Rei

I recognise I have been almost completely absent for a long period of time now and feel like the least I owe you lot is an explanation as to why. I've fallen entirely out of love with the game and on top of that, I have been spending all of my free time on things concerning my life outside of it - having just founded my own business. It's stressful times and I've decided that I will be stepping away from the game almost entirely. As someone who used to love this game and would dedicated a lot of my free time to it, this decision was not made lightly - I even considered having Mike delete my account but I know I would have ended up regretting that. I will continue to run the High Roller Grand Prix and will hand out all of the prizes as promised, so have no fear if you're still in it. All other fighters will be released asap. Although brief, thank you for taking part in DFN, hopefully I'll do something with it once again in the future when the time is right. I will log in now and then to accept fights but apart from that I'll be inactive. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Congratulations to those that have made it thus far, the Quarter-Finals proved to be a great round with a bunch of exciting fights! The updated bracket is as follows:

I recognise I have been almost completely absent for a long period of time now and feel like the least I owe you lot is an explanation as to why. I've fallen entirely out of love with the game and on top of that, I have been spending all of my free time on things concerning my life outside of it - having just founded my own business. It's stressful times and I've decided that I will be stepping away from the game almost entirely. As someone who used to love this game and would dedicated a lot of my free time to it, this decision was not made lightly - I even considered having Mike delete my account but I know I would have ended up regretting that. I will continue to run the High Roller Grand Prix and will hand out all of the prizes as promised, so have no fear if you're still in it. All other fighters will be released asap. Although brief, thank you for taking part in DFN, hopefully I'll do something with it once again in the future when the time is right. I will log in now and then to accept fights but apart from that I'll be inactive.

http://mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1596116726dfmg%5B.png Well that's round one officially in the books, folks and what an opener it was! The first four fights went to the judges, but then the final eight competitors came out with something to prove - swangin' and bangin' until those fights ended by knockout. Some highlights from this opening round were 13th seeded Clifford Smith stormed through the 4th seed Luke Maddox in under a minute, in a dominant striking display. 12th seeded Bombo Zola and 5th seeded Danny Trejo let sparks fly in an exciting scrap worthy of Fight of the Night recognition - with the Ghanian moving on to the next round. The updated bracket is as follows Congratulations to those that have earned their place in the Quarter-Finals, and commiserations to those less fortunate. Thank you all for taking part, and good luck with your training camps, the real fight begins now!

Brunson is no elite, the guy excels nowhere and has the fight IQ of a dildo - Edmen will likely get the finish. Though like you I am worried about his camp and would like to see him go elsewhere, either AKA or ATT. ESPN+ Main Card 9PM EST Derek Brunson vs Edmen Shahbazyan Joanne Calderwood vs Jennifer Maia Vincente Luque vs Randy Brown Lando Vannata vs Bobby Green Kevin Holland vs Trevin Giles ESPN/ESPN+ Prelims 6PM EST Frankie Saenz vs Jonathan Martinez Ed Herman vs Gerald Meerschaert Nate Maness vs Johnny Munoz Jamall Emmers vs Vincent Cachero Chris Gutierrez vs Cody Durden

I still want a chance of winning lmao

Missed my dude, just above this post

ESPN/ESPN+ Main Card 8PM EST Robert Whittaker vs Darren Till* Shogun Rua vs Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Fabricio Werdum vs Alexander Gustafsson Carla Esparza vs Marina Rodriguez Paul Craig vs Gadzhimurad Antigulov Alex Oliveira vs Peter Sobotta Khamzat Chimaev vs Rhys Mckee ESPN/ESPN+ Prelims 5PM EST Francisco Trinaldo* vs Jai Herbert Nicolas Dalby vs Jesse Ronson Tom Aspinall vs Jake Collier Movsar Evloev vs Mike Gundy Tanner Boser vs Raphael Pessoa Nunes Bethe Correia vs Pannie Kianzad Ramazan Emeev vs Niklas Stolze Nathaniel Wood vs John Castaneda *(I think Rob will win but can't for legal reasons pick against a brit)

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/15610556038332.gif "The Steel Lion" Ganzorig Khan Rarely is there an easy path laid out for those born to the great Mongolian-Manchurian steppe and few can attest to such a statement moreso than "The Steel Lion" Ganzorig Khan. A nomad from birth, Ganzorig spent much of his youth sharpening what is known as the "Three Manly Skills" in historical Mongolian culture, consisting of horsemanship, archery and most importantly, wrestling. Despite excelling at all three disciplines, it was Khan's wrestling prowess which garnered him a reputation. Winning a National Naadam Wrestling tournament at the tender age of 18 was previously unheard of before Khan did just that, a victory which saw many accuse him of cheating or otherwise tampering with results. A little while after his huge win on a day like any other, Ganzorig retired to his ger after many hours tending to his animals in the blistering sun. There was something out of place on his table however, an envelope with the letters T.R.S boldly printed on the front. Inside the envelope was a letter which read only the words "THE FIGHTER HOUSE. WE WANT YOU." coupled with a single first-class plane ticket - destination Los Angeles. With his bags packed and his goats thoroughly milked, Khan kissed his wife goodbye and rode his horse towards the airport. We still don't know if he got it through security.

Should've stipulated that part of the sale means agreeing to keep shit the same

Absolutely love this concept as it feels like how a TUF-style tournament should be ran, minus the coaches part. I am honestly looking forward to designing my character for this competition and coming up with some creative pieces to add some flavour. Can't wait!

Due to missing the deadline and not getting back to me - Izzy Eternity (managed by Ryan Epicity) is unfortunately being removed from the tournament. Fortunately for us, Scotty JC has stepped up as back-up (having put his name forward pages ago) Please welcome the newest addition to the tournament- saving the day it's Leroy "The Last Dragon" Green http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/42/42b1.jpg As all of the fights have already been scheduled, I will simply sub him in place of Izzy, and all other matches will remain the same. Good luck to all participants! the updated bracket is as follows:

ESPN+ Main Card 8PM EST Deiveson Figueiredo vs Joseph Benavidez Jack Hermansson vs Kelvin Gastelum Marc Diakiese vs Rafael Fiziev Ariane Lipski vs Luana Carolina Alexandre Pantoja vs Askar Askarov ESPN/ESPN+ Prelims 5PM EST Roman Dolidze vs Khadis Ibragimov Grant Dawson vs Nad Narimani Joe Duffy vs Joel Alvarez Brett Johns vs Montel Jackson Malcolm Gordon vs Amir Albazi Davi Ramos vs Arman Tsarukyan Carlos Felipe vs Serghei Spivac edit: I was too late for the Spivac pick but at least my bet cashed lmao

All fighters are now locked in and I'm mocking up the bracket as we speak! The bracket is as follows: Seeding is traditional tournament style determined by manager rankings. Three contracts are pending, but today is the deadline regardless. Any fighters/managers who do not accept the contracts or confirm with me their submissions tonight will be replaced and/or removed from the tournament. Let's have some fun!

jesus christ

Almost, just one remaining which will be confirmed on the deadline day I believe (18th)

Completely disagree. I find khabibs complete shutting down of opponents to be very interesting, watching them flail on the ground with terror in their eyes. You get to see just how bad the GNP is sapping away their will as Khabib traps their limbs. Usman on the other hand just holds them against the cage for the most part, and there's fuck all fun about that.

To me, Usman is generally quite boring and I found his fight with Masvidal to be pretty much as exciting as any of his fights are - hardly. Obviously Usman is an extremely skilled fighter and employs the most effective and sensible gameplan that he can, but it isn't for me. Also, I really don't subscribe to the often held opinion that if you find some fights boring (particularly stallers) that you must be a casual. If anything it's the opposite, and by pretending that every fight is interesting highlights that. I watch cards from promotions in India and South Africa ffs, there's nothing casual about fans like me. Fook Usman and fook boring fighters and if you like them then lucky you!

ESPN/ESPN+ Main Card 10PM EST Calvin Kattar vs Dan Ige Tim Elliot vs Ryan Benoit Jimmie Rivera vs Cody Stamann Molly Mccann vs Taila Santos Abdul Razak Alhassan vs Mounir Lazzez ESPN/ESPN+ Prelims 7PM EST John Phillips vs Khamzat Chimaev Ricardo Ramos vs Lerone Murphy Modestas Bukauskas vs Andreas Michailidis Jared Gordon vs Chris Fishgold* Diana Belbita vs Liana Jojua Jack Shore vs Aaron Phillips

The Naniwa Hawk's application for the Savage Fightwear Scholarship Program. Takeshi "Naniwa Hawk" Takamura http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/15439332236827.png (3-1-0) The origin of the Naniwa Hawk Often dubbed the birthplace of Mixed Martial Arts as we know it, Japan is a nation that has given the world some of the greatest combat sports icons of all time. From the mythical Zen master Hakuin Ekaku to the multi-promotional world Champion "Crazy" Koh Ibu, the land of the rising sun has proven time and time again that it is a producer of generational talents. Looking to become the next in the line of immortal legends is none other than Osaka's Takeshi Takamura. We take a look at the origin of this young brawler and what path he took to get here, as the "Naniwa Hawk" prepares for the biggest fight of his life. Born to a working-class family of five in a less-than-desirable neighbourhood in Osaka, Takamura enjoyed little of the pleasures that many others could afford whilst growing up. With his father working long into the nights, there was little to be had in the way of discipline for young Takeshi, and he quickly became quite a little rascal. However, it was not just missed meals that caused the young hawk a hunger for glory and riches, as he found himself seeking fortune in any way possible from a tender age, often engaging in street-fights for cash and working small-scale hustles. The little Osakan dreamed of big things, but did not see any clear way of getting there. Takamura was lost and did not even know it. Quickly gaining a reputation for himself in just his teens, Takeshi Takamura became known around town as the "Naniwa Hawk", a nickname derived from the 'Taka' of his given name meaning hawk, and 'Naniwa' being his neighbourhood. Much of Takamura's personality traits - particularly his vulgar mouth and brash temperament - are a product of his environment as Osakans are sometimes thought of as being a little more wild and care-free than their counterparts in the nation's capital. With his notoriety growing and rivalries with other delinquents building, tensions flared and Takamura found himself in serious trouble with the law. Narrowly escaping jail-time, Takamura was forced to move to Tokyo where he went to live with a family friend - retired JMMA legend and coach, Sendou "Kenshi" Kitano. Realising the natural affinity for violence that the fiery youngster had built up within him, Sendou decided to bring Takamura to the Diamond Unbreakable gym in order to put those skills to a better purpose. Quickly falling in love with the sport and steadily learning the discipline needed to turn his life around, Takamura began his journey into the world of Mixed Martial Arts. His coaching team however discovered that the young hawk had actually made his professional debut quite some time ago in what he believed was an underground kickboxing bout - a surprise takedown and tight Americana was the end to that story. Two years later, having worked on his weaknesses and having developed a well-rounded skill-set, the Naniwa Tiger made his return to the cage as he faced the 1-1-1 26 year old Desmond Greer in London, England. After studying what little footage they had on his opponent, the game-plan was devised - force Greer into the clinch and tear him apart with punches and elbows. The fight could not have gone better and it ended by doctor stoppage midway through the second round. Soon after, his third opponent was booked - expert grappler and college wrestling standout Colton Northwood. "Shit" thought Takamura. Under the close tutelage of Dagestan's Marat Magomedov - the Diamond Unbreakable wrestling coach - Takamura drilled nothing but ground defences and escapes for his training camp. The effort seemed to pay off however as Diamond Unbreakable's new talent managed to edge out a decision victory after an exhausting full fifteen minutes, mostly consisting of grappling. His victories noticed by World Combat Federation's talent scouts, Takeshi signed a five-fight deal with the Hawaii based promotion and was quickly booked for his promotional debut. The young Osakan drew the streaking Irish knockout machine Miles O'Brien whose record stood at a more than respectable 6-1-0. Going back to his ways of old, Takamura took to social media and attacked his new adversary with a buzz which drew an underwhelming response. The pair met at WCF 28 in a title eliminator that proved to be a one-sided display of brutal striking action, with Takamura winning every round on each judge's scorecard. Taking to the mic after the battle, Takeshi wasted no time in calling out the Champion, Sweden's own Kribb Furgeson. Once it became time for negotiations however the fight did not materialise and for what has been stated as a "refusal to fight multiple top contenders", Furgeson was stripped of the title. Now with the World Combat Federation's Lightweight throne sitting empty, the Naniwa Hawk has been given the chance to make history as he takes on the former HFC Lightweight Champion and promotional #1 P4P - Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov at WCF 33: Rua vs. Archer. Hawk vs. Eagle - which will reign supreme? Thank you for your consideration.

Let the record show that Rei goes the extra mile for his Diamond Fight Nights partners

Nah, I'm all for freedom

A couple more fighters left to be locked in, and the bracket will be posted as soon as they are. This is a reminder that you have until July 18th to finalise your submission, as the first round will be taking place on August 1st.

Date for our second show is now locked in - July 25th - and we will be looking to book fights as soon as possible! I will be sending out many contracts today and hope to bring in some promising young talents.

If you didn't pick Jiri, we can't be friends