Rosenthal League
Daniel Galvan: 19-8, .704
Benjamin Kohn: 23-10, .697
Nolan Howell: 40-18, .690
Josh Hall: 24-11, .686
Tim Bernier: 23-11, .676
Tim Hickey: 29-15, .659
Winslow League
Christian Diaz: 23-12, .657
Chris Groves: 30-19, .612
Lucas Bourdon: 7-5, .583
Connor Dillon: 26-19, .578
Luke Irwin: 40-39, .506
TC Engel: 20-20, .500
Light Heavyweight Bout: Gegard Mousasi (33-3-2) vs. Ilir Latifi (7-2)
Luke Irwin: This is going to look like Rocky IV, as Gegard Drago pummels Apollo Latifi in front of his friend and training partner ringside. THROW THE DAMNED TOWEL, GUS! HE DOESN’T KNOW IT’S A DAMNED EXHIBITION! Mousasi R1 KO.
Ben Kohn: Mousasi by whatever he wants but I will pick KO. Mousasi R1 KO.
Nolan Howell: I guess it would be telling if I were to tell you that I initially thought Gegard Mousasi was going to beat the brakes off of Alexander Gustafsson. Ilir Latifi will probably be solid enough to beat LHW newcomers, but this will be ugly. Gegard Mousasi by first-round submission.
Lightweight Bout: Ross Pearson (14-6) vs. Ryan Couture (6-1)
Luke Irwin: Pearson is back at lightweight, where I like him much, much better. Ryan’s a quality fighter, but he’s squeaked by with some favorable decisions lately, and this is a big step up for him. Pearson via R2 TKO.
Ben Kohn: Pearson easy UD, Couture is out of his league here.
Nolan Howell: Ross Pearson is going to have a successful UFC career. His main strategy seems to be defensive grappling to stand up and use his slick boxing-oriented attack. Ryan Couture doesn’t have the striking of some of the opponents Pearson has seen. Ryan Couture doesn’t have the grappling of some of the opponents Pearson has seen. Easy pick, just depends on how Pearson wins it. Ross Pearson by unanimous decision.
Heavyweight Bout: Matt Mitrione (5-2) vs. Phil De Fries (9-2)
Luke Irwin: Mitrione is competent enough to avoid the fight going to the ground, which is the only place De Fries has a chance. Mitrione keeps it standing and finishes him off. Mitrione via R2 TKO.
Ben Kohn: Mitrione finishes De Fries early with a nice highlight-reel KO. Mitrione via R1 KO.
Nolan Howell: The writing is on the wall for this one. Phil De Fries has some punching power, but he is known for being a grappling specialist. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the wrestling to bring fights to that point. Even more unfortunately, his opponent has slicker technique on the feet and hits pretty hard. Matt Mitrione, could you hand Mr. De Fries this pink slip? Matt Mitrione by first-round KO.
Bantamweight Bout: Brad Pickett (22-7) vs. Mike Easton (13-2)
Luke Irwin: Ehhh…this has the looks of Easton grinding out a boring one. Easton via SD.
Ben Kohn: After Easton’s piss poor performance last time out, and Pickett in that position of just below elite, I see Pickett getting the UD.
Nolan Howell: A lot of folks are high on Mike Easton. To me, that seems a little premature. His most impressive victory came against Byron Bloodworth and he has had troubles in his other fights, whether it be getting hit too much or not putting up sufficient offense. Brad Pickett is someone who gets slept on, having only lost to Scott Jorgensen, Renan Barao, and Eddie Wineland in his Zuffa career. This one looks competitive, but Pickett should take this handily. Brad Pickett by unanimous decision.
Featherweight Bout: Diego Brandao (16-8) vs. Pablo Garza (12-3)
Luke Irwin: I love Brandao as a fighter, and if this was six months ago, I’d bet my house that Diego waxes Pablo. But the Hominick fight changed that. For ONCE, Pablo used his reach against the much, much smaller Hominick. He painted a masterpiece in that fight. He was training with the Diazes, which is one of the best things he can do, as he basically has Nate’s frame, but longer. He looked like a long-lost Diaz cousin, and I think he uses that training to pick apart Brandao. Garza via UD.
Ben Kohn: In the fight that excites me the most on this card, I see Brandao and Garza putting on a hell of a round until Brandao drops Garza and finishes him. Brandao via R1 KO.
Nolan Howell: Pablo Garza has shown some flashes of genius, but he remains overall unpolished and seems to rely on his length on the ground while not using it so much on his feet. That is not a good idea at all against Diego Brandao. While Brandao may be a streaky fighter, Garza doesn’t have the prowess anywhere in this fight to handle Brandao efficiently, save for maybe cardio. Diego Brandao by first-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Akira Corassani (10-3) vs. Robbie Peralta (16-3)
Luke Irwin: This, again, to me, comes down to strength of schedule. Corassani, three fights ago, beat a man by scissor choke. Scissor choke. Peralta, on the other hand, beat Hiroyuki Takaya and knocked out Jason Young. Peralta via R1 KO.
Ben Kohn: Peralta is a better striker with a better chin. Peralta KO rd 1.
Nolan Howell: Robbie Peralta is a powerful striker who has shown some efficient technique on the feet. Akira Corassani is somewhat of a journeyman who doesn’t excel at much of anything. Unless some miracle punch lands, this one is academic. Robbie Peralta by second-round TKO.
Lightweight Bout: Michael Johnson (12-7) vs. Reza Madadi (12-3)
Luke Irwin: Michael Johnson…it’s like once somebody puts on a Blackzillians shirt, it’s made of mercury. Madadi’s shine has faded a little bit, but Johnson looked sooooo bad last fight. Madadi via SD.
Ben Kohn: I have faith in Johnson that he will get back on track with a win over Madadi. Johnson via UD.
Nolan Howell: This will prove to be a battle of who shows up more inconsistent. Michael Johnson is fast on his feet and has shown a decent wrestling game. Reza Madadi has some competent grappling and has quality regional wins. What scares me here is Madadi was outstruck by Cristiano Marcello. Submission edge would go to Madadi, but he can’t take it there. Michael Johnson by second-round TKO.
Middleweight Bout: Adam Cella (4-0) vs. Tor Troeng (15-4-1)
Luke Irwin: You’re gonna wager against Tor? No, I didn’t think so. This will end violently. Troeng R1 KO.
Ben Kohn: Troeng by being better and having more experience. Troeng via Sub rd 2.
Nolan Howell: Adam Cella survived for a bit against Uriah Hall. That’s about all that can really be said for him. Tor Troeng has fought more impressive competition for much longer. Tor Troeng by first-round KO.
Welterweight Bout: Adlan Amagov (11-2-1) vs. Chris Spang (5-1)
Luke Irwin: This would have a fantastic home on Bellator! Two nasty, vicious foreign fighters, one of them is Russian, of course, just getting nasty untl one of them falls. WOULD-BE BELLATOR FIGHTS NEVER DIE! Spang via R1 TKO.
Ben Kohn: Spang looked good his last time I saw him against Burrell in Strikeforce but Amagov has a lot more experience and should take it. Amagov via UD.
Nolan Howell: Chris Spang looked impressive in his last outing against Nah-Shon Burrell, but Amagov has the better track record to prove his skills. Adlan Amagov by second-round TKO.
Featherweight Bout: Conor McGregor (12-2) vs. Marcus Brimage (6-1)
Luke Irwin: Cage Warriors is a seriously legit promotion. Probably the best homegrown in Europe, but Brimage was thrown to the wolves in the UFC. Maxi Blanco and Jimy Hettes is pretty damned rough for a second and third UFC fight, but he vanquished both. This is a step down for Brimage, and I expect him to take it. Brimage via R3 TKO.
Ben Kohn: Brimage by UD, he keeps his win streak alive.
Nolan Howell: McGregor has looked good against regional competiton, while Brimage has looked impressive against solid prospects. Marcus Brimage by unanimous decision.
Welterweight Bout: Ben Alloway (13-3) vs. Ryan LaFlare (7-0)
Luke Irwin: LaFlare is another fighter out of the Ring of Combat pipeline. Those guys always come strong, and he has finishes a number of different ways. I’m led to believe Alloway’s nasty KO was more of an anomoly over habit. Believe in the pipeline! LaFlare via R2 Submission.
Ben Kohn: Laflare is an undefeated prospect who I know not much about at all and he is fighting Ben Alloway who I know nothing about soooooo Laflare by KO rd 3.
Nolan Howell: Not going to pretend to know who LaFlare is. Alloway was impressive in his first fight, so there’s that. Ben Alloway by unanimous decision.
Middleweight Bout: Michael Kuiper (12-1) vs. Tom Lawlor (8-5)
Luke Irwin: I think if Rafael Natal, he of the unbelievably poor fight IQ, can earn a UD over Kuiper, Lawlor, who is limited, but is very, very smart with how he fights, can grind one out pretty easily. Lawlor via UD.
Ben Kohn: Lawlor should take it here. Lawlor via UD.
Nolan Howell: This will seemingly be Kuiper’s first introduction to an American wrestler, and a decent one at that. Tom Lawlor by second-round submission.
Welterweight Bout: Besam Yousef (6-1) vs. Papy Abedi (8-2)
Luke Irwin: I think Papy regains some mojo and uses his fists to take down the submission specialist early. Abedi via R1 TKO.
Ben Kohn: Abedi has faltered but this guy hung pretty well with Alves on the feet and his TDD should be enough to get the KO. Abedi via R1 KO.
Nolan Howell: Abedi has lost to Thiago Alves and James Head. Both of those guys aren’t really that bad. Papy Abedi by first-round TKO.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
