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Empire: 3, and its seven light-heavyweight fights, is in the books. The night was full of interesting bouts, each of which produced a clear winner. The first matchup was between the misspelled Micheal Turner and aptly named Joe Boxer. In a brawl between two very similar fighters, Boxer came out the gates stronger, scoring two takedowns in the first round, but Turner turned the tide in his favor by spending the vast majority of the last two rounds on top of Boxer and took an ugly match by unanimous decision. The second fight was between Jerome Biggs and Yonnis Chico. Biggs dominated the first round, which was fought largely in the clinch, but the Mexican took Biggs down in the second round and finally forced Biggs into submission 4:56 into the second round. Yonnis Chico improved to 1-1-0, while the previously 2-0-0 Biggs lost his first career match. Biggs was dominating, but it only took one mistake to undo all the pointes he had scored. The third matchup was where I believed the quality was supposed to take a turn for the worse, but I think that was more due to my overestimation of the first two matchups than my underestimation of the following fighters. In this one, it only took 3:30 for Mauricio Payne to put Wyane Green into a triangle in an otherwise dull fight. Apparently, Green got messed up so badly during the fight, he switched around the Y and A in his first name. Next up was a fight between St. Louis native Jaco Camden and Dominican Eladio Chu. Both fighters were 0-1-0 entering the fight, but only Camden came out with a notch in the win column, putting Chu into submission with just 2 seconds left in the fight. While Chu may have been disappointed to tap out that close to going the distance, it would not have affected the final result, as anyone with eyes would have judged that for Camden in a landslide. After that was another fight between an American and a foreign opponent, the fourth of the night, as Eddie Miles of Providence took on Iraqi Mahdi Dirjal. Miles came out swinging, and he only connected with a couple punches, but that was all it took, as he managed to score a KO on punches 1:57 into the match. Miles was so elated following his first ever win that he jumped out of the cage and almost forgot to serve his corporate overlords at Urban Fighter. For the second time in a row, Santiago Munez failed to make weight for his match against Karl Van Horn. How one can fail to make weight once is absurd. How it can happen twice is baffling. Regardless, Van Horn remains 0-2-0 in his career. In the second to last matchup, Januszov Goatov fought against Zivan Radosavjevic. Goatov repeatedly took his Serbian opponent to the mat, and after spending most of the match fishing for a submission, the Pole finally got one 3:32 into the second round. Goatov’s win was a dominant performance, and he left no doubt as to who the better Eastern European fighter for some reason stuck in New York is. The main event featured the title fight between Hatebreed Rebel and Max Powers. This fight did not live up to the hype, as this one was fought mainly on the ground, but it still managed to go the distance. Rebel dominated the first three rounds, but Powers turned it around at the end of the match to make it appear competitive on the scorecards. In the end, it was a case of too little too late, as Rebel won 48:47 on all three scorecards to retain the belt by unanimous decision in a fight that was much more lopsided than the score may have suggested. In the end, a card that looked like it had three good fights and five weaker ones only actually had seven fights, all of which sucked. I went 2-5 on my predictions (3-5 if you count me predicting Munez missing weight), but the real losers were those in attendance, as none of the fights held any entertainment value.

Empire: 3 is coming up this Sunday, and similarly to Empire: 2, MMA fans everywhere could not care less. The whole card is at the 205 lbs level, so it should help show who is the best at that weight class. The first fight is between Micheal Turner (yes, that is how his name is spelled) and Joe Boxer. These two fighters are very similar, as both are strong wrestlers, but struggle with BJJ and Muay Thai. The main difference is that Joe Boxer is better at boxing, as his name suggests. I’ll take Boxer by unanimous decision. The second fight sees Jerome Biggs face off against Yonnis Chico in an intriguing matchup. Chico is 0-1-0 entering this fight, while Biggs is 2-0-0. The only way Chico can win is by a submission on the ground, but if Biggs can stay upright he will win due to his superior boxing. I expect trends to continue, as Biggs wins by TKO on punches in the 3rd. The third fight is a strong step down in quality and hype from the previous two, as Wyane Green (yes, that is how his name is spelled) faces Mauricio “Max” Payne. Both 25 year olds are making their debuts in a battle between upstate New York native Payne against the Bronx’s Green. I expect Green to win this one through superior boxing, inflicting a max amount of pain on Max Payne in a 2nd round TKO on punches. The next fight on the card is a battle of 0-1-0 fighters Eladio Chu and Jaco Camden. Chu should win if he can stay on his feet, but Camden should be able to put it away if he can take Chu down. Chu may be the better fighter, but I think the more well-rounded Camden will find a way to bring Chu down, leading to a submission in the 2nd in favor of the St. Louis native. Following that ugly matchup, we have another ugly one, with Eddie Miles taking on Iraqi Mahdi Dirjal. Dirjal is a decent boxer, but unfortunately he faces an even stronger one in the Providence native. I expect that to play a major role, as I have Miles winning by TKO on cut in the 2nd. In yet another awful fight, Karl Van Horn faces Santiago Munez. Munez missed weight in his last fight against Eddie Miles, and I think that may happen again. If he does make weight, give me Munez by submission in the 2nd. For the penultimate matchup, we have another stinker between Januszov Goatov and Zivan Radosavjevic. In a battle between bad Eastern European fighters, I expect Goatov to struggle against the older Radosavjevic, with the Serb coming up victorious via unanimous decision. Finally up is the main event, which features Hatebreed Rebel face Maximillian “Max” Powers for the title. These two fighters are nearly identical, as both are incredibly proficient on the ground, but struggle mightily standing up. Rebel has the better record, having faced four fighters and winning by submission against all of them, while Powers had one fight (which he won via submission). Despite the longer resume, Rebel has a new manager, which may affect his training regiment. I think Powers takes advantage and wins the belt on submission in the 1st.

Empire: 2 is in the books, and it sure lived up to the hype it received (or lack thereof). The first fight at the Micro Arena was the featherweight title bout between Corsair Light and Ryan Sampson. I predicted a decisive victory for Sampson, and I could not have been any more wrong, as Light defended the belt via submission 2:55 into the 2nd round. After the fight, the champion thanked all the fans in the stands and on the internet. I mean, who actually goes on MMA websites? Nerds, am I right? After a Light appetizer, the next event had a little more to it. Russian Uri Romanov dominated his Mexican opponent Javier Fernandez in the second fight of the night. Romanov’s victory by unanimous decision was largely due to his experience on the ground, and although he could not get the submission, he proved to be in control throughout the fight. The Juarez native now drops to 0-2-0 on his career, and it begs one to wonder if he will ever add to the win column. The third fight was between Rico Wilson and the oddly named Mma Sucks. Wilson easily handled his worn out opponent by a submission 2:19 into the 2nd. Rumors are that his opponent actually changed his name to Mma Sucks after losing the bout in a show of defiance against the officiating, a move I do not understand given how no official could have swung that fight for the Tongan. Now up to the welterweights, where in the most predictable of the fights, Jim Brunson got his ass handed to him by Angolan Pedro Gonclaves by armbar 1:58 into the match. This was a one-sided affair, as Gonclaves rebounded from his loss to Howardson by pummeling the now 0-4-0 Brunson. I wonder if Brunson will ever get the chance to earn a win, as he was released by his manager after the fight. In the welterweight championship bout, Michael Howardson thoroughly pummeled challenger Ricardo Miles, winning by TKO on strikes 3:39 into the 2nd round. Howardson, a Muay Thai specialist, got Miles into a clinch early on and never looked back, repeatedly striking Miles in the face. For what it is worth, Miles stayed in there much longer than anyone could have expected given the amount of punishment he received, but he never really had a say in the match. After the match, Howardson thanked his corporate overlords at Caveman Clothing. Now to the super-heavyweights, where Greece native Kostas Karelis faced Englishman Martin Robshaw in the first of the night’s three super-heavyweight brawls. I mentioned that this fight would be painful to watch, and it was for most of the 1st round, but Robshaw only needed one punch to change everything, as he ended Karelis’s night via KO 4:29 into the 1st. Robshaw got his first career win, while Karelis was handed his first ever loss. The penultimate fight was the shortest fight of the night, as Michael Howard forced Arnold Kallas into submission 18 seconds into his fighting career. Howard came across as arrogant after the match, insinuating that the ring is not the only place his opponent can only last 18 seconds. Kallas’s debut was embarrassing to say the least, but the crowd seemed to really love that fight. Finally in the main event, Francisco Danconia Jr. of Brazil took the super-heavyweight title from Nico I Pivo by TKO on strikes just 1:51 into the 1st round. Pivo took the Brazillian into the clinch early on, which proved to be a mistake, as Danconia Jr. dished out the pain from there on out. After the match, a clear contrast was shown in the two fighters’ attitudes as Danconia Jr. won the crowd’s affection through his humility, while Pivo insisted he can beat Danconia Jr. Given how this one went, I think everyone in the crowd sincerely doubts him. This was a much more eventful night than the previous two Empire events, although that is a pretty low bar. I was a surprising 6-2 on my predictions, only incorrect in taking Karelis and Sampson. The crowd seemed to think that the last two fights were the best of the night, mainly because they only lasted 129 seconds combined. This suggests the crowd does not actually enjoy the fighting, begging the question why they even paid to watch in the first place.

Forgot to post this here earlier, but here's my preview for Empire: 2. Hope you enjoy: Empire: 2 is coming up on Sunday. It is an eight fight card, with three title fights. Speaking of which, the opener is the featherweight title featuring current belt holder Corsair Light facing off against Ryan Sampson. Light, the 18 year old Englishman, is a strong BJJ fighter, which helped him in his last matchup, but that is pretty much all he has on the 2-0-0 Sampson. The challenger should be able to dominate all facets of the fight, as he is superior on his feet, in the clinch, and on the ground. I’m predicting a Sampson win by submission in the 2nd. The second matchup sees Javier Fernandez out of Juarez, Mexico face off against Russian Uri Romanov. Romanov is coming off a tough loss to Light in his last fight, but was dominating the match up until his submission. Fernandez, who lost to Fred Beyako in his last fight, should dominate when the two fighters are upright, but if Romanov can take him down even once, that might be all it takes. I say Romanov does it and wins by submission in the 1st. The third matchup, Wilson vs. Sucks, is not only the weakest of the three featherweight fights, but also the least interesting. Neither of these fighters are any good, as the Tongan Sucks got armbarred by Sampson 23 seconds into his last outing, while Wilson has yet to win a match in his short career. This is a fairly even matchup, as both are equally bad on the ground, but where Sucks is a better Muay Thai fighter than Wilson, Wilson has the edge in boxing. I think Wilson will squeak this one out in a unanimous decision due to his superior boxing. The first of the two welterweight bouts is very straightforward. Pedro Gonclaves is 2-2-0 in his career, with his last outing being a perfectly understandable loss to Michael Howardson, who will fight after this. His opponent, Jim Brunson, is 0-3-0, and none of those matches have been particularly close. I’ll take the Angolan to win handily by TKO on strikes in the 1st. Howardson will be defending his title against Ricardo Miles, a 2-0-0 challenger from Trinidad and Tobago. Howardson is a Muay Thai beast, winning two of his three matches by strikes, but if Miles can avoid getting dragged into the clinch, he might have a shot at the upset. In what may be the most exciting match of the night from both a talent and a strategic standpoint, Howardson may just be too much for Miles to handle. I have him defending the belt in the 3rd by TKO on strikes. Now onto the super-heavyweights, where our first matchup is Martin Robshaw vs. Kostas Karelis. This fight sees two Europeans (I’m sorry, a European and a Brit) with the same manager duking it out in New York. Karelis won his only career fight. Robshaw lost his only career fight. Karelis is dominant in boxing and wrestling, but that’s it. Robshaw is dominant in Muay Thai, but that’s it. I’ll pick the Greek, Karelis, in an ugly to watch unanimous decision. In the penultimate fight of the night, well-rounded Miami native Michael Howard looks to defeat Estonian Arnold Kallas. Kallas’s only real strength is in wrestling, but that is one incredible strength he has. By contrast, Howard is a more well-rounded fighter who should be able to defend Kallas’s takedowns effectively. Despite Howard’s struggles against current champion Nico I Pivo, he should have no problem with Kallas as long as he keeps on his feet. I think that will happen, and Howard will win via unanimous decision. Finally, we’re onto the main event, which also happens to be the super-heavyweight championship fight. This one sees Cuban fighter Nico I Pivo flying in from Rio de Janeiro to defend his belt against unheralded challenger Fernando Danconia Jr. This one is completely unpredictable, as both fighters are pretty well-rounded. Theoretically, Pivo should want to avoid going to the mat, since Danconia Jr. is a better wrestler, but Pivo’s two wins came via submission. I think Pivo is going to go back to the well to try and make it three submissions in a row, but he will be in for a rude awakening when he eventually succumbs to a submission in the 3rd.

Just going to paste my recap for Empire:1 here. Hope you guys like it! Tonight was the second ever Empire MMA event, which was named Empire:1 most likely because organization owner Psycho Serrano cannot count to one. This event lived up to its name: a night full of youthful energy, utter confusion, and crushing disappointment. In other words: my high school prom. The first fight of the night was between Jerome Biggs, managed by the mathematically-challenged Psycho Serrano, and Karl Van Horn, managed by Don Tony. Don Tony manages 10 fighters in the Empire organization, seemingly taking the strategy that if you put enough fighters out there, at least one of them has to be a winner. Unfortunately for him, this match did not pan out his way. Biggs won the first round handily and absolutely dominated the second round, and finally knocked Van Horn out with a nasty punch combo 2:10 into the third round. Van Horn was lucky to last that long, as Biggs battered him in the second round. The second fight saw the 170 lbs champion Michael Howardson improve to 3-0-0 by knocking out Pedro Gonclaves on strikes a mere 22 seconds into the second round. Howardson came into this fight with as much hype as a fighter in this two-bit organization can get, but he showed why he deserves all the hype he has yet to earn, and never will. After the victory, a triumphant Howardson celebrated by turning into a corporate shill, thanking Caveman clothing hoping his only fan might possibly buy their clothing. Gonclaves seemed to not care about the loss whatsoever saying, “Shit happens.” I guess he really does not care if he wins or loses. In the third fight of the night, Micheal Turner proved that you do not need to know how to spell Michael correctly to win by beating Serbian Zivan Radosavjevic by unanimous decision. The score was 30:27 in favor of Don Tony’s man on all three scorecards in a stinker of a match. The few fans in attendance voiced their displeasure by booing the objectively awful display of fighting in front of them. The fight got better from there on out, even though the result was never in question. There are two lessons to learn from this fight. Firstly, if you have enough fighters, one of them has to win. Secondly, booing works! Although, any Philadelphia sports fan could have told you that. The fans were treated to a small break in the action as Santiago Munez apparently did not get the memo that he was supposed to be fighting at 205 lbs and inexplicably missed weight. His would be opponent, Eddie Miles, must have been disappointed at the missed opportunity to fight, but his manager, Roger Jones, still had three other fighters that night. Speaking of which, two of his fighters were supposed to face off, but only one of them showed up, as Ricardo (no relation to Eddie) Miles destroyed Jim Brunson. Miles won via submission on strikes just 2:25 into the first round. The Trinidadian fighter thanked his imaginary fans after the win, who showered him with imaginary applause in return. Brunson’s nickname is “The Crab” due to his home in the crab country of Maryland and his proficiency wrestling, but based off of tonight’s performance, I would have guessed he got the nickname from the way he crawls out of the cage after he loses. Jones both won and lost this match, with Miles improving to 2-0-0, while Brunson showed why he has yet to win a match in his career. Finally in the main event, which was ironically probably the least hyped matchup of the card, Fred Beyako beat Jamaican Rico Wilson via an Anaconda choke 3:57 into the third round. Beyako’s win was the second of the evening for manager Don Tony, while Wilson’s loss was the second for Jones tonight. Also of note, in Jones’s only win of the night, he still lost. Beyako was the more aggressive of the fighters all night, but the fight was pretty even on the scorecards going into the final round. Then, just like R. Kelly with an underage girl, Beyako eventually forced Wilson into submission after trying all night. It was a fitting ending for the evening: a mediocre match with mediocre fighters for a mediocre event in a mediocre organization.

New to this, but could be interested in writing previews/reviews. PM me if you're interested.