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Ladies and Gentlemen, coming to you live from Hard Knocks - The Island, Highland Games presents: Highland Games 50! The card is full of high octane matchups headlined by what should make to be a blood bath for the Highland Games Middleweight Belt between current title holder Razor MuayThai and challenger "The Italian Brawler" Massimo Benvenuti! Shtaaf Reimish here to break them all down for you, so let's get it going!
Carl "Python" McGregor (2-1-0) vs Judah Seraphim (3-2-0) Middleweight
We begin the night with a bout between two fighters looking to climb the middleweight ladder after they each lost their most recent fights via submission, its Carl "Python" McGregor vs Judah Seraphim! McGregor won his first two fights as a pro in the QFC before signing with Highland Games. In his HG debut at Highland Games 42, he suffered a strike submission loss to Eamon Dougherty late in round 1. The Britain native will look to use his well balanced attack to combat anything Seraphim may throw at him. Seraphim lost his first pro bout but responded well by reeling off three consecutive QFC wins, all in the first round with his knuckles. He also made his HG debut at Highland Games 42, losing to First Attempt via an armbar early in round 1. The teenager from the Philippines has fists that could end any fighter early so look for him to keep this fight standing at all costs. I've got Seraphim by TKO.
Ryan Beltshazar (3-1-0) vs Bobby "Bogside" Hughes (1-1-0) Lightweight
In the second fight of the evening, we feature two fighters who excel in boxing and Jiu-Jitsu and are looking to bounce back from their first pro losses, its Ryan Beltshazar vs Bobby "Bogside" Hughes! Beltshazar won the first three times he entered the octagon as a professional, the last of which came at Highland Games 32 where he submitted Budak Poyo midway through the opening round. He followed up that victory with a submission loss at Highland Games 42 to Mustafa Shabazz 3 seconds before the final bell. It was unlikely he would have won that fight if it went to the cards, but it would have been confidence builder last the bell. Hughes won his first pro bout at Highland Games 24 in dramatic fashion, striking Lanch Boyer with a flurry which ended the fight only 5 seconds into the first round! he followed that up with a submission loss Einar Enkeltmann midway through round two of Highland Games 33. Both guys will look for a bounce back performance here. Beltshazar by TKO.
Eamon "The Bear" Dougherty (3-1-0) vs First "Island" Attempt (5-1-0) Middleweight
The next fight on the card features two fighters looking to build off of winning their last Highland Games fights, its Eamon "The Bear" Dougherty vs First "Island" Attempt! Dougherty comes into the fight after submitting Carl McGregor at Highland Games 42 with a flurry of strikes late in round 1. The London native has a wide range of abilities and will look to finish his opponent if given the chance to utilize any of his finishing repertoire. Attempt comes into this fight looking for his third straight Highland Games victory. The Salem native is a monster when the fight hits the mat where he has used his brown belt in BJJ to submit five of his six opponents. The one fight that went the distance Attempt lost in a unanimous decision. I've got Attempt winning though, via his infamous submission abilities.
Timothy "The Brawler" Segura (2-0-0) vs Matt Couture (3-1-0) Light Heavyweight
In the fourth fight of Highland Games 50 we enter the Light Heavyweight division with two guys looking to continue their promising careers, its Timothy "The Brawler" Segura vs Matt Couture! Segura brings his amazing Muay Thai background into the octagon of Highland Games 50 where he is making his HG debut. He is currently undefeated as a professional, both his win coming via first round TKOs. The Rockport, USA native also has wrestling abilities if the fight does hit the mat, but his BJJ skills are untested thus far in his career. This is Couture's fourth Highland Games fight (2-1-0) which has featured a KO win, decision loss followed most recently by a first round TKO victory over Hulk Hogan at Highland Games 42. The Washington native can wrestle with the best of them, but will be in tough if Segura is able to clinch and use his Muay Thai skill set. I've got Segura by TKO.
Mitchel Thompson (5-3-0) vs Kellen Patrick (4-3-0) Heavyweight
Time for the big boys of the heavyweight division as Mitchel Thompson takes on Kellen Patrick! Thompson is a Highland Games veteran who after fighting 3 times in the QFC has gone on to fight 5 times in the past 4 months in HG. The New York native had a two-fight win streak going which included the fight of the night of Highland Games 38 before he lost via a Kimura submission to Keijo Virtanen at Highland Games 43. Thompson has fists of steel and will look to use them on Thursday! Patrick also has amassed 5 fights here at Highland Games but is on a bit of a losing streak, getting KO'd by Alexey Juravlev before getting submitted by Sailele Lealofi at Highland Games 45 eleven days ago. Patrick can also box with the best of them so look for this fight to stay standing. Thompson via KO.
Bison "The Bulldozer" Bowden (5-3-0) vs #13 Wo Fi (6-4-0) Light Heavyweight
We begin the main card of the evening with a Light Heavyweight bout between Bison "The Bulldozer" Bowden and 13th ranked Wo Fi! This is Bowden's second stint with Highland Games. He fought three times from September through November before signing a four fight contract with AFL. His record with Highland Games is 3-1-0 but some have said he is better than ever and looking to climb the HG rankings. Fi comes into this fight on a two fight losing streak that has seen his former manager dump him. The Benin native has been as high as #6 in the rankings but a submission loss to Rodrigo Gracie followed by a decision loss to Skunk Asap at Highland Games 42 has dropped him to #13. Fi will look to use his clinch skills in the octagon on Thursday. Should be an entertaining fight! Fi by TKO.
#4 "Silverback" Devin Jaqquard (4-0-0) vs #13 Lee Kagawa (6-4-0) Bantamweight
Time for the little guys to enter the octagon as undefeated "Silverback" Devin Jaqquard takes on Lee Kagawa in a bantamweight fight with plenty ranking implications. Jaqquard has seen his stock rise quickly in the MMA world as he reeled off four wins in the AFL, using any way possible to win. He's won twice by TKO, once by submission and another by decision. The Canadian has proven he can not only hang in there, but also beat the best of them at their own game! Kagawa has had an up and down beginning to his pro career. After 7 fights in the QFC (4-3-0), he signed with HG where he is 2-1-0. The South Korean last fought at Highland Games 45 where he obliterated Milky Socks with a combination of strikes and kicks that earned Fight of the Night honors. With a veteran looking to put his career back on the upward trajectory and a youngster looking to keep his record unblemished and challenge for the title, this should be a high-flying affair! Jaqquard by TKO.
#15 Sailele "Super Samoan II" Lealofi (5-1-0) vs #13 Keijo "King Kong" Virtanen (5-1-0) Heavyweight
The big boys get back in the octagon for the eighth fight on tonights card with two fighters putting their identical 5-1-0 records to the test, its Sailele "Super Samoan II" Lealofi vs Keijo "King Kong" Virtanen! Both these guys know how to put their opponents to sleep as they both currently hold brown belts in Brazilian Jui-Jitsu, but what could make this fight really interesting is to see two guys who both normally struggle standing up see if they can exploit their opponent's identical weakness. Lealofi has never fought longer than 3:23 into the first round, with all five wins coming via submission, his only loss via TKO. Virtanen, on the other hand, has had two fights go the distance, including his only loss. Having two eerily similar fighters in the cage together should make for an interesting bout. I'll go outside the box and take Virtanen via TKO.
#1 Jake "The Spartan" Theodorou (7-1-0) vs #4 James "Big Dawg" Helm (6-2-0) Light Heavyweight
In the co-main event of the evening, Highland Games presents a light heavyweight fight that has enormous title shot implications #1 ranked Jake "The Spartan" Theodorou takes on #4 James "Big Dawg" Helm! Theodorou won his first six fights as a pro which earned him a shot at the HG belt at Highland Games 38 where the fight was stopped early in the first round versus LightHeavy Weight due to a horrendous cut. The Toronto, Canada native has re-earned his top challenger ranking with a submission victory over Momo La Brute at Highland Games 47. Helm will continue to look for his fists to damage his opponents as he enters the octagon for a eighth time professionally. He is currently riding a 2-fight win streak including most recently a TKO victory over Bunaidi Pakpahan with a flurry of strikes early in round one of Highland Games 45. The Rockport native has seen only one victory go the distance, the rest he has ended with his knuckles. Both these fighters know what a win here may produce, but to look past their current opponent would be a huge mistake. Its a classic stand-up vs grapple match-up between a Canadian and an American, and its going to be a doozy! Theodorou by submission.
Middleweight Championship Title
(C) Razor MuayThai (7-1-0) vs "The Italian Brawler" Massimo Benvenuti (13-1-0) Middleweight
And now, for the main event of the evening, Highland Games presents the Middleweight Championship fight between the current title holder and a former title holder who wants it back, its Razor MuayThai vs "The Italian Brawler" Massimo Benvenuti! MuayThai has not lost since his pro debut back in the QFC in early October. Since then, he has reeled off seven consecutive wins including his first title fight vs Massa Hurmaaja at Highland Games 39, a KO that earned him KO of the Night! He made his first title defense successfully at Highland Games 42 versus Aleksandor Mihaylov, whom he KO'd halfway through round one. MuayThai will continue to rely on his superb clinching abilities to damage his opponent. Benvenuti won his first ten professional fights, including his first title fight at Highland Games 18 and one successful defense before eventually bowing to former champion Hurmaaja. The Italian rebounded by winning his next three fights, the last two going the distance. Both these fighters have proven they can end anyone's night early and both will look to do just that on Thursday. I really can't see this fight heading to the mat that often, but that does not mean it won't be interesting. I'll have to take the challenger who wants the belt back, Benvenuti by TKO.
MMA Tycoon fans, this will be an evening of intense MMA action you will not want to miss. With the Middleweight belt on the line, plus a full slate of prelims and main-card action, Highland Games 50 is a can't miss event! See you Thursday!
Written by Shtaaf Reimish
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