GFL LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BRACKETOLOGY
MG: Ladies and Gentleman now that we have revealed the full line up of the GFL Light Heavyweight Championship tournament. We are going to return to our very impressive guest panel who will unveil the light heavyweight championship tournament field. So please welcome our panel of my old friend and former colleague Kenny Florian, Former Strikeforce champion Josh Thompson, the greatest referee of all time "Big" John McCarthy, former ufc title challenger "The Outlaw" Dan Hardy, MMA veteran Julie Kedzie and reporters The Schmo and Helen Yee.
The Table: Kenny Florian, Josh Thompson, John McCarthy, Dan Hardy, The Schmo, Helen Yee and Julie Kedzie
KF: It is great to be back here tonight for our next GFL tournament unveiling. We've already kicked off in a big way with our heavyweight title tournament and I have a feeling we may top that tonight!
JT: The heavyweight tournament opening was insane! We saw a great representation for heavyweight MMA. Some big knockouts, nasty submissions and chock full of memorable moments.
DH: That continues with this tournament. I mean when you think about it many of MMA's pioneers all originated from the Light Heavyweight division. This is truly a tournament of historic proportions.
JM: I have been honored to be apart of many big fights in Light Heavyweight history. This is very much going to be some of those fights.
TS: We have top prospects, legends, former champions and specialists all vying for for the GFL Light Heavyweight Championship.
HY: This is what the GFL promised. Global combat. We fighters from across the world competing for this.
JK: I couldn't have put it better myself. The talent amassed here wouldn't normally cross one another's paths. But here they all converge in the hopes of becoming the first GFL Light Heavyweight Champion!
KF: Alright let's not keep anyone waiting any longer here. It's time to reveal the official matches for the GFL Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament. We have 8 groups of thirty two of the best 205 pounders on the planet. Let's begin with group A now!
GROUP A
Yoel Romero vs. Kelly Anundson
Luke Trainer vs. Vagab Vagabov
KF: Starting out big here in Group A. One of the tournament favorites Yoel Romero right out of the gates!
JT: That is a fight of two powerhouse wrestlers. Yoel Romero vs. Kelly Anundson. That is literally two bulls going head to head.
JM: Two physical and explosive individuals capable of bringing the fight to the mat in a second.
JK: Plus don't forget the other match on this group. A European battle between Luke Trainer and Vagab Vagabov!
TS: Vagabov is wild! That is a fight which promises chaos.
DH: Trainer is an unorthodox fighter himself at the best of times, that's a fight which is hard to breakdown or predict.
HY: This entire group is chaos in it's purest form! Whoever survives this will be battle tested!
GROUP B
Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua
Rashad Evans vs. Wanderlei Silva
KF: If Group A brought the chaos.. Then Group B brought the legends. What a quartet of champions! This is pure history.
DH: Not to undersell the second match in this group. But what history we will see here. Machida and Shogun III!
JK: These two have had two memorable battles already with Shogun being the first man to ever defeat Machida. This fight is decades in the making.
JM: On top of that we have a first time clash between two former champions Rashad Evans and Wanderlei Silva!
TS: That is a dream match I didn't even know I wanted until now! Two vicious strikers collide.
JT: These are four men who know a few things about tournaments. Namely how to win them. This is a dangerous group.
HY: This group is as much about legacy as it is competition! It's about showing you still have what it takes to be the best!
GROUP C
Stephan Puetz vs. Karlos Vemola
Julius Anglickas vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky
KF: Now we come to Group C. This is a clash of Europe's finest as Stephan Puetz takes on Karlos Vemola while Julius Anglickas takes on Vyacheslav Vasilevsky.
JT: This group is both the combination of raw physicality and technical composure. We literally have a Terminator vs a T1800 in Vemola vs Puetz.
DH: I love that fight. Those are two dangerous men and that fight is an absolute coin toss.
TS: Those two men are tanks. There isn't enough terminator puns I can say here.
JK: Then we come to Anglickas and Vasilevsky which honestly could be my favorite fight of the tournament so far. Both these men are more than capable of going deep in a tournament like this.
HY: I couldn't agree more. That is a semi final even potential final.
JM: Two very well rounded fighters capable of winning anywhere. The winner of that fight will surely be a favorite.
GROUP D
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Karl Albrektsson vs. Ronny Markes
KF: Alex vs OSP. That is a fight which has long been on my personal wish list!
JK: Two long and rangy strikers who are also experienced grapplers. This is a fascinating fight.
HY: Both men have been on the cusp of world championships before. Now is their chance to shine.
JT: We then have Albrektsson and Markes. Two dangerous grapplers will collide.
TS: Also not to count our chickens but we have the potential storyline of a Swedish civil war in round two if both Karl and Alex advance.
DH: That would be a case of mentor vs. Pupil to say the least.
JM: That's definitely something to look to. As would the potential veteran clash between OSP and Ronny Markes!
GROUP E
Chael Sonnen vs. Tito Ortiz
Vitor Belfort vs. Tafon Nchukwi
TS: OH MY GOD. Chael Sonnen vs Tito Ortiz 2! The grudge match is being revisited.
JT: These two do not like each other. Even after that fight the bad blood has lingered.
DH: This fight is for more than just bad blood it's also for that step closer in the tournament. Which both men will delight in taking from the other.
HY: On top of that we have a clash between Tafon Nchukwi and Vitor Belfort. Two of the most explosive men in the tournament.
JM: That’s speed versus raw power. Experience versus explosion. Someone’s going out cold.
JK: That's a definite clash of youth vs experience. We will see if Vitor still has the explosiveness to keep up with a younger version of himself.
KF: This is an exciting group. One filled with drama and violent potential for sure!
GROUP F
Emiliano Sordi vs. Ivan Shtyrkov
Sam Alvey vs. Philipe Lins
KF: this is a group which we don't really have to go too much in detail for. You have 4 of the biggest hitters in the tournament.
DH: They may not have name value but Ivan and Emiliano are dangerous. Someone will sleep in that one
JT: It's a hard fight to call with their power both these men can alter outcomes in seconds.
HY: We then have a collision of veterans as Sam Alvey takes on Philipe Lins.
JM: These are two men who know how to win. Even in fights where it looks like they are on the outs they can claim it back.
JK: Both of these men have no issues in embracing the grind and making for an ugly fight either.
TS: This might be the sleeper group of the tournament. Expect some ugly, brutal fights here.
GROUP G
Daniel Spohn vs. Thiago Santos
Artem Vakhitov vs. Fabio Maldonado
KF: Santos vs Spohn.. What a fight that is! Two dangerous heavy hitting veterans!
DH: That fight is all about timing. Spohn as a counter striker is more than able to catch Santos. However at the same time the aggressive and hard changing Santos is more than able to shut down Spohn.
JK: Spohn has to mind his Ps and Qs here. Stay focused and keep composed so as not to be overwhelmed.
JT: We then go from that to a striker's delight as professional boxer and noted tough man Fabio Maldonado takes on Glory kickboxer Artem Vakhitov.
HY: That is a fascinating fight. To see Vakhitov commit to the crossover to MMA. He has the perfect opponent here as an introduction.
JM: However he can't be overconfident. One thing we know about Maldonado is his toughness. This man can wear you down.
TS: This is a fun and interesting group for sure. It's hard to predict a winner.
GROUP H
Vinny Magalhaes vs. Atilla Vegh
Alessio Sakara vs. Tomasz Narkun
KF: We are now at our final block and what a way to close things out. Jujitsu world champion Vinny Magalhaes vs former Bellator Champion Atilla Vegh!
DH: This block features grapplers and brawlers. It's hard to know what to expect.
JT: Vegh and Magalhaes is a fascinating fight for sure. It's really hard to predict exactly what will happen.
JK: Then we have Sakara and Narkun. Another clash of Europe's finest.
TS: Narkun and Sakara is a wild fight. Narkun is a former KSW Champ but Sakara has fight ending power.
JM: That is also a striker vs grappler bout. One which is very hard to call.
HY: This maybe the toughest bracket to predict yet!
KF: So there we have it, the brackets for the Light Heavyweight championship tournaments are official. Now let's take a look at the full cards of action for GFL 3 and 4!
GFL 3
Prelims
Enoc Solves Torres (29-11-1) vs. Antonio Gordillo (18-8-1)
Rusan Gabaraev (6-2) vs. Aleksa Camur (6-3)
Erko Jun (9-3) vs. Christian Ewards (7-4)
Ibragim Chuzhigaev (19-6) vs. Alex Nicholson (16-11)
Arlind Berisha (4-0) vs. Pedro Lay Jr (2-1)
Rafael Haratyk (21-5-2) vs. Maxim Grishin (34-10-2)
Darren Stewart (16-10) vs. Alain Van De Merckt (9-1)
Karl Moore (12-4) vs Joey Beltran (18-15)
Liam McGeary (13-4) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (13-7)
Main Card
Stephan Puetz (22-5) vs. Karlos Vemola (38-9)
Vinny Magalhaes (19-12) vs. Atilla Vegh (33-11-2)
Ronny Markes (25-11) vs. Karl Albrektsson (14-8)
Vagab Vagabov (30-1-1) vs. Luke Trainer (9-1)
Julius Anglickas (11-4) vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (36-10)
Alessio Sakara (20-13) vs. Tomasz Narkun (21-6)
Alexander Gustafsson (18-8) vs. Ovince St Preux (27-18) - Co-main Event
Kelly Anundson (11-3) vs. Yoel Romero (16-7) - Main Event
GFL 4
Prelims
Da Woon Jung (15-6-1) vs. Felipe Franco (8-1)
Joe Taylor (6-2) vs. Muslim Magomedov (15-0)
Moustapha Diakhate (4-0-1) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (19-18)
Misha Cirkunov (15-9) vs. Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz (11-3)
Tae In Kim (5-1) vs. Mike Rodriguez (12-7)
John Martin Fraser (11-5) vs. Jeremy Kimball (20-12-1)
Emilio Quissua (7-0) vs. William Knight (11-6)
Lucas Fernando (12-3) vs. Rafael Tobias (14-1)
Chris Daukaus (12-8) vs. Shealor Ladd (3-0)
Matt Hamill (12-8) vs. Jeremy May (13-12)
Main Card
Artem Vakhitov (3-1) vs. Fabio Maldono (28-8)
Daniel Spohn (19-9-1) vs. Thiago Santos (22-13)
Sam Alvey (34-18-1) vs. Philipe Lins (18-5)
Ivan Shtyrkov (25-2-1) vs. Emiliano Sordi (25-13-1)
Vitor Belfort (26-14) vs. Tafon Nchukwi (7-4)
Rashad Evans (20-8-1) vs. Wanderlei Silva (35-14-1)
Lyoto Machida (26-12) vs. Shogun Rua (27-14-1) - Co Main
Chael Sonnen (30-18-1) vs. Tito Ortiz (21-12-1) - Main Event