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Here is the preview for week 1. & a forum link if you prefer reading that way
http://www.mmatycoon.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46005
Season three of International Team Fight League kicks off from London this Sunday with two cards filled from top to bottom with the top fighters from around the world. The unique team format of this competition has captivated fight fans and drawn in some of the best talent that the sport of MMA has to offer.
The first card will take place in the Camden Conference Center. Let’s take a closer look at the fight card:
The first bout of the evening will pit Carlos Hulk (0-1) against Ray Lennox (6-3-1). Lennox enters the fight as the much more experienced fighter and has shown solid versatility throughout his career, displaying the ability to win fights by knockout, submission, or taking his opponent the distance and grinding out a decision. The well rounded Lennox has proven to be particularly difficult to handle in the clinch and on the ground. The book on Hulk is relatively short and we know little about him. In his one and only professional fight, he was taken to the ground with relative ease and submitted. He purportedly possesses all the skills to be a dominant fighter in the world of MMA, but that remains to be seen.
Sir Lea Sea Flea (3-1) will bring his tongue twisting name to the cage along with an impressive ground game in an effort to knock off his opponent, Edgars Simans (6-3). Flea’s intentions are clear when he gets into the cage. He is seeking to put his opponent on the ground and force him to tap. Simans is a very versatile fighter who appears to have some thunder in his fists and a nasty demeanor. His ground and pound is extremely solid, but he may want to think twice before engaging Flea on the ground. Simans has dropped two of his last three fights and would surely like piece together a win streak. Meanwhile, Flea recently dropped a close decision that he would certainly like to forget.
The third fight of the evening will match Daniel O’Sullivan (7-2) against Pernell Whitaker Jr (7-0). O’Sullivan has compiled seven wins in his career and shows some real promise. After reeling off six straight wins to start his career, O’Sullivan has struggled with consistency of late but still remains a very dangerous threat. O’Sullivan clearly makes his bones on the ground, having secured five wins via submission. Whitaker remains undefeated in his career and has proudly finished five of his seven fights via KO or TKO. This powerful striker with a strong clinch game will most certainly be looking to stay off of the ground and turn the lights out on O’Sullivan.
Sasaki Kojiro (1-0) is very young and shy on experience but shows no fear for his opponent Mata Soderlund (15-6). With 21 professional fights behind him, Soderlund enters the cage with a HUGE experience advantage. He has proven himself to be a heavy handed warrior, boasting 13 wins by KO or TKO. One of the most pure and traditional boxers in this season of ITFL, Souderlund could truly be a force to be reckoned with this season. Kojiro shows absolutely no signs of backing down and will likely rely heavily on his ground game to try and take Soderlund out of his natural element.
Travis Bickle (9-2) comes into this season saddled with a two fight losing streak and will be looking to reverse his fortunes sooner than later. Bickle is primarily a standup fighter who throws a solid mix of punches and kicks to overcome his opponents. In addition, a strong clinch game makes him even more dangerous. Looking to keep Bickle on his downward spiral is Tanner Pond (4-2) who has picked up wins in four of his last five fights. Pond is very similar in style to Bickle and primarily enjoys standing toe to toe and trading strikes. It would not be at all surprising to see this fight end with either Bickle or Pond staring up at the lights.
The co-main event of the evening will feature Callum Pagnozzi (2-4) taking on Dylan McKay (8-0). Pagnozzi got off to a dreadful start in his career but is under new management and feels that he is ready to turn the corner. Pagnozzi has traditionally liked to throw punches and throw them in high volume. He has not typically been a very accurate striker and that has come back to haunt him. It will be interesting to see if Pagnozzi can tweak his approach and see a better return on his efforts. McKay has entered his career blazing a trail to an 8-0 record. McKay is a fierce, accurate, and powerful striker who can end a fight in the blink of an eye. He is sure to give Pagnozzi all he wants in this battle.
The main event will feature Darius Kasparaitis (12-1) squaring off against Dimitri Potapoff (1-1). Kasparaitis enters the matchup with thirteen career fights under his belt. He emerged victorious in twelve of those fights and has proven himself to be very versatile in the cage. In addition to his striking prowess, he also owns a black belt in BJJ, making him a difficult matchup for even the best of fighters. Potapoff comes in with only two professional fights under his belt, having won one and lost one. He is known as a striker who shows relies heavily on his boxing skills, but can at times unleash a devastating kick when his opponent least expects it. It will be an uphill climb for Potapoff to overcome Kasparaitis, but in the sport of MMA, anything can happen.
At the same time, across town at Knight’s Court, the second part of this week’s ITFL offerings will be taking place. Here’s a quick preview:
In the first fight Juan Koski (2-0) will lock horns with with Cole Orion (4-0). Koski is a powerful puncher who will be looking to keep the fight standing at all cost. He prefers to stand and bang from a distance and does a great job of mixing up his single strikes and combinations. Orion is a highly capable grappler who likes to chop away at the legs of his opponents to soften them up before dropping them to the ground and demoralizing them with his ground and pound. This will be a solid grappler vs striker battle.
John Dux (6-1) will take on Sergey Keosayan (3-2) in the second fight of the evening. Dux comes into the fight with a solid record and a tremendous gas tank that allows him to throw a phenomenal volume of punches. His style is that of a pure brawler and can be difficult to overcome. Keosayan is a BJJ black belt him cleary would prefer to do his business on the ground. Once again, the fans will be treated to another striker vs grappler matchup.
Giorgio Conte (8-0) will be putting his perfect record on the line in the third fight when he takes on Sirodom Kingchanklao (10-4). Both men enter the fight with solid experience and impressive records. Conte overwhelms his opponents with a lethal mix of boxing and Muay Thai and often shows flashes of power. Kingchanklao is a fighter almost identical in style. This one has all the makings of a classic as both men are nasty striking from a distance and both have powerful clinch work.
Raphael Adamson (4-0) possesses a scary combination of standup and ground skills that could spell trouble for his opponent Jacob Holm (7-2). Adamson is a very efficient and accurate striker who has solid ground and pound at his disposal if the fight hits the mat. Holm is a high volume striker who has no interest in grappling. He is at home going toe to toe and trading leather with his opponents. This matchup could create some serious fireworks!
In the fifth fight, Selestion Mudisbarov (11-4) will try to snap a two fight losing streak when he takes on Oliver Queen (5-0). Mudisbarov is an absolute knockout machine who is a terror on his feet. He will be looking to use his overwhelming power to end the night early for Queen. Queen brings an impressive undefeated record into the cage and undoubtedly will try to get Mudisbarov on his back and work him over on the ground. This mix of two very contrasting styles should make for and entertaining fight for the fans.
Arthur Bishop (3-2) has seen mixed results in his brief career and will be looking to make the ITFL stage his springboard to the next level. Bishop does not have significant output in his standup game, but when he connects it spells trouble for his opponents. Jacob Koch (10-3) brings a wealth of power and experience into this matchup and could very well wear Bishop down will flurries of punches before landing the knockout blow.
In the co-main event, Karate Kid (14-2) will do battle with Ronin Mori (6-2). Kid has a tremendous reputation as a striking machine and is riding high on a five fight win streak. He has shown few absolutely tremendous wrestler who has just enough stand up skill to hold his own. He will need to stay in close to Kid, crowd him, and smother him to be successful.
The main event will feature an extremely dangerous Omar Boulami (14-1) squaring off against Tuma Krapala (5-1). Boulami is undefeated under the management of Sonny Muchado and can best be described as violent. Boulami loves to bully his opponents to the ground and pound on their heads until they no longer respond. Krapala is one of the most accurate strikers that we will see on this night of action. Though he is highly accurate, it does not seem to have costs him any power, as three of his five wins have come by KO or TKO. He has a tall order ahead in Boulami but one punch can change a career.
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