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HIGHLAND GAMES 24 REVIEW
Nuno Alvarez Pereira (1-2) Vs David Zawadzki (1-2) – Light Heavyweight
With both fighters going 0-2 since joining Highland Games, this fight was officially declared as a loser leaves town fight.
Nuno Alvarez had barely seen the second round, losing to Bison Bowden and Hanjong Mc Vetrol and demonstrating a very low calibre of striking. Nuno was struggling to get fights to the ground where his submission skills would be displayed, and he was getting battered for his troubles.
Zawadzki had a slightly harder route, losing to Mauricio Santos by submission and top contender Eirikur Adalsteinn by knockout.
In the fight, Zawadzki took the fight down quickly and began working Nuno over with ground and pound. Pereira always wanted this position in his fights, but failed to do much with it. This was until the second round where David was caught sleeping and locked in an armbar until he tapped out.
Nuno Alvarez Pereira Wins by Submission (Armbar) at 0:51 of Round 2.
Bobby Hughes (0-0) Vs Lanch Boyer (1-8) – Lightweight
Making his pro debut, Hughes was said to have knockout power and a good jiu hjitsu game.
After 8 straight losses, Lanch Boyer has proven that he doesn’t take his career serious. None the less, he has been in there with Jay Venturra, Anatoly Petkrovic, Mustafa Shabazz and other notable opponents, so the experience is definitely there.
This experience went for absolutely nothing, because Bobby Hughes walked across the cage and knocked Boyer out in one punch, earning his first win by KO in 5 seconds.
After the fight, Lanch Boyer was released from his contract.
Bobby Hughes Wins by TKO (Strikes) at 0:05 of Round 1.
Einar Enkeltmann (0-0) Vs Mouser TwoPoint0 (0-0) – Lightweight
Another pair of debuting lightweights, we knew this fight would most likely take place on the ground. Both have experience in jiu jitsu, with Enkeltmann being the better on paper with his BJJ brown belt, while Mouser also had decent hands.
Enkeltmann took the fight down instantly and diligently worked for the submission. While Mouser was doing a decent job of defending, in the second round he was unable to fight off a guillotine choke and tapped out.
Einar will now clash with striker Bobby Hughes while Mouser gets a second chance against 1 and 1 African Bhola Djin Djin.
Einar Enkeltmann Wins by Submission (Guillotine) at 4:41 of Round 2.
Winston Graham (0-0) Vs Pablo Aurrelio (1-2) – Middleweight
This pair of fighters are managed by Harriet Marshall, and interestingly enough it was his decision to put these fighters against each other while he was the temporary match maker for Highland Games.
Pablo was coming off a pair of losses to Teddy Dean and Jonah Sorentino, and his gameplan of taking the fight to the ground against the superior grappler was set to be disastrous.
Interestingly, Graham barely went for any submissions, instead controlling the position and finishing the fight in the second round by GnP.
Pablo Aurrelio was released to the independent circuit after his loss.
Winston Graham Wins by TKO (Strikes) at 3:56 of Round 2.
Barol Kedorf (1-2) Vs Unit Seven (1-1) – Heavyweight
Striker Vs Grappler in this one, between two guys desperate for a win.
Barol Kedorf had a weak start to his career, going 0-2 to talented fighter Timi Timi and lower ranked Michael Kamara. He bounced back with a decision victory over Rock Sampson.
Unit Seven debuted in Highland Games with a triangle choke in the first round to beat Robert Cierzniak. He was then stopped in just 9 seconds by Jason Newstead at Highland Games 5, taking some time off before this contest.
For the majority of the fight, Kedorf did a good job of keeping it on the feet. Seven scored just one takedown in 21 attempts, but was fairly active when he got it there. It’s not hard for opponents to predict the gameplan of Barol as he threw 143 head shots in the fight and nothing else. Surprisingly, he was able to land 142 of these head shots, which is a testament to the lack of adaptability on Unit Seven’s part. Also interesting to note that Seven was only rocked once in all of these shots, signalling a lack of knockout power by Kedorf.
Unit Seven left the promotion after the loss.
Barol Kedorf Wins by Unanimous Decision.
Rob Kaman (2-1) Vs Irchie Kast (2-1) – Middleweight
Despite a first round headkick knockout loss to ZyD fighter Wirbel Schwein in his debut, Rob Kaman has bounced back with victories over Highland Games fighters Snafu Mohajib and Jan Eckstroem. In his first HG fight, Kaman secured an early stoppage over Jan, displaying powerful hands and a good clinch.
Irchie Kast first fought for the promotion at Highland Games 7, upsetting 2-0 challenger Raul Targaryen. Previous to this, Kast had lost to top ranked Massa Hurmaaja and defeated previous HG fighter James Figg.
When these two squared off, Kaman did his best impression of other successful Highland Games fighters Barney Gumble, Nelson Frazier Jr and LightHeavy Weight, by quickly securing the clinch and punching his opponent at close range until the fight was over.
Rob Kaman Wins by TKO (Strikes) at 2:55 of Round 1.
Saladin Hussain (5-2) Vs Eddy Dean (3-0) – Middleweight
In his former promotion, Saladin Hussain had challenged Grant Morrisson for the middleweight title after going 4-0 in his professional career. He lost that fight by knockout quickly, and unfortunately his next fight ended even quicker. Ben Pulse knocked Hussain out in just 9 seconds, specifically disappointing considering their previous contest where Saladin won by Americana in under 30 seconds.
Eddy Dean was 3-0 with every fight taking place in Highland Games. Submission victories over CJ Villante and Kevin Steward earned him Submission of the Night, with the later also earning Fight of the Night. As one of the all time leaders in post fight bonuses, and the 3 fight winning streak, a win in this fight would put Dean towards the top of the division.
Unfortunately for Dean, this wasn’t the case. It would appear that Hussain had the better jiu jitsu, and even though both men traded submission attempts several times in the two round fight, it was Hussain who managed to secure the victory by armbar.
Hussain is currently a Free Agent, and for any manager looking for a top contender at Middleweight on the Island, I highly suggest picking this guy up.
Saladin Hussain Wins by Submission (Armbar) at 3:20 of Round 2.
Antonio Gracie (4-0) Vs Shinya Watannabe (3-1) – Middleweight
Speaking of top middleweight free agents, another one is Antonio Gracie. Again, really suggest someone picks him up because he’s a top contender.
Gracie was coming into this fight off the back of two unanimous decisions. A BJJ brown belt, it would seem that Gracie’s style is more suited to improving position and trying to get the mount or the back as opposed to risking his spot for the sake of an armlock or choke.
Shinya Watannabe’s previous fight took place against Antonio’s team mate, Renato Gracie (also a top free agent now). Renato won by armbar late in the third round, a bitter pill to swallow for Shinya considering his previous 3 wins were all by submission himself.
With this fight taking place between two BJJ brown belts, it was always destined to spill on the floor. On paper, it’s not easy to see why the judges gave it to Gracie. He scored 6 takedowns while Watannabe scored 9. Gracie seemed a little bit more effective at passing the guard, but Watannabe was the more active fighter, looking for submissions and trying to improve his position throughout the fight. In the end, two judges gave Gracie the nod while one called it a draw. The fight ended with Antonio Gracie making it 5 straight after a majority decision.
Antonio Gracie Wins by Majority Decision.
Jason Barrett (2-0) Vs Matthew MacDonald (4-1) – Heavyweight
Barrett has looked destructive so far, taking out Zeca Fulero and Murillo Calvacante with expert precision and intimidating power. The heavyweight boxer likes to get the fight at close range, preferably in a clinch. From here, he can unload big dirty boxing which has halted his two previous adversaries.
Matthew MacDonald went 4-1 on the independent circuit before signing for Highland Games. Although his opponent’s level wasn’t great, he finished all four of his first foes with spectacular head kick knock outs. In his 5th contest, MacDonald stepped in as the favourite against 0-0 David Lawman. Unfortunately, the upset came about just after the 1st minute when Dave Lawman stopped MacDonald due to strikes. After the fight, it was announced that Dave Lawman would be joining Highland Games.
With a striking war set, it was time to fight. Early in the fight, MacDonald controlled the range with some kicks while Barrett leaped in with some big head and body hooks. Once again, Barrett got the clinch and essentially the fight was over from then on. He did when he does, landing some huge uppercuts through the middle and MacDonald become the third person to succumb to Barrett’s power.
It’s not expected that Barrett will kick off the Highland Games 25 super show, while MacDonald moves onto face experienced vet Magnus Cross.
Jason Barrett Wins by TKO (Strikes) at 2:26 of Round 1.
LightHeavy Weight (4-1) Vs Wo Fi (5-1) – Light Heavyweight
LightHeavy Weight is a Highland Games original, making his debut as the second preliminary fight at Highland Games 1. Now, LHW is ranked 4th on The Island at his weight class. A dominant 3-0 start to his career saw him earn a number one contender spot against knockout artist Eirikur Adalsteinn. Despite ripping his opponent’s face with nasty shots from the clinch, LHW was unable to get the referee to step in and was stopped by knockout. LHW bounced by with an impressive second round TKO of fellow veteran Joel Nicola, putting himself back in this position for a number 1 contender spot.
Wo Fi, like apparently every top contender, is managed by the kind of the Island ZyD XyD. Despite an early set back to Khaesar Lehm, Wo Fi has been dominant with his stellar kickboxing skills, disposing of 5 opponents inside the scheduled distance. In his last two fights for Highland Games, Wo Fi has defeated rising contenders Hangjong Mc Vetrol and Jaymz Hetfield. The first of those contests was a head kick KO in 4 minutes which earned Wo Fi knockout of the night honours.
In the fight, Wo Fi ws highly impressive in his ability to break the clinch. No one previously has been able to do this to LHW, so it was a big test. Wo Fi also got some of his punches off, edging out the stand up. Unfortunately, LHW was so dilligant is searching for the clinch that he got it on several occasions. He controlled against the cage and landed his patented lethal elbows, eventually causing the referee to stop yet another of his foes due to cuts.
Unfortunately, LHW suffered an injury which means he will be unable to compete on the December 12th supercard. It is now expected that he will challenge the champion Rice Aroni at Highland Games 27.
LightHeavy Weight Wins by TKO (Cut) at 1:08 of Round 2.
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FIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Antonio Gracie Vs Shinya Watannabe
SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT
Saladin Hussain
KNOCKOUT OF THE NIGHT
Bobby Hughes
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THE CUT LIST
David Zawadzki (1-3)
Lanch Boyer (1-9)
Pablo Aurellio (1-3)
Unit Seven (1-2)
FREE AGENTS
Antonio Gracie (5-0) - Ranked 7th Middleweight on Island, 7th in Highland Games.
Rodrigo Graice (6-1) - Ranked 5th Light Heavyweight on Island, 5th in Highland Games.
Saladin Hussain (6-2) - Unranked Middleweight on Island, 9th in Highland Games.
Renato Gracie (5-2) - Ranked 9th Middleweight on Island, 13th in Highland Games.
Vincent Cruz (2-0) - Unranked Heavyweight on Island, 17th in Highland Games.
Neil Seraphim (3-1) - Unranked Bantamweight on Island, 8th in Highland Games.
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