On April 14th the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its long-awaited debut In Scandinavia when the Octagon arrives in Stockholm, Sweden. Saturday marks the first time the UFC has hit continental Europe since the snoozefest that was UFC 122: Marquardt vs. Okami. I remember sitting in my apartment that night watching Okami and Marquardt labour through three trigger shy rounds, and thinking, “what was the point of the UFC visiting Europe without first investing in European fighters first,” and to my delight, they have for this weekend’s event. Below I will break down the best European prospects on the undercard, as well as an American debutant set to make waves at 205.
Simeon Thoresen
Norwegan grappling phenom Simeon Thoreson makes his much-awaited UFC debut on Saturday night’s undercard. He will be facing unbeaten Besam Yousef, who on paper seems like a tough debut fight, but the truth is Yousef’s six wins have come in the Zone FC promotion (which his team has very close ties to), and so far he has faced many journeymen and newcomers. However, Thoreson has spent the last 6 years touring the world and under the tutelage of Pride FC vet Joachim Hansen, amassing an impressive 16-2 record. Expect Yousef to come out swinging early, only to be dumped on his back and submitted in the first.
Cigar-smoking Papy Abedi fights in his adopted home of Sweden for the first time in over a year, and after a debut defeat to perennial contender Thiago Alves, he looks to get back to winning ways. Papy made his debut at UFC 138 in Birmingham England against a vastly experienced foe in Alves, and even though he came up short, his fight excited the sold out LG Arena. After the event, I met with Papy, and he explained how disappointed he was not to have showcased his skills that night. Alliance MMA has taken in both Abedi and Alexander Gustaffson for this fight camp, and from all accounts Papy’s grappling has improved leaps and bounds thanks to help from Lloyd Irvin and Phil Davis. Expect Papy to come out aggressive and drop James Head, before following up with a vicious onslaught of ground and pound.
Tristar representative Francis Carmont made his UFC debut this past October when he dominated Chris Camozzi at UFC 137. Francis is undefeated since 2008, and has long been a key component of Georges St Pierre‘s fight camps. Yet it may come as a surprise to most fans, but before 2006 Francis was being dominated in regional UK shows. However, since he has began to train regularly with Firas Zahabi at Tristar, he has improved drastically. And at 6 ft 3, he is a very physically-imposing 185-pounder! Expect Carmont to use his distinct grappling and size advantages to wear out Magnus Cedenblad before scoring a late stoppage.
Saturday night also marks the debut of a very special American talent. Tom DeBlass is unbeaten as a pro, a grappling powerhouse — he trains with Ricardo Almeida and Frankie Edgar in New Jersey — who packs a powerful punch. DeBlass first started out in MMA after he suffered a controversial loss at the Abu Dhabi grappling tourney in 2009, but what was grappling’s loss is now MMA’s gain. A 2-division Ring of Honor champion, Tom is surrounded by winners, and as the saying goes, “Steel sharpens Steel!” Deblass has heavy hands, but expect him to take Cyrille Diabate down, and tap him out with a arm triangle or rear naked choke.
Very good breakdown look forward to seeing the event on Saturday.