Shine Fights III Predictions & Preview for “Worlds Collide”
Preview & picks for Shine Fights 3 which takes place Saturday, May 15, 2010
The growing promotion, Shine Fights, is back for their third event “Worlds Collide” from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina on May 15th. The stacked Shine Fights 3 fight card is full of notable veterans including Din Thomas, who is starring in the main event against former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga.
Other bouts on the main card include: PRIDE and Elite XC veteran Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs. Travis Galbraith, UFC veteran Nick Thompson takes on IFL vet Eduardo Pamplona, Gracie Barra fighter Braulio Estima making his MMA debut against Judo Champ Rick Hawn, and former IFL fighter Alexandre Ferreira vs. Renzo Gracie-trained fighter Jamal Patterson.
Alexandre Ferreira vs. Jamal Patterson
IFL veterans, Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira (18-6) and Jamal “The Suit” Patterson (5-2) will square off in a light-heavyweight bout at the North Carolina-based Shine Fights III. Ferreira has won his last seven fights, including his most recent bout last October. Patterson hasn’t been as active, fighting only once since the beginning of 2009. He won at the February 2009 UWC event against Strikeforce’s Antwain Britt by way of submission.
Ferreira made his professional debut in 1998 and went on to win eight of his first nine fights including a 1999 decision victory against Heath Herring. He fell into a slump losing four straight from 2000-2004, but, turned it around winning his last seven fights dating back to his last loss in 2007. The one-time IFL vet won his most recent bout last October defeating Walter Mazurkievicz via 1 st round submission at Jungle Fight 15.
Patterson, 36, is a New York City-born fighter who now trains at Renzo Gracie’s gym in nearby New Jersey. After completing a successful high school wrestling and college football career, he turned to mixed martial arts and made his debut in 2006. He fought his first six fights in the IFL winning four by defeating Matt Horwich (2), Alex Schoenauer, and Chris Baten. He fell in fights against Reese Andy and Vladimir Matyushenko (in an IFL title fight). He won his most recent fight in February 2009 submitting impressive Strikeforce vet Antwain Britt in 44-seconds at a UWC show in the Washington D.C. area.
Prediction – Patterson over Ferreira decision
Braulio Estima vs. Rick Hawn
Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Braulio Estima (0-0) will make his highly-anticipated MMA debut after a lengthy BJJ career filled with impressive accomplishments. His opponent at the Shine Fights III event will be Rick Hawn, an undefeated knockout artist from Team Sityodtong in Boston.
Estima is a Brazil-native who has relocated to Birmingham, England where he runs his own Gracie Barra gym. He has a long record of BJJ accomplishments, some of his most recent include, World Silver Medalist 2008, Absolute European Champ and World Champion in 2009. The 2 nd degree black belt signed a multi-fight deal with Shine Fights earlier this year.
Hawn is a former Judo Olympian and three-time judo champion who transitioned into MMA in 2009. His first four fights were finished via 1 st round TKO’s. He has fought in the Cage Fighting Xtreme and World Championship Fighting organizations throughout his career. His most recent win came in February defeating Tom Gallicchio at WCF 9.
Prediction – Estima over Hawn submission
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Nick Thompson vs. Eduardo Pamplona
Seven-year MMA veteran, Nick Thompson (38-12-1) will make his Shine Fights debut against Brazilian Eduardo Pamplona (12-2) in a main card bout at “Worlds Collide.” Thompson has dropped his last two bouts; Pamplona has won his seven most recent bouts.
Thompson, 28, made his professional debut in 2003, but lost four of his first seven bouts overall. He eventually got on track and made his UFC 56 debut by defeating Keith Wisniewski, however, he later lost to Karo Parisyan at UFC 59 five months later. He caught fire from February 2006 through February 2009 winningh fourteen of fifteen bouts. His streak was contested in organizations such as Bodog Fight, Elite XC, and MFC where he earned victories over opponents like Eddie Alvarez, Mike Weir, and Paul Daley. He has recently dropped his last two fights, losing against Tim Kennedy and Dan Hornbuckle.
Pamplona, 34, is a Brazilian-born fighter who trains with the Never Shake Team in his homeland. He made his pro debut in 2002 and lost, but, after winning his next five, he proved that he was a legitimate threat. After losing an IFL fight in 2007 against Robbie Lawler, he won his next seven fights. He fought for Pancrase, Shooto, IFL, and M-1 Challenge over the course of his career defeating notables Jorge Patino, Jose Landi-Jons, and Daniel Acacio along the way. His most recent victory was in July 2009 earning a unanimous decision victory over Do Hyung Kim at M-1 Challenge 17.
Prediction – Thompson over Pamplona decision
Murilo Rua vs. Travis Galbraith
PRIDE veteran Murilo “Ninja” Rua (18-10-1) will meet Travis “The Gladiator” Galbraith (14-6) in an intriguing co-main event at Shine Fights III “Worlds Collide.” “Ninja” is currently on a two-fight winning streak, both victories coming in Brazil in the Bitetti Combat organization. Galbraith is trying to get back on the winning track after dropping his most recent bout in February at MFC 24.
Rua, 29, is a ten-year MMA veteran who is well-known for his participation in the PRIDE organization during its glory days. Rua fought thirteen times during a five-year span, compiling a mediocre 6-7 record while defeating Mario Sperry, Akira Shoji, and Alexander Otsuka and losing to Dan Henderson, Ricardo Arona, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson among others. He has won seven of his ten bouts since his last PRIDE fight including back-to-back victories over Alex Stiebling and Jason Jones.
Galbraith is a nine-year MMA veteran who fights out of Triple Threat MMA. He debuted in 2001 and won eight of his first ten bouts, losing only against current UFC-cagers Joe Doerksen and George St. Pierre. He also had a streak from September 2005 through June 2008 where he won seven of nine fighting for Elite XC, KOTC, and MFC organizations. He dropped his most recent bout in February at MFC 24 via head kick KO against Tom Watson.
Prediction – Rua over Galbraith TKO
Din Thomas vs. Ricardo Mayorga
Former WBA/WBC boxing champion, Ricardo Mayorga (0-0) will make his professional debut at Shine Fights “Worlds Collide” in the main event against former UFC lightweight Din “Dinyero” Thomas (25-8). Mayorga’s last fight of any kind was a boxing match in 2008 which he lost against Shane Mosley. Thomas has won his last three bouts including a January fight against Dustin Pague near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Mayorga, 36, is a Nicaraguan-born fighter who has a current (28-7-1-1) mark in boxing. While his best days are clearly behind him, Mayorga maintains that he can still be dangerous in both MMA and the sweet science. In September 2009, Mayorga lost with one-second remaining in the 12 th round against Shane Mosley. He was scheduled to fight again in February 2009 but had to withdraw because of injuries in his ribs from the Mosley fight.
Thomas, 33, is a Delaware-born fighter who has since moved to Florida where he trains with the American Top Team. Thomas made his debut in 1998 and went on to win 12 of his first 13 fights prior to his UFC 32 debut. He split his first four bouts in the octagon defeating Fabiano Iha and Matt Serra and losing to BJ Penn and Caol Uno. He earned his way back into the organization after three-plus years in other mid-level promotions through The Ultimate Fighter 4 “The Comeback”. He didn’t win the TUF 4 tournament-style competition, but did earn a contract, and won his first three bouts afterwards. However, after losing to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer, he again was on the outside looking in. Since his 2008 release, he has won three straight fights including his most recent win in Pittsburgh over Dustin Pague.
Prediction – Thomas over Mayorga submission
By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com MMA Staff Writer