thefireballkid93
12-14-2011, 01:10 AM
I sat down with Harvey Ripa (8-3-0) last night to talk with him about his upcoming fight against Azor Portela Nunes (21-3-0) on the preliminaries of the TKO Fights World Flyweight Tournament.
Me: So, Harvey, how are you?
Harvey: Haha, I’m doing alright. Doing my thing.
Me: You have an upcoming fight against Azor Portela Nunes, how do you feel coming into this fight?
Harvey: I feel great. I’ve been working my butt off in the gym with my trainers everyday.
Me: Have you been training anything in specific?
Harvey: Well, I train my boxing, muay thai and jiu jitsu nearly every day. Every other day I focus on wrestling, cardio and weight training.
Me: You are coming off a hard first round TKO, how are you recovering from that and does that kind of thing motive you at all to train even harder?
Harvey: Of course it does, it sucks to get knocked out (laughs). I got caught pretty bad, easily my worst performance. I can’t many excuses, he was the better fighter that night. I’d like a rematch once I improve my all around game, and after I win this upcoming fight.
Me: So you’re pretty confident, I take it.
Harvey: Absolutely.
Me: What do you think of Nunes? And who do you think has the advantages coming into this fight?
Harvey: He seems like a nice guy, obviously a great fighter. I’m excited to fight him, but I do think I’ve got the better all around game. Obviously he has the better muay thai, but I don’t think mine is far behind. I think I have the better jiu jitsu game, especially off my back, and my wrestling is too good for him, too.
Me: What do you think the key to winning this fight will be?
Harvey: Keeping distance, staying out of the clinch where he’s comfortable, work my boxing game, and light him up as the fight progresses.
Me: How do you see this fight ending?
Harvey: Technical knockout, first round. (laughs)
Me: Anything else you’d like to say?
Harvey: Everybody go check out Powerhouse MMA, one of the best gyms in the USA.
thefireballkid93
12-14-2011, 01:26 AM
4627
Eric McCall: “Hello everyone, this is Eric McCall, with my co-host as always, John Harris, and you’re watching TKO Fights. Now, John, we have a great night of fights coming up. Two great preliminaries, a hard hitting co-main event, and of course the flyweight tournament.”
John Harris: “Totally, Eric, these guys are some of the best up and comers in the world. The crowning of the first flyweight champion is really going to be revolutionary for this promotion, and for the sport of MMA in general.”
Eric McCall: “Well, as always, we’re gonna give you guys a run down of the fights coming up tonight, as well as our predictions of how that fight will go.”
“In the first semi-final, we’ll see the man ranked number one at flyweight, Lars Bohlin, take on Jason Dalglish.”
“Dalglish, I think, is going to be pumping out that jab to keep Bohlin at bay. We know Dalglish has an excellent submission game off of his back, but he feels most comfortable standing and using his boxing. Bohlin, on the other hand, is going to be relentless in trying to take this fight to the ground. His striking has improved immensely over the years, but his bread and butter is his explosive takedowns. If Dalglish can take out Bohlin, it will be one of the biggest upsets of the year, I think. However, I will go with Bohlin.”
“Our second bout on the main card will be a semi-final match up between Benedikt Streit and James Busfield.”
“Busfield is a dangerous muay thai striker, but we’ve seen him falter against high level competition. He’s currently coming of a decision loss in the bantamweight division, and is hoping to revitalize his fight game within a smaller weight class. Streit, however, is currently on a winning streak and is one of the best guys at flyweight. I think Streit is going to be too much to handle for Busfield in this match up.”
“Next, our co-main event will be a light heavyweight match up between Anthony LeToussier and Roberto Aldez.”
“This is going to be a war, folks. Two dangerous strikers who have both been improving their games a ton in the past few years. Aldez is the better wrestler, but I may actually give the striking advantage to LeToussier. That said, Aldez has the better submission game of the two; LeToussier is going to be fending off takedowns for sure. I’m gonna go with Aldez.”
“In the preliminaries, we have a featherweight match up between Harvey Ripa and Azor Portela Nunes.”
“Ripa said in an interview that he felt his submission game and striking was better than Nunes, but he’s going to really need to deliver against a guy like Nunes. Ripa is a very dangerous guy, but my gut is telling me that Nunes is gonna taste victory tonight.”
“And, finally, in the welterweight division, Alan Kendall will face off against Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, Charles Stiles.”
“This fight will be defined by two phrases; takedowns and takedown defense. Stiles’ best weapon is his submission game, and no doubt he will be trying to work it throughout this fight. A lot of people have said he’s too one dimensional, but he has been running through guys with his jiu jitsu game alone. If he can’t get Kendall to the ground, however, this fight may be a long night for Stiles.”
__________________________________________________ _____
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the first fight of the evening! Three rounds in the welterweight division. Introducing first, standing to my left in the blue corner: This man is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter. His record stands at 14 wins against 2 defeats. Standing 5 feet, six inches tall, and weighing at 158 pounds… fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil… Charles “Rogue” Stiles!”
“And standing to my right in the red corner: A kickboxer, with a record of 12 wins against 3 defeats. Standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing it at 170 pounds…. fighting out of Green Bay, Wisconsin… Alan “Flash” Kendall!”
“And when the fight begins, our referee in charge is Josh Rosenthall”.
Rosenthall: “Fighter are you ready? Fighter are you ready? FIGHT!”
Both guys are keeping range, testing the waters a minute. Stiles moves in to shoot on Kendall, but is pushed back by the threat of a big knockout punch from his opponent. Stiles looks a little bit uncomfortable in there, I’m not sure why. Kendall moves in with a flurry of punches to push Stiles back towards the cage, and is able to get into the muay thai clinch position. Seeing an opportunity, Kendall blasts Stiles in the face with a big knee! Two other knees later and Stiles is merely being held up by Kendall, as he winds up for another big knee from the clinch. The referee looks like he’s just waiting to step in and stop it, unaware of the condition Stiles is in. Kendall lands one more huge knee and lets go of the clinch, causing the limp body of Stiles to slump against the cage in a squatting position. Kendall steps in to land more punches, but the referee pushes him aside, not letting Stiles take any undue damage.
Kendall jumps up onto the cage and screams for joy, the crowd cheering him on.
Stiles seems to be coming to, but is still in very bad condition. The doctors are currently looking at him, and are not permitting him to stand. Kendall’s corner hands him his shirt and hat as Josh Rosenthall prepares to raise his hand.
Announcer: “Ladies and gentleman, the referee has stopped this contest at 3 minutes and 36 seconds, of the very first round. Declared the winner by knockout, Alan Kendall!”
__________________________________________________ _____
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the second and final preliminary bout of the evening. Three rounds in the featherweight division.”
“Standing to my left in the blue corner: A muay thai fighter, with a record of 21 wins against 3 defeats. Standing 6 feet even and weighing in at 145 pounds… fighting out of Caracas, Venezuela… “The Tropical Tornado” Azor Portela Nunes!”
“And fighting to my right out of the red corner: This man is a kickboxer, holding a professional record of 8 wins against 3 defeats. He stands 5 feet, ten inches tall and weighed in at 145 pounds.. fighting out of Charlestone, West Virginia… “The Highlight Machine” Harvey Ripa!”
Announcer: “And when the action begins, our referee is Rick Jensen.”
Jensen: “Fighters, are you ready? Let’s go!”
Both of these guys look like they’re ready to go off on each other. Ripa shoots in for a takedown from the outside, but Nunes shucks him off with relative ease. Ripa tries for another takedown as Nunes steps in with a looping hook, but his once again shaken off with ease. Ripa gets off a nice body kick on Nunes, but Nunes is able to counter a jab with a hook. Nunes covers up with a couple punches and pulls Ripa into a clinch. Nunes displays some nice dirty boxing, pinning the smaller Ripa against the cage. Nunes breaks away and throws an elbow that misses by almost nothing. Nunes avoids a flurry of punches from Ripa. One minute remains in the first round. Nunes avoids some lazy jabs from Ripa and calmly waits for an opportunity to counter. Nunes once again finds a way to pin Ripa against the cage, but as he does it a horn signals the end of the first round.
The fighters walk to their corners, Ripa looking noticeably winded for it only being the first round.
Nunes’ cornerman: “You’ve got to be more aggressive with your strikes. You’re waiting for him too much, you’re the better striker, so you’ve got to pressure him. He doesn’t have the chin to stand and trade with you.”
Ripa’s cornerman: “You’re telegraphing your takedowns too much, man. You’ve got to wait until you’re on the inside to shoot in, or else he’s going to keep stuffing them. Keep that jab pumping and circle to the left, you keep walking backwards and allowing him to hold you against the cage.”
Referee: “Seconds, out!”
The cornermen of the respective fighters leave the cage.
Referee: “You guy’s ready? Fight!”
The fight continues as the two quickly move to the center of the cage. Nunes steps in and lands a nice combination of punches, causing Ripa to step back. Ripa looks like he’s unsure what to do, getting caught with numerous punches from Nunes as the round continues. Nunes gets Ripa against the cage once again, this time landing big knees to the stomach of Ripa. Ripa winces, Nunes landing numerous body shots within the clinch. Ripa is breathing heavily out of his mouth, it looks like he’s gassed. Nunes rips into his body with punches and knees within the clinch, and is also able to land numerous elbows that are able to damage the face of Ripa. The horn sounds for the end of the round.
Ripa slowly makes his way to the corner, trying desperately to catch his breath. His cornerman pours water into his mouth.
Nunes looks like he’s in prime form, ready to go back out and finish the fight.
The referee signals the start of the 3rd and final round.
Once again Nunes is able to get Ripa up against the cage with his superior clinching, almost immediately. Nunes is working for some control, and is able land numerous knees and punches to the body in the process. He quickly gets the muay thai clinch and lands a huge knee to the face of Ripa, knocking him out and breaking his nose in the process. Nunes drops the body of Ripa to the ground, blood pouring out of his somewhat lifeless face. The referee quickly comes to the aid of Ripa, who is face down on the canvas. His nose is broken, and has sustained heavy damage to his ribs.
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, the referee has stopped this contest at 2 minutes, 11 seconds of the 3rd round. Declared the winner by knockout, Azor Portela Nunes!”
__________________________________________________ _____
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the first bout of our flyweight tournament. Three rounds in the flyweight division.”
“Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner: A Jiu Jitsu fighter, holding a professional record of 15 wins against 6 defeats. Standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing in at 125 pounds… fighting out of Edinburgh, Scotland… “The Miniature Killer” Jason Dalglish!”
“And fighting out of the red corner: A wrestler, holding a professional record of 48 wins against 6 defeats, with 1 draw. He stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed in at 125 pounds… fighting out of Stockholm, Sweden… “Ice Cold” Lars Bohlin!”
“And, when the fight begins, the referee in charge of this contest, is Gilbert Yves.”
Yves: “Fighter, ready? Fighter, ready? Fight!”
Both fighters come out quickly, Dalglish pumping out the jab. Bohlin keeps his distance, but is obviously waiting to counter a strike so he can take him down. Dalglish throws a head kick, but Bohlin is able to block it. Bohlin steps in and gets a body lock on Dalglish, pushing him against the fence. Bohlin controls Dalglish with the body lock. Bohlin lifts up Dalglish for a slam takedown! He completes it, slamming Dalglish into side control. Immediately, he begins to throw big punches from the top. Dalglish defends well, but is clipped numerous times. He tries to throw up a kimura, but only succeeds in sweeping Bohlin into side control. Just as this happens, the round ends.
Both fighters make their ways back to their corners, their cornermen both encouraging them to stay active and to be more aggressive with their strikes
The referee shoos the seconds out, and signals for the fight to continue.
Lars moves in and throws a big uppercut, but Dalglish is successful in avoiding it. Bohlin quickly gets a clinch and rams Dalglish into the cage with a body lock. They exchange punches and knees in the clinch, until Bohlin once again slams Dalglish to the ground, ending in side control. He throws down punches to the body and face, not letting Dalglish rest while on his back. Bohlin throws down some elbows, in an attempt to cut his opponent. Dalglish once again tries to get a kimura or an armbar, but Bohlin’s submission defense is too good to get caught in such telegraphed submissions. Dalglish goes for a guillotine, but Bohlin easily pulls his head out, able to get mount immediately after. The round is close to being over, as Bohlin tries to set up an americana from the mount, but is denied the chance as the bell rings.
The fighters go back to their corners, and after a bit of time, the fight once again continues.
The two flyweights both move to the center of the cage, both wanting to finish this fight. Bohlin throws his jabs and looks content to stand with the Scott, landing a nice leg kick. Bohlin allows Dalglish to circle as he waits to counter, though this strategy make work against him as the taller Dalglish is beginning to land his jab with ease. Dalglish lands a big barrage of punches, causing Bohlin to stumble back. This does not deter Bohlin, however, as he steps in and once again gets caught with a jab. Bohlin attempts to land a series of punches, but fails to hit his opponent. Dalglish effectively using his range and strikes to keep Bohlin away, but this will not be enough to win this fight as he is down 0-2 in this fight. Bohlin once again manages to muscle Dalglish up against the cage, and uses dirty boxing until the fight is over.
Both fighters appear tired.
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, after three rounds of action, we go to the judges scorecards for the decision. All three judges scored this contenst 30-27. Declared the winner by unanimous decision… Lars Bohlin!”
Both fighters shake hands, Dalglish looking openly upset.
__________________________________________________ _____
Announcer: “It is now time for the last semi-final match up of the evening. Three rounds in the flyweight division.”
Announcer: “Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner: A muay thai fighter, with a professional record of 7 wins against 3 defeats. He stands 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighed in at 125 pounds… fighting out of Twin Falls, Idaho… James “Buster” Busfield!”
Announcer: “And standing to my right, fighting out of the red corner: A kick boxer, holding a professional record of 18 wins against 5 defeats and 1 draw. He stands 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed in at 125 pounds… fighting out of Munich, Germany… Benedikt “Bulldozer” Streit!”
Announcer: “And when the action begins, our referee is Josh Rosenthall.”
Rosenthall: “Fighter, are you ready? Fighter, are you ready? Fight!”
Streit moves in quickly, both fighters already beginning to exchange. The smaller Streit uses his speed to get inside and land punches, negating the reach advantage of Busfield. Streit smothers Busfield with strikes, Busfield peaking at his corner. Busfield steps in with a punch but is countered by a straight right punch which floors him, sending him to the ground on his back. Streit moves in and opts to go for the armbar instead of strikes, quickly extending the arm of the dazed Busfield. The referee jumps in and stops the fight as Streit begins to hyper extend the elbow of Busfield.
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, the referee has called a stop to this contest at 2 minutes, 25 seconds of the very first round. The winner by technical submission due to an armbar… Benedikt Streit!
__________________________________________________ _____
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the co-main event of the evening. Three rounds in the light heavyweight division!”
“Standing to my left in the blue corner: This man is a muay thai striker, holding a professional record of 42 wins against 6 defeats. He stands 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed in at 205 pounds… fighting out of Rio de Jainero, Brazil… Roberto “The Sniper” Aldez!”
“And standing to my right in the red corner: He is a striker, holding a professional record of 13 wins against 3 defeats. He stands 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighed in at 205 pounds… fighting out of Senneterre, Quebec, Canada… Anthony “Live Wire” LeToussier!”
“And when the fight begins, our referee is Rick Jensen.”
The referee signals the start of round number 1.
Both fighter step in and quickly exchange a flurry of punches, though nothing significant lands. Aldez throws a nice leg kick that stings the leg of LeToussier. Aldez uses his longer reach to keep his opponent at bay, landing numerous jabs to the face and body of LeToussier. Aldez shoots for a takedown but is unsuccessful. Aldez manages to get the clinch and holds LeToussier against the cage for the remainder of the round, landing a good amount of dirty boxing.
Round 2 begins!
LeToussier wastes no time in landing a huge head kick, but is unable to knock down Aldez. Aldez throws a big flurry of punches but LeToussier counters with his own combination, exploding on Aldez with big hooks. The fight begins to calm down as the two exchange jabs until Aldez once again gets the clinch, forcing LeToussier up against the cage and using dirty boxing until the end of the round.
The 3rd and final round begins.
Aldez immediately clinches with LeToussier, forcing him up against the cage. After a while, the referee separates them due to inactivity. Soon after, LeToussier lands with a huge head kick that drops the Brazilian to the canvas! Not wanting to play the jiu jitsu game with Aldez, LeToussier allows Aldez to get back to his feet, who by now has shaken off his cob webs. Aldez is tired but his heart won’t allow him to stop fighting. He gets into the clinch and soon gets the muay thai plum. LeToussier, who is also tired, is unable to get away in time as Aldez lands with a hard knee to the face of LeToussier. Just as this happens, LeToussier is the saved by the bell, who now has a large gash over his left eye.
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the judges scorecards for the official decision. All three judges score this contest 30-27, declared the winner by unanimous decision… Roberto Aldez!”
Aldez drops to his knees in happiness, but is met by many boos as the crowd felt that LeToussier had won the fight.
Eric McCall: “I’m standing here with the winner, Roberto Aldez. How do you feel, man?”
Aldez: “Hey, man, I feel good. It was a tough fight but I’m glad I won.”
McCall: “You got rocked badly numerous times within this fight, but you displayed a great chin and good recovery. Was there any time you felt it was going to end?”
Aldez: “That head kick really scrambled my brain, haha, but no, I didn’t.”
McCall: “Congratulations on a great win, give it up to Roberto Aldez everybody!”
__________________________________________________ _____
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen… it is time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for… 5 rounds for the TKO Fights flyweight title!”
“These two fighters were able to make their way to finals, and will now face off to crown the new champion!”
Referee: “Fighters, step forward… Guys, this is for the flyweight championship. I want you to respect me at all times, obey my commands at all times, and protect yourselves at all times. Any questions? Alright, fight good and fight fair. Touch gloves.”
The fighters step back, both with an intense look on their faces.
Referee: “Fighters, are you ready? Let’s go, come on!”
Both fighters rush to the center of the cage, Bohlin trying to move into grapple with Streit. Streit uses his striking to keep Bohlin at bay. Bohlin is caught with a body kick before a follow up right hook catches him on the chin, wobbling him! Streit rushes in and begins throwing tons of punches as Bohlin attempts to cover up. Finally, a one of the hooks catches Bohlin on the chin, sending him to ground, stunned but not out. Streit stands over him and administers the finish blows until the referee mercifully jumps in and saves Bohlin.
Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, the referee has stopped this contest at 1 minute, 17 seconds of the very first round. Declared the winner by T-K-O… and, now, the NEW TKO Fights flyweight champion of the world… Benedikt Streit!”
TKO Fights president, Jonathon Hall, wraps the belt around the waist of Streit.
Eric McCall: “Streit, man, you have to be happy.”
Streit: “I really am. Bohlin is a really tough guy and I trained really, really hard coming into this tournament, so to beat a guy like him really makes him happy.”
McCall: “Not only did you win the vacant flyweight title, but you defeated the #1 flyweight on the planet. How does it make you feel to be boosted up the rankings like that?”
Streit: “Excited, I’m excited for the challenges ahead of me.”
“I wanna say thanks to my fans, my family back in Germany, and all of my sponsors. Thank you everybody!”
Eric calls Bohlin over.
McCall: “Lars, you got caught with some big punches, how do you feel? This is the first loss in years you’ve suffered.”
Bohlin: “Obviously upset, I trained very hard for this tournament. The fight with Dalglish drained me of a lot of my energy, but it’s not to take anything away from Streit. He is a great fighter.”
McCall: “Do you want a rematch?”
Bohlin: “Whenever, wherever.”
__________________________________________________ _____
Attendance: 3, 141 for a gross of $157,050.
Fight of the Night: Roberto Aldez def. Anthony LeToussier
Knockout of the Night: Benedikt Streit def. Lars Bohlin
Submission of the Night: Benedikt Streit def. James Busfield
thefireballkid93
12-14-2011, 01:27 AM
Last night was the TKO Fights flyweight tournament, and man, was it a great card. All but two of the fights went to the judges, and a new flyweight champion in Benedikt Streit was born.
So what’s next for the winners?
Benedikt Streit
Streit looked dominant last night, scoring a first round submission over James Busfield after rocking him, and a TKO stoppage over former #1 ranked flyweight, Lars Bohlin, in barely over a minute. Streit proved he was a force to be reckoned with after dispatching a guy like Bohlin so easily, though I’m sure we’ll see a rematch eventually.
I see Streit defending the belt for a while against some of the other top contenders in the flyweight division.
Roberto Aldez
Roberto Aldez was able to win a unanimous decision over Anthony LeToussier, but me, along with about everyone else who watched that fight, knew it was a robbery. Aldez was given a 30-27 on all cards, after being rocked numerous times, and knocked down by a head kick.
Aldez was able to pick up the win this time around, but I’m sure LeToussier will want a rematch as soon as possible.
Don’t leave it to the judges, guys!
Azor Portela Nunes
Nunes looked great against the over matched Ripa, using his advantage on the feet and in the clinch to score a nasty 3rd round stoppage.
Nunes will surely become a contender within the featherweight division after a great knockout like this.
Alan Kendall
Kendall was expected to just have to suck it up and lose this fight. The highly touted, but very one dimensional, Charles Stiles was expected by many to submit Kendall within a matter of seconds. Unfortunately for Stiles, Kendall was able to finish him within a matter of minutes, winning by a series of violent knees in the clinch, which left Stiles limply squatting against the cage.
This boosts Kendall up the welterweight rankings by a good amount, but he still has a ways to go before he gets a title shot
Alright, so those were the winners. What about the losers?
Lars Bohlin
To be fair, Bohlin did score a victory over Jason Dalglish in the semi-finals of the tournament, albeit it was a rather sloppy display for a guy who was ranked as the best flyweight in the world. Bohlin was dispatched rather quickly by Bendikt Streit, losing by TKO in merely 1:17 seconds.
Bohlin is a great fighter, no doubt, but I think something was odd last night. He looked pretty bad against Dalglish, and mounted no offense against Benedikt. Let’s put it this way; Bohlin was supposed to breeze right through all of the guys last night, but he barely got past a rather mediocre fighter in Dalglish.
He needs to work on his striking, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon.
Anthony LeToussier
Technically, he lost, but in my personal opinion, the guy won a unanimous decision. LeToussier is a staple in the light heavyweight division, so I’m sure he’ll bounce back very soon.
James Busfield
Perhaps no one got it worse than James Busfield, last night. Utterly dominated by a fighter who was no doubt many notches above “Buster”. He was quickly defeated by submission after being rocked by a rather weak straight right.
Busfield will come back against a lower level guy in a preliminary, soon, but until then, he has got to work on his game.
Jason Dalglish
Though, he did lose, Dalglish didn’t look all that bad against Bohlin last night. Actively going for submissions, sweeping Bohlin twice in the fight, and even rocking Bohlin in the 3rd. Dalglish lost a unanimous decision, but using that reach will help him to pick some more wins.
Harvey Ripa
Possibly the most pathetic performance of the night came from kick boxing prospect, Harvey Ripa. Ripa had the gall to say that he felt he was a better fighter than Nunes, but did not back up a word of it. Other than a decent body shot early on in the fight, he offered no resistance to the clinch work and striking of Nunes, before being finished in possibly the most violent knockout of the night. After all of that talk, he offered nothing in return.
Ripa is currently on a two fight skid, and needs to really work on his game if he wants to hang with anyone in the big leagues.
Charles Stiles
Charles Stiles was finished very quickly last night by knees in the clinch. Not only was it one of the best showings of clinch work I’ve ever seen, but also the worst loss for Stiles.
Stiles, please, for all of your fans… MOVE TO LIGHTWEIGHT! You looked an entire weight class smaller than Kendall last night… because you are. You weighed in at 158 pounds, you’re 5’6”. Come on, man!
(I hope you guys enjoy this, this is my first go out it so let me know what you think!)
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