2013-03-30
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SPFT 102

Event Preview: SPFT 102:Washington vs Moses 3
Steel Penn Fighting Temple
2013-03-30, Hilo, Hula's
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 You know the idiom, “March, in like a lion, out like a lamb”? Well here at SPFT, we think that line of thinking is horseshit, and in addition to providing you with the top notch fights at the beginning of this month, we’re capping off an excellent month of fights with another tremendous show. The biggest name in SPFT will be making an appearance defending his title for the second time, this time against the man he won his title from. Two top level Superheavyweights will square off. The list of excellent exciting fights this week goes on.

Billy Mitchell showed promise when he joined SPFT at SPFT 89 when he submitted Skylar Davies Miles with an impressive guillotine, which won him submission of the night honors. Unfortunately, he has lost his last two fights since then, and the 3 fight win streak he had is all but a distant memory. When he squares off against Miles again at SPFT 102, he will be looking to get his career back on track. However, it should be noted that Miles’ loss at SPFT 89 to Mitchell was obviously a turning point in his career.  He has not fought since that submission lost, and has instead spent a significant time in the gym. We shall see if that extra time in the gym has paid off.

Bang McGee has had a rough run as of late. He has lost three fights in a row, and to add to his list of poor luck, his opponent failed to show up to fight at SPFT 100! causing McGee to miss out on being part of the historic occasion. The 33 year old knockout artist will have another challenge placed in front of him at SPFT 102, when he faces off against Taco Grande. Grande, who is currently nursing a 2 fight win streak, will be making his SPFT premiere at SPFT 102. The skilled 26 year old will be looking to make a name for himself and prove that while young, he is a contender in the Light Heavyweight division.

Pit Bull did not have much opportunity to show off his vast skill set when he faced off against Riley McCollins at SPFT 99, as the 29 year old Aussie was steamrolled to first round knockout loss.  This time he will face off against the underrated submission artist, Gustavo Ribeiro. Ribeiro, who owns a 1-2 record fighting in SPFT, will need to use all of his grappling skills in this fight, as the younger Bull has not yet been submitted in 21 professional fights. Considering Bull only has a blue belt in BJJ, though, Riberio will undoubtedly seek to end that streak.

Tallak Hrolf has had a disappointing career in SPFT so far. Currently riding a 4 fight losing streak, and having lost 5 of his last 6 fights, it is time for Hrolf to figure out what is going wrong. Considering his impressive skills, and the fact that Hrolf entered SPFT with an impressive record, many believe his failures of late are due to his mindset, and maybe he can snap out of this funk in the near future. His opponent, Sergei Bautin, has had a bit better run of luck as of late, having won three of his last five fights. With 17 of his 19 career victories having come via knockout, one can expect he will again try to knockout Hrolf, whose chin has always been a bit suspect.

Riley McCollins has been in SPFT for quite a while, with 17 fights in the organization dating all the way back to SPFT 18, his face has always been on the fringe of the organization, and has so far won 4 fight of the night and 2 knockout of the night awards. McCollins, however, has never fought for a title in SPFT. He currently has his targets set on Nero Aurelius, and while currently riding a two fight win streak looks on pace to be able to challenge for the title in the near future. He would be smart not to overlook his upcoming opponent, Pierre Gautier, however. Gautier, the 33 year old Parisian, has had an impressive career fighting around the world, and joins SPFT to battle against the best of the best. With his experience of 37 professional bouts, it should be interesting to see if this dangerous man can make a name for himself, and McCollins will be his first test.

Adam Gracie and Marty Laguna both faced Kevin Bishop in their last fight, and both lost via unanimous decision. Gracie, the 26 year old BJJ Red Belt, is of course known for his top notch grappling skills. The young man will be making his third SPFT appearance, having lost his previous two, but I expect him to turn it around in this fight, he is simply too talented of a fighter not to let his greatness shine through. He will, however, have to watch out for Laguna’s elite boxing skills and knockout power. Laguna, who has won 17 of his 25 fights via knockout, only has a blue belt in BJJ, though, and has lost two fights in his career via submission. That weakness will be something worth keeping an eye on.

Braden Turk had a three fight win streak going into SPFT 98, but then he ran into Eriku Landstrimma, who knocked him out early in round two. Turk now will look to get back on track in his quest for the 135 pound title. He will challenge the incredibly talented and heavily experienced newcomer, Zica Brava. Brava has never fought for SPFT before, but there already whispers about how this 29 year old Brazilian very well could take the entire division by storm. With the current status of the division, Brava being in the mix makes things very interesting, and his debut should be an intriguing affair.

Dantavious McJuckett, the former Light Heavyweight Champion, hopes that one more victory will earn him another shot at what once was his title, and possibly even a rematch against Leonard Washington, who knocked McJuckett out in the first round at SPFT 91. The rematch would be an interesting prospect, but McJuckett first has to fight Jensen Saint. Saint, who is rumored to give all of his purse money to the church after each fight, has won two fights so far in SPFT. The 33 year old is known for being dangerous everywhere, but on the ground especially. If Saint could pull off an upset against McJuckett, it would be the biggest win of his career, and catapult him into talks about title contention.

John Matrix has made a name for himself pretty quickly in SPFT. In only his second fight for the organization, the skilled large Texan will be fighting in the Co-Main event, against a hall of famer. With his broad range of high level skills, Matrix will be a challenge for anyone who steps into the cage with him. It will be important for him to employ all of those skills, as he will need them against Willy Stoppers. What needs to be said about Stoppers? Absolutely nothing. The man is a legend in the sport, and a favorite to rise up the rankings and to earn the title again. Granted, he was knocked out by Keyman at SPFT 99, but I believe that was merely a hiccup on the road to redemption for Stoppers.

Moses Kealekapuna enters SPFT 102 looking to win the Light Heavyweight Championship for the third time. With his impressive skills, unquestionable knockout power, and winning heart, Kealekapuna is always one of the most dangerous men in the world. He seems to have a bit of trouble fighting Leonard Washington, however. In their two previous bouts, one of them before either made their first appearance in SPFT, Washington has won both. Will the third battle conclusively prove that Washington is the better fighter, and an incredibly dominant champion, or will Kealekapuna be able to break the chain of previous events? This fight will be exciting, most likely someone will be knocked out, and should be an incredible Main Event.

 

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