Standing across the cage from Epstein will be Dave Legeno (Pictures) (0-2). Legeno is a mountain of a man, famed in the UK for lending his voice and acting talents to the main character on "The Getaway 2: Black Monday," the bestselling game for the PS2. For those of you who are interested, Legeno was also in the movie "Snatch" and recent UK gangster film "Hell to Pay.”
None of this affects his fighting talent, of course, but from the available evidence — his exciting but technically dire battle with Alan Murdoch at CR 14, and his brave but ultimately futile battle with a much smaller Ikuhisa Minowa (Pictures) at CR 15 — what Legeno brings to the table is heart, size and a hell of a lot of enthusiasm.
Size and reach could be an issue here. Legeno is the bigger man but Epstein has fought at heavyweight before and fears nobody. "The Beast" also has a massive advantage in terms of experience and proven pedigree. The bottom line is that this fight is likely to be an extremely entertaining slug-athon but unless Legeno has learnt a lot since his last professional outing, this is going to be a painful experience for him. I'm predicting a TKO stoppage in the first round, with Epstein's arm raised in victory.
Henry “Sentoryu” Miller vs. Robert “Buzz” Berry
Robert Berry (Pictures) (8-4) is an old-fashioned brawler, albeit an experienced one who has developed a calm and well-rounded understanding of the MMA game. This isn't to say that the 250-pound Berry is a technical fighter, but just that he doesn't look as wild as uncontrolled as someone like "Cyborg" Santos. Berry likes to hit often and hard and the majority of his victories have come via KO or TKO.
Henry Miller (Pictures) (1-4) is a PRIDE regular who has recently reinvented himself as a brawler and has possibly made his way to these shores in search of redemption. A high-ranking sumo wrestler before making the move to MMA, Miller now sells himself as a brawler.
Miller has heart but he's capable of being knocked out. As for Berry: I'm still not sold on quite how good he is but this will be a useful litmus test. Berry has flattened most of his opponents thus far, but he is vulnerable to good wrestlers. Despite his sumo pedigree I don't think Miller has what it takes. It'll be a fun fight but I think Berry takes the KO in the third round.
Curtis “Bang ‘Em Out” Stout vs. Zelg Galesic
It's fair to say that Curtis Stout (Pictures) (11-9-1) did not do much to impress in his UFC stay, but he's really made some fans in the UK with his heavy hands and likeable persona. Stout has gone 3-3 in the UK, starting his career here by introducing Mark Weir (Pictures), Nilson de Castro (Pictures) and Sol Gilbert (Pictures) to his fists and, subsequently, to the canvas. Stout's battle with the seemingly invincible Anderson Silva (Anderson Silva' class='LinkSilver'>Pictures) spelt a potential turning point. Silva made Stout look bad, and although his subsequent losses to Daijiro Matsui (Pictures) and Jorge Patino (Pictures) were both by decision it seemed to be a different fighter out there in the cage. Stout will need to rediscover his striking mojo if he ever wants another shot at the Cage Rage title.
Regardless of whether Stout himself wants a stand-up fight, this is certainly what Cage Rage have given him. Zelg Galesic (3-1) is a Croatian-born fighter now residing in London. Galesic is well rounded but it was his supreme striking skills that impressed the majority of the audience at Cage Rage 15, when the tall, gangly fighter punished the rugged Michael Holmes (Pictures) en route to a first round stoppage.
This is a make-or-break for Stout. A good performance here restores his confidence and sets him back on the path towards the title, and the key to a victory here will be the striking. Both men hit hard and hit well and it will be an interesting clash of styles. Stout has the edge in experience but recent bouts just haven't been convincing. I hope he's back to his best but a sneaking suspicion suggests that the newcomer might just cause an upset. Galesic by decision.
Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel vs. Fabiano “Pega-Leve” Scherner
Oh, how I long for these old-fashioned clashes!
The match between Gilbert Yvel (Pictures) and Fabiano Scherner (Pictures) harks back to the good old days of one-gloved boxers, eye-pokes, groin shots and hair-pulling. I say this not because this is a classic match-up between a striker and a grappler, reminiscent of the early days of vale tudo but more because Yvel has been accused of most of these things throughout his infamous career. (Well, except for turning up to a fight with only one glove on.)
Anyway, Yvel (27-11-1, 1 NC) is a fearsome Dutch striker and cheat. A Muay Thai wizard, Yvel is capable of some gorgeous knockouts, such as his kick to Gary Goodridge (Pictures)'s head at PRIDE 10, as well as some truly disgusting behavior, such as his assault on a Finnish referee in 2004.
Scherner (5-3-0, 1 NC), on the other hand, does not do well striking. He's a grappler, a big, beefy BJJ black belt who is making a bumpy transition to MMA. I say bumpy because despite an encouraging start, which saw Scherner go 5-1, he has since slipped and lost both of his fights since moving to the UFC.
As is so often the case these days, both of these fighters want redemption. Yvel needs to prove that the bad old days are behind him if he ever wants to attain his true potential in this sport. Can he concentrate and produce a performance good enough to get him back into PRIDE? Can Scherner withstand the blows long enough to get close and work his magic? I think Yvel's young enough and talented enough to pull this off. A second round knockout potentially awaits his Brazilian opponent.
James Thompson (Pictures) vs. Rob Broughton (British heavyweight title)
James “The Colossus” Thompson (12-3) is a familiar name to MMA fans worldwide thanks to his adventures in PRIDE. The Englishman is an imposing physical specimen, standing 6-foot-5 and 264 pounds. With those sorts of physical attributes it comes as no surprise that Thompson often enjoys a size and strength advantage over his opponents, and he uses this edge to impose his will over his opponents.
Thompson's game is focused around his striking — he's another heavy-handed brawler who will swing if given half a chance and has won most of his matches by KO.
This should be an interesting fight for Thompson because his opponent is as big as he is, as fierce as he is, and as intent on striking as he is. Rob Broughton (3-2-1) is, in the words of Cage Rage co-promoter Dave O'Donnell, "120 kilos of maniac … from Liverpool."
I don't know much about Broughton beyond his reputation as a wild striker with KO power but my sources tell me that whilst this fight promises to be a highly entertaining spectacle, it'll take a brave man to bet on the upset. Thompson by KO in the second round.
Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) vs. Ian Freeman (Pictures) (World light heavyweight title)
"I live this shit."
You have to say it in a comedy Dutch accent to get the full effect, but these were the simple, direct, yet utterly apt words that Melvin Manhoef (Pictures) (12-2-1) used to describe his approach to fighting after his Cage Rage debut, a brutal knockout victory over Matthias Riccio over 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.
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 6-0, knocking out Riccio, Paul Cahoon, Fabio Piamonte (Pictures) and Evangelista Santos (Pictures) in the UK, scoring a decision victory over veteran heavyweight "Dirty" Bob Schrijber (Pictures) in the Netherlands, and punishing poor Shungo Oyama (Pictures) in Japan. Of 15 professional fights, Manhoef has seen 14 end in knockouts, with one decision and one draw. He's an all-or-nothing kind of guy.
Manhoef has two basic weaknesses. His first is his cardio. He always starts strong but the speed of his attack visibly withers as the fight progresses. This is not just a case of fatigue as a result of his all-action style, it's also a statement suggesting a lack of pacing and/or strategy. The second problem is that his style is one dimensional. Manhoef is hard to take down but once on the ground he doesn't do much aside from defend. Even when he's attacking on his feet, his style is open and an experienced counter-puncher with superior reach could have some success.
That said, I don't think Ian "The Machine" Freeman (14-6-1), for all his undoubted qualities, is the man to expose Manhoef's weaknesses and take away the Dutchman's world title. Freeman is an MMA pioneer — the first Englishman to fight and win in the UFC and one of the leading lights in UK MMA. Freeman is a canny veteran who, in his time, has faced and beaten many quality opponents including Frank Mir (Pictures), on a memorable night in 2002. The victory over Mir was Freeman's peak and although he has gone 4-1-1 since then, the Englishman is now just shy of 40 years of age and this is his last big hurrah.
Word has it that Freeman has been training hard in Nottingham for this fight and he will certainly bring it to his aggressive opponent. But if this stays on the feet then I feel that it will be Manhoef, not Freeman, who is standing once the dust has settled. The key to Freeman's victory will be whether he can impose his fearsome ground-and-pound game and I don't think he can. It'll be one heck of a fight but I think Manhoef scores the stoppage in the third.