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On July 19 RFC will continue its successful Saturday Slugfest series with a great night of fights featuring top prospects; experienced veterans, and our first ever bantamweight championship bout. We are expecting a capacity crowd at Wild Bobs Bar as the fans in Sydney are all beginning to realize that the boys here in RFC bring it day in and day out, and love putting on a show for their fans.
Larry Hoover (3-0) vs Greg “Nukem” Johnson (3-1)
This fight in the 265+ division is between two relatively newcomers to the sport. Hoover won a dominant decision in his RFC debut and will look to build upon that with a win against dangerous wrestler Greg Johnson. Johnson is making his organizational debut here and will want to build on his win streak and continue his ascent toward the top of the division. This is a tough fight to call but in the past Hoover has proven to be a bit more well rounded and I expect him to be able to squeak out a victory.
Prediction: Hoover UD
Ze "Death Frog" Paulino (3-1) vs Andro Antolovic (3-1)
These lightheavyweights are bound to make an interesting fight with a surefire finish as each is the antithesis of one another. Ze Paulino is a fantastic grappler and can finish Antolovic on the ground with a wide array of submissions whereas Antolovic has limited ground grappling ability but had dangerous hands loaded with knockout power. This is another fight that could easily go either way, however given that Paulino was defeated by a great striker via TKO in his last fight I have to go with Antolovic until Paulino proves he can withstand punishment on the feet.
Prediction: Antolovic (T)KO Round 1
Gary Opdauhl (1-0) vs Tyreese "Teddy" Williams (2-0)
Two of the best 205 prospects in Sydney are going to do battle in the RFC cage; Williams has proven to be a well rounded competitor with solid BJJ and a good chin that is able to withstand loads of punishment. Opdauhl made his professional debut in fantastic fashion by stopping one of the most feared 205lb fighters in the RFC via strikes. I have high hopes for both of these guys, however I feel that as of now Opdauhl is the more polished fighter and I look to him to push the pace and finish this one similarly to his debut.
Prediction: Opdauhl (T)KO Round 1
Cacio "The Gargoyle" Aristides (2-1) vs "Big Papa Crocky" Alligator Dundee (6-0)
Aristides is a tough guy who has proven to be a great wrestler and a fearless competitor. He is really looking to push himself by going up against one of the most well respected Super Heavyweight competitors in Sydney; Alligator Dundee. “Big Papa Crocky” comes into this fight at an impressive 6-0 and will look to stay undefeated by avoiding a ground battle and out striking his opponent. If Cacio is able to get this to the ground I can see him grinding out a victory, however given the great streak that Dundee is on I feel that he is primed for a big finish.
Prediction: Dundee (T)KO Round 2
Rich "White" Ghost (1-2) vs Szymon "Młot" Piechnicki (3-6)
Another classic grappler vs striker matchup between these light heavyweights; Ghost will certainly look to take this fight to ground and submit “Mlot” who is a white belt in BJJ. For Piechnicki the game plan will be simple; big punches and big kicks early to try and finish the inexperienced Ghost. Generally in these matchups I would pick the striker to be able to counter with big shots and win via TKO; however Ghost has shown a great chin in the past and should be able to weather the storm and eek out a submission.
Prediction: Ghost Sub Round 1
Terry Opdauhl (1-0) vs Jhonny "Stark" Winter (2-1)
Both of these middleweights are fantastic strikers and are establishing themselves as stand out prospects here in RFC. Winter is coming in off of a big time finish in his promotional debut; the same can be said for Opdauhl who was able to finish a very experienced opponent with nasty punches in the first round. Both of these fighters will be looking to land big shots; Winter is the better boxer but Opdauhl is a very good Muay Thai fighter and should be able to clinch up and finish Winter.
Prediction: Opdauhl (T)KO Round 1
Brabo "Anaconda " Garcia (8-3) vs "The Bouncer" Urijah Faber (10-5)
Our co-main event is possibly the most highly anticipated and hyped up fight in RFC history. Both of these fighters are very experience, well travelled, and well rounded. In his debut Garcia was able to claim victory with a quick submission in round one; Faber is making his RFC debut and coming in on a bit of a losing streak; regardless he is still an incredibly talented fighter and will look to bounce back in this one. This fight is dead even in many regards; Faber has fantastic cardio and is my favorite to win a decision. However he is riding a three fight TKO losing streak and is facing off against the explosive Garcia who does have KO power in both hands as well as his feet due to his Muay Thai background. If Faber can weather the early storm I see him taking this but I give the edge to Garcia and his power.
Prediction: Garcia (T)KO Round 2
"Tabletka Derma" Bariga Kodeinich (18-10) vs Tad Ghostal (32-16)
Our main event is for the RFC 135lb title between two of the most well respected bantamweights in the city. Both of these fighters are true masters of the sport and are very well versed in every aspect of MMA. Kodeinich has fantastic boxing and will look to test the chin of Ghostal; who has been known to suffer a KO loss on occasion. Ghostal comes into this fight with a ton of championship experience and has great Muay Thai which will help him control the fight in the later rounds. Because of this combo I predict Ghostal to wear down his opponent and win it late on the score cards.
Prediction: Ghostal UD
This is going to be a fantastic card full of a great fights and entertaining finishes. I am incredibly pleased with the way all of the managers have been approaching the fights with positive game plans looking to finish. Because of this I will be upping the payouts to 3k per award as an extra thank you for being a great group of people to work with!
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