2015-03-21
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AD 265: Now or Never preview

Event Preview: AD265: Now or Never
Aggressive Damage
2015-03-20, Montreal, Belle Centre
Author:Cause McDubree

Snow's melting and Spring is approaching, along with everyone's favourite tenth ranked org's latest exravabangza (i hear a future Event title there).  The unrelenting pace of crowd pleasing cards continues with Now or Never, which ups our hefty ante a few knotches when we put three of our prestigious Titles in play, with no strap being deemed safe.  I can hear some grumbling from the peanut gallery already over the now lengthy paragraph (by internet standards) so that's enough ado, let's cue the drum roll and get to the scrappin'...
 
Earning top billing for this surefire hit of an event is a marquee matchup of hard hitting Heavyweights; veteran gunslinger and current Champ, Simbo Klice defending his legacy against the new kid in town, Cinder Smaug, who's riding the momentum of a 6 fight winning streak- all by T/KO.  There's not much of import one could add to Klice's calling card, except maybe he can trump Smaug with his 8 wins in a row, each by T/KO.  Since we know the ref's pulling someone off a limp opponent, we can also be certain that one of these worthy warriors is getting hung with a painful L- both literally and figuratively.  His backers on the betting line point to the fact the Champ's run through a higher level of competition while those getting behind the underdog argue that the seemingly unbeatable Optimus Prime said the same thing until he met up with the spinning backfist that derailed his train to the title.  Until proven otherwise, Klice is king but as the odds at A Good Cause odds will attest, Smaug's got more than a puncher's chance of burning down his castle.
 
Our always undermanned SHW division gets to play second fiddle on this glorious night of face bustin' fun; which ain't bad when you're on stage at the Grande Ol' Opry backing up Willie Nelson.  After surviving a near death experience at the end of the opening round and being saved by the bell, Nigel Pykrete gets to trot out the belt he recently captured from longtime AD stalwart, Ghengis Congo.  So we know he's got heart, what we're not sold on is his ability to take down Muay Thai maestro, Yeo Jae Suk, who's moved back up from HW for this golden opportunity.  Many of the hardcore faithful were questioning why the much loved Congo wasn't granted an immediate rematch after putting on one of the best fights of the year and holding the belt  for a couple of extended stretches and we have no good answer other than AD needs a younger generation of Champions and contenders and Pykrete and Suk qualify on that end.  Neither have stood out as outstanding to date but have logged enough cagetime against stiff competition to make them a threat on any given night.  Suks takedown defence against the new Champ's striking defence- we gotta side with a one and done run for Nigel.
 
On the opposite end of the tub o' lard spectrum, our Bantamweight division has suffered from the same dearth of fresh faces.  Fortunately, we've always had someone worth challenging at the top of the heap in both weight classes and in this instance the man with the prize is Uebishe Lesnoe, who's looking to defend his title for the third time and extend the winning streak to seven.  A true mixed martial artist, the Lithuianian's demonstrated the ability to hold his own on the feet and out manouver them on the mat.  In the opposite corner will be apparent darkhorse, Willy Hardwood, who's ugly as hell and just as tough to beat (possibly explaining away his Freddy Kruger bad looks).  When you consider 3 of his last 4 losses have come by Split Decision and the other was a Majority, you're more inclined to give him a pass for failing to bring much hype to this big time bout.  Willy's been training like a fiend in between fights, with primary skills that equal or better Lesnoe's except Jiu-Jitsu, where the Champ has the edge.  However, most of us know how much of an impact hidden abilities have on a fighter's career and i'm under the distinct impression Lesnoe's got those in spades over Hardwood and have made him a solid favourite as a result.
 
In the lead up matches we get:
 
LHW Templeton Peck trying to stem the losing tide against newcomer Kingley Ciprut, who's aiming to defeat two former Champs in his first two fights with us.
 
WW Dane Cook will look to exploit his BJJ advantage against stand and banger, The Old Spice Guy.
 
BW Mika Zibanejadass is hoping the third time's the charm and he'll be able to avenge one his previous two beatdowns at the hands of fading former Champ, Braden Turk.
 
WW Gideon Gabriel should be able to move past the now ancient Peter Knapp and if not, consider taking up sparbot duties on his way out to pasture.
 
WW Clint Pereira does not appear to be a happy camper, with morale rock bottoming and no gym to train at.  Licking his chops at this sacrificial lamb is rising prospect, George Jackson, who wants to put a good run together.
 
WW Juan Corrida and Rory Markman are so evenly matched they look like the only pick 'em i see on this card.
 
Speaking of which, head on over to A Good Cause with your filthy lucre and slap some down on a winning ticket before the show goes off tonight- and until next time, stay Aggressive

 

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