2016-08-27
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Bushido 16: Champions Collide (Main Card Preview)

Event Preview: B16: Champions Collide
Bushido 武士道 (290K+)
2016-08-25, Tokyo, Hayashi's Lounge - Tokyo
Author:Rei  

 Main Event


170lb Championship Bout
Welterweight Champion vs. Featherweight Champion
Marcus "Cold Storm" Vinicius II (8-1-0, 3-0-0) vs. Gunnar "Mountain" Westerberg (5-1-0, 5-0-0)
 
The Main Event of Bushido 16: Champions Collide is unlike any to come before it, as both men stepping into the all-familiar ring are currently the kings of their respective divisions, each with a gold belt on their mantelpiece. As well as the two headliners being Champions, they are also the #1 and #2 pound for pound fighters in the Bushido roster - a true fight between elites. The man set to defend his strap this evening is Marcus Vinicius II, who currently sits pretty at the top of the Welterweight division, having earned a title defence as well as a win streak of five consecutive finishes. Stepping up two weightclasses to challenge the dominant Brazilian is Gunnar Westerberg, a phenom that has ran through the Featherweight division - by defeating every man put in front of him, not once looking to be in any kind of trouble.
 
"Cold Storm" made his company debut with hundreds of eyes on him, as the 5-1 submission artist would headline Bushido 6, opposite fellow newcomer and then-undefeated Darryl Fitzpatrick. The bout would prove to be less than competitive as Fitzpatrick quickly fell victim to the ever dangerous submission threats of brown belt Vinicius, earning the Brazilian his first performance of the night bonus. This earned the much-hyped Vinicius his shot at the division's first belt holder Scorchio Whitehouse, an English Boxer who had at that time not a single blemish on his record. When the two met inside the ring, the first round was all Vinicius's as he would control Whitehouse for the last four minutes after securing a takedown. The second round however was an entirely different story as the Brazilian continuously searched for a takedown that he could not get, and a three punch combination from the Londoner almost spelled upset for the Challenger. Showing great will to survive, Vinicius would manage to take the fight to the floor, and he then held his opponent down for the remainder of the round. The third would see "Cold Storm" doing what he always does, shoot after shoot, with most of them being swatted away by the Champion, until he could no longer. With only two seconds left in the round, the Champion would give up his belt to the beat of tap tap tap. In his first title defence, Vinicius was matched with fellow brown belt and the much less experienced Tamati Kauri, who would also succumb to the BJJ skills of the Champion in the final seconds of the opening round. This will be the fourth time that the Welterweight king has headlined a Bushido Main Event.
 
Sweden's Gunnar Westerberg has been on a tear since making his company debut on the promotions inaugural event, Bushido 1: Jones vs. Seung-Jin and has yet to face a setback in the ring. "Mountain" has become the only fighter to pick up five victories under the Bushido banner, as four other men have fought the same amount of times but have not had the same success. On his company debut, the Swede stepped in to fight journeyman Ivan Johnson, where he would fend off three quick takedowns and respond by putting his opponent to sleep in under twenty seconds. His second appearance would go the same way, as another one-sided performance would earn Westerberg another consecutive victory. A step up in competition as well as recognition came next as Westerberg was offered the chance to headline Bushido 7 opposite Chinese loudmouth Lei Zhang, a similarly successful prospect. For the first time in his professional career Westerberg would go the distance, after pouring a beat down onto the less than impressive Zhang in a fight as one sided as his previous two. These consistently great performances earned Westerberg a shot at the division's top dog Esteban Oliveira, in a bout that would be remembered for years to come. The undefeated Champion would start strong, out-striking and out-performing the once thought untouchable Westerberg. But then the winds of change blew. "Mountain" showed his class once again and spent the following twenty minutes dominating the Brazilian, by cutting, wobbling and dropping him. The newly crowned Westerberg returned to the ring four weeks later, as he took the perfect record from company newcomer Sahbandar Sunda, with a perfect display of accurate and deadly striking that ended with the Champion finishing his opponent in the second round.
 
Now, a classic match up between striker and grappler is on the horizon as two dominant Champions are set to meet in the Bushido ring, in a few days time. Will Westerberg become the first man to hold two Bushido belts at the same time? Find out soon.
 
Co-Main Event
Featured Lightweight Bout
Mick "Lord Fisticuffs" O'Leary (6-0-0, 1-0-0) vs. Vellun Pitopalvelu "Oy Ab" (8-0-0, 1-0-0)
 
The Co-Main Event will see two of the company's most experienced fighters meet each other in the Bushido ring for the first time, as they each make their second company appearance. Mick O'Leary was spotted by company talent scouts after picking up five consecutive knockout victories on the regional scene, every one coming in the very first round. His power and technical striking got people talking, and thus he was offered a contract to fight for our promotion. The Irishman's company debut took place three weeks go on Bushido 13: Felding vs. Pitopalvelu, where he would earn yet another first round KO victory, this time against struggling Lightweight Joker Leto. His opponent this evening has also had a successful career thus far, as young Finnish prospect Pitopalvelu has had eight professional appearances - each of which going his way. "Oy Ab"'s career began with an 16-man regional tournament, which he won with ease, followed by another single regional appearance. It was then that the Finn would earn his first promotional contract, where he would be instantly given a title shot. After winning the belt and then earning his first defence, the company would face closure and Pitopalvelu's Bushido career soon began.
 
"Lord Fisticuffs" is a Muay Thai practitioner who uses that coupled with his respectable Wrestling skills to pick apart opponents from a distance, as well as close range in the clinch. Vellun shares the same strengths as his opponent, although he boasts a more diverse and specialised set of abilities. Both men like to box and clinch so we can expect the fight to be dictated by whichever man employs his gameplan better, and out-strikes his adversary. Both of these men are top contenders in the currently shallow Lightweight division, and a shot at the yet-to-be-crowned Champion will likely happen for the fighter that wins this bout.
 
Main Card
Featured Light-Heavyweight Bout
Clement "My Way" Rongway (5-1-0, Debut) vs. Boris "Laser" Laine (3-0-0, 2-0-0) 
 
The two heaviest men on the Main Card will clash in this much anticipated Light-Heavyweight bout as company newcomer Clement Rongway looks to impress as he faces off against returning up-and-comer Boris Laine. Rongway has had a lot of success in the world of mixed martial arts thus far, and out of six bouts he has only suffered one setback by way of TKO Cut. This will be "My Way"'s first fight in a national organisation, as his previous fights all took place on the regional scene. His opponent Boris Laine is less experienced in MMA, as he has had half the fights of Rongway, one on the regional scene and the other two in Bushido. Also unlike the American, "Laser" has yet to lose inside of the cage or ring, a statistic he will be looking to retain this evening.
 
Clement Rongway's main discipline is Muay Thai with his secondary being Wrestling, and he uses both to dominate his opponents within the clinch in opposed to striking from a distance. Laine on the other hand is primarily a Boxer and although he has little grappling experience, he enjoys mixing takedowns into his game - making him into an unpredictable opponent. This fight will likely see Clement Rongway employing his usual strategy of attempting to clinch, and Boris Laine doing what he does best, in mounting an unpredictable offense.
 
Main Card
Featured Welterweight Bout
Scorchio "Enfield" Whitehouse (5-1-0, 4-1-0) vs. "The Sandman" Darryl Fitzpatrick (5-1-0, 2-1-0) 
 
What better way to open the Main Card than a bout between a returning former Champion, and a perennial top contender? There isn't. Still looking to regain his former glory is the first man to ever hold the Bushido 170lb belt, London's Scorchio Whitehouse. Another fighter who is trying to earn a shot at the only human to best him in the ring is the division's #4, Darryl Fitzpatrick. Whitehouse was offered a contract with Bushido after picking up two wins on the regional scene, one by submission and the other by TKO. He would win on his company debut, after going the distance with the now retired En Xiahou in a performance that earned him a chance at the vacant Welterweight title. Obviously, "Enfield" would get past the then-undefeated Hans Schmidtt to earn his place in history as the first man to wear that strap, after knocking out the German. Unfortunately, Whitehouse would lose his belt soon after putting it on as he came up against the still top dog Marcus Vinicius. Now, the Londoner has bounced back with a win over the up-and-comer Erick Darko, and has a chance to earn a titleshot this evening with a win over Darryl Fitzpatrick. "The Sandman" began his Bushido career after earning three wins in another organisation, where he would face off against the aforementioned Marcus Vinicius, as they both mace their Bushido debut. Like most before him, Fitzpatrick fell to the submission skills of Vinicius, and his shot at the belt slipped through his fingers. But since then, Fitzpatrick has earned two straight knockout victories over James Embamba and Jukka Toskala which has put him in a good position.
 
Whitehouse is a Boxer primarily, and the rest of his game is nowhere near as seasoned as his skills on the feet and with his hands. In his first ever fight he displayed the ability to submit his opponent, but since then we have seen him evolve with his boxing alone, and he now employs a strategy of picking his opponents from range over anything else. Unfortunately for the former Champion, Fitzpatrick seems to be the superior Boxer if only by a slight margin, as well as having a sizable advantage when it comes to Wrestling - which will surely affect how the fight goes. Both men like to box from range, but "The Sandman" has displayed the ability to dominate in the clinch when needed or when he he see's an opportunity to do it, and I believe that is the strategy he will look to run with this evening. A shot at the Main Event winner may be in the immediate future for the winner of this bout, depending on how things play out.
 
 
Thanks for reading!

 

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