The Independent Scene – Top 3 Fights
The top 3 Fights on the Independent Scene are as follows:
Reza Madadi(11-2, LW #96) vs. Julio Cesar De Almeida(12-4) Matt Veach(15-4)
Reza Madadi has won six straight fights, but it’s his pre-fight antics that have gained him notoriety as of late. Madadi has recently made it a habit to get in his opponents’ faces prior to weigh-ins, which recently led to an altercation with Rich Clementi. Madadi has rung up three straight victories over former UFC/WEC veterans, though his win over Clementi was very controversial due to Madadi having ties with one of the judges. He will now try to prove himself against another UFC veteran in Matt Veach. Veach is known as the opponent Frankie Edgar had to defeat to earn a title shot in the UFC. Though Veach came into that fight unheralded, he showed off solid wrestling before losing to Edgar. Unfortunately for Veach, he’s enjoyed little notoriety since that fight. He’s lost his last two fights on the independent circuit to Eric wisely and Drew Fickett. Should Madadi win this fight, I see little reason why the UFC would not sign him considering their interest in holding a fight card in Sweden.
Update: Veach is out of the fight and he has been replaced by top Brazilian prospect Julio Cesar De Almeida. Almeida is on a 9-1 run since losing 3 straight fights back in 2007-2008. Almeida has a ton of talent, but he’s likely going to struggle with Madadi’s size and wrestling. Almeida deserves some exposure outside of Brazil so this is a good fight for him, but the cards are stacked against him for pulling out a victory. I like this match-up better than the originally planned Madadi vs. Veach, as Almeida has better striking than Veach and is on a winning streak compared to Veach, who seems to be in a rut at this stage in his career.
Pete Sell(8-5) vs. Elijah Harshbarger(6-2)
Pete Sell was originally rumored to be fighting Kris McCray, but now faces Elijah Harsbarger at Ring of Combat. Sell is returning to MMA, following his release from the UFC back in 2009. Prior to the brutal loss to Matt Brown in ’09, Sell had pulled off his most impressive win in recent memory defeating Josh Burkman. Pete Sell has not been in very many boring fights and will hopefully return with a vengeance fighting near his hometown. His opponent, Harshbarger, is 6-2 overall, claiming his biggest victory last time out against another prospect George Sullivan. Harshbarger’s previous step up in competition did not go successfully as he lost to Ben Saunders. If Sell can put all the pieces together, he still possesses the talent to be successful in this sport, but when he throws out the game plan and relies solely on his striking things have gone haywire. Sell should be the favored fighter, but after a long layoff it is really difficult to predict how he will perform on fight night.
Bruno Santos(9-0, MW #40) vs. Vitor Nobrega(10-4)
Arguably Brazil’s top middleweight prospect, Bruno Santos, will look to prove his merits in an 8-man tournament. Santos’ opponent in the first round of the tournament will be Brazilian native, but European MMA veteran Vitor Nobrega. Nobrega is 10–4 overall, and has struggled against most mid-level competition. This should be a fight to showcase Santos’ skills and propel him into the next round where he will meet some tougher competition. Santos is 9-0 overall and is known for his grappling. He cannot afford to have a lengthy fight with Nobrega if he has any hopes at winning this tournament. The tournament should be a solid, but risky test for Santos.
