An intriguing stylistic matchup between a grappler and a powerful scrapper. Jolly Leg Byrd has proved to have decent stand up to go with his outstanding grappling game. Donald McTavish; on the other hand; is a scrappy brawler who has knockout power in his hands. It’s an interesting contrast of styles, as McTavish in theory could connect with a bomb and end things at any point. Although it is worth noting that Byrd has never been knocked out.

Prediction:

Although McTavish is a finisher, the odds have to favour Byrd in this one, he is a better grappler; with one of the better managers in the game. I think he makes it competitive in the stand up; avoiding any big shots. He will score 3 takedowns; one in each round; and he will have enough top control to take a clean sweep on the scorecards.

Byrd Via Unanimous Decision

Alex Mercer vs Don Julio

Preview:

This fight really is the show stealer on this card. Taking place in our stacked Welterweight Division; two of the best at 170lb go at it. This is a fantastic opportunity for Don Julio to get right back in the mix; after a little bit of a speed bump; whilst Mercer can earn a title shot at the winner of the main event. This should be a stand up war with Julio preferring to fight on the inside; in boxing range and Mercer being the slightly more technical, diverse striker. Mercer also has more power than Julio, so Julio will have to use his boxing to get in and out before Mercer catches him coming in; or clinches up with him and knees him into oblivion. They are very evenly matched; so it is likely to be neck and neck.

Prediction:

Don Julio’s stock will rise in this fight; he will be able to make it extremely competitive; he will land combinations and dart out of range. Mercer will give as good as he gets here; with his dynamic punches, kicks and clinch game. We go into the last round at one round each; and I think Mercer stops Julio right in the nick of time; his speed and power is just slightly superior, and unfortunately I don’t see a way around that for Julio at this stage in both their careers.

Mercer Via TKO (Round 3)

Eliah Marshal vs Finn Balor

Preview:

A rematch from their earlier encounter; a closely contested match which Marshal took with a late TKO of Balor. Since then; Marshal has had a glittering run in SP – ICON, winning the belt at 145lb and defending it 4 times before succumbing to fellow stud Moses Ohchooto. Balor on the other hand has also had some success, flirting with title contention but often losing in the key fight. He will be hoping to get close again here by avenging his loss to Marshal. There are rumours that Marshal would secure a title shot with a win, but this is the last fight on his contract, and he may look to test free agency. The last fight was evenly contested both on the feet in the clinch, with Balor actually rocking Marshal in the first round, but Balor will surely look to his ground game as an x factor, as this is the biggest advantage he has in the fight.

Prediction:

Another evenly contested matchup; both guys will come out with a point to prove, they have a lot to gain, and a lot to lose. Finn Balor will be looking to make a statement; look for him to come out and try to finish his rival. Marshal will try to play it safe I feel. He needs leverage in free agency and he cannot afford a loss here, which would jeopardise that. The striking will be competitive, with Balor looking to box and to put Marshal away. Marshal will look to throw leg kicks; and then wear Balor down in the clinch. I think Marshal will be more slightly more successful with this strategy. Finn Balor may be able to grab hold of a leg or an arm if the fight hits the ground; however, with Marshal’s ability to dig underhooks in the clinch to stop takedowns, I don’t see it happening. Marshal just takes it in a tight affair.

Marshal Via Unanimous Decision

Preview: The only title fight on the card pits the unstoppable Salvatore Corozzo against the in-form Axl Rose. The interesting element about this fight is that neither guy has ever been finished, however they are both very good finishers, so there is a significant risk that somebody gets finished for the first ever time here. Corozzo is massive for the weight-class and under the tutelage of Nick Force has simply been dominating SP ICON’s Welterweight Division. At 38 years old, you would think he is no spring chicken, but he is as good as any champion in the org and if he wins against Rose, he sets up a massive super fight with Ryu Musashi, or perhaps a rematch with old foe Alex Mercer. For Axl Rose it would be a perfect storm, and the peak of his career. He has been simply outstanding under Mark O’Sullivan, using his creativity for both knockouts and submissions. He is also able to make comebacks, he has scored many finishes when he is clearly losing a fight and has never been finished himself. This is something Corozzo will have to be very wary of.

Prediction:

This is quite a hard one to predict because of the roll which they have both been on as of late. Stylistically though; I see this as a hard matchup for Rose, he has power, but he will struggle to get in the inside with Corozzo’s reach and striking ability. He has excellent submissions, but it will be very hard for him to get Corozzo on his back with a shot, Corozzo is just too big and athletic for that. Rose will need to finish, his record in fights that go the distance is 1-6. His best strategy here would be to come in swinging for the fences; and when he gets inside to clinch up with Corozzo and try to create a scramble so he can grab hold of one of the big man’s long arms and legs. Corozzo should be trying to stay on the outside here and avoid the power and creativity of Rose, if he underestimates the young contender, it could be a very bad night for him here. It’s a tough one, but I think that Corozzo will use his reach and striking to batter Rose at a distance over five rounds. He will need to be careful about the submission game of Axl Rose, and the challenger will have his moments in the striking as well, but ultimately it will be another solid win by Corozzo, I don’t see him getting the finish though.

Corozzo Via Unanimous Decision

Main Event: Ingemar Anders vs Hannibal Barca

Preview:

A no.1 contender fight in the 155lb division; a battle between a veteran of the sport and a guy approaching his prime. Ingemar Anders is an incredibly intelligent fighter, he always knows how to pick his opponents apart and do just enough to win rounds. Hannibal Barca on the other hand is a straight up finisher who has not yet lost in 2016. The two are ranked very similarly in the division, and whoever wins will surely get the next shot at champion Ohchooto at the 155lb. Anders will be looking to keep this fight on the outside and make it a long drawn out affair; whereas Hannibal will be wanting to get it to the mat and finish this early.

Prediction:

This fight; whilst competitive will be a simple one to predict. The first round will be competitive, with Anders circling and trying to avoid the takedown whilst Barca presses the action. In the second round; Barca will find a way to force the fight onto the ground and will manage to wrap up an arm or a leg. This will set up a title fight and lift Barca’s standing as a top Lightweight considerably.

Barca Via Submission

Thank you for reading my predictions, let’s see how correct they are.

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