2016-05-28
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StrikeForce Union #12

Event Preview: StrikeForce Union #12
StrikeForce Union
2016-05-28, London, Hayashi's Lounge - London
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StrikeForce Union #12 28/05/2016 Hayashi's Lounge, London
  On the night of the 28th, we welcome the highest ranked fighter to have ever entered the SFU cage. He spent years fighting on The Island before becoming a champion in a Las Vegas based organisation. Making the move to London, He is the "Cheeky One", he is Roger Machado. Add into the mix another TWO title fights and we have ourselves another fantastic SFU fight card. It's a rematch at Light Heavyweight. It's anyone's title at Featherweight. More on that later. And it is all brought to you by SFU's hardworking owner Mr. Cambridge and new SFU Assistant Manager Mr. Frankham. Buckle up folks, we have SFU legends. SFU rookies. SFU contenders and future champions all in one card. This is StrikeForce Union #12. This is where you need to be on the 28th May. THIS. Is our fight card:        

Roger Machado vs Otocanin Zmija Paddy Ward vs Lucia Gracie Dmitry Boitsov vs Peter Larsson Bob Brody vs Sergio Diaz      Jimmy Riddle vs Jackson Teller Fedor Hunt vs Davie Joyce Anony Mous vs Jose Hernandez Your Name Here vs Jacob Frye Marlo Stanfield vs Karol Biernat Noam Nystrom vs Tomas Silva
Rankings are correct as at the time of writing.
  #4 Noam Nystrom (MMA 1-2-0 , SFU 1-0-0) vs #10 Tomas Silva (MMA 1-3-0 , SFU 0-2-0)  |  Featherweight Division   Call it controversy. Call it the elephant in the room. Call it whatever you prefer, but there is certainly a number of SFU fans that believe Noam Nystrom is unlucky to see the fighter he just beat, get a shot at the title tonight. Even the challenger himself Sergio Diaz said as much. Let's rewind. At the magnificent SFU #10 event, Noam Nystrom defeated Sergio Diaz via a unanimous decision. Every judge said he won every round. It was a great fight where Nystrom was devastating in the clinch with elbows and knees. How, then, does the loser of that fight Diaz find himself fighting for the Featherweight title tonight, instead of Nystrom? We looked to clear the air with a statement from the Nystrom camp:


"Look I was a bit pissed at first because I should have had that title fight next. But I understand my record doesn't look too pretty at the moment. So I'll just have to beat all the bums in this division until they can't deny me my shot! I'm the best 145'er in SFU at the moment and I believe I can beat anyone in the SFU 145lb division....."


We're not going to disagree with him. Nystrom is certainly capable of challenging for the title at some point. As for his opponent, Tomas Silva entered StrikeForce Union on a high, immediately challenging for the title himself. He lost that fight and then lost his next fight against the aforementioned Sergio Diaz. It was a difficult run and it doesn't get any easier here for "Tiger". There have been some suggestions that Silva is better suited as a kickboxer rather than with us in MMA. His second round knockout of Virgil Mccarthy proved that he has the capability however. Throughout his career, he has connected on 60% of head punches thrown and is just as successful with his takedowns. He's certainly not a one trick pony and Nystrom will have to be at his best to get the win and remain undefeated at 145lbs.


Dave's Prediction:  Noam Nystrom via Decision


#3 Marlo Stanfield (MMA 5-0-0 , SFU 0-0-0) vs #7 Karol Biernat (MMA 5-2-0 , SFU 0-1-0)  |  Lightweight Division

  Round 1 KO. That is the promise made by the undefeated Marlo Stanfield. That is what Karol Biernat finds himself up against. Biernat found out quickly the difference in quality between StrikeForce Union and the Quick Fight Championship. After riding a five win streak from QFC into his SFU debut, he lost via submission in the second round. It was a good close fight and maybe overeagerness got the better of "The Phenomenal" teenager from Poland. Make no doubt about it, Biernat belongs in StrikeForce Union. He deserves to be fighting the best.

He will get the opportunity to do so here. Enter Marlo Stanfield. Whereas some fighters win. Other fighters dominate. Stanfield is of the latter variety. We have seen fighters win five from five fights. We have even seen fighters with all five wins via first round knockouts. But have we seen such a fighter win FOUR yes FOUR KO of the Night awards? We have now. Stanfield was tearing up the competition at his previous organisation. He's made it perfectly clear his ambition, to travel, fight and win all over the world. He has given us every reason to believe he can do exactly that. For however long he is with us here at SrtikeForce Union, it will be a pleasure to see Marlo fight. Karol Biernat will be hoping he's not another statistic in Stanfield's quest of world domination. Of course, that's easier said than done.
Dave's Prediction:  Marlo Stanfield via KO
#6 Your Name Here (MMA 2-2-0 , SFU 2-0-0) vs #7 Jacob Frye (MMA 2-2-0 , SFU 2-1-0)  |  Welterweight Division  

Two twenty year olds that are well on their way to becoming great fighters. They have chosen to fight when others have chosen to hide. Much like Metta World Peace of basketball fame, Your Name Here had chosen to change his name by deed poll. That's not the only change that the man from the Marhsall Islands has undergone. This will be his first fight under new and experienced manager Ruphus Duphus. It won't however, be his first fight against Jacob Frye.

The two met at SFU #9 with Here (then called Roger Jackson) coming out with the victory to make it two wins in two in SFU. The gameplan was perfect. Jacob Frye is a wonderful boxer and can mix it up with his competent muay thai skills. But it remains to be seen what he can do once the fight is on the ground. It wasn't the desired outcome he wanted following his move to 170lbs but we know of many fighters at 185lbs that were glad to see the back of him. Why? Because he is a dangerous opponent for anybody. Your Name Here knows that. We're not sure if his new manager knows that. 
Dave's Prediction:  Your Name Here via Submission


#10 Anony Mous (MMA 1-0-0 , SFU 0-0-0) vs Jose Hernandez (MMA 4-7-0 , SFU 1-4-0)  |  Welterweight Division

  Here since the very beginning, it's the "Womanizer" Jose Hernandez up against SFU newcomer Anony "Unknown" Mous. Mous' MMA debut was unbelievable. If you have the time, go and watch that fight. Spoilers ahead! Mous clearly lost the first round. He got rocked badly in the second round and had a severe cut to deal with from there on out. Down two rounds he needed a finish and he got it. When? With just one second to spare. One second people.

With just a second left on the clock he got an Americana submission and the victory. That is heart. That is something we love to see here at StrikeForce Union. We also like loyalty. Which Jose Hernandez has in abundance. He had a great win at our first event SFU #1 but four losses since has seen him drop out of the rankings. A win here is not out of his reach and could see Hernandez jump back into the rankings.
Dave's Prediction:  Jose Hernandez via Decision 


#3 Fedor Hunt (MMA 2-2-0 , SFU 1-0-0) vs #5 Davie Joyce (MMA 1-5-0 , SFU 0-2-0)  |  Super Heavyweight Division

  Fedor Hunt entered SFU on the grandest stage of them all at SFU #10 and lived up to the hype with a first round submission of Len Clothwell. Out of Davie Joyce's five losses, four of them have come via submission. He will face the prospect of being submitted again here. The teenager from Dublin, Ireland likes to keep busy but up to this point it hasn't been paying off when it comes to results in the cage. His two SFU losses both came against arguably the best fighter in SFU in Marcus Pereira. After the loss at SFU #5, Joyce opted to try his hand at Quick Fight Championship twice, losing both fights. This will be his return to SFU action and we will see whether his decision to fight in QFC will pay dividends. After all, experience is very important in fighting.

Both of these fighters are great all-rounders and true mixed martial artists. But only one of them will have the knowledge of how to use these skills successfully. When is the right time to shoot? Can I establish the jab? Is my opponent stronger or weaker on his back? Skills are necessary. But knowledge is power. And the fighter that has all the answers is the fighter that will get his hand raised at the end of this fight.
Dave's Prediction:  Davie Joyce via Decision


#3 Jimmy Riddle (MMA 6-1-0 , SFU 3-1-0) vs #5 Jackson Teller(MMA 7-1-0 , SFU 2-1-0)  |  Heavyweight Division

  There is a lot in common with these two fighters, the most noticeable being that their sole loss came to the same opponent, current Heavyweight champion Dustin Kruger. Both Riddle and Teller didn't make it out of the first round in their respective fights. This is a match-up that makes a lot of sense. For one fighter, it's a chance to put himself back into title contention. For the defeated, it's a slippery slope in what is an extremely competitive division.

We think Jackson Teller has a slight advantage in this one. Having previously had the chance to sit down with the man and talk, I believe the man from Charming is one of the most determined fighters on the roster. He bounced back from that Kruger loss with a devastating and impressive first round knockout of perennial contender, Grizzly Adams Jr. Teller is not going away.

He's here to stay. Of course Jimmy Riddle has actually held the belt and has experience as a champion. But perhaps most importantly Jimmy Riddle has what every fighter should have. A Plan B. Whereas Teller has little to no ground game, Jimmy Riddle has submitted opponents before and is sure to submit many more. Yes he's only a blue belt. But sometimes that can make all the difference. This one has Fight of the Night award written all over it.
Dave's Prediction:  Jackson Teller via KO
#C Bob Brody (MMA 4-1-0 , SFU 1-0-0) vs #5 Sergio Diaz (MMA 5-2-0 , SFU 1-1-0)  |  Featherweight Division   Da Raw Dawg Hippy Hoppa. That's what they call Bob Brody on the street. This is a baaaad man. A lot of people believed he didn't deserve his title shot since he didn't make weight for the fight before that. Nobody told him to his face though. Regardless of whether he deserved it or not, Bob Brody took full advantage of the opportunity presented to him. He picked up the Sub of the Night on his way to becoming the new Featherweight champion. Now the onus is on Sergio Diaz. He has his own critics now and will be looking to silence them by picking up the title here. There are a lot of contenders in the Featherweight division, all capable of reaching the top. If Bob Brody pulls off the win here, he will send a message to the rest of the division. This is Brody's division. And all of the contenders better get in line to get picked off one-by-one. Now if Diaz wins, we have ourselves a very interesting rematch between Nystrom and Diaz. It's going to be very interesting either way. A dominant champion. Or a free-for-all. This division is one of the most open in the organisation, Whoever can put an end to that can dominate will be a star in the making. Is that Bob Brody? Is it Sergio Diaz? Is it the next title challenger? We will go a long way in finding out tonight. Don't miss this fight.
Dave's Prediction:  Bob Brody via Submission
#C Dmitry Boitsov (MMA 4-0-0 , SFU 4-0-0) vs #5 Peter Larsson (MMA 5-1-0 , SFU 3-1-0)  |  Light Heavyweight Division   Been there. Done that. Got the first round submission. They could be the very thoughts of champion Dmitry Boitsov but he would be a fool to underestimate Peter Larsson in this rematch. No doubt he deserved the win. But there's also no doubt Larsson should be respected. A different gameplan could lead to a different result, such is the greatness of both of these fighters. Somebody had to lose last time round, such is the nature of the fight game. Somebody had to lose their undefeated record. Unfortunately for Larsson, it was his record that took the hit. Fortunately for Larsson, he immediately has the chance to get revenge. Dmitry "Boets" Boitsov is one of a number of SFU champions that have cleaned out their division or at the very least, beaten all that seemed like capable challengers at the time. It's for this reason that SFU has brought in some of the best fighters from around the world. Fighters like Mike Stanley and Ivan Tarasov whose paths will surely cross Boitsov's at some point in their SFU careers. A true champion will relish the stronger opponents. Bigger fights means bigger money after all. It will be interesting to see how the old wave and new wave of SFU fighters compete. But remember, Peter Larsson is not a footnote. He's one win away from being the new. Light Heavyweight Champion of the World. We can fantasize about future match-ups. But Dmitry Boitsov cannot look past the man from Sweden. He packs one hell of a punch. Just ask his list of victims.
Dave's Prediction:  Dmitry Boitsov via Submission
#3 Paddy Ward (MMA 7-1-0 , SFU 0-0-0) vs #5 Lucia Gracie (MMA 9-10-0 , SFU 0-0-0)  |  Heavyweight Division   Part of the new wave of SFU talent bursting onto the scene, we welcome Paddy Ward of Ireland and Lucia Gracie of Brazil. These two fighters know each other very well. The Gracie family currently has five fighters being managed by Harriet Marshall. Paddy Ward knocked out one of them in Eduardo Gracie. But lost to the very man he fights here, Lucia Gracie. That was Ward's sole loss. And he has the chance to redeem himself here at SFU #12. We asked Paddy just what it would mean to him if he wins this fight and whether this time, it's personal:
Dave's Prediction:  Paddy Ward via Decision
#3 Roger Machado (MMA 15-4-0 , SFU 0-0-0) vs #5 Octocanin Zmija (MMA 11-4-0 , SFU 0-0-0)  |  Heavyweight Division   There is a long history here that reads like a daytime soap opera. But with more violence. Once upon a time, there was an organisation in London named Solitude. That is where these two heavyweights first came to battle. With only one loss each, it looked like Zmija was on his way to a decisive victory until the last round when Machado got the submission off his back. 1-0 Machado. It was a great fight and a Sub of the Night winner so fans were more than happy to see the immediate rematch. Next fight. It was one round each going into the final round but this time Zmija did enough to pick up the close victory on the cards. 1-1 in the series. Months went by and it looked like a trilogy was not going to happen until both fighters signed with the Slaughterhouse FC organisation. This time the stakes were higher. Not only were they fighting to decide who was the better fighter once and for all. Now they had the Super Heavyweight title to fight for. Machado started the fight very well getting the counter takedown. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, he was also cut. And it was that cut that came back to haunt him when the referee stopped the fight late in the second round.  Much to Machado's dismay. Being the warrior that he is, I'm sure he would have liked to have continue the fight. So there you have it. As we enter this fourth installment of Machado vs. Zmija, it's the man from Barbados that leads the head-to-head. Yet so many questions remain. Just like any good story, there is a twist in the tale. There paths have been crossing for years and now, for the first time ever leading into one of their fights, the fighters have the same manager in Ben Frankham. Roll the credits. Play the theme song. But before we think about the drama that's to come, these two fighters have 26 wins between them. And 25 finishes. If you have been paying close attention, that one time the fight went to the cards? Was Machado vs. Zmija II. For however long this fight lasts, this is going to be another battle in a long standing war between two of the best.
Dave's Prediction:  Roger Machado via Submission

 

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