|
 Gladiator Fighting Championship fans in The Parisian are in for an absolute treat on Sunday night when GFC puts on its huge GFC XVIII fight card featuring three tremendous title fights. After selling out the Parisian in its first two appearances there, GFC continues to build momentum and gain recognition in the MMA world. Will gold change hands on Sunday night or will the champions be able to hold on to their belts? Here is a quick rundown of the fight card:
A pair of struggling featherweights will start off the night when Anthony Kiedis (17-12-2) takes on Clifford Bridges (4-6-1). Kiedis has not tasted victory in the cage in nearly nine months. He is in dire need of a win and will most certainly pull out all the stops to make it happen. Kiedis leans heavily on his Muay Thai skills, chopping away at his opponents with kicks and looking for opportunities to clinch up and throw knees. Kiedis has decent BJJ skills and can pull of the occasional submission. Bridges enters the cage having not won a fight in a year and a half. His career could be in serious jeopardy unless he's able to show something in this fight. Bridges is a solid striker whose best attribute is his boxing. Bridges, like Kiedis has also shown some impressive work in the clinch. With both fighters being desperate to get into the win column, this could turn into quite a battle.
The second fight will feature lightweight competitors, Angel Castile (16-12) and Bobby Tupper II (12-14-1). Castile is coming off of a tough submission loss and is looking to rebound against Tupper II. He has good boxing skills but really shines with his versatile kicking attack. Castile has flashed some power in his career and is always a threat to land a knockout blow. Tupper II is a pure grappler with no interest in engaging in a standup battle. He will be looking to catch one of Castile's kicks and put him on the ground. Once he has opponents on the ground, Tupper II looks to unleash with some heavy ground and pound and control the fight. Tupper II has shown some submission ability and could capitalize on that given that Castile has tapped out eight times in his career. This will be an interesting matchup of two very different styles.
Lightheavyweights Jynkka Levanen (4-4-1) and Chris Christofi (4-0-1) will cross paths in our third fight. Levanen has yet to secure a win in two attempts in GFC. The BJJ black belt has a once track mind when it comes to his fight strategy. His goal is to take his opponent down and submit him. Levanen has had some trouble protecting himself in his young career and has eating a high number of punches and kicks. If he wishes to see success in the cage, he is going to have to step up his striking defense. Christofi is a pure wrestler who will have no qualms about taking the fight to the ground with Levanen. He has clearly shown the ability to smother an opponent from top position and control a fight, and deliver nasty ground and pound.
Two GFC newcomers will face one another in the fourth fight when Jasiek Pioncha (13-10) battles Chase Utley (1-1). After a terrible losing streak, Pioncha has bounced back strong and scored two straight wins. He is a knockout threat, having picked up nine of his fourteen career wins by KO or TKO. He is a very accurate striker who defends himself well. Utley has dropped four of his last five fights and believes a fresh start in GFC will breathe new life into him. He is a tremendous boxer who has no fear and standing and trading blows with his opponent. That strategy has led to half of his careers wins coming by KO or TKO but has also causing him to be on the receiving end of four KOs or TKOs. This should be an entertaining affair between to guys who don't mind throwing down.
In the fifth fight, GFC veteran Kosmo Kramer (18-7-2) will face William Cacho (5-3). Kramer had a nice three fight win streak going until having to settle for an unsatisfying draw in his last fight. He will most assuredly be looking to start a new win streak and send Cacho home disappointed. Kramer is a good striker from a distance but has proven to be absolutely deadly in the clinch. His elbows and knees are feared by every fighter in the division and no one wants to find themselves in his clinch. Cacho will be making his first appearance in GFC. His career has been somewhat uneven up to this point and he is looking to level things out and build some momentum. Cacho is a violent striker who is equally comfortable punishing his opponent with his hands or his feet. All of his wins have come by KO or TKO and his head kick knockouts are quickly becoming legendary.
Another fighter making his GFC debut is Peter Knapp (23-9). He will be greeted into GFC by Hanley Ramirez (20-7). Knapp is an incredibly heavy handed boxer who can turn the lights out on an opponent in the blink of an eye. He will throw the occasional token kick just to keep things interesting, but make no mistake about it, he makes his living with his fists. Ramirez scored an impressive knockout win in his GFC debut and will be looking to use that win as a springboard to the top of the division. Ramirez is an accomplished striker but not on the same plain as Knapp. He does have a high level of success with takedowns and has been known to work his ground and pound when the situation warranted. This should be an outstanding matchup.
The seventh fight is a lightweight bout between Hans Landa (17-10-1) and David Currie (25-10-1). Landa suffered a tough loss in his first GFC fight but comes in determined. He is an incredibly versatile fighter with few holes in his game. He is a good striker, very nasty in the clinch, and has some scary ground and pound skills. Currie is making his first GFC appearance and has developed a reputation as a grinder. He likes to throw strikes in mass quantities and relies on outpointing his opponents rather than throwing with power. He has a good ground game and as a BJJ black belt, he has has the ability so submit someone. Both fighters are incredibly talented and should prove to be good tests for one another.
The first title fight of the night will see Rolando Garcia (29-14-2) defend the GFC lightweight belt against Heston Gracie (15-9). Garcia continues to fend off Father Time and looks reborn since entering GFC at 37 years old. Garcia can hold his own standing but really prefers to do his work on the ground. He has a high level of success taking his opponents to the ground. Once he has them there, they can rarely withstand his combination of ground and pound and submission attempts. Gracie is a submission specialist in his own right who owns a red belt in BJJ. He will stand and strike with some level of success, but like Garcia, he likes to do his dirty work on the canvas. Will this battle for the belt turn into a grappling match, or will one of these competitors switch strategy and surprise the other?
The co-main event will feature Dustin Martin (22-7-1) defending the GFC heavyweight title against Xavier Mack (13-8). Martin has turned in a number of strong performances of late and seems to be on quite a roll. Martin is usually a very powerful striker, but since coming to GFC, he has shown the ability to go the distance. Mack is a fighter who possesses phenomenal power and is always looking for the knockout. He rarely goes the distance in a fight and will most assuredly be swinging for the fences agains Martin. This fight could very easily produce the Knockout Of The Night with these two sluggers clashing.
The main event of the evening will be a middleweight matchup, with Carson Mile (14-9-1) defending his title against Payakaroon Bot (11-3). Mile has produced two straight first round finishes and has wowed the fans on his way to the title. Only one of his wins has come by decision, with all of the others coming by way of brutal finishes. He is a strong striker at a distance and absolutely lethal inside of the clinch. If anyone can match up with Mile in the clinch, it is Bot. He is a tremendous Muay Thai practitioner who makes full use of his fists, elbows, and knees in the clinch. With four wins in five appearances in GFC, Bot has proven to be a fan favorite. All of his eleven wins have come by KO or TKO, further endearing him to the fans. These two powerful warriors are sure to put on a show.
Article views:
174
» Donate to this author |
