Hello everybody! Welcome to Jocelyn's Picks! Fazan Khan and his matchmakers have set up a great night of fights for GCC 17: Klahan vs. Bonucci! It's that time again where I attempt to predict the winners.
Here we go!
Ivan Reddy (2-2) vs. Demetrius Vitalis (1-0)
The main card opens up with a middleweight scrap between two highly touted prospects. Demetrius was a cast member on the first season of GUF, and defeated fellow castmate Danny Cross in the finale.
Now he is getting a boost in competition with Ivan Reddy, a true mixed martial artist, training with Leah Wilkins out of the Global training facility.
For Demetrius to win he will have to rely on his deadly repertoire of submissions, and his striking, while Ivan will have to be relentless with his grappling. This is a pick-em fight, but I have to go with Demetrius, even though Ivan will have the experience edge.
My Pick: Demetrius Vitalis
JaySon Francis (4-3) vs. Erik Malkasian (3-3)
This battle between perennial contender JaySon Francis and inaugural heavyweight champion Erik Malkasian is a solid fight.
To win both men will have to play to their strengths, but I feel as if the praying mantis will be able to create scrambles, and keep the fight standing easier than the former champion will have keeping Francis grounded.
So with that being said I am picking JaySon Francis to earn his fifth victory inside the GCC cage.
My Pick: JaySon Francis
Dame Raven Williams (3-2) vs. Sunni Khan (1-0)
This will be a grappling showcase. We have the 18-year-old former Supreme MMA bantamweight champion Sunni Khan battling the empress of wrestling Dame Raven Williams.
However, I'm going to give the edge to Dame Raven Williams, who is the better striker, and has superior wrestling control. Khan also has her ways to win with those nasty submissions she possesses, but if history tells us anything, Dame has the advantage.
My Pick: Dame Raven Williams
Vishis Vourture (3-1) vs. Joe Ravvi (3-2)
This fight, I have been looking forward to. Vishis Vourture is looking for redemption after his dreams of being the lightweight champion were temporarily halted at GCC 10. Joe Ravvi is looking to come back from his last loss. So both are highly motivated.
This is going to be a great stand-up battle, but I feel that Vishis will have an advantage on the feet, and Razor Wire's way to win will be via submission. I don't see the fight hitting the ground, and I see Vishis Vourture gaining his fourth win.
My Pick: Vishis Vourture
Alexia Amauri (3-1) vs. Trixie Redd (4-2)
This is an awesome co-main event. Both of these women are world-class strikers and they have great grappling/wrestling credentials. I can honestly say this is one of the hardest fights to pick.
On one hand you have 'Killer Doll' who holds a notable win over Gaia Galanos, but on the other hand Trixie Redd is no slouch. So I'm going to go with Trixie Redd, but on paper it will be a close fight.
My Pick: Trixie Redd
Sanit Klahan (2-0) vs. Fabiano Bonucci (4-0)
The main event pits the boxer versus the kickboxer. Sanit Klahan shocked the world in December with one head kick, and ever since this fight was signed, the universe has been asking 'can he do it again?'
His opponent is the 4-0 HILITE FC standout Fabiano Bonucci, who has left a path of devastation in his wake. I want to say that Gucci is going to win this fight, but with the natural gifts of Klahan, and fighters like Alejandro Rivera, Tim McCarthy, Awut Somaskul, and Krystal Knight sharing a gym with him everyday, you know the guy has got a great game plan.
So I'm going to say that Sanit will play spoiler again, and defeat Fabiano Bonucci.
I'm also going to go the extra mile and say if Gucci does lose, a fight between him and the winner of Jones/Somaskul at Global Fight Night 18 would look real good.
My Pick: Sanit Klahan
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This week I was able to catch up with several fighters, and other notable name's. Here's what they had to say…
House of Khan Representative:
''Ivaan Reddy is ready to fight Demetrius Vitalis. Reddy was a big fan of the Global Ultimate Fighter and is excited to be able to showcase his skill opposite of the winner of the show.
He hopes that a potential win over Vitalis will elevate him to the next level and grant him an opportunity to fight a Middleweight ranked in the GCC top five.''
Sunni Khan:
I accepted the challenge against Dame Raven Williams because I was intrigued by her skillset and felt it would make for a good fight. It was only after I signed onto the fight that I had realized why my grandfather offered it to me in the first place.
Apparently a fight against me has lit a fire under Dame's butt and she's never worked harder to prepare for a fight and I think that's a great thing but unfortunately, I can't say the same for her. I am motivated by each and every fight - no matter the rankings, card placement, no matter who it's against be it for a title or not.
I think that's the difference between me and Dame and thus shall explain the end result come GCC 17.''
Sanit Klahan (translated from Italian):
"Fabiano Bonucci will prove to be a tougher challenge for me more so than Rob Jones was. My brother Awut had beaten Rob Jones which provided me a huge advantage during camp as he could provide in depth insights nobody else could.
With Fabiano, there is no blueprint to victory to follow. Though, I will find a way. There is no other choice. At GCC 17, I will silence any remaining doubters by successfully defending the GCC lightweight championship, and from then on, they will begin to speak my language.''
Misty DeMeans (on Fabiano Bonucci):
''The kid is a killer man, the f(expletive)k imma say? S(expletive)t I lowkey want to take credit for what he's done up until now, but real talk, Fab was pretty much a finished product by the time he walked through the door. Now it's an iron sharpens iron type deal cause he's one of the best strikers in the gym, period.
I ain't worried about this fight at all, Sanit is above his pay grade. The real talk around the gym is what we're going to do with Arturo killing s(expletive)t in the same division, and how we're going to handle that s(expletive)t whenever it happens."
Did Sunni Khan indeed light a fire under Dame's butt? Will Sanit's words come true, or will he have to eat them? We will all find out this Friday night at #GCC17 live and exclusively on the 'We are Dplat!' Network.
Follow Jocelyn Edwards on twitter @JocEdwards95