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 NFC 176 Jokinen vs Egyptian Preview
The excitement is growing for NFC 176 featuring one of the greatest match-ups of all-time with world pound for pound number one vs two. That noise you may have heard this week was One Bad Man. Moses Diggs is in Helsinki to face long time NFC vet and Light Heavy Champ Torturo and he has predicted bad things for Torturo. Can he back it up? If nothing else, we are fairly sure he doesn't like Communists.
Before we get to all of that…Let's take a look at the Main Card…
Light Heavy: Narushima vs Juntunen
Narushima, former IMMA middleweight champion has the advantage of experience. The 24 year old is going into his 31st career fight. His opponent, Juntunen is only 24 years old entering his 20th career fight, but he has the size advantage with about three inches reach and ten pounds before dropping weight. Both fighters have suffered recent losses by submission, but this is likely to be decided standing up (or falling down..). Juntunen's last fight was a majority decision (3-2 one all cards) loss to Torturo for the NFC light heavyweight title. Narushima last fought in early Oct where he lost the IMMA middleweight belt by submission.
Light Heavy: Pinta vs Smith
Pinta is a long time NFC veteran and former NFC Light Heavyweight Champ. He lost the belt to Stark by TKO at NFC 157 and failed to get it back suffering another TKO at NFC 166. He rebounded with a unanimous decision win at NFC 174 just 17 days ago. Smith came to NFC on a six fight win streak in IMMA, but also came crashing down with a KO loss to Stark at NFC 172.
Smith is a devastating puncher who won three straight TKO victories recently at IMMA. Pinta tends to mix in more kicks, but both tend to keep the fight standing and out of the clinch. Whether that will stay true in this fight remains to be seen, but expect an exciting one that is likely to end early.
Middleweight: Protagonist vs Takala
Protagonist won the NFC middleweight belt by KOing Reinikainen at NFC 137 and is recently on a two fight win streak once again knocking out Reinikainen at NFC 170 and following that with a unanimous decision win over Asteroid at NFC 173. Protagonist last fought for the title at NFC 167 losing a unanimous decision to Uros.
Takala is making his Nordic Fire debut while riding a four fight win streak with three of those by knockout. Takala is the younger, less experienced fighter, 25 years old and with only 20 career fights he is looking at a bit of a step up in competition. The 35 year old Protagonist is out to keep his own win streak showing the youngster he still has a lot in the tank.
While Takala does have a win by armbar early in his career, don't look for him to pull guard anytime soon. Both fighters like to mix it up from the outside and this one could likely end with someone's lights going out.
Co-Main Event - Light Heavy: Torturo vs Diggs:
To some, failure to re-distribute wealth to the workers would be considered capitalist exploitation of the common worker and reason to form a union or something. To Diggs, sitting on a lot of money makes you a communist, but hey, after what he did to Orochi I suppose a communist can be whatever the hell he wants. In any case, I am fairly sure communist = something Diggs doesn't like all that much. He has predicted an abundance of pain to people he doesn't like all that much and he is capable of delivering.
That right folks, contract issues in the rear view mirror, Diggs has has braved communist Helsinki to deliver a beating to Nordic Fire Champ Torturo…but of course, Torturo may not like that plan all that much. Anyway, lets look at the fighters for a bit shall we?
Torturo has not been as vocal as Diggs going into the fight (but hey, that is a high bar to reach to be fair), but the NFC Champ is on a five fight win streak. His last fight was a majority decision win over Juntunen at NFC 174. His last loss was a KO loss to Stark at NFC 160 which he avenged by defeating Stark for the title at NFC 169. All of Torturo's recent victories have been by decision, so, don't look for him to score the KO.
Diggs only recent loss was a majority decision to Boba Fett with his other three most recent fights ending by KO. He rebounded from the loss to Fett with a devastating first round KO of IMMA champ Orochi. He has predicted a win by mass application of pain (or something to that effect) and I suspect he may try to end this one early.
Main Event - Welterweight: Jokinen vs Egyptian
In an historic main event, it's the world's pound for pound #1 vs #2. IMMA, Empire and NFC have gotten together to make it happen and it doesn't get any bigger than this folks. Let's take a look at just how they got here.
Jokinen, NFC Lightweight Champ, last lost at NFC 148 to Gomi and is on a ten fight win streak with six of those coming by TKO. He avenged the loss to Gomi with a TKO in NFC 159 and a unanimous decision in NFC 169. In his last fight he scored a TKO against CFC featherweight champ Roddy Piper. At NFC 171 he beat IMMA Lightweight Champ Taalasmaa by unanimous decision. Jokinen is a bit underweight fighting at welter, but he beat NFC welterweight champion Doc Chillum at NFC 167 last time he fought at that weight.
Egyptian comes in the reigning IMMA Welterweight champion and is on an eleven fight win streak of his own with seven of those coming by KO/TKO. He scored an historic win his last time out with a unanimous decision over Sam Hall. Hall is a former #1 pound for pound fighter who was considered by many the favorite in that fight.
Both fighters prefer to keep the fight standing and neither is afraid of going for the clinch. Both make heavy use of dirty boxing, but Egyptian has been known to mix in a few knees on occasion. Jokinen is fighting above his natural weight class and he is also giving up over six inches in height to Egyptian. He is used to fighting opponents a couple of inches taller, but is giving up six inches in height to Egyptian and he is fighting above his natural weight class so the size advantage goes to Egyptian.
It doesn't get any bigger than pound for pound 1 vs 2 for all the bragging rights.
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