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 Apologies on this being a rushed preview, I was busy for the last day or two. None the less, there are three huge fights to headline this card for me. Taisto Anttila becomes the first of the new generation to challenge for a title, but Zoran Jolevi has been unchallenged since joining the company. Tony Bullard makes his long awaited HG debut which is huge news, and these two headliners are also supported by two former Lightweight Champions, George Moshington and Mustafa Shabazz, meeting head to head.
Bantamweight
Neil Herstag (3-3) (1-2 HG) Vs Mikhail Golovkin (5-1) (0-1 HG)
Herstag wants to take this fight into the clinch, but in losing his last two fights by submission his HG career could well be over after this fight. Golovkin has a big win over Jack Stick, so he’ll want to start moving up the ranks soon.
Middleweight
Bill The Kid (4-0) (0-0 HG) Vs Cordell Walker (3-0) (0-0 HG)
With a nickname like Bonney, Bill is right at home in a Scottish organisation. Bill is a great knockout specialist, but he’ll have a tough challenge when he clashes with a kickboxer and jiu jitsu practitioner with the skillset of Cordell Walker.
Lightweight
Chester Emerson (6-2-1) (1-1-1 HG) Vs Monster Old (6-0) (2-0 HG)
With a solid clinch game, good boxing and very capable counter wrestling, former Tradition Lightweight Champion Chester Emerson is coming off of his first Highland Games win. Monster Old is a master of submissions and with an undefeated record after 6 fights, a win here would put him right up within the Lightweight rankings.
Heavyweight
Khabib Magamedov (6-2) (0-0 HG) Vs Buddy Lyles (8-1) (0-0 HG)
A Highland Games debut for both of these competitors. Khabib is an experienced kickboxer who likes to focus on his boxing game to land fast and clean on the chin of opponents. All 6 of his victories have come by way of first round knockout. Buddy Lyles is a former Extreme MMA champion, although the company was far from prestigious. He’s avenged his only loss, twice, and had a 2-0 record in Choke before joining us. Buddy is looking like a potential star but it’s not an easy first fight for him in taking on a fellow puncher.
Light Heavyweight
Roan Jenkinson (6-0) (3-0 HG) Vs Juhani Tuomiola (6-0) (3-0 HG)
Leandro Oliveira dos Santos doesn’t usually take big risks with his fighters, but Roan Jenkinson is now 3-0 in Highland Games and the time to take the plunge into the top end of the division starts now. I think Juhani could have been a Highland Games title contender years ago but inactivity from his former manager cost him a lot. He’s now 3-0 in HG across his 7 months with the company, but he’s still undefeated and could still have it in him to make it to the top.
Heavyweight
Thresh Whiteman (9-2) (3-1 HG) Vs Harry Potter (11-5) (0-1 HG)
Losing to Benny Askren was devastating for Thresh as it took his chances of contending for the heavyweight title away from him. Still, with wins over Chiyono Fuji and Mitchel Thompson, Thresh Whiteman’s clinch can be too much for anyone if they aren’t prepared for it. Harry is an experienced fighter with 16 fights behind him. He started his career by winning an independent tournament and went on to have a love career in ROV. He lost to Barol Kedorf last time out and will be dying to get his first win in the company over a big name here.
Bantamweight
Frank Fury (11-2) (0-0 HG) Vs Dan Small (9-5) (7-1 HG)
Fury’s two losses are to Lucky Day, but he managed to pull one back in between. Fury was the Bantamweight Champion in CFC and recently won the Featherweight title in his last fight. The company went down and Fury made the jump to HG, but with the championship calibre he brings into the cage he will be supremely confident in his debut. Dan Small, man what an upset that was. After a disappointing post-Island career where he was misused and exploited for his popularity, he re-joined the organisation and made an immediate impact by defeating former champion BJ Arnold. If Small can beat Arnold, he has the opportunity to beat anyone else in the company.
Lightweight
George Moshington (11-4) (7-3 HG) Vs Mustafa Shabazz (11-6) (9-5 HG)
It’s bizarre that these two competitors haven’t clashed before. Both former Lightweight Champions, 24 Highland Games fights between them, but have never shared the cage. Moshington had a pretty disappointing skid recently but he bounced back by defeating Edward Wates last time out. Mustafa on the other hand has looked a little but stronger recently. He had earned a title shot but was unsuccessful. After a razor close split decision to Ska Asap, Mustafa has earned submission of the night twice in a row against Gottlieb Hiebknecht and Marx Bronson. Moshington at one stage looked like everything the champion currently is. An outstanding striker with dangerous submissions. Mustafa’s focus is a little bit more ground orientated, but as of late his knees in the clinch have been much improved so he might try and tire his opponent down with a few of those.
Lightweight
Tony Bullard (20-3) (0-0 HG) Vs Shoddy Body (11-9) (0-1 HG)
We’ve been waiting for Tony Bullard to make the switch for months and months, and now it’s finally here. The final undisputed AFL Welterweight Champion, undisputed Executioner Welterweight Champion, former Executioner Lightweight Champion, Tony Bullard is as experienced and capable as they come. His last fight, against a young up and comer, was the first time in Bullard’s entire career that he went the distance. His other two losses have been written off more than once. I think what’s most exciting is that by joining Highland Games, the possibility of seeing Bullard in with some new guys he’s never faced before is great. For this fight however, it’s not a new face. Shoddy Body was a longtime veteran of Executioner and the two fought three months ago in a Welterweight showdown which saw Bullard win in just over a minute. Shoddy has some great submissions buthas fallen heavily since his days as the Executioner Middleweight Champion. He’s put together a 1-6 record on his current run and was last defeated by Marx Bronson at HG 91. Beating Bullard would be the biggest win of Shoddy’s career, but he also enters the cage as a major underdog.
Lightweight Championship
Taisto Anttila (9-0) (3-0 HG) Vs Zoran Jolevi (19-1) (7-0 HG)
To cap it all off, we have the 155 belt on the line. With some very solid Lightweight supporting fights, the number 1 and number 2 Lightweights on the scene are going toe to toe. Taisto Anttila is the much less experienced of the two, but he was both the Choke Featherweight and Welterweight Champion, simultaneously, and his last four fights have saw him defeat Rama Udo, Warren Parker, George Moshington and Ska Asap. Really, although he has just 9 fights behind him, Taisto Anttila is as capable as it comes and could well be the hardest fight Zoran Jolevi will ever have. Zoran was heavily overlooked for so long, but he’s been in the headlines for quite a while now. After failing to capture the AFL Lightweight strap against Gottlieb Hiebknecht, Zoran has won 13 straight, including avenging that lone loss. Zoran’s earlier career was defined by his submission skills, but more recently he’s been using his fantastic boxing and great clinch game to win by TKO. Zoran’s defeated a who’s who of competitors, Ali Roumani, JJ Lycka, Papa Shango, Carl Sheppards, Bhola Djin Djin, Hideki Higkiko, Calbin Brooks, George Moshington, Gottlieb and Mustafa Shabazz. Day by day, Zoran gets closer and closer to being Highland Games’ greatest fighter.
So the question is this; will Zoran Jolevi prove that his experience and all round game is too difficult to match, or will Taisto Anttila keep his undefeated record and once again become a champion? New Vs Old here, but both are as good as it gets.
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