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 HFC 2 Ramsay vs Keown PREVIEW!
On the 14th of May, Heartless Fighting Championship returns to Montreal for their second event, HFC 2. There are ten fights in total taking place inside Paddy O’Malley’s Bar which expect to be packed to the rafters. The action kicks off at 14:00 GMT with five undercard fights. However, we will be focusing on the Main Card.
Nimjal “Cyborg” Configuracion vs. “Slapdown” Will Smith
(Bantamweight 135 LBS)
Our opening fight of the main card is the classic boxer vs. Muay Thai specialist. Configuracion, the Muay Thai specialist, is making his debut against a fighter 42cm taller than him. His reach disadvantage alone means that he will need to find a way to get inside the jab and let his feet go, or try to get a double collar tie and do some serious damage. Will Smith lost his debut fight against Cory Ashby and demonstrated an appalling lack of fight IQ as he completely failed to utilise his boxing. This is a fight that Smith will win or lose on his jab, as physically he should have more than enough for his opponent, as long as he doesn’t melt under the pressure once again.
Prediction: Will Smith wins by decision
Marc Tong Panong vs. Gregorio Smitzenhausen
(Middleweight 185 LBS)
Marc Tong Panong comes into this fight holding a record of 2-0-0. A wrestler by nature, Panong does his best work in the clinch, as shown in his debut against Carson Arthur. He faced slightly more obstacles in his second fight against the somewhat more durable Jack Messervey, where despite having a significant height advantage, he couldn’t make use of it. The interest in this fight comes in the form of the skill set of debuting Gregorio Smitzenhausen and his Muay Thai skills. Suddenly the clinch may well contain considerably more risk as it is not only the threat of the Thai Plum but also the swinging limbs of a man who stands 15cm taller. It is a tricky fight to call, however, the one thing MMA has taught us, is that he who has the better wrestling, so often controls where the fight takes place.
Prediction: Marc Tong Panong wins by decision
Jason “Slugger” Johnson vs. Jeff “Beach Bum” Spicoli
(Welterweight 170 LBS)
These two fighters will enter the cage with completely opposite skillsets and mirror image records, neither having tasted victory in their short careers so far. Jason Johnson has the better Muay Thai and wrestling, and will likely look to dictate where the fight takes place. He will likely want to get the fight into the clinch and tee off in a manner which dictates his nickname “Slugger”. Spicoli is a different kettle of fish. The “Beach Bum” is the better boxer and has the more dangerous BJJ, and has to try and set traps for Johnson. It could well be a chess match that is settled by who makes the first mistake.
Prediction: Jeff Spicoli wins by submission (Round 2)
CO-MAIN EVENT
Aace “Lucky Rabbit” Zajac vs. Anton “Atomic Hammer” Ilmarinen
(Middleweight 185 LBS)
On paper this looks to be an incredibly close contest between two wonderful wrestlers. Zajac won his one previous fight by a comfortable decision where he relied more on his striking to carry him through. A ground and pound merchant, he actually landed 94% of his ground and pound strikes in his debut. The “Atomic Hammer” is making his debut here and would be wise to do his upmost to keep this fight standing. There is a glimmer of hope for Ilmarinen. He has a slight advantage in terms of his Muay Thai technique and could look to utilise leg kicks to define the distance and make Zajac think twice about closing in on him. Ilmarinen has a significant reach advantage, and if he fights clever his wrestling may be enough to nullify the “Lucky Rabbit” and if he works behind his jab and keeps Zajac at a distance he may well be the one with his hand raised at the end of the night.
Prediction: Anton Ilmarinen to win by TKO (Round 2)
MAIN EVENT
Gordon “The Donkey” Ramsey vs. Martin “People Die” Keown
(Welterweight 170 LBS)
The Main Event of the evening brings together two of the oddest nicknames in MMA. Gordon Ramsey, or “The Donkey” as he is known to his family is a 1-0-0 fighter out of the United Kingdom. A solid Muay Thai/Wrestler who beat Jeff Spicoli on his debut predominately likes to stand and bang, and one thing that really stood out in his first outing was the venom in his leg kicks. He landed 20 against Spicoli and actually dropped him to the floor with an atomic chopper in the third round. Martin Keown, or “People Die” to his Mum, is a London born boxer and BJJ blue belt who is making his debut. Keown faces an uphill battle as his blue belt may be utterly worthless, as Ramsey managed to stuff 51 takedowns on his debut. The truth is that is likely to come down to a striking battle. Not only that, leg kicks tend to be an achilles heel of so many boxers. It is likely to be a particularly short nights work of both these men.
Prediction: Gordon Ramsey to win by TKO (Round 1)
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