Bloody Elbow presents its fight preview for Titan FC 33 which goes down on Friday night at the Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, AL . Here, we look at the main event between featherweight champion Desmond Green and challenger Kurt Holobaugh as well as the bantamweight and heavyweight title fights which take place earlier in the night.
Titan FC 33 has suffered numerous delays but it finally goes down at The Aeroplex at Brookley in Mobile, Ala on Friday night and features a stacked card that will be shown on CBS Sports Network at 11 PM ET/8 PM PT. The fight card features a number of exciting matchups that are likely to interest casual and more hardcore fans alike.
While the entire card is filled with interesting bouts, let's take an in-depth look at 3 of the most intriguing bouts of the night.
Bantamweight Title Fight: Brett Johns vs. Walel Watson
How did these two get here?
When Walel Watson signed for the UFC back in 2011 he had a substantial amount of hype around him. While primarily a submission specialist, Watson also showcased some decent striking in his UFC stint, but ultimately got exposed against some of the division's top names. After dropping a competitive split decision to Yves Jabouin, Watson suffered dominant losses to TJ Dillashaw and Mitch Gagnon which earned him his marching papers. Fast forward 3 years and Watson has begun to rediscover his early career form racking off two quick finishes to earn himself a shot at the Titan FC title.
Brett "The Pikey" Johns has had an exciting career to date and at 23 is looking to impress when he debuts on the North American scene. Johns, a former Cage Warriors champion, has amassed an unbeaten record in the UK and under tutelage of Chris Rees, he has developed a strong submission game which will come in handy against Watson. Johns' Cage Warriors career ended on a bitter note with the champion being stripped of his belt for missing weight at Cage Warriors 67.
Why should you care?
Brett Johns has been impressive throughout his career and in Watson faces his stiffest test to date, we could be about to witness the American debut of the next great UK fighter or we could see another prospect derailed by a veteran.
Heavyweight title fight: Jon Madsen vs. Chase Gormley
How did these two get here?
Chase Gormley exploded onto the heavyweight scene in 2007 and earned 6 straight wins before getting the call to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gormley's time in the UFC was brief, he suffered first round finishes against Stefan Struve and Brendan Schaub and was sent packing by the promotion. To make matters worse, Gormley's lack of form followed him out of the promotion and after suffering losses on the regional scene he hung up his gloves and called it quits, until a phone call from Roy Nelson helped him to rediscover his love for the sport. Nelson asked Gormley to join him as a sparring partner in the build up to his fight against Roy Nelson and since that training camp, Gormley has rediscovered his love for the sport, scoring 3 straight victories in the last year.
Jon Madsen was a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter season 10 losing to eventual finalist Brendan Schaub. It was in Madsen's post TUF UFC career that his talent really began to shine through. Madsen, a member of Brock Lesnar's Deatch Clutch gym, won 4 straight fights in the UFC before dropping a loss against Mike Russow and being somewhat prematurely cut from the UFC. It was following Madsen's release that the fighter decided to step away from the sport for 3 years before returning with a 48 second knockout win last year.
Why should you care?
In all likelihood neither Madsen or Gormley are going to become elite heavyweights and they are most likely in the twilight of their career, but one thing's for certain, there is no way this fight goes 5 rounds and we are likely to be treated to a knockout.
Featherweight title fight: Desmond Green (c) vs. Kurt Holobaugh
How did these two get here?
Kurt Holobaugh turned pro in 2011 after an 8 fight unbeaten amateur career and continued his winning ways in his early professional career. After 9 straight wins, Holobaugh faced veteran Pat Healy in Strikeforce and came up short, but after the UFC absorbed Strikeforce, Hollabaugh was given a fight inside the Octagon against Steven Siler. Following an exciting fight with Siler, Holobaugh ended up on the wrong side of the judges scorecard and was cut, but this could be seen as a blessing in disguise because in his next 4 fights on the regional, Holabaugh has displayed a more evolved style and won 4 times in exciting fashion, including a 15 second finish last time out.
At 25, Desmond Green seems to be finally coming into his own as a fighter and while he's always shown talent, his aggression has sometimes been his undoing. Following an up-and-down stint in Bellator, Green elected to sign for Titan Fight Championship and has looked absolutely amazing since. Green debuted for Titan FC against former WEC champion Miguel Torres and looked sublime, scoring a brutal knockout within 48 seconds. It was Green's performance against Torres that earned him a title shot at Titan FC 32 against Steven Siler and once more Green looked great earning the unanimous decision victory.
Why should you care?
Both Desmond Green and Kurt Holobaugh are UFC calibre fighters, this fight has all the makings of an amazing fight between two fighters who are just entering the prime of their fighting careers. I would not be surprised if this fight ended up being more exciting than any fight that goes down this weekend.
(Other notable fights on the card: Pat Healy vs. Kurt Kinser for the lightweight title, plus Cody Bollinger vs. Andre Harrison to open up the main card.)
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