2013-10-12
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SPNY 117 Preview by R.George

Event Preview: SPNY 117: Leonardo - Sudo 2
Steel Penn - ICON
2013-10-02, New York, Hard Knocks - New York
Author:The Dictator

Good evening and welcome to the Hard Knocks Arena in New York for midweek fight action from SPNY 117.  Tonight we bring to you the Super Heavyweight Title rematch with Jumo Sudo attempting to win back his crown from Rai Leonardo.  Nine other fights are on the card tonight, with the Toni Manel looking to extend his 4 fight winning streak with a win over Bailey Vaughan to win the right to challenge the winner of tonight’s title fight.

 

Main Event: Super Heavyweight Title

Rai Leonardo (c) 15-3-1 (1-0 SPNY) vs Jumo Sudo 20-11 (2-1 SPNY)

 

Rai Leonardo showed in his SPNY debut how very well rounded he is, whether standing, in the clinch, or on the ground he throws very hard strikes and can cause a knockout very quickly; 9 of his 15 career knockout wins have come from a clean knockout not from a referee stoppage.

 

Sudo fights with a similar heavy handed style, but is a more proficient grappler, with a black belt in BJJ compared to Leonardo’s purple belt.  When two heavy hitting strikers clash a knockout is always the expected result, and standing in the way of Sudo being favourite to win back his title tonight is the fact he has been knocked out in 6 of his last 10 fights.

 

Should this make it the distance I’d actually fancy Sudo to outscore Leonardo, but I sense a KO much earlier in the fight is coming.  Leonardo’s heavy and accurate hands to finish this in the 1st.

 

2: Light Heavyweight

Tanner Speed 15-9 (2-2 SPNY) vs Jimmy Yackey 15-4 (1-0 SPNY)

 

Tanner Speed will be looking to throw off his inconsistent form to attempt to rise up the Light Heavyweight rankings with a win over new boy Yackey.  Speed will know that his best chance to win this will be to fight it in the clinch and to stuff the takedowns at all costs.  Speed will also attempt to keep the fans happy by being the first fighter to knock Yackey out.

 

Yackey is a capable kick boxer but will know that staying on the feet will play into Speed’s hands.  Watch for Yackey to counter strike early and shoot for the takedown once he has Speed off balance.  Yackey is a capable submission tactician and will be looking to be the first to force Speed to tap out.

 

All things considered I think Yackey has a good chance of getting this to the ground, I don’t know however if he has the ability to submit Speed.  This one will go the distance and Yackey will get the nod from the judges.

 

3: Super Heavyweight

Bailey Vaughan 7-3 (SPNY Debut) vs Toni Manel 14-2 (11-1 SPNY)

 

Rising star and jujitsu specialist Vaughan arrives at SPNY looking to make himself into a big name.  Relying on submissions primarily as his source of attack, he may find himself with a new challenge against dominant grappler Manel.  Worryingly for the youngster all 3 of his career losses have been from knockouts and there is now a question over whether or not he has the chin to succeed at the top level.

 

A win tonight for Manel would go a long way to secure the No. 1 contender spot in the Super Heavyweight division.  The fact that he has won 11 of his past 12 fights and has not yet had a title shot is astounding, and tonight he moves back to Super Heavyweight after winning his last 4 fights at Heavyweight.  Whilst not much of a striker on his feet, his ground and pound from the top position is relentless.

 

Vaughan is in with a chance in this fight if he either keeps it standing or stays off his back.  Manel though is too good a grappler not to find the top position, and when he finds it expect him to test Vaughan’s chin.  Manel to win by KO in the 1st.

 

4: Welterweight

Nawal Chekhemani 16-13 (9-7 SPNY) vs Nate Query 25-12-1 (0-1 SPNY)

 

Chekhemani is a slippery grappler and will believe he has a big advantage if this fight goes to ground with his jujitsu far superior to Query.  Query can wrestle and has devastating ground and pound from the top position, but tonight will look to use his 4 inch reach advantage and stronger striking skills to KO Chekhemani while standing.

 

Chekhemani has a big heart but I can’t see him getting the win tonight.  Query will take it by KO.

 

5: Heavyweight

Asko Vilenius 9-7 (SPNY Debut) vs Pops Cama 8-4 (7-2 SPNY)

 

Vilenius arrives at SPNY on the back of a 4 fight losing streak desperate for a win.  Tonight he meets the up and coming Cama who is known purely for his ability to knock an opponent out.  While all 9 of Vilenius’ wins to this point have come by way of knockout, tonight might be the night for him to test his out his brown belt in BJJ as he goes up against blue belt Cama.  I expect however, that he will box as is his usual game plan.  This will play into Cama’s hands, with Cama looking to use his solid Muay Thai background and 4 inch reach advantage to keep Vilenius on the back foot.

 

If Vilenius comes to wrestle he wins, if he comes to box he loses.  This will come down entirely to the fight plan Vilenius goes with, but I expect him to have the sense to grapple his way to a win tonight.

 

6: Welterweight

Tony Hendricks 12-11-2 (6-4-2 SPNY) vs Adam Rabago 9-3 (2-1 SPNY)

 

In my favourite style of fight we have a grappler, Hendricks, up against a striker, Rabago.  Whilst never quite a title level fighter, Hendricks has become the benchmark for what counts as competitive in SPNY’s Welterweight division.  Rabago is still fairly young and inexperienced and will be up against a tough test tonight.  If Hendricks can get the takedown he will be black belt vs blue belt on the ground and it should only be a matter of time before he forces Rabago to tap out.  Rabago knows that tonight his job is to avoid the takedown but will be hard pressed to use his heavy handed striking with a 6 inch reach disadvantage.

 

If Hendricks continues to work for the takedown it will come eventually, it’s a matter of how much punishment he takes before it lands.  I’d have to back Rabago to win with a KO here, because I see him landing one too many big shots before Hendricks can take him down.

 

7: Heavyweight

Andy Chick 6-2 (0-1 SPNY) vs Larry O’Leary 24-11 (SPNY Debut)

 

Andy Chick is an exciting prospect, still only 21, he put up an impressive fight against Toni Manel in his Heavyweight debut and I feel was unlucky not to be rewarded with a fight of the night bonus for it.  Primarily a kick boxer he is slowly improving the rest of his skill set, but continues to attract criticism for not having the ability to put an opponent away.  O’Leary arrives as a journeyman who has been Heavyweight champion in 4 different orgs throughout his career; tellingly however, the 37 year old is on a 4 fight losing streak and has been training very poorly.

 

Chick might be criticised for not having the killer instinct, but tonight he has a very good chance to decimate a formerly world renowned household name.  I see Chick winning by KO in the 1st.

 

8: Bantamweight

Dmonray Malapitan 17-15 (7-5 SPNY) vs Otou Hek 8-14 (SPNY Debut)

 

SPNY old boy Malapitan looks to take out newcomer Hek in this Bantamweight match up.  Both boys are primarily grapplers, but Malapitan is the more skilful ground fighter.  If Hek can get the top position he will be able to inflict some damage, but he will be unlikely to submit the brown belt Malapitan.  Malapitan is also primarily a submission fighter, but I feel with his superior grappling that we may see him work the ground and pound more in this fight to look for the KO.

 

Hek comes into this fight a massive underdog, but I’m calling for the upset; Hek by decision.

 

9: Lightweight

Kazna Futzchag 9-14 (0-2 SPNY) vs Brij Khali 24-38-1 (SPNY Debut)

 

While his start in SPNY has not produced the results he had hoped for, Futzchag tonight meets one of the original MMA fighters in Khali.  Khali has amassed an amazing 63 professional fights, and may well hold an all time record having been finished inside the distance on 28 separate occasions.  I’ve criticised Futzchag in the past for not having a specialty that he can rely upon to win him a fight, but tonight I expect that he will have the physical advantage over the 38 year old Khali who perhaps should have retired rather than signed onto a new contract.



Watch for Futzchag to use his 6 inch reach advantage to out strike Khali, then follow it up with a powerful takedown and some heavy ground and pound.  Futzchag to win by KO in the 3rd.

 

10: Featherweight

Jason Paw 2-3 (0-2 SPNY) vs Freddie Sargent 2-3 (0-2 SPNY)

 

Two fighters looking for their first SPNY win meet in this one, with Freddie Sargent an unbackable favourite.  Paw is a boxer with no takedown defence whose only two wins to date have been unexpected submissions when he was taken down, he won’t be able to repeat that against BJJ brown belt Sargent.  I’d like to see Sargent mix it up and work the ground and pound into his strategy as Paw has been show to have both a weak chin and no defensive grappling and this may be Sargent’s first chance to record a KO.

 

Sargent to win, almost certainly by submission in the 1st round.

 

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