Friday, August 12, 2011

Who wins, Kevin Ross or Saenchai? Predictions for Stand Up Promotions "M1 Grand Muay Thai Championship"


Once again it's time for predictions. This Sunday August 14th Stand Up Promotions "M1 Grand Muay Thai Championship" will be taking place at Commerce Casino in Commerce. CA. In the night's main event fans will see Muay Thai great Saenchai taking on American stand out Kevin Ross. Also on the card Rungravee Sasiprapa will take on Kunitaka Fujiwara, Coke Chunhawat will face Tetsuya Yamato, Malaipet Sasiprapa will look to defend his WBC Muay Thai international title against Chike Lindsay and Daniel Kim will lock horns with Carlos Ramirez.

Saenchai vs. Kevin Ross
With the WBC Muay Thai diamond belt and the MTAA world title on the line there is a lot at stake in this fight. In one corner you have Saenchai, arguably the P4P best Muay Thai fighter in the world and in the other corner you have Kevin Ross, America's Muay Thai poster boy. Saenchai expressed interest in fighting Ross last year, but the bout didn't seem like much of a possibility at the time, fast forward to present day and the fight is now a reality. There are a few things to take into account in this fight, the first being the American scoring system. Aggression plays a big factor and many judges are not Muay Thai judges, but rather MMA or boxing judges that are scoring Muay Thai fights. This could play in favor of Ross because he is an aggressive fighter and like many Thai's have shown in the past they tend to simply feel their opponents out in the first few rounds.

Saenchai is a slick fighter and if you put it down on paper he should have Ross beat in every aspect, except maybe heart. There is no questioning Saenchai's heart when it comes to fighting, but Ross' is as big as they come. He keeps moving forward and to make him quit you have to turn his lights out. Ross is going to show he is a game opponent and likely press the action because the word boring and Kevin Ross don't belong in the same sentence. Ross will likely be able to steal a few rounds early on, but Saenchai will begin to take over in the later rounds. If anyone can pull of the upset it is Kevin Ross, however, at the end of the day Saenchai will walk away with a decision victory. We must note that Ross does have all the tools to win and if he does it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that he was the one to pull off such a huge upset.

Result:
Saenchai by Unanimous Decision

Coke Chunhawat vs. Tetsuya Yamato
Chunhawat and Yamato should put on a good fight. Yamato has some good hands and solid kicks, but Chunhawat has the overall package. The fight might start off slow in the first round, but as it continues expect the pace to pick up. Chunhawat can hurt you with pretty much anything in his arsenal and as tough as Yamato is he might not have enough to stand in front and trade with Chunhawat when this turns into a fire fight. Expect Chunhawat to keep the fight close early on, but once the third round comes around he will turn it up and finish Yamato.

Result:
Coke Chunhawat by (T)KO in the third round

Rungravee Sasiprapa vs. Kunitaka Fujiwara
Fujiwara will be a game opponent for Rungravee to start the fight, but as the fight goes on Fujiwara will wear down. Rungravee will implement some of his powerful leg kicks to chop Fujiwara down. Once the effects of the leg kicks being to settle in it won't be long before Fujiwara is barely able to stand. Not only does Fujiwara have to worry about Rungravee's powerful leg kicks, but the fact that Rungravee is an aggressive fighter won't help. Rungravee will be trying to exploit any opening that presents itself so that he can end the fight. Expect this one to end midway through as the leg kicks being to add up and Rungravee scores a (T)KO victory in his American debut.

Result:
Rungravee Sasiprapa by (TKO) in the third round.

Malaipet Sasiprapa vs. Chike Lindsay
It is safe to say that Malaipet is no longer the feared fighter he once was. There was a time when he name alone could put fear in his opponent, but as of late he has not seemed very motivated in the ring. Now he is set to face Chike Lindsay as he tries to defend his WBC Muay Thai international title. Coming off a draw in a kickboxing bout that took place on July 30th, Malaipet could use an impressive showing to throw some life back into his career. Lindsay seems to be the perfect opponent to do that against. Despite having not fought in Muay Thai since late 2009 Lindsay is a dangerous fighter, but the time off of Muay Thai competition could have an effect on him. There likely won't be any ring rust because he did have few MMA fights in that time span, but it is not the same as fighting pure Muay Thai.

Lindsay is strong in the clinch and uses elbows well when he locks you up, but Malaipet is not someone you want to engage in a clinch war with. If anything the key for Lindsay lies in his cardio as Malaipet has shown a lack of it in his pervious fights. If Lindsay can keep Malaipet moving and working he can look to capitalize in the later rounds. Despite the cardio issue Malaipet will likely pull ahead in the firs three rounds and Lindsay won't be able to do enough in the last two to steal the fight from him. Expect Malaipet to pull out a much needed win by decision.

Result:
Malaipet by Unanimous Decision

Daniel Kim vs. Carlos Ramirez
This fight has changed significantly from when it was announced. Originally Artem Sharoshkin and Shane Oblonsky were supposed to fight until Sharoshkin had to withdraw from the bout. Daniel Kim replaced Sharoshkin and then a few weeks ago Oblonsky had to withdraw and Carlos Ramirez came in as a last second replacement. Kim fights out of Fairtex in Northern California and Ramirez fights out of Team Oyama in Irvine, CA. Ramirez posses the power in his hands to end this fight at any moment and his cardio is very solid, while Kim seems more likely to us his technique to score points and take this to a decision to pull out the win. It isn't an easy fight to pick, but we are going with Ramirez to finish the fight some time after the third round. Don't be surprised to see Kim ahead on the scorecards before Ramirez is able to catch him and finish the fight.

Result:
Carlos Ramirez by (T)KO in the fourth round
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