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INTERNATIONAL FIGHT
LEAGUE
APRIL 4, 2008
IZOD CENTER - EAST
RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY
The International Fight league is putting on its second show of
the year on Friday, April 4th from the IZOD Center in East
Rutherford, NJ. The show will feature title defenses from champions
Wagnney Fabiano, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Jay Hieron. Chris
Horodecki will also look to get back on the winning track after
losing for the first time in December.
The fight will air live on HDNet..
Love them or hate them, here are my predictions for the fight:
IFL Featherweight Championship
Wagnney Fabiano vs. Shad Lierley
Since suffering his first career loss to Jeff Curran in 2006,
Wagnney Fabiano has been on a submission spree. He has won his last
5 fights using an array of chokes and armbars and has put the
featherweight division on notice. The challenger, Shad Lierley, has
a tough task ahead of him. Lierley is relatively inexperienced.
Shad's record stands at 2-1, with all of those fights taking place
in the IFL. Lierley is coming off of a loss to Chris Horodecki, and
will be dropping down from the 155lbs division for this fight. It is
kind of strange to give a title shot to a fighter that is coming off
of a loss, but the IFL's featherweight division is still in its
infancy.
ODDS
Fabiano -650
Lierley +450
Prediction: Wagnney Fabiano - Submission round 1
IFL Light Heavyweight Championship
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Jamal Patterson
Vladimir Matyushenko will be making his first light heavyweight
title defense against rising IFL star Jamal Patterson. Patterson is
a submission fighter, and has won every one of his 4 victories by
submission. Vladimir Matyushenko brings a wealth of experience to
the ring, however, and has never been submitted. Vlad has been in
the ring with talent like Andrei Arlovski, Pedro Rizzo, Antonio
Rogerio Nogueira, Tito Ortiz, and Vernon White. That is quite an
impressive resume. I expect that Vlad will use his experience to his
advantage to keep the fight standing and eventually put Patterson
down.
ODDS
Matyushenko -500
Patterson +300
Prediction: Vladimir Matyushenko - TKO Round 2
IFL Welterweight Championship
Jay Hieron vs. Mark Miller
This match is probably one of the best title match ups on the card.
The challenger, Mark Miller, is coming off of a surprising knockout
win over UFC vet Josh "The Dentist" Neer. That victory probably
earned him this title shot. Hieron has been training at Xtreme
Couture and his fight game is showing it. He has looked very
impressive in his last two wins and I expect him to retain his
title.
ODDS
Hieron -350
Miller +275
Prediction: Jey Hieron - Unanimous Decision
As the year progresses and the IFL focuses more on
developing their weight classes, the league will should have some
stellar championship matches by the years end.
Additional Fights:
Carmelo Marrero vs. Mike Ciesnolevicz
You may remember Carmelo Marrero from the UFC. After bursting onto
the scene with a split decision victory over highly touted
heavyweight Cheick Kongo, Marrero lost his next two matches and was
sent packing from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Marrero's only
two losses have come in the UFC and he is coming off of a TKO
victory over Rafael Real in November. He is pretty well rounded, but
not incredibly exciting to watch.
Mike Ciesnolevicz is an experienced veteran of the sport who has 16
fights under his belt and an impressive 13-3 record. Ciesnolevicz is
a product of the Miletich Martial Arts academy and has shown the
ability to both knockout and submit his opponents.
ODDS
Marrero -150
Ciesnolevicz +120
Prediction: Ciesnolevicz - Round 3 Unanimous decision
Chris Horodecki vs. Nick Lamotte
Before being utterly handled by Ryan Schultz in December, Chris
Horodecki was 11-0 and was the odds on favorite to become the IFL
lightweight champion. Horodecki has fought the bulk of his career in
the IFL, and the company has a vested interest in him maintaining a
winning record. Horodecki is a young guy, and a lot of kids look up
to him. Nick Lamotte is a 6-2 fighter who has not fought in any of
the bigger shows. This fight will prove to be a big test for him.
Win or lose, this is Lamotte’s chance to make an impression on one
of the bigger stages in MMA.
Horodecki is looking for a title shot, and a rubber match with Ryan
Schultz, so I expect the Xtreme Couture fighter to be dominant in
his performance.
ODDS
Horodecki -650
Lamotte +450
Prediction: Horodecki - TKO Round 1
Larry Vollmer Jr. is a mixed martial arts blogger for the Journal
News. Check out his blog at
http://mma.lohudblogs.com.
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