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 Preview written by Shane Wellman
NFC- Nordic Fire Championship 170: Shakur versus Stroker
Bob Jones here yet again ladies and gentlemen. In case you don’t know me I will introduce myself. I am a writer and radio broadcaster for mmajunkie.com, I have done previews in the past for organizations such as- The Siberian Fight League, Immortals New York, Xtreme Fighting Championship, and for Synchrocity for The Convicted Fighter tournament. I am also the co-host on MMA:The Immortals Show.
But enough about me and on to a small rundown on the fights. We have an action packed night with all different weight classes represented. I will go in depth on all the main card fights and give you some blurbs on our undercard. May I remind you that Nordic Fire Championship is the number one org in the world. It has the best fighters, the best fights, and the best places for you to watch them. So let’s get down to business.
185 pound title fight: Alfa Uros(21-6)The Current Belt Holder--- versus Guru Majja(19-7-1)
Both of these men have performed great as of late. Uros has beaten Majja- but Majja is 5-0-1 in his last 6 fights against some pretty good top competition in NFC. His overall record in NFC is 5-1-1 with his one loss coming against Uros. You can bet this time he wants things to turn differently though. Uros is 6-1 in his last 7 fights and is 12-5 in NFC, and he also was 3-0 in the now extinct NFC: Prospects. Uros is the best 185 has to offer and we will see if Majja can keep his hot streak going. Uros is another tough FinnFighter who continue to dominate NFC. This fight actually has a chance at going to the ground too with both fighters being such excellent wrestlers. These two fighters only have 18 TKO’s between them in 40 wins, they are much smaller than most of the guys on the main card and would rather grind out a decision victory then swing for the fences. Guru Majja’s last win though over the former title holder Kalle ended up in a submission victory by strikes. It was very dominating and there is a chance Majja can win this rematch.
Prediction: I’m going to take the underdog: Majja by TKO
Main Card: Fighting At Light Heavyweight: Tomi Juntunen(11-6) versus Ryo Narushima(24-6)
Well both of these fighters are COMING OFF OF A LOSS. So a win gets one of these guys back on track. Juntunen is 24 years old and less experienced but will have roughly a ten pound weight advantage. Also he is 8 centimeters taller and should use that reach to his advantage. The two combined have 27 TKO’s out of their 35 victories! Juntunen is known for being extremely flexible but was submitted for a loss in his last fight in the Montreal based org CEC. Juntunen was the title holder at 205 in CEC but did not defend it once after losing, he also was 1-1 in a short stint with NFC much earlier this year. Narushima hails from Tokyo, Japan and fights with excellent karate with a very well balanced stand up attack. HE HAS NEVER been TKO’d, only being subbed 3 times as well. Narushima is a beast and 3 years older then Juntunen but has a reach disadvantage so he must move in and let his short punches with power unleash. Narushima also won a belt recently and lost in his first defense. He is a long time IMMA fighter and compiled a 4-2 record there and is representing IMMA against NFC. He was never able to beat Kauno Kaalikorva though losing 3 times to the same man, twice by submission! Narushima is very flexible as well but we will most likely see an all stand up battle as the two never attempt takedowns. Juntunen is more of a quick KO artist and Narushima is more of the wear-and-tear fighter and attempts a ridiculous amount of leg kicks. Narushima was considered one of the best young talents out there when he started out 15-0, since that he is 9-6 against a step up in competition. There is no question though this will have fist flying back and forth mostly from a striking distance. Juntunen looks to come out a bit stronger from the gates though but if this gets to the third round expect Narushima to take over. Both have rock hard jaws that’ll be tough to break through. This will be a tough test for both fighters.
Prediction: Narushima wins a decision. These two both have too good of chins for there to be a knockout. Juntunen might steal the first round but Narushima will take this in the later rounds with devastating kicks to weaken his opponents body. 29-28 decision in favor of Narushima.
Main Card: Fighting In the Super Heavyweight Division: Niklas Nort(12-3) versus Iiro "The Man" Tolonen(37-13)
Tolonen is a legend in the MMA community. He is the current champ in the super heavyweight division although this is a non-title fight. Although his career has tailed off a bit as he is 3-5 in his last eight fights, he still owns 74 percent win percentage and is facing a fight NINE YEARS younger than him tonight! One wonders how Tolonen keeps it up. He has beaten the likes of Golden Glory, Jobe Nkemakolam, and Starship pain but has lost at the hands of the best including former number 1 fighter Anton Chigurh. Tolonen won’t be making a rise to number 2 pound for pound fighter anymore, but he can certainly continue his amazing Hall of Fame career where he has fought 28 fights in NFC winning 22 of them! Enough about Tolonen though and on to Niklas Nort. Nort is a tough Finn Fighter who has 12 victories all by TKO…. ALL IN THE FIRST ROUND! He has also been TKO’d three times though, twice in the first round. He really is a boom or bust fighter. No big deal though as his strategy will be to find a way to knock Tolonen out quickly in the first. Also he has done it before, by way of a head kick. He prefers to use his fights and throw combinations, but he does have two TKO victories by kick so Tolonen better be wary in this rematch. Tolonen has 28 TKO victories but has had it done to him 11 times. For him to win this fight he needs to land the power punches first and show who really has the better chin. Tolonen’s manager- Opa Jokinen, has put countless fighters in the top ten and wants to put Tolonen back in there and with a win tonight he may be very close. Nort only has had 15 fights in his career and is only 25 so a loss for him wouldn’t be the end of the world, but another win over Tolonen would just continue to push his career forward. Nort took a step back after losing twice in a row and needs to show to the fans that he can last in a fight against a top name fighter again. He beat Tolonen the first time but I’m not sure if he can now after exploiting his weak chin the past two fights. Both are similar in size and stature and prefer to box but can incorporate some Muy Thai into their game as well. This should be a stand up war, and if Tolonen’s last two wins tell us anything- that experience and age can actually make you better when your skills decline.
Tolonen by KO in the 2nd round… I would say a decision victory but no way Nort’s chin last’s that long and he takes his third loss in a row.
Main Card: In the Super Heavyweight Division: Nino Blaze(23-7) versus T.J Cummings(17-8):
These two fighters are combined to be 40-15 but have one thing in common… They both have a loss to Iiro Tolonen. Also Cummings has lost by being cut 6 times and has been finished all 8 times he has lost, not too impressive. He does have 15 TKO victories though so he cannot be underestimated as he could take a disadvantage of any mistakes. Nino Blaze is coming off an extremely impressive win over Tore Rebo who had been coming off of a 4 fight win streak, and Blaze stopped him in his tracks with a TKO victory in the first round. He also is currently the heavyweight champion at only 214 pounds, ala Randy Couture eh!? Cummings was a former champ in the now extinct Sauna Fights. But now in the present Blaze is currently the 7th ranked super heavyweight in the world and could break top 5 with a victory here. His manager Rhasta Smokeleaf could use the victory as well in his quest to become the best in the world, he is arguably a top 5 manager in MMA today with his solid stable of fighters including former top 20 fighter in the world Saddam Hussain. The fighters are close in age with Blaze being 28 and Cummings only a year younger and Blaze has a slight edge in experience and a big one in winning percentage. Blaze even has an incredible upset TKO victory over Emeka Shakur, the man fighting in the main event tonight. 6 of his 11 losses though have come in NFC, showing how the step up in competition for Blaze has affected him. He is 11-6 in NFC whilst Cummings is only 1-2 in his so far short stint with NFC. The underdog is clearly Cummings here but he has some KO power so Blaze needs to be wary, but if Blaze executes properly he should come out on top this fight. The problem is though Blaze only weighs 214 pounds and is outweighed by Cummings by almost 100 pounds, but Blaze should be much faster and avoid the power punches from Cummings. Don’t expect this fight to end up on the ground either. It’s going to be a night of standing and banging in NFC on November 11th.
Prediction: Blaze by TKO in the third. He can wear Cummings down and avoid his hard punches and finish him late in the fight
Co Main Event: In the Super Heavyweight Division: Tore Rebo(20-8) versus Pertti Rauta(29-16)
Rebo aka “The Torpedo” has been a force in NFC, with a record of 3-1 with wins over Tolonen, Nort, and Cummings who are all top super heavyweights. He is also a former belt holder in Blitz: Reach now extinct but a legendary fight organization. Rauta has never held a belt but is a former number 1 super heavyweight and has an experience advantage. Rauta is a tad past his prime at age 34 and Rebo is in his at age 29. Rauta in his current stint with NFC is 2-2 but his overall record in the organization is only 5-8. He is a legend in the MMA world but has not turned many heads in NFC and is well below .500, solidifying why he has not been given a title shot even with victories over Nort and Tolonen. The two combined have 39 TKO’s out of 49 victories! Expect this one to have fists flying while Rebo does more from outside with his reach advantage. Rebo is 225 centimeters tall and Rauta is only 192 centimeters tall, but Rauta can always get inside and test the latter’s chin. If Rebo can just keep picking off his opponent though it’ll be a rough night for Rauta who could get cut open, or just dominated in a decision victory. Tore Rebo has beaten some of the best in NFC with his .750 winning percentage and if he wins this against Rauta, I would consider him a title contender at super heavyweight… I should hope at least, and I guarantee the fans will cry for him to have a title shot at 4-1 in NFC against top competition. Rauta on the other end is on the tail end of his career and really needs a streak of wins to end his career on the right path, and a title shot does not seem evident. Both of these fighters have beaten the champ, Tolonen; but have not stringed together enough wins to warrant themselves at the top of the division, but they are definitely top 5 in NFC. If Rauta loses retirement soon may be evident but he has represented FinnFighters well over his career, but never getting a title belt may disappoint his great run in MMA. Rebo on the other hand still has much of his career ahead of him and is looking like the favorite in this matchup.
Prediction: Rebo by KO who keeps his run in NFC going
The Main Event of the Night: In the Heavyweight Division: Emeka Shakur 26-7-1 versus Harry Stroker(21-11)
Shakur is a big name in NFC, he has 25 TKO victories in 26 wins. He has quick hands and can put a man on his back quickly. He is currently the 7th ranked heavyweight in the world and a teammate of Iiro Tolonen’s. He has beaten the likes of Golden Glory, and Anton Chigurh- both former number one fighters in the world. He himself has been TKO’d 6 times though but has more often that not gotten to the other guy first. Stroker is also a FinnFighter boasting a black belt. Stoker has won 5 straight in NFC and has not lost, 3 by TKO and 1 by submission. He can bring this fight anywhere to try to beat Shakur, this could be the first of our Main Card fights to end up on the ground. Shakur though will try to use his shorter base to prevent takedowns. While Stroker can try to use his extra range to find a home for some combinations to open up takedowns, he is 15 centimeters taller than Shakur. Shakur though is 7-2-1 in NFC and he has really dominated the division and if he wins this fight he solidifies his claim as the best at heavyweight in NFC. Shakur is currently 4th ranked in NFC and 29th pound for pound in the world, a win definitely puts him in the top 25 and borderline top 20. While Stroker is top 100 in the world but he would like to push for top 50 and a win here would be a great start, he is 7th overall pound for pound in NFC. This fight though is sure to have rave reviews though if it goes as planned. It’s between two top ten fighters in the organization alone and it is a big time main event. Don’t take a bathroom break during this one folks, you need to see this action. I think overall though it comes down to whoever is the better fighter, will win.
Prediction: I firmly believe Shakur is a top 5 heavyweight in the world and gets a TKO victory over Stroker
Blurbs about the under card:
Ej Balingit is a former super heavyweight title holder and stands at 29-9 and will go up against Paul Polter(20-5) who is only 2-2 in NFC and had an NC against Balingit, he is 4 years younger and 16 inches shorter and may be outmatched.
Former title holder Hiro Protagonist(30-12-1) goes up against former belt holder Kalle Reinikainen(22-9). This is their fourth matchup and Hiro is 2-1 against Kalle. Both have struggled as of late but Kalle made it all the way to number 2 pound for pound in the world. Both fighters though ARE 0-2 in their last two title fights and are not in line for a title shot with a win, but it could boost them several spots in the 185 ranks.
Tony Tauno(19-11) has won three in a row at heavyweight and faces Mikko Kyatta(22-17). 32 TKO’s between them, look for a finish. Big FinnFighters matchup.
Rich Silva(24-9) was a great fighter at super heavyweight… But has lost all three of his matches in NFC. He has 9 TKO’s and 8 submission victorites. Adam Resso(3-5-1) has lost 4 in a row and had an NC against Silva originally. Silva is 7 years older and should finish Resso.
That’s all for tonight, enjoy the fights- This was Bob Jones for Nordic Fire Championship- whose sponsor is Beast Mode based in Las Vegas. Have a good one MMA fans.
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