Hello fight fans! It is your host today, Capelli King and we have yet another special guest, it is Danny Mangold, the current 205lbs GAMMA champion! You flew the all the way in from Hilo for this interview, so lets get started!
Question #1: It took you a while to get your career started. Just 14 fights so far. Why did you wait so long before you got into the cage?
-I never was very athletically gifted when I was younger. I had wrestled in High School, but never thought I could make a career out of that sort of thing. After getting out of school, I took a few odd jobs here and there, but never considered mma as a career until I ran into an old friend, Van Kelly, and he got me into Jui-Jitsu and Boxing. A few months into training and everyone was telling me I could have a future in fighting, but I'm not really a very violent guy... (He laughs) Believe it or not, but I've never actually been in a fight outside of a cage before.
Anyways, by luck I met Mr. Wolfwood in Hilo and he began to sponsor my training. I took a fight here or there to make a living, and continued to train hard full time for years. It was only because of Mr. Wolfwoods urging that I started taking fighting more seriously..... and a few months later, I'm in Gamma fighting for the friggin' title! It all still feels unreal to me.
Question #2: After working the indy scene for a while, you decided to join GAMMA. Any reason why you made the decision to come here?
-Well, GAMMA is one of the top orgs in the world, and Mr.Wolfwood felt like I could compete with anyone, so where better to go than the the top... It's really helped me push myself that much further knowing how tough the competition is here.
Question #3: You won your second title recently beating John Galt. Who do you see as your main competition for the title?
-I'm not one to pick my opponents, and GAMMA has a huge roster full of talented fighters. So I don't wanna set my sights on any one guy, I'm just trying to worry about taking care of myself and not getting hurt or anything like that.
Question #4: GAMMA is planning a massive super fight for you, potentially against a top 200 p4p fighter. Do you think you are up for the challenge?
-Definitely....I think I can compete with any man, and I welcome any challenge. The better the
Reviews
Simon Williams v Arnie Ironz (Super fight)
Everyone knew it would be spectacular, everyone knew it would be a KO and everyone knew it would end fast and there were no surprises in this one as Arnie went all in very early and it paid off with a TKO victory. It was actually an early strike which stunned Simon and from there on, Arnie took over with long distant strikes, mixing it around with punches and a lot of kicks. Simon only managed one significant strike in this fight which shows how much an early hit from a top Heavyweight can take out of a top level fighter, even one like Simon Williams. This loss cost Simon his recent good streak, but still remains one of the top 10 HW fighters in the world and easily one of the most popular. He will be defending his title early in August.
Renan St Juste v Sinuhe Egyptian 2 (Super fight)
Renan put all doubt to rest in this one as he made it 2 in a row against one of the best 170lbs fighters the Tycoon world has ever seen in Sinuhe Egyptian. Many critics had the first fight as being a fluke, many were already planning Sinuhe's next super fight for the so called "world title" belt...............they will need to plan something else though because Renan won and this time it was a decisive victory. Renan had earlier said that Sinuhe's hands were "like pillows" and he was much more confident in this fight and came in more aggressive. That led to a lot more significant strikes to earn him the decision.
Renan said after the fight that he wants to take some time to relax from the grueling schedule and get down to a little more training. After all he stands on top of the pile as the #1 170lbs fighter in the world and #4 worldwide. When you are in that position you can afford to take some time off to spend with the family and have fun with your friends.
This takes GAMMA's super fight record "against the world" to 73-27 in its favor.
Previews
Brodie Sinclair vs Fred Ettish
Brodie has been on the rise since joining GAMMA. In just 10 fights he has earned the respect of many by beating guys such as Tank The Razors Edge, Bill Belton (twice) and Jamie Gold. His last outing he earned himself a beautiful submission of the night win over Hammer Longbird. At 30y of age he is reaching his prime as a fighter. He did have a setback loss to Tsatsu Gomi in another fight which we reviewed, however besides that his rise has been pretty much stable. This can easily be Brodie's break out fight, one of those he needs to win to be considered an Elite fighter. Fred Ettish has been around the top of the GAMMA 185lbs division for a while now. He has been fighting for GAMMA since April 2011 when he joined us as a rookie in Contenders and has been in a lot of battles since then. In fact Fred has not had an easy fight in GAMMA for a good year plus when he went up against journeyman (and now retired) Cristiano Garcia. His record is 6-6 in his last 12 fights.
Fred has never had a problem with his chin. In fact it is one of the most solid in GAMMA. He does struggle in tactical battles though and has had problems finishing people which is where he has most of his losses. Brodie on the other hand lacks KO power and is a specialist in submissions. The problem with that is that Fred has not lost in a submission for basically ever! I see this one going the distance and if Brodie cannot pull off the submission, it will likely be a close one in favor of Fred. Either way it will be close.
Danny Mangold v Adis Djurdjevic (for the 205lbs title)
Danny is quickly becoming the big name in the 205lbs division. He was suppose to be lining himself for a massive super fight, however the "other org" pulled out, probably because they expected to lose this fight. Adis on the other hand is by no means a step down in terms of competition. Adis is on an impressive run himself, beating 4 of his last 5 top level competitors including Hannibal Die Rücksichtslos and recent IMMA scapegoat Nemanja Prijovic. His only loss was to Degen Gambler and that is no disgrace.
Both fighters have power and both are in their peak as fighters and considering this is the 205lbs division, i cant see this going the full 5 rounds. Adis has the better ability in terms of skills when comparing stand up, Danny has the advantage on the ground, however that is one of those elements we have never seen from him. It will be another close one, however i see this going for an upset in favor to Adis. Not an easy one to rate though.
GAMMA gives the opportunity to bet on all the key weekend fights, which includes:
Fred Ettish v Brodie Sinclair
Billy Blanks v Puff Dragon
Tsatsu Gomi v Hammer Longbird
Bill Belton v Usain Watts
Danny Mangold v Adis Djurdjevic
Rick James v Dirk Pitt
Anton The Jew v Leo McGarry
Adolf Ellenberger v Ultimate Warrior
To bet on the fights go over to GAMMA Fights here:
http://www.mmatycoon.com/bookmakerpublic.php?bid=8059
So go over and bet soon! It will make the fights more interesting and if you do your homework it should also lead to some profits for you as well.
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