Guest Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Highland Games http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/14407183641428187949Logonew2.png Highland Games 174 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by Highland Games, in conjunction with Highland Clothing and Hoarseplay Writing Productions, on May 15, 2016. This showcase attraction will take place at the Wombley Arena in London, England. Heavyweight Doyle Brunson versus Vitaly Karelin Middleweight Arthur Schopenhauer versus Ricardo Gerson Bantamweight Neil Drake versus Jandre Vorster Welterweight Paul Maul versus Keto Belle Light-heavyweight Roberto Boucher versus Gerrald James Featherweight Luiz Diaz versus Dang Sai Featherweight BJ Arnold versus Dan Small Bantamweight James Krause versus Isaac Bennett To Be Announced TBA versus TBA Super-heavyweight Houston Nutt versus Brian Jones [Main Card] [Main Event] http://i.imgur.com/VovlE44.jpg (Heavyweight bout) Doyle Brunson (20-3) versus Vitaly Karelin (14-3) (Preview) Doyle Brunson was born and raised in a small town in Texas, where his family owned a horse ranch. His high school athletic career was typical for a boy his age: he played football and he wrestled. During the summer, his wrestling coach wanted him to stay in shape, so he took up boxing as well. Growing up as a young Texan with a name like Doyle Brunson, he was forced to endure a lot of Office Space-esque comments. People wanted to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, which is a Kenny Rogers reference, just incase you're a savage that doesn't know. After high school, Doyle began to dabble in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having become enamored with the art after watching the old UFC shows on video tape. He quickly became an addict to this new sport and found himself wanting to involve himself in what his father described as “human cock fighting”. Doyle's dreams would remain unbesmirched, despite the negative reinforcement he received from his father. Fast forward some number of years, and Doyle is a strapping 25 year old factory worker that unironically enjoys watching and playing poker. He cements that this doesn't make him anything like his famous namesake, despite it obviously making them eerily similar. Doyle sat and mindlessly browsed the internet, when he suddenly stumbled across an advertisement proclaiming to offer the opportunity of a lifetime. Some number of young men would be accepted onto “The Island”; a private location that would be hosting a number of mixed martial arts fights to people with absolutely zero experience in professional combat. The winner would emerge into the MMA scene with an incredible reputation and, more than likely, a shot at real life legendary status. Doyle quit his job, packed his bags, and bought his way onto The Island; he knew that this was going to be do-or-die... become one of the greats, or accept that his dreams have ruined his life. Doyle made his MMA debut in an organization with an impressively long name that I will shorten to just Kingsford MMA. Doyle quickly made a name for himself by using a combination of non-stop forward pressure and intense clinchwork. Averaging two opponents per month, Doyle smashed his way through four consecutive opponents; the last of which earned him the heavyweight championship. Doyle was absolutely thrilled, and wanted to share the news with his family... but outside contact is specifically forbidden until the final tournament ends. So instead, Doyle prepared to defend his new crown against elite kickboxer Ragnar Axiom. By this time, Doyle was convinced that no man could take his power punches; he had all but forgotten that wrestling and clinchwork had gotten him to the dance, and he was ready to land one big punch to end the night. He traded power punches with Axiom for the better part of two solid minutes, but ultimately tired himself out, and crumbled under the pressure of a superior striker. Axiom battered Brunson into unconsciousness and celebrated as his victim stared up at the bright lights that had passed him by. As far as Doyle Brunson was concerned, his career was over; he had won some fights, claimed a championship, and had been knocked unconscious. Fortunately, he had a fantastic management team that did not give up on him; they saw the promise in the young striker from Texas, and they helped him to pick up the pieces and rebuild himself with a new, stronger strategy. In his next fight, Brunson faced off against another powerful kickboxer... Brunson made this new opponent pay for every blow that he had received in his championship loss, ultimately cutting him up so badly that the doctor intervened. A rematch was booked between Doyle Brunson and the man that had dethroned him one month prior. Despite his doubts, his team built his confidence up and prepared him for his revenge. Pundits believed that this would be the last fight of Brunson's career; they proclaimed that he would retire after a second knockout to the same man, and they had declared Axiom as one of the all time greats. Brunson would happily play spoiler to this; he fought intelligently, moving in and out of the clinch, chasing Axiom wherever the fight would go. Axiom was constantly off balance, constantly rushing to keep up with the ferocity and pacing of the Wild Texan. Three minutes and fifty seconds into the opening round, Brunson caught Axiom with a right hand from hell, opening a huge cut over his eye. Axiom stayed on his feet but the beating continued, and Axiom covered up against the fence. The doctors stopped the fight, declaring Axiom unfit to continue due to blood loss. Just like that, Doyle Brunson was once again the king of the world. With this victory, Doyle Brunson had effectively cleared out his division; the best contenders that could be offered to him would be rematches, so Doyle opted not to renew his contract with Kingsford; he instead moved into a bigger pool when he signed with the Highland Challenge promotion. After an impressive early performance against Shampo Metso, he once again found himself challenging for a heavyweight crown; this time he would face seven time defending champion Dave Ysengrin. Despite using all of the tools at his disposal, Brunson just couldn't seem to phase the unyielding champion. After only three minutes, Brunson was once again knocked out of the championship picture. This setback only seemed to light a fire in Brunson that the world of mixed martial arts had not seen before; he clawed his way back out of hell one inch at a time, going on a seven fight winning streak, bringing him through five straight rounds of the final Island tournament. As if it was destiny, Brunson was set to face Dave Ysengrin once more to become The Island Season 4 undisputed champion. To prepare for this fight, Brunson focused on his boxing, going back to the fundamentals that had made him one of the greats. The moment the fight started, Brunson ran across the cage and tackled Ysengrin in a clinch up against the cage. Although Ysengrin had obviously improved in this department, he was no match for the power strikes of the Texan; Brunson hit him with everything he had, taking it all out on the man. In the end, Ysengrin did manage to break free and get to the center of the ring, and Brunson chased him down with a series of strikes that put the Englishman out cold stretched. Doyle Brunson may not have won a championship, but he felt like a king. Since signing with Highland Games, the mother company of the show that he had fought for on The Island, Brunson has gone 5-1 with his only defeat coming by way of TKO due to ground and pound from his current opponent, Vitaly Karelin. The stage is set for one of the greatest rivalries in MMA history; will history repeat itself? Or will Doyle Brunson once again defy the odds and avenge a loss? For Vitaly Karelin, the answer is obvious: he knows that he has the proper style and strategy to pound Brunson into the darkness once again. Most fighters get into the sport of MMA for personal glory, for money, or for the greatness of their own name; these matters are of little intrigue to Vitaly. Long before he decided to don a pair of open fingered gloves, Vitaly Karelin had made a name for himself as a world class Olympic level collegiate and Greco Roman wrestler. He was such a dominant force that pundits referred to him as the Russian Wrecking Ball, a nickname that would later be replaced by a much more interesting moniker with a much more interesting backstory. Vitaly Karelin decided to make the transition into mixed martial arts due to the success of other Russians to join the sport, including Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov. His stated goal was to bring honor and recognition to his beloved country, and win a world championship for all Russians. Vitaliy Karelin made his MMA debut by signing up for the Highland Games Heavyweight Tournament, a sixteen man show which would pay the winner $1,000,000 with added bonuses. Karelin defeated Sikes Robinson in a dull but effective affair, and followed it up by knocking out Rowan Albers in the opening round of their fight. Karelin would continue to dominate the tournament, knocking out Darren Brooks and submitting Chrollo Lucilfer with strikes. His victory over Lucilfer won him the tournament and cemented him as an elite caliber of fighter. In his fifth professional fight, Karelin faced the first defeat of his career, one that would become an old and unfortunate trend for him; the very many scars on his face tend to break open when he is punched and elbowed, causing him to bleed quite profusely. This led the doctors to intervene in his match against Barol Kedorf. After six consecutive (T)KO victories, including four in the opening round, Karelin would once again be defeated by the modern medical standards when his scar tissue made him look like he tried to tongue kiss a weed whacker. Vitaly rebounded by taking fellow wrestler Dick Wad the distance, and defeating The Island Season 4 heavyweight winner Doyle Brunson in a very shocking fashion. Next, Karelin faced one of the only two men to bleed him dry: Barol Kedorf. This time, the fates were reversed: Karelin defeated Kedorf due to doctor stoppage. With everything seemingly back in order for the Russian heavyweight, Vitaly Karelin was offered the next shot at the heavyweight champion of the world, Alexy Juravlev. This match was considered, at the time, to be the pinnacle of heavyweight combat in the Highland Games promotion. In the one corner, you had Vitaly Karelin, the Russian Bull, the unstoppable wrecking machine. In the other corner, you had Alexey Juravlev, the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world who was working on his third consecutive title defense. For his part, Juravlev had only seen the third round once in his career, and had never gone past the third round. Although he would once again be defeated due to the extensive scar tissue on his face, Karelin would find a semblance of solace in the fact that he lasted several minutes longer against Juravlev than any man has in nearly thirty professional fights. In his most recent fight, Vitaly Karelin defeated Shane Carmen via, you guessed it: TKO due to doctor stoppage. [A Closer Look] (Doyle Brunson) Nickname: “Texas Dolly” Age: 29 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 20-3 Knockouts: 19 Submissions: 0 Highland Record: 8-2 Rank (Division): 3 Rank (Organization): 7 Style: Muay Thai Height: 6'2 Weight: 260 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Kingsford Heavyweight Championship (x2), Knockout of the Night (Vitaly Karelin) Nickname: “The Russian Bear” Age: 30 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 14-3 Knockouts: 12 Submissions: 0 Highland Record: 14-3 Rank (Division): 6 Rank (Organization): 22 Style: Wrestling, Boxing Height: 6'0 Weight: 289 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Highland Games 16-Man Tournament Winner [Co-Main Event] http://i.imgur.com/8uqAGIs.jpg (Middleweight bout) Arthur Schopenhauer (18-4) versus Ricardo Gerson (16-6) (Preview) Arthur Schopenhauer was born to a small port city in Poland, where there was very little to do for a young man except for get into trouble or find an athletic program. While most of his friends occupied themselves by walking the streets at night, Arthur was busy contemplating higher morality and philosophical possibilities. Arthur did, however, have one true passion, outside of contemplating his own will: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In this one sport, Arthur felt as though he had a true sense of purpose. In fact, Arthur demonstrated and incredible knack for thinking multiple steps ahead of his opponents, allowing him to set them up for submission well before they can even prepare for such a thing. Arthur Schopenhauer credits BJ Penn as his first MMA hero; it was Penn's early career submission of rival Jens Pulver that brought Schopenhauer into his first MMA gym to seek training. After only two months of training, Schopenhauer signed up to compete on The Island for their third season. Schopenhauer made his mixed martial arts debut on the first Solitude fight card on The Island; he made his first impressions quickly by submitting eventual Highland Challenge champion Richard Winters in just eighteen seconds. Following this up with two consecutive armbar finishes, Schopenhauer choked out Erik Thorvaldson to earn himself the Solitude middleweight championship. Arthur Schopenhauer quickly dispersed five consecutive challengers, defeating the majority via different armlock submissions, earning himself the moniker of Arthur “The Armbreaker”. In his sixth title defense, Schopenhauer would face off against fellow Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and David Hernandez. The bout would be Athur's sixth attempt at defending his title, and reigning Kingsford MMA middleweight champion. The fight was expected to be evenly contested on the ground, with fans and pundits alike debating the merits of both fighters on the ground. Hernandez had recently signed an exclusive figt contract with Solitude MMA, and was planning to vacate his title should he win this new belt, having effectively cleaned out his division. Schopenhauer would dominate the opening round, scoring two quick takedowns and dominating the ground work. The second round would be much more even, with both fighters stuffing each other's takedown attempts while trading fruitless double legs; Hernandez would land the first successful takedown and control from half guard until the referee stood the fighters up. Hernandez's gameplan was obviously to nullify and frustrate his fellow champion; a strategy that would lead to Schopenhauer landing a last minute takedown of his own, as he struggled for a submission that wouldn't come. In the third round, Schopenhauer shot for an immediate double, only to get stuffed by Hernandez. Hernandez would feint a takedown of his own and Schopenhauer would shoot on him as well, landing himself into the high guard of Hernandez. David Hernandez threw his legs up, snatched the arm, and choked out the reigning Solitude Middleweight Champion just thirty-four seconds into the third round. An immediate rematch was booked between Schopenhauer and Hernandez; the event was billed as the rematch of the century, at least as far as championship fights on The Island are concerned. Arthur Schopenhauer would once again completely dominate the opening round with impressive top control, and was well on his way towards finishing the fight in the second round. Schopenhauer took Hernandez down early in the second round and took the man's back, working tirelessly for a choke until, with twenty seconds left on the clock, he began to relax. Hernandez rolled to his back, with Schopenhauer beneath him. Hernandez turned into the guard of Schopenhauer; Schopenhauer reversed to the top position, still in guard, and fell into a flawless armbar from David Hernandez. Arthur Schopenhauer would fight just once more for Solitude MMA before The Island would host the final tournament at the end of the season; Schopenhauer would dominated his way through the opening four rounds of the tourney. In the tournament finals, Schopenhauer would face off against Olympic Wrestler Mehmet Muhammed, who would keep the fight either standing or against the fence to win a clean three round decision. Schopenhauer was immediately signed to fight for Highland Games, following his stint on The Island, where he would go 4-1, with a single loss to Pyotr Korobeikin. Ricardo Gerson is an old school style of mixed martial artist, having initially cut his chops in the old dirt parking lot Vale Tudo shows in Brazil. For Gerson, fighting is more than a career or a sport: it's a way of life. He would tell you that it isn't about violence or glory; it's about knowing who you are without any doubts. Ricardo Gerson made his MMA debut on the same season of The Island as Schopenhauer, first appearing three times at the QFC level before getting signed by MMA upstart promotion The Leftovers (who had a semi-hilarious event naming scheme). After winning his Leftovers debut at “Bored”, Gerson would next face Leftovers Middleweight Champion Hammer Radovan in his third title defense attempt. Gerson would score a takedown straight out of the gate, subitting Radovan with a kneebar in only thirty-eight seconds to become the new champion. History has a funny way of repeating itself: Ricardo Gerson would drop his championship belt in his third defense attempt. In a hotly contested bout with eventual rival Bobby Bones, Gerson would dive into an early guillotine choke and be forced to submit just twenty-one seconds in. An immediate rematch would be booked and Gerson would return the favor by submitting Bones in the third round... only to get knocked out by Troy Kirkland in his very next fight, once again losing his title. Ricardo Gerson would go 1-3 in the time remaining for The Island before the final tournament started. After submitting Guy Brush and Johnny Sitko, Gerson would meet Bobby Bones in the third round of the tournament, once again falling victim to a submission from the man. This defeat brought his record against Bones to 1-3. Since leaving The Island, Ricardo Gerson has gone 4-1, with his sole defeat coming via unanimous decision against Grant Morrison. He has fought exclusively for Highland Games since his loss to Bones some time ago. [A Closer Look] (Arthur Schopenhauer) Nickname: “” Age: 29 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 18-4 Knockouts: 0 Submissions: 17 Highland Record: 4-1 Rank (Division): 1 Rank (Organization): 32 Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Brown Belt) Height: 5'9 Weight: 194 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Solitude Middleweight Champion (5 Defenses), (Ricardo Gerson) Nickname: “” Age: 28 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 16-6 Knockouts: 0 Submissions: 16 Highland Record: 4-1 Rank (Division): 5 Rank (Organization): 37 Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Brown Belt) Height: 6'0 Weight: 188 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Leftovers Middleweight Champion (x2, 3 Defenses), Submission of the Night (x6) (Bantamweight bout) Neil Drake (28-8) versus Jandre Vorster (19-4) (Preview) Neil Drake was another contestant on The Island, taking part in the third season, and amassing a record of 13-5. He held the AFL bantamweight title, albeit very briefly, when he choked out Darth Vader in the fourth round of their fight. He dropped his newfound title to Serge Ibaka in his very first title defense and went on an impressive winning streak to rebound. In the final tournament, he made it to the third round before being defeated by Darth Vader via unanimous decision. Upon release from The Island, Drake signed with Highland Games, and was offered the chance to avenge his prior loss by challenging Serge Ibaka for the bantamweight championship. Ibaka hadn't taken part in the finale tournament; he had defended the AFL belt twice and then signed promptly with Highland Games. By the time that Drake and Ibaka finally met once again, Ibaka had defended the Highland Games title four times. This time, Drake would survive the opening round only to fall late in the third round. Neil would rebound in his next fight, with a TKO over Jomlong Kiapoity, only to lose in his next outing. After changing management teams a couple of times, Drake would go on to win five bouts, losing only once when he challenged new bantamweight champion BJ Arnold for the title. Jandre Vorster, unlike most of his Highland Games peers, started his career with a local QFC tournament, besting four opponents via submission, never leaving the opening round in those fights. Despite his wild success in the tournament, Vorster would fight twice in local QFC shows before being signed to fight by Tradition Fight Club. After submitting two consecutive foes, Vorster would snap the arm of Jim Murphy to claim the bantamweight title. Jandre Vorster would defend his belt four times before losing it in a unanumous decision against Sven Tveskabb. Vorster would also lose his next match against Fred Simmons, but would rebound with back to back submissions. The revenge train would pull into the station, with Vorster avenging losses to both Fred Simmons, and reclaiming his long lost title in a rematch with Sven Tveskabb. Unfortunately, Vorster would lose the belt once more in the rubbermatch against Tveskabb, and would lose once more after that. He is currently on a two fight winning streak and is ready to reclaim his lost glory. (Welterweight bout) Paul Maul (12-6) versus Keto Belle (20-4) (Preview) Paul Maul is another contestant from season 3 of The Island tourney; he fought the bulk of his fights there under the Kingsford banners, amassing a 4-2 record in that time, before signing with Solitude MMA. After going 3-1 in Solitude, Maul was invited to take part in the end-of-season tournament, where he was defeated in the second round. Since leaving the island, Paul Maul has signed to fight for Highland Games, where he is currently 5-2, with his lone defeat coming against 4-1 Highland Games standout Zadimus Delacroix. Keto Belle is a standout wrestler and Jiu-Jitsu practitioner from Season 3 of The Island, where he was a multiple-time welterweight champion under the Solitude MMA banners. After fighting four times in the QFC arena, Belle signed with Island MMA Promotion Solitude, where he immediately fought for, and claimed, the welterweight championship. Belle quickly earned a name for himself due to his aggressive top game, his submissions, and his brutal ground and pound. Very few opponents could deal with his level of wrestling, but couple that with his Jiu-Jitsu and you have a very dangerous champion. Belle temporarily lost his championship in his first title defense, when he was stopped by fellow collegiate wrestler Razval Saraev, who would then lose the title in his very first defense as well. After defeating another top contender, Belle would them submit Zadimus Delacrix to reclaim his lost title. This time, Belle would defend his crown two times before losing it to Razval Saraev in a rematch. Ironically, Keto Belle lost his belt to Saraev after defeating Chevie Case in a title defense. Belle would face Case in a top contender match before going on to face Saraev for the third time. This fight was to be the last welterweight title fight for Solitude MMA, and expectations were high for the conclusion of the trilogy between these two man. In past fights, the wrestling game had been very evenly matched, with both men scoring time on top. Both men would get badly hurt by ground and pound from the other, but it was ultimately Saraev that had reigned supreme in both fights. This time, Belle left nothing to chance; he stayed on the outside against his fellow wrestler and pawed out with jabs to keep his distance. After cracking Saraev with a crisp right hand, Belle pushed forward with a series of strikes, landing a monster uppercut that knocked Saraev out cold! With this victory, Keto Belle was offered the opportunity to fight in The Island's finale tournament. He easily smashed his way through four consecutive opponents to get to the finals, where he once again faced Razval Saraev for the last laugh. The two men made a solemn pledge to put their differences aside and settle their rivalry with one final match. The match would showcase the elite level of wrestling that both men possessed, as both would land multiple reversals and advance position throughout the match. Saraev seemed to have the upper hand, as he scored both of the takedowns that were landed, as well as a ton of ground and pound, but ultimately it would be Belle that ended the fight with a submission. (Light-heavyweight bout) Roberto Boucher (12-7) versus Gerrald James (9-3) (Preview) Roberto Boucher started his career in the third season of The Island, making his debut in the QFC arena. After two QFC victories, Roberto was signed to fight for Highland Challenge, where he defeated Geen Golo in the opening round. After four consecutive victories to his credit, Boucher suffered back-to-back defeats due to doctor stoppages. Thanks to the large amount of scar tissue around Boucher's eyes, this is a reoccurring problem that he has faced throughout his career. After losing his first fight in Highland Challenge, he opted not to renew his contract with the organization, choosing to sign with Solitude MMA instead. He suffered a second consecutive defeat there, but rebounded with three straight victories. With a professional record of 7-2, having never gone past the opening round, Boucher challenged Emil Cioran for the Solitude MMA light-heavyweight title. The entire fight consisted of an aggressive clinch war, with both men landing over a dozen strikes in a short period of time. This style of fighting played right into the hands of Cioran, who scored the stoppage late into the opening round. Boucher would go on to fight in the finale tournament, making it until the fourth round before he was stopped. Roberto Boucher is a bit of a glass cannon; he has never gone past the second round. In all of his fights, someone is getting stopped by strikes, one way or another. Gerrald James is an extremely talented former amateur boxer that has made the switch to professional MMA due to the possibility to make a name for himself quickly in this sport. After scoring three victories in the QFC arena, James signed to fight with Highland Games. Gerrald James made his HG debut at Highland Games 96, where he was knocked out by world class Muay Thai stylist Karl Henz Bauser. James rebounded with three early stoppage victories before getting stopped himself by Jan Roca. James bounced back with three more stoppage victories before losing a judge's decision to Aku Saari. (Featherweight bout) Luiz Diaz (8-3) versus Dang Sai (9-8) (Preview) Luiz Diaz started his career in S3 of The Island, as I have written a dozen times already for this preview, and will write another dozen times before I'm done. After his admirable professional debut in the QFC arena, he fought five times for Highland Challenge, winning three of those bouts. Among his defeats, he challenged Quintonio Vazquez for the lightweight title, losing early into the third round to the undisputed champion. He completed his time on The Island with two fights under the Solitude MMA banner, winning one of those fights. Diaz is currently on a four fight winning streak, with three of those victories coming under the Highland Games banner, bringing his overall Highland record to 6-2 with one failed bid for the title. Dang Sai is a Greco Roman wrestler that has recently adopted a very technical boxing game as well. He is a former Highland Challenge featherweight champion, having made three overall attempts to get the title, succeeding once, and losing it on his very first title defense. He is known primarily for the excitement that accompanies one of his fights; he very rarely goes the distance, for better or for worse, and tends to go for broke rather than let the judges earn their salaries. (Featherweight bout) BJ Arnold (23-5) versus Dan Small (15-9) (Preview) BJ Arnold is a world class Greco Roman wrestler that primarily uses his renown skill set to keep the fight standing. In addition to an incredible wrestling ability, Arnold has a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu and a very high level Muay Thai game. During Season 3 of The Island, BJ Arnold made a name for himself as a nearly unstoppable fighting machine. He fought for a variety of promotions, including Ultimate XC, Executioner FC, and finally Attack Fight League. He claimed championship belts in Executioner FC twice, with an unsuccessful bid for the AFL belt in between. Arnold won the final tournament, making him the S3 Island Bantamweight Champion, a title that he won by defeating Serge Ibaka. Following his victorious reign on The Island, Arnold made his mainland debut in Highland Games, claiming the Bantamweight world title in his debut showing against Ibaka. BJ Arnold would immediately be tasked with defending his belt against the only man to defeat him, Darth Vader (whom he had challenged for HIS belt some time before). Vader would take him the distance this time, narrowly defeating him in a hotly contested match. Arnold would lose two consecutive fights in a row after the loss of his belt, and for the first time in his career would entertain the possibility of retirement. He opted to stick with this beloved sport and make one more run for the title, accumulating four consecutive victories before challenging Darth Vader for the third time in a bid to reclaim his lost title. This time, Arnold would come out on top on the judges' scorecards. BJ Arnold would defend his world title two times before once again giving the belt back to Darth Vader. Arnold rebounded with a victory over Bobby Bob Bob and will be looking to make it two in a row with the hopes of fighting his way back to his championship belt. Dan Small is a veteran of the Highland promotion, having competed for the show back in Season 3 of The Island before joining them on the mainland as well. In Highland Games, he challenged Serge Ibaka for the bantamweight title, coming off of a five fight winning streak. Small was defeated in the second round of The Island finale tournament before making an obscure career move... He signed to fight for Gamma Contenders, where he fought Zoran Milosvevich four consecutive times, and only Zoran, winning once before losing three times. I don't understand why and at this point, I'm too afraid to ask. However, after this dance with career suicide, Small changed management and signed to fight for Highland Games once again. This time, he scored big victories over BJ Arnold and Renato Laranja before being defeated by Darth Vader in a failed bid for the title. Most recently, Small holds a big wins over Bobby Bob Bob and Jackson Ramos. [undercard] (Bantamweight bout) James Krause (11-5) versus Isaac Bennett (7-4) (Preview) James Krause made his MMA debut in the QFC arena, where he submitted Franco Murphy Johnson with a first round armbar. He was picked up by Choke MMA, signing a two fight deal with the small show, and winning both fights. Krause then signed a seven fight deal with SPI: Helsinki. Krause had a very successful SPI debut, submitting Jamari Caram to bring his record to an impressive 5-0 with five first round submissions. He challenged Nebojsa Brynjar for the SPI lightweight championship, and was stopped due to strikes in the second round. After winning a couple of top contender fights, Krause as once again finding himself in title contention. He challenged Mister Love, the new champion, for his coveted belt, and submitted him on pay-per-view in the opening round. Unfortunately for Krause, this would be his last showing with SPI: Helsinki, as they were closing up shop. Krause left the organization with his now defunct belt in hand, and was signed to fight exclusively for Highland Games. In his HG debut, Krause attempted to unify the championships when he challenged multiple time world champion Ferris Bueller, who would be making his HG debut here as well. The title was vacant and we had two world champions looking to unify the MFL, SPI, and Highland Games featherweight world championship. Bueller would win the fight, with an impressive first round TKO, and Krause would win three of his next five fights. Issac Bennett made his MMA debut in the QFC arena and never really had any intentions of making a lengthy career out of this sport. However, due to his incredible Jiu-Jitsu background, he won his initial fight with ease, and signed an exclusive contract to fight for Tradition Fight Club. He intended to fight one or two times for the promotion, but that quickly turned into four times. After failing to make weight two times in a row, Bennett was cut from Tradition Fight Club before fighting a single fight for Highland Games, and then once in the QFC arena as well. He then made amends with Tradition FC, signing a four fight contract to fight at lightweight instead. Bennett would ultimately win three of his four Tradition FC fights before the company closed up shop. Bennett was invited back to Highland Games, where he lost his first two fights under his new contract. His HG record is 0-3, as of this preview. (To Be Announced) TBA () versus TBA () (Preview) (Super-heavyweight bout) Houston Nutt (0-3) versus Brian Jones (8-3) (Preview) Houston Nutt is, perhaps, the most talented MMA fighter to ever go 0-3 across three professional fights. He has been stopped in all three performances that he has had. Nutt has fought for Tradition FC and Highland Games thus far. Houston Nutt has utilized a Muay Thai style in his fights, although he may want to consider putting some plaster in his gloves before this fight. Brian Jones, affectionately known as BJ, is a veteran of the QFC arena, the TWGC submission grappling tournament, the Hustle MMA promotion, Tradition FC, and finally Highland Games. He is the former Hustle MMA bantamweight champion, having never attempted to defend his title before leaving the company. He made his MMA debut in the QFC Tournament #472, making it into the third round before being defeated. He fought three times in the QFC arena following his tournament defeat, and then he competed in the TWGC 7 submission tournament, losing a decision in the second round of the qualifiers. Following this, he fought twice for Hustle MMA, claiming the championship, only to leave the company. He fought once for Tradition MMA, submitting Nikki Dub. He has been defeated twice thus far in Highland Games. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 A decent rendition of me, having completed this preview: http://wundergroundmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/1280-asleep-at-desk.jpg Except I don't drink Cokes. And my mouth would be hanging open. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcalimon Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Holy shit, outstanding job mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Holy shit, outstanding job mate! Thanks man. I didn't realize how much I had written because only so much can fit on my screen at once... I scrolled up like "holy hell! what's wrong with me?" 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 One hell of a preview! Nice work dude. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleMan Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 you forgot to mention Doyle was Island tournament winner which is serious feat 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorseForce Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Truly impressive! Hats off to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorseForce Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Quite possibly the greatest review I've ever read! Not to mention, I had no fighters on the card! Rarely do I read write ups w/o my own guys being featured! Touche =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clydebankblitz Posted May 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 When scrolling down the page, I can't even tell where Nelson Frazier Jr's showdown ends and the preview begins lmao. Yeah cracking work mate. Would swear you started writing this shit 6 months ago haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingEpicity Posted May 13, 2016 Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 Another awesome preview Hoarse. You da man bro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clydebankblitz Posted May 13, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2016 The thing I always don't like in getting previews done is I always feel like the lad doesn't 100% get the history of some fighters, and since basically the whole idea of HG is about the history it can be annoying sometimes. But Hoarse completely went into the background fights of guys, got who might have a rivalry with the other guy (at least from the records which is typically what I go by) and understood who stands where within the org. I'm sure someone can look at someone with loads of hype but not get that they haven't moved to the next level in the org yet (for example, a season 4 guy fighting a season 3 guy) but HW definitely got the whole idea of that stuff. Great attention to detail. Alright, enough sucking Hoarse off from me . Now it's time to suck off Phil Hellmuth Jr. How the FUCK did this guy just dominate Alexey Juralev? If this guy can have that much domination of an Island Season 4 fighter, I reckon we might have the next Barney Gumble on our hands at Heavyweight (side note, Gumble is on a 2 fight streak, what a fight that'd be). Off the top, I think Mitchel Thompson is right for the next fight off a 3 fight win streak and back to back wins over Edward Bravie and Gumble. What a story that'd be if Thompson took the belt after all this time. With Mase Force back in the division, things just got deeper even more. I'm gonna try and get in the ear of Clinton Offley's manager too. Jake Theodorou's manager is willing to accept a chunk of money to get him fighting in HG after he has a title fight in another org (it's that manager's org so nothing dickish from me). Could we see Jake Vs LHW after all this time once again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 you forgot to mention Doyle was Island tournament winner which is serious feat I'll see what I can do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 When scrolling down the page, I can't even tell where Nelson Frazier Jr's showdown ends and the preview begins lmao. Yeah cracking work mate. Would swear you started writing this shit 6 months ago haha. LMAO It felt like I've been working on it all my life. I chip away at it a little at a time... and then go back to it, realize I wrote garbage, and rewrite the entire thing with a different tone. I'm already writing next Sunday's and I'm trying to restrain myself on the main event... but the Korobeikin/Benvenuti trilogy match is too good not to write about. God help me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 The thing I always don't like in getting previews done is I always feel like the lad doesn't 100% get the history of some fighters, and since basically the whole idea of HG is about the history it can be annoying sometimes. But Hoarse completely went into the background fights of guys, got who might have a rivalry with the other guy (at least from the records which is typically what I go by) and understood who stands where within the org. I'm sure someone can look at someone with loads of hype but not get that they haven't moved to the next level in the org yet (for example, a season 4 guy fighting a season 3 guy) but HW definitely got the whole idea of that stuff. Great attention to detail. Alright, enough sucking Hoarse off from me . Now it's time to suck off Phil Hellmuth Jr. How the FUCK did this guy just dominate Alexey Juralev? If this guy can have that much domination of an Island Season 4 fighter, I reckon we might have the next Barney Gumble on our hands at Heavyweight (side note, Gumble is on a 2 fight streak, what a fight that'd be). Off the top, I think Mitchel Thompson is right for the next fight off a 3 fight win streak and back to back wins over Edward Bravie and Gumble. What a story that'd be if Thompson took the belt after all this time. With Mase Force back in the division, things just got deeper even more. I'm gonna try and get in the ear of Clinton Offley's manager too. Jake Theodorou's manager is willing to accept a chunk of money to get him fighting in HG after he has a title fight in another org (it's that manager's org so nothing dickish from me). Could we see Jake Vs LHW after all this time once again? I appreciate the praise, man, I really do try to write a story around the fight record of the guy. I try to write it as close to being realistic as possible, so there's a reason WHY the fighter made what move at what time. I also try to highlight the key moments of the fighter's career that brought them to where they are today and why their current fight is relevant to their career... that's a huge part of the next preview I'm working on (Korobeikin vs Benvenuti). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 14, 2016 Report Share Posted May 14, 2016 Quite possibly the greatest review I've ever read! Not to mention, I had no fighters on the card! Rarely do I read write ups w/o my own guys being featured! Touche =) Okay last response I'm going to spam the page with lol I consider that high praise because I'm the same way: I don't really read previews, except for the part about my own fighter. My response to this as the writer is two part: 1) Give every fighter SOMEthing to read, and I'm going to try not to repeat myself too much for future events involving the same fighters, and 2) Try to write a story around the preview to make it less stiff and formal. I hate reading "Your fighter is a muay thai stylist with a record of 14-29 that has decent clinchwork." Anyone can determine all of that by checking out the fighter's stats, right? Ironically, if you go way back to the very first org that I wrote for before I deleted my account, that is EXACTLY how I wrote my previews. Garbage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Highland Games http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/14407183641428187949Logonew2.png Highland Games 176 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by Highland Games, in conjunction with Highland Clothing and Hoarseplay Writing Productions, on May 22, 2016. This showcase attraction will take place at the Wombley Arena in London, England. Middleweight Pyotr Korobeikin© versus Massimo Benvenuti Featherweight Darth Mauler versus Patrick Seery Light-heavyweight Shoei Braz versus Mel Gordon Light-heavyweight Mighty Quinn versus Black Coleman Light-heavyweight Angel Face versus Rodrigo Rojas Heavyweight Barney Gumble versus Davy Nube Heavyweight Barol Kedorf versus Dick Schneeger Welterweight Bill Bremner versus Chris White Bantamweight Serge Ibaka versus Vinnie Longworth Bantamweight Markus Smallwood versus Vice Versa [Main Event] (Middleweight Championship bout) Pyotr Korobeikin© (16-8-1) versus Massimo Benvenuti (27-5) (Preview) http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/16/16w9.jpgversushttp://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/14421595858363.jpg http://mmatycoon.com/images/belt/20140926172750titlebelt.pngPyotr Korobeikin made his MMA debut in the QFC arena, where he won three consecutive fights via first round armbar; his first three bouts took less than four minutes combined. The European Fighting Championship was eager to sign such a promising young prospect to fight in their middleweight division. However, in the weeks leading up to his EFC middleweight debut, Korobeikin suffered from a terrible weight cut, only narrowly coming in at the contracted weight, and looking like a shell of his former self in the cage. For his first opponent, Korobeikin was paired up with a very explosive young wrestler named Mark Kerr, who would prove to be a tad too much for the depleted Russian. Following this fight, Pyotr Korobeikin moved up in weight to the light-heavyweight division, where he would remain for quite some time. He next fought Quincy Reeder, who expected that he would be having his way with the young grappler from a lower weight class; he couldn't be more mistaken. Korobeikin fought as though he had something to prove, submitting Reeder early in the opening round. For his next fight, Korobeikin faced off against Nikola Veljanovski. After an uninspired opening round, Korobeikin would rally in the second round to win via armbar. Pundits weren't sure what to make of EFC's decision to pair Korobeikin up with reigning champino Alexey Turshatov; they suspected that he was being fast tracked to give Turshatov another quick victory. Indeed, Pyotr would prove to not be in the league of a championship level fighter at this time, falling victim to a first round triangle choke from the champion. Korobeikin would fight once more for EFC, submitting Eric Victors, before signing with the CBK Immortals: New York promotion. Pyotr would go 2-3 in INY, leading most established members of the media to write him off as a failed prospect; he had had the promise, but hadn't lived up to the expectations. That is, of course, until Pyotr took a few months off from active competition to get his mind right and refocus himself in a new training camp. He moved from the United States to Amsterdam, where he sought out world class training at the Berlin Giants private training facility. This move would give Pyotr a bit of a career resurgence, and he soon signed to fight for Highland Games. Pyotr Korobeikin “2.0”, as pundits soon called him, started his Highland career with a bang: he defeated Clark Kent, a very dangerous Ty Semerad, and a surging Marcus Warring in rapid succession, leading some to wonder if they had underestimated the quiet submission fighter from Russia. For his next bout, Pyotr Korobeikin was matched up with reigning middleweight champion Massimo Benvenuti, who was attempting his second title defense. The buildup to this fight was some of the most entertaining television to date; both men were uncharacteristically vocal about the other's skill set and perceived weaknesses. The actual fight would surprise pundits by being exceptionally competitive, with Korobeikin actually landing some punches on the feet. The fight was also marked by the back-and-forth ground war, in which the young champion held his own against the brown belt clad challenger. Korobeikin would fall in the fourth round, but proved to himself in the process that, maybe, he actually does belong barking with the big dogs. The MMA world may have moved on from Korobeikin's championship dreams, but he and his coaches spent every waking moment emulating and preparing for the champion, believing that they would earn their way back into contention very soon. For the next few fights, Korobeikin would hit a rough patch, in which he would win only twice, including a very narrow split decision lost against the man that had gone the distance with the champion, Arnavut Sevket. Once again, Korobeikin took this as proof positive that he could hang with the champion whenever that time should come again. At Highland Games 138, Korobeikin would win a very narrow unanimous decision in a rematch with Sevket; the winner was expected to get the next title shot, but Korobekin instead facedo ff against former Solitude MMA champion Arthur Schopenhauer. The fight was less than stellar, with neither man really impressing the fans or the pundits. Despite the quality of the performance, the stars had aligned for Korobeikin, who received the opportunity to rematch the undisputed middleweight champion of the world. Pyotr Korobeikin challenged Massimo Benvenuti for his world championship title for the second time at Highland Games 168. The early goings would once again see both men landing straight punches from a distance, with Korobeikin once again scoring an early takedown against the champion. Benvenuti rolled to the top position but quickly found himself reversed to the bottom, where he remained for the rest of the fight. Korobeikin postured up with ground and pound, only to snatch up the left arm of Benvenuti for a far side kimura, cranking on it with all his might! The fans roared with a mixture of delight and shock as Benvenuti furiously tapped the mat with his free hand, screaming in submission, giving up his championship belt for the first time in ten fights. With the eleven fight winning streak of Benvenuti snapped, Korobeikin celebrated with the only men in the world that had never once stopped believing in him. Meanwhile, Benvenuti swore to the audience in attendance that he would return; he would be back stronger, meaner, and hungrier. The success story of Massimo Benvenuti is one that has been characterized by a continuous theme of coming back from defeat to find redemption. Long before he set foot in the fighting ring, he was a promising high school wrestler that had arranged for a scholarship to attend a very prestigious university due to his athletic abilities. In 2006, he was written about as being the top prospect in both Folkstyle and Greco Roman wrestling. There was whispers of “what will this kid be able to do in his mid-20s if he is this incredible now?” For Massimo Benvenuti, destiny was already written in the stars. Fate, however, was not willing to bring Massimo down the path that he was currently traveling. Following a school dance, Massimo Benvenuti made the ill fated decision to take a ride with his best friend, who had recently obtained his driver's license and felt like the king of the world. Benvenuti thought nothing of the excessive speeds that his friend was pushing them towards, just as he didn't recognize the freight truck barreling towards them as they shot through a red lit intersection. Benvenuti awoke in the hospital some days later and was informed of two of the greatest losses of his entire life: his best friend and his athletic dreams. He was told that he would never compete again, and that he was simply lucky to be alive. Benvenuti did not feel lucky, nor did he feel like taking this news laying on his back. Over time, he worked himself into a functional shape; he graduated from high school and got a job selling car tires in town. He may have given up on his fate, but a piece of him yearned for the glory that he knew in his bones he was destined for. Benvenuti wanted to get back on the wrestling mat once again to, at the very least, prove to himself that he still had something left in the gas tank. He wanted to prove to himself that he could still be a dominant force on the mat. However, with a lack of adequate training centers in his area, he instead signed up at a local fight academy that was offering classes in mixed martial arts. The progress was slow initially, as Benvenuti struggled to keep pace with his younger peers, but he quickly proved that his power hadn't faded over the years. For Benvenuti, the only thing that had changed in him was that he now had a steely resolve that made him an unrelenting force on the floor and in the ring. While he proved that he was more than capable of holding his own on the ground, Benvenuti discovered that he had a special talent when it comes to the striking game; his wrestling base translated into him having unfathomable knockout power. He also learned that he loved to get into wild, reckless punching exchanges, which earned him the nickname that would follow him into his later years, “The Italian Brawler”. Massimo Benvenuti made his MMA debut, at the behest of his trainers and friends, in Season 4 of The Island. He decided to test the waters with three early fights in the QFC; his results were shocking. In three fights, only one opponent survived the opening minute, but all three fell within the opening round. Benvenuti fought twice for a smaller show called Ultimate XC before signing to fight for Highland Games. By the time that he was challenging undisputed middleweight champion Grant Morrison for his crown, eight men had fallen before the professional fury of Massimo Benvenuti. While most of his fellow contenders were seemingly afraid to go toe-to-toe with the Brawler, Grant Morrison trade heavy leather with him both on the feet and in the clinch, going for broke with every blow. Despite his impressive abilities in other fights, Morrison would fall before Benvenuti; nine fights into his professional career, Massimo Benvenuti was wearing a champion's belt. While there was talk that Benvenuti could retire with his belt, having come back from the jaws of death to reach this point, he instead decided to defend his new title and see just how far he could take this career. He would successfully defend his belt in a wild slugfest against Massimo Paterno, but would ultimately get taken down and pounded out by Jiu-Jitsu ace Massa Hurmaaja. Benvenuti was somewhat like a wood burning stove, with his tribulations acting as fuel to his burning desire to redeem himself. He was defeated in the cage but he was far from finished; he would rebound with three consecutive victories over former or future world champions: Rodrigo Rojas, Arnavut Sevket, and Big Tree, en route to his next attempt at claiming a champion's gold. Benvenuti wanted to rematch Hurmaaja for the title, but the new middleweight champion was Razor MuayThai, who had claimed the belt in Hurmaaja's first defense. Pundits believed that since Razor had defeated the man to stop Massimo, then Razor would also stop Massimo. Benvenuti told them to stop counting MMA Math on their fingers, insisting that he would show the world who the real champion truly was. While the two champions were evenly matched on the feet, the punching power had MuayThai against the cage for the entire fight. Benvenuti would clinch with the young champion and the big difference in their overall skill set would immediately become apparent, as Benvenuti battered the champion with short strikes. The fight would go the distance, but the scoring was academic; it was a landslide victory for the new champion, once again. In a touch of ironic fate, Benvenuti would attempt to defend his belt in a rematch with Grant Morrison, and would lose the coveted strap within the first round. In the second of what would become a series of fights against Arnavut Sevket, Massimo Benvenuti would suffer the third loss of his career, suffering back-to-back TKO stoppages in a row. Massimo Benvenuti entered the finale tournament with all of his accumulated hype diminished, and would lose in the third round of the tournament, where he once again faced Massa Hurmaaja. Upon leaving The Island, Massimo Benvenuti would immediately sign to fight exclusively for Highland Games, where he would immediately rematch Razor MuayThai, who had been telling the media that he has found the blueprint to stopping Benvenuti on the feet, and would exploit the former two time champion's weaknesses. Massimo Benvenuti once again dominated him en route to a unanimous decision. In another rematch, Benvenuti would once again knock out Rodrigo Rojas to earn his way towards the champion's belt. To win Highland Games middleweight championship of the world, Massimo Benvenuti would have to get through Arnavut Sevket, a man that he had previously defeated and been defeated by. Benvenuti would win a narrow unanimous decision in a back-and-forth war in which both men dominated their own areas of the fight. Thus began the era of Massimo Benvenuti; the days of trading the belt among contenders had come to a close, and Benvenuti the champion had finally, truly been born. Benvenuti would see a lot of rematches as the cream of the crop would continue to rise to face him: he would defeat Massa Hurmaaja twice, Rodrigo Rojas, Arnavut Sevket, as well as some fresh faces in Bill The Kid and Angel Face. The most important challenger that Massimo faced in that time, however, was Pyotr Korobeikin. The young wrestler would have his shining moments against the champion, but would ultimately get knocked out early in the fourth round. On April 24, a seemingly dime-a-dozen rematch took place between the Undisputed Middleweight Champion of the World and Pyotr Korobeikin... only, this time Korobeikin didn't hesitate on the feet; he traded punches with the champion, forcing the champion to cover up, only to shoot for a power double leg to take the champion down. Late in the round, the Challenger postured, pushing for a kimura on the arm of the Champion. Despite his intentions to survive the round, Massimo Benvenuti submitted with five seconds on the clock. Just like that, we entered what could be a new era of mixed martial arts in the middleweight division. This rematch will decide who goes on to write their name in the stars, and who goes back to toiling with the other commoners. [A Closer Look] (Pyotr Korobeikin) Nickname: “” Age: 32 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 16-8-1 Knockouts: 11 Submissions: 0 Highland Record: 8-3-1 Rank (Division): 4 Rank (Organization): 5 Style: Boxing, BJJ, Wrestling Height: 5'10 Weight: 203 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Reigning Highland Games Middleweight Champion (x1, No Defenses), EFC Title Challenger, Fight of the Night (x2), Submission of the Night (x3) (Massimo Benvenuti) Nickname: “The Italian Brawler” Age: 32 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 27-5 Knockouts: 20 Submissions: 0 Highland Record: 19-4 Rank (Division): 2 Rank (Organization): 10 Style: Muay Thai, Wrestling Height: 5'10 Weight: 187 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Former Highland Games Middleweight Champion (x3, 9 Defenses), Highland Games Hall of Fame Inductee, Highland Games Fighter of the Year (Bronze), Knockout of the Night (x5), Fight of the Night (x1), Island S4 Tournament (Rd 3) [Co-Main Event] http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/14333592731738.jpgversushttp://mmatycoon.com/gallery/25/25w9.jpg (Featherweight bout) Darth Mauler (16-4) versus Patrick Seery (16-2) Darth Mauler began his mixed martial arts career on Season 4 of The Island, bursting onto the scene with three first round stoppages to his credit. He signed to fight for Solitude MMA, challenging Tom King for the world title in his fifth professional match. Mauler is a bit small for the division, regularly coming in just one pound below the weight limit. While this gives him a speed advantage in striking exchanges, it also makes him work harder than his opposition so far as wrestling is concerned. This played a huge role in his title challenge against King, where the majority of the match was a grueling grappling match against the cage. Both men would land a plethora of strikes in the pocket and at a range, but Tom King would retain his championship in the eyes of the judges. Darth Mauler would rebound with three first round stoppage victories in a row, and would once again knock on the champion's door in search of glory. In the opening round of their rematch, King would once again dominate the opening round in the clinch. In the second round, King would rock Mauler with a hail mary of a right hand and would rush in, looking to finish his injured foe... Darth Mauler responded with a head kick to end all head kicks, dropping the undisputed champion for the first time in his professional career. Tom King would get back to his feet, barely, only to be set upon by the hungry Challenger. Mauler rushed King with some short punches, only to catch him with an overhand right! Just like that, Darth Mauler was the undisputed featherweight champion. Darth Mauler would defend his title three times before The Island would come to a close, and would fight his way to the third round of the finale tournament, where he would lose a decision in a rematch against Count Chocula (I don't make these names, sorry). At the closure of The Island, Darth Mauler would sign to fight for Highland Games, defeating Dan Phillips and Jet Hemi in dominant fashion; it was believed that Mauler would go on to claim the featherweight championship of the world. Mauler was given the opportunity to become a world champion (as opposed to an Island champion) when he faced off against former UMA, PFC, MFL, and Highland Games world champion Ferris Bueler, who would be making his second title defense in this match. Mauler would dominate the first and third rounds of the fight, but would be badly hurt by punches in the fourth round, turning the tide steadily in the favor of the Champion. The judges would come to a unanimous decision in favor of Bueler. Mauler would lose his next match and change management teams. In his most recent fight, Darth Mauler knocked out Dang Sai in the third round. Patrick Seery started his career in unarmed combat as a teenager living in Ireland, where he competed as an amateur boxer. Despite having incredible knockout power, he never quite qualified to make the Olympic boxing team, so he became somewhat of a clubber at the amateur level. One of his training partners was helping to promote a local mixed martial arts show (QFC) where a featherweight fighter happened to pull out of the fight at the last minute. Seery was offered the chance to fight in his place on two days notice; he reluctantly accepted the fight, where he faced off against a former toughman tournament winner and Jiu-Jitsu blue belt named Beto Roberts. Seery would knock Roberts out cold in under a minute; it was this fight that got Seery invited to compete in Season 4 of The Island, where he was immediately signed to fight for Highland Challenge. After knocking out his debut opponent within Highland, his lack of a ground game became apparent as he was submitted by brown belt submission ace Hugh Janus (I didn't realize what I was typing until I read the name back to myself... sigh). Despite this flaw, Patrick Seery would quickly grow as a well rounded fighter, becoming a very strong wrestler with a solid Jiu-Jitsu base. Following an impressive three fight winning streak, Seery would knock out Dang Sai to claim the Highland Challenge featherweight championship. Despite only getting the opportunity to defend the belt three times, Seery quickly made a name for himself as a high level brawler. For his final fight in Highland Challenge, Seery would once again brutally KO Sai. Following his impressive run on The Island, Patrick Seery was invited to partake in the season finale tournament. His first opponent, Ziam Quade, was on a three fight winning streak when Seery retired him from combat sports. Next, Seery faced Hit Run, a very high level brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; Run lasted longer than Quade, but suffered the same fate. For his next two fights, Seery knocked out Hans Yamamoto and Moka Moka, two fighters that essentially retired following the beatsing that Seery laid upon them. In order to claim the Season 4 tournament finale and be crowned the winner of the Season 4 featherweight division, Patrick Seery would be tasked with facing Count Chocula, a man that had defeated such names as Darth Mauler, Tom King, and Hannu Haapana. This fight would go the distance, with Seery winning a very clean unanimous decision; Seery would ride his bicycle in this fight, forcing his fellow champion to chase him down to exchange blows. Patrick Seery immediately signed with Highland Challenge; he faced off against Neymar Junior, knocking him out with a knee early into the second round to claim the vacant Highland Challenge featherweight championship. He was immediately invited to compete in Highland Games, where he was offered the opportunity to unify his featherweight championship against legendary three time world champion Ferris Bueller. The fight would take place on March 20th, at Highland Games 160. After out boxing the world featherweight champion for two rounds, Bueller would rally to claim the third round in a dominant fashion. The two champions would fight very evenly for the remaining two rounds, with the judges completely torn as to who won the overall fight. In the end, Patrick Seery shocked the world when the ring announcer read his name, declaring him the featherweight champion of the world. This fight was so very close that a rematch was booked for Highland Games 168. Much like their first meeting, Seery dominated the opening round with his superior boxing. However, this time Bueller rebounded by claiming rounds two and three by forcing the new champion to clinch. The fourth round was a pure striking match; one in which Seery outclassed the former world champion. The fifth round was a repeat of the third round, with Bueller forcing a clinch war that lasted for the majority of the round. This time, there was no controversy; the judges agreed and announced as one that Ferris Bueller had reclaimed his stolen title. [A Closer Look] (Darth Mauler) Nickname: “” Age: 29 Started Fighting At: 25 Record: 16-4 Knockouts: 14 Submissions: 0 Highland Record: 3-2 Rank (Division): 6 Rank (Organization): 60 Style: Kickboxing, Dirty Boxing Height: 5'7 Weight: 144 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Former Solitude FC Featherweight Champion (x1, 3 Defenses, Highland Games Title Challenger x1, Knockout of the Night (x5), Fight of the Night (x5), Island S4 Tournament (Rd 3), Island S4 Top Ranked Featherweight, Solitude FC Hall of Fame Inductee (Patrick Seery) Nickname: “Young Gun” Age: 26 Started Fighting At: 22 Record: 16-2 Knockouts: 14 Submissions: 0 Highland Record: Rank (Division): 4 Rank (Organization): 21 Style: Boxing, Dirty Boxing Height: 5'7 Weight: 150 lbs Accolades or accomplishments: Former Highland Games Featherweight Champion (x1, No Defenses), Former Highland Challenge Featherweight Champion (x1, 4 Defenses), Highland Challenger Hall of Fame Inductee, Island S4 Tournament Winner, Island S4 Second Ranked Featherweight, Fight of the Night (x5), Knockout of the Night (x1) [Main Card] http://i.imgur.com/hgzv4Mh.jpg (Heavyweight bout) Shoei Braz (12-4) versus Mel Gordon (16-5) (Preview) Shoei Braz is a multi-time champion from Season 4 of The Island. Using a combination of collegiate wrestling and world class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Braz has dominated the light-heavyweight division. He made his debut in the QFC arena, winning three fights before getting picked up by Kingsford MMA. While there, he submitted Shaka KaSolomon in his second fight to become the Kingsford MMA light-heavyweight champion. He successfully defended his belt two times, submitting Gabriel Dahl and, once again, Shaka KaSolomon. Following this, he signed to fight for The Leftovers promotion; in his Leftovers debut, he submitted reigning champion Bernard Muriel to claim yet another title. Although he would lose the belt in the immediate rematch, Braz would eventually reclaim the strap when he defeated Cornelis Spilbergen in the opening round of their championship fight. Shoei Braz competed in the season finale tournament, submitting Frank Franklin before losing a split decision to Zsiga Venczel. Following his stint on The Island, Braz signed to fight for Highland games, where he currently holds a record of 1-2. Mel Gordon is a former champion of the Highland Challenge organization from Season 4 of The Island. He made it to the fifth round of the finale tournament before being stopped by Nuke Laloosh. After an impressive debut in the QFC, Gordon signed with Highland Challenge, winning his two opening fights before being offered a title shot. Such things were not yet in the stars for Gordon, who would lose a unanimous decision to Crawley. Mel Gordon would lose his next fight via cut, and then win two consecutive fights by way of doctor stoppages due to cuts... as a matter of fact, in his professional career, he had won five fights by that point... all of them via cut. Gordon “The Mad Doctor” (as some came to know him due to his propensity to cut opponents up in fights) would end his bleeding streak when he TKO'd Antero Teeri in just twenty-four seconds flat. Gordon would then be offered a rematch with Crawley, winning the fight via first round knockout. Mel Gordon dismantled and destroyed the three contenders that he was offered, in the time remaining on The Island, before competing in the season finale tournament. Gordon was considered a heavy favorite to win the entire season, but he struggled against powerhouse wrestler Nuke Laloosh, and ultimately succumbed to a barrage of strikes. This defeat snapped his eleven fight winning streak, and sent him spiraling down an uncertain path. Mel Gordon promptly signed to fight for Highland Games, following his stint on The Island. He has been playing an awkward game of win-one, lose-one, with an overall Highland Games record of 2-2. He is currently coming off the heels of a defeat to Texas Pete. (Light-heavyweight bout) The Mighty Quinn (9-3) versus Black Coleman (14-8) (Preview) The Mighty Quinn is possibly a reference to Bob Dylan, or I'm getting old, but either way Quinn is a rare Highland Games competitor to NOT compete on Season 4 of The Island. He fought his first five fights in local parking lot QFC shows, winning all five fights via first round stoppage. Quinn was considered to be the hottest unsigned prospect, prompting Tradition Fight Club to quickly sign him to fight. After losing three consecutive fights and winning his fourth fight with the promotion, The Mighty Quinn was regarded as the most hilariously overpaid former prospect to ever wash out of a lower level promotion. However, Quinn then signed up to fight for Highland Games, where he has brutally knocked out three consecutive opponents, bringing his active winning streak to four brutal stoppages in a row. So, who knows? The MMA world waits to see if Quinn will live up to his moniker, or if he will be another flash in the pan in the unforgiving MMA world. Black Coleman is either an awkward Mark Coleman reference, or else I'm being led to believe that I'm writing about a black grill competing in mixed martial arts. Either way, Black Coleman is non-ironically a white guy, which leads me to believe that I'm focusing way too much on the name, and need to seek psychiatric evaluation immediately. I digress. Black Coleman is a veteran mixed martial artist that has competed multiple times in the QFC arena, going 4-1 in that time, and for Heavyweight Prizefighting, where he holds a record of 5-2. Most recently, he has fought exclusively for Highland Games. His active Highland record is 6-5; he has been very hit-and-miss with his successes, despite his early record indicating that he could be a very hot prospect. Time will tell for this heavyweight slugger; this fight will determine which man makes one last run for the gold and which will have his name omitted from the history books. (Light-heavyweight bout) Angel Face (16-7) versus Rodrigo Rojas (17-12) (Preview) Angel Face started his career as a Greco Roman wrestler; after being defeated for the second time in his bid for getting into the Olympics, he took a part time job as an assistant wrestling coach for Arizona State University. To make extra cash on the side, he taught wrestling at a local martial arts gym, where they were actively preparing a pair of fighters that planned to compete on Season 4 of The Island. Eventually, the gym was forced to close its doors permanently, and the gym owner announced that he would be reopening in Nevada, offering mixed martial arts training there instead. Angel Face was invited to follow the gym there, and was offered a lucrative coaching job should he oblige. He indeed followed the team to Nevada and began training in mixed martial arts himself as well. At the behest of his peers, Angel Face signed a one fight contract with Tradition Fight Club, based in Las Vegas; Tradition FC was a small company that was just starting off, and they were willing to pay Face decently for his time. Angel Face made his debut with a bang, stopping his opponent in the opening round. Tradition FC offered him a new contract, which would grant him four additional fights. At first, Angel Face laughed it off as too much, stating, “I'm just an old fogey looking to teach some kids how to wrestle, what could I possibly do in the sport?” The promoter for Tradition FC sweetened the pot by telling Angel that he could opt out of the contract at any point, so he should just give it a chance and see what happens. Angel Face decided to see what would happen. In his second MMA bout, he smashed future Tradition FC middleweight champion in just two minutes- a feat that hasn't been reproduced since. Following this impressive showing, Angel Face was offered the opportunity to face off against undefeated contender Michael Gabriel for the vacant middleweight championship title. Angel Face was reluctant, but eventually agreed to the fight. In the buildup to his championship fight, Angel Face was initially polite and courteous; however, the trash talk of Gabriel quickly infuriated the heavy handed wrestler, and a much more lively and aggressive form of Face began to surface. For the first time, Angel Face was training to actively smash his opponent, rather than just training the basics and going through his old routines. The new training paid immediate dividends. With Angel Face being the wrestler and Michael Gabriel being the former amateur boxer, pundits declared this fight to be the classic “style-versus-style” match-up; imagine how shocked they were when Angel Face stood and traded punches with the puncher, rocking him with crisp counter shots. Imagine the surprise of those that purchased tickets when the “old fogey” from Arizona battered the boxer against the cage, sending him tumbling face first to the canvas, forcing the referee to pull Face off of him. Angel Face would defend his Tradition FC title two times before leaving the company in search of deeper waters. Angel Face signed to fight five times for Executioner FC; it was there that he suffered his first professional defeat, dropping a unanimous decision to Axe Jagger, snapping his seven fight winning streak. Despite this, Face earned a shot at the middleweight championship in a clash against Arnavut Sevket. Despite his improved striking, Face would go on to get stopped in the second round, and would opt not to sign with the company again. Just when fans thought him to be finished, Angel Face once again appeared on the scene, signing to fight for Highland Games. After winning three consecutive fights, with wins over former world champions Razor MuayThai and Marcus Warring along the way. Face next challenged Massimo Benvenuti for the world middleweight championship, but was stopped due to strikes for the second time in fourteen fights. Following this defeat, Face would go 1-3 in his next four fights before leaving Highland Games briefly. After leaving Highland Games, Angel Face once again signed an exclusive contract with Tradition FC, returning to his roots for four fights. He would win four consecutive fights in a row, knocking out every opponent that was put in front of him. Angel Face fought once for Gamma Kids: New York, where he was submitted by Sandayu Momochi, before returning to Highland Games. This time, he signed to fight in the light-heavyweight division. In his light-heavyweight debut, he was stopped late in the third round by Louis Gordon. Rodrigo Rojas has been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since he was in high school; he currently holds a brown belt in the art. As a regular in the Season 4 Island QFC Arena, Rodrigo became a fan favorite due to his technical ground skills. With three professional wins under his belt, Rojas signed to fight for Highland Games. Rojas actually signed to fight in the HG light-heavyweight division, submitting Eirikur Adalsteinn to claim the vacant champion's belt. He would lose his title in his very first attempt at defending it, when he was knocked out by Rice Aroni (The Island treat). Despite this loss, Rojas would fight out the rest of his Island career under the Highland banners, facing legendary foes such as Grant Morrison, Massa Hurmaaja, and Massimo Benvenuti. Rojas would lose a unanimous decision in the second round of the finale tournament, and would immediately sign on with Highland Games in Las Vegas. Don't let the less than stellar appearance of Rodrigo Rojas' fight record fool you; this man has fought nothing but high level competition throughout his tenure with Highland Games, and continues to be an active threat due to his high level of ground fighting. [undercard Bouts] (Heavyweight bout) Barney Gumble (27-10) versus Davy Nube (9-3) (Preview) Barney Gumble started his tenure on Season 4 of The Ultimate Islander in incredibly impressive fashion; coming off back-to-back victories in the QFC, Gumble took the Highland Games heavyweight division by storm. Following his second consecutive victory in Highland Games, Barney Gumble was given the opportunity to fight for the vacant heavyweight title. His opponent would be an undefeated kickboxer from the Republic of Mauritius named Christian Long. Gumble would finish this fight in just over two minutes to become the Highland Games heavyweight champion. Gumble's reign as the heavyweight champ was a lengthy one, spanning over ten successful title defenses in which Gumble never went the distance. The toughest fight of the champion's career was against Mase Force, a seemingly unstoppable striker riding a five fight winning streak. The fight would nearly go the distance, with both men having their highlights; ultimately, Gumble would overwhelm the challenger, winning the final Highland Games championship fight on The Island. Gumble would rematch Force in the fourth round of the finale tournament, and the fight would be stopped due to a cut over gumble's eye. Following the tournament, the two would add a third fight to their rivalry, in order to settle the score in regards to the heavyweight crown atop Gumble's head. Force would reopen the same cut and, once again, Gumble would be stopped by the doctors. This victory removed the belt from Gumble for the first time in a year. With his contract completed, Barney Gumble signed a four fight contract with Executioner FC, where he was promised an immediate title shot. Gumble faced off against former Executioner FC heavyweight champion Skunk Asap, and he defeated him early into the second round to claim his second world title. Gumble began fighting in both Highland Games and Executioner FC for a brief period, obviously with the hopes of holding both titles at once. Back in Highland Games, Gumble was paired up with Pedro Lazaro, whom he had previously defeated on The Island. Lazaro had recently defeated Mase Force to claim the championship that Gumble had lost previously. Pedro Lazaro would defend his crown and find salvation in the form of revenge, when he knocked out Gumble in the third round- it was the first time that Gumble had truly been stopped in his professional career. This is where shit gets confusing, for me at least: Gumble and Lazaro would have two more fights in a row. Gumble and Lazaro fought in Executioner FC, where Lazaro was granted a shot at Gumble's title due to his performance at Highland Games 71. This time, however, Gumble would out point Lazaro to win a unanimous decision and defend his Executioner FC title. The two met for the third and final time at Highland Games 83, where Gumble was granted a shot at Lazaro's title due to his last Executioner performance. And Lazaro promptly knocked him out again. This entire thing was a god damned mess. Following this, Barney Gumble would have two consecutive title fights against reigning Executioner FC heavyweight champion Clinton Offley. Gumble would lose via submission in the first attempt but stop Offley via cut in the rematch. With his championship affairs settled in Executioner FC, Barney Gumble opted to focus entirely on his career with Highland Games. Gumble would face Offley twice more, with one of those fights being for the heavyweight title... however, Gumble would lose both of his rematches against Offley, proving once and for all that he should never accept another trilogy match. This is a man that needs rivalries like Africa needs Ebola to come back. Too soon? In recent times, Barney Gumble is on an impressive two fight winning streak with back-to-back knockouts. Despite his relatively low position on the card, he is nosing his way back into title contention, one concussed opponent at a time. Davy Nube is a relative newcomer to the sport; he has never been to any islands, thankfully. He started his career with five impressive victories, which culminated in a failed bid for the Ring of Violence heavyweight title. Following this defeat, he opted not to renew his contract with ROV, instead moving to Highland Games to reinvent himself as a fighter. He is currently 4-2 with Highland Games, with only one fight escaping the first round. (Heavyweight bout) Barol Kedorf (15-9) versus Dick Schneeger (11-6) (Preview) Barol Kedorf is a Polish boxer-turned-MMA fighter. As a contestant on Season 4 of The Island, he fought exclusively for Highland Games, amassing a record of 4-3 before being invited to compete in the finale tournament. In the opening round of the final tournament, Kedorf knocked out Jan Palony to advance. In the second round, he was defeated by the unfortunately named Dick Wad due to the scar tissue on Kedorf's face. Barol Kedorf remained with Highland Games after leaving The Island. Despite losing his first fight, which as against Mitchel Thompson, Kedorf went on an impressive five fight winning streak. Due to his resurgence, Kedorf challenged Mase Force for the heavyweight championship, but suffered the next unfortunate setback when he was knocked out in the opening round. Kedorf has since gone 5-2, with some impressive performances in that time. He is currently on a two fight winning streak. Dick Schneeger, who has one of the most unattractive sounding last names that I have written in recent memory, is a very high level kick boxer that has shown an impressive ability to adapt to wherever the fight may go. By using powerful strikes on the feet, as well as lightning quick submissions on the ground, Schneeger is a consistent and credible threat to opponents. Schneeger started his career in the QFC arena, winning one and losing one, before being signed to fight for Gamma Butt-Stompers. After going on a three fight winning streak, Schneeger challenged Savage Hulk for the heavyweight crown. Hulk lived up to his name by savagely beating down the Afghani native. Dick would fight once more for the Butt-Stompers before jumping ship to fight for Tradition Fight Club. Schneeger would fight four times for Tradition FC, winning three of those fights before signing an exclusive contract to fight for Highland Games. After losing his Highland debut to Davy Nube, Schneeger rebounded with four consecutive stoppage victories. (Welterweight bout) Bill Bremner (11-4) versus Chris White (10-7) (Preview) Bill Bremner made his MMA debut in the QFC arena; he was simply a twenty-five year old hopeful with some Muay Thai training and an iron chin to get him through to the finish line. He won the fight in impressive fashion, knocking out his opponent with a monster head kick. He was immediately signed to fight for Underground MMA. After two impressive victories, Bremner challenged Bryan Nickoson for the welterweight championship, but was defeated for the first time in his career. Bremner would challenge once more for the Underground title, this time falling before Felix Sturm, but would ultimately leave the organization with a record of 4-3. He parted ways with his longtime management team following this recent loss. Under new management, Bill Bremner signed a non-exclusive contract with Tradition FC, giving him the right to appear in smaller QFC shows on the side. He went every-other-show for a while; he would knock out a fighter in the QFC, and then fight for Tradition a month later. Although he never got an opportunity to fight for the belt, he closed out his Tradition career on a three fight winning streak, with one of those wins coming in the QFC. He has since fought twice for Highland Games, taking both opponents the distance to win a decision. Chris White is a local legend back in Canada, where he competed as an amateur kick boxer before making the switch to MMA. The majority of his fights took place under the Elite Canadian Fighting Championship banners, where he eventually claimed a world title at the head of a five fight winning streak. Chris White had a long standing feud with eventual champion John Davidson; the two fought early into their careers, with Davidson submitting White in the second round. However, when they fought for the gold, White won a judge's decision to claim the belt. Following his championship achievement, White left the promotion and went on a three fight losing streak... he seemed to right his ship, defeating Billy Tinkl in his Highland Games debut, only to be defeated by Paul Maul. Regardless, Chris White is currently on a two fight winning streak. [Preliminary Bouts] (Bantamweight bout) Serge Ibaka (23-6) versus Vinnie Longworth (18-7) (Preview) Serge Ibaka is a legendary fighter that took part in Season 4 of The Island. He fought in the QFC before signing to fight for Attack Fight League. It was in this promotion that Ibaka claimed his first world title, when he beat the living hell out of Darth Vader with a second round stoppage. Serge Ibaka defended his belt seven times, with victories over championship level fighters such as Renato Laranja and Neil Drake along the way. Serge Ibaka obviously competed in the Season 4 tournament finale, where he pounded his way to the fifth and final round of the tournament. It was there that he met the only man to beat him with strikes: BJ Arnold. This defeat cost him the tournament belt, giving him the silver medal, and snapped a devastatingly impressive eighteen fight winning streak. Serge opted to remain with Highland Games, defeating Dan Sten to defend his bantamweight title. Serge Ibaka then defended his belt against Neil Drake, whom he had defeated on the Island prior, only to lose his belt in a unanimous decision loss to the only man to best him: BJ Arnold. This loss would change something in Serge; he would only win one of his next two fights and be dumped by his long time management team. Under new management, Serge Ibaka has only won two of his five Highland Games fights, including a rematch against a man he had dominated twice on The Island: Darth Vader. Serge is currently coming off of back-to-back defeats for the first time in his storied career. (Bantamweight bout) Markus Woodsmall (6-2) versus Vice Versa (7-4) (Preview) Markus Woodsmall started his career in the QFC 561 bantamweight tournament. Using his Greco Roman wrestling skills, he easily battered his initial opponent to escape the opening round, only to fall victim to the same treatment in the second round of the tourney. Woodsmall fought twice in the standard QFC, following his tournament loss; after losing in his first attempt, he rebounded with an impressive second round TKO over his next opponent. Woodsmall then signed up to fight for Slaughterhouse FC, where he competed three times; he won all three of these fights in dominant fashion, earning himself quite an impressive reputation in the smaller shows. This fanfare caught the eye of the Highland Games promoters, who quickly signed up this young talent to fight for them. He made his Highland debut at Highland Games 152. He faced former amateur wrestler Tyler Thomson; he continued his meteoric rise to the top with a dominant unanimous decision, extending his winning streak to five consecutive victories. Vice Versa, affectionately known as the “Easy Submission” (“Filipino Wrecking Machine” was taken, or so I hear), is a QFC and Highland Games veteran. Versa signed to fight for Highland Games with a QFC record of 4-2, with all of his victories coming by way of knockout... and all of his defeats by way of submission. His Highland career has been much the same; he knocks somebody out, and then promptly gets submitted. Then he knocks somebody out and gets submitted. Rinse and repeat. The Highland matchmakers have decided to play with fate in this fight; Versa knocked out his last opponent, and Woodsmall is not known for his submission prowess. However, rumor has it that Woodsmall was seen in training with a pair of skinny Jiu-Jitsu aces from California in recent times; Woodsmall appeared to be high out of his mind, and was heard to be muttering something about “what is a fucking gazelle anyways?” So take that for what it's worth. Bet the house that Woodsmall gets the first submission of his career here, I guess. http://mmatycoon.com/images/company/logo/14407183641428187949Logonew2.png 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 http://i.imgur.com/MDeOo6S.jpg This... is not a healthy trend that I'm starting. The road to hell is paved with strongly worded event previews. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcalimon Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Holy shiiiiiiit, another amazing preview. I was moved to tears reading the bio of Massimo Benvenuti, a true work of art! Btw, I donated 10k to you because you really deserve it for your amazing efforts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 Holy shiiiiiiit, another amazing preview. I was moved to tears reading the bio of Massimo Benvenuti, a true work of art! Btw, I donated 10k to you because you really deserve it for your amazing efforts. Shit man, I appreciate the support. Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingEpicity Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 Lmao. You the man dude, I've always said it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clydebankblitz Posted May 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 This feels almost embarrassing to drop now...but here's the Highland Games 175 main card preview http://www.mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1463542020175.jpg HIGHLAND GAMES 175 PREVIEW Bantamweight - John Pinglabanan (16-7) Vs Thaddeus Fitzgerald (15-10) After the first two fight skid of his career, John went into his last fight with a lot of questions. He came out of it with all the answers. John went in there against the joint record holder for most title defences at Bantamweight, Serge Ibaka, and came out with a Split Decision victory. This win is huge for John who’s been on the cusp of a title shot several times since his HG 100 pop at Darth Vader, and he can now start putting a run together. Thaddeus is a gritty veteran who is a one time World Combat Bantamweight Champ. With wins over Dan Phillips, Dominance Zelditeez, Bobby Bob Bob and Jet Hemi, he knows what it takes to get a win. One thing that’s held him back is switches in management, and now with his fourth trainer, Aleksey Igorievich, he is desperate to finally break through the monotony of the Bantamweight midcard. Light Heavyweight - Mairbek Krylov (15-9) Vs Jimmie Craig (17-12) Mairbek Krylov was once a highly touted competitor at Light Heavyweight and this was best highlighted with his decision win over Ludko Struja at Highland Games 61. After some inactivity and a brief run in Choke, he returned to Highland Games. Since returning, we’ve seen a real mixed bag from the Russian. Wins over good fighters like Matt Coture, Rodrigo Gracie, Black Coleman and Leonid Panteleev have kept him relevant, but he’s lost almost every step up fight he’s taken including a decision loss to his opponent on this card Jimmie Craig. After being a Light Heavyweight Champion in World Combat, Craig joined Highland Games after a long time of running parallel to the organisation. Unfortunately, he’s only amassed a record of 3-5 since his debut and is coming off of a TKO loss. For Craig, this fight is important as he utilized his strength in the clinch to edge out a Fight of the Night performance in his HG debut against Krylov, and Craig desperately wants a shot at the top level of HG. Lightweight - Claudemir Bonanza (13-4) Vs Jackson Munoz (11-4) A former United Martial Arts Champion, Bonanza joined Highland Games with an outstanding 10-1 record, only to be immediately faced with back to back losses against mid level opposition. After defeating Jackson Munoz, he would be dispatched by Papa Shango. Sporting a 1-3 record in a new org never bodes well, but Bonanza went back to the drawing board and looked at what the problems were. In all of his fights, it seemed that the option was either he wins by submission, or his opponent does. In adopting a more refined style, Bonanza has put together back to back wins. Munoz has a big opportunity ahead of him here. After completely dominating Bonanza for 15 minutes in their first fight, Munoz was tapped by an armbar with just 2 seconds left on the clock. This was a devastating loss for him to take and he’s wanted revenge ever since. After two first round TKOs in his last two fights, the former kickboxer Munoz has a chance at redemption and he intends on grabbing it with both hands, or should that be punching it with both hands. Lightweight - Soto Rojas (11-5) Vs Zoran Jolevi (26-5) Soto Rojas was the hottest free agent on the market with the fall of Dissolution Fighting Championships. After an extremely impressive run in that organisation, Soto would impress in Highland Games with a first round submission win over a versatile opponent in Warren Parker. Unfortunately, in Rojas’ last fight he was defeated by Claudemir Bonanza. If he still intends of climbing to the top in Highland Games, he’s got to start putting them together. This is likely the toughest fight of his career however. Zoran Jolevi has been an absolute beast for almost the entirety of his career. With an outstanding chin, masterful grappling and a great overall striking game, Zoran is one of the best we’ve ever seen in the organisation. However, this is the first time Zoran has lost back to back fights before. In fact, this is the first time Zoran has even lost a non title fight. A two time Highland Games Middleweight Champion, Zoran’s skills can’t be questioned. But one has to wonder where his mind is at coming into this one. Rojas is a tough fighter but Zoran will be confident he’s competed against that calibre before. Is his mind still in it and can he get back on track? Middleweight - Bill The Kid (13-3) Vs Grant Morrison (20-12-1) It’s really been a crazy run for Bill The Kid throughout his Highland Games career. Joining the organisation on a 4 fight win streak, he had probably spent the least amount of time honing his craft than everyone else in the Middleweight division. That didn’t stop him from going on a 5 fight win streak, including a knockout over former Middleweight Champion Razor Muay Thai. Unfortunately for Bill, his first crack at the gold ended in a defeat to then-champ Massimo Benvenuti. Since then, losses to Johnny Sitko and Arthur Schopenhauer have hindered his climb back to the top, but as of late he’s been able to put away Damien Sandow and Johnny Peso in effortless performances and is ready for his next big crack at a top name. If it’s been a crazy ride for Bill, then words can’t even describe Morrison’s career. After joining Highland Games as the UltimateXC Champion, Grant would lose the inaugural title fight against Massimo Benvenuti. He would eventually defeat Massimo at Highland Games 56, ending The Island season as the title holder. After the season, Grant would drop the title to Arnavut Sevket and ever since then, it’s been a much rougher road. Fights that Grant should win, he’s been able to take home. But whenever he’s faced an old foe or a step up in competition, such as Welterweight Champion Jon Askren, Middleweight Champion Pyotr Korobeikin or longtime rival Massa Hurmaaja, he’s been on the losing end of things. The latter of which is the most disappointing of his career, a submission due to strikes in the very first round. Now on a 2 fight winning streak, Grant could be on the cusp of another shot at the belt if he can get past Bill. Both men are known for their knockout power, but Grant’s struggled to really dominate with his hands for a while now and Bill only gets stronger in his striking with each passing day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 This feels almost embarrassing to drop now...but here's the Highland Games 175 main card preview http://www.mmatycoon.com/images/posters/1463542020175.jpg HIGHLAND GAMES 175 PREVIEW Bantamweight - John Pinglabanan (16-7) Vs Thaddeus Fitzgerald (15-10) After the first two fight skid of his career, John went into his last fight with a lot of questions. He came out of it with all the answers. John went in there against the joint record holder for most title defences at Bantamweight, Serge Ibaka, and came out with a Split Decision victory. This win is huge for John who’s been on the cusp of a title shot several times since his HG 100 pop at Darth Vader, and he can now start putting a run together. Thaddeus is a gritty veteran who is a one time World Combat Bantamweight Champ. With wins over Dan Phillips, Dominance Zelditeez, Bobby Bob Bob and Jet Hemi, he knows what it takes to get a win. One thing that’s held him back is switches in management, and now with his fourth trainer, Aleksey Igorievich, he is desperate to finally break through the monotony of the Bantamweight midcard. Light Heavyweight - Mairbek Krylov (15-9) Vs Jimmie Craig (17-12) Mairbek Krylov was once a highly touted competitor at Light Heavyweight and this was best highlighted with his decision win over Ludko Struja at Highland Games 61. After some inactivity and a brief run in Choke, he returned to Highland Games. Since returning, we’ve seen a real mixed bag from the Russian. Wins over good fighters like Matt Coture, Rodrigo Gracie, Black Coleman and Leonid Panteleev have kept him relevant, but he’s lost almost every step up fight he’s taken including a decision loss to his opponent on this card Jimmie Craig. After being a Light Heavyweight Champion in World Combat, Craig joined Highland Games after a long time of running parallel to the organisation. Unfortunately, he’s only amassed a record of 3-5 since his debut and is coming off of a TKO loss. For Craig, this fight is important as he utilized his strength in the clinch to edge out a Fight of the Night performance in his HG debut against Krylov, and Craig desperately wants a shot at the top level of HG. Lightweight - Claudemir Bonanza (13-4) Vs Jackson Munoz (11-4) A former United Martial Arts Champion, Bonanza joined Highland Games with an outstanding 10-1 record, only to be immediately faced with back to back losses against mid level opposition. After defeating Jackson Munoz, he would be dispatched by Papa Shango. Sporting a 1-3 record in a new org never bodes well, but Bonanza went back to the drawing board and looked at what the problems were. In all of his fights, it seemed that the option was either he wins by submission, or his opponent does. In adopting a more refined style, Bonanza has put together back to back wins. Munoz has a big opportunity ahead of him here. After completely dominating Bonanza for 15 minutes in their first fight, Munoz was tapped by an armbar with just 2 seconds left on the clock. This was a devastating loss for him to take and he’s wanted revenge ever since. After two first round TKOs in his last two fights, the former kickboxer Munoz has a chance at redemption and he intends on grabbing it with both hands, or should that be punching it with both hands. Lightweight - Soto Rojas (11-5) Vs Zoran Jolevi (26-5) Soto Rojas was the hottest free agent on the market with the fall of Dissolution Fighting Championships. After an extremely impressive run in that organisation, Soto would impress in Highland Games with a first round submission win over a versatile opponent in Warren Parker. Unfortunately, in Rojas’ last fight he was defeated by Claudemir Bonanza. If he still intends of climbing to the top in Highland Games, he’s got to start putting them together. This is likely the toughest fight of his career however. Zoran Jolevi has been an absolute beast for almost the entirety of his career. With an outstanding chin, masterful grappling and a great overall striking game, Zoran is one of the best we’ve ever seen in the organisation. However, this is the first time Zoran has lost back to back fights before. In fact, this is the first time Zoran has even lost a non title fight. A two time Highland Games Middleweight Champion, Zoran’s skills can’t be questioned. But one has to wonder where his mind is at coming into this one. Rojas is a tough fighter but Zoran will be confident he’s competed against that calibre before. Is his mind still in it and can he get back on track? Middleweight - Bill The Kid (13-3) Vs Grant Morrison (20-12-1) It’s really been a crazy run for Bill The Kid throughout his Highland Games career. Joining the organisation on a 4 fight win streak, he had probably spent the least amount of time honing his craft than everyone else in the Middleweight division. That didn’t stop him from going on a 5 fight win streak, including a knockout over former Middleweight Champion Razor Muay Thai. Unfortunately for Bill, his first crack at the gold ended in a defeat to then-champ Massimo Benvenuti. Since then, losses to Johnny Sitko and Arthur Schopenhauer have hindered his climb back to the top, but as of late he’s been able to put away Damien Sandow and Johnny Peso in effortless performances and is ready for his next big crack at a top name. If it’s been a crazy ride for Bill, then words can’t even describe Morrison’s career. After joining Highland Games as the UltimateXC Champion, Grant would lose the inaugural title fight against Massimo Benvenuti. He would eventually defeat Massimo at Highland Games 56, ending The Island season as the title holder. After the season, Grant would drop the title to Arnavut Sevket and ever since then, it’s been a much rougher road. Fights that Grant should win, he’s been able to take home. But whenever he’s faced an old foe or a step up in competition, such as Welterweight Champion Jon Askren, Middleweight Champion Pyotr Korobeikin or longtime rival Massa Hurmaaja, he’s been on the losing end of things. The latter of which is the most disappointing of his career, a submission due to strikes in the very first round. Now on a 2 fight winning streak, Grant could be on the cusp of another shot at the belt if he can get past Bill. Both men are known for their knockout power, but Grant’s struggled to really dominate with his hands for a while now and Bill only gets stronger in his striking with each passing day. Hey, anyone that takes the time to read about the fighters and do some writing- literally from scratch, you have to make this stuff up as you go- gets props from me. It isn't easy writing all of this and posting it, hoping everyone likes it. Good stuff, man. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornmma1 Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 HoarseWhisperer is the man!!! I remember you from when you did your first epic previews. You are nuts and have way too much time, lol, but you are also the best ! Hats of to you man! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingEpicity Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 HoarseWhisperer is the man!!! I remember you from when you did your first epic previews. You are nuts and have way too much time, lol, but you are also the best ! Hats of to you man! Makes me miss the Epicity days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 19, 2016 Report Share Posted May 19, 2016 HoarseWhisperer is the man!!! I remember you from when you did your first epic previews. You are nuts and have way too much time, lol, but you are also the best ! Hats of to you man! I just have the right amount of enthusiasm and obsessive compulsive issues Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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