Like your standard ‘matches to make next’, but with an emphasis on fantasy and a disregard for probability. Basically, fights that should happen, but probably won’t.
Jack Hermansson: F***ing terrifying.
Ok, let’s make this clear from the start: This is very much a European-centric version of MTWM (yes, UK is still in Europe).
Who should Josh Barnett or Andrei Arlovski fight next? Each other, infinitely. For as fun as the main event was, and some of it was, it was utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Everything is meaningless eventually – especially MMA – but even relatively speaking, this had no real purpose other than ‘cos’.
So, my focus for this edition is solely on the closer-to-home fighters, the athletes we saw on Cage Warriors and BAMMA that we now have to pay twice as much to see live.
Jack Hermansson has a curious frame. At times, he can look ten feet tall, then just as quickly he’s all scrunched up like a coiled spring. The man seems to generate power in small spaces, those uppercuts in the clinch came from his toes. Lest we forget the time he pounded out a hapless Dayen Topalski from back mount (I’d love to link to the video, but the Cage Warriors back catalogue has now been swallowed up by the Fight Pass monster).
Despite looking tentative in the first frame, Hermansson found the inner serial killer we’ve become accustomed to, sticking it on Scott Askham in the second and third rounds. The man loves uppercuts!
Given his unfortunate status as a European, expect Hermansson to languish on the Fight Pass cards for a while yet, probably taking on Marvin Vettori or Sam Alvey. If it were up to us? Keep the regional ‘ting going and get current BAMMA champion, John Phillips in there. It might not be of much interest to the American fanbase, but I’m pretty sure they’re catered for…
In fact, forget that, it’s going to be Vettori.
Nicolas Dalby: Two birds, one cage?
You can always tell when an orbital bone gets smashed. Fighters don’t often wince, they’re too hard for that.
Nicolas Dalby is tough as nails, there can be no denying that. If you saw his fight with Darren Till, then you already knew this. That the man fought on for the majority of three rounds AFTER GETTING HIS FACE BROKEN in the first frame against Peter Sobotta, only cements his status as tougher than your average fighter.
Having started his career with 14 consecutive wins, Dalby now finds himself without a win in his last three Octagon appearances – not generally a good place to be in the UFC. We think he deserves another go around, he got his face broke, FFS.
Unfortunately, the fight that many of us wanted to see back in Cage Warriors isn’t looking very likely right now. Dalby and Danny Roberts are on different paths at the moment, though one can only hope that their paths cross in the not-too-distant future. For now, give us Dalby vs. Jim Wallhead. It makes sense, it’d be a decent fight, we’d watch it.
It wasn’t the long awaited debut Wallhead might have wanted, but there’s at least one more roll of the dice for Jimmy yet. It’s taken him this long to find his way onto the biggest stage in MMA, there’s definitely more to come.
Taylor Lapilus: Violence behind the eyes
Leandro Issa did everything he could to cling on to Taylor Lapilus in the first round. The Brazilian limpet was like a prime Nik Lentz, attaching himself to the Frenchman’s leg and holding on for dear life.
Maybe it was bloodlust, maybe it was an open acknowledgement of my distaste for wrestling (fuck off, I’m British), but when Lapilus separated from Issa and started to pour on the punishment, I loudly exclaimed my joy. Screaming out ‘yes, fuck him up!’ is a low point, but I take ownership of my temporary steakhead status.
Lapilus is a LOT of fun. When he gets going, the cocky 24-year-old moves with such fluidity and grace, it’s a joy to behold. He’s also incredibly violent.
We’ve done the grappler thing, let’s put him in there with someone more exciting. Anthony Birchak is an incredibly gifted athlete, and it’s a matchup that’s unlikely to disappoint.
