last four fights has taken a toll! He’s a very aggressive fighter who only has one fight going beyond the first round! Xavier: “Gorilla Killer” Nelson is an even 3-3 overall and this fight is right up his alley just as much as it is for his opponent! Nelson has shown considerable favoritism of the standup war and for good reason! He’s a world class muay thai fighter and a Golden Gloves boxer so Harris can fully expect him to let the fists and feet fly from all angles, speeds and directions! Nelson has won his last two fights and members of The Devil’s Rejects feel that momentum is the key to victory tonight! Obviously his confidence is very high and for a fight of this nature, that’s impeccable timing because this promises to be a very brutal battle that may end up with someone knocked out and laying in their own blood! Styles: Those are the best kind of fights, X! They get the crowd juiced, they get me juiced, and everyone likes to see someone get knocked the hell out before even hitting the mat! I have a feeling this fight will boil down to will power because both of their chins are going to get tested! I think Nelson wins this fight by knockout but I think he does it with a nasty head kick because, as you said, his muay thai is world class and he has the ability to whip either of his legs to the side of his opponent’s head in a flash! I don’t think Harris is able to defend an attack like that and it’s going to cost him! Nelson by knockout! Xavier: Harris has great incentive to win this fight because of his last showing! Social media and whispers around the gym can be brutal and inspirational, and I think he takes that loss as a learning tool and uses what he learned here tonight against Nelson! Yes, Nelson is a dangerous striker and no on doubt that! However, Harris has had time to analyze the film and see what did and didn’t go well for him and he continually improves! I think his striking defense and speed have improved to the point where he can counterattack any strikes Nelson misses with and all he needs is that one to shock Nelson’s jaw for the knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Harris by KO; Styles – Nelson by KO Xavier: Reijo Halli and Dingleberry Jones are up next to end this exciting night of fights! I know you can’t resist, Styles, so go ahead and say it! Styles: Dingleberry! Out of all the names a person can have, be it a birth name, a nickname of a name they decided to have through legal means, Dingleberry is what he came up with!? X, do you think he knows what that means in slang terms!? Xavier: I’d assume so because he is from Pennsylvania! Styles: Pennsylvania is a different kind of state, though, so maybe around there the name Dingleberry is a cool nickname or term! Xavier: That could be the case but hey, it’s his name and his business! Styles: I know that, X! I’m just sayin’, why be the name of something that’s pretty nasty!? Xavier: Maybe it’s a psychological ploy! Styles: Oh yeah, huh? Well, Halli is a solid 3-1 overall and the young Finnish fighter looks to capitalize on the momentum carried over from his Kimura victory over Abdul Nurmy at RFC 52 in the first round! He’s the taller fighter tonight so I wonder if that will affect his approach to this fight? Typically he focuses on going for submissions but being taller may allow him to try and throw some strikes to test Jones’ chin tonight! Xavier: That could obviously happen and if it did, I don’t know if Jones would be ready for that approach because I’d assume he’ll look for Halli to try for a takedown and a submission, so anything outside of that could possibly keep him off balance and throw a wrench in the works, as the expression goes! Jones is an even 2-2 and the YABAI member had a good showing at RFC 51 against Daleb Managedov by winning via TKO in the third round! Since both of these fighters have four fights under their belts, there’s no combat experience advantage for either one and like Halli, Jones could flip the script, so to speak, and rather than try and keep this fight on its feet, he could opt to try and make Halli submit! Styles: This is definitely a tough fight to call because this could literally boil down to who’s more successful at doing the opposite of what their opponent expects! Both of them have much to prove and they’ve had success in all facets of fighting, so it becomes a battle of determination, wit and will! Since I give him hell about his name, I’ll take Jones because he probably heard a lot of crap growing up in Pennsylvania with a name like that, and he could use that frustration and irritation to propel him to victory! Jones wins this fight by submission! Xavier: I think Halli is most comfortable on the ground and would welcome a battle of wills, grappling skills and submission holds! He could very well take the approach of trying to soften up Jones with well-timed and accurate strikes to frustrate him while scoring points before going for any takedowns and submissions! That way if the fight stays on the ground, he’ll have scored crucial points on the judges’ scorecards and he’ll put pressure on Jones to step it up and try to score the finish, whjch could open up Jones’ defenses! Halli wins this by submission! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Halli by Submission; Styles – Jones by Submission Xavier: And that’s our time once again, ladies and gentlemen! We are ever grateful for your time and attention and we hope all of you greatly enjoy the fights that we’ll be seeing here tonight! Styles: Thank you, Kore Fight Nutrition, for your merchandise support and great products! We also want to wish all of the fighters the best of luck tonight and we definitely look forward to seeing some awesome battles! Take care, have a great evening and we’ll see you at the fights! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShaolinVenom Posted November 27, 2019 Report Share Posted November 27, 2019 RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 55 PREVIEWHARD KNOCKS ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another preview for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the insightful Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you kindly, Carr! I try to be insightful and bring knowledge to the fight game as best as possible! Carr: Tonight will be very educational for all involved because there are two titles on the line tonight! Ball: The paths of four warriors could be altered tonight and just a couple of days after a day many of us gave numerous thanks for! Carr: Thanksgiving was beautiful and I still have plenty of stuffing and pumpkin pie to get through! Ball: Oh man, tell me about it! Collard greens and honey baked ham is stacked deep in my refrigerator, and peach cobbler is in the freezer waiting for me to warm it up and tear it up like a man possessed! Carr: I hear you! Speaking of tearing up, we have numerous combatants this evening who want to tear one another up in the name of victory, glory and respect! Let’s get to the breakdown! The only Middleweight fight on the card tonight features the current champion, Edison Atunes and his destructive punching power, taking on a very game and capable challenger, Michael Swango! That will be an incredible fight to witness! The sole Super Heavyweight fight tonight features the champion, James Fusi and his unrelenting fists, taking on the very capable and hard-hitting challenger, Luis Maestre! There are four Bantamweight fights, one Welterweight fight, one Lightweight fight, and two Heavyweight fights! Ball: As always, Rapid Fighting Championship does an excellent job of having fights in the various weight classes to bring the fans plenty of diversity in styles, abilities and of course, incredible and nasty knockouts! Speaking of which, the action kicks off with a knockout artist, Edison Atunes, defending his title against Michael Swango! The champion gives Swango another title shot after knocking him out in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24! “Zico” Atunes is a perfect 9-0 and only two of his fights have gone past the first round, an indication of not only his speed and power, but his aggression and high-intensity pressure! He’s knocked out every single opponent with the exception of Michelangelo Di Lodovico, an incredible stretch of knockouts! Against Swango, Atunes is shorter but heavier, so he can sink his hips into his punches and use that weight advantage to bring just a bit more explosion into his brutal fists, and that’s not good news for Swango! Some of the Convicted Inc. members told me Atunes has been extremely focused because he feels the target on his back as the champion! However, the target tonight is Swango’s chin and I think Atunes lights up his chin again for another knockout, of which he’ll have many when all is said and done from this outstanding fighter! Carr: Being a champion means having to deal with a great deal of pressure, Ball! Every opponent brings their absolute best in an effort to dethrone you as a champion and that’s a physical and mental challenge each and every time! The young warrior has shown that he can deal with such pressures and that will only make him an even more formidable champion! Swango knows exactly what he’s dealing with since he’s already danced with him in the cage! Since that painful loss to Atunes, Swango has gotten himself back on track, obviously, and has earned this return title shot after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Michelangelo Di Lodovico at RFC 52! Lodovico is one tough dude so that’s a major victory for Swango and now his reward is another opportunity to be a champion! The 12-3 overall FinnFighters member has been training diligently on his striking defense and speed, no doubt, in an effort to prevent his bell being rung again by one of Atunes’ vicious punches! He does have the height advantage and I expect him to use that advantage to the best of his ability! I’m not certain he can match speed and agility with Atunes but I do expect him to be able to have enough skill and ability to counterattack the champion, and that’s what I believe will happen! Swango will let the champion bring the fight to him and when Atunes misses one of his power shots, Swango will deck him and drop him before he can recoup! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Swango by KO; Ball – Atunes by KO Carr: James Fusi and Luis Maestre sustain the momentum and excitement of championship fighting as they step into the cage! “Relentless” Fusi from Tanzania brings an overall 9-6 record into this title defense, and the champion has been rolling nicely as of late with a 2-fight win streak! Knockout power and aggression is the name of the game with Fusi and his nickname is very fitting for his approach to each and every fight! Fusi and Maestre have quite a history as these two have locked horns on three previous occasions! To add to that intrigue, Maestre has won all three of those previous encounters by knockout in the first round! Despite Fusi’s recent success there is absolutely no way he has put all three of those losses completely out of his mind! Like every fighter, he has the option of letting that get to him or using that as fuel for his internal fire, and it seems to me he chose the second option! His confidence is definitely strong from defeating two very good opponents in a row but Maestre is his kryptonite, so to speak, and Fusi is going to have to dig deep and find that championship mettle and heart to overcome Maestre tonight! Maestre is substantially taller and heavier so Fusi will have to rely on footwork, accurate strikes, especially when he goes to the body of the bigger man, and his head movement and striking defense will have to be as pure as it has even been! I do think this time around is the magic will happen for Fusi because he’s learned from his losses plus having a title around your waist does something to help you dig deeper! Tonight, Fusi digs deeper than he ever has and he knocks Maestre out with a counterpunch that Maestre doesn’t see coming! Ball: “The Dexter Creole” Maestre is a very impressive 10-2, and the behemoth from Colombia is also on a 2-fight win streak so the confidence level for both of these young stallions is very high! His career began like an inferno when he rattled off seven wins in a row before losing a tough battle to Alejandro Arciniega! That loss caused an unfortunate rift between him and his management team so they mutually parted ways! Under his new management, he’s won three of his last four fights, all by knockout, so his fists are barreling the competition and obviously he has made Fusi’s life rather difficult each time they’ve stepped into the cage together! Various LEGION OF DOOM members told me they think Maestre has Fusi’s number because of the combination of size, speed and aggression. After all, Maestre only has one fight on his resume that went beyond the first round! He overwhelms opponents and makes it very difficult for them to avoid his strikes, especially if he’s able to get in close and lean his weight on them in the clinch! I don’t think Maestre will need to lock Fusi into a clinch because the big man can just stand back and fire heavy salvos at Fusi and make him adjust to Maestre’s fight plan and physical size! That plays right into Maestre’s hands, literally, and it’ll be just a matter of time before Fusi weaves in the wrong direction just one time and boom, Maestre’s body-shaking right hand will be right there to meet his jaw, again, and like he has three times before, he’ll light up Fusi’s jaw and make his eyes roll into the back of his head for the title! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Maestre by KO; Carr – Fusi by KO Ball: Kreepee Krawlee and Tamid Nasib are next into the ring after that explosive super heavyweight championship battle! “The Spider” Krawlee of YABAI has battled his way to a respectable 9-5 overall record and the Pennsylvanian had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of the excellent Moganesh Jain by Armbar in the first round at RFC 52! Krawlee was definitely disappointed by that showing and he wants to prove to himself and others that he’s capable of bouncing back with a big win and putting himself into the title contention conversation! This will be the first time that these two cross paths and I’m sure Krawlee has done his homework on his opponent! Nasib is the taller man and that actually works in Krawlee’s favor because he’ll have an easier time isolating one of Nasib’s longer limbs if this fight ends up on the ground! Krawlee is well aware that Nasib has struggled against fighters who are grapplers and BJJ technicians, so I fully expect him to be as aggressive as possible in dragging Nasib to the mat! Krawlee has to ensure he doesn’t give Nasib a clean shot at his chin with either a punch or kick as he shoots in for a takedown because I don’t think Krawlee wants to test his luck in the clinch! Krawlee will counter grapple and takedown Nasib where he’ll wear him down and lock in the eventual submission for the win! Carr: Nasib is a very good 11-4 overall and the LEGION OF DOOM has spoken very highly of Nasib’s chances at victory tonight! It’s imperative that Nasib keep this fight on its feet and if that means he has to take the chance of locking Krawlee into a clinch and having to defend against potential tripping takedowns then that’s what he’ll do! He obviously knows his performance against ground-based fighters hasn’t been the best so he’ll want to show opponents that he’s learned how to deal with that approach to combat and can overcome it! When Nasib can establish the pace of the fight then that’s when his skills really shine through! Early in his career he had an 8-fight win streak, so when he’s locked in he’s as good as it gets! He’s 1-2 over his past three fights so winning tonight also helps him break back into the win column and overcomes his most recent loss to Killer Kidd at RFC 53 by unanimous decision! I think he has the strength, determination and speed to employ a successful stick-and-move approach that will allow him to tune up Krawlee’s chin while also preventing Krawlee from zeroing in on him and getting the takedown that Nasib absolutely wants to avoid like the plague! I also think Nasib throws caution to the wind and he launches into a full-out attack as soon as the bell rings because the less time he has to worry about defending takedowns, the more time he can focus on trying to wreck Krawlee with painful kicks and stinging punches! Nasib manages to keep this fight standing and footwork combined with jaw-snapping strikes secures the knockout victory tonight! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Nasib by KO; Ball – Krawlee by Submission Carr: Genji Kamogawa and Anthony Shiina are the next combatants into the cage! The proud Japanese fighter, Kamogawa, is an even 8-8 so he definitely wants to rise above the .500 mark he has heading into this contest! Sporadic Vendetta members told me Kamogawa’s most recent knockout win over Ichiro Suzuki at RFC 52 worked wonders for his morale and attitude because he’s been a far more focused fighter in the gym and with his trainers, so that’s definitely a huge positive for Kamogawa! He has been struggling to begin a win streak, however, as the pattern over the past six fights has been back and forth between a win and a loss! If Kamogawa can keep himself focused and is on target when he lets his fists fly then he’ll be in a very good position to finally get a win streak established! An additional motivator for Kamogawa is his loss to Shiina at RFC 32 for a title shot! Losing a battle is one thing but when it’s for a chance to be a champion, that stings even more and I’m sure Kamogawa has that memory etched into his mind! He’s a bit taller and heavier than Shiina so keeping distance and throwing those punches is his best bet for victory! Personally I think he gets the job done tonight because he’s had time to improve his striking defense and he looked very good in his last fight! He gets the knockout tonight as well! Ball: “Aka Supernova” Shiina of The Stepdads has battled his way to a very good 9-3 record, and the beanie-wearing Singapore fighter looked solid in his last fight against Little Kitty Sripituksakul at RFC 52! Throughout his career he had had two separate instances where he had a 4-fight winning streak but prior to his victory over Little Kitty, he had lost two fights in a row and that prompted him to have a mutual separation from his management team at that point in time! With his new management, some of the philosophy may have changed in terms of training styles but the bottom line is still the same: get the opponent on the mat where Shiina can implore his excellent submission skills and make the opponent adapt or tap! Shiina will very much feel right at home if and when this fight goes to the ground because he’s shorter than Kamogawa and will be able to isolate whatever portion of his body he wants to try and manipulate for a submission! He could even try to surprise Kamogawa by counterattacking him with accurate strikes, specifically kicks where Shiina may have more ability than Kamogawa expects! I think Shiina keeps Kamogawa off balance with counterstrikes to soften him up and slow him down a bit before he goes for the submission after dragging Kamogawa to the ground! Even if Kamogawa manages to avoid the submission, Shiina can rain down hammer fists and elbows from the ground-and-pound and finish the fight from there! Either way, Shiina wins this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Shiina by Submission; Carr – Kamogawa by KO Ball: John Lee and Theodore Nouveau face off in the next battle! “Quan Fa” Lee is an excellent 6-1 overall and the only loss for this excellent Chinese warrior was at the hands of Chan Siam in the second round of QFC Tournament 902 in the first round by Rear Naked Choke! Another fact about Lee is he has never been past the first round so his aggression is off the charts! Add in the fact that he’s a champion and you can see why he’s a very formidable and respected warrior! He very much favors making opponents suffer while utilizing various submission holds and I don’t think that approach will be any different here tonight! Lee is shorter, lighter and six years younger than Nouveau, but I don’t think any of that will work against him! In fact, as we’ve both pointed out at various times, Carr, being the shorter man as a BJJ specialist is advantageous since it’s easier to make a long-limbed opponent submit to submissions, at least that’s how I see it! Lee knows what he’s doing but I also have to wonder if he’ll take the risk and press his luck in the standup because he may very well be able to land some thudding strikes on Nouveau before trying to get him to the ground for control and submission holds! Since Nouveau doesn’t have any major knockouts, I think Lee takes that chance and may even get a knockout himself! Carr: “Beaujolaise” Nouveau is 9-14 overall so he obviously has had his struggles throughout his career! All of his wins have either been by submission or by unanimous decision so there have been whispers around the organization that his punching power may be suspect! Nouveau hasn’t lost by bleeding out so there is that but he’s lost by TKO, KO and tapout so he has been through quite a bit! Much to his credit, rather than throw in the towel or mope around and feel sorry for himself like many fighters so, he picks himself up and gets right back to training and trying to learn how to better himself! It takes a hell of a lot for a fighter to remain confident after suffering tough losses as he has so the respect for his warrior spirit is unquestionably there! This will be a very difficult matchup for him because he typically favors the grappling and BJJ aspects of fighting but Lee, in my opinion, has the better grappling and BJJ skills, so Nouveau may have to say to hell with it and just go for broke by trying to keep this fight on its feet and throwing haymakers! One haymaker landed can alter the course of any fight and if Nouveau wants to get things turned around for himself, launching bombs with his arms is the way to go! He basically has nothing to lose and I’ll root for him because I respect his heart! Nouveau wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Nouveau by KO; Ball – Lee by KO Carr: Michael Cruz and Coiote Magrin will be the next rams to butt heads in the cage! “Hollywood” Cruz from LA is a perfect 3-0, an outstanding start to his young career! This very confident fighter gets his opponents to the ground and makes them tap in the first round and that will be the same approach to this fight against Magrin! Magrin better have his afterburners ready because the speed Cruz brings to the cage is intense and if Magrin can’t defend against it, he’ll be on the ground in the blink of an eye and could be in trouble before he even has the wherewithal to gather himself and try to defend himself in the grapple! Cruz is taller, less experienced and seven years younger than Magrin so this will be an excellent opportunity for Cruz to gauge his progression against an established veteran! It’s possible that Magrin is a little more rounded physically but Cruz obviously has the skills to balance out any physical disadvantages he has, especially if he’s fast and strong enough to get this fight to the ground in the early stages! So far, that hasn’t been an issue for him and I don’t expect it will be tonight, either! Cruz leaps at Magrin like a Bugatti on the Autobahn and gets him to the mat before he knows what hit him! By the time he gets his senses, Cruz will have him in a precarious submission that forces the tapout! If Magrin manages to sustain his defensive grappling and Cruz doesn’t make him tap then Cruz will finish this fight on its feet! Ball: “Boia” Magrin is 4-3 overall and as you alluded to, Carr, he does have the combat and age experience advantage in this fight! However, from what we’ve seen of both men, Magrin does not want to risk having this fight stay on its feet because the longer that happens, the more peril he faces! Magrin and his management have decided to have him focus solely on grappling and BJJ, and while that works against opponents who aren’t well rounded and want no part of the ground game, against more complete fighters who are also versed in grappling and BJJ makes that approach a very difficult one for success! Magrin is a very proud Brazilian fighter and I’m sure he has no trepidation about matching skills and abilities on the ground with Cruz because he may very well be able to enlighten the young lion with wits as well as power, but if he’s not able to get Cruz to the mat then this affair may turn into a very ugly and nasty one in a very short period of time! To avoid that potential disaster, Magrin is going to have to rely on his combat and life experience to feint Cruz and make him react one way in order for Magrin to successfully catch him off guard another way! To me, that’s the only way he can pull off this victory! Kudos to him for being willing to battle a young up-and-comer like Cruz because that’s far from easy but Magrin is going to have to dig deep into his bag of tricks to pull this one off! I think Magrin does pull this off because he knows how to use aggression against opponents and he could opt to slow the pace and score vital points on the judges’ cards while frustrating Cruz into taking more risks because Cruz will want to finish the fight! Magrin counters Cruz’s aggression and makes the young warrior tapout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Magrin by Submission; Carr – Cruz by Submission Ball: Eddy Gordo and Abul Khayr Belabed square off in the heat of battle! “Capoeira” Gordo is a perfect 3-0 so far in his young career, and this proud Brazilian who does in fact practice capoeira as part of his training regimen has shown that he prefers the ground game and who can argue with what works? Until someone forcefully changes his mind he’ll continue that approach because he’s comfortable with it, he understands it and he makes it work! Gordo is shorter but heavier than his opponent and once again, that’s advantageous for the grappler! Since his opponent also leans towards grappling and BJJ, that should sit very well with Gordo! I think Gordo gets this fight to the ground quickly and will outskill the older and more combat experienced Belabed for the submission win! Carr: Belabed, the green-haired Saudi Arabian fighter, is 8-11-1 overall so he’s had his struggles throughout his career! He has a good number of victories by submission so he is capable when he’s locked in and his attitude and focus are where they should be, but in his last three fights, Belabed has not looked good! A KO, TKO and unanimous decision loss does not add up to success and add in the fact that it hurts, literally, to lose by KO and TKO and it’s just not a good look for Belabed! I saw him earlier tonight, Ball, and the usual look in his eye that shows he’s itching for a fight just isn’t there! I think those losses have broken his spirit and his training footage isn’t inspiring either! In this fight, I have to go with the young stallion because Gordo looks ready for a fight and Belabed doesn’t! It’s that simple! Gordo makes him tap! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Gordo by Submission; Ball – Gordo by Submission Carr: Oleg Borisov and Steven Lurkman face off in what should be an intense battle! Notice the key word there, Ball, is “should”! The last time we saw Borisov, he was on a downward spiral after losing three fights in a row! His fight against Chok Delarock had the potential to be a very good fight but instead, Delarock finished him in the third round by TKO and it seems Borisov just threw in the towel after that! He looks like he’d rather eat a live jumbo shrimp than fight Lurkman! You know who I’m picking to win this fight in light of that but I think he makes him tap just to rub it in! Ball: I definitely know who you’re picking because I’m picking him, too! “Project X” Lurkman and the UnderGround Fights Enterprise members told me that if he doesn’t make Borisov snap or nap, he’ll run naked into a snowstorm before jumping into a cold lake! I don’t want to see footage of Lurkman naked for any reason so I think he wins this fight by knockout to spare my eyes! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Lurkman by KO; Carr – Lurkman by Submission Ball: Lee Van Cleefe and Yowis Ben are the penultimate battle of the night! “The Ninja” Cleefe, who as I understand it is named after the actor who became known as a cool cowboy before starring in The Master, is 8-11 overall, and that’s a lot of fights for only being 21 years old and I think people tend to overlook that! Many 21-year-old fighters in this business have maybe half of that many fights under their belt by the time they turn 21 so props to him for loving to fight! However, that love of fighting has definitely cost him in pain and overall record, but he does have time to turn things around if his body and psyche hold up! He did recently defeat Lebo Westwood by TKO at RFC 48 and that victory snapped a 4-fight losing streak! However, he’s lost in every manner possible except bleeding out so he’ll have to step up his level of abilities against Ben in this fight! He’s shorter and lighter than Ben and eight years younger, so if he’s going to win this fight, he’s going to have to use smarts, speed and aggression to get this fight to the ground as fast as possible and lock in the submission for the win! I think he manages to do exactly that! Carr: Ben is an overall 10-10 so sitting at the .500 mark, especially at 29 years-old is a tough task to overcome! The Indonesian fighter has shown a propensity for grappling and BJJ but against Cleefe, that may prove to be a dangerous formula! If he’s not able to get this fight on the ground quickly, he could be face down on the canvas before he realizes it and that’s obviously something he doesn’t want to do! In fact, he may even have trouble controlling the fight on the ground if Cleefe lets the fight go there! Throw in the fact that I saw Ben earlier and he doesn’t look too thrilled about fighting and this just isn’t looking good for Ben tonight! I think Cleefe wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Cleefe by KO; Ball – Cleefe by Submission Carr: And the final entry of the night, per se, will be Augusto Pinochet and Marco Dorival! “El General” Pinochet is an even 1-1 to start his career, and this proud Chilean member of LEGION OF DOOM had a rough go of it against Xavier Blackblood at RFC 48 by losing via TKO fifty-nine seconds into the first round! To his credit, Pinochet shook off that loss well and got himself right back into the gym to train and various LEGION OF DOOM members spoke about his willingness to review the fight footage meticulously despite knowing what he’d see! That shows his warrior spirit as well as his desire to improve himself and that’s very respectable because many young fighters have difficulty getting right back into battle after a tough loss! He also has the ability to stop an opponent in their tracks as he showed everyone at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 22 by knocking out Gusarov Koreshkov near the end of the first round! If he can bring that focus and dynamite punching ability into the cage tonight, he’ll be just fine! He’s quite a bit shorter than Dorival so I expect him to work over the body of the younger Dorival in an effort to tax his energy plus make him drop his guard so he can slip in uppercuts and hooks to the body and head! If one of those slips through unchecked, Dorival could be looking up at the lights before he knows what hit him! Despite the height difference, I think Pinochet’s punching power and combat experience edge will allow him to drop the untested Dorival! Ball: Tonight is the debut fight of the very young warrior, Dorival! Hailing from Portugal, this young man puts a lot on the line tonight as he makes his first foray into the cage against a slightly tested veteran but someone who has combat experience and age advantages over him! Dorival is a tall young man and that will work well for him if he can stay on the outside and use accurate punches from a distance to prevent him from being chin checked, plus if he opts to throw any kicks, he could obviously do much more damage at a distance! There’s a possibility that Dorival could land an unexpected head kick that dazes Pinochet or even knocks him out so Pinochet will need to be on the lookout for that! The assumption is Pinochet is physically more mature and capable than the young Dorival so to counter that, I think Dorival will have to try and counterattack Pinochet’s aggression in seeking a knockout! We haven’t seen any fight footage, obviously, of the young man so we have the word of his trainers and management. They feel his best bet is to try and catch Pinochet with a counterpunch that tests his ability to take a solid punch! I know Dorival is fighting an uphill battle here but I’ll take the young man to surprise Pinochet and win by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Dorival by KO; Carr – Pinochet by KO Ball: That brings us to a close, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you as always for taking the time to join us and we do truly appreciate your time and energy! Carr: That we do and we want to thank our new merchandise partner, Kore Fight Nutrition! Check them out and buy some great products! 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