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Jeff Smith |
Feb 03, 2011 04:25 GMT |
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Welcome to the preview Triumph 40: TENSION. Expect an exciting night of action folks, for on this card we have TWO titles on the line, former champions fighting their way back to the top, and scores of exciting prospects making their debuts.
Brad Fosse (0-0) v beej dem (1-2)
In our first fight of the evening, MMA newcomer Brad Fosse is making his Triumph debut against beej dem. Dem is looking to recover from his last fight, a decision loss. With strong boxing abilities leading the way, dem will definitely be trying to keep this fight on the feet. On the other side, Brad Fosse will attempt to utilize his BJJ brown belt abilities to end this fight. The key to this match revolves around Fosse’s offensive wrestling skills. Beej dem will provide a stiff challenge for Fosse’s takedowns.
Prediction: It might take a while at first, but eventually this fight is going to the ground. When it does, expect Fosse to work for a submission victory.
Chirstopher Charles (2-0) vs. Aaron Koscheck (1-1)
Our next bout is a heavyweight matchup between prospects Chirstopher “Need a Spellcheck” Charles and Aaron “The Hammer” Koscheck. Charles is making his debut in Triumph and has looked spectacular in the first two fights of his career. The only problem being, they were against the same opponent who was clearly overmatched against the talent striker. Koscheck is a more balanced fighter, having decent boxing and wrestling as his strongest skills.
Prediction: Unfortunately for these two young prospects, one must go home defeated come fight night. Charles has just enough wrestling chops keep this fight standing, and that’s where he’ll clobber his way to a 3rd round KO.
Teddy Sheehan (3-1) vs. Brian Van Dam (6-3)
Our third match of the evening pits together two huge heavyweights eager to duke it out. Sheehan, a ground game specialist, is coming off of a close decision loss. He’ll be looking to rebound against the more experienced Brian Van Dam. As a fighter with KO power and solid standup skills, Van Dam can end this fight on a moment’s notice. The problem will be overcoming his opponents huge reach advantage, which Van Dam has grown accustomed to over the course of his career.
Prediction: Van Dam brings superior wrestling abilities to this fight, which will keep him standing just long enough to put his opponent to sleep. Van Dam by knockout in the 1st.
Dragon Dagger (4-0) vs. Mogul Khan (9-5)
Those of you that are fans of grappling battles are not going to want to miss this next match. “Super Poisoned” Dragon Dagger is one of Triumph’s hottest prospects at 135 pounds, having finished all four of his fights by submission. The BJJ brown belt has shown a killer instinct in all of his matches, but his defensive skills will be tested against Triumph veteran Mogul Khan. A BJJ black belt himself, Mogul “Axe” Khan is certainly no slouch when it comes to rolling on the mats. However of his 5 losses, 3 have come by submission to less credentialed competition. Who will take the win in this battle of submission wizardry?
Prediction: This will probably be one of those fights that casual fans call boring and hardcore grappling enthusiasts will want to nominate for Fight of the Year. Given his slight edge in experience and credentials, I’ll make the “Axe” my pick by way of decision. However, don’t be surprised if either one of these grappling geniuses’ pulls off a submission seemingly out of mid-air.
Ron John (5-2) v Genku Chiba (5-1)
In our next bout, we have two light heavyweight fighters coming off impressive wins in their last fights. BJJ brown belt Ron John bounced back from his KO loss to Vincent Demedici with an impressive first round submission victory over fellow BJJ specialist Forrest Lion. With his confidence riding high, he’ll face fellow five-win fighter Genku Chiba. Chiba, a practitioner of all skills but a master of none, has shown grit in the face of adversity. On top of that, his rocket launcher of a right hand can put opponents to sleep at a moment’s notice. With both fighters looking to maintain momentum , one will rise in the division ranks and one will fill.
Prediction: While Ron John has suffered losses against opponents with elite standup skills, Chiba doesn’t possess the technique to make full use of his natural KO power. Ron John’s takedown offense will face a serious test in Chiba, but once the fight goes to the ground the fight it is going to be as one sided as can be. Look for a Ron John victory late in the first round.
Eric Draven (3-2) vs. Zorrito Falcon (4-0)
Up next, we have a lightweight battle with newcomer Zorrito Falcon making his debut in Triumph against Eric Draven. Falcon is a BJJ purple belt with decent takedowns and a nose for finding weakness in an opponent’s submission defense. However, his chin is going to be seriously tested when he goes up against talented the Draven. After suffering two close decision loses to start off his career, Draven has finally lived up to his potential knocking out three opponents in a row. Will he be able to extend his streak to 4 KOs at the expense of the new guy?
Prediction: Zorrito Falcon is a fantastic prospect who has a bright future in Triumph breaking joints and choking out opponents. Unfortunately for him, his takedown offense has yet to be tested by someone as sturdy as Eric Draven. With a combination of outstanding boxing and determined grappling defense, Eric Draven is going to show “No Love” to the Triumph neophyte.
James Stone (19-8) v Bill Lapointe (15-10)
Two of the most experienced fighters on the Triumph roster come to battle in this next match. James “Unbreakable” Stone is making his debut in the Triumph light heavyweight division after spending the majority of his career fighting for XCC. A dangerous standup fighter, he’ll his hands busy facing BJJ black belt Bill “The Shoe Salesman” Lapointe. In a throwback to the old school days of MMA, we have a stylistic matchup between a boxer and a submission grappler. Stone is better standing, Lapointe is better on the ground, and their nicknames are equally awesome.
Prediction: Another close match, as Lapointe definitely has the wrestling and BJJ knowledge to win on the ground. The question is if he can get him there before Stone knocks him out, as has been the trend when has gone against elite strikers in the past. Also, this isn’t the stone ages of MMA anymore when the Gracies were able to twist up poor saps who had no idea what was happening to them. Look for the “Shoe Salesman” to keep it close, but the “Unbreakable” Stone should take home a decision win in his debut.
Rice Farmer Dude (6-1) v Stones Mahones (7-1)
Former heavyweight champion Stones Mahones looks to continue on the long climb back to the top with his next fight against rising star Rice Farmer Dude. In this match we have two very big boys that like nothing more than to punch each other on the face. Though he built up a reputation of being a knockout artist in QFC, Farmer Dude has yet to show those show-stopping abilities in Triumph. He faces a big step up in competition and a willing standup opponent in Mahones.
On the other hand, Stones Mahones has torn through the Triumph heavyweight division since his arrival. With all his 7 wins coming by way of knockout and his one loss coming at the hands of current heavyweight champion Leroy Brown, Mahones is still an incredibly dangerous opponent for anyone in the division.
Prediction: How do you predict a fight when you have two boxers competing in a MMA match? The better boxer wins. “BOOMSTICK” Stones Mahones to take this one in by way of 2nd round knockout.
Co-Main Event: Michael Benoit (8-1) v Doctor Baldacchino (9-10)
In our Co-Main event of the evening, Michael Benoit puts his 135 pound title on the line against Triumph newcomer Doctor Baldacchino. Though there have been some murmurs floating around the org after finding out the Maltese native was getting a title shot so soon after joining Triumph, they were quickly silenced once Baldacchino finished longtime fan favorite Jimmy Dean by submission in the first round. At 9-10, the challenger brings an incredibly unimpressive record to the table. However, he has been around the block and there is nothing that the champion can throw at him that he hasn’t seen before.
Coming off a decision win, the champion faces another BJJ specialist in his next challenger. Benoit has shown stout takedown defense and some very hands in his time in Triumph. In the challenger, he faces a lose-lose situation. If he wins, naysayers will just look at his opponents record and disregard him without really acknowledging his legitimate weapons. If he loses, well…that’s always a bad thing for the champ right?
Keys to victory:
Baldacchino: Utilize his superior takedown offense to force the champion to roll with him on the ground. While Baldacchino can engage in the standup, his best shot at victory lies in a submission win. This is likely to be one of Baldacchino’s last shots at a title and a fairy tale ending to his career. More than anything, this will serve to be the main reason why the challenger is a threat to the champ.
Benoit: Though the champion just defeated another BJJ specialist, this one comes with much better wrestling and a nothing to lose mentality. If the champion can continue to bring his frustratingly solid takedown defense to this fight, he’ll take home and easy win on the fight. Though his opponent has some standup skills, he has no power so there is virtually no threat of a knockout. To prepare for this fight, Benoit simply needs to watch every Chuck Liddell win EVER and simply copy his gameplan.
Prediction: Though the Doctor is looking for his redemption moment in this fight, look to the champ to turn the challenger’s fairy tale into a nightmare. Benoit wins by KO in the 4th.
Main Event: Kurt Summers (7-0) v BJ Paninii (12-4)
For the main of the evening, we have a thrilling matchup for the Triumph United Lightweight Championship. Challenger BJ Paninii is a recent pickup for Triumph, but has picked up 2 nice decision wins since joining the organization. A BJJ specialist, Paninii uses his 225 cm frame in conjunction with a pestering jab to set up takedowns. Once on the ground, few have been able to handle his stifling ground control and submission offense.
However, undefeated champion Kurt Summers is not going to let his title go without a fight. The homegrown fighter has spent his entire career in Triumph and has established quite a fan base through his standup prowess. In his last bought, the champ took on another worthy challenger and BJJ brown belt in Henry Huynh and managed to take home a decision victory. Never one to back down, the champ will be in for the fight of his life against the challenger.
Keys to victory:
Paninii: Jab, takedown, submissions. Rinse, wash, and repeat. If Paninii can turn his ridiculous height into an offensive advantage rather than a defensive liability, he’ll be able to walk home with the belt. Much of how the fight goes will depend on how the challenger decides to engage the champ on the feet. If Paninii decides to stand and trade punches with Summers, he’ll likely be knocked out by his opponents superior boxing. However if Paninii can get Summers to the ground and keep him there, he should be able to squeak out a win.
Summers: Keep the fight standing at all costs. Though the champion has shown solid defensive grappling skills in the past, his BJJ is definitely his weakness and his opponent’s strength. The champ still faces a difficult challenge on the feet, as his opponent has a huge reach advantage. Summers must avoid chasing Paninii around the right, or else he may make a mistake and get caught with a takedown. This may be one of the cases where getting into a controlled brawl will actually work in a fighter’s favor. If the champ can lure Paninii into trading leather with him, he should let his fists fly and go for the knockout. His naturally better standup game should compensate for a slight decrease in technique.
Prediction: This fight poses a tricky proposition for the champ. To utilize his striking abilities, Summers must find a way to get inside his opponents reach. On the ground, he’ll face a more aggressive and talented opponent. Though he even lacks the edge in experience, I’m predicting a win for the hometown champion. Expect a strategic chess match inside the ring for this one, with the champion utilizing a high volume of crisp punches to take home the decision win and the title. |
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