The middleweight tournament is over, Arturo Atunes is crowned and now, fuRIOus’ first installment is just around the corner. Hello fight fans,  as always, i’m Rodrigo Oliveira and i’ll be your host in this edition of The Preview Show, where we’ll be taking a closer look at FURY 1. Lace up your gloves, bite hard on your mouthpiece, and here we go!

 

MAIN EVENT

 

LLIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT BOUT:  Roman “The Real Deal” Hyatt (3-0) vs Patrick St. Cote (5-2)

 

Knockout artists Roman Hyatt and Patrick St. Cote collide in the evening’s main event.

 

Roman Hyatt makes his much anticipated fuRIOus Fighting debut following a string of impressive knockout victories in the lower leagues. The 18-year-old Scottish relies on heavy hands and a solid wrestling base to get the job done and it worked pretty well so far. Across the cage will be Canada’s Patrick St. Cote. After going 1-2 in bouts that went the distance, St. Cote has put together an mpressive 4-fight win streak with all of his wins coming by knockout. These guys have a combined 7 KO’s in 8 wins, so the old cliché of “don’t blink” is really fitting for this one.

 

 THE PICK: Hyatt will be game and he packs a hell of a punch but he has a lot going against him here : St. Cote is taller, more experienced, a slightly better boxer, the more accurate puncher, the better wrestler and he hits just as hard.  Both men have granite chins, but I expect one of those to be cracked. St. Cote takes it by TKO in the 3^rd. 

 

CO-MAIN EVENT

 

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT: Robert “The Japanese Eagle” Owinashi (2-0) vs The Hunter (2-1)

 

The big guys get co-main event status, as heavyweights Owinashi and Hunter engage into face-punching fun.

 

“The Japanese Eagle” is making his FF debut on the heels of two wins in the QFC cage, obtaining a first-round TKO and a decision win on his way in. Hunter, who lost his first pro bout inside the fuRIOus Fighting cage, has rebounded with a pair of quick knockouts via punches. Owinashi is a tall, well-rounded fighter who likes to step into range and throw bombs, slinging combinations that he usually punctuates with leg kicks. Once in close quarters, the Tokyo-native is adept at working his opponent’s midsection with thudding knees. Hunter is a more measured striker, who prefers to pick his spots and land one strike at a time. He’s especially proficient with his kicks and also does great bodywork with his hands. None of them are much of a threat on the ground, but Owinashi, who holds a blue belt in BJJ, has the advantage in that area.

 

THE PICK: Hunter is the better kickboxer and will probably want to stay on the outside. Owinashi, however, has the better hands and is stronger in the clinch. It will come down to who can manage distance better, and I’m picking “The Japanese Eagle” to force his way into clinches with his combos and grind Hunter with knees en route to a unanimous decision. 

 

MAIN CARD BOUT

 

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT: Evandro Santos (4-3) vs Chael “The Mouth” Hendricks (4-6)

 

After suffering three straight TKO losses, Santos has authored a remarkable comeback in his career, winning his next four bouts – and finishing three with submissions. The Belem-native brings the traditional Brazilian mix of muay thai and jiu jitsu to the table, attacking with knees on the clinch and aggressively pursuing submissions on the ground. Hendricks, on the other hand, fits into the wrestle-boxer mold and, like Santos, has seen a momentum shift in his career – but for the bad. After going a respectable 4-1 in his first five outings, he has now dropped five of his last six, and was knocked out in his last three. Currently without a manager, Hendricks will have to battle confidence issues as well to pull this off.

 

THE PICK: Santos should come in aggressively and exploit his opponent’s extra-cage issues. Look for the Brazilian to drag the fight to mat and lock up a submission midway into the second round.

 

MAIN CARD BOUT

 

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT: Vinicius Ribeiro (3-0) vs Nick Diaz (1-0)

Two undefeated prospects square off in the welterweight division and somebody’s 0 got to go.

 

Both men are mainly boxers, with Ribeiro also sporting a solid wrestling base and Diaz flaunting a BJJ blue belt. While Ribeiro packs a monstrous punch, knocking out all three of his opponents, Diaz likes to get down and dirty, pressing his adversaries against the cage and teeing off with short, snapping punches. Ribeiro has shown some affinity for takedowns but it’s unlikely he’ll be shooting for any against a superior submission grappler.

 

THE PICK: This boils down to having superior footwork and positioning. Ribeiro has displayed laser-beam accuracy in his career and I pick him to catch Diaz with a meaningful counter as he lunges in looking to clinch, picking up a late first-round TKO.

 

PRELIMINARY CARD

 

MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT: Buddie “Domo” Rivera (3-1) vs Richard “The Lionhearted” Carneiro (1-2)

 

After being bested in the 2nd round of the middleweight tournament by eventual champion Arturo Atunes, Buddie Rivera rebounded with a  first-round TKO of Matheus Souza. Richard Carneiro, meanwhile, picked up a 1-1 record in the regional circuit before dropping a decision in a “Fight of the Night” effort against Heinrich Cornelius in his FF debut. Rivera is a well-rounded fighter, who threatens his opponents with an array of kicks and dangerous submissions. His diversity shows in his record, with his 3 wins being split  Between a TKO, a submission and a decision.  Carneiro possesses sharp, crisp hands and a solid wrestling base, coupled with a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Landing well over 70% of his punches, he will be a threat as long as the fight stays vertical.

 

THE PICK: These guys match up really well. Both hit hard and are well-rounded. Expect a very close fight with momentum shifting throughout. In the end, though, Rivera’s experience and superior grappling will make the difference. He ekes out a decision victory. 

 

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT: Butch Coolidge (6-3) vs Ricardo “Demon” Delivire (1-0)

 

Coolidge will look to rebound from his first FF loss against newcomer Delivire. Butch is a muay thai specialist whose main weapon is his clinch.  The American has dangerous dirty boxing, as evidenced by the six knockouts in his record, and is capable of hurting opponents even with short punches. Delivire is a “jack of all trades”-type of fighter. He has a snappy high kick that he flashes often, and will look to mix up his strikes with takedowns most of the time.

 

THE PICK: Delivire’s best bet is to mix up his strikes with takedowns and try to keep Coolidge guessing. However, it’s unlikely he will be able to implement such a gameplan for all three rounds. Coolidge forces a clinch at some point and punches his way to a technical knockout win in the first or second round.

 

WELTERWEIGHT BOUT: Gareth Wilcox (4-2) vs Chinchin “Living National Treasure” Chin (0-0)

 

One of the most experienced welterweights on FF’s roster, Gareth Wilcox, takes on Japan’s newcomer Chin. Wilcox boasts an impressive striking background, being well-versed in boxing and muay thai and 2 out of his 4 wins came by way of KO or TKO. Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old’s Achilles’ heel is his grappling, as both of his defeats came by way of submission.  Chin, meanwhile, brings solid wrestling and a BJJ brown belt to the table. If he manages to handle the jitters of his big stage debut, he can give Wilcox a run for his money with his ground game.

 

THE PICK: Chinchin will be shooting for takedowns as soon as the bell rings, and, while Wilcox is the more experienced fighter, he lacks the wrestling skills to stop the debutant. The Ceiba Video Games representative locks up a submission midway into round one.

 

LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT BOUT: Chuck “Iceman” Liddell (3-1) vs Ivan “Apollo Killer” Drago (2-1)

 

Towering lightheavyweights Chuck Liddell and Ivan Drago do battle in prelims.

 

Liddell, standing at 6’3”, is the smaller of the two. The Santa Monica-native is a well-rounded fighter with sharp finishing instincts, with TKO wins via both standing strikes and ground n’ pound and a 23-second submission victory. Making his FF debut,  Liddell will look to pick up another impressive win against Drago, a huge 205-pounder standing at 6’7”. The Russian is also making his fuRIOus Fighting debut, but is coming off a 50-second submission defeat in the Quick Fighting Championship’s cage. A boxer by default,  Drago has shown both power and endurance so far in his career, obtaining an early TKO victory and a 4-round unanimous decision win.

 

THE PICK: This one can go both ways: It’s either a barnburner or a quick finish. I’m picking the second option, and siding with Liddell, who has shown more diversity and the ability to finish fights both standing and on the ground. He locks up a submission in late in the first round.

 

LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT BOUT: Aaron “The Answer” Patterson (3-2) vs Miguel “Truth” Adams (0-2)

 

Patterson makes his FF debut looking to get back on the winning column, while Adams seeks his first professional victory.  Patterson is an imposing wrestler with a pretty straight forward gameplan: Press forward and get the takedown. Once on the ground, he will alternate between advancing position, attacking with ground n’ pound and hunt for submissions. Adams is a rangy boxer who’s yet to taste victory. His best bet here is to get on his bike, pump his jab and keep Patterson at bay.

 

THE PICK: Patterson is just too good of a wrestler to be denied here. Unless Adams manages to land a good counter early, “The Answer” should be able to get a takedown and steadily pile up his offense en route to a TKO or a submission win.