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Prelims:
Topper Harley vs Duncan Macleod
Preview:
Kicking off the card here is a bout in what is currently the most talent rich division in the org. Lots of Hard hitting Light Heavyweights, Joey Karate, Jonas Lofmark, Evan Zoplias, and then there’s these two… Topper Harley should have the advantage here, in a battle between two strikers, the better technical boxer should have a significant edge. That is, unless Macleod can land one of his savage head kicks. I don’t see it happening. Harley picks him apart to an eventual stoppage here.
Topper Harley via TKO (Round 1)
BJ Penn vs Didier Leroy
Preview:
A long awaited debut for BJ Penn, after a couple of declined fights and some much needed training time, he will finally step into the cage. It comes against a tough, in unspectacular foe in Didier Leroy. We haven’t seen a whole lot of Leroy, he has had a draw and he got stopped, so there is a lot of unknown about this fight. We can only go off what we know about Leroy and what we’ve heard about Penn. If this fight ends up on the ground, Penn is taking it, there is little doubt about it. However; I think Leroy is a better striker with relatively stubborn takedown defence. So it will be a gritty stand up battle, while Penn will have his moments, Leroy will do enough to take a win down the stretch here, but both men will still compete at Rumble on The Rocks, so Penn will get a chance to put it right.
Didier Leroy via Unanimous Decision
Emmanuel Goldstein vs Dylan Snow
Preview:
A debut for Emmanuel Goldstein in the Middleweight Division. A highly anticipated one for fans of the Parker Lewis Stable. Rumour has it, the Rebirth Lightweight Champion, Algernon Cadwallader wanted to corner Goldstein on his debut, but Chael Mir refused to let anybody from Rebirth in the building, due to the fierce rivalry growing between the two orgs. Anyways, back to the fight, Goldstein has an amateur kickboxing background, which should be enough in this fight. Dylan Snow’s first fight, whilst a clear decision win, was incredibly sloppy, I think Goldstein beats Snow to the punch, and Snow beats Goldstein to the floor.
Emmanuel Goldstein via TKO (Round 1)
Max Madwell vs George Tyson
Preview:
An interesting matchup in the Middleweight Division between Max Madwell and George Tyson. Tyson has showed he has good boxing and power in his first fight, however, he has also been outclassed in other aspects of MMA as shown in his second 2 fights. Madwell likes to box as well, however he can also grind in the clinch, which gives him the advantage of being the more well rounded fighter. It will depend on Madwell’s game plan; if he boxes with Tyson, he will likely get flat-lined, but if he can mix up his boxing with clinch and takedowns he might just cause his opponent some problems here. My prediction is a bit of a back and forth one, I think Tyson controls the early stages with his boxing, he might even land a big shot or two, but Madwell with weather the storm. Madwell will then engage in dirty boxing and try to score grinding takedowns along the fence. This will be just enough to win 2 out of 3 rounds in the end.
Max Madwell via Unanimous Decision
Anthony Johnson vs Quintus Octavian
Preview:
A typical striker vs grappler matchup, two fighters who will no doubt be looking to establish themselves at the top of the hierarchy at Rumble on The Rocks, a win here will give either fighter excellent momentum. Octavian is a debutant; and despite this, some in his close circle are saying he will be the man to beat Jonas Lofmark, and with his professional boxing background he should certainly be capable of making waves in MMA, will he beat Lofmark? Time will tell. Anthony Johnson will be looking to rebound from his own one sided beating at the hands of Lofmark. He showed excellent toughness, to take big shots, but will be disappointed not to have mounted more offence from the bottom in that fight. Here; he will need to be the aggressor in search of the takedown, as he is extremely unlikely to have any answer to Octavian’s hands. Equally, Octavian will know his takedown defence must be on point, he will have no answer to the brown belt’s submission skills on the mat. I’m gonna be a nuthugger/fanboy/bandwagoner here and side with the hype. Octavian has a great manager in Steel Peel, one capable of putting together a strategy strong enough to avoid the ground game of Johnson. I think Octavian fights a safe fight and picks him apart on the way to a clean sweep on the scorecards.
Quintus Octavian via Unanimous Decision
Main Card:
George Johnson vs Marcin Vanna
Preview:
A fight between striker and grappler, with Marcin Vanna the grappler; being thrust into the title shot conversation. It has been said that Vanna will be battling it out with Wally Markberg on this card to determine whose performance warrants a title shot more. With that said, Johnson is a bit of a sitting duck here, a striker with poor ground skills. It should be a formality for Vanna, who will establish his favourite position early, taking his opponents back and getting the tap to state his case.
Marcin Vanna via Submission (Round 1)
John Chester vs Oscar Stolt
Preview:
Another interesting fight here, a no.1 contender fight, where the winner will take on whoever emerges victorious from the main event on this card. I have been going back and forth with this fight, Stolt should be able to control the striking range at a distance, but we have only seen him in two fights, his last one was impressive, as his opponent tapped to strikes. However; he is facing a very good grappler in John Chester. Stolt is a slight favourite due to having the superior manager and the superior striking game. Stolt was taken down multiple times by Ronn Fuzzynuts Jr, who is a much lesser grappler than John Chester; and that is the deciding factor on my prediction, there is no getting away from it. If the fight hits the ground, it’s over for Stolt, I’m predicting it goes there; allowing Chester to pick up a slight upset, giving him a title shot, and sending Stolt into Rumble on The Rocks.
John Chester via Submission (Round 1)
Ury Dikunov vs Otto Dahl
Preview:
Another no.1 contender fight in the Heavyweight Division between GNP specialist Ury Dikunov, and powerful boxer Otto Dahl. Dikunov has been dominant so far, but faces a stiff challenge in Otto Dahl. My prediction here is a bit of a war, both men will have their moments in a close fight. Dikunov will get takedowns as per the gameplan for the fight, he may land some ground and pound, however I’m willing to predict that Otto Dahl’s defensive grappling ability and pace on the feet should be enough to sway the judges in his favour, it will not be easy though.
Otto Dahl via Unanimous Decision
Wally Markberg vs Jim Dangle
Preview:
Another fight set up in a WWE-esque manner, with Markberg and Marcin Vanna in a battle to have the more impressive performance and obtain a title shot. Thus Markberg will be expected to walk through Jim Dangle; which he will do, if he uses his wrestling ability to takedown and GNP his way to a victory. That being said; Markberg has not been doing this of late, with a tendency to rely on his punching power and getting into brawls on the feet. If he does this, it could allow Dangle a way in, as Dangle is powerful and has proved to be dangerous in the clinch. I think Markberg fights a smart fight and mixes it up taking Dangle down on route to a late finish with GNP.
Wally Markberg via TKO (Round 3)
Middleweight Championship – Mark Homicide vs Dominic Carter ©
Preview:
A potentially close fight for the Middleweight Championship. Dominic Carter brings the slow burn to the cage; a grinding wrestling and jiu jitsu style which has taken him to 2-0 so far. Homicide is also a good wrestler, but that’s not what he’s been using so far inside the octagon. He is an explosive, fast twitch athlete, and he has won 2 fights by throwing bombs and exploding with strikes. He is not the most technical striker, but he has a serious power advantage here, and I believe this will be a problem for Carter. Carter may get a takedown or two against the cage, however, Homicide has shown good ability to explode back to his feet. I see Homicide eventually exploding and catching Carter with some crazy strikes to take the belt.
Mark Homicide via KO (Round 1)
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