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NFC 183 Jokinen vs Hall - Preview
Welcome ladies and gents to the preview show of NFC 183: Jokinen vs Hall. Once again we will get to see the current number one pound for pound fighter in Osto Jokinen enter the cage and do battle with another one of the sports best in Sam Hall. The event will take place at the Memorial Colossuseum in Las Angeles on the 8th of March and is available on PPV. Today we will be taking a closer look at all the fights and the fighters involved.
Bob Stroker vs Simo Silakka
The first fight of the evening starts of in the 205lbs division, Stroker (28-11-1) is a sensational striker who will be making is fourth NFC appearance. Stroker was on an 8 fight unbeaten strike in Crashforce before making was way over to the NFC. He has since gone 1-2, most recently dropping a decision to Tomi Juntunen. His opponent, Silakka (13-9) is an exciting and dangerous striker himself. Silakka also came to NFC through Crashforce but lost his debut by TKO against Simon Adebisi. Both fighters need this win if they want to stay relevant in a division full of the world’s best. Both fighters like to stand and trade and it’s safe to say this fight is not going to a decision. I think Stroker has the better chin and would give him an edge.
Tony Tauno vs Harry Stroker
In the second fight of the night we have some heavyweight action as Tauno takes on Stroker. Tauno (21-14) is a NFC veteran known for his well rounded fighting style and exciting fights. Tauno is currently on a two fight skid, most recently getting KOed by Meridius. Tauno is getting older and if he wants to make one more run it needs to start here. Stroker (22-15) is a lanky fighter who uses his range well and will be making his 12th NFC appearance. Stroker started his career at 185lbs and is currently flipping between 265 and 265+, he most recently lost to Alistair Overeem by KO mid February. Both fighters are coming of recently losses and need to turn things around here. Tauno has a BJJ advantage and likes to offensively use his wrestling to exploit weaknesses his opponents might have on the ground. Stroker is hard to submit and will be looking to score from the outside but he needs to make sure he doesn’t spend too much time on his back.
EJ Balingit vs Tore Rebo
In the third fight of the night we go even bigger as this time the super heavyweights take centre stage to perform. Balingit (31-11) first fought for the NFC in 2011 and has had a long and successful career in the organisation. He managed to win the belt the first time he fought for it but has since had trouble in title fights and hasn’t been able to put wins together, he was most recently submitted by Mir at NFC 179. Balingit likes to strike and mix in nasty clinch work to give his fans a show. His opponent, Rebo (20-12) came into the NFC with a fair amount of hype and even managed to win his first three fights in the organisation. Since, however, he has lost 5 fights in a row and is really fighting for his job here. Rebo and Balingit both like to strike but Rebo has been KOed 9 times now in his career and one questions his chin and motivation at this point.
Bruce McBrain vs Huey Freeman
The fourth fight of the night sees a change in pace to the Welterweight division as McBrain takes on Freeman. McBrain (23-15) is a dangerous puncher with serious KO power proven by the fact that 20 out of his 23 victories come by (T)KO. He will be making his 5th NFC appearing and will be looking for his second victory under the organizational banner. Freeman (27-16-1) is a dangerous grappler who knows a thing or two about striking. Freeman likes to exploit his opponent’s weaknesses and looks for any way to finish a fight. Being a smart fighter he also makes sure to win rounds just in case he cannot get the finish. Freeman is a NFC veteran and recently snapped the first 3 fight skid in his career with an impressive first round stoppage of Kate Nyrkki. McBrain needs this win bad and Freeman wants to keep the momentum he just picked up again so this should be a good clash of styles fight.
Simon Adebisi vs Tomi Juntunen
In the last fight on the undercard we go back to the light heavyweight division for Adebisi vs Juntunen. Adebisi (26-13-1) is a NFC veteran who was once considered the best fighter at 205lbs who was always dangerous with his slick submission game. Adebisi has had a hard time getting back to his position and will look to build of his win over Simo Silakka. Juntunen (13-9) is one of the younger fighters at 205 being only 25 years old. Juntunen is a dangerous striker with KO power in his hands who always looks to excite the crowd. Juntunen is currently 2-3 in the NFC and will look to avoid losing 2 in a row. Classic striker vs grappler matchup here, will be interesting to see who can force their game on the other.
Marko Torturo vs Lowieke De Vos
In the first fight of the main card we have a great fight with the NFC light heavyweight title on the line. This fight is a rematch the first of which took place back at NFC 167 where Torturo took the UD victory home. Torturo (28-11-1) won his belt at NFC 169 and defended his title against Juntunen back at NFC 174 but hasn’t defended it since. Torturo went 1-3 in the super fights against champions from other orgs and is looking to get back on track by defending the belt he stills holds dear. His opponent, De Vos (16-4) is fighting under the NFC banner for the 7th time, most recently beating Juntunen by unanimous decision. De Vos is a dangerous boxer with good power in his hands and will be looking to test Torturo’s chin and will. Torturo is also an elite striker so the fans are in for a show.
Iiro Tolonen vs Pertti Rauta
In the second fight on the main card we have an amazing fight for the NFC Super Heavyweight title as two of the biggest fighters step in the cage to do battle. Tolonen (40-15) is a true veteran of MMA and the NFC having fought under the banner a whopping 31 times. Tolonen was once considered one of the pound for pound top 3 fighters and is even a member of the NFC hall of fame. Tolonen currently holds the belt and last defended it in bloody fashion against Nyrkki Sankaria. Tolonen is already 36 years old but still looks strong and dangerous every time he fights. His opponent, Rauta (31-19) is also 36 years and holds his best fighting days behind him but is still a relevant fighter in the division. Both these fighters have done and seen it all and prefer to fight on their feet. This one could easily come down to who wants it more.
Niklas Nort vs Frankestein Mir
In the third fight on the main card two more super heavyweights step in the cage to duke it out with Nort vs Mir. Nort (15-5) is a heavy handed striker proven by the fact that all of his wins came by way of (T)KO and many of them where straight up KO’s, definitely not someone against who you want to drop your hands. Nort most recently snapped his two fight skid, knocking out Tore Rebo with a head kick in the first round. Mir (24-11) is the polar opposite of Nort, being a submission fighter. Mir holds 15 submission wins on his record with a real affinity for kimuras and armbars. Mir fought under the IMMA banner and is set to make his fourth appearance for the NFC, he is currently riding a two fight win streak after submitting Balingit in the 2nd round back at NFC 179. The winner of this fight should get a big step up in competition which means they will both be going for it. We have the classic MMA match with a grappler taking on a striker.
Nikolai Kovalenko vs Alistair Overeem
In the co main event of the evening two hard hitting heavyweights take centre stage to warm every one up for the smasher of a main event. Kovalenko (29-11) is a long time PCL veteran. After winning the belt and defending it twice he decided it was time to join the NFC. His hype got derailed in his debut against Jack Trippier but he looks to get back on track against Overeem. Kovalenko loves to punch people in the face and the 24 TKOs to his name prove he is pretty good at it. Overeem (22-7) is a versatile and elite striker himself and reminded everyone of that when he viciously knocked out Stroker with a head kick back at NFC 181. Overeem has yet to go on a long win streak in the NFC so he will be looking to start one here. Both these guys like to stand and bang, this one is for the fans and probably won’t make it out of the first round.
Otso Jokinen vs Sam Hall
In the main event of the evening we have a spectacle the whole world has been waiting for as Jokinen once again moves up to 170 to face a top ranked fighter in Sam Hall. Jokinen (37-5) is a NFC hall of famer, the current number one pound for pound fighter and perhaps the best fighter of all times.
Jokinen is the two time NFC lightweight champion and has ruled that division for years which has led him to step up to 170 from time to time to take on one of that division’s top ranked fighters. Jokinen defeated Doc Chillum and Sinuhe Egyptian who where both considered the best welterweights at the time. He goes into these fights with a big size and height disadvantage which is ridiculous considering he could make 145 if he wanted too.
Sam Hall (39-8-2) is a legend in his own right having been the number one pound for pound fighter before. Currently, Sam is ranked 11th on the pound for pound scale and the best at 170 (excluding Jokinen). Sam is the Empire Welterweight champion and has been a champion in multiple other organizations, a true prize fighter.
Jokinen won the Doc Chillum fight by a controversial decision and even though he beat Egyptian fair and square it is safe to say he doesn’t get easy fights at 170. Both fights went the distance, with Jokinen dominating the clinch and stand up but fading in the later rounds. Hall might even be the hardest tests yet considering his weight advantage, he will probably be one of the heavier guys Otso has ever faced.
Otso is a heavy handed striker who likes to use his dirty boxing in the clinch as well as go for takedowns to secure rounds while Hall is an elusive striker who likes to outpoint you over 5 rounds while avoiding takedowns. Hall also likes to fight in the clinch and mixes up his MT well from there, he could have an advantage here considering his variety and weight will come into play well. Otso, being the lighter fighter, should be more agile and faster on the outside although he will have to deal with Hall’s range from here. Otso is the better wrestler and ground fighter but Hall is notoriously hard to takedown and submit.
Over 5 rounds Jokinen should get a chance to use his ground game and he could look for it here more than he usually does. Good luck picking a winner, this is the kind of fight where you cannot pick a winner because both guys are just such legends of the sport and have seen it all.
That concludes the preview of NFC 183: Jokinen vs Hall. For those of you who won’t make it to the live event in LA, make sure to catch the main event on PPV, you are not going to want to miss this!
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