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Evolution 63 'EVO vs. Ascension' Preview
Randy: “Welcome back to a brand new edition of Evolution’s countdown previews as we get ready for one of the most anticipated events in a very long time. Evolution 63 ‘EVO vs. Ascension’ will come to you live from the Wombley Arena live in London, England on Thursday January 30th, 2014. I’m Randy Ortiz and thank you for joining us after a long hiatus. I apologize for the long break. My good looks keep me very busy with another career that we won’t go into right now. I’m joined here now by my long-time friend and former manager Sean McDonnel. Thanks for taking the time to help kick of the new year with me as we do our first show of the year.
Sean: “My pleasure as always Randy.”
Randy: “Before we jump right into this amazing card I’d like to start by congratulating you and your team on winning a few awards at the annual Tycoon Awards ceremony. You won two awards yourself being a co-winner of the Writer of the Year awards as well as winning the Tournament of the Year for International Team Fighting League Season 1.”
Sean: “That’s right. I was very happy to be the recipient of both awards. I certainly put a lot of time and effort into my work and being recognized for it was very nice. I consider the ITFL my “baby” of sorts so I was absolutely ecstatic that it was such a hit in the voting. I hope everybody keeps their eyes open for the season 3 sign-ups which will be 195K ID and either in the 170lbs or 185lbs weight classes.”
Randy: “You also had a couple of your fighters take home an award as well with Danny Power winning ‘Upset of the Year’ for his victory over Otso Jokinen and then funny enough the other man on your roster who’s topped Otso won the ‘Comeback Fighter of the Year’ award. Send my regards to both Danny and Gary Bunn will you?”
Sean: “Will do. I’m very proud of both of those guys Randy. Gary certainly had a rough start to his career and maybe that was my fault as a manager putting him in an org like Ascension with a 1-0 record? He finished the previous year on a 3 fight losing streak and he came to me and said that he was tired of losing. That kid really started coming into the gym focused and putting in the extra time and it paid off for him. As far as the upset of the year goes, there were some people who are close to my camp that were giving Danny a really good chance in that fight but yea I’m sure not many outsiders were giving him a chance to beat Otso. The guy was on a 19 fight winning streak and was widely considered the 155lbs and 170lbs champion in NFC, IMMA and Empire as he’d beaten all of their champions in super-fights during his run. Danny really went into that fight and executed the game-plan and walked away with the biggest victory in his career.”
Randy: “Well I could sit here and talk MMA with you all day Sean but we have one hell of a card to look at and since it’s our first show of the new year and this card is such a great one, we’re going to do the full line-up tonight if that’s okay with you?”
Sean: “I don’t have anywhere else I need to be so sure why not?”
Lex Logic (19-5) vs. Magnus Magneto (26-11-3)
We kick things off on the under-card with a 3 round fight in the middleweight division as the dangerous muay-thai striker Lex Logic looks to rebound from his recent defeat and failed attempt at winning the 185lbs championship by taking on another very talented thai striker in his own right Magnus Magneto. Both of these fighters are excellent strikers from the outside but prefer to get inside and tackle their opponents against the cage into the clinch position. I wouldn’t expect to see this fight go to the ground because neither fighter has ever attempted a takedown from distance in their entire careers. Instead I would expect a very entertaining striking match with lots of time spent against the cage as these two battle for the dominant position. Magneto is the better wrestler on paper so it will be interesting to see if that advantage gives him an edge in controlling the fight against the cage. What an excellent way to kick off the card as both of these guys try to establish themselves as a top contender.
Randy: “Both of these guys are extremely talented fighters and this should be a very even match-up which hopefully produces an instant classic for the fans. Magneto has looked good thus far since joining Evolution but I think that championship experience gives Logic a slight advantage in this fight as does his knock-out power so I’m going to take him to win this fight by taking 2 of the 3 rounds on his way to a unanimous decision victory.”
Sean: “I think all your points are very valid Randy and I wouldn’t be shocked if you’re right but I’m going to go with Magneto in this one. I think this fight will spend the majority of its time against the cage and Magneto outworks Logic in the clinch to get the decision victory.”
Daniel Silva (24-12-1) vs. John Bunting (19-5)
The next fight on the card is in the 265lbs+ division as Daniel Silva takes on John Bunting in a fight scheduled to go 3 rounds. Daniel Silva has looked impressive since being knocked out of the ‘Fighter of the Year’ tournament in the first round by Willy Stoppers who made it all the way to the finals before losing to division king-pin Neo Kable for the title. Silva had an injury going into that fight and clearly feels that when healthy he is one of the most dangerous guys in the division. John Bunting was the long-time champion in CCF but dropped his title in a super-fight to Evolution champion Neo Kable. Bunting then made the move to EVO to work his way up to a rematch but suffered a defeat in his first two fights in the organization. He recently turned things around with a close decision win over Musashimaru Koyo and will look to keep the momentum going with another victory in this fight. Both fighters have excellent power in their hands and are very capable of finishing this fight with just one big shot but I’d give the durability advantage to Bunting. He’s also a more well-rounded fighter and could look to use his wrestling early in this fight to try to wear down the dangerous striker. A win in this fight for Silva would establish him as one of the top contenders and while I don’t see Bunting knocking on the door for a title shot with a win it’d certainly help to steal the momentum that his opponent is building.
Randy: “An interesting clash of styles here as a pure-striker takes on an excellent wrestler in Bunting. You know I love my wrestlers so I’m backing Bunting in this fight as I think he’ll dictate where this fight takes place and finish the fight in the later rounds.”
Sean: (laughs) “Again all your points are quite valid Randy but I’m gonna have to disagree with you on the outcome of this fight. Silva has caught fire since teaming up with Mega Jug and his only loss at 100% health was to Synchrocity’s heavyweight champion Devin Styles. I think Silva comes out looking to take the fight to Bunting and finds a lot of success on the feet and puts this one away late in the 2nd round.”
Antero Wursty (20-3) vs. Mitch Heisenberg (32-10-1)
Next up on the card is a 5 round fight in the featherweight division as one of the division’s promising young stars Antero Wursty looks to rebound from his first round loss in the EVO FOTY tournament to 145lbs fighter of the year Sly Randolph by making his non-tournament debut in Evolution against 43 fight veteran Mitch Heisenberg, who brings a 4 fight winning streak into this fight. Heisenberg showed what a true veteran of the sport he is in his last fight gutting it out and overcoming being rocked late in the first round and knocked down early in the 2nd round to come-back and win a very close decision against former champion Hector Cabrera. He is a very skilled fighter who likes to push a fast pace and mixes things up well on the feet but isn’t afraid to change the game-plan when necessary and grapple with opponents by either taking them against the cage into his clinch or using his wrestling to get the fight to the mat. Wursty is hands down one of the most dangerous guys in the featherweight division and proved that by winning 20 straight fights finishing all but two of those inside the distance while dominating Hero’s featherweight division. If Wursty can keep this fight on the feet and keep his opponent in striking range he is more than capable of finishing this fight with 1 big shot. The winner of this one will definitely be knocking on the door of a title shot in the near future.
Randy: “Whew tough fight here Sean. I know you’ll have a rooting interest in this one considering Wursty’s manager is in your alliance and one of your best friends but I’m just not sure he was ready for this level of competition at this point in his career. I think I’m going to have to take Heisenberg in this fight by unanimous decision.”
Sean: “I really hope you’re wrong on this one Randy but as much as I’d like to disagree with you and pick Wursty in this fight I can’t pick with my heart and I agree, I’m not sure he was ready for this move quite yet but give him and Blunts a lot of credit for wanting to test themselves against the best. If Antero manages to win this fight and prove us all wrong then the featherweight division should be on notice because that kid is an absolute killer once that cage door closes.”
Rinky Spider (16-3) vs. Iro Tolonen (50-21)
The next fight on the card is one of the co-features of our under-card when Rinky Spider looks to rebound from his recent loss to Neo Kable in his Evolution debut by taking on one of the most experienced fighters in the division in Iro Tolonen. Spider was a multiple time NGF Champion and was considered one of the best prospects in the division when he stepped into the cage with rising star Neo Kable. He showed a ton of heart in the fight getting up from being knocked down on two separate occasions but ultimately Kable was too much for Rinky and finished him late in the 1st round. Rinky desperately wants to bounce back in this fight and prove that he was ready for the step up in competition but that will be no easy task against a 71 fight veteran. Tolonen has been competing against top competition forever it seems like and he brings a wealth of experience into this fight. He also brings a much more deteriorated body into the fight and this fight will truly be the old guard against the future of the division. Tolonen is still extremely dangerous and brings a well-rounded game into this contest and is still capable of beating anybody on any given night.
Randy: “This fight could main event almost any other orgs card today but it just shows you how completely stacked this card is that it’s only the co-feature on the under-card. If you want to encourage your fan base to buy your PPV though putting a fight like this on television is the way to do it. Tolonen has more ways of winning this fight but I think Spider proves that he belongs by knocking the veteran out early in this fight.”
Sean: “I’m gonna have to agree with you on this one Randy. If Tolonen is able to get this fight to the ground early maybe he’ll prove me wrong but I think Rinky comes out with a chip on his shoulder and Tolonen pays the price for those who doubt that Spider belongs here.”
Sly Randolph (37-14-2) vs. Oompa Loompa (18-3)
The next fight is our featured under-card bout and is the last fight before the PPV portion of our show when Sly Randoph cashes in on his FOTY tournament victory by getting a title shot against the new crowned champion Oompa Loompa who had an impressive debut in Evolution with a majority decision victory over Danny Power. Randolph has now gone 5-0-1 in his last 6 fight and avenged a loss against Hector Cabrera who is the man that took his title from him. Randolph is a dangerous opponent who is capable of finishing the fight with strikes or by submission and can do so in devastating fashion as he proved in his finals fight with a come from behind victory over Richard Dawkins with only 30 seconds left in the fight. Loompa wrestled his way to a victory over Danny Power and I would expect he’ll try to use a similar game-plan against Randolph in order to avoid his knock-out power. Loompa has already started the pre-fight banter leaving poems for his opponent. We’ll see if the trash talking from Loompa gets in the head of his opponent and forces him to get emotional during the fight.
Randy: “This is one of the fights I’m most looking forward on this card. I’ll admit that I didn’t think Loompa would be ready for the likes of Power but he proved me wrong and grinded out a tough decision victory. I hate to doubt the guy again but I think Randolph is the best fighter in the division and I think he stamps that point home with an impressive victory in this one.”
Sean: “I agree that Randolph is the best fighter in the division. I don’t want to count out Loompa because he certainly has the tools it takes to win this fight but Randolph has surprising power despite his record and that shit will really sneak up on you. I think he finishes this one sometimes in the middle rounds.”
Dustin Douglas (36-10) vs. Harry Punani (29-12)
We kick off the PPV portion of our show with a big fight in the heavyweight division as Dustin Douglas chooses to stay active rather than wait on 265lbs champion Christopher Samba to get back from his super-fight against Carl Creel in Ascension. Douglas recently won the EVO FOTY tournament in the heavyweight division and immediately got into a war of words with our champion as he is very anxious to avenge a majority decision loss that he felt he won. He’ll need to be careful not to overlook his opponent in this EVO vs. Ascension match-up because Punani is a very durable fighter with Olympic caliber wrestling ability. Punani is a skilled striker as well who looks to use his strikes to close the distance and set up his takedowns. This fight will be an excellent test for Douglas as this match-up is eerily similar to the fight Douglas wants in Samba.
Randy: “I’d love to root for the Evolution guy in this fight and it will really be ashame to see Douglas lose it after his performance in the FOTY tournament but I’m nervous about this match-up. Punani doesn’t have the best knock-out power and usually that is detrimental in the heavyweight division but he has one of the best chins in the division and an excellent ability to dictate where fights take place. I think Punani pulls off the upset and scores a victory in enemy territory.”
Sean: “Soyster and Dustin are both extremely intelligent men and they know what the risks are in this fight. I think Douglas has a fire under his ass named Christopher Samba and he’s going to come out and put on a dominant performance and finish this fight.”
Kane Williams (28-7) vs. Austin Powers (28-10)
We stay in the heavyweight division when two extremely dangerous strikers square off as Kane Williams takes on Austin Powers in a fight scheduled to go 5 rounds. I say scheduled to go 5 rounds because neither of these fighters see the final bell very often and I would seriously doubt this one goes the distance. Williams had a rough start to his Evolution career going 3-4 in his first 7 fights in the division but has now won 3 in a row to get to 6-4 and looks to keep the momentum going when he takes on a guy who recently challenged for the title. Powers started his stay in Evolution on fire winning his first 6 fights and earning himself a crack at the organizational title in which he lost by decision to current champion Samba. Powers rebounded from the loss with a devastating first round knock-out of former champion Mitchell Stehling and is looking to get himself right back in the mix with another victory here tonight. Powers holds a 22cm reach advantage over Williams and it will be interesting to see if Williams is able to get inside and land enough shots to win the fight.
Randy: “I expect this fight to be a war for as long as it lasts but I don’t expect it to last very long either. Both of these guys are extremely dangerous and are capable of finishing the other but Powers has looked really impressive against better fighters and for that reason I’m going to pick him to win this one by knockout early in the 2nd round.”
Sean: “We usually don’t agree this much Randy, it’s starting to make me worry about my sanity because we all know the amount of brain damage you sustained in your career (laughs). I’m a big fan of Kane Williams and I’d love to see him live up to the potential we all saw in him in the hardest heavyweight division in the world but I just think Powers is firing on all cylinders right now and looks like a future champion.”
Otso Jokinen (53-8) vs. Jie Liu (23-8-1)
The third fight on our PPV pits Evolution’s 155lbs champion against Ascension’s 155lbs champion as Otso Jokinen takes on Jie Liu in a 5 round super-fight. Liu has established himself as one of the best fighters in the lightweight division winning his first 4 fights after joining Ascension on his way to capturing the organization’s title. He fought to a draw in his last fight against the long-time UPGV champion and runner-up in the FOTY tournament. Liu is an excellent kick-boxer who uses a varied attack on the feet to keep his opponents guessing and set up his takedowns. He has landed on 40% of his career takedown attempts and once he gets the fight to the mat will look to gain the dominant position and reign down heavy ground strikes. Otso Jokinen is one of the greatest fighters to ever put on the 8oz. gloves and if you doubt that think about the fact that he has the same amount of losses as his opponent but has 30 more wins in his career and he spent the last few years of his career fighting only the best fighters in several different weight classes. Jokinen is a very skilled striker who likes to mix things up by taking fights against the cage in the clinch or by using his wrestling to get the fight to the ground. Otso has excellent finishing ability for a lightweight and for that reason Liu should look to get this fight to the ground early as Otso isn’t very dangerous when fighting off his back. Liu comes into this fight with very few people giving him a chance to win and it’ll be interesting to see if that chip on his shoulder will be a blessing or a hindrance.
Randy: “I’m really excited for this fight. I’m excited for the whole card really and think that this type of thing is exactly what this sport needs. Have to love two powerful org owners working together like this to give the fans these dream type match-ups and find out once and for all who the best of the best really is. I think Liu has the needed skill-set to win this fight but I think Otso will prove that he’s in a different class of fighter and finish this one in the 4th round.”
Sean: “It’s hard to pick against Otso because he truly is one of the greatest to ever do this but I’m going to back Liu in this fight. I think his chin is good enough to go the distance with Jokinen and if he can get his wrestling going early I think he’ll do enough to win a decision.”
Pluto Palhares (29-3) vs. Alexander Valentine (38-12)
The next fight is our co-main event of the evening as Alexander Valentine cashes in on his FOTY tournament victory with a title shot here tonight in a rematch of their fight in the first round of the FOTY tournament in which Valentine was victorious. The title was not on the line that night but one would think that holding a victory over the champion already would have Valentine oozing with confidence coming into this fight. Pluto has finished two straight opponents since that loss defending his CWFL 170lbs championship as well as his EVO 185lbs title in consecutive fights. Pluto will be looking to exact revenge on Valentine in this fight and we all know his manager Chris Karter is famous for having success in rematches with one exception of course. Both of these fighters are extremely talented and are capable of finishing fights standing and on the ground. Both guys are excellent wrestlers and find a lot of success landing takedowns so whoever is able to dictate that aspect of the fight will likely walk away victorious.
Randy: “This should be an excellent rematch between two great camps. Hawthorne capped off a very successful year with two of his fighters winning FOTY tournaments and also getting a runner-up in the tournament. He was hands down the manager of the tournament and both of his fighters are cashing in on their title shots on this card. I think Valentine gets the job done again but this fight will be much closer than the first one was. Valentine takes it 48-47 unanimous decision.”
Sean: “Yeah Valentine is a great fighter and was a nightmare to prepare for going into the FOTY finals with Luka Beck. I think he has all the skills to win this fight and proved it in their first match-up but Karter is excellent with adjustments and I think Pluto will come out with a point to prove and find a way to get revenge and retain the title.”
Neo Kable (23-0) vs. James Proudstar (16-1)
Next up is our main event of the evening and one of the most highly anticipated fights in this clash of the org titans as 265lbs+ champion Neo Kable represents Evolution as he takes on former CFC HW champion James Proudstar who will be representing Ascension. This fight also pits two Convicted teammates against each other which is not something you will often see so you know all of the MMA world will have their eyes on this fight. Kable has taken the world by storm and is the winner of the Under 25 fighter of the year in the annual Tycoon Awards held this past month. He boasts a perfect record and has finished each and every victory by way of TKO or knock-out including 20 knockouts in the very first round. Kable is 10-0 under the Ascension banner and will be looking to keep his home field advantage against a monster of a man. Proudstar is an extremely talented Thai striker who likes to use his kicks to set up his grappling via either his clinch game or using his takedowns to get the fight to the mat. Proudstar is equally as dangerous on the ground with the same amount of wins by submission as he has due to strikes. Proudstar will have a significant reach advantage in this fight so it will be interesting to see how that effects the stand-up and if Kable will be able to get inside to land damaging blows or if Proudstar will be able to keep Kable on the outside and frustrated. This is an early FOTY candidate so make sure you tune in and get all your bathroom breaks out of the way before the opening bell.
Randy: “This is hands down the fight I’m most looking forward too. Proudstar looks to have all the promise in the world and will be a big test for Kable with Templeton in his corner. Nobody seems to find more success with the heavier fighters than that guy. Kable has just looked so strong in his career though I find it really difficult to pick against him. Admittedly I didn’t think he’d be ready for this level when he made his debut and he really shut me up in those first few fights so until somebody leaves that guy face down on the canvas you won’t find me picking against him. I’ll give Proudstar credit and say he makes it into the third round.”
Sean: “I’m really looking forward to this fight as well but mainly to see what Proudstar is made of. I’ve had my eye on that guy since he was an alternate back in the Convicted Fighter and he certainly seems to have all the tools to be one of the true greats. Lance and I have had this conversation but I just give little credit to what he accomplished in CFC because I don’t think that org is deep at all as evidenced by Chong vs. Sheen 35. I don’t want to take anything away from Proudstar as he certainly seems to have what it takes to make it big-time but a fight like this will certainly tell you a lot. I think Lance has James prepared to weather the early storm and he’ll eventually get this fight against the cage where he will dominate, before pulling guard and winning by triangle choke.”
Randy: “What an excellent night of fights we have on this card. Later in the evening several EVO fighters will be going into Ascension and continuing this great battle put on by these two incredibly stacked fight organizations. How do you see the battle between these two orgs playing out Sean?”
Sean: “Well Randy, if I remember correctly I had it 6-4 EVO based on how I voted in the thread but I went with Jokinen in the poll and here tonight on the spot I went with Liu so I’m not really sure how this is going to play out. One thing is for sure, the winners of this whole thing is definitely the fans and I think Scott Davies and Mega both deserve a lot of credit for being able to work this thing out. You would’ve never seen anything like this back in the days of Blitz and NFC that’s for damn sure.”
Randy: “You’re absolutely right about that Sean! I think both of those orgs deserve a lot of credit as do the fighters who stepped up to the plate to represent their organization.”
Sean: “Well I’d certainly hope the fighters would step up. The stage doesn’t get any bigger than this and it should be all fighter’s dreams to be a part of something this gigantic.”
Randy: “I want to thank you once again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come join me here today and break down these great fights. We’re running short on time however so how bout we call it a night?”
Sean: “The pleasure is all mine Randy, don’t be a stranger.”
Randy: “Join us next time for EVO 64 as Elvis Frost takes on Budo Rei and Danny Power once again faces off against Hector Cabrera. This is Randy Ortiz signing off for now.”
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