2013-08-16
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IMMA 60 Preview

Event Preview: IMMA 60 McCormick Vs Nate
Invictus (170+)
2013-08-17, Los Angeles, King Theatre
Author:Tycoon Judas

IMMA 60 Preview "McCormick Vs Nate  

 


Hello, fight fans! I'm Rodrigo Oliveira bringing you a special guest preview for IMMA's 60th show. To celebrate the
milestone, my friend Butch Harris has put together one hell of a 10-fight card, headlined by two title fights. Below
is a preview of what is about to go down at the King's Theatre on August 17th.

MAIN EVENT
MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Kenny "Mysterion" McCormick (8-2) vs "The Pissed One" Yuri Nate (15-2)

The main event of the evening features a middleweight championship bout between Kenny McCormick and Yuri Nate.

McCormick, who captured the belt after a 5-round "Fight of Night"-award winner effort against Johnny Freedom, will
look to make his first title defense as he puts his 4-fight winning streak on the line against Nate. McCormick, who
obtained half of his pro wins by knockout or technical knockout, went the distance in 3 of his last 4 wins.

The challenger, Yuri Nate, grappled his way into title contention, besting Jeremy Ring, Gonna Spanked and Gannicus
Spartacus inside the IMMA cage,  extending his winning streak to an impressive five in a row. A grappler by default,
Nate has finishes in 11 of his 15 wins, with 9 (T)KOs and 2 submissions. He is yet to finish an opponent under the IMMA
banner.

ANALYSIS: McCormick is a kickboxer who likes to pick apart his opponents utilizing volume striking, flinging single shots
and kicks to the legs and body with decent, but less-than-stellar accuracy. When trapped in the clutches of his opponents,
he usually punches his way out of it, returning to striking range. McCormick's most reliable scoring tools are his leg
kicks, which he throws often and with a 67% accuracy rate.

Nate, on the other hand, preffers to grapple. An exceptional wrestler with a brown belt in BJJ, he uses his serviceable
striking mainly to mask his takedown attempts. Where he really shines, though, is in the clinch. From close quarters, the
Mexican bullies his opponents with short, snapping punches and throws them around, landing a whopping 83% of his attempted
takedowns. Once on the ground, he will knife through guards and rain down strikes, averaging 18 strikes per fight with a
64% success rate. If the submission is there, he will take it as well.

PICK: Both men have glaring fouls that could be exploited by each other: McCormick has looked fairly vulnerable in the
clinch, while Nate has proven not that difficult to hit, especially by kicks. It's a pretty even fight that will come
down to each fighter's ability to develop and implement a good gameplan: The champion can win by picking his shots and
staying on the outside, but the challenger can definetely score a minor upset by repeatedly taking the fight to the clinch
and to the ground. McCormick is a small favorite though. He retains his belt after a hard-fought decision.

CO-MAIN EVENT
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Umberto Sotto Jr (9-4) vs "The Wolf" Alexander Orlov (9-0)

Coming up next, we have another title affair, this time in the lightweight division, as knockout artist Sotto Jr looks
to defend his belt against undefeated challenger Orlov.

Newly crowned champion Umberto Sotto Jr looks to make his first title defense in the night's co-main event. After losing
in his IMMA debut, Sottor Jr bounced back to score a pair of striking-induced stoppages, forcing Allen LeFleur to quit
under strikes and then forcing the referee to separate him from Christopher Bisne in the 2nd round of their IMMA 54 title
clash.

Few man were able to wear championship gold while undefeated and Alexander Orlov will look to do just that, keeping his
record at a perfect 10-0 while adding a nice golden piece of hardware to his trophy case. "The Wolf" made his way to
title contention with a decision win over Vitali Popov, a highlight reel finish over Chuck Norris with a flying knee and
another decision win over Ali Basra.

ANALYSIS: Sotto Jr is primarily a boxer, displaying good accuracy with his punches and beautiful body work throughout his
career, but he also added other tricks to his striking arsenal as a mixed martial artist, possessing wicked head and body
kicks, which land an impressive 71% of the time. Sotto Jr, obviously, prefers to work out in the open, being averse to
any form of grappling - a trait he shares with the challenger.

Although he doesn't possess the show-stopping power of Sotto Jr, Orlov has won a majority of his fights by (T)KO (6 out of
9) and is a more technical and diverse striker, relying primarily on his Muay thai. He mixes up punches and kicks to various
levels. He's agressive and looks to overwhelm his opponents with sheer volume, raining down fists, shins and knees all
over the place. Like Sotto Jr, he does have solid takedown defense, but that probably won't be a factor in this fight.

PICK: While Sotto Jr has the edge in boxing and the power to make it a serious threath, he's facing a more technical, refined
striker in Orlov, who also has the better chin - the champion has been knocked out in 3 of his 4 losses. "The Wolf" will
also be coming in with a decent height and reach advantage, further enhancing his kicking game and making knees in the clinch
easier to land. Orlov snatches the belt via TKO in the 4th.

LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT BOUT

"Smooth" Ben Barnes (8-2) vs Harry Pigeon (9-4)

Barnes, who fought all of his career in IMMA, reached top contender status in the lightheavyweight division after carving
a 5-fight winning streak with 3 technical knockouts to his credit, but came up short against champion Bartholomew Roach.
He has since bounced back to defeat Oliver Twist via decision, and looks to extend his win streak to two in a row. A well-
rounded striker, Barnes typically engages and finishes punch combinations with leg kicks, but he truly shines in the clinch
where he can be devastating with knees, elbows and punches. All but one of his stoppages came as a result of a solid knee
strike.

Pigeon is undefeated since joining IMMA, as he stopped Dmonray Flauta with a brutal combination at IMMA Contenders 24 before
scoring a TKO over Oscar Payne at IMMA 54. The Canadian utilizes solid wrestling to keep fights vertical, where he lets
his fists fly. Out of Pigeon's 9 wins, 6 came by way of knockout or technical knockout, but he also has a pair of submissions
under his belt.

PICK: If this stays standing, Barnes will have a slight advantage, utilizing his kicks and superior clinchwork to pick Pigeon
apart. However, the 27-year-old Osceola,ON native can mix things up by changing levels and going for takedowns. On the ground,
his superior submission skills will definetely put him ahead. Pigeon takes it by decision.


LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT

Mark "MD 20/20" Deeney (11-3) vs Tommie "The Shot" Gunn (7-3-1)

Deeney is 2-1 inside the IMMA cage, besting Kyell Gold (TKO due to knees) and Una Kemeameahu (unanimos decision), with Ali
Basra being responsible for his only setback. The Muay thai specialist likes to dart in and out of striking range, racking
up points with well-placed punches and chopping low kicks, but he truly shines in the clinch, where he employs a soul-sapping,
knee-heavy offense. Despite not being known as a finisher, Deeney has 4 technical knockout to his credit.

Gunn fought for IMMA his whole career, going 7-3-1 as a pro. "The Shot" has hit a roadblock of sorts, going 0-2-1 in his
last outings, being defeated by Sebasti Alvarez and Harry Slater and fighting Saul Alvarez to a draw. A well-rounded fighter,
Gunn scores mainly with jabs and slapping leg kicks, also setting up his takedowns, leading to an excellent 43% success rate.
Once on the ground, he works hard to advance position while peppering his opponents with high-volume ground n' pound.

PICK: While Deeney will make a fight out of it, Gunn has a sizeable advantage in the wrestling and BJJ departments, and
he will repeatedly ground "MD 20/20" down en route to a unanimous decision win.

UNDERCARD

Lightweight bout - Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (7-4-1) vs "Krokofant" Knut Ludvigsen (6-2)

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez has had mixed results since signing with IMMA, with one win (KO over Umberto Sotto Jr), one loss
(TKO to Sebasti Alvarez) and one draw (versus Tommie Gunn). Alvarez is an excellent boxer who adds to his proficient punching
with excellent kicking, resulting in 4 out of his 7 wins coming by way of KO or TKO.

Knut Ludvigsen is fresh out of his IMMA debut, where he stopped Renato King on third round punches. An elite wrestler with
a diverse skillset, the "Krokofant" is no slouch on his feet, landing with 80% of his head punches before ducking down to
finish 50% of his takedowns. He's an absolute beast on the ground, landing 73% of his ground n' pound while fishing for
submissions.

PICK: Ludvigsen has the stand up to hang with Alvarez long enough to get the fight to the ground. Once there, it's a wrap. He
takes the win by TKO or submission late in the first round.

Bantamweight bout - Lyle Willems (11-4) vs "Lady Killer" Kelvin Letchford (8-3)

Lyle Willems has gone 2-1 in IMMA fights so far in his run, getting the best of Akiyama Shinichi and Jake Palhares while
being on the losing end against Lee Kawaski. A big bantamweight, Willems charges forward behind flailing punches, often throwing
a takedown or two into the mix. He can do well wherever the fight takes place, displaying good work in the clinch as well
as good guard passes, accurate ground n' pound and the ability to submit people.

Letchford beat Bart Maniac and Vyacheslav Fedotov en route to his title shot against Terrance Clam Digger, but fell short
in his bid to unseat the reigning champ. Letchford likes to punish his opponents with leg kicks, averaging an absurd 50
per fight, while landing 76% (almost 39) per fight. His kicks in general are his best weapons, but he also has tight, crisp
boxing, landing a very good amount of his punches to the head and torso.

PICK: This bout will be vastly contested on the feet, and Letchford will capitalize on Willems' wild striking, punishing
him with counter punches and thudding leg kicks throughout, winning by unanimous decision or late TKO.

Lightweight bout - "The Atomic Weapon" Alexander Hodgins (8-5) vs Virgil Keller (6-4)

Hodgins put together a nice 3-fight winning streak, sandwiched between a loss in his debut and a loss in his last outing, a
title bout against Sebasti Alvarez. "The Atomic Weapon" has finishes in 75% of his wins, with six TKOs and 2 submissions
under his belt. Hodgins loads up on his strikes, leading to poor accuracy but good damage done - he has a particularly good
head kick. He's also a pretty capable grappler, capable of finishing fights on the ground both with ground n' pound and
submissions.

Keller is 1-1 under the IMMA banner, dropping a decision to Jonathan Payet before viciously knockint out Zach Didion at
IMMA Contenders 29. Like Hodgins, he's also a wild brawler, possessing thunder in his fasts, with 3 of his KO wins coming in
less than a minute. Keller is also pretty hard to finish, with all of his four losses coming by way of decision.

PICK: Keller has the wrestling to negate Hodgins' grappling advantage and the power to put him away. He takes it by knockout.

Super Heavyweight bout - Tony Owl (7-5-1) vs "The Universal Soldier" Luc Devreaux (6-4)

Owl lives and dies by the sword, with his four fights inside the IMMA cage ending by knockout or technical knockout - with 2 wins
and 2 losses. As a 7'3" tall, 320-pounds behemoth, it's no wonder that all but one of Owl's wins came by knockout, with just
one of those happening in the second round. On the downside, he was knocked out three times already and, as a BJJ white
belt, submitted twice as well.

Devreaux is a leaner super heavyweight, but he also has fight-ending power in his fists, shins and knees, obtaining all of
his wins by knockout or technical knockout. The 23-year-old is also a capable wrestler and grappler, landing
with a good amount of his ground strikes.

PICK: Devreaux has a clear path to victory here and that is taking the fight to the ground. He has the wrestling chops to
do it, and should probably win by TKO in the first round.

Bantamweight bout - Zachary Mendoza (12-6) vs "Jose" Joonas Mustonen (13-8)

Knockout artist Zachary Mendoza is set to make his IMMA debut in the night's undercard. At just 23-years-old, Mendoza already
has a wealth of experience under his belt, with 18 fights as a pro already. The Pittsburgh-native moves forward and throws
down with reckless abandon, slinging multi-punch combinations with murderous intent. Mendoza obtained 9 out of his 12 wins
by KO or TKO.

Mustonen is also making his promotional debut looking to get back on his winning ways - he lost 3 out of his last 4. "Jose"
is a bit more well-rounded than his opponent, making good use of his wrestling and jiu jitsu in obtaining six wins by
submission. He needs to fight more cautiously though, as Mendoza certainly has the power to get to his chin.

PICK: Mendoza should be able to stuff enough takedowns to force a standup battle, where he will catch Mustonen with something
meaningful and put him away.

 

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