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HFC 59 - Ford vs Chai - Preview

Event Preview: HFC 59 - Ford vs Chai
HARDCORE
2021-02-06, New York, Empire Indoor Arena
Author:Alexei Smirnov

  HFC 59 - Ford vs Chai - Preview

Hello MMA fans! I'm Alexei Smirnov here today to give you your preview for HFC 59! The fans in New York are in for a great show tonight! There are two title matches and both look to be exciting fights. Anyway Let’s get on with the card.


Bobby "The Gypsy Warrior" Minnagh vs Aleksandar "The Great" Volkanovski 


My pick: Volkanovski Via TKO (Strikes)


Now despite Minnagh’s better record, I do see Volkanovski winning this fight. It comes down to two main things; morale and muay tai.  Volkanovski has the better morale and that’s the reason I think he’ll pick up the win here. If he just uses his MT he should be getting a win here. I wouldn’t count Minnagh out but Volkanovski is who I see winning.


John Smith vs Kenneth Smith


My pick: K. Smith Via Submission (Armbar)


The battle of the Smith’s is looking like a close fight but, I see Kenneth pulling away with the win here. John will want to keep the fight standing as that’s where he’s best whilst Kenneth prefers the ground game. Kenneth has a black belt in BJJ so I have no doubts in his ability to finish this fight on the ground. Close fight but, Kenneth has just shown to be an amazing fighter. Kenneth could have claims to start fighting on the main card after a win here.


Bane "Big Rig" Darwin vs Jeremy Motts


My pick: Darwin Via KO (Punch)


This is a very close fight but, I think Darwin can pick up the win. Motts has almost no momentum and needs a win here and Darwin is coming off a win. These two are almost evenly matched standing up and Darwin could even think about taking this fight to the ground. Although I see this one staying standing. Darwin is still looking to prove himself in HFC and a win over a veteran could raise his stock. Overall a good looking fight for sure.


"The Heat" Rahim Lloyd vs Marko Bakar


My pick: Bakar Via KO (Punch)


Even though Bakar is coming off his first loss I still see him winning here. Bakar has better boxing and better muay tai. The only way I see Lloyd winning is if he takes Bakar into the clinch. There is a good reason Bakar went 6-0 and I could see him continuing his momentum with a win here. Also another factor to note is Lloyd has low morale and if that isn’t fixed Bakar could have a fast finish.


Liam Walker vs Luke "Heart-Breaker" Valentine


My pick: Valentine Via Unanimous Decision


The main reason I chose the decision is because of how close this fight is. Walker is undefeated and Valentine has a good record himself. I see this as a fight that will stay standing and Valentine does have a slightly better stand up game. I think Valentine will be able to just get the edge on Walker to get the win. Overall a good close looking fight.


Joe Tidd vs Roberto "Robocop" Soldic


Up next it’s Joe Tidd (13-8-0) taking on Roberto “Robocop” Soldic (8-5-0). Tidd is coming off a win against Furry and Soldic is coming off a win against Pisswater. Tidd will want to take this fight to the ground and has shown that’s where he is most comfortable. Soldic will want to keep this fight standing up although he has shown he can do stuff on the ground. Tidd’s black belt in BJJ will be something to keep in mind and Soldic will want to defend the takedown well. Soldic’s last fight has shown that he has a good ground game and could defend himself if taken down. Tidd’s main style of dealing damage is through ground pound and I don’t doubt that’s what he’ll be going for here. Whilst Soldic will want to finish the fight early and take advantage of Tidd’s weak ground game.


My pick: Soldic Via KO (Punch)


I think the main reason Soldic wins is because of the difference in standing skills. Even if Tidd manages to take Soldic to the ground I think he would be able to defend himself well and could even turn it around and get another sub win. Tidd is a great fighter and a veteran but I see Soldic winning here. After a third straight win I see Soldic looking very strong. Overall an interesting look fight for sure!


Dillon Van Barle vs Gotan "The Guru" Wasselach


Next up it’s Dillon Van Barle (8-4-0) taking on Gotan “The Guru'' Wasselach (0-1-0). Now this is a hard fight to discuss as Gotan has only fought once in his career and it was from early on. Van Barle on the other hand has shown me exactly what kind of fighter they are. Van Barle is a fighter with a lot of power in their fists and with a granite chin too. This will be a real challenge to see how Gotan does against real competition. If I were Gotan I’d try to take this fight to the ground and exploit Barle’s weak ground game. Now for Van Barle, staying standing is key in winning. Van Barle has a great stand up ground and he can use his power to throw bombs at Gotan. Despite the records I do see this fight as being a lot closer than I first expected. Now let’s see who I picked.


My pick: Van Barle Via TKO (Strikes)


Now this was a hard one to pick and was especially hard because of how little fights Gotan has. Now I do see Van Barle winning but, Gotan still has an opportunity to win this one for sure. Van Barle’s really impressive stand up just seals it for me and has long as he can defend the takedown I see him getting a finish. I’ll be watching to see who wins this fight.


Gervais Lavign vs Etienne Gueguen


Now it’s Gervais Lavign (10-4-0) taking on Etienne Gueguen (12-3-0). First thing I notice looking at this fight is Gueguen is very hyper focused on the ground game. Sacrificing a horrible stand up game for an incredible ground game. Lavign is the opposite of that being more of a jack of all with a lean towards standing up. Now Lavign has a very clear strategy which is to finish quickly and exploit Gueguen’s abysmal stand up game. Now for Gueguen it’s to get a takedown as quickly as possible and then finish it from there. Lavigne has been on a three fight losing streak and will want to break that here. Gueguen is also coming off a loss but it was to the champion. This will be an interesting fight to take a look at.


My pick: Gueguen Via Submission (Kimura)


Now this was another hard one to pick but, just looking at how successful Gueguen has been in the past, I had to give this one to him. Lavign has also shown that they aren’t the greatest at defending the sub. Gueguen will be fighting his former manager so he will want to prove himself here. Overall an interesting fight and one I’m hype for.


"Megalith" Maxim Jahouli vs Ralph McGuire


Now in the Co-Main event for the HFC light heavyweight title. it’s “Megalith Maxim Jahouli (11-3-0) taking on Ralph McGuire (11-3-0). After getting a huge win in SYN the champ returns to HFC to defend his belt. Jahouli has a winning streak going on and hasn’t known what it’s like to lose in a while. McGuire is coming off a win and has some good momentum himself. Now this is a fight where both fighters are just going to be lobbing some punches at each other. A good ol classic strikefest for sure. Jahouli’s last win against Kahn has really shown me just how good of a fighter he truly is. McGuire’s last win against Heights was also quite impressive and has shown what he can really do against a former champion. It will be a hands vs chin fight as Jahouli has amazing power and McGuire has amazing chin strength. Let’s see who I pick in this light heavyweight weight title fight.


My pick: Jahouli Via Unanimous Decision


Honestly, McGuire is probably one of the best if not the best challenger Jahouli has gotten so far. Jahouli is incredibly impressive but I really don’t see either getting a finish here. McGuire just has too good of a chin for me to say Jahouli gets a KO. I also can’t stress enough just how amazing of a fighter Jahouli is and his fight in SYN showed that HFC can compete with the big boys. What an amazing co-main event.


 MAIN EVENT: Ed Ford vs Pinero Chai


It’s finally time for our main event. For the HFC lightweight title, it’s Ed Ford (9-3-0) taking on Pinero Chai (10-1-1). After his upset Ford is now champ let’s see how he does in his first defence. Chai will be looking for his first HFC belt. Ford is coming off of a very impressive win against former champ Patriot and has been on a winning streak. Chai has only lost once in his MMA and KT career and looks to keep it that way. Now that I mentioned Chai’s KT career as you can tell he's a striker. He’ll be looking for a KO in this fight. Ford’s strong suit is also with his striking and shown that he can KO opponents like it’s nothing. Ford is a hard one to land a clean hit on and has yet to KO’d in HFC yet, although he’s KO’d a lot of other fighters. Ford really can just get a finish at any moment and you always have to have your guard up. Chai is really experienced in striking and you’ll need to watch out for him too. He really knows his way around throwing hands and you need to keep your guard up. Both fighters will have to be on their best behaviours for this title fight. Now who do I think will win?


My pick: Ford Via TKO (Strikes)


Well so far I’ve never gone wrong with Ford and he’s always proved me right. Ford just has the power and whilst Chai has some it’s not enough. Now if this fight goes to decision I could see Chai winning it there. That’s unlikely and I do see Ford getting the finish. Ford will have a great reign as champ and it all starts here. Overall an amazing looking main event.


Predicted Sub of the night: Guegen

Predicted KO of the night: Ford

Predicted Fight of the night: Maxim Jahouli v Ralph McGuire


There you go MMA fans your preview of HFC 59. Thanks for all the support and I hope you all enjoy their previews. Really excited for all the great fights. I want to thank JW Hardman and all the other people who have helped me in the past. I hope you all have a great day and remember…


STAY HARDCORE!   


 

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