YerMaw Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 EPL Season 9 Week 5 Preview This week, season 9 of the EPL comes to Japan with the twelve combatants preparing to do battle in the world famous Tokyo Dome. The schedule has been kind to us this week treating us with several closely matched bouts, the only fight which doesn't have an air of unpredictability about it is Griezmann's seemingly inevitable slide into a lifetime's worth of medical bills but who knows... maybe this is the week he surprises us all. Without further ado here are the matchups for week 5: http://i.imgur.com/z5rt2ZF.png Akamai Hoi vs. Bobby Newmark The wins just keep piling up for Bobby Newmark: 4-0 so far and having quickly dispatched Griezmann within just two minutes he goes into this Week 5 matchup with Akamai Hoi fresh and without injury concern. Meanwhile Hoi has been inconsistent to say the least... the immensely talented 27-year old knocked out Tyson with a spectacular head kick two weeks ago but then found himself undone by the combination punching of Gymer Alexandersson. The real question here is which Akamai Hoi is going to show up on the day? The Hawaiian has the skillset to cause Newmark some problems but finding some consistency against the early tournament leader will be paramount: Newmark has looked very comfortable in every matchup so far with the sole exception of McLauglin, Hoi is going to need to dig deep here if he wants to spring an upset. Newmark's main asset is the tremendous range of strikes in his arsenal: he can slow opponents down with a combination of leg and body kicks before moving upstairs to look for the finishing blow with his boxing skills or, on occasion, the head kick. Nullifying the 36-year olds striking abilities will be crucial for Hoi: Newmark possesses ample knockout power so attempting to trade shots does not seem like a viable approach here – my guess is the Hawaiian will look to take the fight into the clinch where Newmark has yet to be tested in this competition. Whether that will be enough to swing this bout in Hoi's favour however, is another question altogether; at range Newmark's striking defence is excellent and up close he has the chin to endure the punishment Hoi is capable of dishing out. In addition, even if Hoi can successfully take his opponent into the clinch he will need to be wary of Newmark's use of knees to both the body and head; the latter is a particularly potent weapon, and has served him well in the past with sensational knockouts of Love and the granite-chinned Adis Djurdjevic. While Hoi is the more clinical finisher on the inside, stopping Newmark in his tracks is a tough ask and I see the more experienced American taking the win here to go 5-0. Prediction: Newmark by KO. Gymer Alexandersson vs. Ashley Harrington Tournament newcomer Gymer Alexandersson has wasted no time in stacking up the points in his bid to catch up with the early leaders; he had a tougher matchup last week but continued to impress with an extremely dominant performance over Akamai Hoi. Alexandersson will know he needs to maintain that form if he wants to make a serious challenge in the playoffs, but so far it's looking very good indeed for the Swede. This week he will face England's Ashley Harrington – Harrington had been tipped by many to make the playoffs and potentially go the whole way, but last week's bout with US boxer Mike Tyson has derailed the hype train somewhat. Harrington is still in good shape at 3-1 but suddenly doesn't look quite as invincible as we had previously thought with Tyson doing an excellent job of evading the Englishman's strikes and ultimately putting the lights out with a brutal straight right to the jaw. If anyone's got a point to prove this week it's Harrington: Alexandersson has been in great form since being picked up by veteran manager Michael Knight and stopping the Swede here would send a strong message that Harrington is back in business. This is an extremely tough fight to call: Harrington is the more accurate striker of the two and has the edge in experience, however Alexandersson doesn't mess around in the cage – he consistently finishes fights with the vast majority of them ending in under two minutes. This fight is also a landmark appearance for the Swede, marking the twentieth time he has stepped foot in the ring: what better way for the former Destiny heavyweight champ to mark the occasion with a win over as famed an opponent as Harrington. Alexandersson might not have the same arsenal of weaponry as the Englishman, but who needs kicks when you possess sheer knockout power in those hands? I still think Harrington has what it takes to rebound from his last loss and outstrike Alexandersson, but the Swede certainly isn't going to give him an easy time of it – Harrington will need to be wary of getting rocked for a third time in this competition but if he keeps his wits about him he has the talent to put the first loss on Alexandersson's EPL record. Prediction: Harrington by KO. Ricardo Griezmann vs. Arthur Curry Curry's prospects are looking a lot better following a quick stoppage over McLauglin last week – the Irishman outworked the Boston fighter on the outside and ultimately wrapped things up with a sensational superman punch to take home the win. Griezmann on the other hand... well, let's just say once this season wraps up it's unlikely we will see him in the EPL again. The American has consistently lost fights due to doctor stoppage (although last week we saw a slight variance in that pattern with Newmark actually knocking him out clean) and with seven weeks still to go before the end of the regular season it's not completely out of the realms of possibility that at some stage the EPL medical experts simply refuse to let him into the cage. In terms of a tactical preview for this fight, Griezmann will again lose by (T)KO – most likely because of cuts although Curry is also quite capable of knocking him out as well. I would bet my house on this seemingly inevitable outcome coming to fruition, and hell let's throw in the car as well while we're at it. I don't know if Griezmann is a religious man but if he is he better start praying to the invisible man upstairs for a change of fortunes; or perhaps a sacrifice to the sun gods for a small ray of hope in what is looking like a very bleak few weeks indeed for Californian. Prediction: Curry by (T)KO (doctor stoppage) Mike Tyson vs. Grigori Rasputin He may have declined somewhat but Tyson is still very much an opponent to be reckoned with – the 33 year old stopping bookies favourite Ashley Harrington in just one minute forty one to resume his climb up the table. His opponent for this Week 5 matchup is one Grigori Rasputin – like Tyson, the Russian has been in good form as of late with back to back wins over Bomb and Curry. His only loss so far has come at the hands of Newmark who currently stands top of the table; however, this is undeniably one of the tougher matchups on his schedule and it will be interesting to see how the Mad Monk fares here. Both of these opponents are natural finishers and in the case of Tyson it is rare indeed to see one of his fights go past the first round: with the 10-minute EPL format we should almost certainly be looking at another finish here. The Mad Monk again proved why he is considered such a deadly opponent last week with his victory over James Bomb: a straightforward fight which was determined primarily by Rasputin's work rate in the clinch. Invariably this will be an area Tyson will seek to avoid at all costs, Tyson's main strength comes from his ability to pack power in his punches; allowing Rasputin to get on the inside and tie his hands up will limit his ability to unleash those power shots, as such the American will most likely look to keep his distance and play away from his opponents strengths. Rasputin does possess a slight height advantage but with his additional bulk may find it difficult to match Tyson on the outside. Of the two it would appear that the American possesses the better chin, while his durability is starting to come into question at this stage in his career, most of Tyson's opponents have had to dig deep to find the KO. If there is one strike Tyson is vulnerable to it's the head kick; Rasputin has knocked opponents out in this manner before but not for a long time now and judging by recent appearances it's not a tool he chooses to utilise particularly often. It's going to be a tough ask for the Mad Monk to walk away with the victory here; he certainly has the potential to do so but he happens to be coming up against an opponent in excellent form. Of the two I would say that Tyson is the more likely to find the finish first. Prediction: Tyson by KO. Edward McLauglin vs. Vladislav Maslow McLauglin suffered his first lopsided loss of the season as he went down to Arthur Curry in spectacular fashion; prior to this unfortunate series of events the New England clinch fighter had been holding his own in the tournament so it will interesting to see how he approaches this matchup with Vladislav Maslow. The Russian suffered a swift defeat against KO King Kyle Carlton last week and, with his only tournament win thus far coming against (the now departed) Dennis Page, he will need to start stringing together some wins if he has hopes of reaching the playoffs. Admittedly Maslow has had a tough schedule to start the season, running into the likes of Rasputin and Harrington early on, but this is a case of 'now or never' for the Jiu Jitsu black belt. Maslow will want to take the fight to the floor if at all possible, he hasn't quite looked up to the level of competition on his feet but his ground skills can easily cause problems to this field packed full of standup artists. McLauglin is no slouch on the ground but he has been submitted before and earlier in his career he has suffered a couple of decision losses to the likes of Holy War and Mike Tomlinson – both opponents successfully using the takedown to suffocate the action and grind out the win on the judges scorecards. Maslow may well be looking at the tape and thinking of pulling off a similar stunt here if he can't get the submission. However, McLauglin has made substantial improvements to his takedown defence since then and the Russian may find his work cut out for him. It will be interesting to see if McLauglin changes up his gameplan to account for Maslow's skillset: normally the American looks to move to the inside – Maslow has appeared vulnerable in the clinch but at the same time closing the distance may enable him to find the takedown with greater ease. McLauglin is the shorter fighter by a significant margin so that will actually aid him here in avoiding Maslow's efforts to take the fight to his preferred operating table. A tricky matchup for McLauglin but I think he has what it takes to get back to winning ways and deliver another crushing blow to Maslow's playoff ambitions. Prediction: McLauglin by KO. James Bomb vs. Kyle Carlton Two legends come to clash heads in what should be an entertaining bout. Carlton, 39, and Bomb, 40, may be past their prime but no one could accuse them of lacking in heart in their search for EPL glory. Of the two Carlton looks to be in better shape: he is currently 2-2 and last week showed us he hasn't lost that killer instinct as he put away Vladislav Maslow in just 35 seconds. Meanwhile Bomb is looking slightly out of sorts and it would appear that the extended layoff he took earlier in the year may have had it's impact in terms of ring rust – he struggled to find the target against Rasputin and again his chin, which has absorbed more than it's fair share of damage of the years, gave way as the Mad Monk walked away with the points. Maybe this matchup is the opportunity the EPL legend needs to finally record his first win of the season, but it's not going to be easy by any means. Bomb is currently 2-8 in his last ten appearances, the two wins did come via KO but they were against Gainsborough and Ware, both lesser opponents – whether he is capable of finding the finish against the former P4P No. 1 is a huge question mark. Carlton's chin is also suspect at this stage of his career but he looks to be in much better physical shape and that may well prove to be the decisive factor here. Someone's chin will give way, and I would wager it will be very early on in the round – of the two that has to favour Carlton, he has always been noted for his knockout power and that is one weapon which has certainly not faded. Bomb needs to avoid getting hit at all costs and hope that he can deliver enough strikes to put Carlton to sleep before the American can return the favour. It's going to be one chaotic matchup but exciting nonetheless: this is no Gracie vs. Shamrock – both of these fighters have great heart and while their chins may have degraded their appetite for getting in the cage has not. My money is on Carlton to take the win here but either way it's going to be an action packed few minutes (if we even get past the minute mark). Prediction: Carlton by KO. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stpierrecanada Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Awesome job! Carlton is ready to go!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repe Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Awesome job! Carlton is ready to go!! ..To hospital 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YerMaw Posted February 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Griezmann cracks Curry with a nasty uppercut that draws ooohs from the crowd and sends Curry tumbling backwards onto the mat. He tries to recover but Griezmann pounces and lands a hail of unanswered strikes that forces the referee to step in to end the fight! Curry is not happy but he gave the referee no choice!Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:11 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Ricardo Griezmann! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeySteve Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 These previews are awesome. Thanks for dong them! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryB Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Yeah, this is the best run tournament I have been a part of to this point. Keep up the good work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itakebrides Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, after 1:11 of round 1, we have a winner by way of TKO (Strikes). Ricardo Griezmann! lol yep i dont think anybody was expecting that .Plus Jbomb winning was also bit of a shock 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stpierrecanada Posted February 25, 2016 Report Share Posted February 25, 2016 Unreal... Good job James Bomb, kicked my guy Carltons ass bigtime. Ricardo got a win over Curry as well that shocked the shit outta me.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2016 Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 Ahh filling the tourny hopefully get in on this the next time it's run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLP Posted February 26, 2016 Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 Ahh filling the tourny hopefully get in on this the next time it's run The next one will likely be at 155 with a 145lb minimum or 145 with a 135 minimum. Soft starting date of early May. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potter09 Posted February 26, 2016 Report Share Posted February 26, 2016 Good job on previews Donald. Outstanding. Newmark looking like the front runner I do feel someone will stop him in his tracks very soon. I thought Gymer was goin to have a good run but Harrington soon stopped that 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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