Thursday 31 May 2012

EFC 14 fight results



Here are the full professional MMA fight results from EFC Africa 14, held at Carnival City on 1 June 2012. I will update them as the fights take place.

EFC 14 fight results

Fight
Winner
Opponent
Round
Method
1
Tshikangu Makeubo James Le Roux
3
Unanimous Decision
2
Markus Taljaard Wade Groth
3
Submission (Triangle choke)
3
Alain Ilunga  Koba Iakobidze
3
TKO (Body kick)
4
David Buirski Kelvin Mwale
1
KO (Head kick & Punches)
5
Alex Cheboub Ashley Calvert 
2
Submission (Keylock)
6
JP Kruger Mawande Vapi
1
Submission (Rear-naked choke)
7
Terrence Griessel Gareth Buirski
3
Submission (Guillotine choke)
8
Francois Kabulu Amr Wahman
3
Unanimous decision
9
Wentzel Nel Denzil Wait
2
TKO (Elbows)
10
Garreth McLellan  Danie van Heerden
2
Submission (Rear-naked choke)
11
Bernardo Mikixi Mahmoud Hassan
1
TKO (Punches)
12
Demarte Pena Wesley Hawkey
4
Submission (Rear-naked choke)
13
Costa Ioannou Adam Speechly
5
Unanimous decision


EFC 14 fight analysis

How EFC 14 fights ended

Fights won by KO/TKO 4
Fights won by Submission 6
Fights won by Decision 3

When EFC 14 fights ended

Fights ended in the first round 3
Fights ended in the second round 3
Fights ended in the third round 3
Fights ended in the fourth round 1
Fights that went the distance 3

Who won EFC 14 fights

Fights won by BetXchange favourite 9
Fights won by BetXchange underdog 4

EFC14: Danie van Heerden misses weight


Garreth McLellan and Danie van Heerden were scheduled to compete at EFC AFrica 14 for the number one middleweight contender spot and the honour of challenging Jeremy Smith for his EFC middleweight title.

Today at the EFC Africa 14 weigh ins, Danie van Heerden failed to make the cut off weight of 84kg. Van Heerden, who weighed in at 88kg was a whopping 4kg overweight, far too much to cut in the allotted 2 hour grace period. Garreth McLellan came in on the dot at 84kg.

No official statement has been released by Van Heerden's camp as to why he missed his target weight, but with him doing so the fight was jeopardised. After a few hours of speculation however, things were settled between the parties and it appears the fight is still on, though not without its fair share of controversy.

Danie van Heerden was eventually penalised 55% of his fight purse and will no longer be eligible for the title shot should he defeat Garreth McLellan. This news sent a shockwave through the MMA community who took to twitter to vent their disapproval - some directed at Van Heerden for being unprofessional and missing weight, others for the harsh penalties he incurred. A huge twitter war of words soon erupted involving many of the sports biggest names.

Regardless of the reason, this scenario puts a dampener on what was building up to be a brilliant middleweight clash and the MMA community have a right to feel cheated. Yes, we may still see a cracker of a fight, but there will always be questions surrounding the match-up which cannot be answered.

Update: World of warriors respond

We apologise to all our followers The cut was going according to plan until yesterday.We tried everything in our power to cut today.
We were advised by our doctors that it was not safe to continue.that is why it appeared like he was doing nothing in his 2 hr grace.
And we would have fought Soldierboy for free any way.

EFC 14 weigh in results




The EFC Africa 14 weigh-ins took place at Carnival city in Johannesburg earlier today.  Here are the official weigh in results:

EFC 14 weigh in results

James Le Roux
83kg
81.4kg
Tshikangu Makeubo
Markus Taljaard
69.3kg
70kg
Wade Groth
Alain Ilunga
66.2kg
65.85kg
Koba Iakobidze
Kelvin Mwale
76.3kg
76.95kg
David Buirski
Ashley Calvert
69.4kg
74kg*
Alex Cheboub
Mawande Vapi
82.7kg
83.4kg
JP Kruger
Terrence Griessel
66.1kg
65.7kg
Gareth Buirski
Francois Kabulu
76.3kg
76.6kg
Amr Wahman
Denzil Wait
67kg*
65.85kg
Wentzel Nel
84kg
88.2kg*
Mahmoud Hassan
105.4kg
102.9kg
Bernardo Mikixi
66kg
65.75kg
69.3kg
69.85kg
* fighter was overweight and has 2 hours to drop the necessary weight.

For the first time this year, the EFC Africa weigh ins did not go smoothly for everyone. Both Alex Cheboub and Danie van Heerden came in 4kg overweight, weight that they will struggle to cut in the allotted grace period. This could not only mean potential fines for the fighters, but should the fights still go ahead they will be shrouded in controversy.

Featherweight Denzil Wait also came in 1kg overweight, but he should be able to drop this weight prior to the cut off time.

Both the featherweight and lightweight title fights will go ahead unhindered as Wesley Hawkey, Demarte Pena, Adam Speechly and Costa Ioannou all made weight and looked in great shape.

EFC 14 Weigh in gallery

Click here to view the full EFC 14 fight gallery

EFC 14 Weigh in update

Danie van Heerden and Alex Cheboub were unable to make weight even after the grace period. The fighters were both penalised accordingly but will still fight in the EFC 14 event.  

Tuesday 29 May 2012

EFC 14 Betting Odds


The anticipation around EFC Africa 14 is beginning to build. Having already made my EFC 14 fight predictions, I headed over to the Bet X change to see what the betting odds were at ze bookies. As per usual there are some fights with amazing odds which warrant a investment. Here are the EFC 14 fight odds as of 17:15 on the 29 May 2012.

EFC 14 fight odds



James Le Roux
12/10
6/10
Tshikangu Makeubo
Markus Taljaard
2/1
1/3
Wade Groth
Alain Ilunga
16/10
4/10
Koba Iakobidze
Kelvin Mwale
8/10
1/1
David Buirski
Ashley Calvert
15/10
5/10
Alex Cheboub
Mawande Vapi
2/1
1/3
JP Kruger
Terrence Griessel
7/10
11/10
Gareth Buirski
Francois Kabulu
1/3
2/1
Amr Wahman
Denzil Wait
8/10
1/1
Wentzel Nel
1/4
5/2
Mahmoud Hassan
15/10
5/10
Bernardo Mikixi
1/1
8/10
22/10
3/10


The biggest surprise to me was the odds on Adam Speechly to defeat Costa Ioannou. Though I had already predicted a rather convincing victory for Ioannou in my lightweight title preview, it still struck me as rather strange that one of the countries top MMA athletes and former EFC Africa welterweight champion would come in as such an underdog.

To bet on these fights or view the latest odds visit https://www.betxchange.co.za/

Monday 28 May 2012

Ioannou vs Speechly EFC 14 fight feature video


Its almost time for one of the most star studded fight nights in South African MMA history - EFC Africa 14. Today the EFC released their final piece of promotional material, a fight feature promoting the main event of the evening - Costa Ioannou vs Adam Speechly for the EFC Africa lightweight title.

Click here to read my fight preview article: Costa Ioannou vs Adam Speechly EFC 14 fight preview

Costa Ioannou vs Adam Speechly EFC 14 fight feature video

EFC 14 fight predictions



This Friday, 01 June 2012, the Extreme Fighting Championship will host its third event of the year – EFC Africa 14. The MMA event, which sees the return of the Hexagon to Johannesburg will take place at Carnival City.

Predicting the fight results for EFC 14 is quite different to predicting those for EFC 13, as there are fewer debutant fighters, meaning more information to work with. That being said, this is MMA and its never an easy task to accurately forecast how the fights will play out. Excuses aside, here are my EFC 14 fight predictions:

EFC 14 fight predictions

Costa Ioannou vs Adam Speechly (Lightweight title fight)

Winner: Costa Ioannou via TKO

This fight has all the makings of an action packed tussle. Costa Ioannou will come out the more aggressive fighter, looking to close the distance and nullify Speechly’s reach advantage.  Speechly will be content to stay on the outside and work his striking, but will certainly favour his chances on the ground.

Costa’s aggressive style will lead to a clinch situation early on. This will be pivotal to the outcome of the fight as the clinch is not only where Ioannou can do the most damage, but also where Speechly can get the fight down to the ground. Due to both fighters being comfortable on the ground, I believe this fight will definitely end up there and the two master grapplers will have to work hard to secure anything. Round one will end with both fighters intact.

Round two will see Costa Ioannou begin to take control of the fight and wear Adam Speechly out. I predict the Fightfit Militia fighter will once more close the distance, land some big shots on the inside and take Speechly to the mat. A worn down Speechly will not be as effective in his defence and Ioannou will be able to obtain a dominant position and work some vicious Ground and Pound over the course of the round to end the fight in the second frame via TKO. Costa Ioannou will maintain his lightweight title and solidify himself as one of the best fighters in South Africa.


Demarte Pena vs Wesley Hawkey (Featherweight title fight)

Winner: Wesley Hawkey via Submission

Wesley Hawkey will come out aggressive, of that you can be certain. The Durbanite will favour his striking and want to put Demarte Pena under pressure from the get go. Pena will be more patient, looking to counter strike and settle himself in his routine.

I believe Hawkey will get the better of the early exchanges, forcing Pena to look for the take-down. Hawkey will want to keep the fight on the feet, and this battle will be crucial to the outcome of the fight. After working hard, I foresee Pena being able to complete a takedown and maintain a dominant position for the rest of the round, but not without a few hair-raising moments, as Wesley Hawkey works for submissions off his back.

Round two will see the same script unfold, as the two featherweight fighters look to fight in their favoured realm. I believe that Hawkey will be able to do some damage to Pena on the feet, before another take down is completed, and the fight is once more taken to the ground. Round two however will play out rather differently, and I predict that Hawkey will be able to submit the champion via Guillotine choke to make Wesley Hawkey the new EFC Africa featherweight champion.


Garreth McLellan vs Danie van Heerden (Middleweight fight)

Winner: Garreth McLellan via Submission

Danie van Heerden will come out aggressive, looking to press the action. McLellan will have to weather some heavy storms early on, but will be able to avoid taking too much damage while using effective counter striking to earn some points of his own. The fight will likely continue its frenetic pace for the majority of the first round with Van Heerden pushing forward and McLellan trying to keep his distance.

Round two will see a drop in pace as the two fighters begin to tire. Garreth McLellan will begin to take control of the stand-up, using effective strikes to pressure Van Heerden. As the round unfolds the momentum will swing more and more into McLellan’s favour, who will be able to get the fight to the ground and work his superior grappling to finish Danie Van Heerden via second round Rear-naked choke.


Bernardo Mikixi vs Mahmoud Hassan (Heavyweight fight)

Winner: Mahmoud Hassan via TKO

Bernardo Mikixi and Mahmoud Hassan are both powerful men with knockout power. I don’t see this fight going past the first round. I predict Mahmoud Hassan will drop Bernard Mikixi with a big punch and finish it on the floor to earn a first round TKO victory

Wentzel Nel vs Denzil Wait (Featherweight fight)

Winner: Wentzel Nel via decision

I believe Wentzel Nel will be literally be an animal at featherweight. I predict that the former lightweight champion will prove too much for Denzil Wait and will earn himself a unanimous decision victory.

Francois Kabulu vs Amr Wahman (Welterweight fight)

Winner: Amr Wahman via KO

Both Francois Kabulu and Amr Wahman are not afraid to trade punches, this should result in a short but action packed fight. I believe Wahman will beat Kabulu to the punch to win via knock out in the first round.

Terrence Griessel vs Gareth Buirski (Featherweight fight)

Winner: Terrence Griessel via decision

This should be a great fight between an experienced EFC vetran and a talented newcomer.  It will be interesting to see how Griessel takes to the lighter division, but I think he will be able to grind out a decision victory against the tough Shido fighter.

JP Kruger vs Mwande Vapi (Middleweight fight)

Winner: JP Kruger via Submission

Both Vapi and Kruger have impressive stand-up skills. Kruger however showed willingness to adapt his strategy to his opponent coupled with an impressive ground game against Pete Motaung at EFC 12 and I believe he will approach this fight very similarly. I predict Kruger will win via first round submission.

Alex Cheboub vs Ashley Calvert (Lightweight fight)

Winner: Ashley Calvert via TKO

I believe Ashley Calvert is a very underrated fighter who has shown great promise in the early stages of his fights. With a new conditioning program underway, I believe Calvert may have been able to put his gassing problems behind him. I am going to go against the grain and predict a Calvert upset victory via first round TKO.

David Buirski vs Kelvin Mwale (Welterweight fight)

Winner: Kelvin Mwale via TKO

This was one of the hardest matchups to call and I think it could go either way. I am going to go with Kelvin Mwale to win via TKO in the second round .

Koba Iakobidze vs Alain Ilunga (Featherweight fight)

Winner: Koba Iakobidze via KO

I have yet to see Alain Ilunga fight, but being a stand-up specialist he is likely to stand and trade with Iakobidze. Having seen Iakobidze fight at EFC Africa 12, I believe there are very few fighters in the division who can get away with this. I believe Koba Iakobidze will be too quick and will finish the EFC debutant via first round KO.

Wade Groth vs Markus Taljaard (Lightweight fight)

Winner: Markus Taljaard via decision

Markus Taljaard impressed me with his hand speed at EFC 12 when he faced Ryan van Niekerk. I believe his stand-up will be effective enough to earn him the win over Wade Groth via decision.

Tshikangu Makeubo vs James Le Roux (Middleweight fight)

Winner: James Le Roux via Submission

I am going to back James Le Roux for this fight. Le Roux trained really hard leading up to EFC 13 and will be in great shape for EFC 14. I think Le Roux will win via Submission in round 1