UFC expands to Sweden in 2011

In a recent interview by the MMAviking.com UFC president Dana White states that the UFC is planning to bring the show to Sweden. Direct quote from Dana: “It’s true, we’re coming to Sweden. We’ll be there this year." At this point Dana couldn't specify further when the event might happen.


Of course us Finns were hoping that the UFC would come to Finland first, but this is still excellent news for both Finnish fighters and fight fans. I just hope that Finland's top prospects like Marcus Vänttinen, Anton Kuivanen and Tom Niinimäki finally get a chance to show their skills in the Octagon once the UFC event in Sweden takes place. 


Source: http://www.mmaviking.com/well-be-there-sweden-this-year-says-dana-white/

Fight Festival 29: Finns victorious on home turf, Vänttinen scores 10th straight win

Fight Festival’s a bit surprising choice to put on a fight show on a Monday night proved to be a right one as the Helsinki Sports Hall was packed with fight fans on the 31^st of January. In true Fight Festival fashion besides MMA bouts the card also featured Muay Thai and Kickboxing fights.

In the main event Finnish lightheavyweight top prospect Marcus “Caveman” Vänttinen (19-2) made quick work of UFC veteran Ron Faircloth.  After a short feeling out period Vänttinen, who was at least 10 inches taller than his opponent, grabbed Faircloth in tight Thai clinch and landed crushing knees on him.  When Faircloth ate a big knee strike and dropped on his back, Vänttinen immediately followed with heavy ground and pound. Faircloth couldn’t defend properly, so the ref had to step in and stop the fight.  This was 10^th straight win for Marcus Vänttinen, who has significantly improved during past two years and is now clearly ready for the bigger stages.

Finnish lightweight star Anton “Wolverine” Kuivanen (14-4) got to show his new and improved ground game after a rocky start against the American Ryan “Bones” Bixler. Early in the first round Kuivanen got a serious poke in the eye in a situation where both guys were swinging for the fences.  After taking a long recovery time and getting checked by a doctor, Kuivanen could continue and came back strong with a 1-2 combination that landed clean. Bixler answered with a takedown when Kuivanen threw a flying knee. On the ground the American was quite passive from the top position, throwing just few punches. From the bottom Kuivanen worked on a kimura couple of times, but Bixler defended well. The second round really got going once Kuivanen exploded with another flying knee and caught Bixler’s head when he was shooting for a takedown.  Bixler managed to complete the takedown, but Kuivanen swept his opponent and took his back. After getting some strikes in and working on a armbar from back mount, Kuivanen eventually got both hooks in and applied a fight ending rear naked choke.  Win over Bixler extends Kuivanen’s winning streak to seven straight wins.  Training at the American Top Team camp in Florida has done marvels to Anton Kuivanen, who is now definitely one of the top dogs in the European lightweight division.

Juha-Pekka Vainikainen and Niko Puhakka, who are training partners and both representatives of Espoon Kehähait , added also wins to their records. Juha-Pekka Vainikainen’s (15-5) long reach and technical boxing was too much for the UFC veteran Brian Geraghty.  Vainikainen controlled the distance with a stiff jab and landed quite a few overhand rights. Geraghty had his moments too as the American threw wide looping punches and low kicks on Vainikainen. One of the overhand rights by Vainikainen made Geraghty’s knees buckle in the first round, but the experienced American defended well and recovered. Later in the fight, when it became obvious that Geraghty was getting picked apart on the feet, Geraghty tried to take Vainikainen down, but the Finn sprawled effortlessly out of the situations. In the end Vainikainen was awarded with a clear cut unanimous decision.  It was an impressive performance by the young Finn, but Geraghty also deserve thumbs up for his gutsy and fan friendly effort in the ring. With his long limbs and precise striking Vainikainen is a tough cookie at the LW division. It would be interesting to see how he can deal with a Euro top 10 opponent.

The most experienced Finnish lightweight on the card was Niko Puhakka (21-11), who bounced back to winning track after losing his last fight to Chute Boxe’s LW ace Luiz Azeredo by points.  Puhakka took on Croatian Ivica Truscek ( 11-5), who is a strong grappler with background in wrestling. Puhakka obviously didn’t respect his opponents grappling skills as he almost right away shot for a takedown and took Truscek down. As Truscek was working on his way up, Puhakka hop on his back and snatched a tight modified rear naked choke on him. Truscek had no choice but to tap out early in the first round.  This was a easy win for the ever improving Niko Puhakka, who earlier in his career was known for being a powerful brawler, but has lately displayed excellent ground skills in his fights.

In the preliminary fights Finnish wrestling powerhouse Jerry “AD/HD/ Kvarnström (8-1) put his Lithuanian opponent Aleksandrs Truskins to sleep in 44 seconds with a rear naked choke.  Kvarnström has been dealing with symptoms of overtraining during the last couple years, but he is healthy now and looking to stomp guys in the featherweight division.  Marcus Vänttinen little brother Johan Vänttinen won by unanimous decision and showed off his great skills against Jaakko-Pekka Laitala. Vänttinen made the crowd gasp loudly when he cranked Laitala’s arm to a horrible alignment with a kimura hold, but in the true spirit of “sisu”, a finnish term for exceptional perseverance, Laitala refused to tap. 

The evening opened up with a Muay Thai bout where Jaakko Dahlbacka knocked out Roman Siaudinis in the third round. In the kickboxing bout European Champion Jarkko Jussila put his powerful boxing to work and TKO’ed young Frenchman Anthony Plouvier in the fourth round. This was Jussila’s second fight in two days as he fought a pro boxing fight, which he also won by TKO in the fourth, on Saturday night. Quite an amazing feat from the Finnish striking machine.

Overall the night was a success from both promoter’s and fan’s point of view. The event gathered a big crowd and the fights delivered an entertaining night for the fight fans. Fight Festival promotion continues with Fight Festival 30 in March and moves back to its original, bigger venue in Helsinki.


Check the Fight Festival 29 photo gallery at Kulmassa.fi

Fight Festival 29 – Kallio Showdown

Time and place: 31^st of January 2011 at the Helsinki Sports Hall in Helsinki, Finland

Fight Festival continues to built its reputation as one of the leading fight promotions in Europe with this stacked card. Many of the fighters on the main card are hunting for their shot at the big leagues and that makes these fights particularly interesting. There is a lot in stake for these guys and I’m sure it will show in the ring too. Besides high quality MMA bouts there are also great kickboxing and Muay Thai fights on the card.

Main card:
LHW (205 lbs/93 kg): Marcus “Caveman” Vänttinen (18-2, Finland) vs
Ron Faircloth (33-18, USA)

Finland's young Marcus Vänttinen puts his top prospect status in test against the experienced American Ron Faircloth.

Marcus “Caveman” Vänttinen however fought at the Cage 14 against the American TUF vet Victor O’Donnell, who came to the fight with an impressive 9-1 pro record. O’Donnell, who has fought mostly at 185, proved to be a game fighter, but he didn’t have an answer for the bigger and stronger Vänttinen. Vänttinen was able to throw O’Donnell around the cage, scored numerous takedowns from the clinch and most of the fight held top position on the ground. Tenacious O’Donnell wasn’t willing to tap to an armbar in the third round, even when his hand was fully extended, so the fight went to the judges, who awarded Vänttinen with a unanimous decision win. After the Cage event Vänttinen fought again in December, this time it was more of a warm up fight, against Roman Skiba (2-6) in his hometown of Porvoo at the Battle Of Porvoo event. The young Finn made short work of his overmatched opponent and scored his ninth win in a row. Tall and lanky Vänttinen has made massive improvements during the last two years both to his physical performance and to his MMA skill set. Vänttinen uses his reach very well keeping his opponents on the outside with a stiff jab and in the clinch his solid Muay Thai skills come in to play. On the ground he likes to grind his opponents with short punches and elbows while looking for submissions and maintaining tight positional control.

Fighting since the dark days of the sport Ron Faircloth is your typical journeyman, who is willing to step in as a last minute replacement. Faircloth replaces Maro Perak, who pulled out of this fight, because of a fight he took in his home country of Croatia. A long time ago Faircloth managed to even get a shot in the UFC, but that one time didn’t end too well. Faircloth blasted Alessio Sakara with a literally nut cracking groin shot that left the Italian puking his guts out in a fetal position. Faircloth has fought some very tough guys like Gan McGee, Jason Lambert and Jason Day and even beaten guys like Wilson Gouveia, so it obvious that the guy can scrap. After being one and half years away from the fight game, Faircloth made a comeback in 2010 going 2-1 in three fights.

Summary: Tall and lanky Vänttinen, who has bulked up considerably over the past two years, enjoys once again a hefty reach and size advantage over his opponent. It’s probably obvious to both parties that the game plans are going to be set with this fact in mind. Vänttinen will look to control the distance with straight punches and kicks, while the shorter Faircloth will probably try to clinch with Vänttinen and utilize his grappling skills to take the fight to the ground. Vänttinen has shown very good stamina in his last fights, so the longer the fight goes, the more it should favor him.

LW (160 lbs/72 kg): Niko Puhakka (20-11, Finland) vs Ivica Truscek (11-5, Croatia)
Finnish LW powerhouse Niko Puhakka has been keeping himself busy lately fighting five times in last nine months. During this period Puhakka went 3-2 and won the KSW LW tournament. Puhakka’s losses came in fights against Marcus Aurelio and Luiz Azeredo, who managed squeeze a decision win from the Finn. Over the years Puhakka has been transforming from a brawler to a technically versatile fighter. His striking has been crisp and tight for a long time, but he has also shown very good ground skills lately. Especially in his fights against Azeredo and Aurelio (who eventually sub him though), Puhakka proved that he can hang with top guys on the ground.

And the ground war will probably be the name of the in this fight if the Croation Ivica “Terror” Truscek gets to decide. He hails from a wrestling background that shows in his MMA fights. Truscek usually prefers to take his opponents down and deliver GnP from the top position. He uses strikes on the feet mainly to set up his powerful shoots.

Summary:  The more experienced Puhakka has faced far stiffer competition in his career than Truscek has fought against, which I believe will show in this fight too. I also believe that Puhakka is the more well rounded fighter and he should have the advantage on the feet and on the ground too. But If Truscek manages to score a takedown or two and get his GnP going, he might pull off an upset.

LW (160 lbs/72 kg): Anton “Wolverine” Kuivanen (Finland) vs Ryan "Bones" Bixler (19-11, USA)

*update* The injury ridden FF29 card too another hit as Parke had to cancel due to a cut in his eye lid. Ryan "Bones" Bixler (19-11) from the US will step in for the injured Parke. 
Helsinki’s own Anton Kuivanen became a bit of a celebrity last year in his homeland due to a reality show called “Sali” (the Gym), that followed the lives of Finnish MMA fighters.  Kuivanen has a pretty good record of 13-4, but it’s getting even better. He’s 10-1 in his last ten with the only loss coming in the hands of Bendy Casimir. Since that loss the rapidly improving Kuivanen has won all his fights in a dominating fashion and is currently riding a six fight win streak. Kuivanen’s highly versatile and explosive striking is still his main weapon of choice, but during the last couple of years he has managed to take his wrestling and ground game to another level also. He has had few nagging injuries in the past that have affected his training and of course his performances in the cage too, but now he has been healthy for a while.  In his last fight Kuivanen TKO’ed another tough up-n-comer in UK’s Tim Radcliffe. Late in the first round Kuivanen exploded with a furious punch combination that sent stunned Radcliffe to the canvas. Kuivanen followed up with a few heavy shots on the ground, but Radcliffe defended well. However on the break after the first round it was obvious that Kuivanen’s strikes had broken Radcliffe’s eye socket, so the ref had no choice but to end the fight.  The young Finn has been lately honing his skills at the American Top Team gym in Florida, so it quite possible that we get to see completely new tricks in the ring.

Ryan Bixler, who is originally from one of the hotbeds of MMA in America, Iowa, isn't a bad last minute replacement at all. Bixler is an aggressive fighter, who prefers to fight on the feet. Three of his last four losses have come via submission, which tells you why he likes to stand and bang. However it's not like his ground game is non existent, but there are still some holes in it. Bixler has been training for a while now at the Team Quest in California with top of the food chain guys like Dan Henderson.

Summary: I don't know Bixler well enough to predict how this fight will play out. Since Kuivanen and Bixler both have a liking for the striking, I'd say that this fight will be settled on the feet. Bixler takes this fight on few days notice, which could take some of his steam. Cutting weight in a short time and taking a long flight from the west coast to Finland can be exhausting on your body.

LW (155 lbs/70 kg): Juha-Pekka Vainikainen (14-5, Finland) vs Brian Geraghty (24-14, USA):

The young Finn JP Vainikainen faces the American Brian Geraghty, who steps in for the injured Chris Brennan. 

JP Vainikainen has been on a roll in his last three fights that have lasted only four minutes combined. Six foot tall (183 cm) Vainikainen has a long frame and limbs for the LW division. This combined with his technically solid striking, makes him a tough fight for anyone who isn’t a powerful wrestler. On the ground he can certainly handle himself too and has numerous submission wins to back this up.

UFC vet Brian Geraghty makes his second appearance in the Fight Festival promotion. Last time we saw him was in November of 2009 at FF 26, when he fought and lost by points to Vainikainen’s training partner Niko Puhakka. Since that lost Geraghty has won four fights in a row and all by stoppage. Geraghty likes the ground fight, which is pretty obvious if you look at his record that has fourteen submission wins in it.

Summary:  Vainikainen will have a significant reach advantage on the feet that he will surely want to use. I’d expecting the young Finn to use his crisp straight punches to control the distance and punish Geraghty when he tries to close the distance. Geragthy will probably shoot for the takedowns right from the beginning and try push Vainikainen against the ropes, where he might be open for a takedown. 

I'll attend this event and post an event report afterwards. 

Cage 14 fight videos online

You can now watch the fights from the Cage 14 at the Fast TV website
http://www.gymtv.fi/archive_combat-tv.php

Check it out!

Fight Festival 29 and misc stuff

Fight Festival 29 takes place at 31th of January at the Helsinki Sports Hall in Helsinki, Finland. Fight Festival is one of the oldest premier MMA promotions in Europe and they're looking to deliver another great event with this card. The card is pretty much stacked with high quality euro talent.
MMA 3x5 min -205 lbs / -93 kg
Marcus Vänttinen, Alliance Porvoo vs
Maro Perak, Kroatia

MMA 3x5 min -160 lbs / -72,6 kg
Niko Puhakka, Espoon Kehähait vs
Ivica Truscek, Kroatia

MMA 3x5 min -72 kg
Anton Kuivanen, GB Gym / Team MMA Finland vs
Norman Parke, Irlanti

MMA 3x5 min -155 lbs / -70,3 kg
Juha-Pekka Vainikainen, Espoon Kehähait vs
Chris "The Westside Strangler" Brennan, USA 


Nice to see a true veteran Chris Brennan in Finland. I remember watching him fight Pat Miletich in UFC 16 back in 1998. Damn, the years go by fast.I'll a full preview of the event few days before the fights and of course a event report will follow.

On to other matters: check out this recently published highlight of Tom Niinimäki. If you ignore the crappy music, you'll notice that Niinimäki is the real thing at 145.

The Wish List for UFC Euro Signings in 2011

Dear Dana, Joe, Reed, Marshall and Santa Claus,

Here's my wish list of European fighters that I think deserve a chance to show their skills in the UFC in 2011. With the recent statement by the UFC UK executive that UFC will pump up the number of Euro events for 2011, I'm sure the UFC could use some of these guys.

LHWs:

Marcus ”Caveman” Vänttinen (19-2), Finland: 23 year old Finn has made massive improvements to his overall game and physique during the last two years and gone 10-0 in his last ten fights.

Jan Blachowicz (12-2), Poland:  Armed with a great ground game and solid muay thai Blachowicz is also riding a nine fight win streaks against respectable competition. He has competed at LHW, but I think dropping down to 185 would a better fit for him if he gets signed by the UFC.

Mamed Khalidov (20-4-2), Poland:  Obvious signing is obvious. Khalidov has also recently fought at LHW, but I think 185 would suit him better against top competition

.

MWs:

Vyacheslav “Slava” Vasilevski (11-1), Russia: 22 year old Russian has trained judo since age of nine and also competed in combat sambo and boxing before turning to MMA.Next Fedor? Only time will tell.

Papy “Makambo” Abedi (8-0), Sweden: Super aggressive judo black belt is known for his devastating ground and pound. Abedi has a great overall came together with an impressive physique. He has gone to decision only once in his career.

WWs:

Gunnar Nelson (8-0-1), Iceland: It’s time for the grappling wonder kid to step up and test his superb jiu-jitsu skills against the world class WW’s.

LWs:

Anton Kuivanen (14-4), Finland: Super explosive Finn is a real crowd pleasure with his aggressive style and lighting fast striking. Kuivanen, who recently joined ATT, is currently riding a seven fight win streak and is definitely ready for his shot at the big league.

Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy (12-0), Russia:  “Tiger” is a whirlwind of violence just like his training partner and coach Alex Shlemenko. Armed with KO power and slick ground game he has finished ten of his twelve fights with sub or KO.

Hamid “Akira” Corassani (10-2), Sweden: The swede is a great wrestler with a competent ground game and heavy hands.  Akira is on a six fight win streak and ready for bigger challenges.

FWs:

Tom “Stoneface” Niinimäki (15-5), Finland: The 27 year old Finn is a veteran of the sport as he has been fighting for ten years already. Thanks to his extensive background in various combat spots, Niinimäki, who just won the FILA Combat Grappling European Championships, is a true allround fighter. Since dropping to FW, he has gone 5-0 and cleaned out the European FW division with the exception of former training partner and friend Hellboy Hansen.  When you combine Niinimäki’s versatile skill set with his impressive physique for the 145 weight class and Fedoresque calmness in the cage, you know this kid is for real.

P.S. And for the love of God, Christmas and all that is holy, please bring the UFC to Finland. We got one of the strongest and oldest MMA scenes in Europe with a huge following and high quality fighters. The Finns love the fight game!

UFC 124: GSP vs Koscheck

Pääkortti:

Georges St-Pierre (20-2) vs. Josh Koscheck (15-4): Kotipoika GSP joutuu tiukkaan paikkaan kotilyleisön edessä, kun inhokki Koscheck haastaa mestarin uransa ensimmäisessä titteliottelussa. Herrojen edellinen kohtaaminen on varmasti vielä monen MMA-fanin muistissa, vaikka ottelusta jo kulunut 3,5 vuotta. Kyllä se aika rientää. Ottelusta on siis kauan aikaa ja paljon ehtinyt tapahtua sekä ottelijoiden kehityksessä että heidän urillaan. GSP on jatkanut voitokasta menoaan ja voittanut kuusi ottelua Koscheck-matsin jälkeen. Koscheck on myöskin otellut menestykkäästi, mutta pari kertaa on tullut takkiinkin. Thiago Alvesia vastaan Koscheck vaikutti kovin aseettomalta kaksi vuotta sitten ja 2009 vuoden alussa Koscheck koki yllätyksellisen tyrmäystappion Paolo Thiagon käsissä. Vimeiset kolme matsia (Trigg, Johnson, Daley) Koscheck on hoitanut kuitenkin tyylipuhtaasti ja dominoivaan tyyliin, minkä vuoksi tässä tilanteessa nyt ollaankin. Ottelijoiden työkalupakit ovat parantuneet myös sitten viime kohtaamisen. GSP:n alasviennit ovat entistä monipuolisempia ja top kontrolli matossa vieläkin tiukempaa. Koscheckin pystyosaaminen on parantunut todella paljon ja varsinkin miehen oikean käden moukari on murhaava, kuten monella muullakin fyysisesti voimakkaalla painijalla.

Ottelunkulku: Jotenkin on semmoinen fiilis, että tällä kertaa GSP ei pysty niittaamaan pistevoittoa pelkkiin alasvienteihin ja top kontrolliin nojaten. Koscheck on varmasti valmis painipuolella ja GSP:n eniten käyttämiin alasvienteihin (mm. knee tap) on kontraukset mietittynä. Koscheck on räjähtävä atleetti ja raskaskätinen painija, joten hän on jo siltä pohjalta mielenkiintoinen haastaja GSP:n voittokululle.  Tapahtuman viihdearvon kannalta olisi erinomaista, jos Koscheck onnistuisi lyömään GSP:n unten maille ja huudattamaan Montrealin yleisöä vielä post-fight vittuilulla. Itse kuitenkin uskon, että GSP:n lyöntipeli on tarkempaa ja teknisempää kuin häkin reunoja kauhovalla Koscheckillä ja tämän edun turvin kanukki nakuttaa teräviä osumia parin erän ajan. Kolmannessa erässä Koscheck on jo valmista lihaa ja GSP viimeistelee homman hankkimalla dominoivan position matossa ja takomalla TKO voiton. GSP by TKO strikes R3.

Stefan Struve (20-4) vs. Sean McCorkle (10-0): Viidettä metriä miestä on häkissä tässä jättiläisten kohtaamisessa. McCorkle otti UFC-debyytissään naurettavan helpon lukotusvoiton entisestä K1-suuruudesta Mark Huntista, joka näytti heränneen hotellin buffetista vartti ennen matsia. Tällä kertaa on eri meininki. Pitkänhuiskea hollantilainen Struve vetää nykyään jo aika hyvin pystyssä ja lisäksi nuorukainen kehittyy messevää vauhtia. McCorkle on hyvinkin viihdyttävä kaveri, mutta taitotaso ei oikeasti riitä edes näitä b-luokan UFC hevareita vastaan. Struve by KO R1.

Jim Miller (18-2) vs. Charles Oliveira (14-0): UFC LW divarin aliarvostetuimpiin työmyyriin lukeutuva Jim Miller saa meikäläisen kannatuksen. New Jerseyn työläispoika ei turhia mussuta tai värjää tukkaa, mutta tappelee oikein miehekkäästi. Uran ainoat tappiot ovat tulleet vuonna 2006 Frankie Edgarille ja vuonna 2009 Gray Maynardille, joten huonoille pienempi Miller ei ole hävinnyt. Viimeiseen kahteen Miller on lyönyt kovat tekijät Mark Bocekissa ja Gleison Tibaussa. Oliveira otteli viimeksi toisessa UFC-ottelussaan ja nappasi komean lopetuksen Escuderosta. Hyvä suoritus Oliveiralta, mutta Escudero missasi jo punnituksessa painorajan ja näytti muutenkin todella vaisulta verrattuna herran aikaisempiin esityksiin. Miller vetää erittäin hyvin sekä pystyssä että matossa, kun taas Oliveiran pystyosaamisessa, erityisesti nyrkkeilyssä, on mielestäni vielä isoja aukkoja. Oliveira on laatu nousukas, mutta brassi on todennäköisesti liian pieni 155-sarjaan. Miller vie matsin vahvalla fysiikalla ja paremmalla boksauksella. Miller by UD

Joe Stevenson (31-11) vs. Mac Danzig (19-8-1): Joe Daddy se jaksaa heilua ja suorittaa epätasaisesti. Parhaimmillaan Stevenson on erinomainen painijyrä, jolla on lisäksi pystyssä hyvä liike ja matossa tiukka giljotiini. Näiden avujen avulla mies on onnistunut lyömään kovia jannuja kuten Nate Diaz, Kurt Pellegrino ja Gleison Tibau. Huonoille ottelijoille Stevenson ei ole hävinnyt, mutta välillä otteissa on ollut toivomisen varaa, kuten esimerkiksi matsissa Floriania vastaan. Kenflo tuhosi Stevensonin neljässä minuutissa. Stevenson tulee matsiin tappio Sotoripoulokselle alla, mutta tällä kertaa on semipaistia tarjolla. Mac Danzig on rasittava viisastelija, joka on suurista puheistaan huolimatta 1-4 UFC:ssa viimeiseen viiteen. Danzig on liian pieni 155-sarjaan, eikä miehelle ole paikkaa divarissa UFC/WEC yhdistymisen jälkeisellä ajalla. Stevenson lähettää Danzigin ulos organisaatiosta viimeistään toisessa erässä. Stevenson by arm triangle R2.

Thiago Alves (17-7) vs. John Howard (14-4): Pitkältä tauolta Fitch-otteluun tullut Alves näytti tuolloin vielä keskentekoiselta, mutta nyt on varmasti eri ääni kellossa. Alves on palkannut Mike Dolcen huolehtimaan painonvedosta ja ravintopuolesta, joten tällä kertaa mittari värähtää todennäköisesti oikeaan kohtaan. Thaikkutaustainen lihaskimppu Alves on parhaillaan muita pystyottelijoita vastaan, eikä hän ole kertaakaan vielä hävinnyt pystyssä UFC-urallaan. John Howard on kova strikeri myös, mutta voitot ovat tulleet huomattavasti helpompia jannuja vastaan. Howard otteli hyvin viimeksi Ellenbergeriä vastaan, mutta kyllä nyt tulee toinen tappio putkeen. Alves by KO R2.

Prelit:

Dustin Hazelett (12-6) vs. Mark Bocek (8-3): Vakavista polvivammoista kärsinyt Hazelett on näyttänyt surkealta viimeisimmissä matseissaan 170-sarjassa, joten lukotusässä yrittää herättää henkiin uransa sarjaa alempana. Eipä onnistu tuokaan ainakaan tässä matsissa, sillä Bocek on erinomainen mattomies, kaksikosta parempi painija ja pystyssäkin kanukin nyrkkeily on valovuosia Hazelettin käsien ojentelemista edellä. Bocek by TKO strikes R2.

Rafael Natal (12-3) vs. Jesse Bongfeldt (21-7): Ei kuuluisi PPV eventtiin.

Matt Riddle (5-1) vs. Sean Pierson (10-4): Ei kuuluisi PPV eventtiin.

Dan Miller (12-4) vs. Joe Doerksen (46-13): Molemmat ukot ovat erinomaisia vääntäjiä, joten matsissa voi tulla yllättävänkin kova ja tekninen grappling näytös. 

Ricardo Almeida (12-4) vs. T.J. Grant (16-4): Samat sanat tähän. Kaksi huippuluokan vääntömiestä kyseessä, joten toivotaan matto-ottelua sloppy kickboxingin sijaan.

John Makdessi (7-0) vs. Pat Audinwood (9-1-1): Audinwood joutui viimeksi Tavaresin yliajamaksi, mutta nyt kevyempää kaliiberia vastassa. Audinwood by TKO strikes R1.