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BBP 3 (08 July 16 – The Underground, Las Vegas) Preview and Predictions – Written By Gabe T.S. Gardner (112290)
The third BBP event held by Bad Boy Promotions promises to be a night of exciting action and thrilling athletic contests, with a stacked card of up and coming fighters ready and waiting to make an impact in the MMA scene, in the spiritual home of the sport: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fight 1
Avon Barksalot 2-0-0 v Mutsu xx 3-1-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 185lbs
Both fighters are carrying momentum into this bout, each having defeated two opponents on the fly. A slight psychological edge may be given to Mutsu, finishing both of his previous opponents inside the distance whereas Barksalot edged one by unanimous decision.
One thing Mutsu is going to want to avoid here is getting into a brawl with someone with the Boxing ability of Avon Barksalot. Having been knocked out before in his career, Mutsu is going to want to focus on his superior ground game in this fight and use his height and weight advantage to smother his opponent on the ground.
Barksalot has demonstrated a very shoddy ground game in his previous bouts and has relied on his standup ability completely to win, therefore if Barksalot is to take this fight he has to respect the wrestling skills and rounded ability of his opponent and be weary of him sucking him into a vulnerable position. He needs to take his time, wait for an opening and look to finish him early.
Ultimately I feel Mutsu is too well balanced for Barksalot and will force him into a mistake in the first or second round, and will make him tap out.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Mutsu xx, Round 1 (SUB)
Fight 2
Lyoto Destroyer 0-1-0 vs Horacio Martins 0-0-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 185lbs
Martins is set to make his professional MMA debut here tonight, the young Kosovan is reportedly a decent boxer and has a little background in the art of Muay Thai, with a white belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Lyoto Destroyer will be looking for his first win in his professional career, having lost by UD in his MMA debut back in mid-June.
There is little to go on to evaluate the two fighters ahead of this bout, as they have had only one total bout between them. Judging from the word emanating from both camps however, Lyoto Destroyer is expected to dominate the young Martins on the ground, and look to use his strong wrestling ability to suppress him, limiting his offense substantially.
If Martins is looking to come away with the ‘W’ he’s going to have to fight VERY smart. Throw punches in combinations, be wary of takedown efforts and try to take it on points. Destroyer is more than capable of holding his own in a standup fight and demonstrated a solid chin in his debut, so throwing caution to the wind would be ill advised for the youngster.
Although I feel there is promise from Martins, I feel he is just too well outmatched by the man from Rio, and will be sent out in the first or second round from a flurry of blows on the ground.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Lyoto Destroyer, Round 2 (TKO/KO)
Fight 3
Mars Asteroidbelt 1-0-0 v Anthony Clark 1-2-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 145lbs
Asteroidbelt takes on Clark in a bout that optimises the saying “styles make fights” as a fighter known for his boxing and striking ability in Mars Asteroidbelt takes on a superb wrestler in Anthony Clark.
Asteroidbelt looked great in his debut, finishing his opponent in under a minute via a TKO, and rocking him badly very early on. If Asteroidbelt can press on Clark and force him up against the cage, I see Clark offering very little in the way of resistance, and foresee an early stoppage. Clark’s single victory was via a vicious ground and pound flurry over 2-6-0 Andre Ngyuen, and he will be looking to keep the fight on the ground, smother his smaller opponent and look to score with big elbows and strikes to get him out early.
If this fight is fought standing up, Clark is going to have a short night, and will most likely wake up on the canvas, being helped up by the referee. Clark is going to want to use his reach to keep Asteroidbelt at bay and score with the takedown to get him to the ground, his comfort zone.
In my opinion Asteroidbelt is just too well rounded and has too much in the locker for Clark and will finish him early, sending Clark back to the drawing board.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Mars Asteroidbelt, Round 1 (TKO/KO)
Fight 4
Shamo Lee 2-0-0 v Glenn Williamson 0-0-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 155lbs
This fight places two former professional grapplers and puts them inside the cage, with Williamson making his professional MMA debut.
Shamo Lee has the experience advantage, having fought in MMA twice before, and being undefeated so far. His grappling experience (one loss) highlights the danger this man represents when fighting on the ground and his adaptability to different situations.
He favours the triangle as his hold of choice to finish fights as three of his four combat sport bouts have ended with him applying it. Williamson is the superior amateur wrestler of the two, and will want to use that to edge the ground game and lay some fierce ground and pound to Lee.
The two are evenly matched across the board but the striking ability of Lee gives him a slight edge in the standup game, although the two again are not that far apart. As I feel the two fighters will try to out-grapple each other here, with the amateur wrestling advantage I feel Williamson may just be able to take it, although I would not be surprised if Lee were to take it either. They are both skilled at locking in and escaping submissions so I predict a stalemate that will go the distance, with Williamson’s hand being raised.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Glenn Williamson, Round 3 (UD)
Fight 5
Dave Mustang 0-0-0 v Diego Sanchez 0-0-0: 3 Rounds Of 5 Minutes 185lbs
Two men will make their professional MMA debut here tonight, with such a spotlight being shone on both fighters here, they will likely feel under pressure to come out with a decisive win in their first appearance.
From what we can tell from their respective camps, both fighters are well skilled in Muay Thai, with a slight edge in the favour of Dave Mustaine who also trains in boxing. Anticipate him to try and keep this fight upright, catching his opponent with hard shots in the clinch.
Sanchez on the other hand has the superior edge on the ground, with a blue belt in BJJ over Mustaine’s white, as well as a background in amateur wrestling. If Sanchez is to win this he will use his huge advantage on the ground to take out the reach advantage of his opponent, and finish him on the floor.
However, I feel as though as Sanchez’s main strength is his Muay Thai ability, he will attempt to trade blows with the better skilled and equipped Mustaine, and suffer the consequences. It is prudent to remember however that there is nothing to go on either of these fighters and the result is very much up in the air.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Dave Mustaine, Round 2 (TKO/KO)
Fight 6
Alexander Dippe 0-0-0 v Tommy Gunner 1-0-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 185lbs
The debuting Dippe takes on relative newcomer to the sport in Tommy Gunner.
Gunner finished his first fight in quick fashion in just over a minute with an arm triangle, demonstrating his command of the ground and his ability in BJJ and amateur wrestling ability. He will look to lure the inexperienced Dippe to the ground and finish him early, to avoid letting the taller Dippe use his superior reach and striking ability to keep him at bay, and search for an opening.
Alexander Dippe will look to take the fight in the clinch, utilising his strength in Muay Thai and chip away his opponent’s defences before delivering a devastating blow. His competent wrestling ability should hold him in good stead and aid him on the ground, but his inexperience may lead to him leaving himself not properly protected and could be caught in a submission and forced to tap.
We don’t know what to expect from the 0-0-0 Dippe and the youngster could come out and surprise us all, but I think the older, shrewder Gunner will be able to keep his cool, bide his time and take advantage of a lapse of concentration, submitting Dippe in a round or two.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Tommy Gunner, Round 1 (SUB)
Fight 7
Teddy Bremner 4-0-0 v Nate Poriier 0-0-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 170lbs
Bremner must be considered the overwhelming favourite here, and is on a four fight win streak and yet to suffer a single loss. He faces however, a highly touted up and comer in the form of Nate Poriier, who employs powerful striking with a decent ground game.
Teddy Bremner has shown to be a well-rounded fighter and someone who is able to face a variety of opponents with varying disciplines at a championship level, a good trait for any fighter in the sport. His ability to finish may be brought into question however, as two of his contests he has scraped on split decision, showing he may take the cautious and respectful approach against the debutant.
Poriier’s best chance at beating someone at Bremner’s skill level is to take him out early with his significant striking ability advantage, as the longer the fight drags on, the more likely he will gas himself and the more likely Bremner will catch him out and finish him or win by majority decision.
In my opinion, Bremner will have this up and comer well scouted, and realise that a standup blitz would be too risky. I think he will time his shots well, punch in combinations and take it by decision but may drop him early due to his natural knockout power.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Teddy Bremner, Round 3 (SD/UD)
Fight 8
Connor Mcdavid 0-0-1 v Cody Myres 0-1-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 170lbs
We will see if Mcdavid can overcome the giant height and reach advantage in favour of Cody Myres in this interesting bout at 170lbs.
Both have great backgrounds in amateur wrestling and it will be interesting to see how the long limbs of Myres may restrict his ground movement and may actually hinder him on the ground, exposing himself and getting caught in a submission he may not get out of.
The most likely strategy for the comparative giant is to use his huge size and reach advantage to shutdown Mcdavid’s plan of attack and blitz him out of their early.
Mcdavid will have to rely on his slightly superior wrestling ability and mobility on the ground to trap Myres and tie him up in a submission, taking him out early to avoid gassing himself when chasing the taller opponent.
This fight could go either way, but I feel as though if Myres is able to stop any takedown attempts, and establish his reach, he has a very real possibility of taking Mcdavid out early, but there always remains the threat of him getting caught out and tapped out.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Cody Myres, Round 1 (TKO/KO)
Fight 9
Luke Bresnan 0-0-0 v Pangolas Do Cavaco 0-0-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 205lbs
It’s a clash of Boxing vs Muay Thai here in fight where it is more than likely someone will be left sprawled across the canvas.
Both fighters will be making their professional debuts here, with a 7 year age difference, this bout is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing on the whole card.
The mobility advantage will have to go to Bresnan, at 6 cm taller, he will carry the weight better and be lighter on his feet, as well as being able to create distance with his reach.
If Do Cavaco gets close enough however, and unloads shots to Bresnan on the inside, Bresnan may be left reeling, and will want to avoid getting into the clinch and trading shots inside.
Due to his age and reach advantage, the logical choice would be to pick Bresnan, but the outcome of this fight is very difficult to predict due to the fact that we have seen nothing from either fighter yet, and it will most likely come down to prep work.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Luke Bresnan, Round 2 (TKO/KO)
Fight 10
Mark Gregory 1-0-0 v Everett Small 1-0-0: 3 Rounds of 5 Minutes 145lbs
Two skilled strikers will duke it out tonight in what promises to be a war between the two relative newcomers. Small has demonstrated a less effective standup game than Gregory, but has still displayed substantial power, knocking his first opponent out in the second round.
Gregory may have a better stronger striking game, but he is overall less well rounded than the Texan, and his inability to adapt to someone who is more versatile and better-rounded may prove to be his downfall. If he is to win this, he will have to pull out a punch perfect performance and send Small home early, or the better-rounded Small will be more likely to stay calm and poised to capitalise on any mistakes that Gregory makes, catching him unawares and knocking him out.
I think that Small may just have too much quality in his locker for Gregory, but if Gregory can pull out the win, then he may show a lot of potential to go far.
Gabe T.S. Gardner’s Prediction: (W) Everett Small Round 1 (TKO/KO)
Tune into BBP 3 on the 8th July to see these fights live, and catch up after the show as I will run down the card and evaluate the fights, the individual efforts that stood out, and how the results match up with my predictions.
Written by Gabe T.S. Gardner (112290)
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