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 Bellicose 90
New York Madison Garden Arena
01 MAY 2022
Big “Papa” Joe (0-2) vs “The Breathe Taker” Steve Baker (1-2)
Joe comes into this fight ready to rock. He’s still searching for his first win after a disappointing loss in his Bellicose debut via decision to Dave DeMartin. He’s a balanced fighter who’s still very early on in his progression, but his morale is up, and his energy is high and he’s thinking tonight can be the night he kicks off his career with his first ever win.
Across from him is Baker, who has lost his last two fights, both in Bellicose. He does have a win under his belt but it was at the amateur levels of QFC and really doesn’t have any effect on his professional outlook here at Bellicose. He’s still wearing the same clothes he wore back then, and his morale is at an all time low. This man does not look ready to step into the cage. With that said, Baker has the stronger skill set, by far. He’s a better striker and a sensational wrestler. So, the fact that his multi abusing manger can’t pay enough attention to buy him new underwear and he smells like a skid mark is just insulting to the brand.
Outlaw's Pick – With an opponent already in the dumps coming in with low morale, I think Joe will walk away with a win in this one. What a big night for this kid if he can walk away with this one.
Sonny Says - “The Breathe Taker” Steve Baker It’s just as well rounded as his opponent, Big Joe, but also comes in with a very high level of wrestling. We should look for him to secure an easy takedown and grab the quick ground and pound win round one.
Braden Moore (7-6) vs Luka “Mav” Doncic (5-0)
Not really much to discuss here. Moore is an absolute dumpster fire with such low morale that Bellicose has actually put him on suicide watch. The man hasn’t shaved in weeks, his hair is oily, and he smells like a goat. Skill wise, he’s kind of all over the place. He’s dabbled in Boxing and that’s probably his best skill, but he’s also I guess you could say competent as a wrestler and holds a blue belt.
Across from him is Doncic who has yet to taste defeat in his young career. He’s two years older than Moore, but at least his morale is high and he’s ready to go. No doubt he’s more prepared for this fight. He is a wonderful MT striker who has a strong wrestling game, but his BJJ is nonexistent, and his boxing is feeble at best. He looks to make it 6-0 but this would be his first ever fight in Bellicose as he finally took the step up from the amateur ranks.
Outlaw's Pick – Doncic wins via KO. Moore doesn’t look like he wants to be here, and he’s been neglected by his management team. The man is outclassed in striking and that’s his strong point. Doncic should be able to walk right though Moore in this one.
Sonny Says - Braden Moore has 0 morale. Change your damn clothes already. Easy Round 1 KO for Doncic.
“Zombie” Michael Cudlitz (5-1) vs Scottie “the Tarantula” Tarantino (5-1)
Finally our first fight where both guys are locked, cocked, and ready to rock... not to mention, have clean clothes! Our first fighter is Cudlitz who sports a 5-1 record although he lost his Bellicose debut last time out against Marcus Hansen. He’s a superb boxer and remarkable wrestler and will look to use those skills to get back into the win column. All five of his wins have been by way of stoppage as he has 1 KO and 4 TKO’s to date, and no doubt he’s looking to make it 6 tonight.
Across from him will be a difficult test as Tarantino is also coming in with a 5-1 record also coming off a loss. He did win his Bellicose Debut against Stevens but lost his last fight against Anisimov as Anisimov got to his chin and scored a quick first round KO. Tarantino is not much of a striker, but he is a sensational wrestler and will look to get the fight on the ground and control the action. He’s a prolific ground and pounder who will want to get on top and make Cudlitz pay.
Outlaw's Pick – Tarantino via TKO. If this stays standing, Cudlitz will get his victory as Tarantino has no answer for that. But it’s very hard to keep a fight standing against a prolific wrestler, and I see this one going to the ground where Tarantino will dictate the rest of the fight.
Sonny Says - Cudlitz is coming in slightly more well rounded but Tarantino has that ground advantage which is where I see this fight being won. Tarantino by Decision.
Nuufo “Soul Breaker” Seanoa (3-2) vs Tony Viikinki “Halme” (4-1)
Seanoa is who I call the angry Samoan. He was none to pleased with his spot in the rankings after the recent rankings released, and rightfully so. The man had a rocky start, but has wheeled off three strait wins and earned a fight award in his last win over Onbekend C. The man is coming into his own and with an exceptional striking game and remarkable wrestling, will be a force to be reckoned with. He’s stepped up in competition this week as he will be facing Viikinki who’s only lose once in his MMA career. If he can pull off this win, he’ll surely jump into the top 10 in rankings and be on a path towards contender-ship in the Heavyweight division.
Across the cage will be his toughest opponent since Arthur Douglas as he faces off against Viikinki. “Halme” was on a 4 fight win streak, all by way of KO until he stepped into the cage against the champ, Murska Mfer who defeated him via TKO in the first round. Viikinki is also an exceptional striker and remarkable wrestler, and this fight is just about as even as it gets. The only difference is that Seanoa is more of a MT striker while Viikinki is more of a pure boxer.
Outlaw's Pick – This fight will be fireworks! Both guys are strikers who love to throw down and beat the bloody piss out of their opponents. The one thing that stands out to me is that Seanoa won his last fight via submission which tells me he’s not just a purely defensive fighter on the ground. That could be the difference in this fight as it would give him more options to pull off a victory if things don’t go his way standing. For that reason, and that I don’t want my phone being blown up by an angry Samoan, I will go with Nuufo Seanoa to win this fight. A fun fact here, though… Viikinki’s only loss was to then champion Mfer. Seanoa’s last loss was to current SHW champion Douglas.
Sonny Says - This fight is a freakin tough one to call. Nuufo "Soul Breaker" Seanoa can maybe (maybe) make this his fight by getting it to the ground but I think Tony Viikinki "Halme" will manage to keep it on the feet for the Decision Win.
Shingen “The Tiger of Kai” Takeda (9-2) vs James Carter (6-2)
This should be another excellent fight as we have two machines going to work in this one. Takeda is off to a 9-2 record which is impressive by any rights. He’s an outstanding grappler who holds a black belt in BJJ and has remarkable wrestling skills to help control the action on the ground. You do not want to be on the ground with this guy. Just to put icing on the cake, he’s also a remarkable boxer with some decent MT skills mixed in. Truly a great fighter with many ways to beat you. He was also off to an 8-0 record and former IFC champion before losing his title fight here at Bellicose against Covington. His next fight he fell short to Dunbar who just lost a great fight for the belt against Rak. With a bounce back win against Ieyasu, he now turns his attention to James Carter..
Carter is an impressive specimen in his own right. An exceptional striker with remarkable wrestling, Carter prefers to keep a fight standing and do his damage while standing. Having shown great striking from range and in the clinch, he will look to keep this fight on the feet and pick apart his opponent. He will need to watch out for that takedown as no doubt Takeda will be wanting to get this to the ground where he’s scored all nine of his victories via submission. One thing I am confident in though, is that this fight will not go the distance. Carter will get his TKO victory or Takeda will get his 10th submission victory.
Outlaw's Pick – This is the toughest fight to pick so far. Carter has all the tools to dispatch his opponent while standing. But, at this stage of the game it’s very difficult to keep a grappler off the mat. If Carter clinches up, Takeda will be able to pull guard. So from range is Carter’s best chance. If he can avoid the takedown, he will likely win this one. But, with that said, I must lean towards the black belt here and I just think that Takeda finds a way to pull this one to the ground and from there it’s a whole new world. Takeda wins via submission.
Sonny Says - Shingen "The Tiger Of Kai" Takeda vs James Carter. Both top managers and amazingly skilled fighters. Carter wins on the feet but with equal wrestling, I see Takeda managing to get this fight to the mat to grab the submission Round 2.
James “Wolverine” Howlett (5-1) vs Razor Ramano (6-4)
Howlett prides himself in his ability to tap out his opponents. He’s tapped out every single fighter he’s ever faced, except the champion Rak Boonliang. He’s not much of a striker as he’s mediocre at best, but his ground game is all that matters. A wonderful wrestler with a black belt in BJJ, this man knows his way around an opponent on the ground and there’s nothing to suggest he’ll be looking to do anything else in this one.
Razor Ramano is a very talented striker with sensational boxing skills and wonderful MT. He also has some remarkable wrestling skills that will help him keep this fight standing longer so that he can go for that big KO shot that he’s shown. Hell, he KO’d Dunbar a few months ago handing him his first defeat. Dunbar went on to later give the champion Rak a run for his money. So Ramano is very capable. The downfall of Ramano is his lack of a BJJ game. If, or should I say when Howlett gets this fight to the ground, he will be completely over matched from then on.
Outlaw's Pick – Howlett will find a way to get this fight to the ground and from there it will be game over. Don’t be surprised if Ramano shocks the world again and lands that big money shot to end the fight before it goes to the ground though. He’s got some power. But I tend to lean towards grapplers as these fights almost always go to the ground at some point. And once it’s there, it’s game over.
Sonny Says - Razor is a tough man to pick against BUT Howlett is a special kind of beast. He’s a grappler extraordinaire with a wrestling advantage. This should spell victory. Howlett Sub round 1.
Jake Paul (7-3) vs Dakota “Baby Thibs” Thibodeaux Jr. (5-1)
This fight has been a long time coming! Baby Thibs called out Jake on many occasions and has been chomping at the bit to get into the cage with him. He must really hate his YouTube videos. Baby Thibs wanted this fight so bad that he passed up a #1 contender fight just to take on Paul. There’s definitely some bad blood here.
Paul has had some success at Bellicose being here from day one. He started a perfect 4-0 until losing his first and only title shot against Dean Howard. After that, he came back to win a couple before losing to Tim Horton and most recently, Duannis Frank. He now stands at 7-3 and falling out of the top 10 in rankings as he needs a big win here over a top 5 fighter in Thibs to solidify his spot in the standing and get things back on track.
Thibodeaux Jr., on the other hand, is riding high on top of his four fight win streak. His only loss to date was against Bill Smif, his alliance partner, back in October of last year. He’s already taken to social media to ask for a rematch against Smif if he wins in this one, so he’s already looking ahead and expecting to dispatch Jake Paul quickly. As far as skills go, Thibodeaux is one of the top strikers in the division with sensational boxing and MT skills. He’s a strong wrestler and still needs to sure up his ground game before facing any solid grappling threats, but he’ll get there. For this fight, however, he’s not worried about the ground as Jake Paul is also a striker who’s just a little better wrestler than Baby Thibs.
Outlaw's Pick – Paul has a target on his back ever since he started fighting in MMA. People think he should stick to YouTube (and some even think he should retire from that) and Baby Thibs is hoping he can retire him after this fight. These guys match up pretty well striking, but Baby Thibs as that little extra that should determine the difference in this fight. Unless Paul shocks the world and takes this fight to the ground, even in the clinch he’ll be over matched by Baby Thibs. So, with that, I’ll pick Dakota Thibodeaux Jr. to win this fight via KO. Not TKO, but KO. He wants to hurt Paul. But don’t worry, we’ll have a medic at cage side incase things get bloody.
Sonny Says - Paul vs Thibodeaux. All the talk will finally culminate tonight with a probable KO on someone’s part. Paul may want to look for the clinch with his slight wrestling advantage but this could very well be negated by Thibodeaux’s MT. I think both these guys will be after the grind and end up on the fence where I have to like Thibodeaux’s elbows to make the difference. Long bloody grinding decision victory by Thibodeaux.
Johnny Matthews (7-5) vs Jorge “Prisa” Santa Perez (6-1)
As we draw closer to the main event, this main card fight is one fans will surely enjoy. Matthews has been around a long time and has already amassed 12 fights under his belt. A lot of fans know his name and he’s got a bit of a following. He’s had a successful career but has been back and forth of late with his last fight ending in a loss to Odimabesser who now looks to capture his first belt as he is the main event for this very card’s title fight. Matthews is a grappler who is also a proficient striker. His bread and butter is his brown belt in BJJ that he will use along with his remarkable wrestling to help control the fight. When he gets you on the ground, it’s a lot of work to stay above water as he looks to drown you in a barrage of strikes and submission attempts.
Across from him stands Bellicose newcomer Santa Perez. Perez had just earned the CDFC title in his last fight before the organization closed their doors and now Perez has jumped up in competition to Bellicose where he starts his journey towards earning that same belt here. Being the champion of CDFC, he has a “free title shot” card he can play if he chooses, but so far looks like he wants to put in the work and earn it naturally. He’s an exceptional boxer who also has a brown belt in BJJ. His one disadvantage in this one is his wrestling so he will have to work extra hard on the ground to maintain control, but he should be skilled enough to hang in there with Matthews should it go that way. But most likely, he’ll avoid the ground for most of the fight and pick Matthews apart from range.
Outlaw's Pick – Both guys have the tools to win, but Perez has better answers for Matthews ground attack than Matthews does for Perez’s striking attack. So, I will go with the CDFC champion Santa Perez to win this fight via decision.
Sonny Says - Matthews vs Perez is a BJJ practitioner’s wet dream. With combined decades of rolling experience, we will be in for a treat of transitions and hound mastery tonight. Matthews had the additional offering of some GnP but I think Perez will be more than prepared to work from his back for a surprise first round sub.
Cyborg Reyes (6-3) vs Bill Smif (9-2)
Reyes has on a back-and-forth journey of late. He started off hot with 4 straight wins but has been back and forth with the win/loss/win/loss pattern. His last lost was contender fight for Kai Tokugawa where he lost to Kai sending Kai on to the title fight while he gets stuck with a fight against Bill Smif to try to earn his spot in the rankings back. Cyborg is a good striker with a good blend of boxing and even better MT skills under his belt, while also having superb wrestling game to rely on to help keep the fight standing. He doesn’t have much in the way of BJJ, but that’s ok because going to the ground is the last thing his opponent is going to try to do tonight.
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