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As SPFT rolls into Los Angeles this week for SPFT 105, this Boston based writer would like to take a moment aside to recognize the unfortunate events that have taken place in Boston this week. While I am aware the situation is doubtfully over, I would also like to take a moment to praise the work of Law Enforcement. Now on to something a little more fun, fighting. This week’s party includes a Welterweight title fight, and two fights featuring members of the SPFT Hall of Fame. Considering this is SPFT’s first foray into Los Angeles since the beginning of January, we can expect a packed crowd at University Park.
After Juanito Sandoval missed his fight against Bang McGee at SPFT 100!, Taco Grande stepped up and took on McGee; subsequently losing via knockout. Now the two will face off in the first match of SPFT 105. This will be Sandoval’s first fight for SPFT, but the elite boxer presents a lot of promise leading into the fight. Grande will simply be looking to improve upon his pitiful performance at SPFT 102 when he made his premiere and was completely dominated by Bang McGee until succumbing to knockout in the second round.
After nearly breaking the leg of his rival, Mahandry Andriamboavnjy, in his last fight, the rubber match between those two fighters, Gabriel Kiptanui returns to fight in his lucky 13th fight for SPFT. The 30 year old Finn fighter has been nothing but exciting in his previous 12 fights, securing three Fight of the Night awards and one Submission of the Night award, for a nice extra $9000 in his pocket. With his rivalry against Andriamboavnjy effectively over, Kiptanui will need a new rival. Jose Protacio Jawo could be a good option. The 31 year old Filipino, Jawo, lost his SPFT debut, but this man, who has won many ‘of the Night’ awards for other organizations, and has an impressive skill set, could make a serious impact on the SPFT roster. A good showing against Kiptanui could be a launching point for his career.
Samuraimo Rassi and Vladimir Zenin have both had rather disappoint SPFT careers thus far. Zenin’s issue seems to be his extremely suspect chin, which has led to his three losses in SPFT. This glass jaw is unfortunate, as it does not allow Zenin to properly display his incredible skill set like he did when he utterly dominated Gabriel Kiptanui in his only SPFT win so far. Rassi has not had the same glass jaw issues, and some speculate his only issue is that he has had difficulty fighting the very best fighters in SPFT, having lost both of his fights to SPFT champions. This week’s fight will be a good litmus test for Rassi to see if he actually has the advertised skills.
Coincidentally, the two men fighting in the fourth fight at SPFT 105 both fought and lost to members of our main event. There were talks that John Matrix could have been considered for a title shot in the near future after his win over Tallak Hrolf at his SPFT debut, but then he stepped into the ring against Hall of Famer Willy Stoppers and suffered a brutal knockout via spinning backfist. Matrix will look to rebound after that loss when squaring off against Sean Stone. Stone, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, put forward a solid effort against Paco Da Man at his SPFT debut, but fell via knockout late in the third round. A fight against Matrix will give a better impression of Stone’s skill set.
Pierre Gautier impressed crowds with his knockout of the night performance when he made his premier for SPFT only three weeks ago. With that win, the Middleweight division has taken notice of the Parisian knockout artist. Another win will bring him into talks about title contention. He will have his work cut out for him against his next opponent, Gage R, though. R has only been knocked out once in 36 career MMA fights. This, combined with his world class grappling skills, make R a very dangerous opponent for Gautier. It will be interesting to see if Gautier can continue to impress, or if R will catch the interest of SPFT officials in his SPFT debut.
Ice Lander was once considered the number three Middleweight in the world. Today, the thirty year old fights in the Light Heavyweight division for SPFT and has had middling performances to this point. He has easily handled two of the fighters he has fought, but has had difficulty with those at the top of the division, most notably Moses Kealekapuna. Many question if we will see Lander break through his current hump and return to his former greatness. His upcoming fight against Jensen Saint could be the determining factor in whether or not his desire of rising to the top of a second weight class will be accomplished. I say this as Saint, who has also produced a 2-2 record in SPFT so far, is an incredibly dangerous fighter. If Lander still has greatness in him, he will need to summon it to overcome a great fighter like Saint.
The next fight will feature a rematch between two former Welterweight champions. In the first meeting, Chul Moo Pak dominated McGuillicudy Jones on his way to victory and a title fight against then champion, Eric Cartman. As we know, Jones would then go on to fight Cartman, win the title, and finally lose it to Avon Stringer in his last fight. Both fighters are seeking a title shot in the near future, and a win in this fight would be a powerful argument for their right to fight for the title. One can only wonder though if Jones learned from their first meeting, or if Pak will again dominate Jones with his incredible striking skills.
In his last fight, Raul Portugis put forward an incredible effort and nearly beat then champion, Nero Aurelius. Now Portugis has an opportunity to have another exciting fight, fighting Hall of Fame SPFT fighter, Cajun Xander. Xander, the two time Middleweight champion, who first won a title at SPFT 48 and has a total of nine title fights (including one at 205 against Kealekapuna), is one of the greatest fighters on the planet. There is no doubt Xander wants another shot at what he considers “his title”. A win over Portugis would cause SPFT officials to have a hard time justifying not giving him another shot at the title.
It only took Ziggy Cliff one fight to prove to the world that he is skilled enough to be able to fight for the SPFT championship. Cliff moved through Kenji Okabe like he was absolutely no competition at all. If that was any indication of how skilled this 25 year old is, it’s scary. Expect him to at the very least have a bit more difficulty fighting the champion, Avon Stringer, however. Stringer has not yet lost in SPFT, and shows no signs of slowing down despite his 35 years of age. If neither of these fighters knock each other out, I would expect an intense 25 minutes of fighting showcasing the absolute epitome of skill.
As I mentioned at the top of this week’s preview, it is not common to have to Hall of Famers fighting on the same card, but this week we do, as in addition to Cajun Xander fighting earlier in the night, Willy Stoppers is fighting in the main event. The legend Stoppers is right on the cusp of fighting for a title again, I’m sure he is focused on a rematch with Gor Keyman, and winning the title. First he must defeat Paco Da Man, though, which will be no easy task. Da Man has won all three of his SPFT fights via knockout so far. Considering Stoppers has had some issues with being knocked out in his career, this is something to keep an eye on in this fight. Stoppers will want to avoid Da Man’s power at any cost. Expect whoever win this fight to likely be the next to fight for the SPFT championship.
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