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Evolution 27 ‘Narushima vs. Orange 2’ Preview
Randy: “We’re back for another edition of Evolution’s count-down previews as we get ready for Evolution 27 ‘Narushima vs. Orange 2’ which comes to you live from the Wombley Arena in London, England on Friday October 4th, 2013. This card is stacked from top to bottom but is headlined by a rematch between 2 of the best light-heavyweights on the planet when former champion Ryo Narushima looks to rebound from a recent 2 fight skid where he failed to capture the Evolution 265lbs championship getting stopped by Kyle Carlton in the very first round and then dropping a close decision and his light-heavyweight championship to Smokodju Womba in his last appearance. The last time these two faced off was back at Empire 39 when Narushima was able to stop Orange in the first round. Funny enough that victory came immediately after a loss to Womba so Orange is hoping that lightening won’t strike twice here tonight. This terrific card is co-headlined by a terrific match-up in the featherweight division when former champion Sly Randolph takes on the BJJ red-belt Rainer Varkaskoukku. I’m joined here now by my guest Danny Power. Welcome back to the show, how have ya been?”
Power: “I’d be lying if I said times have been good Randy. I been getting my ass kicked lately and Sean thinks I’m starting to suffer from brain damage. He’s been trying to talk me into retirement, a conversation I’m sure you are all too familiar with but for now I’ve got him off my ass.”
Randy: “That’s right! I did see that you signed to fight on an upcoming card in the rematch against Katsu Higashikuni. How’d Mega convince you or Sean to take that fight?”
Power: “Honestly I think there was mutual interest all around. Mega approached Sean about the fight and despite his hesitation he did approach me with the offer and asked me what I thought about a rematch against Katsu. I was really just thrilled he was going to corner me in another fight and give me a chance to rebound and prove that I still have what it takes to be 1 of the top guys in the weight class. I think Katsu presents a great opportunity to prove that I can still do it. He’s a former champion in the organization and he rebounded with a nice win his last fight. He’s currently ranked in the top 10 world rankings of the weight class, so a win puts me 1 step closer to getting my title back.”
Randy: “Let’s talk a little bit about the title and your losses lately. First you lost your Evolution 145lbs championship to Sly Randolph. Then you went back to Ascension and dropped your title there to Waru Kuzuri. You then moved up to the lightweight division and fought Otso Jokinen in the rematch and got knocked out in the first round. What do you think has been going wrong?”
Power: “Well the first fight Sly just handed me my ass on a platter again. I really don’t know what it is about that guy but he just seems to have my number for some reason. The Waru fight I really don’t know what happened if I’m being honest. I really thought I did enough to win 3 rounds and take that fight but the judges didn’t see it that way and that’s what happens when you leave fights in the hands of judges. I’d obviously love to get another crack at Waru and prove that I not only was the better man in the first fight but that I am still the better man. I don’t really know what to say about the Otso fight. The man is a killer and has ridiculous power for such a little guy. He caught me and put my lights out, there is nothing else you can really say about it. Maybe you’ll see the rubber-match someday.”
Randy: “So there is a rumor going around that there has been some rumblings within the McDonnell camp because he’s not spending as much time with you guys in the gym again due to his ITFL duties and helping here with the production of the count-down shows. Is there any truth to these rumors?”
Power: “C’mon Randy you know how this shit goes. Is Sean in the gym as often as he used to be? No. Is Sean a busy man running International Team Fighting League and his other media relations things? Yes. Guys like me don’t need their hands held. I’m 31 yrs old dude and I’ve been doing this thing for a long time so my coach not being around as often is no excuse for my performance in the cage lately. I told Sean I still have it and I truly believe I do so I’m going to go into the cage in a few days and lay down a beating on Katsu Higashikuni that my home-town crowd has never seen before. When my hand is raised at the end of this fight all the rumors and questions about my retirement will be put to rest.”
Randy: “You sound confident about this fight. I’m really glad to see you got that look in your eyes when I saw you in the gym all those years ago. If things don’t go your way and you lose this fight what then?”
Power: “Losing this fight isn’t an option but if that is the way things play out I would imagine Sean will kick my ass to the un-employment line like he did to you Randy. Hell maybe I’ll be coming for your job and I can host the count-down show. I mean if you had to choose between a handsome man like myself who has won a world title in the organization and been the best fighter on the planet or a fat ass like you who would you choose?”
Randy: “Well on that note let’s get to checking out these fights. What do you say?”
Power: “You’re almost as good at changing the subject as Jacky Chan and Chris Karter but sure let’s check out the card.”
Nisse Blockson (18-6) vs. Mitchell Stehling (45-19)
A three round fight in the heavyweight division kicks things off on the main-card portion of this stacked card when Nisse Blockson looks to make it three in a row in the org stepping back down to the heavyweight division to take on 64 fight veteran Mitchell Stehling. Blockson was off the grid in the MMA scene for quite a long-time before making a come-back at EVO 12 and the ring rust was very evident in that fight but he’s won two straight fights by 1st round KO since his return and looks to make it 3 in a row against a very tough veteran of the sport in this fight. Blockson is a well-rounded kick-boxer who pushes a fast pace throwing lots of punches to the body and head while mixing in a lot of leg kicks into his game-plan. Blockson is known most for his heavy hands finishing 16 of his 18 victories by TKO or knock-out including 9 in the first round. Mitchell Stehling is an extremely well-rounded fighter with high level kick-boxing skills but backs that up with great wrestling ability and is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt. Stehling lands over 41% of his takedown attempts in his career and he should have a decisive edge if this fight hits the ground so I would look for him to try getting this fight to the ground early and often. Stehling is very accurate with his ground strikes and is an excellent guard passer so if this fights goes to the mat I expect him to have his way with Blockson. The big question in this fight will be if Blockson can land 1 of those devastating blows on the feet and end this fight before Stehling can drag him to the ground.
Randy: “This is a great way to kick off a card. You throw two power punching heavyweights into the cage, mix in an interesting clash of styles and you have a recipe for a FOTN performance to set the theme of the event. I’m taking Blockson in what I would consider a little bit of an upset. I say he catches Stehling early in the fight and makes it 3 straight wins by 1st round KO.”
Power: “I like Blockson as a fighter. I think he’s very entertaining and obviously I have a pretty good relationship with Mega but I just think Stehling is too good for him in this fight. Realistically he’s probably the better striker and when you add that to his ability to get fights to the ground and gain dominant positions I don’t see anywhere Blockson can win this fight aside from giving him a punchers chance.”
Matt Miller (26-8) vs. Jason Griffin (22-11-1)
The little guys step into the cage in this next fight when Matt Miller takes on Jason Griffin a 3 round contest in the featherweight division. Miller recently stopped a 3 fight skid by stopping Konrad Kurze in the 2nd round via TKO with devastating ground strikes from the mount position. Miller is an Olympic caliber wrestler who possesses a black-belt in BJJ. Miller is terrific at getting fights to the mat landing on 42% of his takedown attempts in his career. Once Matt gets you to the ground he uses an aggressive attack to wear down his opponents and try to gain a dominant position where he has a better chance of finishing the fight. On average Miller lands close to 12 ground strikes per fight and if he is successful with his takedowns in this fight he has a great chance of walking away with the victory. Jason Griffin has won 3 straight fights in the division defeating former champions like Cormac Maguire and Barry Scott in his last two fights. Griffin is a very high level muay-thai striker who likes to throw lots of kicks to the leg and body to wear down opponents so he can tackle them into the cage and work his clinch game. Griffin will unleash a variety of strikes using all possible limbs against the cage but is specifically successful with his dirty-box punches to the head and his knees to the body. If Griffin can keep Miller on the end of his strikes or with his back against the cage he could find a lot of success in this fight. Griffin has shown excellent takedown defense in his career stuffing 81% of his opponent’s attempts in his career. A win for either of these fighters will go a long way towards their title aspirations especially for Griffin if he can make it 4 in a row in a stacked division like the Evolution featherweight division is.
Randy: “This is a great opportunity for both of these fighters. Miller really established his name among top contenders in the featherweight division despite his recent struggles so a 4th straight win over a guy like Miller would be huge for Griffin’s career. At the same time Griffin has all the momentum coming into this fight so Miller could really give his career a shot in the arm by stealing all of it with a win. I think Miller takes this fight because his last 3 losses have come to guys who were able to out-grapple him on the ground and Griffin won’t be able to do that. Miller gets the takedowns he needs to pull it off.”
Power: “Miller is a tough kid and I’ve been in the cage with him before so I have to agree with everything you said there. Two of those losses were submissions from the bottom against very dangerous submission artists and then of course his loss to me where I was able to out-wrestle him. Miller wins this fight by TKO sometime in the 3rd round.”
Pat Barry (20-2-1) vs. Lex Logic (15-2)
Next up on the card is a terrific match-up between two strikers in the middleweight division as Pat Barry takes on Lex Logic in a 3 round contest. Barry is 2-0-1 since joining the division fighting to a draw and then knocking out the hall-of-famer Glozman just a few days ago in the last fight of his career. Barry was offered a fight on short notice against another new face in the division Lex Logic. Barry has elite level boxing skills but also mixes lots of kicks to the leg and body into his game-plan. Barry also loves to fight against the cage in the clinch position where he utilizes all limbs but finds a lot of success with his elbows and punches to the face. Barry can also wear on guy’s gas tanks against the cage with lethal knees to the body. Barry has good knock-out power finishing 14 of his 20 victories by TKO or knock-out for a 70% finish rate. Lex Logic is also a well-rounded kick-boxer who pushes a fast pace throwing lots of punches to the body and head while mixing in a lot of leg kicks. Logic is also a very adept clinch fighter but prefers to use his knees more than his opponent throwing them to both the body and head. Logic also throws a lot of punches to the body and head against the cage as he tries to wear guys down and then beat them with pressure from the outside. There is very little chance this fight goes to the ground so expect to see fireworks as these two fighters trade heavy blows at distance and against the cage. Both of these fighters have knocked out a former champion in Glozman and are trying to make a name for themselves in the division but only 1 guy can win this fight so somebodies career is going to run into a hiccup after this fight is over.
Randy: “This is a great fight between two new faces in the division but I think Barry is going to keep on the fast track and derail Logic’s career setting him on a 2 fight losing streak. Logic hung in there with a very tough fighter and former challenger in Sullivan IV and I expect he’ll bounce back strong in his next fight.”
Power: “I can’t say I know much about either of these fighters but I have more faith in Logic’s camp than in Barry’s so for that reason and that reason alone I’m going to lean towards Logic in this fight. It’ll go to the score-cards and it’ll be a close fight but Logic edges it out.”
Sly Randolph (32-13-1) vs. Rainer Varvaskoukku (19-10-2)
The co-main event of the evening is a 5 round contest in the featherweight division when former champion Sly Randolph looks to rebound in his first fight since losing the title when he takes on dangerous submission specialist Rainer Varvaskoukku. Randolph had a back and forth fight his last time in the cage in a terrific match-up against Hector Cabrera but ultimately lost in the 4th round via arm-bar submission. Before the submission Randolph was finding a lot of success on the ground with his transition attempts and his ground strikes but he left an opening while lying in Cabrera’s guard and Hector took the opening and tried to snap his arm off. Randolph would be wise to be aware at all times if he chooses to take this fight to the ground also because if he falls asleep for one moment he could pay the price by losing his 2nd straight fight. Randolph should have the advantage if this fight stays on the feet and can use his reach advantage to keep Rainer on the outside and potentially help him stop the takedown attempts from the high-level wrestler. Rainer isn’t always very aggressive on the feet but he really grinds in his takedown attempts and finds ways to get guys to the mat. Rainer is at a disadvantage if this fight stays standing but can win from the top or bottom position on the ground so he should definitely choose his opportunities wisely and pounce on the takedown attempt if Randolph leaves an opening. Varvaskoukku has only been stopped 2x so far in his career but Randolph has shown the KO power in the past to catch high level fighters. This is a big fight in the division and the winner will certainly be 1 of the top contenders in the division.
Randy: “I think Rainer is going to pull off the upset and win this fight by submission. I think Randolph finds success on the feet but ultimately this fight will end up on the ground and I don’t think Randolph will be afraid to fight there if he has the top position. I think Rainer makes him pay for that decision and gets a submission late in the fight.”
Power: “I can’t pick against Randolph simply on principle. I think I’m 1 of the best fighters in the division and this guy kicks my ass every time I step into the cage with him. I think Rainer is very dangerous on the ground but believe me when I tell you that Randolph can turn your lights off and I think he catches Rainer clean and puts him away in the 3rd round.”
Jake Orange (35-13) vs. Ryo Narushima (34-9)
Our main-event of the evening is a 5 round fight in the light-heavyweight division when Jake Orange takes on former champion Ryo Narushima in a rematch. Orange has been on a hell of a roll lately winning 5 straight fights against top-level competition including 3 in a row since joining Evolution’s light-heavyweight division. Orange has finished all 3 of his fights inside the Evolution cage and his striking game has really looked on point since joining the organization finishing big names like former champions Marko Torturo and Theo Atla Son as well as former Blitz and NFC light-heavyweight champion Gristle McThornbody. Orange has used his clinch game to great effect in his last 3 fights and I am sure that will be his plan in this fight. Orange will push a fast pace on the feet throwing lots of punches to the body and head while mixing in a lot of leg kicks as he tries to slow down his opponent’s movement so that he can close the distance and tackle them into the cage. Ryo Narushima is an extremely dangerous muay-thai striker who lands on 72% of his kick attempts and he usually has plenty of attempts averaging close to 50 kicks thrown a fight during his career. Narushima is also 1 of the most dangerous knock-out artists in the sport and had finished 5 of his last 6 fights before this recent 2 fight skid with the only victory that went the distance against former Ascension light-heavyweight champion Yance Sackett. Narushima will look to keep this fight on the outside where he will try to wear down Orange with an ass load of kicks thrown with bad intentions. If Ryo can keep this fight on the outside he has an excellent chance of winning by knock-out but if Orange can get Ryo’s back against the cage early in the fight he may wear him down enough to be able to survive the vicious power of Narushima. The winner of this fight could very likely fight the winner of the light-heavyweight title fight from earlier in the week.
Randy: “The only thing that’d make this fight better is if there was a championship on the line but either way this is a terrific fight between two very talented strikers who have been knocking guys out at will when winning the fight. Orange has been on quite the roll but Narushima needs this fight more and he’ll find a way to stay out of the clinch and put Orange away inside the distance just like the first fight between these two.”
Power: “I agree this is a great way to end an already stacked card but I am going against your pick in this fight. I think Narushima feels much like I do right now and he’s trying to figure out where things went wrong and sometimes doubt starts to creep in. Self-doubt at this level of competition and against guys who can hit as hard as these two fighters can is 1 of the most dangerous things and sometimes the toughest opponent to overcome. Orange has that swagger going right now and he’ll come out not thinking he can win but knowing he can. He’ll put this fight away in the 1st or 2nd round.”
Randy: “What another fantastic card put on by Mega and Evolution. The best part is that’s only part 1 of a 2 event weekend.”
Power: “Your ass better be tuning into that card too Randy. Katsu and I headline the card and then you have the fraudulent HW Don Marciano against J. Breaker as a co-main event? Two former heavyweight champions face off in Dustin Douglas and Arnie Ironz before the two headlining fights? That’s a hell of a card man.”
Randy: “How excited are you to be fighting back in your home-town? I wish I could be in attendance to hear how crazy loud it gets in the arena when your music goes off.”
Power: “I’m really excited to return home. The last time I fought in London was against Jay Coleman back at Eminence 21 so it’s been a long-time since I’ve gotten the chance to fight in front of my home crowd. Hopefully I can put on a great performance and bring home the victory.”
Randy: “Well good luck in the fight against Katsu and if you choose to make another run at the title I wish you the best of luck in your attempt.”
Power: “I think you’ll see me wearing Evolution gold again before all is said and done. Thanks for the well wishes though and I think you do a great job as the host of this show.”
Randy: “This is Randy Ortiz signing off for now. Join us later in the week for Evolution 28 as Danny Power returns home to London in a great rematch and heavyweight king-pin Don Marciano looks to rebound from his recent loss in a fight against J. Breaker. It’ll be interesting to see if Marciano man’s up and fights Samba after this fight. We’re out of time so tune in for the next show.”
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