2013-07-22
Price: Free
Edition: #
Previous Issues
Submit Article
Tycoon Times - MMA Magazine
Tycoon Times - The World's Premier Weekly Mixed Martial Arts Newspaper
Corner

Crucible Fights: London 9 preview

Event Preview: 09 - Kelly vs Williams
Umbrella Corporation
2013-07-20, London, Hayashi's Lounge - London
Author:

Crucible Fights: London 9: Kelly vs Williams (775593) Preview


At Hayashi’s Lounge on July 20th
I back!


Crucible Fights London is back with another double championship card headlined by one of the promotion’s mainstays taking on his biggest challenge to date in the lightweight title fight. The first ever welterweight championship is also on the line.

Main card:
Lightweight Championship Bout:

© George ”Machine Gun” Kelly (3-0) vs. ”Big Shot” Ben Williams (5-0)

One zero must go as lightweight champion George Kelly attempts to defend his title against the most versatile and dangerous opponent to date in Ben Williams. In a fight that promises excitement and a fast pace, Kelly will look to impose his world class striking on Williams, who is an all around tough athlete and a great striker in his own right.

The champion will most likely have an advantage when standing, but Williams can more than handle himself in a stand up brawl, as proven by his vicious finishing combination against Kevin Smith in June, dropping his opponent via head kick and finishing him with strikes moments later. Williams has shown the more varied game, submitting two of his five opponents. It is notable, however, that Williams is not a wrestler but rather a jiu-jitsu based grappler, and therefore could have trouble taking down Kelly, who is an outstanding defensive wrestler.

Kelly is known as a quick finisher, with all of his three wins coming by first round knock out, while Williams has finished four of his five opponents in the first round, promising a head-on collision between the two aggressive competitors. The champion is known for his power and fast-twitch explosiveness, while the challenger is notorious for being a cardio machine, something he may need to rely on if he is two take this fight from Kelly.

Prediction: Kelly by (T)KO. The champion keeps his roll going as he will likely utilize his superior striking and wrestling to keep the fight in his element and land often and hard en route to a knock out in the second round.

Welterweight Championship Bout:

”The Beast of Bastille” Guy Georges (6-1) vs. Omar ”Riddum” Cluzet (3-0)

In the first ever CF:L welterweight crowning Frenchman Guy Georges faces fellow countryman Omar Cluzet for the right to be called champion. Both men are dominant grapplers who like to take their opponents out of their element, so it will be interesting to see which of the two men manages to decide the pace of the fight.

The more experienced Georges has showcased his submission grappling ability inside the Crucible cage by submitting Dana White in the first round in June, and holds six submission victories on his record. The debuting Cluzet is known as an exceptional wrestler who prefers to mix up takedowns with striking to create an unpredictable style that is hard for opponents to deal with. Being unpredictable will be key for deciding this particular match up, as both men will need to put together a plan where they can utilize their own stylistic advantage.

Georges most likely will have an advantage on the ground with his submission skills, while Cluzet is more adept on the feet and in the clinch with his striking and dirty boxing. Cluzet also has the better wrestling pedigree, but that doesn’t mean that Georges can’t drag him down to the ground in one form or another and lock up a limb or a neck, but it will definitely make it harder.>
Prediction: Georges by submission. It’s a tough fight to pick as Cluzet probably has the skills to control the fight, but Georges can snatch a victory at a moment’s notice thanks to his submission skills if the fight goes to a grappling situation. I think that will happen at some point.



Middleweight bout:



Melvin ”The Blackzillian” Reem (4-0) vs. Emilio ”The Dream Thief” Izturis (4-2)



In a bout with clear title implications for the middleweight division, Dutch knock out artist Melvin Reem squares off against Dominican Republic’s wrestling standout Emilio Izturis. The winner of the bout could find themselves in a very good position to challenge the newly crowned CF:L middleweight champion.



Reem is a kickboxer from Holland with four professional fights, all of those ending via knock out in his favor. A former football player with the kicking skills to match, each of Reem’s four limbs pack fight finishing power and he has solid takedown defense to back up his striking. Izturis, on the other hand, is a different level wrestler than any Reem has faced up to this point, and can take down pretty much anybody he chooses. When on the ground, Izturis is known for his heavy top game and ground and pound, a combination that has allowed him to finish all of his four victories.



A striker versus wrestler match up at its finest, the complexion of the fight will likely be decided early - whether Reem can land damaging blows early, or whether Izturis will be able to take him down inside the first minute or two. From that point on a violent finish will be likely.



Prediction: Izturis by (T)KO.



Featherweight bout:



Arild Einemo (6-3) vs. Uebishe Lesnoe (3-0)



In the writer’s pick for most exciting fight of the event, featherweight contenders Arild Einemo and Uebishe Lesnoe face off with a promised title shot on the line. Einemo and Lesnoe are some of CF:L’s most talented rookies with seemingly limitless potential, and either of the two men will be a worthy challenger for Rockefeller.



The Norwegian striker Einemo has already had his shot at the current champion, losing by way of five round decision in a fight where he was taken down and controlled for the majority of the fight. He was, however, able to defend himself well against the champion’s attacks and survive the whole championship distance. Lesnoe has surged as of late, starting off his career with three first round finishes, two by submission, and his latest by head kick knock out. With two impressive victories in the Crucible cage, Lesnoe has quickly become one of the hottest talents in the featherweight division.



A collision of two true mixed martial artists with multifaceted arsenals, the fight pits Einemo’s sharp kickboxing skills against Lesnoe’s dangerous submissions, but it doesn’t necessarily end there. Lesnoe is a very proficient striker in his own right, while Einemo has strong takedown defense and a purple belt in jiu-jitsu to round out his game. The ground game will certainly favor Lesnoe to some degree, but he will need to use all his weapons to get it there, as Einemo has the advantage in straight up kickboxing and wrestling.



Prediction: Lesnoe by submission. With two young fighters with as much talent as Einemo and Lesnoe, the execution on fight night will decide the fight. If Einemo can keep the fight in his area of expertise, he can pick Lesnoe apart en route to a decision or a late TKO, while Lesnoe can submit Einemo if he can get to a dominant position. This one is pretty much a toss up.



Preliminary card:



Featherweight bout:



Kira ”Gaijin” Miyata (3-0) vs. Artair Dostan (5-1)



A judoka making his CF:L debut, Kira Miyata has finished all of his three pro bouts via armbar, and will be looking to keep the streak alive against returning brawler Artair Dostan, who was defeated by Uebishe Lesnoe in June.



Prediction: Miyata by submission. Tough first test for the debuting rookie, but one I think he will pass.



Heavyweight bout:



Vincent ”ViGo” Gompka (3-2) vs. Benjamin ”The Crush” Price (1-3)



Two heavyweights trying to get back on track in Benjamin Price and Vincent Gompka square off after losses to the division’s elite. Price is a boxer and a wrestler, Gompka is a ground and pound specialist with dangerous ground and pound.



Prediction: Gompka by (T)KO. Gompka is the better wrestler and possesses fight-ending power in his hands.



Light heavyweight bout:



Janis ”Piicha” Piternieks (1-0) vs. Alex ”The Future” Gullberg (0-0)



Two muay thai specialists will battle it out for that prestigious first CF:L victory as Latvian Janis Piternieks faces the ambitiously nicknamed Alex ”The Future” Gullberg. The two rookies will likely duke it out standing, though they have started to show improvement in their grappling games as well.



Prediction: Gullberg by (T)KO.



Light heavyweight bout:



Nicolai Zhurmedov (1-2) vs. Vladimir Dimitrov (0-0)



It’s a battle of two Russian wrestlers in the light heavyweight division as Nicolai Zhurmedov fights debuting Vladimir Dimitrov, trying to spoil the youngster’s first impression. Both men are from wrestling backgrounds, so it will be interesting to see what sort of a game plan they choose.



Prediction: Dimitrov by decision.



Middleweight bout:



Rejinaldo ”Gato” Silva (1-1) vs. Whosa ”Big” Bouy (0-6)



Versatile Brazilian prospect Rejinaldo Silva bounced back from an extremely rough youth to become a professional mixed martial artist, and his third fight will show whether he will bounce back from his first loss. Silva faces Whosa Bouy, a muay thai brawler who has yet to capture a victory in six professional fights.



Prediction: Silva by submission.



Heavyweight bout:



Papy ”Guardian of Zion” Mudada (0-0) vs. ”The Siberian Tiger” Ivan Emelianenko (1-5)



A promising up and comer from Jamaica, Papy Mudada tries to make his debut a memorable one as he takes on Ivan Emelianenko, a six-fight veteran who has been unsuccessful so far in putting together significant momentum in his career. Mudada is a powerful kickboxer with an evolving grappling game, while Emelianenko is an all-rounder with no significant specialization but with a slight bias towards boxing and jiu-jitsu.



Prediction: Mudada by (T)KO.

 

Article views: 267
» Donate to this author

Editorial Staff
Tycoon Times Discussion
Tycoon Times - MMA Magazine MMA Tycoon
MMA Chat Room
MMA Forum