2013-03-22
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GFC XVII Preview

Event Preview: GFC XVII
Gladiator Fighting Championship
2013-03-17, Las Vegas, The Parisian
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After a phenomenal first appearance in The Parisian last weekend, Gladiator Fighting Championship will return on Sunday night for another action packed fight card.  The GFC welterweight title will be on the line in the co-main event and a pair of incredibly talented heavyweights will cap off the evening in the main event.  Here is a quick rundown of the fight card:
 
The first fight will be a lightweight matchup featuring submission specialist James Bowens (6-2) taking on Shane MacLain (10-11-1) in a rematch of their fight back in January that saw MacLain come out on top.  Bowens has very little striking skills to speak of and relies very heavily on his grappling.  All six of his career wins have come by way of submission and he will most certainly be looking to make MacLain tap.  MacLain is looking to rebound from a recent submission loss.  On the surface, MacLain appears to be a very well rounded fighter but like Bowens, he is clearly more comfortable grappling.  MacLain has shown a nice mixture of ground and pound and submission skills, but Bowens will give him all he can handle when the fight reaches the canvas.
 
The second fight will be welterweight clash between Damian Roshan (28-15-2) and Bruce Leroy (6-4).  Since entering GFC, the savvy veteran Roshan has vanquished three of the four opponents that he's faced.  His style is criticized at times because he tends to be somewhat of a grinder but he does occasionally pull of a finish.  Leroy enters the fight as a far less experienced fighter than Roshan.  Having lost two of his three fights in GFC, Leroy is entering the last fight on his contract and will most certainly want to make a positive impression on GFC management.  Leroy leans heavily on his boxing in the cage and will very likely want to stand and bang with Roshan.  Leroy has deceptive power and is capable of landing the knockout blow, but his chin has proven to be somewhat fragile in his young career.
 
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A pair of featherweights will take to the cage in our third fight when Carlos Monroe (18-8) faces Blokada Leningrada (29-13).  Monroe scored a nice decision win in his GFC debut.  He is a fearless striker who is relentless with both punches and kicks.  His versatility and unpredictability really keep his opponents guessing and gives Monroe a distinct advantage.  Leningrada will be fighting in the GFC cage for the first time so we only know what we've seen of him on tape.  Leningrada is an aging fighter who was once one of the most feared fighters in the world.  He is a pure standup striker who like Monroe, is equally comfortable throwing kicks and he is punches.  Both fighters possess knockout power but both are also very comfortable gutting it out and going the distance.  If you are a fan of kickboxing, this one will be a treat for you.
 
Welterweights Anton The Jew (5-0) and Nikira Stag (5-1) will square off in the fourth fight in what could turn out to be one of the most exciting fights on the card.  Both of these young fighters have experienced a high level off success thus far and have graciously stepped up to fight one another on short notice.  The Jew has been nothing short of deadly with his clinch game.  He has been highly successful locking his opponents into the clinch and then absolutely assaulting them with fists, knees, and elbows once he gets them there.  Four of The Jew's five wins have come by KO or TKO, so finishing fights comes as second nature to him.  After reeling off four straight wins in GFC, Stag just signed a new four fight contract and immediately stepped up to fight this weekend.  Stag is a fantastic grappler who loves to get his opponents on their back and pound them out.  If that wasn't enough, the BJJ brown belt has a fantastic repertoire of submission that he can unleash on an unsuspecting opponent at a moment's notice.  With both of these men on long win streaks, they will stop at nothing to keep their respective streaks alive.
 
Two men making their GFC debut's will meet in the fifth fight as Joey De Andreas (16-15-1) takes on Itor Lamope (14-9-1).  De Andreas has had very mixed results of late and some whispers have surfaced suggesting that he may be reaching the end of the line in his career.  De Andreas is looking to dispel those talks and impress the GFC fans.  De Andres can hold his own on his feet but is far more comfortable on the ground.  He is relentless with his takedowns and will not give up until his opponent is on the ground.  Once De Andres gets his opponent where he wants him, the ground and pound starts and he starts to look for submissions.  Much like De Andres, Lamope has had mixed results of late in his career and felt that a change of scenery would do him some good.  Lamope is a fantastic boxer who throws punches, kicks, and combinations effortlessly.  He has proven to be somewhat short on power, opting more often than not to pick his opponents apart with quick stinging strikes.  Lamope is a BJJ black belt who can certainly handle himself on the ground but look for him to try and keep this fight standing.
 
The sixth fight will be a middleweight tilt between Richard Cullen (17-13) and Michael Scheisse (35-16).  Cullen enters the fight feeling the sting of three straight losses and wants badly to stop his descent.  He is a powerful boxer who is very adept at striking both from a distance and from within the clinch.  Scheisse is a very similar fighter to Cullen who has top shelf kickboxing skills and is very proficient in the clinch.  Both fighters are veterans with a great deal of experience under their belts.  I anticipate that this will be a very compelling matchup.
 
Top contenders in the GFC light heavyweight division, Helio James (24-10) and Puppy Love (20-13) will face one another in the seventh fight.  James recently entered GFC and had an impressive debut win over Tony Masters.  He will be looking to build on that win to vault himself into position to challenge for the title.  James is one of the most active strikers that you will see in the cage.  He throws a lot of punches and isn't afraid to mix in a kick here and there for good measure.  He has shown glimpses of power in his career but has never been a knockout artist.  Love enters the octagon having won five of his last six fights, with his only loss coming to current light heavyweight champion, Ansgar Axelsson.  Love is tremendously powerful and has recorded fourteen of his twenty career wins by KO or TKO.  He is quite comfortable standing and boxing but he also uses his tremendous ground and pound skills to his advantage.  The winner of this one will most certainly solidify himself as a threat to Axelsson's title.
 
More welterweight talent will be on display in the eighth fight as Tom Szczerek (13-5-1) meets Ruud Blaylock (13-5-1).  Szczerek is 1-1 since joining GFC and came away with a very impressive TKO win in his last outing.  He is a grappler at heart who loves to make his money on the ground.  Nine of Szczerek's career wins have come by submission and he poses very little threat to take over a fight standing.  Blaylock comes over to GFC after Vegas Fight World closed its doors.  Blaylock was the reigning welterweight champion and clearly has his sights set on wearing GFC gold.  He is a very well rounded fighter who relies on accurate striking to overcome his opponents.  He feels comfortable striking both from the clinch and form a distance and posses enough BJJ skills that he feels that he can submit any opponent if the fight goes to the ground.  Blaylock will most certainly feel pressure to make a good first impression in GFC while Szczerek is dead set on ruining his debut.
 
Mark Two (17-7) will put the GFC welterweight title up for grabs in the co-main event when he faces Luke Skywalker (20-7).  Two burst onto the scene in GFC by coming right in and being awarded a shot at the vacant title in his first fight.  Two did not disappoint, scoring a huge win over Onni Jokinen to become the champion.  Two is a fantastic grappler who absolutely smothers his opponents on the ground and leaves them searching for answers.  He has ten career submission wins and his ground and pound is highly effective.  Skywalker has won three of four fights in GFC and set himself apart as one of the best fighters in the division.  He relies most heavily on his striking and brings very solid boxing and Muay Thai to the cage.  Skywalker can hold his own on the ground and has even been known to pull off a submission, but don't look for him to want compete with Two in a grappling contest.  This fight should be a true crowd pleaser.
 
The main events pairs two heavy handed heavyweights who will almost certainly not need all five rounds to settle their dispute.  Alex Rios (13-5) has won two straight fights and will be making his GFC debut.  Twelve of his thirteen career wins have come by knockout and he has no shortage of power.  Rios is anything but finesse and will do everything in his power to turn this fight into a slugfest.  It probably won't take much convincing to get Ruent to oblige Rios and slug it out with him.  Ruent has eleven wins by KO or TKO of his own and it not afraid to stand and bang.  Ruent is a gifted boxer who adds vicious leg kicks to his attack to keep his opponents of balance.  Both men are powerful and at the top of their game.  Expect fireworks when these two behemoths clash.

 

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