Headlining the main card will be vale tudo legend and current welterweight champion Jorge “Macaco” Patino defending his belt for the first time since winning it against Pete Spratt at Legacy FC 8. This time around, he’ll be taking on another former titleholder in Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis. Interesting to note with this “champion versus champion” clash is that Bronzoulis was never actually defeated in the cage for that belt prior to leaving for Strikeforce. He’s still a fighter for that promotion and is coming off a win against Chad Leonhardt but he’s back in Houston looking to reclaim his status as a top fighter in the city with one.
In the co-main event of the evening, another up-and-coming Houston welterweight looks to showcase his skills in Jeff “The Executioner” Rexroad. Coming off three impressive wins in the Legacy Fighting Championship, Jeff will now be taking on Silverback fighter Larry Crowe. He was originally slated to take on UFC-vet Paul Kelly and subsequently TUF season 8 winner Efrain Escudero before finally arriving at this bout with “Tae-Kwon” Crowe. It will be interesting to note how all the shuffling affects both him and his opponent, who took this bout on less than two-weeks notice while cutting a tremendous amount of weight. Also of note for this bout is that very same weight issue. Although this was contracted as a 175 lbs. catchweight bout, Crowe weighed in closer to 185 at weigh-ins and was penalized for it financially. Aside from that, viewers will have to see ow a potential weight disparity affects these guys in the cage.
As for the rest of the main card, it’s shaped up to be an equally exciting affair.
Third up will be a clash between rising bantamweight fighter Cody Williams out of Beaumont, TX. The American Top Team fighter will be looking to bring his pro record to 3-0 versus his most experienced opponent yet in 4OZ Fighter Steve Garcia. Both these guys are hard hitters in this lighter weight class so this one should produce bell to bell action.
Moving on down the card, knockout artist Jonathan “Hulk” Harris will now be taking on the always-exciting Ricardo Talavera after a planned-bout with Antonio Flores could not come to fruition. Harris will look to use this bout to extend his winning streak to two fights in row since his title bout loss to Mike Bronzoulis in November of 2010. Meanwhile, Talavera will also be looking to get back into the win column after a highly-disputed decision loss to Rashon Lewis this past September. Interesting to note in this one is that Talavera not only took this bout on short notice (one week) but also drove all the way down from Pittsburgh, PA to take this fight AND is fighting for free after deciding to donate his entire purse to charity!
Next up will be an exciting war of pitbull versus pitbull when current Legacy 145/155 champion Daniel “The Pit” Pineda takes on San Antonio-based challenger Gilbert “Pitbull” Jiminez in a non-title catchweight affair. Daniel has had one heck of a year headed into this one with three wins in 2011 including his latest victory over WEC veteran Frank Gomez. He’ll now be looking for his fifth win overall in this one over a game opponent who’s fought the likes of Rocky Long and Derek Campos in his last two bouts.
Last but not least to open up the televised card will be the lone heavyweight battle on the card as Bellator veteran Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis takes on Rakim Cleveland in a rematch of their bout from November of 2010, which Lewis won by armbar. Lewis will be looking at his second win in a row and fifth out of his last six should he get past the ever-improving Cleveland.
The list of intriguing bouts goes on and on with the undercard. Let’s break those down along with the main card but in our fight-by-fight preview.
Legacy Fighting Championship 9 – Quick Card
HDNet Main Card
• 170 lbs. – Jorge “Macaco” Patino (22-13) versus Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis (13-3-1)
• 175 lbs. – Jeff “The Executioner” Rexroad (5-1) versus Larry “Tae-Kwon” Crowe (5-1) *catchweight bout
• 135 lbs. – Cody “Wolverine” Williams (2-0) versus Steven Garcia (7-5)
• 170 lbs. – Jonathan “Hulk” Harris (5-1) versus Ricardo “Hitman” Talavera (2-2)
• 150 lbs. – Daniel “Pit” Pineda (14-7) versus Gilbert “Pitbull” Jimenez (5-2) *catchweight non-title
• 265 lbs. – Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (5-2) versus Rakim Cleveland (2-1)
Undercard
• 160 lbs. – Frost “Icepick” Murphy (0-0) versus Chop Rucker (0-0)
• 170 lbs. – Patrick “Bam Bam” Hutton (3-2) versus Noel Ligon (2-0)
• 155 lbs. – Randy Hauer (7-12) versus Jesus Rivera (6-2)
• 170 lbs. – Jeremy “The Karate Man” Morris (1-1) versus Justin Murray (3-1)
• 145 lbs. – Jeremy Mahon (1-3) versus David Armas (0-1)
Legacy FC 9 In-Depth Fight Card Preview
Main Event – 170 (Title) – Jorge “Macaco” Patino (Gold Team) versus Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis (Paradigm Training Center)
A returning champion comes back from Strikeforce to fight the man who won his belt after he left. That’s the storyline in this one as Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis returns to Legacy after winning his last bout against Chad Leonhardt to take on current welterweight champion Jorge “Macaco” Patino.
“You know, Macaco is a legend in the game and I believe he’s an awesome fighter but watching him win that belt broke my heart man,” Mike B. told us in an article confirming this matchup this past September. Now he’ll get a chance to win it back in the great champion vs. champion matchup since Hulk Hogan took on The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6.
This HDNet main event will undoubtedly deliver for the crowd in attendance as both these guys are known for having some of the biggest hearts in the game, as they’ve proven in bouts past. The only question remaining now is who gets to leave with both belts in tow.
Keys to Victory
Mike “The Greek” Bronzoulis – Look for “The Greek” to do what he does best, grind on his opponent by winning the clinches and wearing him down to the mat where he can unleash his ground-and-pound. He’ll look to exploit a considerable size advantage over Macaco considering he should be walking in at least five pounds heavier by the time this bout hits the cage in the HDNet main event. He’ll have to employ that plan over five long rounds though so cardio will be key in determining this fight.
Jorge “Macaco” Patino – It’s quite probable that Macaco will employ the same style that ultimately led to his success in victory over Pete Spratt. Patino has a very effective Chute-Boxe style of Muay Thai where he flurries in to get his combinations off so distance shouldn’t be an issue for him. I look for him to be in the pocket for spurts but otherwise not get too caught on the inside for extended periods of time early. Perhaps later in the fight he’ll look to capitalize and score points off takedowns but that remains to be seen. If the bout hits the floor, look for him to get up or sweep immediately rather than spend much time playing his guard from the bottom.
Co Main-Event – 168 – Jeff “The Executioner” Rexroad (Paradigm Training Center) versus Larry “Tae Kwon” Crowe (Silverback Fight Club)
As we stated in our TXMMA Tale of the Tape announcing his fight, December 16th was slated to be Jeff Rexroad’s opportunity to host his coming-out party for the national scene after originally being slated to go against UFC vet Paul Kelly. The complexion of this bout changed after he was rescheduled to go against Efrain Escudero and finally Larry Crowe but the story remains the same. If he succeeds in winning this bout, Jeff will be joining his Paradigm teammates Mike Bronzoulis and Brian Melancon along with Gracie Barra’s Todd Moore and champion Jorge Patino as the top 3 welterweights around the Houston scene. Training a few weeks with noted Coach Rafael Cordeiro (Kings MMA) prior to this bout, Jeff’s going to be ready as can be for this bout.
His opponent Larry Crowe has had a rough 24 hours headed into this bout. Weighing in at 185 lbs. for this catchweight bout, (10 over the limit) yesterday was a tough pill to swallow that not only cost him financially but potentially mentally as well. Taking this fight on short notice, the last minute drama only adds to a lack of a proper training camp. All that being said and Larry is still a dangerous 5-1 fighter who’ll look to pose a serious challenge in this one.
Keys to Victory
Jeff Rexroad – Despite the weight disparity (which is significant), Jeff will still be headed into this bout as the taller fighter at 6;3″ compared to Larry’s 5’11”. Their reach may actually be similar but that extra height may serve him well as he looks to stay away from Larry’s punches early. Given the circumstances, its quite possible that Jeff will look to take his opponent into deeper waters and sink him then, especially if the fight hits the ground. Jeff is a dangerous fighter there on top or in his guard and one thing of note is his defense from the bottom in breaking down his opponent’s posture to avoid strikes (rubber guard anyone) so he should be okay there if that’s where this fight goes.
Larry Crowe -If he heads into this bout close to 200 lbs. as predicted, then Larry will definitely be the stronger of the two when this hits the cage. Look for him to use that and his athleticism to overwhelm Rexroad into getting sloppy enough where he can land that kill shot. If he drops his opponent at any point in this fight, Larry will be quick to pounce and try to end things quickly.
135 – Cody “Wolverine” Williams (American Top Team) versus Steve Garcia (4OZ Fight Club)
This fight is a test for both men.
For ATT’s Cody Williams, it’s a chance to prove that he indeed for real against another veteran opponent after trouncing Nate Garza in his last Legacy appearance on the Legacy FC 8 undercard. This time, he should get prime billing in front a nationwide audience to put a stamp on his “real deal” reputation but it won’t come easy.
Despite his quick guillotine loss to another top prospect inSteven “Ocho” Peterson on the same LFC 8 event, Steve Garcia remains a dangerous opponent for anybody on the planet. He’s quick, feisty, and has knockout power to go along with seasoned experience on the ground. He’ll be looking to right his mistakes from his last fight in this one against his more inexperienced yet highly-touted opponent.
Keys to Victory
Cody Williams – Bigger, faster, stronger. That’s what Cody is going to be looking to prove and exploit when these two hit the cage. What he lacks in experience, he makes up in athleticism so I expect him to try and take advantage of that. If Williams has his way, this will NOT be a technical boxing match but rather a brawl where he will look to catch his opponent’s chin and pounce. If he feels Garcia is winning the exchanges, I could also see him try to take this one down to the mat quickly and work GNP from the top.
Steve Garcia – Losing to Steven Peterson in his last fight was a tough pill to swallow and I think Steve’s going to try and fight a smart, patient fight in this one rather than expose himself early. He’s far more experienced than his opponent in the boxing arena so I see him trying to feel his way out there and pick the shorter Williams off from the outside or catch him with a hook coming in. Steve is pretty adept should bout hit the ground so if it does, look for him to find the angle and take the back to finish things from there.
170 – Jonathan “Hulk” Harris (Submission Boxing) versus Ricardo “Hitman” Talavera (Team Junquiera / Elite MMA)
Considering the histories of both Jonathan Harris and Ricardo Talavera, it’s safe to say this should be an exciting fight.
Harris will be headed into this one looking for two in a row after winning a decision over John Malbrough while Ricardo will be looking to erase the memory of his decision loss to Rashon Lewis at Legacy FC 8. What more is there to say…? These two both have knockout power and will be fighting with that proverbial chip on their shoulders.
Look for an exciting finish in this one.
Keys to Victory
Jonathan Harris – As a former power lifter, Jonathan is the type of fighter that can end a fight very quickly at any moment. He’s displayed a devastating knee counter to takedowns in the past and has hands that could finish things also. Look for him to avoid the takedowns and try to win this one in the boxing exchanges. Should the bout hit the floor, look for him to try and recover top position or get back to his feet immediately.
Ricardo Talavera – This fighter has stated that he’s angry after not getting the finish in his last fight. Look for him to try and remedy that this time around by strategy trying to break down his opponent. I look for him to try and tie Harris up to avoid his power and try to get this one to the floor quickly. From there, he’s got an impressive arsenal of submissions with which to work with to gain the finish.
155 – Daniel “Pit” Pineda (4OZ Fight Club) versus Gilbert “Pitbull” Jimenez (Ohana Jiu Jitsu Academy)
Pit vs. Pit.
Daniel Pineda has been on as impressive a streak as any fighter in recent Texas history, taking out three fellow Legacy champions in addition to a tough-as-nails WEC vet in Frank Gomez to put the exclamation point on Legacy FC 7. This time around, he’ll be facing another aptly-nicknamed opponent and another “Pit” in San Antonio’s Gilbert Jimenez – another heavy-handed fighter that typically explodes out of the gates.
Pineda likely will and should be the sizeable favorite heading into the bout but make no mistake about it, Jimenez is a live underdog after some gutty performances against Rocky Long at IMKF 1 and Derek Campos at Fightfest 3.
Keys to Victory
Daniel Pineda – What can’t he do? Daniel has proven himself to be a threat everywhere the fight can over the past year and a half. Whether the fight starts quickly or ends up in deep waters he’s got the composure to keep his cool and take it where needs to go. In this one, i look for him to exploit the one area where he should have a definitive edge – wrestling. Those takedowns or the mere threat of them should be the thing that leads to the openings.
Gilbert Jimenez – “The Pitbull” is the type of fighter that’s way more dangerous than his record suggests. He’s an explosive, hard striker who is equally active on the floor with his BJJ plus he’s just a gamer, for lack of a better way of putting it. Gilbert will come to scrap in this one and will try to catch Daniel as hard as he tries to catch him. He’s got decent takedown defense and can defend well enough on the floor to avoid getting finished or stand back up when need be as well. If he somehow catches Daniel on the bottom, look for him to throw GNP with wicked intentions.
265 – Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (Silverback Fight Club) versus Rakim Cleveland (4OZ Fight Club)
This fight is rematch of their November 2010 encounter at WGC that saw Derrick Lewis take the win home via armbar. The two colossally-sized gargantuan have both improved plenty since that bout with Lewis going on to fight in Bellator and winning 2 other bouts while Rakim Cleveland went on to win his own 2 fights after than loss in his pro debut.
There are few local heavyweights that can match size with Lewis but Cleveland is certainly one of them. Whether he can match power and skill remains to be seen but he’ll get his chance in this one. Let’s hope the cage supports hold up.
Keys to Victory
Derrick Lewis – Lewis is such a physical specimen that he can win fights based on will and force alone. He’ll be stronger than Rakim so look for him to try and get the knockout standing or the TKO from top position in this rematch.
Rakim Cleveland – Cleveland has wanted this fight since he gave up that armbar in their last bout. In order to win, he’s going to have to put the big man on his back and/or catch him making a mistake in order to secure the upset victory.
160 – Frost “Icepick” Murphy (Elite MMA) versus Chris “Chop” Rucker (Paradigm)
As we mentioned in our recent article behind his motivation to return the fight game, Frost Murphy wants to fight in order to set an example and raise funds for charity – not some large faceless organization but a specific kid who needs heart surgery. His opponent Chop Rucker quickly followed suite and is donating his purse as well.
If that’s not reason enough to tune into this fight, I don’t know what is.
What we can expect a dynamic battle of two debuting pros as Frost will be facing the rapidly improving Chris “Chop” Rucker out of the Paradigm camp. This will be a very interesting contrast in styles with Rucker being such an athletic specimen and Murphy being the BJJ expert. Those elements should make for a very interesting dynamic in this one.
Keys to Victory
Frost Murphy – I don’t see Frost looking to win any striking exchanges in this or any other MMA bout anytime soon. Look for him to try and corner his opponent against the fence to nullify that athleticism and explosive power. From there, look for him to tie up to get the takedown or even pull guard to get this to the floor. It’s all over from there.
Chop Rucker – Stay away from the takedown and find his chin. That’s what the compact and powerful Chop Rucker will be looking to do in this one. He’s going to want to punish Frost for trying to take him to the floor and break his will standing to get the victory.
170 – Jeremy “The Karate Man” Morris (646 MMA) versus Justin Murray (Bushi Ban)
It’s been awhile since we last saw “The Karate Man” Jeremy Morris step into the cage this past February at IXFA. Despite the split decision loss to Pat Bierschwale that night, Jeremy showed everybody he’s a well-rounded fighter who’s got a more well-rounded game than his name indicates. Training out of 646 MMA, Jeremy looks comfortable anywhere the fight goes.
Likewise, his opponent Justin Murray is also becoming increasingly more well-rounded. Rebounding from his first loss as a pro to BJJ black belt Jordan Rivas this past January, Justin was able to score a unanimous decision over Rashon “Sho-Nuff” Lewis at IXFA in Winniethis past April. Now he’ll look to continue that streak against an opponent looking to notch his own rebound win. Look for a very technical affair in this one.
Keys to Victory
Jeremy Morris – If this bout is fought on the outside, Jeremy may have the advantage so I look for him to try to keep it there. Look for him to use jabs or those karate side kicks to try and maintain his distance in this one.
Justin Murray – The Bushi Ban fighter should be the physically stronger of the two and has the better ground pedigree so look for him to tie up Morris and drag him to the floor where he should have the definitive advantage.
155 – Randy Hauer (Metro Fight Club) versus Jesus Rivera (4OZ Fight Club)
Finally, “The Most Exciting Referee in Texas” Randy Hauer comes back to fight in his home state for the first time since Art of War 2 way back in 2007. Randy’s had a storied career, starting in MMA since it was wasn’t even MMA here in Texas – fighting with no gloves and open hands in front of bloodthirsty crowds in the days pre-regulation. In his time, he’s fought names like Carlos Condit, Clay Guida, Spencer Fisher, and more. With that being said, he’s also dropped his last five and is looking to come back for one more run at the age of 37.
In order to do that, he’ll have to take out a fellow 37 yr. old in “The Spaniard” Jesus Rivera. The 4OZ. fighter looked nothing like his age his last time out fighting on the HDNet Legacy FC 8main card against Rey Trujillo. A Muay Thai stylist, Jesus dominated much of that fight en route to a round 3 TKO and has now won his last two bouts a row if you count the kickboxing match he had with Lee King along with his MMA bouts. In fact, if you consider that series with Trujillo a wash after taking back a win to offset his March 2010 decision loss, River’s only other defeat as a pro remains another split decision to fellow MT pro Randy Vera. Maybe this guy’s not his age after all.
Keys to Victory
Jesus Rivera – Pin-point striking will be how Jesus will be looking to make Randy pay for those inevitable takedown attempts. I can see Jesus looking to pick Randy apart with leg kicks from the outside for the duration in this one or until he can slow him down enough to go for the kill.
Randy Hauer – He may be a little older than he used to but Randy can still move around in the cage. We’ve seen at least that much just by watching him ref. His strong suit has always been his wrestling so look for him to take the bout down where he should have the advantage. Rinse and repeat until he finds an opening or gets a decision win.
170 – Patrick “Bam Bam” Hutton (RSKA) versus Noel Ligon (Moussel’s MMA)
Talk about a stand-up battle.
No seriously, if you wanted to talk about a stand-up battle, this one may be the one to talk about. Of all the fights that could feature great strikers on this card, and there are several, this one may be the one that has the least likelihood of going to the ground.
Patrick Hutton and Noel Ligon both like to contest things on their feet and have all the tools to do so for an entire fight. “Bam Bam” was last seen gutting it out to get the decision win over Pat Bierschwale at Legacy FC 6 while Ligon was last seen getting his own decision win over Edgar Verdin at IMKF 1 this past September. Look for both fighters to end things more conclusively this time around in what should be a strategic yet action-packed affair.
Keys to Victory
Patrick Hutton – Boxing is his strong suite and boxing is what he will look to do. He’s going to want to punish Ligon with jabs while circling to the outside all the way to victory. Should the two get any closer or tie up, look for Patrick to try and make his opponent pay with 2-3 punch combinations.
Noel Ligon – A boxer himself, Noel is going to want use his size advantage to slow Hutton down and punish him on the inside. A darkhorse scenario that I could also see unfolding is for Noel to take this fight to the ground and try to exploit things with slick leg locks a la his coach Tim Moussel but that may be a stretch until the later rounds.
145 – Jeremy Mahon (4OZ Fight Club) versus David Armas (Silverback Fight Club)
This is an interesting matchup at 145. Jeremy Mahon, a 4OZ Fight Club coach and David Armas, an outspoken young fighter out of the Silverback camp, have sparred verbally through online forums and social media on occasion for quite some time. Admittedly, this may be a bit of conjecture on my part but this bout could be as close to a “grudge match” as could possibly be scheduled for this event and should be no less than an entertaining crowd-pleaser if it’s to be the opening fight of the night.
Aside from their outspoken nature, the two has a penchant for wanting to bang it out on their feet during their fights – even without bad-blood, so to speak. In the words of noted announcer and barbecue sauce connoisseur Jim Ross, “This one’s gonna be a slobberknocker!”
Keys to Victory
Jeremy Mahon – Here we go. The opening bout of the evening could be the main event when it comes to action. Look for Jeremy to try to chop Armas down with leg kicks in this bout, which should quickly turn into a brawl. It’s perceived that Jeremy should have the technical striking advantage so look for him to exploit that if this bout turns into more of a war of attrition.
David Armas -This Silverback is a very emotional fighter and looking at this fight as a must-win. I think he’s going to go in there and try to knock Jeremy’s head off but the wise thing to do would be to temper that just a little bit and pick his shots wisely. Nonetheless, I see this one turning into a slugfest and anyone could win in that type of fight.
That’s it for our pre-fight coverage of HDNet’s Legacy Fighting Championship 9. Check out more weigh-in photos on our Facebook Page and stay tuned here for post-fight results, recap, and photos after the event!
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