Down the Pub Special - Cage Warriors: Strike Force Preview
Middle of the card
Pedro Wrobel May 20, 2005
David Baron vs. Dan
Hardy
Team Rough House fighter Dan Hardy takes on his country's cause in a welterweight clash. Hardy trains with Paul "Semtex" Daley and has trained with ATT and fought abroad at AFC 10. His strengths are clear. He's a KO puncher and he's tough as nails. What Hardy lacks in finesse he makes up in sheer grit and determination. He owns a 5-2 record with both losses coming by submission.
David Baron is a fighter
with pedigree. Current champion in SHOOTO Europe, Baron is unbeaten
at 6-0 with wins over very tough fighters such as Sauli Heilimo and Stale Nyang.
Baron is a Judo player who reminds me a bit of Sean Sherk. He's got
that sort of short, powerful build as well as the awesome quickness
and excellent takedowns. Baron's other strength is submissions.
On paper, Baron's going to kill Hardy. The Frenchman is everything that Hardy doesn't like: he's powerful and he's a good wrestler with excellent takedowns. He can control position and snag one of Hardy's long limbs for the finish. That said, I like Dan Hardy for this one. I don't know why but I feel the Rough House boy could just use his reach advantage and powerful strikes to pull off a stunning upset. I would put my money on Baron but I'm picking Hardy by TKO in round two.
Emmanuel Fernandez vs. Danny Batten
Danny Batten takes up the Union Jack in this featherweight clash, with the CageWarriors title on the line. Batten trains out of the Ze Marcello/BTT gym and he's a BJJ purple belt. His strength is his groundwork, his durability and his toughness. He has a fair stand-up in the sense that he can bob and weave, but he's no KO striker.
Emmanuel Fernandez, the CageWarriors champion, is the best in Europe at this weight. There's no other way of saying this. Undefeated at 6-0, the BJJ black belt has blown through the best featherweights that the UK has to offer. Leigh Remedios, Ian Butlin, Robbie Olivier, Pete Tiarks … whoever the UK has fed him has been dealt with in a manner so efficient as to make the French public services cringe in embarrassment. And all this seemingly without losing his cool. Clearly Fernandez' strength is his groundwork, and he has an excellent gas tank.
Fernandez will win this. Batten is tough and skilled but Fernandez is awesome at this weight. It will hit the floor and Emmanuel will get the submission in the first round.
France 4, England 1.
Gregory Bouchelaghem vs. Ross Pointon
In a light heavyweight clash, Ross Pointon picks up the ball for the UK team. A big, powerful chap, Pointon is a two-time San Shou champion who has been training hard to improve his grappling, even making it as far as the ADCC qualifiers this year. In terms of style, Pointon is a heavy-handed striker and ground-and-pound artist who usually fights at heavyweight. The UKMMAC heavyweight champion has lost his last two fights and is dropping a few kilos to compete at light heavyweight in search of a victory.
In Pointon's way stands Bouchelaghem, a BJJ stylist with a 2-1 record. Fighting as a middleweight, his biggest professional scalp is Mark "The Wizard Weir," whom he beat by rear-naked choke. Bouchelaghem's last fight was a loss by decision against Matt Ewin, Weir's student, after a four-round war.
In a difficult fight to pick, I'm going with the bigger man. If he can survive the Frenchman's submission attempts it will just be a matter of time. Pointon has huge KO power and he should be able to crush a little French skull en route to a TKO victory in round two.
France 4, England 2.
Marcus Tchinda vs. Antonio "Junior" Silva
In a clear case of cheating, the Brazilian Silva steps out to represent the UK. To be fair, "Junior" is training at the Wolfslair gym near Liverpool but he's clearly Brazilian. Never mind. Junior is a giant of a man, with fists bigger than my entire body (or so it seems), and the sort of crunching ground-and-pound game that characterizes someone like Fedor. He's just scary.
"Junior" has a 1-0 record, but that victory was a TKO that came over another foreign UK-based standout in the Georgian wrestler Tengiz Tedoradze. "Junior" destroyed Tedoradze in about 90 seconds. That’s how good he is.
On the opposite side of the cage stands a man making his MMA debut. Tchinda can be as big and as bad as he wants to be but I wouldn't pick anyone in his situation to beat "Junior". So I won't pick him. Sorry mate.
"Junior" by disintegration in round one.
France 4, England 3.
Team Rough House fighter Dan Hardy takes on his country's cause in a welterweight clash. Hardy trains with Paul "Semtex" Daley and has trained with ATT and fought abroad at AFC 10. His strengths are clear. He's a KO puncher and he's tough as nails. What Hardy lacks in finesse he makes up in sheer grit and determination. He owns a 5-2 record with both losses coming by submission.
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On paper, Baron's going to kill Hardy. The Frenchman is everything that Hardy doesn't like: he's powerful and he's a good wrestler with excellent takedowns. He can control position and snag one of Hardy's long limbs for the finish. That said, I like Dan Hardy for this one. I don't know why but I feel the Rough House boy could just use his reach advantage and powerful strikes to pull off a stunning upset. I would put my money on Baron but I'm picking Hardy by TKO in round two.
France 3, England 1.
Emmanuel Fernandez vs. Danny Batten
Danny Batten takes up the Union Jack in this featherweight clash, with the CageWarriors title on the line. Batten trains out of the Ze Marcello/BTT gym and he's a BJJ purple belt. His strength is his groundwork, his durability and his toughness. He has a fair stand-up in the sense that he can bob and weave, but he's no KO striker.
Emmanuel Fernandez, the CageWarriors champion, is the best in Europe at this weight. There's no other way of saying this. Undefeated at 6-0, the BJJ black belt has blown through the best featherweights that the UK has to offer. Leigh Remedios, Ian Butlin, Robbie Olivier, Pete Tiarks … whoever the UK has fed him has been dealt with in a manner so efficient as to make the French public services cringe in embarrassment. And all this seemingly without losing his cool. Clearly Fernandez' strength is his groundwork, and he has an excellent gas tank.
Fernandez will win this. Batten is tough and skilled but Fernandez is awesome at this weight. It will hit the floor and Emmanuel will get the submission in the first round.
France 4, England 1.
Gregory Bouchelaghem vs. Ross Pointon
In a light heavyweight clash, Ross Pointon picks up the ball for the UK team. A big, powerful chap, Pointon is a two-time San Shou champion who has been training hard to improve his grappling, even making it as far as the ADCC qualifiers this year. In terms of style, Pointon is a heavy-handed striker and ground-and-pound artist who usually fights at heavyweight. The UKMMAC heavyweight champion has lost his last two fights and is dropping a few kilos to compete at light heavyweight in search of a victory.
In Pointon's way stands Bouchelaghem, a BJJ stylist with a 2-1 record. Fighting as a middleweight, his biggest professional scalp is Mark "The Wizard Weir," whom he beat by rear-naked choke. Bouchelaghem's last fight was a loss by decision against Matt Ewin, Weir's student, after a four-round war.
In a difficult fight to pick, I'm going with the bigger man. If he can survive the Frenchman's submission attempts it will just be a matter of time. Pointon has huge KO power and he should be able to crush a little French skull en route to a TKO victory in round two.
France 4, England 2.
Marcus Tchinda vs. Antonio "Junior" Silva
In a clear case of cheating, the Brazilian Silva steps out to represent the UK. To be fair, "Junior" is training at the Wolfslair gym near Liverpool but he's clearly Brazilian. Never mind. Junior is a giant of a man, with fists bigger than my entire body (or so it seems), and the sort of crunching ground-and-pound game that characterizes someone like Fedor. He's just scary.
"Junior" has a 1-0 record, but that victory was a TKO that came over another foreign UK-based standout in the Georgian wrestler Tengiz Tedoradze. "Junior" destroyed Tedoradze in about 90 seconds. That’s how good he is.
On the opposite side of the cage stands a man making his MMA debut. Tchinda can be as big and as bad as he wants to be but I wouldn't pick anyone in his situation to beat "Junior". So I won't pick him. Sorry mate.
"Junior" by disintegration in round one.
France 4, England 3.
