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EVENT PREVIEW
With Rehab 3 now resigned to the books, there’s no let-up in the pace of of events now as Rehab Fighting Championship expands its roster.
RFC 3 produced an amazing night of fights and fans can expect the more of the same as RFC puts on its fourth event at Wild Bobs Bar in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.
Fight 1 - Diesel Armstrong v Simon Simonsen – 185lb
After a first round TKO victory in his MMA debut, impressed by his boxing skills, Leland Leatherwood quickly snapped up Diesel Armstrong to fight in RFC. However, in his RFC debut, Armstrong was matched up against another great boxer, Tuco Salamanca. Things didn’t go well for Armstrong and he was KO’d in the first round.
His shot at redemption comes against lowly ranked, Simon Simonsen. 0 and 2 in his first two fights, Simonsen is in desperate need of a W. (T)KOd by ground n’pound in his MMA debut, in his RFC debut he was blasted away in less than thirty seconds by Muranda Kibawa. Simonsen is much better than his record suggests. He possesses great boxing skills, he just doesn’t seem to have the chin to match.
With neither fighter possessing any real ground skills, this should pretty much be a boxing match. Big questions will be asked of Simonsen on fight night, will he have recovered from two (T) KO’s so early in his career. As we’ve seen with many fighters before, being (T) KO’d can make a fighter doubt himself and make him hesitant. Any sign of weakness will be pounced on by Armstrong, who will be looking to bounce back himself from his first loss.
A loss for either fighter here could prove to be a major setback in their careers and we could quite possibly see the loser back in the QFC for their next fight. Look for Armstrong to apply pressure early and look for a finish.
Fight 2 - Ras Butten v Stres Fleshou – 205lb
Signed to RFC for his MMA debut, Ras Butten was matched against fellow MMA debutant, and RFC 4 co-headliner, Marc Charbonnier. Butten wasn’t given a chance to show his excellent muay thai skills as he was taken down instantly and submitted in under two minutes by a far superior grappler in Charbonnier. Unless he’s been working on his ground game, the outcome of this fight could go the same way, as his opponent, Stres Fleshou, holds a brown belt in jiu-jitsu under Jean Jacques Machado.
A decent boxer, and obviously no slouch on the ground, Fleshou, who will be looking to shine in his MMA debut, made no secret of his plans to take Butten down and submit him. Buttens best bet would be to establish his range and keep on the outside where he can use his muay thai to work the legs on Fleshou. If he can take the spring out of Fleshous legs, he will lessen his chances of being taken down. Butten has apparently been working on his ground game but with such a short turnaround between fights, will he have learned enough to counter Fleshous submissions should the fight hit the floor.
Look for Fleshou to use his boxing to counter Buttens muay thai and set up his takedowns. If this fight does hit the ground, it’s going to be a long (or short) night for Butten.
Fight 3 - Raymond Grey v Tuco Salamanca – 185lb
Tuco Salamanca goes into this fight full of confidence after his stunning first round (T)KO of Diesel Armstrong. The deciding factor in this fight though, could be Raymond Greys wrestling. With both fighters pretty evenly matched on the feet, Grey has the ability to dictate where the fight will take place.
With Grey making his MMA debut, there’s little information on which Salamanca can devise his strategy for this fight. Grey, on the other hand will no doubt have been watching the video of Salamancas last fight so will have a pretty good idea of what to look for. A fight on the feet is the most likely outcome and if Salamanca can establish his range, he should be able to outbox Grey. If Grey is having trouble matching Salamanca in the striking department, he will probably try to close the distance and tie him up in the clinch or shoot for takedowns.
Both fighters will need to have prepared for fifteen minutes of fighting as this one is likely to go the distance.
Fight 4 - Semmy Schmuckatelli v Ahmad Howard – 170lb
On a two fight win streak, Semmy Schmuckatelli seems full of confidence going into this fight. I wish I could say the same for Ahmad Howard! Both these guys have gone the distance twice in their career, and for both, both times were wars, so there’s no questioning the heart or the gas tank these guys possess.
A muay thai fighter, Schmuckatelli likes to get into the clinch where he’s proved to be quite devastating. Making full use of his arsenal of attacks, Schmuckatelli’s managed to grind out two dominant victories over two durable opponents, his last one being his RFC debut. He doesn’t mind going to the floor either where he’s shown good transitions and, although he’s not too well versed in the ‘gentle art’, he’s not afraid to go for submissions.
Howard’s a strange one, a boxer with decent wrestling skills, he’s not afraid to get into the clinch either. Once there though, he prefers to take the fight to the floor and use his ground n pound. On the feet, he’s displayed some technical boxing skills. Though not the most powerful puncher, he lands with a high percentage of his thrown punches and is able to string beautiful combinations together. His first two fights in the QFC were fought against the same opponent but at different weights. The first fight at 155lb, and the second at 170lb. when asked about this, he explained that he wasn’t sure what his best fighting weight was so decided to try out fighting in the two weight classes he felt best suited him (signs of a lack of confidence, and/or indecision?) . He decided he felt better at 170lb and so made his RFC debut against Veke Purha in the welterweight division.
With both fighter having similar skillsets, many, including Howard, expected the fight to play out similar to his first two fights. The fight hit the floor and things weren’t going too badly until Howard got cracked with a hammerfist and was pounded out in the first round. This seems to have zapped his confidence going into Wednesdays fight. Around the venue, Howard seems pretty withdrawn and when asked about his plans, and how he sees the fight going, his response has been to look at the floor, shrugging his shoulders. The guy seems pretty low and if he takes this into the fight with him, he’s going to get hurt by a guy like Schmuckatelli.
I hope he manages to pull himself out of it because if he does, we’re most likely in for a gruelling three round war. Come on Howard, show us what you’re capable of!!!
Fight 5 - Hello Kitty v Yaya Uwawa - 265lb
Holding the record for fastest finish in MMA Tycoon history, we know Hello Kitty can punch and has KO power. In his MMA debut, at the opening bell, Kitty walked to the centre of the Octagon and thumped his opponent with a one two leaving him out cold on his feet and five seconds in, the fight was over. With big things expected of him, he went on to lose his next two fights, both by submission, being well beaten in the process. He got back on track with a (T)KO victory in his last bout, coming back from almost being finished in the first round. After knocking his opponent down early in round two, he was again on the end of a couple of submission attempts before standing back up and starching his opponent with a devastating uppercut and finished him off on the ground.
With vastly superior grappling skills, Yaya Uwawa has the tools to inflict another loss on Kitty. A brown belt in jiu-jitsu with decent wrestling, Uwawa is likely to want to drag Kitty to the floor early and look to submit him. As with all fights, they start on the feet so if Kitty manages to connect with his lightning fast, powerful punches early on, he does have a chance. However, his susceptibility to takedowns means its more likely Uwawa will have his way.
Fight 6 - Son Goku v Brendan Behan – 185lb
After two devastating finishes in the QFC (although against vastly inferior competition), Son Goku was signed to RFC. Hoping to carry the momentum into his RFC debut against highly touted KO artist, Gus Spencer, he was on the end of a brutal thirty five second KO.
An excellent boxer with very limited grappling, Goku has shown he’s not afraid to mix his striking up with takedowns and other than his loss to Spencer, he’s been pretty successful in doing so. With Spencer on a five fight win streak, obliterating all but one of his opponents in the first round, not much can be read into Goku’s loss. His all action style has the potential to cause problems for any opponent at this stage of his career so expect him to hit the ground running in this fight.
His opponent, Brendan Behan, is coming off an impressive MMA debut victory against a superior opponent in Luis Kasongo, who was riding a two fight win streak in QFC bouts. Not really excelling in any one aspect of the game, Behan is pretty well rounded.
Using a clinch/takedown heavy approach in his last fight, Behan stifled and frustrated his opponent and went on to take a unanimous decision in a hard fought fight. Gokus best option would be to establish his range in this fight and use his boxing to pick away at Behan and look to finish if the opportunity arises.
Fighting in the clinch and pushing for takedowns is very taxing and Behan has proved he’s able to push and go the distance fighting this way. If he can close the distance to negate Gokus boxing, he should be able to grind him down and wear him out. If he can drag Goku into the later stages of the fight, he could well finish him.
Fight 7 - Luke Plouman v Michael Ruby – 135lb
Collegiate wrestling standout, Michael ‘Relentless’ Ruby makes his second appearance under the RFC banner after hard fought victory over the surging Danzo Shimura in their RFC debuts. Shimura, a Japanese wrestler was on a roll after finishing his first two opponents in spectacular fashion.
After a gruelling first two rounds where both fighters traded submission attempts and showed some beautiful transitions, Ruby, living up to the ‘Relentless’moniker, turned it on midway through the third. After instigating a clinch early on, Shimura did all he could to take Ruby down and after several stuffed attempts later, he managed to drag Ruby down. It was Ruby though who would come out on top. With Shimura clearly fatigued, Ruby sensed the opportunity to finish and began looking for submissions.
Constantly shifting around and grabbing at Shimuras limbs, just after four minutes, Ruby allowed Shimura to posture up and in doing so, latched onto Shimura left arm and sinched in a beautiful armbar. Rumour has it that Shimura, devastated and broken by the loss, returned to Japan and retired from MMA!
His opponent, Luke Plouman, promises to be another stern test for Ruby. An expert grappler himself, Plouman makes his RFC debut coming off a first round submission of journeyman, Alperen Yilmaz. Prior to his latest fight, Plouman had gone 1-1-0 in QFC fights. After a stunning first round armbar submission in his MMA debut, Plouman was blasted away in only nine seconds in his second fight.
Shooting in for a takedown at the opening bell, Plouman was caught with a three punch combo that knocked him out before he hit the floor. Accepting he was too eager to get the fight to the floor, Plouman vowed to learn from his mistake and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Exercising more caution against Yilmaz last time out, he showed more patience in waiting for the takedown to present itself before rushing in and the result speaks for itself.
Although Ruby has decent submissions, Plouman has far superior jiu-jitsu skills. Ruby though, has a massive advantage in the wrestling department. I don’t see Ruby wanting to go to ground too much in this fight, especially early on as that’s where, and when Plouman seems to be at his most dangerous. As the fight progresses, Ruby may look for the odd takedown where he will look to let go with some ground n pound, otherwise, expect him to want to tie Plouman up in the clinch and rough him up.
It’s no secret what Ruby’s going to do. He’ll want to get the fight to the ground as soon as possible and look for submissions. As we seen in his debut, Ruby has the tank to go deep into the fight and come on strong in the later stages so I can’t see Ruby wanting the fight to go on too long. Ruby’s never got out of the first round so it will be interesting to see how he reacts if he can’t get an early submission. With both fighters equally skilled in different grappling departments, this one is going to be a battle of wills and whoever wants it more. This one could go either way.
Fight 8 - Jon Bates v Katar Hilal - 265+lb
With both these fighters preferring to get in close and work their game from the clinch, we can expect a gruelling, hard fought battle with each trying to impose his will upon the other.
On a two fight win streak, and an overall record of 5-1-0, Jon Bates has proven himself to be a solid competitor. Primarily a boxer, Bates has shown a pretty well rounded game in previous fights, often using his boxing to get in close and work from the clinch. By mixing his clinchwork up with takedowns, and with a very active ground game, Bates has shown he’s comfortable wherever the fight goes. With his first four fights going the distance, we know Bates has a decent gas tank. He’s also shown his ability to finish fights by submitting and (T)KOing his last two opponents.
Katar Hilal has a similar fighting style to Bates but relies more on his wrestling. Where Bates uses his boxing to get inside, Hilal prefers to use movement and feints. In a recent QFC tourney, Hilal advanced to the semi-finals where he fell just short and was submitted in the third round. His first bout ended when he slammed his opponent into unconsciousness after flooring him with punches, he then went on to submit his second opponent so he too has shown he can finish fights. Having three fights in three days, with two of them going to the third round, Hilals cardio is not in question.
The difference in this fight will probably be Bates’ experience. Having been rocked in a couple of his fights and coming back to get the ‘W’, he knows how to deal with adversity. Still, expect Hilal to push him hard.
Fight 9 – Co-Main Event - Ramon Gracie v Veke Purha – 170lb
After transforming the fight game and practically inventing MMA all those years ago, the Gracies are still a relevant force in todays MMA world. Ramon Gracie carries the name forward and judging by his MMA and RFC debut, it’s in safe hands. As expected in his first MMA fight, Ramon submitted his opponent in RFC 1 with ease by way of a first round rear naked choke. He faces a sterner test in Veke Purha this time round.
A wrestler, Veke Purha, using vicious ground n pound, he has finished his first two fights by way of (T)KO, his latest coming in his RFC debut at RFC 1. Knowing the fight is going to hit the ground, Purha has been working on his jiu-jitsu and is confident he can hang with Gracie and if in top position, he feels Gracie will have no answer for his ground n pound. One thing he cannot do though is get over-excited as Gracie will surely pounce on any opportunity for a submission.
While Gracie stated he’s not looking past Purho, he already has his sights on the 170lb belt. A solid victory here will move him one step closer to realizing his ambition. That being said, Gracie’s going to have to improve his striking ability as his jiu-jitsu alone won’t carry him through once he starts facing sterner competition. Expect Gracie to tie Purho in knots early on and inevitably submit him.
Fight 10 – Main Event - Marc Charbonnier v Curtis Crane – 205lb
The buzz generated around this fight by standout wrestler, Marc Charbonnier, has made it essential viewing to MMA fans around the world. After his first round demolition, and eventual submission of Ras Butten in his MMA/RFC debut at RFC 1, Charbonnier wasted no time in calling out muay thai wrecking machine, Curtis Crane. Refusing to respond at first, after Charbonniers constant sniping at him through Buzz, Crane accepted his challenge, setting up RFCs biggest, most hyped fight to date.
Crane has proved devastating in his first two fights, leaving both opponents out cold. In his first fight in QFC, he flattened Sue Hicks in twenty six seconds, cracking him with a left hook that left Hicks crumpled on the floor. His RFC debut in his second fight didn’t last much longer after he thumped Mason Gates with a right uppercut which knocked him out before he hit the floor.
Both these guys are going to go for the early finish and it doesn’t take much to work out what either of them plan to do. Charbonnier is going to try to get Crane to the floor and pound him out. Crane is going to try to knock Charbonniers block off. Either way, there’s going to be fireworks with the winner setting themselves up nicely for a crack at the RFC 205lb strap. Unmissable viewing fight fans.
Possibly the strongest card yet, with some of Rehabs major stars on show, RFC 4 – Heating Up is not to be missed. With several fighters on the card hoping to be in the title picture in their respective divisions, we can expect a great night of fights. In association with Max Octane Fightwear, and HGH Nutrition, we‘ll see you all at Wild Bobs Bar on Friday night for RFC 4.
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