2013-07-14
Price: Free
Edition: #
Previous Issues
Submit Article
Tycoon Times - MMA Magazine
Tycoon Times - The World's Premier Weekly Mixed Martial Arts Newspaper
Corner

REVO 2 - Review

Editorial by Jolon Williams

 

REVO 2 - Review

Jolon Williams Camp Presents ...


Amelie Poulain versus Kelly Rhodes

 

 

Amelie Poulain and Kelly Rhodes opened REVO - 2 with what was expected to be a classic striker versus grappler face-off, however, as it would turn out, the striker half of this combination simply failed to reveal itself. Poulain would aggressively, and successfully seek the takedown, and Rhodes would prove himself defenseless to the onslaught. Unable to utilise the skills his blue belt would otherwise boast upon the mat, Rhodes would fall prey to Poulain's ground and pound offense and come out as the undeniably defeated. Poulain starts off strong here at REVO with a convincing 2nd round KO victory, and has certainly positioned himself as a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division.

 

Owner Gradings

 

Amelie Poulain - A

 

Poulain knew that on his feet was the last place where he wanted this fight to stay, and sought the mat game without any signs of trepidation or hesitation whatsoever. Utilising his superior grappling skills with surprising ease against Rhodes, Poulain went in there with a gameplan and executed it flawlessly. I can find absolutely nothing to fault.

 

Kelly Rhodes - D

 

It's hard to grade Rhodes properly here, as we saw so little of him. He was unable to take advantage of the very few openings Poulain left him, and was treated like a rag doll for the majority of the bout. He will have to look to negate the holes in his grappling game if he wants to succeed against fighters like Poulain in the future, but I certainly hope to see more of his striking prowess in the meanwhile during future fights.

 



Jonny Zurp versus Marcus Elviks

 

 

If this fight was a hard one to call before the fight, by the third round, it was even harder still to separate the two fighters in skill. With both rounds being closely fought, it came down to the third round as a decider for either fighter to truly impose his dominance and show the judges who deserved to be the victor. Unfortunately for Elviks, Zurp would go one step further than this, and simply decide not to leave it in the judge's hands altogether. Successfully pulling guard late in the third round, Zurp would cinch in a surprise armbar with barely fifteen seconds left on the clock and pull off the submission victory, much to Elviks' chagrin.

 

Owner Gradings

 

Jonny Zurp - C

 

While he pulled off the victory with his superior mat game, Zurp's form as a whole was all over the place tonight. With more failed takedown attempts than I can count on all my digits, it's a wonder that he managed to finish the fight at all. One has to wonder if the fight might have turned out different, had Elviks focused more on his striking and less on taking the fight down to the mat.

 

Marcus Elviks - D-

 

It's a shame that I have to give this grade, as overall, I think Elviks had the better showing, with no offense intended to Zurp. Unfortunately, Elviks' gameplan failed him. Just as he was getting the advantage in the stand-up, he decided to take the fight to the ground, where he then allowed Zurp to gain the advantage. Had he kept this fight standing, we may have been looking at a different result. As it stands here, Elviks tired himself out too much, allowed Zurp to get the late takedowns and ultimately cost himself the fight.

 



Glenn Justice versus Lincoln Osiris

 

 

If Justice's words were true, and Osiris was really the only one in the division who he envisioned giving him problems, then the rest of the division would be well served being put on notice. Finishing the fight in the first round, Justice displayed no difficulties whatsoever in dominating his brown belted opponent on the ground and coming out as the clear victor. While Justice would land over thirty strikes, effectively clobbering his opponent into submission, we saw very little action from Osiris, whose brown belt saw very little action tonight. With nary a submission attempt made, Osiris simply found himself unable to rally back against Glenn's Justice.

 

Owner Gradings

 

Glenn Justice - B

 

Justice kept it nice and simple, the same gameplan that he's utilised in the past couple of his professional bouts. Take them down, pound them out. Why fix something that isn't broken right? However, I fear that he may come across someone who can play that game better than him one day, and if he does, he may find himself without a fallback ... but as it stands right now, Justice is standing tall here at REVO and has made a definitive statement.

 

Lincoln Osiris - F

 

Despite having the superior jiu jitsu skills, we saw very little action on the ground from Osiris. Had he been a little more aggressive off his back, we may have seen an upset with Osiris pulling off his first professional victory. As it stands, however, Osiris will simply have to try his luck again in the future.

 



George Wilson versus Ramon Hoost

 

 

The co-main event featured what was perhaps the closest fought match of the night, and certainly the most controversial by far. Polls conducted by REVO staff members to the spectators following the event had the majority with Hoost as the victor, however, after an inseperable three rounds, the judges would award Wilson the majority decision victory, with two scoring for Wilson and the third scoring a draw. The fight would see Wilson struggle with Hoost's superior grappling ability, as predicted from Wilson's difficulty in the past with such opponents, but for whatever reason, Hoost would appear incredibly sloppy in his ground and pound attempts, a factor that was perhaps weighed into the final judge's decision. Wilson, on the other hand, though his chances were relatively few, would nevertheless make the most with what he was given, and would reap the rewards at the end of the night. Regardless of popular opinion, the win was ultimately rewarded to Wilson, and with this win, Wilson has positioned himself as a contender for his division.

 

Owner Gradings

 

George Wilson - B

 

Wow, what can really be said? Close fight, definitely, didn't know who I'd have scored for myself. I'm glad I don't have the judges' jobs. As it stands, Wilson came out with the win, and his harried third round comeback following a forced stand-up definitely pushed things in his favour, and really, was probably what tipped the scales at the end of the day. Wilson took advantage of every opportunity that he could on his feet, just like he needed to in order to come out with the victory. Unable to fend off Hoost's takedown attempts for the better part of the bout, these opportunities were few and far between, but Wilson stands as proof that every little bit can make that much of a difference.

 

Ramon Hoost - B-

 

I can't fault the gameplan of Hoost either. He knew what he needed to do, and he did it right. He took the fight to the ground, and he kept it there. He was aggressive, and he was unrelenting. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, his heart really didn't seem to be in the fight, and it showed in his overall sloppiness. Aggression doesn't mean anything, if all you're hitting is canvas, but it's almost like he wasn't even paying attention. His lack of focus and desire are probably the main factors involved in this loss. If he'd come into this fight with a bit more passion, he might have been victorious. It's a shame.

 



Geoffrey Powell versus Rob Coogan

 

 

The main event of the night featuring Coogan and Powell was probably, by far, the biggest upset of the night. Powell had come in prior to the bout already strong, maintaining that he was the man to beat in the division, well, tonight, it would appear that Coogan managed to do exactly that! In a highly convincing manner, no less. The experienced veteran would evade the superior striker's attempts to keep the fight at a distance and close in, notching an early takedown within the first minute. From there, it was elementary, movements the battle worn fighter has no doubt conducted numerous times before, and it wasn't long before he was celebrating his tenth submission victory. With this win, Coogan has positioned himself as a clear contender in his division, but Powell is unlikely to take the loss silently, nor lying down. Can he bounce back?

 

Owner Gradings

 

Geoffrey Powell - D

 

Perhaps an over-eagerness on Powell's part to prove himself, but his aggression and lack of accuracy would prove to be his downfall. Throwing three immediate and unsuccessful strikes, he opened himself up and lead himself right into Coogan's waiting arms. Once on the mat, he tried, but failed to control Coogan, and ended up tapping out like nine others before him. The loss is hardly one to be ashamed of though, Coogan is a proven and skilled fighter. I hope to see much more of Powell in the near future.

 

Rob Coogan - A

 

Coogan waited for his chance to pounce, and when it came, he didn't miss it. Once on the ground, he simply waited again, and when opportunity presented itself, he managed to grab it by the balls and squeeze until there was nothing left to milk from it's teet. Hold on ... I think I'm mixing metaphors here. Either way though, Coogan showed us a masterclass grappler at work here tonight, and proved that he's earned that brown belt in every sense of it's being.

 

Article views: 225
» Donate to this author

Editorial Staff
Tycoon Times Discussion
Tycoon Times - MMA Magazine MMA Tycoon
MMA Chat Room
MMA Forum