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 Hello I’m “Sunshine” Weston Markson along with my partner Rudy “The Box” Knife, and we are here to throwdown the HMMA 89 Preview. HMMA 89 takes place the H2O arena in London on Saturday the 22nd of June. 20000 fans are expected to witness what could turn out to be one of if not the most historic event in HMMA history. I hope you are all ready for this its going to be a night of amazing fights featuring a lot of good heavyweights at the height of the card.
Rudy: Speaking of heavyweights 5 of the 10 fights on this card are heavyweight fights, this usually means there is going to be some tension as the heavyweights have a tendency to end fights with one strike in the blink of an eye. I tell you the last three fights on this card are going to be huge and I cant wait to watch them unfold in the HMMA cage.
MAIN EVENT
#2 "All Heart, No Skill" Freeman Blackford (14-2-1) v #1/C Shane Luger (19-3) 265 lbs title
Weston: The main even of HMMA 89 is heavyweight title fight between champion Shane Luger and challenger Freeman Blackford. Blackford has been very impressive since joining HMMA having gone 3-0 his last fight earned him a date with the champion in those three fights Blackford has shown he has the heart, and KO power, and flare to become a champion, I don’t know what to expect in this fight but rumors have been swirling around the message boards that some friends of his friends who train with Blackford have seen him practicing cartwheel kicks, flying donkey punches, and squatted throws. I cant wait to see if any of those land. Shane Luger came to HMMA with a lot of hype and expectations, having lived up to the hype so far winning the title in his 2nd HMMA fight Luger now looks to improve to 3-0 inside the HMMA cage. Luger comes into this fight in a tremendous 8 fight win streak attempting to improve it to 9 straight could be a difficult task.
Rudy: HOLY SHIT this fight has the potential to be EPIC, no LEGEN…DARY! Seriously Luger has insane power with 15 wins having been by (T)KO, but Blackford has 10 wins by (T)KO and the biggest heart I have ever seen. This could be one of those fights where Blackford gets hit silly, keeps coming refusing to die and lands that punch to put Luger out. Then again with Luger’s power and killer instinct he may not give Blackford a chance to recover if he lands a clean shot. I doubt either man takes this fight to the ground but maybe that’s a reason for one to do it late in the fight. Whatever happens I can tell you one thing every fan in the arena and watching around the world will be sitting on the edge of their seat, the tension will be at the highest levels ever, and when this fight ends the building may very well shake with excitement.
Prediction: Luger by late (T)KO. I think it’s a close fight and Blackford takes the first round, gets dropped a couple of times in the second, and wilts in the third.
CO-MAIN EVENT
#3 Muay Thai (22-10) v #10 Simon Bruce (19-3)
Weston: The CO-MAIN event, another heavyweight battle between ranked fighters looking to improve their standing and move towards a title shot. Muay Thai has shown the world what a (T)KO is having won Knock out of the night awards in both of his first two HMMA appearances, he has also spent just a little over 3 minutes inside the HMMA cage in his first two fights. Now he looks to prove he can contend for the title, standing in his way is debuting Simon Bruce. Bruce is a fighter who has had a heralded career having been ranked as one of the best 100 fighters in the world before. Bruce has lost only three times in his career and at one point had a 14 fight win streak, having gone 4 and 2 in his last 6 fights Bruce covets a successful start to his HMMA career, and possibly start another long win streak on his way to the top of the heavyweight division.
Rudy: Im excited for this one I have been highly impressed with what Muay Thai has done here in HMMA so far, two fights, two quick (T)KO’s. He as his name suggest is a world class Muay Thai striker, he is also one of the heavyweight division’s most heavy handed fighters having won 19 of his fights by (T)KO. If he has an Achilles heel its that his chin at times hasn’t held up having lost 9 times by (T)KO its either TKO or be TKOed for Muay Thai. Simon Bruce has well rounded skills but its his Olympic wrestling that has allowed him to get the majority of his wins by putting his opponent on their back and tiring them out with GNP, this strategy has allowed him to earn 12 of his wins by (T)KO. This is going to be a interesting fight to see who really stands out in the heavyweight division.
Prediction: Muay Thai 2nd round TKO.
MAIN CARD
#5 "Bag Of Bones" Michael Noonan (18-5-1) v #4 Fedor "Cannon" Vladimirov (14-5)
Weston: The last fight on the main card is another heavyweight fight between two top 5 ranked fighters, this is going to be one of those fights that fans just cant wait to see can Fedor get back to winning and eventually win his title back? In his last fight the two time champion lost his title, I expect him to come out strong and attempt to make a statement out of Noonan that he hasn’t gone anywhere and wants his title back. Noonan has gone 2-1 since joining HMMA with the only loss coming at the hands of the current champion Shane Luger. Noonan has surprised many with his wrestling and BJJ skills, he has already beat a former two time champion, a former contender, and a Hall of Famer. If he comes out and gains a win over Fedor he will add another two time champion to his list of victims and strengthen his argument for a rematch against the champion.
Rudy: Everyone knows this fight could be a main event on any card are you kidding me two top 5 ranked heavyweights doing battle. A former champion hungry to show he isn’t going anywhere but back to the top, a fighter hell bent to get revenge from his only loss in HMMA. Id say we will see a great war here. This is really going to come down to which fighter implements their game plan the best. Will it be the ground fighter Noonan, or the striker Vladimirov. Either way both men will be gunning for that KO. ALL 14 of Fedor’s wins have been by (T)KO, and 13 of Noonan’s have. I expect both fighters will engage quickly when they have the advantage and look to put the other out cold.
Prediction: I think Noonan gets a takedown in the first and works some GNP but fails to finish Fedor who comes out in round two and TKOs Noonan.
#4 Jay Hunter (17-8) v #3 Richard “The Lion” Nixon (24-7)
Weston: The next fight is a welterweight showdown that could have been a main event on any PPV card, we bring you 4th ranked Jay Hunter making his debut against 3rd ranked Richard Nixon. Nixon is making his second trip to the HMMA circle. In his last fight the highly awaited debut for Nixon ended in a split decision win over Randy Marsh. This time out I expect Nixon to showcase his skills and look for a finish, but debuting Jay Hunter will also be doing the same. Hunter has shown he can fight anywhere the fight takes place his dangerous all-around game has led to a lot of expectations from fans, he also holds wins over fighters ranked in the top 20. Whichever of these two great warriors comes out on top makes a serious case for their title aspirations.
Rudy: Another high tension fight I expect this will be, both men want to make an impact in the welterweight division, and both have the skills to do so. Hunter is a nightmare he can win the fight from any position anytime. He has 6 wins by Submission, 6 by (T)KO, and 5 by decision. Jay has shown a very solid ground game and usually looks to work there at some point in his fights. With the power that Nixon has I expect Hunter will take this fight to the ground the first opportunity he gets. Nixon also has a well-rounded MMA game its not quite as polished on the ground as Hunter, however lucky for him the standup game is where he really shines, having won 75% (18 of 24) by (T)KO. Its his power that sets him apart from most all welterweights in the division and could lead him down the path to a championship.
Prediction: If this fight stays standing Nixon will win, if it gets to the ground Hunter will take it.
#7 Joe Davis (24-14-1) v #2 Bjorn Helgi (16-3)
Weston: The next fight is the one of the two lightweight fights on the card, a nice change in pace from the brooding hulking fists to something a little more fast paced and out of control. Former champion Bjorn Helgi is on a mission to get his title back from the man who took it, but before he does so he must face Joe Davis who is starting to build momentum and looking every bit the contender HMMA officials thought he would be. Davis started his HMMA career 3-3, but after two straight wins against top line competition Davis has placed himself in the top 10 and building momentum, a win over Helgi could catapult him into title contention.
Rudy: Yes yes indeed Weston Davis is looking great lately and this fight could very well help him turn the corner. His last two fights many considered upset wins, what has contributed to his success is his new found ground aggressiveness. A rededication to Davis’s ground game aggressiveness and top control has really worked in picking up some close decision wins, maybe he has found the recipe for success now but will it continue? Not if Bjorn Helgi has anything to say about it, Helgi at 4-1 in HMMA has made a career out of picking opponents apart to earn close decision wins. His boxing and Muy thai are world class and he for sure has the advantage standing, I think he will be business as usual as he comes out pressuring Davis with strikes and forcing him to attempt takedowns. This is an interesting fight and could play out with huge title implications for both men.
Prediction: Its hard to pick against a former champ but if the fight ends up on the ground Davis will take it. I think this one goes to a decision either way.
#8 Jurij Vitalenko (19-12) v Gun Slinga (13-7)
Weston: The first fight on the main card is a heavyweight bout between two men who go to the cage and wing punches with the intent to send their oppositions head into the seating areas. Gun Slinga has long been though of as a top 10 heavyweight in HMMA. Sitting at 4-2 he always seems to put together a couple of wins get ranked in the top 5-10 and then loses in a title eliminator fight. Even though he comes into this fight technically unranked he is the unofficial 11th man in the ranking. His only losses in HMMA come at the hands of a former champion, and the 3rd ranked fighter in the division, no shame in losing to two of the very best, but now Slinga has a mission to prove to the fans, HMMA brass, and his fellow divisionmates what he already knows, Gun Slinga is a contender. Jurij Vitalenko doesn’t know much about being ranked this is really his first trip to the HMMA rankings but its been an amazing career turnaround for Jurij that has found himself ranked 8th. Jurij started his HMMA career 1-3, but after that third loss something must have clicked because now Jurij has won 5 straight running his HMMA record to 6-3 and finding himself ranked for the first time, and in the process avenging a loss, beating a former champion, earning 3 OTN awards and getting 5 straight (T)KO’s. This fight could do a lot for both men and could take them to earning some title eliminator fights in the near future.
Rudy: I really really like this matchup, two awesome strikers everyone knows from my kickboxing days that I am a striker and these two embody heavyweight striking. Its really quite simple for this fight one of these two is getting knocked the fuck out! 18 of Jurigs 19 wins have been by (T)KO and 9 of his losses by TKO, 11 of Slinga’s wins have been by (T)KO, and 7 of his losses as well. This one will be decided by whoevers chin last longer and honestly I think that’s impossible to predict.
Prediction: Someone gets knocked out.
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