Impact (235k+ restricted) - The Official Smack Talk Thread.

[antekantek]

MMAddict.com Pros Pick: Impact FC Title Fights

 

Impact history will be made at Impact FC Title fights, so MMAddict.com touched base with a number of proffesional fighters to gauge their opinions on all four Title fights.

 

Pale Monster vs Texas Outlaw

 

Gunnar Grimsson: I'm gonna go with Texas Outlaw here. Texas Outlaw via first round TKO.

 

Gregory "Mountain" Clegane: I'm Texas Outlaw fan, however i think Pale Monster has the skills and mentality to beat him. Pale Monster Decision.

 

Olaf Igerbrigsten: Grappling>striking, so Pale Monster via second round Submission.

 

Mark McCain vs Maximilian Xezeron

 

Bjorn Igelmann: Tough call, I'd say Xezeron via Submission.

 

Gunnar Grimsson: McCain's only lose comes from a KO, and Xezeron has the Striking edge. He can also be dangerous with his submission so i think he'll win this one.

 

Simon Horn: Well with all honesty i think McCain is a much better fighter. He will take his opponent to the ground and destroy with Ground and Pound in the first round. Easy win.

 

Santa Claus vs Shapovolov Sokoloff

 

Gregory Clegane: Santa Claus is better everywhere. Santa Claus via submission.

 

Simon Horn: Santa Claus easily.

 

Gunnar Grimsson: Santa Claus via ud.

 

James Irvin vs Merari Bakannustus

 

Olaf Igerbrigsten: Merari is good, Irvin is better. Second round TKO

 

Simon Horn: That's not even a fair match up ! Irvin all day long with whatever he wants !

 

Bjorn Igelmann: I tend to disagree with my younger colleague. I think Merari is underrated, he has the grappling tools to stop Irvin. I'm gonna go with Merari via late 3rd round submission, after really hard fight.

[Scooby]

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/13872324683526.jpg

Cabrera Accepted the fight finally after acting as if he didnt hear his manager tell him who he was going to be fighting... 10 days away, i cannot wait

[Cdeb1996]

Sokoloff loves being the underdog. Cant wait

[Cdeb1996]

also I love the poster for the card. Great work Stu

[Guest]

Some great stuff being written in the thread, thanks guys. Loving the interviews and ProPicks.

 

The reviews should be up later today (sorry they're a little late)

[Guest]

http://i61.tinypic.com/oadybq.jpg http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/13961361916371.jpg

Wanted: Texas Outlaw

Reward: $3000 if TKO'd or Sub'd

 

Officer J. Walker: Unfortunately, there is not enough eveidence to link Texas Outlaw or his manager to the strange dissapearence of Ross Peerson's manager. It appears Ross Pearson has also dissapeared or fled the country (or been removed for inactivity) so Texas Outlaw is free to fight in the upcoming 155lbs Title fight on Saturday 19th April.

However, I'm 99% sure he had something to do with it so the reward of $3000 still stands and will be handed out to the first person who can give him a good beating.

 

After our initial investigation, it appears that there are a number of suspect activities going on at Impact Fight org, so I will continue to be on the lookout and post bounties on anyone acting suspiciously. Jabba Hughes, you're lucky I have bigger fish to catch.

 

 

Keep an eye right here for futher bounties, if you wish to claim the bounty get in touch with my boss, Stu MacKyntre.

[Guest]

Impact FC, The Title Fights preview

to be held on Saturday 19th April at the Hard Knocks Arena, London.

 

http://www.mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1397668854Titleposter.jpg

 

 

It's the event everyone has been waiting for, let's not waste any more time and get on with the preview.

 

 

 

155lbs Title Fight Pale "Hi" Monster(6-1-0) vs Texas Outlaw(4-1-0)

 

After losing a fight very early in his career, the only one to date, Monster is currently riding high on the back of a 5 fight win streak, his confidence and morale couldn't be higher as he gets ready to enter the cage and fights for the 155lbs belt. A very vocal fighter when he first arrived at Impact, he is now fairly quiet and is obviously taking this fight very seriously and training hard. Monster is a submissions specialist with 5 out of 6 wins coming from his opponents being forced to tap out. He has a purple belt in BJJ, good wrestling skills and some basic striking to defend himself should the fight stay standing longer than he wants. If he can get Outlaw to the ground, there can be only 1 outcome for this fight.

Outlaw hardly needs any introduction, a fighter from the 'Goon' camp, he does enough talking for himself in the smack talk thread but for those of you that don't know him, I shall give you a little re-cap. Outlaw has only lost 1 fight in career also, a qfc fight to test his potential and to see if his manager is happy with what he's working with. His manager obviously made the right choice in standing by him as he hasn't lost a fight since. He has now won his last 4 fights back to back, 3 of them by KO or TKO. Outlaw is a striker with good striking ability, decent wrestling skills to help him keep the fight standing and a white belt in BJJ. We've seen him go up against wrestlers before and come out the side victorious, he'll be looking to do more of the same on Saturday night but this time walking away with the 155lbs belt. If he can stuff Monster's initial takedown attempts, I think he has the power to knock him out. A tough fight to call as neither fight has lost for a long time and they are both clearly very good at what they do. The fans having been queuing for days to make sure they get good seats for this fight.

 

 

 

265+lbs Title Fight Mark "The Hater" McCain(5-1-0) vs Maximillian Xezeron(3-0-0)

 

McCain is a serious wrestler with a flair for ground and pound. He has won 5 or his 6 fights with 4 out of 5 being TKO's from his ground strikes and all of them inside the first round. This guy has been tested by just about every style of fighter there is. He's won against strikers, other wrestlers and even against experts in BJJ. If this fight goes to the floor, it will be very difficult for Xezeron to get out of his grasp. McCain has great wrestling skills, some basic striking skills and a blue belt in BJJ. A lot of people are calling him the underdog but I wouldn't write him off that easily, he's mainly gone undetected but is now sitting clearly at the top of SHW division.

Xezeron is an expert in the art of Muay Thai and has lethal leg kicks. In his first fight here at Impact, he hacked away at his opponents legs until he was in so much pain he couldn't defend himself properly, he then launched a savage attack with 2 head kicks. He also managed to submit a top contender, Mike Goon, who has since retired. Xezeron has great Muay Thai ability, good wrestling skills and a blue belt in BJJ. He has definitely got an advantage standing up but I'm not sure if he gives a huge amount away if the fight should go to the floor. I doubt McCain will be worried about that though, as he has gone up against much tough ground fighters in the past and walked away with the win in the first round. This should be a tough fight for both opponents and one that I'm really looking forward to.

 

 

 

170lbs Title Fight Santa Claus(4-0-0) vs Shapovolov "The Titan" Sokoloff(3-0-0)

 

Claus is an expert in BJJ, submitting 3 out of 4 of his opponents and winning just one by decision. This fighter has never lost a fight and is currently on a 4 fight win streak. With a brown belt in BJJ, good wrestling skills and some basic striking ability, it's easy to see where he's going to try and take this fight. His Morale isn't as high as it could be, could that be due to his manager not checking up on him over the last 3 or 4 days, not a great time to leave your fighter - just before a title fight. He's clearly worried about the fact that he could be stripped of his title even if he puts in the hard work and wins, he's desperately hoping his manager gets back in time and helps him with his most important fight of his career.

Sokoloff has a purple belt in BJJ, good wrestling skill and some basic striking skills. He will be stepping into the cage with a slight disadvantage, Claus has the better BJJ belt and slightly better wrestling ability. I'm not sure if this will bother Sokoloff though, he has so far beaten every opponent put in front of him so far. He's in top shape both mentally and physically and there could be a little less pressure on him as people are thinking of him as the underdog, his desire to win is equal to Claus's if not, maybe a little more passionate to win. This fight will obviously end up on the ground at some stage, and then it will be a case of who is the best at submissions, in both attacking and defending. Claus did struggle last time out against a wrestler, so there could be opportunities for Sokoloff to seize and walk away with the belt.

 

 

 

205lbs Title Fight James "Sandman" Irvin(7-0-0) vs Merari Bakannustus(3-0-0)

 

Irvin has won every fight since he started his career. He is a strong wrestler who like to stand and fight, punishing his opponents with vicious knees to the torso and head, if you relax your guard for one second he will seize the opportunity and likely send his opponent tumbling to the canvas from a big knee. 5 of his 7 wins have been by TKO with only 2 fights having to go to the judges. He's in great shape and looking to stamp his claim on the 205lbs division by walking away with the belt.

Bakannastus has also never lost a fight, winning 2 of his fights by triangle and the third by decision. He has a brown belt in BJJ and good wrestling skills. With only having basic striking skill, I doubt he will want to spend any length of time standing and trading punches with Irvin. This could be the toughest fight Bakannustus has ever had, he will be facing an opponent with better wrestling skills than himself, it could be incredibly tough to take Irvin down. If he does, he still has to be able to get him into a position where he can execute a submission, it’s not going to be an easy task but I still think he's definitely in with a chance.

 

 

 

155lbs Maniek "Musician Boy" Elbow(1-0-0) vs Boros Monet(1-0-0)

 

Elbow will be making his debut fight for Impact on Saturday. He has had one previous fight, a qfc, which somehow he won by submission. I say somehow as Elbow is clearly a striker by nature with excellent Muay Thai skills and a white belt in BJJ. Monet will have to watch him every step of the fight if he's that comfortable to fight in any style, a confident fighter for sure.

Monet made his debut for Impact earlier this month, winning his first ever fight in the process. He has excellent boxing skill but is also not afraid to try and pull off some moves. It was a head kick that rocked his opponent initially in his last fight, and then he pounced and used his hands until the ref pulled him away. This could be a great fight, they will both probably look to stand and fight. Elbow might favour the clinch but it will be interesting to see if Monet is happy to let him clinch or will try and keep his distance.

 

 

 

170lbs Nick "The Hard" Dick(4-2-0) vs Matt Walker(5-1-0)

 

A slightly rocky start for Dick but he has clearly found his form of late, winning his last 2 fights in a row by TKO in the first round. Dick has good wrestling skill and a blue belt in BJJ, if he gets Walker to the floor his ground and pound could switch his lights out if he doesn't react fast enough.

Walker will be making his debut for Impact this weekend, he has already had 6 fights in his career and only lost one. He has good striking skill with decent wrestling skill and a blue belt in BJJ. He's not afraid to fight on the floor but equally, he has some power in his hands, this could make him a very dangerous opponent for Dick.

 

 

 

205lbs SJ Mitchell(1-0-0) vs Roger "Bam Bam" Burns(3-1-0)

 

Mitchell made an impressive start to his career and debut for Impact in his last fight. He finished his opponent inside the first round with some nasty GnP, he cut his opponent so badly that the doctor had to be called in. Mitchell is a blue belt in BJJ with decent wrestling and boxing skills. He was deadly accurate with his GnP and didn't miss a single strike.

Burns has won 3 out of his 4 fights, his fight he showed how much power he has in his hands by catching his opponent with a deadly combo, knocking him to the canvas. He has great boxing skills and decent wrestling skill with a white belt in BJJ. With both fighters having a reputation for dangerous hands tis could be a really interesting fight.

 

 

 

205lbs Tim "Tiny" Cahill(2-3-0) vs Tommy Traddles(1-2-0)

 

Cahill made his debut last time out and unfortunately lost by KO, Cahill swears it was a lucky punch and will be looking to set the record straight and show the fans what he’s really capable of. He has a brown belt in BJJ and decent striking skills, giving him the option of changing strategy mid-fight.

Traddles has had a run of bad luck recently and lost his last 2 fights. He has since signed up to Impact and is looking for a clean start and to kick-start his career back on the right track. Traddles matches Cahill's ability in BJJ and almost matches his striking skill too, so it should make for a really good fight.

 

 

 

170lbs Cris "Limp" Walker(2-1-0) vs Vinnie Haz(2-3-0)

 

Walker is only 20 years of age and has had a little bit of a chequered career so far but seems to be finding his feet now. He is a blue belt in BJJ with decent striking ability. He mainly prefers to stand and slug it out but he has enough skill to be able to escape from the ground, hopefully he'll continue his winning ways this weekend.

Haz looks on paper to be a good striker, with decent boxing skill and decent Muay Thai skill also, he has a white belt in BJJ. His current record at Impact is 2-2 and he's had a run of bad luck at the moment losing his last two fights. I'm sure he's going to go all out and probably want to stand and bang with Walker and give the fans a real show. This fight could go either way as both are similarly skilled and both prefer to strike.

 

 

Bonuses

As usual there will be $2k bonus for KO/Sub/Fight of the night.

Bounty Hunter Bonus: There is an extra $3k up for grabs to whoever KO's/Subs Texas Outlaw.

Crowd Pleaser Bonus: $2k to the winner of a 100% rated fight.

Finish in Style Bonus: For all the fighters fighting in this event and for the fighters of Saturday Night Rumble 3, the Finish in Style Award will be for the fighter that finishes the fight by KO(punch) - not TKO or by Submission (triangle) - $5k (if there is more than one, the best one will be awarded the bonus.)

The winner of the Titles will be awarded a new improved contract.

[Guest]

HEREEEEE WE GOOO! GOODLUCK EVERYONE.

[Cdeb1996]

Congrats to Pale Monster, Maximilian Xezeron, James Irvin, and of course Santa Claus. Sokoloff has no injuries so he is ready for another fight so he can get back in the win column

[Guest]

Congrats to all the title winners tonight. Commiserations to those who lost. My fighters went 1 - 1 tonight so expect to hear from one or more of them soon.

[Guest]

Impact is proud to present it's new Champions;

 

155lbs Pale Monster

 

170lbs Santa Claus

 

205lbs James Irvin

 

265+lbs Maximillian Xezeron

 

Congratulations to Impact's first Title holders.

 

Commiserations to the losers and thank you to all the fighters that took part and made it such a great event. Reviews for both events to follow soon.

[Guest]

Impact's current ranking at 19th April 2014

 

 

 

155lbs and under

 

1 Pale Monster (champion)

2 Texas Outlaw

3 Boros monet

4 Chan Sung Aoki

5Jakinek Li Jakinek

 

 

 

 

170lbs

 

1 Santa Claus (champion)

2 Lucas Pierce

3 Francois Leon

4 Shapolov Sokoloff

5 Janusz Smuda

 

 

 

 

 

205lbs

 

1 James Irvin (champion)

2 Marlon Jones Jr

3 Jake LaMotta

4 Jimmy Sheppard

5 Olek Skilgannon

 

 

 

 

 

265+lbs

 

1 Maximillain Xezeron (champion)

2 Storman Norman

3 Mark McCain

4 Tom Jones

5 Harrison Cambroy

[kimboslice92]

I can only say: F*CK XD

 

I've been dominated. Congrats to the champ !

[Guest]

Same here but glad I lost since I found out that Outlaw has 0 confidence. So I brought my 18 yr old in to fill the spot

[Scooby]

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/13872324683526.jpg

I'd have ZERO confidence too if i had to fight someone as scary as myself in this division

[skull]

This is Norman Reeves with MMA Times, I'm here with Jake LaMotta to talk with him about his fight with Ashwan Balrak at Saturday Night Rumble 3 that he won by TKO in the first round.

 

Norman: Congratulations on the big win Jake, you showed a lot tonight and proved yourself to be a top contender in the 205 lb division.

 

Jake: Thanks a lot bud, yeah this was a pretty tough fight while it lasted. He cut me early with a decent shot but i kept my composer and stuck to the gameplan. We studied Balrak's past fights up and down and decided that the clinch would be critical to this fight. In Balrak's past losses the clinch was a big part of it so this was something we wanted to expose as well. We figured he would be throwing some kicks since he has several Kickboxing fights, but i showed him how effective some good ol Boxing mixed in with some dirty boxing is.

 

Norman: That you did. I have word that you had to go to the hospital after the fight, would you care to tell us what all happened?

 

Jake: It was nothing too serious, got a hair line fracture in my hand and got 8 stitches on my face. So I'm going to take a couple days off, relax and blow off a little steam

 

Norman: Get it Get! LOL This win puts you at #3 in the 205 division, with another win or two you could be looking at a title shot. Is this something you are thinking about?

 

Jake: Yeah being a champion is something every MMA fighter wants and I am no different, but its not something I obsess about. In the end my job is to fight so whether its for a belt or not I'm gonna continue to clock in.

 

Norman: Well we're all glad your on the job. Is their anything else you would like to say before I go?

 

Jake: Yeah I just want to give my boy Storman Norman a shout out, he got big win against a tough opponent without taking too much damage. Wish I coulda done that LOL

[Guest]

 

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/13872324683526.jpg

I'd have ZERO confidence too if i had to fight someone as scary as myself in this division

 

Get a few fights and well talk princess I got something waiting for you, get your little squinty eyes back to the doctors office and see if you can read out the letters " T A P O U T " before i hurt you

[Guest]

Jeffrey Hughes : am i getting resigned and that's 2 top 5 wins for me

[skull]

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/11/11w11.jpg

STORMAN NORMAN

 

Oh shit my birthday is on 4/20! I know I'm gettin high!

[Guest]

Impact Light-Heavyweight Olek Skilgannon (242713) making quick turnaround. Signed to fight SJ Mitchell at Impact 14 undercard:

 

After picking up his 2nd win in 3 fights under the impact banner. BJJ purple belt Olek Skilgannon is wasting no time getting back into the cage as he is already signed to take on the undefeated SJ Mitchell. In a recent interview he gave a little insight into why.

 

"You know, in MMA terms, I came to this party pretty late. I mean I have been working Ju-Jitzu for a while but trying to put all of it together in terms of boxing and wrestling, oh my god wrestling sucks by the way, well it is bloody hard work. I know it seems stupid to think but at 25 I am one of the older guys here at Impact and if I take too long out then this division might pass me by, I need to work my way to the top sooner rather than later."

 

In his last fight, Skilgannon scored a slick submission victory over Impact stalwart Dave Dance at Impact Saturday Night Rumble 3, becoming the first man to stop him within the distance, something not even current champ James Irvin was able to manage.

 

"Dave was a tough opponent, hardy and notoriously difficult to finish. Obviously Dave has been around here at Impact a long time, he was pretty much around since the beginning so there was plenty of opportunity to scout him. We knew about his takedowns, and that in all likelihood I wouldn't be able to stop them so we just kinda rolled with it, and whenever we could, I pulled the trigger first, and managed to score a couple of takedowns myself."

 

His opponent at Impact 14, SJ Mitchell, improved his undefeated record to 2 - 0 on the same night, with a second straight TKO victory over Roger Burns.

 

"SJ is a good guy and a well rounded fighter. So far he has used his wrestling to take guys down and beat them up on the ground. He is gonna find that to not be a good idea , for all 15 minutes I am gonna be looking for a limb and when I find it I will be taking it home with me if you do not tap."

[Scooby]

Get a few fights and well talk princess I got something waiting for you, get your little squinty eyes back to the doctors office and see if you can read out the letters " T A P O U T " before i hurt you

 

http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/13872324683526.jpg

Your eyes will look worse than mine when i press your Gluteus Maximus firmly on your forehead and make you kiss your own ass as you slap the canvas in dispair

[Guest]

Just noticed Jeffrey Hughes has been cut, who are we gonna turn to for someone to cry about wanting a title shot after another lay-n-pray decision?

[Guest]

Just noticed Jeffrey Hughes has been cut, who are we gonna turn to for someone to cry about wanting a title shot after another lay-n-pray decision?

Unfortunately, his contract came to an end and he has now moved on to pastures new and will be missed by us all.

 

In other news, sorry for the delay in the review for the title fights and I hope to still get them written and published along with this weekends preview sometime tomorrow (real life has been manic).

[Guest]

Franz Gusz you are a new fighter to Impact so Tom Jones is going to welcome you with a knee to the head and will enjoy giving you your first defeat. Your going down punk!!!!

[Guest]

Impact's Title Fights review

 

Sorry for the delay in being able to get this review written but unfortunately, real life events have really got in the way over the past week or so, anyway on with the review.

 

 

http://www.mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1397668854Titleposter.jpg

 

 

It was a great event with 4 TKO's, 4 Submissions and only 1 fight going the distance.

 

 

155lbs Title Fight Pale "Hi" Monster vs Texas Outlaw

 

I expected this to be a tough battle for both fighters and with Outlaw's proven track record with stuffing takedown attempts and destroying ground fighters thought he might have been entering this fight as the slight favourite. As the bell rang for the start of the fight, Monster dived in for a takedown and managed to pull it off, taking Outlaw to the floor. I thought he stood a good chance of taking the fight to the floor but I really wasn't expecting him to do it this quickly. Once on the ground it was only a matter of time before Monster would have Outlaw tapping out. 40 seconds later, Monster was walking away with the win and the title.

Winner and the new Lightweight Champion; Pale Monster.

 

 

 

265+lbs Title Fight Maximillian Xezeron vs Mark "The Hater" McCain

 

This was always going to be a tough fight, McCain had only lost once out of his 6 fights and was on a 3 fight win streak, Xezeron was undefeated in his 3 fight career. McCain had finished every fight in the first round and had real finishing power with his nasty ground and pound, Xezeron had a reputation for brutal leg kicks. McCain was knocked down very early on in the first round and to his credit, he got back up and continued fighting. He made an attempt to take the fight to the ground but Xezeron was ready and countered. Xezeron was really beginning to find his range with those brutal kicks and landed a perfectly timed head kick, knocking McCain down for the second time. McCain got up yet again and still continued to come at Xezeron. Xezeron knocked him down for a 3rd time and a couple of seconds after McCain got up, landed yet another head kick. This time it was all over. A brave attempt and show of determination for McCain but Xezeron showing his class and brutal kicks yet again.

Winner and Super Heavyweight Champion; Maximillian Xezeron.

 

 

 

170lbs Title Fight Santa Claus vs Shapovolov "The Titan" Sokoloff

 

I think Claus was a slight favourite at the start of this fight but Sokoloff had been up against some great fighters before and was used to using being the underdog to his advantage. A battle of two ground fighters, both of which being submission artists was always going to be a dangerous fight for both of them. Claus had an advantage of having a brown belt compared to Sokoloff's purple but it really could have gone either way. Sokoloff scored the first takedown and landed in Claus's guard. After a brief struggle for control of the fight, Claus started looking for submissions. Sokoloff looked to be defending against them with ease but on Claus's 3rd attempt, he caught Sokoloff by surprise with his speed.

Winner and new Welterweight Champion; Santa Claus.

 

 

 

205lbs Title Fight James "Sandman" Irvin vs Merair Bakannustus

 

This fight saw Irvin, a clinch fighter pitted against Bakannustus, a ground fighter with a brown belt in bjj. Irvin came out aggressively right from the start of the round, taking the fight in to the clinch almost immediately. Baannustus tried pulling guard a few times but was having no luck at all due to the sheer strength of Irvin. Irvin began to unload with a barrage of knees to the head and it wasn't long before Bakannustus's defences broke and he took a massive knee to the head, finishing the fight.

Winner and new Light Heavyweight Champion; James Irvin.

 

 

 

155lbs Boris Monet vs Maniek Elbow

 

Monet, an out and out boxer won his debut fight last time out, Elbow, was making his first appearance for Impact. Monet landed a couple of nice punches but seemed determined to try and get the fight into the clinch. Elbow, an expert in Muay Thai, was for some reasons looking for takedowns, an unusual move for a white belt with no apparent wrestling skill. Just before the end of the first round, after a battle of control in the clinch, Monet caught Elbow with a head kick which knocked him to the canvas. At the start of the 2nd round, Elbow managed to get the takedown he was looking for and stood up immediately. This happened a couple of times more until Monet had had enough of this strange dance and caught him with a right hand stunning Elbow. Monet followed up quickly with some combinations and Elbow tapped out, unable to defend against the brutal punches.

Winner: Monet by TKO(strikes) in round 2.

 

 

 

170lbs Nick Dick vs Matt Walker

 

After losing a couple of fights early in his career, Dick has seemed to find a good rhythm and is enjoying a good run of form of late. He entered the cage having won his last 2 fights in a row. Walker had won 5 out of his 6 fights and was taking his first fight since signing with Impact. Walker started the round well, managing to defend against 3 takedown attempts with ease, things were not looking good for Dick's strategy, however, on Dick's fourth takedown attempt, he was successful. Dick set about re-arranging Walker's face with accurate ground and pound and it wasn't long before Walker was forced to tap out.

Winner: Dick by Submission(strikes) in round 1.

 

 

 

205lbs SJ Mitchell vs Roger Burns

 

Burns came out aggressively right from the bell, looking for a takedown. Mitchell seemed to fighting very cautiously and was defending well against the takedown attempts. Burns was determined to take the fight to the floor at all costs, Mitchell continued to defend waiting for the right opportunity and then bang, a sloppy takedown attempt from Burns and Mitchell let fly with a monster punch that sent Burns crashing to the floor. Mitchell pounced and started throwing elbows and hammerfists, the ref had seen enough and stopped the fight.

Winner: Mitchell by TKO(strikes) in round 1.

 

 

 

205lbs Tommy Traddles vs Tim Cahill

 

 

Next up were two ground fighters, both brown belts in bjj. Traddles fighting for the first time in front of the Impact fans. In the opening seconds, Cahill attempted a takedown only for it to be stuffed and then countered by Traddles very own takedown. Traddles dominated the fight on the ground, he was in full control and made quite a few attempts to look for a submission, Cahill was able to defend well. At the start, Traddles scored another takedown but didn't have it all his own way on the ground this time. It was much more of a battle this time with Cahill looking for submissions whilst Traddles looked to improve his position. Traddles eventually spotted his opportunity and seized it with both hands, finishing the fight with a perfectly timed armbar.

Winner: Tommy Traddles by Submission(armbar) in round 2.

 

 

 

170lbs Vinnie Haz vs Chris Walker

 

Haz seemed to be the stronger fighter of the 2, being able to clinch and break clinch as he wanted. Unfortunately for the crowd, he didn't really do too much whilst in the clinch, it would have been nice to see him try and look for the finish. Instead it seemed he was content to just show the judges he was in control of the fight by entering clinch and breaking it a few seconds later. A disappointing fight for Walker too as he didn't really get the chance to show the crowd what he was capable of.

Winner: Haz by decision.