Monday, May 27, 2013

TJ GRANT EARNS UFC TITLE SHOT

TJ Grant Canada may have a second UFC champion in the near future. Nova Scotia born, TJ Grant earned his spot as the number contender in the lightweight division by knocking out Gray Maynard in the first round on Saturday night at UFC 160.

Gray Maynard was TJs biggest named opponent to date. The former 2 time lightweight challenger had beaten many of the UFCs top lightweights and only tasted defeat once in his career. His aggressive wrestling style has given many opponents problems, and his boxing skills have greatly improved through out his UFC career.

Since dropping to lightweight from the welter weight division, TJ has impressed in everyone of his bouts. He scored victories over Shane Roller, Carlo Prater, Evan Dunham and most recently knocked out Mat Wiman. With the later two wins, TJ gained a lot of attention from the UFC brass and was awarded the bout with Maynard.

Next up for TJ is champion Benson Henderson. This bout will is expected to take place later this year. Benson is a physical special with a well rounded skills and has not lost in the UFC. TJ will be sure to pressure the champ and hope to catch him with a big right hand and put Cole Harbor Nova Scotia on the map.
 

Thursday, May 23, 2013

UFC 160

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Main Event

The heavyweight title is up for grabs this saturday May 25th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Lav Vegas, Nevada. Challenger Antonio Silva steps up to take on the champ Cain Velasquez. This two have already looked horns once, at UFC 146. In that bout Cain completely dominated Silva with viscous ground and pound and force the stoppage in the first round. Since then Cain has reclaimed his title and Antonio upset the heavily favoured Alistair Overreem. Can Silva cause another upset and take the title from Cains hands? I think not. Cain is a different animal compared to Silva, and his pace and wrestling ability should wear down the bigger man in Antonio. Look for another tko victory for Cain, 3rd round.

Co-Main Event

In the co main event of the evening two large men will battle for a potential shot at the winner of the main event. Both fighters in Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt, prefer to fight on the feet and this bout should be no different. Can Mark Hunt continue he's knock out streak? Or will Junior bounce back after his 5 round drubbing in his last fight. I think if Junior where to play it smart you could take the New Zealander down and more or less win that fight that way, as hunt is more or less a fish out of water on the mat. Its a dangerous game on the feet for both guys, Im going to go with Junior by decision

TJ Grant

A pivotal lightweight bout between TJ Grant and Gray Maynard takes place on the main card, with the winner more or less be declared the number one contender. TJ Grant has looked unbeatable since his move down to lightweight, and is Canada s best beat at a lightweight champion. He blends his solid muay thai skills, with a very slick ground game. On the other hand the only kind of fighters TJ struggled with at welterweight were wrestlers. Gray Maynard is most definitely the best wrestler he was faced to date. Maynard has also picked up some solid boxing skills, and has some KO power in this hands. This is a great fight on paper, with my vote going to the Canuck, TJ Grant by decision.

Colton Smith

Ultimate fighter 16 winner and army ranger Colton Smith, has his first bout since winning the competition. Standing in his way is Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes winner Robert Whittaker. The first time two ultimate fighter winners are facing each other in there first official UFC bout. Whittaker is a young well rounded fighter but he hasn't faced an opponent like Smith before. Colton's grappling skills are top notch and he seems to shut down everybody that he faces and grinds them out. Smith should earn the victory with a decision win.
UFC Colton Smith Kimurawear

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

BIRCHAK EARNS TITLE SHOT FOR MFC

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Anthony Birchak is the number 1 bantamweight for the Maximum Fighting Championship. He doesn't have a title to prove it yet, but sounds like he will have that opportunity very soon.

Anthony comes form a strong wrestling background in both freestyle and greco-roman. He was able to win the greco roman championship 4 consecutive times as well the freestyle state championship 3 consecutive times while in high school. In college Anthony continued find success when became a three time state medalist and a state runner up in 2003. Using his strong wrestling skills as a base, Birchak has been able to become a complete mma fighter and amassed an impressive 9-1 record.

On May 10th at MFC 37 True Grit, Birchak found himself in the main event against talented striker Ryan Benoit. Birchak was able to neutralize Benoits striking techniques with a relentless wrestling attack that say most of the bout take place on the ground. Both fighters had dominant positions throughout out the fight, but Birchak seemed to haves Benoit in trouble more often and displayed a high level jiu jitsu game. As the fight went on, Benoit seemed to tire and Birchak continued to attack and was able to easily get the nod from all three judges.

With this impressive victory Brichak has solidified his status as the number one bantamweight fighting for the MFC. His next fight will be for the vacant MFC bantamweight title against an unknown opponent. Chances are this young prospect is going to be staying around for while.

We at Kimurawear are very happy to be working with Anthony Birchak, not only is he a young and talented fighter but he has the personality to got with it. We see big things happening for this guy.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

MFC 37 - True Grit

MFC 37 True Grit, goes down tomorrow night at he shaw conference Centre in Edmonton Alberta. Unfortunately the main event between surging Canadian heavyweight Smealinho Rama, and American Chris Barnett hasbeen cancelled, but Kimruawear sponsored fighter Anthony Birchak and his opponent have stepped up to highlight the stacked card. Also on the card are Kimurawear athletes Jason Zentgrag and Muaki Maromo.

ANTHONY BIRCHAK

Anthony Birchak fights Ryan Benoit in the main event of MFC 37 tomorrow night. The winner of this bout is guaranteed an opportunity to fight for the inaugural bantamweight tile at a future MFC event. Birchak looks to seize this opportunity and make a statement as the top 135 pound fighter in the MFC. Birchak who fights out of Apex MMA in Tucson AZ, made a name for himself as a finisher by winning his first 4 bouts by submission. After compiling a an 8-1 record, Birchak got an opportunity to headline an event at Jacksons MMA in Albuquerque, NM. He faced one Jacksons MMA top prospects in Matt Leyva, and was able to finish him in 82 seconds by tko. This fight put Anthony on the radar of a lot promoters, and he signed an exclusive deal with Canada s top promotion in MFC.

JASON ZENTGRAF

Jason Zentgraf has already complied a 2-0 record in the MFC's middleweight division. Zentgraf looks to make it 3 in a row tomorrow night in Edmonton and make a claim for the vacant 185 pound strap. He faces brazilian jiu jitsu and judo black belt Luke Harris. Although all of Jasons victories have come by way of submission, he should have a solid striking advantage against the hometown fighter Harris. With both fighters being high level grapplers, the one who can out strike there opponent in this bout should walk away with the victory and a possible title shot.

MUAKI MAROMO

Muaki Maromo is one of the most exciting fighters to watch on the MFC roster. He is a very explosive athlete that brings in a very solid muay thai background. Coming off a loss in his last bout, Muaki should be looking to make a statement and let everyone know that he is a top contender in the MFC's lightweight division. Prior to Maromo's last bout he had complied an ultra impressive record in of 4-0 in the MFC. Muaki had beaten title challenger Adam Lynn on two occasion, with the second fight ending in highlight reel ko fashion. Maromo's next fight is against a familiar opponent in Kurt Southern. The two faced each other over two years ago, and Southern was the victory handing Muakai his first loss. Maramo is a much different fighter now and intends on showing that when he faces southern for the second time.
MFC Muaki Maromo Kimurawear.com