2020-06-29
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GLADIUS 17: CAMARA VS SanKing

Event Preview: G | 17: Camara x SanKing
Gladius Island
2020-06-28, The Island, Hard Knocks - The Island
Author:Sam McCarthy

                       Hiya ya'll and welcome back for yet another one of the top level events that Gladius Island has once put up for us. It's frankly becoming a normality now (one fantastic event after the other) because Gladius island might be a new organization, but it has the belief, quality of fighter and imagination required to reach the very best organizations in the game, and therefore, Mr wonder needs to be given a big round of applause really, because he is trying so hard to do everything that needs to be done correctly and perfectly, for this great organization to reach the heights that it deserves to be in. And hence, to continue that trend, we have another juicy looking 10 fight,card, ahead of you in this mega event. So,without wasting any more time, let's get started with the preview....

 

(UNDERCARD BOUTS)

 

                       Now, most of these bouts in the undercard does not really hold much significance at all to be honest, (other than the final undercard bout, anyways) because, most of these fights are between the top contenders in every division, who are looking for something like a practise match, before getting back in the grind and back in the hunt for the title shot (I know it sounds disrespectful to some of the fighters, but, i always speak what i see, and hence i said what i said). But, these fights, could very well turn out to be the opportunity, for some of these guys at the bottom of the division, to step up for once, and be counted for, as who knows, we might as well end up witnessing one or more upsets of the century right in front of our eyes in this event. And therefore, let's take a look at the five undercard bouts that are in store for us today.

 

1. Ciro "ShopTime" Bottini vs Dave Brown (MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT [185 LBS])

 

                       We start off our main card with a matchup between a wrestler and a boxer, with both of them also possessing some excellent Bjj to add to their primary skills. Now, Bottini is a fighter who very recently made his debut in Gladius Island and fortunately got himself a well deserved win in the end, which resulted in him possessing a professional record of (1 win 0 losses). He has a  very good ground game, and therefore, he will be looking to use his wrestling and Bjj to full effect, so that he can continue his winning run and get himself firmly on course for a shot at one of the ranked fighters next up.

 

                       His opponent though, is a very different type of a fighter, as Dave is more of a boxer who likes to strike from a distance, as well as being a very good submission artist, which was pretty evident in his professional debut that he won by submission. He is a new recruit in Gladius, having signed on from (Island Kings Championship), but tell you what, he really needs to step up, if he wants to make it big as a fighter, here in Gladius, because, a record of 1-3 does not really bode well for anyone. Hence he will be looking to win this fight, so that he can resurrect his stagnating career, and show everyone, that he indeed has the skills to win fights at major organizations.

 

~ PREDICTION: CIRO BOTTINI WINS VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (ROUND 3)

 

2. Ahmed "Prince" Sheikh vs Island "Beast" King (WELTERWEIGHT BOUT [170 LBS])

 

                       Next up in our list, is a bout between a wrestler with decent striking skills and a boxer with decent Bjj skills. Now, this fight, is probably the only one in the entire event, that not many people give a shit about, to be honest, as both of these fighters are way down in the pecking order and are very-very close towards the very bottom of the division. But, tell you what, these fights, could actually turn out to be the best ones to watch, because both of the fighters have nothing to lose from this fight, and everything to gain, hence they will most probably just throw the kitchen sink at each other in the hopes of getting a victory, but if you ask me who i can see winning this fight, then i would say it is Ahmed Sheikh. And that is because he is coming off the back of his maiden win in his professional career where as Island King's confidence level, would probably be below the surface now, as the is coming into this fight off the back of 4 fight losing streak (Yeah, you heard it right).

 

~ PREDICTION: AHMED SHEIKH WINS VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION (ROUND 3)

 

3. Abamun "of" Tarnut vs Remy Gek (MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT [185 LBS])

 

                       Now, this is probably the point of time in this event, that the matches start to become a bit one-sided, because from now until the end of the Undercard, pretty much all the matchups, are between one of the best fighters at a certain division vs one of the worst fighters (with all due respect) in that division. And therefore, to start off the run of one-sided fights for this event,we have a matchup between a wrestler who is also a boxer, go head to head with a Muay Thai Striker, with some decent wrestling skills respectively So, Tarnut is another one of the several new recruits, that have signed from Island Kings Championships. He is a very good wrestler who likes to control the fight to the pace of his liking, using all of his wrestling skills, but then again, when the opportunity comes to finish off the fights, he never let's them pass, and therefore, he has had those two successive victories at his previous organization, which means that he comes into this organization as one of the best ones around in this entire division. Hence, he will be desperate to win this fight, so that he can start off his career in here perfectly, and set himself up for a matchup against a ranked fighter in his next fight in here.

                        Remy Gek on the other hand, well, is continuing to do what he has done all throughout his career really, as after getting his first victory a while ago, he has now gone on a another 4 fight losing streak, and tell you what, if he does not win this fight, his future here in Gladius could be in some jeopardy, and hence, he will be looking to use his superior Muay thai to win this fight, so that he can save his spot here in Gladius, as well as hopefully, get his career back on track.

 

~ PREDICTION: ABAMUN TARNUT WINS VIA TKO (ROUND 3) 

 

4. Obina Chuckwu vs Melvin VAN Dik (LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT [205 LBS])

 

                        Okay then, here we go, the madness has finally begun. Now why do i say this? Well, because next up we have got a matchup between one of the best Light-heavyweights around in the entire Gladius 205 lbs division on a 6-fight win streak (who is a wrestler and a BJJ purple belt), who is going to take on a Muay Thai striker, looking to somehow win his maiden fight as a professional after coming into this fight off the back of two successive defeats and a professional record of (0-2).

Now, Chuckwu is a very very dangerous fighter who becomes an absolute beast as soon as the fight becomes a grappling contest, but,surprisingly enough his speciality in the ground, is not really his submission skills, because, when he takes you down to the ground, there is only one thing, that goes on in his mind, which is to absolutely smash the living daylights off his opponents face through some ferocious (GNP), and therefore, he will be looking to continue his winning streak in the fight, by utilising his much superior Grappling and wrestling skills, so that he could finally get the right preparation, for his possible title shot that, that might be up next.

                        His opponent Van Dik though, has a mountain to climb if he is to get anywhere close to winning this fight, if i am honest, cause coming into this fight off the back of 2 straight defeats and with a very low confidence level, is never really ideal, but nonetheless, he will still look to put up a valient fight in the match, so that he could come out of this match with at least some positive things,even though he might end up losing the fight. Although, if he uses his superior Muay thai correctly, then this fight could become interesting, but i simply don't see it happening.

 

~ PREDICTION: OBINA CHUCKWU WINS VIA TKO (ROUND 1) 

 

5. Naoko Marui vs Buddy Taylor (LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT [155 LBS])

 

                           Now, coming out of the sequence of one-sided matchups, the final fight of tonight's undercard sees two of the very high ranked fighters in the Lightweight division, go head to head, in pretty much like a title eliminator fight, because, both of these guys are coming off the back of two successive victories and are very very confident going into this bout, and hence this one is sure to be an absolute cracker of a contest.

                           Marui is a boxer and a wrestler who is also the former Gladius Featherweight title challenger. He is considered by many as one of the best  Featherweight fighter in the whole of this organization, but now, it is a very different kettle of fish that he is dealing with, as he has now moved up a weightclass to Lightweight, in a bid to become the most dominant lightweight fighter ever in Gladius Island. And therefore with a professional record of (5 wins 1 loss) he will be looking to fully utilise his advantage in wrestling and boxing (striking from a distance), and win this fight, so that he can get past his latest challenger and also move one step closer to yet another title shot, that he has been calling out for, for a long time.

                           Now Taylor on the other hand, is a brilliant Muay Thai striker (striking from clinch), who has also been on a very good run of wins recently. He had a very up and down start to his professional career in here, but now, he really looks like he has settled in very well. He has has a long standing dream like many of lifting a title at an organization, and therefore with the help of his Muay thai, he will look to win this fight, so that not only can he get one step closer to the title shot, but, he can also shut down a lot of his critics, who say that he can't win the big matches that matters.

 

~ PREDICTION: NAOKO MARUI WINS VIA TKO (ROUND 2) 

 

(MAIN CARD)

 

                             So with that, the undercard for tonight comes to a close, but now, the time has finally arrived for some of the big guns of this organization, to step up and show the MMA fanatics out in the crowd, why they are where they are (which is towards the top end of the rankings in their respective divisions) in terms of the rankings, and also give the fans out here their money's worth. But, obviously, even though there are 3 fights which will take place before it, the excitement and anticipation of the crowd out here will really only be for the two  massive title showdowns that wills be taking place very shortly, and therefore join me below, to take a detailed look at both the hugely important important title fights taking place today, and so much more, hence, let's get the preview of the main card rolling..

 

6. Jose Valdez vs Bill Hilly (LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT [205 LBS])

 

                             Kicking off our main card is a bout between two of the top contenders at the Light-Heavyweight division, where a Muay Thai striker and a wrestler in Jose Valdez, goes one on one against a boxer and a wrestler in Bill Hilly, which is sure to entertain us with some jaw- dropping stuff, because as we know already, both these fighters are very much suited and capable of putting in a performance, that could very easily win the (fight of the night) award, hence, this is not one of the matches where in you can just take your eyes off the fight and go our for a coffee or a drink, otherwise, you might just end up missing out on some fantastic round of action, in this very exciting matchup. Now, let's take a closer look at both the competitors in this fight..

                            Jose Valdez, is a Muay Thai striker, who is a former Island Brawls (205 lbs) title challenger. Truth be told, he had a very good start to his professional career, as after losing in his debut (QFC), he went on a tear through the entire Island Brawls (his previous organization) 205 lbs division, until he got that title shot, where in, he ended up drawing that fight (Judges were publicly criticized for the decision).He was one of the very best fighters in Island Brawls, but, he himself got the feeling that he was not getting the type of recognition he deserved in that organization, and hence, he made the move over to Gladius, where in he has a very good start to his life, but in his previous match, he ended up losing a very big and important fight (most probably a title eliminator) and hence, he will be desperate to use his advantage in the Muay thai to full effect and win this fight, so that he can get back among the top title contenders once again.

                             His opponent Bill Hilly though, might have some other plans. He is a boxer and a wrestler who was the former (Island Kings championship 205 lbs title challenger), who will be making his Gladius debut in this fight, and tell you what, what a way it will be to make his debut, if he comes straight in and defeats one of the top title contenders in the division. But, to do that, he will need to put his much superior boxing to full effect and try to make this fight a standup striking match, but from a distance, as, if Valdez manages to get this fight into a clinch, then it's going to be a long-long night for Hilly inside that cage. And therefore, Valdez would be absolute itching to get this fight started so that he can hopefully win this fight, and show everyone that he is not a guy to be taken lightly, or ignored when it comes to deciding the contenders for the title.

 

~ PREDICTION: JOSE VALDEZ WINS VIA TKO (ROUND 2)

 

7. te "tr" Tre vs Rian " Pretty Boy" Mckean (WELTERWEIGHT BOUT [170 LBS])

 

                            Next up, we have a massive fight in the welterweight division, between a former title challenger in Mckean looking to get back in the mix for another title shot, going one on one against te Tre, who is looking to continue the long winning streak that he has been on (carried over from his previous employers), and get himself in among the very top fighters in this division and get closer to that elusive title shot himself.

                            Now, Tre is a Muay thai specialist,who has been on a roll recently, ever since that shocking defeat in a QFC fight way back in the day.He is currently on  a 4-fight winning streak across two organizations,and his self confidence right now, is as high as it has ever been. He made a successful debut at Gladius in his previous fight (against a good opponent), and therefore. he will be looking to use his Muay Thai superiority to full use in this fight, so that he can win this fight, and get ever closer to his maiden title fight.

                            His opponent though, is a very different type of a fighter (in terms of style of fighting), as Rian Mckean is a boxer, who as i previously said, has already had some taste of being involved in a title fight, way back in Gladius 9, where in, he ended up getting absolutely humiliated within 15 seconds, as he got finished via Tko that night, and that humiliation has always stayed with him since that day. He did win, and win very easily in previous fight which came after that title fight, but in his words, the only way to redemption for him, is if he wins that title, which he has been craving for all his life, and therefore with a professional record of (4 wins 3 losses) he will be desperate to use his superior Boxing skills and win this fight, so that he can get straight back into the consideration of the next no #1 contender for the undisputed title.

 

~ PREDICTION: TE TRE WINS VIA KO (ROUND 1)

  

8. John "Snake" Ishmael vs Dwayne "The Rock" Jackson (LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT [205 LBS])

 

                           Next up in our list of fights, is a absolute mouth-watering contest, which will await us in this event, as two champions (1 current and the other former, respectively), will square of in the middle of the cage, to determine the most deserving fighter who shall challenge Mr unbeatable himself (Ahmed Zaitoun) for the title [this is is the mother of all guesses, by me]. And therefore, this is a fight which will have very significant implications in the whole division as a result, and hence, it's sure to be an absolute cracker of a contest. which we shall not miss!

                           Now, John Ishmael is a boxer, who is the reigning Island Kings Championship (205 lbs) champion. He has had a stonking start to his professional career, as even after competing in 3 very tough matchups so far, he is still undefeated, and to be honest, has never ever looked like losing a fight. He has got natural KO power in his hands, and therefore, to win this fight on his debut here at Gladius, he will look to make this fight a straight up boxing match (striking from range), so that he can use his power to full effect, and hopefully Knock his opponent out cold, but, if he get's taken down early, and easily, then it could be long-long 15 minutes that could be in store for him. 

                           Now then, his opponent Dwayne Jackson, is also a very decent boxer, but unfortunately for Ishmael, Jackson is also a very-very good submission specialist on the ground. He is a former Gladius 205 LBS champion (i am talking about Jackson), who at one point of time, was the guy to beat here at Gladius, as he was undefeated back then, with a professional record of (5 wins 0 losses) [5 straight first round finishes]. But then, he a couple fights back, he got thrown back down to earth, as he got finished in 2 rounds by Zaitoun, which meant he lost his beloved title as a result. And therefore, he is now desperate to get another shot at the title, and so he will be looking to use his much superior Jiu Jitsu skills in the ground, and win this fight, so that he can get his title shot that he has been begging for, and hopefully get his revenge against the guy who showed that he (Jackson) is not immortal.

 

~ PREDICTION: DWAYNE JACKSON WINS VIA SUBMISSION (ROUND 1) 

                                

(CO-MAIN EVENT)

 

                            So, after the hustle and bustle of 8 very exciting matches, where in, we will guaranteed get to see some jaws in hands moments, we have now arrived to the penultimate fight of the evening, which features a rematch, which really needs no new introduction, as it is simply one of the most talked about title fights, leading up to the event, and believe me, if you watch it unfold, then you will know why. Hence, join me in taking a closer look at what we can expect from this fight..

 

9. Johan "The Joker" Olsen vs "Se on kyalla hyva" Jarna Kuiva (MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE BOUT [185 LBS]) 

 

                            Here we go lads, we have finally arrived to the first of the two massive title fights that are going to take place tonight, and boy! this is a fight that i really can't wait to see, because, as we all clearly know, these two guys do not like each other at all, This rivalry, is pretty much unlike any to be honest, because there really is no real hate of massive proportion, between either of them, but, the thing that adds constant fuel to this rivalry, is all the talk about that first encounter between the two of them (won by Olsen), where in Kuiva got humiliated by a dominant Olsen, and from there on, Jarna Kuiva made it a obsession, to try and defame Olsen, and also try and get that rematch between them, so that he can show everyone, that the one and only defeat of his career, was a fluke victory for Olsen, and he (Kuiva) is still the best fighter in this division. So, my point is, this rivalry is all about jealousy, and not hate. But whatever the rivalry might be, it's still a rivalry, and hence, we can expect to see an absolute epic fight between the two of them, which no one can afford to miss. Now, let's take a look at both the fighters...

                            First up, the champion Johan Olsen, is a wrestler and a jiu jitsu specialist, who is by far and away, the most dominant Middleweight in Gladius Island currently. He has been on an absolute tear through the entire division, from the moment that he stepped for in this organization, which is proved, as he carries with himself, an undefeated professional record of (5 wins 0 losses), and frankly enough, no one has even come close to challenging him, which is pretty evident, as he has finished all of the five fights in the very first round. And therefore, even in this fight, he will look to take Kuiva to the ground asap, so that he can win yet another fight and further cement his status, as one of the best ever Middleweight champions in the history of Gladius Island.

                            But to do that, he will need to get past the challenger in Jarna Kuiva, who is a man on a mission (a mission that involves winning the title at any cost), and a man, who is out for revenge. Now, as i said in great detail above, Kuiva was the unfortunate one, that ended up losing the first encounter between these two, and therefore, he will be itching to get his hands on Olsen once again, so that he can have the last say in a rivalry that has been brewing between them for some time. So, to win this fight, Kuiva desperately needs to keep this fight in a standup position and use his superior striking advantage, because, we know that, if this figh

 

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