HOUSTON, TX, May 10, 2012 – Yet another exciting night of LIVE professional MMA is rapidly approaching for the city of Houston with Legacy Fighting Championship 11 set to take place tomorrow night at the Houston Arena Theater. As always, the event will be aired LIVE on HDNet. This rendition of the show will provide more star power and up-and-coming fighters than ever for LFC with a whopping seven fights scheduled for broadcast as opposed to the previous standard of six. In addition, five more intriguing preliminary bouts complete the card as an added bonus for fans that will be in attendance in Houston.
Let’s take a look at each and every fight on the card and attempt to make heads or tails for what we can all expect tomorrow on fight night with this, our TXMMA preview and predictions.
• 155 lbs.: Jorge Patino vs. Clay Hantz (for vacant lightweight title)
• 125 lbs.: Chad Robichaux vs. Joseph Sandoval
• 170 lbs.: Gerald Harris vs. Mike Bronzoulis
• 160 lbs.: Evan Cutts vs. Lee King
• 135 lbs.: Angel Huerta v. Nelson Salas
• 185 lbs.: Bubba Bush vs. Artenas Young
• 135 lbs.: Ryan Benoit vs. Cody Williams
LFC 11 – PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised)
• 185 lbs.: Larry Crowe vs. Sam Mohammed
• 155 lbs.: Ray Blodget vs. Cris Rucker
• 170 lbs.: Lester Batres vs. Justin Murray
• 125 lbs.: JT Mendez vs. Andy Sandoval
• 125 lbs.: Marcus Dupar vs. Bobby Powers
Legacy Fighting Championship 11 – Main Card Previews and Predictions
155 lbs. TITLE: Jorge Patino (21-3-1) vs. Clay Hantz (7-3)
Preview – Already the LFC welterweight champion, Gold Team’s Jorge “Macaco” Patino will aim to earn a Legacy title in a second weight class in this fight with DFW’s Clay Hantz (Octagon MMA). The two will be battling for the belt vacated by current UFC fighter Daniel Pineda who’s since gone 2-0 in the UFC octagon after graduating to that league this past January.
As for the men aiming to take his place, they’ve got designs of their own for a glorious future and it all hinges on winning this belt. Both men have posted impressive streaks as of late with identical three-fight wins streaks headed into this one.
As for how they match up on paper, it certainly looks like the Brazilian Macaco has the definitive advantage in this one. He’s got a wealth of experience dating back to the mid-90’s to go along with his Chute Boxe striking pedigree and 3-stripe BJJ black belt. Tangibly, he’s tough as nails too with a great chin and the physical conditioning of a man 10 years younger than his 38 years. Long story short, he’s the definitive favorite heading into this main event.
That doesn’t mean that West Texas born Clay Hantz should be counted out though. By all accounts, he too is a tough guy with his own reputation for being a well-rounded fighter. He can bang it out with the Brazilian and he’s got enough grappling acumen to know what to do in most situations. The X-factor here for Clay will be how he handles the step up in competition. He’s never faced anybody like Patino and he’s lost out in fights with experienced opponents before in guys like Anselmo Luna and Joe Christopher. How he competes against the Brazilian will go a long way in determining where he’ll be in the near future. This is his shot to prove he belongs in the big leagues.
Prediction – Jorge Patino over Clay Hantz by submission, RD1.
125 lbs.: Chad Robichaux (11-2) vs. Joseph Sandoval (6-2)
Preview – West Texas stalwart Joseph Sandoval makes his LFC debut in this one and will be motivated to change his fortunes fresh off two quick losses against Walel Watson and Nick Denis in the UFC. Prior to that, the Big Head MMA fighter had all the momentum going his way with six straight wins on the Texas fight circuit, including two in Shark Fights.
Facing Sandoval will be another fighter looking to change his fortunes for the better informer LFC bantamweight champion Chad Robichaux. Prior to his brief “retirement,” Chad suffered his own set of back-to-back losses to former Bellator champion Zach Makovsky and Jonathan Mackles as but is determined to keep testing himself against top competition rather than take a step back. To his credit, he’s been training with guys like UFC legend Randy Couture at high-altitude headed into this one so we could see the best Robo we’ve ever seen in this one.
This deciding factor in this fight will come down to where it takes place. If it stays standing, Joseph undoubtedly has enough firepower and explosiveness in his strikes to KO/TKO Robichaux. Meanwhile, if it goes to the ground, Chad has the definitive advantage in the submission department and should be able to control the action there. Not sure who is physically stronger between the two but both are making the drop down to flyweight so that could play a factor as well. This is truly an “anything could happen” type of fight.
Prediction – Joseph Sandoval by unanimous decision.
170 lbs.: Gerald Harris (20-4) vs. Mike Bronzoulis (13-4-1)
Preview – UFC veteran Gerald “Hurricane” Harris will be making the drop down to welterweight for the very first time in this fight against “The Greek” Mike Bronzoulis. He’s taking the fight on short notice after Marcus Aurelio was unable to get his licensing requirements completed in time but should be in tip-top shape after successfully completing a practice cut to get down to the 170 lbs. limit. Harris will be making his 2nd appearance for Legacy after beating Eric Davila this past February.
As for Mike Bronzoulis, he’ll be making his way back for the first time since December of last year when he lost against Jorge Patino in a 170 lbs. title fight. He was scheduled to fight in February as well but did not due to his opponent coming in grossly overweight for their planned 170 lbs. contest. Expect to see a fired-up Mike as always in this one when he finally gets to step into the cage for the first time in over four months – a rarity for him considering he is one of the most active fighters in the state.
This bout should make for an interesting matchup in styles.
Gerald Harris is well-known for his power wrestling. He likes to slam his opponents down and beat them on the ground as his primary method of victory. Meanwhile, Mike B. is known for his exceptional takedown defense and willingness to keep coming forward at all costs. “The Greek” has always been known as one of the stronger fighters in this weight class while Gerald is making the drop down from 185 lbs, where he too was considered strong even there.
This is kind of like the irresistible force meets the immovable object in this one.
“The Hurricane” definitely has the pedigree on his side but “The Greek” won’t be going down without a fight. No matter which way it plays out, this is going to be a brutal, hard-fought contest for both men.
Prediction –Gerald Harris over Mike Bronzoulis via split decision.
160 lbs.: Evan Cutts vs. Lee King
Preview – Fitness Fight Factory’s Evan Cutts scored the biggest win of his young career this past November when he upset Reagan Penn in ProElite to bring his record up to 3-0. He’s been sitting on the shelf since but the young 21 year old is eager to show that he’s much more than a one-fight wonder. A win over the experienced Lee King would go a long way towards proving his worth on the national scene and that’s exactly why he took this fight on no more than one week notice.
Meanwhile, grizzled veteran Lee King is also looking to prove his worth as a fighter that’s got a lot left in the tank despite already having 30+ fights to his name. He’ll be coming into this one off the strength of two straight wins. A recent move to Glendale, AZ has also found Lee in an unfamiliar but potentially advantageous position of being the student as opposed to the teacher. He’s now training at the Lab with the likes of UFC 155 lbs. champ Benson Henderson, Efrain Esudero, Jamie Varner, and others so he’ll definitely be focused for this one.
This is yet another interesting fight. A longtime San Shou fighter in addition to MMA, Lee is well-known for his striking prowess while Evan is known for having a strong wrestling base to go along with a potent GNP and submission game just like his teammate Johnny Bedford. Game planning will be the key in this fight. Whoever can control the distance and dictate where this fight will take place most certainly has the leg up on winning.
Prediction – Evan Cutts over Lee King by submission, RD2.
135 lbs.: Angel Huerta (6-0) v. Nelson Salas (3-0)
Preview – Undefeated Houstonian Angel Huerta returns to the cage for the second time this year against his biggest challenge yet in fellow undefeated pro Nelson Salas, fighting out of Dallas.
Ever since debuting in April 2008, former WCL kickboxer Angel Huerta has methodically increased his level of competition in accordance with his immersion in the sport. With 5 out of his 6 wins coming by way of TKO, Angel has always been known as a flashy, vicious striker but he’s developed an impressive all-around game as well while training with guys such as Brian Melancon (wrestling) and Vinicius “Draculino” Magalhaes (BJJ). Simply put, those in the know have come to recognize him as a worker, willing to do all he can to get better.
That bodes well for him in this fight as I believe Nelson Salas to be his biggest test to date as a pro.
The 29 year old is no slouch himself when it comes to the game of MMA but is particularly adept in the area where Angel has needed to develop most – on the ground. Two out of his three wins have come by submission. His last win over Tristan (Ross) Grimsley at XKO 14 was a hard-fought one that showed his resiliency as a fighter – an attribute that will come to good use when dealing with the explosive Houstonian.
This is a very interesting fighter than should answer plenty of questions about both guys – the main one being which of the two is ready to take that step up to the elite level regionally at bantamweight. This one’s going to be a fight and both combatants possess respectable skill sets but Angel may just be too fast, too strong, and too hungry to lose right now.
Prediction – Angel Huerta over Nelson Salas by TKO, RD3
185 lbs.: Bubba Bush (4-1) vs. Artenas Young (7-4)
Preview – It’s safe to say this has been one of the more hotly-debated matchups on the entire card with many in the local community saying this will be a dominating win for Young…. Or Bush… Either way everybody has an opinion but the truth is that this fight will determine the top of the local pecking order in the middleweight division with the winner potentially filling UFC fighter Andrew Craig’s shoes as the next great local 185 lbs. star for Legacy FC.
A resident of Bryan / College Station, Bubba Bush has been the pride of the Brazos Valley ever since he began competing way back in 2007 and more recently when he started taking on fights on a more regularly basis in the last year. In that span he’s brought his record up to 4-1 with his only loss being in the waning moments of a tough five round war with the aforementioned Andrew Craig – a fight many had him winning 2 rounds to 1 going into the championship rounds. He didn’t get over the hump then over his more experienced opponent who’s since gone on to win in the UFC but is he ready now? We’ll find out tomorrow night.
Taking on Bush will be a more experienced yet equally hungry fighter in Artenas “Machine Gun” Young. This 31 year old has had a wealth of experiences ever since he started fighting professionally in 2010. A lightning fast striker at this weight, Artenas has showed his maturation as a fighter with 2 impressive wins in 2011 over Elvis Mutapcic and Kyle Bracey in the Shark Fights organization. He followed those up with a loss to Clifford Starks – a fighter who went to the UFC off that win over Young. To be so close and not get there, that has to eat at Artenas… He’ll be looking to make a statement over Bush to show that he and not anybody else should be the fighter to watch in Legacy FC at this weight.
The question for this fight will be who can impose their will – Young with his fleet footwork and punishing hands or Bubba with his powerful takedowns and submission prowess. Whoever wins that battle will win the war in this fight.
Prediction – Artenas Young over Bubba Bush by unanimous decision.
135 lbs.: Ryan Benoit (3-1) vs. Cody Williams (3-1)
Preview – This fight between these two bantamweight spark plugs is my pick for fight of the night… or KO/TKO of the night or sub of the night depending on which way it plays out. The main point is that everyone should expect this fight to be an exciting one.
There’s been a lot of hype on Cody “Wolverine” Williams over the past few years and rightfully so. The Beaumont-based fighter has developing a fanatical following due to his exciting balls-to-the-wall type of style. He’s a freak athlete and quite possibly the strongest fighter we’ve seen locally at 135 lbs. with the speed to match. More motivated than ever, Cody has been impatient about wanting to break through to the top level for quite a while. He is fearless.
As for Ryan Benoit, he’s lesser known that his much-publicized opponent but it’s a good thing this isn’t a popularity contest but a fight. Benoit only has 4 pro fights to his record to go along with one amateur fight (much less than his opponent) but make no mistake about it; he’s already a seasoned athlete. When he steps into the cage, he’ll do so with a plethora of wrestling accolades to go along with his Saekson Janjira Muay Thai striking background and time spent honing his boxing in Mexico.
This is a tough fight to call. I’d venture to say that Benoit definitely has the technical advantage headed into this fight with his lengthy amateur background in wrestling, boxing, and Muay Thai but Cody has definitely had more time in the cage and has done so more frequently so the edge in experience could be his also depending on which way you look at it. Speed, strength, endurance… one would say Williams should have the advantage there but then again that remains a mystery as well. That’s what makes this fight exciting. Anything could happen and it could go either way.
Prediction – Pick-em.
Legacy Fighting Championship 11 – Preliminary Card Quick Picks
185 lbs.: Larry Crowe (5-2) vs. Sam Mohammed (3-4)
Preview – There are a couple of certainties I think of when considering this fight…. 1. It won’t be a Jiu-Jitsu match. You won’t see any high-level guard play or very many triangles being thrown up in this one. 2. This won’t go to the judges. Both these guys have one thing in mind and that’s the finish. And finally 3. Somebody will get knocked out in this one.
Sam Mohammed presents a game opponent but a perfect one for Larry Crowe to show that he belongs at the top of the heap at middleweight alongside the winner of Artenas Young vs. Bubbas Bush. Look for him to make the most of this opportunity to show he belongs there.
Prediction – Larry Crowe over Sam Mohammed by TKO, RD2.
155 lbs.: Ray Blodget (5-1) vs. Chop Rucker (1-0)
Preview – Ray Blodget will be making his long-awaited return in this one after losing his LFC lightweight title to UFC fighter Daniel Pineda in April of last year. Long layoff aside, Ray will be looking to prove that he’s still a force to contend with against another upstart in Chop Rucker – a fighter who most recently scored a big win in his pro debut against BJJ black belt Frost Murphy. This is going to be a tough fight for both men nut Ray’s experience should give him the edge.
Prediction – Ray Blodget over Chop Rucker by unanimous decision.
170 lbs.: Lester Batres (0-1) vs. Justin Murray (3-2)
Preview – Lester Batres has been reputed by many as a beast in the training room but that hasn’t quite carried over into MMA success thus far in his young career. Meanwhile, Justin Murray has fared well and fought impressively in his own pro career but has been on the wrong end of a few decisions. He could easily be 5-0 going into this fight but the fact is he’s 3-2 and needing to win to stay north of .500. Both these men have something to prove and this fight is a sleeper pick to be one of the more interesting fights on the evening.
Prediction – Justin Murray over Lester Batres by TKO, RD3.
125 lbs.: Jesus Mendez (0-1) vs. Andy Sandoval (0-2)
Preview – JT “Hispanik Panik” Mendez surprised a few folks with his game performance against Cody Williams when he debuted this past February. He won’t be surprising anyone this time around but he is looking to prove he’s a future contender in the developing Legacy flyweight division. Andy Sandoval always comes to fight but look for this to be a showcase fight for the former Golden Gloves champion fighting out of Silverback Fight Club.
Prediction – JT Mendez over Andy Sandoval by TKO, RD2.
125 lbs.: Bobby Powers (debut) vs. Marcus Dupar (1-1)
Preview – Flyweight bouts are almost always exciting and this one should prove no different. It’s the ideal opening bout of the night between two guys that aren’t shy about getting in there and throwing down. I truth, I have no idea what to expect in this one but it should make for a fun fight nonetheless.
Prediction – Bobby Powers over Marcus Dupar by submission, RD2.
That concludes our predictions for Legacy FC 11. What are your picks? Not shy about putting it out there? Comment them on our TXMMA Facebook Page and we’ll see who gets the most right tomorrow night at the Arena Theater and on HDNet!