UFC 128 Ennakkokatsaus

19.3.2011 Prudential Center, Newark, USA

Pääkortti:
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-4) vs. Jon “Bones” Jones (12-1): Aijai tätä herkkua! Yhdessä kaikkien aikojen LHW-matsissa kohtaavat entinen ihmelapsi Shogun Rua ja nykyinen ihmelapsi Bones Jones.

Kohta kolmenkymmenen vuoden ikään ehtineen Shogunin ottelulistaa kun katsoo niin ”murderers' row ” on ensimmäinen asia mikä tulee mieleen. Lista on täynnä kevyen raskaansarjan legendoja: Liddell, Rampage, Machida, Coleman, Little Nog, Arona ja niin edelleen. Vastuksen taso huomioiden uran neljän tappiota yli 20 matsissa on todella vähän, mutta tappioita analysoi vielä vähän pintaa syvemmälle niin Shogun näyttää entistä paremmalle. Babalulle kärsitty kuristustappio vuodelta 2003 on selvä homma, mutta muissa kolmessa on hieman jossiteltavaa. Coleman-tappio tuli alasviennin yhteydessä tapahtuneen loukkaantumisen takia ja Forrest-tappion syynä oli polvivammasta johtunut paha keskenkuntoisuus. Ja suurin osa asiantuntevista MMA-faneista lienee yhtä mieltä siinä, että Shogun ei todellakaan hävinnyt Machidalle heidän ensimmäisessä kohtaamisessaan. Joka tapauksessa takana on loistava, mutta myös valitettavan vaivainen ura. Polvileikkauksia on nyt takana ainakin kolme, eikä mistään pienistä operaatioista ole kysymys. Tähänkin otteluun Shogun tulee polvioperaation aiheuttamalta ottelutauolta. Brassin taitopaketti (hieno suomennos skillsetistä) on varmasti kaikkien tiedossa: jäätävä tekninen thaikku pystyssä, keskinkertainen pystypaini ja hyvä mattopeli. Lisäksi vanhan koulun Pride-fanit muistavat kuinka vihaisesti Shogun lyö päältä. Heikkouksia ovat olleet tietyssä määrin alasvientien puolustus ja fyysinen suorituskyky, jotka liittyvät molemmat ainakin osittain polvivammoihin.

Kun Jonesin typerä diskaustappio jätetään huomioimatta, on poikkeuksellisen lupauksen rekordi vielä puhtoinen. Jones on poikkeuksellinen, ei pelkästään fysiikkansa ja omaperäisten liikkeiden takia, vaan myös kehittymisen nopeuden suhteen. On uskomatonta, että mies ottelee UFC LHW-tittelistä vain kolme vuotta ammattilaisuran aloittamisen jälkeen ja astelee otteluun vielä suosikin paineet niskassa! Jonesin tähänastiset vastustajat eivät ole olleet Shogunin tasoa, mutta tapa, jolla Jones on heidät hoidellut, puhuu tylyä kieltä. Nuoren jenkin kreikkalaisroomalaistyylinen pystypaini tuntuu olevan varsinainen killeri vastustajille, jotka ovat tottuneet puolustamaan alasvientejä lähinnä sproolaamalla.

Yhteenveto: Jonesin alasvieminen on lähes mahdotonta, ja matossa Jonesin kontrolloiminen alta vaikuttaa olevan erittäin tuskallinen tehtävä (ks. Vera, Matyshenko, Bonnar ottelut). Pystyssä Jonesilla on aina valtava ulottuvuusetu puolellaan ja clinchissä hänen greco-taidot jyräävät. Kohtalaisen kova pähkinä Shogunille purtavaksi, mutta lääkkeitä on. Shogun luultavasti lähtee otteluun pitkälti samalla taktiikalla kuin Machidaa vastaan. Hyvä liike pystyssä, monipuolisia thaikkukombinaatioita tarpeeksi läheltä ja terävät alapotkut kontrauksena aina kun vastustaja liikkuu sisään. Oma veikkauksen mukaan Shogun pärjää alussa hyvin, mutta jossain vaiheessa Jones saa ottelun tonttiin ja se on lopun alku. Jones by TKO strikes R3

Urijah Faber (24-4) vs. Eddie Wineland (18-6-1): Siviilissä leppoisa Faber on häkissä kuin ahma: pieni, helvetin kiukkuinen, sitkeä, nopea ja vahva. Entinen WEC-champpi Wineland on myös kova jannu, mutta otellut pääasiassa huomattavasti Faberia heikompia tyyppejä vastaan. Miesten tasoero näkyy selvimmin tappioita katsoessa. Siinä missä Faber on hävinnyt vain painoluokan absoluuttiselle kärjelle (Aldo, Brown, Griffin) , on Wineland hävinnyt Yahyan ja Beeben kaltaisille ottelijoille. Faber jyrää nopeudella ja painilla. Faber by TKO strikes R2

Jim Miller (19-2) vs. Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2): Aavistuksen ihmeellistä match makingia Joe Silvalta. Miller on voittanut viimeiset kuusi otteluaan, mikä on todella hyvin kivikovassa UFC LW-divarissa. Lisäksi työmyyrä on pieksänyt kahdessa viimeisissään Tibaun ja Oliveiran kaltaiset arvostetut tekijät, joten tuntuu ihmeellistä, että nyt vastaan laitetaan WEC-tuloaks Shalorus. Varsinkin kun Shaloruksen viime matsit ovat kovin tiukkoja splittituomioita Milleriä kevyempää vastusta vastaan. Iranilaissyntyinen Shalorus on erinomainen painija ja varsinainen kivilihasmöykky, mutta ottelemista leimaa jäykkyys ja sitä seuraava kaasuuntuminen. Miller on erittäin monipuolinen tekijä ja lyöntipeli on parantunut kokoajan. Toissa kerralla Miller löi Tibaulta polvet veteläksi. Shalorus pysyy alun hyvin mukana, mutta Miller kiristää pystyssä tahtia ottelun edetessä ja nappaa väsyneestä vastustajasta kuristusvoiton kolmannessa. Miller by RNC R3.

Nate Marquardt (30-10-2) vs. Dan Miller (13-4): Dan Miller korvaa loukkaantuneen Akiyaman ottelussa, jonka voittaminen on hänelle erittäin vaikeaa, varsinkin lyhyellä varoitusajalla.. Marquardt on ollut vaikeuksissa supervahvoja painijoita kuten Sonnenia ja Okamia vastaan, mutta isomman Millerin painipuoli tai fysiikka ei ole edellä mainittujen herrojen tasolla. Bisping ja Maia naputtivat Milleristä helposti pistevoiton pystyssä, mutta Marquardtilla on kovemmat kädet. Marquardt by TKO R2.

Brendan Schaub (7-1) vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (27-8-2): Fighters Onlyn John Joen tekemästä muutaman päivän takaisesta haastattelusta käy hyvin ilmi miksi CroCop ei ole enää entisensä: lukuisat loukkaantumiset ja leikkaukset ovat syöneet parhaan fysiikan ja harjoittelumotivaatio on kaukana parhaista ajoista. Jacksonin leirin lupaava nuorukainen  Schaub dominoi viimeksi Gonzagaa pystyssä kolmen erän ajan. Nyrkkeilytaustalta ponnistavan Schaubin nopeus ja tekninen boksaus oli liikaa brassille ja mielestäni on hyvin todennäköistä, että se on liikaa myös Mirkolle. CroCop ei ole koskaan ollut mikään boksaaja, eikä herra pärjännyt hyvin käsillä lyöviä vastustajia vastaan. Nopeutensa turvin Schaub naputtaa tässä tyylipuhtaita osumia pysyen itse kohtalaisen koskemattomana. Schaub by UD

Prelit SpikeTV:llä:
Luiz Cane (10-3) vs. Eliot Marshall (10-2): Marshall korvaa sairastuneen Vemolan. Erinomaisesti UFC:ssa jo vuosia sitten aloittanut Banha Cane on kärsinyt pari kovaa tappiota viimeisessä kahdessaan. Ensin Pikku-Nogi täräytti brassin katolleen ja sitten Ranskan Cyrille Diabate toisti tempun UFC 114:ssa. Väkivaltaisesti häkissä käyttäytyvä Banha on pystyssä kovakätinen iskijä, mutta koppeja tulee omaan päähän vähän turhan helposti. Tuskastuttavan tylsän Matyshenko-matsin ja siinä tulleen tappion takia yllätyspotku saanut Marshall on voittanut tuon jälkeen kolme matsia UFC:n ulkopuolella. Marshall ei ole mikään erityisen hyvä ottelija millään osa-alueella, mutta matossa BJJ musta vyöllä pitäisi olla tässä matsissa etu puolellaan. Toivoisin kuitenkin, että Cane löytäisi vaihteeksi maalinsa ja päräyttäisi tähän kunnon highlight reel KO:n Cane by KO R1.

Anthony Njokuani (13-4) vs. Edson Barboza Jr. (7-0): Hehkuttelin tätä matsia jo UFC LW-divaria käsitelleessä jutussa. Molemmat herrat ovat aivan karmeita Muay Thai terminaattoreita, joten odotusarvo matsin osalta on tapissa. Voihan se toki olla, että tämä menee kyttäilyksi niin kuin huippuiskijöiden väliset kohtaamiset joskus menevät. Molemmat ovat kuitenkin sen verran aggressiivista sorttia, että eiköhän tässä lyödä niin, että miestä kaatuu tai ainakin kilon paloja irtoaa. Barbozan potkupeli on luita murskaavaa, mutta Njokuanilla puolestaan kippiä lyönneissään. Barboza on suosikki, mutta itse kallistun Njokuanin puoleen. Njokuani by UD.

Prelit Facebookissa:
Ricardo Almeida (13-4) vs. Mike Pyle (20-7-1): Pyle on viimeisissään paininut voitot Jesse Lennoxista ja John Hathawaysta, joka oli veteraanin uran suurin voitto. Tällä kertaa on vaikeampaa, sillä Almeidaa Pyle ei pysty painilla voittamaan. Epäilisin, että viimeksi TJ Grantin helposti voittanut Almeida on parempi pystyssä. Almeida by UD.

Kurt Pellegrino (16-5) vs. Gleison Tibau (21-7): Kahden voimapainijan kohtaaminen ei herätä kummemmin tuntemuksia puoleen jos toiseen. Tibau loistaa keskinkertaisuuksia vastaan, mutta huippu-ukkoja vastaan brassi tuntuu jäävän hieman vajaaksi. Pellegrinolla vähän sama tarina, joten siinä mielessä sopiva matsi. Pellegrino otteli hyvin pystyssä Sotiropoulosta vastaan, joten veikataan UD-voittoa New Jerseyn suuntaan. Pellegrino by UD.

Prelit:
Joseph Benavidez (13-2) vs. Ian Loveland (14-7): Jopa 135-paunaisiin alikokoinen Benavidez on raju pikku-ukko, eikä tässä matsissa ole hirveästi järkeä. Ennen 145:ssa otellut Loveland on kyllä seitsemän voiton putkessa, mutta vastustajien taso on valovuosien päässä Benavidezesta. Benavidez by TKO strikes R2.

Erik Koch (11-1) vs. Raphael Assuncao (16-3): Erittäin lupaava 22-vuotias Koch on hävinnyt vain kerran. Tuo tappio tuli pisteillä FW-sarjan ykköshaastaja, painijyrä Chad Mendesille. Assuncao on tasaisesti suorittava kovan luokan brassi , joka puristi viimeksi pistevoiton laadukkaasta LC Davisista. Uskoisin, että pystyssä Kochilla on kuitenkin etu. Koch by KO R1.

Nick Catone (8-2) vs. Costantinos Philippou (7-1): Kotiyleisölle tehty matsi, jossa New Jerseyn Catone kohtaa Philippoun, joka on Renzon suojatti. Jesse Forbesista pistevoiton paininut Catone on kärsinyt polvivammoista ja ottelutaukoa on nyt yli vuosi. Philippou on ollut viime matseissaan ihan tekijämiehen oloinen. Philippou by UD 

Fight Festival 30 filled with brutal knock outs and flashy submissions

Fight Festival 30 delivered an extremely exciting night of fighting for a packed house at the Töölö Sports Hall in Helsinki. Out of the ten fights on the card, only the Kickboxing European Championship fight went to the judges decision while all MMA bouts ended to before the scorecards were needed.

In the main event of the event recent Bellator Middleweight Tournament winner Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko showcased his amazing striking skills against last minute replacement Nick Wagner of USA. The game bred American came out aggressive right from the start, but Shlemenko kept his emotionless calm and hit Wagner with his signature move, a crushing spinning back fist, that wobbled Wagner and opened a nasty cut to his forehead. Wagner managed to recover, ducked under Shlemenko’s strikes and took him down. Shlemenko quickly swept his opponent and jumped back to his feet where he continued to bomb his opponent with heavy punches and knee strikes. Shlemenko hit already dazed Wagner with a beautiful overhand right that sealed the deal and made Wagner face plant on the canvas. This was the third time Shlemenko fought at the Fight Festival and I really hope we get to see the explosive Russian fight again in Helsinki.

In the co-main event bout Finland’s super prospect Marcus “Caveman” Vänttinen made quick work of UFC vet Edwin “Babyface” Dewees. Dewees, who failed to make weight and had to give a part of his purse to Vänttinen, didn’t have an answer for Vänttinen’s huge reach and devastating ground and pound. After hitting Dewees with couple of stiff jabs, Vänttinen took his opponent down and started to rain down heavy bombs from the top. Dewees, despite being a slick grappler, was completely overwhelmed by the attack, so the ref had no choice but to step in and call it off. The win over Dewees was Vänttinen’s eleventh consecutive win and pushes his career record to an impressive 20-2. While waiting for a call from the UFC, the 24 year old Finn is keeping himself busy and fights again already in April at the Rock & Brawl event in Finland.

Finland’s rising lightweight talent Juha-Pekka Vainikainen stretched his winning streak to five wins by beating American Ryan “Bones” Bixler via technical knock out in the first round. Vainikainen hit Bixler with some good shots right from the start but unfortunately he also hit Bixler with a knee to the groin. After Bixler had time to recover, the fight continued on the same track as Vainikainen blasted Bixler with a stiff right hand that dropped him right on the spot. Vainikainen followed Bixler to the ground and managed to get few strikes in before the ref jumped between the two. Bixler got quickly back on his feet and protested the decision to the referee. It seemed that it was a flash knock out and the stoppage might have been a bit early, but to the referees defense I must say that he had a bad angle to the situation and Bixler did drop like a sack of potatoes.

Another Finn fighter on the rise is Joni Salovaara, who beat German-based American Anthony “Death Dealer” Durnell in an exciting featherweight fight. First two rounds of the fight were pretty similar with Salovaara scoring takedowns and taking his opponents back. In both rounds Salovaara worked hard on a rear naked choke and seemed to have it locked couple of times but the American defended well and got out of the situations. In the third round Durnell managed to get top position but that did him no good as Salovaara caught him with a fight ending triangle choke.  This was a great win for the young Salovaara who has now five wins in a row.

One of the best “unknown” lightweight fighters in Europe, Vener Galiev, shined in the fight against experienced American Ryan “Diamond” Healy. Healy came out aggressive and tried to put his hands on the Russian but Galiev was very light on his feet and stayed out of harm’s way. As Healy tried to move in, Galiev nailed him with a beautiful upper cut that made Healy’s knees wobbly. Galiev continued on his attack and finished his opponent on the ground with heavy strikes. The 36 year old Russian, who won the Combat Sambo World Championship in 2008 and 2009, has now a record of 19-6 in MMA but in reality his record is something in the line of 57-8. Like I wrote in the preview, I think that Galiev is a top ten Euro lightweight based on his skills and fighting ability so it would be great to see him face stiffer competition and bigger names in his future fights.

In the prelims Marcus Vänttinen’s little brother, Johan, stayed undefeated and submitted Lithuanian Petras Dirgelas with a kimura in the first round. Another up-n-comer who kept his record clean was Russia’s Andrey "Koresh" Koreshkov, a pupil of Aleksander Shlemenko. Koreshkov took his time on the feet against BJJ black belt Eduardo "Jamelao" Conceicao, waited patiently and then nailed Conceicao with a crushing knee as the Brazilian shot in for the takedown. Conceicao was out for a long time on the canvas but eventually he made back to his feet and seemed to be alright. In womens MMA fight StrikeForce vet Maiju Kujala’s ground game proved to be too much for UK’s Emma Watson. After taking her opponent down, Kujala effortlessly moved to mount and pounded a TKO win from the top. European Submission Grappling Champion Greger Forsell put on a grappling fest together with Lithuanian Laimonas Stancikas. Stancikas was very slick on the ground and even threated Forsell in some legit submission attempts but eventually he had to succumb to Forsell’s superior ground skills and tapped out to an armbar late in the second round.

In the lone kickboxing bout WAKO European Championship belt was on the line. After ten rounds of exciting fighting Finland’s defending champion Jarkko Jussila was declared as the winner by unanimous decision. The challenger Valdrin Vatnikaj, who fights out of Belgium, hit the champ numerous times with lighting fast counterstrikes but in the end Jussila’s constant pressure and reach advantage was too much for Vatnikaj. 

Fight Festival 30 Live Results

Live results from the Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland.
1. Johan Vänttinen vs Petras Dirgelas: Vänttinen by kimura R1
2. Maiju Kujala vs Emma Watson: Kujala by TKO strikes R1
3. Greger Forsell vs Laimonas Stancikas: Forsell by armbar R2
4. Jamelao vs Andrey Koreshkov: Koreshkov by KO knee R1
5. Joni Salovaara vs Anthony Durnell: Salovaara by triangle R3
6. Vener Galiev vs Ryan Healy: Galiev by KO R1
7. Kickboxing Euro Championship: Jarkko Jussila vs Valdrin Vatnikaj: Jussila by UD
8. J-P Vainikainen vs Ryan Bixler: Vainikainen by TKO R1
9. Marcus Vänttinen vs Edwin Dewees: Vänttinen by TKO R1
10. Alexandr Shlemenko vs Nick Wagner: Shlemenko by KO R1


Check out the FF30 photo gallery at Pakkotoisto.com

Fight Festival 30 Preview

Time and location: 12th of March 2011 at the Töölö Kisahalli in Helsinki, Finland.

Fight Festival 30 will be one of the biggest MMA events this spring in Finland. The card is absolutely stacked with high quality prospects and seasoned veterans of major promotions.

*** UPDATE: Josh Bryant is injured and out of the main event fight. ***
Main event MW fight: Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko (30-5), Russia vs Nick Wagner (6-2), USA
In the main event of the night recent Bellator Middleweight Tournament winner Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko meets last minute replacement Nick Wagner from the USA.

After fighting a long and successful period in the Russian and European MMA events, in 2010 Shlemenko finally launched himself on the map of American MMA. After beating Sean Salmon at the Fight Festival 27, Shlemenko signed with the Bellator promotion and agreed to participate to Bellator’s middleweight tournament. The Russian cleared his path to the final, where he scored a quick TKO win over Bryan Baker, snatching a hefty 100000 dollar bonus for the tournament victory. As the tournament winner Shlemenko got a chance to fight for the middleweight belt against the champion Hector Lombard. After a grueling five rounds of fighting Lombard was awarded with the unanimous decision.

Nick Wagner steps in for injured Josh Bryant. Wagner has fought with some success on local shows in his home state of North Dakota. Will he blinded by the bright lights of Helsinki? 

Summary: When you consider the fact, that Shlemenko is a world class middleweight, it's obvious that this fight is ridiculous on paper. But injuries happen in this sport all the time and it's great that Fight Festival was able to find someone to fight Shlemenko. 

LHW fight: Marcus “Caveman” Vänttinen (19-2) vs Edwin “Babyface” Dewees (36-13)

In the co-main event Finland’s top prospect Marcus “Caveman” Vänttinen takes on another UFC veteran in USA’s Edwin “Babyface” Dewees.

At the Fight Festival 29 Vänttinen completely bulldozed UFC vet Ron Faircloth in a fight that lasted under two minutes. The Faircloth bout was Vänttinen’s fourth fight in four months. In October 2010 Vänttinen dominated UFC vet Ivan Serati on the ground and finished him in just four minutes. This was followed a unanimous decision win at Cage 14 over American Victor O’Donnell, who fans might remember from the Ultimate Fighter show. Vänttinen is currently riding a 10 fight win streak and has openly stated that getting signed by the UFC is his goal at the moment. A win over a crafty veteran like Dewees would move the 24 year old Finn a step closer to reaching his goal.

Fighting ever since he turned eighteen and fighting over 50 professional bouts, now 28 year old 

Edwin Dewees is a true veteran of the sport. Dewees, product of the once famed Lions Den gym, is probably best known for fight against Gideon Ray on the Ultimate Fighter season four.  In the fight Dewees suffered a horrible cut to his forehead and the fight turned into a three round bloodbath. Despite the huge pool of blood, there were even some comical aspects in the fight as Dewees pounded Ray from side mount with one hand while applying pressure to his cut with his other hand. Dewees is a proficient submission grappler, who has scored amazing 29 submission wins. During his long career he has fought guys like Rich Franklin, Little Nog and Frank Trigg, which tells you that Dewees isn’t afraid of challenges. Since his high profile fight with Little Nog at the Afflication in 2008, Dewees has fought just once at a local show in 2009.

Summary: Dewees is a great grappler and he can surely put Vänttinen into some hairy situations on the ground if he gets him there first. However when you consider the facts that Dewees, who has fought as a middleweight most of his career, is coming off a long layoff and will be a lot smaller than Vänttinen come fight time, it’s obvious that Vänttinen will be a heavy favorite to win this bout. Vänttinen will try to keep the fight on the feet, where he can use his reach advantage and superior striking to chop down Dewees.

LW fight: Juha-Pekka Vainikainen (15-5) vs Ryan "Bones" Bixler (19-12), USA

Young Finn Juha-Pekka Vainikainen locks horns with American Ryan ”Bones” Bixler, who fights second time in Finland in 2011. Both guys fought in the Fight Festival 29 event in late January. 

Vainikainen beat UFC vet Brian Gegaghty by keeping the fight on the feet where he could use his reach advantage and superior boxing to pick his foe apart. Even though he has a competent ground game, Vainikainen, who is tall and long limbed for a lightweight, is on his best on the feet. 

Keeping the fight on the feet won’t be an easy task against Ryan Bixler. Originally from Iowa, the young American hails from a wrestling background and currently trains at the famed Team Quest that is known for producing powerful wrestlers. At the Fight Festival 29 Bixler lost to Finnish lightweight star Anton Kuivanen by rear naked choke in the second round, but before that he looked good and took Kuivanen down couple of times with beautiful slams.

Summary: Both guys are basically allround fighters, but I think Vainikainen will hold the advantage on the feet while Bixler has the edge in wrestling. Look for the aggressive American to push for takedowns right from the start. Vainikainen will probably try to stick and move and to wear down his opponent with precision strikes, much like he did in his last fight.

FW fight: Joni Salovaara (6-4) vs Anthony “Death Dealer” Durnell (9-2), USA

In a high quality featherweight bout Finland’s young gun Joni Salovaara welcomes American soldier Anthony Durnell to Finnish soil.

After his fighting career got off with a rocky start Joni Salovaara has found his rhythm and won his last four fights against respectable competition. In his latest fight against the Finnish grappling phenom Timo-Juhani Hirvikangas, Salovaara showed calmness under pressure, defended the submission attempts well and smashed his opponent in the second round, earning an impressive TKO victory. Much like his training partners Puhakka and Vainikainen at the Espoon Kehähait’s gym, Salovaara is an allround fighter, but for this bout I think he’d rather keep it on the feet.

Fighting out of Ramstein air force base in Germany, American Anthony Durnell has put together a great record of nine wins with just two losses. One of the two losses came in the hands of Salovaara’s training partner J-P Vainikainen, who choked out Durnell at Iron Fist 3 event in November of 2010. Durnell is a pretty good wrestler, who likes to stay active on the ground with the ground and pound.

Summary: As a wrestling oriented fighter Durnell will probably try to take Salovaara down, get the top position and put his ground and pound to work. Salovaara is pretty slick of his back, but I believe he’ll try to avoid the ground game and use his superior striking on the feet.

LW fight: Vener Galiev (17-6), Russia vs Ryan “Diamond” Healy (19-9), USA

Russian Vener Galiev steps in for the injured Anton Kuivanen and fights Team Quest’s Ryan Healy in a lightweight bout that could end up being the fight of the night.

RusFighters’ Vener Galiev has a strong background in Sambo, which shows in his MMA fights too. Galiev has great trip takedowns and throws from the clinch and a competent ground game. He is also light on his feet and rarely gets hit with big punches. Galiev has won three of his last four fights, including a win over Finnish WW/MW fighter Mikko Suvanto at Fight Festival 27. In October of 2010 at the FNR event in Moscow Galiev lost by points to his team mate and highly regarded prospect Shamil Zavurov (14-1).

During his nearly ten year long fighting career Strikeforce and WEC veteran Ryan Healy has seen a lot and fought some super tough guys like Jorge Masvidal and Rick Story, who both went to decision with Healy. Healy hasn’t been finished since 2006, when he lost to Rob McCullough by cut stoppage. The persistent American has won four of his last five with the lone loss coming in his latest fight against the Canadian Kajan Johnson at the MFC event in November of 2010. Despite having strong wrestling, Healy is known for his aggressive fighting style. Out of his 19 career wins, 11 have come via TKO or KO and 5 by submission.

Summary: This is a very interesting match up from a technical point of view. Thanks to his extensive Sambo background, Galiev is very hard to take down, so it’ll be interesting to see how this fight plays out. Healy will surely try to push the pace with constant pressure and turn the fight into a brawl, which would favor his hard-nosed style of fighting. Based on his skills I would say that Galiev is a European top ten level fighter, so Healy better bring his A-game to Helsinki or he’s going to get Sambo’ed.

Also on the card

In a welterweight bout Brazilian BJJ black belt Eduardo "Jamelao" Conceicao (4-2) will test the ground skills of Russian Andrey "Koresh" Koreshkov (2-0). Finland’s grappling ace Greger Forsell (1-0) gets a challenge from Lithuanian grappler Laimonas Stancikas (7-8). In woman’s MMA fight StrikeForce vet Maiju Kujala (4-3) meets UK’s Emma Watson (1-0), who put on an awesome show at the Fight Festival 27. In a welterweight bout undefeated Johan Vänttinen (2-0) will try to continue on his winning ways against Lithuanian Petras Dirgelas (1-0).

Fight Festival has always been a versatile combat sports event that holds Kickboxing and Muay Thai fights mixed with MMA bouts. In the European Kickboxing Championship title fight the reigning champion Jarkko Jussila of Finland is challenged by Valdrin Vatnikaj, who fights out of Belgium. 

Check out the blog on Saturday night for live results from the FF 30! Full event report will follow on Sunday.