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Rivalry isn’t hate, it is a partnership in disguise. If you want to give it your all and be your best, you need a rival. Without one you wouldn’t be your best, you wouldn’t give it your all
-- Anonymous
Well hello hello fans and fanatics of Ring of Violence. I hope you enjoy it, because ROV 35: Bad Blood is going to be a bloody one for all you guys. I, as usual, am extremely excited for this one. But what makes me more excited than I’ve been in the past is that the two title fights really do feature fighters who have bad blood with each other, hence the name of the event. There is nothing better than seeing two people talk trash (for the most part, not all of them are speaking) and then get in the ring and go to war. The Kazan Sambo Center will most likely be sold out at 7,708 in this one. If you’re as excited as me, check out this preview, but not before you go check out the amazing merchandise at //buriedALIVE// Fight Gear.
265+ Ibs Title: Arnie Armstrong (5-0-0) v Dick Army (11-1-0)
“Dick Army if you came at me with everything you got, you still aint good enough. You're built like a sack of potatoes and that’s exactly how you will fall when I knock you the f#%k out. ROV fans prepare for destruction” – Arnie Armstrong
With a combined record of 16-1, this Super Heavyweight title bout is sure to be an exciting one between two obviously skilled fighters. Arnie Armstrong is the undefeated champion. He won his belt in his last fight at ROV 31, knocking out Qasim Barakat in the second round. The good wrestler is extremely confident that he’ll win this fight and defend the belt for as long as he wants: “Well, A true champion holds onto his belt for a long time and recently in ROV the belt has been passed around more than Dick Army's mother so I am looking to make that change and keep that belt round my waist. Nothing will tarnish the legacy of Arnie Armstrong, in a few years’ time I will be the biggest name in the MMA world.” Some may call that a cheap jab at Dick Army’s mother, me however would say that’s the funniest answer to a question anyone in ROV has ever given me. Take it how you will. Arnie Armstrong has won all of his fights by (T)KO. I doubt he’ll want to change that in this fight. The winner of his last seven fights, Dick Army actually just recently began his MMA career. He has fought three times in MMA and has won every single one of them, all taking place in the Ring of Violence organization. The excellent boxer last won against Peter Sutcliffe at ROV 31, winning by TKO. If you count only his MMA fights, Dick Army has something in common with his opponent: He’s won all of them by (T)KO. That makes this writer pretty f****n excited! Winning the belt would mean a whole lot for Dick Army. He has been really training for his and now gets to see his dream come true: fighting for the ROV title. When stacking these two monsters up, the matchup is a tiny bit more favorable to Army, although most would call it even. He is the slightly better boxer and has a higher BJJ belt than Army. Armstrong has just a little better Muay Thai and Wrestling. Look for Army to keep his distance in order to out box Armstrong. Look for Armstrong to do the exact opposite and try and bring this puppy nose to nose so he can beat the living hell out of his opponent with dirty boxing, elbows, and knees. No matter what, I think this one is going to be a bloody battle that won’t go past the first round.
145 Ibs Title: Damien Redman (11-3-0) v Tony Ramos (11-1-0)
“Ramos, you talked about wanting this fight and now you gone all quiet. I'll make you wish you never went for my belt as I carve your face up.” – Damien Redman
The co-main event is another title fight between these two featherweight warriors. Champion Damien Redman is on a three fight win streak right now, last defeating Troll ShitBrickHouse via a doctor stoppage due to a cut in the fourth round. Winner of his last three, Damien Redman now gets his first shot at defending a title. Win asked what it would mean to his legacy, Redman answered with: “Winning the belt is the easy part. Now that I have that bull’s-eye on my back, I welcome anyone to try and take it off me.” It looks like Redman knows it’s going to be a challenge, a challenge that he seems ready for. Opponent Tony Ramos is the former champion who lost his belt to Troll ShitBrickHouse at ROV 22. He seems hungry for his belt back, so hungry that his agent informed me he wasn’t taking questions or releasing statements so that he could solely focus on training. The cardio machine has won all of his fights since relinquishing his title. He’ll look to keep that win streak going and regain what he considers his. These two definitely have different styles. Redman is the standup fighter while Ramos prefers the ground. There isn’t much to give with that, look for the fighters to fight toward their strengths. I can’t wait to see which style wins.
205 Ibs: Juan Tamad (23-20-1) v George Steele (23-23-0)
The middle of our card features two very experienced fighters with questionable records. Although some might say titles are not completely out of view, I think these guys are really just fighting for pride. Well screw it, pride fights tend to be the bloodiest and baddest fights, as the fighters know they have nothing to lose. Juan Tamad is 1-1 in his last two matches, which happened to be his first two fights in ROV. Before that, he was on a 7 fight losing streak. The great wrestler will be looking to put his ROV record above .500 in this bout. George Steele is the loser of his last two fights, the first one being a championship fight from the ROV Light Heavyweight tournament. The insanely flexible fighter is now 2-2 in ROV after dropping his last two. He’ll be looking to mess Juan Tamad up and keep his overall record a winner. On paper, these guys are even with wrestling. Tamad has a very slight advantage boxing. He also has the Muay Thai advantage while Steele has the BJJ advantage, red belt to black. Tamad is a fighter who will really mix things up in his fights. He’s had matches where he’s thrown a lot of strikes both standing and on the ground. With how he matches up with Tamad, look for him to surprise us all and keep us guessing on where he’ll be. Steele loves his submissions. Tamad may be hard to submit because his BJJ skills are top notch, but look for him to fight toward his strength on the ground.
170 Ibs: Frank Underwood (4-1-0) v Hannibal Barca (6-1-0)
The welterweights come out to play in the second main card fight of the event. Underwood had a shot at the title in his last fight and blew it against Dutch Schultz, getting caught by a nasty knee in the fourth round. The man with the lethal high kicks better put them to good use if he ever wants a shot at the title again. His opponent Hannibal Barca is undefeated in ROV, sitting at 3-0. I’ve probably said this in my last preview featuring this fighter, but to the two managers that let this guy go, wtf? This guy is talented and ready to brawl every time he gets into the ring. The cardio machine is looking for his first ever title shot. A win here will surely get him closer if it doesn’t get him there altogether. These guys are not even at one thing. Underwood has the Muay Thai advantage along with his better wrestling. Barca has the boxing and a strong BJJ advantage. Although it may not be Barca’s game, look for him to use his BJJ skills to win this one. Underwood has a white belt, a problem for anyone wanting to be champion. Look for Underwood to get things close and throw some knees or to end things with a deadly head kick.
265+ Ibs: Oleg Ljashko (3-1-0) v Robert Sullivan (8-4-0)
This card ends with the big boys and also starts with it, as Oleg Ljashko and Robert Sullivan are given a chance to go at it. In only his fifth professional fight, Oleg Ljashko has a chance to go on a four fight win streak and cement his reputation as a serious fighter. He has fought all of his fights in ROV. After dropping his pro debut via questionable split decision to Peter Burg, Ljashko was given an opportunity to avenge himself, defeating the same opponent via KO at ROV 25. He hasn’t lost since. Robert Sullivan is the more experienced fighter. The twenty-eight year old is on a two fight win streak. Sullivan struggled after losing his title bid at ROV 15, but he seems to be back on track. Ljashko has the boxing advantage in this one while Sullivan has a decent Muay Thai and wrestling advantage. They are even in BJJ. Look for Sullivan to bring things close while Ljashko tries to keep things far as possible.
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