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 Hello and welcome to midweek fights with SPNY live from the Hard Knocks Arena in New York City, tonight we bring you a 10 fight MMA rules card with the headline event Lolo Delaroca vs Raimo Pukki. The undercard will be headed up with leading Middleweight contender Anti Satosori strutting his wares against Dan Stann. If you can get down from work early you will be treated with the Featherweight title defence of Tony Frank against Malakai Semerkhet. Steel Penn NY has odds on all fights tonight if you think you can pick a winner.
Main Event: Bantamweight
Lolo Delaroca 23-7-1 (7-1-1 SPNY) vs Raimo Pukki 36-16 (7-3 SPNY)
Tonight’s headline event is a rematch of a fight from SPNY 76 which resulted in a unanimous decision to Delaroca. Since then the fortunes of these fighters have varied, Delaroca had a long winning streak marred by an upset loss and a majority draw decision against Bantamweight titleholder Buzz Cloltran go against him in a fight many felt he deserved to win. Pukki left SPNY, had a 3 fight losing streak and is now trying to rebuild his reputation.
Delaroca is one of the best grapplers SPNY has, a French Olympic wrestler who also has a black belt in BJJ, there aren’t too many who have the quality he has on the ground. To his credit, unlike a lot of grapplers he is not overly reliant on his submissions to win a fight, the ground & pound of Delaroca is his true strength. Watch for him to get the takedown and look to find the TKO from the ground.
Pukki is a genuine stand up fighter and will look to stuff the takedown to get a win on his feet. Whilst the clinch isn’t his strongest point, he knows that it is the greatest weakness of Delaroca, so watch for him to try to exploit that tonight. The longer Pukki keeps this standing the better off he will be.
While the obvious is that a standing fight, especially in a clinch, will favour Pukki I can’t see Delaroca not getting a takedown at some point. I anticipate Delaroca taking this down and dominating Pukki resulting in a 2nd round KO.
2: Middleweight
Anti Satosari 26-12 (6-2 SPNY) vs Dan Stann 19-18-3 (1-1-1 SPNY)
Muay Thai specialist Satosari had built a solid 4 fight winning streak to become SPNY’s No. 1 Middleweight contender until a loss at his last start brought his challenge undone. Tonight he gets the chance to rebuild his position by beating journeyman Stann. Whilst Satosori gets credited for his body kicks and elbows usually, it is his defence that is his true strength and Stann may find it difficult to get past him.
Stann comes in with 40 fights to his name but only 19 wins. Originally a boxer, he has developed his defence to the point he has no true weaknesses defensively but he has never had the versatility in offence to dominate fights. Tonight he hopes to keep the fight out of the clinch and strike, but his reach disadvantage leaves me to think he cannot win this fight.
Satosari should claim an easy KO.
3: Light Heavyweight
Dominic Rude 15-4 (1-1 SPNY) vs Jarred Rose 14-7 (2-2 SPNY)
After winning 9 straight fights by KO, Rude currently has career worst form with 2 losses in his last 3 fights. A very good kick boxer who will make the most of his 2 inch reach advantage he will back his takedown defence and defensive grappling to be enough to get him the win over grappler Rose.
Rose is a submission specialist whose preference for softening up opponents with his ground & pound leads to knockout victories will know his only chance to win this fight is to get the takedown. I don’t know if he has the ability to score that takedown without taking a lot of punishment from Rude, and that should make for an interesting fight.
I like Rude to outscore Rose but I don’t know if he has the power to finish it. Rude by decision seems likely to me.
4: Light Heavyweight
Nate MacRally 21-21-1 (5-3-1 SPNY) vs Zachery Rey 26-14-1 (5-4 SPNY)
Two fighters who have what some commentators have described as fatal flaws meet in this one. MacRally has been too keen on being an “attractive fighter” without focussing on his defence, and whilst he has had some memorable victories he has never found consistency in his career. Rey is a magnificent kick boxer but has never developed the ground game he needs to truly be a top level fighter.
I like Rey by KO in this fight.
5: Middleweight
Dack Fayden 5-2 (0-1 SPNY) vs Vic Thory 12-5 (10-5 SPNY)
Fayden represents the exciting young talent in the division, while Thory represents the next big thing that hasn’t quite eventuated. Fayden is a magnificent ground fighter who perhaps thought a perfect submission game was all it would take to win at the top level; having arrived at SPNY it has now become clear he needs to work on his stand up before he will truly be a contender. Thory started his career with a lot of promise as a sprawl and brawl fighter but has not continued that form since being submitted in a title challenge.
Thory’s 3 inch reach advantage, takedown defence, and clinch work should leave him with an easy decision win.
6: Heavyweight
Jacob Ford 18-14 (1-1 SPNY) vs Bill Pilgrim 13-12-1 (2-3-1 SPNY)
Ford was once a professional boxer which surprises some people who know him as a strong striker who doesn’t have much of a chin. Pilgrim has tried to be a well rounded fighter, but in truth struggles to win unless he manages a KO, losing all but one of his fights that has gone the distance.
With tonight evenly matched in skill and reach, expect confidence to be the deciding factor; Ford by KO.
7: Featherweight Title
Tony Frank (c) 3-1 (3-0 SPNY) vs Malakai Semerkhet 3-1 (3-1 SPNY)
Frank enters his first title defence with the confidence that he has found his strategy, and even though his last 3 opponents have known what was coming none could prevent him from executing. That is, he has found the takedown and ground and pound his wrestling background gives him. Tonight his title defence is entirely based on his ability to takedown and dominate this fight.
Semerkhet is a kick boxer with knockout power, but worryingly has not exhibited the takedown defence needed at the highest level. If Semerkhet can land a few of his vicious high kicks early he may well have the ability to knock Frank out, but will struggle badly if taken down.
I like Frank by decision to defend his title here.
8: Super Heavyweight
Jukka Omena 8-3 (1-2 SPNY) vs Steven Sangweni 4-5 (0-2 SPNY)
Omena is a solid kick boxer, but the 11 inch reach disadvantage he brings to tonight’s contest may prove too much for his skills to overcome. Sangweni to date has relied entirely on his reach advantage and landing one big punch to find a knockout, and honestly has looked lost if it hasn’t come when he expected. If he throws too many wayward shots tonight Omena’s counters should do the trick.
I think logic points to Omena being all over this match up, but the romantic in me is backing Sangweni to pull of a massive upset with a KO win.
9: Heavyweight
Larry O’Leary 24-12 (0-1 SPNY) vs Mamoru Takamura 5-7 (0-1 SPNY)
O’Leary is on a 5 fight losing streak, Takamura has lost 7 of his last 8. Whilst it might not be a title fight this is a fight between two evenly matched fighters with similar form problems and everything to gain with a win. I think that situation may make this a contender for fight of the night. O’Leary once had a dominant ground & pound that has led him to 16 career KO wins, while Takamura has heavy hands if he can last long enough to land his shots. Tonight will end in a KO but whose way?
I like Takamura to land a big one and finish this with a KO.
10: Featherweight
Devon Dixon 1-1 (0-1 SPNY) vs Wee Ning 3-1 (SPNY Debut)
Dixon is representative of the young generation of fight fans who attempt to become a fighter without first learning a martial art. While he won his debut he looked helpless on the ground in his first SPNY fight and will need to develop a lot more before he can become a serious contender. Ning makes his org debut tonight known as a submission grappler who will have such a distinct advantage on the ground I will declare this fight over the moment he lands a takedown.
Ning by submission.
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