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 This is a one-off as I had time, inspiration, and boredom. If another event tickles my curiosity in the future I might do it again.
Bushido 15: Road to the Ring
"I don't think he'll survive the war I'm about to bring. I've already been in some wars, he hasn't" - Sam McCullen
"I won't leave that ring without the belt wrapped around my waist, I know it's my time." - Bailey Seung-Jin
Japan has long been a staple for combat sports including Mixed Martial Arts, and on August 18th, a number of Bushido's best - one being the comapny's youngest Champion - will meet in Tokyo to showcase their prolific skills in the Hard Knocks arena. The Main Card opens with the return of former Middleweight Championship contender John Anderson, as he comes up against "Amerikas Most Wanted", the volatile Nick Gonzalez. The next bout will be between two behemoths as the giant Alfredo Sausalito makes his first Bushido appearance against the promising youngster Arnold Vince. Plus, an anticipated match up between two of the Light-Heavyweight division's greatest grapplers acts as Co-Main Event, as All-American Michael Davidson makes his company debut against Belizean fresh-face Igor Rottwel. And the night will end with a world Championship Main Event, as newly-crowned Light-Heavyweight Champion Sam McCullen faces off with Bailey Seung-Jin, the division's brightest undefeated prospect.
Main Card
Middleweight Bout
"Amerikas Most Wanted" Nick Gonzalez (1-1-0, 0-1-0) vs. John "Liska" Anderson (4-2-0, 2-2-0)
"I'm the only motherfucker out here not trying to pad a fucking record. I'm here to take over the motherfucking game and rep the city of Compton homie!"
Compton, California, home of Nick Gonzalez
Not all men are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, and one that has never had such a luxury is self proclaimed "Amerikas Most Wanted", Nick Gonzalez. Nick, along with his younger brother Nate have been causing a storm since making their way into the worlds of Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing, with a number of men calling out the pair daily. The reason behind their notoriety is how the siblings carry themselves on social media, Buzz especially. Nick has been known to never hold back when it comes to his opponents, or possible future adversaries and some of the things he has said has rubbed fighters the wrong way. But the Compton native does not care about the opinions of others, as his only goal at the moment is to bounce back from his most recent setback.
Gonzalez made his company debut last month where he would meet the far more experienced Marlo Stanfield in a one-off clash, after the two exchanged a war of words over social media. Unfortunately for Nick, he suffered an embarrassingly quick loss, as Stanfield knocked him out cold in ten seconds. Now, Compton's loudest mouth is remaining quiet as he is hard at work in the gym - as he looks to prove the world of MMA Tycoon wrong by showing that he is a legitimate threat to anyone in the Middleweight division.
Opposite him will stand company veteran John Anderson, who also knows his fair share about setbacks and the struggles of life. The Argentinian has remained quite reserved during his time fighting for Bushido, never revealing details of his personal life and history. What we do know about him however, is that his career has been a roller-coaster of both highs and lows. In his career debut, Anderson got the better of young Jamaican prospect Benson Whyte by way of submission, which also bagged him an "of the night" bonus - the first of his career. After the victory, he begged for a title shot but his prayers were not answered and he instead faced Carlton Landford. Anderson would go 1-1 in his next two fights, and was finally granted a shot at the Champion, Michael Amanatidis. Unfortunately for the Argentinian, "Iron Mikey" would show no mercy, as he brutally knocked out Anderson in the second round. Now looking for redemption, he will face a man fallen on hard times like himself, in what should be a fantastic opening bout.
Main Card
Heavyweight Bout
"Creamy" Alfredo Sausalito (4-2-0, Debut) vs. Arnold Vince (1-1-0, Debut)
Training out of Tokyo, not far from the Bushido Headquarters is the first of four newcomers on this Main Card, "Creamy" Alfredo Sausalito. Originally from California, raised in the city in which he shares a name, this American flew to the other side of the world to train in Tokyo. Until recently, the Californian took part in season 5 of the Island, where he would have an up-and-down career which left him with a record of 3-2 as he flew back home.
Opposite "Creamy" will stand the young and promising Australian prospect, Arnold Vince as he aims to pick up his second career victory, after just having earned his first. Vince has been training out of Tokyo for a while, and he was signed to Bushido before having made his Mixed Martial Arts debut so many questions were raised about his abilities. In his first fight he suffered a devastatingly fast Knockout loss as Olajide Ban Gbus finished him in fifteen seconds. Fortunately, the Australian managed to bounce back and got his hand raised when he stepped into the ring for a second time.
Sausalito is primarily a Muay Thai fighter, that uses his mediocre Boxing and Wrestling skills to close the distance, where he can then engage in clinch warfare. This is a tactic that the American has employed in all of his previous bouts which ended in his favour, and his only real weakness is his grappling. Also fond of dirty boxing is Arnold Vince, whose only career victory ended after he brought his opponent in close and dismantled him with strikes. Vince is a Wrestler though, so the two men have very different styles of clinching, and it will be interesting to see which style prevails.
Main Card
Co-Main Event
Michael Davidson (3-0-0, Debut) vs. Igor Rottwel (7-2-0, Debut)
"My time is now"
"I am happy to have signed my first fight with Bushido. Michael Davidson is a fighter of the same age, and we have the same fighting style. The outcome of this match could be very tight."
Two unfamiliar faces will grace viewers as the Co-Main Event of the evening where the American of few words, Michael Davidson is set to meet Belize native Igor Rottwel. Although half as experienced as his opponent this evening, Davidson is riding the momentum of a three win streak and is looking forward to making a great initial impression as he steps into the ring for a first time. Davidson is a pure grappler that has consistently used his skills in Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to get the edge over his opponent, winning all of his bouts by means of submission.
Igor Rottwel is far more experienced fighter, having had six more fights than his opponent, although two of them have been loses. Much like the American, Rottwel is also a grappler, but he is stronger in the Wrestling department. Also like his opponent, the Belizean native has submitted every single one of his adversaries, meaning he has the most submission victories out of all men currently fighting for Bushido.
This fight will most definitely be a grappling battle, with neither man opting to strike as they each have no experience or skills when it comes to the stand up game. Whoever manages to sink in a submission will pick up the victory, and Rottwel is looking to be the better man when it comes to ground skills.
"May the best man win."
Main Event
Light-Heavyweight Championship Bout
Sam McCullen (4-1-0, 3-0-0) vs. Bailey "Beast of Busan" Seung-Jin (4-0-0, 3-0-0)
"Me and me brothers lived in an orphanage for years. Mom died young, dad drunk himself to death. We had nothing in the orphanage, so one of the volunteers took us boxing. Since then I vowed to never be poor."
Glasgow, Scotland. Hometown of Sam McCullen
Fighting out of the deep south east London, Bushido's Light-Heavyweight Champion Sam McCullen has established himself as one of the company's greatest fighters, in one of it's toughest divisions. In a dominant four fight campaign, the Glaswegian captured the vacant title by defeating the then unblemished Hwarang Kiatsongrit in a match that will be remembered for years to come. But with the Bushido belt, comes intense pressure as multiple Champions have left their thrones soon after first sitting in them - and McCullen is hard at work in training to avoid becoming another example. Before moving to the Nation's capital, Sam had a life north of the border as he was born and raised on the mean streets of Glasgow. The Champion had a rough upbringing, as he lost his parents at an incredibly young age, which inadvertently led him on the path to becoming a fighter. But it was down south where the Scotsman's skills were sharpened.
Location of the pair's gym.
Forest Hill Gym sits in the ward of the same name, in the Lewisham Borough of South East London and it is there that McCullen really began his journey to Championship gold. It was also within those walls where Sam would soon meet training partner and rival Bailey Seung-Jin, and even in their early days of working together, the two fully expected to face off eventually.
"Look, even though it might seem different from my comments, I don't hate the fella. Even though we're in the same gym, we don't train that much together. I've sparred with him, he hits hard, but nothing I've felt before."
Busan, South Korea. Hometown of Bailey Seung-Jin
"I'm in this sport for one thing, and it's definitely not the money. It's the glory. I want to set new records and then break 'em. I want to be the Champion that everyone remembers for the right reasons."
Bailey Seung-Jin spent his younger years in Busan, South Korea and is the son of a Korean father and a Black-British Mother. It was there in the far east that he got a taste for combat sports, as he began to train under the tutelage of his dad - a retired pro Boxer. When Bailey turned twelve he and his family would move to his Mother's hometown of South East London, where he would enroll in a beaten up and somewhat rundown training establishment called Forest Hill Gym. Back then, the gym only had a handful of fighters and barely any equipment so it was far from being a desirable place to train. It was years later that the young Korean would meet Sam McCullen, the aforementioned brash young Scotsman and the two became training partners under shared coaches. Being similar sized, the pair knew that their paths may cross somewhere down the line.
"Sam's a great fighter and I've known him for quite some time now. I had complete faith in him on his run to the title, because I know what he's capable of. I know I have to stay careful when in there with him."
McCullen's journey to the top of the division has been largely successful although not without setbacks, as he suffered his first and only loss on his career debut five fights ago. The young Scot would enter the cage for the very first time soon after beginning his Mixed Martial Arts training, and a lack of seasoned grappling saw him fall victim to an Arm Triangle choke within the opening round. Sam made a second appearance in the regional scene less than two weeks later, where he faced former training partner Jislaya Koshi. He would dispatch his opponent quickly, giving the world their first taste of his incredibly powerful hands. This fight saw him get noticed by Tokyo-based MMA promotion, Bushido where he would soon make history.
"You know man, I don't care about shiny belts, only shiny coins." Me and me brothers lived in an orphanage for years. Mom died young, dad drunk himself to death. We had nothing in the orphanage, so one of the volunteers took us boxing. Since then I vowed to never be poor. "
After amassing a win streak of three, two of which under the Bushido banner, Sam was offered his first chance at Championship gold - and at the tender age of 19 - he accepted the call. McCullen was matched with the undefeated company newcomer Hwarang Kiatsongrit on a momentous event - Bushido 11: Warlords - where he was one of six men fighting for a belt. The bout was a short but memorable one as both men came out swinging, both being cut early, and each looking like zombies after only three minutes inside the ring. With the strap now wrapped around his body, Sam will have to defend his belt against his teammate and top contender, Bailey Seung-Jin.
"The only good the championship is, is getting me more money"
The "Beast of Busan" has had his fair share of success too, and after having four professional bouts, the seventeen year old's record remains unblemished. Bailey's first ever fight would be against Tyr Hrmirson, in a one-off contract with the now closed Brazilian organisation King of the Beach. After dispatching his opponent in devastatingly quick fashion, Seung-Jin would land himself a contract with the newly formed Tokyo-based promotion Bushido. His next fight would be a step up in pressure as he was tasked with headlining the company's very first event, Bushido 1: Jones vs. Seung-Jin, where he met the undefeated Jon Jones. After only being hit once, and knocking out his opponent in under a minute, the company knew they had discovered a bright youngster.
Seung-Jin would continue to pick up KO victories, as the next two men he faced would suffer similar fates to those before them - and the Korean's fights seemed to take less time the more he had. Now, he is booked for the toughest bout of his career by a long shot as he looks to take the Championship belt from fellow teammate and rival Sam McCullen. These two will make history, come August 18th.
"I'm young and it is still early in my career, but I won't leave that ring without the belt wrapped around my waist. I know it's my time."
"He's a very clean technical boxer, but I don't think he'll survive the war I'm about to bring. I've already been in some wars, he hasn't"
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My first attempt at something a bit more out of the box, appreciate you reading!
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