Tonights IFL LA Preview

By Steve Marrocco

The IFL continues on their whirlwind tour of the United States when they touch down at the world famous Forum in Los Angeles, California on St. Patty’s day, Saturday, March 17th. Scheduled to do battle on the green-beer soaked day are the Tokyo Sabres, in their second outing in 2007 as an almost completely re-tooled team. Facing off with them are the California Condors, who are coming off an impressive team victory against the Seattle Tiger Sharks in the IFL’s first season event in Oakland.

A superfight between MMA veterans and coaches Marco Ruas and Maurice Smith was before the Oakland event ever took place; age and time away from the ring were CSAC director Armando Garcia’s stated reasons. IFL Commish Kurt Otto vowed to take the match to another state, most likely Connecticut in April.

Until then, LA fans will satiate themselves with the two team match-ups, which present many intriguing fights throughout the night.

TOKYO SABRES vs. CALIFORNIA CONDORS

Lightweights:
In his IFL debut, 155lb’er Adam Lynn was the unfortunate recipient of an early stoppage at the hands of a former boxing referee. Skilled both on the ground and on his feet, he gave Armory standout Rich Crunkilton all he could handle before being caught in a rear naked choke. He faces Savant Young, who is coming off a dominating win over Ed West at the IFL’s second show in Houston, Texas. Young holds victories over TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove, but has faltered at the hands of former WEC champ Gabe Ruediger and Chris Lytle.

Welterweights:
Condor Rodrigo Ruas, coach Ruas’ son, makes his IFL debut on Saturday, having suffered an eye injury that forced him to back out against Tiger Shark Brad Blackburn. He has not fought professionally since the Absolute Fighting Championships held in Rio De Janeiro back in 2004, losing a decision to Roan Carneiro. With a number of yearlong breaks on his resume, he will have his hands full with Sabre Antonio Mckee, one of the most experienced fighters on the IFL roster. With over 20 fights on his resume, he has flown under the mainstream radar most of his career, but holds impressive victories over Ronald Jhun, Marcus Aurelio, and Edwin Dewees.

Middleweights:
In his last outing for the IFL, Condor Jeremy Williams slapped a triangle on Tiger Shark Bristol Marunde so fast, the referee was caught flatfooted as Marunde lost consciousness within the first five seconds of its application. Not long after winning a decision over Yves Edwards in 2001, Williams took a five year break from MMA before stepping back into the ring for the IFL. He is another fighter on the Condors who lay dormant until coach Ruas put the spark back in his step. His opponent, Sabre Kazuhiro Hamanaka, fell straight into a tight guillotine against Anaconda Alex Schoenauer in his debut. Though he has two wins against “Cabbage” Correira and Antonio Schembri, his concern should be for Williams submission prowess as the fight goes to the ground.

Light-Heavyweights:
Condor Justin Levens will attempt to rebound from a disappointing loss to Tiger Shark Reese Andy in his first outing for the IFL. If you’ve seen his highlight reel floating around YouTube, his aggressiveness has carried him throughout his career. After suffering a string of three losses at the hands of very talented fighters, he rebounded with two TKO victories in the WEC and Pangea before encountering the patient and tactical style of Andy. This fight will truly be a benchmark of what he’s learned from his fight with Andy. Reason? Opponent Vladimir Matyushenko is virtually a carbon copy of Andy’s wrestling pedigree and will surely take the fight to the ground to avoid Levens’ bombs. Though he claimed he would stand and trade with Levens, “The Janitor” will fall back on his comfort zone after he catches some leather with his face. The only hope is that it isn’t too late by then.

Heavyweights:
Condor Antoine Jaoude is a jiu-jitsu based fighter who excels in taking his opponents down and grinding them out. The Tiger Shark’s technical striker Curtis Crawford could never get a bead on him as Jaoude consistently shot in and put Crawford on his back in their respective IFL debuts. His opponent, Sabre Wayne Cole, is a highly athletic fighter with a wrestling background who makes his debut at the forum. As with many fights between ground specialists, this fight could be determined by who gets top position first. With Cole possessing KO power with his hands, he could take Jaoude out early if he lands the first bomb. But most likely, we will see a war on the ground.

ANACONDAS vs. RAZORCLAWS

Lightweights:
Undoubtedly the breakout star of the IFL, Anaconda Chris Horodecki puts his undefeated streak on the line against Razorclaw Josh Odom. At only 19, Horodecki lives a double life as a student and KO artist in the MMA world. Rightly so, he has generated a ton of buzz with his relentless standup attack and his saavy groundwork. However, he narrowly escaped his last appearance with a split decision victory over Silverback Bart Palaszewski, standing on the razor’s edge of a loss by guillotine choke. Odom, who was dominated by Lion John Gunderson at IFL Oakland, will be in for the test of his career. Coach Frank Shamrock will definitely craft a gameplan that involves taking Horodecki’s standup weapons away from him. Unless he gets caught early, Odom will most likely take the fight to the ground and look for a submission.

Welterweights:
Anaconda Jay Hieron is also an Anaconda MVP with his blend of wrestling ability and heavy hands. Wolfpack fighter Chris Wilson was nearly knocked out by one of Hieron’s bombs in the second round. In the post fight press conference, Wilson said it took him half a round to hear his corner again. His opponent is Razorclaw Donny Liles, a submission specialist with decent hands, making his debut in the IFL. Unless one of them gets caught early with a punch or kick, Hieron will spend most of the fight fending off Liles submission attempts.

Middleweights:
Anaconda Benji Radach’s much publicized return to the ring continues as he attempts to build on the success he had against Silverback Ryan McGivern at the IFL in Houston. Radach’s hands are excellent, and should he keep opponent Brian Foster at a distance, it could be a short night for Foster. Foster was impressive in his last fight with Dan Molina (especially since they fought through a power outage) but will need to bring his A game against the dangerous striker.

Light-Heavyweights:
Anaconda Alex Schoenauer has hit a skid recently, dropping his last two fights to Silverback Mike Ciesnolevicz and Wolfpack fighter Aaron Stark. He’s not been given an easy test in Brian Ebersole, another one of the IFL’s most experienced fighters, recently reinstated after a controversial fight against Shannon Ritch at an MMA event in San Francisco. Alex’s best chance in the fight is to submit Ebersole, who has proved vulnerable to such attacks.

Heavyweights:
Anaconda Krzysztof Soszynski makes his return to the Anacondas after missing his last fight with Silverback Ben Rothwell due to an injury sustained in training. Soszynski is batting .500 in the IFL, having pulled out a sneaky armbar against Wolfpack fighter Devin Cole in his debut, but dropping a decision against Mike Whitehead at the IFL finals last year. It will be a tough night for him against Razorclaw Dan Christenson, fresh off Randy Couture’s training camp for UFC 68. The recently inspired Christenson is taller, has more reach, and is better on his feet than the Anaconda, but has questionable ground skills. Soszynski could exploit that to balance the scales.