The Island Round 3 Previews

[clydebankblitz]

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Ove Sundberg (13-1-1) Vs Ed Frettish (11-4)
This is always what we expected Ove to do in this tournament; two first round finishes and complete domination. I previously talked a little bit about how he seemed to be playing it safe these days, but his recent results say otherwise. Ed previously challenged Ove, then being for the Highland Challengers Bantamweight title, but unfortunately lose by decision. While he definitely put up a good challenge, he was just outboxed by the most active and accurate opponent. Ed knows what the gameplan might be coming into this one so I’ll be really interested to see what he’s going to do different.

Arturo Alvarado (7-1) Vs Piston Horiguchi (7-1-2)
It’s just been a complete resume for Arturo Alvarado in this tournament. He was recently stopped by Ove Sundberg, but his two tournament victories have been effortless quick submissions. Horiguchi? Yep, same again. Two KO/TKO wins in the previous rounds, both being in the opener, and he’s not really seen a challenge yet. Piston had wins over both competitors in the other match so you’d think he’ll fancy his chances. One thing interesting about this fight is that the 1 on each of their records is owned by Ove Sundberg. If the HC Champion wins in the other fight, one of these men gets their ultimate opportunity for redemption of their sole loss.

 

 

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Darth Mauler (13-1) Vs Count Chocula (11-4)
No one is surprised that Darth Mauler has made it this far. He finished the Island season as the Solitude Featherweight Champion and has already redeemed his sole loss. You have to think he’s absolutely determined to win this tournament after his fellow Storman Norman managed fighter Darth Vader was unsuccessful in his tournament efforts. Fighting the odds tonight is Count Chocula. Count has been a top competitor in Solitude, but he’s still failed to bring the big one home in two title challengers. Coming off of a second round win over Yuta Wakabayashi, the biggest victory of his career, Chocula will be confident that he can avenge the decision loss he received at the hands of Darth Mauler at Solitude 41.

Hannu Haapana (12-2) Vs Prince The (7-4-1)
Hannu would probably be the top outside pick to win the tournament. Although he has losses to Darth Mauler and Tom King, two top Solitude fighters, he’s proven himself time and time again against solid competition. Hannu is also an undefeated kickboxer and that experience will be big for him as he comes to the cage tonight. Prince The is the kind of guy who goes out there an has a barn burner, but doesn’t always win the fight. He has a weakness to submissions, but fortunately for him
Hannu will probably want to keep this one standing. While I think he’ll put up a great fight, I imagine this is the end of the line for Prince.

Moka Moka (10-3) Vs Jim Dixon (10-7)
These guys have fought before, at Solitude LIV. Moka utilized his kickboxing to land from the outside and avoid Dixon’s head shots. Moka can handle himself both on the feet and on the ground, holding a Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Dixon may not have the most dominant record of all time, but he’s been in there with some fantastic fighters. Dixon was maybe a little afraid of going to the ground in their last fight, but I feel that he will be less scared of that aspect of Moka’s game this time and will work his wrestling.

Hans Yamato (11-4) Vs Patrick Seery (11-1)
Solitude Vs Highland Challengers, grappler Vs striker. Hans was the second ever Solitude Featherweight Champion but it’s been a little while since he was competing at that level. Hans has fought Jim Dixon, Hannu Haapana and Count Chocula, all 3 of which remain in the competition, so it’s interesting to see if he will be able to change his game if he fights any of them in the future. The number 2 seed in the tournament is Patrick Seery. The 24 year old was submitted by Hugh Janus many moons ago, but since has went on a 9 fight win streak including 4 successful Highland Challengers title fights. Patrick is used to knocking opponents out without too much resistance, but with that lone submission loss to a reasonably low calibre fighter, there’s a good chance from him to lose in this clash.

 

 

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Wilson Wills (12-1) Vs Hugo Jimenez (5-2)
Wilson Wills is undoubtedly the big favourite here, but that’s just how Hugo Jimenez likes it. Hugo might well have the best straight victories of the tournament thus far; Fred Aslop and IB Strokin, but Wilson Wills is a whole different animal. While Wills is known for his submission game, specifically the guillotine and armbar, he’s won fights at distance and in the clinch too. There really isn’t an area where you can clearly outmatch him, but if Hugo has his pick he’s definitely going to want to make this a kickboxing match.

Glorious Superior (13-2) Vs Mashrafe Mortaza (6-3)
We could feel it in the air since the very beginning of the tournament. Glorious Superior Vs Wilson Wills 4. It has all been clearly in place since the very beginning, and Superior is gonna be foaming at the mouth to get his hands back on Wills (that’s not foam, that’s magical god bubbles that emerge from the mouth of only the best of men…don’t question it North Korea). Looking to free the Republic of North Korea from dictatorship is Mashrafe Mortaza. Mortaza shocked the world when he slapped an Anaconda Choke onto undefeated HC Champion Quintonio Vasquez. Mashrafe has always been fighting a weight class above where he naturally is, and perhaps that could see him get bullied a bit by El Eternal. An interesting thing to note is that Glorious likes to take the fight to the floor and look for a submission, but Mortaza has more experience as a jiu jitsu practitioner.

 

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Chevie Case (8-2) Vs Johnny Hetfield (11-5)
Cheve man, why did you have to do it mate? We were about to see the undisputed greatest Island fighter of all tie be crowned, and instead you’ve kept General Tso’s record intact. It was undoubtedly the biggest win of Case’s career, and he might be dreaming of going toe to toe with the only man to ever beat him; Keto Belle, in the final. All eyes might be on Case, but Hetfield has proven himself to be one of the best fighters on The Island in both Solitude and Leftovers, the two top Island orgs. Hetfield was held back by Palmier twice, so perhaps he’s happy he’s fighting a different face, but he can’t take this fight lightly. Both of these guys would still be considered slight underdogs to walk home with the title, but I wouldn’t fancy fighting either one of them.

Zadimus Delacroix (11-3) Vs Razval Saraev (11-2)
Shit, if I win this I’m gonna have to fight either one of them. I picked up Razval Saraev after he was released by Klatz Matz. Klatz cut him after he lost a fight, who did he lose to? Zadimus Delacroix. These competitors have fought each other twice. In the first fight, Delacroix came out like a rocked and instantly dropped Saraev. Zadimus then secured the clinch and finished the fight in just 16 seconds. In the rematch, Saraev managed to slip his opponent’s shots quickly and get the takedown. From there, it was business as usual as he unloaded with his usual massive ground and pound. So here we are, the rubber match, with some serious bad blood. We know Zadimus can get to Saraev fast and hurt him badly. We know Zadimus can’t handle Razval’s ground game. What we don’t know is who will get their game together quick enough to walk home as a semi finalist.

Alexander Stubb (12-2) Vs Teppo Tavi (15-6)
Two fighters managed by Erkki Perähikiä, nope, I totally didn’t copy and paste that name. Alexander Stubb is an absolute beast with his hands, although I personally think he’s a dick for being the first ever Highland fighter to leave an org with the title L. Stubb wants to walk across the cage and land punches quickly, but he’s really at home when he can tie you up and work his dirty boxing from inside the clinch. Teppo Tavi likes to clinch…ahhhh damn it’s another mirror match. Tavi was a decent kickboxer, holding a 2-1 record with 2 Kos, but since then the majority of his fights have went the distance. Unlike Stubb, Tavi also mixes in some elbows in close which has the potential to cut opponents opened.

Andrew West (12-6) Vs Keto Belle (14-3)
West is a pretty good competitor, which is more impressive due to the fact that he’s 21. He’s had his wins and his losses, but he’s never really fought at this level before. He competed mostly in a slightly weaker Leftovers 170 division and doesn’t have the top level experience that the other guys left in the tournament have. If this doesn’t put the odds against him already, he’s fighting Keto Belle. Belle had two losses to Razval Saraev but recently won their third fight to leave The Island with the Welterweight Title of Solitude. Keto is a really good fighter with skills all across the map. He has submitted Zadimus Delacroix twice, tapped and decisoned Chevie Case, KOed Razval Saraev and comes into this tournament as a heavy favourite.

 

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Victor Chinyengetere (3-6) Vs Tway Ma Shaung (8-3)
I fucking love this guy. Victor dropped 6 fights in a row on The Island, including 3 kickboxing fights. Did he quit? Nope, in fact he won his final Island fight and has passed with flying colours in is first two rounds of the tournament. I’m not sure we’ve ever had a fighter in the final of a tournament with a record like 3-6, but none the less, this guy is awesome. Tway has the nickname Bengal Tiger, and in the only photograph I’ve seen of him there is both a man….and a bengal tiger. Now I’m thinking…is HE the tiger? I’m not sure, but I feel like the commission should have something to say about this. Tway was an undefeated kickboxer who switched to MMA after Pride on The Island went down. With a total KT record of 6-0, he’s coming into this as an undeniable heavy favourite.

 

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Mehmet Muhammad (13-2-1) Vs Hery Rabemananjara (13-6)
My spell check is having a panic attack at these two names. Mehmet didn’t finish the season with a championship, which was pretty surprising, but he was still the number 1 seed so that’s a real tell-tale sign to how talented this guy is. In the last round, he submitted Cadan Ness, whom he previously drew with, and he holds a 1-2 record against David Hernandez. You have to think that would be the perfect finale for Mehmet to be successful in. On Island, Hery really struggled to break into the next level. He has a pair of nice wins over Pekka Pyy, but losses to Bernardo Muriel, Gabriel Dahl and some lower ranked fighters have kept him from getting to the top. This would be redeemed if he could walk away from the season with a tournament victory however.

Bobby Bones (17-5) Vs Ricardo Gerson (11-5)
Bobby is just 21 years old, but his record is incredibly impressive from his Island run. A highly touted prospect for the future, Bones is a two time Leftovers Champion. This fight is so interesting because They have already faced each other three times and there is a lot of bad blood. Gerson’s Leftovers title was taken from him by Bobby, but he won it back in his next outing. He would drop a second fight to Bones just before the tournament, so really you have to think Gerson is the one with the most to avenge. Both are submission killers so it will absolutely take place on the mat.

David Hernandez (13-2) Vs Arthur Schopenhauer (12-2)
David Hernandez really should be a bigger favourite in this tournament than I think he’s being received. A two time Kingsford Champion and a Solitude title holder with two defences, David is right up there amongst the best of them. Arthur couldn’t really have a harder fight here because he’s already been tapped by Hernandez twice, despite winning both fights before the submissions were locked in. Those are his only two losses to date and Arthur will be absolutely dying to win this fight and get the ultimate revenge on his bitter foe.

Wybrant De Houtman (12-3) Vs Dylan Carter (12-2)
Lot of former champs in this Middleweight division. De Houtman is a former Leftovers 185 kingpin but his opponent tonight ripped the title from his hands. Dylan would lose the title to Bobby Bones, another guy in the competition, but he still managed to end the tournament with the belt on his shoulder. This should be a solid matchup between some really talented fighters. As it stands, anyone can really walk away with the Middleweight tournament and I have absolutely no problem seeing either of these guys walk away with the grand prize. I don’t think we’ll see this fit hit the floor and imagine someone is getting knocked out.

 

 

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Roberto Boucher (9-4) Vs Max Kirillov (9-3)
While he had a respectable Island career, Roberto has really pushed the boat out with his performances thus far in the tournament. Charles Crawley was a solid enough fighter, and Gabriel Dahl might have been the favourite to win in this division. It seems like he might have hit his stride now, perhaps looking for an upset run similar to Matt Couture’s last season at 205. Another fighter who struggled to create a solid legacy, but was never an easy opponent, is Max Kirillov. With an annoyingly hard second name to type, we saw Max fight some really good names but never push towards a title shot. His final Island fight saw him redeem one of his losses, and an armbar over Unz Unz sees another written off, so Max will be confident that the improvements he’s made is enough to make a statement.

Nuke Laloosh (14-5) Vs Bernardo Muriel (15-4)
Nuke, a two time Solitude Light Heavyweight Champion, overcame a three fight losing streak earlier in his career to prove himself as a real contender. He’s bounced around in Solitude, fighting some of their top names several times, and won the inaugural 205 strap at Solitude 12. His weakness could be said as the ground game, but that’s not something we expect to face him here. Bernardo Muriel is essentially the Nuke Laloosh of Leftovers, although with a more impressive legacy. An incredible 8 title defences o his Leftovers belt and 12 total title fights across two reigns, you can’t really fault the results. Solitude Vs Leftovers, either of these guys could walk away with the tournament.

Mel Gordon (12-2) Vs Joy James (10-1)
I remember interviewing Mel Gordon for Highland Challengers, as he comes from a legacy of solid Island fighters. Darby Gordon was the Season 2 Champion and Louis Gordon has long been a top Highland Games 205 competitor. Mel has some big shoes to fil but his Island run so far, which saw him end as the Highland Challengers Champion, puts him in a really good position for this tournament. With one of the most impressive records of the tournament, Joy James stands at 10-1. His round 2 win over Emil Cioran, in a razor close match up, is probably the biggest of his career so he’ll be all smiles coming into this contest. I’m really excited to see who walks away with this because we have an expert clincher facing a guy with really solid skills at both distance and in the clinch. Can being the more multi-dimensional fighter help James, or will Gordon’s mastery of one aspect be enough to send him to the semis?

Shaka KaSolomon (10-3) Vs Zsiga Venczel (8-0)
Man, we had a lot of champs this season eh? Shaka was a Kingsford 205 Champ with one defence. He was halted twice by Shoei Braz who we saw fall from the competition at the hands of his opponent tonight. Zsiga, who recently featured in a spotlight piece which was written by JLP recently, looks like he could be one of the biggest stars of the future. He can TKO you, he can submit you, and he can defeat you over the distance. His wins over Antero Teeri and Shoei Braz in the tournament show him to be a very legitimate thread in this tournament, and if he takes the whole thing it’d go down as one of the biggest surprise wins of The Island’s history.

 

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Rod Black (9-1) Vs Tito Kerr (8-3)
Probably the most in-demand fighter from The Island, Rob Black knows there is a lot riding on his tournament win. He’s taken on and defeated some of the top Island fighters in his 9 victories, but there a lot of styles he has yet to face. Really, the most impressive aspect of his game is how well rounded he is. He can really do it all, and that’s something not many can overcome. Tito Kerr is the smashing machine through and through. He’s vicious and destructive with his ground and pound and Rod Black will really have to be on point with his jiu jitsu if he plans on surviving from his back if that situation comes about here.

Eric Domani (6-1) Vs Paddy McGuiness (8-8)
Domani needed just 40 seconds to come through the last round against a good jiu jitsu player, so his power needs no introduction. Paddy McGuiness is my favourite guy in this entire thing though. That dude has a chin ready to be hit, and a fist ready to give it back. He’s not the best fighter you’ll ever see but he could well be your favourite. I think Domani seems to be more technically sound so he should walk out with the win, but I can count McGuiness out for the rest of his career and he only needs one punch to fill my plate full of crow.

Doyle Brunson (11-2) Vs Peyton Rudger (8-3)
Fighting all around The Island, Doyle Brunson has faced some difficult challengers and overcame them. He’s probably not got the experience of some of the other top competitors but he also hasn’t been basted too many times either. We know he likes his clinch work and only elite punchers have stood up to it. I had a feeling Peyton would lose his last fight and he proved me wrong. Like Brunson, he likes to get in close and make it a rough and nasty fight and I think we’re going to see that in bushels with this one. If I had to make a prediction though, I think Brunson is going to have more aspects of the clinch game down.

Roger Machado (11-2) Vs Hank Holmes (12-3)
The last Machado standing. Although his clan fell heavily in the last round, a submission win over team mate Eli Frankham keeps the Machado family’s hope of a tournament title alive. This fight is just nuts to me. We know Hank is crazy with his submissions. He’s only a blue belt and has 11 submission wins. But at the same time, Machado might just be too high level for him to roll with. Holmes has a lot of tools to fall back on however, so maybe he will look for a sprawl and brawl tactic for a change.

Dave Ysengrin (13-2) Vs Peper Panel (8-3)
Dave has had no bants at all since he dropped his Highland Challengers Heavyweight Title. He’s only been seen in Nandos twice since the tournament started which is extremely alarming. None the less, Laddington Bear has straight KOed his last two opponents in less than 2 minutes. Dave is obviously a favourite, but he has a lot to get through before the final. Peper Panel is up against it here. He’s defeated some decent guys but nothing like the level Dave has been facing. What I’m scared about is that Panel likes to strike. He’ll have to be fighting an incredible fight to make it out of the first round here I think.

Axe Killer (9-3) Vs Otocanin Zmija (9-2)
Axe has been looking like quite a prospect throughout the tournament. At just 20 years old, he already has 9 knockout wins, including forcing Josh Vukovic to tap out due to strikes which was previously unheard of. Zmija is essentially undefeated after avenging his only two losses, so now we’re going to get to see the cap on his potential throughout this competition. He is a fantastic submissionist with a BJJ brown belt, but I think he’ll need to take this one to the floor if he has a chance.

Kalle Kettu (9-4) Vs Bruce Honeybottom (13-4)
Kalle Kettu has fought almost all of the top guys. Sephiroth, Honeybottom, Lazaro, Crazy Legs, Ysengrin, Hellmuth Jr, Kerr, he’s been fighting at an extremely high level almost since he debuted. To hold a fairly solid record through all of that shows his skill. Bruce was out boxed when they last fought and got knocked out in the opener. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to bring something new to the table to come out of this victorious, but you have to feel he wont have a choice.

Crazy Legs (9-5) Vs Donatello Flaminio (5-2)
And the final fight I’m writing for today, thank fuck, is this (I did SHW after, don’t focus on that ya dickheads). Crazy Legs is a really good boxer, but a big underdog to pull this off. His manager is very close to HG, but I’m sorry mate, I have to vote against you. Donatell Flaminio is STILL in the contest. This guy isn’t like the Rey Mysterio of the tournament, he’s like the Hornswoggle, but he’s still in there clinging on. If he wins, I’ll change my name back to QueensProperty….okay fuck that no I wont. But I’ll be happy, happy as a man in a free country.

 

 

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Phil Hellmuth Jr (11-2) Vs Regal Law (7-2)
Mostly competing as a heavyweight throughout the season, Phil recent made the jump up to the super category. Although he never won the Highland Challengers Heavyweight title, he just never got the opportunity and his two losses happened quite a while ago. His current 7 fight streak is very commendable, and if you’re fighting against “Beep Beep”, who may or may not be a robot with a nickname like that, you’ll have to catch out for his lethal elbows in the clinch. Regal is a legit super heavyweight so he’s going to have a lot of weight behind his punches. Although he could easily cut, he prefers to fight at the heavier weight class and impose his will with a combination of speed and power. He too is on a 7 fight win streak, so someone has a lot to lose here.

Paulo Lazaro (11-4) Vs Fray Bentos (12-0)
I’ll say it again, if Paulo wins this tournament, I’ll fucking love it. He had an okay season but as of late he’s really been putting it together, perhaps since he moved up a weight class. His two wins over Santino Carolla show his skill level, but he had a decent heavyweight career before making the switch. Pedro Lazaro won the heavyweight tournament last year, can Paulo do it again for the family? If anyone is going to stop him, it’s Fray Bentos. With 4 defences of his Extreme MMA title and an undefeated record after 12 fights, he’s a really solid competitor. Due to his org’s quality of opponents, he may not have fought the best but a recent win over Ivan Spinolio shows his calibre. I’m not 100% sure, but a tournament win will have Fray quite close to General Tso’s record.

 

 

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Troy Kirkland (13-2) Vs Edward Bravie (12-0)
I’m a bit gutted this is taking place at SHW and in kickboxing cause these guys are both extremely solid. Kirkland is a two time Middleweight Champion in Leftovers, as well as being an undefeated fighter as a kickboxer with a 6-0 record. Bravie is also undefeated as a kickboxer, only he holds a 7-0 record and was the Pride Heavyweight Champio before it went down. He had some brief success in Solitude but I think he may have been holding himself back from fighting for the title so he could work on his all round MMA game. Kirkland has fought the better competitors throughout his career, but Bravie still has that 0 in his record which will give him all the confidence in the world. This is the biggest match of both men’s careers, so don’t expect them to leave anything out there in the ring when it’s all said and done.

[Wolf]

Awesome stuff dude. If Flamino gets to the semis you must change your name back to QP

 

 

I'm exited for the Bravie fight at SHWKT final, should be a good contest. Kirkland looks like a stud MMA fighter but i'm not totally sold on his KT game against a 25yo creation.

[clydebankblitz]

I said if he won the tournament

 

Yeah Kirkland and Bravie is as good as it gets for HW. Kirkland's younger, fought a bit more for MMA and is at a big weight disadvantage so if he can pull it off, fair fucks.

[Kronix]

Great work man!

[clydebankblitz]

Razval rocked, comes back, gets the stoppage. Phew.

[Wrinklejon]

Dominated two rounds but let Alvarado stick in there and get the late sub.

 

Dammit!

[PaleMan]

i don't get it - smthing wrong with the time?
got (-20) time in fight offers section which means fight must be 20 minutes ago?

[clydebankblitz]

Everything after Welterweight is stalled for some reason.

[Guest]

You're a superstar for ploughing your way through all these fights! Awesome work man.

An exciting welterweight semi final coming up, good luck.

[clydebankblitz]

Wolf's gonna split them with me next time so the weight won't be too bad.