Shark Fights 14 – Preview and Predictions for this Friday’s HDNet Televised Event

March 11, 2011 – Making its televised debut on HDNet, the 14th installment of the Amarillo-based Shark Fights series is set to air LIVE this Friday, May 11th, at 9PM Texas time from the Fair Park Coliseum in Lubbock, TX.

Shark Fights 14 features a main event of UFC Veterans as Matt Horwich is set to take on Danillo Villefort . The co-main event features a pairing of two of th best female fighters i n the world as consensus #2 P4P ranked Tara Larosa takes on the always dangerous Carina Damm.

Also on the main card are two Houston-based fighters as Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis takes on Florida’s Lucas Lopes while Alex Cisne takes on West Texas powerhouse Eric “Big Head” Davila. The televised card is rounded off by a pair of bantamweights as (3-0) Sean Shakour takes on (4-0) Joseph Sandoval.

Let’s take a look at the televised matchups and lay it all on the line as far as what we should expect to see at Shark Fights 14 on HDNet.

185 – Matt Horwich (26-17-1) versus Danillo Villefort (12-3)

Both these guys are tough veterans now with both having tasted the thrill of battling in the big leagues. Matt Horwich in particular is extremely seasoned, having fought for the UFC twice in addition to taking a multitude of bouts in Bellator, Aggresion MMA, and the now-defunct IFL. His main wins have come against Jake Rosholt, Thales Leites, and Jason Lambert – three fellow ex-UFC vets beaten in his last three fights. That should give the Team Quest fighter impressive momentum heading into this one.

His opponent, Danilo Villefort, was once though off as one of the world’s top prospects out of American Top Team. Now, six years after his career began, Villefort stands at a crossroads of sorts as it was recently announced that he, along with his brother Yuri, JZ Cavalcante, and Jorge Santiago have left ATT for destinations unknown. Not sure if that will have an impact on his preparations for this fight but Villefort is coming a victory over Joey Vellasenor at Shark Fights 13.

Prediction – Danillo Villefort is an extremely-gifted and well-rounded submission artist but Mat Horwich is cut out of that grind-them-out-and-punish-them mold they do so well over at Team Quest. Also, he will be coming into this bout as the bigger fighter, having fought at middleweight for some time while Villefort is still growing into this weight class. If he can stay away from Danillo’s submission attacks, I see the season-vet Matt Horwich being able to grind out a unanimous decision in this bout.

125 – Tara LaRosa (19-2) versus Carina Damm (15-5)

This fight should be a treat as women’s MMA is never devoid of action and excitement Tara LaRosa, the New Jersey native and pound-for-pound consensus #2 women’s fighter in the world has one lost twice in her 21-fight career, once early on in 2003 at Hook N Shoot against Jennifer Howe and more recently via split decision over Roxanne Modaferri at Moosin. LaRosa will be going up against Carina Damm, who at 9-5, has had an up-and-down pro career.

Prediction – Both fighters are fairly well-rounded, with the capability to win the fight on the feet or on the floor. While I see Damm as potentially the stronger of the two, having fought up at 135 for the majority of her career, I definitely see LaRosa as the more wily and experienced combatant, having beaten the likes of Kelly Kobold, Shayna Baszler, Julie Kedzie, Shelby Walker (RIP), and many others in the past. For that reason, I see Tara LaRosa getting victory here and likely by submission somewhere in the middle round.

170 – Mike Bronzoulis (11-2-1) versus Lucas Lopes (20-11)

A late replacement for an injured Todd Moore, Lucas Lopes comes out of Florida’s Finney’s MMA as s 30+ fight veteran at the right age of thirty-one. He holds wins over fighter such as Thiago Alves and losses to guys like Sean Salmon and Nilson de Castro so Lopes doesn’t fall short in the area of having fought tough competition. Despite that pedigree, he has lost three in a row.

Across the cage from Lopes will be one Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis. As one of the most popular fighters coming out Houston, Mike B. has enjoyed much success as of late, notching wins over Jonathan Harris, Cleburn Walker, and Joe Christopher, just to name a few. This bout with Lopes will mark the first of what “The Greek” hopes to be a three-fight win streak heading into the summer and bigger things in his career.

Prediction – Lopes will be seasoned-fighter and a good barometer for Bronzoulis to test his skills against a fighter from outside Texas. Lucas Lopes is balanced as a fighter but three losses in a row may be a neon sign that he is on the downside of his career. Thirty fights is a lot of thread to put on the proverbial tires and I see Bronzoulis going the other way. For that reason, I’ll be taking the Houston fighter Mike Bronzoulis via TKO in this one. First round.

170 – Alex Cisne (5-1) versus Eric Davila (18-10)

I immediately consider this a “brawler vs. technical striker” matchup as San Shou expert Alex Cisne takes on the scrappy big-headed one in Eric Davila, who holds wins over guys like Lodune Sincaid, Pete Spratt, Shannon Ritch, and many others as 28-fight veteran.

Without a doubt, the 34-year old Davila will be the biggest test in the young career of Alex Cisne, who goes into this bout as a 5-1 fighter looking to make his way further up the national chain and earn a fight back here at Shark Fights.

Prediction – Most Houston fight fans will tell you they see this one going to Cisne in dominating fashion. I see this one as a lot closer than that by virtue of Davila’s record. Contrary to popular belief, this guy is not just another brawler but will come out guns-blazing anyways and push Cisne, who has been TKO’d before. In stark contrast, I look for Alex to use his kickboxing to stay away from punching range and methodically chop his opponent down with vicious leg kicks. Tough fight to call and this is a nervous pick but I’m going with Alex Cisne via decision.

135 – Sean Shakour (3-0) vs. Joseph Sandoval (4-0)

The promotion has this one billed as a battle of undefeated bantamweights where somebody’s “0” has to go but MMA.tv has Sean Shakour as having lost his last fight via submission to Daniel Romero in Placeville, CA. I don’t know too much about either of these guys but I do know Joseph Sandoval won his last fight at STFC via TKO over the always tough Douglas Frey.

Prediction – By virtue of a universally-recognized undefeated record and proven performance in four Shark Fight appearances, I’m taking Joseph Sandoval to win via TKO sometime in the middle round.