Tonight (Saturday, June 29), the Global Warrior Challenge (GWC) promotion will host “The British Invasion: US vs. UK” from The Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri, featuring a lineup laden with former UFC, WEC and Strikeforce talent. The theme for the 11-fight soiree is — you guessed it — Americans vs. Brits. The event begins at 8:30 p.m. ET and is a pay-per-view offering, so please reference the Global Warrior Challenge website or check your local provider for further details. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a live discussion post on Bloody Elbow tonight before the show begins
Former WWE wrestler and two-time Strikeforce fighter Bobby Lashley (8-2) headlines the card in a heavyweight bout against “The Yeti” Matt Larson (2-2). After respectable wins — especially for his lack of experience — in his opening five outings (Jason Guida, Wes Sims), many had high hopes for Lashley to make waves in the cage, but it just didn’t take.
The 36-year-old, 240-pound leviathan split a pair of Strikeforce fights in 2010: his debut was a 1st-round TKO over Sims and the follow up was a disappointing “TKO via retirement” to recent UFC heavyweight Chad Griggs, though the latter was muddied by some atrocious reffing. Since then, Lashley has won all but one of his last four outings with former Pride behemoth James Thompson accounting for the hiccup.
Accompanied by 70 fights and a robust 14-year tenure in MMA, Ricco Rodriguez (51-19) will meet Team Titan’s Marcin Lazarz (5-1). In unforgettable fashion, Rodriguez clinched the UFC heavyweight crown in 2002 at UFC 39 by pounding out legend Randy Couture, but was dethroned in a dramatic upset courtesy of Tim Sylvia’s devastating straight left. Despite his embryonic record, Lazarz’s only defeat came in his last outing at the hands of fellow cast member Max Nunes (10-0).
24-year-old Nunes is a legitimate light-heavyweight prospect to keep your eye on. Unblemished after ten turns, Max “Power” has utterly annihilated all comers by stopping each of his ten wins commandingly and dusting eight opponents in the opening stanza with a perfectly balanced finishing ratio (5 TKO’s, 5 subs). Nunes will face Victory Athletic’s Justin “Dangerous” Davis (13-10) who — no disrespect intended — will likely assume the role of sacrificial lamb, as he’s dropped 9 of his last 12 though reputable names populate his resume (Dennis Hallman,Chris Leben, Bristol Marunde).
Recognizable names arise in the meat and potatoes of the lineup. Former UFCers Drew Fickett and Andre Winner will battle on the card, along with lanky Hawaiian Kendall Grove, who takes on Danny Mitchell, and two-time UFC heavyweight Oli Thompson, who draws Kevin Asplund. Rounding out the notable match ups is former WEC featherweight L.C. Davis (19-5), who started his WEC run impressively with wins over Javier Vazquez, Diego Nunes and Deividas Taurosevicius, but was released after back-to-back defeats (Josh Grispi, Raphael Assuncao). Davis is aligned with James “Scraps” Saville (11-5), a grappler with decent experience for age 22.
Tonight’s complete GWC card is listed below.
GWC – “The British Invasion: US vs. UK”
Bobby Lashley vs. Matt Larson
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Marcin Lazarz
Drew Fickett vs. Andre Winner
Kendall Grove vs. Danny Mitchell
Kevin Asplund vs. Oli Thompson
L.C. Davis vs. James Saville
Jake Heun vs. Dayman Lake
Wayne Cole vs. Jack Marshman
Justin Davis vs. Max Nunes
Jerome Martinez vs. Michael Johnson
Tony Hervey vs. Jake Murphy