|
SPNY 132: Waitzel vs Freedmen
Good evening and welcome to the Liberty Dome here in downtown New York for the biggest card in the history of SPNY. I mean biggest not only in terms of the quality of fighters taking part but also because all 10 fights will be contested at 185lbs or heavier. Tonight’s main event will feature Heavyweight and pound for pound champion Shane Waitzel in his 4th title defence with tonight’s challenger Roger Freedmen. It is widely expected that the winner of that title fight will meet Felipezoom Insano provided he is able to beat Czesio Niemen tongight. The Super Heavyweight clash between Troy McLure and Abdoul Murquite is also highly anticipated. If you fancy your chances of picking a winner head on over to Steel Penn NY Bookmakers who are offering odds on all fights on tonight’s card.
Main Event: Heavyweight Title
Shane Waitzel (c) 26-5 (5-1 SPNY) vs Roger Freedmen 17-7 (2-0 SPNY)
Shane Waitzel will be looking to confirm his position as SPNY’s pound for pound king when he meets Freedman tonight. One of the best boxers in world MMA at the moment, Waitzel is known more for his power than his accuracy which is demonstrated by the fact that 25 of his 26 wins have come by way of knockout. Tonight don’t expect anything different from what we’ve seen in the past, Waitzel will throw big shots either from range or from the clinch and if one of them lands flush this fight will be over fast.
Freedman will be hoping that his 11 inch reach advantage is enough to keep Waitzel at bay tonight as he has little else suggesting he can win. A decent boxer who also has a brown belt in BJJ, he lacks the power and granite chin that makes Waitzel such a threat. Freedman has built his current record based on his ability to out strike his opponents and grind them down, that strategy may not be enough against the dominant power game of Waitzel.
Waitzel is just far too good in this one, 1st round KO is on the cards.
2: Heavyweight
Felipezoom Insano 24-8 (3-0 SPNY) vs Czesio Niemen 21-17 (3-2 SPNY)
Insano is 2-0 since his long lay off from fighting making his overall winning streak now 6 fights long. This fight will see him face off against another fighter who is primarily a boxer and kick boxer in Niemen. Insano will be looking to use his superior striking defence and his versatility in offence in the clinch to gain an advantage tonight. Insano also has the added motivation that he has been promised a shot at the Heavyweight title if he wins tonight.
According to the bookies Niemen comes into this fight as the favourite and he will be desperate to not lose a second consecutive fight, having lost a title fight with Waitzel at his last start. A 2 inch reach advantage appears to be his best shot at pushing home an advantage, but will know his defence needs to be perfect tonight to beat a fighter of the calibre of Insano.
Insano is heavy handed, and Niemen has 13 career knockout losses, tonight will be Insano by KO.
3: Super Heavyweight
Troy McLure 13-5 (10-3 SPNY) vs Abdoul Murquite 14-5 (11-4 SPNY)
With these two fighter currently locked 1-1 (SPNY 13 to McLure, SPNY 82 to Murquite) with both fights stopped on a cut and both fighters ranked as contenders for the Super Heavyweight title, this match up simply had to happen. McLure is perhaps the hardest and most accurate hitting boxer in SPNY, with his punches landing disconcertingly often given how hard they are thrown. Very few of his fights have made it to a second round, none have seen a third.
Murquite, AKA the hairiest man in SPNY, is a jujitsu submission specialist. Murquite knows he does not have the ability to stand and strike with McLure and must take this fight to ground to be a chance. With McLure knowing the takedown attempt will be coming the danger is that Murquite will have to risk taking a few shots to get the takedown and if McLure lands one flush it will be lights out.
The bookmakers can’t split this one, to me it’s McLure, he will be hard to takedown first attempt and all he needs is one solid counter combination to finish this by KO.
4: Light Heavyweight
Jonny Bones 16-8-3 (7-5-2 SPNY) vs Katsuji Rikidozan 12-14 (8-5 SPNY)
Another fight on tonight’s card that is a rematch from long ago; Rikidozan won a unanimous decision over Bones back at SPNY 59. Bones comes into this one after a disappointing fight of the night loss that ended a 4 fight winning streak and may well have cost him a title shot. Bones is an elite grappler whose boxing keeps him from being too predictable. His best chance tonight is definitely to get the fight to ground and use his ground & pound to finish Rikidozan. For his part, Rikidozan is a boxer and kick boxer and will have a distinct advantage should he be able to fight this one on his feet. In recent times Bones has become a crowd favourite with the SPNY regulars and with the two fighters so evenly matched in skill the crowd support may be a deciding factor.
Bones by KO is my pick.
5: Light Heavyweight
Jason Krutcher 29-15 (3-3 SPNY) vs Clay Wilkinson 17-9-1 (7-6 SPNY)
Krutcher is a kick boxer with the reputation for wearing down opponents for a late knockout and also for cutting easily. Krutcher appears to be struggling with his weight, only just able to make the limit for tonight’s fight. Early in his career Krutcher was a dominant Middleweight and has never quite matched that level of success since his move up to Light Heavy. Wilkinson is very versatile and seems to come up with regular of the night awards while never actually dominating the division. Tonight will be a difficult night for Wilkinson given his preference for fighting in the clinch may not be a good strategy against a fighter with the Muay Thai background Krutcher possesses.
I think Krutcher has to enter this one a clear favourite but I don’t see him stopping Wilkinson; Krutcher by decision.
6: Heavyweight
Asko Vilenius 10-8 (1-1 SPNY) vs Hiruku Matah 10-5 (8-3 SPNY)
Vilenius might not be the most intelligent fighter to grace MMA, but his all or nothing heavy swinging arms are a spectacle to watch. If you’ve yet to see him fight, expect wild swings at the head and body of Matah; most won’t connect but if any of them land flush Matah will be in real trouble. Matah for his part is a submission grappler with little else in his arsenal. While his first 3 losses all came by submission as have all 10 of his wins, his last 2 losses have come against strikers who he struggled to take down. Each unsuccessful takedown attempt is going to go Vilenius another chance to land one of those wild swings.
This could very well go either way, with less confidence than any of the other predictions I make tonight I’ll say Matah by submission.
7: Heavyweight
Madz Ladz 6-3 (4-3 SPNY) vs Scott Thorpe 15-13 (1-3 SPNY)
Two out and out wrestlers meet in this Heavyweight battle neither of whom have any real stand up skills to talk about. Ladz being far less experienced perhaps has an excuse to have not yet developed a rounded skill set; Thorpe’s inability to improve has seen him become little more than a journeyman throughout his career. With both fighters looking for the takedown and ground & pound to win this fight the battle for top position is going to be the deciding factor; Madz to me will be the fighter most likely to successfully score the takedown, but Thorpe has the ability to reverse the position and hold it once the fight is on the ground which makes this a very tough fight to call.
The bookies call Thorpe the favourite but I’m looking for the upset with Ladz by KO.
8: Light Heavyweight
BJ Andrews 12-12 (2-5 SPNY) vs Jimmy Yackey 15-6 (1-2 SPNY)
When two submission specialists meet it’s always interesting to see how the fight pans out, Andrews has struggled a lot because he lacks the takedown offence needed to truly succeed as a submission grappler, Yackey is a little more versatile and has a much better record because of it. This fight will be decided by the fact that Yackey enters it badly out of shape and will not have the conditioning required to compete.
Andrews by submission.
9: Super Heavyweight
Joe Leduc 6-3 (1-1 SPNY) vs Vydan Freuster 11-4 (3-2 SPNY)
A wrestler meets a sprawl and brawl fighter in this one making the struggle for controlling the zone of the fight crucial. If you believe statistics are good predictors here is one for you; Leduc has never failed a takedown attempt at range in his 9 fights, he has never landed one from a clinch. That suggests to me that perhaps Freuster is in his best interests to tie Leduc up as soon as he can. Should Leduc get the takedown his ground & pound is amongst some of the best I’ve ever seen but he lacks the skills to stand and fight with Freuster.
Freuster is an overwhelming favourite coming into this, but I really like Leduc’s chances of taking this to ground and winning by KO.
10: Middleweight
Duke Ellington 12-8 (0-2 SPNY) vs Drago Kozlov 29-11 (0-3 SPNY)
Kozlov comes into this fight with nothing to lose knowing he will be leaving SPNY regardless of the result, his leaving won’t disappoint too many SPNY fans who are yet to see him win in the org and know of his reputation as a dull decision fighter. As such the pressure is off him against another fighter yet to win in the org in Ellington. Ellington was a professional boxer before he turned to MMA, and his career has been punctuated by fluctuating weight, long periods of inactivity, and inconsistent results. Kozlov on the other hand is simply past his best, the 19 fight winning streak he enjoyed early in his career is well behind him and recent results don’t suggest he will find that form ever again. Tonight I suspect he will be too good for Ellington and hopefully will sign off with a win tonight.
Kozlov by decision.
Article views:
187
» Donate to this author |
