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Shinjuku Indoor Arena will host Unleash Fighting Championship’s UNFC61: May Vs Hong on Saturday 6 June. The event is backed by Sun-Tzu that has fight gear spawned from the greatest battles on earth, the cotton for generations punched to perfection by shaolin monks to outlast mankind.
The two headliner fights are important as they will determine the top of the light-heavyweight and middleweight divisions, the winners pushing ever closer to a potential title shot.
The main card has some really competitive match-ups in both divisional standing and skillset and make for intriguing battles that the Tokyo fight fans should be excited to see.
Let’s take a closer look.
[Main Event] (205 lbs) #4 May v #3 Hong
Brad May (10-1) is eyeing his 11th win and 4th straight when he headlines for the first time. The well rounded FinnFighters, 2x Fight of the night award winner and 1 time Sub of the night award recipient has had a near perfect start to his MMA career thus far.
“Mayday” had nothing short of a scorcher bursting onto the scene, racking up 7 straight wins from January through till October last year with Finland’s now obsolete Warrior Fight League and two of Amsterdam’s now redundant fighting organizations: Forbidden Violence and WarZone.
The streak included 4 TKO finishes (1x punches, 2x strikes, 1x kicks & punches), 1 KO (punches) and 2 submission wins (arm triangle, guillotine), really showcasing the Guerrilla MMA member’s all-round talent. Include that with his 3 ‘of the night’ awards and 3 first round finishes, it’s no wonder why he was signed to Tokyo’s premier fighting promotion.
Since joining UNFC, the Toronto born Las Vegas resident lost his first fight to Marlo Karlo by way of judge’s decision, in a good fight in which he cut the former 205 lbs champion early but just couldn’t capitalize. Marlo’s lethal leg kicks and accuracy were the difference in what was a close fight, even if the judges gave all 3 rounds to the Italian.
After his only loss, May has etched 3 straight wins. They included 2 unanimous decision nods against Randy Alcatraz and Taishi Mori, and his last a first round TKO (Strikes) finish of another former light-heavyweight champion, #9 Ragnar Danneskjöld, which was his 6th TKO win to date.
With just one loss in his first 11 bouts, it’s hard to look past this Canadian as the favourite. That is, till you look at his opponent in the main event, the equally dominant and also first time main eventer, Antoni Kristofer Hong.
Searching for his 10th win out of 12 fights and 4th straight is Antoni Kristofer Hong (9-2). The Filipino world class striker has been just as impressive as the Canadian, only losing twice, and like Day, his last loss coming at the hands of Marlo Karlo in a title bout at UNFC29.
Karlo dropped Hong first with a head kick, then ended it with a big right hand, yet it’s usually Hong doing the damage with his heavy punches. 7 of 9 wins have come by way of TKO for the Mandirigmang Pilipino gym buff, mostly due to his devastating right which has a KO of the night award attached to it. He also brings to the cage well-timed uppercuts and an equally powerful left hook.
Hong has spent most of his professional fighting career with the Tokyo based organization, afflicting opponents with his striking and tallying a 7-1 record with 5 TKO’s. His last 4 wins coming against Brian Pereira, Billy Bulge, former champ Ragnar Danneskjöld and most recently Roy Li-Taylor.
When the 24 year olds meet in the UNFC cage on June 6 a TKO or sub finish isn’t a crazy assumption, as together 15 of their 19 wins haven’t needed a judges’ decision. Both possess some of the highest quality striking UNFC has to offer and for this reason alone you’d be crazy not to watch the fight.
Both UNFC warrior strikers have obtained a brown belt in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and if anyone has an edge in this fight it would be Hong’s ability to out grapple his opponents in the clinch. Mayday won’t be a pushover though, as he has shown he’s equally as capable working in close and up against the cage.
May throws a few more strikes per fight on average, whilst Hong has taken things to the ground more. But when you have such equally skilled fighters with similar records going head to head, this is a much anticipated barn burner. Who will win and keep their push for the coveted gold alive?
[Co-Main Event] (185 lbs) #1 Hell v #3 Pennypacker
Raise Hell (9-2) is entering this fight looking to win his 4th straight, 8th with UNFC and 10th overall. The American has lost only twice, one of which was a Fight of the night awarded loss and since that blemish he’s bounced back well with 3 straight wins.
The Broken Halo Pride alliance will be in his corner come fight time, and since joining UNFC Hell has had a respectable start, going 4 straight to tally a 6 fight win streak which included a Sub of the night victory over Soloman Moore, one of 2 sub finishes on his record. Besides those and the 2 TKO’s (strikes, punches), the rest of his winning battles have gone to the judges (6).
Hell trains with Razor Sharp Training Systems out of Hawaii, and boats a pretty good all round game. He’s a good wrestler with world class Muay Thai that includes lethal kicks, and has shown he likes to take his opponents to the mat to smash out some ground and pound.
When it comes to his striking, what stands out the most is Hell’s accuracy. If the fight goes the distance, he has a stellar chance of taking the win as the judges have sided with him 85% of the time (6 of 7). His opponent though has also seen a handful of judges decisions go his way, and will be tough competition.
AG Pennypacker (10-2-1) isn’t as recognized in Tokyo as Hell, yet that hasn’t stopped him from rising quickly to the top of the middleweight division. Last time out, the New York native fought in front of UNFC fans for the first time and they really got a sample of this kid’s talent.
A superman KO punch ended Eddie MacArthur’s night early, just 1:41 in, and the Canadian has since retired with Pennypacker’s fight being his last loss and appearance. Before Tokyo, the #3 middleweight contender spent time in a few different promotions and has won two different titles, and impressively both in different weight classes.
“Industrious” won the light-heavyweight title with London’s Impact MMA in June last year and then the middleweight title with Amsterdam’s WarZone in November. There was an opportunity also to claim the Epicity middleweight title in February in an event he headlined, but Dominick De Struicao knocked that nail in the coffin in a Fight of the night KO.
Pennypacker is undefeated as a KT fighter (2-0-1) and will need to draw upon his 6 TKO finishes if he’s to pull out a win. Both are very evenly matched and enjoy utilizing their striking as well as being comfortable on the ground; the pair have brown belts in BJJ.
Pennypacker has worked the clinch more effectively in his prior bouts, but Hell has also shown he can get the job done in close too, his TKO over Big J Smiles an example. It’s a very interesting battle between two top middleweight contenders where one will walk away with their hand raised and be extremely close to a title shot.
(205 lbs) #12 Farniev v #11 Madhaki
Heavy handed former REZDOG fighter, Batraz Farniev (6-2), is facing the Tokyo faithful for the first time after spending the past 8 months tallying a 6-2 record in Finland. 5 of Farniev’s 6 wins ended by TKO; dangerous elbows and killer ground and pound his weapons of choice.
The Russian’s last fight came in March which resulted in a loss by KO, before that though he was on 4 straight wins which included 2 TKO’s (2x strikes), 1 judge’s nod and his latest win a KO of the night awarded round 1 KO (strikes) of Sergiej Kravchenko.
Farniev trains with Iron Fight Team in St Petersburg, and although he holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu he prefers to smash his opponents when he gets them to the ground, averaging 20 ground strike attempts per fight and does have a slight advantage in the grappling department on Saturday.
Josh Madhaki (8-0) is coming off a strong striking display in his debut win over Randy Alcatraz at UNFC55, an uppercut landing flush and ending the fight (KO) in the third. Madhaki will be seeking his 9th straight win since turning pro, coming to UNFC undefeated from MMA Helsinki in Finland.
Before seeking better opportunities in Tokyo, the Zimbabwean showcased his world class boxing with 2 TKO finishes (strikes), and 2 KO’s (punches) along with 3 unanimous decision wins. His last 2 fights before the move were Fight of the night finishes, and he continued that form once he arrived in Japan.
Madhaki trains with NexGen Fight Team in Tokyo and is backed by Evolution Fight Clan and although his hands are some of the best in the business, he’s earned a purple belt in BJJ and has decent grappling and Muay Thai skills behind him.
Both light-heavyweights are new to the Japanese crowd and whichever one can impose their will upon the fight, will walk away the happier of the two. Farniev is the stronger grappler and predominately a ground fighter, whereas Madhaki’s hands are some of the best; a grappler versus striker affair where the winner will take a good step into the top 10 of the 205 lbs division.
(185 lbs) #7 Rose v #6 Thrul
Axl Rose (4-2) is one of the highest graded Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters with UNFC, yet his record would indicate otherwise. Currently on a 3 fight win streak, the American has 2 TKO’s (strikes, punches) and a submission win (arm triangle) to his name, as well as his debut unanimous decision victory over
Pops Maellard at UNFC54, in which he stood with and out struck a better striker.
The Axis of Evil allied fighter had a fairly neutral start to his career, going 3-2 with Relativity in LA and Gamasi Fighting Company in Las Vegas before being contracted to Japan’s number 1 fighting organization. With his first win out of the way, Rose will be looking to stay undefeated with UNFC and utilize his excellent striking and powerful punches.
A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Axl Rose is yet to show his superior BJJ training with Beast Cartel in LA but so far he hasn’t really needed to. His opposition is equally as well rounded in skillset, and will be a tough matchup standing and will surely test his ground game.
Aznar Thrul (5-4) is looking to bounce back from a unanimous decision loss against #1 middleweight contender Raise Hell at UNFC56. Thrul quickly tallied 2 wins since joining UNFC before the loss, and will be looking for his 6th overall.
“The Amazing” Thrul is a solid striker, notching up 4 TKO’s out of his 5 wins so far. The Spaniard has also shown his brown belt BJJ finishing skills in his first fight before the Tokyo crowd, ending Casey Bowman’s efforts with an armbar in 2:24 of his debut.
The Bomb Squad backed fighter prefers time on the ground and whether initiated by himself or his opponent, he has the skills to work toward a finish with sweeps and submission attempts off of his back, as well as ground and pound on top.
Although Thrul is the more aggressive ground fighter, his brown belt is outranked by Rose’s black belt so this will be a good test for both fighters if things do get to that point. If they stay standing we will see Rose in a more comfortable position, yet Thrul has definite skill on his feet and is recognized as having good stand-up.
Thrul will look to take things to the ground and Rose may just surprise us and show he is just as dangerous here too. I can see this being a technical fight between two well-trained BJJ fighters who will be looking for that win to move into the top tier of the 185 lbs division.
(170 lbs) #15 McGuiness v #10 Hawk
James McGuiness (11-10-1) has seen a good amount of fights for his age. Since joining UNFC he is 2-1 and looking for back-to-back wins, his last a KO punch round 1 finish of Fujiyama Akagono at UNFC56.
“Sully” has spent some time on The Island with Island Freedom Fighters (4-5-1) at the start of last year before short stints with Bodies Engaged In Extreme Fighting in Montreal (1-0) and Impact MMA in London (0-1). He stayed in London and had a slightly longer run with ~* Troid *~ (1-2) before contracting to UNFC early this year.
McGuiness trains with Gorilla Warfare MMA in London and fights under the banner of The Corporation, and although losses have come just as fast as wins for the Irishman, 10 of those 11 victories have come by way of TKO (4x strikes, 1x punches) or KO (3x punches, 1x strikes) and shows just how lethal the world class boxer can be.
Thomas Hawk (8-4-1) equals Sully’s UNFC record with 2-1 and comes into this fight looking for his 3rd straight win. After starting his pro MMA career with a semi-finals placing in an Indy tournament, Hawk has fought for a trio of organizations before his debut at UNFC40 against Eric Skinner.
In his last fight, Hawk came out trumps against Matt Brown at UNFC54, a TKO first round finish, the 5th time he’s been on the winning end of a first round ref call in his 13 fight career. The American came to Tokyo from Hawaiian based Hostility where he had a single fight (1-0), and before that fought with two Finish companies: Honour Fighting Championship and the short lived Evil 9.
“Tommie” spends his time in camp with NexGen Fight Team here in Tokyo and is backed by Vendetta. Coming off 2 first round striking finish wins, there’s no doubt the stand-up of Hawk is in form here in Japan. Add to that some solid grappling and a purple belt in BJJ and his third straight win looks even better.
Head-to-head McGuiness has better skills with his hands and has more experience, whereas Hawk’s grappling and ground game are better and give him a slight edge. Another battle that puts striker against grappler, yet Hawk can also throw down so this may be a tougher night for McGuiness in this welterweight war.
Undercard Bouts:
(155 lbs) #14 Small v #13 Johns
(265 lbs) Austin v #14 Machete
(170 lbs) #13 Silva v Palikka
(205 lbs) De La Bath v Harm
(265 lbs) Damato Jr v Berkeley
Undercard notables:
Two top 15 welterweight contenders go at it when Dixie Small battles Jimmy John.
Rocky Austin debuts with UNFC against Don Machete.
#13 welterweight Eduardo Silva takes on Kalle Palikka.
Hubert De La Bath and Frane Harm both debut with UNFC in their lightweight bout.
Pete Damato Jr and Cornelius Berkeley both debut with UNFC when they open the event.
UNFC61: May Vs Hong brought to you by:
Sun-Tzu. Fight gear spawned from the greatest battles on earth, the cotton for generations punched to perfection by shaolin monks to outlast mankind.
Coming Up:
UNFC62 @ Shinjuku Indoor Arena on 12 June
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