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Author:Scott ParkUp to 3000 people will be in attendance for UNFC 37: Cortes vs. Paskalev at the Hard Knocks arena in beautiful Tokyo, Japan.
The undercard is the place where legends begin and hope goes to die. It will kick off with two youngsters Kalle Palikka (4-2-0) and Frank Nada (1-0-0) just trying to prove that they are worth their place in the company. Genesis “The Prophet” Piper (2-1-0) will want to prove that Brent Brawler is not the only person he can defeat when he takes on Rookie Amateur (4-1-0). Then Slip "Lion" Cahn (5-7-0) and "Freaky Friday" Jimmy Johns (4-3-1) will both being looking for the opportunity to reestablish themselves in the constantly shifting lightweight division.
Boyd McGuire (3-2-2) has somehow managed to draw two of his last three bouts but will want to go one better against Fransino “Pitbull” Tirta (5-6-0) who has lost six of his last seven. Finally two men on winning streaks Albert Hoffman (5-2-0) and George “Dubya” Bush (2-2-0) will go into their bout knowing that another win may well turn them into contenders.
Jorge Domingo (15-4-0) has found the transition from The Island a struggle. The technical puncher has gone 2 and 2 (0-1 in the UNFC) since his move to Tokyo, and he needs a big win if he is going to maintain the reputation he has built for himself. His opponent Lefteris Papaioanou (4-1-0) would love to have the eminence possessed by Domingo. A win over the former Chaos champion would go a long way to achieving that desire.
Can Papaioanou upset his more illustrious opponent? The simple answer is yes. It is extremely likely that this will be a strength vs. strength match up as both men love to use their fists and Domingo is not known for his one-shot knockout power. If anything, Papioanou should be known for such destructive feats but his calling card is always going to be his amazing chin. His losing effort to Nikolay Burdyalov will always be remembered for the way he kept surviving despite going down in each round. However fans should not forget that Domingo does possess a significant experience advantage and that has been seen to bamboozle youth on many a occasion. It should be a fascinating fight.
Some fighters are highly respected but never quite seem to get it together for long enough to challenge for a title. This statement could be true for both VG “Valyok” Beloff (5-2-0) and Ricardo “Demolition” Gaarlandt (11-4-0) who go toe to toe at heavyweight.
The noticeable size difference between the two combatants will add an interesting dynamic to the fight. Beloff will start the night (as the equivalent of) two weight sizes bigger than Gaarlandt. The challenge for “Demolition” will be for him to get inside and wear the bigger man down. This is a greater challenge as Beloff has shown a great understanding of the clinch game, where he has known to suffocate smaller men in the past. Some wonder why Gaarlandt doesn’t try to cut that little extra weight and fight at 205. Maybe another loss here will persuade him to do so.
Martine Dincht (6-0-0) admitted his astonishment that he was unable to finish his opponent when he debuted for the UNFC. He still made a big enough impression to catapult himself into the middleweight title picture where he faces the former champion Bruce Wayne (7-2-0). Whether facing the newly dethroned fighter should be considered a good career move is another question entirely.
Observers have been quick to point out that the variety of Wayne’s striking far exceeds that of Dincht. This does put the unbeaten fighter at a bit of a quandary. He could take Wayne down and force him to be more thoughtful of his kicks but that would require him taking the fight to an area that neither fighter has really experienced with any great success. Alternatively Dincht could eliminate the danger by taking the fight into the clinch. This is an area where he has excelled with in the past. Still you have to think Wayne knows there is a good chance of this happening and will be prepared for such eventualities. Nobody will be too surprised if the unbeaten record goes after this one is over.
The UNFC welcomes a newcomer into its midst when Ondrej “The International Killer” Rigo (7-2-0) introduces Terry Opdauhl (7-0-0) to the company.
Coming into such a big company and immediately gaining a spot in the co-main event is a big coo for Opdauhi. Few have been blessed with such an honour since the organisation’s early days. However this comes with a huge amount of pressure. This could be a important opening for Rigo, who is one of the longest serving members of UNFC’s middleweight division, as he does look like the underdog in this one.
Some diehards might try and defend Rigo’s status as favourite as he has fought at this level many times before but most appreciate that Opdauhi looks like a special talent. His seven knockouts in seven fights is good evidence. Better is the fact that each and every one of his opponents were considerably more experienced than he. Opdauhi has just being dominant each and every time. Rigo will have to do everything in his power to drag this one to the floor if he is to stand a chance. How big a chance is a question a lot of observers would like the answer to. Opdauhi has never really had to survive someone forcing him to defend from his back. Potentially Rigo has the skills to be that man, but no one really expects him to survive the stand up.
Remarkably the main event of the evening, a title fight for the UNFC Featherweight Championship, also welcomes a debutant.
Why you may ask? Incumbent champion Ferdinand Cortes (16-0-1) has blown out the entire division and no one could make a viable argument to get another chance. What makes him so special is his ability to make opponents miss and then punish them from an angle that they never seen before. It is like a dance where one partner ends up relieved of their senses at the end.
Arnost “Honey Badger” Paskalev (13-3-0) is tasked with quelling the champion’s brilliance. Many will know him from his time in New York where he never received a title opportunity despite a 10 fight win streak. He comes into this off two more impressive wins and will want to right any perceived wrongs that he may have come his way with another well executed submission.
The fight is expected to be a rather traditional striker vs. grappler affair where finding the opponents timing will be critical. Paskalev knows he must take Cortes to the ground if he is to stand a reasonable chance and Cortes isn’t stupid. The champion simply isn’t going to let “Honey Badger” have his way and endanger his belt or his unbeaten record. This may lead to the opening moments of this fight being a little cagey. Whichever fighter finds their opponents rhythm first is going to have a big advantage and may even dictate the fight from that moment on.
Paskalev may well be Cortes’s toughest challenge to date but it would be a surprise if the champ doesn’t pass this challenge with flying colours.
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