IFL Champs Defend at ‘New Blood, New Battles’
Non-title Fights
Scott Holmes Apr 4, 2008
Delson
Heleno (Pictures) (170.8) vs. Brad Blackburn (Pictures) (171)
Heleno has recovered from his leg injury in the IFL Grand Prix and now steps up to take on "Bad" Brad Blackburn (Pictures) in a match he should be able to control. Blackburn is a hit-or-miss fighter than can look great one night and poor the next. He won't have that luxury against Heleno, who is basically a larger version of Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) and just as dominant.
Blackburn's best chance is to let his fists fly, but that will be
hard to do with the constant threat of Heleno's takedowns. Heleno
should be able to get another win streak going.
Alex Schoenauer (Pictures) (204) vs. Brendan Barrett (205.5)
Brendan Barrett is a newcomer to the IFL and will have his hands full with Schoenauer. He's a Jersey local, though, so he'll be very motivated. His wrestling and muay Thai will get a pretty good litmus test against the much more experienced Schoenauer.
Jim Miller (155) vs. Bart Palaszewski (Pictures) (155.5)
Interesting matchup at lightweight with the always-tough Palaszewski taking on another IFL newcomer in Jim Miller. Palaszewski has lost his last two fights, one a controversial stoppage against an impressive Deividas Taurosevicius (Pictures) and the other against his nemesis Horodecki.
The only knock on Palaszewski is that sometimes he chooses to fight opponents at their own strength, albeit much to the delight of the fans. Miller's only loss came at the hands of the UFC's Frank Edgar (Pictures), whom he fought to a decision. Miller's strength is submissions, so Palaszewski would be wise to keep things standing and give the crowd his typical effort while brawling and sprawling.
Nate Lamotte (Pictures) (155.8) vs. Chris Horodecki (Pictures) (154.6)
Horodecki makes his return after a crushing loss in December in a match that was to be his championship coronation. Once again he'll face a tough wrestler in local fighter Nate Lamotte (Pictures), who is making the jump up in competition to face the baby-faced Canadian.
Horodecki's standup is never in question. He always presses with combos and never seems to tire. However, the chink in his armor has been spotted, and the test will be to see if he can stay off his back to keep things in his favor.
The true test for Horodecki will be in his head. The young fighter has had his first loss, and now we'll see if he can pick himself up after being knocked down.
Mike Ciesnolevicz (Pictures) (206) vs. Carmelo Marrero (Pictures) (205.8)
A leaner, meaner Mike Ciesnolevicz (Pictures) rolled into Jersey after changing up his diet during training. He has looked great in the IFL with the exception of facing Andre Gusmao (Pictures), who was one of the best fighters to ever come through the league.
Now would be a perfect time for Ciesnolevicz to put his name back in the top three of the IFL's light heavyweight ranks, and a win over Marrero could get him there.
Marrero is also stepping into the IFL for the first time, but having faced Wilson Gouveia (Pictures), Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) and Cheick Kongo (Pictures), he's no stranger to top-tier competition. He has proven to be susceptible to submissions, though, and that should be where Ciesnolevicz can make the difference.
Rafael Dias (Pictures) (145.6) vs. L.C. Davis (145.6)
L.C. Davis knows he didn't fight the way he wanted to when he lost to Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) back in December. He'll get a second chance to impose his will and ground-and-pound another submission specialist when he faces Rafael Dias (Pictures).
This fight will come down to what is going on between Davis' ears. His athleticism can help him unload on Dias, but if he doesn't do it smartly, he'll get submitted quickly once again.
Emyr Bussade (170) vs. Jesse Lennox (170)
Bussade has the American Top Team pedigree that will make him dangerous on the ground, but he's facing Lennox, who is still undefeated. Lennox may have a sterling record, but he's getting a bigger challenge going against Bussade, who has been through some battles and has more experience. Both will get a chance to make a name for themselves as they fight live on HDNet.
Heleno has recovered from his leg injury in the IFL Grand Prix and now steps up to take on "Bad" Brad Blackburn (Pictures) in a match he should be able to control. Blackburn is a hit-or-miss fighter than can look great one night and poor the next. He won't have that luxury against Heleno, who is basically a larger version of Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) and just as dominant.
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Alex Schoenauer (Pictures) (204) vs. Brendan Barrett (205.5)
Schoenauer is coming off a two-fight skid. He lost hard-fought
battles with Matyushenko and Mike Ciesnolevicz
(Pictures), but he's also another
Xtreme Couture/Team Tompkins fighter who seems to be getting better
with each outing.
Brendan Barrett is a newcomer to the IFL and will have his hands full with Schoenauer. He's a Jersey local, though, so he'll be very motivated. His wrestling and muay Thai will get a pretty good litmus test against the much more experienced Schoenauer.
Jim Miller (155) vs. Bart Palaszewski (Pictures) (155.5)
Interesting matchup at lightweight with the always-tough Palaszewski taking on another IFL newcomer in Jim Miller. Palaszewski has lost his last two fights, one a controversial stoppage against an impressive Deividas Taurosevicius (Pictures) and the other against his nemesis Horodecki.
The only knock on Palaszewski is that sometimes he chooses to fight opponents at their own strength, albeit much to the delight of the fans. Miller's only loss came at the hands of the UFC's Frank Edgar (Pictures), whom he fought to a decision. Miller's strength is submissions, so Palaszewski would be wise to keep things standing and give the crowd his typical effort while brawling and sprawling.
Nate Lamotte (Pictures) (155.8) vs. Chris Horodecki (Pictures) (154.6)
Horodecki makes his return after a crushing loss in December in a match that was to be his championship coronation. Once again he'll face a tough wrestler in local fighter Nate Lamotte (Pictures), who is making the jump up in competition to face the baby-faced Canadian.
Horodecki's standup is never in question. He always presses with combos and never seems to tire. However, the chink in his armor has been spotted, and the test will be to see if he can stay off his back to keep things in his favor.
The true test for Horodecki will be in his head. The young fighter has had his first loss, and now we'll see if he can pick himself up after being knocked down.
Mike Ciesnolevicz (Pictures) (206) vs. Carmelo Marrero (Pictures) (205.8)
A leaner, meaner Mike Ciesnolevicz (Pictures) rolled into Jersey after changing up his diet during training. He has looked great in the IFL with the exception of facing Andre Gusmao (Pictures), who was one of the best fighters to ever come through the league.
Now would be a perfect time for Ciesnolevicz to put his name back in the top three of the IFL's light heavyweight ranks, and a win over Marrero could get him there.
Marrero is also stepping into the IFL for the first time, but having faced Wilson Gouveia (Pictures), Gabriel Gonzaga (Pictures) and Cheick Kongo (Pictures), he's no stranger to top-tier competition. He has proven to be susceptible to submissions, though, and that should be where Ciesnolevicz can make the difference.
Rafael Dias (Pictures) (145.6) vs. L.C. Davis (145.6)
L.C. Davis knows he didn't fight the way he wanted to when he lost to Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) back in December. He'll get a second chance to impose his will and ground-and-pound another submission specialist when he faces Rafael Dias (Pictures).
This fight will come down to what is going on between Davis' ears. His athleticism can help him unload on Dias, but if he doesn't do it smartly, he'll get submitted quickly once again.
Emyr Bussade (170) vs. Jesse Lennox (170)
Bussade has the American Top Team pedigree that will make him dangerous on the ground, but he's facing Lennox, who is still undefeated. Lennox may have a sterling record, but he's getting a bigger challenge going against Bussade, who has been through some battles and has more experience. Both will get a chance to make a name for themselves as they fight live on HDNet.
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