2011-12-15
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TTFCs Maddox Vs Walker Preview

Event Preview: TTFC Maddox Vs Walker
Team Thomas Fight Club
2011-12-17, New York, Hard Knocks - New York
Author:Mike Thomas

 Want an early Christmas present? Then watch TTFC this Saturday night when all these fabulous fights can be yours! Just don't expect much goodwill to all men. Saturday night, fight night!

Lightweight: Michael "The Artist" Angelo (8-5-1) vs Hoyt "The Hammer" Jurgensen (9-8)

In our first bout Hoyt Jurgensen looks for a career renaissance against Michael Angelo. See what I did there!? Who says TTFC isn't cultural!? Looking to make an impact here in TTFC is lightning quick handed Angelo making his debut against the always entertaining Jurgensen. The Hammer has fallen on hard times but despite a 3 fight skid is a worthy scalp for any prospect or fellow journeyman. No stranger to the sweet science himself, Jurgensen has power in his shots that inspires foes to look for the takedown, where he is still no picnic. His Brown Belt BJJ game was only really demonstrated on an out matched Alexander Popov but he won't fear hitting the canvas with The Artist (this stuff writes itself!). The key here is Angelo's takedown defence, can he keep this standing or will he end up being bullied on the ground. If he can keep it vertical then he has every chance as 8 previous men have shown that The Hammer can run out of ideas pretty fast.

Prediction: If Angelo's takedown defence has improved since his ill fated clash with Geronimo dos Santos then he has the tools to further Jurgensen's misery. If so, The Artist picks his man apart with speed before taking the second round TKO.



Light Heavyweight: John Triton (3-3) vs Raymond "Viking" Crowe (15-7)

Raymond Crowe makes his TTFC debut looking to display his arsenal of highlight reel kicks and knees against jiu jitsu specialist John Triton. In a Triton fight you are likely to see some sick jiujitsu with all his wins and loses coming by way of submission. Super prospect LJ Warner's win last time out may have taken away some of the sheen but Triton's nasty kneebar of Gegard Mousasi was the stuff hype videos are made of, and Viking would be wise to remember that. Whilst Triton's stand up is rudimentary his opponents is all from the bag marked 'Flashy Stuff'. A catalogue of kicks that are delivered with frightening speed make letting Crowe control the distance an absolute no no. For Triton to get his way and get Viking on his back he needs to close the distance and grab a hold of his man. Assuming he has avoided the lethal high kicks of Viking, and then the colossal punching power of his fists and then gets hold of him he still has to make sure Crowe goes down smooth. Getting caught in a clinch game or an against the fence dirty boxing session is just another way Triton can lose this fight.

Prediction: Triton is slick on the mat but to get there he needs to deal with too many weapons Viking posseses. Crowe rubber stamps his victory with a flurry straight out of Valhalla before 5 minutes are up.



Middleweight: David "Doctor" Cox (0-1) vs "Purple" Alexander Crush (2-1)

The debuts of these two could not have gone more differently. One was knocked out cold in the first, the other punched his opponents lights out in the first. For Doctor Cox it all went wrong when he attempted a baffling ground assault on Gerd Stenner despite his own lack of expertise in that area. For Crush it all went right when he countered Ricky Ortiz beautifully early on and put fist to face at an alarming rate until the job was done. If Cox has learnt his lesson than this could be the kind of early card slug fest that really gets the evening going. With similar boxing pedigrees, it may be Crush's ability to weave and mix things up when faced by an on rushing opponent that settles this.

Prediction: Cox may look to use his wrestling edge here but that is a mistake with his lack of a ground game to speak of. As long as this stands its on a knife edge but Crush has more tools to get it done by decision or late stoppage.



Middleweight: Raive Manuel (2-2) vs Jake Rosholt (3-3)

After a promising 3-0 start as a professional Jake Rosholt has fallen on tough times since coming to the TTFC. Strong as an ox but just as clumsy Rosholt relies on takedowns and ground and pound to take care of business. The problem being what happens when he can't score the takedown or when his opponent is a superior grappler. His offense nullified Rosholt has stalled his career but looks to get it going again versus the exciting Manuel. Raive Manuel brings a death or glory approach that has seen him go out on his shield as many times as he has been victorious. Heavy handed his wild man approach can be brutal, swinging with bad intentions for as long as the fight last, normally not very long at all. The longest any of his 4 bouts have gone -2.04 minutes. He has shown takedown defence that belies his bear in a cage style and that could be the difference maker here.

Prediction: Manuel is a brute, who so far has shown enough to suggest he can deal with Rosholt's style of attack. Manuel by TKO late in round 1.



Bantamweight: Lawrence "Low Key" Mars (11-7) vs Jimmy "Helter" Skelter (15-7)

Jimmy Skelter's iniation into the TTFC family has been about as tough as it gets. Running the bantamweight gauntlet against Taito, Leonidas and Olsen, three of the biggest sharks in the tank. Defeated by all three it doesn't get much easier as he face TTFC veteran Lawrence Mars. Mars brings a dominating wrestling game and the gas tank to keep the engine running for all 3 rounds. Efficient but not devastating, Mars peppers his prey once it is caught and racks up the points and the minutes in top position. To avoid finding himself on the bottom for 3 rounds Skelter will look to use his speed and mixed bag of tricks standing; mixing up low kicks with shots to the body and leaving his opponent guessing where the next strike will come from. Skelter also has the defensive wrestling to allow him use his striking without finding himself on the mat too often, an attribute that could and should prove key in this one.

Prediction: Jimmy Skelter needs a win bad and he has to start well to get it, if not he will find himself out worked for 15 minutes en route to a 4th straight defeat. A desperate man is a dangerous man, Skelter by TKO in round number 3.



Middleweight: Charles "Lightning" Smith (3-1) vs Ben Foster (12-11)

A switch seems to have been flipped in Foster's head recently than has seen him transform himself from below par also ran to bonus hunting executioner in next to no time. Coming into this fight on the back of 4 first round stoppages (2 by submission and 2 by KO) including 3 "Of The Night" awards Ben Foster is on fire right now. In Lightning Smith he fights another man with momentum on his side, having turned out the lights on 3 men inside round 1 with his brutal boxing. Whilst Foster barely broke a sweat in dispatching Raive Manuel back in November he will almost certianly look to add another submission win to his résumé by exploiting the White Belt status of Smith. Jake Rosholt tried and ate knuckle sandwich for his troubles but Foster will be confident he can time his takedowns and grab a limb without much trouble.

Prediction: Letting Smith connect is a bad idea but with the experience, size and grappling advantages that Foster has he should get the nod and early again here. Foster by submission late in round 1.



Featherweight: "The Polish Saucier" Rafal Ulatowski (8-3) vs Johnny Cerveny (10-8)

For the Polish Saucier the road back to the title starts again here. Having been foiled only three times in his career- all occaisons by Brian Maddox- he as dangerous a man as there is not currently holding a belt in TTFC. The 'Maddox Rage' burned so strong in him after their second encounter that he blitzed hapless Chris River and James Laurent before reaching the 2nd bell in either fight. Be afraid Johhny. Be very afraid. What can Cerveny do to become only the second man to defeat Ulatowski? Quite a lot actually. Cerveny holds an edge in stand up technique but perhaps not power and his wrestling is certainly comparable. Cerveny likes to let his hands go as he closes the distance forcing tie ups where he can use his boxing at short range and his underrated knee strikes. His zen master yoga routine makes his takedown defence and clinch work highly unorthodox, striking often from unusual positions. With a slight height advantage this would normally be a good tactic for Cerveny but in Ulatowski he faces a more orthodox but no less effective practicioner of clinchwork. Utilising knees to the body and the head in a textbook Muay Thai plum that pulverise those ensnared.

Prediction: The Polish Saucier is good but Maddox is better. Cerveny isn't Maddox. Ulatowski by decision after a back and forth affair.



Bantamweight: Victor "The Viking" Olsen (14-8) vs "Kumicho" Kenji Watanabe (8-4)

Kenji Watanabe, a training partner of Ryo Nakamura, makes a much anticpated TTFC debut versus division stalwart Olsen. The Viking's record is a roll call of some of the biggest names in the North East including such luminaries as Jimmy Skelter, Dave Carpio, Magatsu Taito, King Leonidas and the Alpha Bantamweight 'Lil Terror' Texeira. Against the Champion, Olsen tested Teixeira more than anyone has since his lone defeat in his debut way back when. Playing welcome party pooper to the Japanese import will be another big step towards another crack at the belt. 'Kumicho' arrives with a reputation for kicking like a mule, having a head of concrete and a dangerous guard. All in all, he is a tough fight for just about anyone at 135lbs. He lets his kicks go with wreckless abandon to all parts of his opponents anatomy in the knowledge that he has submissions and sweeps off his back to endanger anyone looking to put him there.

Prediction: Olsen loves to use his speed to spear opponents and take them down. Watanabe playing karate kid will be like cake to a fat kid as he shoots in on instinct. There the guard of Watanabe poses enough threats to catch Olsen or take the decision when coupled with the kicks he will have landed standing.



Welterweight: Braylon Breswicke (11-5) vs Giorgio Jacques (13-5)

Braylon Breswicke worked his ass off to get his hands on the welterweight title only to let it slip from his grasp against Henry Chinaski in his first defence. To get back on track he has to put a beatdown on newboy Giorgio Jacques. The Italian stallion has been playing 'collect the submission' so far in his career and he has been playing it well. Like Watanabe in the previous bout, Jacques is not scared to throw kicks, especially low ones. Comfortable on his back Jacques scores points and slows down his man before wrapping up something nasty to end the fight. What makes this fight so intriguing then is Breswicke's penchant for throwing the high kick. Who counters who? Does Jacques catch the standing leg and put his man down where he wants him? Or does Breswicke catch Jacques napping throwing out the lazy leg kick and kindly remove his head from his shoulders? This is a kick boxing match up with added danger if either gets too comfortable. Breswicke has excellent hands that can end fights in a flurry and Jacques has an anaconda grip that can squeeze the life out of any unfortunate soul to lose concentration.

Prediction: For my money this has fight of the night written all over it and is bound to finish in spectacular fashion. Jacques is a danger but Breswicke is as dynamic in the last as he is the first, catching Jacques in round 3 with a kick that sets up the finish. Breswicke by TKO.



Featherweight: "President of the Universe" Brian Maddox (18-10) vs Stevie "The Whirlwind" Walker (18-5-1)

Stevie Walker is a hard man to predict, he mixes up not only his strikes but seemingly his gameplan, happy to trade at distance and then suddenly clinching or exploding with the takedown. Well travelled and highly experienced he is certainly the biggest threat to Maddox' reign so far. His boxing is sensational and he has seems to revel in adversity having been cut or knockdowned several times on the way to securing big wins. That said, only superfight import Jack Madison has blotted Maddox' TTFC copybook and he is capable of finishing fights anywhere. Master of the Kimura and with excellent boxing of his own, Maddox is very much King of the Hill at 145 pounds right now. Fresh off one of the best performances of his life in totally dominating Rafal Ulatowski over 5 rounds Maddox has a firm hold on the gold. A cardio machine with the wrestling to keep it upright even if Walker doesn't and the hands to hang tough with the challenger the President of the Universe must look to outwork his man and frustrate him when he attempts to change gears.

Prediction: This is such a close fight. Maddox is a man who gets it done but Walker is as dangerous a challenger as there is right now. It goes down to the wire but Maddox takes it in fight that has it all.

 

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