Breaking News – According to manager Ken Pavia, the fight between Ricco Rodriguez and Karl Knoche is OFF due to Knoche not making the contractually agreed-upon weight. In a message on the Underground, Pavia said, “Ricco’s contract was for a 230 catch and he dieted and cut to make it. Karl was a replacement fighter and I cant speak to what his contract said. He missed wieght by like 30lbs.”
Ricco Rodriguez is now fighting Doug Williams. Doug was originally supposed to face Daniel “Jacare” Almeida, who is now bumped off the card altogether. Alban Jouban and Octagon MMA’s Andrew Goldthwaite are now moved up to the main card in the place of that planned fight. (click here for full press release)
Below are the top five stories as we see them leading up to the event.
1 – Shark Fights 17 to Air LIVE on HDNet’s Friday Night Fights
The Amarillo-based Shark Fights organization returns to HDNet for their first event on the network since Shark Fights 14: Horwich vs. Villefort. This time around, Horwich is one again featured along with Jake Rosholt and Ricco Rodriguez as the promotion brings Shark Fights 17: Horwich vs. Rosholt II with the broadcast set to start at 10PM EST/9PM Central onJuly 15th to kick off three straight weeks of LIVE MMA Action on the “Your Home for MMA.”
2 – Who Wins the Main Event Rematch Between Horwich and Rosholt
BJJ black belt Matt Horwich and All-American wrestler Jake Rosholt first tussled an Xtreme Fight Night event last November that saw Horwich earn a third-round TKO victory. Since that bout, Rosholt has been on a tear, winning four in a row with one no contest in a fight he was dominating before a illegal knee. The warrior-maned Horwich is coming off a loss to Danillo Villefort in his last fight at Shark Fights 14 after winning his first bout with Rosholt.
This time around should prove to be similar to the first time around. Both fighters will look to neutralize each other in the grappling portion of the fight while fighting for the end on the feet. The money here is on Rosholt for the unanimous decision but this may just be anybody’s fight.
3 – Does Ricco “Suave” Rodriguez Continue to Rise or Will Karl Knothe Spoil the Party?
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez is on an amazing 11-fight win streak on the regional circuit with a fight also coming up this August at Bellator 48 against Seth Petruzelli. At only 33 years old and said to be in the best shape he’s been in years, Ricco is fighting his way back towards the upper echelon of the MMA world.
His opponent Karl Knothe is an eight-year fight veteran with twelve wins of his own dating back to 2007. Said to be a submission specialist, the Eagan, MN native will be looking to make a name for himself against his first big-name opponent. Knothe’s win streak is impressive but it remains to be seen if he’ll pose much of a threat to the experienced Rodriguez. We’ll find out for sure on Friday night.
4 – Daniel “Jacare” Almeida Makes His Televised Debut
At 5-1 in MMA and with a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt pedigree out of Bruno Bastos’ Nova Uniao camp, Daniel “Jacare” Almeida should be one fighter to seriously look out for on the regional MMA scene. At Shark Fights 17, Almeida will be taking on a Bellator veteran in Doug Williams, a natural middleweight who has fallen on tough times with nine losses in his last ten fights. If you think this is a serious mismatch then congratulations, you are absolutely right! Nonetheless, pay close attention to the skill and MMA potential of “Jacare” as he goes on the hunt for another first round submission.
5 – Octagon MMA Prospects on the Undercard – Quaint Kempf, Russell Brewer and Matt Hobar
While a highly anticipated showdown with fellow undefeated fighter Brad Cox is now off the books, Russell Brewer nonetheless returns to competition looking for his third win in three tries. His pro debut ended spectacularly at 24/7 this past April with a 5-second KO of Christopher Golden. He followed that up with a first round submission of James Chandler at 24/7 last month on his way to this bout against late replacement Meanwhile, his Octagon MMA teammate and former All-American wrestler Matt “The Crowbar” Hobar looks to make his own statement on the undercard against Lufkin’s Jay Flores. Lastly, Quaint “K.O” Kempf returns as the most experienced of the three teammates with a 4-1 record. This fighter very nearly made it onto the upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter before coming back to Texas and winning his next two fights at 24/7 and Shark Fights 14. He’ll now look to continue with his win streak against Victor Hernandez.
Shark Fights 17 – Full Fight Card and Quick Picks
- 185 – Matt “Sauve” Horwich (26-16-1) Vs. Jake Rosholt (11-3)
- Prediction – Jake Rosholt via unanimous decision.
- HWT – Ricco Rodriguez (46-11) vs. Karl Knothe (19-6)
- Prediction – Ricco Rodriguez via unanimous decision.
- 205 – Emmanuel Newton (13-6-1) Vs. Ilir Latifi (4-1-1NC)
- Prediction — Emanuel Newton via TKO, round 2.
- 145 – Eric Perez (7-5) vs. Douglas Frey (9-6)
- Prediction – Douglas Frey via decision.
- 205 – Daniel Almeida (7-0) Vs. Doug Williams (5-12)
- Prediction – Daniel Almeida via submission, round 1.
- 170 – Alan Joubain (1-1) vs. Andrew Goldthwaite (1-0)
- Prediction –Alan Joubain via TKO, round 2.
- 170 – Gabe Vasquez (3-5) Vs. Russell Brewer (2-0)
- Prediction – Russell Brewer via TKO, round 2.
- 155 – Quaint Kempf (4-1) Vs. Victor Hernandez (3-13)
- Prediction – Quaint Kempf via TKO, round 2.
- 155 – Jay Flores (1-2) Vs. Matthew Hobar (1-0)
- Prediction – Matt Hobar via submission, round 1.
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