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 Hello everyone, and welcome to our next round of fights in the TNTF tournament! We have had a 5 week break, but now all the fighters are back and will be raring to go. We have a few new faces in the tournament, so it will be interesting to see if any of them can make a step forward in this round. Analysis of the fights was provided by Mickey Goldmill!
Yuri “Nuclear” Boshtok (4-0) vs Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (2-2)
Finishing off the event, Yuri "Nuclear" Boshtok will look to improve to 5-0. The Ukrainian born wrestler has finished his last four fights by TKO. At 19 years old, he has shown already shown off considerable KO power to go with his advanced wrestling. His opponent Jimmy Doyle is currently riding a 2 fight win streak after being knocked out in his first two professional fights. Doyle is a very advanced 19 year old skill wise. He seems to have it all except for his boxing, including a solid BJJ base, as evidenced by his last two submission victories.
Prediction: Doyle by Submission
Renan “Othello” Melo (4-0) vs Conor “Convict” McCracken (3-2)
Can "Convict" McCracken's BJJ win him the fight against the well-rounded Renan Melo? If that answer is no, it promises to be a short night for the 19 year old Irishmen. Sporting a 3-2 pro record, McCracken has won all 3 of his fights by submission, including his last two. He will have his hands full in a battle of BJJ practitioners. Renan Melo has a 4-0 pro record and has finished 3 of his fights in the first round by submission. Melo is the definite favorite in this fight and McCracken more than likely has to get the finish to have a shot at a win. It won't come easy though as Melo has a granite chin that has survived against much better strikers.
Prediction: Melo by Decision
Jack “Mini” Cain (2-3) vs Oliver “The Baller” Heath (4-0)
Our next fight of the evening is a bantamweight contest between two fighters who will undoubtedly come out swinging. Oliver Heath comes into this fight 4-0 with four TKO's and the last three of them coming in the first round. Heath is a very talented American wrestler, who also has considerable power in his boxing. On the other side, Jack Cain is an amazing boxer who also touts a lot of power in his hands. Unfortunately in this matchup, Cain faces a real discrepancy in wrestling ability. This could prove to be a huge problem as Cain offers very little in terms of BJJ. This fight has the potential to be an absolute firefight.
Prediction: Heath by TKO
Commander Shepard (4-1) vs Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (0-1)
In what could be one of the more lopsided fights on this card, 19 year old bantamweight Commander Shepard is a solid wrestler capable of eye popping finishes. Off to a 4-1 start, his last two wins came by a flying knee and a head kick. The muay thai of Shepard is very creative and also very lethal. In this fight, he'll be matched up against young Englishmen Edward Teach. In the first fight of his career, Edward was submitted in 33 seconds by arm bar. Teach has a terrific wrestling background, but not much else in terms of striking or BJJ. His only hope in this fight seems to be to lay and pray, but he is at a disadvantage in terms of BJJ in this fight so anything on the mat could end up in another submission loss for the 18 year old.
Prediction: Shepard by TKO
Junior “Black Jack” Singh (2-3) vs Geralt “The White Wolf” Of Rivia (3-1)
In a very evenly matched fight, Junior Singh will look to snap a 3 fight losing streak, which all came by way of submission. Singh has highlight level Muay Thai ability that hasn't been showcased yet, as well as a solid wrestling background. Luckily for Singh, his one weak spot is BJJ and that is also the case for opponent Geralt "The White Wolf" Of Rivia. Rivia is a very young fighter who already has three wins in his pro career. His one loss came by way of submission. Rivia is a very similar fighter to Singh in that both are good wrestlers, but not as advanced in BJJ. If the fight stays standing, look for the Muay Thai of Singh to be the difference in the fight
Prediction: Singh by TKO
Mr. Evil (2-3) vs Gerry “Genghis” Khan (6-1)
In a battle of two guys who couldn't spell BJJ if you spotted them the first 2 letters, 19 year old Gerry
"Genghis" Khan is looking for his 7th victory in his short pro career. The England based fighter is a very diverse Muay Thai practitioner and owns two knockout wins by way of head kick. Khan will battle wrestling based Mr. Evil in this bout. Evil has had a rocky beginning to his pro career, with his record dropping to 2-3 after two straight TKO losses. He has to be particularly worried about the kicks and knees of Khan after being dismantled by a flying knee in his last bout. Evil's plan has to be to work the takedowns early and keep Khan on his back for the majority of the fight.
Prediction: Khan by TKO
Charles “Crossbow” Carlyle (3-1) vs Sebastian Scrooge (0-4)
In easily, on the most lopsided fights on paper, Charles Carlyle looks to improve to 4-1 after winning his last 3 fights by way of finishes. Carlyle is a very well rounded fighter, with his strengths being primarily wrestling and BJJ. In this fight, he'll have his hands full with a very hungry Sebastian Scrooge who is 0-4 as a professional fighter. Despite the four losses, Scrooge is a handful on the ground with superb wrestling and an impressive purple belt, much like his opponent. In a fight of two fighters heading the opposite directions, it's very interesting that their skill sets are so similar. The one small advantage that Carlyle could have over Scrooge is his boxing. Scrooge has been retired twice by way of strikes in the first round.
Prediction: Carlyle by TKO
Zac “Rhino” Rogers (0-2) vs Gregor “Royal Blood” MCconnor (1-2)
For Zac Rogers, getting the fight to the mat is an absolute must. His wrestling ability is very high, but it hasn’t produced a win yet in his young career. Sitting at 0-2, Rogers needs a win to get his career on the right track. He was dispatched in the first minute in his last fight by submission, which brings me to the weaknesses in Zac's MMA game. Those include everything that isn't wrestling. Rogers will be hard pressed to break through against Gregor MCconnor, who is also on a 2 fight losing streak. Gregor's skill set includes Muay Thai. He is a very well rounded fighter who poses a ton of issues for Rogers on the feet. The takedown defense of MCconnor is pretty solid, so young Zac Rogers will have his work cut out for him to pick up win number one in this bout.
Prediction: McConnor by TKO
Jean Michel “Soma” Basquiat (0-1) vs Bostar “The Butcher” Tyraanicao (0-0)
In another contrast of styles fight, Bostar Tyraanicao looks for a win his debut fight. Tyraanicao is an all-around decent fight who has a strong background in Muay Thai. At 17 years old, fans are anxious to see if he can deliver on his potential right away. The Tunisian born fighter is currently training in New York at a very exclusive gym full of future potential champions. His opponent, Jean Michel Basquiat, is a boxer without much of an MMA background. His lack of Muay Thai knowledge led to a loss in his debut fight that lasted just under two minutes in the first round. This fight will not last long if Tyraanicao can get the fight to the mat, but the standup could be exciting as both fighters possess good striking ability.
Prediction: Tyraanicao by TKO
“Max” Joe The (2-3) vs Sammy “Mad Sam” DeStefano (1-4)
In the first fight of the night, we have two fighters eager to get a foothold in professional MMA. Joe The has fell on tough times in his past couple matchup’s, losing both to strikes in the first round. Joe is a well-known BJJ brown belt who just hasn't figured out the rest of the game. His striking leaves a lot to be desired and he shouldn't outwrestle anyone either. In the other corner, Sammy DeStefano hasn't been able to get any traction in his career so far. Sporting an unimpressive 1-4 record, he will look to get things back on track with a win. DeStefano has an impressive boxing background to go along with a solid wrestling base. It'll be interesting in this fight to see if DeStefano will try to take the BJJ artist to the ground. With such a huge gap in striking, Joe will have a tough time lasting without sinking in a submission.
Prediction: DeStefano by Decision
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