Empire Grand Prix Finals Review

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Empire Grand Prix has finally reached the finals, and wow, did it live up to the hype. It was a milestone for the organization, which has now gone from a complete laughing stock to a bad joke that does not quite hit the mark. Trust me, I know a lot about bad jokes that do not get laughs. Anyways, every match except the main event was finished in just one round. Even the main event lasted a mere 57 seconds into the second round, so none of the events lasted very long. And trust me, I know something about… never mind.

Anyways, onto the fights. Chechen 170 Khabib Chimaev dominated the Finnish Eetu Hyypia, getting the win by TKO with four seconds left in the first round. Chimaev was awfully braggadocious in the post-fight interview, which, while irritating, was backed up by the ground-and-pound performance he put on in the fight.

At 205, Hiski Grang won by KO over Dennis Wagner in just 10 seconds. For context, this sentence will likely take about 10 seconds for you to read. It was that fast. After the match, Grand called out Jerome Biggs. As a wise man once said, “Bold move, Cotton. We’ll see if it pays off for him.”

Back to the 170 weight class, where Dublin native Jimmy Murphy defeated Android Seventeen by armbar 4:36 into the first match. Murphy landed strike after strike on the ground until submitting the American. After the win, Murphy mentioned his website in the post-fight interview. Hah, nerd!

In the heavyweight division, Tavaris Fulton needed just four punch attempts to the head and 24 seconds to get the KO against Lucas Ardin. Ardin had no answers for Fulton’s attack, and found himself on the mat quickly. Fulton also praised the denizens of the internet after the fight. He is also a huge nerd.

In an all African showdown at 170, Moroccan Hadr Bari got the KO on Nigerian Damian Mia in just 3:31. “Sparry” Mia got the takedown he needed early on in the match, but he inexplicably stood up, thus negating his advantage on the ground. He deserved to receive a face-full of fist for that decision alone.

Queens native Jerome Biggs took Russian Petr Tchaikowski to town at 205, ending the match by KO in just 4:20. Tchaikowski attempted an astounding 13 takedowns in this one, but every single one ended up stuffed like a teddy bear at Build-a-Bear Workshop. Biggs showed why he is a top contender at 205.

In the loser’s bracket, Myke Bonner continued the Irish run of wins with a head kick KO win over Danny Peterson. Peterson got wrecked by Bonner’s kicks, and he took just 1:55 to end it via KO. The crowd appreciated this one and the humble, yet determined attitude Bonner showed in his interview.

In the other loser’s bracket showdown, Turkish fighter Ergun Cerrahoglu needed only 47 seconds to KO Akihiro Imanari. Cerrahoglu knocked the Tokyo native to the mat early on, and he did it again right after Imanari got back to his feet. Cerrahoglu looked much sharper than he did in the semi-finals.

In the co-main event, 19 year old heavyweight contenders squared off, but it was another Irish fighter, Cu Chulainn, who came out with the KO in just 31 seconds over Estonian Arnold Kallas. This fight went quickly, with “The Hound” dominating. After the match, Chulainn asked for a title shot, one he will get at Empire XI on a short turnaround.

In the Empire Grand Prix finals, Thai fighter and pre-tournament favorite Ricardo Morra Jr. dominated Hukkleberry Flint in a match that somehow went into the second round. The Belgian was cut early on in the clinch and never had a chance after that. Morra Jr. stuffed seven takedown attempts from the wrestling specialist Flint. Meanwhile, “Monkey Style” landed an astounding 34 punches to the head and 10 punches to the body, all of which in the clinch. The fact that Flint lasted that long is a testament to his chin, but Morra Jr. has all the makings of not only a future Empire champion, but a future top dog in the 145 division on the global stage.

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