Mass Destruction Preview
|
Mass Destruction Preview By Derek Callahan Some matches that had to be rearranged due to injury don’t look to have shaken up Mass Destruction 16, as the show still plans on hitting Boston’s Avalon Night Club full force this Saturday, May 15th. Boasting fighters who have swept through NAGA grappling circuits, and others who prefer to stand and trade like they’ve done in the boxing ring, the upcoming show, on paper, offers a little of everything from the fighters and for the fans. In one of the higher profile match-ups, possibly one of the most dangerous fighters on the card will be looking to extend his one fight win streak. After avenging a loss to Will Murphy that he suffered in December of 2003, Jerry Spiegel looks to conquer a game Will Hogan. The X-factor may be the gap in rounds each has fought. Although he has only four MMA fights, Spiegel is 9-1 in pro boxing, his only loss at the fists of Muhammad Ali’s nephew Ibn. A Renzo Gracie trained fighter, he won his last fight against Murphy via guillotine choke. "I improve every time," he said on why he thinks he’ll have the edge in the bout. The plot thickens with the tale of Ted Govola, Jr. Looking to comeback from a loss to MD middleweight champ Alex Karalexis, Govola will have a night of choices when he comes face to face with Mandela "Delicious" Kponoa. Known as a quality striker with solid boxing experience, Kponoa will have his work cut out for him in MMA. 1-0 with a victory at the end of 2003, he faces a relentless ground fighter in the 11-2 Govola. The twist though lies in the fact that as of his last fight, Govola could be considered the weaker striker. However, sparring countless rounds with some of New England’s best boxers have given Govola enough confidence to, as he puts it, "test," his opponent on the feet. One of the men to have helped train Govola is Randy "the Savage" Rowe. The man behind Team Venom, Rowe has fought the likes of ex-UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia, to whom he lost a split decision to in 2000. "I rocked him a couple times," remembered Rowe, a half Black Foot/half Cherokee Native American. Looking to get a could-be promising career on track at age 30, it will be no easy task to dismantle Ronald Stallings from the high horse of which he sits. Only 21, stick a hyphen in his age and there’s his record. Fighting out of Bellaire, Maryland, Stallings has learned since his debut loss to stay intense in the ring when necessary, and not to relax much in the midst of a fight. Against a manic fighter like Rowe, relaxation won’t be an option, but with his smooth submissions and pronounced height advantage of five inches, the six-foot Stallings has as good a chance as any to turn "the Savage" into "the Civilized" in what is sure to be a hard fought affair.
Title fights turn regular cards to aces, and MD 16 is not without at least one. After failing in his attempt for a Reality Fighting flyweight title, Jay Isip will now throw down with Darryl MacAurele for the MD lightweight belt. At age 40, MacAurele plans on, "doing whatever it takes to win," and after seeing Isip fight twice, knows just how passionate the 22-year-old New Jersey native is in the ring. Losing on the ground to Mike Easton in his previous bout, Isip has worked on his mat game with Team BAMA/Endgame, and after three straight losses, is well overdue for a victory. He’s focused on his task, and straight to the point. "My plans?" he asks? "I plan on winning." |
 Jungle Fight 2 Preview: Experience sets the tone as careers are on the line in Brazil. By Eduardo Alonso This Saturday at around 10 PM New York time Jungle Fight 2 will begin and mark a crucial step into the careers of a lot of fighters that are taking part in the show, that in this reporter’s opinion brings a solid evolution in its technical aspect in relation to Jungle 1. To be honest, each and every fighter on this card has his reason to consider their fights crucial. For fighters such as Rani Yahira and Fredson Paixao, who are on the early stages of their careers, winning on their first national PPV gig (In Brazil) can mean more invitations and some spotlights on them. For fighters on the mid-stages of their careers, like Daniel Acacio and Gabriel Napao a win in this event means another important step forward, and for veterans such as Carlos Barreto, Ebenezer Braga and Assuerio Silva, a loss can possibly mean the end of their dream of returning to PRIDE or the UFC. This could be considered more than enough to bring the attention of the fans, but believe it or not there’s even more drama to be unfolded at Jungle Fight 2. Ronaldo Jacare will put his prestige as a grappler on the line once again by risking himself into MMA, after his losing debut in Jungle Fight 1 against Jorge Macaco Patino. Jacare was at the top of his game in both Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling back then, and his MMA debut was long awaited. Unfortunately things didn’t turn out well for him, as he lost by KO and a second lose could mean the end of his short MMA career at this point, so you can imagine the pressure he is facing before his fight against Russian fighter Victor Babkir. With that in mind, less than 48 hours before the show, FCF brings you a small preview in the most important fights of Jungle Fight 2, that also has Ronaldo Jacare facing Victor Babkir, Katsuyori Shibata from Japan facing "Ice Man" from the USA [Of course it’s not Chuck Liddell, however at this point no one has solid information on this fighter], Adriano Martins facing Boris Jonstomp from France, and Gabriel Napao matching up "Charlie Brown" from Brazil. Now let’s move on the most interesting fights: Fredson Paixao vs. Rani Yahira: A BJJ World Champion Fredson Paixao is a great grappler and this is well known by everybody in the Jiu-Jitsu circles. Very strong for his weight, Fredson was always among the top of his division in competitions with the gi on and has been looking to make the transition to MMA for a good while already. Since he joined the Gracie Barra Combat Team his focus turned almost totally to MMA and he has been trying to improve his striking skills lately, this is by the way the biggest question mark going into his debut in our sport. This match-up was scheduled for HEAT FC 3, that was postponed with no date set yet, so both Fredson and Rani have been training with each other in mind for months already! To add to this drama they fought already in submission wrestling matches and some sort of feud started, with none of the fighters making any secret on their desire to face each other. Click here to continue the article |
|
From the event’s promoter: Ring of Fire Card  Here is the full fight card for the RING OF FIRE #12: NEMESIS event in Castle Rock, Colorado on May 22nd. Promoter and match maker Sven BOOGIE Bean is very pleased with the card, even though he has had to deal with the almost expected last minute drops. "This card is as strong as any I’ve put together match making wise. This is what ROF is all about, showcasing some of the best ‘B’ level guys on a great card with hopes that the big guys will take notice. With that said, don’t be fooled, this card rocks!…I’ve always said that a ‘B’ level guy is just an ‘A’ level fighter who hasn’t been discovered yet! I’m hoping that as in the case in the past, some one from this show will get the call." said Bean. The 10 bout card features fighters from 6 states and veterans from KOTC, EXTREME CHALLENGE, GLADIATOR CHALLENGE, VFC, SHOOT BOXING JAPAN, and even the WWE! RING OF FIRE #12: NEMESIS! MAIN EVENT: 185 lb 3 x 5 minutes PRESTIGE BOUT: 155 lb 3 x 5 minutes FEATURE FIGHT: 170 lbs 2 x 5 minutes FEATURE FIGHT: 155 lbs 2 x 5 minutes FEATURE FIGHT: Heavy Weight 2 x 5 minutes FEATURE FIGHT: 155 lbs 2 x 5 minutes FEATURE FIGHT: 185 lbs 2 x 5 minutes PRELIMINARY BOUT: 155 lbs 3 x 3 minutes PRELIMINARY BOUT: 140 lbs 4 x 2 minutes, K-1 Rules PRELIMINARY BOUT: Heavy Weight 3 x 3 minutes $25.00 General Admission, $40.00 Reserved (Sold Out), Purchase VIP TABLES by calling 303-246-5237 |
