Friday, 24 May 2013 20:17

Hesdy Gerges has been released from authorities for the second time this year. Amsterdam news source AT5 confirmed the news today.

Back in February, Gerges was arrested in the Netherlands on suspicion that he was part of a cocaine trafficking ring. He was released and went on to still fight and beat Daniel Ghita. This time he was extradited to Belgium to be dealt with as the Belgian authorities suspected that the trafficking ring was going through Belgium. Gerges was released again today and stays with his claim that he is 100% innocent.

Recently Gerges was pulled from the May 21st It's Showtime card in Amsterdam due to these issues but now that he's been released, will he be able to pull off what he did last time against Daniel Ghita? It'll be interesting to see if he is indeed put back on the card in the main event against Englishman Chris Knowles.

Here's the full news report, translated:

This confirms his lawyer Sander Janssen AT5. Gerges was earlier this month handed over to Belgium . Justice having suspected him of involvement in cocaine trafficking. Gerges will immediately travel to the Netherlands after his release. He must still be available for the Belgian judiciary.

The kick boxer in February for the first half was arrested in the case. A SWAT team charged him into his home in Noord. After nine days he was allowed to go home, pending the surrender request. Gerges denies anything to do with drug trafficking have.

http://www.at5.nl/artikelen/62191/kickbokser-hesdy-gerges-vrij

Friday, 24 May 2013 20:17

There is something to be said for a sharply-dressed man, and that man is Badr Hari. Badr Hari makes his return to the ring tomorrow, May 14th for It's Showtime. Today's photo of the day is a no-brainer, a photo of Badr Hari from the presser It's Showtime held today in Lyon. Photo courtesy of our friends at Staredown.nl.

Friday, 24 May 2013 20:17

The second bout on the card features a -70kg championship match, pitting champion Chris Ngimbi against challenger Willy Borrel.

Chris Ngimbi is coming off the biggest win of his career, a bout against Murat Direkci in which he won the It's Showtime 70MAX World Title with a 5 round unanimous decision. And while myself and some other disagree on the decision, he can prove himself as a champion by defending his belt this Saturday. Some say that you're not a proven champion until you defend your belt and I think that saying could apply here. Despite being the -70kg champ of It's Showtime, many don't consider Ngimbi to be one of the top -70kg fighters in the world. A win and successful title defense here could help him inch closer to getting more recognition, especially on a card as big as this one.

Chris Ngimbi over his career has been a very inconsistent, hot and cold, hit or miss type fighter. There would be periods where he would lose to in a row, win a few fights after and just when you thought he was resurging, he'd lose again. Well as of late that has changed. Since late 2009, Ngimbi has won four fights in a row. He's gotten through some tough competition in Chahid Oulad El Hadj, Hafid El Boustati, Anthony Nekrui and Murat Direkci whom he won the title from in December. While those fighters aren't considered the top fighters at -70kg, they're very solid wins.

Looking to take the title from Ngimbi is Willy Borrel, a 35 year old fighter from France. Many in the kickboxing community as well as myself are questioning why Borrel is getting this chance at a title shot. He's never fought in It's Showtime before. I wouldn't even consider Borrel the top -70kg fighter in France. Mickael Piscitello and Johann Fauveau out of France have beaten him quite decisively yet they're fighting on the undercard. I think it's very likely that if this card wasn't in France that he wouldn't even be on the card. Nevertheless, he's getting a shot at Chris Ngimbi's title.

Borrel is a fighter that likes to come forward and attack with a lot of kicks to the legs and body, work his way inside and bomb away. He's built like a brick shithouse and will try to use every bit of that frame to muscle his way in and pound away with hooks to the body and head. What he has shown is that he is very suscepitable to knees and that just happens to be Ngimbi's specialty. Opponents have used Borrel's aggression against him to time knees right into the midsection, which clearly have shown to be effective against him. Johann Fauveau especially did this well. Another flaw I've noticed in Borrel is that when backed up and pressured, he tends to go into a defensive shell. Now Ngimbi isn't the type of fighter who will relentlessly pressure someone but this could make it interesting if he's able to hurt Borrel and go after him.

While lackluster at times, Ngimbi finds a way to get the job done. I agree with the It's Showtime commentary crew in that Ngimbi seemed visibly nervous against Direkci. The nervousness seemed to make him much more hesitant to strike than usual. It was his first title fight in a big organization so I can understand but the fact that he seemed nervous like that for the whole fight does make you wonder. Hopefully for this fight he can have some confidence knowing that he's the champion and most people are picking him to win. A Chris Ngimbi with confidence is a very dynamic fighter.

Ngimbi has two keys to win this fight. Use his footwork to stay just outside of Borrel's range while staying off the ropes and utilizing his knees to hurt Borrel and keep him away. Ngimbi has to keep Borrel just outside of his range so he can tee off with counters to disrupt Borrel's aggression. A confident Ngimbi counters effectively. Ngimbi can't let himself get caught up on the ropes because that's where Borrel will use his frame to bully Ngimbi. The one think that Ngimbi has that can change the fight are his knees. Ngimbi throws his knees on the inside from positions that opponents aren't expecting. Chahid Oulad El Hadj and Murat Direkci were both dropped by a knee from Ngimbi and Anthony Nekrui was stopped by one. If Ngimbi can get one off while Borrel doesn't expect it, it could be nighty night for Borrel.

At 35 years old, you have to wonder how much punishment Borrel can take. He might be able to get some good shots off on Ngimbi but then again can he survive the shots of Ngimbi, especially the knees?

Expect Ngimbi to be countering and Borrel to be coming forward with it being even or slightly in Ngimbi's favor for the first few rounds before Ngimbi starts to get the better of Borrel and finishes him with a knee to the chin in the championship rounds.

Friday, 24 May 2013 20:17

Kicking off the main card of It's Showtime Lyon is the universally recognized pound for pounded #1 fighter in the sport, Giorgio Petrosyan taking on "The Pitbull," Chahid Oulad El Hadj, commonly referred to as Chahid.

Petrosyan looks to continue his status as the best in the world, already taking part in his third fight of 2011. This year he's already faced Sudsakorn Sor Klinmee and Cosmo Alexandre, adding to his already near flawless record. It's confusing as to why he hasn't already gotten a title shot in It's Showtime. Some past troubles between himself and the organization may be the reason why. He'll have a chance to finally get the It's Showtime 70MAX world title at the Fast and Furious Five tournament this September.

Right now though, Giorgio Petrosyan has Chahid on his hands. Chahid is a tough fight for most but for Petrosyan it's just a stay busy bout. Petrosyan is that good.

Chahid is another one of those Dutch style fighters who loves to go forward and hunt down his opponent. Although very aggressive at times, Chahid showed in his fight on December 10 of last year against Rafal Dudek that he can also come forward without reckless abandon and pick his shots. That's pretty much out the window though as trying to pick shots and out-technique Petrosyan is a lost cause.

Petrosyan has shown time and time again that he can stay in one gear the whole fight and cruise to a decision, making his opponent appear to be completely clueless. Many have tried to chase down Petrosyan and all they all end up the same, getting taken to school by "The Doctor."

We can try and make it look like Chahid has a chance to upset Petrosyan but the reality is that he'll end up like all the others who have went up against Petrosyan. Chahid will chase Petrosyan all over the ring while Petrosyan puts on one of his trademark clinics. Chahid will be lost from the angles and counters that are thrown at him. Every move Chahid makes, Petrosyan will be two steps ahead.

Look for Petrosyan to cruise to a Petrosyan-esque decision with Chahid left looking frustrated and clueless as to how to figure out the number one fighter in all of combat sports today.

Friday, 24 May 2013 20:17

It's not every day that you get to see a world famous kickboxer on a MMA program, but that is exactly what we got this week with HDnet's Inside MMA. On this week's Inside MMA Josh Thomson fills in for Bas Rutten to host a panel of Bigfoot Silva, King Mo and Mark "Fightshark" Miller. Miller is, of course, making his return from open heart surgery a few years ago, and doing so in grand fashion at the Glory World Series on May 28th.

Here is HDnet's latest preview of this week's show, which airs on Friday night (external link, the embed isn't friendly).