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Bravado 9: Kitano vs Gracie is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by Bravado Productions, in conjunction with the Kore Fight Nutrition [TG], Bravado Entertainment, and Sin City Bookies. This event will take place on September 11, 2016 at Hayashi's Lounge in Las Vegas, Nevada.
[Preface]
On September 11th, 2001, a group of cowards executed a devastating attack against The United States of America. Everybody that was alive on that day remembers exactly where they were, and what they were doing when they learned of the tragedy. I remember my father waking me up and showing me the news coverage; I didn't understand the scale of what I was watching. I, along with everybody else in the world, had no idea if I was watching a terrible accident or a dastardly attack. Part of me remembers being late for school and missing gym class because I didn't want to leave the television. A much larger part of me remembers seeing the firefighters pouring into that second tower, moments after the first one fell; these men knew that they had minutes at best, but they still climbed those hundreds of stories.
Having lived in Long Island, New York, and having known people directly impacted by 9/11, I fully accept that I cannot grasp the pain that they experience every year around this time. It's truly a small thing, paying homage to those who were stolen from us, but I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment from writing a fictional news article about MMA fighters to pay my respects.
[The Prelims]
(Welterweight Division) Ronny Baaghi (0-1) (0-0 BP) versus John Doe (0-0) (0-0 BP)
Born in Argentina, Ronny “The Rebel” Baaghi's family moved to Coconut Creek, Florida when he was young. Throughout high school, Ronny was involved in wrestling, which has given him a strong base for mixed martial arts. Most recently, he has moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he trains out of the Bi-Polar Asylum, a public MMA gym.
In his lone mixed martial arts fights, Ronny faced a former collegiate wrestling standout named Toke Jarnhandske and was stopped due to unanswered ground and pound in the opening round.
John “The Unknown” Doe is a newcomer to the sport of mixed martial arts. Reported capable of fighting on the feet and on the ground, John Doe is expected to make a reasonable splash here in his MMA debut. John is a lifelong Las Vegas resident; he currently trains out of The Iron Palace, a public MMA gym.
(Welterweight Division) Alistair Sangster (2-4) (0-1 BP) versus Ken Womack (2-2) (0-0 BP)
“The Glasgow Gangster” Alistair Sangster is a former professional boxer from Glasgow, Scotland. Alistair currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he trains out of the LOD: Strike Zone, a kick boxing oriented gym.
Alistair Sangster made his MMA debut in the regional QFC scene, where he was defeated by Olaf Thorsson via unanimous decision. Following this loss, Alistair was signed to the GAMMA Stomp-a-thon promotion, where he accumulated a win/loss record of 2-2. However, his two defeats both came to the same opponent: current Bravado welterweight Jon Snitch.
Most recently, Alistair signed with Bravado Productions; in his promotional debut, he faced undefeated slugger Phil Cerrone. The bout took place at Bravado 2; despite landing strikes at a higher rate, Sangster was defeated via TKO in the opening round.
Ken Womack is a Greco Roman wrestler and a kick boxer. Although he was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Ken currently lives and trains in London, England. Ken trains out of the private Flower Power Pillow Fighters Training Center.
Ken has fought all four of his professional bouts within the regional QFC arena; after winning his debut against Koni Minichi, Ken knocked out Jordon Gonzales. Rough times followed for Womack; in his next bout, Ken was defeated by Juan Salazar via doctor stoppage. In his most recent appearance, Ken Womack was defeated by heavy handed Buri Bokh just forty seconds into the opening round.
[The Undercard]
(Light-heavyweight Division) Dillon Weber (0-2) (0-1 BP) versus Jay Ray (0-0) (0-0 BP)
Dillon “Do3bo1” Weber is a resident of Northern Las Vegas. Training out of Cozad's MMA, Dillon is a freestyle fighter.
Dillon Weber made his MMA debut in the QFC arena, dropping a unanimous decision against Abel Popham. Following this loss, Dillon was signed to Bravado Productions; he made his promotional debut at Bravado 4, where he was submitted in the opening round by Gerry Pounder.
Ray “Better Not Call Me Johnso” Jay Ray, the owner of the most incomplete nickname in the history of Bravado Productions, is an MMA newcomer. Ray Jay Ray was born in Arlen, Texas, but currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he trains out of the Vegas Campania private MMA gym. Ray is reportedly a Muay Thai stylist.
(Welterweight Division) Sthupha Herrie (0-0) (0-0 BP) versus Charlie Delta (0-0) (0-0 BP)
Sthupha “Hero” Herrie is a Muay Thai kick boxer from Berlin, Germany. Sthupha currently lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he trains out of Cozad's MMA gym.
Charlie “The Dude” Delta is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt from Sacramento, California. Currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, Charlie trains out of El Tico Academy.
(Middleweight Division) Adrian Puchacki (0-1) (0-0 BP) versus Bill Brown (1-1) (0-1 BP)
Adrian “No Mercy” Puchacki is kick boxer from Rzeszow, Poland; currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, Adrian trains out of Cozad's MMA.
In his MMA debut, Adrian Puchacki faced Muay Thai striker Chanar Khan in the QFC arena. The bout would turn into an unpredictable wrestling match, with Khan taking home the unanimous decision.
Bill “The Marine” Brown is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt from Riverside, California. Currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, Bill Brown is not currently undergoing training.
Bill made his MMA debut in the QFC arena, submitting Terence Farrel with an opening round armbar. Next, Bill fought at Bravado 3, where he was stopped in the opening round by Justin James.
[Main Card]
(Middleweight Division) Jimmy Page (1-0) (0-0 BP) versus Adnan Boutrous (1-1) (0-0 BP)
Jimmy “Iron Fisting” Page is a former amateur boxer and a wrestler. Currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, Jimmy Page trains at The Iron Palace, a public gym.
Jimmy Page made his MMA debut in the QFC arena, where he defeated Eddie Parker via unanimous decision.
Adnan “The Anvil” Boutrous is a former amateur boxer from Aleppo, Syria. Currently living in Las Vegas, Nevada, Adnan trains out of the LOD: Purpose Training Center.
Adnan Boutrous has fought his entire MMA career in the local QFC arena; in his debut, he defeated Emmitt Powell via unanimous decision. Most recently, he faced JR Writer, a BJJ purple belt, and was submitted in the opening round.
(Middleweight Division) Tom The Britt (1-0) (0-0 BP) versus Willie Glee (3-1) (0-1 BP)
Tom “Hiddleswift” The Brit is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blue belt and former amateur boxer. Born and raised in the UK, Tom has since moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. Tom currently does not participate in any official MMA training.
In his MMA debut, Tom The Brit faced Jiu-Jitsu blue belt Nelson Key in the QFC arena. Although his opponent would score with a takedown of his own, Tom The Brit would score all eight of his attempted takedowns en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Willie “Beat Down” Glee is a former amateur wrestler from Melbourne, Australia, that currently lives and trains in Sydney, Australia at the public Die Trying MMA gym. Willie Glee uses his combination of boxing and wrestling to dictate where his fights will take place.
The majority of Willie's professional career has taken place in the QFC arena, where he has gone undefeated with three lightning fast TKO victories. In his Bravado debut, which came at Bravado 3, Willie was stopped by powerhouse striker Daniel Cohen.
(Middleweight Division) Jack Quinn (3-4) (0-1 BP) versus Justin James (1-0) (1-0 BP)
Jack Quinn is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner that holds a brown belt in the art. A lifelong resident of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Jack trains at the Canadian Dragon MMA gym.
Jack made his MMA debut in a middleweight QFC tournament, where he was defeated in the first level of the competition by brown belt submission ace Larith Shun. After submitting Quach Minh with a first round guillotine choke, Jack was stopped by heavy handed Muay Thai phenom Barry Benson, who would go on to retire undefeated after a short career.
Following this loss, Jack fought out a single fight contract with the Vale Tudo Fight Club, submitting Boe Szyslak with a first round armbar. In a bitter twist of fate, the QFC would match Jack up with MMA veteran and Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Francois Permitis, and would fall victim to a first round armbar for his troubles. In his final foray into the QFC arena, Jack submitted catch wrestler Chris Frank with a first round triangle armbar.
Following the submission victory over Chris Frank, Jack was signed by Bravado Productions. Making his debut at Bravado 3, Jack was paired up with fellow Jiu-Jitsu purple belt Frank Miller; after three rounds of action, Miller would walk away with the unanimous decision victory.
Justin “The Outlaw” James is a former professional boxer that, during his brief tenure with pugilism, was renown for his extremely heavy hands. Justin was born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, although he has followed the path of so many MMA championship hopefuls before him by moving to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Justin earned his nickname of “The Outlaw” from his reputation as a street fighter across the east coast, but especially in New Jersey. Justin permeated this reputation when he was signed by Bravado Productions; Justin made his debut as a prizefighter at Bravado 3, where he faced purple belt submission fighter Bill Brown. Justin made short work of Brown, nullifying his ground attack before finishing him with jab and right hook combination.
[Co-Main Event]
(Heavyweight Division) Lonnie Kain (4-0) (0-0 BP) versus Richard Kevinchen (2-0) (0-0 BP)
Lonnie Kain is a pugilism specialist and Jiu-Jitsu purple belt; what he lacks in wrestling ability, he more than makes up for by having heavy hands. Lonnie was born and raised in Novia Scotia, Canada, although he has long since transplanted to Las Vegas, Nevada to pursue a career in mixed martial arts.
Undefeated across four fights in his MMA career, Lonnie has fought exclusively within the regional QFC arena thus far. In his MMA debut, he faced Jiu-Jitsu blue belt Moses Sparks; after scoring a first second flash knockdown, Kain pushed forward, knocking Sparks out with a twenty-four second barrage of punches.
Next, Kain was paired up with Muay Thai standout Wilburn Hendrix; after escaping from a pair of takedowns, Kain finished the bout with a barrage of punches and elbows against the cage. After making short work of Broderick Rasmussen, Lonnie Kain faced Muay Thai striker Levi Sertho. This would prove to be the toughest fight of Kain's career. Despite going the distance for the first and only time, Kain would go on to win all three rounds in a respectable fashion en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Richard Kevinchen is a former amateur boxer from Queens, New York, where he trains out of the NYC Alpha public MMA gym.
Like his opponent, Richard has gone undefeated across a short career that has taken place strictly within the regional QFC arena. Within two appearances, Richard has fought BJJ blue belt submission fighters Dennis Moss and Jewell Carrillo, winning both bouts via unanimous decision.
[Main Event]
(Heavyweight Division) Sendou Kitano (5-3) (0-0 BP) versus Rail Gracie (4-1) (0-0 BP)
Sendou “Kenshi” Kitano is a world class boxing stylist from Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Sendou currently lives and trains out of London, England, where he trains out of the private Forest Hill Gym. Sendou Kitano will be representing the fighting alliance known as La Familia as he steps into the cage.
Sendou Kitano made his mixed martial arts debut at RSF 7 in St Petersberg, Russia, where he faced local brawler and heavy handed fan favorite Ivan Osgard, who was a veteran of seven fights at the time of their meeting. Fresh off of a failed bid for the super-heavyweight championship, Osgard came out swinging against Kitano, hurting him with punches early into the fight, before securing the TKO finish with six seconds remaining in the opening round.
Following this loss, Sendou returned home to Tokyo, Japan, where he signed a two fight contract with the Pulse Fighting Championship (PFC). At PFC 12, Sendou faced freestyle fighter Jose Rodri, a veteran of thirteen fights with only two victories. The bout served as little more than a confidence booster for Kitano, who would take home the knockout victory just nine seconds into the first round. After besting local jobber Egil Wiik with a twelve second knockout, Sendou was left in an unfavorable position. You're only as dominant as your last performance, which for Sendou was two wins over a pair of fighters that were on lengthy losing streaks.
Sendou Kitano wanted to prove that he could hang in there with the best in the world, so he left his homeland in search of a higher level of competition. His travels brought him to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he fought a one-off fight for the King of the Beach promotion. At KOTB 39, Sendou was paired up with formidable wrestler Roy “The Hammer” Du Toit; after dropping Du Toit two times in the opening thirty seconds, Kitano put the grappler out of the fight with a right hand on the button. In his victory speech, Kitano called for a rematch with Ivan Ogard, the only man to best him in MMA.
After taking to the public forum and pleading his case for a rematch, Ogard took notice and accepted the call-out. Ivan Ogard, who had been competing in the Hardcore Fighting Championship, wanted the bout to once again take place in his home town of St Petersberg, Russia; Kitano obliged his request.
In the build-up to the actual fight, Ogard cited their relevant fighting experience as evidence that he was the vastly superior fighter. The fans agreed, with betting odds putting Kitano as low as a 4-1 underdog in the rematch. Kitano v Ogard II started with a bang: Kitano landed heavy shots to the body, which prompted Ogard to leave his chin exposed in favor of protecting his liver. Kitano capitalized, landing one more left hook to the midsection before coming over the top with three consecutive punches that put the former title hopeful out cold. In one fell swoop, Sendou Kitano had avenged the only loss in his career, and won the biggest fight of his life.
Following the Ogard rematch, Sendou Kitano seemingly vanished from the MMA scene for some time, citing personal reasons, as well as a desire to improve his all around game before returning to the cage. Out of the blue, an online news source reported that Kitano had been seen having lunch with the president of the Primal Combat fight promotion of New York. Although he denied that he was returning to the cage, two weeks later it was announced that he had signed an exclusive three fight contract with the promotion.
Kitano made his promotional debut at Primal 26, taking on elite grappling phenom James Marley. Although Kitano would survive the early takedown of Marley, he would suffer a knockdown midway through the second, and would spend the remainder of the round defending an armbar attempt. In the third round, Marley would race ahead on the scorecards with his wrestling, becoming the only man to go the distance with Kitano.
Next, Sendou faced heavy handed slugger Robert Diggs, who has never been finished in professional combat. The entirety of the fight would be a brutal, bloody slug fest, with Kitano receiving serious lacerations from the gloves of Diggs. Throughout the fight, Diggs pulled ahead of Kitano by mixing takedowns and ground n pound along with heavy punches on the feet. In the end, the doctors would stop the contest due to the profuse bleeding of Kitano.
In what would be his final fight with Primal Combat, Sendou Kitano faced powerhouse wrestler Helbjorn Fjordsson. In the match, Fjordsson would opt to stand and trade punches with the striker, ignoring any wrestling advantage that he may have brought into the cage with him. Although he was scoring more frequently, Fjordsson became the fifth man in eight fights to fall before Sendou Kitano, going down from a lead uppercut.
Rail Gracie is a Greco Roman wrestler that has adapted his style to include a formidable Muay Thai striking game as well. Born and raised in Berlin, Germany, Rail Gracie is a resident of Los Angeles, California, although he trains out of the Golden Child Gym in Sydney, Australia.
Rail Gracie started his mixed martial arts career in the QFC arena, under the tutelage of veteran fight manager Mr Gutz. His opponent was Melchizedek Halo, a notorious kick boxer. Gracie controlled the opening moments of the bout with his wrestling, but was hurt by a combination from Halo, sending him spiraling to the mat. Putting his determination on full display, Gracie climbed to his feet, nodded, and came out swinging with the slugger, surviving the round. Moments into the second round, Halo dropped him once more with a one-two combination, this time dropping into mount on top to secure a finish that wouldn't come. However, in the final round, Gracie went down on a head kick- this time, he stayed down.
After parting ways with Mr Gutz, Rail Gracie signed with Chris Karter, a famous manager with a wealth of knowledge. Under his instruction, Gracie returned to the QFC arena to face catch wrestler Javier Arroyo. Gracie dominated the opening round of this bout in the clinch, battering Arroyo with strikes against the cage. After the two fighters separated, Gracie dropped Arroyo with a right hand, finishing the bout early in the second round with a wild flurry of punches.
Next, Gracie faced dominant wrestler Orion Cook, a 50 year old veteran of forty-six fights at the time of their meeting. The bout would largely be a kick boxing match; out of nowhere, Gracie knocked Cook out cold with a flying knee!
In a twist of fate, Rail Gracie once again faced Javier Arroyo. Gracie once again hurt Arroyo early with a right hand, before finishing the bout with a monster head kick to bring home the knock out. Following the rematch with Arroyo, Gracie would part ways with Karter, signing instead with Leslie Smith.
In his most recent fight, Rail Gracie faced Jiu-Jitsu purple belt and renowned submission ace Jabari Jelani, who was a veteran of seventy-one fights already. Although the bout would repeatedly go to the ground in the opening minutes of the fight, Gracie would remain in the dominant position throughout the round. The second round would be a bit more back-and-forth, with Jelani having his moments here and there due to his wrestling pedigree, but the third and final round was all Gracie, who dominated inside the clinch.
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