ShaolinVenom

Thanks for the positive energy and motivation, AlexM, I truly appreciate it! RFC is definitely great and I'm glad I can contribute a part to the entirety of what the organization has become!

I appreciate it, Demo, and I'm glad I could inspire you to add a bit more to your previews. I have no doubt they'll continue to be great

That was one hell of a fight and Bizihwaeile, like Bjornsson, is one hell of a fighter!

As always, thank you very much for your encouraging words! Don't be so difficult on yourself with the posters! They're always cool and colorful, and I don't think there are any complaints about them from anyone. Keep up the great work!

I very much appreciate the props, ActionJackson! I'm glad you like the research and the style of writing

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 53 PREVIEW HARD KNOCKS ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to another preview for RFC! As always, I’m joined by the jovial and illustrious Furious Styles! Ball: I appreciate the introduction, X! I’m excited for this lineup tonight because there’s a lot of weight classes represented tonight! There’s sure to be plenty of movement tonight and the Featherweight title is on the line! There’s also one Bantamweight fight, one Featherweight fight for the championship, one Lightweight fight, four Welterweight fights, one Light Heavyweight fight, one Heavyweight fight, and finally, one Super Heavyweight fight! Carr: The diversity of weight classes tonight is excellent as always and we kick off the night with the Featherweight title hanging in the balance! Martin Eugen puts the gold on the line against Thing Thing in what should be an outstanding battle! Eugen steps into this battle with a 21-4 record, which is obviously outstanding! The 29-year-old member of The Stepdads is riding a 6-fight win streak, so his confidence is soaring! These two clashed previously at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21 and Eugen defeated Thing Thing by unanimous decision! There’s no doubt that victory is in the minds of both of these warriors as they cross paths yet again! Eugen was very dominant in his last fight as he finished Chief Navajo in 39 seconds by TKO! Ball: Thing “Thing” Thing, or Triple Thing, has another shot at Eugen with his 8-3 record overall, which is solid! Thing is the much shorter and lighter fighter, so he’ll have to rely on speed and agility more to prevent himself from eating too many strikes from Eugen! The UnderGround Fights Enterprise members told me that Thing has been working very diligently on his ground skills because he feels that’s his best shot against the champion! He obviously remembers losing by TKO so getting this fight to the ground as soon as possible is definitely his best bet! He’s on a 2-fight win streak so there’s no lack of confidence on his behalf! I think counterattacking the champion is the most efficient and logical approach to this fight! I don’t think Thing has the punching power or punishing enough kicks to keep Eugen at bay, so dodging his attacks and looking for openings where he can shoot in and try to get Eugen to the mat and try to control him there and position him for ground-and-pound and submissions! Carr: I’m sure Eugen expects Thing to try and drag this fight to the ground and I don’t think the champion is too concerned about that because he has the ability to lock Thing into a clinch and press him up against the cage which not only allows the champion to land punishing punches to wear Thing down, but that also makes takedown attempts by Thing much more difficult because he’s not able to establish any superior positioning that allows him to shift his weight more efficiently to take Eugen to the mat! The longer this fight stays on its feet, the better it is for the champion to land sharp jabs and occasional striking combinations! Landing strikes will keep Thing at distance and prevent him from having successful takedown attempts! Eugen can use that height advantage and make Thing take chances that he normally wouldn’t take! That plays right into the champs’ hands and will allow him to successfully defend his title! Ball: I think Thing and his weird green beard learned from his first fight against Eugen and he’ll know how to get this fight to the ground where he’ll be very aggressive in working to get into dominant position and land damaging shots on the champion until he’s able to make Eugen give up positioning for defense! Thing quickly shifts positions and locks in the submission for the win and for the gold! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Thing by Submission; Carr – Eugen by KO Carr: Josue Aingeru and Tracy Minaj are set to square off after the opening title fight! Aingeru is 11-3-1, a very impressive mark! However, he recently lost to Toussaint Bissainthe at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29 with twenty seconds remaining in the fight! Though that may not have done a lot of damage to him emotionally, that still hurts because that was an opportunity at a championship! He does have championship experience that’s very valuable, especially against an opponent the caliber of Minaj! However, I’m sure he wants to prove to himself and fellow LEGION OF DOOM members that he’s more than capable of defeating highly-skilled opponents and putting himself right back in the title hunt! Look for Aingeru to stick to his calling card of softs and go for the knockout! What’s interesting is his opponent is also a LEGION OF DOOM member so as we say in the industry, bragging rights are on the line! Aingeru wins by knockout! Ball: Minaj steps into this fight with an 8-14 overall record so he obviously wants to get back into the victory column after suffering through a 4-fight losing streak! Each one of those losses occurred early in the fight and all were by knockout, so Minaj’s chin may very well be glass by now! Keeping his head moving and his feet shuffling gives him the best chance of not getting chin checked tonight! I think Minaj will either look to clinch and keep this fight pressed against the cage where he can try and land punches while dirty boxing, or drag Aingeru down and control the pace of the fight there while seeing if he can land sporadic ground-and-pound! That approach keeps his chin from getting checked and he can see if he can physically dominate an opponent who seems to have more skills than he does! I think Minaj gets this fight to the ground where he wins by tapout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Minaj by Submission; Carr – Aingeru by KO Ball: Tamid Nasib and Killer Kidd locks horns in the next battle! Nasib is a very good 11-3 overall and is yet another member of LEGION OF DOOM, who is well represented tonight already! He recently overcame a loss at the hands of Moganesh Jain by defeating Ichiro Suzuki by TKO in the second round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26! He looks to carry that momentum over into this fight and there’s no doubt his confidence is back at the peak where it was! His fists can detonate various parts of the anatomy and those fists have brought him gold, so I have no doubt he’ll look to test Kidd’s striking defense and ability to move his head out of the way of those brutal knuckles! If Kidd isn’t on top of his defensive game and allows one or two brutal shots to slip through his guard then he could be in for a very painful and short night! I say Nasib is able to get through Kidd’s guard with accurate punches, especially to the body, and those body shots open up Kidd’s jaw for the knockout! Carr: Kidd is giving up significant height here tonight, so if he plans on winning this fight, he’s going to have to decide from the get-go if he’s going to try and take the taller fighter to the ground and look for control and submissions, or chop away at the legs and body of Nasib and slow him down enough to try and land power strikes, especially head kicks that Nasib may not expect! Surprise and counterattacking may prove to be the difference maker for Kidd in this fight, and getting this fight to the mat, in my opinion, is his best option! He can take the chance and lock in a clinch and see if he can sneak in elbows to the head that may cut Nasib and land some energy-sapping knees to the body as well before trying for the takedown! I think Kidd catches Nasib by surprise with a brutal head kick that stuns him long enough for Kidd to take him to the mat and lock in a submission before he can clear the cobwebs! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Kidd by Submission; Ball – Nasib by KO Carr: John Titor and Abdul Rahman are the next warriors into the cage! “The Time Traveller” Titor is a solid 8-3 overall and is on a 2-fight winning streak! He’s shown the ability to finish a fight by knockout but he has a good number of unanimous decision victories under his belt as well! I don’t think he wants to see if he can go the distance against Rahman because keeping any fighter in a fight longer than need be is a very risky business! I expect Titor to look for the clinch where he can control the pace and space of this battle while doing damage inside of Rahman’s striking defense! High energy and aggression may be what Titor relies on for this fight and if Rahman isn’t ready for that, it could take away any advantages Rahman has, namely his weight advantage! I think Titor keeps this fight in the clinch and wins by wearing Rahman down and landing that surprising hook to the side of the head! Ball: “The Sheik” Rahman is a very good 4-1 overall but is two years younger and has less combat experience than Titor! That said, I think he has the ability and wherewithal to keep Titor away from his chin and will be able to land kicks very effectively to Titor’s legs and ribs, taking some of the steam out of his power punches and movement! If Rahman can establish that early and often then look for him to step up his level of aggression and go the knockout finish because he’s shown that he’s capable of doing exactly that! I don’t think Rahman is too concerned about Titor’s punching power and that approach can prove valuable because his confidence will enable him to overcome any trepidation he may feel and handle business as he trained to do! I think Rahman makes Titor drop his guard with well-placed shots to the ribs and as soon as Titor drops his guard, Rahman tags him with a vicious uppercut that turns out his lights! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Rahman by KO; Carr – Titor by Submission Ball: John Makres and Five Finger are the next lions to roar in the cage! “F-16” Makres of The Stepdads is a solid 5-1 overall overcame a recent loss to Royce Gracie by making Krisko Kurtev tap out in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27! Sustaining that momentum from his victory is very important because Finger has proven to be a dangerous opponent! Makres has shown diversity with his fighting approach and the types of wins he’s been able to achieve, so I feel mixing his strikes with feints and counterstrikes will keep Finger a bit off guard and uncertain as to how to fight Makres! I think that uncertainty, coupled with the combat experience advantage that Makres has over Finger, will be the key to victory tonight! Makres will land all sorts of strikes with aggression and counterstrikes, and Finger will take more chances to try and land the power shot to the jaw that he seeks! That riskier approach gives Makres the window of opportunity he needs to either land a head kick that rocks Finger’s skull, or enables him to blast Finger with a spine-straightening uppercut for the knockout win! Carr: “Death Punch” Finger, who looks like a character from The Last Samurai, is 2-1 overall and has shown that he can end a fight early with solid punches! It’s imperative that he keep this fight on its feet and he could very well take the approach of heavy counterstriking in hopes of catching Makres by surprise and knocking him into the next sunrise with a devastating overhand punch! Finger may have to rely more on his physical abilities to get in, land strikes and get out without taking any brutal damage! If he opts to counterattack then he can time his punches and kicks well so when he makes Makres miss any takedown from shooting in, Finger can rock him while he gathers himself and gets back to his feet! Various YABAI members told me that they think Finger can pull off the knockout victory with patient counterattacks and I agree with them! Finger wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Finger by KO; Ball – Makres by KO Carr: Doko Dokov and Sydney Thift are next into the cage of brutality! “The Huricane” Dokov is 5-4 overall which is pretty good, but obviously not as good as 6-4 would be if he pulls off the win tonight! This Bulgarian fighter is on a 2-fight win streak and won a hard-fought battle against Aslambek Marowadoigowiegow at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 by unanimous decision! He’s earned victory with his fists as well as with his twists, so it’ll be interesting to see what approach he takes here tonight against Thift! Since he’s shorter and lighter than Thift, plus six years younger, it’ll potentially be an uphill battle! I think his best chance for victory is to keep this fight in the standup because he doesn’t want to run the risk of Thift locking him in a submission or getting dominant position for ground-and-pound! Staying at a distance allows him to avoid major damage plus possibly land some counter strikes! I think Dokov keeps this fight standing and gets the knockout by committee as opposed to a one-shot knockout! Ball: Thift is an even 5-5 overall and has looked very good over his past two fights to earn a 2-fight win streak! Like his opponent tonight, he’s carrying in a good amount of momentum with those two victories! It’s pretty rare that opponents have the same in-cage combat experience but that’s the situation in this fight! However, the age advantage that Thift has may come into play because he can remain calmer than the young upstart Dokov who could allow his aggression to be his downfall! Thift has enough ability to match the energy that Dokov will bring and he’ll be able to feint his way into a single or double-leg takedown and float right into side control where he can drop hammer fists and elbows until Dokov covers up! At that point, Thift transitions and locks Dokov into a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Thift by Submission; Carr – Dokov by KO Ball: Skjoldr Leifsson and Tim Drive are the next fighters into the cage! The aggressive and brash Leifsson brings his attitude, energy, yelling and 3-1 overall record into this fight! He most recently made Phil Domphy tap out in the second round by Rear Naked Choke at RFC 49, and his 3-fight win streak has definitely given him the momentum and confidence he needs tonight! Physically he and Drive are similar so Leifsson will have to rely on outthinking Drive in this fight, but the end goal is the same! Get this fight to the ground as soon as possible for the best chance of locking Drive into one of many submission holds Leifsson is well-versed in! I think Leifsson will use his excellent muay thai skills to soften up Drive’s legs and body before going for any takedowns because slowing him down while tiring him out works very well in Leifsson’s favor! I have no doubt Vendetta discussed that at length when this fight was signed and Leifsson will win this fight by submission when all is said and done! Carr: “Lovable Sex” Drive, a nickname that suggests he either is in the wrong business or is in an additional business, is 4-3 overall so he definitely has a combat advantage over Leifsson in this battle! Although he earned a unanimous decision win over Marcin Cutlas at RFC 49, UnderGround Fights Enterprise members informed me that he really wants to finish Leifsson because he physically matches up well against him plus he’s had his struggles against ground-fighting specialists! Earning a victory over the talented and intense Leifsson would be a big feather in Drive’s cap, no doubt, and his desire to prove he can finish a very good fighter is an x factor tonight! I can see Drive taking the chance to lock Leifsson into a clinch and forcing him to lean against the cage and protect himself from punches, elbows and knees! While doing that he obviously can’t go for any takedowns unless he wants to risk opening up his guard and if he does that, Drive can, pardon the pun, drive a thunderous uppercut into Leifsson’s jaw and end the fight right then and there! Drive wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Drive by KO; Ball – Leifsson by Submission Carr: Juhani Lammikko battles Lurifax Andersen in the next contest! “Cruel” Lammikko is 8-6 overall so he’s had a respectable career so far but probably not as cruel as he’d like to be! He’s shorter but heavier than Andersen and propensity to win fights by unanimous decision indicates to me that he’ll try to win this fight by attrition as opposed to going for a finish by knockout or submission! We all understand that a decision win isn’t as thrilling as a napout or tapout, but a win is a win, and Lammikko knows how to win in tough situations! I think Lammikko tries to lean his weight on Andersen as much as possible in the clinch in hopes of slowing the pace, making Andersen support that additional weight, plus try to land shots in very close range that can add up the points in a hurry! I think Lammikko cautiously gets in close to Andersen and locks in the clinch to squeak out a win by unanimous decision! Ball: Andersen is 4-2 overall and the LEGION OF DOOM has another fighter representing them in the cage tonight! When Andersen works to get the proper angles, he can rock anyone’s chin with his surprising power so Lammikko better keep his hands up and his head moving or he’ll be in serious trouble very early into this fight! Andersen quite frankly got embarrassed in his last fight because he got knocked out in 25 seconds by Tobb Le Tobb, who is an excellent fighter, no doubt, but Andersen was definitely very disappointed by his performance in that fight! We’ll see how he rebounds from that tough loss and he could definitely use that loss to fuel his fire tonight because social media brutally showed him getting knocked out! Nothing motivates someone like embarrassment! I think Andersen gets some dignity back by catching Lammikko with an unsuspecting combination of punches that drops him to the mat and he doesn’t recover in time to protect himself from the storm of punches Andersen unleashes! Andersen by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Andersen by KO; Carr – Lammikko by Unanimous Decision Ball: Kree P Krawlee and Riley Ferguson clash in the penultimate battle of the night! “The Next Spider” of YABAI steps into the cage with his Clockwork Orange regalia and 3-1 overall record! Krawlee has shown his favoritism towards the submission game and Ferguson is obviously well aware of that! Krawlee’s sole loss was a struggle against Azacca Trounvouche that ended in a unanimous decision victory at RFC 47! Krawlee wants to rebound from that loss and that may motivate him to be more aggressive instead of taking the tactician approach to this fight! Feinting and counterattacking is what I expect from Krawlee in this fight because I don’t think he can hang in the standup with Ferguson! Krawlee stays out of harm’s way long enough to land a few sporadic punches before dodging a combination by Ferguson and landing the counter takedown into dominant position! Once there, he’ll pummel Ferguson with fists and elbows until he’s able to lock in the submission for the win! Carr: “El Tigre” Ferguson is an even 3-3 overall and staying away from dropping below an even record could be his motivation for tonight, let alone the fact he doesn’t want to tapout to Krawlee! Ferguson had his 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Ameqran Anto by Kimura at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 in the second round! I don’t think his confidence has been rattled by that loss, especially when he knows full well that keeping this fight in the standup not only gives him the best opportunity at victory, but it’s also his favored style of fighting! I think Ferguson needs to be very aggressive in looking for the knockout in this fight because the longer the fight progresses, the more chances Krawlee has at landing takedowns! I do think Ferguson has the strength and grappling ability to keep Krawlee from successfully getting any takedowns plus Ferguson can land that one crushing shot that catches Krawlee on the way in with an attempted takedown! Ferguson walks out of the cage tonight the winner by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Ferguson by KO; Ball – Krawlee by Submission Carr: And the final explosive battle tonight features Ray Vision battling Vitaly Lebedev! “Death” Vision brings his 6-5-1 overall record into this fight and this Heritage member has had a bit of a tough go as of late! He had one hell of a fight against Fester Addams at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29, which ended in a draw! It was evident that Vision was very frustrated by that result because he obviously felt he did enough to win that fight! Before that draw decision he lost by unanimous decision to Fester’s family member, Lurch Addams at RFC 46! Vision definitely wants to get things turned around here and I’m sure he’s tired of hearing the name Addams, so he may use that as motivation, as strange as that sounds! Vision can get it done by napout or tapout, so Lebedev will need to be in excellent form tonight! Vision wins this fight by sheer brutality and punching power resulting in a knockout! Ball: Lebedev is shorter and lighter against Vision so he’ll have to rely on speed and smarts to overcome his opponent tonight! He’s 5-4 overall, a winning record but he obviously wants to add another “w” to that record! One good thing he has going is a recent victory over Super Man Yes at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 by unanimous decision! That snapped a 3-fight losing streak that had him starting to question his abilities, so having that recent win has given him renewed motivation, focus and momentum! His best chance to defeat Vision is to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible and control the pace! If he can prevent Vision from getting to his feet quickly then the big man may wear down quickly if Lebedev can land solid body shots while working to improve his position on the mat! If he combines those aspects then he’ll be able to position Vision for a submission and the big man will be forced to tap! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Lebedev by Submission; Carr – Vision by KO Ball: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen! It’s always a pleasure to share our opinion and insight with all of you and we’re very grateful for you giving us your time and energy! Carr: We definitely are and we most certainly enjoy presenting behind the scenes analysis as well as our opinion of what we expect! Tonight will be an exciting night of fights and we’ll be sure to bring you further insight next week! Be well, be safe and we’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 33 PREVIEW HARD KNOCKS ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 33! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the voluminous Furious Styles! Styles: When I have something to say I want people to hear me! It’s not my fault I have good lungs that can project my voice well! Speaking of projections, the 3,000 fans who are here are projecting plenty of vocal power as they start to ramp up for the fights they’ll be seeing tonight! Xavier: No doubt about that! These fans are wild and crazy, just the way we like them! They have very good reason to be amped tonight because there’s an incredible lineup tonight with two titles on the line! We’ll see two Lightweight fights tonight, one of which is for the Lightweight championship! There’ll be one Bantamweight fight, three Welterweight fights, one of which is for the Welterweight championship, three Light Heavyweight fights and one Heavyweight fight! Styles: Kickin’ off the night is a fight that numerous fans and MMA fighters alike have chimed in about, and that’s Litill Bjornsson battling Jay Bizihwaeile! Xavier: Bjornsson is a tremendous champion and no one can say anything differently! Styles: Yeah, X, he sort of made short work of your dude, Busk! Xavier: Kieran Busk trained his ass off for that fight and he did what he could, Styles! I’m very proud of my management team and training team for what they were able to do with Busk because, again, keep in mind he took a hiatus from MMA and training and during that time, the promise he showed was slowed! It’s definitely not easy trying to recapture youth and skill but he did what he could! Styles: Well, hell, at least he hit Brornsson before he tapped out! If he didn’t even land a punch or kick then I’d really go in on him but I’ll leave it alone! Besides, we have one hell of a story here in this fight! Xavier: That’s right! Bjornsson and Bizihwaeile are not only outstanding fighters and competitors, but they’re also close friends! Many can and will say that Bjornsson is a mentor to Bizihwaeile and my understanding is Bizihwaeile swore up and down that if he or Bjornsson won a title that they would never fight one another for a title! Styles: Damn, really!? That’s going to add some tension and awkwardness to this title fight, then, but both of these warriors are going to have to set aside their congeniality towards one another and get into that destroy or be destroyed mindset that makes them so successful! If either one of them holds back, even in the slightest way, they’re jeopardizing their chance of walking out of that cage as the champion! Xavier: That’s very true but it’s going to be very difficult to set that aside, especially if they train together and speak with one another about deep life events! There’s a lot that’s going into this fight and the fans will definitely be in for a treat! Bjornsson is seven years older and obviously his combat and life experience are very valuable assets because he’s amassed an incredible 28-1 record! This future Hall of Fame inductee has just been on an unbelievable run and if the younger and slightly taller Bizihwaeile from LEGION OF DOOM has a chance to snap the incredible win streak, it’s imperative he keeps this fight on its feet! Styles: Damn right, X! Keeping this fight in the standup gives Bizihwaeile the best chance plus he keeps his limbs away from Bjornsson and doing that is very intelligent because we all know how dangerous the champion is in the submission game! La Familia has every right to have incredible confidence in the champion and it will take a monumental effort from Bizihwaeile to dethrone the champion, but if anyone can, it’s him! However, I have to roll with the champ tonight, X! I’m sorry to say but he had little problem with Busk and that gave him even more time to train and prepare for this fight so I think he has the edge! Age, experience and overall bad assery is in his favor and he wins this fight by tapout! Xavier: As I said, he’s an incredible fighter and champion but if anyone has the ability to halt his massive momentum, it’s Bizihwaeile! Unleashing his damaging and punishing punches and brutal kicks while keeping this fight on its feet, even if that means he has to take the risk of clinching with the champion and trying to press him against the cage to slow down some of his takedowns! I think his youthful exuberance will be the difference here, plus he’s been able to study the champion for quite some time since he works so closely with him! Bizihwaeile wins by knockout in this otherworldly battle! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Bizihwaeile by KO; Styles – Bjornsson by Submission Xavier: Next up we have Billy Brown battling a fighter who I represent, Kieran Busk! Styles: Do you think Busk will have a better showing than he did against Bjornsson!? Xavier: Time will tell, Styles! I know how vigorously Busk has been training and he has one hell of a heart so we’ll see how he looks and performs tonight against a very good opponent! Styles: “Bayou” Brown is a solid 8-3 overall and is shorter but heavier, and since he favors the submission game that actually works in his favor! He’ll be able to manipulate Busk’s arms and legs easier since they’re long in comparison to Brown’s and Busk will have to show much improved takedown defense against Brown! Bjornsson didn’t have much trouble getting Busk to the mat and we know how that ended so I have no doubt, X, that you’ve worked with Busk to try and keep this fight on its feet as best as possible! Xavier: Obviously, Styles! We all know that Busk struggles mightily on the mat and that’s just the way it is! Using his height advantage will be key in this fight because the longer he’s able to stay on his feet and stick-and-move against Brown, the better off he’ll be! I know Brown and his team have worked on countering that and I expect Brown to counterattack Busk when he gets the chance! Accurate strikes and great footwork will have to be employed by Busk to win this fight! Obviously I’m picking him to win this difficult fight because me and The Stepdads feel he can keep Brown from dragging him to the mat! Styles: Sorry, X, but I have to roll with Brown in this fight! I just think he’s too skilled in grappling and submissions for Busk and once he gets in close and lands the takedown, it’ll only be a matter of time before he makes Busk tap! Nothing personal, X, because you’re my dude and Busk is cool, but his struggles are just too prominent to win this fight! Brown wins by tapout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Brown by Submission; Xavier – Busk by KO Styles: Toussaint Bissainthe and Leon Louis locks horns with the Welterweight title on the line! “Dokte Sosye” Bissainthe is an impressive 6-1 overall, and this member of YABAI has shown excellent overall skills, especially for a fighter who is only 22-years-old! He’s currently on a 5-fight win streak and defeated Josu Aingeru at RFC Showdown In Tokyo 29 by TKO with twenty seconds left to go in the fight! When he lands his punches with accuracy and fury, Bissainthe is a knockout artist and Louis has to be on his toes and his striking defense has to be sharp as a blade if he’s going to avoid being napped out tonight! Since both men are basically the same size, there are no distinct physical advantages that I see here so skill and will are the keys to victory tonight! Xavier: Louis steps into this title shot with an 8-1 overall record, and La Familia will be behind him just as much as they’re behind Bjornsson tonight! They have a lot of confidence in this young lion, as they should! His fists are just as dangerous as Bissainthe’s and his aggression is very high as well, so this fight may very well be a high-energy toe-to-toe fight that will thrill fans! Louis was dominant against Kane Thompson at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 with a second-round TKO! That victory snapped his only loss at the hands of Serhey Rishkinov at RFC 38 so his confidence is where it should be! Styles: Confidence is great, but the skill level that Bissainthe has is overwhelming and I think he’ll prove to be too much for the very good challenger! This won’t be a cakewalk by any means, but I think Bissainthe has the knowledge and skill to avoid major damage by Louis while being able to exact his own brand of punishment that wears Louis down and sets him up for the neck-snapping uppercut that Bissainthe likes to unleash on his victims! Bissainthe baits Louis into leaving his chin open just long enough for the champ to rattle his brain and knock him out! Xavier: I think Louis will surprise the champion and instead of making this a toe-to-toe warfare type battle, he’ll use maneuverability and strategy to put himself into position to counterattack the champion and may even take this fight to the ground where he could surprise the champion with his ground-and-pound and submission abilities! Avoiding damage in the standup is key, obviously, and I think Louis will be able to do that then take the champion to the mat for the tapout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Louis by Submission; Styles – Bissainthe by KO Xavier: Robert Grandis and Branimir Simeon are next into the cage of suffering! Grandis, a representative of Whambam! brings a 6-3-1 overall record, a respectable mark, and we’ll see how his confidence is tonight because he’s on a 2-fight losing streak! His last loss stung even more, specifically, because there was a very mixed opinion of who won the fight between he and Obi Wan Kenobi at RFC 49! Who won that fight depends on who you ask, but I’m sure Whambam! has emphasized to Grandis that ending fights early is the best way to avoid controversy! When Grandis is able to locate and sustain his punches in particular, he’s a dangerous puncher who can rock anyone’s jaw and turn their lights out! Simeon’s head will need to be on a swivel tonight or he may find out the hard way that Grandis brings some snap in those fists! Styles: Simeon is seven years older than Grandis and that experience may serve him well tonight! Overall he’s 10-4, a solid record and obviously he’s had more fights than Grandis as well, so don’t overlook the actual in-cage experience advantage he has! Simeon is shorter and lighter so expect to see him try and use speed and footwork as his primary weapons to position himself for chin checks on Grandis to test Grandis’ chin! Various LEGION OF DOOM members told me they feel Simeon will be able to rock Grandis with power punches and maybe even sneak in a nasty head kick that crushes one of Grandis’ temples and turns out his lights that way! The bottom line is one of these fighters will be napped out! Xavier: I concur, Styles, and I think Simeon has a distinctive advantage here with his age and combat experience! I think he’ll be able to make Grandis become overly confident and take more chances than he normally would because Simeon will frustrate the younger fighter with patience and accurate strikes that prevent Grandis from being as aggressive and effective as he’d like to be! Simeon wins by knockout on a counterpunch! Styles: Grandis will bring the heat and aggression to the older Simeon tonight and will overwhelm him! I think Grandis locks Simeon into a clinch and unloads on his body repeatedly to sap the power and energy from Simeon, and once Simeon slows down enough then Grandis will step up his level of aggression and energy and that will be too much for Simeon to handle! Simeon will drop his hands just enough for Grandis to land an overhand that ends the fight right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Grandis by KO; Xavier – Simeon by KO Styles: Billy Quinn and Nuclear Penguin continue the brutality and excitement in the cage! “Bubba” Quinn is a respectable 7-4 overall and recently defeated William Bonin at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27 by TKO in the first round! I fully expect that same approach and aggression tonight against Penguin despite the height advantage that Penguin has in this fight! Quinn has had quite a few decision victories so his willingness to go the distance in any fight may actually serve him well because he frustrates his opponents by controlling the pace of the fight despite their efforts! That can also cause opponents to be more aggressive than usual and that can open up holes in their defense that normally aren’t there because they’re more calculating with their approach! Xavier: Speaking of calculating, “Tactical” Penguin – see what I did there? – is 9-4 overall which is also a respectable record! This member of The Stepdads favors the snap-and-tap approach and I’m sure Quinn is very well aware of that! However, I think Penguin has the physical and combat skills to counter any approach that Quinn takes because, well, he’s very tactical in his approach and may turn this into more of a chess game as opposed to a purely physical and will battle! Outthinking and outmaneuvering Quinn will be the approach I think Penguin takes and he may even opt to counterstrike Quinn because Quinn’s aggression can be turned against him! Don’t be surprised to see Penguin let Quinn get in close so he can clinch him, press him against the cage, and rain down blows before dragging him to the mat to look for the tapout! Styles: I like dude’s name so I’ll roll with Nuclear Penguin to win this fight by submission! As you said, X, I think Penguin plays it cool, pardon the pun, and lets Quinn come to him with aggression and more relaxed striking defense! Penguin will land opportune strikes, especially kicks to the legs and body, and he’ll surprise Quinn with a takedown and will control the action on the mat until he locks in the submission for the win! Xavier: Quinn may surprise Penguin by also taking a more methodical approach and that will keep Penguin guessing long enough to hold his potential aggression at bay! By doing that, Quinn can land pinpoint accurate punches while staying light on his feet and he can look to counter Penguin’s kicks with some of his own! If the fight ends up in the clinch, I think Quinn has enough ability to keep himself on his feet where he’s most effective and wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Quinn by KO; Styles – Penguin by Submission Xavier: Axel Aethelwulf and Joao Cajo Branca are next into the cage! Aethelwulf and that weird blinking fog around him is 10-5 overall, a good record, and this member of The Stepdads from Kiribati has lost two fights in a row so he’s looking to get things turned around as quickly as possible! That desire to get off the snide may add energy and aggression to his approach tonight and that extra pressure may prove to be a difference maker! The formula is simple with Aethelwulf: either he naps you or you nap him! He enjoys cracking skulls and causing lulls with his fists and I don’t expect that to be any different here tonight! Styles: “Baby-Face Fucka”, which is a nickname that I’m surprised the industry allows but hey, that’s their business, is 6-2 overall and as you can tell by his appearance and those damned blinking lights, he likes to make noise and let his presence be known! Against Aethelwulf he’s taller and heavier, and some members of YABAI told me they expect Branca to try and press that weight advantage, literally, against Aethelwulf in the clinch! Pressing his weight and landing body shots will slow down Aethelwulf and sap some of that dynamite in his fists, giving Branca an increased chance of pulling off this win! Branca has won in basically every way possible so he’s comfortable in any situation, which is impressive for a fighter who’s only 20 years old! However, that aggression can be turned against him and a solid counterpunch from the cannons that Aethelwulf has can make things go south real quick! Xavier: I think Aethelwulf will be able to quell the aggression and energy that Branca is sure to unleash in that cage tonight and that will frustrate Branca which, in turn, will cause him to be susceptible to counter attacks, especially if Aethelwulf catches him coming in with a vicious head kick that thumps Branca on the side of the neck and causes some serious whiplash! Aethelwulf will win this hard-hitting fight by knockout! Styles: Branca’s aggression and power is the exact reason he’s going to win this fight! He can crack Aethelwulf’s skull or take him to the mat and make him tap before the snap! I think he’ll want to prove that he’s just as hard-hitting as Aethelwulf and will have no problem standing toe-to-toe with him! The fans love those types of fights of course and I won’t be surprised if one of these warriors is laid out and bleeding! Tonight, however, I think Branca will be the one standing tall by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Branca by KO; Xavier – Aethelwulf by KO Styles: Sssssoooo…what exactly am I supposed to do with this name!? Xavier: What do you mean? Styles: X, look at this! What in the blue hell kind of name is this!? Xavier: What the hell!? Um, I guess just call him Earl or Eight! Styles: Cool! Eight it is! The hell!? Anyway, dude with more names than a residential neighborhood steps into battle against Danny Corleone with a 1-0 record! Hell, he probably beat Ramesh Sharda in 15 seconds because the dude got dazed by all of his frickin names! Anyway, the Canadian from…seriously!? He says he’s from Microsoft.com!? X, are you sure they drug tested this dude!? Xavier: They drug test every fighter days before and right before every fight, Styles! You know that. Styles: What about psyche evaluations!? Xavier: I can’t speak on that! Styles: Get one for this dude, stat! I know you have to be crazy to be an MMA fighter, but this is a whole new level! Xavier: Corleone has a distinctive height advantage in this fight tonight and may choose to stay on the outside and throw a multitude of punches and crosses to keep Eight at a distance! Corleone is 4-5 overall so he obviously wants to even his record to the .500 mark, but let’s be honest here, Styles! Do you really think Corleone wants to lose to this guy with the multitude of names!? I don’t think he could face his fellow LEGION OF DOOM members if he loses this fight! Taking nothing away from Eight because he did win in 15 seconds, but still, the fight experience advantage Corleone has should propel him to victory! Styles: Well, hell, why not!? I’ll take the man with a million names to win this fight by knockout because he strikes me as a fighter who just rushes in with no fear and lets it all hang out, and that could actually cause Corleone to be more cautious which, in turn, takes away his ability to take this fight to the ground where he could look for a submission! I think Eight just goes ballistic and wins this by knockout! Xavier: Corleone has enough ability and experience to know how to handle an onslaught of aggression, especially in the early part of a fight! I think he allows Eight to rush him and he uses that momentum to take the fight to the ground much faster than Eight expects! By the time Eight realizes what happened, Corleone will be in a dominant position and will control the pace and space while frustrating Eight! Corleone ultimately locks in the submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Corleone by Submission; Styles – Eight by KO Xavier: Vaai Finau and Krisko Kurtev lock horns next! The young Finau is an even 2-2 so he doesn’t want to fall below that even mark and will no doubt do whatever he needs to do to avoid that! After a rough start to his career, he’s turned things around lately and is riding a 2-fight win streak, so his confidence and momentum are in tune at a very good time! He earned a TKO second-round victory over Paul Rabbitte at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 and looks to have that same outcome against Kurtev tonight! He’s both taller and heavier than Kurtev and in my opinion, he’s also the more skilled fighter, so he may try to end this fight quickly by knockout! To me, using his height and reach advantage is the smart approach because he can keep Kurtev at distance while landing accurate and power shots, and he may be able to do some real damage with well-timed kicks to Kurtev’s legs and body! Styles: “The Beef” Kurtev is 3-4 so he seeks the pristine chance to pull his overall record even tonight! He’ll have to put up one hell of a fight after his first-round loss to John Makres at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27! That loss also snapped a two-fight win streak so you have to wonder about his confidence level tonight! He has shown knockout ability in his victories so he does have a punchers chance tonight! However, to pull that off, he’s going to have to look for the counter shot that turns the tide of the fight because I agree with you, X! I think Finau is more skilled than Kurtev and it will be a very difficult fight for Kurtev! He can win so don’t get it twisted, but he’s going to have to execute one hell of a fight plan and execute it perfectly! Xavier: If Kurtev is going to pull out a win, he’s going to have to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible! However, Styles, I just don’t see that happening! Finau looks more focused from what I’ve seen of both fighters tonight plus to me, he has more talent and that will carry him to victory tonight! Finau wins this fight by knockout! Styles: Well, X, I know we don’t concur too often on the outcome of a fight, but I’m with you on this one! Finau will win this fight by knockout because he’s the better and more confident fighter tonight! Accurate punches setup the power punches he’ll unfurl and Kurtev’s jaw will get ruptured in the process! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Finau by KO; Xavier – Finau by KO Styles: Jimmy Jackson and Michael Elliott are up next! Jackson steps into this battle with a 4-6 record along with a recent win over Hot Sauce at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 by Kimura in the first round! I have no doubt that Jackson will look to try and mimic that early success against Elliott here tonight! The win over Hot Sauce also snapped a 4-fight losing streak so he definitely wants to maintain that positivity all fighters gain from winning! Against Elliott, he’s taller and heavier but I think instead of opting to stand outside and pump repeated jabs at Elliott, Jackson will look to take this fight to the ground as soon as he can to look for control and a submission! Xavier: Elliott, despite being 1-1 overall which is decent, has a major disadvantage in terms of combat experience and he’s six years younger as well! In order to overcome those disadvantages, Elliott absolutely has to keep this fight on its feet where he’ll have to counterattack the reach advantage that Jackson has! That comes with a big risk, however, because Elliott got his chin checked by Cochise Harris at RFC 48 in the first round! Losing like that can be damaging to the psyche so we’ll see how he looks when he steps into the cage tonight! Personally I think he looks trepid and that’s definitely not good for him because Jackson looks on top of his game and is more than ready for a fight! Styles: I have to go with Jackson because he just looks more confident to me, X! This does boil down to the typical struggle of standup versus ground fighter, yes, but I think Jackson just has more momentum and confidence heading into this fight and it will show as he wins this fight by tapout! Xavier: Well, Styles, we’ll be on the same page for this one as well! Jackson looks more primed and ready for combat and I think he’ll be able to use his height to take Elliott to the ground with physical momentum by using his hips as the point where the balance shifts! Once Elliott is on the ground, Jackson will take over and lock in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Jackson by Submission; Styles – Jackson by Submission Xavier: Our final fight of the night features Satchmo Knox and Paul Rabbitte! Knox has struggled mightily in his young career so far, but surprisingly, not only does he look very confident tonight, but he also has full support from the UnderGround Fights Enterprise members as if he’s undefeated! Having that support system goes a very long way for a young fighter, and that could very well be the x factor he needs tonight for his first career victory! He’s smaller but heavier than Rabbitte so we’ll see if he tries to get through Rabbitte’s defense and look for a clinch where he could potentially land punches, knees and elbows while trying to slow Rabbitte down! I think that’s his best bet! At 0-3-1, he pretty much has nothing to lose at this point! Styles: “The Rab” is 3-7 overall so he’s obviously struggling as well, but he does have victories so he knows what that feels like, and there’s no doubt he wants to recapture that feeling once again! What adds a layer of interest is Rabbitte is also a member of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise alliance, so bragging rights and emotions are on the line tonight in this fight! Rabbittee has lost in every way possible but he’s won by knockout and tapout, so he does have the ability to get the job done if he can get momentum immediately! I think Rabbitte tries his best to get this fight to the ground and finish Knox by submission because standing toe-to-toe with him or even trying to counter his strikes may prove too costly! Xavier: I think Knox gets his first win tonight, Styles! I think he manages to keep this fight on its feet and in close quarters, opting to clinch and try to control Rabbitte’s hands while landing shots of his own to test Rabbitte’s chin and endurance! Knox gets that elusive victory tonight by knockout! Styles: Rabbitte will be especially motivated tonight because he doesn’t want to catch hell from other UnderGround Fight Enterprise members, especially from Knox, if he loses this fight! You’d be surprised how something so seemingly small can really be a major factor, especially mentally, for a fighter! I think that Rabbitte keeps this in the standup and lands damaging counter strikes that turn the lights out on Knox! PREDICTIONS: Styles = Rabbitte by KO; Xavier – Knox by KO Styles: That concludes this preview and as always, thank you very much for your time and attention, we both appreciate it greatly! Xavier: We know there will be a multitude of people tuning in to see these fights, especially the Bjornsson versus Bizihwaeile battle because there’s a lot of backstory and personal involvement on the line tonight! Take care, be safe and we’ll see you at the fights!

Much appreciated, Squiid!

Thanks a lot, jjsquirrel, I truly appreciate that! I actually saw The Last Dragon when it was released in the theaters and I have the movie on bluray, so it was easy to reference haha I actually met Vanity many years after Last Dragon and Action Jackson. She was very kind and humbled but it was obvious the choices she made earlier in life hit her hard, the poor woman.

Thank you very much, Hare, I greatly appreciate it as always! I hope I'm not getting you into trouble at work for taking a break to read the material haha

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 52 PREVIEW – HARD KNOCKS ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 52 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the jovial Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you for the introduction, Carr! We’re here with 3,000 wild and crazy MMA fans and we’re heading towards Thanksgiving and Black Friday very quickly! Carr: It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes! Thanksgiving is obviously a major holiday and many people are very fortunate to be blessed with healthy families and great-tasting abundant food! I know many people, unfortunately, have various struggles and some struggle mightily with providing food for themselves, let alone housing! There are a lot of good people out there who contribute to organizations that help the less fortunate, and this organization does that through these great events! Ball: Well said, Carr! We’re definitely fortunate to be here every week to present our insight and opinion on the action that we’ll behold each week! These fans show their appreciation by packing the arenas and yelling like wild banshees and we love it! I’m going to steal your thunder, Carr, and I’ll break down the various weight classes we’ll see tonight! We have three Middleweight fights, four Bantamweight fights of which one will be for the Bantamweight Championship, one Lightweight fight, and two Featherweight fights! Carr: I know fans are used to having Light Heavyweight to Super Heavyweight fights on the card, but tonight we’re focusing on divisions that have numerous opportunities for change and trust me folks, that’s just as exciting! Kicking off that excitement is Michelangelo Di Lodovico and Michael Swango! This battle of Michaels, if you will, is one hell of a way to get the night started because both of these men are very capable of being explosive, damaging and exciting! “il Divino” Di Lodovico steps into this fight with an 11-3 overall record, an excellent record, and recently overcame an 8-fight win streak snapping at the hands of Edison Atunes by defeating Ronaldo Gonya at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27 by Rear Naked Choke in the second round! Di Lodovico will carry that momentum into this fight along with a distinct advantage in the ground game tonight! The UnderGround Fights Enterprise members believe he will be able to finish the fight on the ground! Ball: This fight is excellent because both of these young lions are the same age and have the same record! They have a different style so this breaks down to the classic standup versus ground fighter situation! Swango, as I said, is 11-3 just like his opponent and has proven to numerous opponents that his fists are very capable of turning the lights out very abruptly, rudely and painfully! Swango’s last fight was a struggle as he was overwhelmed by Edison Atunes’ punching power but many men have fallen to those fists so there’s no shame in that loss! The question is, did that first-round knockout loss at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 cause physical damage only, or did that put a dent in this young fighter’s confidence and morale!? We’ll have those questions answered tonight as he absolutely wants to keep this fight in the standup and test Di Lodovico’s chin early and often! I feel the longer this fight goes, the better chance that Lodovico has of taking this fight to the ground, so I fully expect Swango to start off like a jet taking off for a fight! Swango will undoubtedly let fists fly and if he connects clean with Lodovico’s chin, there might be a very loud and brutal cracking noise that causes Lodovico’s knees to buckle! I have no doubt the FinnFighters concur with my perspective! Carr: I’m definitely looking forward to this fight and my pick will be Di Lodovico! I think he has the defensive ability and counterattacking ability to avoid major damage from the anxious Swango and set him up for a counter takedown right into side control where he can hail down on him with ground-and-pound and either try to finish the fight there or go for the tap! Di Lodovico wins this intense battle by submission! Ball: I think Swango keeps this fight standing by being light on his feet, pumping that jab in Di Lodovico’s face, and using speed and smart footwork to get in and land timely body shots, which will cause Di Lodovico to drop his hands and open his chin up for one hell of a test! If Swango unleashes an uppercut from his waist and gets all that power behind it, he could very well lift Di Lodovico off his feet and this fight will be over right then and there! Swango wins this bad boy by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Swango by KO; Carr – Di Lodovico by Submission Ball: The Bantamweight Championship hangs in the balance as Moganesh Jain and Kreepee Krawlee lock horns! “The Monkey God” of The Stepdads is an excellent 9-1 overall and has been on an absolute tear, in some cases quite literally, by making nine fighters tap before the snap! Obviously Krawlee is very well aware of that fact but knowing what’s coming and being able to stop what’s coming are two entirely different stories! Krawlee is quite a bit taller than Jain but that actually plays into Jain’s hands, in my opinion, because shorter fighters with excellent submission ability have an easier time of manipulating and isolating one long limb as opposed to having to work harder to isolate a body part of an opponent of similar physical stature! Jain is also six years younger than Krawlee and I think that youthful energy will serve him very well because I expect both men to be in outstanding cardio condition, but older fighters do tend to lose wind from their sails faster than younger fighters. Those are just the laws of nature. One approach Jain may take try and catch Krawlee off guard a bit is to start off in the standup and keeping it there! Everyone knows this will probably end up a battle of taps and snaps, but softening Krawlee up before going to the ground would definitely benefit Jain! I’m sure The Stepdads feel just as confident in Jain as he does in himself to handle whatever Krawlee throws at him tonight! Carr: That’s an excellent point! Jain could try and keep Krawlee off balance by keeping this fight on its feet longer than Krawlee would care to be a part of! However, Krawlee and his age experience could also throw a wrench in that approach! Krawlee could patiently wait for Jain to try a combination or a kick that Krawlee avoids and as Jain tries to recover, Krawlee could shoot in for the takedown and before Jain has a chance to execute his outstanding defensive grappling abilities, Krawlee could gain dominant position and sprawl his taller frame out so Jain not only struggles to get a hold of a limb but also ends up having Krawlee’s weight squeeze some of the wind out of his lungs! “The Spider” brings a 9-4 overall record into this fight and is riding a 3-fight win streak, so momentum and confidence is at an excellent level for this title fight! I’m sure YABAI has ensured Krawlee is as prepared for various situations as possible, and there’s no doubt they’re focusing on that win streak to provide that extra boost he needs to overcome an excellent fighter! Ball: There’s a lot of pressure in any MMA fight but a championship fight is especially pressure-packed and stressful! No one wants to make that vital error that could potentially cost them the title and Jain has faced this pressure for some time now! He’s accustomed to it and has obviously learned to overcome it. Tonight, he does exactly that by softening up Krawlee in the standup before taking control of the fight once it goes to the ground! Jain makes Krawlee get too anxious by controlling the pace and forcing the opening he needs to make a very game opponent tap out! Carr: Krawlee’s age and fighting experience will benefit him greatly tonight! Should Jain opt to keep this fight in the standup initially, Krawlee has enough defensive skill and ability to protect himself from absorbing too much damage while not exposing his chin to any potential blasting! Krawlee uses counterattacking to catch Jain off guard long enough to get in position for ground-and-pound and makes Jain tap out and relinquish the title! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Krawlee by Submission; Ball – Jain by Submission Carr: Jb Brown and Seymour Hughes continue the excitement as they face off for battle! “The One” Brown is an impressive 6-1-1 overall and will be extra motivated because Hughes is literally the only blemish on Brown’s record! They crossed paths at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 and Hughes won by KO in the second round, so you know both of these fighters have that fresh in their minds! When Brown can establish the pace and space of a battle, his submission game is on point and so is his striking defense! However, against Hughes, He took a few more chances than usual and it unfortunately cost him a victory! However, this time around, I have no doubt that he and Cromulent Doom have prepared very well for this rubber match! The approach to the fight will be different so we’ll see if Hughes is ready for that! Ball: “Bulldog” Hughes of The Stepdads is an outstanding 10-1 overall and his only blemish is against Litill Bjornsson! Hughes has proven that he’s dangerous in both the standup and the ground game, so it will be very interesting to see how he approaches this rebound battle! He’s shorter and lighter than Brown so if he opts to test the black belt skills of Brown on the ground then he’d have a potential physical advantage because as was touched upon previously, it’s easier for a shorter fighter to lock onto the limbs of a taller fighter and isolate whatever body part they’ve chosen! However, Hughes may feel that Brown hasn’t been tested on his feet and could opt to start the battle like a house on fire and try to engulf Brown with a barrage of strikes to see if Brown can keep himself out of harm’s way and more importantly if he can keep that chin down! Hughes may even use a series of feints to keep Brown off balance and use precision strikes to prevent him from getting the takedown while allowing Hughes to pick his spots where he wants to unleash power punches and maybe head kicks mixed in! Either way, Brown is going to have his hands full with a sound, well-rounded fighter! Carr: I think Brown learned a lot from his first encounter against Hughes and since both of these fighters are so young, they definitely learn quickly and sustain that knowledge and experience very well! I have no doubt Brown reviewed the tape of that fight multiple times and has adjusted his training and fight plan accordingly! I think Brown figures out how to get Hughes to the ground and methodically wears him down while landing opportunistic ground-and-pound while transitioning himself into more dominant positions where he can wait for that one mistake he needs to lock Brown into a submission for the win! Ball: Hughes has the upper hand, in my opinion, because he secured a victory the first time they crossed paths, and that confidence and knowledge is still there! Factor in his impressive all-around skill set and he’s a handful for Brown! I think Hughes surgically dissects Brown’s approach to this fight, frustrates him and keeps this fight in the standup where Brown can’t unleash those devastating and very painful black belt submissions! Hughes wins this outstanding battle by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Hughes by KO; Carr – Brown by Submission Ball: Genji Kamogawa and Ichiro Suzuki step into the cage of judgement next! This battle of two proud warriors from the land of the rising sun, Japan, will be very intense because they absolutely want to prove that they’re the better fighter, but they both also have a great deal of respect for one another as fellow countrymen, and they want to show the world that Japanese fighters are just as tough and capable as any other on the planet! Kamogawa is 7-8 overall so he’s had a tough go over his career, but various members of Vendetta assure me that he’s going to show a side of himself tonight that we’ve not seen in some time! His spirits are high, his morale much improved, and he’s eager to shake off his recent loss to Kreepee Krawlee by Kimura in the second round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29! He’s a few years older than Suzuki and may lean on that life experience to handle what Suzuki brings into the cage tonight! Kamogawa will want to keep this fight on its feet where he can rain down power punches to try and turn out Suzuki’s lights! Carr: “Broom-Broom” Suzuki is 7-3 overall and has been on a bit of a skid as of late! His last two fights have not gone as he’s planned so he’ll be motivated to avoid three losses in a row! Naturally the question about his morale arises but from what I saw, he’s ready for this fight and is itching to show that he’s better than what his last two fights have shown! He obviously wants to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible where he can control the pace! Physically it seems that both of these fighters are very similar both in height and weight, so other intangibles like speed, agility and strength may be a larger factor! In addition, aggression may very well make the difference in this fight and I think Suzuki will be the more aggressive fighter tonight! Ball: I think Suzuki will emerge the victor tonight by dragging Kamogawa to the mat quickly and pressing him up against the cage so he can’t stand up nor keep Suzuki off of him long enough to land any counter punches! Suzuki stays latched onto Kamogawa with body scissors while landing sporadic strikes in an effort to open up his defenses for the submission win he seeks and attains! Carr: Kamogawa is confident and anxious to show he’s much better than what he showed against Krawlee! Kamogawa seems very fired up and I even saw some Vendetta member slapping him around to fire him up so expect him to rush Suzuki and unleash multiple strikes while looking to get in close and lock him in a clinch where he can control him while preventing him from taking him down to the mat! Kamogawa wears down Suzuki in the clinch then breaks the clinch and looks to break Suzuki’s jaw with power punches that knock him out! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Kamogawa by KO; Ball – Suzuki by Submission Carr: Little Kitty Sripituksakul and Anthony Shiina are set to battle next, and it’s too bad Styles isn’t here because he’d have a field day with the name Little Kitty! Ball: We both know all too well what direction he’d go with that and this is a family show, so it’s better that he’s not on this broadcast! Carr: Absolutely! I don’t want to be named in any potential lawsuits because of him! Kitty is a perfect 4-0 in his young career and has shown both aggression and the ability to land bone-crunching punches that can turn the tide of a fight very quickly! Only one of this fights has gone past the first round so expect that high-energy intensity to be present against Shiina tonight! He’s a bit younger than Shiina and doesn’t have as much in-cage fighting experience, so he’ll have to rely on his speed and punching power in this battle to emerge as the winner! Ball: “Aka Supernova” Shiina is a solid 8-3 overall, and this Stepdads member from Singapore has shown an obvious propensity for the submission game! Here we have yet another classic battle of contrasting styles and Shiina’s fighting experience will definitely be of benefit in this fight! Ironically, at least to me, two of this losses have been by submission but I suspect those losses caused him to not only sharpen his submission skills but also work on physical traits to improve his ability to cinch in submissions once he’s earned the positioning to lock them in! Carr: The young Sripituksakul is undefeated and I think that carries a lot of weight! True, he’s younger and less experienced but you don’t have to be a certain age to be able to snap someone’s jaw with an uppercut and cause them whiplash! I think Kitty uses speed and footwork to position himself to test Shiina’s chin repeatedly while avoiding the potential counter takedowns that Shiina will attempt, and one chin check will get through Shiina’s defenses and nap him! Ball: Shiina’s experience is exactly what will earn him this win! Physically they’re similar in size so yes, skill is a factor, but experience allow Shiina to use Kitty’s aggression against him tonight! Young fighters tend to be gung ho and Shiina knows that, especially those who pack some serious heat in their knuckles like Kitty does! Shiina lets Kitty get in close then takes him down with a quick single-leg takedown into side control where he pummels Kitty with ground-and-pound before making him tap! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Shiina by Submission; Carr – Sripituksakul by KO Ball: Yanji Klushinwa and Ronaldo Gonya are up next to see who the better man is tonight! Klushinwa is an even 5-5 overall so he wants to keep from dipping below the .500 mark! He recently snapped a 2-fight losing streak by defeating Gaga Gogo at RFC 49 by unanimous decision, so he’s bringing in a renewed morale and momentum! The majority of his wins have been by unanimous decision so there are questions about his ability to finish an opponent! He’s knocked out a couple of people so the ability is there! The question is, can he finish Gonya? Klushinwa has been defeated in every way except by cuts and you better believe Gonya is fully aware of that fact! Carr: “Mesta” Gonya is 10-5 overall, and though he’s six years younger, he has more in-cage fighting experience! In addition, he’s the taller and heavier man and is very motivated to win tonight because he’s lost his last two fights! Avoiding that unspoken measuring stick of losing three fights in a row is staring him in the face, but I don’t think he’ll have a problem tonight, Ball! I know you haven’t seen Klushinwa but I did earlier and trust me, he wants no part of Gonya! Dude is on a cloud somewhere and isn’t ready to fight! Ball: Oh! In that case, Gonya wins by knockout! Carr: Gonya wins by submission! Either way, Gonya wins! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Gonya by Submission; Ball – Gonya by KO Carr: Chok Delarock and Oleg Borisov pick the pace and intensity back up as they step into the cage of pain! “A Block” Delarock is 8-9 overall and seeks to even out his record at a .500 winning percentage against Borisov! I really don’t know what’s going on with this 28-year-old fighter from England, but he’s on a 6-fight losing streak! I don’t care who you are, losing that many fights in a row takes a major mental and physical toll! He’s taller and heavier than Borisov so that may help him finally snap that nasty losing streak tonight! Ball: Actually, Carr, this time it’s you who hasn’t seen a fighter in the locker room area! I saw Borisov and dude would rather play basketball than step into the cage against Delarock! “jack-screw” is just mentally checked out tonight and that’s going to land him in a world of hurt! He’s a tough Russian, no doubt, but personally I think after this fight, he needs to seriously consider changing professions! In the meanwhile, Delarock will finally snap his losing streak with a knockout tonight! Carr: All right, I’ll go with you on that opinion because I trust you! Borisov goes night-night at the hands of Delarock! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Delarock by KO; Ball – Delarock by KO Carr: Reijo Halli and Abdul Nurmy will hopefully make a more interesting battle than what we’ll see in the Delarock versus Borisov fight! Halli is 2-1 which, at age 22, is a bit unusual because many 22-year-old fighters have many more fights than that under their belt, but to each their own! He’s shorter, lighter and six years younger than Nurmy in this fight, but I don’t think any of those factors will work against him in this fight! He recently lost to Del Werthers by TKO at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29 in the third round so he wants to put on an impressive showing tonight plus earn that victory to snap the loss! Against Nurmy, I expect Halli to keep this fight on its feet where he’ll look for a fast knockout so he can get in and get out of this fight with little to no harm done to his person! Ball: Nurmy is 5-6 overall and after an excellent start to his career, he changed managers for whatever reason and I think that shook his psyche because he’s dropped six fights in a row! In addition to that, Carr, I saw him at the airport when I was getting my luggage and dude looked like he just came back from an all-night bender! He looked disinterested and tired, and we both know those are very bad facets on their own, but combined!? Forget about it! Going into a fight already tired is just asking to get blasted on by strikes and Halli will be more than happy to oblige him! Halli wins this fight merely by attrition but I say he knocks dude out for good measure! Carr: I’ll never understand how a fighter steps into the cage already very fatigued! That’s just nonsensical because you put your very health and well-being at risk! However, be that as it may, it also makes our picks much easier! Halli by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Halli by KO; Ball – Halli by KO Carr: Trymore Nkomo and Beef Stew will hopefully pick business back up in a big way! “Brave” Nkomo and his wild nature feel is 4-3 overall, and this fighter from Zimbabwe recently lost to Theodore Jasper at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 22 by TKO in the first, so he wants to show everyone that he not only fully recovered from that punishment but he’s also in full fighting spirits and ready to show what’s he’s made of! He favors the submission game so his approach to this fight may very well be to get it to the ground as soon as he can and look for that favored submission victory! Ball: Stew, from the Heritage alliance, is 6-5 overall and definitely wants to avoid falling to that .500 even mark we refer to quite a bit! He’s the heavier man tonight and that extra weight may help prevent him from being taken to the mat where the assumption is Nkomo wants to take this fight! Stew may very well choose to lock Nkomo into a clinch and press his body weight against him so that not only prevents him from being taken to the mat, but also wears Nkomo down and frustrates him in the process! Stew has struggled a bit lately and his last outing against Balagot Liu was not beneficial, losing that fight by unanimous decision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25! He’s obviously looking to get back into the win column here tonight and I expect him to be very aggressive in keeping this fight in the standup where he has a distinct advantage! If he manages to do that, victory will be his! Carr: I think Stew is a more diverse fighter and has the ability to finish the fight both in the standup and on the ground! In this fight, he’ll be able to keep this fight standing where he can unleash damaging shots that finish the fight and silence questions about his ability to finish an opponent! Ball: Stew definitely wins this fight by knockout! He has the strength, skill and knowledge to keep this fight on its feet, and I’m sure his fellow Heritage members have assured him of that! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Stew by KO; Carr – Stew by KO Ball: The final fight of the night is going to be very interesting because we have two 18-year-olds who are not only popping their MMA cherry, if you will, but they’re also managed by the same team! What’s even better than that? They train at the same gym! They’ve had a chance to train together and against one another and study each other at length, so this will be a battle of intelligence as much as any physical comparisons! They’re even the same height and weight, Carr, so there’s no distinct advantage there either! I have no doubt various members of YABAI have placed in-house bets of who they think will win this fight and the winner will have major bragging rights over the other! Will it be Logan Barrengarry from Australia, or will it be Juan Christiano from Israel, who, by various opinions, appears to not only resemble the widely-accepted picture of what Jesus looks like, but he also has some odd aura around him! Carr: An odd aura? Ball: You’ll see what I’m talking about when he enters the arena! It’s like dude has a glowing disc-like aura around him with pulsating colors! Carr: Ball, are you sure you didn’t smoke or eat anything…special and are feeling the effects of that!? Ball: Look, Carr! I know what I saw and you’ll see it too, dammit! Carr: Well, in that case, I’ll take the glowing disc man to win this fight by knockout! Ball: Yeah, I’ll take Barrengarry to win by knockout because Christiano freaks me out a little! Carr: He’s not going to hurt you! Ball: I don’t know, man, he’s just…a different dude! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Barrengarry by KO; Carr – Christiano by KO Carr: On behalf of Ball, we thank you very much for joining us for another preview and I apologize for my colleague being a little freaked out! I’ll have to see with my own eyes what’s going on with Christiano! Ball: Oh, you’re going to see, Carr, and then you’re going to apologize for mocking me! Anyway, thank you ladies and gentlemen! We truly appreciate you joining us and we hope you had fun and learned something new! Take care and we’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 32 PREVIEW HAYASHI’S LOUNGE Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 3! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the capricious Furious Styles! Styles: Capricious? I suppose so but when I make up my mind, that’s it! We’re broadcasting from a new location for us, Hayashi’s Lounge, and though there are a good number less than the usual number, there are still 2,000 crazed MMA fanatics that have packed the house and are raising the roof! Xavier: We absolutely appreciate the passion, noise and borderline insanity that these fans bring each and every time we see them! Tonight will feature one Light Heavyweight fight, one Super Heavyweight fight, which happens to be for the Super Heavyweight title, four Featherweight fights, two Lightweight fights, and two Welterweight fights! Styles: That’s a solid representation of various weight classes and there’s a major chance for some movement to happen in the Featherweight division, especially! Xavier: Absolutely! Four fights tonight opens the door, potentially, for some of the fighters who are trying to climb the ladder towards a title shot to do exactly that! The pressure is on to take advantage of all of these battles plus some of these fighters will have time to scout the competition, and that can be very advantageous! Styles: If you want to be the best, you have to do your homework and see who’s capable of doing what in that cage! Speaking of capable, our first two warriors are Jackson Trigger and Alojz Sanel, and both of these fighters have shown that they’re capable of doing damage in that cage! “Bang Bang” Trigger of LEGION OF DOOM steps into this fight with an impressive 10-2 overall record and looks to overcome a recent loss to Giuseppe Hopkins at RFC 47 by unanimous decision! Trigger has shown that he can dent some skulls with his punching ability and power, so Sanel’s punching defense will need to be fluid and quick or he’ll find out the hard way just how hard Trigger can hit! However, let’s not overlook the fact that one of Tigger’s losses is at the hands of his opponent! When they crossed paths at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 15, Sanel landed a series of strikes that was too much for Trigger to withstand, so that’s in the back of both of their minds, no doubt! Xavier: Trigger is definitely impressive and has that very key championship experience as well! However, don’t overlook Sanel! Although he’s a good amount shorter than his fellow LEGION OF DOOM teammate, he obviously knows how to get the job done as proven in their previous clash! Sanel is seven years older and that maturity is definitely an advantage, especially physically, because he’s 11-3 overall so the in-cage experience is relatively the same! Very much like his teammate and opponent tonight, Sanel brings a lot of explosive power in his punches so Trigger will need to keep his hands up and his head moving, or he may very well have a repeat of history against Sanel, and he definitely does not want that to happen! Sanel lost a hellacious battle against Gok Won Khun at RFC 48 so he, too, is looking to get things turned around tonight! Styles: One thing I can guarantee, X! This fight will be fast, nasty and punishing! Neither one of these guys plays around! They get into the cage and they attack with ferocity and a high energy output, so fans will definitely be provided with intensity in this fight! Either they win by knockout or they get knocked out, and that’s an exciting style! Whoever lands the big shot tonight walks out the winner, plain and simple! My pick to land that big shot is Trigger! He’ll have vengeance on his mind from the last time these two locked horns and he was staring up at the lights! Young fighters hold onto memories longer, in my opinion, than older fighters, and that will be the x factor in this fight because that’s big-time motivation! Xavier: I’ll select the more experienced fighter, especially because he won the last fight, so he obviously knows how to get through Trigger’s defenses to land that vicious shot that can turn the lights out quickly! Yes, that was some time ago and their abilities have changed, but knowledge is indelible and knowing how to handle youthful aggression is a feather in his cap! Sanel wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Sanel by KO; Styles – Trigger by KO Xavier: Up next we have the battle of the bulls as the Super Heavyweight title hangs in the balance between the champion, Ryo Takuma, and the challenger, James Fusi! “Red Dragon” Takuma brings his red mohawk and an 11-3 overall record into this title defense! The champ brings some nice momentum as well as he’s riding a 4-fight win streak, so his confidence is sky high and that makes him especially dangerous! The champ is a first-round knockout specialist as evidenced by his numerous first-round victories! He’s taller and heavier than Fusi so look for him to use that as leverage for his massive punching power! It’s quite possible that Takuma will use more counter-striking against Fusi because Fusi may feel he has to be very aggressive in hopes of ending this fight as quickly as possible and Takuma can take advantage of that approach! Styles: “Relentless” Fusi is 8-6 overall, a winning record, obviously, but one that would hold more water per se if he added a championship to his accomplishments! He’s had his opportunities to win gold previously, but he’s fallen short each time, so you have to wonder what affect, if any, that has on this young fighter! If used properly, that’s major motivation because I’m certain he’s heard people say he falls short when the lights are shining brightest on his fights! First-round endings are the primary modus operandi for Fusi so I definitely expect to see him bring as much pressure as he can in this fight! He may even opt to keep this fight in the clinch if he can get close enough to lock one in! If he can, he can pick apart the champ with body shots and timely elbows and knees! He may even be able to slow the champ down and take some sting off of his power punches by using his various kicks to chop away at his legs and ribs! Xavier: Like last fight, I’ll take the more experienced fighter in this battle! I think he’ll be able to sustain the pressure and avoid taking serious damage from Fusi’s kicks while he does! I don’t think Takuma will want to get into a clinch battle against Fusi because that potentially eliminates some of his punching power because he can’t fully extend his arms, plus it slows the pace down that he wants to establish! Look for Takuma to stay on the outside and let his fists fly as soon as Fusi is in range! Takuma wins by knockout! Styles: Fusi’s punching power is underrated and I think part off that is due to his age and fighting style! People look at his overall record and tough luck in championship fights, and they mistakenly write him off! I don’t think the champ will overlook Fusi but he may underestimate his improvement overall! If Fusi can get in close to Takuma, he can take the wind out of Takuma’s sails with body work and maybe even open up a cut with some well-placed elbows! I think Fusi slows this fight down in the clinch and frustrates the champ enough to cause him to take more risks with trying to finish this fight early, and Fusi lands that jaw cracker to win the title! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Fusi by KO; Xavier – Takuma by KO Styles: Darrel Hill and Balagot Liu bring the heat after the championship fight! “Hitman” Hill and the odd, sporadic red lights that flash around him is 10-1 overall and recently overcome a loss to Martin Eugen by defeating Ludwig Mandrill at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 by unanimous decision! He looks to continue that momentum here tonight and his ability to win by submission or punches makes him a fighter to be wary of in all facets of fighting! Liu definitely has his hands full and this is a way for him to gauge himself against top-notch competition! Xavier: Sporadic red lights? Styles: Don’t act like you haven’t seen them before! Xavier: I have but I don’t recall you speaking about them before! In fact, you gave me crap about seeing them previously! Styles: That’s my business! Anyway, Liu has the height advantage in this fight and for him to have his best chance of keeping his record unblemished, he’ll have to keep this fight on its feet at all costs! Liu has the thunder in his knuckles to end this fight quickly and I have no doubt that Hill is very keen to that! Some members of The Stepdads I’m sure have told him to get this fight on the ground as soon as possible, and Liu is well aware of Hill’s ground skills! I think Liu has to avoid getting into the clinch with Hill because that may make it easier for Hill to take this fight to the ground! By staying on the outside, that will allow Liu to see Hill’s shoot attempts at takedowns! Xavier: Staying outside does give him the best chance, but Hill has shown his ability to strike suddenly with a well-placed punch, and if Liu doesn’t keep his chin down and footwork on point, this fight will end quickly! I think Hill has too much ability in all facets of fighting, but he’ll take this fight to the ground and wear Liu down until he can lock in the submission for the win! Styles: Liu hasn’t tasted defeat yet and the confidence he has from that will carry him to his sixth victory in a row! He’ll be able to dance around the takedown attempts from Hill and land solid shots to his jaw while doing so, plus he could surprise Hill with a counter-punch or kick to the head when Hill attempts a takedown from distance! Liu gets the biggest win of his young career tonight against an excellent opponent by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Liu by KO; Xavier – Hill by Submission Styles: Up next we have Thiago Neves against Demetrious Waters! “Boah” Neves steps into the cage with a 13-4 overall record but has dropped his last two fights, so the proud Brazilian of The Stepdads is looking to get off the snide and back into the win column tonight! His last fight against James Smith ended in the first round with a TKO loss at RFC 48, and that memory may very well provide the extra fuel Neves needs for this fight against Waters! With younger fighters, the concern over their morale is brought to light, but with a veteran like Neves, that’s not even a concern! He’s accomplished too much for him to be shaken by that loss so confidence won’t be an issue. Neves has always shown a high level of aggression and I don’t expect that to be any different here tonight, but he is three years older than Waters so that energy output may end up backfiring if he doesn’t end the fight quickly! Xavier: I don’t think that’ll be a concern, Styles! Styles: Why do you say that? Xavier: I met with Waters earlier this evening, and “No Mercy” looks like he wants the exact opposite of that! I’m sorry to say that the people of Trinidad and Tobago who support this man will be highly disappointed by his lack of fighting spirit tonight! Bottom line, Styles, is he wants none of Neves! I don’t even know why he accepted this fight if he wasn’t going to handle business properly and train like he should and get himself together, but be that as it may, Neves wins this by a landslide, hands down! Styles: All right, X, I’ll trust you on this one! Though you don’t have the contacts I do, because my people are top notch, you’ve proven yourself enough to make me feel comfortable in ridin’ with your perspective and taking Neves to win this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Neves by Submission; Xavier – Neves by Submission Styles: Chief Navajo and Third Eye square off and I hope this fight is a hell of a lot better than what may potentially happen in the previous fight! Navajo steps into the cage with a 6-5 overall record and recently had a 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Martin Eugen at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29, a man he has now lost two fights to! Looking to prevent his record from dropping to an even .500 winning percentage here tonight, Navajo will undoubtedly look to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible! Navajo is the shorter fighter tonight and that may be an advantage because submissions will be easier to lock in on longer limbs! Naturally, Navajo will have to win the battle of positioning against Eye, and that’s no easy task! Xavier: That is definitely not an easy feat to achieve! The very talented and skilled Third Eye is an impressive 6-1 overall and this cool dude with a Prince swagger with the LEGION OF DOOM has been on a major roll since dropping his first fight! A 6-fight win streak brings serious momentum, confidence and capability, so Navajo will know he’ll be in for one hell of a fight tonight! Eye’s last two victories have gone the distance and he’s obviously won by unanimous decision, so he can go the distance if need be, though he certainly prefers to end the fight prior to that if at all possible! I don’t think Eye will shy away from going to the ground in this fight at all if that’s where it ends up, but due to his height advantage tonight, he may opt to try and keep this fight in the standup and could look to try his luck in the clinch game to wear Navajo down and seek a knockout! Styles: I think that’s exactly what he does tonight, X! There’s no reason for Eye to go to the ground against Navajo where he could possibly absorb unnecessary damage in the ground and pound, or even get caught in a submission predicament! Eye can stay on the outside and use his excellent boxing and muay thai skills to focus on footwork, landing combinations that keep Navajo at bay, and prevents him from taking any damage from Navajo in the meantime! I say Eye wins this fight by knockout! Xavier: I know this is a scary thought, Styles, but I’m actually going to concur with you on this fight as well! Styles: What!? Oh man, is there a full moon out tonight or something!? We’re agreeing on more than one fight tonight? Definitely scary! Xavier: All right, that’s enough! Eye wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Eye by KO; Styles – Eye by KO Xavier: Gustav Ahr and Theodore Jasper keep the madness going as they step into the cage! “Peep” Ahr beings his red Mohawk and 10-10-1 record into this fight, and he’s dropped his last two fights, so expect him to be a bit more aggressive tonight because that potential third loss is no doubt hanging over his head a bit! Against Jasper he’s the shorter and lighter fighter, so look for him to try and use the assumed speed advantage he’ll have over Jasper to stick-and-move initially until he’s able to land a takedown and keep this fight on the ground! Various LEGION OF DOOM members say that they generally feel he’ll be able to take this fight to the ground, but there’s a slight trepidation in the confidence they have that Ahr is completely ready and focused for this battle! They said he’s waned a bit in training and they’re not sure if his morale is where it should be. That, obviously, could be his downfall against Jasper tonight! Styles: Jasper has fought his way to a solid 6-3 overall record, and various members of The Stepdads have said they’re not concerned that Jasper is nine years younger than Ahr because the experiences he’s had in the cage have made him formidable beyond his years, plus he’s skilled enough to keep this fight on its feet where they feel he has his best chance of victory! A point of concern, however, is the fact that he’s lost three fights in a row by unanimous decision! He has the cardio and strength to make it through a fight completely, but does he have enough skill and will to step up the level of energy and outpoint his opponents if the fight goes the distance? That’s the real question! If he can lock in and get his fists to connect against Ahr’s chin then he may be able to land the knockout punch to end this fight! Xavier: I’ll play it safe and go with the younger fighter because true, he’s much less experienced than Ahr, no question, but I have no doubt his confidence and desire to fight is greater than Ahr’s! I know that I say, Styles, and I can’t go against it! Jasper wins this fight by knockout! Styles: You know, X, I’m going to go against conventional wisdom here and I’ll say that Ahr surprises you, Jasper, and a lot of other people by the focus he brings along with the top notch ground game he possesses! Ahr will catch Jasper off-guard with a counter takedown and float right into mount position to drop bombs from the ground-and-pound until Jasper either taps out right there or gives up positioning to protect himself and allow a submission to get locked in! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Ahr by Submission; Xavier – Jasper by KO Styles: The next two fighters to grace the cage will be Daquan Bowman and Del Werthers! “Deebo” Bowman from Compton, and member of The Stepdads, has earned a 9-4 overall record! His last outing against Theodore Jasper at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 saw him earn a unanimous decision victory and snap a 2-fight losing streak in the process! Keeping this fight on its feet is the name of the game tonight against Werthers, at least from my perspective! He’s eight years younger than Werthers but has basically the same amount of experience in the cage, so that’s not a disadvantage for him! Xavier: Werthers has a slight height and weight advantage over Bowman so don’t be surprised to see him stand toe-to-toe with him and be willing to trade strikes to see who can withstand them better! Werthers may also opt to take this fight into the clinch and try to methodically take the wind out of Bowman’s sails while decreasing his speed and power! Very much like his opponent tonight, Werthers recently snapped a 2-fight win streak! Defeating Reijo Halli at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 29 allowed that to happen and like his opponent, he wants to add to that win! He’s currently 7-7 overall so he’s right on that .500 winning percentage cusp! I think that’ll provide extra motivation because like many fighters, having a losing record is something that he simply doesn’t want to experience! You’d be surprised how motivational that can be, Styles! It’s almost as if having an even record is a gauge of success versus failure in this industry, and for young fighters, that can weigh very heavily on their psyche! Styles: I’m rollin’ with Compton’s Most Wanted in Bowman! I think this fight will be a toe-to-toe battle and “Deebo” will be able to avoid being locked into the clinch that I feel Werthers wants to put him in! Timely punches, speed and footwork will be Bowman’s best tools to avoid that clinch and put him in position to check Werthers’ jaw with his explosive punching power! Bowman wins this battle by knockout! Xavier: I think the veteran will be able to exactly what you think Bowman wants to avoid, and that’s lock Bowman into a clinch, wear him down with body shots, and set him up for a chin check himself! Werthers wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Werthers by KO; Styles – Bowman by KO Xavier: The next combatants to lock horns will be Craig Wius and Yves Trudeau! Wius steps into the cage with an overall 7-4 record but had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Third Eye at RFC 48! Styles: Hey, X, do you know that Wius’ manager’s name is Bruce Leroy!? Xavier: Bruce Leroy? Why does that name sound familiar? Styles: You’ve seen The Last Dragon, right? You know, you are the last dragon, you have the power of the glow!? Xavier: Oh yeah, that’s right! Classic old school movie! Styles: Grandmaster Sho’nuff cracked me up in that movie! Xavier: Yeah, he was great! And let’s not forget how sexy Vanity looked! Styles: How can I!? She was smokin’ hot in Action Jackson, too! Xavier: Big time! However, I digress! Wius has shown that he can make an opponent tap out or go the distance if need be, but tonight I don’t think he wants to test his endurance and constitution against Trudeau! He’s older, taller and heavier, but not by much. However, his age advantage may be the most important factor because he has more life and in-cage combat experience, so he’s had to deal with more adversity! This battle boils down to yet another classic standup fighter versus ground fighter, and whoever keeps the fight in their relative comfort zone walks away the winner, plain and simple! Styles: That’s the truth, Ruth! Xavier: Who’s Ruth? Styles: It just rhymes, man, so go with it! “The Mad Bumper” Trudeau is a solid 4-2 overall, and similar to Wius he lost his last fight! However, Mama Tosen knocked Trudeau out in the first round and I have no doubt that Wius and his training team paid very close attention to that fact! There’s no doubt that Trudeau’s tremendous standup skills are far more advanced than Wius’, but Wius could try and surprise Trudeau with a haymaker or even a head kick out of nowhere that could test Trudeau’s chin! I’m sure The Devil’s Rejects have prepared Trudeau for that possibility but I don’t think they’re worried about it because from what we’ve seen, Wius doesn’t pack jaw-splitting power so I think Trudeau feels comfortable there and may very well be inclined to be more aggressive in testing Wius’ jaw each and every time he gets a chance! Obviously he wants to keep this fight standing so the stick-and-move tactics we speak of so often will no doubt be employed! Xavier: I think Trudeau manages to keep this fight in the standup and he may even take a bigger risk and try to clinch Wius against the cage to both decrease the chances of a takedown plus increase his ability to land numerous strikes with his more educated hands! In addition, he could try to open up a cut with his elbows or punish Wius’ body with knees! Either way, I think the younger fighter wins this battle by knockout! Styles: Wius knows Trudeau will be very aggressive in this fight and he’ll use that aggression against him! Counterattacking the energy that Trudeau will throw at Wius will enable him to avoid being chin checked, primarily, and two, it’ll let him take this fight to the ground where he can control the pace, frustrate Trudeau, and make Trudeau spend energy trying to get up and out of being controlled on the ground! Wius can transition from half guard to full mount or even opt for side control to land some elbows as well as ground and pound! Either way, Wius wins this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Wius by Submission; Xavier – Trudeau by KO Styles: Bosse Severus and Ryan Landry are up next into the cage of destiny! Severus is a perfect 1-0 in his young career, a great start, obviously, so we’ll see if he can make it 2-0 against a very game opponent! Severus and his purple Mohawk brought plenty of excitement to his fight against Juanito Ferguson at RFC 49! One nasty head kick and the LEGION OF DOOM were in the cage to celebrate his thirty-five second victory! He’s shorter and lighter than Landry so he may opt to lean more on his punching ability as opposed to going for high kicks and possibly being counterattacked if he misses them! I expect this to be a standup battle between two very good and young up-and-comers! Xavier: Agreed! The pace of this fight should be very fast as both fighters are eager to prove themselves in different ways! Landry is a perfect 2-0 so his start is obviously very good as well, but both of his victories were by unanimous decision, causing whispers around the locker room area to question whether or not he’s able to finish an opponent before reaching the distance! A win is still a win, but a young fighter looking to prove himself wants to be known as having the ability to finish an opponent because that alters an opponent fight plan! Severus wants to prove that his knockout win wasn’t a fluke and fighting another undefeated fighter is an opportunity to do just that! Styles: The Stepdads definitely have confidence in Landry that he’ll be able to avoid being blasted by any nasty kicks Severus may attempt plus he has the ability to counter any misses with his own sharp kicks! I think both fighters will rely more upon their punches than anything else, but Landry may try to clinch to slow down Severus and see if he has an advantage in landing knees and elbows as well! I think Landry will silence the critics tonight and win this fight by knockout to prove he can finish a fight! Xavier: Severus wants to show his capabilities in the cage and there’s still the unknown about his punching power! I think that unknown, coupled with his physical abilities, will be the key to victory for him tonight! Landry may be a bit more cautious and keep a more watchful eye on Severus’ kicks which could open up a slight window of opportunity for Severus to move in and land a power shot to test Landry’s chin! I don’t know if Landry’s chin can stand up to that so I’ll choose Severus to win by knockout in this battle of young tigers! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Severus by KO; Styles – Landry by KO Xavier: And that brings us to the final confrontation of the evening! Oh, Styles, I should let you say this one since you’re Mr. Names over there! Styles: Hell to the naw! Go right ahead, X! You got this one! Xavier: Somehow I knew you’d say that. Aslambek Marowadoigowiegow…whew, battles Juanito Ferguson in the final fight! Styles: X, seriously, how long do you think it took Aslambek to learn to spell his last name, let alone say it!? Xavier: I’d assume it took some time but you never know! Maybe he has a propensity for language and picked upon it rather quickly! Styles: I give him props for even being able to spell his name correctly! Good lord! Xavier: Aslambek is 5-6 so the chance to even out his record is right in front of him tonight! He lost his previous battle against Doko Dokov at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 by unanimous decision so his may go for the gusto against Ferguson! These two fought previously at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 where Ferguson won by unanimous decision, and I have no doubt that victory is the in the minds of both men as they enter the cage tonight! Styles: Hold the phone, X! Xavier: What’s up, Styles? Styles: My very reliable sources are texting me and they’re indicating that Aslambek has been more worried about if Chick-fil-A or Popeyes has a better tasting chicken sandwich than he’s been preparing for this fight! Xavier: Wow, how sad! Styles: Hey, to each their own! Hell, “La Alimana” Ferguson doesn’t look like he’s ready to fight either, X! I saw dude in the back and he was more worried about his phone being able to stream reruns of American Dad than he was with focusing on Aslambek! Xavier: Unbelievable! How the hell are we supposed to pick a winner if neither fighter wants to actually fight!? Styles: To hell with it! Flip a coin and pick one! Xavier: All right! My coin flip is Aslambek! Styles: I’ll take Ferguson, then! See? That was easy! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Ferguson by KO; Xavier – Aslambek by KO Xavier: And that wraps our preview show, ladies and gents! As always, Styles and I are very grateful to you for giving us your time and energy, and we always hope that we’ve been able to provide you insight and entertainment, in the very least! Styles: Of course we provide them entertainment, X! How can they not be entertained when I’m talking!? Xavier: I’m not even going to justify that question! Styles: I don’t need you to because I know the truth! Thank you good people and wild MMA fans out there! We look forward to see your reactions to the action tonight and we’ll see you at the fights!

Indeed, and I'll ensure I add a little somethin' extra to the preview of that fight :-)

Thank you as always, brotha, I greatly appreciate it :-)

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 31 PREVIEW HARD KNOCKS ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 31! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the expressive Furious Styles! Styles: You better believe I’m expressive! You know me, X! I break it down to molecules and tell it like it is! Yet again we have 3,000 crazed MMA fanatics that have packed the house and are already rockin’ the arena! Xavier: We have the best fans in the entire business and they’re in for a treat tonight! We have four Middleweight fights, one of which is for the Middleweight Championship title! There are three Light Heavyweight fights, one Featherweight fight, one Super Heavyweight fight, and one Welterweight fight! Styles: That’s a nice mix of different weight classes and the matchups will definitely be exciting! Xavier: Excitement and hard-hitting action is what Rapid Fighting Championship strives for, and the very first battle for the Middleweight Championship is one hell of a way to start the night off right! Edison Atunes defends his title against Roc Le Phat! Styles: If Le Phat pulls this one off, I bet he’ll be smokin’ le fat…le fat cigar or something else to celebrate a major victory! He has a major fight on is hands tonight, though, and the hard-hitting champ will definitely bring it! Atunes steps into this fight with a perfect 8-0 record and all but one of his fights has ended with a knockout! In addition, every knockout has been in the first round so you know he’s brining plenty of ammunition to unload on Le Phat! I expect nothing but the usual high level of intensity and brutality that Atunes brings each and every fight! Le Phat’s defense better be as sharp as a samurai sword and his footwork better be flawless, because if he gives Atunes any chance to test his chin, that could end up being a very big and painful mistake! Xavier: Le Phat is 8-4 overall and has enjoyed recent success with a 3-fight win streak! The momentum he’s generated from his wins will definitely serve him well in this major opportunity tonight! Similar to his opponent, Le Phat brings plenty of pop in his knuckles! Don’t get it twisted, folks, if Atunes leaves his chin open, Le Phat can definitely crack his chin and he may possess enough nitro in his fists to turn out the lights and become the new champion! Le Phat has a bit of a height and weight advantage so we’ll see if he attempts to use that to his advantage! However, Atunes has obviously proven that he can handle taller and heavier opponents so that particular advantage for Le Phat can not be overly emphasized. To me, this boils down to who has the better chin and who can make the opponent open up their defense just enough to where that chin is exposed for that one devastating punch that makes their eyes roll into the back of their head! Styles: Oh, there’s no doubt that somebody’s chin is going to get rocked! There may even be a situation where someone gets rocked but their will and determination get them right back into the fight and then they turn around and knock out the opponent! Anything is possible in this type of fight, but members of both Convicted Inc. and The Stepdads believe that there’s no chance this goes to the ground, and I have to agree! I think trying to outwrestle one another in this fight is pointless because both men possess too much punching power to not utilize it! Since Atunes hasn’t lost, I’m rollin’ with him simply for that fact! He’s locked in, supremely confident and very capable! The champ retains the title tonight by knockout! Xavier: I think Le Phat wins this fight by knockout because he has nothing to lose, in my opinion! Sure, he could get knocked out but so can Atunes! The pressure is on the champion to retain the title and Le Phat can literally let it fly and do his best to make the champion as uncomfortable as possible! Le Phat takes advantage of that and lands the one dynamite shot that wins him the title! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Le Phat by KO; Styles – Atunes by KO Xavier: Jambe De Bois and Jon Paul Carp are next into the cage! “The Terminator” De Bois steps into this fight with a 16-5 overall record, which is very good, and he’s currently riding a 2-fight win streak! The last time we saw him, he defeated Royce Gracie in the second round by way of TKO at RFC 46, so he’s looking to continue that positive momentum into this fight! He’s won four of his last five fights, so his confidence is no doubt very high, and members of The Stepdads absolutely agree with that sentiment! He brings impactful punches into his fights so expect him to try and chin check Carp as early and as often as possible! He’s seven years older and fifteen pounds lighter than Carp, so look for him to use that age experience and lighter weight to be a bit faster, more agile and solid with his defensive footwork! Styles: “Popefish” Carp brings a 5-4 record into this fight and various members of the UnderGround Fight Enterprise told me they think this young fighter’s best chance is to keep this fight in the standup! His last three fights have not been fortuitous for him and he may have reached the point of desperation for a victory, but that desperation can fuel motivation and will, especially for such a young fighter! When he’s on top of his game and is in good form, he can definitely deliver a lot of damage with his fists, and that’s why he and his fellow UnderGround members feel his best chance is to go for the knockout! I think he’ll want to avoid clinching with De Bois and opt to use stick-and-move tactics to try and soften up De Bois’ defenses for that clean punch! Xavier: I think De Bois is more than willing to test his standup abilities against Carp’s here tonight! From what we’ve seen, their standup skills are about equal but I think De Bois’ experience will allow him to be more effective in the clinch, and once he’s able to lock that in, he can use his in-cage experience to position himself to land the opportune strikes he needs to wear Carp down and eventually get to his chin for the knockout! Styles: I think Carp will be the one doing the napping of De Bois tonight! No one wants to lose, and no one wants to lose more than once in a row! Three losses in a row hurts any fighter, but to me, it especially hurts a young fighter because their pride is larger and more easily damaged! I think Carp really hones in on his focus for tonight and will check De Bois’ chin early and often because in my opinion, that gives him the best chance of ending this fight early! I think that’s exactly what he’ll do with a high level of aggression and he’ll overwhelm De Bois with his energy and determination, and he’ll earn that victory he so badly desires! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Carp by KO; Xavier – De Bois by KO Styles: Blake Westcutt and Abraham Alcantara are the next warriors to step into the cage of punishment! “The Cowboy” Westcutt is a very solid 9-2 overall and he’s shown a propensity to make opponents tap before they snap! He recently lost to Michael Swango at RFC 41 in the second round by knockout, and he obviously wants to get back on the winning side of life and avoid getting chin-checked again, especially! It’s not good for the short-term or long-term health to get knocked out repeatedly, so Westcutt obviously wants to get this fight to the ground in short notice to avoid potential damage to his chin while also making the fight enter his comfort zone! Slightly taller but twenty pounds lighter than Alcantara, Westcutt definitely has to ensure that if and when the fight goes to the ground, he stays either in side control or full mount on Alcantara. He does not want that twenty pounds weighing on him and making it more difficult to breathe and transition into better positioning if necessary! Xavier: “All Day” Alcantara is 9-7 overall and has built some momentum from his 2-fight win streak! This is an opportune time for him to have this fight because the recent loss that Westcutt had may be weighing on his mind and could effect his approach to this fight just enough to enable Alcantara to take advantage! The majority of Alcantara’s losses have been by submission so don’t think that’s not in the back of his mind! However, on the flip side, his victories have been strikes or knees, so he’s proven to be formidable in various ways! Obviously, this is a standup versus ground fighter battle, and the winner will be the one who can impose their will the fastest! That could very well include a high degree of physical capability because pure strength could be the difference maker tonight! Often times, skill is able to overcome strength if the difference isn’t vast, but ground fighters obviously want to utilize strength to lock in submissions! Styles: I’ll roll with Alcantara in this fight because of the experience difference plus he’s shown to be quite capable in the standup aspect of fighting! I think he’ll be able to keep this fight standing and can strike with an array of punches, kicks and even land some timely elbows and knees! I think he’ll be able to sustain a clinch to land said knees and elbows, and that will open up Westcutt’s defenses for bigger and more damaging strikes, and Alcantara will be able to drop Westcutt with a big right hook or uppercut for the win! Xavier: Westcutt has overcome opponents with excellent standup fighting ability and this will be no different! He can absolutely use the anticipated aggression that Alcantara will bring into this fight and avoid taking heavy damage while countering that aggression with smart positioning, footwork and skill! Alcantara will find his feet tangled up just long enough for Westcutt to score the takedown and float right into a dominant position to wear Alcantara down for the submission win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier: Westcutt by Submission; Styles – Alcantara by KO Xavier: Sisu Sisu versus Ludwig Mandrill is the next fight on tap! Styles: Mandrill!? Tell me that doesn’t sound like an adult movie actor’s name! Xavier: Ha! Actually, Styles, I have to agree with you on that and I’m sure he’s heard that before! Styles: Be that as it may, it’s still funny, dammit! “Black Gold” of the LEGION OF DOOM steps into the fight with a respectable 9-4 overall record! He recently had a 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Martin Eugen at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27, and I feel that’s major motivation for him in tonight’s fight! He won two fights prior to that loss and he has to be frustrated that a chance to win a championship slipped through his fingers! However, he also understands that a win tonight puts him right back in the title hunt and chances like that are far and few between! Most of his wins have been by unanimous decision so he obviously has the cardio to last against any opponent, but I don’t think he wants to make this a battle of attrition! He’ll want to finish this fight to prove he’s capable of ending fights early! Xavier: Mandrill has fought his way to an equally respectable 7-3 overall record but like his opponent tonight, he recently suffered a loss! Darrel Hill won by unanimous decision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 and like Sisu, Mandrill wants to turn things around as quickly as possible to avoid establishing a losing streak! His victories have consisted of TKO and submission wins and I expect him to take that very same approach here tonight against Sisu! Getting this fight the ground, to me, is the best chance he has to win, but he could very well surprise me and many others and opt to stand toe-to-toe with Sisu and test his striking defense as well as his chin, if he can get to it of course! Styles: I think Mandrill finds a way to drag this fight to the ground early, but he’ll test Sisu’s jaw first! If Sisu looks like he’ll falter under Mandrill’s fists, then he’ll have no problem staying in the standup and going for the knockout! However, smart money says he looks to make Sisu tap out and if he takes him down the clinch or as a counter is the only real question! Bottom line is Mandrill takes this fight to the ground and makes Sisu tap! Xavier: Sisu has proven himself very capable of knocking out strong opponents with high levels of skill, especially in the standup! Forget trying to make this a fight that drags on into the later rounds! I think Sisu steps up the level of intensity and pressure and goes for the early knockout, and in my opinion, he’ll get it because Mandrill won’t expect that much energy and pressure from the jump! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Sisu by KO; Styles – Mandrill by Submission Xavier: Mwenye Kwadwo and Cochise Harris are up next! At 9-6 overall, Kwadwo has a decent record but like anyone else in the fight game, he wants to increase his wins and do so as quickly as possible! This LEGION OF DOOM member from Lafayette has struggled recently and is on a 3-fight losing streak! Prior to this slump, he had won three fights in a row, so I’m sure he’s frustrated by his recent inability to land himself back in the win column but that could very well change here tonight! His fists can do plenty of talking and damage to any opponent and that’s been proven over his career! Throughout his career, Kwadwo has had his struggles against fighters who are versed in the submission game, as was evidenced against Spanky Loco at RFC 50! Keeping this fight on its feet is absolutely imperative for Kwadwo if he wants to give himself the best chance at snapping his recent skid! Styles: Harris steps into battle tonight with a 7-3 record, a solid showing for a young fighter! He has the height and weight advantage in this fight, and I’m sure the Hitokiri-13 ensured he’s fully aware of that fact! Although he’s seven years younger, Harris has proven himself to be very capable of abruptly ending a fight! All but one of this fights have gone past the first round so aggression is the name of his game! He fights fast, intense and hits hard, quite the combination for success! At one point in time he won five fights in a row but hit a bit of a snag recently with two consecutive losses! However, he turned things around with a first-round knockout of Michael Elliott at RFC 48! Like his opponent, he unloads heavy artillery with his fists so expect a toe-to-toe, jaw crackin’, rib shakin’, breath takin’ war! This fight will boil down to simply who can withstand the impact better! Xavier: I think the veteran will be able to deliver and sustain the heavy damage better tonight, Styles! He’s had a few more battles than his young counterpart and has learned how to roll with punches and then counter them immediately, and that’s an invaluable skill to have! Being able to decrease the damage done from a clean strike is a key element of survival in that cage against any heavy hitter, and Kwadwo has proven he knows how to do that! Kwadwo stops the young lion tonight by knockout! Styles: Kwadwo has the intellect, no doubt, but Harris has the ferocity and energy! He’s going to start the fight off like a squall possessed and Kwadwo won’t have time to adapt to that high level of impact in time to properly protect himself! Even if Kwadwo manages to keep his head on a swivel and avoid clean punches to the jaw, I don’t think he wants to get locked up in a clinch with Harris because Harris may be physically stronger and can take better advantage of the clinch! Harris will use his youthful exuberance and movement to get in close and land the shot that turns out Kwadwo’s light tonight! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Harris by KO; Xavier – Kwadwo by KO Styles: Sifis Pantelakis and One Two continue the action in the cage! One Two, huh? I suppose that keeps things simple but that’s still an odd name! Xavier: Maybe he was a precocious child and showed a propensity for numbers at a very young age! Styles: Or, maybe he couldn’t manage to count very well and got stuck on numbers, so one two keeps his life simplified! Xavier: That’s…a theory. Styles: Anyway, Sifis “The Minotaur” is a perfect 6-0 and is all about the ground game! Since his approach has obviously been very effective, why change it!? It’s not often that a behemoth wants to take a fight to the ground but he obviously has chosen that route and who can argue the results!? The strange part about it, though, is when I spoke with the big man backstage earlier, he didn’t seem fully invested in this fight! Maybe he’s bored or maybe he’s just tired, but something isn’t completely there like usual! One Two could pull of quite a win tonight due to that fact, X! Xavier: It’s very surprising when an undefeated fighter doesn’t appear to be fully engaged, but humans can be complicated and maybe there’s something happening in his life that has him distracted. Who knows? One Two steps into the ring with a decent 4-2 record but he has a tremendous disadvantage in height against Pantelakis! However, he’s heavier than Sifis so he may take the chance of getting in close and leaning that weight on him to tire him out, work on breaking down his body with strikes, and ultimately looking for the knockout! Obviously, Pantelakis is a very good wrestler but the young One Two may very well be strong enough to prevent any takedown attempts and keep this fight on its feet where he has his best chance! Similar to Sifis, however, One Two looks disinterested in fighting tonight and I simply can’t figure that out either! Styles: I’m not sure what’s up with these two but we may as well just roll the dice and pick one! Since they both have issues, I’ll just pick the taller fighter, so Pantelakis wins by submission! Xavier: I’ll say the younger fighter wins because he’s younger! One Two wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – One Two by KO; Styles – Pantelakis by Submission Xavier: The next two combatants into the cage are Kasey McRobbie and John McSulley! “Mad Dog” McRobbie is 5-2 overall, and the young fighter from Santa Fe recently had a 3-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Five Finger via knockout at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27! Naturally, McRobbie wants to overcome that loss and prove he’s still title contention worthy! He’s shown the MMA world he’s not afraid to let his fists fly and I highly expect that to be the approach to this fight tonight! He’s a bit shorter but heavier than McSulley so look for him to work diligently to get inside of McSulley’s guard and lean that weight on him to slow the pace, open up body shots and quick, stinging head shots, and maybe even land some elbows and knees in tight while keeping himself from getting hit cleanly on the jaw! Styles: In this battle of the Mc’s, McSulley is 3-1 overall and this UnderGround Fights Enterprise member has a well-rounded game so far in his young career! He has a TKO and two decision victories under his belt, so he can go the distance if necessary but I’d wager that he wants to end this fight fast to not only prove he’s capable, but to also avoid any potential unwanted and unnecessary damage! I don’t think McSulley will mind keeping this fight on its feet or going to the ground if necessary! I think both of these fighters will basically head hunt one another to see who can withstand what and whoever lands the more devastating punch exits the cage as the victor! Xavier: I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment! Toe-to-toe is what I expect here and I think McSulley will be the one who take the most damage and deal with it the best! He’s had few fights which means he’s absorbed less damage, plus he favors brutal battles and he definitely wants one tonight! McSulley wins the battle of the Mc’s by knockout! Styles: The battle of the Mc’s will be won by McRobbie because he has the better fighting experience and I think his fists carry more of a nasty impact! Taking nothing away from McSulley’s punching power, I just don’t think he gets a clean shot at McRobbie’s chin but McRobbie will find that window of opportunity to land the head-snapping punch he needs to end this fight with quickness! PREDICTIONS: Styles – McRobbie by KO; Xavier – McSulley by KO Styles: Repa Kiki and David Unsworth are next up for judgement! Kiki is a good 7-3 overall, X, but let me tell you something! I spoke with this Finnish fighter from Tampere and he wasn’t serious about this fight! In fact, I interrupted him playing on a virtual reality headset! Can you believe that!? He has a fight tonight and this fool wants to play that lightsaber game on a VR headset! Xavier: That’s something I’d potentially expect from “Rhino” Unsworth because he’s only 21-years-old, but by the sound of it, the younger and presumed more immature fighter is the one who looks primed and ready for a fight! I saw Unsworth with other Evil Empire members and he was champing at the bit for this fight! I honestly feel bad for Kiki because he’s going to get stream rolled! Unsworth wins this by knockout! Styles: Agreed! Unsworth mops the cage with Kiki tonight! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Unsworth by KO; Xavier – Unsworth by KO Styles: Ronaldo Souza and Athos Knox step into combat and are the second-to-last fight of the night! Your boy “Jacare” Souza is 6-18-1, X, so I’ll say this about him! Dude likes to fight! Obviously, he’s not particularly good at fighting, but nonetheless, he’ll step into the cage against anyone and I respect that! What I don’t respect, though, is that he’s not primed and ready for combat! Just like Kiki in the fight before this one, dude is in zombieland, which is a great movie by the way, and that’s a shame because he’s going to get mopped by Knox! Xavier: It’s absolutely baffling how a fighter, or so-called fighter, isn’t ready to fight! If you have time to train and prepare then there’s no excuse! You either get it done or you get done! Knox definitely looks primed and ready for this fight, Styles, and although he’s currently 2-3 overall, believe me, he’ll be an even 3-3 before the night is over! The Underground Fights Enterprise will party over this victory because Knox is going to knock Souza smooth out! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Knox by KO; Styles – Knox by KO Xavier: The final conflict of the evening takes place between William Bonin and Asmodius Crowley! Styles: Bonin and Asmodius!? Damn, man, that really sounds like two adult movie actors, dude! Xavier: Will you stop with that, Styles!? Styles: X, you can’t sit there and tell me those two names don’t cry out adult movie actor! Xavier: I’m not even going to acknowledge this topic! Styles: Ignore it all you want, you know it’s true, dammit! Anyway, Bonin, of The Devil’s Rejects, which is a movie that definitely fit Halloween the other day, steps into this squabble with a 3-4 overall record! His last outing was inauspicious, however, as he lost in the first round to Billy Quinn by TKO! Most of his fights end in the first round and I expect that same level of aggression in this fight! The young man has proven to be very highly skilled in the standup so he obviously wants to keep the fight there where he can unleash the most damage! He’s shorter, lighter and younger than Crowley, but I think he’ll handle business tonight! Xavier: I concur with you because I spoke with “Hellspawn” Crowley and his unkempt green beard, and he was literally watching Stranger Things on his iPad in the back! I guess he doesn’t care about his well-being in this fight but he’ll learn the hard way that if you don’t prepare, you’re in for a world of hurt! Bonin takes this one by knockout early and painfully! Styles: Yes he does! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Bonin by KO; Xavier – Bonin by KO Styles: That’s a wrap, folks! Much love and respect for joining us for another preview and we wouldn’t be here without you, so thank you for your support! Xavier: We’re truly grateful to each and every one of you who watch us in whatever capacity! You are the ones who make this job fun, well, besides my crazy partner in crime here! Styles: Ya damn right! Xavier: On behalf of Styles, we thank you again and definitely look forward to seeing you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 51 PREVIEW – BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 51 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the esteemed Chris Ball! Ball: I hope everyone has gotten over their sugar rushes and candy comas from Halloween a couple of days ago! Carr: Tell me about it! I’m not a sweets eater per se, but how can I resist those great sales on Reese’s Pieces, M&M’s, and Hershey’s with almonds! All that great-smelling candy was just calling my name! Ball: Haha! I hear you, Carr! I get weak in the knees when I smell chocolate and I definitely have been filling my belly with pumpkin-flavored smoothies! Carr: Oh yeah! Those are awesome! All right, let’s get back on track here! Rapid Fighting Championship has an outstanding lineup of action tonight! The Light Heavyweight championship is on the line tonight and that’s also the very first battle we’ll witness! Overall, we have that one Light Heavyweight fight, two Heavyweight fights, one Welterweight fight, three Lightweight fights, one Featherweight fight and two Bantamweight fights! Ball: That’s a fantastic representation of various weight classes! The fans tonight will get a taste of various speeds, styles and opportunities and I know they’re as excited as we are about what happens in the cage tonight! Carr: Giuseppe Hopkins and Carter Donovan kick off the show with the Light Heavyweight title hanging in the balance! The champion, Hopkins, is an impressive 9-0-1, and being undefeated absolutely works wonders for his confidence heading into this title defense! The bad man from Afghanistan has let his fists and knees do a lot of his talking and they speak volumes! His last three fights have been unanimous decisions so even when he doesn’t finish an opponent by napout or tapout, he still has the capability, gas tank and will to begin and maintain a high-level of striking and movement from start to finish! There have been whispers that he’s losing his touch to end a fight early, but keep in mind, folks, a win is a win, bottom line! The champ and challenger are basically the same size and weight, so this will absolutely boil down to skill! Ball: I always enjoy a fight where the combatants are basically the same size! To me, that makes a fight more difficult and also more revealing because it’s much more difficult to impose your will on someone who has similar physical characteristics as well as skill levels! Make no mistake about it, Carter Donovan is deserving of this championship opportunity! Donovan steps into combat with a 9-3 record, along with a recent victory over Mwenye Kwadwo by Arm Triangle submission in the first round at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24! Donovan is the definition of aggression when he steps into that cage! All but two of his fights have ended in the first round and I don’t expect him to change that approach at all in this fight! He also brings championship experience and that will definitely be of benefit as he searches for a way to make this fight swing in his favor! In order to do that, as I see it, it’s imperative he get this fight to the ground as soon as possible! Carr: Agreed! Donovan has proven to be very effective on the ground and aggressively pursuing a takedown may very well be his best option! He does have victories where he flat out pummeled his opponent brutally and either napped him or bled him, so he does have that ability as well! The champion definitely can’t overlook Donovan’s striking ability or he may very well end up regretting that decision! On the other hand, Donovan also must be very sharp with his defenses because Hopkins can make life very difficult for him by keeping this fight on its feet and making Donovan take a much bigger risk by standing toe-to-toe or even trying to outmaneuver Hopkins! For this fight, I’m taking the champion because he’s faced various diverse situations and has obviously risen above them! In addition, it’s difficult to not choose an undefeated fighter! Hopkins wins this great matchup by knockout! Ball: This will definitely be a great matchup! Although Hopkins is undefeated, Donovan does have a few more fights under his belt. In addition, I really think Donovan has more motivation than Hopkins tonight because the losses that Donovan has suffered were, in his opinion, very winnable! I’m sure Hopkins and The Stepdads disagree with that sentiment, but nonetheless, I feel he’s more motivated and that will allow him to take the champion to the ground where he’ll control the pace and positioning, and he’ll eventually make Hopkins err, and when he does, Donovan locks in the submission and becomes the new champ! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Donovan by Submission; Carr – Hopkins by KO Ball: Sven Svensson and Xavier Blackblood step into the cage of combat after the title fight and they’ll keep up the level of intensity and excitement without a doubt! “The Valhalla Viking” Svensson is a very good 15-3 overall with a 2 fight win streak! He had one hell of a winning streak at the beginning of his career but hit a couple of snags against Conor The Barbarian! That’s not surprising, however, because Conor is an outstanding fighter! Svensson recently defeated Tob Le Tobb at RFC 47 by napping him with a first-round knockout! Svensson is definitely aggressive and packs some power in his punches! In fact, none of his fights have gone to the second round so expect that intense pressure and aggression to be in full force tonight! When his fists fly, men cry and bodies lie, and I know he’ll want to let fists fly, as do the members of The Cold North! Their confidence in Svensson is very high, as it should be, and Svensson is highly confident that he’ll extend his winning streak to three! Carr: Across the cage will be Blackblood, which is still one of the coolest last names out there in my opinion! He is 5-1 overall and brings a 5-fight win streak with him! The Haitian Sensation is also a knockout artist with explosives in his hands, so expect this fight to be short, brutal, and bloody! The Stepdads have no doubt ensured Blackblood has trained diligently and intelligently for this major clash! Blackblood has only been past the first round once in his career so this will be like watching two bulls stare one another down, drag their hooves into the ground then charge at one another at full speed! The devastating punches we’re sure to see will make the crowd ooh, aah, and groan with pain and fascination! The only question is will both of these warriors opt to stand in front of one another and unload ferocious punches to see which one falls first, or will they use footwork, head movement, and cunning to try and overcome the opponent? Ball: I have the feeling that this will be a straight up, face-to-face, toe-to-toe battle of blasts to see which one of these men crumples to the power of the other man! Someone’s jaw is going to be warped tonight, and I personally think Blackblood’s will be the jaw to succumb to the damage first! He’s tough and strong, no doubt, but the experience and age that Svensson has over him will make the difference tonight! Svensson knows how to set his opponents up for the knockout blow and that will be the case tonight! Svensson by knockout! Carr: I think Blackblood has the speed and defensive skill to avoid taking a power punch clean on the jaw! I think he outmaneuvers the ultra-aggressive Svensson and uses that aggression against him with a counter knockout punch that possibly causes a hairline fracture in Svensson’s jaw! Blackblood wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Blackblood by KO; Ball – Svensson by KO Carr: After that behemoth battle, Tobb Le Tobb and Kilo Maluga step into the cage to show what they’ve got! I hope the cage has been reinforced for all of these heavyweight fights because that’s some serious combined weight hitting that cage all night long with these battles! “The Hungarian Giant” Le Tobb steps into this fight with an 11-5 overall record but recently lost to one of the warriors we’ll see tonight before this fight! Sven Svensson knocked Le Tobb out at RFC 47 in the second round, so you know he’ll be looking to turn that bad luck around against Maluga tonight! Le Tobb has proven that he can wreck shop with his fists, and he’ll look to wreck Maluga! It’s not often that Le Tobb is the shorter man in a fight, but tonight, that’s the case! However, I don’t see that being a deterrent to Le Tobb’s approach basically every fight he’s had ending in the first round is a testament to that! Ball: Maluga, of Convicted Inc., steps into battle with a 4-1 record, and this intense warrior from Kiribati recently overcame a loss to Grant Alyoshin by defeating Joao Cajo Branca at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 28 with a first-round TKO victory! Just like his opponent, Maluga possesses serious power in his punches, but also keep in mind, Carr, that Maluga has a win involving his knees! I spoke with a few members of Convicted Inc. and they told me to not be surprised if we see Maluga lock Le Tobb into a clinch and just go to town with knees and elbows! I hope Le Tobb is ready for that possibility and also keep his eyes open for Maluga’s snapping kicks! Carr: This may be a situation where both of these men opt to get in tight quarters, clinch, and test one another’s jaw and ability to absorb body strikes! They’ve both proven that they can dislocate a man’s jaw in the blink of an eye, so I expect them to try and outthink and counter the opponent! For Le Tobb, I think he’s willing to potentially absorb a few kicks to the legs and body to gain a temporary positioning advantage to where he can unload a major incendiary punch to turn the lights out on Maluga! I think the fighting experience Le Tobb has will let him prevail in this fight! He knows Maluga will look to lock him up and throw multiple knees and elbows, so he will use that to his advantage to turn Maluga against the cage, lean on him so the number of knees and elbows thrown decreases, and he’ll step back and rock Maluga’s jaw with an uppercut to end the fight! Ball: Maluga’s muay thai skills will be the difference maker tonight! Maluga will chop away at the legs and body of Le Tobb while keeping himself out of reach of those nasty punches, and once he slows Le Tobb and makes him think, boom! Maluga will either unload a crushing right cross or he’ll snap Le Tobb’s head with a head kick he didn’t see coming, and Le Tobb will fall to the mat like a tree! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Maluga by KO; Carr – Le Tobb by KO Ball: Osman Dawoud and Coiote Magrin are the next fighters into the cage! Dawoud, the man from the Sudan, is 10-3-1 overall and has had an interesting two fights against Josu Aingeru recently! First, these two fought to a draw at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 23, then both of them expressed their dissatisfaction with that result and agreed to a rubber match! In that battle, Josu bested Dawoud by a unanimous decision at RFC 46! However, that didn’t sit well with either man either, so we now have a highly motivated Dawoud here tonight to battle Magrin! Before running into Aingeru twice, Dawoud was steamrolling his opponents with massively damaging punches! Against Magrin tonight, he’s a little taller and lighter, so I fully expect him to do his absolute best to keep this fight in the standup and yet another classic standup fighter versus ground fighter clash! Carr: “Boia” Magrin steps into this fight with a 4-2 overall record! That’s a winning record but I have no doubt he wants to extend that record a bit more to put himself in line for an eventual title shot! In his most recent fight, he lost, surprisingly to some because he very much favors the grappling and BJJ aspect of fighting, by Guillotine submission to Konstantinos Nevrakis and RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27! Needless to say, Magrin is looking to overcome that submission loss because as a ground specialist, so to speak, it’s even more bothersome to lose by submission! However, the 26-year-old from Brazil may very well use that as motivation to take Dawoud to the mat as soon as possible while avoiding taking the one-shot knockout punch that Dawoud is very capable of delivering! Ball: Avoiding that one-shot knockout is absolutely imperative for Magrin if he wants any chance to win this fight! I’m quite certain The Stepdads have highly suggested to Dawoud that he sharpen his takedown defensive skills for this particular fight so he improves his odds of keeping out of submissions while potentially locking Magrin into a clinch against the cage. There, he can control the pace and space of the battle while working on wearing him down with punches and knees to the body! If he’s able to sneak through Magrin’s defenses then he can land an elbow or knee to the head and potentially change the tide of the battle right then and there! I think Dawoud will manage to keep this fight in the standup and he’ll be able to control Magrin against the cage while steadily causing damage! He’ll eventually wear him down and land the one-shot punch he’s looking for and this fight will be over! Carr: I expect Dawoud to be very aggressive from the start and to me, Magrin can take advantage of that aggression by counterattacking Dawoud with unexpected strikes then he can quickly close the distance, lock in a clinch and go for the takedown, or he may even counter Dawoud’s aggression by looking for the takedown with a single or double-leg sweep! As soon as the fight goes to the ground, I expect Magrin’s aggression to increase dramatically as he works to get into and sustain dominant position for ground-and-pound before angling himself to lock in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Magrin by Submission; Ball – Dawoud by KO Carr: Mama Tosen and Ameqran Anto are up next! “Duphus” Tosen steps into this fight with a 1-2 record so his desire to get to an even .500. The Keyboard Warriors will no doubt be firmly in his corner, cheering him and offering advice during this fight, and if he can have the same level of intensity and success he had against Yves Trudeau at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27, all of them will be very happy! His first-round knockout of Trudeau was very much needed and boosted this young fighter’s confidence, and I expect that confidence to sustain at a high level. A hair shorter and a few pounds lighter than Anto, Tosen will look to position himself to test Anto’s chin as much as possible and as early as possible! Ball: Anto, from the LEGION OF DOOM, brings an even 1-1 record into tonight’s contest with a recent victory over Riley Ferguson in the second round by way of Kimura at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26! Like his opponent, he’s looking to carry that winning momentum into this fight to propel him to victory! Both of these young fighters have exhibited solid skills but both are a bit of a mystery as well due to them only having a total of five fights between them! When I spoke with members of both The Keyboard Warriors and the LEGION OF DOOM, there were mixed opinions there as well, an indication that anything could happen in this fight depending on various factors! I know that holds true in any fight, quite frankly, but it stands out more with young combatants with little fight experience! Carr: I expect Tosen to take the standup approach and try to wear Anto down with strikes, especially if he can slow him down with kicks to the lower legs mixed with body kicks! Those can prove to be very effective plus keep Anto at a distance where trying to shoot in for the takedown will be far more difficult! I think Tosen has the cardio and strength to maintain a high output of strikes from distance and if he locks Anto into a clinch, I expect him to sustain that high-energy output and be very aggressive in landing strikes from there! He’ll eventually slow Anto enough to finish the fight with a series of strikes that overwhelms Anto! Ball: Anto knows how to handle aggression and I think he’ll have no trouble with defending the strikes that Tosen throws while getting in close so he doesn’t have to worry about body and head kicks, plus he can frustrate Tosen by controlling the pace of the fight in the clinch while methodically positioning Tosen for the takedown! Once he does that, he’ll quickly either mount or side control Tosen and lock in the eventual submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Tosen by Submission; Carr – Tosen by KO Ball: Next to step into the cage will be Abul Khayr Belabed against Azacca Trounvouche! Same each of those names fast three times in a row! The green-haired warrior from Saudi Arabia is 8-10-1 and is currently on a 2-fight losing streak! He lost by unanimous decision to Demetrious Waters at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 so he improved on the second-to-last outing, but as usual, one has to wonder about his mental state! When he’s on his game, he can make an opponent tap out! Question is, will he be ready for this fight!? I have to tell you, Carr, when I saw him in the locker room area, he looked completely disinterested in fighting Trounvouche! Carr: That’s music to “Yardie” Trounvouche’s ears, then, Ball! Not only is he a perfect 4-0 in his young career, but this kick ass Jamaican warrior who represents YABAI brings a lot of energy and aggressiveness! From what you’ve just said, this will be like throwing meat to the lions! Let’s make this quick and easy and say Trounvouche ends this fight in the first with a knockout! Ball: I’ll agree that it ends in the first, but I think he makes him tapout to rub it in! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Trounvouche by Submission; Carr – Trounvouche by KO Ball: The oddly named Dingleberry Jones does battle against Daleb Managedov next! Another member of YABAI, Jones brings a 1-2 record into this battle so he obviously wants to win and pull that record to an even .500! Both of his losses have been by tapout, and I’m sure Managedov and his trainers have emphasized that fact with his preparation for this fight! Jones is a bit shorter and lighter than Managedov but I don’t think that will stop him from rushing in against Manegedov and applying a lot of pressure in the standup! I think he just goes for broke and tries to overwhelm Managedov before he can get his senses! Carr: Well, Ball, like you spoke of for the last fight, I’ll speak of about this fight! I saw Managedov in the locker room area to ask him off-record about his 6-4 overall record, and despite beating Theodore Jasper at RFC 46, he looked like his best friend just died and he didn’t even want to be here tonight, let alone ready to fight! I think this fight will be a wrap before people even get settled into their seats from the previous fight! Jones wins by knockout in the first! Ball: All right, I’ll roll with that opinion! Jones by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Jones by KO; Carr – Jones by KO Ball: Theodore Nouveau and Zhang Jun will undoubtedly be ready for combat tonight! “Beaujolaise” Nouveau is 9-13 overall and had a 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Genji Kamogawa early in the second round at RFC47! Kamogawa poured on the pressure and the punches and it was simply too much for Nouveau to handle! He’ll have to be focused tonight because his opponent will definitely want to capitalize on that latest loss! Nouveau has a substantial height advantage and is also the heavier man, so I expect him to stay light on his feet and use that pronounced reach advantage as best as possible! I suspect he feels as I do that he has to keep this fight in the standup to give himself the best chance of walking away victorious tonight! Carr: Jun, of the FinnFighters, is a respectable 3-1 overall and recently defeated Steven Lurkman by knockout at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27, so he wants to improve upon that performance, especially since it was a first-round knockout! That win also prevented him from losing two in a row so that’s definitely a boost to his confidence! I fully expect him to get in as close to Nouveau as he can as quickly as he can in an effort to take this fight to the ground where he can control the bigger man and use his long limbs against him! Jun has the skills and knowledge to take advantage of the height difference, which makes it easier to lock in certain submissions from what I understand and have seen! Ball: That’s exactly what I think will happen in this fight, Carr! Jun will use good defensive movement to avoid the punches from Nouveau’s long arms and will check any kicks he throws, then he’ll lock Nouveau into a tight clinch, take him down to the mat, and will then go to work on the bigger man until he either wears his down or makes him give up an opening! Once Jun sees that opening, he’ll latch onto Nouveau like a boa constrictor and will make him tapout or napout! Carr: I think Nouveau’s height advantage will keep Jun at bay the entire fight, and in order for him to get in close, he’s going to have to take risks that he may not be willing to take! I’m not sure Jun wants to see if Nouveau’s long arms can bring enough firepower to crack his chin and make him drop like a sack of rocks! I think Nouveau has enough defensive ability to avoid any takedowns and will manage to land some strikes when he does prevent the takedown and Jun is standing back up! Nouveau wears Jun’s jaw down and turns the lights out tonight! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Nouveau by KO; Ball – Jun by Submission Carr: Johnny Baker and Ruff Tuff are the penultimate fight of the night! Baker brings a 6-7-1 record overall, into this fight and his last six fights have not gone well at all for the fighter from Moscow! He’s lost in every way possible with the exception of bleeding out, so at least there’s that! To his credit, he keeps getting up, training hard and bringing what he can to each fight, and I respect that greatly because he hasn’t let his recent string of losses break his warrior spirit! Not many people could endure such shortcomings yet continue to come back and keep fighting! He’s a bit shorter and lighter than Tuff and in my opinion, if he takes the approach of trying to get this fight to the ground where he can not only control it, but seemingly capitalize on Tuff’s inability to defend against submissions, then that could benefit Baker! Ball: Tuff is 0-3 and I would assume he’s very anxious to get his first victory tonight, especially since he’s six years younger than Baker! No one wants to begin their career winless and I think it’s an even bigger sense of urgency for younger fighters because they tend to be more anxious due to youthful exuberance! That youth could definitely be of benefit because he could have a speed and endurance advantage tonight, depending on what Baker has been doing to prepare for this fight, of course. This fight will be interesting because one of these warriors will turn around their recent misfortunes, so the immeasurable will power is a key factor here! The way I see it, Tuff is better off keeping this fight on its feet as best as possible where he can put pressure on Baker and maybe even lock him in a clinch and try to wear the older fighter down while landing damaging body strikes! Carr: This fight is difficult to predict because of the struggles of both fighters, but I’ll take youth over experience, and I say Tuff wins this fight by knockout! I think he’s heard the whispers about him being winless and he may even have been ridiculed on social media, and for young fighters, social media seems to have a major influence on them and that may prove to be a deciding factor in his motivation tonight! Ball: I’ll take experience over youth in this fight! No doubt that Baker is struggling big time but this is a prime opportunity for him to reverse his fortunes, and I have no doubt he’s very well aware of that fact! Add in the fact he’s had ten more fights and that combat and in-cage experience will definitely be an x factor that works in his favor! I think Baker manages to drag the young, energetic Tuff to the mat and he’ll slow the pace down, aggravate Tuff, and make Tuff make the mistake Baker needs to lock in the submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Baker by Submission; Carr – Tuff by KO Ball: And that brings us to the final fight of the night! Steven Lurkman and Ariel Schroder cap off the night of intensity! “Project X” Lurkman is 1-2 overall, and the last time we saw the young 20-year-old fighter from UnderGround Fights Enterprises, he lost a tough battle against Zhang Jun at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 27 by knockout! He obviously wants to overcome that loss and prove that he can withstand power punches and come out on top! From the fights and footage we’ve seen, he’s a very highly skilled young fighter so I’m sure there are frustrations for both his training and management team, but he’s still very young and has a long way to go in his career! Carr: Schroder is 8-6 overall and recently had a 2-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Kreepee Krawlee via an Arm Triangle at RFC 47! Schroder wants to get back on the winning side of things tonight and this an excellent chance to do just that! Battling an opponent with obvious struggles has its advantages and Schroder is no doubt very well aware of that fact! Add in the fact that he’s six years older and this is the opportunity for him to showcase his talents! Technically, he may not be as skilled as Lurkman, that doesn’t mean he’s not able to hang with him! In my opinion, Schroder’s best chance for victory tonight is to drag Lurkman down to the mat and control the pace and space as best and as quickly as possible. Once he manages to do that, he’ll have to work hard to position himself to land some ground-and-pound and either stay with that or use that to cause Lurkman to cover up completely and leave himself open for various submissions! Ball: Usually I go with the more experienced fighter against a young one, but I think Lurkman breaks even on his overall record with a knockout win tonight! I think he just has too much skill and will for Schroder to handle, and I fully expect Lurkman to rush in with a great amount of pressure and look to inundate Schroder with strikes from multiple angles, not only keeping him off balance but opening his defenses up for the knockout punch that Lurkman badly wants! Carr: Schroder will be able to withstand the initial surge of energy from Lurkman and once Lurkman slows down just enough, Schroder will surprise him with a sudden double-leg takedown and will float right into dominant position! Once he get side control or full mount, he’ll either pound Lurkman out or he’ll make him tap! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Schroder by Submission; Ball – Lurkman by KO Carr: All right ladies and gentlemen, once again it’s been our pleasure to bring you another preview of the action of the Rapid Fighting Championship organization! We thank you greatly for taking your time to join us and we hope we provided insight and information that’s of benefit to you! Ball: We’re very grateful to those who tune in and we also thank the multiple crazy MMA fans in attendance for tonight’s action! We hope you enjoy the fights as much as we do and we definitely look forward to seeing who emerges victorious in the various battles! On behalf of Carr, we wish you a good night, and we’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 50 PREVIEW – BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 50 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the esteemed Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you for the introduction as always, Carr! It’s always a pleasure to be here in Sydney for exciting mixed martial arts action that RFC brings each and every time! Carr: That’s absolutely right! There are 5,750 wild and crazy fans here tonight who can’t wait to see what the RFC has in store for them! We have not one but two title fights here tonight as the Lightweight Championship is on the line and the Heavyweight Championship is also on the line! Both of those battles will be incredibly intense and brutal so you know the fans here will eat that up! There are two Lightweight fights, two Heavyweight fights, two Super Heavyweight fights, two Light Heavyweight fights, and one Middleweight fight! Ball: That’s nine explosive and telling fights, ladies and gentlemen! I hope all of you are ready because I know we are! Kicking off the action is the Lightweight championship! Litill Bjornsson defends his title once again and the opponent tonight is managed by our associate, Esiah Xavier! Kieran Busk steps into the cage for the first time in some time and this is one hell of a test! Carr: Kieran Busk started off his career very well but then after a disagreement with his previous management team, he took a hiatus for whatever reason but decided to return to MMA action as a free agent, and Esiah took a chance on him! Talk about an ultimate test for fighter and manager! Ball: To step into the cage against a dominant force like Litill Bjornsson as a return to the cage is one hell of a proposition! “Mini Mountain” is an incredible 27-1 and a future Hall of Fame candidate! This devastating La Familia member has faced stiff competition and has overcome each and every one of them! He’s obviously proven to be a force in the submission aspect of fighting, but he also has solid fists that can turn the lights out on any opponent! I have no doubt that the champion will look to continue that dominance on the ground against Busk tonight! For Busk to have any chance here to pull off a major upset and become the champion, it’s imperative that he keep this fight in the standup at all costs! Carr: Busk is 8-0 heading into this fight, and while that’s a respectable record, again, taking that time off from fighting or training has probably slowed the vast potential he showed earlier in his career! At 27-years-old, he faces the challenge of trying to get back to his younger form while battling against Father Time and outstanding young fighters, as well as fighters around his age who are dominant, just as his opponent tonight is! Against the champion he does have a slight height advantage but isn’t as heavy, so the only way I see this working in his favor is to try and stick-and-move the entire night and absolutely stay away from being clinched or taken down by Bjornsson! If Busk gets locked up in the clinch then it’ll just be a matter of time until he gets dragged down the mat and the beginning of the end happens! Ball: Many men have attempted to stay out of the champs clinch and takedowns but only one has managed to succeed! Busk is a fighter, no doubt, but I just don’t think he’ll be able to recapture the form he had in his younger days! That’s a tall order for anyone and no disrespect to our friend, Esiah, but I don’t know if he and his management team have had enough time to train him to a championship level! Carr: I hear you, Ball, but if anyone can get Busk ready for a championship opportunity, it’s our associate, Xavier! Busk absolutely faces incredible odds but he is a warrior and has a puncher’s chance in this fight, or at least, I think he does! I know this isn’t the popular vote per se, but I’m going to choose Busk to pull off the upset because it’s possible that time away from fighting reenergized him, refocused him, and though he may not have the form and fury he once had, he could very well still be dangerous if underestimated! I say Busk shocks the world with a knockout tonight! Ball: That’s a ballsy prediction, no doubt! As much as I appreciate a hard-working veteran fighter, Bjornsson has just proven to be too much for far too many warriors! He’s simply devastating, bottom line, and unless Busk has an adamantium jaw and a very high tolerance for pain, I just don’t see him walking out of the cage with the title tonight! I think he’ll give Bjornsson a good fight but Bjornsson will counter Busk’s attacks with the takedown, and once this fight goes to the ground, it’s just a matter of time before the champion makes yet another opponent tap out! Bjornsson wins this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Bjornsson by Submission; Carr – Busk by KO Ball: Conor the Barbarian and Scott Barrera are up next and we all know this fight is going to be very hard-hitting and it’s very possible that someone will not only get knocked the hell out, but one or both of these warriors will bleed tonight! Conor brings a 10-1 record into this fight and is obviously very impressive in the cage and has probably won some bodybuilding competitions as well! His solid physique is backed by solid fists and he has used said fists very well! Numerous knockout victories are a testament to that and every opponent who steps into the cage knows what to expect, yet he’s able to execute his plan of making warriors nap, so that speaks volumes about his abilities! Carr: On the other side of the cage, Barrera steps into this title fight with a 5-2 record, which is good, no doubt, but he obviously has an experience disadvantage right from the start! Add in the fact that he’s shorter and lighter and this fight shapes up to be a tough challenge! However, Barrera has also proven that he doesn’t shy away from tough fights and has earned respect in the RFC for that very fact! He does have some momentum with his 3-fight win streak so the time is right for him to face Conor! I expect both Conor and Barrera to be very aggressive in this fight because that’s their style and I don’t think either of them wants to change anything that has proven to work! The question is, will Barrera jump right into the fire and try to go toe-to-toe with Barbarian, or will he try to methodically stick-and-move with counterstrikes and even try to take Conor to the mat to see if he can control him there while landing opportune strikes in an effort to wear him down? Ball: Barrera is really going to have to be light on his feet and create those desired striking angles so he can have his best shot at testing Conor’s chin with his very capable fists! I’m not sure how many fighters can stand toe-to-toe and try to test Conor’s chin while he tests theirs so whatever approach Barrera has to this fight, his defenses will have to be on point! Don’t underestimate Barrera’s punching power either folks! He’s also proven that he can end fights in the blink of an eye with a pinpoint knuckle blast, so the champion will also need to be sharp, fluid and be ready to duck and dodge numerous strikes! I think the champion will do exactly that, however, and I say he retains is title here tonight by knocking out the game Barrera! I just think the champion is a little sharper, more experienced, and motivated! Carr: I’ll choose the underdog in this fight like I did in the first fight! I think Barrera has a prime chance here to shock many people who underestimate his punching power and capabilities in the cage! He may not be as flashy as the champion and looks unassuming, but that doesn’t mean he can’t find another gear in the cage, especially when there’s such a tremendous opportunity for him here tonight! Barrera sends shockwaves around Sydney by knocking out the champion! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Barrera by KO; Ball – Barbarian by KO Carr: The action continues as Luis Maestre and Yhorm Cinder square off in the cage of lamentation! The very large “Dexter Creole” Maestre has battled his way to an 8-2 overall record, and this LEGION OF DOOM member has proven that his fists are filled with dynamite and he’s not afraid to aggressively try to detonate his opponents! He’s only had one fight go past the first round so his modus operandi is definitely get in, unleash hell, and go home! He either cracks the opponent’s jaw or he gets his cracked, and that style has endeared him to many MMA fans here in Sydney! It’s not often that Maestre doesn’t have the height and weight advantage, but it’s fascinating that both he and Cinder are exactly the same height and weight! Ball: I swear both of these dudes have been grown in a lab! To be the same size and weight is one thing, but to be the same height and weight and both be massive!? That’s definitely not common at all and will prove to add a layer of interest to this fight! Maestre is six years youngers and to me, that is an advantage in this fight because it takes a lot to be tall and heavy and just carry all of that, let alone be energetic! That height and weight definitely wears them down faster than the average solid athlete, and that youth adds more energy to the tank as I see it! That will come in handy because both of these behemoths punch extremely hard and any punches they land, especially to the body, sucks the wind right out of the opponent’s lungs! Carr: You raise an excellent point, Ball! The gas tank for men of this size is an absolutely very impactful factor to consider! “The Giant” basically has the same fight experience as Maestre because his overall record is 7-2, which is very respectable! Cinder has a similar aggression to Maestre’s as well because most of his fights have ended in the first round, so I fully expect these two mammoths to stand toe-to-toe at some point! The question is, will Cinder try and counterattack immediately and look for chances to take this fight to the mat in an effort to not only control the action, but to also test Maestre’s ground skills and see if he can work to position himself to lock in a submission and make Maestre tap? If I were Cinder, I would definitely avoid toe-to-toe as much as possible and instead focus my efforts on getting this fight to the ground as fast as possible to avoid unnecessary damage plus make Maestre uncomfortable while pressing my weight on him and wearing him down while improving my positioning to lock in a submission! I think that’s what Cinder will do tonight so I choose him to win this fight by submission! Ball: That’s definitely a smart approach but for Cinder to get Maestre to the mat, he’s going to have to avoid the bombs that Maestre throws with his fists! I don’t think Cinder can move fast enough to avoid the speed of Maestre’s strikes and as a result, he’s going to eat some hard shots and doing that is going to open up opportunities for Maestre to unload a power shot that turns the lights out on Cinder! Maestre wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Maestre by KO; Carr – Cinder by Submission Ball: Up next we have Mwenye Kwadwo and Spanky Loco! Carr: It’s too bad Styles isn’t here because he’d have a field day with the name Spanky Loco! Ball: Ha! Yeah he would and I could just imagine it now! Kwadwo, a member of the LEGION OF DOOM, brings a respectable 9-5 overall record into tonight’s contest! Recently, Kwadwo has been struggling and that has been evident in the last two fights he’s been in! He lost both of those fights in the first round, and the most recent loss occurred in the first thirty-six seconds of the fight! He found himself in a very precarious position against Carter Donovan very quickly and before he could get himself together, Donovan locked in an Arm Triangle that forced the tap! Obviously, Kwadwo is looking to get off the snide and get a win so he can change the current course of events! When he’d locked in and his fists are finding their mark, he’s a dangerous fighter who can make an opponent go night-night in a hurry! Carr: “OG” Loco, the young warrior hailing from Inglewood, Cali, and member of The GBU is seven years younger than Kwadwo, so the experience of Kwadwo could be a factor in this fight! In addition, Kwadwo has had more fights so Loco will have a solid challenge on his hands! However, the young warrior is no doubt ready for this fight and what we have here it the classis standup versus ground fighter! Loco has trained very diligently to sharpen his BJJ skills and has earned a black belt, a very impressive accomplishment in and of itself! I have no doubt Kwadwo is very well aware of that accomplishment and will do everything in his power to avoid feeling what a black belt in BJJ means! Loco is going to have to have his head on a swivel and his feet agile because I don’t think he wants to test his chin against the punching power and striking prowess that Kwadwo possesses! I assure you that this fight will be fast and furious because these are two more aggressive fighters in that cage, and it obviously benefits both of them to establish themselves as quickly as possible! Ball: I think Kwadwo and his age and experience will be the deciding factor in this fight, Carr! He’s dealt with young, fast and capable fighters before who are well-versed in the submission game and he has overcome them! He knows what it takes to survive any onslaught and though Loco will be energetic and fierce from the start, Kwadwo will figure out away to avoid punishment and especially avoid being dragged to the mat! He’ll counter and frustrate Loco then land that one solid shot he needs to turn the tide and end this fight abruptly! Kwadwo wins by knockout! Carr: I think the young tattooed lion wins this fight with aggression, determination and surprising speed and strength! I think he’ll cause Kwadwo to put himself into an inauspicious position and he’ll jump on that change right then and there, drag Kwadwo to the mat and will aggressively land ground-and-pound until Kwadwo leaves his hands up too long while defending and Loco locks in a submission to end the fight right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Loco by Submission; Ball – Kwadwo by KO Carr: Royce Gracie and Brady Jackson step into the cage next to prove themselves! At 15-3 overall, Gracie has proven himself as a former champion and quite the submission artist! Earlier in his career he had an incredible string of victories, all by submission, but his last outing wasn’t the success he hoped to continue! Jambe De Bois bested him in the second round at RFC 46 by TKO so Gracie will obviously fight to overcome that recent loss and put himself into the championship conversation as quickly as possible! There’s no doubt that he and his fellow Hybrid Fighting Alliance members are very confident in his abilities, and that confidence is obviously very important! He’ll need that because he’s the shorter and lighter fighter tonight! Ball: Jackson is an unblemished 5-0, an excellent start to his career, and he’s accomplished that record with high energy, great aggression, and impactful punches! The Philly product and LEGION OF DOOM member has never been past the first round, so Gracie may look to try and slow down the pace in hopes of frustrating Jackson! I’m sure Jackson and his training team have prepared for that potential situation as best as possible and I don’t think Jackson will be caught off guard by that approach if Gracie does in fact take that angle! Jackson knows his height and weight advantage can be used effectively tonight, especially if he can establish great movement, speed and counterstrikes when openings present themselves! If he can press Gracie against the cage and keep him there while landing punishing strikes of various kinds then he could very well make this a one-sided fight while keeping the more experienced fighter off balance and prevent him from taking the fight to the ground where he’s most comfortable! Carr: I’m going to take the undefeated young stallion tonight because he not only has granite in his knuckles but he also has championship experience! Gracie obviously has that as well but Jackson having it at this stage of his career undoubtedly adds motivation to his will and determination! Those are key factors to have against an opponent with much more fighting experience! I think Jackson overwhelms Gracie from the start and lands pain-inducing strikes that prevent Gracie from taking this fight to the mat! Jackson pummels Gracie into a knockout! Ball: I’ll take the veteran to win this fight because he’s proven his championship mettle, ability to handle various adverse situations, plus come out on top! He can lock in a submission from the standup, also, and I think people forget that key element! He has slippery movement and defense, and all he has to do is make Jackson miss one of those power punches then counter that opening by shooting in and immediately establishing side control or full mount! From there, Gracie will land damaging strikes while creating that opportunity to lock in the submission that Jackson can’t escape from! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Gracie by Submission; Carr – Jackson by KO Ball: Axel Aethelwulf and Grant Alyoshin square off in the next battle, and this battle has been anticipated! Aethelwulf brings a 10-4 overall record and that odd aura that I can’t explain when I see this dude! Anyway, This Stepdads member from Kiribati is sharp with his fists and can deliver various types of punches from various angles! In his last outing, he had a tough battle against Scott Barrera and lost in the third round by knockout! I have no doubt that Aethelwulf will be greatly motivated to not only overcome that loss but to also prove he belongs on the title conversation! He does have championship experience from earlier in his career so that’s something he can rely upon at any point in time! He’s shorter than Alyoshin so he’ll need to ensure he keeps his head moving to take away the reach advantage Alyoshin has! Carr: “Sweet Ass Knees” Alyoshin steps into the cage with a 3-2 overall record, which, quite frankly, is surprising because he’s shown excellent skills in both the standup and ground fighting aspects! Since he does have the height advantage in this fight, I fully expect him to stay on the outside and use laser accuracy to slow down Aethelwulf while keeping him at a distance! Alyoshin will also likely use quick jabs to test Aethelwulf’s punching defense, and if Alyoshin feels he has an advantage then he’ll step up the level of aggression and will be willing to throw more power shots! Alyoshin had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Conor The Barbarian, but that’s not anything to hang his head about! When locked in, Alyoshin has proven he can win with his punches and yes, even his sweet ass knees, so locking Aethelwulf into a clinch against the cage and keeping him there while looking to land elbows, knees and punches may very well be the approach he takes! Ball: I’ll roll with the veteran in this fight! I think Aethelwulf’s fighting experience advantage will allow him to avoid being locked into a clinch as well as keep himself from eating power punches and knees from Alyoshin! Aethelwulf may even be willing to test Alyoshin’s punching power by taking the chance of rushing in quickly and trading strikes with him! If Alyoshin can’t land those coveted power shots or accurately hit Aethelwulf, I expect Axel to increase his movement and look to change the angles of his punches to keep Alyoshin off balance long enough to land that one power shot he needs to end this fight! Carr: I’ll choose Alyoshin to win this fight because he had very good momentum prior to his loss to the dominant Conor! Losing to the champion may have been of great benefit, actually, because he got a taste of what it takes to be a champion and he can use that first-hand experience to improve his focus and hone his training! I also think Alyoshin will be able to use his height advantage to keep Aethelwulf at a distance and if there is close combat, Alyoshin has the strength and ability to prevent himself from being dominated in the clinch! Alyoshin wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Alyoshin by KO; Ball – Aethelwulf by KO Carr: Jimrex Jaca and Ari Baba are the next two combatants to step into the cage! “The Sleeping Pill” enters this fight with a 4-3 overall record so he’s definitely looking to avoid falling to an even record here tonight! He’s absolutely aggressive and can be absolutely devastating as well! That was proven in his last fight against James Fusi at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 where he only needed ten seconds to knock him out! Having a dominant win like that works wonders for anyone’s confidence so he no doubt feels great about himself and his chances! His 2-fight win streak has been achieved with first-round wins and I don’t think he knows any other gear other than full force! As we know, fans love that type of fighter so he brings a level of excitement to each of his fights, win or lose! He’s quite a bit shorter than Baba so I expect him to try and get in tight and work over the body and legs of Baba in an effort to slow the taller man and make him drop his hands! Ball: “Dono” Baba is a solid 7-4 overall and the UnderGround Fights Enterprise member is on a 2-fight win streak, so his confidence is high as well! That fact alone will make this an interesting fight to watch because confidence and pride lead to more risks in the cage! Sometimes they pay off while other times they don’t! That’s just a matter of fact! Similar to Jaca, Baba brings aggression and punches with plenty of pop! Since he has quite the height advantage here tonight, I expect him to dance around on the outside and keep Jaca at a distance with combination punches, well-timed kicks, and overall body movement! If Jaca manages to get close to Baba, I don’t think Baba will have any problems locking Jaca into a clinch and keeping the fight there! His height will enable him to rain down elbows with sharp angles and momentum and that could easily turn the tide of this fight! Carr: I’ll choose Jaca to win this fight because I think he’s fully capable of avoiding strong strikes to his chin as he bobs and weaves his way into close proximity to Baba and locks him in the clinch! Once he manages to do that, he’ll work over Baba’s ribs and stomach with nasty punches and unexpected knees which will sap Baba’s energy and open him up for the knockout punch that Jaca’s capable of delivering! Ball: I’ll take Baba to win this fight by using his height advantage and aggressive tactics to test Jaca’s chin early and often! I don’t think Jaca can sustain absorbing punishing punches from Baba and that will allow Baba to move into better position and deliver devastating hooks and uppercuts that turn the lights out on Jaca! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Baba by KO; Carr – Jaca by KO Ball: Malachi Bolton and Jake Bird square off in the second-to-last fight! “The Lightning” Bolton is 3-2 overall and is on a 2-fight win streak, so the timing of this fight is very good for him because his confidence will be high! Against Orla Wanker at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26, he looked very sharp while earning a Guillotine submission victory late in the second round! Bolton has won and lost in every way possible, with the exception of losing by cuts, so he’s a bit hard to prepare for at times! In this fight, he’s a good bit taller than Bird and that will help him quite a bit because my assumption is Bird will look to take this fight to the ground and try to win by tapout! Keeping this fight in the standup will be priority number one for Bolton and look for him to try and lock Bird into the clinch where he can use that height to land brutal, slicing elbows and punishing knees! Various HERITAGE members have said they feel Bolton can also land some nasty kicks to not only slow down Bird but also potentially drop him with one well-placed head kick! Carr: “The Tacoma Ax-Killer” Bird is 3-1 overall in his young career and the FinnFighters member has shown a propensity to be a submission artist! In all of his victories, he has made the opponent tapout in the first round, so look for that pattern of aggression to be incorporated in this fight as well! The only loss on his record is at the hands of Athos Knox, and that was by unanimous decision, so Bolton may opt to try and drag this fight out and go for a decision win! I know Bolton doesn’t favor that approach from what I’ve seen but Bird should be prepared for that as well! It’s also possible that Bird will attempt to counter-attack the kicks that Bolton is sure to unleash. If he can keep Bolton off balance, Bird will be able to shoot in for the takedown when Bolton misses one of those kicks, especially if it’s a high kick, and he can then go to work right away on establishing dominant position, wearing Bolton down, and maneuvering for the submission! Ball: Since they both have similar fighting experience and are basically the same age, I’ll take Bolton to win this fight because he’s looked on top of his game the last two fights he’s been in plus I think he has the diversity to be aggressive or be patient! He can adapt to the action and weather the rush that Bird may try to catch him off guard with, and a well-timed head kick or uppercut when Bird shoots in for the takedown will stop the fight right then and there! Carr: I think Bird will be able to position himself to keep the taller fighter from using that reach advantage to its full extent, and he’ll also have the speed advantage against the taller man! Making Bolton miss that one vital kick is all Bird will need to take this fight to the ground where he can quickly get into dominant position and rain down strikes from full mount until Bolton is knocked out or gives up his back for the submission! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Bird by Submission; Ball – Bolton by KO Carr: And that brings us to the final fight of the night! Charlie Astro and Test Two are the last two rams to lock horns in the cage! Astro is a perfect 4-0 thus far in his career and the LEGION OF DOOM feels his potential is very great! Over his four fights, his fists have spoken volumes as he’s never gone past the first round yet! In addition, he’s already been a champion and that’s vital experience to have at any point in time, but it’s especially beneficial for a young fighter! Astro has both the height and weight advantage against Two! With those factors in his favor, I expect Astro to keep this fight in the standup to the best of his abilities and may even try to clinch Two so he can press his weight against him and wear him down while landing opportune punches! He may also opt to implore the stick-and-move approach because that may very well be the best bet he has to avoid being taken down a clinch situation and give himself enough distance to see the takedown attempts made from beyond his kicking range! Ball: Two is 2-1 overall and this young warrior from Sonora, Cali, is a proud member of Convicted Inc.! Like Astro, Two has looked very sharp and during his 2-fight win streak, he’s shown that he can go the distance if need be or end a fight with a flurry of punches! A few members of Convicted Inc. spoke about Two’s ability to handle any situation, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Two begins this fight by going toe-to-toe with Astro to test his strength and punching power then, in the blink of an eye, shoot in, take this fight to the mat and wear the taller, heavier man down with patient strikes and timely transitions to put himself at angles where he can control the pace while doing damage to Astro! Carr: I’ll choose Two to win this fight because I think his adaptability will enable him to avoid the power punches that Astro will unfurl while using good footwork to get himself close so he can chop away at the taller man before going for the takedown! Once the takedown has occurred, I think Two has the ability and strength to control Astro’s movements and will be able to purposefully position himself so he can land strikes while looking for the submission win! Ball: I think Astro has the punching power to put a halt to any momentum Two may establish in this fight! I don’t think Two has the punching power to make Astro overly cautious and since that’s the case, Astro can be a little less defensive-minded and look more aggressively to assert himself as the more energetic, aggressive fighter who’s willing to launch rockets for punches and if one of those land, this fight is a wrap! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Astro by KO; Carr – Two by Submission Ball: That concludes another Rapid Fighting Championship preview! Carr and I thank you very much for taking the time to join us as we look deeper at each matchup and do our best to provide insight about each competitor! Carr: It’s a privilege for us to bring you the information that we do and we do our best to entertain you while doing so! It means a lot to us that you take time to join us and for those of you who are placing bets on these fights, maybe we’ve provided that one precious nugget of information you need to make a final decision! On behalf of Ball, we wish all of you well and we look forward to seeing you at the fights!

I greatly appreciate it as always, brotha. In terms of emailing the link to managers to access the previews in this forum, that's something that the RFC organizers will have to email to the managers in the organization. I don't have permission to do that.

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 49 PREVIEW - BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 49 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the esteemed Chris Ball! Ball: I appreciate your kind words and flattering introduction as always, Carr! Per the norm, RFC has an explosive lineup of fights tonight that will be sure to rock the house and the 5,750 rabid fans who’ll fill the arena tonight! Carr: That’s right, Ball! Rapid Fighting Championship has another outstanding night of action planned for the masses and we begin the night with the Super Heavyweight Championship on the line! Ball: The large and in charge super heavyweights hit the cage and they’ll definitely shake things up, and that’s just the first fight! Carr: There will be two Super Heavyweight fights, three Bantamweight fights, three Welterweight fights, and two Middleweight fights! Ball: There’s plenty of action in various weight classes to spark the interest of any MMA fan! Carr: Kicking off the fireworks will be Ryo Takuma and Lurch Addams! Ball: The Addams family definitely has good representation in the RFC because there are a couple of them fighting in Japan tonight as well! Carr: Yes they do, and Lurch has an opportunity to add to the family legacy, but he’ll have to get past an excellent champion in Ryo Takuma! The “Red Dragon” with his signature bright red Mohawk steps into this title defense with a very good 10-3 overall record and a 3-fight winning streak, so he brings a good amount of momentum into this fight! Confidence is never an issue with the hard-hitting Stepdads member from Japan, and like many of us expect, I look for him to stick with what has worked very well for him and that is unleashing furious fists that cause major damage! None of his fights have gone past the second round so the pace will be quick, intense and painful! Addams will definitely have to be sharp on his defenses and be ready to equal the energy and passion that Takuma brings to each and every fight! Takuma is much shorter than Addams so look for him to target the body of the taller man with vicious punches that suck the wind out of the sails of the challenger! Takuma will also look to use his age advantage and try to outsmart the young upstart! Ball: “You Rang” Addams is an impressive 8-2-1 in his young career and is absolutely deserving of this title opportunity! Some of the UnderGround Fights Enterprise members I spoke with apprised me that they feel Addams’ muay thai skills will be the difference in this fight because they don’t think Addams or Takuma will try and take this fight to the ground! They said that Addams has been working diligently on improving his kicks and since he’s quite a bit taller than Takuma, those kicking skills could very well be the difference maker because he can chop the legs of the shorter fighter and land opportune body kicks that not only hurt like hell, but they also slow down an opponent while sapping their energy! Addams is also on a 3-fight winning streak so he brings with him a good amount of momentum and confidence, and those are very important attributes to have in a title fight! Like you, I expect to see plenty of bone-crunching punches and kicks delivered and absorbed in toe-to-toe action and the man who can land the cleanest shot to the chin walks out of that cage with the title around his big waist! Carr: I think the younger Addams will be able to win the title tonight, Ball, because he has basically the same amount of experience that the champion does plus he’s younger, and having that youthful energy coupled with a substantial height difference will allow him to unleash flurry after flurry of punches that Takuma will have to spend a lot of time and energy either blocking or dodging, and in doing that he won’t be able to counterattack effectively, which will play right into Addams’ hands! Addams sets the champion up for a clean shot and the lights get turned out! Ball: I’ll take the older fighter because he’s proven that he can deal with a surge of energy from younger fighters and come right back with energy and heat of his own! The champion knows how to use an opponent’s strength against them and that will be the case here tonight! I think Addams will be too anxious and that will open up the chance for Takuma to rock his chin with a nasty hook which ends the fight right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Takuma by KO; Carr – Addams by KO Ball: Alejandro Arciniega and James Fusi step into the cage next to show all of us what they’re capable of! “The Kraken” Arciniega from Houston brings that Texas heat and an overall 6-2 record! He recently had a 4-fight win streak snapped by the current Super Heavyweight champ, Ryo Takuma, at RFC 42 in a surprising first-round knockout! Many people, myself included, thought the fight would go the full distance but Takuma had other plans! That loss to Takuma cost Arciniega the title but you better believe he’s still very much in the hunt for the title! He has a slight height and weight advantage here tonight and I expect him to utilize solid boxing and muay thai skills with good footwork, defense, and pinpoint punching to setup the heavier artillery! Carr: “Relentless” Fusi lives up to that moniker with his very aggressive approach to all of his fights! Although he’s 7-6 overall and has won and lost some rather painful battles, he continues to put everything on the line each time he steps into the cage and I respect that! He’s had his shots to win a title but has unfortunately come up short each and time and he currently is on a 2-fight losing streak! He definitely wants to get things turned around because any more losses will definitely test his morale and mental state! When his fists are accurate they are brutal and crushing! Arciniega absolutely can’t underestimate him because that could be costly and if Arciniega wants to stay in the title hunt, he’s going to have to be smart in his approach to this fight! Ball: That’s a very good point though that can be said about every fight! Throwing caution to the wind, though admirable, isn’t the smartest approach in my book and I don’t think anyone can really risk that unless they just know they’re far superior than an opponent! I’ve seen physically dominant fighters get rocked because they were overconfident and all it takes is one split second of letting your guard down to have the tide of a fight turn! This fight will be a classic toe-to-toe battle and I think Arciniega takes this one by knockout! I know I normally side with the more experienced fighter, but “Kraken” has more to prove tonight, in my opinion, especially since he wants to have another title shot as soon as possible! A great showing here tonight may very well make that happen and he’s fully aware of it! Arciniega wins by knockout! Carr: Fusi’s aggression and knockout power will catch Arciniega by surprise and will also open some eyes with his boxing ability in particular! True, his record isn’t the best, but the man is capable in that cage, and I think his aggressive approach can overwhelm people because they underestimate him! I think he catches Arciniega with a combination of body and head punches that cause him to kiss canvas! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Fusi by KO; Ball – Arciniega by KO Carr: Killer Kidd and Ichiro Suzuki keep the action going next! Kidd is an unblemished 5-0-2 and he knows he has a big target on his back tonight against Suzuki because Suzuki wants to be the first fighter to put an “L” on Kidd’s record! In the five fights that Kidd has won, all of them have been by unanimous decision except for his split decision victory over Diogo Jimenez, so there’s no question he has the cardio to hang with any opponent! However, there are whispers around various areas that he doesn’t have the ability to turn the lights out on an opponent, and if that’s the case, opponents may take a bigger risk because they don’t feel he’ll be able to badly damage or knock them out! Various LEGION OF DOOM members told me that they hope Suzuki underestimates Kidd’s power! Now, Kidd can use that to his advantage because he can setup opponents to leave openings he can capitalize on with quick, accurate strikes and then cover up as soon as he lands those strikes! Keep in mind that winning by decision also means he hasn’t lost by knockout and avoiding long-term major damage is very smart in my opinion! He’s definitely shorter and lighter than Suzuki and I look for him to chop away at Suzuki’s legs and body with a multitude of kicks and counter punches! Ball: “Broom-Broom” Suzuki is 7-2 overall and most recently lost to Tamid Nasib at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26 by TKO in the second round! He’s shown time and again that he’s very capable on the ground and has forced numerous fighters to tap out so expect his goal to get this fight to the ground as soon as possible to control the pace and space while positioning himself for submission attempts! Suzuki was very dominant in a QFC Tournament and he’s looking to improve upon that success, especially in the standup portion of his skills, and he also has four years’ time over Kidd, and having that age, experience and string of success will enable him to adapt to the speed at which Kidd operates! I think Suzuki knows that if he doesn’t match the speed and intensity that Kidd is sure to bring, he may find himself locked in a clinch that he can’t get out of and if that’s the case, he’ll have a hell of a time trying to drag Kidd to the mat because Kidd is also quite skilled on the ground! Carr: I think Kidd wins this fight by unanimous decision because, as you stated, Suzuki is going to have one hell of a time trying to take this fight to the ground, and even if he manages to do that, I don’t think he’ll be able to control Kidd on the mat nor make him tap because Kidd has excellent defensive skills! Kidd will hold onto him and force the action back to its feet where he’ll be able to capitalize and score points while avoiding damage and submitting! Ball: I think Suzuki’s age and experience will be key elements in this fight and he’ll be able to figure out how to use the speed and aggression that Kidd has displayed in all of his fights! Setting Kidd up for counterattacks and counter takedowns may be the approach Suzuki uses and I think he can be very effective with that approach! Suzuki weathers the unleashing of energy early in this fight, slows the pace, drags Kidd to the mat, and gets the submission! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Suzuki by Submission; Carr – Kidd by Unanimous Decision Ball: Tim Drive and Marcin Cutlas are next into the cage of pain! “Lovable Sex” Drive is currently an even 3-3 in his young career and the exuberant Canadian is looking to stay on the positive side of the win column here tonight against Cutlas! This is the second time these two will be squaring off and that familiarity will actually be beneficial to the both of them! The last time these two locked horns, Drive won by split decision and there were arguments for both men that they should have won. This time around I have no doubt that Drive wants to finish Cutlas before the final horn sounds so he can leave no doubt about his ability to beat this man! To do that, I think Drive will have to try and get the upper hand in the standup portion of this fight then look to try and get Cutlas to the ground where he may be able to control Cutlas and eventually position him for a submission! If Drive decides to stand and bang with Cutlas, that will be a risky proposition but he may be able to land that one punch that can change the course of the battle! Carr: Cutlas steps into this battle with a 3-1 record, his sole loss being to Drive that you spoke of earlier, Ball! Needless to say, that will add extra incentive to Cutlas to win this fight and silence any doubters that may have surfaced from the last time they squared off! This proud Mexican fighter, who is a member of the LEGION OF DOOM, will undoubtedly look to end this fight early with his fists! He’s earned TKO victories so he’s proven that he can jump on an opponent and sustain high levels of energy and intensity while unloading painful, punishing strikes! The personal vendetta between these two will add ferocity and fire to this battle and will make it that much more interesting to behold! The man who is able to snap the head back of the opponent with a devastating uppercut will emerge as the winner! Ball: I think that man will be Drive! I say that because he’s a bit more experienced and though controversial to some, he did win the last time these two squared off and having that mental edge and confidence goes a very long way! I think Drive will use his excellent boxing skills to set Cutlas up for a nasty 1-2 combination that ends the fight with no controversy! Carr: I can easily see Cutlas ending this fight in a hurry because he’s going to be very intense, highly focused, and extra motivated to avenge that controversial loss you mentioned, Ball! Cutlas felt he got the short end of the stick and he wants to leave no doubt that he’s the better fighter, so look for him to go to the body to make Drive’s hands drop and then he’ll feint, make Drive expose his chin, and boom! Cutlas will drop him with a solid right and that will be all she wrote! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Cutlas by KO; Ball – Drive by KO Carr: Jesse Kotkaniemi and Twisty Kneereaper face off tonight, and it promises to be dynamite! The Finnish Kotkaniemi is 6-3 overall and is on a 2-fight win streak heading into this fight! He looked sharp in his fight against Tyrone Waters at RFC 45, beating him with punches in the first round to win by knockout, so don’t be surprised if we see that same level of energy, aggressiveness and hard-hitting punches from him! Kotkaniemi has shown a little trouble handling fighters who are skilled on the ground so Kneereaper may take that approach and Kotkaniemi will have to be ready for that possibility! Ball: Kneereaper will absolutely look to use his slight weight advantage to drag Kotkaniemi to the mat where he can avoid those solid fists while wearing him down and positioning him for various submission holds! Kneereaper has the very same 6-3 record overall so this is an even match on various levels! This does boil down to who can impose their will the fastest, however, and from the history of these fighters, it’s possible that Kneereaper is the more aggressive fighter! He’s on a 3-fight win streak and has ended those battles quickly. Kotkaniemi’s defensive grappling had better be sharp and ready because if it’s not then he may find himself in a world of hurt in a short period of time! I don’t think Kneereaper has any trepidation in having this fight stay on its feet for a while either as he’s demonstrated improving standup skills! Carr: I think Kotkaniemi will win this fight by knockout because he knows full well that Kneereaper favors the submission game, and avoiding takedowns will be high on the priority list for Kotkaniemi tonight! I think he has the footwork, speed and intelligence to stay away from takedown situations and if this fight ends up in the clinch then he’ll be able to target the body of Kneereaper and decrease his strength and flexibility to the point where he can’t get the takedown and will have to alter his approach! Ball: I’ll choose Kneereaper to win by submission because I think he can hang with Kotkaniemi in the standup portion of this fight and thwart any attacks he has planned, and once that happens then Kneereaper can move in, score a takedown, methodically work his way into dominant position then lock on any number of submissions he’s capable of! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Kneereaper by Submission; Carr – Kotkaniemi by KO Ball: Robert Grandis and Obi Wan Kenobi bring the heat to the cage next! Grandis has fought his way to a 6-2-1 record overall but recently lost to Killer Kidd at RFC 44 by unanimous decision! In addition to that loss, the last time he stepped into the cage against Obi Wan Kenobi was at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21 where that battle was declared a draw! The desire to overcome that draw and prove that he can beat Obi Wan will absolutely add fuel to this battle and will add a layer of drama as well! Grandis has proven that his fists are dangerous and carry a lot of impact when they hit! Kenobi’s striking defense will have to be on par because if he gets hit clean with one of those incendiary shots, his night could end rather abruptly! It’s impressive that a hard-hitting fighter like Grandis hasn’t lost by knockout either and that’s a testament to his defensive training! He’s a little shorter and heavier than Kenobi and may opt to try and get in close and land body shots on Kenobi while utilizing those power punches! This Whambam! member better be full of wham and bam tonight! Carr: “The Master Jedi” is 5-2-3 overall and most recently lost a title shot at RFC 45 to Moganesh Jain by Guillotine submission in the second round! He’ll definitely want to get back into the win column here tonight because a losing streak is something no fighter wants, especially if he wants to stay in the title hunt in this very competitive division! When Kenobi is locked and loaded his fists are as dangerous as anyone’s in this business! However, in this fight he may look to try and keep Grandis at a distance by using both his fists and feet because he may have a distinct kicking advantage here tonight! If he’s able to utilize those muay thai skills and land leg and body kicks on Grandis then Grandis will have to slow his pace and take a more calculated approach or he risks suffering his first knockout loss! Slowing that pace will enable Kenobi to take more time to land accurate punches and that accuracy will break down Grandis’ defenses and Kenobi can test his chin! Ball: Since both of these fighters basically have the same fight experience, I’m going to trust my gut and I’ll take Kenobi to win this fight! Who knows, maybe it’s my affinity for Star Wars that’s making me feel that way, but I think he’ll be able to keep Grandis at bay with well-placed strikes and then he’ll setup the angle he’s looking for and land the knockout blow! Carr: I think Grandis wins this fight by knockout because his punching power is proven and the desire to prove naysayers wrong by beating Kenobi adds a dimension of passion and desire to his approach to this fight! I think he’ll be able to stick and move effectively while avoiding taking any damage from Kenobi, and when that window opens where Kenobi’s defense slip ever so slightly, Grandis will unload a jaw-rocking punch that ends the fight! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Grandis by KO; Ball – Kenobi by KO Carr: Chok Delarock and Uriah Chin follow up the battle of vengeance! “A Block” is an even 8-8 but has had major struggles lately! He lost 5 fights in a row and of course the first thing that comes to mind is his mental and emotional state! Anyone suffering five losses in a row has to be hurting on various levels! He’s taller and lighter than Chin tonight and I expect him to use that height to stay on the outside and fire away with jabs and crosses to keep distance from Chin until he feels there may be a chance for him to shoot in for a takedown and go for the submission win! However, that will prove to be difficult because Chin has proven that he’s capable of taking care of business on the ground, so this fight may be more of a chess match than an all-out brawl! The seven-year age advantage he has over Chin may serve him well also because that particular experience can lead him to outthink the younger fighter! Ball: Chin has fought his way to a 9-4 overall record but lost his last fight to Gemechu McKraken at RFC 45 by TKO in the first! That was a tough loss because if he literally held on for one more second, he would have made it out of the round and may have been able to turn things around in the second! That fact may be in the back of his mind in this fight and he’ll use that to step up his level of aggression and desire to end this fight as soon as possible! The assumption is his morale and spirits are higher since he only recently lost as opposed to having a long losing streak so the confidence he has can overcome the age difference between these warriors! Chin has worked hard to become a well-rounded fighter, but in this fight I expect him to try and take it to the ground where I feel he has the advantage! I think he has no problem with Delarock’s ability on the ground and, quite frankly, wants to beat him at his supposed strength to rub it in while tacking on a ninth loss in a row! He knows Delarock is struggling and he’ll take full advantage of that fact! Carr: No disrespect to Delarock but it’s definitely difficult to choose a fighter who has dropped eight fights in a row to win! I don’t see him finally snapping that winless streak here tonight against Chin, so I choose Chin to win by submission! Ball: Like you, I don’t think Delarock can get the job done here tonight! Chin is too skilled on the ground plus Delarock is in a serious funk, and that’s damn hard to get out of! Chin by submission! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Chin by Submission; Carr – Chin by Submission Ball: Gaga Gogo, quite the unique name, and Yanji Klushinwa step into the cage to prove who is better! “Grinder” Gogo is 3-2 overall and recently defeated Nathaniel Syndicate at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25, which, quite frankly, was very surprising to a lot of people, myself included! That just goes to show you that anything can happen in that cage! Gogo has won fights by TKO so he can bring the damage and pain with his fists! Klushinwa will need to have his head on a swivel because if he doesn’t, he may very well end up dazed, confused and bruised while Gogo unleashes hell on him! Gogo is shorter and much lighter than Klushinwa so I expect him to use that assumed speed and maneuverability advantage to land power shots and move out of range before Klushinwa can land any effective counter strikes! Carr: Well, Ball, I’ll keep this very simple! I spoke with Klushinwa earlier today and he has that zoned out zombie look that never leads to anything good! Simply put, he doesn’t want to fight Gogo! That makes things very easy for me! Gogo wins by knockout! Ball: That’s easy enough though very shameful! Gogo by knockout, absolutely! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Gogo by KO; Carr – Gogo by KO Ball: Phil Domphy and Skjoldr Leifsson are up after that fight and are the second-to-last cage war we’ll witness tonight! Domphy brings a 3-2 record into the cage tonight as well as a recent loss to Colote Magrin at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 by Armbar submission in the second round! He wants to put on a much better show tonight, obviously, plus get back into the win column! In order to do that, I think he’ll have to take the fight to Leifsson and maintain a high level of energy mixed with a multitude of strikes that make Leifsson go more on the defensive! If Domphy can manage to do that then he may force an opening that Leifsson doesn’t plan on exposing then Domphy can take this fight to the ground where I think he has a chance to control the action there! I don’t think he can get Leifsson to tap out but he can manage to keep himself from taking damage plus control the action enough to score points for ring control! Carr: The slightly older and crazier Icelandic warrior named Leifsson steps into the cage with a 2-1 record tonight! Various members of Vendetta told me that they fully expect Leifsson to launch a vicious tirade and look to end this fight early, be it in the standup or on the ground! They believe Leifsson is simply better than Domphy in all aspects of the fight game and he’ll take more risks than usual to overwhelm Domphy and go home early! If that’s the attitude and approach then Domphy will have no choice but to match that high intensity or suffer the consequences! Ball: I have to agree with Vendetta that Leifsson will rush in and end this fight early! I just think he’s too much for Domphy to handle and this fight won’t make it out of the first round! I say Leifsson turns out the lights by knockout in the first! Carr: I’ll take the assumed underdog in this fight! Domphy may have something in store for Leifsson that he doesn’t expect and the aggression and possible overconfidence Leifsson has heading into this fight may end up being his downfall! I say Domphys shocks many people and wins this fight by submission! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Domphy by Submission; Ball – Leiffson by KO Carr: And that brings us to the concluding fight of the night! That honor goes to Bosse Severus and Juanito Ferguson! Severus is taking a leap of faith, so to speak, as this is his first foray into the cage! Some LEGION OF DOOM members informed me that Severus and his purple Mohawk have been training very intently and we should pay attention to the boxing skills he brings into the cage in particular! I like it when a young, unproven fighter steps directly into combat in an organization such as this one and takes the risk of either having his debut go swimmingly or turn out to be disastrous! It’s a lot to take in but it’s also exhilarating, and we’ll see how Severus holds up under the pressure of being a rookie! He’s shorter but stockier than Ferguson so if his boxing skills are as pronounced as LEGION OF DOOM claims, expect him to go to the body early and often while looking for vicious uppercuts that will test the chin on Ferguson! Ball: “La Alimana” is an even 4-4 overall but is sliding with a 3-fight losing streak! He has the advantage in terms of age and fighting experience, but I’ll say this, Carr! I saw Ferguson backstage and dude isn’t focused at all! He looks like he’d rather be watching Netflix and eating ice cream than stepping into the cage of combat! Carr: Well, hell, in that case, I’m taking the rookie, Severus, to win this fight by knockout! Maybe that’ll wake Ferguson up! Ball: I wholeheartedly agree! Severus wins his debut in very convincing fashion! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Severus by KO; Carr – Severus by KO Ball: Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for joining Carr and I for another episode of Rapid Fighting Championship Preview! We do truly appreciate all of you and thank you for your precious time! Carr: We value all of you and thank you greatly for allowing us to provide insight and opine about what we think we’ll see! We hope all of you are as excited as we are about these fights and for those who are betting, we wish you the very best and hope some information we’ve provided helps you win big! Take care, have a great night and we’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 29 PREVIEW HARD KNOCKS ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 29! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the intrepid Furious Styles! Styles: Intrepid? I like that! I am rather intrepid and I don’t want to live any other way! We have another packed house tonight as 3,000 wild MMA fans await major action tonight! Xavier: That’s absolutely correct! Tonight will be a very telling night as we have two titles on the line! Will the Welterweight and Featherweight titles change hands tonight, or will the respective champions be able to hold suit and successfully defend their gold!? In total we have ten fights comprised of three Welterweight fights, three Featherweight fights, two Bantamweight fights, one Super Heavyweight fight, and one Middleweight fight! Styles: You know how we do in the RFC and tonight will be no exception! As always there’s a lot on the line but there’s an extra somethin’ somethin’ when titles are on the line! The intensity is increased, the focus is tighter, and the nerves are alive! Motivation, pressure, and confidence will all be tested big time in the very first two fights we have tonight! Xavier: Well said, Styles! Kicking off tonight’s action will be Martin Eugen and Chief Navajo for the Featherweight title! Eugen brings his 20-4 record, along with his heavily tattooed physique, into this battle with a 5-fight win streak and worlds of confidence! A funny pattern has emerged with his fights. The last five fights have ended in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth rounds! Styles: Seriously!? That’s a wild coincidence, or is it!? Xavier: I’m sure that’s not something he planned on having happen, but if he did, that would be unbelievable! Throughout his career, and especially on The Island, his fists have done the talking for this accomplished fighter and champion, and I have no doubt that Navajo is very well aware of that fact and has prepared accordingly! Eugen has a slight height and age advantage, plus his time on The Island forced him to endure various opponents of various strengths, so he has been able to adapt quite a bit and his standup is proven to be very solid! Various members of The Stepdads informed me that they feel Eugen has quite the advantage in the standup aspect of this fight because of what he endured on The Island, so time will tell just how true or not that really is! One truth is he has fourteen more fights in his career than Navajo does, and that’s a major advantage in my opinion! Styles: There’s no doubt in my mind that Navajo’s loss to Eugen at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 14 is still very prevalent in his mind! That was the beginning of a 3-fight losing streak, but to Navajo’s credit, he was able to turn things around and steps into this championship opportunity on a 2-fight win streak! In addition, he’s also previously held gold and that experience is very valuable! He’s going to need that valuable experience against Eugen because the only way I see Navajo pulling off this victory is to get the fight to the ground as fast as possible and try and control the pace, action, and energy to try and make Eugen change his approach to this fight! The longer this fight remains in the standup, the more it favors the champion, and I’m sure Chief feels the same way! Xavier: In light of that, I’m going to stick with the champion in this battle, Styles! I truly feel the edge he has in age and fighting experience, plus his proven abilities in the standup, will be too much for the very game and proud Navajo! There’s no doubt that Navajo will bring an intense fight because he’s only had one match go past the first round, but that full speed ahead approach, I think, plays right into the champions hands in this battle, and I feel his fists will find their mark and force a nap on Navajo! Styles: I’ll roll with the underdog in this one, X! I think Navajo has the wherewithal to know how to use the champs confidence against him, and Navajo will be smart in his approach to counterattacking the champion to drag him to the mat where the battle is much more in his favor! I think Navajo does all he can do to get this fight on the ground and that will power and desire will be the difference maker and will win him the title by submission tonight! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Navajo by Submission; Xavier – Eugen by KO Styles: The next shot at gold occurs between Toussaint Bissainthe and Josu Aingeru for the Welterweight championship! “dokte sosye” Bissainthe, hailing from Port au Prince, Haiti, steps into this challenge with a 5-1 record and a 4-fight win streak! He has looked great in his young career with his only loss being to Gareth Colton via knockout! Bissainthe has proven he’s very capable of pummeling an opponent with his educated fists and feet and has earned knockout victories using them both, so needless to say, Aingeru’s defense and footwork will have to be primed and ready tonight! At RFC 43, Bissainthe looked dominant in a very tightly contested battle against Nuclear Penguin! Members of YABAI informed me that Bissainthe has been very focused and the Rastafarian music has been playing loudly while he’s in the gym so expect him to be very focused and intense! Xavier: There’s no doubt he’ll at least be focused and intense! Aingeru is the taller and heavier of the two so I expect him to use those advantages to the best of his ability! The LEGION OF DOOM member brings an 11-2-1 record with him and is riding a 2-fight win streak! He recently defeated Osman Dawoud at RFC 46 after having a draw against him at RFC Showdown in in Tokyo 23! His fists are made of bricks and many a fighter has been napped out by them so the champion will need to keep his head moving and his chin tucked, because Aingeru can definitely test his chin to see if it can hold up to the power that Aingeru possesses! He also has a seven-year age advantage plus a fighting experience edge, so look for him to use those to his advantage as well! Aingeru may very well opt to run in with guns blazing, so to speak, and look for the early knockout, but that approach, if taken, could open him up to counter takedowns by the champion who may have an underrated skill set on the mat! I know we all want to see a standup, toe-to-toe war between these two, but sharper minds may choose otherwise! Styles: Aingeru’s never been knocked out despite his aggression so that’s a testament to his toughness! One thing I know he’ll be on the lookout for are the brutal kicks that Bissainthe possesses! At any point in time a nasty head kick can turn the lights out for Aingeru so his footwork and body movement as a whole will have to be at their peak! I’m going to take the champ in this fight, X, because I feel he’ll be able to avoid getting chin checked plus will be able to take this fight to the ground where he can control the pace and sap Aingeru’s energy before setting him up for a chin check of his own! The champ walks out of the cage with the title! Xavier: I’ll choose Aingeru to win this fight because his age and fighting experience provide him experiences that the champion hasn’t had as of yet! In addition, I think his defensive capability will prevent him from having his legs hacked at all night plus he’ll be able to avoid a potentially fight-ending head kick! Aingeru wins the title by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Aingery by KO; Styles – Bissainthe by KO Xavier: Moving right along with the action, Genji Kamogawa and Kreepee Krawlee lock horns! Kamogawa, a member of VENDETTA, has had his struggles in his career and is an even 7-7 overall! He recently defeated Theodore Nouveau at RFC 47 by TKO early in the second round, so his momentum is on the right path and his confidence should be strong for this fight! He’s the slightly older, taller and heavier of the two combatants so he may opt to try and lean his weight on Krawlee in efforts to wear him down and prevent him from landing any damaging strikes! From what we’ve seen, it’s imperative that Kamogawa keep this fight on its feet because if Krawlee manages to pull him down into his web, per se, then the tide of this fight could turn very quickly! Styles: Just a moment there, X! I concur with your insight but I have even more insight for you homeboy! My very reliable sources, and you know they are, say Kamogawa has been busy playing Fortnite instead of getting his ass into the gym and handling business! As a result, dude is very unfocused and has been sitting around in a dour mood and eating Butterfingers all day! Needless to say, I don’t need to elaborate nor make any additional comments about this fight! Krawlee ends this fight fast by submission! Xavier: Absolutely! I echo that sentiment! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Krawlee by Submission; Styles – Krawlee by Submission Xavier: Next into the cage are Thing Thing and Gustav Ahr! Thing cubed and his green beard are a solid 7-3 overall and is coming off of a second round submission victory over Pablo Rodriguez at RFC 45! Things to the third power has proven that he likes to make his opponents tap out and derives pleasure from that, so Ahr better be on guard tonight in more ways than one if he doesn’t want to end up doing exactly that! Various UnderGround Fights Enterprise members think Thing will be able to be very aggressive in this fight without having to be trepid about taking a punch from Ahr! Styles: What is this, a warped version of a gang fight!? Xavier: What do you mean? Styles: Thing has a green beard, right? Xavier: Obviously. Styles: Well, Gustav “Peep” Ahr has a red Mohawk! Instead of having red vs. blue, we have green vs. red! Xavier: I see. Styles: Never mind! Ahr enters the cage with a 10-9-1 record overall, so similar to Thing, he’s basically even in his fight career! In this fight he has a major height advantage plus he’s heavier, but I don’t think any of that will matter, X! Xavier: Now what do you mean? Styles: His last loss to Chief Navajo apparently has his mind twisted and his feelings hurt because some LEGION OF DOOM members simply shook their head with a look of disappointment when I asked them if Ahr is ready for this fight! So, you and I both know what that means! Xavier: We’re picking Thing to win by submission? Styles: We’re picking Thing to win by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Thing by Submission; Xavier – Thing by Submission Styles: Tracy Minaj and Abdul Rahman are the next warriors to face off! Minaj is fighting to get closer to a .500 winning percentage on his record because he currently stands at 8-13 overall! His last 3 fights have not gone well for him and they’ve also been quite damaging because all of them were knockout losses! With a situation like that you have to wonder how he’s holding up both physically and mentally, because having that type of damage to your chin in a short period of time is definitely not beneficial! When he’s focused and feeling good, he has proven that his fists are capable of ending a fight quickly, but that’s been a struggle to find that stride as of late! The LEGION OF DOOM are certain that he can turn things around tonight against Rahman so that confidence may very well carry over the top! Xavier: “The Sheik” Rahman is a bit shorter than Minaj but also weighs a bit more, so he may look to try and stay in close proximity to Minaj and lean that weight on him in the clinch or in side control on the ground! Rahman is 3-1 to begin his young career and has won his last two fights, both by TKO, so he’s proving to opponents that his aggression and power is definitely to be respected! Various Heritage members told me that they have full faith in Rahman to end this fight early tonight because they feel his training has been very intense and has him primed and ready for combat! Rahman is nine years younger than Minaj and he may rely on that reliable youthful energy to simply overwhelm him with a flurry of vicious punches! If Minaj can weather the storm early then he has a much better chance at pulling out the victory tonight! Styles: I’ll take the young whirling dervish of energy named Rahman! I think him being nine years younger is an advantage because he can use his young energy and bounce in his legs to move in and out of Minaj’s defense, unload some painful strikes and test Minaj’s defenses and chin! If Minaj can’t keep up with Rahman’s speed and energy, this fight may very well end much sooner than some expect! Minaj wins this by knockout! Xavier: Minaj may be older but that also means he’s a seasoned vet with a puncher’s chance, and that can potentially be a dangerous combination for Rahman! Minaj could very well play possum and make Rahman think that he has the upper hand in aggression and energy, then boom, Minaj turns on the fire and pressures Rahman to suddenly defend himself from multiple strikes coming from multiple angles! I think Rahman wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Minaj by KO; Styles – Rahman by KO Xavier: Sustaining the high-energy impact will be Fester Addams and Ray Vision! Styles: Now this fight is definitely in line with the Halloween theme! A member of the Addams family and a dude with a name that’s a medical procedure? Jackpot! Xavier: “Uncle Festerman” Addams steps into combat with a respectable 6-3 record and he’s been feeling very good with a 4-fight win streak! Can he push his win total to five in a row!? The big man is very aggressive and has ended a good number of fights in the first round, so Vision will have to be ready to survive an onslaught of aggression from Addams as soon as the horn sounds! Addams has brought plenty of boom into the room with his fists but don’t forget he also has a victory where he knocked out his opponent with a nasty knee, so don’t overlook his muay thai skills! Against Vision he’s the shorter and lighter man so expect to see good footwork from him and a steady mix of kicks, punches and if this fight ends up in the clinch, plenty of aggressive knees! Styles: “Death’ Vision is 6-5 overall so he’s hovering just about that even mark! The last time we saw Vision, he dropped a unanimous decision battle to Lurch Addams at RFC 46, so he’s working his way down the Addams family bloodline! See what I did there!? Xavier: Yes, that was a clever way of saying Addams family. Styles: I knew you’d eventually catch on and appreciate what I do! I think Vision’s best bet is to try and wear down Addams then drag him to the mat where he can use that height and weight to make Fester carry that weight while trying to figure out a way to get this fight back into the standup! It’s not too common to see two very large warriors go to the mat to grapple but that could very well be the deciding factor in this battle! Vision has shown that he’s capable of making people tap out but Addams has shown that he can hold his own on the mat as well! I think his preference in this fight is to keep it standing where he can stay away from Vision’s various submission skills! Xavier: I used to watch The Addams Family when I was a kid so I’ll choose Fester to win this fight by knockout! I think he manages to keep this fight standing up plus his aggression will keep Vision from launching any counterattack takedowns because he’ll be too busy covering up and keeping his chin down! Styles: Vision will be ready for the aggression that Addams brings and will be able to use that against the big man! Not only will he keep him off balance with accurate and frequent strikes, but he’ll lock Addams into the clinch and press him against the cage with his weight while sapping his energy before dragging him to the mat for control and eventually the submission win! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Vision by Submission; Xavier – Addams by KO Styles: Marcos Budinha and Oleg Borisov are the next lions to square off in the cage! “Homem Areia”, which translates to Sandman, by the way, is currently 2-5 so you know he’s looking to try and add to that win total to push his record closer to the even mark! That’s very difficult to do when you’ve lost four fights in a row, however! A 4-fight win streak will test even the best warriors’ mettle, morale and desire to win! He’s the shorter and lighter fighter tonight so he may very well rely on that difference to stick and move the entire night and look to land opportune strikes, be they from mere aggression or from a counterattack perspective! Xavier: “jack-screw” Borisov is currently 1-1 overall and that’s a low number of fights considering he’s 28-years-old! He has the age advantage, definitely, but the younger man actually has more combat experience and that will prove to be an interesting mix! One other thing, Styles! Styles: What’s up? Xavier: I was backstage conducting interviews and when I saw Borisov, he did not look to be in fighting shape! While other fighters were shadowboxing and discussing strategy, he was on his iPad watching South Park reruns! Now don’t get me wrong, that show is hilarious, but there’s a time and place for that! Styles: Well, I trust you, X, so I know what that means! Budinha wins by knockout! Xavier: I’ll have the same order of knockout by Budinha! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Budinha by KO; Styles – Budinha by KO Xavier: Reijo Halli and Del Werthers will be the next combatants to test their capabilities in the cage! Halli is an unblemished 2-0 so far and in his two victories, he’s shown that he has the energy and ability to go three full rounds or take the fight to the ground and make an opponent tap, just as he did against Daleb Managedov at RFC 45 in the first round! He’ll have a small height advantage in this fight so he may choose to try and make Werthers come to him while he tests Werthers’ defense with quick, accurate punches! Styles: Werthers is eight years older than Halli and has much more fighting experience with his 6-7 record overall, but he’s been struggling recently and has dropped two fights in a row! Against Snappy Whiplash at RFC 46, he looked overmatched and lost by TKO early in the first round! A loss like that will test his morale and desire to bring the fight to Halli here tonight! He’s had his moments where his fists were on point and they brought pain and punishment to unfortunate warriors who didn’t see the punches coming! I think in order for him to win this fight, he’s going to have to let his fists fly because letting Halli get close and potentially get a takedown is very bad news! Xavier: I absolutely agree with that assessment! Werthers has to control and maintain the distance between himself and Halli where his strengths can be used at their premium! He may also choose to actually let Halli get close so he can wrap his arms up in the clinch, press him against the cage, then hit opportunistic areas that open up while both of them struggle for control! That strategy may very well allow him to ensure that the fight stays on its feet because I don’t think his defensive grappling skills are at the level of Halli’s grappling and submission abilities! On that note, I’m going to choose Halli to win this battle by submission because I think he has the ability to take this fight to the ground quickly and control the positioning and pace! Styles: I’ll roll with the seasoned veteran and will choose Werthers to be the first blemish on Halli’s record! I think Werthers has the knowledge to overcome any physical advantages Halli may have due to his youthful exuberance, and Werthers can use that against the young warrior and allow him to take himself out of attacking angles and footwork, and before he can make the proper adjustment, Werthers will take advantage and end this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Werthers by KO; Xavier – Halli by Submission Styles: Sydney Thift and Danny Corleone are the second-to-last battle we’ll witness in the cage! Thift steps into this battle with a 4-5 record so he has the opportunity to pull even tonight against Corleone! He was struggling for a while during a 3-fight losing streak, but his last appearance at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25 turned things around with a TKO victory over Asmodius Crowley in the second round! He’s been able to win a good number of fights by TKO so his aggression and punching ability work well for him when he establishes momentum and is able to sustain it! He’s suffered some tough losses as well but he keeps fighting on so respect to him for his warrior spirit! Slightly shorter and heavier, I have no doubt that he’ll look to keep this fight on its feet as best as he possibly can! That weight advantage may come in handy if he’s able to lock Corleone in a clinch and press him against the cage while working to land some sporadic, damaging punches, knees and elbows! Xavier: Corleone is an even 4-4 overall and the proud LEGION OF DOOM member has struggled lately with a 3-fight losing streak! Will he be able to turn things around like his opponent did recently? We’ll find out soon enough! When he’s been rolling, his submission skills have been quite impressive and he’s a very aggressive fighter who has only gone past the first round twice, so look for him to be very aggressive here tonight as well! He may feel that he needs to counterattack Thift’s aggression to get this fight to the ground because he may not be able to score a takedown from the clinch that he may find himself in! Styles: I think Corleone will manage to get this fight to the ground in a hurry by using the strategy you just outlined! Counterattacking aggression is very effective, especially for a highly skilled BJJ practitioner, and Corleone fits that mold! If both of these warriors rush one another with a lot of aggression then it will obviously be the first man to establish their strength while weathering the energetic storm to win this fight, and I say that man will be Corleone! Xavier: I feel Thift will be able to keep this fight on its feet in the classic standup versus ground fighter quarrel! He could thwart any takedown attempts with well-timed kicks then follow up with a quick jab-cross combination to keep Corleone off balance and frustrated that he can’t get the fight to the ground! That frustration will lead to a lapse in judgement and open up his defenses just enough for Thift to rock his chin for the knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Thift by KO; Styles – Corleone by Submission Xavier: And our final conflict of the night belongs to Orla Wanker and Nathaniel Syndicate! “Onanisten” Wanker brings a 3-6 record into this fight, and various members of UnderGround Fights Enterprise told me that his current 2-fight losing streak is actually fueling his workouts! That’s not surprising because his approach to fighting is quite aggressive with only one of his fights going to the third round! Despite the losing record and some painful losses, his spirit is strong and his will to fight is unwavering, and that deserves respect! Against Syndicate, he has a pronounced height advantage so expect to see him use that height to stay outside and throw punches from various angles to test Syndicate’s striking defense! However, he could use feints and counterstrikes to set Syndicate up for takedowns and look to control and end the fight on the ground! Styles: “The Black Heart” Syndicate is an even 1-1 so his fighting experience is a disadvantage in this fight! He lost his last fight against Gaga Gogo by TKO so he’s obviously looking to turn things around quickly! In order for him to get things turned around he’s going to have to keep this fight in the standup and turn up the aggression! The longer this fight lasts the better chance Wanker has of scoring takedowns that could lead to submissions, so Syndicate will want to avoid that at all costs! Using good footwork and being aware of the takedown attempts will be the best way to avoid them, and if he can land some clean shots if and when he’s able to stuff takedown attempts, that will not only help him on the scorecards but will make Wanker think about trying those takedowns too often. Xavier: I think Wanker will win this fight because of his experience advantage! Obviously he has a losing record at this point in time but that doesn’t mean he’s not capable of stopping a fight quickly, and if the both of these men rush one another with reckless abandonment, I think Wanker will be able to take this fight to the ground quickly and lock Syndicate in a submission before he can recover! Styles: I’ll roll with Syndicate because I like his nickname plus his chances of keeping this fight in the standup where he can drop some bombs and see if Wanker can withstand them! I feel he’ll be very aggressive but will have enough ability and strength to stuff the takedown attempts from Wanker to tire him out and set him up for the knockout blow! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Syndicate by KO; Xavier – Wanker by Submission Styles: That’s a wrap, folks! Thank you for joining me and the X man for another RFC preview and we hope you dug what we had to say! Xavier: Thank you very much for giving us your time and attention and like all of you, we can’t wait to see what happens tonight, especially with the first two title fights! Take care, be well and we’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 48 PREVIEW - BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 48 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the esteemed Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you for the introduction as always, Carr! It’s great to be here at the Bondi Outdoor Arena with these wild and crazy 5,750 MMA fans! Carr: The place is definitely rockin’ with anticipation of tonight’s events! Tonight we’re bringing you three Middleweight fights, one of which is the for the Middleweight title! We also have three Light Heavyweight fights, two Lightweight fights, and two Heavyweight fights! Ball: We kick off the action with the Middleweight Championship fight! These two fighters have absolutely earned the right and distinction to be called a champion, and tonight, they battle it out to decide who will either continue as champion or become the new title holder! Jormungand Bolverk and Edison Atunes will no doubt leave us breathless, intrigued and amazed as they lock horns for that coveted title! “The Voyager” is indeed well traveled with a 17-5 record, which is quite impressive, and obviously he’s earned the right to be called champion! He’s carrying a 9 fight win streak and looked excellent in his TKO victory over Sam Samuelson at RFC 44! Carr: He absolutely did, Ball! This man has obviously been on an incredible roll and his fists have proven to be solid, brutal and very effective! In fact, from what we’ve seen recently, his only losses have been to fighters who are highly skilled in submission maneuvers! Obviously if he keeps a fight in the standup then he has a tremendous advantage! Across the cage is the young upstart, Atunes, who is a very good 7-0! Being undefeated at a young age does wonders for the morale and confidence, and Atunes has plenty of both! Just like his opponent, Atunes’ fists pack plenty of heat, so both of these men will have to keep their chins tucked and their punches tight, because if either one of them leaves themselves exposed too long, boom, the lights are going to be turned out! Ball: True that! Both of these warriors are chin checkers and so far, opponents have failed that chin test! Now they’ll get to see whose fists pack more explosion and whose chin can take the heat or not! They’re basically the same size and the only real difference is their age! Both are aggressive and both, obviously, know how to get the job done in that cage! This will be one hell of a fight and one that all of us are looking forward to! My pick for this fight is Bolverk! No disrespect to the excellent Atunes, but I feel the fighting and age experience that Bolverk has will be a key facet in this fight! He may very well be able to make Atunes open up his defenses more than usual by feinting and baiting him with assumed opportunities to take shots at that chin but those opportunities are really setups for counter punches! I say Bolverk wins this battle of brutality by knockout! Carr: I’ll take the younger warrior because I feel his youthful exuberance, coupled with his raw power, will be the difference maker tonight! He doesn’t have the age or experience of Bolverk but when you have dynamite for fists, that doesn’t matter! Young or old, cracking someone’s jaw and knocking them into the middle of next week is always possible! The Stepdads and Convicted Inc. will definitely be boisterous, proud and nervous while this war wages! I think Atunes steps out as the new champion by way of knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Atunes by KO; Ball – Bolverk by KO Carr: Next up to battle will be Alojz Sanel and Gok Won Khun! The LEGION OF DOOM member brings a very good 11-2 record overall and recently won an impressive second-round TKO battle against Cochise Harris at RFC 44! Prior to that, he had lost a hard-fought battle to Carter Donovan at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 18, so he definitely wants to keep that momentum rolling tonight against Khun! Sanel is a proven knockout artists so Khun will definitely know to keep his head and feet moving with his hands up, or he’s going to be on the wrong end of some high-impact punches! Against Khun, he’s the shorter and lighter man, so I fully expect him to use that potential speed and agility advantage to chop away at the legs of the taller, heavier man, plus he may very well surprise Khun and take him to the mat to control some of the action and control the fight there while wearing the bigger man down! Ball: “Black Wolf” Khun steps into the cage with a 5-2 record and is looking to rebound from a recent loss to Jackson Trigger at RFC 44 which, unfortunately for him, cost him the Light Heavyweight title! That will no doubt serve as fuel for his motivational fire to get everything turned around quickly! That loss snapped a 5-fight win streak so he’s shown that he’s more than capable of winning and staying a winner! He’ll need to bring that intensity, aggression, and world class muay thai skill against Sanel! There’s no doubt that Khun packs a wallop so this fight has the makings of being short and quite painful for one or both of these men! If Khun can manage to use his height and weight advantages properly, he could frustrate Sanel each time he tries to come into range to land a kick or punch, plus Khun can just as well use his legs to quickly keep Sanel at striking distance! Carr: This will be another standup, heavy-hitting war that the crowd will absolutely eat up! I know you normally take the veteran, Ball, for these types of fights, but this time I’ll be the one to choose the veteran to win! I think Sanel’s fists, knowledge, and overall experience will definitely allow him to figure out how to keep the taller, heavier man from landing the lights out shot he’s looking for! Sanel may very well opt to chop away at the legs and body of the taller man to sap his energy and his punching power right along with it! Sanel figures out how to get that one angle he needs to land the knockout shot! Ball: I have no problem choosing Khun to win this fight by knockout! I think Khun has the educated fists and feet to prevent Sanel from getting into his desired range without paying the price for it, and after enough attempts to get inside the strong defenses of Khun, Sanel will be hesitant due to the damage absorbed, and that hesitation will open up the window of opportunity that Khun needs to unload a cannon shot right hand and end this fight right then and there! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Khun by KO; Carr – Sanel by KO Ball: Thiago Neves and James Smith are next into the cage of destiny! “Boah” Neves of The Stepdads is a very good 13-3 overall but suffered a recent TKO loss at the hands of Litill Bjornsson at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25! He’s definitely looking to alter the current course against Smith tonight and get back into the win column! Obviously, with a nickname like “Boah”, you know he’s about that ground fighting life, and his BJJ abilities have been highly spoken of by many people, fighters and alliance members alike! I have no doubt that Smith has been studying fight footage to see just how skilled Neves is on the ground as he prepared for this encounter! Carr: Smith is the taller and heavier of the two tonight and may try to use that advantage to soften Neves up and tire him out a bit before potentially going to the mat in this fight! Smith is a respectable 14-8 overall and suffered a recent loss by submission to Seymour Hughes at RFC 45, so very much like his opponent, he’s looking to turn his fortunes around quickly tonight because no one wants to have a losing streak! Smith has had his struggles as of late, having gone 1-4 in his last five fights, but like a true warrior, he turns down no challenge and gets right back into the cage to bring the fight against anyone! The UnderGround Fights Enterprise member may very well opt to try and keep this fight in the standup where he has a physical advantage. He could very well try and keep the fight controlled in the standup, opting to wrap Neves into a clinch and lean his weight on him while landing opportune strikes when possible! Ball: I have no doubt that this fight will end up on the ground, but at what point that happens is anyone’s guess! Neves does have more fight experience but I think Smith will give him more of a challenge than perhaps he anticipates! That being said, I’ll do my usual and go with the veteran tonight, which is Neves! I think his BJJ skillset and the speed he has will enable him to take Smith to the mat when he wants to and once that happens, he’ll control the action on the ground, frustrate Smith and cause him to make the mistake of overreacting! Neves will seize that opportunity, lock in the submission, and make Smith tap before he knows what happened! Carr: I think Smith will be able to keep this fight on its feet where he’ll be able to capitalize on his height and weight advantage and make Neves carry his own weight, plus Smith’s weight, once he gets a hold of him and presses him against the cage in the clinch! Once he tires Neves out with that approach, he’ll be the one to take the fight to the mat where he’ll continue to control the action by pressing his weight on Neves while cautiously working to look for a submission hold for the win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Smith by Submission; Ball – Neves by Submission Carr: Our next battle features Craig Wius and Third Eye as they step into the cage across from one another! Rius is a solid 7-3 overall and is feeling good and confident with a 3-fight win streak! During this streak, he’s made two out of three opponents tap out so his hard work focused on improving his BJJ skills is definitely paying off! He looked impressive in his majority decision victory over Tyrone Albber at RFC 45! He has a slight height and weight advantage over Eye in this contest so he may look to try and test Eye’s chin when he gets within striking distance! Ball: Third Eye brings in a very good 5-1 record overall, and this LEGION OF DOOM member is brimming with confidence as he brings with him a 5-fight win streak! Momentum is definitely high with both of these young lions as both are repeated winners entering this battle! During that win streak, Eye has shown the ability to either end a fight suddenly with a high-impact punch, or he can be patient and control what happens in the cage to take the fight to the distance and win by decision! Obviously, he, like everyone else, wants to be able to win fights before the final horn sounds, but winning is winning, and both of these young men are winners! Eye is six years younger than Wius and that youthful energy and passion can very well be highly influential against the ring veteran! Carr: I concur and that’s why I’m choosing Eye to win this fight by knockout! He’s shown an excellent skill set in the standup focus of fighting, and I don’t think Wius will be able to avoid the strong, snapping strikes that Eye possesses! Eye will stick and move to keep Wius off balance while setting up the angle for that clean shot to end this fight early! Ball: Once again I’ll choose the veteran and I think Wius will manage to win this fight! He’ll definitely expect Eye to be aggressive with that youthful passion you mentioned, and Wius is seasoned enough to know how to use that against Eye! Patiently counterattacking Eye will be on the menu tonight until Eye changes his approach and that switch will enable Wius to take Eye to the mat where he’ll be able to maintain the pace he chooses while setting Eye up for the submission! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Wius by Submission; Carr – Eye by KO Ball: Abraham Alcantara and Repa Kiki continue the onslaught in the cage! “All Day” Alcantara steps into the cage 8-7 overall, which is still a winning record and that’s an accomplishment in this industry, believe me! The purple Mohawk sporting warrior from Djibouti recently snapped a 2-fight losing streak with his recent defeat of Yanji Klushinwa using a brutal head kick at RFC 42! That kick obviously caught Klushinwa off guard and dude was nappin’ before he knew what hit him! Alcantara wants to keep that going here tonight against Kiki, and against Kiki, he’s quite a bit shorter but is heavier, so he may try get into the body of Kiki with punishing body strikes plus chop away at his legs before potentially setting him up for a head kick knockout! Carr: Kiki steps into the cage with a solid 7-2 overall record and he looked very good against Eddie Alpha at RFC 44, stopping him by making him bleed! The cage floor looked like a car accident happened in there and the referee deemed Alpha unable to finish the fight! However, and disappointingly so, when I spoke with the management team for Kiki earlier, they said that after he defeated Alpha, dude went out and bought Borderlands 3 for the PlayStation 4, and dude has been playing that game day and night! When he goes to the gym, he takes the PS4 with him and apparently plugs it into one of the TV’s there and plays all day! Ball: That’s a damn shame! There’s a dude stepping into the cage against you who wants to rearrange your appearance, and you’re more focused on playing Borderlands 3!? It’s a cool game, no doubt, but there’s a time and place for everything! That bit of information is music to Alcantara’s ears, no doubt, and let’s me know that I’m choosing Alcantara to end this fight early by knocking out PS4 boy! Carr: I second that motion, your honor! Alcantara is going to make short work of the unfocused Kiki, and that really is a shame because Kiki has shown a lot of potential! Alcantara wins this fight by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Alcantara by KO; Ball – Alcantara by KO Carr: Dom Severini and John McSulley step into the cage next and I’m sure their battle will be far more even and intriguing! Severini has fought his way to a 6-3 overall record and recently defeated Hector Zorba by way of TKO at RFC 44 in the first round! Hard-hitting aggression is what Severini brings to every fight and most of his fights have ended in the first, so McSulley better be ready to weather the storm in the first round! He’s shorter but heavier than McSulley so I expect him to try and use that weight efficiently to lean against McSulley and eventually pull him to the mat where that weight can be used to slow the pace, make McSulley work harder just to keep Severini’s weight off of him, plus wear him down and set him up for ground and pound or submissions! Ball: McSulley is currently 2-1 overall and has won his last 2 fights by TKO and unanimous decision, respectively! His fight against Zed Vrienan at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24 showed us that he’s capable of establishing and sustaining a lot of energy while avoiding major damage, which is a key element in this industry! I expect McSulley to do his absolute best to keep this fight in the standup where he can take advantage of his height and reach! In addition, he’s eight years younger than Severini, and normally I say the veteran has the advantage, but I don’t feel that way in this fight, Carr! I think McSulley’s youth, energy and speed will serve him well tonight and he’ll be able to keep the shorter, heavier Severini at a distance to prevent being taken down to the mat! McSulley will wear Severini down with strikes to the chin and ribs, and once the pace slows, the older fighter will feel its effects more, and that’s where McSulley takes advantage and drops a bomb in the form of a hook to win by knockout! Carr: I think the experience edge that Severini has will allow him to know when to counterattack McSulley, especially if and when McSulley tries to land a power kick and misses! Severini has the speed and knowledge to know when to move in and when he gets inside of McSulley’s defenses, he can tag his body with strong punches before locking in a tight clinch and dragging the taller man to the mat where Severini is far more comfortable than McSulley! Severini will pick and choose his openings as he works to maintain control over McSulley, and once he feels he can, he’ll spring into full control and unload on McSulley before locking in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Severini by Submission; Ball – McSulley by KO Carr: Into the cage next will be Tyrone “T-Money” Waters and David “Rhino” Unsworth! Waters is an overall 5-4 and lost his last fight against Jesse Kotkaniemi at RFC 45 by knockout, so he definitely wants to show everyone he can overcome adversity by winning this fight against Unsworth! Waters has shown he has knockout power and he obviously enjoys training, so you know he’s always in fighting shape! He’s a bit shorter than Unsworth but weighs more than him, and that extra weight may come in handy for popping those powerful fists into Unsworth’s body and jaw! The Stepdads know that this is a very good opportunity for Waters to see if he can defeat an opponent who has a similar approach in the cage to his! Though both of these fighters are 21 years of age, Waters has much more in-cage fighting experience so that may be quite a factor here tonight! Ball: Unsworth is an even 1-1 overall so there’s much for him to show in his young career! This Evil Empire member looked quite good against Francis Ngonous at S.A.F.O PROMOTION, defeating him in the second round by TKO! That’s an indication that when he has a chance to land punches, he can definitely do some damage! The obvious question tonight is will Unsworth be able to land clean shots against Waters? Unsworth has educated hands, no doubt, but Waters’ fighting experience will absolutely pay dividends as he defends against the reach advantage that Unsworth has! Carr: There’s a possibility that Waters defies expectations and tries to take this fight to the ground! I personally think that would surprise many people, Unsworth included, and he may be able to use that weight advantage in the clinch and potentially on the ground where he could choose to wear down Unsworth while softening him up with precise ground-and-pound action before either going for a submission or opting to stand up again and finish the fight there! I’m choosing Waters to win this fight by knockout because Unsworth hasn’t really been tested so he, nor his trainers, know if he can take a devastating clean shot and keep on going! Much will be learned tonight and I think Waters wins this by knockout! Ball: I’ll take the uncertain Unsworth because he may have an advantage because he hasn’t shown his full repertoire, so Waters may not know what to expect from him exactly until the action unfolds! Unsworth could potentially surprise Waters by being more cautious and looking for that one window of opportunity to level Waters with a rocket of a punch or kick that Waters could very well be susceptible to! I think Unsworth surprises a lot of people tonight and wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Unsworth by KO; Carr – Waters by KO Ball: Cochise Harris and Michael Elliott keep the action rolling as they step into the cage to battle it out! Harris brings an overall 6-3 record with him into this fight, and this Hitokiri-13 member had a 5-fight win streak at one point in time, so he can roll with the best of them when he has the momentum! Unfortunately for him, his last two fights have been brutal losses, both by TKO, so you know he’s looking to not only end this slide he’s on, but he also wants to show he can dish out just as much as he can take! With Harris it’s quite simple, he either naps you or he gets napped! That’s an exciting style of fighting, no doubt, but it’s also painful and damaging, but it seems he only knows how to go full steam ahead because all but his last fight have ended in the first round! Aggressive tactics is definitely this dude’s style! Carr: Elliott is a bit shorter and substantially lighter, so speed is definitely an x factor in this fight! Being 1-0, he’s obviously less experienced than Harris in terms of combat, but he’s shown enough ability to make an opponent tap out, just as he did for his lone victory over Jamie James at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24! If he’s going to have a chance to make Harris submit, he’ll have to keep him off balance with good footwork, feints, and counterattacks in my opinion! We’ve obviously seen much more of Harris so we know for certain he brings the pain and the power to his fights! Elliott is going to have to be sharp with his defense and cage awareness, because if he gets forced into the cage where Harris can unload on him with his aggressive dynamite, the night could be over quite quickly for the young Elliott! Ball: You nailed the hammer right on the nail with that analogy, Carr! Harris is going to drop the nitro in this fight and I feel he’s just going to simply overwhelm Elliott with his aggressive approach and strong ability to crack a chin! I don’t think Elliott has the defensive ability to avoid being blasted and Harris will emerge victorious by knockout! Carr: Elliott not only will manage to avoid being knocked out, but he’ll use that great aggression against Harris very effectively! Harris will run in and look for the quick knockout, and while doing so he’s going to open himself up to major counterstrikes and definitely takedowns, which Elliott is very capable of pulling off! I say Elliott drags this fight to the ground when Harris least expects it and then he aggressively looks to get into full mount, control the pace, and lock in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Elliott by Submission; Ball – Harris by KO Carr: Xavier Blackblood and Augusto Pinochet are the second-to-last battle of the night, and they’ll definitely continue the intense action! The Haitian warrior and his tattooed face step into the cage with a good 4-1 record! The winner of 4 fights in a row, Blackblood looks to push that streak to five tonight and if he has his way, his fists will pound flesh and his arm will be raised in victory! All but one of his fights have ended in the first round so he’s another young lion that The Stepdads take great pride in! He looks as sharp as a machete when we last saw him at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25 as he obliterated a stunned Cacu Maco early in the first round! Against Pinochet he’s a bit lighter and taller, so I expect nothing else but what has worked for him so far in his career, and that’s all systems go at full throttle! Pinochet better be prepared to be bull rushed early and often if my assumptions are correct! Ball: “El General” Pinochet is 1-0, obviously a great start to his career, but the experience is definitely on the side of Blackblood in this fight! Let’s not take anything away from Pinochet, however! In the training footage we’ve seen, he’s shown very solid standup fighting skills and the ability to handle himself on the mat! I doubt any of that information will slow down Blackblood so Pinochet will have to match the fiery intensity right from the get go! The LEGION OF DOOM has said there’s plenty more in store for Pinochet, and I believe it! He definitely looked very calm and collected in his fight against Gusarov Koreshkov at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 22! Will Pinochet be able to match the intensity and punching power that Blackblood possesses? We will see very soon! I expect this fight to be heavy hitting, short, and bloody, Carr! Carr: I expect nothing else out of these two warriors! Both of them have shown the ability to hold their own on the ground, but we have two young knockout artists here and they definitely want to paint a masterpiece of pain! I’m going to choose Blackblood to win this fight because I think his experience will allow him to dictate the pace of this fight, which I expect nothing else but all our speed, and he simply may be too much for Pinochet to resist! Blackblood and his brutal punches end this fight by knockout! Ball: Pinochet is a man of mystery, to an extent, and he may very well flip the script and try to take this fight to the ground to sap Blackblood’s energy and frustrate him, because we all know Xavier wants that knockout! It’s his calling card and he wants to prove his dominance in that cage! Pinochet may be able to use that tremendous aggression against Blackblood and turn the tables quickly, not only tagging Blackblood with solid counterstrikes but also with the ability to quickly turn the tide of battle with one well-placed detonation of his fists! Pinochet wins this quarrel by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Pinochet by KO; Carr – Blackblood by KO Ball: And that brings us to our final contest of the night as Lee “The Ninja” Van Cleefe and Lebo Westwood step into battle! Carr: Hey, I loved that show back in the day! The Master was an awesome show but they canceled it too fast! Ball: I’m impressed that you remember that show, Carr! I also thought it was great but you know the entertainment industry is! In the blink of an eye, a show that shows potential gets the ax before the ink on the contracts can finish drying! Cleefe has an overall record of 7-11 so he’s definitely had his struggles, but like everyone here tonight in that cage, he has a chance to turn things around and add to the win column! I wonder about his morale and mental state though because he’s lost 4 fights in a row, and that does not do great things for one’s psyche! We’ll definitely see what he’s made of against Westwood! He’s won and lost in every way possible so it’s difficult to tell which version of Cleefe we’ll see tonight! He’s much shorter and lighter than Westwood so expect him to try and rush in, make Westwood uncomfortable in close quarters, then take him to the mat and go for the fast submission! Carr: Ball, I’m going to keep this very simple! Westwood is an even 5-5, right? However, I’m telling you it will be a flat out miracle if he makes it out of the first round! When I interviewed him and his team, not only did Westwood look like he didn’t care about fighting, he also looked like he just walked into the locker room after having an all-night bender! Dude was breathing heavily and had that glazed over look! I’m taking Cleefe to win this fight by submission and fast! Ball: Well, hell, in light of that information, Cleefe wins by submission, hands down! Carr: There you have it ladies and gentlemen! Thank you as always for tuning into Ball and I for another preview of an exciting night of fights as the Rapid Fighting Championship can bring! We definitely look forward to all the action tonight and we’ll see if the title on the line tonight changes hands or not! Ball: Good night everyone, and if any sponsors want to step up and link up with us, let us know and let’s get it done! We’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 28 PREVIEW SHINJUKU INDOOR ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 28! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the colorful Furious Styles! Styles: The Shinjuki Indoor Arena is alive and well once again with 5,000 anxious MMA fans jam packed and rowdy! Xavier: That’s the only way the Rapid Fighting Championship organization works, Styles! Exciting fighters, intense fights and crazy, dedicated fans are what makes this organization and business great! Styles: I couldn’t have said that any better myself! Tonight is an opportunity for a lot of fighters to move up the ranks! There aren’t any titles on the line tonight so the champs get a chance to breathe a little bit and scout the action live, as well as anyone else looking to move up and earn a title shot! Tonight we have one Bantamweight fight, three Welterweight fights, one Lightweight fight, three Featherweight fights, one Heavyweight fights, and one Super Heavyweight fight! Xavier: It is pretty rare that no titles are on the line here in Tokyo, but that just means the focus moves to those who want to be opportunistic and prove themselves worthy of being considered for title contention! As the saying goes, this will be a chance for the contenders to separate themselves from the pretenders! Kicking off the fireworks for tonight will be Moganesh Jain and Branimir Simeon! Styles: “The Monkey God” from Gandhinagar is an impressive 8-1 and rolling nicely with an 8-fight win streak! He’s mainly been tappin’ out his opponents and has been in a good groove since winning the title at RFC 36! His last battle against Obi Wan Kenobi was a very impressive second-round victory via a Guillotine, so I fully expect him to keep up the tap or snap movement against Simeon! Although he’s primarily winning with submissions, don’t forget that he’s a capable fighter in the standup game as well, so Simeon better be in prime condition for this battle! Xavier: Simeon steps into battle with a 10-3 record, quite impressive, and is on a 4-fight win streak! His confidence is high, especially after a very strong showing against Anthony Shiina at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 26! That definitely felt good for him because he lost his previous two fights against Shiina, both by submission, so that’s definitely a moral victory as well! This LEGION OF DOOM alliance member has shown a propensity of making opponents take a nap if he’s able to land on clean punch, so Jain will need to keep his guard up and his head moving, because I don’t think he wants to have his chin checked here tonight! Styles: I highly doubt he does, X! Jain has been able to keep himself from suffering a lot of damage because of his methodical style of taking his opponents to the mat and working to maintain control while positioning himself for any number of submission holds. I expect him to use his substantial weight advantage here tonight to wear Simeon down a bit before trying to take him to the mat! I think that would be the smart thing to do because Simeon wouldn’t be able to tee off on Jain’s chin if he’s in the clinch and has weight being pressed against him! I’m certain The Stepdads have worked with Jain to ensure he’s prepared for potential counter-attacks from Simeon in the clinch if the fight ends up there for any length of time. Xavier: In this classic standup versus ground fighter battle, it would absolutely behoove Simeon to stick-and-move as much as possible because he can definitely turn the tide of any fight with his striking ability! Any fighter with knockout power has a puncher’s chance to win in any given situation, but keeping distance to enable full striking distance will be key for Simeon in this fight! Since he’s the lighter fighter, he may have a slight speed advantage and that advantage, if present, may very well be the key to maintaining that distance to get full extension on his punches and kicks! Styles: That’s very true! This is a tough fight to predict because both of these warriors are winners and proven competitors, but I’ll have to roll with Jain in this one! No disrespect to Simeon at all, but Jain’s 8-fight win streak just has him extremely confident and that, along with championship experience, is a very difficult advantage to overcome! Jain figures out a way to control the pace of this fight, drags it to the mat, and grinds in the control aspect of the fight until he’s able to cinch in a submission for the win! Xavier: I think Simeon will be able to use his lighter weight and impressive striking to keep Jain at bay and off balance to prevent the takedown, and if the fight goes into the clinch, I think Simeon’s hand speed and punching power will wear down Jain and set him up for the knockout! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Simeon by KO; Styles – Jain by Submission Xavier: Nuclear Penguin and John Titor are up next into the cage! Styles: Nuclear Penguin…that name still trips me out! I wonder if dude was watching a superhero movie, or reading a comic book as a kid, and decided that one day he’d be a superhero who was a penguin that was exposed to nuclear material and morphed into a very strong penguin! Xavier: That’s definitely an interesting theory and backstory, Styles! Maybe you should ask him about it so you won’t have to form your own conspiracy theories! Styles: Of course I could ask him what the story is with his name, but it’s not as fun because you know I enjoy pontificating about theories and such! Xavier: Yes, you’ve been known to be dogmatic, but if that works for you then hey, more power to you! Styles: Dogmatic? I like that word! Maybe that should be my nickname! Xavier: Maybe so. Styles: Anyway, “Tactical” brings a solid 9-3 record into this fight and the Icelandic warrior is looking to get back into the win column after dropping a unanimous decision to Toussaint Bissainthe at RFC 43! He’s had various win streaks so when he gets on a roll, he tends to stay there, so this may be quite the opportunity for Titor to catch Penguin in a mini slump! Penguin has a good number of decision victories on his record so he can comfortably go the distance in a fight while controlling the action, but he can also end a fight with submissions or a flat out knockout! His opponent is basically the same height and weight as he is so the advantage will have to be timing and skill as opposed to physical assertion! Xavier: “The Time Traveller” Titor, I assume he likes alliterations of the letter “t”, has fought his way to a 7-3 record, and this Polish warrior lost a previous fight against Nuclear Penguin at RFC 40, so you know seeking retribution is one of the motivational factors in this second go round! His longest win streak so far has been four and he recently defeated Tim Drive by way of unanimous decision at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25. He’s looking to carry that momentum over into this fight and this will be an interesting fight due to the recent clash these two had! They know one another better than the average fighter because they’ve locked horns before. Obviously they’ve both improved and trained differently, but in general it seems they have a similar skill set, so patience, winning the human chess match, and taking advantage of any missed opportunities will be imperative for victory in this match! Styles: The warrior who is able to sustain pressure the best will win this fight, in my opinion! Neither of them is a knockout artist per se, but they can win by knockout! Neither of them is a submission specialist per se, but they can get it done there! Whoever gets the faster start and maintains that will be the one to emerge victorious tonight! Since Penguin has a previous win over Titor, I’m rollin’ with him to win this fight because he may very well have the mental edge from that victory, and that’s just enough of an advantage to win by knockout! Xavier: I think Titor will be able to utilize his striking skills and control this fight if and when it goes into the clinch! He’s shown tremendous wrestling ability and that will come in handy if these two get into close proximity with one another! That wrestling ability will enable him to control the pace, avoid taking damage, and open up striking opportunities as well! Titor takes time and triumphs tonight! See what I did there with all of those t’s? Styles: Yeah, very clever. PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Titor by KO; Styles – Penguin by KO Styles: Jb Brown and Seymour Hughes continue the action in the cage! “The One” Brown is a very good 6-0-1 in his young career! The Los Angeles native is on an excellent roll with a 6-fight win streak, and the last battle we saw of his was on August 10th at UnderGround FC28 where he and Stojan Kostic battled to a majority draw! Naturally when you have that result, there will be people on both sides feeling their respective fighter won that battle, and that leaves the door open for future battles between them! Brown has established himself as an excellent submission artist so Hughes knows what he has in store! In addition, Brown is very aggressive with only two of his fights going past the first round, so Hughes will be facing quite the onslaught of energy in this fight! Xavier: Across the cage from Brown is “Bulldog” Hughes, and he’s on quite a roll in his young career! He began on fire by winning six fights in a row before suffering his first loss to Litill Bjornsson at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 14! Hughes was able to overcome that loss quickly and is currently on a 2-fight win streak! Very much like Brown, Hughes is aggressive and quite skilled in submission maneuvers. In addition, he has victories over solid fighters by way of knockout, so his fists do have to be taken into consideration! Hughes is a bit shorter and lighter in this fight, so look for him to be very quick and light on his feet and use his sharp strikes to soften Brown up for the potential finish in the standup! Styles: This is definitely a fight I’ve been looking forward to, X! Both of these young lions bring it and know how to get the job done in that cage! I spoke with a few members of Cromulent Doom, and they’re very confident in this young lion, as they should be! He’s focused, intense and ready! By the way, X, cromulent means adequate or acceptable. Did you know that? Xavier: I’m impressed, Styles! No, I didn’t know that so thank you for the enlightenment! Styles: I’m here to preach and teach, my boy! Xavier: This will definitely be a very intriguing battle and yet another one that’s difficult to predict! Since I’ve seen more of him, I’ll choose Hughes to win this fight by knockout because I think he has the defensive skills to keep Brown from making him tap, plus the standup skills to keep this fight on its feet where he can use his speed and skill, especially his underrated kicks, to wear Brown down and keep him from getting the takedown he seeks! Styles: I have no problem rollin’ with Brown, then, to win this fight! Dude is strong, capable and confident! I think he has the knowledge and physical strength to impose his will on a very game Hughes and eventually take him to the mat where Brown can wear down and frustrate Hughes! That may very well cause Hughes to make a mistake and Brown will be right there to capitalize on that mistake to make Hughes tap out! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Brown by Submission; Xavier – Hughes by KO Styles: Darrel Hill and Ludwig Mandrill are the next fighters to show us what they’re made of! “Hitman” Hill, currently 9-1, looks to rebound from his loss to Martin Eugen at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25 in a thrilling and punishing four rounds of action! That 9-fight win streak was halted by that loss and I expect Hill to be very focused and intent on placing himself right back into the winning column against a very capable Mandrill! Hill has demonstrated an ability to make an opponent tap out but he also has a few victories by using his fists to stop the opponent, so Mandrill can’t just focus on trying to avoid any submission maneuvers! In addition, you know Hill will be fueled by wanting to prove he can overcome the adversity of a loss, so Mandrill will definitely be tested here tonight! Xavier: Mandrill is the slightly taller fighter and weighs a bit less, and he may use that in an effort to use striking to keep Hill at bay while establishing a balanced standup attack with mixed strikes! Mandrill have proven himself capable of doing just that as he has earned a solid 7-2 record while having various win streaks, the longest of those being 4-fights in a row! Similar to Hill, Mandrill knows how to get it done on the ground as he has made a good number of fighters tap out! However, he also has solid striking ability and has ended some fights early with his fists so Hill will definitely need to have his defense sharp in this encounter! I have no doubt Mandrill wants to prove to any doubters that he’s capable of beating great talent like Hill, and he wants to show he can get it done faster than he did against Gustav Ahr at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 20! Styles: Earlier tonight I caught up with some of The Stepdads and asked them how Hill is taking the loss to Eugen! They told me he’s been very focused but definitely sour about it! I think that adds an interesting wrinkle to this fight because Mandrill may be able to make Hill become overly aggressive in his desire to get back into the winning side of things, and if he’s able to do that then he can counterattack Hill’s aggression with quick, accurate strikes and potentially set Hill up for a knockout or submission! It’s hard to say which approach Mandrill takes but I’ll assume he ops to stay in the standup and try to test Hill’s chin! Mandrill wins by knockout! Xavier: I think Hill’s motivation for turning things around is the difference maker here tonight! Both of these fighters are pretty even on paper, so once again the human chess match is what makes the difference! I think Hill can outsmart Mandrill and use feints to cause Mandrill to miss counterattacks and leave himself open for timely and punishing strikes, especially to the body and legs, that will slow him down and enable Hill to take advantage of that, drag this fight to the ground, and aggressively lock Mandrill into a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Hill by Submission; Styles – Mandrill by KO Xavier: Moving right along we have Joao Cajo Branca and Kilo Maluga set to do battle! “Baby-Face Fucka” is 6-1, an excellent record, especially for a 19-year old fighter, and currently has a 2-fight win streak! He previously had a 4-fight win streak snapped by Cedric Simard at F50: FARTMMA vs. Underground! This YABAI member is aggressive and capable both in the standup and on the ground as he has earned victories by knockout and submission! One other thing, Styles. It’s difficult to interview the guy because there’s this sporadic flashing of light and lighting that comes out of nowhere! Styles: What the hell are you smokin’, man!? Xavier: You know I don’t smoke or drink! The next time we see this guy fight, I want you to conduct a backstage interview with him and see what I’m talking about! Styles: You’re seriously trippin’, dude, but next time I’ll talk to him so you can get over whatever it is you’re on! His opponent, Maluga, is 3-1 and this Convicted Inc. member has shown that he has some pop in his fists! He recently had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Grant Alyoshin at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 20, so he’s looking to rebound from that loss! All of his fights have ended in the first round so aggression and brutality is his calling card! He’s the taller and slightly lighter fighter in this contest, so I expect him to test Branca’s speed and footwork early and often in this fight! Like everyone else in the arena tonight, I expect this fight to be fast, punishing and intense! Someone’s going to sleep in this fight and I don’t mean by submission! Xavier: Agreed, Styles! I think this will be an all-out toe-to-toe war that ends in the first round! For this fight, even though he’s the younger warrior, I’m going to choose Branca to win! He obviously loves to fight, fights often, and has more fighting experience than Maluga does! Obviously each man possesses the ability to knock the other out, so this fight will be about making opportunities to land thunderous punches where there are none! This fight may very well end up being a battle of the clinch because that may prove to be a very effective way for Branca to control the action and pace of this match, plus open up those opportunities I alluded to! I think Branca manages to land that first crushing blow that knocks Maluga out! Styles: I’m rollin’ with the cold and calculating pirate from Kiribati! He doesn’t have as much in the cage fighting experience, true, but he’s also a few years older and has seen his share of fighting outside of the cage, and that can’t be overlooked! In addition, he’s shown excellent standup skills and has the ability to slip and counterattack any strikes that Branca throws, so don’t be surprised if Branca gets caught with a counter punch or kick that turns out his lights here tonight! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Maluga by KO; Xavier – Branca by KO Styles: Theodore Jasper and Daquan Bowman sustain the intensity of the night! Jasper brings his 6-2 record into this fight and a 2-fight losing streak, so you know he’s looking to get off the snide and back into the win column! Having won six fights in a row prior to that speaks to his capabilities when he’s on a roll, so look for him to aggressively seek that roll once again here tonight! The two losses were both by unanimous decision as opposed to being knocked our tapped out, so he has heart and defensive skills to prevent himself from being stopped early! Against Bowman, he’s slightly taller and heavier so he may opt to try and use that slim advantage to aggressively throw various strikes at Bowman in an attempt to keep him off balance and at a distance! Xavier: “Deebo” is 8-4 and this Compton combatant of The Stepdads has also lost his last 2 fights, so very much like Jasper, he’s looking to quickly turn things around here tonight and that should provide extra incentive to both of these young tigers! Very similar to Jasper, Bowman at one point had a 6-fight win streak so he, too, has shown that he can get on a roll and stay there when everything is clicking well! In my opinion, the fighter who is able to establish the jab and better defense will be the one who wins this tight-knit battle! Jasper is the younger of the two so that may be a slight disadvantage for him, but the skill levels and capabilities that both of these young man have shown are quite similar, so imposing one’s will and controlling the pace will be key tonight! Styles: Absolutely correct! Both of these fighters pack plenty of pop in their fists so it may actually be a situation where the man who lands the more brutal kick or is able to wear down their opponent in the clinch is the one who gains the upper hand and can position himself to land the power shot that turns out the lights! This will be a difficult battle for both of these fighters as I see it, and that obviously makes it difficult to pinpoint a winner! However, I’m going to roll with the younger Jasper tonight! He has the makings of a future champion and I think he matches up very well against Daquan to where he can frustrate Bowman with his striking and defense, and that may very well make Bowman overaggressive and he’ll open up holes in his defense that Jasper can take advantage of to score the knockout win! Xavier: In that case I’ll choose Bowman to win by knockout because I feel his age advantage will come into play in terms of the tactical aspect of this fight! He’ll be able to figure out a way to make Jasper take more risks than he usually would because the younger fighters tend to be more anxious in wanting to prove themselves! Bowman will wait for that one opportunity and will jump on it immediately and end this match in the blink of an eye! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Bowman by KO; Styles – Jasper by KO Xavier: Abdul Nurmy steps into battle against Balagot Liu! Nurmy has fought his way to even 5-5 record but his new management and he have just not figured things out! He’s lost 5 fights in a row, and 2 of them have been against Chief Navajo alone! Styles: You know my sources are reliable and far reaching, right!? Xavier: Absolutely! Your sources are definitely well informed! Styles: I’m glad you agree! My sources just hit me up and told me that Nurmy’s walking around backstage lookin’ like a zombie from The Walking Dead! Dude wants no part of Liu tonight! Even his trainers have zero confidence in him! Thy said he’s not training the way he should plus he apparently is pouty and sulking for whatever reason! Xavier: That’s shameful but as we’ve seen, it does happen sometimes! Balagot Liu is definitely not feeling sorry for himself and I’m sure he’s training properly! He’s undefeated at 4-0 and looked solid in his last outing against Beef Stew at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25! Styles: Ha! You know that’s one of my favorite fighter names, Beef Stew!? Xavier: Yes, trust me, I know you get a kick out of his name! Styles: Liu has shown that his fists are capable of turning out the lights and I’m sure he’s going to put his standup skills on display against Nurmy here tonight! He’s a bit shorter and lighter than Nurmy, but he looks as sharp as a sword and he’s definitely ready to slice Nurmy apart! In light of my sources, I’ll make this easy for everyone and I’ll take Liu to win this fight by a landslide knockout! Xavier: We’re on the same page, my friend, because I never doubt your sources! Liu by knockout! PREDICITIONS: Xavier – Liu by KO; Styles – Liu by KO Xavier: Next we have Doko Dokov versus, oh, Styles, I’m going to let you handle this one because I know you thoroughly enjoy the challenging names! Go for it! Styles: Dokov battles…oh lord, here we go. Aslambek Marowadoigowiegow! Good lord have mercy that’s a hell of a lot to say! Xavier: You handled it like a champion, Styles! I’m very impressed! Styles: Thanks, X! Don’t ask me to spell his last name without looking at my notes, though, because that’s just not happening! Dude, seriously, how long do you think it took him to spell his name, let alone say it correctly!? Xavier: I have no clue but I’m sure it took some time! Dokov, or “The Huricane” with the unique spelling of that word, is an even 4-4 and recently snapped a 2-fight losing streak with his second round TKO victory over Scott Stiles at RFC 44! Dokov has been able to get the job done with his fists as well as a submission win, so he’s dangerous in all aspects of fighting! Tonight, he’s the shorter and lighter man, but that may work to his advantage because he can utilize the assumed speed and agility skills that tip in his favor! Styles: Check it out, X! As you were breakin’ it down for the people, I received a few texts from my sources, and said sources informed me that Aslambek has the same look that Nurmy does! Dude looks like a kid that lost his candy and he’s sulking about it and wants no part of Dokov! Xavier: Well, that certainly makes our jobs easy! My money is on Dokov to win this fight by knockout! Styles: I’ll say Dokov wins by submission! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Dokov by Submission; Xavier – Dokov by KO Styles: Super Man Yes and Vitaly Lebedev are the lone super heavyweight battle of the night, and everyone loves seeing hard-hitting action between the behemoths! Xavier: Absolutely right! We all eat up the action between the big bulls and tonight will be no different! Styles: Super Man “Killer” Yes steps into battle with a 6-9 record, so you know he wants to improve upon that record as fast as possible! He’s currently on a 4-fight losing streak so I automatically have to wonder about his mental state after suffering that many losses! I also have to wonder about how he’s holding up physically! All four of those losses have been by knockout so it’s quite possible his jaw has been permanently damaged! Xavier: He’s larger and heavier than Lebedev, but Lebedev steps into this fight with an even 4-4 record, but he’s lost three fights in a row, so like his opponent, his mental and physical state have to be focused on! His victories have been by way of submission so expect him to do his best to take Yes to the mat to control the action and do his best to lock in a submission for the win! Styles: Well, X, check this out! My sources have chimed in yet again and they’ve informed me that Yes doesn’t look like he’s ready for this fight! Xavier: That’s three times in a row, now, that we’ve had a fighter basically lose the fight before even stepping foot into the cage! That’s absolutely atrocious but if they want to endanger themselves even further then that’s on them! Styles: That’s right, X! These are grown men and they know what they’re getting into! If they don’t want to bring the mental and physical edge then there’s a price to pay, plain and simple! Speaking of plain and simple, in light of my sources, you better believe I’m rollin’ with Lebedev to win by knockout! Xavier: I say Lebedev wins by submission! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Lebedev by Submission; Styles – Lebedev by KO Xavier: Now we have our final battle of the night! Jason Lanston and Ryan Landry lock horns in what should be a fast-paced, action packed battle! “The Phenom” Lanston is 1-0 so far in his young career, his lone victory being over Ray Halstead in a QFC battle! Will he be able to continue that momentum and show that his fists are capable of laying out a very game Ryan Landry!? Time will tell! Against Landry, he’s the shorter and lighter man, so he’s going to need to use the supposed speed and agility advantage to his advantage as best as possible! Styles: Across the cage from him tonight is the similar 1-0 record of Landry, who is a member of The Stepdads! His lone victory is over David Graham by unanimous decision in a QFC battle, so he’ll have an opportunity to show that he’s capable of either ending a fight before the end of the third round, or that he’s able to establish and maintain control of a battle from start to finish to earn a unanimous decision victory! My sources just hit me up yet again and according to them, Lanston looks a bit off, but the UnderGround Fights Enterprise member looks off anyway, so I’m not sure what to make of that insight! Either way, I do trust my sources, so if they say that Lanston doesn’t have that look in his eyes then I’m not taking any chances! I say Landry wins by knockout tonight! Xavier: I think Landry wins by submission! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Landry by Submission; Styles – Landry by KO Xavier: And that concludes tonight’s evening! Thank you very much for joining Styles and I for this review of the action that will unfold in the cage and we look forward to seeing which ambitious fighter takes advantage of this opportunity to move up and improve their championship title aspirations! Styles: We hope all of you are taking advantage of the information we provide and are placing bets on these fights! We’ll see what happens tonight and you better believe that me and X will have plenty to talk about the next time you spend time with us! Thank you, take care and we’ll see you cageside!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP 47 PREVIEW - BONDI OUTDOOR ARENA IN SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Carr: Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship 47 Preview! I’m your host, Eric Carr, and joining me is the esteemed Chris Ball! Ball: Thank you for the introduction as always, Carr! It’s great to be here at the Bondi Outdoor Arena with 5,750 rabid MMA fans! Carr: These fans have been out here loud and proud, and they’re ready to shake the foundation of this beautiful arena! Rapid Fighting Championship has an exciting night of action as there are two titles on the line tonight! Ball: That’s right, Carr! The Lightweight and Light Heavyweight championships are on the line so you know those battles will be intense and heavily scrutinized by all contenders! Carr: The card tonight features two Lightweight fights, the one championship Light Heavyweight fight, two Heavyweight fights, two Bantamweight fights, and three Middleweight fights! Ball: The night starts off with a bang as Litill Bjornsson and Billy Brown square off with the Lightweight title hanging in the balance! This has been a highly anticipated battle as both of these men have proven themselves worthy of being called a champion! “Mini Mountain” has been an absolute wrecking machine in his career! An astonishing 26-1 record is absolutely incredible in this business, and he’s definitely earned the distinction of one of the all-time greats! He’s been in prime condition for a long time and many an excellent fighter has tapped out or napped out to this man! Against Thiago Neves at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25, he looked outstanding in defeated Neves in two rounds! Neves is an outstanding fighter and various fighters and managers thought he was the toughest recent test for Bjornsson! He handled business very well and La Familia couldn’t be happier with their highly-decorated member! Carr: There’s no doubt that Billy Brown faces one hell of a challenge, but this 22 year-old warrior has never backed down from a fight, and that’s part of the reason why he’s having this opportunity to begin with! “Bayou” is a solid 8-2 and brings with him a 2-fight win streak! Let us not forget that these two have locked horns before at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 17 where Bjornsson defeated him by unanimous decision! I have no doubt that battle is fresh on the minds of both of these warriors as they once again step into the cage of pain to see which man can enforce his will over the other! Both of these fighters have excellent grappling and ground skills, so this will be a battle of positioning in my opinion. Various members of The Stepdads indicated that Brown may test the waters in the standup game, so to speak, and see if Bjornsson is willing to trade strikes and boxing skills before trying to take this battle to the ground! Whatever decision is made by either man, you can be certain that it will prove to be effective because both of these warriors are highly trained and skilled! Ball: There’s no way I can go against the champ here, Carr! 26-1 is unbelievable and with that much momentum, confidence and capability, I just don’t see Brown being able to overcome that. Hell, I don’t see too many people being able to overcome that! Brown will give a valiant effort, no doubt, but I think Bjornsson keeps on steamrolling the competition and wins this by submission! Carr: I’ll go against the popular pick and I’ll choose Brown to win this second meeting of these two fighters! I think Brown will be able to take some aspects of what was successful against Bjornsson the first time and build on that, plus there’s no way his motivation isn’t incredible because who wouldn’t want to be the man to halt the massive momentum that Bjornsson has built!? Brown takes this fight by submission in a shocker! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Brown by Submission; Ball – Bjornsson by Submission Carr: Following up that outstanding battle will be Jackson Trigger and Giuseppe Hopkins for the Light Heavyweight championship! “Bang Bang” Trigger has been doing exactly that, shooting his way, so to speak, to a very good 10-1 record and a 2-fight win streak! He recently had an 8-fight win streak snapped by Alojz Sanel at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 15, but he’s shown his championship skill and mettle by winning that title shortly afterwards when he defeated Gok Won Khun at RFC 44! The LEGION OF DOOM speaks very proudly and loudly about this great young fighter, as they should, and you better believe they’ll be ringside to support, encourage and coach Trigger in this fight! Against Hopkins, Trigger has the weight advantage so don’t be surprised if he tries to lean that weight on Hopkins while this fight remains standing! Ball: If Hopkins and Trigger go toe-to-toe then it would be smart for the champion to lean that extra weight on Hopkins and make him carry it while trying to defend himself plus work hard to establish any possible openings in Trigger’s defenses! Hopkins, however, is a very capable young warrior, and this proud Afghanistan lion knows he has a tremendous opportunity here tonight to cement his name as one of the best young fighters in the industry! The Stepdads collectively have reviewed fight footage with Hopkins and have monitored his progress and training regimen, so we’ll see if all of that teamwork pays off tonight! Championship experience is also a major factor for both of these men, plus they have the capability of finish a fight in the standup or ground aspect of any fight! Personally I think Hopkins will try to use his potential speed advantage tonight and stick-and-move the champ, especially if he gets the feeling that his punches or kicks are particularly effective at keeping the champ at a distance! Carr: This will be one hell of a fight and it’s very difficult to pick the winner, so I’ll go with the champion merely because he holds the title! Obviously, Trigger is very capable of winning in any situation and I think his ability to adapt to his opponent is what sets him apart! He’ll feel Hopkins out for a while and will strike out of nowhere to either knock him out or take him to the mat for the tapout finish! I think he’ll go for the tapout! Ball: I’ll take the undefeated Hopkins, then! With having only one draw on his record, I think he has the ability to see what works and doesn’t work very quickly and will impose his will on Trigger with stinging, accurate strikes and wear Trigger down with body strikes before surprising him with a fight-finish flurry of punches! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Hopkins by KO; Carr – Trigger by Submission Ball: Sven Svensson and Tobb Le Tobb are next up in the cage! “The Valhalla Viking” steps into this fight with a 14-3 record, quite impressive, and a recent first-round victory over Suge Knight at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 23! Some of The Cold North members have told me Svensson has been sharpening his punching and striking defense because he feels he can take advantage of Tobb in the standup, so look for aggressive punching from Svensson! It’s not too often he squares off against opponents who are his height and size, but that’s exactly what he’ll be dealing with in Tobb. Don’t be surprised if the aggression from Svensson is very high because he may try and end this fight early so the height and size of Tobb won’t be much of a factor over the course of this fight! Carr: “The Hungarian Giant” Le Tobb is 11-4 heading into this fight, and he’s had various winning streaks over his young career! He snapped a 2-fight losing streak recently with a first-round annihilation of Lurifax Andersen! Tobb looked very sharp in that fight, obviously, and with that resounding victory, his confidence is definitely riding high! The hard-hitting Tobb may opt to stand toe-to-toe with Svensson because of the size and weight being identical, and he may feel he can chin check the big Viking! I think this fight will be nothing short of one hellacious unleashing of brutal punches, and whoever has the stronger chin and ability to avoid that haymaker will emerge victorious! Ball: This is another tough fight to call because both of these guys are hard-hitting behemoths! I’ll lean on Svensson because he has a bit more experience and that’s always a very beneficial edge to have in any fight! The Valhalla Viking wins by knockout! Carr: I have no qualms in choosing Le Tobb to win this fight by knockout! His recent victory has galvanized his confidence and I think that carries him to victory tonight! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Le Tobb by KO; Ball – Svensson by KO Carr: Ariel Schroder and Kreepee Krawlee continue the battles in the cage! Schroder brings an 8-5 record into this quarrel and is on a 2-fight win streak! His recent submission victory over Xix Zyx in the first round was a dominant performance, so he’s looking to continue that momentum here tonight! This will be an interesting matchup because Krawlee has a similar fighting style and philosophy as Schroder, so this will boil down to a battle of wits! Whoever can outsmart the opponent will have the advantage because they seem to be about equal with their ground knowledge and capability! Ball: “The Spider” is 7-4 with a recent first-round victory over Juan Villa at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 23! This will be the third battle between these two men with both of them having earned a victory over the other previously! Having multiple battles against the same fighter allows a lot to be learned about the opponent, and there’s no doubt these two know each other well! Various YABAI members say Krawlee enjoys fighting against Schroder because he makes him adapt to different circumstances, and he sees that as a benefit to his career. Carr: For this fight, I’ll take Schroder to win because he looked very good during his last fight and I’m sure has worked on better positioning to lock in even more submissions! I think he makes Krawlee tap out tonight! Ball: I’ll take Krawlee to win by submission because he’s had time to analyze the loss to Schroder, plus he’s more experienced now and has learned to adapt to various styles of attack! Krawlee traps Schroder in his web of submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Krawlee by Submission; Carr – Schroder by Submission Ball: Theodore Nouveau and Genji Kamogawa continue the intense action of the evening! “Beaujolaise” from Albania is 9-12 overall, so he’s had his struggles, but he’s also had his shining moments at various points in his career! He overcome a 4-fight losing streak by winning his last two fights, and the last two wins have been by submission, and I expect him to have the same approach against Kamogawa! Most of his fights have ended in the first round, though he’s had some go the distance as well, so it’s hard to determine if he’ll be very aggressive tonight or opt to take a meticulous approach! Either way, I expect him to try and take this fight to the ground where he’s very comfortable! Carr: Kamogawa has the height advantage tonight as he steps into the cage with a 6-7 record! Similar to Nouveau, he’s had his moments where he’s looked great while other times he looked a step behind and wasn’t able to put everything together! Earlier this evening I spoke with a few members of Vendetta, and none of them looked confident that Kamogawa would come out with his fists and feet blazing! In fact, one of them, who’ll remain anonymous, said it will be a flat-out miracle if Kamogawa wins tonight because he hasn’t been training properly and he’s been hung up on a troublesome relationship with a young woman! Ball: That’s always a killer of men! Men who are involved with a woman on any level run the risk of having their feelings messed with and that’s a dangerous situation in the fight game! Just on that note alone, I’m taking Nouveau to win by knockout! Carr: Yes, it’s simple enough. A fighter with no heart or desire to fight and win is just a walking punching bag! Nouveau wins by knockout! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Nouveau by KO; Ball – Nouveau by KO Carr: Athos Knox and Roc Le Phat are next on the scene, and Knox steps into the cage with a 2-2 record, so he’s obviously looking to get things going in the right direction and push ahead of that even status! A recent unanimous decision victory over Jake Bird at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21 set him straight and has him feeling much better about himself! He’s shown that he’s a bit susceptible to power punches so he probably has focused on training his defense for this fight! Against Le Phat, he’s slightly shorter and he weighs less, so he may have a speed advantage against Le Phat for this fight! Ball: Each time I see this dude or speak with him, I get this strange distortion of light and spinning colors around him! Carr: I see the same thing, Ball, so you’re not crazy! Ball: All right, that’s good to know! Some members of The Stepdads assured me that I wasn’t trippin’, but I like to make sure nonetheless! Phat is currently 7-4 with a 2-fight win streak and has looked solid over the past two fights, one ending in the second round against Orla Wanker, and the other ending in the first round against Malachi Bolton! In a nutshell, what you get with Le Phat is a win or a loss by knockout! Fans love that straightforward approach and mentality, but for his sake, I hope he’s working on his head movement and footwork in an effort to avoid having his jaw lit up unnecessarily! No one doubts his toughness but being tough and fighting smart must go hand-in-hand! Carr: Agreed! For this fight, I’ll choose Knox to win because I feel he has more to prove and wants to show that, despite being at an experience disadvantage, he’s capable of defeating fighters who are supposedly more skilled and experienced than he is! Knox wins this fight by dictating the pace, frustrating Le Phat, then surprising him with a knockout punch! Ball: I’ll choose the man with the spinning colors and distorted light! He’s more experienced and his aggression may prove to be too much for Knox to contend with tonight! I think that aggression, coupled with his overall ability, leads to a knockout tonight! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Le Phat by KO; Carr – Knox by KO Ball: Kree P Krawlee steps into the cage against Azacca Trounvouche! “The Next Spider”, who apparently is a huge fan of A Clockwork Orange, is a perfect 3-0 headed into this contest! Carr: That is a damn good movie, though definitely strange and controversial! Ball: Those make for some of the best movies! Joker will no doubt be strange and controversial, too, but I bet it’ll tear up the ticket sales! Carr: I have no doubt about that! Some YABAI members tell me Krawlee truly enjoys making people tap out so if he has a strange smirk on his face like Alex does in the movie, then you’ll know why! He has a height advantage over Trounvouche, but he may choose to try and take this fight to the ground as soon as possible to look for the tapout! Ball: “Yardie” is also a perfect 3-0 and is also a YABAI member, so here we go with the inter-alliance fighting! Bragging rights are on the line between these two so that adds a wrinkle of interest and fun as well! Trounvouche is a very aggressive dude and all of his fights have been first round wins, so expect him to come charging at Krawlee like a bull unleashed from its pen! This will end up being a battle of determination because whoever capitalizes first in this classic standup versus ground fighter battle will be the man to emerge victorious! I’m going to take Trounvouche to win this fight because he has outstanding standup skills plus I dig his style and attitude! This rude boy knows how to get the job done and he’ll win this by knockout! Carr: And I think Krawlee uses Trounvouche’s aggression against him with a series of counter-attacks that will leave Trounvouche off-balance and a bit surprised. That will be all the time and space that Krawlee needs to shoot in, take him to the mat, and control the action and positioning there until he’s able to work himself into a dominating position where he can rain down ground-and-pound before locking in a submission! Krawlee wins this by submission! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Krawlee by Submission; Ball – Trounvouche by KO Carr: Yowis Ben and Juhani Lammikko continue the action in the cage! Ben stands 10-9 but has dropped his last 3 fights! Obviously, that’s a concern, especially for his mental and emotional state, and from what I saw when I briefly spoke with him, Ball, he’s another fighter that’s not fully ready for combat! He has the height and weight advantage here tonight against Lammikko, but he may not be in the right frame of mind to embrace and utilize that to its full extent! Ball: “Cruel” is 7-6 but has dropped his last 2 fights! Just like Ben, you have to wonder how his mental and emotional state are in light of those losses, and I hate to say it, Carr, but when I spoke with Lammikko for a few minutes, he didn’t have that look! He looked very blasé about this fight so we truly have a tossup on our hands! The majority of his fights have gone the distance and I’d be surprised if that doesn’t happen in this fight! Carr: Well, let’s just roll the dice and see what we get! I’ll take Ben to win by knockout! Ball: I’ll take Lammikko to win by unanimous decision! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Lammikko by Unanimous Decision; Carr – Ben by KO Ball: Caspian Tennessen and Almin Hadzic are the second-to-last battle of the evening! “Viking Lord” Tennessen is an even 2-2 and recently stopped a 2-fight losing streak by defeating Dave Smith at CFC 1 via rear naked choke in the first round! An aggressive young fighter, though that shouldn’t be surprising with the nickname “Viking Lord”, he’s shown that he does have some power in his punches, so Hadzic has to keep his head on a swivel or he may taste canvas tonight! One thing though, Carr. One would assume a “Viking Lord” would always be ready to fight, but dude is yet another fighter I saw who doesn’t look like he wants to battle! That makes no sense, I know, but those are the facts of what I saw! Carr: Well, Ball, “The Hulk” is 2-5, so he’s obviously struggling so far, and he’s lost is last 5 fights, so he’s in a major slump! You alluded to concerns about mental and emotional state, and let me tell you that Hadzic looks defeated already! He has zero desire and passion in his eyes which is blasphemous to his nickname, because the Hulk is always down to fight, even if the odds are against him! Ball: Sounds to me like this is an easy pick, then! Tennessen by knockout! Carr: Ditto! PREDICTIONS: Carr – Tennessen by KO; Ball – Tennessen by KO Carr: And that brings us to our final battle of the night as Littel Big and Ronaldo Souza wrap things up for us! “Fist” Big is 0-1 but he’s just getting started in his career and some HERITAGE members have told me how confident he is heading into this fight! A few of them think he may have over-trained a bit and could potentially have slight fatigue in this fight, but they don’t seem worried at all! In fact, they lauded his development with his boxing skills and that leads me to think he’ll rely on his boxing to land some clean, crisp jabs and crosses to the head and body while sticking and moving! Not only is that smart but that will help prolong his career because that keeps him from absorbing a lot of physical damage! Ball: “Jacare” is 6-17-1, so it’s obvious that he’s struggled mightily in his MMA career! He has the heart of a lion, though, so I give him credit for that! It’s definitely not easy dealing with a losing record, and of course one has to wonder how that’s affecting his psyche! Training only goes so far and only does so much good if you’re mind and heart aren’t in it! Passing by Souza in the hallway told me all I needed to know! Dude simply doesn’t want to be here and that’s really a shame, but it’s also a part of the deal in this industry! Sometimes you’ll come across people who simply don’t want it for whatever reason, and that’s the case with him from what I saw! Carr: Well, that simplifies things for me! Big wins this fight by knockout! Ball: Bingo! PREDICTIONS: Ball – Big by KO; Carr – Big by KO Ball: And that concludes another episode of RFC Preview with Ball and Carr! Thank you kindly for joining us and entrusting us to provide you entertainment and behind-the-scenes footage! Carr: Without all of you, we wouldn’t be here, so thank you for your support and belief! Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank our merchandise partner…air. We no longer have a merchandise partner, at least for the time being, so thank you, air, for being there! Take care, be well and we’ll see you at the fights!

RAPID FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWDOWN IN TOKYO 27 PREVIEW SHINJUKU INDOOR ARENA Xavier: Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Rapid Fighting Championship preview of Showdown in Tokyo 27! I’m your host, Esiah Xavier, and as always, joining me in the booth is the colorful Furious Styles! Styles: The Shinjuki Indoor Arena is rockin’ and rollin’ with 5,000 MMA fanatics raising all kinds of noise and hell already! Xavier: No doubt, Styles! Per the standard of Rapid Fighting Championship, there is a lot of promising action happening in the cage tonight! We begin the night with a championship fight for the Featherweight title! We have one more Featherweight fight after that, two Welterweight fights, one Middleweight fight, one Bantamweight fight, one Lightweight fight, and two Light Heavyweight fights to cap off the evening! Styles: Nine tremendous fights to behold and plenty of attitude, brutality, and aspirations are on the line tonight! We start the night with an explosive battle for the Featherweight championship between Martin Eugen and Sisu Sisu! Xavier: Eugen steps into battle tonight to defend his title and his 19-4 record is quite impressive! This proud member of The Stepdads has been on a solid roll with a 4-fight win streak! He defeated a very good opponent in Darrel Hill at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 25 near the end of the fourth round, and has proven that if he has that split second to target his opponent’s jaw, more than likely that opponent will be taking a nap! Styles: There’s no question that the champion packs a wallop in his fists and being the champion is a testament to his abilities! “Black Gold” has also proven his skills and abilities, especially for only being 21 years old! This warrior from Antigua and Barbuda has the LEGION OF DOOM buzzing! They have the utmost confidence that Sisu Sisu will emerge victorious and the new champion tonight, and it’s definitely a bonus to have that level of confidence from those you train with! Xavier: Confidence is absolutely essential in all walks of life, but especially in a situation where another human being is intentionally trying to cause you physical harm as best as they possibly can! Sisu has fought his way to a very respectable 9-3 record, as well as a 2-fight win streak! Obviously this young warrior isn’t as experienced as the champion, neither in age or fighting time, but Sisu is, nonetheless, very worthy of this title fight! The majority of his fights have gone the distance so he has the conditioning and patience for a draw-out battle if need be, but he does have some solid finishes on his record as well! I expect him to try and counter-attack the champion in an attempt to keep him off balance and at a distance. Eugen has the height advantage but Sisu may have the speed advantage, and if that’s the case then he may try and use that advantage to take this fight to the ground where his chances increase, in my opinion! Styles: I think that would be the smart move, X! The champ’s fists look too dangerous to take a chance with and Sisu would be better off trying to slow the pace and take this fight to the ground! I expect the champ to be light on his feet and use his educated fists and feet to tag Sisu with accurate, precise strikes to setup unexpected power shots that may very well end the night sooner than Sisu would like! Xavier: I concur with your assessment, Styles! I think Eugen has too much fighting and overall experience for Sisu to overcome! Eugen will use that experience to frustrate Sisu while causing various amounts of damage while looking for that one opening for the power punch that turns out Sisu’s lights! I’m taking the champion to win this fight by knockout! Styles: I think Sisu will surprise a lot of people here tonight and show that he not only can overcome the experience and age factor, but he can also catch Eugen off guard with surprising power and quickness! I think he manages to take this to the mat after wearing down the champion in the clinch, and methodically tags Eugen with solid strikes while working his way into a submission! Sisu becomes the new champion by making Eugen tap! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Sisu by Submission; Xavier – Eugen by KO Styles: After the title match, we move to Konstantinos Nevrakis versus Coiote Magrin! Nevrakis is an excellent 11-2, and this proud Greek and member of The Stepdads is on a 2-fight win streak, both by way of armbar submission! He most recently defeated Samuel Westcliff in the first round at RFC 41, so his confidence in his ability to make an opponent tap is very high! Against Magrin, Nevrakis has an age and fighting experience advantage, so expect him to rely upon those for this match! Xavier: “Boia” Magrin is 4-1 and has proven that he’s capable of tapping opponents out, very much like Nevrakis! Also like Nevrakis, Magrin is currently on a 2-fight win streak, so one of these warriors will have that momentum halted and will have to reestablish a new streak! Magrin is the heavier of the two combatants and he may rely upon that weight advantage to try and lean on Nevrakis and slowly wear him down as the battle progresses until he’s able to go for the takedown and control the action on the mat! That won’t be an easy task as both men have earned their respective brown belt, so a battle of positioning, patience and taking advantage of opportunities is paramount! Styles: Very well said, X! I don’t expect a lot of standup thumping to happen in this fight but that may be the key to victory for both of these men! Since the assumption is this fight will be more ground focused, maybe one of them will pull a surprise move and try to keep this fight standing in an effort to keep the opponent in an uncomfortable situation and force them to adapt outside of their comfort zone! At the very least it will make the opponent think more and keep them from enforcing their will in the battle, and that may very well be all that’s needed to launch a surprise attack and score an unexpected knockout! Xavier: I’d be very surprised if this fight is in the standup long at all, but you’re right that it may be a strategy that causes openings to occur where there previously weren’t any! Locking in a clinch and working on the body, for example, could very well make it much easier to take the opponent down and control the action while avoiding any damage! In this fight, however, I think it’ll be a battle of brown belt wits, so to speak, and I think the experience factor that Nevrakis has will be the difference maker in this fight! I choose Nevrakis to win by submission! Styles: I’m rollin’ with the younger upstart, Magrin! I think he’ll open a few eyes with a tremendous performance tonight and show that he’s one of the rising starts in this sport that has to be taken very seriously! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Magrin by Submission; Xavier – Nevrakis by Submission Styles: Our third battle features Michelangelo Di Lodovico battling Ronaldo Gonya! “Il Divino” looks to pain a masterpiece of destruction here tonight as he steps into the cage with a 10-3 record, a very good showing for the young 22-year-old warrior! UnderGround Fights Enterprise are very boisterous about this young man and his accomplishments, as well they should be! He was on a tremendous win streak of 8 wins in a row until he ran into the buzzsaw named Edison Atunes at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 21! Lodovico looks to start a win streak anew against Gonya tonight and my assumption is he’ll look to make Gonya tap out and will be aggressive about it! Xavier: Across the cage will be the 10-4 “Mesta” Gonya who has a slight height advantage in this contest! At one point in time, this warrior from South Africa had a 6-fight win streak, and recently had a 3-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Twisty Kneereaper at RFC 43! Very much like Lodovico, Gonya favors the submission and grappling approach to fights, so we have yet another battle of wits and submission knowledge! When it comes to ground fighting and looking for tapouts, intelligence is also a major factor! The knowledge to understand when to try for a submission and when to sustain control and do damage other ways is vital, yet not every fighter has that same level of knowledge and intelligence, obviously! Styles: True words, X! We’ve seen many fighters take various approaches when it comes to the grappling aspect of fighting, and some have proven to be very patient and smart in setting up their opponent, while other fighters have taken the attempt at overwhelming their opponent approach and simply being very aggressive and stubborn with repeated submission attempts! Every fighter reacts differently to certain situations, and there will always be arguments on both sides of what’s effective and how. Fighters who are able to find their niche and make their opponent adapt to them, in my opinion, are the most successful, because that fighter is establishing the pace of the fight. In this fight, I’m going to choose Lodovico because I feel his experience and slight age advantage will be key elements for victory over a very game Gonya! Xavier: Then I’ll take Gonya to win this fight because I think he’ll counter-attack Lodovico when this fight first begins, and he may even opt to try and clinch to slow down the pace and make Lodovico work to push him away from the clinch! Sapping energy and establishing the pace will work in Gonya’s favor and he’ll manage to put Lodovico into a precarious position where he’ll have to tap out! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Gonya by Submission; Styles – Lodovico by Submission Xavier: Gustav Ahr and Chief Navajo step into the cage next! “Peep” and his blazing red Mohawk are 10-8-1, and this fighter from Long Island who is a member of LEGION OF DOOM is looking to build on the recent victory he earned over Aslanbek Barayev at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 24! With that victory, he avenged a bit of a previous loss to Barayev when championship gold was on the line at RFC 33! Naturally Ahr would prefer to have defeated Barayev and won a title, but that may be something to occur in the near future. “Peep” has shown that he’s quite capable of defeating an opponent using various submission holds, but also by pummeling them until the referee has to step in! In this fight, he has twice as many battles as Navajo does, so I expect him to use that fighting experience to find ways of making Navajo play into his hands so he can take this fight to the mat and end it there! Styles: Navajo steps into this battle with a 5-4 record who recently snapped a 3-fight losing streak by defeating Abdul Nurmy at RFC 43, interestingly the only fight he’s had go past the first round! Aggression is Navajo’s calling card and I don’t expect that to change at all in this fight! He’s all in and let the chips fall where they may! I respect that because sometimes there’s just no time to waste! Get in, handle business, and leave! Like I said before, that’s my idea of a perfect date! Navajo has held gold before so his lack of actual fighting experience may not be as pronounced as it looks on paper because it obviously takes a lot to win any title in this business, and achieving that is no small feat, plus you learn to take everyone’s best shot when you’re a champion, and that’s definitely beneficial, even if it ends up being rather painful! Xavier: I expect Ahr to keep this fight standing, actually, to begin with because the assumption is he’ll look to take this fight to the mat as soon as possible, but he’s been training diligently to expand his standup abilities, and that may very well pay off for him here tonight! He could very well wear down Navajo long before the fight goes to the mat, and obviously the advantage would slide over to Ahr if Navajo is fatigued and possibly hurt before the grapping and submission battle even begins! That’s exactly why I’m picking Ahr to win this fight by submission! Styles: I think Navajo will be able to continue the momentum he’s established after his most recent victory, and it seems to me he has more to prove here tonight as well! A loss sets his record to an even 5-5, and at 28 years old, there is a bit of time pressure! I think Navajo catches Ahr by surprise and wins by tap! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Navajo by Submission; Xavier – Ahr by Submission Styles: Steven Lurkman and Zhang Jun keep the intensity going! “Project X” Lurkman is 1-1 so far in his young career, and his first foray in RFC against Marcos Budinha was successful with a unanimous decision victory! Various UnderGround Fights Enterprise members herald his work ethic and this fight is a prime opportunity for him to squarely put himself on the map as a young fighter to keep an eye on! He has a distinct height advantage against Jun so expect him to use that reach advantage as best as possible! Xavier: Jun is 2-1 so far and recently had his 2-fight win streak snapped by Urlah chin at RFC 42! The FinnFighter member from Hualin Village has shown a propensity for favoring submission holds, so keeping this fight on the mat is paramount for Jun to have his best chance in this fight! If Jun is going to drag Lurkman to the mat, he may have to attempt to counterattack him and use his aggression against him! If Jun doesn’t manage to do that then I don’t see him winning this fight! Styles: I’m taking the young, hungry lion named Lurkman to win this fight by knockout! I just don’t see Jun being able to get this fight to the ground where he’s far more comfortable, and Lurkman turns out the lights! Xavier: I think Jun wins this by submission because he’ll figure out a way to use Lurkman’s aggression against him and by the time he sees what Jun is doing, he’ll be trying to prevent himself from tapping out! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Jun by Submission; Styles – Lurkman by Knockout Xavier: Yves “The Mad Bumper” Trudeau and “Duphus” Mama Tosen are next into the cage! Styles: Is it me or does Tosen look like he was in the movie “Commando”!? Xavier: Yes, he does, actually! Styles: Well, maybe tonight he turns things around because so far, he’s 0-2 in his career, and various Keyboard Warriors have assured me that we’re going to see a very focused, confident and motivated Tosen tonight! He lost a close fight against Im Peach at RFLFN 25. There’s much to prove to a lot of people, and he has a tough task ahead of him when he tries to prove himself against “The Mad Bumper” Trudeau! Xavier: Trudeau steps into this fight with a solid 4-1 record and has shown some excellent skills in the standup game! He had a 3-fight win streak broken by Azacca Trounvouche at RDC Showdown in Tokyo 19, but bounced right back at RFC 43 with a second-round victory over Karl Halifax! This Devil’s Rejects member has damaging punches and he’ll definitely look to work Tosen over! If Tosen’s defense isn’t on par, this will be a short and painful night for him! I think Trudeau wins this fight by knockout because his standup ability is dangerous and punishing, and I just don’t think Tosen will be able to withstand the onslaught that Trudeau is sure to bring to this fight! Styles: I think Tosen can weather the storm early on in this fight and once Trudeau slows down from throwing a lot of punches, Tosen can take him to the mat and methodically control the fight there while slowly and surely working his way into a dominant position and landing some ground-and-pound strikes before locking in a submission for the win! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Tosen by Submission; Xavier – Trudeau by Knockout Styles: William Bonin and Billy Quinn keep the action moving with their highly anticipated encounter! This Devil’s Rejects member is 3-3 and is looking to extend his win streak to 2 tonight against Quinn! He recently snapped a 3-fight losing streak with a massive knockout win against Barido Joranso, so he’s definitely feeling great and confident about himself! He has a slight height advantage against Quinn so expect him to stay outside and pepper Quinn with jabs and quick kicks to keep him off balance and at a distance! Xavier: “Bubba” Quinn is 6-4 and is looking to turn things around after losing to Third Eye at RFC 43 by unanimous decision! The majority of his fights have gone the distance, so he has the conditioning to go the distance with anyone. However, I don’t think that’ll be his strategy against Bonin because Bonin has the power to test Quinn’s chin in a very tough way, so finishing this fight fast or, if it does go the distance, keeping control of the fight while preventing major damage is of highest priority! Styles: Absolutely! I don’t think Bonin will be able to keep Quinn off of him and the submission capability that Quinn possesses will catch Bonin in defensive mode but will allow positioning advantages to happen! Once he gets the position advantage, Quinn wraps him up in a submission and he has no choice but to tap! Xavier: I’ll take the underdog in this fight and go with Bonin to win! I know his record against submission artists isn’t the best, but I think he manages to keep this fight standing and will check the chin of Quinn enough to where he turns the lights out on Quinn! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Bonin by KO; Styles – Quinn by Submission Xavier: The penultimate match features Five Finger against Kasey McRobbie! Styles: That’s good that he knows how many fingers he has! To make that his actual name, well, is rather unique, to say the least! Xavier: “Death Punch”, who is obviously a big fan of that rock band, is 1-1 and the young warrior from Pennsylvania won his last fight against Yez Pleez at RFC Showdown in Tokyo 23 by unanimous decision! I saw a few members of YABAI backstage, and they told me Finger has something in store for McRobbie, so we may very well be in for a treat during this fight! He has a slight advantage over McRobbie in terms of height, and he may opt to test his standup skills against McRobbie! Styles: “Mad Dog” is a very respectable 5-1 entering this battle, and has a 3-fight win streak going, so his confidence and momentum are at an excellent level! He’s proven that he’s capable of knockin’ an opponent into a slumber or making the fight stop due to cuts! McRobbie’s the heavier man in this fight and he may opt to lean that extra weight against Finger to make him carry his own weight as well as McRobbie’s. As time progresses, that extra weight will wear down and slow Finger which may very well open him up to pinpoint punches that collectively will daze Finger and set him up to be knocked out! McRobbie has the definite fight experience edge and I think that is the driving force behind him winning this fight! In addition, his fists are very solid, and he’ll be able to hurt Finger early and often! Xavier: I think Finger surprises a lot of people tonight and wins this fight by knockout! In my opinion, McRobbie is at a disadvantage in the standup because Finger has been known to have outstanding kicking ability, and we all know that kicks hit harder than punches when both are executed properly. Legs are longer than arms and carry a lot more pop, so a well-placed body or head kick can stop the fight just as fast, if not faster, than a well-placed punch! I expect Finger’s kicks to be the difference maker and he’ll catch McRobbie unexpectedly with a head kick that turns out the lights! PREDICTIONS: Xavier – Finger by KO; Styles – McRobbie by KO Xavier: Finishing off this night of action will be John Makres and Krisko Kurtev! “F-16” Makres is a solid 4-1, and the 1 loss was at the hands of Royce Gracie at RFC 43! Prior to that, he won by punching a man out, kicking a man out, and making a man tap out! He’s capable of handling any situation he faces in the cage and has the ability to snap right back into the win column, and he’ll look to do that tonight against Kurtev! Styles: “The Beer” Kurtev is an even 3-3 and currently has a 2-fight win streak! He’s won those fights via TKO so he’s on a great roll right now, and it’s a perfect time for him to break the evenness of his record and push it more on the plus side! He’s had his struggles against submission practitioners, and there’s no doubt that The Stepdads have ensured Makres is aware of that fact! In order for Kurtev to pull this off, I think he’ll have to counterattack Makres with power shots to try and end the fight as fast as possible! If he doesn’t pull that off, the overall skill that Makres has may be too much for Kurtev to deal with! Xavier: I think Makres will win this fight by knockout because he’ll patiently dissect Kurtev with precision strikes and frustrate him to the point where he takes more risks than usual. If and when that happens, Kurtev will play right into Makres’ hands and that will be the beginning of the end! Styles: I’ll roll with Kurtev to win this fight by knockout with unexpected counterattacking and power! He’ll check Makres’ chin early and often, and I think he’ll catch him off guard and win this fight! PREDICTIONS: Styles – Kurtev by KO; Xavier – Makres by KO Styles: All right you crazy kids, we’re done with this preview! Thank you, as always, for joining us. We do truly appreciate it! Xavier: It’s an honor to share information with all of you and we hope the opinions and insight we provide helps you make betting decisions, or in the very least provides you with entertainment and gets you amped for these fights! Take care ladies and gentlemen and enjoy the fights!

Thank you kindly, Action, I truly appreciate it! Rapid is definitely putting in the work to procure and sustain solid, excellent talent.