Unleash Fighting Championship Tokyo Preview/Review

[Steel]

Very impressed

[Timmy]

Great fun to read. You do your homework.

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Alvarez retains title, becomes #1 ranked UNFC fighter at UNFC60

FighterEliteMMA

Tokyo’s sold out Shinjuku Indoor Arena welcomed back Unleashed Fighting Championship and Sun-Tzu, the fight fans returning for a second night of action in as many days, for UNFC60: Alvarez Vs Paskalev. Alvarez continued his dominant form, successfully defending his featherweight title with a judge’s decision win.

The judges were busy, 7 out of 10 fights needing their input which pushed the action to 2+ hours. In all it wasn’t May’s best card, but it also wasn’t the worst, hitting #9 on UNFC’s top 10 ratings list.

Featherweights made up half the event, with 10 145 lbs fighters on show. Overall it was a solid night of UNFC fights to end May and setup a strong run in June for one of Japan’s premier fighting promotions.

UNFC60 was brought to you by Sun-Tzu; fight gear spawned from the greatest battles on earth, punched to perfection by shaolin monks to outlast mankind.

Let’s take a closer look at how things went down.

[Main Event) Alvarez def Paskalev by Unanimous Decision (49-46 x3) to retain the UNFC Featherweight (145 lbs) title

Alex Alvarez followed Nicolosi’s lead and defended his title for the second straight time, taking a decisive judges win in a fight that had a good mix of stand-up and ground action. Alvarez won his 8th straight, is undefeated since joining UNFC and is now equal second in most UNFC decision wins (5).

All 3 of Giorgio’s title fights have made it to the fifth and final round, the second straight that has gone all the way, his 10hh out of 14 fights. The Polish Eagles’ Nest fighter had slightly better accuracy in this defensive minded battle, landing 15 of 41 total strike attempts (35%) compared to Paskalev’s 15 of 55 (27%).

When the fight went to the ground, both BJJ black belts showed great skill, neither one able to get on top for any lengthy period of time as they exchanged top position with some good sweeps in the first round. In the rounds to follow though, the ground action dried up considerably and became more about controlling instead of finishing.

Arnost Paskalev was the more aggressive of the two, especially with his kicks (29 attempted to 12) and takedowns. The featherweight champ stuffed 19 of the Bulgarian’s 21 takedown attempts (90%), and conversely took Paskalev down 4 times out of his 10 (40%) efforts.

Overall the defending champ had better accuracy, a couple more takedowns and spent more time on top in control. It wasn’t the most entertaining fight by any means. Judges Yuuki Gou, Shirou Masuda and Yukihiro Yamamoto all gave the first round to the challenger, the final 4 going the way of Alvarez.

With that win, the Mexican decision specialist Alex "Giorgio" Alvarez leaps to the front of the Pound-4-Pound pack with UNFC, taking the #1 spot in the Japanese organization. Paskalev drops out of the top 10 and is 3-3 since fighting in Japan, sliding down 5 spots to #12.

Arnost "Honey Badger" Paskalev felt he should’ve won this fight, maybe even taking the champ for granted, stating beforehand: “If I lose I will reconsider my career choice. I really don't know. I should really win this one. If I lose, something is wrong.”

[Co-Main Event] Kraken def Vos by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

Jack Kraken won his first with UNFC (13-3), taking a decision victory and bouncing back from a title shot loss last time out. The one time Bulldogs Upcommings 135 lbs champion edged himself inside UNFC’s top 20 P4P fighters and jumps 5 positions in the featherweight division, becoming the #4 145 lbs contender.

The Dogs of War affiliate used his superior Muay Thai skills to outwork Vos in the clinch (13 from 18 punches), utilized his lethal leg kicks (18 from 31) and showed great defensive ground skills to pull out the win.

Jake Vos showed good confidence behind his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, pulling guard twice from the clinch to work a handful of submission off his back, but he just couldn’t get anything to stick. The American did outpunch the Brit, landing 19 from 56 (33%) compared to 6 from 19 (31%) but couldn’t match Kraken’s strength in close. He’s left feeling the sting of a third straight loss, his 4th out of 14 fights.

Both men had some words to say regarding the fight, and both seemed to want a piece of Alvarez at some point. With the loss though, Vos drops 6 places to #11 in the division. The former featherweight champ had this to say: “My last two losses were very hard on me. I don't care who I fight next, but I want a chance to avenge my losses.”

Kraken said he felt Vos was a worthy opponent, before going on to address the #1 UNFC fighter: “Alvarez, I'm coming for you man. Get your shit together and let’s do the rematch and give the fans what they want!”

[continued...]

 

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UNFC Fighter Rankings have been updated on Fighter Elite MMA.

 

To check the latest UNFC standings, click here.

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UNFC61 Preview: May Vs Hong

FighterEliteMMA

Shinjuku Indoor Arena will host Unleash Fighting Championship’s UNFC61: May Vs Hong on Saturday 6 June. The event is backed by Sun-Tzu that has fight gear spawned from the greatest battles on earth, the cotton for generations punched to perfection by shaolin monks to outlast mankind.

The two headliner fights are important as they will determine the top of the light-heavyweight and middleweight divisions, the winners pushing ever closer to a potential title shot.

The main card has some really competitive match-ups in both divisional standing and skillset and make for intriguing battles that the Tokyo fight fans should be excited to see.

Let’s take a closer look.

[Main Event] (205 lbs) #4 May v #3 Hong

Brad May (10-1) is eyeing his 11th win and 4th straight when he headlines for the first time. The well rounded FinnFighters, 2x Fight of the night award winner and 1 time Sub of the night award recipient has had a near perfect start to his MMA career thus far.

“Mayday” had nothing short of a scorcher bursting onto the scene, racking up 7 straight wins from January through till October last year with Finland’s now obsolete Warrior Fight League and two of Amsterdam’s now redundant fighting organizations: Forbidden Violence and WarZone.

The streak included 4 TKO finishes (1x punches, 2x strikes, 1x kicks & punches), 1 KO (punches) and 2 submission wins (arm triangle, guillotine), really showcasing the Guerrilla MMA member’s all-round talent. Include that with his 3 ‘of the night’ awards and 3 first round finishes, it’s no wonder why he was signed to Tokyo’s premier fighting promotion.

Since joining UNFC, the Toronto born Las Vegas resident lost his first fight to Marlo Karlo by way of judge’s decision, in a good fight in which he cut the former 205 lbs champion early but just couldn’t capitalize. Marlo’s lethal leg kicks and accuracy were the difference in what was a close fight, even if the judges gave all 3 rounds to the Italian.

After his only loss, May has etched 3 straight wins. They included 2 unanimous decision nods against Randy Alcatraz and Taishi Mori, and his last a first round TKO (Strikes) finish of another former light-heavyweight champion, #9 Ragnar Danneskjöld, which was his 6th TKO win to date.

With just one loss in his first 11 bouts, it’s hard to look past this Canadian as the favourite. That is, till you look at his opponent in the main event, the equally dominant and also first time main eventer, Antoni Kristofer Hong.

Searching for his 10th win out of 12 fights and 4th straight is Antoni Kristofer Hong (9-2). The Filipino world class striker has been just as impressive as the Canadian, only losing twice, and like Day, his last loss coming at the hands of Marlo Karlo in a title bout at UNFC29.

Karlo dropped Hong first with a head kick, then ended it with a big right hand, yet it’s usually Hong doing the damage with his heavy punches. 7 of 9 wins have come by way of TKO for the Mandirigmang Pilipino gym buff, mostly due to his devastating right which has a KO of the night award attached to it. He also brings to the cage well-timed uppercuts and an equally powerful left hook.

Hong has spent most of his professional fighting career with the Tokyo based organization, afflicting opponents with his striking and tallying a 7-1 record with 5 TKO’s. His last 4 wins coming against Brian Pereira, Billy Bulge, former champ Ragnar Danneskjöld and most recently Roy Li-Taylor.

When the 24 year olds meet in the UNFC cage on June 6 a TKO or sub finish isn’t a crazy assumption, as together 15 of their 19 wins haven’t needed a judges’ decision. Both possess some of the highest quality striking UNFC has to offer and for this reason alone you’d be crazy not to watch the fight.

Both UNFC warrior strikers have obtained a brown belt in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and if anyone has an edge in this fight it would be Hong’s ability to out grapple his opponents in the clinch. Mayday won’t be a pushover though, as he has shown he’s equally as capable working in close and up against the cage.

May throws a few more strikes per fight on average, whilst Hong has taken things to the ground more. But when you have such equally skilled fighters with similar records going head to head, this is a much anticipated barn burner. Who will win and keep their push for the coveted gold alive?

[Co-Main Event] (185 lbs) #1 Hell v #3 Pennypacker

Raise Hell (9-2) is entering this fight looking to win his 4th straight, 8th with UNFC and 10th overall. The American has lost only twice, one of which was a Fight of the night awarded loss and since that blemish he’s bounced back well with 3 straight wins.

The Broken Halo Pride alliance will be in his corner come fight time, and since joining UNFC Hell has had a respectable start, going 4 straight to tally a 6 fight win streak which included a Sub of the night victory over Soloman Moore, one of 2 sub finishes on his record. Besides those and the 2 TKO’s (strikes, punches), the rest of his winning battles have gone to the judges (6).

Hell trains with Razor Sharp Training Systems out of Hawaii, and boats a pretty good all round game. He’s a good wrestler with world class Muay Thai that includes lethal kicks, and has shown he likes to take his opponents to the mat to smash out some ground and pound.

When it comes to his striking, what stands out the most is Hell’s accuracy. If the fight goes the distance, he has a stellar chance of taking the win as the judges have sided with him 85% of the time (6 of 7). His opponent though has also seen a handful of judges decisions go his way, and will be tough competition.

AG Pennypacker (10-2-1) isn’t as recognized in Tokyo as Hell, yet that hasn’t stopped him from rising quickly to the top of the middleweight division. Last time out, the New York native fought in front of UNFC fans for the first time and they really got a sample of this kid’s talent.

A superman KO punch ended Eddie MacArthur’s night early, just 1:41 in, and the Canadian has since retired with Pennypacker’s fight being his last loss and appearance. Before Tokyo, the #3 middleweight contender spent time in a few different promotions and has won two different titles, and impressively both in different weight classes.

“Industrious” won the light-heavyweight title with London’s Impact MMA in June last year and then the middleweight title with Amsterdam’s WarZone in November. There was an opportunity also to claim the Epicity middleweight title in February in an event he headlined, but Dominick De Struicao knocked that nail in the coffin in a Fight of the night KO.

Pennypacker is undefeated as a KT fighter (2-0-1) and will need to draw upon his 6 TKO finishes if he’s to pull out a win. Both are very evenly matched and enjoy utilizing their striking as well as being comfortable on the ground; the pair have brown belts in BJJ.

Pennypacker has worked the clinch more effectively in his prior bouts, but Hell has also shown he can get the job done in close too, his TKO over Big J Smiles an example. It’s a very interesting battle between two top middleweight contenders where one will walk away with their hand raised and be extremely close to a title shot.

[continued...]

 

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KT Phenom strikes MMA career with UNFC Tokyo

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Arunas Samusiovas had 10 TKO’s from 12 wins in 14 KT bout appearances before turning his attention to MMA. Even with such undeniably impressive stats to accompany his status as the #1 ranked KT middleweight and #7 ranked KT fighter overall, Samusiovas takes a modest approach when talking about his time in the sport.

“I would hardly name my run in KT as ‘domination’. There was a lot of close fights, real brawls with tough guys like Halfdan Lodbrok, Yvgeny Molotov, JT Redman. I just were the luckier man.”

Luck or not, it isn’t hard to see the humble nature of the former EFFA Middleweight champion whom retired from the sport with the belt still around his waist after 7 successful straight title defences.

The Lithuanian has since become one of UNFC Tokyo’s hottest prospects. His debut MMA fight ended in typical fashion for the world renowned striker, halting Nich DiM’s night prematurely at 02:15 of the first round by referee stoppage due to TKO (strikes).

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Amazing write ups

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Mayday takes a judges nod at battle of strikers

FighterEliteMMA

UNFC61: May Vs Hong attracted a full house of Tokyo fight fans on Saturday June 6 to witness a solid event of some of the organizations best strikers. There were 5 finishers and 5 fights that went the distance in an event sponsored by Tokyo’s most recognized clothing company, Sun-Tzu.

Both the main and co-main events went to the judge’s scorecards, giving the fans their monies worth time-wise and skill-wise in a main card stacked with stand-up battles any spectator that favoured striking was sure to enjoy, including a hearty TKO and frenzied Submission due to strikes.

Let’s get into it and take a closer look at how things went down.

[Main Event] May def Hong by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

Brad May (11-1) kept his fine form alive and pushed closer to a light-heavyweight title bout after he earned himself the #1 contender spot with a dominant third round effort, and unanimous decision victory. That’s 4 straight and 11 out of 12 for the #8 ranked UNFC P4P fighter, 4-1 with Tokyo’s finest.

Mayday came out on top in what turned out to be a battle of Muay Thai strikers as he landed 33 total kicks (56%) compared to Hong’s 15 (31%), and also managed to land more punches (28) compared to his world class striking opponent (21).

The fight never hit the ground nor did they attempt to take it in close and work in the clinch. We only saw a single takedown attempt, both men happy to stand at distance and trade strikes in a technical 3 round battle.

Antoni Kristofer Hong (9-3) had the better rated grappling skillset coming in, and it may have been better if he used it more throughout the fight, yet he stuck with his hands. May was up to the challenge, causing Hong to land only 31% of his punches whilst dishing out an impressive 75% of his own.

The Filipino did throw more strikes (113) overall than May (95), but landed less (36) than the Canadian (61) who showed better agility, speed and striking defence to take the first and last rounds according to the judges and open an early cut to ease his chances.

Brad May thanked his opponent afterwards for a good fight, before confirming his ambition to keep moving toward the light-heavyweight gold. “[i want to fight] Anybody that's higher than me in the standings. Why? Because ultimately I want to have a go for the belt, that's the only reason I'm here.”

Antoni Kristofer Hong fought his last fight for the foreseeable future with UNFC this past weekend, his manager confirming the news later that his client won’t be stepping in the cage again with Tokyo’s most recognized fighting organization.

“He is very grateful for the opportunity Scott Park has given him. As he moves forward he will always carry UNFC's and Tokyo’s name. Again we thank Scott Park and the UNFC staff for taking care of Antoni Kristofer Hong.” Topo Topologies said to the waiting media post-fight regarding his fighter.

Given the current divisional standings, May’s next opponent could be a rematch with #3 contender Marlo Karlo for an opportunity to face the winner of Trevor Reznick v Chesney Page in this Friday’s headliner. Even though May wants to face someone higher, beating Karlo would even their rivalry and solidify his spot as the undisputed #1 contender.

It could also be a straight title shot, yet he’d have to wait till the next time the 205 lbs champ is booked to defend the gold. If he’s not one for waiting, Karlo looks a solid main or co-main event matchup to keep things ticking over, yet a loss could have the FinnFighters member lose his chance at the champ.

[Co-Main Event] Hell def Pennypacker by Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)

Raise Hell (10-2) got off to a good start in an eventual judge’s decision win in which the #1 UNFC middleweight contender clocked his 5th decision victory with the organization. He equalled Alex Alvarez and Malcolm Mitchell for second place on the ‘Most decision wins in org’ list.

AG Pennypacker (10-3-1) got rocked by the precision striking of Hell, a good right hand connecting and a mix of kicks taking the New Yorker off his feet and the fight to the ground very early on. Pennypacker’s resilience showed as he came back to take the second, but the final round went the way of his opponent.

Besides the early knockdown and a third round takedown from Hell, the fight had a good amount of striking as was anticipated. Hell landed 30 of 69 (43%) total strikes compared to Pennypacker’s 34 of 83 (40%), and both mixed in a decent amount of leg kicks to keep things interesting.

The fight edged toward the eventual winner, Hell, with his time on top on the ground. The first round knockdown follow-up and a timely third and final round takedown, which turned into a wet blanket session, pushed the decision in his favour. Otherwise, Pennypacker got the better of the stand-up.

The win gives Raise Hell his 4th straight victory, 10th overall and the American is now 8-2 with UNFC and sits just outside the top 10 P4P fighters in the organization at #13. The Broken Halo Pride allied member came into the bout as the #1 ranked middleweight and with the champ currently without a bout, we may just see the two duke it out next for the title.

AG Pennypacker retains his #3 spot in the 185 lbs division, yet Aznar Thrul has found some good form and with a win in his next appearance he’d more than likely push past Industrious. Given Thrul’s win on the night, the two facing one another next time out for the #3 spot could also be likely.

[continued...]

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UNFC Hot & Rocked

June 9

After UNFC61, three of the 6 divisions have had a decent array of rankings changes. The middleweight, welterweight and light-heavyweight divisions saw the most action this past week.

Here’s a quick look at who’s hot and who’s been rocked after UNFC61, courtesy of Fighter Elite MMA.



Who’s hot??

Dixie Small (155 lbs): #8 (+5)

James McGuiness (170 lbs): #10 (+5)

Batraz Farniev (205 lbs): #7 (+5)

Brad May (205 lbs): #1 (+3)



Who’s been rocked??

Thomas Hawk (170 lbs): #14 (-4)

Josh Madhaki (205 lbs): #15 (-4)

Axl Rose (185 lbs): #10 (-3)

Check out the full UNFC Tokyo rankings here.

[juicemalone]

Aznar Thrul: If Opdauhl falls to Remy I'd me more than happy to take Pennypacker #3 spot from him. After my next win I'll be coming to avenge my loss to Raise Hell.

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UNFC62 Preview: Reznick Vs Page

FighterEliteMMA

UNFC62: Reznick Vs Page is set to ignite before Japanese fans this Friday June 12 at Shinjuku Indoor Arena. Tokyo’s premier MMA organization brings you a packed card, stuffed to the brim with exciting fights which ends with two highly anticipated title bouts.

Sun-Tzu covers the event and brings you the latest and hottest fighting merchandise Tokyo has to offer, so check the various stands available when you hit the venue.

UNFC’s fans love a good stand-up battle, and this event will set Tokyo ablaze with the amount of talent on offer. The main card is so talent rich, a battle between two top 10 heavyweights headlines the undercard.

Because it’s so dense with UNFC’s finest, this preview is a third longer than usual.

Let’s get into the nitty gritty and check out what’s on offer.

[Main Event] (205 lbs) [c] Reznick v #3 Page – Light-Heavyweight Title Fight

Saying Trevor Reznick (15-4) is one of UNFC’s biggest draws is an understatement. Having headlined over half of the events he has appeared in since joining, his 12th fight with Tokyo’s finest will be the 7th time UNFC’s #1 P4P fighter has been in the main event.

Of the other 5 fights the light-heavyweight champ has been in, 4 were in the co-main event. The only time he wasn’t in a main or co-main event bout was at UNFC #18, the same night he walked away with the KO of the night award.

On top of his ability to pull in crowds, the Montreal born Convicted Inc fighter will be seeking his 11th win whilst contracted to UNFC. It’ll put him equal second with Hector Camacho and Shintaro Nomo on the ‘Most wins in org’ list.

And if history repeats itself and the win is another TKO, it will be Reznick’s 11th with Japans #1 fighting promotion and he will edge a little closer to the #1 spot (currently 2nd) on the ‘Most KO wins in org’ list, the top spot held by Frank Nicolosi (12).

Reznick has been in great form since becoming the UNFC light-heavyweight champ in January, when he took the title from Ragnar Danneskjöld at UNFC 36 in a come-from behind TKO victory. It was the second win in the Canadian’s current 5 fight win streak, which includes a co-main event win over Silent Bob at TMC Round 1 of Insanity’s Tycoon MMA Championships.

Reznick, 24, has won 8 of his last 10 fights thanks to his solid striking and clinchwork. The DJs Locker gym trainee utilizes his world class Muay Thai by effectively using his kicks when standing at range, yet he really dominates in the clinch, where he combines his Muay Thai and good grappling.

Last time out, Reznick successfully defended his title against Marlo Karlo in the organizations best rated and highest grossing ticket revenue event, making it the second time he’s proved the belt is best hanging around his waist. Against the challenger this Friday he’ll be looking for the same outcome.

His opponent is Chesney Page (14-4), a former Last Man Standing open-weight champion who comes into his third fight undefeated with UNFC and is seeking his third straight win.

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt is more known for his submission game, but does have 4 TKO finishes to his name. These include his first two fights since joining UNFC that both ended by head kick TKO’s. One was over Cortland Cartwright and the latest a follow-up repeat first round TKO over #6 ranked light-heavyweight Nikolay Burdyalov at UNFC57.

Whilst with LMS, Page ran up a 10-2 record which included 8 submission finishers (kneebar, 3x kimura, guillotine, triangle, Americana, armbar), 6 first round stoppages, a 7 fight win streak whilst also nabbing himself 10 ‘Of the night’ awards (2 Fight of the night, 7 Sub of the night, 1 KO of the night).

The UK native and Amsterdam resident trains under Gary Coffey with Araba Fenice gym, where he continues to hone his strong all-round skillset. Heavy handed natural KO power, lethal leg kicks, powerful takedowns and excellent Muay Thai are what await Reznick in their title fight.

Page currently occupies the #3 contender spot for the 205 lbs title and is sitting in the #12 spot on UNFC’s P4P list, yet a win this weekend will propel him into the top 10 on the P4P list. Given his ability to demolish his opponents with 9 first round finishes out of 14, he has a surprisingly good chance against Japan’s #1 light-heavyweight fighter.

Chesney Page has shown he is a real force on the ground and can pull out wins whether off his own takedowns or after being taken down. He also uses his natural knock out ability to rattle and finish his opponents and has nearly 10 first round finishes to his name.

Trevor Reznick is one of the best with his hands, and has been able to pull off some of the most exciting striking finishers the fans have seen. No matter the round, the champ keeps his cool and executes his game-plan till he gets an opening and finishes strong.

This will be an exciting fight. The champ has shown his Muay Thai stand-up can rival anyone ballsy enough to test it and Page is coming off 2 head kick TKO wins. If things get to the ground though, the challenger does have the superior skillset here and could seriously dominate and get another submission victory to his record, and let’s not forget the gold.

It’ll be one hell of a main event and there is a good chance we may see a new 205 lbs champion emerge with an event rating to rival Reznick’s best rated event so far.

[Co-Main Event] (265 lbs) [c] Nicolosi v #2 Big Baby – Heavyweight Title Fight

Heavyweight champion Frank Nicolosi (16-6) is also looking to defend his title for the third time and win his 5th straight. If he does, it’ll be his 13th with UNFC Tokyo and extend his UNFC legacy with another strike on the ‘Most wins in org’ (12) and ‘Most KO wins in org’ (12) lists.

“Fearless” will equal Meguru Takayanagi on 16 appearances with UNFC when he steps into the familiar cage this Friday. At just 24, he’s been a consistent stand-up threat, having finished all but 1 opponent in his 16 wins.

His last victory was against recent rival Paul OConnell. He beat him for the second time when he defended his UNFC heavyweight title at UNFC59 after initially taking it from him at UNFC52. The Evolution Fight Clan fighter’s Muay Thai striking was just too much for the challenger, once again.

Nicolosi has won his last 10 of 12 fights and has lost only three times in his last 18 appearances, interestingly, twice to American Vidar Nord. The Italian has his camp with NexGen Fight Team and is without a doubt UNFC’s premier striker.

The champ’s Muay Thai shouldn’t be ignored, with great elbows and dangerous knees his Thai clinch is a consistently effective go-to weapon in his arsenal. His wrestling should also be noted, having a strong grappling game to compliment his deadly striking.

Fearless is going up against someone more skilled on the ground in Big Baby, so this title defence definitely isn’t a given.

John Big Baby (10-5) will step into the UNFC cage for the first time when he meets the heavyweight champ for a chance to upset the division and take the title in his first Tokyo outing whilst recording his 3rd straight win.

“Bones” had a strong start to his career, streaking to 6 straight in his native Amsterdam with now closed WarZone and eventually tallying 8-4 overall. The Exiled alliance fighter finished all of his opponents in his winning WarZone bouts (4x Subs, 4x TKO’s) and earned himself 2 Fight of night, 2 Sub of the night and 1 KO of the night awards.

The next stop for Big Baby was Las Vegas, the fighting capital, and then named Worldwide Fighting Championship for 3 fights (2-1) in their super-heavyweight division before making the trip to Japan to compete in UNFC’s 265 lbs division.

Although the 25 year old has yet to make an appearance, he is the current #2 heavyweight contender with UNFC in a fairly understocked division. Bones sits at #34 on Tokyo’s P4P fighter rankings and might be considered a heavy underdog coming into this co-headliner title bout.

Big Baby trained under Ezer Cohen and The Exiled Stand Up – Amsterdam heading into this fight. If his finishers are anything to go by, he has a fairly rounded MMA ability. He’s known for his powerful takedowns and great low kicks, yet he neglects the former for the latter and has had a tendency to stand and trade more than shoot and pound.

Both fighters prefer to stand, yet like the main event fight the challenger does have a notable advantage on the ground with a BJJ brown belt. Nicolosi has solid all round striking and grappling, and if he gets Big Baby into a clinch war he’ll be fighting on his terms toward another title defence.

Bones though, has the balls to stand and trade with even a striker as prominent as Nicolosi. If things do hit the mat, the challenger’s submission wins and BJJ experience should be evidence enough that he has the advantage.

Nicolosi is a definite favourite in this 265 lbs title bout, but anything’s possible. Big Baby has less to lose and this should make for another cracking fight.

[continued...]

 

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UNFC63 Preview: Camacho Vs Mitchell

FighterEliteMMA

 

UNFC63: Camacho Vs Mitchell takes place this Saturday June 13 @ Shinjuku Indoor Arena in accordance with Sun-Tzu where a dual champion will defend one of his belts, the #1 featherweight contender spot will be fought over and 4 more featherweight matchup’s hit the UNFC cage to really shake up the division.

It follows Friday’s massive double title event, yet this one shouldn’t be overlooked. It’ll be one hell of a weekend for Tokyo fight fans, and Saturday night will be a nice finisher.

Let’s break down the fights and see what’s what.

[Main Event] (170 lbs) [c] Camacho v #1 Mitchell – Welterweight Title Fight

Hector Camacho (17-2) has never been beaten in Tokyo and will be looking for his 12th UNFC win to keep that streak alive. If his 4th 170 lbs title defence is successful, the duel belt holder will equal Frank Nicolosi on the ‘Most wins in org’ list.

“Macho” is currently atop the ‘Most decision wins in org’ list with 6, yet his 2 ‘KO of the night’ awards, 5 KO (2x punch, 2x head kick, strikes) and 3 TKO (3x strikes) wins proves his ability to finish a fight shouldn’t be slept on.

Before settling down in Japan, Camacho spent his beginnings racking up a record of 6-1 with New York’s Notorious Fights NY, Amsterdam’s Evil Empire: Amsterdam and St Petersburg’s Evil Empire.

After signing the dotted line with UNFC, the Puerto Rican immediately tasted gold by grabbing the lightweight title in a dominant win over Delphino Atlantis that ended with a head kick that set the internet’s highlight reel ablaze.

Since the start of 2014 Camacho has been the archetype of a champion, running up a 13 fight win streak and nabbing himself the welterweight title just 2 months after getting his first taste of gold. He’s defended his 2 titles a combined 7 times and his only loss during this epic streak came against former world #2 bantamweight and 2x HOF fighter, Lil Wayne.

Camacho is at the forefront of the Lord of War alliance, who will no doubt be cage side come Saturday. He trains with Team Alpha Male and when it comes to his skillset, there’s really nothing lacking. Camacho has good wrestling but it’s his world class boxing that stands out.

The American mixes his sensational boxing with excellent Muay Thai, kicking a big part of his game and if in the mood has been known to take the fight to the ground and pound away. With such a diverse area of expertise, it’s no wonder he’s been such a dominant force in the UNFC.

Malcolm Mitchell (15-6) is aiming for his 4th straight win and 8th since fighting with UNFC when he challenges for the 170 lbs title. Even though Mitchell isn’t new to the main event, this is the #1 welterweight contender’s first opportunity to walk away a champion.

“the Modernday Messiah” is 7-4 with Japan’s favourite fighting organization after an 8-2 start to his pro MMA career, which included a semi-final’s birth on The Island Season 2. Like Camacho, Mitchell is familiar with fights going the distance (8) and is just as comfortable ending things early, with 5 TKO’s (strikes) and 2 KO’s (punch) against his name.

The small Montreal based LoHoo Crew backs the Canadian and 5 Star Spar Bazaar is where he chooses to chisel his technique. With 5 first round finishes behind his striking including his last appearance in the UNFC cage, it’s clear Mitchell can get things done and isn’t adverse to looking for the finish.

Mitchell, 24, doesn’t mind standing and trading yet likes to get things done in the clinch, and let’s not forget his earlier fights where he liked to ground and pound, 4 straight ending in the same manner (TKO strikes).

Both welterweights have their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belts yet prefer to use their hands when doing damage and looking for the finish. Both have a solid grasp of the grappling game, and the champ would be considered more dangerous with his striking.

Camacho would be a favourite given he’s just a slight level above the challenger, yet as we know anything can happen and Mitchell is the #1 contender for a reason. He’s a dangerous striker in his own right and if he can over-work in the clinch, or take things south, we may just see an upset.

[Co-Main Event] (145 lbs) #1 Coker v #2 Tyson

Akeen Coker (10-1) sits at #6 on the UNFC P4P list and will be looking to extend his current win streak to 10 when he battles to retain his rank as the #1 featherweight contender.

Coker hasn’t lost a single bout since his solitary pro MMA debut loss, including his UNFC debut last time out against Julio Cesar Chavez, which he took with a unanimous judge’s score. The former La Grande Promotions featherweight champion remains undefeated with all organizations he’s fought for (Hostility, NY Fight Nights, La Grande Promotions and UNFC).

Coker, 23, represents the well-known Hitokiri-13 alliance and Masaru Fighting Systems II. He has good wrestling, lethal high kicks and has never been knocked out, his only loss going the way of his opponent via a judge’s decision.

Wherever the fight goes, the Trinidad & Tobago native has shown his skill extends to each facet of MMA. A heavy amount of kicking and ground strikes are what stand out, but he also has the ability in close with his grappling and clinch work.

Shogun Iron Tyson (11-5) is also coming off a UNFC win and will be seeking his 3rd straight. Originally named Tom Quin, Tyson legally changed his name in honour of his two favourite fighters. His first appearance with UNFC was at UNFC57 when he beat Dave Johnson in a really entertaining 3 round bout.

“The Ferocious Fighter" spent time fighting for Bodies Engaged In Extreme Fighting in Montreal under Alika Webb and racked up a healthy 8-3 record before changing his management and signing on with Bradley Burns and Elite Punishment Inc.

Tyson hails from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada but was born in in the Netherlands. His training camp consists of members of Canadian Elite Bruins Gym and if there’s one thing any opponent should be careful of, it’s Tyson’s excellent boxing.

10 TKO’s out of 11 wins are attributed to the hands of the Canadian which include 2 wins where his striking was just too much for his opponents that they tapped wilfully to avoid further punishment. Exceptional wrestling, a BJJ brown belt and a superb grasp on Muay Thai make this tattooed striker a hard task to master.

This fight pits a massive win streak against a fighter trying to re-establish himself after some life changes. It’s a battle for the #1 featherweight contender slot and a chance to meet Alvarez for a shot at the gold.

Both 145 lbs contenders have everything to lose here and much more to gain. It’ll be a very exciting fight to precede the main event, and very important to win for both fighters. Who will walk away the #1 contender?

[continued...]

 

[potter09]

Very impressive writing mate looking forward to fighting Resnick again after he stole the win from me when we first fought eachother

[Steel]

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Camacho "Respect to Malcolm Mitchell, dude is a beast, heart of a lion, he came on in round 4 and I'm like man, I gotta knock this kid out to keep the belt, he wont quit. Shit, every fight I have is a war. Thanks to the fans, hope they enjoyed the fight."

[rjs2442]

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Akeen Coker

Satisfied with my performance today, but still much room for improvement. I knew going in it would be a tough battle for me but also knew I had this one if I worked my gameplan and imposed my will on him there would be no denying victory. He hit me with his best and it had no effect on me other then to motivate me to keeping working him over!! Now that this test is out of the way there is one man that stands in my way of adding gold to my collection, you know who you are Alvarez, I am coming for you boy! No one has been able to stop me and when we finally meet that will not change. Keep that gold nice and shiny for when I run you over and take it violently from you!

[adzadelic]

Champs step up at UNFC62

FighterEliteMMA

 

In the third highest rated event to date, UNFC62 had 2 champions defend their titles in a card that had the judge’s scorecards take a backseat to some high quality striking finishes. Tokyo also got to see some of the newer fighters on offer step up to the plate and show their stuff, the headlining prelim one of the better fights on the night.

Sun-Tzu made their fight wear available to all, sponsoring the event, whilst the gates received a record equalling revenue intake.

In all, it was a great event to kick off the weekend double-header. Let’s break it down and see what eventuated on the night.

[Main Event] Reznick def Page by TKO (Strikes) at 01:41 of Round 2 to retain the UNFC Light-Heavyweight Title

Trevor Reznick (16-4) continued his dominance after a Round 2 TKO, his 14th KO/TKO from 16 wins and his 11th with UNFC. Reznick defended his LHW title for the second time since becoming champion at UNFC 36, and finds himself alone at the #2 spot on the ‘Most KO wins in org’ list with 11.

The Canadian controlled the clinch with his superior grappling, out-classing Page by connecting on 77% (28 of 36) of his world class Muay Thai strikes in close. Reznick came out the aggressor in the first round and chopped at Page’s legs, before the champ moved in and clinched up and dominated till the bell rang.

The second round started exactly the same with Reznick aggressively chopping at Page’s legs before a nut crunch connected to give them both a breather. Right after action resumed Reznick turned on the after burners with his hands to rock the challenger, tie him up against the cage and eventually drop him with a sweet uppercut on the inside then ended the fight with follow-up strikes.

The #2 UNFC P4P fighter shares the #3 spot with Shintaro Nomo on the ‘Most wins in org’ list and equals his previous record of most money raked in from ticket revenue at UNFC57, when he headlined with Mario Karlo, bringing in a total of $495k from door sales.

The 205 lbs champ keeps his title and is now 9 wins of his last 10 bouts. After the fight he gave an indication who he’d be looking to battle next: “UNFC better beef up LHW soon because I'm cleaning out the division. Brad May looks like he's on a tear right now, send him over and I'll show him who's boss.”

As luck would have it, Scott Park has booked the champ to defend his title against May at UNFC67 on July 11.

Reznick also had a few words to say about his currently unbeatable aura: “I expect to be champion for a long time to come. Hell I expect to be top 10 in the world by years end. Nothing will stop me now.”

Before he left the cage, he put out an open invitation to the rest of the LHW division: ”To the rest of the division all I have to say is come and get it punks, I'll be waiting.”

Chesney Page (14-5) is now 4-3 as a 205 pounder, and 2-1 since his latest run with UNFC yet retains his #3 contender spot in the 205 lbs division.

[Co-Main Event] Nicolosi def Big Baby by KO (Head Kick) at 00:59 of Round 3 to retain the UNFC Heavyweight Title

Frank Nicolosi (17-6) defended his UNFC Heavyweight title and reputation as UNFC’s badest man for the 3rd time with a KO win. The UNFC vet joined Meguru Takayanagi at the top of the ‘Most fights in org’ list with his 16th appearance and racks up his longest win streak to date with his 5th straight victory.

“Fearless” showed great takedown defense after stuffing 14 of 15 takedown attempts (93%) on route to becoming the most winningest fighter with UNFC (13). As with the main event fight, the champ outworked the challenger in the clinch.

The third round is where things really got going for Nicolosi, a big uppercut knocking down Big Baby right off the bat then a nicely timed feint into a head kick did the final deed to finish things a minute in and record the defending champ his 16th KO/TKO win.

John Big Baby’s (10-6) UNFC debut loss is his second Heavyweight title loss and pushes his stats to 4-6 in his last 10 fights and drops to #7 on the UNFC 265 lbs rankings.

[continued...]

 

[adzadelic]

Camacho continues UNFC dominance with title defence

FIghterEliteMMA

 

June’s double header continued on June 13 when UNFC returned to Shinjuku Indoor Arena for UNFC63: Camacho Vs Mitchell. The night was full of stoppages and we saw the future of fighting in Tokyo with some strong undercard bouts.

The dominance of Camacho continued and it looks like this freight train won’t stop anytime soon. He had another win in a solid headliner and the co-headliner showed another big time fighter in up-and-comer Coker is ready to take a step forward.

A night full of entertaining finishes and fighters stepping up to show they are the real deal here with Japan’s premier fighting organization.

Let’s take a look at Saturday’s fights.

[Main Event] Camacho def Mitchell by TKO (Strikes) at 03:09 of Round 5 to retain the UNFC Welterweight Title

Hector Camacho (18-2) defended his welterweight title for the 4th time in a last round late TKO victory. The fight could’ve went either way if it went to the judges, but the champ found his rhythm late to continue his unbeaten Tokyo run in a great headliner.

“Macho” showed his striking prowess throughout, landing 89 total strikes (61%) compared to Mitchell’s 53 (31%). Both his hands and his legs go going and were on target, his Muay Thai a centrepiece as he landed 70% of his kicks to slow down the challenger.

Malcolm Mitchell (15-7) did well to recover after being rocked in the third on the wrong end of Camacho’s world class boxing. Until that point he was doing a great job mixing it up with the champ, but overall wasn’t able to take the fight where he wanted as Camacho’s grappling was just too strong.

Camacho showed his ability to finish with his 9th TKO victory after it looked as if the fighters would see their 12th collective judge’s decision, but instead it was a big right hand from the champ that made certain he was walking away with his 170 lbs belt once again.

Camacho keeps his unbeaten UNFC record alive with his 12th win with Tokyo’s #1 fighting organization and his 8th straight overall title defence. He retains 2nd spot on UNFC’s ‘Most wins in org’ list and regains the #1 spot on the orgs P4P fighters list.

Post-fight he had a few words to say that can’t exactly be repeated here, yet did mention he wanted to take on Chavez next. Mitchell slides down a spot to become the #2 welterweight contender behind Tuke Hong.

Camacho is yet to face Hong so he’ll see a new face in his next welterweight match-up, if things work out that way, but as to the level of competition in the division the champ’s current 170 lbs run looks infallible.

[Co-Main Event] Coker def Iron Tyson by Unanimous Decision (30-28, 30-27 x2)

Akeen Coker (11-1) continued his push toward featherweight gold with his 11th straight win in a decisive victory.

It was the differential in kicking (9 landed to 0), activity in the clinch (8 strikes landed to 3) and takedowns (2 takedowns to 0) that lead to Coker taking the W. Coker kept his game-plan diverse by adding all elements to be the better fighter.

Shogun Iron Tyson (11-6) stayed with his stand-up and although landing more punches, he lacked much else. He’s now 1-1 with UNFC and drops a spot in the UNFC 145 lbs division to #3 and slides down the UNFC P4P fighter list to #14.

Coker pushed up the UNFC P4P fighters list to #4 with his 2nd UNFC win and retains his #1 featherweight contenders spot. He’s arguably currently the top contender in the division and will give the champ a good run for his money.

The Le Grande Promotions reigning lightweight champ is scheduled to face Alex Alvarez for the chance to be a duel promotion title holder in two separate weight divisions, a massive feat. The two will battle it out at UNFC67 on July 11 in a must-see featherweight bout.

[continued...]

 

[762x39]

Next weekend Bernhard Adelhard will have his last fight in UNFC for a while, he is leaving to take part in the ITFL! But once it is over he will be back to continue his run for the 155 belt! Good luck Kokoszka I have a very tough fight to leave on!

[rjs2442]

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Akeen Coker (243512)

Well folks, even though this epic showdown between 2 of the future greats in the little man region of the sport went virtually un publicized with little to no fanfare at all I pulled off the unthinkable, I went were many a man had gone before never to return again! Tonight I met my challenge head on, and battled for 5 rounds with a warrior who had not lost in 8 fights, had defended his gold on 3 occasions. This was an uphill battle from the very beginning as I knew I would need to show up with my A game or it would be a very short night for me. Fighting a beast who on paper looked like he could out duel me in every category but I showed no fear, I went into the shark infested waters and game out victorious! It was not pretty that is for sure, and I am well aware I still have much work to do in rounding out my abilities however I am as much of a beast in the gym as I am in the cage. Not sure what the future holds for me or what my next obstacle may be but I am ready to hit it full throttle!!