The Island Season 13 Previews

[The1rstSaint]

Island Bantamweights Round 2

 

#1 Kodiyak Redd(7-1-0)

Vs 

#9 Michel Santos(7-0-0)

 

Top dog Kodiyak Redd proved to be too much for the 1-0 Dan Baker. As it just took a few GnP strikes for the ref to dive in for the safety of the poor Island fighter. Undefeated Michael Santos was taken outside the first round for the first time since his debut fight. Colby Brown looked to have the upper hand in fact until round two, when Santos said hell no and pulled him in for a tight Guillotine that Brown had to succumb to. 

 

I think the #1 seed will have a test on his hands here in round 2, can't wait to find out.

 

#11 Joaquim Caetano(6-2-0)

Vs

#4 Aljamain Sterling(9-1-0)

 

In another upset Koaquim Caetano won the game of chess with #5 seed Robby Fowell. He did it pretty dramatic fashion as well, as he forced the tap with just 1 second to go in round #1. Speaking off round 1 subs Aljamain Sterling advances earning his 9th victory all by first round Submission. Steven Seagull tried his best but as soon as that first Takedown was successful it was all but done for the Lethal Weapon, as Sterling peppered him with a few punches and locked on a Guillotine choke to finish the fight.

 

Two exciting grapplers here, let's see who has the better game!

 

#3 Davey Hilton Jr(7-2-1)

Vs

#12 Kenton Tracks(7-5-0)

 

#3 seed Davey Hilton Jr adds another 1rst round Submission victory to his record today. At just the 2:37 mark of his first round bout with Tobey Heelan, Davey locked in a beautiful armbar to force the tap. “The Kid” Kenton Tracks pulls off the upset over Bill King winning a Unanimous Decision verdict. King my man 123 clinch attempts, zero successful WOW that's impressive.

 

Can “The Kid” Pull off another shocker we will soon find out?

 

#7 Nightey Knights(6-2-0)

Vs

#2 Sam Hiro Iwaga Genochin(7-3-0)

 

Nighttey Nights my Sleeper pick had was not playing around at all in round one as he and Aki Muhammad where happy to just tee off on one another. A big Overhand right was the difference maker in this one as Nightey Nights puts Muhammad to sleep, pun very much intended. Meanwhile the #2 seed Sam Hiro Iwaga Genochin made quick work of his first-round opponent Darren Daulton. With a late first round KO finish with the ol handy dandy Right hand from hell. 

 

I smell another KO here boys and girls.

[The1rstSaint]

Island Featherweights Round 2

 

Not many surprises here, Both of the Hall brothers moving on as they keep inching toward a brother vs Brother Showdown in the Final. Will someone stop them along the way and spoil the party?

 

#1 Robbie Hall(12-1-0)

Vs

#9 Kip Thorne(6-4-0)

 

No surprise the #1 seed Robbie Hall advances with ease in round 1. The game plan here for Hall was played perfect and Evan Gilbert had his butt handed to him by a superior grappler. Final verdict Round 1 Guillotine Submission victory for Robbie. It took Kip Thorne a mere 40 seconds to finish off Josh Brolin. Josh was way off his game today as he could not connect a single shot, while Thorne was nearly perfect.

 

These two gents will be a Huge test for one another, as the grappler Hall meets the Striker Thorne in round 2.

 

#11 Jetmir Erminus(5-2-0)

Vs

#4 Shinichiro Tomonaga(9-2-0)

 

With the only real upset in the first round, Jetmir Erminus hands Rantang Gustus his first pro loss in a grinder. Jetmir was perfect on his strikes on the feet and on the ground and he escaped all 13 of Gustus submission attempts, well done Erminus. Shinichiro Tomonaga got back in the win column with his opening round match. After he landed a nice counter that planted his opponent Johan Costa, Tomonaga then started to tee off with some ground punches until the ref peeled him off.

 

Shinichiro will now meet a “Guy in a Red T-Shirt” for a second time. Last battle went to a Decision. What will happen this time?

 

#3 Frankie Venegas(13-5-0)

Vs 

#6 Marie Pier Houle(6-0-0)

 

“The King of the Islands” makes quick work of his first opponent, closing it out in under 2 minutes. Frankie scored an early takedown and then started picking his shots with some nasty Ground and pound which forced a cut stoppage. The French Canadian, Marie Pier Houle stayed unbeaten with another first round TKO finish. Yet again Houle relied on his clinch and it paid off with a very quick 35 second mauling.

 

This one looks like fireworks, as the Clinch striker meets the GnP slasher.

 

#7 King Cracker(5-1-0)

Vs

#2 Richard Hall(14-0-0)

 

King Cracker continues his winning ways as he advances on to Round two. Once King forced his opponent Reico Huust into the clinch, an immediate guard pull and Triangle Submission was quickly to follow, as Huust was out of his element on the ground. Richard Hall was simply toying with his prey in the first round of his opening fight. Once the bell rang for round two though Hall turned it up and finished his foe with a Triangle choke of his own, 

 

Is Hall going to toy with King in round two, or will the magic strike early for one of them?

[Sprooch]

 

Karockas Thibodeaux:

15-0

#1 P4P

#1 LHW

"I like the way the Englishman talks. He should be saying something about me."

[Ikkitakeda]

1 hour ago, Sprooch said:

Karockas Thibodeaux:

15-0

#1 P4P

#1 LHW

"I like the way the Englishman talks. He should saying something about me."

*Whistles* 15-0 on the island impressive.

[The1rstSaint]

Island Middleweights Round 2

The Middleweights went just as plan, as the top 8 seeds all prevailed. Some Heavy Hitters and then there is Antti Finn and i still have no clue what his style is, dude is nuts.

 

#1 Antti Finn(10-0-0)

Vs

#8 Leandro Narloch(8-3-0)

 

“#1 Seed “Unapologetic” Antti Finn records the quickest finish of the Middleweight Tournament thus far with an 18 second homicide. It is noted that he was landing Hammer fists for the finish, but I was there, and he was indeed gnawing on his forehead, bloody mess. Leonardo picks up a dominant first round KO as well. After two failed Takedown attempts, Daniel Barbosa knew at this point he was F$$ked, As Leonardo ended the fight with a Jaw Shattering Left Hook finish.

 

Leonardo stick and move bro, This caveman looking Mo fo is coming at ya teeth and all. May the force be with you sir.

 

#5 Aahil Mohammad(9-2-0)

Vs

#4 Karl Schwarzschild(6-0-0 MMA, 4-0-0 KT)

 

Muhammad shuts down his opponent “The Cowboy” who was my sleeper pick. There is a very good chance he is sleeping like a baby after the beating he just took. Muhammad hits a Double Leg to start and it's all downhill from there, the ref was forced to intervene, as Paul Welch was simply trying to hold on for dear life. Karl “Achtung” Schwarzschild Moves to 6-0-0 in MMA (10-0-0 Combined with Kickboxing) with another Highlight Reel KO. Karl had his way with Otto Meggyesfalvi in this one and after a dominant first round, Schwarzchild unleashed a helluva Head Kick that sent Otto's mind to orbit. 

 

Two versatile strikers, only one is stand up, while the other is Ground strikes. Let's see who’s gameplan prevails. 

 

#3 Darren Frost(8-3-0)

Vs 

#6 Morton Masters(7-3-0)

 

Darren Frost completely annihilates his opening round opponent, with just with 4 punches. Frost was landing body punches early to soften up JIggabo Cane and just 44 seconds in he lands a sold Right Hook and the “Dangerous” one moves on. Morton Masters said he was going to do it, and he F$$kin did it! Tommo Wolfe went a little wild on his Combos, while “M&M” was just aiming for the Head. It all took a fatal turn when Wolfe mad the Ironically dumb mistake of taking his eye off of his opponent by checking the clock and BAM! Lights out Ko for Morton.

 

These two will engage in a fun standup contest, Will Frost Ice another or will Masters Predict the future one more time in his favor?

 

#7 Christiaan Huygens(9-3-0)

Vs

#2 Sensai Kuragi(9-1-0)

 

Good thing this is a No Energy loss tournament cause are man Huygens would probably be a little winded heading into Round two. The Dutch Striker was matched up with a very tough  Banito Gianni, the fight went to a Unanimous Decision, with Huygens being the more accurate striker. Sensai Kuragi didn’t give his opponent much chance at all, as he dragged him to the ground early and went at every submission opportunity he was giving. In the end though Sensai showed he really wanted a Kimura finish, and he did so with his 6th attempt forcing Dallas Heatley to tap. 

 

Another of the Monkey Express moves on to Round two as the Striker Huygens meets the Extremely talented grappler Sensai Kuragi.

[Ikkitakeda]

44 minutes ago, The1rstSaint said:

Island Middleweights Round 2

The Middleweights went just as plan, as the top 8 seeds all prevailed. Some Heavy Hitters and then there is Antti Finn and i still have no clue what his style is, dude is nuts.

 

#1 Antti Finn(10-0-0)

Vs

#8 Leandro Narloch(8-3-0)

 

“#1 Seed “Unapologetic” Antti Finn records the quickest finish of the Middleweight Tournament thus far with an 18 second homicide. It is noted that he was landing Hammer fists for the finish, but I was there, and he was indeed gnawing on his forehead, bloody mess. Leonardo picks up a dominant first round KO as well. After two failed Takedown attempts, Daniel Barbosa knew at this point he was F$$ked, As Leonardo ended the fight with a Jaw Shattering Left Hook finish.

 

Leonardo stick and move bro, This caveman looking Mo fo is coming at ya teeth and all. May the force be with you sir.

 

#5 Aahil Mohammad(9-2-0)

Vs

#4 Karl Schwarzschild(6-0-0 MMA, 4-0-0 KT)

 

Muhammad shuts down his opponent “The Cowboy” who was my sleeper pick. There is a very good chance he is sleeping like a baby after the beating he just took. Muhammad hits a Double Leg to start and it's all downhill from there, the ref was forced to intervene, as Paul Welch was simply trying to hold on for dear life. Karl “Achtung” Schwarzschild Moves to 6-0-0 in MMA (10-0-0 Combined with Kickboxing) with another Highlight Reel KO. Karl had his way with Otto Meggyesfalvi in this one and after a dominant first round, Schwarzchild unleashed a helluva Head Kick that sent Otto's mind to orbit. 

 

Two versatile strikers, only one is stand up, while the other is Ground strikes. Let's see who’s gameplan prevails. 

 

#3 Darren Frost(8-3-0)

Vs 

#6 Morton Masters(7-3-0)

 

Darren Frost completely annihilates his opening round opponent, with just with 4 punches. Frost was landing body punches early to soften up JIggabo Cane and just 44 seconds in he lands a sold Right Hook and the “Dangerous” one moves on. Morton Masters said he was going to do it, and he F$$kin did it! Tommo Wolfe went a little wild on his Combos, while “M&M” was just aiming for the Head. It all took a fatal turn when Wolfe mad the Ironically dumb mistake of taking his eye off of his opponent by checking the clock and BAM! Lights out Ko for Morton.

 

These two will engage in a fun standup contest, Will Frost Ice another or will Masters Predict the future one more time in his favor?

 

#7 Christiaan Huygens(9-3-0)

Vs

#2 Sensai Kuragi(9-1-0)

 

Good thing this is a No Energy loss tournament cause are man Huygens would probably be a little winded heading into Round two. The Dutch Striker was matched up with a very tough  Banito Gianni, the fight went to a Unanimous Decision, with Huygens being the more accurate striker. Sensai Kuragi didn’t give his opponent much chance at all, as he dragged him to the ground early and went at every submission opportunity he was giving. In the end though Sensai showed he really wanted a Kimura finish, and he did so with his 6th attempt forcing Dallas Heatley to tap. 

 

Another of the Monkey Express moves on to Round two as the Striker Huygens meets the Extremely talented grappler Sensai Kuragi.

Morton Masters: Frost is going to get iced.

[Alfred]

SEASON 13 END OF ISLAND TOURNAMENT - LIGHTWEIGHTS (155lbs)

Round 2

(#1) Albert Einstein (10-3) vs. (#17) Xon HiChi (7-4)

Number one seed Albert Einstein is now past the first hurdle and into the second round after making easy work of rank outsider Laith Kerr. He quite rightly theorised that it would be relatively simple to take poor Kerr down to the mat and bludgeon him with a viscous combination of fists and gravity. He now faces the stupidly named #17 seed Xon HiChi who made even quicker work of his opponent Guilherme Carvalho after just one minute and twelve seconds of action. We had the misfortune to speak to HiChi's manager just before this fight who quite bizarrely told us that HiChi doesn't have any KO power. The 155lb fighter now collects his fourth KO victory which is astonishing considering this recent revelation.  

Quite possibly the end of the road for Xon HiChi in this next round as top seed Albert Einstein continues his streak of top quality performances and hitting five wins in a row. Einstein's grappling and ground game is far in advance of HiChi's and with only a few having escaped his brain shaking ground and pound, you'd have to consider him the heavy favourite. If only HiChi had some power in those hands of his?

(#21) David Ournez (3-0) vs. (#7) Island Boy Jim (5-0)

A massive upset victory over #9 seed Hirata Hitoshi for #21 David Ournez sees him move on into an even tougher bout in the next round. Facing a similar styled fighter, Ournez was able to persuade the judges that he was the better man with his successful takedowns and slightly more accurate ground and pound. He'll next face undefeated #7 seed Island Boy Jim who got a second round submission win over #26 seed Alexsandro Ramos. 

You have to question just how far Island Boy Jim's relentless yet one dimensional ground em and sub em approach will take him but for now it's proven to be extremely effective as he moves to 5-0 and all by submission. Ournez's ground and pound style could be tailor made for Island Boy in this next match up however but as neither have yet lost, it's a tough one to call. Definitely a fight to keep an eye on though. 

(#5) Gillechriosd McCoy (9-5) vs. (#24) Malig Hunt (3-1)

The “Servant of Christ our Lord” Gillechriosd McCoy was clearly blessed by the almighty who guided his hand to a quick thirty-four second submission victory over #28 seed Gerson Silva. The #5 ranked fighter even had time to smite his opponents face with a couple of quick smacks to the chops before doing so. His next opponent is the nineteen year old underweight sandbagger Malig Hunt who defeated managerless Momofuku Ando. In truth, it wasn't the best performance by Hunt who struggled in the first round and had to fight his way back into the fight. But, fight his way back in he did and he was rewarded with the win and a place in the upcoming round. 

McCoy has had no problem putting guys away with his fists this season with eight out of nine of his victories coming by way of KO, however, Hunt looks to have an edge in the technical striking department and will be more than a match for his older opponent. Both fighters on three fight win streaks. Both capable of finishing the other. Tough one to call but hopefully the good lord will not forsake his humble servant McCoy. 

(#19) Brandon Hendrix (4-1) vs. (#3) Mancha Aisland (10-3)

Cuban political agitator and wayward fight manager Frank Costello clearly wasn't leaving anything to chance for his young charge Brandon Hendrix's first round matchup against superior grappler and #13 seed Pedro Orlov. Young Boxer Hendrix was the clear underdog at the bookies before the fight started but rumours of sketchy looking men entering the family home of Orlov and remaining there until the end of the bout quickly surfaced afterwards as well as evidence of an incredibly large amount of money being put down specifically on Hendrix to win via first round KO. On this occasion, that is exactly how it went down as Hendrix wowed the crowd with a spectacular spinning back fist finish. He'll now face one of the tournament favourites, #3 seed Mancha Aisland who barely broke a sweat against his first round opponent #30 seed long shot Barnabas Chipman. Chipman could barely get any effective offence off before being finding himself flat on his back and tapping out to a nasty Kimura. 

Behind the scenes shenanigans aside, there is real feeling that an upset could be on the cards in this one as Hendrix pits his far superior striking game against Aislands brown belt level jui-jitsu. Aisland might just have enough wrestling skill to overpower Hendrix and take him out of his comfort zone but Hendrix has worked hard to shore up the weaknesses in the other areas of his game and is no longer a beginner anywhere. An opportunity for the youngster to take out a top seed in this tournament and really build some buzz behind. Aisland will have to be at his very best to get past the young challenger. 

(#4) Purple Aiki (9-1) vs. (#20) Don Beast (4-2)

#4 ranked Purple Aiki is really looking like a true contender here as his opening round victory over #29 Willie Dustice brings his winning streak to five in a row (and 9-1 overall) Dustice, known for having quite a chin on him, was powerless to resist as Aiki teed off of on his noggin from back mount and managed to get in and out of the cage in a little over two and half minutes. He now moves on to face the rather bland Don Beast who easily navigated the striking skills of his first round opponent Ikuma Arishima. Nothing much was expected from their bout in truth but the crowd were pleasantly pleased with the quick climax to proceedings as Beast secured the armbar submission in under a minute. 

Quite an intriguing match up here next as whilst Purple Aiki is clearly the favourite here, his style could play right into the hands of submission specialist Don Beast. Neither have much in the way of striking so it will be interesting to see if Aiki shares the concern of Beast's ground game and look to turn the fight into a brawl? Either way, a big fight for both of them with a lot on the line for Aiki and nothing much to lose for Don Beast.

(#11) Tielo Bonifaz (5-0) vs. (#27) Ylli Kovaci (5-6)

Super dooper impressive performance for Turkish striker Tielo Bonifaz who handed first round opponent John Slater his first professional loss of the season as well as keep his own perfect record intact. It wasn't easy however with Slater refusing to quit in the face of some tremendously big shots that shook and dropped him numerous times. Agonisingly close to making it to unanimous decision loss, Slater ended up going out on his shield thirteen seconds from the end of round three when Bonifaz dropped him for the last time. He next faces Albanian journeyman striker Ylli Kovaci who despite coming into the end of season tournament seeded #27 managed to outpoint undefeated #6 seed George Walker. Whilst a great result for Kovaci, the bout itself left a lot to be desired and his clinch based catch and release tactics weren't particularly appreciated by the crowd. Still a win is a win and that's all that matters. 

Another tough matchup for Tielo Bonifaz coming up and made all the more so after Kovaci's dominant victory and elimination of #6 seed George Walker. On paper, Kovaci actually has a slight advantage in the key areas meaning Bonifaz will need to rely on something more than just technical knowhow. Still, he has yet to be defeated and most would imagine that he has enough in the tank to work out Kovaci's unorthodox game plans.  

(#8) Tobias Berge (9-4) vs. (#10) Eric Jacquin (10-3)

A last second submission victory from #8 seed Tobias Berge put an end to underdog opponent Skipskap Songiscrap's tournament hopes and earned himself a place in second round of this prestigious tournament. Berge was always expected to move on but it wasn't without it's hardships and he had to endure an early barrage of pillow fists and feet before being able to take the fight to the mat. His relentless sub spamming prayers were answered by the RNG gods who gifted him a triangle armbar submission with only three seconds of the round to go. Now standing in his path will be #10 seed Eric Jacquin who seems to have found his winning ways again after racking up his second in a row this time over #22 Will Hung. Slated to be a tough fight against a young, quick learning opponent, Jacquin was mostly able to avoid getting caught up on the feet and instead keep the fight on the ground where it was much more even. He was finally able to catch Hung early in round three with a kimura submission. 

Quite possible the most even fight of Round 2, this one might actually end up being something of a bust. Both fighters are BJJ brown belts and both fighters almost exactly equal in every other area. Both also have similar winning records but perhaps the statistic that most sets them apart is Berge's perfect 100% record of submission finishes in his nine victories. With that in mind, you'd have to favour him to catch Jacquin at some point and move on into the Quarter Finals. 

(#15) Hendrik Lorentz (8-3) vs. (#2) Lesley Dancer (12-2)

#15 seed Hendrik Lorentz, the second fighter in this division alone from greedy Island manager Monkey, successfully joins his stable mate Albert Einstein on the opposite side of the tournament bracket after taking out fellow KT crossover #18 Indigo Pleateu. In truth, it was a bit of a one sided affair with Lorentz dominating in the clinch and ending things before the end of the first round. Lorentz now faces the monumental task of going head to head with the very heavy hitting #2 seed Lesley Dancer who made it past young prospect Callum Becker with a brutally flawless first round KO. There was really nothing the youngster could do as everything that Dancer threw found its mark and with mean intentions too. One minute thirteen into the first round and a few big shots to the head and body was all that was needed to get the job done. 

If there is one fight not to miss in the second round it is this one as it's very unlikely to end without a decisive finish. Lorentz is handful on the feet and is certainly not to be overlooked but these two have actually met not so long ago and Lorentz was clearly a step behind Dancer every step of the way. Dancer's only apparent weakness so far as been on the ground and Lorentz is unlikely to trouble him there. Instead he is simply going to have to press his face to the fire and hope that he doesn't add to Dancer's perfect 100% record of twelve KO's in his twelve victories. 

[clydebankblitz]

WELTERWEIGHT - ROUND 2

 

 

Jack Black (16-1) [1] Vs Goran Acker (8-6) [17]

It was business as usual for Gentleman Jack who came through the first round with ease. However it is Goran who is likely the fresher of the two, winning his opening round in just 19 seconds, an amazing achievement. Unfortunately for Goran, he’s up against an old foe. These men have already clashed twice before, with Jack getting increasingly better. In December, Goran took a beating but almost held out to the final bell before being stopped with just 20 seconds to go. He didn’t fare as well in their April showdown, with Black defending his Rogues WW title in just 39 seconds. This is less of a story of who will win, it seems more to be a story of how long it will take.

 

Liko Dares (8-3) [9] Vs Stephen Hawking (6-4) [7]

Upsetting the odds, Liko pulled out his first career submission last time out, tapping Mike Fallon with a first round kimura. Similarly, Fearsome Stephen also made a tap, albeit his one being due to strikes as Test Fighter was caught completely cold and finished in just 20 seconds. With the shadow of a Jack Black fight looming, neither Liko nor Stephen are favourites to go deep in the competition, but you gotta be in it to win it and whoever comes through this one is going to have a mountain to climb if Acker doesn’t do the unthinkable.

 

Buzz Killer (9-3) [5] Vs Jesse Thomas (5-1) [12]

Kevin Holland’s buzz was certainly killed when Mr Murica KOed him in one punch in the first round. Typically BK has liked to do his work in the later stages of the fight, so we might be seeing a bit more recklessness from the man who really wants you to know where he’s from. Uncle Jesse will be hoping Buzz Killer mixes him up with Uncle Sam and goes easy on him. It was also a quick stoppage win for Thomas, who might be a bit of a dark horse in this competition, especially if he could overcome the #5 seed.

 

Island Boy Jackson (3-1) [13] Vs John Archibald Wheeler (9-2) [3]

The Island Jackson overcame the KO Jackson in the first round, winning by submission as you’d expect from the purple belt. Archibald Wheeler, who sounds like he definitely dropped off a number from the end of his name, did his definitely white ancestors proud with a second round beatdown of Patryk Donald. Will Island Boy be able to break JAW? Or will Wheeler be able to overcome IB Syndrome? Wheeler assures us he has the stomach to get this one done.

 

Bradley Lemons (12-5) [4] Vs Yewis Mybitches (7-3) [14]

Lemons proved that experience can’t be underestimated in the cage and dispatched Sung Hoon Choo in under 30 seconds. Kickboxer Yewis did the entire Mybitches family proud in his closely contested, hard fought decision win over Juan Savedra. The bookies will be strongly on Lemons here, but whether the fight goes to a decision or it ends quick, Yewis is a very strong kickboxer so Lemons is entering his field of play so we could witness an upset.

 

Otto Scheckter (5-0) [11] Vs Adam Alkoun (7-3) [6]

Still undefeated, Otto used his brutal elbows in the clinch to send Tommy Gavin to the hospital to receive more patches than Cyberpunk 2020. It was an easy opener for Alkoun as well, but now we’re getting into the gritter part of the division. Otto hasn’t had enough top experience on The Island yet, whereas Alkoun has fought the likes of Jack Black, Master Bates and Jack Dye. However Adam did lose these fights, so is Otto good enough to prove he’s the one who deserves to be at that level?

 

Alex Munhoz (11-4) [8] Vs Nicholas McDonald (8-4) [10]

If there were post fight awards available in the tournament, Alex Munhoz would be due one after he overcame a 2 round deficit to submit Jerry Brooks in the second round. There was less drama from McDonald as he scored a first round head kick to kick off the tournament. The interesting thing we have here is this is a rubber match. Alex Munhoz submitted Nicholas at TR28, Nicholas returned the favour at TR61. All the marbles on the line here, so who will finally notch themselves ahead in this rivalry?

 

Niels Bohr (6-2) [15] Vs Werner Heisenberg (9-1) [2]

I hope Monkey has signed all the relevant legal documents, because two of his boys are fighting here. Neils used his spectacular kickboxing to rack up another head kick win, while Heisenberg leaned on his boxing to get the job done over the delightful Nevercum. It’ll be interesting if either man makes a change with their manager being the same here. You might think Monkey will hope Heisenberg comes through as he’s the number 2 seeded fighter, but Niels isn’t a slough and could definitely get something done against an opponent who isn’t known for his power.

[clydebankblitz]

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - ROUND 2

 

Karockas Thibodeaux (15-0) [1] Vs Arniquez Montgomery (2-2) [17]

The fear will now be setting in for Montgomery who finds himself standing across from the godly stature of Karockas. Both men finished their opening round fight easily, but none the less there is a mammoth disproportion in record here. I would formally like to take a moment to remember the life of Arniquez Montgomery. A kickboxer who made it to round 2 of the Highland tournament, Arniquez will be remembered fondly by his family and friends and everyone in Chiraq, who’s lives he enriched with his loving demeaner and dedication to martial arts.

 

Jonny Bar (8-3) [9] Vs Ty Fuller (7-0) [7]

And it was another addition to his collection. Jonny decided to swap out the kimuras and armbars to complete the trilogy of locks with an americana win in round 1. Undefeated striker Ty Fuller has a difficult decision to make ahead of this fight. He is a great boxer and can threaten any opponent with his fists, but if he cuts off his arms Jonny has essentially no offence. It’ll be interesting to see if Ty Fuller does turn up amputated or not on this humid island night.

 

Sione Veainu (8-2) [5] Vs Erza Scarlet (4-1) [24]

Ezra will be elated that he scored an upset win over Bob Crawley in the opening round and he scrapped for every second of that win. But despite all his skill, Bob Crawley is not Sione Veainu and the former Rogues 205 kingpin knows that the only two men to beat him remain in the tournament; Plusnin and Thibodeaux, and he is on a demolition mission to wreck any and all opponents in his way between now and those fights.

 

Leon McClane (6-5) [19] Vs Kil Bon Hwa (14-1) [3]

A rematch between a pair of former champions here. Back at Rogues 52 these two stood across from each other and traded leather, with Hwa being the only man standing at the end. With just one loss on his record, it’s hard not to recognize the strength of Hwa in this competition. However Leon does fancy himself as a strong striker so if he can keep it standing and swing for the fences, maybe lightning will strike and he’ll get a lucky stoppage. Leon McClane will want to keep on his toes and now stop moving here, but if he gets caught by a red light, Hwa will end him. I didn’t watch Squid Games btw.

 

Vladimir Plusnin (7-4) [4] Vs Abbas Mohammad (9-6) [20]

Plusnin comfortably came through the opening round with a decision win, while Abbas overcame the number 14 seed when he defeated Dave Hanen by first round TKO. The interesting thing here is that Plusnin is going to let Abbas take him down, so he’ll be right in the lion’s den and dodging ground and pound. With 3 submission losses already sitting on Abbas’ record though, I think it’ll only be a matter of time before Vlad has him tapping the canvas.

 

 

Red Greene (6-1) [11] Vs Alexander Grigoriev (3-2) [27]

My favourite named fighter got it done in round 1 with the second rear naked choke of his career. He is one of the most prolific finishers in this weight class and his submission game could be a threat to anyone who comes up against it. That includes Grigoriev, who tapped out due to a guillotine choke from Greene back at VFC 87. That isn’t where the story ends though. Greene was comfortably losing that fight and was in all sorts of danger and Grigoriev looked very close to finishing it. Despite the huge difference in seeding position, I think Grigoriev has a fantastic chance of winning this fight so Red will need to be on his A game.

 

Dan Dinklage (9-3) [8] Vs Rickson Silva (6-3) [10]

We’re used to seeing a bit more death and destruction from Dan Dinklage but his decision win over Arthur Fleck was a bit of a snoozefest. Comparing this to Silva who got busted opened before locking up a first round armbar, it was a bit disappointing. Dan might have faced the slightly better competition thus far, but his recent submission loss to Stevo Caruga has put a target on his back for the submission specialist Rickson Silva and time will tell if he can take advantage.

 

Djuro Zec (6-4) [15] Vs Stevo Caruga (10-1) [2]

One of the biggest upsets of round 1, Djuro Zec fought hard for a split decision win over Angus Graham. There were no surprised from the other side as Caruga took out Jesus Salazaro with a kimura in the early stages of the fight. This is a rematch of a fight back in April, where Djuro foind himself tapping out to a submission of the night earning triangle choke. All eyes are on Stevo to go far and not many expect Djuro to get another upset when this one goes down.

[clydebankblitz]

 

HEAVYWEIGHT - ROUND 2

Havardr Vollan (10-0) [1] Vs Joe Mendez (7-4) [16]

We sometimes see the top seeded guys going out early, but Vollan wanted to break that curse and scored a 15 second victory in the opening round. Some say he was drinking mead and eating a whole chicken in the restaurant before the second fight even took place. Joe Mendez got past Ryder Young, beating him everywhere the fight went. It was a very strong performance from Joe, but he’s going to need to dig deep and find something completely unexpected to get through this round.

 

Mac Anudo (8-2-1) [9] Vs Obi Ojo (9-2) [7]

We’re used to seeing Anudo go for submissions, so it was a bit of a surprise when he started bombing on Island Boy with ground and pound to secure a first round TKO stoppage. There were less surprises from former Rogues champ Ojo, who sent the Nigerian fans into the rafters with his 47 second KO. A win here would set Ojo up for a third collision with the man who took his title away, Havardr Vollan, but Mac Anudo wants to give him a fresh face on his losing record and go on himself to face the big fish in the division.

 

Isaac Newton (10-1) [5] Vs Kiase Quama (3-3) [24]

It appears Isaac has added a whole new element to his game. After 6 submissions and 2 decisions in his career, he just scored two back to back wins by T(KO). Kiase scored a strong upset over Sergio Sergius with a 56 second TKO finish. There won’t be any surprises in the gameplans here. Kiase will want to avoid dropping to the canvas, but Isaac is determined to give him a lesson in gravity. Whoever can impose their will wins the fight.

 

Chris Abbott (8-4) [19] Vs Old Leg Tartakov (12-1) [3]

Chris Abbott doesn’t take kindly to being underestimated and came back from a losing first round to dispatch Sai Monu in the second, ironically bringing him to the second round of the tournament. Old Leg, who’s name I have written as Taktarov about 15 times, didn’t know if he wanted a submission or KO win and settled for the latter. Interestingly, it’s been quite a while since the once prolific submission specialist had someone tapping out, but Abbott doesn’t want to be the next one and will keep this standing at all costs.

 

Paul Dirac (7-4) [29] Vs Iulian Simionescu (6-1) [14]

Huge upset on the initial seedings for Paul Dirac as he took out number 4 seed Zhan Dingo in the opening round. Iulian too finished his fight, with both fighters forcing the referee to come in and halt the contest via the blood and damage on their opponents. Iulian might have taken this fight lightly at another time, but seeing Paul defeat Dingo like he did is going to motivate the Romanian to come in 100% and avoid being the next upset in Paul’s journey to the top.

 

Igor Blancho (11-7) [23] Vs John Bell (7-2) [6]

The huge Igor Blancho scored an important upset in round 1, taking out legendary Veainu family member Fotu with a rear naked choke in the opening stanza.  Blue belt John Bell cares not for this grappling nonsense, and wants to work with his hands like every middle aged father resents their child for not doing. Igor has a few more fights on his record, but Bell has had a better win rate. With a potentially suspect chin, I think Igor will desperately need to take this one down sharpish.

 

Jackson Silva (9-4) [25] Vs Shaun Fistle (6-2) [22]

These two really resented the tournament’s seeding system, taking out number 8 and number 10 respectively. It was an important victory for both men, as for the first time in their careers they found themselves on losing streaks. The man with two last names wants to get his grapples on and land a submission, while the man with one first name and one noise does all his damage with his paws. Who wins? You decide! Or, wait, no, they decide.

 

Qing Wu (4-1) [18] Vs Richard Feynman (9-0) [2]

Wu did his thing and got a first round victory by peppering Brendan Baddcock with shots until his face was redder than Red Greene’s name. I just really like the name. It actually looked like Richard might be headed for a similar victory, but he didn’t his opponent blaming the cuts for the loss and got the TKO regardless. Qing is up against it here having never fought a champion to this point, but I go thing he’s got something about him that might be a thread for good old Dick Feynman. With wins over the likes of Sergius and Tartakov, Feynman has fought and won at a higher level and many expect him to do so again.

[clydebankblitz]

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT - SEMI FINAL

Erwin Schrodinger (11-1) [1] Vs Kent Fredricks (6-3) [5]

It took Big Erwin just 49 seconds to go through to round 2, which is no real surprise to those who have followed his career. K-Fed had a little bit more trouble with San Yan Chong, but a big flurry towards the end of the opener saw Chong dazed and confused and it didn’t take Kent too much longer to get the finish. This is undoubtedly the toughest test of Kent’s career to date, but on a 4 fight win streak, it couldn’t come at a better time. Two strikers who can hit hard, is there any chance Kent could get the upset?

 

Galileo Galilei (8-1) [3] Vs Roger Penrose (10-2) [2]

No upsets here as Cannonball and The Head Collector come through round 1 with flying colours. 19 year old Galilei has been desperate for a challenge like this, but is it too much to step up this high and fight Roger Penrose? Rog is a two time VFC Super Heavyweight champ and his head kicks came into play again when Perry Diaz was taken out in his 39 seconds. Roger and Erwin have been on a long awaited collision course, but Galileo wants to upset that future matchmaking. Both men are managed by Monkey so we’ll need to wait and see if any conflict of interest could arise. Those who know Monkey believe he will get out of the fighters way and let them do as they please.

[Ikkitakeda]

Morton Masters: And like I called it Frost got iced. Top 5 in the weight class at the end of the island. Don't go sleeping on me or you will go sleeping from me. Love the next fight against Huygens it's a rematch as fought during the season and I won via decision. One of the few wins I just couldn't put the guy away so I know hest a tough opponent.

[clydebankblitz]

WELTERWEIGHT - QUARTER FINAL

 

Jack Black (17-1) [1] Vs Liko Dares (9-3) [9]

While Jack mat be a little disappointed that he couldn’t get the Alex Munhoz rematch for the final, he will be very happy with his 21 second dismantling of Goran Acker. After the brief celebrations from Liko after the judges announced his decision win over Stephen Hawking, there must have been a gulp at realising what’s next. Without a lot of power behind him, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Dares overcomes Black in this fight. But stranger things have happened in this sport.

 

Jesse Thomas Babcock (6-1) [12] Vs Island Boy Jackson (4-1) [13]

A pair of upsets in the last round saw Badcock get past number 5 seed Buzz Killer, and Jackson go beyond number 3 seed Wheeler. Uncle Jesse is finding some striking form in this tournament, and none better illustrated than his 2 minute KO of Buzz in round 2. Island Boy booked his place in the quarters by locking up an arm triangle over the aristocratic John Archibald Wheeler, and if he wants to keep going he’s going to need to take this one to the floor and fast.

 

Bradley Lemons (13-5) [4] Vs Adam Alkoun (8-4) [6]

A tale of two round 2s here as Lemons struggled with Mybitches and Alkoun comfortably walked past Otto Scheckter, taking Otto’s undefeated record with him. The exciting thing here is this is a stand and bang affair. Neither man will give the other an inch and you can probably bet your last dollar that this one ends in a finish. Not many still going in the tournament would want to trade with either of these men, and we’ll see who is forced two once this gets settled.

 

Nicholas McDonald (9-4) [10] Vs Werner Heisenberg (10-1) [2]

A big sigh of relief escaped Nicholas McDonald when he won his rubber match with Alex Munhoz. He came out fast and even though Alex lasted longer than their last encounter, it wasn’t much longer. Nicholas jumps straight into an even bigger challenge though, as relentless second seed Werner punished Niels Bohr for 3 rounds and got the stoppage right before the referee could call it for a decision. Werner is a lethal striker and seems to have put his past decision fighter ways behind him. Werner is here for blood, and you have to expect that he gets what he’s after in this fight.

[clydebankblitz]

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT - QUARTER FINAL

 

 

Karockas Thibodeaux (16-0) [1] Vs Jonny Bar (9-3) [9)

What would Rockafella be doing if he wasn’t fighting? This is a man seemed generically designed to be a fighter. Standing 6’2, probably around 215lbs on fight night, Karockas is build like a war machine and fights exactly as he has been created. You have to hand it to Arniquez Montgomery, he is just the fourth person to go over 3 mins and 20 seconds against this human wrecking ball. However, his opponent has done more than his fair share of surprising. Last round I said Jonny Bar has achieved every armlock submission possible. Enter; the Triangle Armbar. He may have found another way to surprise us, but considering he lasted under 2 minutes against Karockas last time, I’m not expecting it.

 

Sione Veainu (9-2) [5] Vs Kil Bon Hwa (15-1) [3]

Sione, mate, ehhh, what the fuck was that? A blue belt in the way that you’re nice enough to your coach and you get a blue belt, Sione is a knockout specialist. He doesn’t play around with this jiu jitsu bullshit. Or, ehhh, does he? He dropped Erza Scarlet last round and does he let him up? No. He goes to the ground…and gets a heel hook. Stunned. But submitting Erza is much different than submitting Kil Bon Hwa who is out for vengeance here. Hwa looked to make the fourth defence of his Rogues LHW title at TR40, but he came up against Sione who quickly dispatched of him by knockout. This was shades of Sonatane Veainu Vs Torhte Finlayson, whom both of their managers also managed, and Hwa doesn’t want to let that happen for a second time. For some extra intrigue, Hwa has never had a crack at Karockas and believes he’ll be the man to stop his reign.

 

Abbas Mohammad (10-6) [20] Vs Red Greene (7-1) [11]

No disrespect to either man, especially my fav Red Greene, but both of these men but be wondering how they got to this stage considering the other talent left standing. Abbas quickly took down Vladimir Plusnin and got a TKO just over a minute, while Greene scored a quick armbar over Alexander Grigoriev. Two grapplers, two quick wins over Russians. The big difference is Abbas likes to strike, while Greene likes to submit. So who will get their way?

 

Dan Dinklage (10-3) [8] Vs Stevo Caruga (11-1) [2]

Big Dan might have been worried at the submission attempts from Rickson Silva, but he stayed cool, calm and collected and picked up a second round TKO to earn a second crack at VFC champion Stevo Caruga. Stevo picked up the fourth triangle choke of his career last time out and in submitting Dan last time they fought in under 2 minutes, you have to think he’ll be confident of advancing to the semi finals. If Dan has been learning anything on the side of grappling, this will be the time to utilize it.

[bloodyvalentine]

@clydebankblitz Hey man, thanks for doing those, they're really cool (Babcock manager's here).

[clydebankblitz]

HEAVYWEIGHT - QUARTER FINAL

 

Havardr Vollan (11-0) [1] Vs Mac Anudo (9-2-1) [9]

Round 2 can be a killer for upsets but no such luck for Joe Mendez who performed commendably with his wrestling, but found himself on the business end of a Vollan shot in the second round. Skipping into round 2 is the Rogues LHW champion, but will he get past Mac Anudo? Mac overcame another lethal striker in Obu Ojo, taking the fight down early, working him over with some soft shots before slapping on an armbar. Vollan might not fair as well if this one goes to the ground, so Anudo has a gameplan in front of him and has his sights set on greatness with a mammoth upset.

 

Kiase Quama (4-3) [24] Vs Old Leg Tartakov (13-1) [3]

Knocking off the number 5 seed as number 24? All in a days work for Kiase Quama. The former kickboxing champ landed an early shot on Isaac Newton got home early to catch Eastenders. Or whatever is on TV on The Island. Probably Eastenders. Unfortunately, Old Leg Tartakov wasn’t fancying being upset and scored his first submission victory in 7 fights. With his kickboxing background, you know Kiase will be terrified if this one spills to the canvas. He’ll need a quick KO to go through to the semi finals, but the bookies will certainly be on the side of former champ Tartakov.

 

Iulian Simionescu (7-1) [14] Vs John Bell (8-2) [6]

Romania reigns supreme. It was a back and forth scrap, which some may have found controversial, but Iulian Simionescu booked his spot in the quarter finals against John Bell with a unanimous decision win over Paul Dirac. I feel like John Bell isn’t as hyped as he deserves to be in this competition, but if he finds himself going to The Island Season 13 semi finals, you can’t deny the hype. He bounced up from an early takedown to get an opener KO over the big man Igor Blancho. Now we’re going to witness two strikers go toe to toe in a war for the ages and whoever wins could be considered one of the tournament favourites.

 

Jackson Silva (10-4) [25] Vs Qing Wu (5-1) [18]

The final match of the heavyweight quarter finals comes in the form of Jackson Silva, fresh off of a zero sweat emitted submission win over Shaun Fistle, and Qing Wu, fresh off of Oh My God He Actually Did It!!! At 4-1, it was going to be a tall order for Qing to defeated the undefeated, reigning VFC heavyweight champion Richard Feynman. The fight went to the clinch and initially both men traded shots. But Wu clicked into a next gear and just started battering Richard, shot after shot after shot, and soon the champ couldn’t take anymore. Looking at their records, you’d Jackson Silva didn’t have any fear coming into this match but after that performance from Wu, you’d be wrong.

[clydebankblitz]

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT - FINAL

Kent Fredericks (7-3) [5] Vs Galileo Galilei (9-1) [3]

What do you get when you put one a number one seed, reigning Rogues Super Heavyweight Champion, into a competition with a number two seed, reigning VFC Super Heavyweight Champion. A number 5 and 3 seed apparently. You always know the big men have an ace up their sleeve no matter what plays out but I don’t think anyone expected both Erwin Schrodinger and Roger Penrose to be sent packing for their off-Island homes early. Kent took out the number one seed by cutting him early, repeatedly targeting the same spot, and then forcing the referee to stop the fight via cuts. Cannonball won his by just straight up sparking Roger Penrose out cold. Amazing stuff from both men. Now it’s all down to this. The final of The Island Season 13 Tournament. All of the marbles on the line. Both men could be walking out of this with a title shot in their back pocket if they remain in their existing orgs, but that’s not in their mind right now. Island glory is, and only one man will walk away as the king of 265+.

[The1rstSaint]

Bantamweight Semi Fnals

#1 Kodiyak Redd(8-1-0)

Vs

#11 Joaquim Caetano(7-2-0)

Kodiyak Made ever strike count against Michel Santos in Round 2, which was capped off with a Mega colossal Uppercut. Redd walked wright through his opponent getting the TKO victory in just 1 minute and 32 seconds. Joaquim on the other hand took out the #4 seed Aljamain Sterling with a 2nd round Submission. After dropping round 1, it looked as if Caetano was going to drop another round, when out of nowhere the viper strikes with an excellent Guillotine finish.

Redd has looked very sharp so far with two straight finishes in round 1, He will now be pitted with the Suprise of the Bantamweight in the #11 seed Caetano.

#3 Davey Hilton Jr

Vs

#7 Nightey Knights

Davey Hilton Jr ended his round two contest with a first round Submission. His opponent Kenton Tracks had some problems landing his strikes and after a failed combo Davey took him down and went after submission after submission until he was able to pull in a successful Triangle choke to seal the deal at the 3:48 mark. Nightey Nights does it again, this time it was earned as well. Done two rounds Nightey Night was well on his way to a Decision loss, until the halfway mark of round 3 when the referee decided to stand them up and things escalated quite quickly from there as Nightey lands a right hand to put Sam Hiro Iwaga Genochin away. 

Hilton Jr knows what he needs to do here get the fight to his realm on the ground, My sleeper picked still in this just knocking off the #2 seed, now it's on to #3.

[The1rstSaint]

Featherweight Semi FInal

#1 Robbie Hall(13-1-0)

Vs

#4 Shinichiro Tomonaga(10-2-0)

Robbie Hall collected his 13th submission victory of this Island Season it's what he does. Kip Thorne was trying to get something going on his feet it just wasn't going his way by round two Hall was in full swing with his relentless submission attacks and a Guillotine sealed the deal at 2:58 in round 2. Shinichiro moves on after a hard fought Unanimous Decision. Tomonaga nearly had Jetmir Erminus finished in round 2 but the kid got heart as he eventually cleared the cobwebs and managed to drag Tomononaga to the ground. 

Robbie Hall one step closer to that family dispute in the finals, The #4 seed though has revenge on his mind after dropping their first meeting to hall. Not to mention Robbie just subbed Shinichiro's Teammate. 

 

#3 Frankie Venegas(14-5-0)

Vs

#2 Richard Hall(15-0-0)

"The King of the Islands" Frankie Venega picks up his 9th submission finish in Round 1. Marie Pier Houle made the fatal mistake of taking the fight to the clinch, and Venegas took full advantage by pulling guard and moments late he wrenched in a tight Guillotine for the finish at 1:38 in round 1. Richard Hall upped his brother by 1 submission earning his 14th of this Island Season. King Cracker couldn't get any offense going while Richard was just looking to work himself into a better position, eventually taking his back and ending the fight via Rear Naked Choke at 3:59 in the first.

This will be the first meeting between these two, Venegas has however fought Robbie Hall now he gets the unfortunate task of fighting his 15-0 twin. 

[The1rstSaint]

Middleweight Semi Finals 

#1 Antti Finn(11-0-0)

Vs

#4 Karl Schwarzschild(7-0-0 MMA, 4-0-0 KT)

Antti Finn scores the Walk off KO in round two which was immediately followed by some bizarre caveman dance. After completely taking the Soul of Leandro Narloch in round 1 with his clinch, Finn lunges across the cage like a wild ape in round 2 and scores a one punch KO. Aahil Mohammad was in cruise control through the first rounds, dominating Karl on the ground. Visibly gassed though after a failed Takedown started round 3 it wasn't two long after they he was on the other end of a Superman Punch that left him motionless. 

Finn Continues to dominate as he now looks to have his stiffest test of the competition. Karl Schwarzchild has had two highlight real KO's now as he sets out for the Mad Man Antti Finn for his 3rd.

 

#6 Morton Masters(8-3-0)

Vs

#7 Christiaan Huygens(10-3-0)

Morton Masters yet again a man of his word, as he Iced Mr. Frost in round 2. Darren Frost looked excellent to start this contest keeping away from Masters clinch, and landing some decent headshots. Round two was a different story though as "M&M" took the fight to the clinch and landed Punches, Knees and most importantly elbows in route to finishing the fight at 1:59 in round 2. Huygens makes quick work of the #2 seed with an impressive TKO win. Sensai Kuragi failed to secure a Takedown and he paid dearly for it, as Hyugens ends his run with the TKO at just 1:23 seconds of round 1. 

Another fun Striker fest in the Semi Finals at Middleweight, let's see if Masters keeps his prediction streak or will Huygens avenge his previous loss?

[Alfred]

SEASON 13 END OF ISLAND TOURNAMENT - LIGHTWEIGHTS (155lbs)

Quarter-Finals

(#1) Albert Einstein (11-3) vs. (#21) David Ournez (4-0) 

Next level genius game planning from the #1 seed Albert Einstein in taking no power having KO artist Xon HiChi well out of his comfort zone and cruising along to an easy unanimous decision victory. Each round was practically the same with Einstein securing an early takedown and avoiding any of the TNT pillow fists of HiChi and then tenderizing him with some fairly accurate ground and pound. HiChi did seem to be a little agitated after the bout ended as his manager Callum McGregor seemed far more preoccupied with tricking the other fighters into signing his Highland contracts whilst subtly disguised as a make a wish autograph hunter. What can I say? You have to respect the hustle right? He now goes on to face Cinderella story David Ournez, the rank outsider who has already eliminated #9 seed Hirata Hitoshi and now the #7 Island Boy Jim in his most recent fight. It was slated to be a dangerous match up for both fighters but in actual fact Ournez gave no respect to Island Boy's own ground game as he secured the takedown and proceeded to smash through the submission attempts with powerful ground and pound and ending the bout in a little over two and a half minutes. Impressive stuff from the Frenchman who maintains his undefeated record at 4-0. 

This has to be the end of the line now surely for the #21 seed David Ournez as he goes head to head with the top seed in the tournament Albert Einstein? Both these fighters are ground and pound specialists and both are in great form but the fact is, Einstein has more experience, more time in the training room and more tools available to him to get the job done. It would be an amazing feat if Ournez could somehow pull it off but realistically, and rightly so, the bookies have him as a massive underdog. 

(#5) Gillechriosd McCoy (10-5) vs. (#3) Mancha Aisland (11-3)

The power of Christ certainly compelled #5 seed Gillechriosd McCoy's fists into connecting with his second round opponent Malig Hunts face and ribs as he proceeded to batter him black and blue inside the clinch before ending the bout with an holy body slam straight from heaven. Most religious scholars see this as proof of McCoy's divine blessing as he rids the tournament of unholy underweight sandbagging disciple of Baphomet Malig Hunt. McCoy will now face off against #3 seed Mancha Aisland who showed some real grit in overcoming his 20 year old opponent Brandon Hendrix. Aisland only really had one clear route to victory in this one and little margin for error but in the end it was Hendrix who will be kicking himself for following the submission specialist to the ground after a flash knockdown in the opening seconds that dropped and cut open his opponent. Aisland wasn't phased however and began to chain together submission attempts that bamboozled the youngster. It was around the one minute forty five second mark however that Hendrix truly realised how badly he had f#$ked up as a smiling Aisland secured a tight triangle choke that left him no choice but to tap out and face the wrath of his furious manager Frank “El Toro” Costello. 

Things are really starting to heat up now as #5 seed Gillechriosd McCoy takes on #3 seed Mancha Aisland for a spot in the semi-final. So far both have looked to be in great form with both having finished their tournament opponents to reach this point. Once again, only one obvious game plan available for Aisland but he does it so well with few actually having been able to stop him. McCoy has the keys to defeat Aisland here but despite having shown a little submission savvy himself, he really will want to avoid going to the ground with the BJJ brown belt. Nine KO's out of ten victories and the blessing of the almighty himself says he has the power to trouble that granite chin of Aisland. 

(#4) Purple Aki (10-1) vs. (#11) Tielo Bonifaz (6-0)

#4 seed Purple Aki seems to look better and better as the tournament moves on after a brutal showing of ground and pound put to rest #20 seed Don Beast's end of season tournament challenge. The first round saw Beast pull guard from the clinch and attempt to find a submission finish in the face of some seriously heavy shots being thrown his way. In the second round, Aki took it upon himself to take the fight down to the ground with a nice takedown and after almost another full five minutes of brain rattling GnP, the Beast was finally put down and Aki stood victorious over his prey. A showdown with undefeated #11 seed Tielo Bonifaz is on the cards now following Bonifaz's unanimous decision victory over tricky journeyman Ylli Kovaci (#27). Kovaci returned to his clinch and break tactics but it wasn't good enough to stop Bonifaz from peppering him with shots throughout the fifteen minute bout and in the end, it was an easy decision for the ringside judges to make. Both fighters had given it their all and were clearly exhausted but Tielo Bonifaz was declared the unanimous winner and improved his undefeated record to 6-0. 

A real grappler versus striker showdown coming up between these two fighters with both clearly capable of finishing the other. There is a feeling however that Aki has a better chance of submitting Bonifaz then Bonifaz does of KO's Aiki but then no one so far as managed to do so and Bonifaz has faced no shortage of grapplers. Aki will present a far bigger challenge than anything Bonifaz has faced so far on the island and it just remains to be seen if he is up to the task. 

(#10) Eric Jacquin (11-3) vs. (#2) Lesley Dancer (13-2)

It was always going to be close going between #10 Eric Jacquin and #8 Tobias Berge and in the end that's exactly what it was. An ugly clash of styles between the two brown belts left the crowd restless and bored and clearly the judges confused as they scored all three rounds unanimously for Jacquin. Whilst there wasn't much for the judges to go on, many were confused by their decision as it seemed as though, aside from a number of mainly failed takedown attempts, Jacquin had been far more content to sit back and defend against a more aggressive Berge. As always the lesson remains; never leave the decision in the judges hand. With the victory, Jacquin moves to 11-3 and straight into the path of the #2 seed in the tournament, Lesley Dancer. Dancer secured his spot in the quarter-finals after improving on the result of his first meeting with opponent Hendrik Lorentz earlier this season. This time he managed to put away the Dutch striker inside of one round instead of two. Lorentz did his best to make a fight out of it and even cut Dancer with a nasty elbow inside the clinch but otherwise Dancer was far too strong and easily overwhelmed Lorentz with shots to the head and body up close. 

Another grappler versus striker showdown here to decide the last spot in the semi-final. On paper, both fighters look extremely dangerous to the other with their only losses being by way of the others speciality. Dancer would ordinarily be the favourite here but such is the small margin of error, the bout could very easily turn out badly for him. Definitely far more on the line for the #2 seed, the pressure will be off for Jacquin who stands to gain all the hype Dancer has worked so hard for over this past season. Dancer will need to execute things perfectly in order to navigate this tricky showdown. 

[BenhornbyMMA]

10 hours ago, The1rstSaint said:

Featherweight Semi FInal

#1 Robbie Hall(13-1-0)

Vs

#4 Shinichiro Tomonaga(10-2-0)

Robbie Hall collected his 13th submission victory of this Island Season it's what he does. Kip Thorne was trying to get something going on his feet it just wasn't going his way by round two Hall was in full swing with his relentless submission attacks and a Guillotine sealed the deal at 2:58 in round 2. Shinichiro moves on after a hard fought Unanimous Decision. Tomonaga nearly had Jetmir Erminus finished in round 2 but the kid got heart as he eventually cleared the cobwebs and managed to drag Tomononaga to the ground. 

Robbie Hall one step closer to that family dispute in the finals, The #4 seed though has revenge on his mind after dropping their first meeting to hall. Not to mention Robbie just subbed Shinichiro's Teammate. 

 

#3 Frankie Venegas(14-5-0)

Vs

#2 Richard Hall(15-0-0)

"The King of the Islands" Frankie Venega picks up his 9th submission finish in Round 1. Marie Pier Houle made the fatal mistake of taking the fight to the clinch, and Venegas took full advantage by pulling guard and moments late he wrenched in a tight Guillotine for the finish at 1:38 in round 1. Richard Hall upped his brother by 1 submission earning his 14th of this Island Season. King Cracker couldn't get any offense going while Richard was just looking to work himself into a better position, eventually taking his back and ending the fight via Rear Naked Choke at 3:59 in the first.

This will be the first meeting between these two, Venegas has however fought Robbie Hall now he gets the unfortunate task of fighting his 15-0 twin. 

I know everyone is hoping and thinks it’s going to be a Hall vs Hall superfight but Frankie isn’t going out that easy. He’s currently 1-1 against the super brothers. He knows it’s the toughest fight of his career but he’s happy with that. Like his bio says 35,45 or 55 anyone can get it and it’s on sight! 14 wins all Finnish and arguably the most fun active fighter from the islands this season. 

[BenhornbyMMA]

Also the write ups have been great guys 👍 all have been a good read thanks for making the tournament more fun

[teyoken]

Lesley Dancer from Lightweight and Jack Black from Welterweight for the win, two devastating hitting Nap or Tap fight team members representing their team through the gritty island tournament. These men were bred for first round knockouts and entertaining finishes and that won’t change with the quarter-finals. Let this be the warning to their opponents tomorrow, DEVASTATION from Gentleman Jack and Private Dancer are coming tomorrow!

[teyoken]

5 minutes ago, BenhornbyMMA said:

Also the write ups have been great guys 👍 all have been a good read thanks for making the tournament more fun

Statement approved