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 If you thought SPFT was going to let off the pedal simply because we past our 100th birthday, you’re wrong, dead wrong. We at SPFT are more interested in stepping up our game, and bringing you even more amazing events each week. This week, with SPFT 101 is no exception. This week, we have a title fight, a hall of famer fighting, and El Guapo extends his record for most fights in SPFT history! It will be an exciting week of action, and let’s take a look at what we have in store.
When I wrote the preview for SPFT 98, I predicted that the fight between Kalash Nikov and Kimbo Nelson would be a war until the final bell. Little did I know how right I was. Both fighters went to war in the cage, fighting right up to the final bell, earning fight of the night honors, and a draw. This week, the two fighters enter the cage again to settle the score, maybe 3 more rounds will decide who ultimately is the better fighter of these two warriors.
Last week when I broke down the ten most influential fights in the history of SPFT, El Guapo made the list twice. This week, Guapo enters the SPFT cage for a record 20th time! Few fighters need no introduction, but Guapo is one of them. Unfortunately, Guapo has lost 3 of his last 4 bouts, a situation he hopes to remedy when entering the cage against the skilled submission artist, Jebidiah Tayber. Tayber, the 2008 Olympic wrestling alternate, won his first 8 professional fights, three of them by arm triangle, his favorite submission. He has had some issues since that period in his life, however, and is currently riding a 3 fight losing streak. Many believe his issues started when he could no longer simply overpower his opponents with his superior wrestling skills. Considering Guapo is not known for his exceptional wrestling skills, this should be an interesting bout, between two men seeking the road to redemption.
At one point, the thirty year old Ice Lander was ranked the number three Light Heavyweight in the world. He is another fighter who has gone through some rough times, some say drugs, some say gambling, others just say he got lazy. All we know is that since his rise to the top of his division, he has since lost his sponsors, and his whole life has changed. It would be too early to write off a once great fighter, however, and we can expect that any fight now, Lander will explode back into his old form and dominate once again. He faces stiff competition against Anthony Joseph. Joseph has fought all over the world, and stopped some pretty impressive competition. In just his fifth professional fight he submitted a BJJ Red Belt. That was his only professional submission, but it highlights just how dangerous this man can be to any opponent.
Just two fights removed from his loss to Eric Cartman for the Welterweight title, the highly skilled Chul Moo Pak seeks to rise back up the ladder to have another shot at the belt he once wore. Jose Protacio Jawo, on the other hand, will be making his SPFT debut. Known for his well-rounded fighting style, the 31 year old Filipino is capable of winning a fight in any manner. This will be important for him, as it will take some serious game planning on his part to defeat the ever difficult fighter with almost no weaknesses, Pak.
After his impressive introduction to SPFT, Jamie Rolland put forward a disappointing sophomore effort against Justina Vanovcan. The thirty year old Hawaiian will need to summon the fighting spirit that earned him a slot in our sister organization’s Hall of Fame, a run which included five successful title defenses. His opponent in this fight, however, is of a caliber much higher than any he has previously fought. Grimly Fiendish has won the SPFT title twice, and provided four separate fight of the night performances. Do not let his recent record fool you, Fiendish is still one of the most dominant 135 pound fighters on the planet. With his high level skill set, Rolland would be wise to be the more aggressive fighter, in hopes of catching Fiendish off guard and ending the fight before skill becomes a more pressing factor.
With a three fight win streak, and his recent fight of the night victory over Vladimir Zenin, Kenji Okabe is sitting high on the list of fighters seeking to earn a shot at the 170 pound championship. He hopes with an impressive victory in this fight, he could potentially fight the winner of this week’s main event. He should not look too far into the future, however, since he must win a fight against a very tough opponent. Ziggy Cliff, who once was known as Gunstar Hero, before moving to the Caribbean, smoking a lot of herb, and becoming a highly regarded reggae musician in addition to fighter (much like how Calvin Broadus smoked so much weed he changed his name to Snoop Lion), is a very dangerous fighter. With five knockout victories under his belt, and a dangerous grouping of skills, Cliff could make a serious run for the Welterweight championship. We just hope that he learns from another famous Welterweight, Nick Diaz, and lays of the herb a bit before fights, so he doesn’t get suspended (as much as he claims it is his medicine).
Lucas LaVey, the thirty-five year old Light Heavyweight, once ranked as the number two fighter in the world at the 205 weight class. Despite his age, having fallen from his once high levels of glory, and currently being on a three fight losing streak, LaVey, still has life in him and the ability to be very dangerous against upcoming fighters. He will have a chance to prove this in his SPFT debut when he fights the similarly experienced and dangerous Frank Martin. Martin, fresh off of his submission of the night victory over Nathan Corbett at SPFT 97, has 30 professional fights on his resume. With his 31st, he has said he wants to defeat a legend.
I mentioned when talking about El Guapo that not many fighters need no introduction, Cajun Xander is another one of those fighters. The SPFT Hall of Fame member and two time Middleweight champion, has lost his last three fights, unfortunately. With Aurelius’ dominant performance last week against Raul Portugis, he has proven only a really great fighter will be able to rise back up and take the Middleweight championship away from him. Xander is undoubtedly a fighter great enough to challenge again for the title, but he has to raise himself out of this recent funk he has been in, and come back to domination. His next challenge comes in the form of BJJ Black Belt, John Malham. Malham in his last fight lost to Raul Portugis for the opportunity to be the number one contender. With wins over Dj Crabby Jef and TJ Griffin, Malham has proven to be an interesting prospect in the Middleweight division, and these two fighters should provide an excellent show.
In the Co-Main Event of the night, we welcome Sean Stone to SPFT. Stone comes to us boasting an impressive 15-6 record. The 29 year old BJJ Black Belt, known for being equally dangerous on his feet as on the ground, enters a recently shaken up Super Heavyweight division. With my favorite fighter, Elroy Kleinschmidt being knocked out in the final seconds of the first round of last week’s title fight, a new champion has been crowned, and people are chomping at the bit to have a chance to take down the new champion. Paco Da Man, the 34 year old Dutchman, likely only has one last title run left in him. He will need to defeat Stone in this fight for his hopes of a title to stay alive. Currently his chances look strong, with a 2-0 SPFT record, including a knockout of the night performance; he will just need to prove he can defeat a dangerous Stone.
Avon Stringer has taken the SPFT world by storm. Not many believed he had much left in the tank when the 35 year old joined SPFT, but he has proven all of the doubters wrong. With the impressive TKO victory over Andreas Ottosson last week, Stringer proved he is more than capable of continuing to fight at a high level even at his age. With one more victory, he would capture the Welterweight championship.
McGuillicudy Jones will be defending his Welterweight championship for the first time at SPFT 101. With this fight we will determine whether or not Jones is a true champion, or just a pretender. With his impressive array of skills, and unquestionable power, Jones appears to be the real thing, however only he has the power to truly prove it.
We look forward to bringing you the greatest action possible at SPFT 101. As always, remember to visit our sponsors, and more importantly, if you’re not going to wrap it, go home and whack it.
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