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 HFC New Years Eve (875117)
On December 31, 2016
At: The Underground - London
Merchandise Partner: Vandal & Laundry
Author: Master Po
Under Card:
Steve Sunderland vs Cody Ruttenum - 170 lbs
Starting off the second super event to end a great year for Honour Fighting Championships is this battle in the 170 lbs division. Steve Sunderland will be making his first appearance under contract with HFC. He is 3-0 with 3 KOs in professional mixed martial arts. Sunderland is a typical dirty boxer with good strength in the clinch. He has has some quality fights at this early stage of his career gathering a good sized fan base, and gaining a good deal of hype for himself. Cody Ruttenum has a virtually identical fighting style. He hasn't been as successful up to date, but this is because he has taken on some big names in the Honour organization perhaps a bit too soon. His MMA record is 3-2 with 3 KOs with his two losses coming from fighters who are now ranked at number 22 and number 1. Sunderland will take this to the clinch, and if Ruttenum does what he has done in the past in the clinch, he will make things too easy for Sunderland.
Prediction: Sunderland KO (Punches) round 2.
Lucien Paol vs Harry Duncan - 185 lbs
Lucien Paol has a brown belt in ju-jitsu and respectable skill in wrestling. He has had a rough start to his career and his record stands at 4-3 with 4 Submissions. He won his last fight at HFC 28 against a warm body at best. He has took some time to train so hopefully he has honed some skills and worked with coaches and managers on game plans and tactics. Harry Duncan is next in line for Paol. Duncan is a wrestler that lost his first two professional fights then got on course to win the next three putting him at 3-2 with 2 KOs. Duncan is "well rounded" and we all know what that translates to in MMA Tycoon. It translates to a well rounded record with an even number of wins and losses. If Paol was facing a pure striker I would be concerned with his ability to take the the fight to the mat, but with Duncan's most specialized skill being proficient wrestling, I feel that Paol will be able to land a takedown. From there it's just a matter of time until he finds an opening for a submission.
Prediction: Paol Submission (Triangle) round 2.
Main Card:
David James vs AJ Rumble - 205 lbs
Jumping into the main card is a 205 lb match between two prospects. On one side is David James an 18 year old from London, with a stellar AAAA high school wrestling career, now moving on to mixed martial arts under manager Darren Hayden. On the other side is AJ Rumble, an American that had some degree of success in college wrestling in his home state of Georgia. Physically there is no discernable difference between these two young me. As far as skill goes James has much better Muy Thai and a slight advantage with BJJ. The only advantage I see for Rumble is a very small one in Boxing. James won his debut with Honour at HFC 29 where he brutally kneed the living daylights out of an unfortunate Max Steele in an impressive first round TKO victory. Rumble also won his debut with Honour at HFC 29 showing decent fight IQ by maintaining his composure while finding himself in some unfavorable positions against a more experienced fighter. He ultimately won that fight by TKO and netted The Fight of the Night Award for the event. This is a very hard one to call.
Prediction: Rumble TKO (Strikes) round 2.
Stelio Kontos vs Aleksey Borodin - 265+ lbs
Stelio Kontos signed with Honour Fighting Championships after going 3-1 with 3 KOs in QFCs. He won his debut with Honour against Aidan Foster in a clear cut decision victory, winning all rounds, and showing he has a great gas tank for a 275 lber. He is a remarkable wrestler with a blue belt in BJJ. He will be facing a 19 year old Aleksey Borodin, an Olympic boxer out of Russia. This young man looks like he is making monumental strides in the mixed martial arts world. He is a competent wrestler with a purple belt in BJJ. Borodin started his career in Honour, and completely smothered John Jones in his first fight winning that by decision. He came back at HFC to defeat Brick DeNiro by KO (Punches). Having only two fights on his record there's still some questions, but his manager Aleksey Markov assured me he is ready to start moving up in competition. Kontos will be a nice test for this young prospect.
Prediction: Borodin TKO (Strikes) round 1.
Gregory Belcher vs Boney Maroney - 265 lbs
Getting into the meat of the main card we have a 265 lbs division fight. Gregory Belcher, a new face in the organization, comes to the event with a record of 4-1 with 4 Submissions. Hailing out of Portsmouth, England this 19 year old has strong wrestling skill, and a purple belt in ju-jitsu. After losing his first professional fight by a split decision in a QFC Tournament, Belcher has went on to show some impressive BJJ skill with excellent submission victories in every fight. Boney Maroney will be looking to stop Belcher's momentum while gaining some of his own. Maroney has less experience and his record stands at 2-1 with 1 KO. He has been a big name in amateur boxing circuits in his hometown of London for years, and with that brings remarkable boxing skill into this match. If Maroney has the strength and balance to keep this on the feet he could do some damage to Belcher. On the mat Maroney will be in grave danger.
Prediction: Belcher Submission (Armbar) round 1.
Marvin Vettori vs Negan Finnigan - 155 lbs
A lightweight bout will end off the main card before an extended card of title fights. We have Marvin Vettori a no BS brown belt submission artist facing Negan Finnigan, a sprawl and brawler. Vettori was a Featherweight champ for TD Helsinki. For reasons unknown he left that organization and took a QFC. He came into the Honour scene at HFC 27 and has won his first two fights landing him at a professional mma record of 5-0 with 5 Submissions. The Italian Dream, as they call him, ain't no joke. Finnigan, out of Albequerque, New Mexico brings remarkable boxing and proficient wrestling to the table. He won his only fight within the organization at HFC 29, and adding The KO of the Night Award to his collection. This is your classic striker vs grappler scenario putting an emphasis on who can dictate where the fight takes place. Both fighters have distinct advantages in their respective arenas, but I feel that Vettori can and will take this to the ground.
Prediction: Vettori Submission (RNC) round 1.
Title Card:
Cub Lamas vs Punt Hardman - 145 lbs TITLE
Starting out four title fights in a row is Cub Lamas vs Punt Hardman, a 145 lbs division match. The winner here will take home the vacant 145 lbs title. Cub Lamas is looking to regain the title he held previously, under new manager Psycho Deeds. This dirty boxer has a MMA record of 6-1 with 4 KOs. He is currently ranked 14 in the organization, and is held in high esteem by Honour fans. Punt Hardmam has lost both fights against Lamas, and needless to say, I'm sure he feels he has something to prove. Punt Hardman has won every fight in his career other than two losses coming from bouts against Lamas, leaving him with a record of 5-2 with 5 Submissions. I believe this will be a good little tussle.
Prediction: Lamas TKO (Strikes) round 2.
Mike Perry vs Renan Faber - 135 lbs TITLE
The second title fight of the evening will be Mike Perry putting his 135 lbs title up for grabs against Renan Faber. Mike Perry is a remarkable boxer with proficient wrestling. His is ranked 2nd in the organization behind Dwayne Johnson. Perry is a very well liked fighter within Honour. He comes into the bout with a record of 8-2 with 8 KOs. Renan Faber has defeated Perry before winning the title at HFC 7. Renan looks to have a similar skill set with boxing and wrestling. With a record of 8-3 with 8 KOs, and showing that he is capable of winning against Perry, it's up to Faber to unseat the current champ. My concern is why Faber is not currently training with such a career opportunity at hand.
Prediction: Perry TKO (Strikes) round 1.
Co-Main Event:
Brendan Conlon vs Ryan Pepper - 155 lbs TITLE
In the co-main event of the evening is a fight between two undefeated welterweights. Brendan Conlon is the current champ of the division, and ranked number 11 in the organization. The more experienced of the two, Conlon, brings a record of 7-0 with 6 Submissions to the cage. Ryan Pepper is the 15th spot on the top 20 ranked fighter list, and looking to move up with this title fight. Training under manager James Logan, Pepper is 4-0 with 4 KOs. Someone will leave this event with their first taste of defeat. Judging by Conlon's severe lack of morale I have to lean toward him leaving the venue with a record of 7-1, and Pepper going home with the strap.
Prediction: Pepper TKO (Punches) round 1.
Main Event:
Abraham Muhammad vs Matthew Fang - 205 lbs TITLE
In the main event of the evening, and the last fight of the year, the Light Heavyweight title will be on the line. Abraham Muhammad is the current champ. He started his professional mixed martial arts career with Honour, and has went undefeated to this point in his career. He has a record of 7-0 with 7 KOs. Muhammad took the belt from Karl Wick at HFC 13, and has successfully defended it three times since, most recently at HFC 25 on November 23. Next in line to try the Muy Thai striker is one Matthew Fang. Fang also started his career with Honour. He has a record of 5-2 with all wins coming by way of submission. This isn't his first shot at the title. He's had two chances and failed on both tries. Fang wrestled some in college and has a purple belt in BJJ. His only shot of winning is to pull out a submission. The problem is that I don't think he will be able to withstand Muhammad's stand up long enough to even think of landing a takedown.
Prediction: Muhammad KO (Punch) round 1.
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