411’s MMA Midweek Scouting Report

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Titan FC 39: Cavalcante vs Healy

Titan FC 39 saw three consecutive title fights as the company continued to make the most of their deal with UFC Fight Pass. The main event went to the lightweights, with Gesias ‘JZ’ Cavalcante (20-8) winding back the clock with a picture perfect KO of tough veteran Pat Healy (30-22). Cavalcante bobbed and weaved before delivering a scorching right hand that dropped Healy in the very first round, going on to cement the finish with two more shots and a devastating hammerfist before referee James Warring called a stop to the fight with just 2:07 on the clock. Healy, who entered as a moderate favourite against the ever-dangerous Brazilian, was unable to disrupt the striking patterns of a confident-looking Cavalcante, who clinched the gold in scintillating style.

At featherweight, Deivison Ribeiro (26-10) suffered the agony of a broken leg when Andre Harrison (13-0) checked an otherwise inconspicuous leg kick. Ribeiro stepped away, clearly felt something was wrong, before slumping to the ground of his own volition. The unfortunate end to an otherwise entertaining bout took place at 2:13 of Round Three, ending the Brazilian’s quest for the Titan FC title. Andre Harrison remains perfect, though this was his first ‘finish’ since 2013. Harrison has, nonetheless, accounted for some impressive names including Steven Siler and Desmond Green.

The welterweight title went the way of Dhiego Lima (12-4) who bettered David Michaud (9-3) across five rounds in the first title fight of the evening, though a clean sweep of 48-47’s across the cards indicates how close this fight really was. Michaud, who was bleeding from the first round onwards, pressed Lima hard, but it was Lima who landed the most decisive blow with a fourth round knock down. A gutsy Michaud was far from overwhelmed, however, taking it to Lima in a tough, multi-levelled affair that saw both men land significant shots.

Carina Damm (24-12) made good use of leg kicks against gutsy Sarah Alpar (6-4), who was content to trade with her vastly more experienced opponent, achieving arguably her greatest success against the fence. Damm, meanwhile, threatened with a first round knock down and a second round armbar, but was ultimately unable to finish a durable Alpar. Brazilian Damm bounces back from consecutive defeats, taking the unanimous decision with identical 29-28 scorecards.

Micah Miller (20-8) bested Kenny Gaudreau (6-5) by unanimous decision at welterweight, but finds himself just 3-4 in his last seven outings. A contestant on The Ultimate Fighter season 14, Miller found himself bested by Steven Siler, and has competed in Titan FC and Tachi Palace Fights since then, with varying levels of success. Gaudreau earned the biggest fight of his MMA to date with successive wins across the last 12 months, but found Miller’s reach a frustrating obstacle as he dropped two 30-27 scorecards, and one 29-28.

Earlier in the night, Alexis Vila (14-7) slumped to a third successive defeat. The 45 year old former Bellator finalist and Olympic bronze medallist dropped a Majority Decision to a man less than half his age in Puerto Rican Abdiel Velazquez (7-2). Velazquez now holds successive wins over Cuban opposition in the flyweight division.

Kurt Holobaugh (15-4) snapped a two-fight skid after landing a KO against Brazilian Luciano dos Santos (10-8) at 4:21 of Round Two. Sabah Homasi (10-5) was also victorious against Brazilian opposition in Vitor Eustaquio (8-6), scoring a TKO with 2:21 having elapsed in the first stanza. Featherweight Lazar Stojadinovic (11-5) sunk in a fight-ending rear naked choke on Chino Duran (8-9) with 90 seconds gone in Round Two, while Preston Parsons (4-1) armbarred Chilean welterweight Ignacio Bahamondes (2-1) with 2:59 on the clock. Finally, in the evening’s opener, Raush Manfio (7-1) enjoyed a successful debut on US soil with a second round KO via a knee against Cuban Luis Zequeira (3-3).

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Pancrase 278

The Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan played host to Pancrase 278, an event boasting a main attraction that saw 8-fight UFC veteran and long-time featherweight favourite Hatsu Hioki (29-9) against Yojiro Uchimura (13-8-1). Uchimura was able to boast back-to-back first round knock out wins in rival promotions ZST and Singapore’s Rebel FC coming in to this event, but was unable to replicate that feat here. Uchimura, who holds no fewer than 9 TKO’s to his credit, was, however, able to push Hioki to a decision, only to see all three judges give the nod to the seasoned veteran. Hioki made a successful return to his homeland, having dispatched rookie Kyosuke Yokoyama in just 95 seconds at Pancrase 275 and now looks to build further momentum as one of the biggest players in Asian MMA.

At atomweight, Mitsuhisa Sunabe (27-7) made it 14 straight wins as he stopped promising rookie Ryo Hatta (9-2) by TKO due to elbows at 3:47 of Round Three. With top control well established in the final stanza, Sunabe breached Hatta’s defence with a lunging elbow, before following up with a flurry of close-range strikes that forced the referee to intervene, saving a bloodied Hatta. At 36, Sunabe remains a real threat at 115 lbs.

A big-name fight took place at featherweight, where Nazareno Malegarie (31-4) took on ‘The Streetfight Bancho’ Hiroyuki Takaya (21-12). Bellator-veteran Malegarie found himself one 35-second submission win removed from a sole UFC defeat, but otherwise 9-1 in his last 10 outings. For Takaya, 4 successive wins had seen no fewer than three TKO stoppages, all against very credible opposition. Predictably, Malegarie was not interested in a stand up war, outlining his intentions with a successful takedown within the first 30 seconds of the bout. Takaya, always a game and very tough opponent, refused to be overawed by his Argentinian opponent, but found Malegarie’s smothering, claustrophobic grappling offence too much over the course of three rounds. Nazareno spent the majority of the duration on Takaya’s back, but was unable to sink in a fight-ending choke thanks to good submission defence on the part of the Japanese, while despite showing glimmers of solid takedown defence, Takaya inevitably succumbed to Malegarie’s insistent grappling. Malegarie won the bout via unanimous decision.

At flyweight, HEAT Bantamweight champion Takeshi Kasugai (18-4) bested Yasutaka Koga (12-5) via technical submission at 3:18 of Round One. With Koga refusing to tap to a rear naked choke, the talented Kasugai had no option but to send his opponent to sleep.

Final Fight Championship 25: Springfield
Middleweight Fight: David Mitchell (20-6) df. Dervin Lopez (8-4) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) @ 1:09 of Round Two
Lightweight Fight: Leanardo Mafra (13-3) df. Anthony Njokuani (17-12) via Unanimous Decision
Heavyweight Fight: Darko Stasic (8-1) df. Manny Murillo (6-5) via TKO (Punches) @ 0:56 of Round One
Middleweight Fight: Leo Leite (8-0) df. Matt Masterton (10-4) via TKO (Punches) @ 1:13 of Round Three

REAL 5
74 kg Tournament Championship Fight: Roberto de Souza (5-0) df. Pat Ayuyu (2-3) via Submission (Armbar) @ 1:54 of Round One
Featherweight Fight: Vladislav Parubchenko (13-1) df. Yoshifuma Nakamura (19-9) via Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) @ 4:58 of Round Two
Featherweight Fight: Takahiro Ashida (17-6) df. Nurbergen Sharipov (5-1) via Unanimous Decision
Lightweight Fight: Akihiro Gono (35-20) df. Akhmat Akhmedov (0-1) via Split Decision
Lightweight Fight: Dmitry Parubchenko (10-0) df. Naoyuki Kotani (33-14) via KO @ 3:17 of Round Two

CES 36: Andrews vs Muro

Lightweight Fight: Nate Andrews (9-1) df. Luis Muro (4-2) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) @ 1:59 of Round Three
Lightweight Fight: Matt Bessette (19-7) df. Ran Weathers (18-23) via Submission (Guillotine) @ 4:50 of Round One
Lightweight Fight: Levan Makashvili (11-2) df. Ryan Sanders (10-8) via Unanimous Decision
Lightweight Fight: Josh LaBerge (11-5) df. Jon Lemke (5-5) via TKO (Punches) @ 1:11 of Round Two
Lightweight Fight: Julian Lane (11-6) df. Lewis Corapi (7-3) via Submission (Guillotine) @ 3:50 of Round Three

PREVIEWS

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Fight Nights Global: Emelianenko vs Maldonado

Despite this weekend providing a veritable feast of world class MMA action, one man continues to cast a huge shadow – the legendary Fedor Emelianenko (35-4). While many have, and will continue to, wax lyrical about Fedor’s continued relevance and the fact he seems bound never to fight on the biggest stages in MMA, Fedor’s name value remains a mythic drawing point, one that UFC Fight Pass is keen to exploit this coming Friday.

Taking place from St Petersburg, Russia, Fight Nights Global will put on arguably the biggest event in the company’s history when Fedor returns to action against 11-time UFC veteran, Brazilian light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado (22-9). At 39 and 36 years old respectively, these two may no longer be in the prime of their careers, but as far as a potentially explosive and fun fight for fans around the world, you could do worse than this.

Maldonado, primarily a boxer, will look to draw Fedor into a fist fight, but it’s clear who packs the more power. Once considered one of the world’s most fearsome strikers, Emelianenko is known for enormous winging punches that have slain many a giant foe, while his outstanding Sambo technique and ruthless ground and pound is, genuinely, the stuff of legend. Can he roll back the years one more time and dispatch one of the most durable fighters in MMA (think back to Maldonado-Teixeira), or will the Brazilian put on a boxing clinic to wear down the former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion? Fedor will enter a huge favourite, despite just 1 fight in almost 4 years, but the intrigue here is all about how good Fedor really is in 2016. If he can beat a fighter of Fabio’s ability, and Fabio is unlikely to be in the same poor shape he was against Corey Anderson, then maybe he will meet the winner of the night’s co-main event…

Considered Russia’s number 2 heavyweight in the world, Bellator Heavyweight Champion Vitaly Minakov (17-0) has finished all but 2 of his opponents throughout a 6 year career, and Russian fans would love to see the undefeated Sambo practitioner face the original unbeatable. First, however, Minakov must take care of world class kickboxer Peter Graham (11-9). ‘The Chief’, at 40 years old, remains one of Australia’s best MMA exports, as well as a genuine KO threat. With stoppage wins over the likes of Maruisz Pudzianowski, Aleksander Emelianenko and European K-1 Champion Konstantin Gluhov, Graham is not an opponent to take lightly – but with a weakness in the submission stakes, having been forced to tap out 7 times so far in his MMA career, Minakov will have a clear route to victory – and possibly a dream all-Russian bout with the legendary Fedor.

Two other heavyweight fights of interest at Fight Nights Global: Emelianenko vs Maldonado include Fedor’s apprentice-of-sorts Kirill Sidelnikov (9-4) taking on Austria’s Ruben Wolf (10-7), and the unbeaten Sergey Pavlovich (7-0) taking on Frenchman Chaban Ka (8-4-1).

At featherweight, Rasul Mirzaev (15-0) will face Brazil’s Dioginis Souza (10-2), while Absolute Championship Berkut tournament winner Anatoly Tokov (23-2) will face Serbian prospect Vladimir Filipovic (7-1).

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Bellator 156: Galvao vs Dantas 2

Bellator 156 will see a rematch between two Brazilian bantamweight rivals Marcos Galvao (17-6-1) and Eduardo Dantas (17-4) with Galvao’s Bellator Bantamweight title on the line. Former training partners at Nova Uniao, these two will put history behind them as 4-time national BJJ champion Galvao looks to avenge a second round TKO defeat inflicted back at Bellator 89. Dantas successfully defended the gold that night, only to drop it to Joe Warren 20 months later. With Galvao having since submitted Warren to ensure the gold returned to Brazilian hands, these two will now try to get this fight on after two false starts. Galvao, on a four-fight win streak, will be more confident than ever of gaining a measure of revenge against Dantas, while ‘Dudu’ will hark back to the one-sided beatdown of 2013 as a sign of things to come.

At welterweight, former RFA and Tachi Palace Fights kingpin Chidi Njokuani (14-4) will look to build on a victorious promotional debut against Ricky Rainey last time out, though Brazilian Thiago Goncalves (18-4) will provide a substantial roadblock. A World Series of Fighting veteran, Goncalves fights out of Team Nogueira and has seen his last three wins come by way of knock out following a plethora of decision wins in his home country. Njokuani’s record, conversely, has seen him pick up 4 straight decision wins, while the rest of his record is littered with TKO wins. Whoever wins could be in for some tasty fights in a stacked Bellator welterweight division that includes the likes of Paul Daley, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, and Benson Henderson, with Andrey Koreshkov serving as the divisional champion.

One of two intriguing fights at middleweight will feature NCAA Division I All American Brandon Halsey (9-1) against UFC and Strikeforce veteran John Salter (11-3). Salter, an Alabama native, recorded a debut win in Bellator when he bested the dangerous Dustin Jacoby by second round submission, and has never gone the distance in his MMA career. He will be looking for a similarly quick out against the powerful Halsey, who fell at the final hurdle in his search for Bellator gold, dropping a second round KO defeat to kingpin Rafael Carvalho. With impressive wins over Brett Cooper, Alexander Shlemenko and Kendall Grove, however, ‘The Bull’ will be confident of getting back in the saddle at Bellator 156.

The other middleweight clash will see Chris Honeycutt (7-1) face off against Denmark’s Mikkel Parlo (13-2). Honeycutt, another NCAA Division I All American, 3-1 under the Bellator banner, with his sole defeat coming against the vastly experienced Paul Bradley. With a victory last time out over Joe Secor, however, Honeycutt will be confident of success against 26 year old Parlo, who is 4-2 under the Bellator banner. Defeats to Sultan Aliev and Brennan Ward aside, Parlo is a talented mixed martial artist with genuine fight-ending power.

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WSOF 31: Ivanov vs Copeland

World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Champion Blagoi Ivanov (13-1) will defend his title against UFC veteran Josh Copeland (12-3), a former RFA and Prize FC Heavyweight Champion who made a successful WSOF debut against Mike ‘300’ Hayes. With wins over Jan Jorgensen and DJ Linderman also to his credit, Copeland is a difficult opponent who looks a tough fight on paper for the man who burst onto the MMA scene after dethroning Fedor Emelianenko at the height of his World Combat Sambo domination. Since then, Bulgarian Ivanov has gone 6-1 in Bellator, his only defeat to M-1 Global’s Alexander Volkov, before racking up consecutive stoppage wins in WSOF. Having troubled the judges just twice in his career, Ivanov is a dangerous fighter who is just as comfortable pulling off a choke as he is landing a fight-stopping TKO, and Copeland will have to be at his very best to wrest away the gold.

At lightweight, Jason High (19-5) would love to replicate his promotional debut KO win over Estevan Payan, but in Canadian Mike Ricci (11-4) he faces a man on a three-fight win streak since his 1-2 stint in the UFC. With wins over the likes of Jorge Gurgel, Colin ‘Freakshow’ Fletcher and George Sotiropolous – as well as a TUF win over Neil Magny – Ricci is a dangerous and largely underrated fighter with a penchant for TKO’s. High, meanwhile, is most renowned as a hugely talented grappler, who was harshly cut from the UFC after a loss to reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos.

In the other featured attraction, Luis Palomino (24-12) most recently known for his scintillating series against Justin Gaethje, will face Sheymon Moraes (8-1). Having dropped to featherweight after defeat to Brian Foster, Palomino will hope his hard-hitting striking style will overwhelm former bantamweight contender Moraes, who moves up in weight after beating Robbie Peralta last time out. A hugely promising rookie who also holds a win over veteran Pedro Nobre, Moraes will look to bridge the potential size differential in what could be an explosive encounter at 145 lbs.