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Highland Island Preview (Card Subject to Change)
Event: Fight and Furious - 29/3/2016 @ Hard Knocks - The Island
The fans will be getting quite the treat here tonight as Highland Island comes to the Hard Knocks arena! This event is headlined by two Bantamweight fights between four of the best Bantamweights on the Island!
#1 (155 lbs) - John (287917) (1-2-1) vs. Amirmoez (288771) (0-1-0)
Why is Amirmoez choosing to fight in the 155 division when he could be fighting in the 145 or 135 divisions? Brave man. In your opening bout for the evening, we have a fight between a pretty well-rounded competitor and a striker. Amirmoez will need to keep this fight standing and use his strikes to take this one. If Amirmoez isn't careful, John will be able to take him down and utilize his weight advantage to control Amirmoez.
Prediction: John by 2nd round (T)KO. John should be able to secure the takedown and use his weight to hold Amirmoez down while he pounds him into oblivion. John has shown a tendency to go for takedowns and clinches without properly setting them up. If Amirmoez can capitalize on this, he can certainly drop John in this one.
#2 (170 lbs) - Hairsten (289739) (0-0-0) vs. Huang (286085) (2-1-0)
This is going to be tough to call. Hairsten has some good Muay Thai and grappling skills. He will likely look to get Huang in the clinch. Hairsten will also have the option of taking Huang to the ground due to Huang's inferior wrestling. Huang can more than hold his own in the clinch and should win out in the striking department. It will be dangerous for Hairsten to take Huang down due to Huang's superior BJJ.
Prediction: Huang by decision. Again, this is a tough one to call. Huang is better in the stand-up department and should be able to outclass Hairsten there. Hairsten will likely be able to take this one to the ground, but Huang will likely be fine even there. Huang's slight experience may prove to be the "X" factor.
#3 (155 lbs) - Somakandarkram (287920) (1-2-0) vs. Pain (287807) (1-0-0)
This next contest will be contested between two 18 year olds. Somakandarkram is quite the striker and primarily focuses on kicks. In Somakandarkram's last fight, he managed to snuff 27 takedowns. Pain has great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but doesn't seem to possess the wrestling skills that Somakandarkram touts. If Somakandarkram can keep this one standing, he should come away with the victory.
Prediction: Pain by 1st round submission. Pain has a good chin and should be able to absorb shots until he can manage a takedown. It will be quite the test for Pain, but as soon as he gets this one to the ground, it'll be over.
#4 (205 lbs) - Kintal (289206) (1-2-0) vs. Paunescu (290318) (3-0-0)
The "Killer" is set to take on the "Cobra" in this one. Kintal is a well-rounded competitor who has recently not only snapped his losing streak, but managed to pick up a fight of the night award. Paunescu is a very dangerous striker and has won all three of his professional fights by way of first round knockout. Kintal should likely look to get this fight either into the clinch or to the ground as soon as possible to avoid getting rocked by Paunescu's concrete hands. Paunescu's takedown defense hasn't been tested yet, but if Kintal gets him to the ground, Kintal should have the advantage in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Prediction: Paunescu by 1st round (T)KO. Kintal really needs to get into the clinch for this one if he wants to have any sort of chance. I doubt that Kintal will be able to score the takedown on Paunescu, so he should ignore that faucet of his game entirely. If he wants to try to take Paunescu down in the clinch, that's solid, but it will still be a challenge. Either way, Paunescu's grappling ability should be enough to hold Kintal off and force this one to remain standing.
#5 (170 lbs) - Boss (287630) (2-2-0) vs. Ploy (286133) (4-0-0)
This one should be pretty interesting. We have a lethal clincher in Boss taking on the more well-rounded Ploy. Ploy comes into this one with a great record and all the confidence in the world behind him. Boss has recently snapped his losing streak and looks to keep the ball rolling. Expect Boss to seek the clinch early. Ploy is at his best when standing, but he will not want to remain off the mat for this one -- Boss will out strike him badly. Ploy is a slightly worse wrestler, but he has the edge in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The difference between the two fighters' ground game is less significant than the difference in their standing game, so Ploy really should be looking to secure the early takedown. If this goes to the ground, Ploy will have the opportunity to go for the submission victory, (the only way thus far that Boss has lost in his MMA career). It is also worth noting that Ploy is only 18 while Boss is 25.
Prediction: Ploy by 1st round submission. Alright, hear me out with this one. I do not think that Ploy has much in the way of submission skills, but Boss has shown himself to be very easy to submit. Ploy should be able to defend himself well enough from Boss' strikes before shooting in and scoring the takedown. If Ploy isn't able to get the early takedown, expect Boss to get the TKO victory. If this one goes the distance, I have to think Boss will have snuffed enough takedowns and scored more significant strikes while standing to earn the decision.
#6 (145 lbs) - Kavlitzekis (289535) (2-0-0) vs. Barrol (286055) (2-1-0)
Ah, one of those classic battles between a Jiu-Jitsu expert and a full-blown boxer. Is that really a classic battle? Probably not. Kavlitzekis is a purple belt with great wrestling. Barrol has some heavy hands and managed to snuff six takedowns in his last fight, (however, that opponent was a significantly worse wrestler than his opponent here tonight). I find it a bit strange that Kavlitzekis is fighting at 145 when he could be fighting at 135. I say this mainly because Kavlitzekis beat the formerly undefeated Walton Kunz at 135. Kunz is now scheduled to face Tate for the Bantamweight Championship in Island FC. Anyway, Barrol will have a five pound weight advantage in this one.
Prediction: Kavlitzekis by 1st round submission. Kavlitzekis should be able to snag the takedown. If this goes to the ground, the submission is nearly guaranteed due to Kavlitzekis's superior submission skill set. If Barrol can keep Kavlitzekis off of him, he'll absolutely murder him.
#7 (155 lbs) - Aleesio (288486) (2-1-0) vs. Roussow (287161) (3-2-0)
This will be a tough one. Aleesio has a strong chin and is great at striking; Roussow stands no chance against him in a straight fight. Roussow is a far better wrestler than Aleesio and has some strong hands, but Aleesio's chin is quite tough and should be able to endure a lot of punishment. Neither one of these men seem to have much in the way of submission skills. Because of how dangerous Aleesio is standing, Roussow may want to adopt a lay and pray strategy to instead control Aleesio and not offer him a chance to get to his feet.
Prediction: Roussow by 2nd round (T)KO. Roussow should be able to score the takedown and, assuming he can hold Aleesio down, batter him unmerciliessly. I don't think Aleesio's chin will allow the first round TKO, so I think this will drag on into the second where the weakened Aleesio will be read his last rites. If Aleesio can avoid being taken to the mat, then Roussow will be in some serious trouble.
#8 (145 lbs) - Pocc (288308) (3-0-0) vs. Mondale (288312) (2-1-0)
And we've got a rematch! Pocc handed Mondale the first loss of his career when he tapped him out in the first round with a Kimura. Mondale is very, very fond of the clinch, but that proved to be his downfall in the last outing between these two. If Mondale can control Pocc in the clinch, then he can certainly secure the victory... but that's a pretty significant "if". Pocc is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and knows how to get those takedowns. Pocc also has the mental advantage heading into this one, as he has already forced Mondale to submit once already. Mondale might want to consider staying on the outside in this one to avoid being pulled into Pocc's guard. Of course, Mondale could also try to muscle Pocc into the cage to try and nutralize him a bit.
Prediction: Pocc by 1st round submission. He's done it once and he can do it again. Mondale is at his most dangerous in the clinch, so expect him to try to get into it again. In the clinch, Pocc can either choose to trip Mondale to the mat or pull him into guard. Following this, the submission should be academic.
CO-MAIN EVENT (135 lbs) - Sennin (286839) (3-0-0) vs. Kygo (287505) (7-2-0)
It's Master Roshi... I just want to make sure everyone realizes how great this is. It's Master F'n Roshi! Eh-hem, moving on now, Sennin is a clincher while Kygo is all about being on the mat. Sennin isn't one-dimensional and can throw some great strikes from outside of the clinch as well. Sennin holds some serious KO power and, provided he remains standing, should be able to win this one. Kygo holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has about the same level of wrestling as Sennin. If Kygo gets Sennin to the mat, this one will end with a quick submission.
Prediction: Sennin by 1st round (T)KO. No matter what, I think this one is ending in the first round. Kygo's chin is either going to let him down for the third time, or he'll manage to get Sennin to the mat and tap him out. If Kygo can't get this to the mat early, he's done for.
MAIN EVENT (135 lbs) - *Champion* MacDonald (286137) (6-2-0) vs. Kush (287945) (5-0-0)
Excuse the confusion since I am not privvy to how this company works, but shouldn't Kush be the champion right now due to tapping MacDonald, (in just 18 seconds), in their previous bout? Well, MacDonald possesses some of the most devasting ground and pound on the Island at this time and has shown some impressive sub defense in his bout against the BJJ purple belt Kygo. Kush is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu however, and has the added benefit of already having forced MacDonald to tap out in a previous bout. Kush was also the one who initiated and scored the takedown that led to the early finish. MacDonald will have to be the one to score the takedown this time and will need to quickly pound Kush into unconsciousness. If Kush is allowed to get on top or recover and get MacDonald into his guard, then MacDonald will be in serious danger of being submitted once again. Morale in the MacDonald camp is also reported to be low after his quick loss in their previous encounter, so that may prove to be the "X" factor here.
Prediction: Kush by 1st round submission. MacDonald has let Kush into his head. Even if MacDonald secures the first takedown, I think that MacDonald will be so paranoid at leaving himself open to submissions that he'll be too cautious on the ground. Eventually, MacDonald's paranoia at leaving himself open will in fact leave him open and let Kush sink in the submission.
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