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SLAUGHTERHOUSE 10 PREVIEW
UNDERCARD
Fedor Hunt v Brix Lopez – 265 lbs
Swedish born mixed martial artist Fedor “The Last Samoan” Hunt takes on Muay Thai clinch fighter Brix “The Wonder Boy” Lopez in our first fight of the evening. Both of these fighters are relatively new to the scene so there isn't that much tape to work with – Hunt has one previous MMA appearance, a loss to Prince Opong via KO back in Slaughterhouse 3; while Lopez has two prior appearances – a controversial loss by decision to Jack Reach followed by his sensational stoppage of Logan Blanket in just twenty two seconds in Slaughterhouse 2. Since then both of these opponents have had a lot of time to improve so it will be interesting to see who has made the most progress over this period. Stylistically this is hard fight to predict: Hunt is well rounded but does not excel at any one area of the game, Lopez likes to work out of the clinch but given he is also an accomplished wrestler we can't rule out the possibility of takedown attempts. We'll find out a lot more about these two when they actually step into the cage, but for the time being I'd put Lopez as a slight favourite coming into this bout – the knockout on his Slaughterhouse debut was nothing short of sensational and if he can repeat that here he'll soon have people talking.
Prediction: Brix Lopez by first round KO.
Ricky Sharpe v Cody Garbrandt – 145 lbs
Two fighters making their debut in this featherweight matchup. Ricky Sharpe predominantly plies his trade in Muay Thai but has shown himself to be a competent grappler as well. Cody Garbrandt is a boxer/wrestler who possesses tremendous KO power, he has looked vulnerable to submissions in the past but this shouldn't be a problem here as this isn't a particular speciality for Sharpe. Both of these fighters have similar records – Sharpe is 5-4 while Garbrandt is 4-4 – and both will be looking to rebound from recent losses. Height and weight wise the difference between the two is negligible: Sharpe possesses a one inch height advantage but that is unlikely to be of great significance here. This isn't an easy fight to call but in this instance I would put Garbrandt as a slight favourite – most of his losses have come from matchups with Jiu Jitsu specialists and, with Sharpe's chin being somewhat suspect, I think he will be able to use that big right hand to bring this bout to an early conclusion.
Prediction: Garbrandy by second round KO.
Kristopher Tommen v John Bulger – 265+ lbs
Another matchup where we have limited tape to work with, making the outcome of this fight anyones guess. Kristopher “The Bull” Tommen is 1-0 in his career so far, his previous win coming in dramatic fashion as he stopped Rick Moss in just over minute with a well executed spinning back fist. John “Massive” Bulger is 3-0 with all of his wins coming via knockout, one ground and pound victory and the two others on his feet (including a sensational fifteen second stoppage of Arden Flores). Hopefully we see another knockout here as both fighters look to maintain their undefeated records early in their respective careers. Tactically this matchup has a lot of unknowns, Bulger is primarily a wrestler but is easily capable of standing and trading shots while Tommen is a complete unknown – he showed good boxing in his previous MMA appearance and escaped quickly when Moss did manage to take him down but with just over a minute in the cage so far we really don't know what to expect from the 25 year old. This probably isn't a fight you want to bet the bank on, but if I had to pick between the two I would give Bulger the edge simply because we have a much better idea of what he is capable of.
Prediction: Bulger by second round KO.
Ricky Bobby v Stanley Kimmons – 265+ lbs
BJJ purple belt Stanley Kimmons takes on wrestler Ricky Bobby in our second super heavyweight bout of the night. This fight will almost certainly take place on the ground – the standup game for both of these opponents revolve primarily around the takedown and I would be surprised to see any sort of variance from the usual modus operandi. Both of these fighters excel at finishing opponents on the ground; Kimmons is adept at finding submissions from a variety of positions while Bobby has shown himself to be a powerful ground and pounder. Chances are we will see a finish here: either Bobby will get the (T)KO with his superior wrestling or Kimmons will catch him in an awkward position and the wrestler will find himself on the wrong end of an armbar or a triangle. In predicting a winner for this fight I have decided to go with Bobby, Kimmons hasn't faced a wrestler of his sort of quality and I think come the end of the night the man from Alabama will be walking home with his undefeated record in tact. That said, concentration will be extremely important here – a momentary lapse of focus could easily signal trouble for Bobby so he will need to keep his wits about him, but if he can show the mental toughness and patience required I think he has what it takes to find the finish.
Prediction: Bobby by third round KO.
Verner Stolt v Andri Gunawan – 155 lbs
Two very talented youngsters meet in this lightweight matchup. Verner Stolt is an accomplished standup fighter who hails from Stockholm, Sweden and although he has only made two previous MMA appearances (both first round knockouts) there is a lot of hype building around the 21 year old. Andri Gunawan is 20 and comes from the Indonesian city of Bandung, located in West Java – he is a talented boxer and an Island semi-finalist, he is currently 4-6 in his career so far but most of those losses have come against tough opposition. Both of these opponents are accurate strikers – Stolt has a success rate of 86.9% with his strikes while Gunawan comes in with a ratio of 65.4%; of their combined six wins, all have come via knockout. This should be an exciting bout to watch as neither fighter likes to shy away from exchanges and, with little danger of takedowns, they can afford to be more aggressive than usual. Stolt will come into this bout as a slight favourite, he has shown some sensational striking ability in his previous two outings although Gunawan should prove to be a particularly tough opponent for him. Regardless, this is a fight I am very much looking forward to seeing – both of these fighters have great futures ahead of them and we could well be in for an out and out war as they seek to prove themselves in the Slaughterhouse arena. Definitely one to watch.
Prediction: Stolt by second round KO.
Chang Ru v Prince The – 135 lbs
Muay Thai fighter meets Muay Thai fighter here as Chang “The Dragon” Ru looks to continue his unbeaten ways against Albanian mixed martial artist “The Eagle”. Chang has a great future ahead of him, he is only nineteen but has impressed onlookers after stringing up four successive victories and will be eager to make it to five in a row on his Slaughterhouse debut. However, his opponent is a tough nut to crack... Prince is 27 and has a lot more experience in the cage which he will hope can give him the edge against the Hilo fighter. Although both of these fighters are well versed in Muay Thai, it is worth noting that stylistically there are still substantial differences between the two – Ru has shown great success working within the clinch, in particular his use of elbows and knees to the body, Prince on the other hand prefers to work on the outside where he can his kicks to full advantage. The inside leg kick is a particularly potent tool for Prince which he will use early and often throughout this fight, although it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his success rate (landing approximately 74.9% of time) here against a fellow Muay Thai practitioner. This should be another exciting bout to watch as both fighters have shown tremendous durability in their previous outings, the Albanian will come into the cage as favourite but don't be in the least bit surprised if Chang comes up with a knockout as we approach the later rounds.
Prediction: Prince by decision.
Juan Sebastien Veron v Neil Murray – 205 lbs
Juan Sebastien Veron (who may or may not be a relation of the Estudiantes de La Plata legend) takes on Ulster man Neil Murray here in what should be a closely fought contest. Murray is looking to continue winning ways here following a decision victory over Billy Bulge in Slaughterhouse 7. Veron is a new signing having recently moved ship from Evolution, he is also a former Synchronicity title belt holder and at the age of 36 possesses an extensive record, this will be his 37th MMA appearance, albeit the first under new management. Both of these fighters are well rounded mixed martial artists: Murray primarily relies on his elite level boxing but is also an accomplished grappler, he has yet to be submitted in twelve MMA appearances; meanwhile Veron is a more versatile fighter – he can grind out victories from anywhere, whether that be on the outside, in the clinch or on the floor. Tactically this is an intriguing one – Murray will most likely choose to stick to his boxing but Veron easily has the potential to mix it up. This could be problematic for Murray: it is a lot easier to defeat an opponent when you know what to expect from him, with Veron you could be slugging it out in the clinch one minute and the next find yourself on the floor defending against an armbar. Veron has been out of the cage for some time now (his last appearance coming in April) so perhaps he has slowed down a little with age, certainly Murray will be hoping so because if not this could be a problematic matchup for him. We will find out soon enough but for the time being I'll put this down as a win for the Argentinian.
Prediction: Veron by decision.
Alex John Conor Burns v Vahan Karamyenyan – 205 lbs
A tough matchup for the Armenian Nimrod here as he prepares to face off against the undefeated Irish mixed martial artist Alex Burns. Vahan Karamyenyan is an accomplished fighter who is capable of beating opponents in multiple ways, but this fight might just be too much for the Armenian. These two previously met back in Slaughterhouse 3 with Burns absolutely dominating proceedings to deliver a TKO three minutes into the first round. Unless Karamyenyan has made substantial improvements to his striking defence I fear that we may see a repeat of the last fight. 26 year old Burns is 9-0 so far and with another win here he can make it to ten in a row so the expectation is that we will see the Galway man at his best as he seeks to mark this milestone with another big victory. All of this spells trouble for Karamyenyan and as much I like the Armenian I think he's going to struggle here. A victory for Burns here would put in him in the top tier of the light heavyweight division amongst the likes of Sungwon Jung, Hughtavious Mingo, Don Diego and the current title holder Kuma Nelson, so expect him to make the most of the occasion.
Prediction: Burns by first round KO.
CO-MAIN EVENT
Henkka Seppala v Harley Crowe – 185 lbs
Our co-main event of the evening sees new signing Henkka “The Blacksmith” Seppala take on Jiu Jitsu red belt Harley Crowe in this middleweight matchup. Seppala has an extensive MMA career having fought for numerous organisations over the year, he is also a former Domination middleweight champion and the 31 year old will be keen to make an instant impact as he starts his Slaughterhouse career. 33 year old Harley Crowe is also an experienced veteran and is looking to follow up his decision victory over Howard Stern in Slaughterhouse 7 with another victory here. Both of these fighters are highly skilled in Jiu Jitsu; as previously mentioned Crowe possesses the rare red belt while Seppala is a black belt, although interestingly the Finn prefers to use his Jiu Jitsu to transition to superior positions rather than looking for submissions. That said it is by no means set in stone that these two will try to grapple it out – both are accomplished standup fighters in their own right and have the capability to knock opponents out. Tactically it's hard to say who has the edge here, Crowe will struggle to find submissions against another talented grappler and it's difficult to see if Seppala has what it takes to outclass Crowe on his feet. I think this one will ultimately go to a decision and chances are it may well fall to whoever is the more active fighter. Seppala is fighting under new management so potentially we could see a dramatic change in his gameplan making this contest especially hard to call.
Prediction: Crowe by decision.
MAIN EVENT
Andriy Kuzmenko v Rusty Driver – 265 lbs
Two kings of the knockout prepare to meet in our main event of the evening. Andriy Kuzmenko hails from the city of Lviv in western Ukraine and is looking to follow up his second round KO of Reijo Rento in Slaughterhouse 7 with another big victory here. US boxer Rusty Driver is 2-0 in Slaughterhouse (both first round knockouts) and is keen to impress as he appears in his first main event under the Slaughterhouse banner. Neither of these fighters are noted for particularly accurate striking, but what they lack in precision they make up for in the sheer brutality of their punches. Of their combined twenty five victories all bar one have come via knockout. Most of Driver's losses have come from submission artists whereas Kuzmenko has found himself on the wrong end of a KO on occasion, so if this turns into a test of chins that may well favour the American. That said Kuzmenko does possesses a three and a half inch height advantage which could prove useful in this all out standup war.
I would be surprised to see anything less than a slugfest here, I have yet to see either opponent shoot for a takedown in thirty seven combined appearances and given both fighters seem to like their chances here it remains doubtful that we will see any variance from the usual gameplan. With that in mind we should be in for a cracking bout as we see both fighters load up on shots in the hopes of putting the lights out on their opponent. This is a risky fight to put money on as either fighter could easily turn the tide in this bout with a single punch but if I was a gambling man (which I am on occasion) I'd go for the American to win this one with a second round KO. Durability may be the most important factor here and that seems to favour Driver. Either way this should be a great fight for the fans and I would be shocked if this one manages to go the distance.
Prediction: Driver by second round KO.
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