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 07-11-15
SP-ICON 260
Hula's Arena
Jonas Carvalho VS Marat Sanayev
In the first fight of this spectacular card is a bout between 2 time K.O of the night winner 28 year old Brazilian fighting his forth fight with Icon Jonas Carvalho. Standing opposite him is the winner of 1 Sub of the night award having his 6th fight under Icon the 25 year old Kazakhstan born Submission specialist Marat Sanayev. Jonas will want to fight his way to a win after losing 4 fights in a row while Marat will also want to return to winning ways after losing his last fight to Wang Chung at SP-ICON 255 by way of submission in the first round.
Jonas is not the greatest Boxer but his skills in Muay Thai make up for that and his skill set in Wrestling is strong and he holds a Blue Belt in BJJ, while Marat's Boxing, Muay Thai and Wrestling is below average but his BJJ is of a very high standard and it wont be long till his the proud owner of a Black Belt. Jonas has a record of 8 Wins and 8 Losses and 1 draw while Marat has a record of 12 Wins 13 Losses and also has 1 Draw. Both of these guys will be wanting to add another Win to there record's and they will give all they have to do so.
In my opinion I cant see past Jonas Carvalho for this fight, I dont believe Marat has what it takes to take Jonas down to the matt and do what he excels at while Jonas is picking Marat apart with his impeccable Muay Thai. I think it will be a second round K.O for Jonas in a great way to start the SP-ICON 260 card.
Dan Henderson VS Felipe Calderon
The Second fight on this crazy action packed card is a battle of the Knockout artists 5 time fight of the night and 3 time K.O of the night winner 30 year old American hard hitter Dan Henderson facing off against the 6 time fight of the night 1 time sub of the night and 1 time K.O of the night winner Colombian nightmare Felipe Calderon. Henderson will want to get a win and show his still a force to be reckoned with after his loss to Devil Anse Hatfield at SP-ICON Fight Night 18 by TKO in the 3rd round. Felipe Calderon will need a win after losing 5 in a row so questions are being asked about his future at ICON which he will want to silence and a Win against Henderson would surely do that.
Henderson has fantastic Boxing and Muay Thai and can Wrestle at a Olympic level and holds a Brown belt in BJJ while his opponent Calderon is just as good as Henderson in all aspects but Calderon does hold a Black belt in BJJ so this gives him the advantage if the fight takes to the floor, Henderson has a record of 13 Wins and 11 Losses and he has fought for the Middleweight title in the CFS org at CFS 31: Revelations, Where he unfortunately lost against Katsuro Kazuhiro in the first round by way of TKO and since joining ICON his Won 2 of this 4 fights and hopes to someday hold a belt in this organisation but performances are going to need to improve for this to happen due to the talent in this org. Calderon has a record of 17 Wins and 16 Losses and 1 Draw, Calderon has fought for a title recently also but same as Henderson fell just short at the final hurdle losing in the first round to Jamon Jamon at DSC 36 by way of TKO.
I strongly believe that Calderon will return to winning ways and get a submission victory against Henderson, i think Henderson and Calderon will be standing up for a good portion of the fight swinging for the fences and getting into incredible clinches and really giving their everything and then when Calderon seems its the right time he will take Henderson to the matt and tap him out using his Black Belt in BJJ to his advantage. Third round Submission for Felipe Calderon.
Michael Nguyen VS Delvin Shore
In the third fight of the night is a rematch between Fight of the night and 2 time K.O of the night winner 37 year old Vietnam born Veteran Micheal Nguyen, ready to battle him is the 29 year old American Hellraiser Delvin Shore. The last time these fighters saw eachother was in a incredible fight at SP-ICON 255 Where the fight ended in a draw as the judges could not come to a unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 30-27 28-29 and 29-29 opening up a great chance for a rematch for one of these fighters to progress further in the division.
Michael is brilliant in Boxing and superb in Muay Thai and has some skill in the Wrestling but his BJJ is requiring some work so he will shy away from the fight going to the matt if possible while Delvin has sensational skills in Boxing but lacks major skills in Muay Thai but is overly skilled in Wrestling and BJJ which can make up for the lack of skills in Muay Thai he possesses. Michael has a good record of 16 Wins 7 Losses and 2 Draws under 5 different managers but his new manager Mr Hogg is hoping to bring out his full potential and he'll need to due to Icon being such a competitive organisation. Delvin has a record of 8 Wins 2 Losses and 1 Draw and this is his third manager and since being under new management Delvin has occurred his 2 Losses and draw so it seems Fighter and manager need to get on the same wavelength as Delvin was unbeaten for previous managers but Im quietly confident that results will start going his way and he'll be back in winning form soon.
I Believe Delvin will get the Win here and return to winning ways and get a second round K.O. I feel Micheal will take comfort in the fact that Delvin has struggled under new management of late and will go into the fight feeling like his already won but will get caught with a nasty knockout punch leaving Michael seeing stars and making manager Cian Coggins very happy and feeling confident of better things to come.
Benny Winkler VS Kevin Raybould
On the forth fight on the card brings together 34 year old Australian Benny Winkler facing off against 7 time fight of the night winner and 8 time K.O of the night winner 45 year old American Veteran Kevin Raybould in a deciding rematch of the bout that happened at SP-ICON 253 Where the fight went to the judges decision after a full 15 minutes of action packed MMA where all three judges gave the victory to Kevin Raybould 29-28 leaving the Veteran with another win and in the fight before that at SP-ICON 232 also went to the judges score card where all of the judges scored it 30-27 in favour of Benny Winkler and both guys will want to get back into the cage for a third time and not let the judges settle their fate so we will be in for a great fight where anything can happen.
Benny is Exceptional in Boxing but lacks a lot of skill in Muay Thai and has superb Wrestling but will avoid the matt as his BJJ is not great by a long shot. Kevin on the other hand has excellent skills everywhere apart from BJJ so this fight will stay on the matt to avoid utter embarrassment from both parties. Benny Winkler has a record of 17 Wins 6 Losses and 1 Draw and will want to settle this fight in his own way after his last 6 fights going to the judges. While the former UFF Heavyweight Champion has a incredible record of 42 Wins and 17 Losses but age is against Kevin being 45 but he is still young at heart and still feels like he has a point to prove and believes he still has what it takes to compete at a top level and get a title again before retirement.
I think this fight will end back in the judges hands for the third time, i believe that Benny just dont have what it takes to put fighters away and win by way of K.O and i think the age of Kevin will render him with the same issues. i believe it will be very close but Kevin will win the fight by split decision, 29-28 28-29 30-27 and Kevin will progress up the ranking and hope to get a fighter closer to the title contender with time not being in his favour.
Jack Shepard VS Kuzan Aokiji
At the halfway point of the card is a fight between 3 time fight of the night 1 time Sub of the night and 4 time K.O of the night winner 32 year old American K.O artist Jack Shepard facing off against the 2 time fight of the night winner 24 year old Japanese exciting wonderkid Kuzan Aokiji. Jack will want to get another win after a beautiful 1st round K.O against Oleg Alekseev at SP-ICON 258 while Kuzan will want to carry on his win streak and a win against Jack Shepard would extend his run to 6 and leave him in good stead and climbing the rankings even more.
Former OFC Heavyweight Champion Jack Shepard is of the highest standard in Boxing, probably feels he could give Mike Tyson a run for his money, has sufficiently good skills in Muay Thai and can wrestle at the highest of standards and doesn’t fear the idea of the fight hitting the matt with extremely good BJJ while Ex Marine Kuzan Aokiji matches Jack Shepard in all aspects making this fight a incredible match up which really could go either way. Jack Shepard has a record of 20 Wins and 12 Losses and he earned 16 of them 20 Wins by (T)K.O while Kuzan Aokiji has a record of 9 Wins and 2 Losses with the majority of those wins coming from decision.
This fight will be a 2nd round K.O for Jack Shepard i feel. I think his experience and determination will see him through this fight while Kuzan will be wanting to see the fight through to the end and will get K.O'd in the process as Jack Shepard wont be wanting the judges to be deciding his fate and will seal the fight by his own means,
Tural Agaev VS Yo Adrian
In the sixth fight of the card is fight between 3 time fight of the night and 2 time K.O of the night winner the 25 year old Russian beast Tural Agaev. His opponent is no other than the 4 time fight of the night and 5 time K.O of the night winner 33 year old Argentinean former BFE Super Heavyweight champion Yo Adrian. Tural Agaev will want to add another Win to his record after a impressive first round K.O against Amis Pelle at SP-ICON 255 while Yo Adrian will be looking to return to winning ways after losing in two consecutive fights by decision against Kuzan Aokiji.
Tural is amazing in all aspects of MMA he has the highest calibre skill set across the board with amazing Boxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling and BJJ while Yo Adrian has excellent Boxing and Muay Thai but slightly falls short to Tural in Wrestling and BJJ so he will be doing everything in his power to keep in on the feet where his more comfortable, Tural has a record of 10 Wins and 5 Losses with 8 of those Wins coming by way of (T)K.O and Adrian has a record of 22 Wins and 18 Losses and 1 Draw and all 22 of his Wins have been by way of Knockout!
Yo Adrian will submerge victorious in this fight with another K.O and end the 2 fight losing streak his currently on, The Former Champions need to return to greatness will give him the edge in this fight i feel, i think Tural will make the mistake of swinging with him and get caught up in the moment and not go for the takedown to prove himself against such a proficient boxer and get K.O'd for his troubles.
Imperiex Prime VS Djalu Roberts
In the seventh fight of the night is another crazy fight on this crazy card between 2 time fight of the night and 3 time K.O of the night winner 26 year old Greek mystro Imperiex Prime against the fight of the night and K.O of the night winner 24 year old Australian Djalu Roberts. Prime will want to get back to winning ways immediately after missing out on the title in his last fight against Ray Force which he lost by first round TKO at SP-ICON 256 while Djalu will want to extend on his 3 fight winning streak and will be nearing title contention if he earns a win against the former contender.
Imperiex Prime has astonishing skills in Boxing and Wrestling but when it comes to Muay Thai and BJJ his skills are in need of abit of improvement and Djalu Roberts has exactly the same skill set, its rare for two fighters to be so similar making this fight a brilliant watch as they both have the same advantages and disadvantages and will fight similar fights and it wont be till the bell starts we will find out which one of these guys has the upper hand. Prime has a record of 18 Wins and 13 Losses earning all 18 of his Wins by K.O but his chin is questionable as 10 of his 13 Losses have also been by K.O while Djalu has a record of 7 Wins and only 1 Loss and he earned all 7 of his Wins by K.O.
In my opinion i think Djalu will pull the win out of the bag by catching Prime on his glass chin and be next in line for a title shot a the next fight to be number one contender as this would be a huge win for the Australian. Im going to guess at a third round K.O for Djalu, Prime will think his experience has already won him the fight but Djalu has only lost once and didnt enjoy the taste as he won his next 3 fights and i dont think its going to stop. Im going to put my neck on the line and say that Djalu Roberts will be the Icon Super heavyweight champion once he gets his rematch with Ray Force.
(C) Ray Force VS Mark Calloway
The eighth fight on the card is a 5 round title fight between these two super Heavyweights. The Contender is Fight of the night and Sub of the night winner 28 year old American from Death Valley Mark Calloway facing the Champion fight of the night and 6 time K.O of the night winner 32 year old American Ray Force. Calloway will want to be winning the belt after 3 impressive wins in a row all by TKO and all in the first round while the Champion will be wanting to retain the belt after defending it 6 times and all of those wins have came by way of K.O and TKO in the first and second rounds.
Mark Calloway has surprised many as his entire skill set is not massive, his not the best Boxer and is not excellent in Muay Thai, his Wresting is above average but his BJJ is not great by a long shot but he proceeds to earn impressive victories and deserves to be where he is and deserves his title shot no doubt. While the Champion Ray Force has epic skills in Boxing and Muay Thai while his Wrestling is also fantastic but he has no idea what to do on the matt as he only has a white belt in BJJ. Calloway has a record of 15 Wins and 10 Losses and earning 13 of them Wins by KO and TKO it really proves he can swing leather with the best of them while Ray Force has a Champions record of 24 Wins and 6 Losses and all 24 of his Wins have come by way of K.O and TKO.
Ray Force will be retaining his belt in this fight, his Knockout power will be to much for Calloway, Calloway dont have what it takes to beat Ray Force as i believe the only way to beat the animalistic Champion is to get him to the floor but i dont think Calloway is confident enough to attempt takedown and will stay standing to initialise his K.O power but its going to be his downfall and his just going to be the champions piece of pray.
Jeremy Barrett VS Freddy Steel
In the Co-Main Event of the night is a fight between two former champions but dont let the word former put you off this fight, both of these guys are two of the best in the business racking up 46 wins between them. The first of these fighters is 3 time fight of the night and 7 time K.O of the night winner 32 year old Finnish former Death squad Heavyweight Champion Jeremy Barrett against twice winner of the fight of the night award and three times winner of the K.O of the night award the former Icon Champion 39 year old American Freddy Steel. Jeremy will want to get his third Win in a row and second Win in a row since joining the Icon Organisation while Freddy will want to extend his Winning streak to 4 Wins in a row.
Jeremy has amazing boxing and good Muay Thai and Wrestling but his BJJ is slightly below average while Freddy Steel is sensational everywhere, He could Box with Muhammad Ali, Fight Muay Thai with Jon Jones, Wrestle with Daniel Cormier and take Royce Gracie to the Matt and tap him out, making everyone wonder how his not the Champion still. But Freddy is going crazy and is not letting nothing stop him from getting his belt back. Jeremy has a record of 24 Wins and 6 Losses and Freddy has a record of 21 Wins and 11 Losses between them Totalling a amazing 40 K.O's between them.
I think that Freddy will become victorious from this fight, he is just to good everywhere, no matter where Jeremy Barrett takes the fight Freddy Steel is just better. I think it will be a first round K.O for Freddy as Jeremy will not be able to match up to Freddy and will just go for Freddy with everything he has and will get caught with a knockout punch which will put Freddy back up into the title race and leaving Jeremy needing more wins to amount to anything in the Icon Organisation.
(C) Sotiris Kakoullis VS Arial Jones (C)
In the Main event is another title fight between 2 Champions! 6 time fight of the night and 3 time K.O of the night winner, Cyprus born 29 year old 205lb champion Sotiris Kakoullis faces the 3 time fight of the night 2 time sub of the night and one time K.O of the night winner, 34 year old New Zealander 185lbs Champion Arial Jones in a battle of the Champions to settle who is the best in the organisation. Sotiris has been a Champion in 3 different orgs and so has Arial Jones so i think this fight speaks for itself. Both fighters are looking to improve on 3 consecutive title defences each and will want their names at the top of the organisation as the very best.
Sotiris has the greatest skill set in Boxing, Muay Thai and Wrestling and holds a Brown Belt in BJJ while Arial is just as good in Boxing as Sotiris falls short very slightly in Muay Thai, is the same as Sotiris in Wrestling and holds a Black Belt in BJJ. Sotiris has a record of 20 Wins and 4 Losses earning 17 (T)K.O's and 3 decisions while Arial has a record of 22 Wins 6 Losses and 1 Draw with a mixture of 13 (T)K.O's and 3 Submissions and 6 by the judges scorecards. Between these two they have a incredible 14 Title defences and they will both be giving blood, sweat and tears to ensure they get another win on their incredible records.
I cant separate these guys, i cant describe with words how great both of these incredible fighters are its better you take a look at their records and make your own decision, In one way Sotiris can try and keep the fight standing and maybe knock Arial out while his looking for the takedown but the other way the fight can go is if Arial is successful with a takedown and he can grind Sotiris down with ground and pound and maybe a submission but this fight wont go to the judges. it will probably be the best fight in MMA history.
I think we can all agree this has to be one of the best fightcards in the history of fighting, from the very first fight this card holds all the keys to be the most entertaining cards ever. The last three fights are insane. Your being treated to two title fights and 3 Champions on a single card. And two former champions looking to get back into title contention and be the best of their weightclass. You'd be a fool to miss it and i hope i have gave you a insight to which is going to be the most entertaining night of fights in the history of MMA and its A honour to be the one writing this for you all.
Icon Writer
Ryan Cambridge
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