2013-06-22
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NGF 55 | Bennet vs Tikkanen

Event Review: NGF 55 | Bennet vs Tikkanen
New Generation Fighters
2013-06-15, St Petersburg, Ice Box
Attendance:8,930, Event Rating:416
Author:Chad Didion

UNDER CARD


Middleweight Fight

Jon Targaryen (0-1 NGF) v Andrej Kavelin (8-5, 6-5 NGF)

What a huge event, the 12,300 seat Ice House was in a buzz for the 1st ever PPV event by NGF.  To start off the card, to relative nobody’s in the organization.  This one was a pretty big disappointment if you were in Jon Targaryen’s corner, he looked lost and completely out matched.  Andrej Kavelin showed that he may be unranked, but he’s got the experience and he dominated from the opening bell.  This fight looked almost unfair, Targaryen was throwing strikes, but nothing was landing, Kavelin was quick and looked like he knew what was coming.  Targaryen ended with just one head punch and one leg kick that landed.  Kavelin knocked Targaryen down with a monster hook, followed and at 3:39 of the 1st he locked up a Kimura.  And this being the only submission on the card, Kavelin put a nice 5 grand into his pocked for SOTN.

Welterweight Fight

#13 Pavel Petrov (7-7, 3-5 NGF) v #9 Zeddicus Starburst (10-3, 6-3 NGF)

Pavel Petrov is a very hard worker, he has real talent, but I felt bad for him in this one.  Zeddicus Starburst is a former champion and he showed his class and that champion form in this beat down.  From the opening bell it was clear that Starburst was ready and Petrov was in real trouble.  The first significant strike landed around the 2 minute mark when Starburst hit and knocked down Petrov with a head kick, and when Petrov got back to his feet, he had a nasty gash under his left eye.  Moments later, Starburst knocked down Petrov again with a 3 punch combo, but once again, Starburst didn’t move in for the kill, instead he waited for Petrov to get back up.  Petrov showed great heart in this one, he was bleeding and was rocked, clearly about done in this fight, but he stood back up and kept going.  At the 4:30 mark of the round, Starburst landing a right hand that sent Petrov to the mat for a third time.  In between rounds, all Petrov’s corner could tell him was to “hang in there.”  Petrov couldn’t “hang” for very long though, as Starburst rushed out, landed a massive right hand that knocked Petrov down again and as Starburst jumped on top of him the ref jumped in to end this massacre at 5 seconds into the 2nd. 

Super Heavyweight Fight

#3 Sergei Svetlakov (8-4, 4-3 NGF) v #5 Shavo Odin (10-5, 2-0 NGF)

I am very surprised with the way this fight turned out, not that Shavo Odin won the fight, but the way he did it was surprising and tells the rest of the division, holy crap, watch out for this guy.  Sergei Svetlakov follows up his title fight loss with this crushing defeat where he just looked beaten from the start.  Odin I thought would try and stay away from Svetlakov’s power and move the fight to his strength and that’s on the ground, well he didn’t, he stood there and traded punches and kicks with Sergei.  It was the kicks that did the damage in this one, a early leg kick buckled Svetlakov’s front leg, and you could tell he had a little limp from it.  Then moments later, Odin landed a body kick that hurt Svetlakov bad, he was clearly in pain and it was a factor.  Svetlakov couldn’t land anything, he finished 1 for 4 in head punches and he missed on all 4 of his combinations.  Odin landed all 5 of his kicks and even though the final stats said he was 0 for 2 in head punches, it was a head punch that rocked Svetlakov and another that put him out.  A massive win for Shavo Odin and one that could propel him to a title fight.

Bantamweight Fight

#7 Chuck Norris (9-4, 0-1 NGF) v #4 Yngwie Malmsteen (9-3, 8-3 NGF)

The massive fights just keep going on this card, NGF rookie Chuck Norris was confident heading into this one, he came out to Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down, so that was awesome.  The bell rang and so did Yngwie Malmsteen’s ears as Norris landed a lightning quick jab that snapped Malmsteen’s head back and cut him.  The two took turns trying to clinch and being the aggressor in this one.  This fight then became a thing of beauty, these two put on a show, a short show, but still an excellent stand up fight with good punches, good kicks and also really good defense at times.  Just after the 4 minute mark, both fighters landed some heavy leg kicks that had each of them wincing in pain.  Moments later, Malmsteen landed a quick jab that landed right on the jaw and stumbled Norris backwards.  Norris was on jelly legs as he ducked under a hook attempt from Malmsteen, but he could not avoid the next straight jab that perfectly landed and knocked Norris out cold!  This was a great fight, back and forth, but in the end Norris was caught by a couple of punches.  I would love to see these guys fight again one day.

Welterweight Fight

#8 Andry Andrianampoinimerina (7-3, 5-1 NGF) v #7 Allan Starsky (12-3, 4-2 NGF)

A top 10 battle in this one showed a couple of things, one Andrianampoinimerina is good, but he’s not top level yet and 2 Allan Starsky is top level and, if he extends with the NGF, would be ready for another title shot.  Where AA is the most dangerous is on the mat, his ground and pound is amazing, so Starsky wanted to avoid that.  The two started with some good kick boxing, Starsky was getting the better of it, he was landing a few more strikes and the ones he was landing were a lot harder.  AA did manage to shot in and did get the take down, so you thought that he could take over, wrong.  Starsky did a masterful job of defense and avoiding the ground strikes from AA.  At one point Starsky bucked up and rolled out and got on top in side control.  The round ended with Starsky on top and in mount, so give him round 1.  In the 2nd Starsky went to work on AA’s legs, over and over he landed heavy leg kicks which turned Andrianampoinimerina’s thighs beet read.  Then in the next moment was a moment that might be up for KOTY, Starsky was working over AA’s legs, then instantly launched a head kick, it landed perfectly on the temple of AA and he fell to the canvas like a rag doll!  Wow, KOTN and in the top 3 for KOTY for sure!

MAIN CARD

Heavyweight Fight

#10 Eric Cooke (7-5, 1-0 NGF) v #3 Vadim Kalashnikov (14-6, 3-2 NGF)

I thought Vadim Kalashnikov could defend the first take down from Cooke and if he did that, he could land the KO blow, well he didn’t avoid the take down and this fight ended the way most of Eric Cooke’s fight end, on the mat.  Kalashnikov landed a leg kick, but Cooke dove through and got the single leg take down just seconds into this fight.  From that point until the 58 second mark, it was simply Cooke dominating.  Kalashnikov was desperate, he tried to buck Cooke off, but it just got him into a worse position and Cooke rained down bombs and this fight was over just before the 1 minute mark of the 1st round.  Here are a few things to take away from this fight, 1 these guys are bad ass monsters and 2 you DO NOT want to go to the ground with Eric Cooke.

Light Heavyweight Fight

#2 Dragon Warfist (5-2-1 NGF) v #5 Brett Riverboat (13-3, 8-3 NGF)

This one was one of my favorite fights of the night and it was fantastic it was showcased on PPV.  Dragon Warfist and Brett Riverboat are to fighters that will clearly entertain a crowd; they just work so hard and do so many things.  They both met at the center as the bell rang, touched gloves then went to work.  It looked as if Warfist was trying to use his kicking to take the legs out from under Riverboat to start and he was landing some stinging shots early.  Riverboat seemed like he had enough of that and he took the fight into the clinch, there both guys worked hard but it seemed as if Riverboat was landing the more significant strikes.  Near the end of the 1st round came a crazy sequence, Warfist was able to land and big head kick that almost knocked Riverboat down, but what it did was cut him open, but Warfist came in with a hook that Riverboat avoided and then countered with a little hook right on the button and Warfist then had a nasty looking cut.  As the round ended, many people had that split, to tuff to call.  In the 2nd Dragon came out with more kicking, he was really landing some nice kicks and Riverboat looked a little off, he was trying to figure out the attack and struggled to find his range early.  Warfist was starting to feel confident, attempting a spinning kick and then later landing a nice spinning back fist.  Around the 2 minute mark, Riverboat too the fight to the clinch again, he did a nice job, but what he did more than land strikes was make Warfist really work, as they broke the clinch, Warfist looked very tired.  Out of the break, Warfist did land another head kick, but Riverboat didn’t look hurt, he moved back in and landed a straight jab, then followed up with a hay maker of a left hook that knocked Warfist down.  Riverboat jumped on top and knocked Warfist out cold at 3:22 of the 2nd round.

Lightweight Title Fight

#1 Heraldo Magnifico (13-6, 3-2 NGF) v C-Tolek Banan (14-1, 7-0 NGF)

Now we are on to the 1st of 3 title fights on this amazing card.  Heraldo Magnifico was ready, he had said before the fight that he had the best camp; he brought in some amazing guys that helped him get ready for this.  Tolek Banan said his normal, calm and confident stuff, the things that a dominant champion says.  This fight was an amazing battle, it was clear who the winner was, but both guys worked extremely hard and the crowd was all standing when this one ended.  Banan pushed the pace in the 1st, he controlled the center, which he usually does, he was landing a ton of strikes, he nailed Magnifico a couple of times with uppercuts, and one really looked to hurt Magnifico as he wobbled for a few seconds.  Magnifico was also landing; he just was getting overwhelmed with strikes from Banan.   Magnifico late in the round took the fight into the clinch, but Banan got a trip take down to end the round on top, easily Banan up 1 round.  In the 2nd both fighters once again got right back into it, Magnifico was working kicks, he landed some nice leg kicks and a head kick, but once again Banan was landing his strikes.  Round 2 simply had beautiful kick boxing, nothing really significant, but just a lot of back and forth action.  I would say just by the pure number of strikes thrown from Banan, he would get round 2.  The 3rd started and I thought we might see Banan end it, he started by landing another big uppercut, then a cross and a few good jabs, it looked as if Magnifico was not going to be able to avoid anything.  Round 3 was all Banan, he destroyed Magnifico, even getting a take down, but Magnifico, although he was battered, he was swollen up around both eyes, but he kept going.   The 4th was a lot like the 3rd; Magnifico now looked like a beaten fighter.  He was slow and he looked almost like a punching bag as he took strikes over and over from Banan.  Banan was having fun by this point, he didn’t look to finish, most of his strikes were quick jabs, nothing with a whole lot of power, but he was taking apart Magnifico.  As the round ended, Banan looked great, not much as way of battle wounds showed, but Magnifico on the other hand looked like he had balloons on his face, ugly.  The 5th started and it was Banan looking quick, darting in, landing and darting back out of trouble.  Magnifico did land some leg kicks, and around the 2 minute mark he did scare the Banan corner and fans as he landed a very big body shot that Banan winced in pain and he actually had to cover up and retreated back to the cage, but he recovered and finished up the fight looking very strong.  The stats told the story in this one as Banan ended up 77-98 in head punches, 16-23 in body punches, 28-58 in body kicks, while Magnifico was 21-56 in head punches, 7-16 in body punches, 2-11 in head kicks, 11-31 in leg kicks and was 0-8 in take down attempts.  The judges scored it 50-45 and STLL LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION, TOLEK BANAN!  This guy is amazing and probably put himself into the NGF hall of fame already.

   
Co-Main Event: 

Bantamweight Title Fight

#1 Gim Ruut (19-6, 1-1 NGF) v C-Andrzej Gajewski (17-2-1, 5-0 NGF)

This fight ended up being super exciting and interesting.  It was a serious battle of two guys trying to figure out each other and they were doing a lot of smart things other than just throwing strikes.  Gim Ruut was very confident entering the fight, Andrzej Gajewski was very complimentary of Ruut and his abilities, but he too was confident.  The thought was Ruut would try and get this to the mat at all costs, so imagine the surprise of everyone when Ruut fired off a WILD right hook just second in, just missing the chin of Gajewski.  But after that, Ruut got back to his strength and he attempted a few take downs, one had Gajewski hopping back to the cage as Ruut had a hold of one of his legs, the other had Gajewski hopping right back to his feet after being on the mat for just a second.  Ruut attempted and failed on a 3rd attempt, this time, Gajewski was able to land a counter jab right to the eye of Ruut.  Ruut did land a nice stinging jab and Gajewski responded with a takedown of his own, and landing in side control.  Ruut started to go to work with submissions from the bottom, but nothing happened and the ref stood them up.  It started to become Ruut failing on take downs and Gajewski landing counter shots, it was adding up and Ruut was completely losing and tiring.  In the 2nd, Ruut once again started by attempting a take down, but failed again, Ruut looked totally confused and exhausted at this point and Gajewski saw it too.  Gajewski launched in with a left hand landing it straight on the jaw, snapping Ruuts head around and rocking him and cutting him.  Seconds later Gajewski landed a monster left hook that perfectly landed and KO Ruut cold!  What a fight, what a win and STILL BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION ANDRZEJ GAJEWSKI! 

Main Event

Light Heavyweight Title Fight

#1 Esa Tikkanen (16-3-1, 0-1 NGF) v C-Scotty Bennet (16-0, 3-0 NGF)
A MONSTER end to the this MONSTER card, two of the best light heavyweights in the game entered the cage looking to not only win, but to put on an impressive show.  In the 1st they touched gloves and got to work.  Work was to feel each other out and look a little timid.  Esa Tikkanen did not come out and look the way I thought he would, I thought he would really try and get the fight down and use his superior bjj skills, but he didn’t.  Scotty Bennet was the more aggressive fighter in the round, he pressed and he was throwing a lot more strikes, many missed, but he was controlling the pace and for that I would give him the 1st, uneventful round.  The 2nd had more action, to start it was a lot of misses, but Tikkanen landed the 1st significant strike, a uppercut right under the jaw that stunned Bennet.  Bennet was able to land the next significant strike a quick jab that cut Tikkanen and saw him falling away from Bennet into the cage.  The round ended with leg kicks being the most landed strike of the round from both of these guys, not a terrible exciting round, but better than the 1st.  The 3rd looked a lot like the 1st, neither guy was overly aggressive, both guys were landing little leg kicks and playing good defense.  They both were really trying to take each others legs out, at one point Bennet completely knocked Tikkanen off his feet with a leg kick, but Tikkanen bounced right back up.  Just over the 3 minute mark, Bennet got loose, he landed a nice combination that stung Tikkanen than as Tikkanen looked up from his guard, Bennet landed a monster overhand right that landed and turned this fight, Tikkanen was cut, hurt and rocked.  As Tikkanen stumbled back away, Bennet chased and landed a right hook that sent Tikkanen down and Bennet pounced and ended this fight 3:45 of the 3rd and he is STILL THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!  What a card! Congratulations to all the fighters in this very first ever PPV event for NGF, they are now ranked #1 in St.Petersburg and have broken the top 15 orgs in the game!

 

 

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