WSOF 10 Date: June 21, 2014 Arena: The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino City: Las Vegas, NV Featherweight title bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (-435) vs Rick Glenn (+325) Fight Breakdown: The co-main event for WSOF 10 will be a five round featherweight title bout between Champion Georgi Karakhanyan and challenger Rick Glenn. Karakhanyan is a -435 ($435 to win $100) betting favorite headed into his first WSOF featherweight title defense, with the challenger Glenn being a +325 ($100 to win $325) underdog at Several Bookmakerss. Georgi Karakhanyan (23-3-1 MMA, 2-0 WSOF) made an impressive World Series of Fighting debut with a first round guillotine choke victory over Waylon Lowe. The win earned him a shot at the promotion’s inaugural featherweight title against Team Alpha Male product Lance Palmer, whom Karakhanyan defeated via guillotine choke submission in the third round of action. By submitting Palmer, the Armenian became the first ever WSOF featherweight champion, and the win made it back-to-back guillotine choke victories for him. Now having been away from action for six months, he is eager to make his first title defense and earn another win that will hopefully get him to achieve his ultimate goal: that UFC contract. “Insane” now rides an impressive nine-fight winning streak which includes an even more impressive six finishes. He began the streak after suffering a third round knockout loss to one of the best featherweights on the planet in Patricio “Pitbull” Freire at Bellator 37 three years ago. The loss to Pitbull is the only knockout loss on his resume with the other two coming by way of decision. Karakhanyan is a very talented mixed martial artist who is constantly improving. He is excellent on the feet, both in technical and brawling styles. He has great boxing skills, solid Muay Thai and in general, he is a serious threat via strikes. He can knock opponents out or technically out-point them en route to unanimous decision victories. Karakhanyan is phenomenal on the mat, as well. He has tremendous grappling skills, owning a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and having won a Grappler’s Quest tournament. He possesses some judo skills, too, though he does not usually implement it in his fights, as he prefers to do damage with his limbs. In total, 13 of his 23 victories have come by way of submission (and six different types of submissions!) so he is a legitimate threat when the fight hits the mat, both from top and bottom position. The resident of Palm Springs, CA has great cardio and is capable of going hard for all 25 minutes of action without the slightest fatigue setting in. Rick Glenn (14-2-1 MMA, 2-0 WSOF) is unbeaten in his last 12 fights and is looking to pick up his third straight victory inside the World Series of Fighting cage, while simultaneously capturing the promotion’s featherweight title. He is coming off a come-from-behind and close unanimous decision victory Artur Rofi, which followed another come-from-behind victory in his promotional debut where, after being down two rounds on the judges’ scorecards, he came back in the third and knocked out the then-undefeated Alexandre Pimentel to pick up the win. Glenn is undoubtedly a finisher, having scored 12 finishes in 14 professional fights; seven by way of T/KO and five by tapout. “The Gladiator” is a talented Southpaw who possesses solid boxing skills. He works a beautiful jab, has excellent uppercuts and loves to use his elbows. He’s quick on his feet and has great movement. The Duke Roufus-trained fighter is aggressive and likes to put the pressure on his opponents; he throws his strikes in high volume, but also packs power behind what he throws. Glenn puts together some effective combinations on the feet, preferring to implement all limbs. His takedown defense is not very good, but he is good at finding his way back to his feet. The 25-year old has great heart and his submission defense is fantastic, as has been displayed in both of his World Series of Fighting appearances. Training out of Roufusport MMA in Milwaukee, WI, Glenn is a well-conditioned Mixed Martial Artist. His cardio is another tool in his arsenal he has used to defeat his two WSOF opponents, as he was the better conditioned fighter heading into the third and final frame. He has gone five rounds once three years ago, in a bout which resulted in a Draw. He’s been there before, so I think his cardio will be good enough for 25-minutes of action against the champ Karakhanyan, should the fight hit the judges’ scorecards for a decision. Gabe’s Prediction: This fight is a big step up in competition for Glenn, who struggled in his first two WSOF appearances. His heart and cardio won him his last two fights; he has solid striking skills to go with them, but I don’t think that trio is going to be enough to defeat Karakhanyan. I think “Insane” is on another level and will find a way to stop Glenn, if not take every round on the judges’ scorecards for a unanimous decision. Gabe’s Call: Karakhanyan by Submission (armbar, 3:23 round 2) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Georgi Karakhanyan (-435) parlayed with Jessica Aguilar (-610) for -232 6.5u to win 2.8u
