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 Otto Jokinen (32-9) vs Jan Sobieski (25-7)
Highlighting Syn's monumental PPV event in Tokyo are two titans riding a freakish storm of momentum. Otto Jokinen will welcome decorated grappling sensation Jan Sobieski to the organization as both men look to carve their way into title contention. After an an amazing come from behind debut Jokinen boasts a five fight win streak in which he finished all five opponents. He is a well rounded powerhouse capable of destroying people in the stand up realm, bettering his adversaries on the ground and in general is a fighter who finishes fights. In the opposing corner stands Jan Sobieski, a specialist grappling artist who pierced his way to the top with a forceful, blitzkrieg style wrestling assault combined with wizardly jiu jitsu skills. The X factor in this bout is the ability to take a punch. Jokinen has shown in recent past that he gets dazed when he eats strikes but comes back like a raging demon. Sobieski has held up to his opponents strongly during his fighting life. Despite showing a modest chin throughout his career it would be seemingly foolish to stand and trade with Jokinen in hopes of a victory. Sobieski will go out on his shield trying to impose a ground assault but Jokinen will defend, get back to his realm and starch his foe via TKO in round 2.
Emeka Shakur (37-12) vs Carter Johnson (32-13)
The legendary and former number one heavyweight in the world Emeka Shakur will be looking to stifle the newcomer Carter Johnson and provide him a warm welcome to the Syn family. Shakur's career is truly a remarkable body of work, he has had his downs but he is a violent and instinctful killer and has blazed his way to the top and has left many bodies in his wake. He is no doubt a favored striker and his entire skill set is based on thwarting any ideas of a ground fight. To topple this legend of tycoon, Carter Johnson will need to throw caution to the wind and go for the juggular without wasting too much energy imposing his grappling arsenal. He is primarily a striker, a consistent finisher and has a notable ground game who loves to batter his foes from the top position. It remains uncertain if he can overcome the daunting grappling defenses of Shakur in his quest for victory. This fight may boil down to who gets their weapons off first, both men have a kill or be killed mentality and it's tough to say who will be the predator and who will be the prey. I believe Shakur has a slight advantage and will win via KO in round 1.
Ben Stone (30-8) vs Hans Edgar (22-9)
Long time Syn veterans will collide in a hardened affair as Hans Edgar dabbles in the welterweight division once again to seize a huge opportunity against the rock solid and well rounded Ben Stone. Both of these warriors are gritty and durable specimens, rarely ever being finished in their bouts. Stone no doubt has more tools in his arsenal and will surely be looking to expose the holes that Egar has in his game. He's got a very tight stand up game in all facets and a grappling prowess that should be respected. In order to crack the code that is Ben Stone, Edgar will need to utlize his biggest strength which is responsible for his ultra high knockout rate and that is his boxing. He also has to maintain a proper distance and not let Stone effectively grapple with him or utilize the kicking and clinching portion of his game where he enjoys a sizeable advantage. Edgar has his work cut out for him in this bout despite being an impressive finisher. At the end of the day I believe Edgars holes are too large to not be taken advantage of and Stone will pick apart his weaknesses en route to a Unanimous Decision victory.
Doug Graves (21-10) vs Jonah Sumrall (16-4)
My old boy Doug Graves has surely made a name for himself in the big leagues with his impressive and barbaric all out fighting style, captivating fans around the world. He will clash with a daunting knockout artist, Jonah Sumrall, who has never been finished with strikes and has a fair amount of momentum coming into the bout. Both guys have actually been rather impressive in Syn and are on two fight win streaks. Any notion of grappling in this fight can pretty much be dismissed as both men will surely engage in a leather slinging contest until one man is lying on the canvas. Skill wise this is quite an even match up, both guys have complete stand up arsenals and are proficient in many types of techniques. I think this fight all comes down to will Graves' chin hold up or not. It would be spectacular if he were to finish Sumrall but I think it's more likely that Graves will be the one lying unconscious after a crippling barrage. I think my old boy Douggy Graves will get starched and Sumrall will win via KO late in round 1.
Randall McMurphy (16-3-1) vs Tim Horton (15-8)
The pride of Canada and national symbol of coffee and doughnuts Tim Horton will look to advance his career in Syn as he goes to war against highly regarded middleweight Randall McMurphy. This is an interesting fight stylistically if this fight hits the mats, Horton is a ground specialist and has finished literally all of his wins, and has finished them all on the ground. McMurphy has a more extensive stand up game and has never been finished in his career. His most recent win was a submission victory so he has some stock in the grappling department if he chooses to go toe to toe in Horton's realm. However skilled McMurphy is on the ground I don't believe he will do the dance of death in Hortons domain. He will stay on the feet and pick apart his foe with a surgeon like kicks and strikes. McMurphy will win via TKO in round 2.
Remaining fights and predictions
Jobe Nkemakolam (31-11) vs Ivan Barac (25-13) - Barac via KO round 2
Roberto Garcia (24-13-1) vs Apollo Jackson (12-3) - Jackson via TKO round 1
Oliver Schwalle (11-7) vs Shawn Kronburger (33-17) - Kronburger via KO round 1
Rico Dominguez (20-10-3) vs Mark Dunn (26-17) - Dunn via SUB round 2
Thorbjorn Ramsberg (38-16) vs Rau Utu (8-5) - Utu via KO round 2
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