We’ve been keeping the guys busy,with 3 shows in one week. This time around, Mike, Justin and Rich share with you their thoughts on the upcoming IXFA fights on Satruday October 16th at the Verizon Wireless Theatre.
Do you agree with them or do you think they are crazy? Either way, let ‘em know! When you’re done reading all the pics, feel free to leave your own picks and comments below and let our experts and Houston know who you think is going to win and why.
Meet the experts
Mike Calimbas (mopthemats.com) – (32-28) Mike Calimbas is an MMA Writer, devotee, and fan that has been a part of the Mixed Martial Arts community for over fifteen years. He has served as a ring official & timekeeper for amateur MMA in numerous local events in Texas with the USACA/Lonestar Beatdown. Mike has also written and provided analysis on the topic of MMA & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for various online publications, including FightLine, Ploomy, and MoptheMats.com. Mike has been training BJJ, etc. on-and-off for the past six years. Off the mats, he spends most of his time with his family, including his baby son, Nicholas and girlfriend, Megan. For more on Mike, check him out on http://twitter.com/mikecalimbas.
Justin Trapp (fighterportraits.com) – (36-24) Justin Trapp is a photographer, designer and one of the premier marketing minds in the MMA industry. He manages the branding and marketing for mma companies, fighters and gyms. He has been a loyal fan of the sport since its inception and works to educate the biased. To see some of his work visit his website, fighterportraits.com.
Richard Burmaster (thecagedoor.net) - (36-24) Richard Burmaster is co-founder of (and a writer for) thecagedoor.net. He has been active in the MMA scene for close to 8 years and has trained in MMA for the last 5 years. His job keeps him on the go across the United States, and thus has afforded him the opportunity to train in many of the top gyms across the nation. From Army combatives to the Militech Fighting Systems, he has been able to try out many of the martial arts from coast to coast. When Richard is not working on his full time job, training in MMA or working with thecagedoor.net, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son.
THE PREDICTIONS
There were some changes to the card after our prediction where done so those fight are not listed below. The changes include Larry Crowe stepping in to face Jared Taylor and Lee Higgins fight was canceled.
 |
Rick Bigger | Name | Jeremy Morris |  |
| Nickname | ||||
| NR | TCD rank | NR | ||
| 170 | Weight | 170 | ||
| 0-0-0 | Record | 0-0-0 | ||
| Gracie Barra Texas | Gym | World Martial Arts | ||
| Picks | Mike, Justin, Rich |
Mike: Jeremy Morris is looking to make a splash in his professional debut after a 2-0 amateur career. Not much is known against Bigger. He’ll be the bigger fighter coming in with a 3-inch height advantage but will he be the bigger man in having his hand raised? I’m not too sure about that and pick Morris to win his debut. Prediction: Jeremy Morris via TKO
Justin: If you google “Jeremy Morris MMA” It brings up his tough fight at Lonestar Beatdown with brilliant err annoying commentary by thePure Fight guy. If you google “Rick Bigger MMA” it brings up a MMA profile with a record of 0-0 (someone give me the straight story on the record). So I have to go with a guy I have seen fight and fight through adversity at that.
Prediction: Morris via Submission
Rich: Morris showed great finishing ability in his last ammy fight. Look for him to try and finish Bigger early and often with big shots. Bigger will look to close the distance and take this fight to the ground. Prediction: Morris via TKO
 |
Jason Sullivan | Name | Jordan Clissold | |
| Nickname | ||||
| NR | TCD rank | NR | ||
| 205 | Weight | 205 | ||
| 0-0-0 | Record | 0-1-0 | ||
| ACS | Gym | |||
| Mike, Justin, Rich | Picks |
Mike: Local pundits have touted Jason Sullivan as the next big thing as he makes his professional debut. I’m a little hesitent to anoint him myself based on the merits of an amateur career where he’s lost significantly more than he’s won. For Clissold, he is looking to rebound after having lost his own profesional debut. I think this bout might go at a frentic pace with both fighters looking to put their opponent away quickly. As far as the win, I will go with Jason Sullivan by virtue of having more experience. Prediction: Jason Sullivan via TKO/RSC
Justin: Admitadly I don’t know a lot about Clissold, but I do know that Jason Sullivan is a beast, and if he can live up to the hype that surrounds him int he cage, he should be able to win this fight handilly. Prediction: Jason Sullivan via Unanimous Decision
Rich: Clissold is taking on quite a challenge in his pro debut. Jason Sullivan is one of the hardest hitting and fastest 205lbers anywhere. If his gas tank is right Sullivan should have little trouble with Clissold. Prediction: Sullivan via TKO
 |
Antonio Flores | Name | Brandon McDowell |  |
| Nickname | ||||
| NR | TCD rank | NR | ||
| 170 | Weight | 170 | ||
| 4-2-0 | Record | 31-30-0 | ||
| Gracie Barra The Woodlands | Gym | |||
| Mike, Justin | Picks | Rich |
Mike: This has the makings of a very exciting finale for the IXFA 170 title. Anybody who has ever seen the 4-1 Flores fight knows he is one of the rare breed of fighter with true one-punch KO power. His TKO of Edwynn Jones at the IKFA – Delta Downs event was nothing short of premium highlight reel material. On the other hand, Brandon McDowell walked in this bout with over 60 MMA bouts under his belt, leading me to conclude that he’s seen everything anyone could throw at him in his MMA career. I’m going to go on a limb and say Brandon’s only chance at victory in this bout is to catch “King Kong” Flores in a submission. The only problem is that he has to get Flores to the mat to make that happen and that’s a tough proposition. Prediction: Antonio Flores via KO
Justin: Antonio looking to make a statement in Houston against McDowell who I found two videos on youtube of (one of him being out grappled and the other is from 2006 entitled “Brandon McDowell Kicks Ass.” Ultimately I think Flores wins this. Prediction: Flores via TKO
Rich: Flores will be the quicker fighter and he should have the advantage standing as well. Brandon has had over 60 fights and is currently on a three fight losing streak. Look for Brandon to take this fight to the ground where he has had the most success. Prediction: Brandon McDowell via Submission
Quick Picks
| Fight | Mike | Justin | Rich |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Garcia vs Rashon Lewis | Garcia | Lewis | Garcia |
| Prince Ho vs Kevin Fanning | Ho | Ho | Fanning |
| Kirk Gibson vs Josh Lee | Gibson | Gibson | Lee |
| Marc Ramirez vs Mike Fielden | Ramirez | Ramirez | Ramirez |
| Josh Foster vs Justin Ledit | Foster | Foster | Foster |
Don’t underestimate Antonio’s ground game……Ya heard it here first.
Cool..let me weigh-in on these matchups and make more people hate me….. lol
Im picking Bigger based on what ive heard though i know that Morris is a beast…interesting fight. kinda picking a name outta a hat since i really don’t know much about either guy.
Im going with sullivan obviously for the second fight. The hype around Jason isn’t that hes the best fighter at 205 but that he IS the hardest hitting and fastest. Jason has been gifted with A+ athletic ability and has never actually trained for a fight before….this time he has done some training. should be interesting. Sullivan is probably the most violent fighter ive ever seen fight anywhere and its VERY hard to train for that. When hes fighting he seriously tried to mame people.
Im picking Kevin Fanning via submission…hes a beast. Very natural athlete.
Im going with Justin Ledet in his pro debut vs foster…..look for this kid to make waves in the near future. Hes a really nice kid and very young with great great potential. The guys from SBA always come ready to fight and are often gamers so i expect that Justin has adjusted well training there.
And late addition Larry Crowe is my pick in his fight. The showing he had against Taylor Hebert was impressive and either though neither fighter was 100% for Larry crowe to show what he showed against taylor is impressive. Taylor is a killer. Larry is one of the strongest and toughest fighters and comes from the best HW stable of fighters around. Plus hes a cool guy