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 What up gangstas? Did you miss me? It doesn’t really matter cuz I, the almighty Bel Ciganin, am back with the preview of another kickass HERO event - HERO 40: Fish vs Bunkley. We are back in Helsinki after a successful event in Russia so the place to be this Saturday is once again the Malmi Sportshall. The card, featuring promising prospects, tough veterans, former champions and even hall of famer Jarrko Vaakku going at it, is headlined by a middleweight clash for the title featuring our champ Albert Fish and Eliod “Scooter” Bunkley lii. There will be fireworks folks… be sure not to miss the action cuz u’ll regret it.
Preliminary fights:
Dave Iverson (2-5-0) v Bingo Steel (1-3-0):
Middleweight
We are starting this event with a fight between two guys that have started their careers in HERO FC but are still looking for their best performances. Both Dave and Bingo bring a lot to the table but they lack something to make that crucial step to the next level. I guess that with time they will learn how to deal with pressure, high expectations and will develop some serious fighting IQ that will carry them to better times and will help them bounce back and erase those negative records they are having. The question is who will make the most of the opportunity they are granted at HERO 40.
"The Little Princess" LeeAnne Marie (2-1-0) v "The Executioner" Davor Langerholc (2-0-0)
Light heavyweight
Now that is a very interesting collision of two young guys with great future. Marie started his career very brightly with 2 wins, but he suffered a serious setback in his last outing, dropping a unanimous decision to the current N1 contender Gustav Tedvik. “The Little Princess” has the chance to come back to his/her winning ways against undefeated BJJ black belt Davor Langerholc. “The Executioner “ has had a very dark future and looks like an evil person you don’t wanna mess with. I pity LeeAnne in case she/he gets caught in a submission hold as I seriously doubt Davor would let go before he hears the snap if you know what I mean…
Banka "Den Tredje" Jansson (5-3-0) v Hakuma "Samurai" Hariyuoki (2-2-0)
Light heavyweight
Next up, Banka Jansson takes on Hakuma Hariyouki. Jansson started his career as a heavyweight and did pretty well in that division with a record of 4 wins and 0 losses. In spite of his good results, Jansson decided to drop down a weight class as he felt that is his natural weight, but it turned out to be a wrong move as he got KOed in 3 of his last 4 bouts. His next opponent is Hakuma the “Samurai”, one really tough S.O.B. who has lots to prove, as he suffered an upset lost in Amsterdam the last time we saw him. Rummors are, Jansson is having problems in cutting weight. I Hope that is not true as this would really suck for everyone.
Dae Jung Pak (6-3-0) v "Kaschey" Artem Bessmertin (2-1-0)
Welterweight
We are going to witness a really interesting match up in this one as well rounded South Korean prospect Dea Jung Pak takes on the Russian wrestling phenom Artem Bessmertin. Last time out Pak made quite an impression after stopping his opponents for 16 seconds with a devastating KO and will be looking to build on that. The problem is he is facing a guy that is a possessor of some out-of-this-world wrestling and can get anyone anytime on his back. Given that “Kaschey” has the BJJ advantage too with his purple belt , compared to a blue one for Dae Jung Pak, this might be a tough one for the Korean.
Main Card:
Gerry Van Berry (7-3-0) v "Dimebag" Taisto Rahapussi (2-1-0)
Middleweight
The main card starts with a struggle between two talented middleweights – Gerry Van Berry and “Dimebag” Rahapussi. Van Berry is a typical catch wrestler – loves to get people down and relentlessly seeks the submission. That gameplan has worked quite well for him but his limited stand up skills are making his way to the top pretty hard. Hisgrappling skills will be put to the test big time as he goes out against a very solid BJJ purple belt with respectable muay thai skills – “Dimebag” Taisto. Both of his wins have come via submission and earned him SOTN awards. He will probably try to surpass that and show Berry that the philosophy “position before submission” is quite better than the other way around, but when you have a top notch wrestler on top of you, your game plan may suddenly turn out to be useless.
Robert Kawasaki (5-5-0) v Brian "Barrage" Lancer (5-2-0)
Light heavyweight
This one is a real clash of styles. Both guys have 5 pro wins, but Kawasaki has achieved all of them via tapout and Lancer has used his fists to get the KO victory in his 5 wins. The way it seems to me, the fight will go to the guy that can employ his game plan – will Kawasaki get the takedown or will Lancer keep it standing. I guess both guys are working heavily on their wrestling and it will be interesting who did a better job with that. Kawasaki , a former n1 contender is currently riding a streak of consecutive losses and a 4th one won’t do good for his career. “Barage” is the exact opposite as he has notched 3 wins out of his last 3 fights and is already seeing the title shot, but first he has to get the job done and that means he has to get past Robert Kawasaki in a decisive manner.
“The Elk" Ruslan Smirnov (5-2-0) v Jacek "Kowal" Kowalski (4-2-0)
Bantamweight
I have the feeling that this will not only be a great fight but it will determine the n1 contender. Ruslan Smirnov is one flawless wrestler and has made a very successful transition into MMA. He is polishing his grappling as he is putting lots of effort into his BJJ training and has already obtained a brown belt. What more dangerous can you get then a wrestler with slick submission skills. His opponent , Jacek Kowalski is feared for his ground’n’pound and vicious top game. He is currently on a 3 fight win streak which is a serious confidence boost, but if someone can upset him, that is “The Elk” Ruslan Smirnov, who also won his HERO debut bout and is looking to capture a second win under the HERO banner against a higly renowned opponent that would raise his stock even further.
Eddie "Rhino" Torrez (8-2-0) v Jarkko "Duck" Vaakku (7-3-0)
Middleweight. Co-main event!
Maan isn’t that a dream come true or what?! Torrez and Vaakku are going to settle their differences once and for all in their 3rd meeting in the cage. The score is tie as Vaakku won the first with a first round submission, but he got KOed in the rematch. Those two know each other perfectly and I doubt that they can surprise each other with some dramatic changes in their game plans or skill sets. I guess the win will go to the guy that made more adjustments concerning smaller features of their opponent’s games. Eddie Torrez lost his title in his previous fight and will look to turn a new page in his career and what better way to do that than to KO Vaakku and show that his first loss to him was a fluke. That is easier said than done though. Jarkko had it going real tough as of late with 3 consecutive losses but he is on the winning track once again and he ain’t messing around. This fight has all the potential of becoming a classic. Let’s hope it will live up to our expectations.
"The Werewolf Of Wisteria" Albert Fish (8-1-0) v Eliod "Scooter" Bunkley Iii (6-5-0)
Middleweight. Title fight! Main event!
The highlight of the night will be a 5 round extravaganza featuring "The Werewolf Of Wisteria" and “Scooter”. Those two mean machines will go for it like never before in a struggle for the middleweight strap, fame, glory, power, money, girls and what not... But let’s not get carried away here cuz we are having one hell of a main event here. Fish won the championship after dispatching the entire middleweight division including the former champ and co-main event participant Eddie Torrez. His godlike striking is something Eliod will try to avoid if he doesn’t want to leave the fight in a wheel-chair. The former country singer has to take the fight to the ground one way or the other if he wants to materialize the upset. Many fight fans think Bunkley doesn’t stand a chance, but no one thought he would make it that far either so don’t be too quick to judge. Iii is one hell of a fighter with very respectable grappling capabilities that are bound to be trouble for every cocksure bastard that gets in the cage with him. Even if he doesn’t win the title and gets murdered by Fish, he has the knowledge to write his own requiem cuz of his previous endeavours as a rockstar wanna be. I can’t wait for this one and to be honest I think we are in for a Rocky story and Iii has a descent chance of shocking the world with a victory.
That’s all folks! Peace!
Bel Ciganin
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