When UFC matchmaker Joe Silva first contacted Jason Brilz about filling in at UFC 114 on four weeks' notice, Brilz assumed they were talking about a fight on the preliminary card. Maybe fellow light heavyweight Luis Cane had gotten injured and had to pull out of his bout with Cyrille Diabate. Maybe it was the other way around.

Regardless, he told Silva, he was up for the challenge.

"I was planning on running a triathlon this summer with my dad, so I'm in shape," said Brilz. "I've been working on some stuff in the gym. I thought, hey this gives me four weeks to concentrate on it. My girls are still in school right now, so yeah, I can do that."

A couple days went by and Brilz didn't hear from Silva. On Monday, he sent an e-mail asking if the UFC would still be requiring his services in Las Vegas on May 29. Silva responded that it may have been a false alarm. It was looking like the UFC wouldn't need him after all, but thanks for being willing to step up.

Brilz put it out of his mind and went to dinner with his family. He considered ordering a beer, but, no, he'd just finished a couple good workouts, so he decided he'd have some water instead. After dinner, he and his family walked around in downtown Omaha, the city where Brilz works full-time as a firefighter. It was a pleasant little evening.

"Then I got home, put the kids in the bath and thought, you know, I'm going to have that beer now. I cracked the beer, had about two sips, then a Virginia number pops up on my phone. It's Joe Silva. I was like, well, I guess I'm not going to be able to finish this beer."

Still thinking it was a preliminary card fight, Brilz agreed to step in before Silva told him who he'd be facing. Only after he asked whether it would be Cane or Diabate or someone else on the prelim portion did Silva tell him he'd be facing top 10 light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, who'd been left without an opponent after former UFC light heavyweight champ Forrest Griffin pulled out with an injury.

"I thought, okay," said Brilz. "I already said yes to the fight. I'm not going to back down now."

And yet, a lot of guys – even the professional tough guys that populate the UFC roster – might have at least wanted a minute or two to think about it. This is Nogueira we're talking about. The former Pride standout earned a Knockout of the Night bonus with a first-round demolition of Cane in his UFC debut, adding to a list of victims that includes names like Dan Henderson and Alistair Overeem.

Brilz has a very respectable 3-1 record in the Octagon, but he's yet to be featured on the main card of a UFC event. Going from prelim action against Eric Schafer to a pay-per-view bout with Nogueira is undoubtedly a major leap.

Still, it sounded just about perfect to Brilz.

"At this point in my career, I don't really care who I fight. I just want to be tested. And Little Nog, you know, he'll definitely test me. What the heck. I'm thinking, co-main event in Vegas? Sign me up."

For better or worse, the UFC did just that. Now he has to get ready for the toughest fight of his career, and just a little over three weeks from now. Brilz insisted that he doesn't get nervous before fights and doesn't expect this one to be any different in that regard, but acknowledged that the sudden jump up in competition makes him feel a little like he "got a default into the final heat at the Olympics."

As for how he plans to approach Nogueira, Brilz said it would be tough to find a sparring partner to simulate his style on such short notice, but added that he expects a fast-paced bout and thinks "getting in [Nogueira's] face" will be key.

"Just like in my other fights, I'm going to come right at him. I'm going to worry about his game, but I'm not going to deviate from my game to accommodate him. I'm going to throw my game plan out there. If it works, great. If it doesn't, well, I haven't thought that far."

JASON BRILZ VS. ERIC SCHAFER

Elite Performance fighter Jason “The Hitman” Brilz faced Eric “Ravishing Red” Schafer in a 3 round battle in the first ever UFC Live on Versus. Brilz plan of pushing the pace ended up serving him well has he drove harder and harder to victory in each successive round. Great work, Elite fighter! 

When asked before the match, what advice he would give to new fighters, Brilz responded:

Jason Brilz: Cardio. It’s all about cardio. You can pick up the techniques, but if you can only throw the techniques for a minute, so what? You have to be able to throw the combos at the end of 15 like you did at the beginning. You can’t get so physically exhausted looking for that takedown that you finally get him down, plant your arms on the mat and get choked or arm-barred. You need to have the kind of training where you have a fresh guy on you every minute or two.

This philosophy paid off, as you can read below!

In Round 1 of this match, the fighters clinch up early, Schafer’s back to the cage. Brilz drives knees to the inside of Schafer’s thigh before they separate. Brilz moves in with some hard shots to the body and mixes up a few shots to the head before they clinch again. Brilz gets the single leg takedown, but Schafer gets right back to his feet. Both fighters land some hard shots, Brilz the overhand right, repeatedly, as Schafer tries to establish a jab. Schafer stuns Brilz with an uppercut. Brilz shoots the takedown, but Schafer wins the positioning battle and ground and pounds Brilz. They get up and Schafer lands a knee to the face. Brilz is rocked at this point, trying to recover. Schafer hangs back, not going for the finish.


As Round 2 begins, Brilz staggers Schafer with a left hook right out of the gate, but they quickly clinch. Brilz starts in with the knees to Schafer’s thigh, the same leg as in round one. They exchange solid uppercuts from the clinch. A stiff jab and a straight right from Schafer. Brilz clinches, but gets tripped down onto his back. Schafer starts ground and pound from half guard. Brilz reverses but gets caught in an omopalata, from which he quickly escapes to north-south. Schafer tries to get up, but Brilz shoves him to the mat. He finally does get up and eats a couple hard shots from Brilz. Both men look really tired at this point, with a minute left in the round. Brilz scores a takedown and puts on a top-side guillotine, but can’t secure it in the short time.


Both fighters still appear gassed as Round 3 begins, but Brilz is pushing the pace, landing punches to the head. He swings wide and clips Schafer several times with the right hand. Schafer is staggering backwards around the cage, just waiting for one good shot to end his night. Brilz is firing, but doesn’t have enough gas to land the necessary bomb. He instead takes Schafer to his back, but Schafer reverses to top position and starts ground and pounding. Brilz gets up. Schafer drags him down, but Brilz lands in top position, and starts dropping short slip elbows with about 40 seconds left in the fight. Brilz moves to side control, hammer fisting the exhausted Schafer all the way to the bell.


Jason Brilz def. Eric Schafer by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3.

With a record of 3-1 in the UFC, Brilz only loss comes from a controversial decision against Elliot Marshall. This decisive victory finds Jason right on track and headed for more wins! Great job!

BRILZ HOPES CHANGE IS THE KEY IN UFC RETURN
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - by Mick Hammond - MMAWeekly.com

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  After suffering his first loss in over six years at UFC 103 last September, light-heavyweight Jason Brilz realized that a change was needed.

While not undergoing a drastic overhaul of his life and career as some fighters have done, he realized a mistake in philosophy and he intends to rectify it to get back on the winning track in 2010.

“What I’ve learned is that not everybody has the same mindset that I have,” Brilz explained to MMAWeekly.com. “(My mindset is) you go into a fight and you want to finish the fight, whatever it is, you want to implement your game plan and finish the fight.

“In my last fight (Eliot Marshall) just wanted to outpoint me, which he did. I have to learn to get better and implement my game more.”

Aside from making a mental adjustment, Brilz seeks to continue the training philosophies he maintained over the years for gradual improvement.

“I’m always looking to get in better shape, get stronger, and get better techniques,” he stated. “I try to pick up something new every week, one thing that I can really work on over the course of a week.

“I think the main thing that I wanted to work on was finishing the takedown, my stand-up, and getting better transitions from punching to a takedown. From faking a shot to a nice, crisp combo to a takedown. I’ve been working on that quite a bit.”

As part of the UFC’s debut on Versus March 21 in Colorado, Brilz will take on Eric Schafer, a fighter he feels he has much in common with.

“I’ve always been a big fan of his,” said Brilz. “He’s a blue collar worker fighter; he comes right into the fight, comes in shape, and comes from a good camp.

“I don’t see him backing away; I expect Schafer to come right at me. I see him swinging for the fences and welcoming the game if it goes to the ground.”

With the UFC’s recent heavy rotation of their contracted talent, Brilz was asked if he felt he needed to add more flair to his fighting style to help stay in the company.

“I want to take every fight very serious and I’m going to try to finish and put on an entertaining fight every time,” he commented. “Win, lose, or draw, if it gets me to the main card, so be it.

“I’m not going to go out there and throw all caution for the win and start swinging for the fences, chin up type of deal. I want to have good strategy, but try to make it exciting.”

Brilz may not see his fight with Schafer as a loser leaves town type of situation, but he doesn’t intend to roll over for anyone if it means his contract.

“I love the organization, it’s a very well run business, and everybody has actually been nothing but nice to me, so I definitely want to stick around a while,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to stick around.”

Sometimes it’s the small changes that are needed to make a big step forward, and for Brilz he hopes he can make the right changes needed to continue his UFC dream into this weekend and beyond.

“I’d like to thank CrossFit Omaha, Elite Performance, and Tapout Mouthguard for sponsoring me,” he concluded. “Come March 21 me and Eric Shafer are going to have a good ole fight, so come and watch it.

“All I can control is my own work ethic, so I want to keep striving hard and whatever happens, happens.”

- UFC ANNOUNCES BRILZ VS SCHAFER ON VERSUS
Thursday, January 21, 2010 - by Ken Pishna - MMAWeekly.com

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Thursday announced additional bouts for UFC on Versus 1, the promotion’s debut on the sports network home of its sister promotion, World Extreme Cagefighting.

A light heavyweight bout pitting Jason Brilz against Eric “Red” Schafer was added to the March 21 card, and the previously reported fight between James Irvin and Alessio Sakara was confirmed.

Brilz (17-2-1) is coming off of a loss after a 13-fight unbeaten run. He lost a unanimous decision to Eliot Marshall – who faces Vladimir Matyushenko on the Versus card – at UFC 103 in Dallas. Brilz won his first two bouts in the Octagon.

Schafer (11-4-2) is making his second tour of duty in the UFC. He went 1-2 in his first go around, but has flipped that around this time, defeating Houston Alexander and Antonio Mendes before losing his last bout to Ryan Bader.

Neither fighter is likely to be shown the door for losing, but a loss would definitely put the loser in a precarious position.

MMAWeekly.com reported the likelihood of the Irvin vs. Sakara bout earlier this month.

Another light heavyweight bout pitting Jon Jones against Brandon Vera headlines UFC on Versus 1 at the Odeum Colorado in Broomfield, Colorado, on March 21.

Weigh-ins for VFC 30: XXX - NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS will be held at The Salty Dog Bar and Grill in Council Bluffs, IA on Thursday - February 4th at 7PM. Fans are invited to join the VICTORY Girls and all the VFC 30 fighters for this special event. The Salty Dog is located at 2411 South 24th St. in Council Bluffs, IA.

The "Voice of VICTORY" and ring announcer Michael C. Williams will be in attendance to host the event live. Photos and autographs with the fighters and VICTORY girls will be available. Tickets for Friday night's VFC 30: XXX - NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS event will be on sale during the weigh-ins. Special ticket pricing will be available for all those in attendance. There will also be a live drawing for VFC merchandise and a pair of VIP Ringside tickets for Friday night's show!

Victory Fighting Championships returns to the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa on February 5th putting on one of the Midwest region's best attended Mixed Martial Arts events.  Pro fight previews are complete, and amateur previews are being updated as we speak.  The Bantamweight battle for the belt features two cage warriors that are no stranger to the VFC:

PRO CARD

At Bantamweight and the Main Event of the Evening for the Championship at 135 pounds

Josh Rave    vs.    Zach Wolff

Josh Rave: Nicknamed “The Rage”, Rave is coming off of a loss to Clint Godfrey by way of tapout (strikes) with 30 seconds left in the 3rd round at The Cage Inc.  That was the 2nd time in his career that he lost to Clint Godfrey, the first time happening 2 years prior with the same result. In his last VFC appearance, however, Rave awed the crowd with a brutal flying knee knockout over AJ Van Camp for the #1 contender spot to the VFC bantamweight championship. Rave trains with one of the Midwest’s powerhouse training facilities at Elite Performance in Omaha, Nebraska and as always is a VFC fan favorite.

Zach Wolff: This Wisconsin based fighter is known for many things inside the cage, chiefly his no fear attitude no matter who he is facing and his slick submission skills as well.  Most of his wins have come by submission, and his heart has never been in question in MMA competition.  Wolff holds wins over perennial VFC competitors Josh Arocho and Sean Wilson, but a loss against VFC and UFC vet Ryan Roberts.  Coming off his last win against Jeremy Stetz, Wolff seems to be focused and ready for this championship matchup.

Our View: With both having had to wait for this match to happen since the last VFC, we anticipate a war for the ages as both battle for the VFC Bantamweight belt.  Can Rave deliver another top 10 highlight reel knockout, or does Wolff pull off another win by submission in what has been a good venue for him to compete in?  We have been waiting along with the fans to find out the answer to that and many more questions, which certainly appear to be coming up at the Mid America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa on February 5th!

 

In the Heavyweight Division and for the Championship at 265 pounds

Travis Browne    vs.    Abe Wagner

Abe Wagner: Veteran member of the The Ultimate Fighter Heavyweights season, who lost his first contest on the reality series by one of the nastiest cuts ever provided a fighter on television, Wagner returns to his stomping grounds inside the VFC.  Currently the VFC Heavyweight Champion, Wagner’s background of having a degree in Mechanical Engineering and being the Director of Finance at a major Omaha based corporation shouldn’t fool those who have been willing to enter the cage with him.   Five years ago, a highlight reel of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic convinced Wagner that he had to start training in mixed martial arts, and he hasn’t stopped training since.  Word is that if Wagner can string 2 or 3 impressive victories together that the UFC may once again come calling.

Travis Browne: This 6 foot 7 inch 250 pound plus behemoth of a fighter enters the VFC for the first time coming out of North County Fight Club in California.  Undefeated in his Mixed Martial Arts career, winning nearly all of his bouts by knockout, Browne comes into hostile territory to take on one of the Midwest’s best heavyweights on his home turf.    Training with the likes of Jason Lambert and formerly Dan Henderson as well, look for Browne to be familiar with the ground game, even if his hands have done most of his talking in the cage.

Our View: Both fighters seem to love the standup game within the arena of Mixed Martial Arts.  With both of them fancying the striking aspect of the sport, we look forward to watching a bout that should culminate in a knockout, with the one scoring the telling blows having his hand raised at the end.  And, in the heavyweight division, knockouts usually only come in dramatic fashion.  Whoever is the most technical standing and lands the heavier and cleaner blows will win this fight, as we do not foresee this bout ending on the ground or in a submission.  This has knockout of the night potential written all over it!

 

At 155 Pounds the Lightweight Championship

Chase Hackett    vs.    Jimmy Siepel

Chase Hackett: Born and raised in Colorado, this former Professional Motocross Racer, who left that sport for MMA when he grew tired of the constant injuries in Motocross, defeated Adam Martinez for the Warriors Collide Amateur Lightweight Championship. Hackett helps teach many of the classes offered at Gumm Mixed Martial Arts as well as offering private one-on-one instruction. Hackett provided VFC and Omaha fighter Drew Dober his first taste of defeat in Mixed Martial Arts and was preliminarily scheduled to fight Seipel, who suffered his only defeat by the hands of Dober.  Hackett returns for VFC 30 looking to make up for lost time and hand Seipel his first loss as a pro.

Jimmy Seipel: Wanting to avenge his only career loss to Drew Dober but with that fight not yet able to happen, Seipel decided it would be wise to defeat the man who defeated Dober. Seipel is undefeated as a professional and is quickly becoming one of VFC’s most recognizable fighters. Coming off of a very impressive win over Bryce Teager in VFC 29, Seipel has re-dedicated himself to training for his upcoming fight. Seipel trains at Elite Performance Omaha with the likes of Matt Anderson, the brother's Ellenberger, Ryan Jensen, and host of other top tier wrestling, kickboxing and jiu jitsu practitioners and Instructors.

Our View: We view this as being a very technical battle between two cagey veterans.  Our belief is the one who makes the bigger mistakes in the fight, leaving himself open for either strikes or submission, will utlimately taste defeat.  More technical than a brawl, this fight is anyone's to win.

 

Championship Qualifier Match at 170 pounds

Anthony Smith    vs.    Jake Hecht

Anthony Smith: After a very impressive amateur career, Smith has struggled to find victory on the professional side. Although Smith is coming off of three straight losses and having not fought in several months, he has taken a new lease on life and is now training like a professional mixed martial artist for the first time in his career at Elite Performance Omaha.  It will be interesting to see Smith morph into a complete fighter on February 5th as he puts his striking and well rounded MMA skills to the test.  Known as "Lionheart", as many know, it will take a freight train to stop this refocused version of Anthony Smith.

Jake “The Hitman” Hecht: Sherdog lists his record as 4-1, three of which are by submission. He trains with American Top Team Missouri is currently riding a four fight winning streak after dropping his professional debut in a split decision.  Providing a Fight of the Night at the Absolute Fighting Championships in Florida, Hecht also has a background in wrestling and was a Missouri State Golden Gloves Champion and Runner up so his skills would certainly be described as "well rounded".

Our View: With Smith coming off a short break in his career, and Hecht on a win streak involving mostly submissions, we expect this bout to end by submission with either fighter being able to pull them off at any given time.  Both have solid standup skills to boot, so we envision striking leading to a clinch following by some dirty boxing and a takedown (or two).  Whoever gains position and retains it will probably come out the winner via submission in this bout.  That being said, with one (Smith) being known as a very technical brawler and the other (Hecht) being a technical striker, it wouldn't be surprising to see them try to provide the VFC with the "Fight of the Night" honors in this one as well.

 

Feature Matchup at 155 pounds

Dakota Cochrane  vs Jeremy Malaterre

Dakota Cochrane: Trains with Elite Performance in Omaha, Nebraska. Cochrane is a powerful fighter known for his explosive ground and pound and amazingly quick takedowns. Looking to follow up an extremely dominating performance over Alex Harper at the last VFC event. Cochrane has yet to taste defeat in a cage and is current owner of the “title” of the number one knockout of the year on PureFight.org.  Cochrane, quite simply is a smashing machine never having tasted defeat.

Jeremy Malaterre: Comes from the same team as Chase Hackett, Gumm MMA in Colorado.  Sporting a winning amateur and professional Mixed Martial Arts career, Malaterre has taken many of his fights the distance and has won most by decision.  Cardio seems to be his watchword as in his fights he seems to have that “never say quit” attitude and has a huge desire to compete and win.  According to the people at Gumm MMA “Jeremy is one of the most dedicated  fighters at Gumm Mixed Martial Arts, proving this daily through his attitude in training as well as his willingness to help his teammates train”.

Our View: We view this as Cochrane perhaps being too much for Malaterre to handle, however in many of Malaterre's bouts, he has outlasted several opponents to come away with decisions in his favor on the judges scorecards.  Surely a fight that should hit the ground sooner or later, the only question that remains for this bout is how soon it goes there, and how soon will it end?

 

Championsip Qualifier at 170 pounds

Ted Worthington  vs  Leonardo Pecanha

Ted Worthington: Worthington is not a stranger to most cages in the Midwest Region of the United States and has fought and won in many mid-major events, to include past outings in the VFC.  Recently had a war at MaxFightsDM against Rob Roy where Worthington attempted over 20 submissions per round showing his submission skill and versatility.  Worthington's experience level in the cage is nearly unmatched for not only most fighters in the Midwest, but probably around the country.  Worthington currently trains at Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy with the likes of Anthony Porcelli, Josh Neer, Timmy Gorman, Brian Green and Chuck Grigsby to name but a few.  Still young at 25, and having a world of experience behind him, Worthington will certainly rely on his cage knowledge to try and pull out the win over a comparative newcomer to a man with his number of fights.

Leonardo Pecanha: Leonardo is a 10-5 Pro with significant wins over Rudy Bears and Bobby Volker finishing both fights in under 2 mins by submission. He is training out of BJJ Lifestyle Academy with “Brazilian” Mike Rethmeyer in Belleville IL, but will be spending some time in Omaha at Mid-America Martial Arts to prepare for this fight.  He is a 2nd degree Black Belt under Andre Pederneiras and Gustavo Dantas out of Nova Uniao. He is a very accomplished Jiu-Jitsu competitor with multiple Brazilian National Championships and World European Championships. Born and rasied in Rio De Janerio he has made the move to the US to pursue a Fighting career full time with hopes to fight in the UFC.

Our View: We envision this fight with Worthington, even with his edge in cage experience, to try to keep the fight standing or use his own ground skills to reverse and or escape any attempts by Leonardo to keep him on the ground.  This could end in just about any fashion as just because both are skilled on the ground and in jiu jitsu doesn't mean this couldn't end up being a stand up war for the ages.  We greatly anticipate seeing exactly how this fight plays out as it is nearly a perfect match of experience and skill versus highly technical jiu jitsu.

 

Amateur Card                                                                        Amateur Card                                                                                             Amateur Card

 

Justin Rheaume    vs.    Jeff Souder   (205 pounds)

Justin Rheaume:  Comes to the VFC out of Mankato, Minnesota.  His last fight, he took Chris Miller to a 3 round decision win in November of 2009, but in September provided fellow Heavyweight fighter Emmit Culver a loss with Rheaume rendering him totally unconcscious in the first 42 seconds of the very first round. 

Jeff Souder:  Undefeated amateur heavyweight is considered by many to be the #1 amateur heavyweight in the Omaha Metro area. Took a hiatus from the fight scene to play with the New Orleans Saints. Former Nebraska Cornhusker and UNO Maverick is a steady draw whenever his name appears on an event’s fight card. Hometown is Bellevue, Nebraska. 

Our View:  We love seeing the big boys get after it, and this fight should not be lacking in the huge strikes and the huge slams.  Whoever falls down first is the loser in this one.

 

Anthony Gutierrez     vs.    Mirsad Bektic (140 pounds)

Anthony Gutierez: This 10-0 fighter trains with the likes of James Krause and Eric Marriot down at K2L/Grind House in Lees Summit, MO.  Almost all of his fights are ended by submission or decision. Fights out of a great gym and is considered one of the top amateur fighters in the entire Midwest.  Jiu Jitsu skills are beyond that of an amateur, and his hands are lighting fast as well. Remaining undefeated and pulling out several wins my unanimous decisions where he dominated his opponents says his cardio is top notch.

Mirsad Bektic: Trains with Mid-America Martial Arts in Omaha, NE. Born in Bosnia, he, his mother and two brothers left when the war broke out. Eventully settled in Nebraska and not long after, he began taking karate lessons and started boxing in Middle School.   Shocked the local fanatics when he defeated highly touted and now undefeated professional, Charlie Dubray for the Tri-State Cage Fighting Featherweight Championship in just his 2nd fight. Holds an amateur record of 3-0. His last fight, in September at Fight To Win MMA, he avenged teammate Joel Mickell’s loss, by defeating Zac Chavez by TKO in round 2.

Our View:  If this one doesn't end in a knockout, we will eat our keyboard.  Two very highly skilled amatuer fighters compete in what could be many promotions main event of the night.

 

Dallas Barrett     vs.    Steve Lucchino  (185 pounds)

Dallas Barrett:  Having roamed from promotion to promotion and state to state in search of the best competitors around, Dallas has made a name for himself in the Midwest amateur MMA circuits.  Having fought and won against many top tier amateurs from the Dakota's to the plains of Kansas, we look for the heavy handed Barrett to attempt to make his statement in the VFC.

Steve Lucchino:  Fighting out of Team Capitol Punishment, Lucchino sports an aura of confidence to go with the dynamite in his hands and had the Fight of the Year at a recent event competing with Enrique Torres in a 3 round war.  Never one to back down from a challenge, Lucchino is ready and willing to fight for his share of VFC glory and work his way up the rankings before turning pro.

Our View:  Someone is getting knocked out.  Enough said.

 

Mark Mickells     vs.    Cody Land  (135 pounds)

Mark Mickells:  This Mid America Martial Arts product, after having taken some time off, returns to MMA with a vengeance.  Always known for his ability to submit just about anyone from just about any position, but additionally competing in Muai Thai, Mickells has become one of the best well rounded fighters in the amateur ranks at his weight in the Midwest.

Cody Land:  Training and Fighting out of Hard Knocks gym in Hastings, Nebraska, this young man has been on a roll as of late and has shown dramatic improvements in each and every aspect of his game.  Although nicknamed "Locked and Loaded", we often call him "Non Stop Action" for his relentless quest to finish the fight.

Our View:  Both having well rounded skills makes this fight a toss up as to how the end will come.  Both can strike, both can grapple, and both can submit.  Our only regret is that both can't win. 

 

Mike Zaricor     vs.    David Kulani (145 pounds)

David “The Night Marcher” Kalani: Has an amateur record of 7-0. Trains with Martial Arts Pride Academy in Columbus, Nebraska and is the current Torment Cage Combat Featherweight Champion, as well as the CKC 155 pound champion in Iowa. He is known for his fast strikes and ability to dish out more punishment than his opponents are able to handle.

Mike Zaricor:  Fights out of Team Destruction in Missouri, coached by Joe Worden coming out of a gym that is becoming well known in the region for producing top notch, well rounded fighters.  Zaricor’s ground skills with his wrestling background are well known, however we hear he has been working extensively on striking and wants this fight to end with a knockout.  Currently holds an amatuer record of 11 and 1.

Our View:  Do both decide to slug it out, or can Kalani pull off a submission before the Ground and Pound of Zaricor takes over the fight?  Striker vs Grappler possibilities, but with Kalani’s heart and drive, and Zaricor’s chin and power, we still expect someone to get knocked out during this fight and see it end in a KO.  Our best advice, don’t blink!

 

 

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