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 KOTB 6: Estrangulamento
The seemingly weekly inaugural KOTB title hunt continues this Saturday, as the first ever light-heavyweight champion will be crowned at The Underground. KOTB 6 has been dubbed ‘Estrangulamento’ and commissioner Dr. Jones has decided to pay homage to that by granting any fighter who finishes a fight by choke with a $500 bonus, on top of the $500 bonus for wearing KOTB-brand clothing. KOTB 6 is also one of the first cards to feature numerous KOTB veterans with multiple fights under the banner, so let’s get to it.
“Amazing” Augusto Azevedo (0-0, 0-0) v Bruised Rib “Excuse” Aldo (3-0, 0-0)
The main card will open with an exciting fight between two up-and-coming Brazilian featherweights. Rio’s Bruised Rib Aldo brings in a stellar boxing game and will look to improve on his 3-0 record and move into title contention. Hailing from the deep Amazon Rainforest is his competitor, Augusto Azevedo, who will be making his professional debut. Azevedo looks to make an immediate impact in the division and counter Aldo’s boxing with a top-shelf ground game. This is a clear striker vs. grappler matchup.
Walood “The Dugong” Kassab (2-1, 1-1) v Diesel Hendrix (2-0, 0-0)
In a featured welterweight matchup, we’ll see KOTB veteran and Omani fisherman Walood Kassab take on newcomer Diesel Hendrix. Kassab is making his third appearance for the promotion and will most likely be looking to take this one to the ground where he had much success in his most recent victory. Hendrix will be making his first appearance outside of Las Vegas and brings a solid sprawl-and-brawl game to Brazil. Both fighters have never seen the second round, so expect another early finish.
Gary Finkler (3-0, 0-0) v Jim “Flash” Thompson (0-0, 0-0)
Up next we have an important fight in the lightweight title picture, as Dallas-born grappler Gary Finkler takes on Las Vegas-born Jim Thompson, who’ll be making his professional debut. Finkler looks to continue his 3-fight submission streak and make his case for a title shot in his promotional debut. Thompson looks to have a pretty well rounded game on paper, but will probably want to keep this one on the feet. There’s also a significant size advantage for Thompson, who has over half-a-foot in height and a couple pounds on his opponent.
Ezekiel “Power Trip” Puchowski (4-1, 1-1) v Tim “Lights Out” Wallace (3-0, 0-0)
The co-main event sees a fantastic matchup of former Russian-based heavyweights, as fan favorite Ezekiel Puchowski looks to rebound from his first career loss against Tim Wallace. The former Polish amateur boxer Puchowski has a decided advantage on the feet and will look to use his footwork to avoid the heavy ground and pound game of Wallace. Wallace also has about half of a foot and 30+ pounds on his opponent, so we’ll see if that comes into play for either side. One thing of note is that Puchowski has already lobbied for a rematch with Thiagus Davaru Silva after Silva had his title stripped as a result of steroid use. Commissioner Dr. Jones has agreed to the matchup, but let’s hope Puchowski isn’t looking past his current opponent.
James Diaz (3-0, 2-0) v Edward Smith (3-0, 0-0)
The first-ever KOTB light heavyweight will walk out of the cage after the main event when homegrown talent James Diaz takes on British standout Edward Smith. On paper, things look extremely close between the two competitors. Smith has used crisp boxing and solid defensive wrestling to starch all of his British competition with first round TKOs. Diaz, on the other hand, uses a more cerebral approach and finds his opponent’s weaknesses with pinpoint muay thai skills and timely takedowns. Diaz looks to be the second fighter on the roster to achieve 3 wins with the promotion, while Smith looks to make a dazzling first impression.
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