PSE 265lbs+ Grand Prix

[Alfred]

PSE 265lbs+ Grand Prix

Montreal 2.0 RD4 (Week 11)

Saturday 6th April 2019

GROUP A - RECAP

Regis Petrozuli vs. Johannes Boe (Boe def. Petrozuli by TKO, 01:25 Rd 1)

Another win for Johannes Boe puts him at 2 in a row and 3-1 so far this round. Impressive stuff considering he wasn’t given much of chance at the beginning of this second round and was predicted an 8th Place finish overall. With the weekends victory, Boe moves up from third into second and at just under halfway through this round, Boe’s supporters will be hoping that he can continue his run of form and make it to the championship finals.

He will next face Sven Eklund who as well as having suffered poor form of late, will not be at 100% on the day of the fight. Possibly a lucky break for Boe as a fully fit Eklund might have been a nightmare match up for him.

Prediction: Boe wins by KO early against injured Eklund

Almost the opposite for Regis Petrozulli who has now dropped two in a row. After performing so well in the first round and being picked for a second place finish in this one, Petrozuli has struggled of late and has managed only one win out of four. With just five fights remaining, Petrozuli might count himself lucky in that, despite the poor results thus far, he isn’t yet too far from 4th and in theory only one win from turning things around.

He has a rather mixed run of opponents coming up but will next face surprise package Alan Odrobny who suffered his first loss of the round last time out. Both fighters will be at full capacity on the day and Petrozuli will want very much to exploit Odrobny’s lack of submission skills in that one but given his current form will not be favoured.

Prediction: Petrozuli get’s caught before he can get the fight to the floor.

Alf Konrad vs. Amadeo Camara (Konrad def. Camara by TKO, 00:24 Rd 1)

Another fighter that has done well to exceed expectations so far is Alf Konrad. Konrad just about scrapped through the first group round and was expected to struggle in this one. At the moment things are going very well for him though it must be pointed out that only time separates him from his current fourth place qualifying spot. A nice scalp against a tricky but struggling and injured Amadeo Camara puts him at 2-2 this round which was about as good as he was expected to do. Can he push on from here and cement his place in the finals?

To do so he will have to beat his next opponent Amanda Nunes who has suffered a tremendous reversal of fortune of late and will also be boosted by the fact Nunes will once again be injured. A shame for the fans who will be robbed of a good fight but all is fair in tournaments and Konrad will no doubt take it

Prediction: Konrad wins easily and early by TKO against an injured opponent

Yet another bad result for Amadeo Camara in what has so far been a rather underwhelming tournament for him. Though not expected to qualify this round, he wasn’t expected to be languishing at the bottom of the pile of which he currently is. He will be thankful no doubt however that the group has been highly competitive so far and that a single win could potentially turn the tide and get him back into qualifying range.

He will next face submission hunter Patrick O’Phoenix in what is likely to be a ground battle of sorts. Camara will be sporting a cut but won’t be injured and is likely to be relieved that O’Phoenix hasn’t really shown any intent to damage on the ground. He won’t be the favourite going into the bout but at least there is a chance he will come out without aggravating his cut

Prediction: Camara gets caught in a submission somewhere down the line but is largely competitive up to that point.

Sven Eklund vs. Daniel Bradshaw (Bradshaw def. Eklund by TKO, 03:56 Rd 2)

What has happened to Sven Eklund fight fans? Given very little attention at the start of the tournament, wrestler Eklund smashed his way to a 5-2 record and was largely expected to keep the good times rolling in this round. Especially in a group filled with strikers. Now having lost his last three in a row, Eklund finds himself rock bottom of Group A with only one win out of four.

To make matters even worse, Eklund will be injured for his next bout against Johannes Boe in a fight that might otherwise have favoured him. Now however, the chances of victory are extremely slim and with another loss, Eklund might just find himself too far out of range to come back.

Prediction: Eklund would need a miracle to beat in form Boe with an injury. His best hope is to get though the fight without injuring himself further

For Daniel “Bam Bam” Bradshaw, things couldn’t look better right now. Despite a decent run in the opening round, Bradshaw was expected to trail some of the other second round qualifiers and wasn’t himself predicted to make it to the finals. Now, with four wins in a row and three of them by KO, Bradshaw sits atop the Group A standings at a comfortable distance from fifth place. Of course he will still have to guard against complacency but for now, it would be hard not to see him moving on into the next round.

His next opponent will be Diego Columbo who has suffered from injury and poor form this round. However, Columbo looks to be making something of a turn around and rumour has it Bradshaw will not be at 100% on the night of their fight. It would be a terrible shame for things to unwind for Bradshaw now but it’s doubtful that he will find any sympathy from his opponent.

Prediction: With only a very minor injury on the night, perhaps Bradshaw can salvage something from his fight but generally it looks as though he will take a loss here. Just how badly though remains to be seen.

Amanda Nunes vs. Diego Columbo (Columbo def. Nunes by TKO, 01:25 Rd 1)

A second loss in a row looks to undo all of the hard work and impressive performances from Amanda Nunes. Suffering from injury, Nunes was hobbled from the start and Diego Columbo took his opportunity to be the one inflicting the misery for once. Now Nunes drops out of a qualifying spot down to sixth and will need to find a way to get back on track.

Unfortunately, Nunes injury will continue to hamper him and will follow into his showdown with Alf Konrad. A fight in which he would otherwise likely be a huge favourite. Konrad is in form and will be at 100% so it looks very much like Nunes will continue to slide down in the table.

Prediction: Another miracle will be needed here and we’ve not seen too many of those so far. Nunes gets stopped early.

Alan Odrobny vs. Patrick O'Phoenix (O'Phoenix def. Odrobny by Submission, 01:57 Rd 1)

Surprise package Alan Odrobny’s glaring lack of ground skills were exposed here and after some very good performances, his run of three wins comes to an end at the hand’s of Patrick O’Phoenix. With the loss, Odrobny concedes the top spot to Daniel Bradshaw and he himself drops down into third. There doesn’t seem like too much to panic about at this point but Odrobny will definitely not want to drop any more points in such a tightly contested Group A.

He next faces submission fighter Regis Petrozuli and while it is obvious that Odrobny isn’t much of a ground guy, Petrozuli doesn’t have the wrestling of O’Phoenix and Odrobny has so far done well against those types of fighter. Both fighters will be fully fit however so we will really get to see an unspoiled result.

Prediction: Odrobny is able to keep his feet and pick up a TKO victory somewhere down the line.

After a run of losses, Patrick O’Phoenix seems to be turning a corner and with the victory keeps within touching distance of a qualifying spot. In truth, it was something of a surprise result after each fighters respective forms and O’Phoenix will no doubt be pleased to have gotten maximum points from the encounter. The question now is whether O’Phoenix can remain injury free and keep racking up the wins from here. After such a poor first round he wasn’t expected to go another further than here but perhaps there is still a chance that O’Phoenix can become the fighter he was hoped to be at the start.

He will next face a very tricky showdown with Amadeo Camara. Both fighters will be injury free but Camara will be cut. O’Phoenix will have his best chance of victory if he can get the takedown and maintain top position rather than working off of his back trying to avoid the ground and pound from Camara. With a win likely meaning a qualifying position for him, there certainly will be a lot to fight for.

Prediction: O’Phoenix wins most likely by submission but a decision wouldn’t surprise either

[Alfred]

PSE 265lbs+ Grand Prix

Montreal 2.0 RD4 (Week 11)

Saturday 6th April 2019

GROUP B - RECAP

Michael Dobson vs. Thom Tharrier (Dobson def. Tharrier by TKO, 04:18 Rd 1)

Another win for Dobson makes it four out of his last five and puts him at 3-1 this round. You would think that would be enough to earn a spot in the top four but for now, Dobson occupies his predicted fifth spot though only due to time spent in the cage. At this rate though, it would be hard not to see Dobson in the next round.

Unfortunately for Dobson, he has suffered a pretty significant injury and will be far from fit going into his next fight against Heitor Machado. Machado has been like a vulture so far, picking up the scalps of wounded warriors and this one is very likely to go the same way

Prediction: Dobson will have to resign himself to dropping points here and hope that he can recover in time for his showdown against Kyle Cruz the following week

It was always going to be tough going for Thom Tharrier and after his fourth loss in a row this round, he finds himself surprisingly not bottom of Group B. His decision loss against Jon Bones being his saving grace, Tharrier still has the smallest theoretical chance of staying in this tournament though the results needed from here wouldn’t be considered particularly realistic.

Next for Tharrier is a nightmare match up against wrestler Kyle Cruz and with only a punchers chance things aren’t expected to get better any time soon for the striker.

Prediction: Tharrier gets taken down easily and battered within a minute.

Okino Naruhiko vs. Jon Bones (Naruhiko def. Bones by TKO, 02:58 Rd 1)

Okino Naruhiko continues to fight back from his disappointing start to this second round though with the top placed fighters in the group performing so well, Naruhiko is probably not as close as he would like to a qualifying spot. At 2-2 this round and with two wins in a row, there doesn’t seem like much reason to doubt he will feature in the final stages but at this point it most definitely won’t be in his predicted first place.

Next up Naruhiko will face bottom placed Roar Dinosuar Jr who has yet to score a point this round. Cut but not injured, Dinosuar could still pose a threat on the ground but a clever fighter like Naruhiko is unlikely to play into another fighters strengths willingly.

Prediction: Naruhiko wins this on the feet by doctors stoppage due to cut.

With only a decision win so far this round, Jon Bones currently resides exactly where predicted in the eighth spot and isn’t likely to surprise from here. He will be disappointed with his performance this past weekend against Naruhiko where he was unable to get barely any offence in at all.

He faces group leader Hugues Dupont next and will be an overwhelming underdog in that one. He will need to catch Dupont by complete surprise and finish this fight quickly if he is to have any chance at all.

Prediction: Bones faces a repeat of his fight with Naruhiko and is finished in round 1

Kyle Cruz vs. Bishop Heahmund (Cruz def. Heahmund by TKO, 04:56 Rd 1)

Kyle Cruz continues to look extremely dangerous in this tournament after another strong performance against BJJ fighter Bishop Heahmund. Showing complete disregard for his opponents submission skills, Cruz was more than happy to sit in guard and batter his way to another TKO victory all the while shrugging off submission attempts from Heahmund. The top of Group B has proven to be extremely competitive and Cruz has done well to pick up points against Naruhiko and Dupont and as a result, currently sits in second place and has yet to lose a fight this round. Though things are tight right now, you get the feeling that Cruz will definitely feature in the next round at this point

His next fight will be against Thom Tharrier and aside from a freak occurrence, Cruz isn’t likely to be troubled at all.

Prediciton: Cruz easily defeats Tharrier by TKO early in the first round.

For Bishop Heahmund, this tournament starts to slip away from him after generally keeping up with things for so long. There would have been some hope of a decent performance against Cruz and to lose so decisively will be hard to take for the BJJ Brown Belt. Now 1-3 this round and in seventh position, Heahmund will need to win the vast majority of his remaining bouts to even stand a chance of moving on in the tournament

He next faces another tough bout this time against in form Victor Slaughter. Slaughter is predominately a submission fighter himself but is firstly a wrestler. Heahmund will have to do better then he did against Cruz if he wants to pick up maximum points but one thing is for sure and that is the fight is almost a must win for Heahmund at this point.

Prediction: With Heahmund’s current form it’s hard to pick him as a favourite though I do think he has a chance here. My gut says a decision loss however.

Roar Dinosuar Jr vs. Victor Slaughter (Slaughter def. Dinosuar Jr by TKO, 01:15 Rd 3)

After a middling performance in the opening round, Roar Dinosuar Jr’s performances have dropped considerably and now, after four losses in a row, finds himself bottom of Group B and with almost no chance of moving into the next round.

Okino Naruhiko is next and while Dinosuar Jr will be injury free, he won’t be cut free and this could be a real problem against a ground and pound specialist such as Naruhiko. Another loss likely confirms Dinosuar Jr’s exit from the tournament at the end of this round and so a win against all odds is the result that is needed. Unfortunately, not many would predict such a thing happening.

Prediction: Dinosuar Jr picks up his fifth loss in a row after the doctor steps in due to a cut

Victor Slaughter moves up another spot from fourth to third after his third round victory over Dinosuar Jr. Now with four wins out of his last five and a record of 3-1 this round, Slaughter is in fine form though definitely will not be able to take his foot off of the gas with Naruhiko and Dobson breathing down his neck.

He next faces BJJ Brown Belt Bishop Heahmund who hasn’t been having the best time of late. Many will expect Slaughter to get the win in that one though Heahmund will definitely present a tricky challenge and cannot be taken lightly. His best bet might be to follow the blue print set out by Kyle Cruz though Slaughter has some very competent management and is likely to have a good game plan of his own in mind.

Prediction: Without the frightening ground and pound of other wrestling based ground fighters, Slaughter grinds his way to a decision victory.

Heitor Machado vs. Hugues Dupont (Dupont def. Machado by Submission, 00:27 Rd 1)

Heitor Machado will most likely be fuming with his performance against BJJ Blue Belt Hugues Dupont in his last bout after losing by submission in just twenty-seven seconds. It comes off the back of a good run of victories that saw Machado briefly take the top spot in Group B. Now, suffering his first loss of this round, Machado drops down into fourth and will need to battle hard if he is to maintain his place in a qualifying spot.

Once again luck smiles down on Machado as he avoids a fair fight with a tough opponent. Facing an injured Michael Dobson, Machado will have an excellent chance of picking up another maximum point victory and perhaps even reclaiming the top spot in the group. Either way, a favourable result is likely.

Prediction: Machado overwhelms and injured Dobson and gets a submission victory at some point here.

For Hugues Dupont, once again he remains the only undefeated fighter left in the tournament with a record of 10-0-1. An absolutely superb performance to beat the Brown Belt at his own game so decisively and though the top of Group B is extremely close, picturing Dupont not making the championship finals seems quite ridiculous at this point. The biggest wonder right now is how long Dupont can keep the 0 next to his name. With a couple of extremely tough fights coming up it definitely adds an extra level of intrigue to proceedings.

For now though, Dupont will likely coast to victory in his next bout against Jon Bones. Bones hasn’t shown much resistance to ground fighters thus far and not many would pick him to upset Dupont.

Prediction: Dupont gets the fight to the floor quickly and picks up an early submission victory

[Guest MpJuice]

Damn, Cruz lucked out with Dobson being horrifically injured. It's going to be difficult for Okino to qualify at this rate.

 

Yeah its impossible to win if you are injured. My last fight would be 100% win if I was not injured but with injury he did absolutely fucking nothing.

[HareRumpler]

 

Yeah its impossible to win if you are injured. My last fight would be 100% win if I was not injured but with injury he did absolutely fucking nothing.

To be fair, my guy came into that fight scathed a bit as well. But yes, your guy should have won if they were both fully healthy, barring a lucky punch from my guy (who does have powerful hands, so it can happen). Actually, the punch did happen in this case, but it was helped by your guy being fatigued from coming in with an injury. Nunes was counting the minutes from the very start and took a peek at that clock and it was lights out.

 

However, my guy has also been fighting injured almost this entire tournament, so I don't have a lot of sympathy for anybody who gets stuck fighting injured at this point! Haha!

[Alfred]

 

Yeah its impossible to win if you are injured. My last fight would be 100% win if I was not injured but with injury he did absolutely fucking nothing.

 

Not impossible, just highly unlikely. I think tactically there is only one real option going in injured but there have been a couple of fights so far this tournament where the injured fighter managed a win

 

I can't remember if the effect of the injury is amplified by the amount of days or whether it makes no difference whether its one day injury or sixteen.

 

Also, am I right in saying that cuts don't effect energy? If so, what do they effect? Confidence?

[Guest MpJuice]

To be fair, my guy came into that fight scathed a bit as well. But yes, your guy should have won if they were both fully healthy, barring a lucky punch from my guy (who does have powerful hands, so it can happen). Actually, the punch did happen in this case, but it was helped by your guy being fatigued from coming in with an injury. Nunes was counting the minutes from the very start and took a peek at that clock and it was lights out.

 

However, my guy has also been fighting injured almost this entire tournament, so I don't have a lot of sympathy for anybody who gets stuck fighting injured at this point! Haha!

 

There a difference between cuts and injury when you come in to fight. If you cant land a punch it doesn't even matter if you are cut or not.

[HareRumpler]

http://www.mmatycoon.info/index.php?title=Cuts

 

http://www.mmatycoon.info/index.php?title=Injuries

 

My fighter has been cut almost constantly. He's lost a few due to stoppage by cuts. However, he's also fought injured in addition several times if not more.

[HareRumpler]

Cuts are worse in a tournament like this in my opinion, as knowledge limited as that may be based upon my time here so far. They almost never have a chance to heal over a 7 day period between fights in a tourney like this and in that case, if you get a cut early on, it's a rough go as they are abused badly and reopen almost every fight.

 

So not to make light of the unfortunate injury you had to deal with...but many folks in this tourney have been dealing with some sort of injury or what not. To have made it this far through without being too hampered by them should be something to be thankful for. To whine about it at this point though...haha. Whatever! We all knew what the tourney was coming in.

[Guest MpJuice]

Why cuts are worse? If you are injured like my guy had you come in to fight and its clear as day you cant even land a punch.

 

And I don't see where I am whining about it as well.

[HareRumpler]

I already explained why in my opinion the cuts are worse, due to the nagging and lingering nature.

 

Maybe I should have replaced "whining" with "making excuses". But frankly, in a tournament this long...to have gotten through this far without dealing with the same injuries and issues that others have been putting up with off and on throughout and then to use it to complain about how '100% would have won a fight without it but had no chance with it' essentially...well that turns it into just baby'ish whining relative to and keeping in mind the type of tourney. HAHA!

[HareRumpler]

http://www.mmatycoon.com/gallery/13/13b8.jpg

Diego Columbo:

"This guy Nunes, I fight in last. He finally get taste of tournament last fight and before. He come in with injury...rib hurting or something...but I think really just injured heart perhaps? He never want to be there at all. Looking at clock and begging for bell from very beginning. I have big cut above eye...as always. But not hurt this time. He could target cut, no? But he put eyes on clock all time. So I close them for him! What they say?...Two hits...I hit him, he hit ground!"

[Guest MpJuice]

I already explained why in my opinion the cuts are worse, due to the nagging and lingering nature.

 

Maybe I should have replaced "whining" with "making excuses". But frankly, in a tournament this long...to have gotten through this far without dealing with the same injuries and issues that others have been putting up with off and on throughout and then to use it to complain about how '100% would have won a fight without it but had no chance with it' essentially...well that turns it into just baby'ish whining relative to and keeping in mind the type of tourney. HAHA!

 

Could you explain to us how its worse to fight with cuts rather than injuries? And do you use prediction in fights?

[Alfred]

http://www.mmatycoon.info/index.php?title=Cuts

 

http://www.mmatycoon.info/index.php?title=Injuries

 

My fighter has been cut almost constantly. He's lost a few due to stoppage by cuts. However, he's also fought injured in addition several times if not more.

 

Thank you for that mate.

 

What I take from that though is that injuries are much worse than cuts. At least with cuts you can still fight the same way? Just need to get things done very quickly?

 

I'm sure I've heard though that in terms of the engine, injuries mean that you will perform much less moves in a fight? And that cuts are something to do with confidence?

[Guest MpJuice]

 

Thank you for that mate.

 

What I take from that though is that injuries are much worse than cuts. At least with cuts you can still fight the same way? Just need to get things done very quickly?

 

I'm sure I've heard though that in terms of the engine, injuries mean that you will perform much less moves in a fight? And that cuts are something to do with confidence?

 

With cuts you are easier to finish but with injuries you basically come in to fight with 0% energy.

[Monsieur.Camara]

I love this fucking bloodbath lol

 

This is what it’s all about, this is why so many managers refuse to join and choose to protect their rank instead.

 

This is UFC1

 

Just bleeeed bitches!

[Guest MpJuice]

Well Alex told me injuries are not an issue in fights and that I should not use predictions. I don't know he just isn't that good or he was doing this on purpose to help some one else to win the tournament.

[Monsieur.Camara]

The plot thickens

[HareRumpler]

 

Thank you for that mate.

 

What I take from that though is that injuries are much worse than cuts. At least with cuts you can still fight the same way? Just need to get things done very quickly?

 

I'm sure I've heard though that in terms of the engine, injuries mean that you will perform much less moves in a fight? And that cuts are something to do with confidence?

Yeah bud, I agree. What MP isn't getting is (and I thought I made this clear when I talked about it in the context of a tournament like this) is that while injuries are worse for a "single fight", in the context of a longer tournament I think that the cuts are worse due to how they linger and can have a lasting effect across multiple fights, if not ongoing for the majority if they linger badly enough. So while the affect on one fight isn't as bad, the overall affect upon the entire tournament for that fighter can suck. That was my point.

 

 

With cuts you are easier to finish but with injuries you basically come in to fight with 0% energy.

Did you look at the post-fight stats at all? If I read the correctly, you didn't come in with 0% energy. You came in with full energy, it's just your cardio was reduced so you dropped energy faster than you normally would have, which resulted in your performance dropping eventually to the point where your guy got caught with that punch due to your energy falling and getting distracted. When you got finished, if I read that chart right, your guy was still at about 60% or so energy. So I could be wrong in my reading of the chart...and if I am, then my bad. But if I'm not, and others see it this way, your guy did have a shot early (very early, for like a minute, haha) and just didn't go for the finish right away to make my guy's cuts worse. So enough excuses, haha!

 

Anyway, dude, I'm just yanking your chain because everybody else has been dealing with injuries, cuts, etc. over a long tournament. I'm just poking the bear so to speak.

 

http://i66.tinypic.com/2nu842e.jpg

 

 

Hey...but at the end of the day...

[Guest MpJuice]

By any chance are you related to Alex?

[imcool]

By any chance are you related to Alex?

By any chance you related to an earth worm? I told your ignorant ass that being injured isn't a 100% loss. Plus, you fucking moron, there is NOTHING you can do about being injured, so I also told you to hop off my mother fucking nuts asking me about injuries every other message. "OMG my fighter is going to be injured during fight, now he will lose!"...Shut your bitch ass up. You wanted me to snap my fingers and make your injury days disappear?

 

You are TRULY the most annoying person who I've ever helped in MMAT. Dumber than a rock.

[imcool]

For all of your viewing pleasures. I can't view older messages for the rest of this comedy gold.

[Alfred]

[Guest MpJuice]

This guy is working way to much and has lost all his brain cells no wonders he doesn't use predictions.

[Alfred]

PSE 265lbs+ Grand Prix

Week 12 Analysis

Group A

Johannes Boe took the top spot with his third win in a row and gives himself a buffer of at least a couple of fights before any threat of not qualifying would arise. A great place to be for a fighter that wasn’t really given much a chance at moving on from this round but there are still some that feel Boe has more to prove. He defeated a floundering and injured Sven Eklund who must be wondering where it all went wrong after a solid first round of the tournament. Now bottom of the heap, it would take something special for Eklund to turn this around though I think technically it could still be done if he was to win all of his remaining four fights.

Alan Odrobny is back to winning ways after something of a surprise loss to Patrick O’Phoenix last time out. He climbs up from third into a seeded second place spot after defeating Regis Petrozuli. Petrozuli now finds himself joint last with only seconds separating him from bottom. While his form hasn’t been good at all, there is still a small chance of making good from here assuming a successful second half run.

Daniel Bradshaw was hamstrung by injury in his match up with Diego Columbo and after an impressive run of four wins, suffers his first loss. His opponent, who has been no stranger to injury, will have had little sympathy and instead will be spurred on by the promise of a spot in the next round, something that would have seemed like pie in the sky not so long ago. With Bradshaw’s loss, he drops down to the third spot so still very much in qualifying contention. Columbo maintains his seventh place but with the win inches closer to the top half and is potentially only another maximum points win from a qualifying spot himself.

Amanda Nunes stunned everyone when he battled through injury to defeat Alf Konrad this week. Konrad, who was coming in with a two fight win streak, was a heavy favourite at the bookies and any faith in Nunes would have stung them hard. Nunes keeps within reach of the finals and is joint forth but separated from a qualifying spot by time spent in the cage. Another win would likely be enough to move back into the top four.

Something of a disaster for Konrad who now drops down from fourth to sixth and will need to fight hard from here if he is to find a place in the final round of the competition.

Patrick O’Phoenix took his place in the top four with a win over Amadeo Camara. This win was his third in a row and follows a poor start to the round showing just what can be achieved with hard work and perseverance. On the flip side, Amadeo Camara is now joint last in the group and suffers his third loss in a row. Still the smallest glimmer of possibility for him, it would all hinge on winning all of his remaining fights in this round.

Next Week

Johanes Boe takes on Alf Konrad. Both fighters will be fully fit but Boe’s current form should make him a solid favourite in that one. Still, it is a fight between two strikers so Konrad has more than a punchers chance and does have a 100% finish rate in his five victories.

Regis Petrozuli faces Sven Eklund. Both fighters are tied last with a record of 1-4 and in poor form. Thankfully, both will be fully healthy. An interesting fight and a difficult one to predict. It’ll likely hit the floor where both fighters are most comfortable but from there it really comes down to who can impose their game plan. Petrozuli’s submissions or Eklund’s ground and pound

Amadeo Camara versus Amanda Nunes should be an interesting one. Camara will be full fit but in bad form and Nunes will be coming in with an injury but has just upset the odds by winning whilst injured. Aside from those two losses, Nunes has been fantastic this season and we now know has been coached from a former #1 manager in the game. Camara comes from an extremely well seasoned camp himself but has been disappointing. It’ll be close but the bookies seem to think that Nunes might score another upset KO here.

Daniel Bradshaw takes on Alan Odrobny in a rematch from the first round fight. Odrobny took the first one so Bradshaw will be looking for revenge and with both fighters currently in qualifying spots, the stakes will be high indeed. Both fighters will be fully healthy for this and for that we are extremely thankful. Odrobny will be the slight favourite going into this.

Diego Columbo faces Patrick O’Phoenix and both fighters have done excellently to come back from poor starts in the round. Unfortunately, Columbo’s injury prone nature rears its ugly head once more and he will be going into the fight less than 100%. Can Nunes injured win inspire him to something great or will O’Phoenix make this one look easy and further cement his place in the next round? The bookies seem to think it’ll be the former.

Group B

Hugues Dupont retains his undefeated status and his place at the top of Group B with a straight forward win over Jon Bones. From here it would be extremely unlikely not to find Dupont in the finals though technically, with the perfect storm of disastrous results, it could still happen. For Jon Bones, it’s likely the end of the road and from here on will really be fighting for pride.

Kyle Cruz maintains pace with Dupont at the top and is separated only due to a forfeit loss on his record from the first round. Aside from that and a shock loss to Amanda Nunes, Cruz has looked phenomenal and, like Dupont, would definitely be in the vast majority of picks to make it to the finals. Still, with the top of the group as competitive as it is, Cruz will need to keep winning to make sure. He defeated Thom Tharrier who was predicted to struggle in this round and has so far done just that. Still chasing his first win, Tharrier is eliminated from the competition and must now focus on doing his best in the rest of his bouts.

Victor Slaughter is looking good at this point with four wins out of his last five. He maintains his number three spot in the group and continues to put pressure of the top two. He defeated Bishop Heahmund who was predicted to match up well against Slaughter and stand a decent chance of picking up some points. It was something of must win for Heahmund and unfortunately for him the loss really puts an end to his tournament run. It might somehow be technically possibly for Heahmund to qualify from this position but as best it would requite a perfect run of results and every other result in the group going his way.

Heitor Machado vultured another win after picking the bones of injured Michael Dobson in their match up. An otherwise tough match up, Machado maintains his grip on a qualifying spot at number four whilst Dobson slips down from fifth to sixth though only by a point. Still very much in contention however as in theory, one maximum point win coupled with a slip up from those above could see him back into the top four.

Okino Nuruhiko continues chase the front runners of the group after defeat in his opening two fights of the round left him some distance behind. He has now racked up win number three in a row and with it climbed back into contention and into the fifth spot. In theory, only one win away from moving into the top four, the pressure will intensify from this point on. He defeated a disappointing Roar Dinosuar Jr who has yet to win a fight this round. Predicted at the start of this second round to struggle, it was still thought that Dinosuar Jr would at least have scored some points but as yet it has been a complete wash out. Now flat bottom of the Group B standings, Dinsouar Jr’s only goal from here can be to not end the round without a win. Otherwise, the loss here tonight means we say goodbye.

Next Week

Things just seem to get worse for Thom Tharrier who faces in form wrestler Okino Naruhiko. Both fighters will be fully fit but that isn’t likely to matter as Naruhiko’s wrestling is expected to be overwhelming.

A big test for Michael Dobson as he faces second place Kyle Cruz and this time he will be coming in full fit. In fact, both fighters should be at their best here which should give us a great competitive match up. Dobson, still in the running for a qualifying spot really could put the pressure on here with a win but Cruz hasn’t put much of a foot wrong so far and will likely be favourite in this match up

Jon Bones and Roar Dinosuar Jr face off against one another and really it is of no consequence who gets the result here as both fighters are technically eliminated. Still, pride is always a very motivating factor and Dinosuar Jr’s will have taken a battering so far this round. He should be favoured to win but with such poor form you really wouldn’t be surprised whatever the result of this one.

Bishop Heahmund and Heitor Machado go head to head in what will be something of a battle of BJJ Brown Belts. Heahmund’s chances in the tournament are all but gone whilst Machado continues to ride his luck and pick up wins against tough but injured competition. On this occasion both fighters will be fully fit and so we will get to see just how much Machado wants to hold onto his fourth place spot.

A massive fight for Group B sees third place Victor Slaughter take on undefeated group front runner Hugues Dupont. Dupont is much more of a submission wrestler then anything else so it will be extremely interesting to see just how Slaughter goes about his business in this one. Similar to himself is Kyle Cruz who managed a draw against Dupont some weeks ago. Can Slaughter go one better and be the one to hand Dupont his first loss? A win would see him overtake Dupont but a loss just might see him fall outside of the top four completely

[Alfred]

PSE 265lbs+ Grand Prix

Week 13 Analysis

Group A

Johannes Boe vs. Alf Konrad

(Konrad def. Boe by TKO, 04:55 Rd 1)

A little slip up from Johannes Boe here gives Alf Konrad some crucial points towards a top four spot and a place in the championship finals. I guess it shouldn’t be considered too much of a surprise result seeing as both fighters are pretty heavy handed and have perfect percentages of finishes in their wins but still, Boe was in good form and coming into this fight as the surprising leader of the group. After this loss he gives up that top spot but is still currently safe in second.

With three fights to go until the end of the round and things getting very close at the top of the table, Boe could very well drop outside of the top four altogether with another loss. He next faces Amanda Nunes who has just done what was previously thought impossible and has won two in a row whilst injured. Nunes will be fully fit for this one and it will be Boe’s turn to attempt the miracle but that’s exactly what is likely to be needed to pick up maximum points from this encounter.

Alf Konrad has done himself a huge favour with this win but he will need more of the same against Patrick O’Phoenix in his next bout to really go into the final straight neck and neck with the other potential qualifiers. O’Phoenix is currently in great form and Konrad has almost non existent wrestling making this bout a very hard one to win indeed.

Regis Petrozuli vs. Sven Eklund

(Petrozuli def. Eklund by Sub, 01:48 Rd 1)

I’m not entirely sure what the chances of qualification are for Regis Petrozuli at this point but with his win here over Sven Eklund this weekend he has given himself at least a glimmer of hope. For Sven Eklund, this loss eliminates him from the competition and that may seem just a little cruel after looking good in the fight before getting caught in a submission. Currently bottom of Group A, Eklund has three fights left in which to ensure he doesn’t finish in that position and perhaps also end the round with plus points

Petrozuli faces Diego Columbo next and both fighters will be fully fit and ready to go. Both are in similar form with two wins out of their last five and currently tied on two points each. With qualification hanging on by a thread for these two fighters, the loser here will be effectively eliminated from going on any further in this competition. An absolute must win for Petrozuli

As mentioned already, Sven Eklund is now technically eliminated and will be fighting for pride and really to avoid the shame of finishing bottom of the group. Things do not seem to get much better for Eklund however as he faces off against group leader Alan Odrobny and while Eklund’s wrestling could be a nightmare for Odrobny, his current form of five losses in a row much him an unlikely favourite going into the bout. Both fighters will however be healthy

Amadeo Camara vs. Amanda Nunes

(Nunes def. Camara by Dec)

What can be said about Amanda Nunes? An incredible two fights won in a row whilst coming in with injuries. A feat that was previously thought to be impossible and a situation that would have put lesser fighters into a tailspin and likely out of the competition. With this win over Amadeo Camara, Nunes moves back up into a qualifying spot at number four and is once again looking like a good bet to make it into the next round. Camara tried hard to get the win and had ample time on the ground to do so but in the end just couldn’t put Nunes away and it was the judges who were left to decide the winner.

A big opportunity for Nunes next who faces off against second place Johannes Boe. Nunes is now over it’s previous injuries whilst Boe will not be completely 100% for the bout. A win for Nunes would see him overtake Boe.

Amadeo Camara now finds himself with no way of qualifying further in the tournament and instead will be fighting hard to ensure that he does not end the round bottom of the group. He faces Daniel Bradshaw next and neither fighter will be at full capacity for that one. Bradshaw will be a difficult opponent for Camara as long as the fight is on the feet. Camara will need to get the fight to the floor but will also need to be a lot more dominant than he was against Nunes if he is not to suffer the same fate a second time.

Daniel Bradshaw vs. Alan Odrobny

(Odrobny def. Bradshaw by KO 04:55 Rd 1)

This was the second time of meeting for these two fighters and once again it was Alan Odrobny who was victorious managing to beat Bradshaw in the clinch once more. The bout did last longer than the first encounter though that is unlikely to ease Bradshaw’s confidence as he suffers his second loss in a row.

Alan Odrobny now takes the top spot back once again and with only three fights to go, would really need something disastrous to happen from here to stop him from reaching the championship playoff finals. He next faces bottom of the group Sven Eklund who has now officially been eliminated. While form is a consideration, Eklund may turn out to be much like a wounded animal with nothing left to lose. Eklund’s wrestling could be difficult for Odrobny to handle. Advice to Odrobny; approach with caution.

For Daniel Bradshaw the loss marks his second in a row and sees him drop outside of the top four and out of a qualifying position. Currently tied with Amanda Nunes on nine points with only time separating them, Bradshaw is still well in the running to make the final stage of competition but he will really need to make sure he doesn’t slip up against Amadeo Camara in his next bout. Both fighters will be injured with Bradshaw’s being the lesser of the two.

Diego Columbo vs. Patrick O'Phoenix

(O'Phoenix def. Columbo by Sub, 00:57 Rd 1)

Coming into the fight with an injury, Diego Columbo put up little fight against a surging Patrick O’Phoenix and was finished in just under a minute. It was O’Phoenix’s fourth win in a row and one that sees him climb up another spot from fourth into third. It’s been a great period of success for O’Phoenix and the Irish grappler will no doubt be hoping to ride it into the next round.

O’Phoenix will next face Alf Konrad and might secretly be feeling very confident indeed. Konrad hasn’t been doing badly at all with three wins out of his last five but with little wrestling to speak of, O’Phoenix might fancy his chances of getting another quick submission win. Of course, if we are to compare Konrad’s wrestling to O’Phoenix then we must also compare striking and in that area O’Phoenix is just as weak to Konrad. Grappler versus striker. With both fighters fully fit for the encounter, it will come down to just who can pull the trigger fastest.

Group B

​Thom Tharrier vs. Okino Narahiko

(Narahiko def. Tharrier by TKO, 02:20 Rd 1)

Although Okino Naruhiko claimed a fairly quick and straight forward win here, Thom Tharrier managed to leave a mark once more which almost handed Naruhiko an injury for his next fight. Fortunately for the Japanese ground and pound specialist he should be OK for next time. With the win, Naruhiko comes back from a poor start to the round and has now not only caught up with the group leaders but has overtaken some of them and now finds himself in third place. To say things are tight in Group B would be a massive understatement.

Naruhiko will next face Hugues Dupont which will be incredibly important to both fighters in terms of qualification. It is also a must watch as both fighters would undoubtedly be considered amongst those who could potentially win the whole tournament. Naruhiko is in the slightly better form coming into this but really it will be dead even. Both fighters will be fully fit

Thom Tharrier continues to rack up loses in this round and has yet to score a single point. With time running out for him to do so, it is looking more and more unlikely that he will be able to drag himself up from the bottom of the group. He will get perhaps his best opportunity yet as he next faces fellow struggling fighter Roar Dinosaur Jr

Michael Dobson vs. Kyle Cruz

(Dobson def. Cruz by TKO, 01:10 Rd 1)

A remarkable result for Michael Dobson and something of an upset against the in-form wrestler Kyle Cruz. Perhaps it was Cruz’s predictable game plan that helped Dobson overcome but either way, the fight resembled Cruz trying to take down a brick wall and then getting mangled in the process. Dobson’s clinch game was winner here and with it keeps his tournament dream alive. Though still outside of a qualifying place at number five, the win keeps him within touching distance of the third and fourth spots and gives him a great base in which to launch his assault over the last few fights.

He comes face to face with group leader Victor Slaughter in his next fight and that will be an incredibly tough one to win. Slaughter has just ended Hugues Dupont’s unbeaten run and is looking extremely tough but if Dobson can put on another performance like he did here, I see no reason why he can’t pick up another big win

For Cruz, the loss will have resonated loudly. He has barely put a foot wrong in this second round and with only one loss he now finds himself outside of a qualifying spot such is the competitiveness of this group. There is still plenty of time for him however and he will have an opportunity to take the scalp of the group number two in Heitor Machado in his next bout. It will be tricky though as Machado has an extremely strong submission game and a 100% record of finishes in his victories

Jon Bones vs. Roar Dinosuar Jr

(Dinosuar Jr def. Bones by Sub, 00:40 Rd 1)

After five defeats in a row, Roar Dinosuar Jr finally picked up his first points of the second round with a quickk submission victory over fellow struggler Jon Bones. Things had looked very bleak for a while there for Dinosuar Jr though the possibility of ending bottom of the pile is still very much there. Both fighters knew that they were eliminated making this scrap all the more important for them in avoiding that dreaded bottom place. With the loss, Bones takes a solid step closer to that fate.

Dinosuar Jr next faces bottom place Thom Tharrier in what is very much a grappler versus striker match up. Tharrier is in terrible form so Dinosuar Jr might feel pretty confident but he will still need to make sure not to get caught with one of those heavy shots on the way in for a takedown

Jon Bones will meet Bishop Heahmund who is currently in similar form to himself. Both fighters will be injury and cut free meaning we can look forward to a decent scrap between them. With neither able to qualify further the pressure will be off. Except of course the pressure not to finish bottom of the group, something that is very much possible for either

Bishop Heahmund vs. Heitor Machado

(Machado def. Heahmund by Sub, 01:30 Rd 2)

The battle of BJJ Brown Belts was on this occasion won by Brazillian fighter Heitor Machado who managed to catch Bishop Heahmund with a guillotine in the second round of the bout. It was an important victory for Machado who is currently in qualifying company and needing very much every point he can get. For Heahmund, the loss only cemented what was probably already known coming into this fight and from now on, Heahmund will be fighting for pride only

Machado next faces a showdown with ground and pound wrestler Kyle Cruz and a loss could in theory see him crash outside of the top four. Machado matches up well with Cruz in that he will be dangerous even if put on his back but that is no guarantee of a victory and he will definitely not withstand too long a barrage from Cruz in top position. However you look at it, Machado is now hanging on desperately for a qualifying spot in the finals and with only three fights left to go that include both Cruz and Victor Slaughter, he will definitely need to win at least two of them, if not all three.

As already mentioned, Bishop Heahmund is now officially eliminated and all fights from here on out will be purely for pride. He next faces brawler Jon Bones and while he would likely be favourite to win, in his current form it wouldn’t be by any great margin.

Victor Slaughter vs. Hugues Dupont

(Slaughter def. Dupont by TKO, 02:25 Rd 2)

After thirteen weeks of action and twelve fights undefeated, Hugues Dupont finally loses and the fallout has been massive. A rampaging Victor Slaughter was the one to finally do it after falling a round behind. Surprisingly, it was in the clinch that Slaughter was able to take control of the bout and after spending half of round two tenderising Duponts head and ribs, secured the TKO victory and an all important maximum point win over the former group B leader.

Slaughters victory puts him in top place though technically joint with Heitor Machado and separated by time. Things are intense at the top however and even a single loss from this point could threaten to leave him outside of the qualifying positions and so his next match up against Michael Dobson will be all the more important for him. Both fighters will be fully fit and Slaughter likely favourite going in though Dobson just defeated Kyle Cruz soundly and that could be something of a concern for him considering he too would be looking to get the fight to the floor.

With a single loss after a near perfect run in the tournament, Hugues Dupont now bizarrely finds himself under intense pressure to qualify. The loss dropped Dupont from first to fourth and neck and neck on points with fifth place Kyle Cruz. To say Group B is fiercely contested wouldn’t do things justice and Dupont will not want to drop another single point from here. To make matters worse, he will next face an incredibly tough match up with third place Okino Naruhiko who has now won his last four in a row and has his own sights set on a place in the finals. While it’s true that Dupont’s final few fights in this round aren’t as difficult as some others will face, this fight will still be a fight that Dupont will want to win