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 MAIN EVENT
No. 8 HW vs No. 22
Don Marciano v Son Goku
The Matchup: One of the most anticipated heavyweight showdown in recent memory. The pair clashes earlier in the year in a 50 minute back and fourth battle. Goku fired off repeated leg kicks and battered Marciano's leg in route to a hard earned unanimous decision. Both men have continued to improve by leaps and bounds and once again Marciano comes in as the heavy favorite. His only loss belongs to Goku who has been defeated twice since the first meeting. Whoever staggers away from this one shall be near the top of the Tycoon Heavyweight ladder.
Son Goku got to an incredible 12-0 before being stopped consecutively by top ranked Merrimac Mjolnir and Hawk Seibold. From there, Goku battled back to an impressive 16-2 record and comes into the Main Event fight knowing he can go toe to toe with Marciano. What Goku lacks in massive size he makes up with blinding speed and effective strikes. He moves seamlessly in and out of the pocket connecting with stiff straight punches and stinging leg kicks. Goku has the tested the chins of many tough heavyweights, but was not able to rock or drop Marciano in there previous meeting. For Goku to win he must push the pace and slow down Marciano with leg kicks because it's going to be hard to stop the hard headed Marciano.
Although Marciano has gone on to bigger and better things his loss to Goku has been haunting him ever since the judges awarded Goku the unanimous decision victory. In his head he felt he dished out more damage and controlled the fight. Since his humbling loss to Goku, Marciano has won 7 in a row with 1 draw against a fighter he later beat. He is the reigning Sauna Fights HW champion and has been ruling with an iron fist dropping his foes left and right. Even though he's surpassed his foe in ranking, Marciano has been licking his chops for another rematch knowing in his mind he can put Golku away. Marciano is the bigger and stronger fighter and has been rounding out his boxing base with kicks. It will be interesting to see if Marciano will hang back and hit Goku with earth shattering counter punches or try and keep up with the lighter and quicker heavyweight. To which strategy works and what he uses we will have to wait and see this coming weekend.
The Prediction: Since their first losses both men have been attacking opponents with ill intentions. Marciano has been the more active and violent fighter and he's coming in with a chip on his shoulder for having and prior loss against Goku. Marciano must not repeat the same mistake and not try to keep up with the speedier man. Goku has laid down the blueprint to best Marciano and so far is the only man to do so. Altogether, a lot is on the line for both men, but I see Marciano walking away the victor in another close and hard fought unanimous decision effort..
Light Heavyweights
Kenneth Williams v Ryo Narushima
The Matchup: Rising Sun LHW Champion Ryo Narushima sets to defend the org's honour against the visiting Pegasus Fight League LHW Champion, Kenneth Williams. This should be an interesting matchup because it pits all-around badass and submission expert, Kenneth Williams, against undefeated knockout artist Ryo Narushima.
The RS LHW Champion has his work cut out for him in this big superfight. He should be applauded for his willingness to take on the more skilled yet less ranked fighter in Williams. But, to remain the best you have to beat all challengers and that is what Ryo Narushima is doing here. He pushes the pace in all of his fights and launches a barrage of bone shattering kicks. His game plans have been simple; fire strikes at will and batter his opponent to submission in the process. In this fight the game plan should be the same because he shouldn't dare tread water with a ground shark like Williams. If Narushima can slow down Williams with leg kicks and work him with strikes into the later rounds then he can find a stoppage in the middle or later moments of the final round.
Kenneth Williams has been blessed with a big opportunity to play spoiler to a blossoming career of a guy like Narushima. Williams can strike with the best of them, but everybody knows he wants to get this one to the ground. It would be stupid to think he would want to stand and bang with a striker of Narushima's calibre. Williams should be utilizing his BJJ Black Belt to coerced his foe into submission.
The Prediction: This one is a classic striker vs grappler matchup at the highest level. The undefeated Narushima has a touch matchup against Williams, but I believe Narushima can pull out in this one. Williams has been stiffled by opponennts of Narushima's skill set and has used his chin to keep him in fights. Narushima via decision.
Heavyweights
Piotr Rasputin v Sean Ripgut
The Matchup: This has fight has EPIC written all over it as the legendary Piotr Rasputin takes on RS Hall of Famer and current RS HW Champion Sean Ripgut in a heavyweight superfight. This is going to be an interesting showdown as Rasputin boasts 20 knock outs in 22 victories while Ripgut has never been stopped in over 20 fights.
Everybody knows the Rising Sun HW champion has what it takes to compete with the likes of Rasputin. He may be overwhelmed and outgunned but I think that's the type of situation Ripgut lives for. He feeds on this kind of energy and it drives him to continue to outpoint and outwork his opponents. Ripgut doesn't fit the stereotypical mold of heavyweights as he sits around 225lbs. If he felt like cutting to 205 he could easily do so, but he insists on slugging it out with the bigger fellows and is giving up around 50lbs to Rasputin. Being undersized hasn't stopped Ripgut from beating into the thigh meat of his opponents or driving his knees into their midsections so don't expect anything different here. Ripgut has put his previous 3 opponents and would love to erase a pillowhand stigma with a knockout over the likes of Rasputin.
Piotr Rasputin ventures into the Rising Sun looking to cement his legacy in the Tycoon World. With a win over Ripgut it should put him into the first ballet of the Tycoon HOF as he is a former BFC and EUFC HW Champion. With 6 losses to his name, Rasputin has only lost to the best HW's in the game. Rasputin is an excellent boxer and fires attacks freely at his opponents. He has the hands that can put the toughest chins on notice and can definitely rock or drop a guy like Ripgut. But,. does he have enough power to stop Ripgut's heart? That question will be answered this weekend where two stellar heavyweights clash.
The Prediction: Pitor Rasputin is near the end of his prime and is at the twilight of his career at 31 years of age. He has little to lose and a lot to prove against a heavyweight of Ripgut's stature. On the other hand Ripgut has everything on the line in this matchup. However, he welcomes these types of fights and excels against being the little guy. Look for Ripgut to intelligently attack Rasputin with leg kicks and clinch strikes. He will have to wear out his opponent for the 30 minutes but walks away with the unanimous decision victory
Welterweights
Nobutaka Hiyoshi v Henry Lucas
The Matchup: Another exciting superfight showdown between two top ranked welterweights Nobutaka Hiyoshi and Henry Lucas. Hiyoshi has been all around the world starting his career in Japan and recently stringing six straight victories in New York. Lucas is the reigning RS WW Champion and just had an epic battle against Stan Presley to retain his WW strap. This should be another exciting stand up fire fight for the fans to enjoy.
The visitor has his work cut out for him as he tries to challenge the champion for his top 100 ranking. Hiyoshi has had over 35 fights in his career and utilizing his Boxing for the majority of his fights. He does not mix it up as much as other strikers, but he makes up for it with a high volume of punches. Hiyoshi's chin has been tested before and he's also had a horrible habit of getting caught in striking exchanges he knows he can't win. Everybody knows Hiyoshi has no intentions to bring it to the ground and may be in a world of trouble dealing with the likes of Lucas. However, he's up to the challenge and can boost his stock with a win in this matchup.
Lucas is the man known for his epic showdowns with Johnny Chan. He's also the current RS WW Champion and last reigning PFL Champion coming off a controversial split decision victory over top challenger Stan Presley. Lucas is the type of fighter Hiyoshi tends to get in trouble with in the stand up department. Lucas can mix up his strikes like no other and attacks seamlessly in and out of the clinch. Lucas walks the line of borderline insane and maniacal so it's hard to determine which will show up to the fight. If the dual champion shows up he can easily put away again likes of Hiyoshi and display his dominance. But, if a flat Lucas shows up anything goes.
The Prediction: Lucas has too much riding on this one to willfully give this one up to Hiyoshi. It will be a competitive bout, but Lucas' firepower should be too much for Hiyoshi to handle.
Middleweights
Junior Dos Santos v RIP Evan Tanner
The Matchup: The fighter formally known as Billy Butcher, Junior dos Santos, takes on promotional new commer and possible future title contender in RIP Evan Tanner. This is a showdown of polar opposites as Dos Santos is the striking expert and Tanner the ground specialists.
Junior Dos Santos a.k.a. Billy Butcher has returned from exile for one last fight under the Rising Sun banner. He's the former two time RS MW Champion and his only loss is to the current RS MW Champion, Kauno Kaalikorva. Dos Santos ruled the RS MW division with his ferocious punches and damaging clinch attacks. He knows his weakness is his ground game and has been preparing to keep it standing at all costs.
RIP Evan Tanner may be Dos Santos' kryptonite being a pure grappler. Tanner has been rounding out his striking game, but he is a grappler at heart with a strong wrestling base. Tanner does his best work in the clinch where he can use brute force to keep up with the better strikers in the game. He also utilizes the clinch to get out of standup exchanges by dragging his opponents to the ground. If he can withstand Dos Santos' kicks he can keep himself in the game by keeping his standing exchanges with Dos Santos brief and to the point.
The Predicition: This should be another interesting matchup. It may look like a cut and dry matchup, but Tanner is the kind of wrestler who welcomes stand up exchanges and can benefit by testing himself against a standup fighter like Dos Santos. Can Tanner take advantage of Santos' extended absence from the scene or will his standup let him down? I think Tanner walks away with the victory utilizing his ground game to earn himself a decision.
RS Lightweight Championship Bout
Steve Austin © v Boudreaux Godeaux
The Matchup: The only title fight of the night pits RS LW Champion Steve Austin against the last reigning PFL LW Champion Boudreux Godeux. Mark this bout on your Spoilers page folks because this one has fight of the year potential. The legendary Steve Austin looks to defend his RS LW championship for his second defense against the worthy challenger Godeux.
Steve Austin is not a man to be taken lightly. A well traveled - mutli titled champion, Austin has the skill sets to strike fear in any type of fighters eyes. Boasting a Black belt in BJJ, Austin has the Boxing and Wrestling to compete with elite fighters of their respective categories. What Austin does best is adapt to his opponents strengths and weaknesses and uses that to exploit them. Austin favors the ground game and seems to fancy a submission victory just as much as he does knocking someone out.
Godeux is the fearsome slugger who has an under the radar ground game. Little is known about Godeux ground game but sources close to the camp say he welcomes a ground exchange with Austin. What Godeux does best is mix up his punches between the head and the body and does so ferocious tenacity. Punches in bunches is this mans MO and seems to be his way of living. Godeux has proven his Wrestling chops to the best of wrestlers and can definitely hold his own keeping this fight standing.
The Prediction: This one is going to come down to who can execute the perfect gameplan. Both man have been in tough fights before and both men have been defeated by tough fighters. Austin is riding in hot and has the tools to cause Godeux a ton of problems. However, never count Godeux out as he has the heart that many men admire and the tools to compete with the champion. This one is a toss up but it will be a thrilling fight.
Heavyweights
Gigante Guerreiro Daileon v Edward Wong
The Matchup: A ground battle for the ages. 13-1 and ultra popular grappler Gigante Guerreiro Daileon takes on BJJ Red Belt Edward Wong. Everybody knows this one is just moments away from hitting the ground where two incredible tacticians can do their dirty work. Daileon outworks his opponents with takedowns and utilizes control to find his submissions. Wong is the best of the best in BJJ and can cause all kind of trouble for the likes of Daileon.
The Prediction: A lot of grappling ensues and both fighters should be going all out on the ground. I predict Wong's grappling pedigree to be too much for Daileon and he walks away with a trophy limb.
Heavyweights
Shawn Destruction v Andres Aguinaldo
The Matchup: To open this epic card, Shawn Destruction comes to the promotion to take on former title challenger and all around badass Andres Aguinaldo. Destruction comes in as the heavy dog being outmatched in every aspect of the sport. What he lacks in skill he makes up in heart and determination knowing he has the tools and power to get to the skin/chin of Aguinaldo. What Aguinaldo has to do here is KISS (KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!) He knows he has the advantage everywhere and he knows what it takes to get back near the top. He has to put it all together and not waste those lovely skills of his.
The Prediction: Aguinaldo via decision..
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