EPL - Week 3 Preview

[YerMaw]

EPL Season 9

Week 3 Preview

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/oBAA17X.png

 

Mike Tyson vs Akamai Hoi

 

Tyson will be delighted with his strong start to the competition with back to back victories over Dennis Page and James Bomb; however, some might argue that the schedule has been relatively favourable to him thus far. These next few weeks are going to be a real test of the US boxer's abilities: Akamai Hoi is up next followed by a top of the table clash with Ashley Harrington and a potentially gruelling matchup with Russia's Grigori Rasputin. Hoi is coming off the back of his first defeat of the season; he was outworked in the clinch but showed terrific endurance to go the distance as Edward McLauglin sprung a surprise upset. Out of all the opponents Tyson has come up against so far it would appear that Hoi is the most durable and might just have the chin to withstand the sheer power behind Tyson's punches. This is an important fight for both opponents: Tyson will want to keep the momentum going early in the season and a win here would greatly help to solidify his playoff credentials; for Hoi this matchup represents the opportunity to get back on track following what he hopes was a temporary setback against McLauglin. Suffering another loss at this stage would be unthinkable for the Hawaiin – he can't afford to allow the likes of Tyson to cement their lead at the top of the table if he hopes to earn a playoff place and, with several opponents potentially looking to overtake him, I would expect Hoi to go all out here in search of the KO.

Of the two Tyson certainly has the more suspect chin; Hoi might not have quite such an extensive record as the boxer but he has only been knocked out once and that was a long long time ago. By contrast the vast majority of Tyson's losses have come by way of (T)KO – most of Tyson's fights end, one way or another, in the first round and with the 10 minute EPL format we should almost certainly be looking at another early finish here. Tyson also has Hoi's substantial reach advantage to contend with; he did the job against James Bomb but Hoi is an even taller opponent and in addition has the agility and speed to cause Tyson some problems. However, Hoi will have some niggling injuries going into this bout and his confidence in his clinch abilities will have been dented somewhat by the McLauglin fight. Very difficult matchup to call, Hoi's durability will be a tremendous asset against Tyson but my inclination is to go for the fighter that is in better form.

Prediction: Tyson by KO.

 

Edward McLauglin vs Ricardo Griezmann

 

With his first win in the books McLauglin's stock has risen rapidly; there were questions as to whether the New England clinch fighter had what it takes against top-level opposition but his performance against Akamai Hoi will have erased any such doubts. Another victory in week three will put him at 2-1 and in good stead moving forward; invariably he has an excellent chance of doing precisely that with a very favourable matchup against Ricardo Griezmann. For those of you not familiar, Griezmann is a talented standup artist who has notched up respectable records in both CCF and TTFC but possesses a tendency to cut which verges on haemophilia. Things are not looking good for Griezmann as he has suffered back to back losses by way of doctor stoppage and it looks highly likely that will be the case again here. With all due respect to Griezmann's accomplishments over the course of his career, it may well be the case that he is the tournament's weakest link purely on the basis of this unfortunate tendency and in all honesty I can't see things getting any better for the Californian from here.

The blueprint has been set; Hoi was the first to layout the approach to beat Griezmann and last week's matchup with Carlton further refined the gameplan as the KO King abandoned his trademark power punches in exchange for accuracy. McLauglin knows exactly what he needs to do here and in truth it's difficult to see what Griezmann can do to stop him; he is a pure standup fighter so taking the fight to the floor doesn't seem like a particularly viable strategy and with the threat McLauglin poses in the clinch I would imagine Griezmann will be looking to keep his distance which may buy him more time but, one way or another, the outcome of this fight looks increasingly inevitable. Of course sustaining more injuries is only going to further hamper any ambitions he had of success in this tournament; this could be a very long season indeed for Griezmann.

Prediction: McLauglin by (T)KO (doctor stoppage)

 

James Bomb vs Gymer Alexandersson

 

How about an utterly unpredictable matchup? EPL veteran James Bomb was undone in his first two appearances this season but given those losses came against Tyson and Harrington (who now stand atop the leader board) these early setbacks perhaps don't look so bad after all. Meanwhile Alexandersson is more of an unknown entity; the replacement for Dennis Page will be making his first appearance in the competition and at only 26 has a limited record against higher level opposition. He is a former Destiny FC heavyweight champion and more recently has been plying his trade in Synchronicity to mixed results; losses to Borschev, Bowdrie and Hamish Kersikov but partially offset by a dominant performance against Halo and an extremely impressive second round stoppage of current Syn heavyweight champ Ben Dobson. The question is which Alexandersson will turn up on the day? To further complicate matters this will be Alexandersson's first fight under new management so it will be intriguing to see if there are any significant adjustments to his gameplan.

Stereotypically Alexandersson has always been an aggressive standup fighter throughout his career; he possesses natural knockout power and given Bomb's chin has shown signs of deterioration it may well be the case that maintaining a pressure strategy might just be the most viable approach here. Bomb might have to gamble here a little bit and follow suit; he may not have the durability to work on the counter against an opponent who prides himself on the finish – that said, Alexandersson can also be extremely deadly in the clinch so Bomb will need to avoid overextending himself lest the Swede tie him up against the cage, potentially accelerating the possibility of a KO. Although we have yet to see Alexandersson in EPL action, I would tentatively put him as a favourite for this matchup – he should be too quick for Bomb on the outside and has the potential to cause some serious damage on the inside. However, Bomb is in with a punchers chance here; he will need to count on all his experience and a bit of luck as well, but it's not completely outwith the realms of possibility that he might spring an upset – Alexandersson has been knocked out before and if Bomb can test that chin without eating too many shots in return who knows what might happen.

Prediction: Alexandersson by KO.

 

Kyle Carlton vs Bobby Newmark

 

Back to back wins for Bobby Newmark and all of a sudden his credentials are looking very good indeed; initially many thought that the 36 year old would be looking at a mid-table finish but impressive performances against both McLauglin and Rasputin might just be the impetus needed for a successful campaign with a trip to the playoffs awaiting at the end. Carlton is also back to winning ways following a quick stoppage over Ricardo Griezmann and will be hoping this is a sign of better things to come. However, this was his first victory in his last five appearances and there will still be questions over whether the former P4P No. 1 still has what it takes to mount a serious challenge this season. Stopping Newmark in his tracks would definitely send a signal that Carlton is still a force to contend with so I'm anticipating a return to the power-punching tactics of old which stood the US boxer in such good stead earlier in his career. Carlton's best route to victory is undoubtedly with a finish; going the distance with the younger, more agile, Newmark is hardly going to be a viable strategy and besides, in all his years of fighting at the top I'm not sure Carlton even knows what a decision victory means, such is his penchant for the knockout.

This should be a very entertaining fight for the fans; Newmark is in great form and seems to have found a new lease of life with two successive knockouts (the latter coming in just 23 seconds) while Carlton's KO-power is always a threat that looms large. So far this tournament has been notable for the sheer amount of early finishes and this matchup should be no exception. Height-wise these two are of fairly similar stature although Carlton does possess a massive 50lbs on his opponent; a facet which has both pros and cons – higher power behind his punches but at the cost of some speed and ring movement. One thing which I suspect will significantly tilt this bout in Newmark's favour is the quality of his chin, while Newmark has accumulated a fair amount of losses by way of KO we can perhaps attribute this more to the sheer number of managerial changes he has had over the course of his career – often fighters benefit from the sort of stability which allows them to perfect their gameplan over time and now it looks like Newmark has started to settle down the results appear to be following suit. Carlton certainly has the potential to finish this fight but whether his chin is holding up remains to be seen; I certainly wouldn't use the Griezmann result as a barometer for Carlton's chances this season but it will be interesting to see if he can step it up here against tougher competition.

Prediction: Newmark by KO.

 

Vladislav Maslow vs Ashley Harrington

 

It's still early days, but a strong start to the season appears to have affirmed speculation that Harrington may well on route to a berth in the post-season; a dominant performance against hotly-tipped prospect Arthur Curry last week was one of the tougher matchups in the schedule and if Harrington can maintain form he looks set to strengthen his record at the top of the table. Meanwhile Maslow is coming off a quick win against Dennis Page; I had speculated that Maslow might struggle to take the smaller Irishman down but thanks to a knockdown he was able to rapidly secure an arm triangle in just over two minutes on the clock. Maslow is one of the more intriguing fighters this season due to the fact that he is the only grappler competing. While he doesn't have the greatest takedown offence he constitutes a serious submission threat on the ground; he is also quite willing to initiate the clinch in order to setup potential opportunities. However, this could present potential problems for Maslow given Harrington performed a demolition job against Curry purely through his clinch abilities. While I don't think this will deter Maslow from his usual tactics it could be something to watch out for; Maslow does have a tendency to eat shots while searching for the takedown and he will need to be wary of Harrington's ability to finish the fight on the inside.

Maslow will possess a six inch height advantage which will be a useful asset given Harrington's tendency to focus on strikes to the head. However, Harrington has shown an ability to adapt his gameplan to taller opponents: using the clinch to great effect against Dragunov and mixing in a higher amount of body kicks in his matchup with Frazier – chances are he will do likewise here. In addition Harrington has an excellent takedown defence and again I predict Maslow will struggle to take the fight to the ground. If he can do so Maslow perhaps has the opportunity to go the distance; while Harrington has never been submitted, both Fenix and Vaimaa Fatu were able to crank out decision victories thanks to their ground work. Although it is worth noting that these matchups took place quite some considerable time ago and invariably the Englishman has made substantial improvements to his wrestling and jiu jitsu skills since then. Needless to say it's going to be a very tough matchup for Maslow; he happens to be running into an opponent in excellent form and although he has the skillset to cause Harrington some problems that will be of little use if he can't take the fight to the floor. If the bout remains standing there is only going to be one winner.

Prediction: Harrington by KO.

 

Griogori Rasputin vs Arthur Curry

 

Both Curry and Rasputin looked to be the part in their week 1 performances but then went on to suffer crushing defeats in week 2 – Curry was completely outworked in the clinch while Rasputin's chin gave way in just twenty three seconds against Bobby Newmark. Undoubtedly both opponents will be eager to set the record straight here and re-establish themselves as genuine contenders this season.

 

Tactically this should be a straightforward inside/outside fighter battle: Curry has the height advantage and the superior boxing skills while Rasputin has a wide array of tools to use from within the clinch. What makes this matchup particularly fascinating is precisely what will happen when/if the fight does go inside – Curry found himself exposed in the clinch against Harrington and it will be no surprise to see the Mad Monk attempt to follow suit; however, Rasputin's chin is suddenly looking a lot more questionable. While Newmark has been noted for his KO power the sheer speed at which Rasputin found himself on the canvas will be cause for concern for manager Bob Vendarra. Durability is a key component for clinch fighters and while Rasputin certainly has the technical ability to pose a serious threat on the inside that will matter for little if his chin can't absorb at least a few shots from Curry, and boy... does Curry have power behind those punches. It may well be the case that the Mad Monk's loss to Newmark was a one off flash KO, but it does pose serious questions and out of all the opponents Rasputin has come up against so far Curry certainly has the punching power to put that chin to the test. I anticipate at least a few of Curry's shots will find the mark so this should be a good evaluation of just how durable the Russian is. If Rasputin can overcome what he hopes was a temporary setback and record a win against the youngster that will be a huge gain in momentum for the remainder of this season; however, Curry is one of the more talented prospects in this tournament and right now it would appear that the Russian has slightly more question marks surrounding him. For that reason I would tentatively put this down as a victory for Curry, but either way a great test for both fighters and we should learn a lot more about their chances in the tournament.

 

Prediction: Curry by KO.

[YerMaw]

Again apologies for the delay, busy week so I was in a bit of a rush to get this done.

 

Lot's of interesting matchups this week: Tyson vs. Hoi and Curry vs. Rasputin should be close fights and we get to see Sweden's Gymer Alexandersson in action for the first time. Harrington's takedown defence should be put to the test and we'll see if there's anything Griezmann can do to stop the seemingly inevitable flow of blood...

[madbob]

+1 again a very nice write up. Good to see a new name up on the board of people who write Writeups. Cant wait to read the Fights.

[HarryB]

Great write-up. Glad we have Alexandersson on-board to give us a full field. Thank you Mr. Knight for signing on despite two weeks of potential points lost.

 

Side note: I believe the scoring is 2 points for a finish, 1 point for a decision. So my guy McLauglin should only have 1 point on the scoreboard.

[YerMaw]

Side note: I believe the scoring is 2 points for a finish, 1 point for a decision. So my guy McLauglin should only have 1 point on the scoreboard.

Apologies, you are correct - I will edit the table.