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 SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIGHT NIGHT 1 PREVIEW
UNDERCARD
Juan Manuel Miguel Angel Chavez Sanchez Doritos De La Cruz v Citrio Pavo – 155 lbs
Mexican boxer, Juan Manuel “taking hispanic naming customs to a whole new level” De La Cruz, prepares to take on US wrestler Citrio Pavo in this classic matchup. Both fighters are 18 and are in search of their first win; this will Pavo's first ever appearance in an MMA bout. De La Cruz is an exciting fighter to watch; he carries that Mexican style of boxing reminiscent of the likes of Chavez and Duran into the ring combining aggression with some delicious combination punching. However, he is currently 0-2 in his MMA career and will be keen to get that first win on his record following defeat against Lee Lewis in his last Slaughterhouse appearance. Less is known about Pavo, he has an impressive wrestling background but how that will translate into the world of mixed martial arts is another question. One point worth noting is that both of De La Cruz's previous losses have come against ground fighters, for all the entertainment that De La Cruz brings into the ring he might not find this one so entertaining unless he has made substantial improvements to his takedown defence.
Prediction: Pavo by first round KO.
The End v Vincenzo Stohr – 145 lbs
Two youngsters from Europe will face off in this featherweight bout. “The End” hails from the Flemish city of Genk in Belgium, he is a well rounded ground fighter who excels at takedowns and possesses a good chin which is just as well because his opponent for this matchup is a viscous stand up fighter. Italian Muay Thai specialist Vincenzo Stohr has a limited MMA record thus far, but in his one prior appearance he displayed a potent combination of power and accuracy; his strikes finding the target an astonishing 93.3% of the time and stopping the bout in under two minutes with a huge right hand that laid his unfortunate opponent out cold and in need of some serious medical attention. “The End” will be looking to take this fight to the floor, however I fear his approach might be too one dimensional for the Italian in this instance – the Belgian's gameplan revolves almost solely around takedowns and with that knowledge in mind Stohr can seek to work on the outside and frustrate his opponent with superior striking. Stohr will need to be careful not to get overly aggressive but with a cool head I see him taking this bout and delivering another spectacular finish via knockout.
Prediction: Stohr by first round KO.
Hon Mo v Jonathan Estrada – 135 lbs
Another international matchup for the cards as two new signings seek to begin their Slaughterhouse careers with a victory. Hon Mo is an Afghan mixed martial artist with a record of 3-2 and he will be eager to return to winning ways following an early exit in the Island. Philippine boxer, Jonathan Estrada, has an MMA record of 3-3 and is looking to make a name for himself in Vegas after an unsuccessful stint with Highland Challengers. Hon Mo shows an aptitude in both the standup and ground phases of mixed martial arts so it will be hard to predict how he chooses to approach this one, but if I had to wager a guess chances are he will try to take this one to the ground – he has shown an aptitude for submissions which seems to be his most likely route to victory. Estrada will play to his natural strengths and try to turn this into a boxing match; Estrada is an accurate puncher and has an average strike success rate of 69.7% however there are concerns that he lacks the knockout power to finish fights – all three of his victories have come via decision. That said Estrada has proven an extremely difficult opponent to take down – over the course of his six prior appearances he has stuffed an impressive 95.8% of takedown attempts and for that reason I like his chances here.
Prediction: Estrada by decision.
Alex Lesnar v James Darmody – 135 lbs
Burmese fighter James Darmody takes on the young Botswanan wrestler Alex Lesnar in another matchup between two adversaries making their Slaughterhouse debut. Despite being six years the younger, Lesnar actually has more experience in the ring having notched up a 9-10 record over the course of his career thus far. 25 year old Darmody has a record of 6-4 and is a standup fighter first and foremost, although rumour has it he is a decent wrestler as well. It's worth noting that Darmody possesses a massive fifteen inch height advantage over his opponent which will stand him in good stead if this fight remains standing. Expect Lesnar to look for the takedown in order to nullify that advantage and play to his natural strengths. Interestingly this is not the first time these two opponents have met, a previous QFC outing ended after three rounds with Lesnar eventually securing victory via arm triangle. Darmody clearly had the best of Lesnar while the fight remained standing and was leading on the scorecards before the African managed to turn the tables. With that in mind, what adjustments will the fighters make for this bout? Hard one to call, but Lesnar will come into this one as a slight favourite due to the outcome of that previous fight.
Prediction: Lesnar by second round submission.
Bimbo Dynamite v George Miller – 135 lbs
Another fight between two opponents who will already be familiar with each other. Dynamite is a wrestler with a granite chin while hometown hero Miller is a ground fighter who has shown great aptitude for submissions. Both are 25 and both will be making their first appearance under the Slaughterhouse banner. The previous fight between these two ended with Miller taking the win with a guillotine submission; this was Dynamite's first ever MMA appearance so be hoping that the learning experience will stand him in good stead for this fight. Miller will undoubtedly look to apply the same gameplan in this instance, the question for this fight is more what adjustments will Dynamite make? His boxing has improved since the last time out so he may try to keep this standing or seek to make a point in taking the fight to the ground. At this point it's impossible to predict, realistically this fight could go any way but I have a feeling that Dynamite might actually take this one. Access to superior gym facilities and the knowledge of what to expect from Miller might just swing this in Dynamite's favour. In this instance Miller's more extensive MMA record might actually count against him, the Las Vegas fighter has had to take more time off to recover from fights and Dynamite's team will be hopeful that the extra time in training will give them the edge to win this rematch.
Prediction: Dynamite by second round KO.
Mac Gruber v Dagur Egilsson – 145 lbs
Icelandic mixed martial artist Dagur Egilsson faces American boxer Mac Gruber in this featherweight matchup. Egilsson is well rounded but prefers to keep the fight on its feet where he shows effective use of kicks to the legs and body to wear his opponents down. Gruber is primarily a boxer but has shown great aptitude in Jiu Jitsu, using his grappling skills to transition to dominant positions where he can work the ground and pound. Both fighters are new signings and will be keen to make their mark in what should be an interesting stylistic matchup. Egilsson will be returning to MMA after a brief foray into the world of kickboxing while Gruber is coming off the back of two losses and will be looking to break that streak here. It's hard to predict who has the edge here, both fighters appear to be relatively evenly matched in both standup and grappling albeit with completely different styles. Egilsson will probably prefer to stay standing and could use his superior Muay Thai to inflict some serious damage on Gruber from within the clinch – an area which the American has struggled with before in the past. Gruber could approach this fight in any number of ways, by trying to outbox his opponent or taking his chances on the ground in search of a submission. In picking a winner for this fight, I'm going to go with the more experienced European – he has faced tougher opposition in the past and should show greater ability to adapt as things unfold in this unpredictable fight.
Prediction: Egilsson by decision.
Saiyan Southbrook v Holt McCoy – 205 lbs
Two talented fighters looking to return to winning ways in the light heavyweight division. Saiyan Southbrook is 23 years of age and full of promise, he suffered a knockout in his last Slaughterhouse appearance but received numerous plaudits for the aggressive approach he adopted against former champion Stew Sauced. Fellow American Holt McCoy is 30 and coming off the back of a defeat against accomplished standup fighter Sungwon Jung. Southbrook's Slaughterhouse record thus far is 1-1 while McCoy is 2-1 – both are eager to notch up another win in this deeply stacked division. The gameplan of both fighters should be fairly predictable – Southbrook is a versatile outside fighter and will be looking to keep this one standing, McCoy is a skilled wrestler and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and will look for takedowns and, should the opportunity present itself, submission attempts. The outcome of this bout will rest on where this fight takes place – Southbrook will look for a repeat of Holt's last match where he barely had a chance to secure the takedown, however with this comes a major caveat... As entertaining as Southbrook is to watch, an overly aggressive approach here could enable McCoy to close the distance and take the fight to the floor. Southbrook has yet to face a grappler of McCoy's caliber under current management, but I quite like his chances here – he has shown good takedown defence in the past and if he makes the necessary adjustments to his fight strategy he has a good opportunity to be celebrating his fifth career victory come the end of the night.
Prediction: Southbrook by second round KO.
Hunter Akbar v Maddox Rayborn – 185 lbs
36 year old Hunter Akbar takes on 21 year old Maddox Rayborn in this battle of youth vs. experience. Akbar is a multi-faceted mixed martial artist who specialises in submissions, he has a long and illustrious record having registered twenty four victories over the course of his career and numerous titles in multiple organisations. However, at the age of 36 there is speculation that he might be on the decline – he suffered defeat in his last Slaughterhouse outing against Parker Phoenix, losing by unanimous decision with all judges scoring the contest 27-30. He did manage to take the fight to the ground but got stood up by the referee several times for lack of activity; fans are hoping that the experienced Nigerian will step things up for this bout and put on a more entertaining show. Rayborn is an inside fighter who loves to take his opponents into the clinch, he has a limited MMA record so far having only made three appearances – two wins and a loss, all via KO. Having looked at the tape of Akbar's last fight, chances are the young American will look for a standup battle where Akbar appeared to be thoroughly outclassed. However, Rayborn isn't on the same talent level as Phoenix and his lack of experience in Jiu Jitsu could spell trouble for him if the Nigerian does secure the takedown. This is a very difficult one to call, but with Akbar low on confidence following his last defeat I'd wager Rayborn might just be able to win this one with the sheer knockout power of that brutal right hand.
Prediction: Rayborn by second round KO.
CO-MAIN EVENT
Monster Hero v Michael D Amato – 265 lbs
Our co-main event of the evening sees versatile heavyweight “Monster Hero” take on talented boxer Michael D Amato in what should be an intriguing matchup. Amato surprised us in his last outing with a thoroughly dominant performance over Bruce Hardman, a bout which appeared to be very close on paper. However, he faces one his toughest opponents yet in the form of Monster Hero. Monster is a highly accurate striker who shows a great understanding for all aspects of the game; his striking success rate is an astonishing 78.4% which is extremely impressive at this level. Monster is a recent signing from REVO and is looking to build on his 15-8 record following a three fight win streak. He is arguably one of the hottest prospects in this division and could find himself in contention for a title challenge if he keeps he can continue to string together wins. But Amato will also be angling for a shot at the title following his impressive performance against Hardman, another highly ranked fighter; a victory for either opponent here would definitely put them in the spotlight so expect both fighters to step it up in their search for glory.
In terms of gameplan, Amato will almost certainly look to outbox his opponent – he primarily likes to target the head in search for knockout blows although he will occasionally mix it up with leg kicks and hooks to the body. With the Monster, it's difficult to predict how he will approach this one – he is versatile on his feet, mixing in boxing with all manner of kicks, and he will also try to take the fight into the clinch or onto the floor if he feels that is where he has the edge. In this instance a takedown strategy is a distinct possibility and may be Monster's best approach for this particular opponent. I'm really struggling to pick a winner for this matchup, on paper Monster looks like the more dangerous opponent but Amato has surprised us before and, when you get two heavyweight opponents of this caliber in the cage, really anything could happen.
Prediction: Hero by third round KO.
MAIN EVENT
Roger Machado v Otocanin Zmija – 265+ lbs Title Fight
And finally, our main event of the evening is the inaugural Super Heavyweight Title Fight between two very evenly matched opponents. Both of these fighters are Brazilian Jiu Jitsu specialists and of their 22 combined wins, all bar one have come by submission. These two fighters have met twice before during their days with the now defunct org Solitude. The record currently stands at one a piece with Machado winning the first fight by armbar in the third round and Zmija taking the rematch by decision. This will be the first time these two have fought in a title fight however and if this fight goes through to the championship rounds (a very distinct possibility given how well versed these two are in Jiu Jitsu) it could well be the case that the contender with the better cardio will emerge victorious.
Overall Zmija is the more active fighter, he is an accurate striker with an underrated right hand but his real strength comes from mixing in ground and pound with his Jiu Jitsu. Machado prefers to react to situations as they unfold, he doesn't offer much threat standing up and will actively be seeking to counter with takedowns as soon as the chance presents itself. On the ground Machado is more passive than Zmija, preferring to focus on improving position and eventually looking for submission attempts rather than grind his opponent down. It's an interesting strategy which could work in his favour if Zmija gasses out early, but should the fight go the distance it will put him at a distinct disadvantage on the scoring cards. The expectation is that the majority of this fight will take place on the ground; ultimately this will be a test of cardio and concentration and a momentary lapse of focus could well spell trouble for either fighter.
Prediction: Zmija by decision.
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