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Carlo “Neo†Prater (24-7-1) vs. Richard “Cleat†Crunkilton (16-3-0)
Carlo Prater will be making his Shine Fights debut in this fight, but he is a veteran of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. While in the WEC, Carlo Prater suffered defeats to both UFC veterans Carlos Condit and Brock Larson. Carlo Prater went undefeated in the Renegades Extreme Fighting promotion, defeating Jeremiah O’Neal, Lee King and Adam Arrendondo. Carlo Prater started off his MMA career in impressive fashion, with a ten fight undefeated streak that had lasted well over a year. Carlo Prater will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with twelve victories coming by way of submission. Richard Crunkilton will also be making his Shine Fights debut in this fight, but he is a longtime veteran of the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion. While in the WEC, Richard Crunkilton defeated Cruz Gomez, Luciano Oliveira, Victor Estrada, Paul Jenkins, Nick Ertl, Adam Lynn, Mike Joy and Sergio Gomez, while suffering defeats to both Rob McCullough and Dave Jansen. Richard Crunkilton also fought once in the UFC, suffering a defeat to Hermes Franca at UFC 42 in April 2003. Richard Crunkilton started off his MMA career in impressive fashion, with a nine fight undefeated streak that had lasted over three years. Richard Crunkilton will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with seven victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Richard Crunkilton
Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round Fight
Kyle “Alley Cat†Baker (8-4-0) vs. James “The Unbreakable Heavy Hitter†Warfield (21-6-0)
Kyle Baker is currently winless in Shine Fights competition, having suffered a defeat to Brian Foster at Shine Fights 1. Kyle Baker is undefeated in the Cagefest Xtreme promotion, where he defeated fellow tournament competitor Drew Ficker and UFC veteran Chad Reiner. This fights against James Warfield will mark the first appearance for Kyle Baker in Shine Fights since Shine Fights 1 in May 2009. It has been nearly a year since Kyle Baker last had an MMA fight, so cage rust can become a factor in the fight. Kyle Baker will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with six victories coming by knockout. James Warfield is also winless in Shine Fights competition, suffering a defeat to UFC veteran Yves Edwards at Shine Fights 2. James Warfield is also a veteran of the Madtown Throwdown promotion, defeating Ian Meersich, David Gaston, Travis Nath, Ryan Scheeper, Ted Worthington, Brian Learn and Mark Severston. It has been less than two months since James Warfield last competed in an MMA fight, so conditioning could be a factor in the fight. James Warfield will be entering the fight riding a four fight winning streak, which has lasted over four months. James Warfield will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with fifteen victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: James Warfield
Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round Fight
Marcus “Maximus†Aurelio (20-8-0) vs. Dennis “The Menace†Bermudez (6-0-0)
Marcus Aurelio will be making his Shine Fights debut at this event, but he is a veteran of UFC competition. While in the UFC, Marcus Aurelio defeated Luke Caudillo and Ryan Roberts, while suffering defeats to Clay Guida, Tyson Griffin, Hermes Franca and Evan Dunham. Marcus Aurelio also competed in PRIDE, defeating Daisuke Nakamura, Jutaro Nakao and Takanori Gomi, while suffering defeats to Dokojonosuke Mishima, Mitsuhiro Ishida and Takanori Gomi. Marcus Aurelio will be entering the fight riding a two fight winning streak, which has lasted nearly a year. Marcus Aurelio will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with thirteen victories coming by way of submission. Dennis Bermudez is an undefeated professional MMA fighter who will be making his Shine Fights debut in this fight. Dennis Bermudez is a veteran of the PA Fighting Championships, defeating Chris Conner, Marcos Maciel and Joey Carroll. Dennis Bermudez also competed in M-1 Selection 2010, defeating Kevin Roddy by unanimous decision. Dennis Bermudez will be entering the fight riding a six fight undefeated streak, which has lasted nearly a year. Dennis Bermudez will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with three victories coming by knockout.
My Prediction: Marcus Aurelio
Shine Fights Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round Fight
Charles “Krazy Horse†Bennett (23-17-2) vs. Drew “The Master†Fickett (37-13-0)
Charles Bennett will be making his Shine Fights debut at this event, but he is a longtime veteran of the King Of The Cage promotion. While in King Of The Cage, Charles Bennett defeated Shad Smith, William Sriyapai, Victor Hernandez, Theo McDonald, Gabe Rivas, Adam Bourke, Robert Martz, Dan Loman, Donnie Martinez and Eric Moon, while suffering defeats to Duane Ludwig, Takumi Nakayama, Dave Hisquierdo, Forrest Petz, Jeff Curran, Buddy Clinton, Anthony McDavitt and Bobby Green. Charles Bennett also holds a victory over KJ Noons, who is the current top contender to the Strikeforce Welterweight Title. It has been two months since Charles Bennett last had an MMA fight, so conditioning could be a factor in the fight. Charles Bennett will be looking to use his striking skills to win the fight, with fourteen victories coming by knockout. Drew Fickett will also be making his Shine Fights debut in this fight, but he is a veteran of UFC competition. While in the UFC, Drew Fickett defeated Josh Neer, Josh Koscheck, Kurt Pellegrino and Keita Nakamura, while suffering defeats to Josh Burkman and Karo Parisyan. Drew Fickett recently ended a five fight losing streak when he defeated Derrick Noble at CFX MMA in April 2010. Drew Fickett started off his MMA career in impressive fashion, with a twelve fight undefeated streak that had lasted nearly three years. Drew Fickett will be looking to put the fight on the ground, with twenty six victories coming by way of submission.
My Prediction: Drew Fickett
(Note: I will be providing live coverage of Shine Fights III: Lightweight Grand Prix on PWInsiderXtra.com on Friday September 10th at 9pm EST.)
You can contact David Tees at bigtees360@yahoo.com
