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 Gladiator Fighting Championship will be returning to its roots tonight when it returns to The Palmtree in Vegas for GFC VII. GFC will crown its first heavyweight champion tonight in the main event and the top contender for that title could emerge in the co-main event. A capacity crowd is expected for this exciting night of MMA action. Here's a look at the fight card:
In the first fight, light heavyweights Jason Washington (5-9) and Walter White (1-1) will square off. Washington is the more experienced of the two fighters and relies heavily on his takedowns to neurtalize his opponents. Washington has struggled with the weight cut coming into this fight and there are concerns that he could end up not making weight. Tonight would be the first GFC appearance for Washington and a no contest could severly tarnish his reputation with GFC fans and management. White will be making his secon appearance in GFC. He is a solid boxer who showed off some heavy hands by scoring a TKO in his GFC debut. This could be an interesting matchup of two fighters with very different styles and approaches to fighting.
The scond fight will be a middleweight battle pairing Mike Hunt (9-5) and Maykel Awang Bang (21-19-1). Hunt fell short in his GFC debut and want to bounce back with a strong outing tonight. He is somewhat one dimensional in his approach. He is a skilled wrestler who is looking to take his opponents to the ground and blanket them. Awang Bang is incredibly experienced and is a very versatile fighter. He is a quite solid boxer but he also posseses a brown belt in BJJ and has very good submission skills. It will be tough for Hunt to find an advantage in this fight, but he is a crafty fighter and anything can happen in GFC.
The lightweights will take center stage in the third fight when Air Canada (11-6) meets Anthony Villia (8-8). Canada is 1-1 in GFC, losing his last fight by submission in the closing seconds. He is typically most comfortable on the ground where he can put his submission skills to use. He has scored some impressive TKO wins from his feet of late and appears to be improving his striking with each passing fight. Villia also is 1-1 in his time with GFC. He leans quite heavily on takedowns and is content keep his opponents off balance and prevent their attacks by repeatedly dropping them to the ground. Each fighter has hopes of taking the next step in GFC with an impressive win.
The first heavyweight fight on the card will feature GFC newcomer Jesus Pope (15-6) taking on TheRock Obama (9-8). Pope is a ground and pound specialist who has thunder in his fists. Once he gets his opponents on their back, it is often lights out when he starts raining down heavy shots. Obama was beaten somewhat badly in his first GFC fight. Like Pope, he too seems to prefer to fight on the ground. He likes to soften up his opponent with timely strikes and then go for the kill by employing his brown belt BJJ. It remains to be seen if this one is going to turn into a grappling match or if one of the fighters will try to keep the fight standing.
The fifth fight will be a match between an undefeated Chris Christofi (3-0)and Liam Dennehy (4-5). Christofi earned his first career win by knockout in his last outing. He is a very good wrestling whose ground and pound strategy has served his well thus far in his young career. Dennehy is a Muay Thai specialist who makes his money in the clinch. He has no interest at all getting on the ground. He wants to pull his opponents into the clinch and abuse them with vicious elbows and knees. This fight will be a true battle of wills from a pair of drastically different competitiors.
Charles Manson (7-3) and Frankie Figgs (6-7) will be featured in the sixth fight. Manson entered GFC with only one loss on his record but has dropped two straight fights since arriving. Manson' strength is his boxing and his preference would be to simply stand and trade leather with his opponent. Like Manson, Figgs has also lost both of his fights in GFC and is desperate to get into the win column. Figgs is a very good striker who leans heavily on punch combinations. This one could turn out to be a real crowd pleaser.
The seventh fight will match a couple of dangerous fighters in Cerventes Bison (16-10) and Jynkka Levanen (4-3-1). Bison is an outstanding, well rounded fighter. He is very strong on his feet but can hold his own when the fight goes to the canvas. With eight career wins via KO or TKO, Bison has shown some pop and is always dangerous. Levanen is the less experienced fighter but has an outstanding ground game. Levanen is a BJJ black belt who will undoubtedly be looking to take Bison down and submit him.
In a matchup and heavy handed heavyweights, Turo Hamara (10-7) will battle Fred Flintstone (13-10). Hamara owns seven career wins by KO or TKO and is a pure boxer. He likes to throw a lot of punches and he likes to punish his opponents. Flintstone is equally dangerous, owning ten wins by KO or TKO. Flintstone tends to not throw as many punches, but the ones that he throws are heavy and with purpose. This is the kind of fight that could produce a knockout of the night!
The co-main event will feature a pair of the most talented heavyweights in the division. Dustin Martin (20-7-1) enters GFC sporting an impressive record and having shown massive power. He is a proficient striker both from distance and in the clinch. In his twenty eight fight career, Martin has only been the distance once, so you can expect fireworks. Opposing Martin will be Blow Jimmy (17-14) who has had mixed results in his career. Jimmy won his GFC debut by decision and seems to be willing to do whatever it takes to secure the win. He generally does his best work on the ground. The thing that could be alarming for fans of Jimmy is his propensity to be knocked out. Ten of his career losses have come by KO or TKO and that could be a dangerous mix against a striker like Martin.
The main event will be for the GFC heavyweight title. Squaring off for the title will be Cael Sanderson Bot (14-4) and Xavier Mack (0-0). Bot started his career as a sparring partner and over time has worked his way up into the professional fight scene. Bot is a master of ground and pound and is extremely powerful. A fantastic wrestler, Bot has shown a suspect chin that could be problematic. Mack too has shown that he can be knocked out, but has also won over eight percent of his fights via KO or TKO. An excellent, well rounded fighter, Mack is comfortable standing and fighting or taking things to the ground. Once thing is certain, both fighters will leave it all in the cage in pursuit of the heavyweight gold.
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