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Hail to all of you that are eagerly waiting for HERO FC to put another show that will satisfy all your desires for violence and brutality. A total of 9 fights featuring MMA practitioners at their finest, form one hell of a card - HERO 41: Li vs Camcho, where Wai Man Li and Doug Camcho will lock horns for the lightweight title in the 5 round main event. So don’t be shy and head to the Malmi Sportshall in Helsinki because if you don’t, you’ll regret it. If you’re really delusional and you think of skipping the event, my phenomenal preview will make you change your mind:
Preliminary fights:
Rafael Carneiro (3-5-0) v Paul "Terminator" ed (3-7-0)
Middleweight
While Carneiro is a grappler of high quality, ed is a competent striker so my pick is the winner will be determined by where the fight takes place.
“The Magician” John Dodson (6-9-0) v Artie Lange (3-5-0)
Bantamweight
Dodson is more well rounded than Lange, but Lange’s wrestling advantage might help him get the fight to the ground where he really shines. Both have BJJ purple belts though so John shouldn’t be counted out if it goes there.
Enrique Alvarez (0-2-0) v Damien Byrkjelo (2-1-0)
Heavyweight
Alvarez is still looking for his first pro win, but I doubt he will get it against Damien as he is really out of shape and his grappling won’t save him against his well-rounded opponent.
Mertsi "Teufel Jr" Peltola (4-4-0) v Nyyrikki "Noutaja" Takaraivo (2-0-0)
Light heavyweight
Peltola’s ground game has helped him get some impressive victories and his next challenge is an undefeated prospect with solid striking and defensive wrestling that is Takaraivo which might prove to be a nightmare match up for Peltola
Main Card:
"The Shredder" Phillip Schreiber (4-4-0) v Sven "The Detective" Hjernson (1-6-0)
Lightweight
We kick off the main card with two guys that know how hard it is to garner consecutive losses. Philip Schreiber started his career memorably and became the lightweight champion at one time, but then something happened and he lost 4 consecutive bouts. He hasn’t fought since HERO Amsterdam and hopes that the time off he took will pay off and he will get back to winning. His opponent Sven Hjernson started with 6 consecutive losses and I’m sure he was thinking of something else to feed his family in the future, he was able to capture a very important win. What’s next for him is a fight with a former champion and despite Schreiber’s current condition he has made a name for himself and a victory against him would mean the world for “The Detective’s” career. In order to grab the W, he has to rely on his striking and avoid “The Shredder’s” ground game because if he doesn’t, he might find himself on the wrong end of a submission.
"Korpraali" Arto Markkanen (5-5-0) v "Katana" Hazuka Oyama (5-5-0)
Middleweight
This middleweight clash features two very skilled guys, who however fail to deliver consistently – Arto Markkanen and Hazuka Oyama. They both prefer to stand up and trade so if you aren’t fond of the ground aspect of MMA, this fight will probably please you. Markkanen is more of a muay thai specialist, while Oyama’s striking favours boxing techniques more then anything else. The winner of this fight will have the opportunity to move up the ladder so if those two want to show they are more than just gatekeepers, they should put in their best efforts in order to get the win. No matter who gets it, the fans will definitely witness a spectacular fight with a high probability of a finish. That is my personal pick for the FOTN award.
"The Argyll" Madison Grant (6-1-0) v Markus "Dr Pepper" Heinola (3-4-0)
Heavyweight
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call an exciting match up! Madison Grant is a very good addition to the HERO heavyweight division. He is a winner of a QFC tournament finishing all of his opponents via submissions. He carried that trend over to HERO as he did the same to his first two opponents. He lost his last outing via a cut, but who knows how would’ve things turned out if it wasn’t for his skin tissue. His opponent tonight is arguably the most exciting fighter in the roster. Win, lose or draw, Heinola goes there to fight. All of his fights ended via KO’s and were part of the highlight reel of the night. He has a great chance to make a statement against Grant and is definitely capable of doing that as long as he avoids the ground.
Pekka "Shorty" Pikkarainen (8-6-0) v "Killer Elite" Tex Morgan (4-5-0)
Featherweight. Co-main event!
Our Co-main event features Pekka Pikkarainen taking on Tex Morgan for the second time. Those two have always been at the top of the food chain in the featherweight division. Tex Morgan has always been close to the contendership status although he lost his shot at the title and Pekka even held the belt and has participated in 4 title fights. The first time those two met, “Killer Elite” was able to use his remarkable boxing and KO Pikkarainen who will try to avenge that loss with all of his might. He has a very good chance to do that if he takes Morgan down, although he is very active off his back and can cause some serious problems for “Shorty” if he gets overconfident. This fight is a “must-win” for both guys, because they are coming off negative performances and will no doubt look for a way to get back to their winning ways and show that they are still a force to be reckon with. With the amount of bad blood there is between those two, and the importance of the fight, I expect there will be fireworks.
Wai Man Li (9-1-0) v Doug Camcho (6-0-0)
Lightweight. Title fight. Main event!
This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Wai Man Li will step up in the cage once again to deliver punishment against his unlucky opponents, but if he thinks Camcho is intimidated, he better think again. The challenger has an undefeated 6-0 record, finishing all of his opponents so Li will have his hands full. Camcho’s striking is a thing of beauty and if he is given the chance to open up, he will make his opponent’s night a short one. The problem for him is that Wai Man Li isn’t known for leaving openings. He is relentless with his takedowns and his grown game is on another level. He possesses lethal ground’n’pound and knows how to set up submissions. He is on an eight fight win streak and will look to extend it to nine handing Camcho his first professional loss. Camcho is 6sm shorter than Li which might be an advantage to him, as he has no problem in closing the distance and finding his range, but the champion might experience difficulties in getting the legs of his shorter opponent. For those of you that haven’t watched those two, you will be shocked of the skill level they are on. I have no doubt in my mind that they both have a great future in front of them and this fight will only prove my case.
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