Sherdog.com Preview: Cage Rage 15
Main events
Pedro Wrobel Feb 2, 2006
Melvin Manhoef
(Pictures) vs. Evangelista Santos
(Pictures)
"I live this shit."
These were the simple, direct, yet utterly apt words that Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) (10-2-1) used to describe himself
after his Cage Rage debut, a brutal knockout victory over Matthias
Riccio almost a year ago.
Manhoef is the type of fighter that fans love to see. Short for his weight but extremely strong, the Dutchman is all about power and aggression. His game is to dominate his opponents from the start, overwhelm them with the persistence and strength of his attack and then force them to submit or lose consciousness.
Whilst Manhoef's opponent, Chute Boxe psychopath Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (12-7-0), may not be quite on the same level as the Dutchman's originally scheduled opponent, Vitor Belfort (Pictures), he is nevertheless a good vehicle against which the Dutchman can shine.
The two opponents also have something in common — they both made their UK debuts at Cage Rage 10, but the outcome of this event is instructive. While Manhoef impressed in victory, "Cyborg" looked terrible in his TKO loss to Antony Rea (Pictures).
The Brazilian was ultra-aggressive, but his looping punches were easy for Rea to defend against, and Santos' cardio was almost as suspect as his ground game.
When you get right down to it, Santos is a bog standard brawler. He's not technical, he's not pretty in any sense but the tattooed Brazilian can certainly swing. Although his record is spotty, he's been on an absolute tear since CR 10, going 4-0 and knocking out the impressive Kassim Annan in the process.
Nobody in their right mind would bet on Santos here. Neither he nor Manhoef have much of a ground game but the Dutchman is faster, tougher, stronger and even more aggressive. This will be fast-paced and brutal and I think Santos will be due a hospital visit by the end of it.
Curtis Stout (Pictures) vs. Daijiro Matsui (Pictures)
Curtis "Bang 'Em Out" Stout (10-7-1) did not do much to impress in his UFC stay, but he's really made some waves in the UK. Whether this is because the UK scene is lagging far behind its American competitors or whether Stout has simply improved in the intervening time period is debatable. But the fact remains that of four bouts in the UK he has won three by brutal knockout.
Mark Weir (Pictures), Nilson de Castro (Pictures) and Sol Gilbert (Pictures) have all fallen to the American's fists, with only the seemingly invincible Anderson Silva (Pictures) able to make Stout look bad.
Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) (7-13-4) is someone that needs little introduction. The former pro wrestler and Takada Dojo fighter has been a fixture in Japan since the third PRIDE show, and has entertained and suffered in equal measure since then.
Having fought pretty much everyone there is to fight across the ocean, Matsui obviously felt like a new challenge on these shores. Accordingly he made his UK debut at Cage Rage 14, drawing with Alex Reid (Pictures) in a fight that the crowd, at least, felt he'd clearly won.
A clash between Stout and Matsui inevitably harkens back to purer days when "strikers" fought "grapplers" who knew nothing of each other's arts. Without painting too much of a caricature this picture is not too far removed from the truth.
Stout will want to stand and Matsui will want to go to the ground. The winner will be the one who manages to impose his game and I think this will be Stout. If anyone can hang tough though, it's Matsui so this may well go to the judges.
Chris Lytle (Pictures) vs. Ross Mason (Pictures)
UFC veteran Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (20-12-5) was known primarily for his ground fighting skills before recently reinventing himself as a stand-up fighter. He now boasts a professional boxing record of 13-1-1 (7 KO) and the associated fearsome stand-up game.
Lytle's record may be spotty but he's the sort of fighter who takes on all comers. Having scored some good wins against credible "name" opponents such as Pete Spratt (Pictures), Tiki Ghosn (Pictures), LaVerne Clark and Aaron Riley (Pictures), Lytle's more recent losses have mainly come against really top class opposition, such as Robbie Lawler (Pictures), Karo Parisyan (Pictures) and Joe Riggs (Pictures).
As a trivial aside, the much-traveled Lytle has already fought in Cage Rage — or at least an Indiana promotion that shares the UK promotion's name.
Ross "The Boss" Mason (7-3-0) is one of the UK's rising stars in the welterweight division. Although he made his professional debut at the tail end of 2002, he only started fighting regularly in 2004. Since then he has visibly improved, adding a certain calmness to his considerable physical gifts.
In terms of style, Mason favors the stand-up game, although he is competent at other ranges. "The Boss" has fought twice at Cage Rage, beating the durable Damien Riccio (Pictures) and the one-dimensional Darren Guisha, both by TKO.
The difference between these two is experience. Although Mason is raw, strong and brings a big fan base with him, the fact is that Lytle has been in there with the best and he won't be intimidated — he's seen this all before.
Mason will have a puncher's chance, but although Lytle may play the stand-up game, I can't see him keeping it there if things go awry. If the American wants to take proceedings to the ground then they will go there, and I can't see Mason keeping his opponent at bay for too long.
"I live this shit."
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Manhoef is the type of fighter that fans love to see. Short for his weight but extremely strong, the Dutchman is all about power and aggression. His game is to dominate his opponents from the start, overwhelm them with the persistence and strength of his attack and then force them to submit or lose consciousness.
Manhoef has fought most of his career in his native Netherlands,
before making his UK debut last February at Cage Rage 10. Since
then Manhoef has gone 4-0, knocking out Riccio, Paul Cahoon and Fabio Piamonte (Pictures) in the UK, and scoring a decision
victory over veteran heavyweight "Dirty" Bob Schrijber (Pictures) in the Netherlands. Of 13
professional fights, Manhoef has seen 11 end by knockout, with one
decision and one draw.
Whilst Manhoef's opponent, Chute Boxe psychopath Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (12-7-0), may not be quite on the same level as the Dutchman's originally scheduled opponent, Vitor Belfort (Pictures), he is nevertheless a good vehicle against which the Dutchman can shine.
The two opponents also have something in common — they both made their UK debuts at Cage Rage 10, but the outcome of this event is instructive. While Manhoef impressed in victory, "Cyborg" looked terrible in his TKO loss to Antony Rea (Pictures).
The Brazilian was ultra-aggressive, but his looping punches were easy for Rea to defend against, and Santos' cardio was almost as suspect as his ground game.
When you get right down to it, Santos is a bog standard brawler. He's not technical, he's not pretty in any sense but the tattooed Brazilian can certainly swing. Although his record is spotty, he's been on an absolute tear since CR 10, going 4-0 and knocking out the impressive Kassim Annan in the process.
Nobody in their right mind would bet on Santos here. Neither he nor Manhoef have much of a ground game but the Dutchman is faster, tougher, stronger and even more aggressive. This will be fast-paced and brutal and I think Santos will be due a hospital visit by the end of it.
Curtis Stout (Pictures) vs. Daijiro Matsui (Pictures)
Curtis "Bang 'Em Out" Stout (10-7-1) did not do much to impress in his UFC stay, but he's really made some waves in the UK. Whether this is because the UK scene is lagging far behind its American competitors or whether Stout has simply improved in the intervening time period is debatable. But the fact remains that of four bouts in the UK he has won three by brutal knockout.
Mark Weir (Pictures), Nilson de Castro (Pictures) and Sol Gilbert (Pictures) have all fallen to the American's fists, with only the seemingly invincible Anderson Silva (Pictures) able to make Stout look bad.
Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) (7-13-4) is someone that needs little introduction. The former pro wrestler and Takada Dojo fighter has been a fixture in Japan since the third PRIDE show, and has entertained and suffered in equal measure since then.
Having fought pretty much everyone there is to fight across the ocean, Matsui obviously felt like a new challenge on these shores. Accordingly he made his UK debut at Cage Rage 14, drawing with Alex Reid (Pictures) in a fight that the crowd, at least, felt he'd clearly won.
A clash between Stout and Matsui inevitably harkens back to purer days when "strikers" fought "grapplers" who knew nothing of each other's arts. Without painting too much of a caricature this picture is not too far removed from the truth.
Stout will want to stand and Matsui will want to go to the ground. The winner will be the one who manages to impose his game and I think this will be Stout. If anyone can hang tough though, it's Matsui so this may well go to the judges.
Chris Lytle (Pictures) vs. Ross Mason (Pictures)
UFC veteran Chris "Lights Out" Lytle (20-12-5) was known primarily for his ground fighting skills before recently reinventing himself as a stand-up fighter. He now boasts a professional boxing record of 13-1-1 (7 KO) and the associated fearsome stand-up game.
Lytle's record may be spotty but he's the sort of fighter who takes on all comers. Having scored some good wins against credible "name" opponents such as Pete Spratt (Pictures), Tiki Ghosn (Pictures), LaVerne Clark and Aaron Riley (Pictures), Lytle's more recent losses have mainly come against really top class opposition, such as Robbie Lawler (Pictures), Karo Parisyan (Pictures) and Joe Riggs (Pictures).
As a trivial aside, the much-traveled Lytle has already fought in Cage Rage — or at least an Indiana promotion that shares the UK promotion's name.
Ross "The Boss" Mason (7-3-0) is one of the UK's rising stars in the welterweight division. Although he made his professional debut at the tail end of 2002, he only started fighting regularly in 2004. Since then he has visibly improved, adding a certain calmness to his considerable physical gifts.
In terms of style, Mason favors the stand-up game, although he is competent at other ranges. "The Boss" has fought twice at Cage Rage, beating the durable Damien Riccio (Pictures) and the one-dimensional Darren Guisha, both by TKO.
The difference between these two is experience. Although Mason is raw, strong and brings a big fan base with him, the fact is that Lytle has been in there with the best and he won't be intimidated — he's seen this all before.
Mason will have a puncher's chance, but although Lytle may play the stand-up game, I can't see him keeping it there if things go awry. If the American wants to take proceedings to the ground then they will go there, and I can't see Mason keeping his opponent at bay for too long.
