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 Gladiator Fighting Championship comes to Hard Knocks Arena on Saturday night to present GFC XII. The fight card will be chock full of fighters looking to move up the ladder and work their way into title contention. GFC management is hoping that the fighters will put on a show for the fans to offset the relative lack of star power on this card. Here's a look at the fight card:
Starting off the action will be a light heavyweight fight between Jason Washington (5-10) and Nicolas Karkmananis (2-3). Washington is a lay and pray specialist who saw little success in his GFC debut, suffering a knockout loss in less than a minutes. His strategy is not very popular with the fans, but can be effective when executed properly. Karkmananis tends to rely on brute strength to overwhelm his opponents either on the ground or in the clinch. Like Washington, he is not an overly aggressive or active fighter but has shown glimpses of power in the past. MMA analyst are hoping to see one of these fighters step up and put on a show and that this fight won't turn into a snooze fest.
The second fight will pair welterweights Frankie Figgs (7-7) and Dexter Rutecki (22-39-1). Figgs suffered a pair of tough losses upon arriving in GFC but got things pointed in the right direction with a convincing unanimous decision win in his last outing. Figgs is a very proficient boxer who relies heavily on accurate punching and combinations. Figgs generally goes in withe a strategy of outpointing his opponent and rarely shows knockout power. Rutecki is a very seasoned veteran who boasts an eye popping 62 career professional MMA fights. The bad news is that he has lost far more of those fights than he has won. Rutecki is a striker who leans heavily on punch combinations and kicks. He has flashed some decent clinch work in his career that could prove to be advantageous. His submission defense leaves a lot to be desired, but it would be surprising to see Figgs go for a submission. This one is shaping up to be a fight that is likely to go the distance.
The heavyweights will be highlighted in the third fight as Fred Flintstone (13-11) takes on TheRock Obama (9-9). Flintstone is one of the smaller heavyweights in the division but packs one hell of a wallop. Ten of Flintstone's thirteen career wins have come by knockout or TKO. He is heavy handed with good boxing skills both from a distance and from the clinch. Flintstone possesses decent ground and pound as well and can be a force to be reckoned with. The unfortunate thing for Flintstone and that he has shown himself to have a suspect chin and has been knocked out in ten of his eleven losses. He is going to have to keep his chin ticket and protect himself to succeed against Obama. Obama enters the fight on a three fight losing streak. He is a ground fighter first and foremost that will be looking to get Flintstone on his back. Obama will work ground and pound and submissions when he gets his opponents down. Obama is not traditionally very good on his feet and is known to swing wildly with punch combinations between takedown attempts when he's standing. This could turn into an intriguing fight strategically.
The fourth fight will be a matchup between lightweights Shane MacLain (10-10-1) and Clifford Donovan (1-1). MacLain comes in as the clearly more experienced fighter but not necessarily the most skilled of the two. MacLain has won two straight fights in impressive fashion. Ground and pound is the name of the game for MacLain. His goal is take his opponents to the ground and unleash a flurry of fists and elbows. Donovan is entering just the third fight of his MMA career. He is an incredibly good Muay Thai practitioner who loves the clinch and loves the throw knees. His approach at this point in his young career has been quite one dimensional, but he is effective when he locks his opponents into the clinch. This fight will be a battle of two very different and contrasting styles.
Next up will be light heavyweights Walter White (2-1) and Liam Dennehy (4-6). White has looked strong thus far in GFC, finishing his opponent in both of his fights. White uses an effective mix of boxing and wrestling to be a dual threat fighter. He is a very accurate striker on his feet and makes effective use of ground and pound when the situation warrants it. Dennehy is a Muay Thai specialist with deadly knees and elbows in the clinch. Once Dennehy gets his opponents locked up in close, he strikes with a very high degree of accuracy. His chin has come into question and he will need to be careful not to expose himself to White's power.
Clifford Bridges (4-5-1) and Carlos Monroe (17-8) will be the two fighters that cut the ribbon on GFC's featherweight division. GFC has never held a featherweight fight in its brief history but hopes that this fight will be a springboard for the division. Bridges will be entering his first fight with GFC. He enters the fight primarily as a striker who throws a significant number of punches both from a distance and from the clinch. Boxing is most definitely his forte and he is sure to lean heavily on that skill set against Monroe. Monroe, like Bridges, will be making his first appearance in GFC. He too is a very good boxer but has a tendency to make strong use of his Muay Thai skills as well. His kicks are very effective and his ability to be a dual threat and mix it up makes his very dangerous. Monroe is an opportunistic fighter who is always looking for the knockout and will most certainly be seeking to end Bridges' night early.
Heavyweights Blow Jimmy (17-15) and Christian Cong (24-24) will match up in our seventh fight. Jimmy is just a very well rounded fighter with no discernible holes in his skill set. He most often will seek to take the fight to the ground and work his ground and pound, but can stand and trade punches when needed. Jimmy's weak chin has been his Achille's heel throughout his career and is something he has to be extra certain that he protects. Cong has lost seven of his last eight fights and desperately needs a strong performance. Cong has only gone the distance in three of his forty eight career fights. He is hell bent of finishing the fight or being finished. He goes out swinging for the fences each and every time he enters the cage. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it results in him ending the night staring up at the lights. This one should be entertaining!
Fight number eight will be another heavyweight battle, this one between Xavier Mack (12-8) and Jesus Pope (16-6). Mack is a very heavy handed, complete fighter with tremendous talent. He is equally as dangerous with his hands as he is his feet. Mack also brings a potent ground game to the table and has shown very effective ground and pound and submission skills. Mack lost in his GFC debut, which was a bout for the vacant heavyweight title. Many have wondered if he was thrust into the spotlight too quickly. Time will tell how he responds to that loss and how quickly he climbs back up the ladder. Pope is an incredible ground fighter with some of the most vicious and brutal ground and pound we have seen in GFC. He has a very high rate of success with his takedowns and once his opponent is on his back, Pope starts the assault. Pope knows how to finish fights and I think we can anticipate this one ending early.
The co-main event will pair two of the most talented fighters in the welterweight division when Luke Skywalker (19-7) takes on Billy Bobberson (91-17). Skywalker looked strong in his first two GFC fights and most recently suffered a tough decision loss to Onni Jokinen. Skywalker punches with a high degree of accuracy and is one of the more unpredictable fighters we have seen in the octagon. His skill set is so strong across the board that he is completely comfortable standing and firing strikes and equally as comfortable taking his opponent down and beating them up on the ground. Bobberson will be making his first appearance in GFC and has had a very up and down career. Bobberson tends to avoid getting into standup exchanges and much prefers to work the ground game. He aggressively pursues takedowns and then puts his world class submission skills to work. With twelve career wins by submission, this warrior knows how to make a man tap out!
The main event will pit a pair of highly respected light heavyweights who are looking to get into the title picture. Tony Masters (10-4) looked impressive in his first GFC fight but then suffered a loss due to cuts in his last fight. Masters is an incredible all around fighter with good kick boxing, clinch, and ground skills. His versatility is second to none and the toolset he has at his disposal allows him to attack in a variety of ways. Opposing Masters will be Helio James (23-10). James will be making his inaugural appearance in GFC. James has a reputation as one of the most active fighters we will see in the light heavyweight division. He throws a lot of strikes with a great deal of speed. James has fantastic endurance and has no problem hanging in a five round fight and going the distance. That being said, he has enough killer instinct to look for the knockout blow the opportunity presents itself. Fans are in for a treat with this matchup.
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