IFL "New Blood, New Battles" Preview
by Robert Sargent
Tomorrow night, live on HDNet FiGHTS, the International Fight League presents "New Blood, New Battles" from the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. MMARising.com breaks down the card, including all three title fights.
Three main events headline the show, with title fights in the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions scheduled.
In the lightweight title fight, two men who have recently provided MMARising.com with exclusive interviews, Ryan "The Lion" Schultz (18-9-1) and John Gunderson (15-5-0), will battle for supremacy at 155 pounds. Both have claimed to be highly focused and ready for the fight, and both promise to walk out of the fight with the title.
Gunderson is a well-rounded fighter, but is coming off of a loss to Wagnney Fabiano in an IFL featherweight battle in November. He is eager to bounce back, this time at 155, and claim the coveted title in the lightweight division.
Schultz is a heavy-handed striker with excellent wrestling, but he, too, experienced hardship, following a disastrous 2005-2006 series where he lost seven of 11 fights. However, he has won four fights in a row, including a shocking KO victory over IFL lightweight poster boy, Chris Horodecki, to claim the IFL Lightweight Championship.
This will be Schultz's first title defence since defeating Horodecki. He is looking to establish that he is the future of the lightweight division, of any promotion, and that he truly belongs among the top lightweights in the world. With a win over Roger Huerta, and a Draw with Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancanti, he already has significant battles in his career. This is his chance to prove that the Horodecki fight was no fluke.
In the middleweight title fight, Matt "Sauve" Horwich (21-9-1) will also be looking to prove that his KO victory over Benji Radach was no one-hit wonder, when he battles Ryan McGivern (11-5-0).
Although Horwich lost a decision to McGivern in the past, he has many notable wins in his career, including victories over Josh Burkman, Jason MacDonald and Mike Pyle. He was given little chance against Radach, and was dominated for much of the fight, but a lunging punch solidified his place as the IFL Middleweight Champion. Now, he looks to successfully defend that belt, while also avenging a previous loss.
McGivern has only won three of his past seven fights, but the victory over Horwich is a telling one. If he can duplicate the December 2006 win, he will capture the title in the process. McGivern holds a victory over Dennis Hallman and, in his most recent fight, avenged a loss to Fabio Leopoldo. If he can dethrone Horwich, McGivern will have many hungry challengers looking for his title.
The heavyweight title fight sees the aptly-named champion, Roy "Big Country" Nelson (11-2-0) take on MMA veteran Fabiano Scherner (7-5-0).
Nelson has never been stopped in his career, and managed to fight to a Split Decision in his loss to Ben Rothwell, a top-15 heavyweight. He has only gained confidence with each fight, and has won three fights in a row since the loss to Rothwell. He has very heavy hands and a reasonable ground game, for a man of his size.
While his appearance may not appear to be that of a well-conditioned athlete, Nelson's past fights have shown that he is a very dangerous opponent for anyone in the IFL's heavyweight division. In this fight, he looks to defend his newly-won title.
Scherner only has 12 professional fights, but he is a veteran of the sport and has competed against some of the best heavyweights in the world, including those in the UFC. While he was defeated by Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera in the UFC, he has won two of his last three fights. He has knockout power and dangerous armbars. Nelson will need to look to keep the fight standing, as Scherner's chin is his main weakness.
Also competing on the card will be Jake Ellenberger (16-3-0) and Pat Healy (18-12-0), in a welterweight battle.
Ellenberger's record is impressive, but his three losses have all come in his past seven fights, and he has struggled when matched against highly-touted competitors. He has been defeated by current IFL Welterweight Champion Jay Hieron, as well as by veteran Derrick Noble and former #1 IFL welterweight contender Delson Heleno. However, he is coming off of a KO win over Jose Landi-Jons, and looks to notch a big win in his career.
Healy is also a veteran, and has competed against many of the top welterweights and middleweights in the world, but has also struggled against top competition. His biggest win, by far, came against current WEC Welterweight Champion Carlos Condit in June of 2006. He has been defeated by Jay Hieron, Chris Lytle, Denis Kang, Derrick Noble, Carlo Prater and, in the UFC, in an upset to Anthony Torres. His only IFL loss came to Rory Markham, by KO.
This is really a battle of two fighters who have not yet lived up to their potential - Healy's win over Condit notwithstanding - and both are looking to solidify their place among the top IFL welterweights.
In a featherweight bout, Rafael Dias (9-3-1) will take on Santino DeFranco (11-3-0).
Dias is making his IFL debut, coming off of a 27-second victory at the end of January. While he is just 2-2-1 in his past five fights, he is a well-rounded fighter with excellent submissions. He is looking to make a significant impact in the IFL featherweight division.
DeFranco is a submission master and holds a victory over Melvin Guillard. He also competed at the end of January, scoring a TKO victory. This fight is likely to be a grappling war, with both fighters highly skilled on the ground, and could easily come down to which fighter can secure a submission first.
In a middleweight fight which was originally slated to feature Benji Radach, UFC veteran Josh Haynes (8-9-0) will now step in for the injured Radach, as he faces Leopoldo Serao (11-6-0).
Serao is a tactician, with all but one of his victories coming by Submission. Most of his losses have come against some of the best fighters in the world, such as Assuerio Silva, Murilo "Ninja" Rua and Jorge Santiago. He will definitely look to take the fight to the ground and work for submissions on Haynes.
Haynes is a veteran, but has lost six of his last eight fights. He is most famous for being a part of the third season of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, but three UFC losses resulted in his departure from the company. He is coming off of a TKO loss outside of the UFC, and is looking to get back on the winning track.
In a heavyweight fight, one of the shortest (5-foot-7) heavyweights in history, Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira (15-5-0) will take on Lew Polley (6-1-0).
Despite his small height, Ferreira is a highly-skilled heavyweight, and has wins over Heath Herring and Shannon Ritch. All but one of his wins - the Herring fight ending in a Decision - have been by way of Submission. This will be his IFL debut, but he is already well-known among many in mixed martial arts.
Polley is relatively new to the sport, and this will be his biggest test to date. He is also a submission fighter, with five of his six wins by Submission. None of his fights have ever gone the distance. He will look to score the biggest win of his career, and also make a statement in the IFL.
In a preliminary bout, Ian Loveland (8-7-0) will take on Dennis Davis (13-6-0) in a featherweight contest.
Loveland is 0-2 in the IFL, but one loss was to current champion Wagnney Fabiano. He is coming off of a win, and looks to get his first IFL victory.
Davis has competed with current UFC fighters Nate Diaz, Luke Caudillo and Clay Guida, but was defeated in each of the bouts. However, he has won four fights in a row. He is a submission fighter and will look to take the fight to the ground.
Overall, this looks to be another great event for the International Fight League. It will air live tomorrow night on HDNet FiGHTS.
