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The Global Warrior Challenge picked a great time to debut on pay-per-view, with none of the major organizations running this weekend. The promotion also picked an interesting way to debut, with an eleven bout card pitting top US fighters against to UK fighters. The card is stacked with a lot of big name talent like Bobby Lashley, Ricco Rodriguez, Kendall Grove and more.
Kicking off the action is a lightweight division fight as Tony “Lionheart†Hervey (15-14-0) stands across the cage from Jake Murphy (5-2-0-1NC). Hervey is a well-traveled MMA veteran who has fought the likes of Mike Ricci, Pat Curran, Takanori Gomi and Alberto Crane. Murphy will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak and has fought against UFC veteran Philipe Nover. Hervey is definitely the most experienced fighter that Murphy has faced, but Murphy will overcome that to get the win.
A pair of welterweights will battle next as Jerome Martinez (9-9-0) is in action against Michael Johnson (8-5-0). Martinez has only won one of his last four bouts, with one of those losses coming to Strikeforce veteran Tyler Stinson. Johnson will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak, but has not competed in well over a year. The long layoff is going to hurt Johnson in this one as Martinez get the win over the less active competitor.
Light heavyweights will be in the cage next as “Dangerous†Justin Davis (13-10-0) steps up to battle Max “Power†Nunes (10-0-0). Davis has only won one of his last four bouts, with two of those losses coming to UFC veterans Dennis Hallman and Bristol Murande. Nunes is currently undefeated as a professional MMA fighter and has only had two of ten fights go past the opening round. Nunes is a good victory or two away from a call to the bigger promotions and he will get that big victory on Saturday Night.
We move to the middleweight division for the next fight as Wayne Cole (16-19-0) dukes it out with Jack “Hammer†Marshman (11-2-0). Cole will enter the fight riding a seven fight losing streak and he has not earned a victory in almost four years. Marshman has only won one of his last three bouts, with those losses coming to UFC veterans Tom Watson and Xavier Foupa-Pokam. Barring a major upset from taking place, Marshman should easily walk away with the victory in this encounter.
Our first heavyweight division fight of the card is up next as Jake “Honey Bear†Heun (5-2-0) looks for action against Dayman “Godzilla†Lake (3-3-0). Heun will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak and is the only fighter to compete at all three Pro Elite events. Lake has only won one of his last four bouts and has won both of his fights in the Cage Warriors promotion. Heun is a star of the rise in the MMA universe and he will show why as he gets a victory over the subpar Lake.
Next up is a bantamweight division bout as LC Davis (19-5-0) does battle against James “Scraps†Saville (11-5-0). Davis will enter the fight riding a three fight winning streak, which includes a victory over Bill Kamery at Titan Fighting Championships 22. Saville has only won one of his last three fights, but has competed against UFC veteran David Lee at an Ultimate Challenge MMA event. Davis is another fighter who deserves an opportunity in a much bigger promotion and he will show why as he gets his fourth straight win.
Another heavyweight division fight is up next as “Concrete†Kevin Asplund (15-5-0) competes against Oli Thompson (10-5-0). Asplund will enter the fight riding a four fight losing streak, with losses to fighters like Brett Rogers and Bobby Lashley. Thompson has won one of two since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Philip De Fries at UFC On Fox IV. This is a must win fight if either fighter is to remain relevant in MMA, but it will be Thompson getting that much needed victory.
More middleweight division action is up next as Kendall “Da Spyder†Grove (17-13-0-1NC) looks for the victory against “The Cheesecake Assassin†Danny Mitchell (12-3-1). Grove is a UFC veteran who enters the fight riding a three fight losing streak, with one of the losses coming to UFC veteran Jesse Taylor. Mitchell enters the fight riding a three fight winning streak, with his last victory coming in just twelve seconds. Grove’s best days as a fighter are far beyond him at this point and that is why Mitchell will get the biggest win of his career.
The second lightweight division fight of the evening is next as Drew “Night Rider†Fickett (42-19-0) battles Andre Winner (14-7-1). Fickett is a UFC veteran that has only won one of his last seven fights, but did win the 2010 Shine Fights Lightweight Tournament. Winner has won two of three since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Anthony Njokuani at UFC 132. This could be the most exciting fight on the entire card, but it will be Winner defeating the longtime MMA veteran.
Up next is a heavyweight division fight as Ricco “Suave†Rodriguez (51-19-0) takes on Marcin Lazarz (5-1-0). Rodriguez is a fighter who has won three of his last four fights and is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Lazarz will be looking to rebound from his first professional MMA defeat, which came to Max Nunes at BAMMA 12. How an athletic commission approved this fight is beyond my comprehension, but it will be Rodriguez getting the win.
Headlining this card is a heavyweight division fight as Bobby “The Dominator†Lashley (8-2-0) faces Matt “The Yeti†Larson (2-2-0). Lashley has won three of his last four fights, with that lone loss coming to PRIDE veteran James Thompson. Larson has rotated wins and losses throughout his professional MMA career, with his last fight being a loss to Reese Hernandez at a Driller Promotions event. If anything other than Lashley dominating this fight happens, it will be the biggest shock of the year.
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