Last year, Ryan Schultz and Chris Horodecki met under much different circumstances.  The veteran Schultz was heavily favored over a young, unknown Canadian fighter with a trainwreck of a name. The bout was seen as nothing special, a rather mediocre bout middling with the rest of the card. 

Early in the second round of that first contest, Horodecki blasted Schultz with a right high kick that spelled the beginning of the end.  After a series of punches and knees the referee had to step in and save the stumbling Team Quest fighter. 

Since that fight two Novembers ago, “The Polish Hammer” quickly became one of the IFL largest stars and outlasted anyone that the matchmakers presented him with. As Horodecki continued to rise, Schultz fell.  In his very next fight, he suffered a late KO loss to Bart Palaszewski. 

Yet just as Horodecki looked untouchable in the IFL, he wasn’t.  It took a rejuvenated and revenge driven Schultz to slow Horodecki’s rise. The uncrowned IFL lightweight king is still uncrowned, and Schultz now reigns supreme.

How It Happened

Over Horodecki’s previously blemish-free career, he had shown great striking ability and technical prowess on the feet.  One thing he hadn’t looked comfortable doing is working from his back, and the Team Quest trained wrestler put him there early. Over the first minute, the two traded brief flurries with neither fighter gaining a distinct advantage.  Schultz seized an opportunity during the final exchange and put Horodecki on his back. 

Schultz had his way with his younger counterpart once the fight was in his world.  It’s not that Schultz can’t strike, because he can.  Its just his ground-and-pound game is excellent, and was the key to his victory. “If I pull the trigger, I win every time,” Schultz said. 

Horodecki was unable to control the head or hands of Schultz, who postured up and landed a number of big right hands.  Schultz jumped to the right side and landed in the “Hammer’s” half-guard.  From there, he pinned Horodecki’s left arm behind his back, rendering it useless.  The phenom was tangled in an awkward position with his face unshielded and Schultz simply unleashed. Eleven unanswered right hands crashed the party and Matt Lindland’s Team Quest took home its second belt of the evening, “Matt was like, just do what you do,” said Schultz. “We had a good gameplan…go after him, take him down, smother him and finish it.”

Schultz is now the unlikely king of the 155 pound division in the IFL.  The revamped league is heading into a season that will be ripe with change, and Schultz won’t have long before his first title defense.  He will reportedly defend his title for the first time in February against Chicago’s Tim Kennedy.  Kennedy also won in an undercard match earlier in the evening.

What It All Means

The crazy thing is that this fight wasn’t even supposed to happen.  Horodecki had been slated to fight three other opponents before “The Lion.”  All three were forced to relinquish the opportunity because of injury, and Schultz was more than ready to seize the opportunity, “I wanted it real bad, and I got it.”

The IFL knows what it has in Horodecki and no doubt values his performance as much as anyone.  Financial struggles are no stranger to the League, and Horodecki’s billing as the next great lightweight is critical to the organization. He’s young, he’s exciting, he’s confident; what is there not to like?  Nobody I know dislikes him or his fights, but a win and belt around his waist would’ve given him the legitimacy for a top-10 argument.  He’s not there yet.  We also shouldn’t forget that his opponent was switched on him three times leading up to the bout.

Based on the first matchup, nobody could’ve seen this outcome coming.  Approaching Saturday night in Connecticut, pundits, odds makers and fans were thinking the same thing.  In 180-degree switch-up from the first encounter, the younger Xtreme Couture fighter was heavily favored. Someone forgot to tell Schultz he was supposed to lose.

In a year that has had noteworthy upsets, Shultz’s win piles on yet another shocking upset.  The Lightweight division (for my money) is the IFL’s best and most exciting division.  Horodecki’s is clearly the largest name in the weight class, despite the loss.  His stardom is not diminished, but it wasn’t helped by his display of ineptitude on the ground.

World-class fighters bounce back from defeats like this one.  The coming months leading up to his next fight will prove critical for Horodecki; he’s never dealt with a loss before. How will he react?  It’s doubtful the defeat will make him go ‘Loiseau’ on us all, and I believe he’ll bounce back well with new focus.

Randy and the boys at Xtreme Couture in short time have proven to be a top tier camp, and with the number of superior fighters there; Horodecki’s ground fighting will be afforded the opportunity to improve by leaps and bounds.  I look for him to be slugging it out for the title again soon.

Schultz on the other hand has proven himself to be a hell of a fighter.  For a man who not long ago was contemplating retirement, he looked awfully talented. His battle with Kennedy will be a war and real tough test for the Oregon fighter.  Both men have shown willingness to strike, as well as serious ground and pound skills.  Stiff competition is nothing new to either man and an all-out war is what I expect from the two of them.

I’m not prepared to say Schultz will win and retain his title, but, after last night…I’m not ready to count him out either.

The IFL has been hammered for many things by fans, and often justifiably so.  The tape delays on the broadcasts made them difficult to become immersed in, and the regional team format never exceeded the exalted rank of ‘cheesy.’  This Grand Prix has answered the call.  Tournaments are the most definitive way to determine who is the best (just ask any LSU or Hawaii Football Fan) and MMA fans get gleefully nostalgic when thinking about the UFC’s early days.

The IFL took a page out of PRIDE’s old playbook and put this one together for us and the final card is solid.  Not only do we see the culmination of the tournament, but there’s five title fights.  Yep, that’s right; five.  Hard to find that anywhere.  In addition to that, it’s free if you got the right cable package!  Good stuff all around and with the exception of the light heavyweights, every division will be active.  Five men will join Vladimir Matyushenko as inaugural IFL champs in their respective weight classes and we can drink it all in without spending any more money than we already have.

The Title Fights
Featherweight: Wagnney Fabiano (8-1) vs. L.C. Davis (9-0)

The two 145lbers both sport a spotless record in the IFL, and only one loss beyond it; combined.  The WEC has proven that the lighter weight classes are exciting as hell, and Fabiano and Davis are no exception. 

Davis brings the patented Miletich offensive, a headstrong approach with a foundation of strong wrestling, good conditioning and judicious hands.  Davis has gone on record saying he can handle Fabiano on the feet and he’ll keep it there. By my estimation, he’d better.  The 5’6” Brazilian has shown surprising strength, and combined with superior jiu-jitsu skills is on a 4-0 tear behind four submissions. 

Aggressive wrestling has played into the hands of the slick jiu-jitsu artists before, and I look for the same to happen here. The Carlos Newton trained fighter will be the strongest opponent Davis has tangled with. Fabiano’s recent move from lightweight down to his natural 145lb world will make him the IFL’s first Featherweight champ.

My Pick:  Fabiano by Armbar, Round 2

Lightweight: Chris Horodecki (11-0) vs. Ryan Schultz (17-9-1)

The entire MMA world is well aware of who Horodecki is by now.  The IFL posterboy possesses that strange cocktail of boyish looks and deadly fighting ability that is tough to resist.  At just 20 years of age, the Polish kickboxer is poised to be an MMA superstar. There’s only one man standing in his way, and that’s Schultz. 

The scrappy Schultz hails from Team Quest and should look to employ a grinding ground and pound attack.  These two faced off in November ’06 and Horodecki finished the Oregon native early in the second frame.  He no doubt wants that to happen again, and as Shad Lierley proved Chris is at his least dangerous when he’s on his back.

The records of the two fighters are trending in polar opposite directions; Horodecki with eleven straight wins and the ten year elder Schultz posting a 6-5 record.  The discrepancy is a little misleading.  Schultz has fought much tougher competition, notably recent UFC contender Hermes Franca and Rich Clementi over his last eleven.  He also has wins over the UFC’s great Hispanic hope Roger Huerta, Jason Dent and took ‘JZ’ Calvancante to a draw.

All signs point toward The Polish Hammer being another A-Class 145lber, and he’ll hand the Gresham native his tenth loss of his career.  The Hammer’s striking shoots in from all angles, and the especially swift right leg of Horodecki will wear down the wrestler for the first eight minutes, paving the way for a late TKO win.  The IFL will crown its first LW champ, and top-ten lists everywhere will be forced to take notice.

My Pick:  Horodecki by TKO, Round 3

More...

The International Fight League will end their year on Saturday night by putting on their final event as part of the Grand Prix series. The final matches will determine the new divisional titles and set up future title matchups for the IFL, something that is new to the promotion. Unfortunately for the IFL, injuries, contract problems, and overall bad luck have plagued the Grand Prix events and caused a huge gap in the talent pool that the IFL cannot seem to remedy.

The IFL has an even taller task in trying to compete with the UFC's own event, UFC 79. It's evident that the IFL is looking to only grab up a very small portion of viewers and not the mainstream fans that will be tuning into the UFC. Nonetheless, the IFL Grand Prix final has a couple of interesting matchups, and we'll briefly look at the card in its entirety.

Jay Hieron vs. Delson "Pe de Chumbo" Heleno

The most interesting bout of the night by far pits a fairly well-rounded Jay Hieron against a phenomenal grappler in Delson Heleno. Hieron has fought some tough competition in the past, but has lost some battles that were questionable as far as his opponent's talent level. Hieron's main weakness has been his inability to finish opponents, but for the most part, he's well-rounded and is very durable in the ring. He'll use his superior striking abilities to most likely keep this fight standing, and will try to avoid being submitted by using his good wrestling skills.

Heleno will counter the rough ground and pound style of Hieron with an excellent Brazilian jiu-jitsu background. Heleno doesn't have impressive wins over high quality opponents, but he definitely has a submission game that can defeat quality guys that begin to step in front of him. That is what Heleno's goal will be on Saturday.

Prediction: Hieron by decision

Hieron has a much better standup game and has never been submitted in his career. He also has the backing of some solid training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. Look for Hieron to pull this win out.
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Chris Horodecki vs. Ryan "The Lion" Schultz

A rematch of a battle that happened in IFL's semifinals last year, this should be a clear cut win for Horodecki. Since nearly all of Horodecki's opponents leading up to this Grand Prix final were injured or moved away from the bout, Schultz will get a chance to redeem a loss.

Fact is, Horodecki is a dynamic striker with excellent takedown defense, and he is only improving with his training at Xtreme Couture. I see no reason why Schultz will be able to win this fight, especially when many of his losses are by way of TKO.

Prediction: Horodecki by second round TKO/KO
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Benji Radach vs. Matt Horwich

Another matchup that has a small amount of intrigue surrounding it. Both Middleweights have solid experience in the cage, but both have styles that are completely opposite of each other. Radach is a devastating striker whereas Horwich is primarily a submission weapon. Radach boasts 13 KO/TKO's in 17 wins and Horwich has 18 submissions in 20 wins, heavy percentage of wins in one area for both fighters.

Radach does have some excellent wrestling ability and has never been submitted. His takedown defense is excellent, and it will be a tough task for Horwich to avoid Radach's power striking if he's stuffed during a shoot. This would be the ideal situation for Radach, but Horwich has never been knocked out. Will Radach's wrestling be enough to avoid the submissions and stop Horwich's own takedown attempts?

Prediction: Radach by TKO, second round.

Radach is a very strong striker and has the wrestling skills to back up his standup style. Horwich has lost some big fights by submission, but has never been knocked out or stopped. Look for Horwich to be stopped by Radach's power.
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Antoine Jaoude vs. Roy Nelson

The battle of the heavyweights in the IFL has never really been an interesting prospect. Rothwell blew through the division, then had contract issues with the IFL and the Grand Prix event at the end of the year. This fight does, however, feature Antoine Jaoude, who narrowly lost to Rothwell.

The most significant difference between both fighters is the weight factor. Nelson will most likely have 20-30 lbs. on Jaoude, but Jaoude has shown better skill in his most recent contests. Nelson may have some serious trouble with Jaoude's skills in general.

Prediction: Jaoude by decision.

I think Jaoude can outlast Nelson and also show off some better wrestling skills in the process.
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Wagnney Fabiano vs. LC Davis

After the IFL ruined the potential matchup of Fabiano vs. Horodecki, he was relegated to a lower weight division and now has to face a tough LC Davis who is 9-0. Both men are primarily jiu-jitsu fighters with some decent standup skills. Davis has an impressive win over Jay Estrada, but most of his competition hasn't been on a world class level. He combined decent power in his hands with an excellent ground game. Fabiano will be a very tough test.

Fabiano comes straight out of Rio and will be looking to extend his four fight win streak. His only loss is to the veteran grappler in Jeff Curran by decision. Fabiano has had an easy cakewalk through the IFL's competition, and Davis may possibly be in for a rude awakening.

Prediction: Fabiano via second round submission

Fabiano's jiu-jitsu should be able to exploit the fact that Davis hasn't fought competition that is on his level, but we could be in a surprise if Davis brings the type of game he used on Estrada.
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Tim Kennedy vs. Elias Rivera

It's hard to dislike Tim Kennedy at all in this fight and in everyday life. He's an enlisted soldier, and also a fighter who embodies everything that is a class act to this sport. He has very good wrestling skills and some good power in his hands. He has a much more well-rounded game than his opponent Rivera, who is very susceptible to the knockout. Look for Kennedy to end this in by TKO/KO.

Prediction: Kennedy via KO, 1st round
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Rory Markham vs. Brett Cooper

Markham is coming off two big wins over Chris Clements and Pat Healy. He has dynamite in his hands, and an excellent takedown defense from fighting out of the Miletich camp. With primarily a wrestling and striking background that is proven in the cage, Markham will be a tough task for Brett Cooper.

I'm not privy to much of Brett Cooper's recent work in the MMA. He does have a good win over Jason Von Flue as recently as December 1st. If anyone has seen Cooper's fight with Ed Ratcliff, he was straight knocked out cold by a spinning back kick that was out of a Chuck Norris movie. Cooper has seemed to improve since those battles early in his career. He has some decent power in his hands and also some good wrestling skills. I think Markham will put Cooper down fairly easily regardless of Cooper's renewed drive.

Prediction: Markham via TKO/KO, 2nd round

Straight from IFL.tv:

International Fight League World Championship Finals
Seminole Hard Rock, September 20, 2007

No. 2 Pitbulls def. No. 4 Silverbacks, 3-2

• 170 lb.: Delson Heleno, Pitbulls, def. Jake Ellenberger, Silverbacks, via submission (armbar) 3:45, 2nd
• 155 lb.: Deividas Taurosevicius, Pitbulls, def. Bart Palaszewski, Silverbacks, via submission (armbar), 1:30, 2nd
• 265 lb.: Ben Rothwell, Silverbacks, def. Ricco Rodriguez, Pitbulls, via decision (unanimous), after three rounds
• 185 lb.: Ryan McGivern, Silverbacks, def. Fabio Leopoldo, Pitbulls, via TKO, 1:35, 2nd
• 205 lb: Andre Gusmao, Pitbulls, def. Mike Ciesnolevicz, Silverbacks, via knockout, 0:53, 1st

Preliminary Bouts

• 205 lbs: Jamal Patterson (Hoboken, N.J.) def. Chris Baten (Tampa, Fla.) via submission (choke), 0:56, 1st
• 265 lb.: Rolles Gracie (New York) vs. Sam Holloway via submission (rear naked choke), 1:49, 1st
• 170 lb.: Travis Cox (Naples, Fla.) no contest vs. Brad Blackburn (Olympia, Wash.) (unintentional knee to head of downed opponent), 2:32, 1st
• 155 lb.: Ryan Schultz (North Platte, Neb.) def. Aaron Riley (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) via decision (unanimous), after 3 rounds

I went 4-4 in these predictions. Bart Palaszewski was upset, and Blackburn-Cox no-contested their fight. I did pick Gusmao to win, and it looks like he may be the real deal, with a 5-0 record now, beating Mike Ciesnolevicz twice. Ricco Rodriguez... you let me down, but you did make it to a decision.