posted February 2, 2007 at 19:00 in UFC / MMA Articles

Sabres will come away with a convincing win Friday. Griggs is a fighter to watch. Let’s see if he can move forward and handle a veteran. He looks like he could be a monster, but this is the kind of fight that he needs to show it. Best fight is the Young/West contest, no doubt.

265 lbs: John Marsh (Sabres) vs. Chad Griggs (Scorpions): Griggs is undefeated and only really tested once so far. He’s athletic, strong and he’s been fighting on a regular basis. Marsh is a perfect opportunity for Griggs to see what he’s made of. Marsh is an experienced fighter that likes it on the ground. Griggs should be too much for Marsh to handle though and takes it. I would expect Griggs to be around -200 or so.

205 lbs: Vladimir Matyushenko (Sabres) vs. Dwayne Legros (Scorpions): Probably won’t be a line made on this fight in what seems to be a huge mismatch. Matyushenko is a well traveled and seasoned competitor; he’s a well rounded fighter that should easily handle the inexperienced Legros.

 

185 lbs: Kazuhiro Hamanaka (Sabres) vs. Shane Johnson (Scorpions): Johnson will probably be a slight favorite in what should be a tight contest. If either fighter is more than +200, I would take it. I like Hamanaka a little more, because he’s been keeping busy and probably has been in against better opponents.

170 lbs: Antonio McKee (Sabres) vs. Gabe Rivas (Scorpions): McKee should be -300 or so. I really don’t like McKee’s style, too many decisions. He leaves his opponents in the fight too long. But… I can’t see how Rivas beats him; Gabe just does not have the firepower to threaten McKee in this fight. McKee just will not make the mistakes Rivas needs to win. If you like parlays, Antonio should be added in.

155 lbs: Savant Young (Sabres) vs. Ed West (Scorpions): Young deserves to be favored in this one, but Ed West is a live underdog. Both fighters will be on top of their game and neither one should be a surprise. Young has a win over Kendall Grove; Grove is a much better fighter now than he was then. The winner here is very likely to be King of the 155ers in IFL when it’s all over.

The Silverbacks start their 2006 IFL Championship title defense at IFL Houston. They appear loaded again this year and should be in the finals if they can stay healthy. The Anacondas do not have the fighters that will give the S-backs any trouble on Friday night and this will be an easy victory for the defending champs. Palaszewski/Horodecki should be entertaining. Watch to see what Benji Radach does, he had some talent before a long layoff. How will Horodecki handle a very good fighter will give us a small peek into his future.

265 lbs: Ben Rothwell (Silverbacks) vs. Matt Thompson (Anacondas): Rothwell has been incredible. He deserves to be a heavy favorite and is the kind of guy that can be trusted in the favorites roll; wins early and decisively. But not so fast my friend, Thompson is not a can. His only loss came to a good, undefeated opponent in his first fight. Rothwell should overwhelm him, but Thompson will be looking for a huge step up.

205 lbs: Mike Ciesnolevicz (Silverbacks) vs. Alex Schoenauer (Anacondas): This is a competitive match. IFL 205 Champ Ciesnolevicz was not highly regarded until he caught fire at the finals last year. Schoenauer is one of those above average guys that have a shot in most of his fights. Most likely, we will find out who is better on the mat Friday night. Ciesnolevicz should be about -250, no more.

 

185 lbs: Ryan McGivern (Silverbacks) vs. Benji Radach (Anacondas): I don’t like fighters coming off a 2 year layoff. Benji was dangerous then, but what has he been up to. McGivern is not the kind of guy I like as a favorite; he lets his opponents stay in the fight too long. I will stay away from this one. Maybe Radach is playable at +400 or more, not for me though.

170 lbs: Victor Moreno (Silverbacks) vs. Jay Hieron (Anacondas): Probably no line on this fight. Moreno is an average fighter that has a good shot against other average fighters if things go his way. Hieron should definitely be favored here, but he’s beatable and Moreno will be ready to roll. This is a good opportunity for him. Moreno catches my interest at +300 or so.

155 lbs: Bart Palaszewski (Silverbacks) vs. Chris Horodecki (Anacondas): Palaszewski is the defending IFL Champ at 155 and has put together 2 impressive years of fighting. He should be a listed as a solid favorite in the best fight of the Houston card. Horodecki brings his undefeated record to it biggest challenge so far. He is a good young fighter that can become very good, he is very quick. Bart is just too accomplished for Horodecki and should handle him.

The BetUS.com Sportsbook does have lines up for most of these fights and you can find them in the BetUS.com Sportsbook, Other Sports, M.M.A. section.