TKO has come back from the dead and with the strength of TKO 13 “Ultimate Rush” behind them they are looking to build on the success of their last show. 10 bouts are scheduled for the card. which is a step down from the17 or so bouts they has scheduled for the TKO 13 show back in September. It looks like the main event from the 13 show will finally make’s it’s long awaited debut and both fighters couldn’t be hungrier. It looks like Spratt and St Pierre are more than ready to square off and leave everything they have in the ring. Both fighters have been through a lot in the past few months and will be looking to stay active and put a stamp on their final fights of 2003. Who will reign supreme at TKO 14 "Road Warriors"?

Georges St Pierre Vs Pete Spratt

Contrary to what some people believe, I feel this fight will be a very competitive fight. St Pierre is undefeated to date but, the truth is, not too much is known about him. He only has 4 fights to his name and on paper he looks like a major underdog coming in against Spratt, who has ten fights to his resume including three fights in the biggest organization in North America, the UFC. St Pierre has never beaten a “name” fighter like Spratt has, his biggest victory to date was over Thomas “The Wildman” Denny. Despite all that, the word on the street is that St. Pierre is “The next one” out of the TKO organization that will soon be fighting on the international stage. [The first being David Loiseau] On an interesting note, Pete Spratt is managed by the same man who manages Duane Ludwig, Sven Bean. The former UCC and Sven Bean were at odds over some problems coming at the heels of UCC 12 when Ludwig knocked out Jens Pulver, and the matter went public on many forums and Internet communities. The UCC took a lot of heat for the matter but it looks like the situation has been resolved. It seems like the former UCC organization has everything worked out and the problems of the past are now firmly behind them as they come into a new era for their organization. Pete Spratt is coming off a huge win over UFC posterboy “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler at UFC 42 and is on a high, a match with the top welterweight fighter in the world in Matt Hughes seems to be on the horizon but first he must deal with St. Pierre. This fight looks like the classic striker Vs Grappler match-up and will be won by the fighter who can control where the fight takes place. St Pierre will be looking to take the fight to the mat early and often. Spratt wins it if he can keep the fight standing. Look for a war of wills that will be played both in the ring and in the mind. This fight has taken a nasty tone of late with both fighters talking the talk before their bout Nov 29th. Spratt Criticized St Pierre for dropping out of the first fight back in September and St Pierre told a local reporter that Spratt will soon wish that he dropped out of this fight too. Both fighters are up to the challenge, this one should be one to remember.

Steve Vigneault Vs Patrick Cote

One of the biggest hearts in the sport of MMA is back and will be defending his Light Heavyweight title for the first time. The “Lionheart” Steve Vigneault first won the Title against Jeromie Sills and has stated publicly on many occasions that he would like to defend the title just once before he relinquishes the title and concentrates on the 185 division full time. This will be his first fight at 205 since his inaugural foray into Light Heavyweight and in the meantime he has defeated Sean Pierson at TKO 13 and Team extreme member and UFC veteran Jermaine Andre, both at 185. He would be amiss if he overlooked the fighter who he has ahead of him and the weight issue isn’t the only obstacle standing in his way. His opponent is Patric Cote who has been the underdog in all of his fights and this time it looks to be no different. An undefeated record at 3 wins an no losses, only one glaring difficulty stands against him, and that would have to be his limited ring experience. He has however, defeated Yan Pellerin for the number one contender ship of the Canadian Light heavyweight crown and he will be ready come fight night. Cote’s cardio was tested in that fight and he proved he has the gas to go the full 15 minutes, he came on as the fight progressed, as Pellerin faded in the later rounds. Cote was the underdog in that fight and, he will again play the role of the underdog although many feel that it is an unjust label in this fight if only because he does have the size advantage. This one should be one of the most exciting fights on the cards as both guys are boxers and like to bang. Vigneault has an IRON jaw, and a concrete head that has been tested numerous times before, and like his nickname suggests, his heart is unquestioned. Every time he fights he leaves his heart and blood in the ring, he seems to lose a litre of blood every fight, and this time looks to be no different. His advantage will be his experience, he will have been in the ring a total of 14 times to Cote’s 3 and has faced much tougher competition then Cote has ever faced. Vigneault is the best fighter that Cote has ever faced and the same cannot be said for “The Lionheart”. He has stepped in against David Loiseau, Jermaine Andre, and Sean Pierson three times. He defeated all three opponents, losing two of his fights to Pierson, and he will come in with the more impressive credentials. The biggest name that Cote has ever defeated was Yan Pellerin, who has a combined record of 6-5. His only other two fights were wins over Pascal Gosselin who has a record of 2-6 and a win over Glen Murdoch who is a less then impressive record of 0-2. Having said that Vigneault is a natural Middleweight and Cote is a natural Light heavyweight. We have all seen what a big weight difference can do and Sakuraba is a perfect example. This is a dangerous fight for Vigneault who has no intention of keeping the belt even if he wins. His career choice seems to fly in the face of logic but logic will not help him when he steps in the ring. His heart and experience has taken him farther then his talent ever could and he will show that again. Steve Vigneault will take punishment in this fight like he does in all his fights but will be there when the final bell rings hell or high water. This fight will be a back and forth slugfest and shouldn’t’ go to the mat for any extended period of time, this well matched fight could go the full three rounds in a war, but don’t blink.

Dave Goulet Vs Shawn Davidson

Davidson was last seen at UCC 8 bashing in an overmatched and undersized Denis Astel to a pulp in under 3 minutes, 2 minutes and 47 seconds to be exact. He has been described by some as a smaller and rawer Robbie Lawler. He goes out hard and throws haymakers, powering his way through opponents aggressively with an attack first and defend later attitude. Davidson showed the ability to take the fight to the ground and ground and pound so if he gets in trouble in the stand up he will be able to take the fight to the ground The southpaw powered his way through Astel early in the first round and the impressive victory had many feeling that we may see some big things from the youngster in the coming years but for whatever reason he dropped off the face of the earth. That was one and a half years ago and Davidson is back to face off against Victoriaville’s own Dave Goulet. Goulet was rumored to be fighting Justin Bruckman on this card but will have his work cut out for him in the young and hungry Shawn Davidson. Goulet has an identical record of 4-0 in his career. He has a strong boxing background, and trains with Jiu Jitsu stylist Steve Claveau who has crafted and tightened up his improving ground game. Davidson isn’t the only aggressive fighter, at the last TKO event Goulet defeated Stephane Dube in the fight of the night and arguably one of the most exciting fights of the year. (Pictures and a recap of the fight and event can be found HERE…) When two hard hitting strikers find their way to the ring an exciting showing is usually in the cards, and this fight will be over before the judges have a chance to render a decision. Both competitors have only 4 fights to their résumé’s so their will be no experience edge for either fighter. Davidson is coming off a long layoff so the ring rust may be a factor for the young fighter who was rumored to be leaving to live in America, Goulet on the other hand has been active fighting in the last TKO event in September. One way or another it looks like one fighter will hit the canvass in a bad way the only question now will be who that fighter will be.

"Pain" Peters Vs Stephane Laliberte

Pain Peters will be returning to the TKO after what can be described as a less then impressive loss to Dany Laflamme. He will be cutting from his usual 170 pound weight class and attempt to change his fortunes at the lighter weight class. Pain is coming off a stretch where he has lost 5 of his last seven fights and many of his losses were less then spectacular. His mediocre defeats have taken some of the luster off his once burgeoning name but he is a gamer. In fact he has fought the likes of AMC Pankration ring leader Matt Hume and faced off against the real smashing machine UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes. He will be put to the test against one of Victoriaville’s own fighters Stephane Laliberte. Laliberte’s last taste of TKO ring action was a loss to Mark “The Machine” Hominick. who had defeated Laliberte’s mentor Steve “The Snake” Claveau. Although he lost the chance to redeem his mentor’s loss, he followed up his loss with a win against Emmanuel Gauthier in the UCC Proving Grounds event, (The Proving Grounds is the TKO’s “Minor Leagues”), and put himself in a position to fight in his home town. This fight does have some history to it as Laliberte fought and defeated Pain Peter’s younger brother, Georges Peters in the ring twice before. Pain will have his chance at avenging the loss of his younger sibling in his inaugural foray into the 155 lb lightweight division. Peters Judo throws and wild haymakers will be on display against the Jiu Jitsu stylist who has three submission victories and has also shown a willingness to stand up and throw in the past. Questions will be answered in Victoriaville come Nov 29th. Will Pain be able to handle the weight loss and fight effectively in a new weight class? Will he be able to redeem the losses of his younger brother who lost to Laliberte twice before? Will Laliberte be able to weather the early storm and catch one of the more popular fighters in TKO history in a submission? Only time will tell.

Ryan Diaz Vs Steve Claveau

It is interesting that many of the TKO fighters take on the nicknames of animals. Good examples of this include Richard “The Monkey” Nancoo, Yves “The Tiger” Jabouin, David “The Crow” Loiseau, and Pascal “The Wolf” Gosselin. The list goes on and on and the veritable African safari cocktail brings us to Ryan “The Lion” Diaz facing off against Steve “The Snake” Claveau. “The Snake has been in the TKO/UCC ring 4 times amassing an unimpressive record of 1-3, with losses coming at the hands of David Gui Gui, Mark Hominick and Richard Nancoo. The “Lion is coming off a big loss to shared opponent Mark “The Machine” Hominick and has been in the ring against some of the toughest guys in the weight class. He has losses against Max Marin, Hermes Franca, Eddie Yagin, Charlie Pearson and Naoya Uematsu. He is a fighter that has never taken an easy fight and pits himself against the toughest fighters, sometimes on short notice. He will be fighting in what in the minds of some industry pundits believe will end up being the easiest fight of his career. Claveau is a seasoned Jiu Jitsu stylist with limited stand up and takedown capabilities. He was unable to keep Hominick on the ground and had trouble taking Gui Gui to the mat when he needed it most, there is no secret here, his strength is his jiu Jitsu. Diaz an extremely well rounded fighter out of the Lance Gibson Pankration team who is capable standing and on the ground, he has displayed an ability to strike and submit, a trait that many of the Gibson fighters carry. He stood up for a portion of the Hominick fight looking very sharp against the extreme kickboxing skills of Hominick and transitioned well to the ground applying what appeared to be a very tight looking heelhook. His stand up will be leaps and bounds better then that of Claveau and his submissions are good enough to keep him out of harm. Their wrestling will be comparable and this fight will be dictated by the fighter that can best keep the fight where they feel most dominant, the Lion in the stand up, and The Snake on the ground. If Diaz can stay away from the takedown he will have no trouble taking out Claveau on the feet, If Claveau takes the fight to the mat and gets the top position he will be where he wants to be. This should be an interesting battle of wills, who will reign supreme? Lion’s and tiger’s and snakes Oh My….

Jonathan Goulet Vs Jeff Joslin

Considered one of the future stars of the Canadian scene Jeff Joslin will be stepping into the TKO forum for the second time in his career and at the same time, take a step up in competition. He defeated Shawn Thompkin’s fighter Alex Gasson at TKO 13 and has a 4-0 record coming into this fight, he has no decisions on his record and won all his fights by TKO from strikes. He is known primarily as a Jiu Jitsu man, he competed against Denis Kang at the Abu Dhabi Trials losing to Kang by advantage for jumping to guard early in the bout. His Jiu Jitsu is the real deal, but he has yet to face stiff competition in his MMA career. He has been brought along slowly by the powers that be a strategy that many feel is the right course of action for the young budding career, the next step in his evolution will be the experienced Jonathan Goulet. Goulet has a mediocre 5-5 record which is more then twice the number of fights that Joslin has. The record itself does not tell the whole story however as he has stepped in against TKO veteran’s Yan Pellerin, KOTC veteran Brendan Seguin, and Miletich fighter Tony Fryklund. All those fights were losses and he will be looking to get his record one fight above the .500 mark and he will need to dispose of the up and coming Joslin to get there. Joslin will look to take the fight to the mat right away. His takedowns and top control were very impressive against Gasson and he makes no secret of the fact that he is a Jiu Jitsu man, his impressive Jiu Jitsu credentials alone tell the story of where he will eventually want this fight and Goulet will be looking to stay off his back and bang off a win standing or in the top position here. The Claveau trained Goulet is a tough cookie as he stayed in tough when he was very obviously overmatched against Fryklund at the 185 weight class. This fight will take place at the 170 pound class and should be a much better physical match up for Goulet who held his own in the strength department, pushing Fryklund around the ring before the fight went to the ground and Fryklund’s strength in the top game became more and more apparent. His submission skills will likely not be on the same par of Joslin but with the weight cut this fight should be a physically competitive fight. Joslin will have to work hard to overcome the experience edge that Goulet brings and Goulet will have to watch for the lighting quick submissions and ground attack of the young Jeff Joslin.

In other action  

Yan Pellerin vs. Cameron Brown

“Ragin” Kajan Johnson vs. Thierry Queneville

Kyle Sandford vs. Michael Lachance

John“Haggis Basher” Fraser vs Stephane“Simba” Vigneault

In my experience very few TKO/UCC fights go the distance, on paper this card looks to follow that format to a "T". The excitement factor looks to be at a very high level for this card and it looks like TKO is back on strong footing again. Although it does not carry the same name value weight as the UCC 12 card, it has a strong feel and fan support and reaction in the Quebec area looks strong. It looks like this weekend is going to be a great weekend for MMA fans in Victoriaville, Quebec.

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