Six injuries and a wedding meant that a full 35% of the athletes competing in the IFL semi-finals on August 2nd were replacement fighters. All-in-all, the night still packed a solid punch, with exciting performances turned in by noteworthy subs Harris Sarmiento for the Anacondas, and Tim Boetsch, and Daividas Taurosevicius, for the Pitbulls.
But as with any team, fans tend to particularly invest in the starting line-up. Once the playoff seeds were set, appetites were whetted for several match-ups that would ultimately not take place.
Discussed here are three of the matches I was most looking forward to seeing and why I gave a darn.
Bart Palaszewski (155, Silverbacks) v. Chris Horodecki (155, Anacondas): The Rematch
Horodecki earned a controversial split decision victory over Palaszewski when the two lightweights met in the ring earlier this year.
As round one drew to a close, “Bartimus” had Horodecki in a tight guillotine choke. To all outward appearances, the young “Polish Hammer” had fallen unconscious as he slipped outside of the ropes. Yet the referee failed to step in to end the fight allowing Horodecki to survive until the bell, much to the dismay of Palaszewski and his teammates.
Horodecki would come back strong in the latter two rounds, preserving his undefeated record, while also handing the Silverbacks their first, and only, team loss in IFL competition.
Palaszewski would have been looking to not only avenge his only IFL loss, but to also cleanse the bad taste left in his mouth by the referee’s questionable call. Fans, however, can take heart in the fact that Palaszewski and Horodecki are currently slated to face each other in the IFL Grand Prix tournament.
Rory Markham (170, Silverbacks) v. Jay Hieron (170, Anacondas)
Including the recent semi-final match-up, the Anacondas and the Silverbacks have met three times in the IFL. Yet circumstances have seemingly conspired to keep the two IFL standouts from facing each other in the ring.
In April 2006 it was Mike Pyle who represented the Anacondas at welterweight, and found himself on the wrong end of a first round KO from Markham. February 2, 2007, though Hieron was in action, eye surgery had Markham sidelined. The third time proved not to be a charm as Hieron suffered an injury in training that kept him from taking on a recovered Markham in the 2007 semi-finals.
A skilled striker, Markham has earned all of his IFL victories by KO or TKO, while his submission defense makes him trouble on the ground for his opponents. Hieron, meanwhile, has proven himself a well rounded fighter, able to put away his opponents via strikes or submission. A bout between these two has “Fight of the Night” potential.
Vladimir Matyushenko (205, Sabres) v. Jamal Patterson (205, Pitbulls)
Vladimir Matyushenko is a veteran fighter who has tangled with the likes of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and former UFC champions Tito Ortiz, and Andrei Arlovski. A former amateur wrestler, Matyushenko joined the ‘Tokyo’ Sabres this year and has since beat every opponent the IFL has put before him. Heading into the semi-finals, Matyushenko considered Jamal Patterson his biggest challenge since entering the IFL, saying of Patterson, “Compared to my previous fights in the IFL he’s the best athlete out of all of them.”
Jamal Patterson entered the IFL brand new to professional mixed martial arts competition. The Renzo Gracie trained fighter has three wins in the IFL, all by submission, and has shown himself to be a real talent, despite his limited experience. His only loss is to the Tigersharks’ Reese Andy, by second round TKO.
However, two of Patterson’s three wins are over the same opponent, that being Matt Horwich of the Portland Wolfpack. With wins over only two opponents, Patterson really needs to build his resume. A win over Matyushenko would have gone a long way towards cementing Patterson’s status as one of the league’s, and perhaps one of the sport’s, leading up-an-comers.
All-in-All, the night was full of could-have-beens as the Anacondas eventually fell to the Silverbacks and the Sabres fell to the Pitbulls. The Anacondas and Sabres go home, while the Silverbacks and Pitbulls square off in an exciting year 2 championship.