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Woe to you oh earth and sea for HERO is setting another ungodly stacked card for a very special occasion – the 31st of October. HERO Halloween Havoc will send chills down your spine and will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. If you want to see some real violence head down to the Malmi Sportshall – I’m sure you’ll have far more fun rather than sitting at home and giving away precious candies to those dorky children that are a product of major errors made by your neighbours. After all candies can serve as aphrodisiac you know… Whatever. I, the preview magician, Bel Ciganin, am gonna brake down the fights for you as usual so pay attention. The card’s culminant moment will feature Jake James’s attempt to make his first successful defence of the heavyweight strap against heavy hitter Tobias Larsson. So let’s get down to business:
Preliminary fights:
Igor Byhenikov (0-3-0) v "The Demon Child" Natalie Renee (0-2-0)
Lightweight
First fight of the night – lightweight division. We have two guys that are yet to grab their first win in the pro circuit. I’m sure that a guy like Igor would’ve been very successful in the early days of the sport but this ain’t HERO 1 and seemingly his boxing won’t be enough for him to cause trouble for the others in the division. He is training in all other aspects but he is still a one-trick pony and his next opponent is someone who knows what he is doing. Natalie Renee is a very skilled guy although he came up short in his two fights. I see a very bright future in front of him but Igor will no doubt try to spoil the party and realize the upset.
Jorge "J.G." Gurgel (2-0-0) v Valko Hai (2-3-0)
Lightweight
All eyes are set to another intriguing lightweight match up featuring two very solid grapplers. The Brazilian Gurgel is still undefeated and has very high hopes for his future. He is a possessor of a BJJ brown belt and has made all of his opponent tap in order to save their limbs. He is matched against another fighter preferring the ground fighting. Valko Hai is a wrestler with serious knowledge in submission grappling but his strategy has been a bit boring to watch – he breaks his opponents’ will and grinds decision victories. His style has some holes though as he has been beaten 3 times and Jorge would like to exploit some of those holes and be the 4th guy that will get a W against Hai.
Trulove Sackett (4-4-0) v Jacky Ler (1-0-0)
Featherweight
Next up is a featherweight collision between Trulove Sacket and Jacky Ler. There is nothing lovely about Trulove as he is one mean motherfucker and has won all of his fights by putting in use his sublime standup and getting the knock outs. He’ll be looking to make Jacky Ler hit the deck as well but we can all wish him good luck with that cuz Ler is here to stay. He had some hard times in his debut match but was able to pull it off and won via stoppage. No one said it will be easy but Ler proved that he has the heart and skills to handle himself in all kinds of situations. He looks like a fairly well-rounded dude and will look to use that in order to make a real statement by beating Sackett.
Martin Huuhkaja (5-3-0) v "Knocks You Out!" Matti Teitsi (2-1-0)
Bantamweight
Despite being the smallest guys out there, bantamweights usually put on a real show. Huuhkaja and Teitsi will reinforce that statement as they will give their best in order to get the W. Huuhkaja is a real beast that is equally dangerous on the ground or standing. He is a former n1 contender but couldn’t fulfill his dream and get a hold of the strap so his struggle continues against Tetsi. Matti’s nickname says it all – He will knock the living fuck out of you if you are dumb enough to trade with him. He has a very solid defensive wrestling and puts it to good use to keep the fight where he wants it – on the feet. Who will leave the winner from this interesting match up remains to be seen.
Main Card:
"Datu Maharlika" Lapu Lapu (4-4-0) v Andrzej "Litwin" Rostowski (4-4-0)
Featherweight
The main card action starts with a featherweight clash between two fighters that have seen a lot inside the HERO cage. Lapu Lapu has been there from the start – he made his debut at the first ever HERO event and managed to beat hall of famer Manny Pacquiao. He had some great battles at the 135 division but hasn’t been doing so well lately so he decided to move up in weight and his welcoming fight in the featherweight division will be against a stern opponent – Andrzej “Litwin” Rostowski. Rostowski’s most dangerous tool is his submission game and recently he found a way to put in good use notching 3 consecutive wins so one could make the argument that if he takes Lapu down he will have a distinct advantage and another win might just earn him a title shot. If I was him, I wouldn’t be thinking of that yet, cuz “Datu Maharlika” isn’t someone to be taken lightly and doing so might be the biggest mistake one could make.
Mark Murphy (7-4-0) v Marius Matei (3-0-0)
Middleweight
This middleweight tilt featuring Mark Murphy and Marius Matei will get the spectators on their feet. Murphy has 11 fights under the HERO banner which makes him one of the guys with the most cage time on the roaster. He has had two unsuccessful title shots and will try to work his way to a 3rd at the expense of undefeated Marius Matei. Matei has a perfect 3-0 record and has proven that he is a threat in any position. He makes good use of dirty boxing mixing up knees and punches while pressing his opponent against the cage and also has a very solid ground game and absolutely vicious ground’n’pound. Murphy on the other hand is a very solid Muai Thay practicioner and is as exciting as they come having 3 FOTN and 3 KOTN awards and to be honest, the way those two match up, I won’t be surprised in this fight gets another OTN award.
Clarence "Cold Cocked" Adams (5-2-0) v "Evil Philanthropist" Roene Dekker (5-0-0)
Heavyweight
This fight will definitely give us a taste of what’s to come in the main event - two big guys swinging for the fences – an instant fan favourite. Adams and Dekker have some serious similarities between them. They rely heavily on their boxing and ability to keep the fight standing so I think there won’t be any ground action in this one. All of Adams’ victories have come by KOs but his reckless approach has cost him the victory on two occasions so he stand with a 5-2 record. Dekker is a bit more methodical and is still undefeated with a perfect 5-0-0 record. He would like to stick to his smart game plans and avoid turning the fight to a brawl, because that’ll make it anyone’s fight and Adams has proved that he thrives in those kind of fights. No matter what happens, the fans will be the real winner. Mark my words!
Usko Luttinen (7-2-0) v "The Animal" Dimitri Kasavanov (7-4-0)
Lightweight. Co-main event!
The Co-main event is some fight ladies and gentleman! Usko Luttinen and Dimitri Kasavanov will leave it all in the cage for your entertainment. It is a real privilege to watch a veteran like Kasavanov. He has done a lot for the sport and has held the title in two occasions so win, lose or draw, he deserves mad respect. He was outclassed in his last outing and got finished in the second round but he wasted no time and is back in the cage to do what he loves. I thing it is no secret what “The Animal’s” game plan should be – take this fight to the ground, because standing with Luttinen is a ticket to unconsciousness. In fact, I think Usko might be the best striker in the division. He is riding on a 4 fight win streak and he might be one flashy finish away from a title fight but Kasavanov is someone who can spoil your day big time. All he needs is a takedown to make Luttinen forget for the n1 contender’s spot. Will Dimitri bounce back from his two consecutive losses or will Luttinen make his name at his expense, I really don’t know but we will find out soon enough.
Jake James (7-3-0) v "Kroll" Tobias Larsson (8-2-0)
Heavyweight. Title fight! Main event!
This fight is the real deal folks! Jake James puts his title on the line against Tobias Larsson who will try to take it from his senseless body and has five 5minute rounds at his disposal. Jake James shocked the world when he defeated former champ Boyko Borisov in order to get the strap. People say that you become a real champion after you make a successful title defence and James failed to do that when he captured the belt for the first time and hopes to do better this time. Tobias, the challenger, brings a lot to the table so Jake better be ready for everything. “Kroll” has already held the title but failed to keep it so he took Trzezwy’s head off in order to have a chance to fight for it again. Both guys have that never-say-die attitude and for them failure is not an option. I believe that Larsson has advantage in the stand up department but James is a flawless wrestler and will look to display his incredible top game. Larsson is no stranger to wrestling as well so I won’t be surprised if he ends up on top raining heavy shots on the champion. One could make the argument that Larsson has more tools in his arsenal but James made his career by overcoming adversity and knows how to benefit from every mistake his opponents make inside the cage.
That’s it people. Peace!
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