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 KOTB 14: Bicho
The folks at Wild Bob’s Bar in Rio must be really big fans of the King of the Beach promotion, as KOTB 14 will be our second appearance of the week, coming after our mid-week Challengers card. It’s a little step back compared to our last few cards in terms of hype but definitely not skills, as there are a number of highly talented up and comers taking part.
"Slick" Rick Sharp (2-0, 1-0) v Dan Howson (0-0, 0-0)
Opening the main card will be two talented yet inexperienced welterweights looking to move up the ladder, as Australia’s Rick Sharp takes on England’s Dan Howson. Sharp comes off an impressive KOTB debut where he out-struck a really good boxer in Diesel Hendrix over the course of three rounds. Howson has yet to fight professionally in his career but has been training out of the talented ELITE GYM in New York for some time now and looks to have a strong all-around standup game on paper. Sharp looks like he should have the advantage on the ground on this one, so we’ll see if he decides to take this one there.
“The Bulldog” Harry Milne (4-1, 2-1) v Bruce “The Great” Zimbardo (5-2, 3-2)
Up next we have a special matchup between two former title contenders in the super-heavyweight division, as Harry Milne and Bruce Zimbardo both come in a try to rebound from recent losses. Milne comes in off a loss to Guy Mourtneant, the first of his career, and may look to use his wrestling to avoid the kicks of the towering Caribbean and force him to fight off his back. Zimbardo comes in having the suffered the first KO/TKO of his own career and will look to get back on track with his trademark right high kick.
Staring Silva (1-0, 1-0) v Billy Styles (2-1, 2-1)
The winner of our next middleweight bout will surely put himself a fight or two away from title contention, as Brazil’s Starling Silva takes on Miami’s Billy Styles. Silva used a solid muay thai attack in his last bout, but also has a highly regarded wrestling game that may come into play in this one. Styles, on the other hand, is a more classically styled sprawl-and-brawler who uses defensive wrestling to set up his quick and heavy hands. It should be noted that Styles has recently encountered some management and training changes, so we may see a different fighter this time around.
Tito “The Warrior” Griffin (3-2, 2-0) v Kevin Koo (2-2, 1-1)
Our co-main will be a main event worthy super-heavyweight bout between two surging youngsters, as Tito Griffin takes on Kevin Koo. Griffin has been nothing short of devastating in his KOTB career and is one more performance away from being a serious contender in a division stacked with them. With a mere 51 seconds of ring time in his two appearances, the Canadian will look to keep things rolling against a talented Kiwi. Koo had a little hiccup in his promotional debut, but rebounded nicely in a dominating slugfest against the now retired Neon Uno. Both fighters love to stand and bang so this is a tough one to call. Griffin appears to have an athletic and power advantage, while Koo is the taller and possibly more technical fighter. That being said, we won’t know for sure until the men meet in the middle of the cage on Saturday night.
Sean “The Strangler” Soffman (3-0, 3-0) v Lionel “Street Beast” Wright (3-1, 2-0)
The lightweight title finally makes an appearance on our premiere card after a few appearances on our mid-week Challengers cards. Soffman looks to defend his title after cruising to the third first round submission victory of his short career. The Canadian has recently received his purple belt and will look to continue his streak of success against Compton’s Lionel Wright. Wright comes in off a pair of impressive promotional wins and has made leaps and bounds in his technical standup game. Wright, who often relied on his natural athleticism and toughness to get him a paycheck, has incorporated some nasty kicks and defensive grappling to his repertoire and looks like he may be ready for “champion martial artist” status.
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