With no UFC or Bellator on this weekend, fight fans can tune in to Go Fight Live to watch the best regional MMA action!
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is taking a hiatus this weekend as the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion gears up for the highly anticipated UFC 202 event. With no UFC or Bellator MMA events to fall back on, GoFightLive.tv is the place to be this weekend for combat sports fans. Once again, as a gift to MMAmania readers, GFL is offering 20 percent off any event, using the exclusive coupon code GFLMania.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the Top 5 fights to watch on GFL this weekend:
5. IT Fight Series 46: Scott Sheely provides a night with four title fights
Paul Shough vs Isaac Hook (Heavyweight Title Bout): IT Fight Series heavyweight champion Paul Shough will step in the cage for his first title defense when he takes on Isaac Hook this weekend. Shough won the belt in January when he defeated Cody Kelley, while Isaac Hook is coming off a huge victory against Aaron Garret back in Dec. 2015.
IT Fight Series Featherweight champion Mark Carosella puts his undefeated record on the line against Columbus native Adli Edwards. Both fighters have a championship pedigree and will be looking to add to their amateur resume prior to turning professional.
Also on the card will be Adli’s teammate, Floyd Cisco, who is looking to capture gold after coming up short in his rematch against Joe Pimentel. He will be taking on undefeated fighter and heavy hitter Nikolai Gionti for the Flyweight title.
In the final title bout, Columbus resident Caleb Frasher will take on the dangerous Logan Urban. Both fighters have started their early career with four straight victories but someone’s undefeated record has to go with the Welterweight title hanging in the balance.
4. Rage in the Cage OKC 47: Levi Queen v Rocky Johnson
Fight fans can expect a sensational main event at the Rage in the Cage OKC 47 event, featuring two experienced Middleweights battling it out.
Levi Queen has four straight wins in the last 11 months, finishing all four opponents during that span. His last loss was to WSOF veteran Brian Grinnell in July 2015 by submission with one second left in the first round. Levi has fought to a decision only once in his career, with most of his wins coming via submission. Like his opponent Rocky Johnson, Levi has had a decently long career, where he has gone 12-3 since 2009.
Johnson has been fighting since 2003 having fought an incredible 41 times, including stints in Bellator and many solid regional promotions, whilst gathering eight belts during his 13 year career. He is a well rounded fighter who has proven his championship mettle over 25 minutes, and when the opportunity shows itself, he can finish an opponent via strikes or submission. Most of his losses have been via decision and he has not been finished since 2007.
The tale of the tape is in Queen’s favor, as he stands 6′ tall and is only 27 years old, whilst Rocky stands 5’7″ and is 18 years older at 45.
After Lee Mein won in the Hard Knocks cage at age 49 earlier this year, I would not take a veteran like Johnson lightly if I were Queen. Though I like Johnson’s all around game, it is hard to believe Queen’s four fight win streak will end to a fighter 18 years his senior who is also five inches shorter.
Prediction: The fight goes to the ground and Queen submits Johnson by the end of the second round. At 28, Queen still has a shot at UFC if he can keep this streak going and continues to up the competition.
3. XCC 25: Alexandre Bezerra v Dimitre Ivy (Featherweight Title Bout)
The main event of XCC 25 will feature a title fight between Alexandre Bezerra (18-4) and Dimitre Ivy (6-2) for the Featherweight crown. Bezerra is a nine-time Bellator veteran and former Cage Fury Fighting Championships Featherweight champ who holds a win over three-fight UFC veteran Levan Makashvili.
Ivy is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and Legacy Fighting Championships veteran who earned the Hero Fighting Championship Featherweight crown earlier in his career.
Both of these fighters are explosive, with Bezerra having finished 16 of his 18 wins, while Ivy has finished all six of his victories. In Bezerra’s four losses he was submitted only once and that was via choke in 2009. Ivy lost his first fight in 2010 via punches and his only other loss came by decision in 2012.
Bezerra did not fight in 2015 after his decision loss to Levan Makashvili. He has gotten back on track in 2016 with a first round knockout of former Ring of Combat and Bellator veteran Frank Caraballo. Ivy had fought three times in 2015 winning all via submission-choke, but has yet to find a fighter in 2016 willing to give him a chance.
With 24 wins and only six losses between these two fighters, it is clear that it will be a close contest. Bezerra, the No. 1 ranked Featherweight in Pennsylvania, appears close to an opportunity with UFC.
After his big victory at Legacy FC in 2013, Ivy seemed to disappear in 2014 only to reappear in 2015 with even more talent then he showed during his Legacy stint.
This one is tough to call on paper, but should be a great fight. Ivy is a tough relatively unknown fighter, whilst Bezerra is a proven winner. Go with the experience, Bezerra wears down Ivy in the third round and finishes him via submission.
2. Aspera FC 43: Junior “Baby” Albini vs. Jose Rodrigo “Dragao” Guelke (Heavyweight Title Fight)
Aspera FC is ranked as one of the Top 15 promotions globally, thus it is hard to pick a fight that will not exciting to watch here.
The main event heavyweight title affair pits two highly ranked Brazilian warriors, Junior “Baby” Albini vs. Jose Rodrigo “Dragao” Guelke, ranked 4th and 26th, against each other. Considering these men both have major animosity toward each other, you can expect a thrilling title bout.
Albini holds the AFC Heavyweight title as well as an eight-fight win streak dating back to 2013. During this streak he has finished all but one opponent. Guelke is a fighter who some feel is past his prime at age 30. He had retired in July 2012 with a record of 15-5, before coming back three weeks later to start a six-fight losing streak that spanned the 11 months between Aug. 2012 and July 2013.
Guelke seems to have regained his focus since 2014, having lost merely one decision since, whilst finishing four other opponents. Like many experienced MMA fighters, he has the wind to go the distance and the ability to win on the ground via technical knockout.
Both Albini and Guelke are solid well-rounded fighters and to some extent well rested. Albini did not fight in 2015 because of several fight cancellations and Guelke has not fought yet in 2016. Guelke is the toughest opponent Albini has seen in awhile. That said, youth, a three inch height advantage, and an eight fight win streak will be hard to overcome. If Guelke is focused he can win. Go with the rankings, Albini by submission.
Bonus: Maiquel Falcao vs Tiago Moreira is a can’t miss fight as well!
Falcao is perhaps best known for his stint in Bellator, with whom he won the Bellator Season Six Middleweight Tournament. A professional competitor since 2004, Falcao has also had one fight with UFC where he beat Gerald Harris (22-5).
At that point, Falcao had compiled a record of 25-3 (1) with 21 of his wins coming by way of knockout, fighting exclusively in his native Brazil with two of the losses being at the hands of UFC veteran Fabio Maldonado.
Tyago “Buda” Moreira is a tough competitor whose training is primarily in Muay Thai. At 10-5 with at two-fight win streak in the bag, Moreira appears to be gaining some momentum in MMA. Most of his fights do not make it out of the first round win or lose. Fighting Falcao is a move up in class for Moreira, and he better get to him early as Falcao’s last four losses came in the first round.
1. WXC 64: Johnny Bedford vs Mike Hernandez (Bantamweight Title Bout)
The bad blood match up that fight fans wanted to see is finally set, featuring “Hurricane” Mike Hernandez Vs “Brutal” Johnny Bedford.
This fight will be a war that you won’t want to miss. These fighters were set to fight for the Bantamweight title at WXC 63, but Hernandez incurred a rib injury during training that scrapped the bout. Bedford was not happy about the delay and said some unkind words about Hernandez.
In his pre-fight interviews, Hernandez has made it clear that he intends to knock out the “cocky” UFC veteran in Bedford.
A product of Michigan Top Team, Hernandez has no plans of going anywhere near the scheduled 25 minutes of his upcoming title fight. Hernandez is a Bellator veteran having won his only bout at Bellator 124. After winning six bouts in a row, he was submitted by a tough Canadian, Jesse Arnett at Hard Knocks 50.
Bedford has a long history of fighting on the The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Bellator and UFC. He started as a wrestler with a 51-1 high school record before starting his professional career in 2006, when he reached the semifinals of TUF before losing to that season’s winner in John Dodson.
After TUF, Bedford would still get a shot at UFC and would finish his first two opponents Louis Gaudinot and Marcus Vinicius by technical knockout. He would go on to lose his next fight to TUF alumnus Bryan Caraway, when they squared off at UFC 159. His next fight would be a no contest (head butt) against Rani Yahya, who he lost to by decision in his last UFC bout in 2014.
Both fighters have competed at the top levels of the sport and had success. Bedford has not lost since leaving UFC and is looking for one more chance at 33, while Hernandez seems to be peaking. This bout will be well worth the price of admission.
That’s a wrap!