The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

Nastyukhin vs. Zhang
Lipeng Zhang, DEC
you blink once and a guy who was 9-9 in 2015 is suddenly 33-12

Le vs. Freymanov
Thanh Le, TKO, R3
I am picking Thanh Le, but Ilya Freymanov could pull off the upset.

Nastyukhin vs. Zhang
Lipeng Zhang, DEC
Timofey Nastyukhin was massively overrated, because he defeated a way past his prime Eddie Alvarez.

Le vs. Freymanov
Ilya Freymanov, TKO, R2
Freymanov is that guy

Pacio vs. Malachiev
Mansur Malachiev, SUB, R2
such a great fight, glad they're bumping Malachiev in the mix without having to crush people first.

Le vs. Freymanov
Ilya Freymanov, TKO, R3
This fight is going to be awesome. No idea how one found Freymanov but they did a great job; kid is insane

Nastyukhin vs. Zhang
Lipeng Zhang, TKO, R2
Nasty has put on some insane wars but his kill or be killed style is not the best for winning fights. He’s live for a ko but I think zhang is too durable & vet savvy

Saputra vs. Hu
Yong Hu, DEC
Dunno. I just always fade the Indonesian

Pacio vs. Malachiev
Mansur Malachiev, SUB, R3
Crazy big step up for malachiev. He looks ready tho but damn getting the former champ after ur debut is a big task. I worry about his gas tank but I think his wrestling is good enough to beat Pacio

I'm surprised that Nastyukhin was outsaider in tapology. No matter what recent defeats he had, Zhang is a overrated fighter who built a record on Chinese tin cans and who had problems even with Folayang

Le vs. Freymanov
Thanh Le, TKO, R1
USA USA USA

Nastyukhin vs. Zhang
Timofey Nastyukhin, TKO, R3
The russian has more to lose and thus will be going for the kill.

Saputra vs. Hu
Eko Roni Saputra, TKO, R1
Saputra by vicious KO. chinese fighters don't fair well against knockout power. Also "wolf warrior" is a goofball nickname and he's basically asking to be shadow realmed..

Pacio vs. Malachiev
Joshua Pacio, DEC
I back Filipinos every time.

We ever going to be able to pick fights that aren’t MMA?

Hoping for another good week

My thoughts exactly, or see someone’s full record outside of mma 

Pacio vs. Malachiev
Mansur Malachiev, DEC
Joshua Pacio has had lots of trouble against grapplers.

@Justinw303 

I also want the option of picking at least the kickboxing and Muay Thai fights on ONE Championship events.

This will be Thanh Le’s first fight in ONE Championship since losing his Featherweight title over a year ago to Tang Kai. Le is looking for a chance to once again secure gold and avenge his only loss during his run in ONE. However, he’s matched up with a dangerous young Russian contender in Ilya Freymanov. Freymanov is coming in hot for his first chance at ONE Championship gold riding a 3-fight finish streak, all in the first round. Will Le be able to regroup and improve to gain another shot at the Undisputed Featherweight title or will the cold, vicious striking of Freymanov signal to the rest of the division there is a new era on the horizon?

Stand Up Phase: 

Le (SW) has an almost Karate style stance which he uses to throw a variety of kicks and hooks. He’s also able to switch seamlessly from SP to OX. He typically attacks in quick bursts due to having good power in both hands, however, this allows him to become predictable. He has quick counters that are effective timing against heavy pressure OPPs. While he has good lateral movement, his defensive footwork and head movement is lacking at times. Freymanov (OX) has a traditional kickboxing style with clean boxing, quick kicks, and vicious knees. He uses his jab and kicks very well to stifle his OPPs before landing combinations. He typically keeps OPPs busy dealing with punches and kicks before closing distance and landing knees to set up the finish. He also has good defensive footwork. Prediction: Freymanov will probably have the speed advantage which he’ll use to sting Le from the outside and control from distance. If Freymanov is too careless, I could see Le landing a quick check or counter hook to change the momentum of the fight. 

Clinch Phase: 

Le typically prefers to not engage in grappling exchanges and remain on the feet, but he can shoot for TDs if necessary. His submission defense is good and he’s able to defend well enough to find opportunities to land GnP. His TD defense in open space is also good. Freymanov has good TD defense in open space and against the cage. One of his most dangerous assets seems to be his Thai clinch which he uses quite effectively to land strong knees (All of Freymanov’s finishes in ONE were set up by his knees in the clinch). Prediction: Freymnov will use the Thai clinch to tie up Le when he rushes into land hooks. If Le doesn’t have an answer for breaking the Thai clinch, I could see a finish occurring. 

Ground Phase:

Neither of them spends much time on the ground and are usually there in a defensive capacity. Le has good defensive scrambling and finds his way out of TD attempts and bad positions. Freymanov also has good scrambling and has shown the ability to scramble for back control and secure the RNC for the finish. Prediction: If the fight hits the ground, it will most likely be during a finishing sequence. 

Prediction: Freymanov wins by Second Round TKO

Freymanov’s cleaner striking will batter Le consistently for most of the fight, causing Le to become more reckless, before Freymanov is able to set up the finish with knees from the Thai clinch or a quick combination. 

Abbreviations: 
SW: Switch 
SP: Southpaw 
OX: Orthodox 
TD: Takedown 
OPP: Opponent  
GnP: Ground and pound 
RNC: Rear Naked Choke

Many people overerated Malachiev, yes Pasio is convenient for him and he should beat him, but Malachiev is far from being that good.
 in Russia he is not even in the top 10 prospects of his weight

How in the hell do 79% of you think Hong Yu wins against Eko Roni Saputra? I thought it'd be atleast closer to 50%, lol never listen to any Tapology members opinions and stick to your own guys

@zionixz 

predict him and it'll be closer

Good evening, folks!

Good morning, folks! From Australia 

Shakir Al-Tekreeti won UD.

@Blackbet25 

not mma.... 

That armbar was nasty