2013-05-24
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HMMA 82 preview

Event Preview: HMMA 82 Alexandrov v Conteh
HEROIC
2013-05-18, London, Camden Conference Centre
Author:

Hello Fight fans its me “Sunshine” Weston Markson here to babble along about HMMA 82 with my partner Rudy “The Box” Knife.  Rudy we have a great night in what could turn out to be a historic night in HMMA, we expect 7000 screaming fans from the Camden conference center in London to watch 3 Heroes defend their titles and hopefully set new records for HMMA. 


Rudy:  That’s right Weston the show is headlined on PPV by a light-heavyweight title fight between reigning champion Fedor Alexandrov and Challenger John Conteh, and a CO-MAIN EVENT Lightweight title fight.  There is also a Welterweight title fight on the card and some #1 contender possibilities.  Its going to be a legendary night I can feel it in the air. 


MAIN EVENT


#C Fedor "Sambist" Alexandrov (18-5) v   #2 John Conteh (11-2)                                205 lbs title


Weston:  The main event of HMMA 82, a Light-heavyweight title fight between Fedor Alexandrov and number one contender,  2nd ranked John Conteh lets take a look out how these men got here.  Fedor Alexandrov is making his 3rd title defense, and since coming to HMMA has beat every HMMA light-heavyweight he has fought.  Going 5-2 overall in his time in HMMA Alexandrov has dominated the LHW division since his arrival his only losses being two superfights one at heavyweight.   Alexandrov is on the verge of being a dominant champion having held the title since January with another couple wins we could see him going from Hero, to Heroic.  John Conteh’s path to title contender came with setbacks just as he was about to achieve contender status, had his setbacks not occurred we could have very well seen Conteh fighting for a HMMA title sooner, although all things happen for a reason and his setbacks allowed him to fix the holes he had in his game, regroup and make another run.  Conteh started off his initial run with 6 straight wins including wins against contenders and top ranked fighters, just as he was picking up steam as a threat to the title he suffered a loss to a guy many thought he would run right through, it left many people wondering if Conteh had what it took to be a champion or was just another fighter who wouldn’t live up to the hype.  Not long after that loss he suffered another loss having gone 1-2 in his last 3 at that point Conteh came to a crossroads a small step down in competition allowed him to recompose himself  fix the issues in his game, and fine tune his arsenal, and did he ever coming back stronger then ever reeling off three straight wins before stating “Im ready for a big step up in competition I want my opportunity”  HMMA brass obliged and gave Conteh an opportunity against what most considered the #1 contender at the HMMA lightweight title.  Early in the 3rd round Conteh KOed the number one contender earning himself a shot at Fedor Alexandrov.  Now the question is will Conteh take the next step and become a Hero? Or will Fedor take another step towards Heroic status?


Weston:  You know Weston I love it when a fighter steps up and makes the most out of opportunities given, that’s exactly what both of these men have done, and now the two best in the  division are doing battle to see which one is better.  These two have contrasting styles but certainly can handle themselves in all aspects of MMA.  Alexandrov is a ground fighter who tends to work his absolutely vicious GNP and dangerous submissions to get the win.    It seems like I mention this every time he fights but he still has never won a decision you know when he steps into the cage he is looking for a finish in any way possible.  If the fight goes the distance that may very well tip the scales in Conteh’s favor.  Conteh has shown he has finishing ability with 8 of his 11 wins being by (T)KO.  He has also proven to be hard to finish having never lost by stoppage.  Fedor has himself only lost once by stoppage this fight is going to be unpredictable both men like to finish and both have proven they have the ability to do so,  but both have also proven they don’t go down without a fight.  Who wins this one?


Prediction:  I am going to take the champion by submission.


CO-MAIN EVENT


#2 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz (23-4) v  #C Bjorn Helgi (16-2)             155 lbs title


Weston:  The CO-MAIN event is a lightweight title the champion Bjorn Helgi makes his first title defense against HMMA newcomer Donny Donowitz.  After running through the divisions best on his way to the championship Bjorn Helgi has shown the knack of out pointing his opposition.  All 4 of his HMMA fights have went to the judges  scorecards and all 4 have come back in favor of the Icelandic Hero Bjorn Helgi.  This fight marks his first of what he hopes to be many title defenses  but to start a path of successful title defenses he must first start with HMMA newcomer Donny Donowitz, its not often a fighter comes into HMMA and garners enough interest to debut as the challenger for a championship, but Donowitz is no stranger to championships  having won 12 championship in the past out of 15 attempts its safe to say Donowitz knows how to win a title and keep it, he himself will attempt to derail Helgi’s reign and start another of his own that could add to his historic and decorated career. 


Rudy:  I am so excited to see this fight, Helgi has done something I think no one expected winning four straight fights in HMMA and gaining the title in the process, Donowitz is a proven winner in multiple organizations that comes in with a ton of hype, both men have outstanding records.  These two warriors have similar styles they take the center of the cage and trade blows.  This has resulted in 24 combined (T)KO’s between the two.   Neither have a great ground game so I don’t expect either will attempt to take the fight there.  At the end of the night one of these two goes home Lightweight Champion, will it be the Icelandic hero Bjorn Helgi?  Or "The Bear Jew" who comes out on top?


Prediction:  I like Helgi to continue his streak.


 


MAIN CARD


 


#3 Julius "Lights Out" Lawson (25-12-1)v #5  Freeman "All Heart, No Skill" Blackford (13-2-1)


Weston: The last fight heading into the main events is being billed as a number one contenders bout, only time will tell if this ends up being the case but word on the street is the winner can expect a shot at the champion Fedor Vladimirov who regained his title last weekend, or Shane Lugar who fights Fedor a few weeks from now.   Lawson has some unfinished business with the champion considering he was the man who ended his reign, im sure he would like another opportunity to knock his head off, and will hope he retains his title in a few weeks.    Freeman Blackford’s meteoric rise since joining HMMA has shown he has the heart and ko power to defeat any fighter in the cage.  His first two fights in HMMA were two of the greatest fights the heavyweight division has seen  his first is still being talked about as one of the greatest displays of heart in MMA history, many of his fans in the opening round of the fight actually got up and left thinking Blackford was done after being knocked down several times, he was able to recover and keep going though, his second fight was a 1st round KO that sent waves through the division and put all the other heavyweights on notice….Freeman Blackford is a contender.  Will Lawson make another stride to getting his title back or will Blackford continue the rise to the top. 


Rudy:  Don’t blink, this fight could end at any moment, “Lights out” has the power to KO a bull with a jab maybe even an open hand slap.  24 out of his 25 wins have been by brutal (T)KO, and its NO secret what he wants to do, he wants to go out and hit Blackford until he falls over and gets his lights put out.  Blackford is more well rounded then Lawson and may very well try and get this fight to the ground.  Its been no easy task in the past, but if he gets the fight there he has a distinct advantage.  Blackford also is a very talented striker who has some power of his own having won 9 of his fights by (t)KO.  Although not as powerful as Lawson his heart keeps him in fights he should be out of, will Blackford try to get the fight to the ground or will he keep it standing and flirt with the power of Lawson?


Prediction:  This one is very hard to predict.  I think Lawson wins by KO.


#3 Kaka Pheu Pheu (9-1-1) v  #4 "The Purple Stripe" Pierre Trudeau (17-6-1)


Weston:  The next fight on the card is a return match at Light-Heavyweight in what could very well be a number one contenders bout.  These two men met on the birthday of Tcres in what was being billed as a possible contender and title eliminator fight.  The two men fought hard and the fight ended in a disappointing draw, both fighters felt as if they had been robbed of a victory and now they do it again to hopefully find out who is the better fighter.  Kaka is riding a 5 fight win streak and has lost only one time in his 11 bouts, his record is on emergency status as he sits at (9-1-1) maybe this is a omen that one of these two men will be going to the hospital when its all said and done.  This is Trudeau’s second fight in HMMA he is coming in with a two fight streak but has been up and down this year.  Once touted as one of the best 100 fighters p4p Trudeau could be down a path of returning to former glory, a good start will be here against Kaka Pheu Pheu.  Which man wins the highly anticipated rematch?


Rudy:  I have your answer Weston, but I will get to that in a moment, KPP as I call him has proven he is a winner having lost only one time in 11 fights is a very impressive feat, Trudeau also has a long historic history of coming out on top, but last time these two men met they were so evenly matched that neither could gain the upper hand it was a back and forth battle that saw both give everything they had, blood, exhaustion, and the heart of their opponent didn’t deter either from pushing hard to get the victory.   The majority of the last fight took place in the clinch, Trudeau got the better of KPP in the clinch and even thought the majority of the fight took place there, KPP was able to do enough in the clinch to get by but dominated on the outside this is what kept him in the fight and had the judges scoring the fight a draw.  Last time neither of these two took the fight to the ground I think this time KPP may try to get the fight down and submit Trudeau.  He does have three submission wins and with the power that “The Purple Stripe” Posses it may be the best route to go for the win.  So who comes out on top this time?


Prediction:  DRAW!!!!! Just kidding I think KPP will win this time around I have heard he is rumors he knows where he went wrong last time and fixed it guess we will see!


#3 "The Hawk" Sven Dufva (10-1) v #C "Peltosaaren Teurastaja" Brutaali Keijo  (15-10-1)   170 lbs title


Weston:  You know when the second fight on the main card is a highly hyped title fight that the card is absolutely stacked!  That is the case here where newly crowned champion Brutaali Keijo makes his first title defense against highly touted prospect and former number one contender Sven Dufva.  Dufva comes into this fight with just one loss on his record a decision loss to the former champion in what was his first opportunity at HMMA glory.  The loss was against the fighter that Brutaali Keijo the champion just defeated to pickup the welterweight title.  Keijo has still not finished an opponent in HMMA but has proven he can win in other means he might be becoming the decision king for his propensity of pulling out close decisions in his favor.  At this point in his career “The Hawk” has proven one thing, don’t count him out of any fight, his will to win, and skills inside the cage have kept him in every fight and winning all but one.  Its this that Keijo will have to look forward too when they face off Saturday. 


Rudy:  You see Weston this is where I feel you may be underrating the finishing skills of Keijo, he has 7 (t)KO wins, out of 15 wins that’s a good percentage, good enough to not put your hands down and chin up.  He also has two wins by submission so combined he finishes more fights then he lets go to decision.  He is very dangerous in all areas of MMA and I think we may see him attempt to get this fight to the mat to work some submissions against Dufva.  Dufva does however have one punch end the fight in a moments notice power he is very dangerous standing and his power has led to most of his wins having won 70% of his by (T)KO.  This title fight is going to be interesting I am very excited for it I love the welterweight division. 


Prediction:  Brutaali wins a close split decision.


#9 Rand "The Dragon Reborn" al Thor (17-8)v #6 Kung Lao (13-5)


Weston:  The first fight on the main card is a Light-Heavyweight fight between two of the divisions finest fighters.  Rand al Thor makes his 4th appearance in HMMA after splitting wins in the last 3 fights.   His only loss coming to the current #1 contender sheds some light that “The Dragon Reborn” could very well be one of the divisions top contenders.  Kung Lao is making his third trip to the HMMA cage after being victorious in his previous two fights against high level competition.  The winner here moves one step closer to title contention and the loser takes a small step back. 


Rudy:  The winner here in my opinion will be destined for great things very soon, this is a very interesting matchup between two dangerous fighters.  Rand al Thor has shown sick KO power having 16 of his 17 wins by (T)KO, while Lao has been equally dangerous in all aspects of MMA with 10 out of his 13 wins being by stoppage.  Two warriors battling for position in a crowded division only one can move up the ladder.  Who does it?


Prediction:  This one is actually hard to pick but I think im favoring Kung Lao at the moment.


PRELIMINARY BOUTS


Rudy:  You know Weston these prelims on this card are huge, the show starts off with the former Welterweight champion who is 2nd ranked Krwawy Lopez.  When you have fighters like this starting the card off you know its going to be a blockbuster event.  The star power is ridicules I cant wait for this card and the prelims are equally exciting everyone of these fights could be a main event on another car, and many of these fighters are ranked.  Two fights I have my eye on are the Krwawy Lopez fight and the Mitsuyo Maeda fight, Lopez is looking to rebound after losing his title, and for Maeda he looks to move to the Lightweight division after this fight he would love to go out of the Welterweight division a winner.  Another is the LHW matchup between 7th ranked Nate Barnes, and 8th ranked Aaron Edwards, Barnes recently fought for the title and im sure wants another opportunity while Edwards is gaining steam as a possible contender. 


Weston:   You are right about the fights on the prelims Rudy they are all great but the two im interested in are Rocco Stupka and Igor Tatov, both men have been in the top 10 and pushing top 5 recently but both had losses the sent them lower in the ranks, this is  a chance for one of them to get back on track.  Another great fight is the welterweight fight between the 7th ranked Jack Pott and 9th ranked Timo Yo, these two fighters have had their ups and downs but the last person to beat Jack Pott was Timo Yo 6 fights ago, now Pott has a chance to win his 6th straight against the guy who beat him last. 


Rocco Stupka  v  #9 Igor Tatov


#7 Jack Pott  v #9  Timo Yo


#8 Aaron Edwards  v  #7 Nate Barnes


Mitsuyo Maeda  v #2  Krwawy Lopez


 

 

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