2013-09-21
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EVO 22 Preview

Event Preview: EVO 22: Otso vs Power 2
EVOLUTION (288K+)
2013-09-18, Los Angeles, LA Memorial Colossuseum
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Randy: “We’re back with another edition of Evolution’s count-down previews as we get ready for Evolution 22 ‘Power vs. Otso 2’ which comes to you live on Wednesday September 18th, 2013 from the LA Memorial Collosuseum. We didn’t get the chance to preview Evolution 21 but let’s briefly go over that card. The main-card kicked off a welter-weight fight between Guru Majja and Angelito Barraquinha and it was a good striking match. The fight stayed on the feet the entire 3 rounds with Barraquinha trying to clinch but Guru wasn’t having it. Guru walked away with the close 29-28 unanimous decision. Next up was Chuck Liddell against Marko Torturo in a fight in the 205lbs division and this was another terrific striking match but Liddell constantly got the better of the exchanges and won it 30-27. The 3rd fight on the main-card was a fight in the light-weight division when Dick Dingleberry fought Vladimir Solovyev in a terrific back and forth battle. Solovyev was clearly the aggressor on the feet and was getting the better of Dingleberry standing, but Dingleberry landed 6 takedowns in the fight and that ultimately helped him win the split decision. The co-main event was a great match-up at 170lbs between two former Empire champions. Sensei made his debut in this fight after beating Remy Lebeau in a super-fight before falling to Renan St. Juste. This was an action-packed fight as Hall took it into the clinch early and landed a nice shot opening a cut on Sensei but Sativa got the better of the clinch for the rest of the round. In round 2 Hall again pushed into the clinch and Sensei rocked him and eventually knocked him out. The main event was a fight at 145lbs between Hector Cabrera and Keiji Hashimoto. Cabrera came out taking the fight to the ground and pouring on the ground and pound. Hashimoto landed the takedown in the 3rd but found himself underneath of Cabrera again and got pounded out from mount. We apologize to the fighters on that card for not having the time to preview your great fights. Back to the event on Wednesday which is a stacked card from top to bottom and will see two titles on the line when Neo Kable defends his 265+lbs championship in the opening fight on the main-card against heavy-handed knock-out artist John Staal. Then in the main-event Otso Jokinen defends his lightweight title in the rematch against the man who ended his 19 fight winning streak Danny Power. I’m joined here by my guest for this evenings show Chris Garcia. Thanks for joining us to help break down this great match-ups.”

Garcia: "Thanks, it is really awesome, card is stacked and I'm really glad I could join you here tonight."

Randy: “So you were voted the best new manager in 2012 which is a great achievement. How honored were you to win the award over some of the other nominees?”

Garcia: "That was amazing accomplishment for me. There was a lot of new faces around, so to be voted best of them? That was something I'm really proud off."

Randy: “You’re currently ranked in the top 20 managers in the world rankings and you also run a top 20 ranked fighting organization. Why do you think you’ve been able to have so much success so early in your career and how do you manage running the org and keeping up on all the fighter related responsibilities?”

Garcia: "When I started I had the honor and privilege to work with Scott Campbell, he really showed me how to do this, how to run an org. He introduced me to some of the guys I still work with, showed me how to find new talents for VF...I really owe him much. Why I still doing this and why I pull it off? I think it's because I feel like this is right thing to do, continue to make VF bigger and bigger. VF was entrusted to me by Scott and I don't want let him down now."

Randy: “One of your fighters Pete Wentz recently took 1st place in division 1 of the Tycoon World Grappling Championship. How big of an honor was it to win a gold in the first ever TWGC and why do you think Pete was able to find so much success in the tournament?”

Garcia: "For me, Pete and our team that was big. That was huge. TWGC was new thing around, not much people knew what to expect. Pete grappled for his entire life, so it was natural for him to try. Now he signed with Hells Balls Grapplers Gauntlet, which is grappling only promotion to continue his grappling career. Why was he able to win TWGC? That's tricky question. He is talented wrestler, I think his motivation was mainly fact that he wanted to prove that he still can compete. He fought black belts and red belt there, himself being a brown belt, so his heart and will to fight really pushed him forward and he was able to keep up with that pace."

Randy: “We mentioned your fighting organization earlier Vicious Fights which used to be an organization for young up and coming fighters but has recently dropped all the restrictions and will be accepting all talent in several weight classes. What brought about the change to the org?”

Garcia: "When I started I knew what I want to do. I knew that I want to create a platform for young kids to start and go on further with their MMA careers. We grew some really amazing talents here, but with time - you have to grow to be able to provide those chances. You need money to book new venues, pay new guys...it was something we pushed as long as we could, but finally we had to make a move. Our previous heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions were almost dead, not much guys signed, it was hard to sign new guys...similar thing happens to current featherweight division, that's why we announced the change and Featherweight Grand Prix."

Randy: “Obviously I am very familiar with the EPL tournament that you guys run being a competitor in two separate seasons. You just finished the 6th season of EPL crowning the winner Domingo Perez. Give me your thoughts on season 6 as a whole and on the outcome of the season?”

Garcia: "Season 6...that was first season to be changed that much. It was Scott's child. EPL before was occupied by Heavyweights and Light Heavyweights and Scott wanted to give a fair shot to lighter guys too. I think it went really well, guys put on some amazing fights and proved that even smaller guys can deliver it. I was a little bit sceptical about it first, but when I saw that there is a lot of guys willing to do this I knew we will do well. And that's what happened. I'm really happy that I continued with Scott's idea."

Randy: “You’ve also just finished week 7 in the 5th season which is for younger fighters. What changes did you have to make in order to run this tournament for younger guys? What are your thoughts on the season so far and who do you see as the favorite to win it all?”

Garcia: "Main reason for change was my concept about VF. I wanted to give a shot to as many young fighters as possible, to promote them and give them chance to introduce themselves to this sport. We had to give them a little bit lighter schedule, as they aren't as gamed as usual EPL fighters and they are younger. So we did group stage, now we are heading into playoffs, then quaterfinals, semis and finale. Who I think will win? Hard to tell. MMA is unpredictable, especially those young guys, they can turn things around with one punch, one kick or one takedown...but I think for now Karl Socha and Ian MacAiken are top two guys. But like I said, its really hard to predict outcome of this season"

Randy: “Do you have any plans on running an 7th season or more? Or are we reaching the end of the line of the EPL tournament? What other long-term plans do you have for the Vicious organization?”

Garcia: "As far as next seasons go...I have a few ideas for Season 7, thou I want to end Season 5 first and sort out Featherweight Grand Prix. I always wanted to do Kickboxing season, but most likely we will go back to original, openweight season. That how this thing started and after Welterweight season and season for younger guys I think it would be good to go back to EPLs roots. Long-term plans...well, we broke into PPV buisness not so long ago, so I wish we can keep it up. I think breaking into Top 10 is next milestone for us. Getting there and keeping ourselves there for a while. I don't think we can get into serious fight with any of Top 10 organizations, but if we can at least keep ourselves there, it will be pretty big thing for us."

Randy: “I want to thank you for taking the time to join us today and answer some of these questions as well as help me break down some of these great fights. Speaking of the fights let’s get down to checking out some of these terrific match-ups.”

John Staal (31-8) vs. Neo Kable (14-0)

A great match-up kicks off our main-card in a 5 round fight for the Evolution 265+lbs championship when champion Neo Kable looks to make his 2nd title defense against former UVT and IMMA HW champion John Staal. Kable has put himself on everybody’s radar the last few months coming to Evolution after a perfect 12-0 record in Hypnotic FC and winning in 9 title fights in the organization. He made an impressive debut by knocking out Iro Tolonen to win the organizations 265+lbs championship and then turned around and defended it by knocking out Arvydas Sabonis in the first round. On paper Kable is going to be out-matched in most of his fights in the organization but he makes up what he lacks in skills with devastating knock-out power finishing all 14 of his victories by knock-out including 12 in the first round. Kable likes to come out fast and furious from the opening bell and overwhelm his opponent’s with devastating strikes and is one of the best in the business at putting guys away quickly when he smells blood in the water. Staal is on an impressive run winning 17 of his last 19 fights with his two losses coming to Dustin Douglas and James Bomb. Staal then took two fights in Ascension’s 265+lbs division but has returned to Evolution and looks to upset the champion and win the title tonight. Staal is a good kick-boxer who has excellent knock-out power in his own right finishing 26 of his 31 career victories by TKO or knock-out. He’s considerably lighter than Kable on fight night and should have a quickness advantage. Look for Staal to try to use that speed advantage by darting in and out of range while trying to force Kable to fight moving backwards. This fight is scheduled to go 5 rounds but it’s unlikely to go the distance with the power possessed by these two fighters.

Randy: “It’s hard for me to pick against Kable here after what he’s done since joining Evolution. The guy is clearly a killer once that cage door closes and I’m glad to be sitting here talking about his fights instead of in the cage mixing it up with him. I just have a gut feeling on this one that Staal finds a way to force Kable to move backwards and we’ll see if he’s equally as dangerous when he’s not pouring on the pressure. Staal wins this fight by TKO early in the 2nd round.”

Garcia: "It’s hard to stay unbeaten at heavyweight these days, not to mention super heavyweight. Those guys swings ridiculously huge power in their hands and are able to take out every human being on our planet. Staal provides a new kind of challenge for Kable, that’s for sure. John will be way lighter coming into this fight, he did a lot of damage at Heavyweight, he is one of those guys that will keep coming at you as long as they can move. Can he fight bigger guys? Yeah, he proved that when he knocked out Congo Ashantie or NumbaOne Stunna. His punches are really accurate, as 70% of them finds their way to opponent’s chin. But big question is, can he do same thing to Kable? I don’t think so. Kable is known for his vicious, VICIOUS, power. He walked out of the first round twice, only to do way more damage and finish his opponents. More crazy thing is that Neo throws only around 14 strikes from distance per fight. But more crazy thing about him is that he is hit ONCE per fight on average. That shows how agile and how quick this giant has to be. That being said, I don’t think he is scared of being outworked or being the slower fighter in this one. I don’t think John will decide to grapple with him and I don’t believe he can become a serious threat on their feet – Way I see it, Kable will defend his title and extend his record to 15-0."

Lager Assassin (33-12-1) vs. Katsu Higashikuni (22-10)

Next on the card is a 5 round fight in the 145lbs division as Lager Assassin takes on Katsu Higashikuni. Assassin had been on a nice streak but lost in his debut in the organization getting stopped in the first round by a man who’s been rolling as of late Hector Cabrera. Lager is an elite level boxer who uses his wrestling and excellent submission game to finish fights. Lager has won 14 fights by TKO and 11 fights by submission so he is capable of finishing the fight pretty much anywhere and that makes him a very dangerous opponent for anybody. His opponent tonight is the former champion Katsu Higashikuni who is also looking to rebound from some recent losses dropping his title to Danny Power and then dropping a decision to Hashimoto. Higashikuni is a decent striker who throws mostly punches and leg-kicks as he tries to wear down opponents and take them to the ground. Katsu will mix things up on the feet by countering at times but other times he’s the aggressor and backs opponent up. One thing rarely changes and that’s the fact that he is looking for any opportunity to get the fight to the mat and averages over 7 takedown attempts per fight during his career. Katsu is equally dangerous whether on top of his opponents reigning ground and pound or in guard bottom throwing up submissions. Katsu has finished elite caliber ground guys with both his ground and pound and submission game and is capable of catching anybody on a given night. Expect this to be an entertaining back and forth battle that likely goes the full 5 rounds with 1 of these fighters winning a close decision and climbing back up the ladder.

Randy: “I dunno who to pick in this fight if I’m being honest. I think Assassin likely wins the striking exchanges but I don’t see him shy away from taking this fight to the ground and that could be a giant mistake if he’s not aware at all moments while lying in his opponents guard as fighters like Dr. Gonzo have found out. If this fight does go the distance I think Lager wins it but if it ends in a finish I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Katsu pulls a late submission out of his ass.”

Garcia: "Featherweight are always ultra-impressive. Thanks to being lighter they move around a lot, delivering a lot of action that can please viewers. In this one we have true veteran of this sport, Larger Assasin, taking on current UMMA Bantamweight Champion and former EVO Featherweight Champion, Katsu Higashikuni. For me this fight is one to watch, both guys throws some heavy leather only to close the distance and get fight to the ground, that’s what they do. First takedown will be crucial, because with their knowledge, skills and experience I don’t think they will give up the control from the top position. Both are very active when it comes to doing damage, with over 50% of strikes landed, which may not be the highest – but believe me, those 50% are worth of mentioning, because they know how to finish you and force ref to save you from a beating. Both are also high level black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so expect really exciting ground fight. In my opinion Assasin’s experience will be the major factor which will led him to a win and he will do so by forcing referee to stop the fight to save Japanese fighter.

Bruno Rafael Batista da Silva (23-8) vs. Benjamin Grundy (23-10)

The next fight on our card is scheduled to go 5 rounds in the light-heavyweight division when Bruno Rafael Batista da Silva takes on Benjamin Grundy. Da Silva has been a long-time contender in the light-heavyweight division only losing fights to the elite of the elite like Narushima, Diggs, Reilly, Fett and Womba. Da Silva has been fighting the best of the best on a consistent basis for some time now and is a tough match-up for anybody with his elite kick-boxing skils and good knock-out power. Da Silva made his Evolution debut in his last fight and looked impressive defeating former Ascension 205lbs champion Public Enemy in the 1st round showing off some newly acquired submission skills by securing the arm-bar and winning his first career fight by submission. Grundy is looking to rebound from a recent submission loss to Womba but he probably won’t have to worry about sub defense much in this fight as Da Silva has never really shown much ability to get fights to the ground. Grundy is also an elite level kick-boxer and has some of the best knock-out power in the division finishing 22 of his 23 career wins by TKO or knock-out. Da Silva typically pushes a much more aggressive pace than his opponent and really likes to throw a ton of low kicks to the leg and body to try to wear down his opponents and sap their knock-out power as well as their gas tanks. Da Silva should be cautious pushing such a fast pace against a power-puncher like Grundy because 1 shot from a guy like that could end this fight.

Randy: “This is a terrific striking match between two heavy hitters. Batista da Silva is a very aggressive fighter and throws caution to the wind as he comes out looking to land early and often and put guys away. His style makes him fun to watch but I think It’s going to be his down-fall in this fight because Grundy hits like a truck and da Silva is going to leave an opening that Grundy will pounce on.”

Garcia: "Bruno Da Silva understands that first impression is most important thing when you sign with new organization. And what is the better way to say “hi” to stacked Light Heavyweight division than finishing former two time Ascension Light Heavyweight Champion inside first round? That’s reallu promising debut for Brazilian. But when you look at his opponent, Benjamin Grundy – and realize that he started as Lightweight? Man, he is huge guy and he was a 155 pounder. Now, at his proper weight he knows thing or two about being champion as well, but since that time he went 1-1 in EVO and he needs a win to keep him in striking range with potential title fight in EVO. Will his motivation be enough to overcome ruthless aggression of the Brazilian? Grundy definitely is more technical with his striking, being more accurate with his strikes, but he still lands only half of what Bruno connects with his opponent’s face. They doesn’t use clinch that much to inflict damage, but you can be sure that they know how to do this, still I expect them to bang it out with striking range – and with that, Bruno Da Silva looks like a favorite to me. I think he will walk out with another stoppage victory."

Michael Patton (35-12-1) vs. Seppo Taalasmaa (47-22)

Our co-main event of the evening is a terrific fight between two fighters ranked in the top 10 world rankings for their weight class in a 5 round contest in the lightweight division when Michael Patton takes on Seppo Taalasmaa. Patton has come short in both attempts at winning the IMMA lightweight title and is desperate for another crack but he needs to get through this fight if he wants to keep his hopes alive. Patton is an elite level boxer who likes to constantly come forward behind punches in bunches but also mixes in some leg kicks. Patton has shown pretty good wrestling defense in his career stopping 76% of his opponents takedown attempts in his career and that will be a key factor to his chances at winning this fight. Taalasmaa is a decent striker but certainly is at a disadvantage against Patton standing in this fight so I would expect him to stay true to form and come out looking create grappling exchanges and get this fight to the mat. These two fighters have fought on two occasions in the past and Patton came out the winner by decision both times so Taalasmaa has a little bit of revenge on his mind in this fight but I think more importantly a win here would make it 5 straight and definitely have him either fighting for the title or in an eliminator fight next. Seppo has finished 2 of his last 3 fights by arm-bar submission and he should look to throw plenty of sub attempts in this fight because finishing it would make a huge statement in the division going forward. If Jokinen defends his title and Patton wins this match I’m not sure what the future of the division holds so this is definitely a fight worth watching.

Randy: “Well I don’t know who to pick in this fight either honestly. I really want to lean towards Seppo because he’s looked terrific lately and finished two very skilled fighters by submission in the 1st round so it seems like he’s really coming into his own lately. The fact that Patton has already beaten him twice though makes me feel a bit silly for making the pick but I will go with my gut and say Seppo takes another arm home with him at the end of this one.”

Garcia: "With Mike Patton we have another veteran, who saw it all and fought some of the best in the world at 155lbs. He started as Bantamweight, but Lightweight was really weight class he found himself. Going 24-7 at 155, he may be one of the best Lightweights to never hold a world title in major organization. And if you look closely, those 7 Lightweight losses? Those are all to former NFC or EVO World champions, so I don’t think it’s a reason to be ashamed. His history with Seppo goes back to IMMA 112 and 132, when they had classic scraps, both ended as wins for Patton. Both guys are really hard to hit and they won’t go down easily. Both are Top 10 Lightweights, so win for them may hand them another chance at gold, which both would love to get. Seppo proved that he can punch you on his feet and on the ground, so we may expect some takedowns attempts from him, if stand up part won’t go his way. It will yet another classic trilogy and in my opinion Patton will put a finishing touch on this one, making it 3-0 for him, scoring third decision win over former EVO Champ."

Otso Jokinen (46-7) vs. Danny Power (27-10-1)

Our main event of the evening is a terrific rematch between two former #1 p4p fighters when Otso Jokinen looks to defend his Evolution 155lbs championship and gain a little bit of revenge against former Empire, Ascension and Evolution 145lbs champion Danny Power. The last time these two fighters faced each other Jokinen was riding an impressive 19 fight winning streak defeating several world class fighters in that stretch and was widely considered the 155 and 170lbs champions of NFC, IMMA and Empire after defeating all the champions in super-fights at one time or another. He walked into that super-fight as the #1 p4p fighter and looking to make it an insane 20 wins in a row but Power put a halt to all of that in a very close fight that went the distance. Danny was a gigantic underdog going into that fight with few people giving him a chance but he shocked the world and Jokinen by out-wrestling him and pulling off the decision victory. I think Jokinen under-estimated Power a bit in that fight and you can be sure he will not make that mistake again in the rematch. Jokinen is a highly skilled fighter who has great kick-boxing skills and pushes forward behind lots of kicks and punches. Jokinen isn’t afraid to grapple with his opponents either often times closing the distance and clinching his opponents or taking them down and working his top game. Power is also a very skilled fighter who has great hands and is very accurate with his punches. Power also likes to mix in a lot of leg kicks as he tries to wear down opponents and get the fight to the mat where he looks to gain dominant positions and pound on his opponents. Power has impressive wrestling skills landing close to 50% of his takedown attempts and stuffing almost 80% of attempts by his opponents. This should be a terrific fight between two great camps with a bit of bad blood after the trash-talking down by Power and his manager after the last fight. I expect Jokinen will come out and try to put Power away inside the distance while Danny will look to take this fight to the mat and out-grapple his opponent in a great rematch between two top notch fighters.

Randy: “I love Danny Power but I think his struggles continue and he drops his 3rd straight fight which I know will be devastating to my good friend Sean McDonnell. I thought Danny edged Kuzuri in his most recent fight but only 3 people’s opinions mattered on that night and they scored the fight for Waru so Danny really needs to rebound from the two losses with a big win over a legend like Jokinen to get his career back on track. I just think Otso is the better fighter and probably should’ve won the last fight but Power just had the perfect plan for him. I think Danny needs to have the perfect plan again to win this fight and nailing it perfectly two times against a guy like Jokinen is no easy task. Jokinen finds a way to finish this fight and get revenge for Power stopping his streak just shy of 20 wins.”

Garcia: "Another 2 top 10 Lightweights will go for it, when Main Event starts. Otso Jokinen is long-time #1 at this weight, beating not only the best Lightweights but conquering Featherweight and Welterweight divisions as well. A lot of fans wanted this and waited for this rematch for a while now. We all hope to see another 25 minutes of exciting action. First fight was an epic confrontation between those two, close decision went to Power back then, now Jokinen looks to not only redeem himself but to prove that he is better fighter. Fired up Otso isn’t the one I would like to fight, so Danny will have to be aware of that. Last time being aggressive paid off, but Otso learns from his mistakes and he will look to correct them in this fight. Really evenly matched, fighting in similar way – those guys are just perfect enemies. Danny is called “Dangerous” for a reason, he can put your lights out if you hesitate or commit one, tiny mistake, but Jokinen was in a lot of big fights and fought truly dangerous opponents, still came out victorious. It’s not easy to say who will win this time, fight will be probably close again…but Otso never lost twice to same man and I believe this fact will remain this way. I think Jokinen will walk out with W this time."

Randy: "I want to once again thank Chris Garcia for joining me here on the show but we've run out of time. We'll be back with another edition of Evolution's count-down previews for Evolution 23 "Womba vs. Narushima 3.' This is Randy Ortiz signing off for now. Good night everybody."

 

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