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Preview for HFC 109: Mangrove vs Yaj 2

Event Preview: HFC 109:Mangrove vs Yaj 2
Hardcore Fighting Championship
2017-07-22, St Petersburg, Kazan Sambo Center
Author:Aleksey Markov

 Preview for HFC 109: Mangrove vs Yaj 2






The Kazan Sambo Center, St. Petersburg is in for an other fine line-up of prize-fighting action. As HFC 109 once more graces it's native soil. A title fight and a rematch of a fight, that didn't produce a winner the first time around, await!





Alka Mangrove (15-6-1; 3-3-1 in HFC) vs Eon Yaj (14-2-1; 0-0-1 in HFC)

– 

Lightweight bout



This rematch pits two fighters against each other, who already squared off not too long ago at HFC 105. It ended in a draw. But this time around Alka Mangrove and Eon Yaj will go for broke. Yaj is the more busy striker of the two, which was in full display in their first fight, where Mangrove troubled his opponent with an absurd amount of kicks, possibly just doing enough to keep him at bay, so that the judges were thinking: “Draw … LOL”. Because that was pretty much all that happened in the first fight, since neither fighter managed (or cared to?) impose his will in the clinch or on the ground to any meaningful degree, other than exerting a bit of control. It was a stand up affair for the most part. Now it is back to the drawing board for both fighters. All in order to see who made the right adaptions to win this time. No questions asked! 





Tyrone Spong (10-2-2; 6-1-2 in HFC) vs Oleg "Black Tiger" Nemkov (17-14; 13-13 in HFC)

– 

Middleweight bout



The co-main event will be between one of the HFC's rising stars and one of it's most recognizable characters. Tyrone Spong only suffered defeat once in his nine fights for the HFC. And the two back-to-back draws during this run were against Kostya Tszyu, who now happens to be the Pulse Middleweight Champion. Such a resume within the organization has brought 25 year old Tyrone Spong at the forefront of the fans attention. Many fancy him as a future champion. A title he had in his grasp already, only to suffer his sole loss in the HFC at the hands of (back then) defending champion Vova Klimov. But ever since drawing twice in a row against Kostya Tszyu, Tyrone Spong won four out of his last five and two in a row in the HFC. Now he is in for a classic gatekeeper scenario. For he is about to face Oleg "Black Tiger" Nemkov. Or should we say Oleg "Mr. HFC" Nemkov? For Nemkov has not only fought for the HFC 185 strap multiple times himself, but he has fought in the HFC a grand total of 26 times. And he started doing so as early as HFC 2 and is already a Hall of Famer! Nemkov is no fun for anybody, since he is not particularly reliant on any specific path to victory and is also arguably the more experienced grappler than Sponge. Sponge will have to be on point for a test, that is much sterner than it appears at first glance.





Also on the card





Li Kong Ho "Tsekwa" (21-7; 3-1 in HFC) vs "The Journalist" Damiao Marcos (8-3; HFC debut)

– 

Featherweight bout



Li Kong Ho is seen by many as a fighter, who is still developing. And yet he already has 28 fights worth of experience, which is a lot more than many other 27 year old fighters could claim for themselves. And there are voices, who see him as a clear contender in the 145 title picture in the HFC. But recent changes in management and a decision loss versus Ben Miller, bringing a three fight win streak to an end, left some wondering if Li Kong Ho is really up to it. He will seek to win over all doubters in defeating HFC debuting Damiao Marcos. A fighter of not as much experience but certainly of comparable talent like Ho if the pundits are to be believed. Both fighters have shown various ways to victory in the past. So this one could go either way and any way.





Gustavo "The Russian" Santos (18-9; HFC debut) vs Veikko Kulkunen (10-1-1; 1-0 in HFC)

– 

Bantamweight bout



Given that Gustavo Santos' nickname is “The Russian”, one has to wonder what took him so long to make his way to Russia's leading MMA promotion. Now he is here. And he will meet a man inside the cage, who is just going into his second HFC fight himself: Veikko Kulkunen. Kulkunen is as pure a grappler as one will find on this level of the game. He secured eight of his ten victories by way of submission and has yet to be beaten decisively. The 33 year old is a BJJ black belt and a sensationally good wrestler in addition to that. “The Russian” however, has an equal grappling pedigree. And in addition to that, a perfect 8-0 KT record. This is where many feel the big difference lies. Santos has proven hands (and feet) whereas Kulkunen doesn't. Should this one remain standing, then Kulkunen will be in for more of an uphill battle than he can probably stomach. That is if Santos can resist his takedowns (53% success rate) and overcome Kulkunen's yet-to-be-cracked chin.





Kern Dignity "The Student" (13-7; 1-1 in HFC) vs Karol Mirowski (9-3-1; HFC debut)

– 

For the HFC Bantamweight Championship of the World



Kern Dignity once was regarded as a certain up and comer. Under the tutelage of former top ranked manager Diablo Escovar he seemed destined for greatness. But frequent lapses and changes in management as well as mixed success left him in unexpected obscurity. Now he has set up shop in the HFC. And a silent arrival, it was not. The trash-talking American seems to be the perfect villain, that Russian audiences just love to hate. This new persona has turned things around for him tremendously, as he now finds himself all of a sudden in a title fight for the vacant HFC 135 belt. His opponent will be Karol Mirowski. The Pole so far has made a decent career, but was much like Kern plagued by inconsistencies in management. And being six years the older (31 to Kern's 25 years), Mirowski will be damned if a foul mouthed Yankee should deny him the opportunity to shizzle his name into title history.

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