Russian promotion League S-70 has put together a strong effort for its visit to Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The event will feature three superfights, plus the finals of its set of tournaments to crown champions in four divisions. The promotion is also advertising famous actor Steven Seagal and 2012 Olympic silver medalist judoka Alexander Mikhailin as guests for press conferences and fight night. Although Bellator mainstay Alexander Shlemenko is fighting in one of those superfights, it’s actually Vyacheslav Vasilevsky who has the more intriguing and challenging opponent in his middleweight scrap.
Vasilevsky will be fighting Jorge Luis Bezerra, also known as “Michelan.” The 26-year-old Brazilian fights out of Checkmat, a camp more closely associated with the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The association shows in Bezerra’s efforts in MMA, as he has notched 13 of his victories via submission. Bezerra prefers to attack his opponent’s legs, having snagged four kneebars and three heel hooks. He lost to UFC competitor Erick Silva via unanimous decision and also dropped the third bout of his career, back in 2006, to The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil finalist Daniel Sarafian.
Bezerra will definitely test Vasilevsky’s submission defense. However, the Russian enters this contest as a black belt in judo and an International Master of Sports in Combat Sambo. The 24-year-old has already captured gold under the M-1 Global banner, but fell short in his attempt to do the same in Bellator, as he lost to UFC veteran Maiquel Falcao.
The Falcao fight demonstrated that Vasilevsky still has to work to do if he wants to be among the top middleweights in the world. But Falcao is a strong fighter with power on his feet and a more than competent ground game. Bezerra doesn’t possess as much of a well-rounded arsenal. The Brazilian has just one win by way of knockout.
Bezerra will most likely zero in on Vasilevsky’s legs from the very start. Look for him to employ a strategy of rolling for kneebars and heel hooks, or even pulling guard and looking for sweeps. Vasilevsky’s sambo and judo will play a defensive role in this fight. The Russian is talented on the ground, but he’ll want to avoid the mat and Bezerra’s biggest strength. Vasilevsky will attack with his superior stand-up, easily outclassing Bezerra in that department. Bezerra is tough, so he could hang in there until the final bell, but Vasilevsky should take this one via either submission or decision.
Other key bouts: Alexander Shlemenko (45-7) vs. Anthony Ruiz (29-16)
Link the the live stream tomorrow: S-70 Live Stream - August 11, 10am pst 1pm est
1. Acop Stepanyan vs Akhmed Aliev 2. Zubayra Tukhugov vs Anatoliy Pokrovskiy 3. Magomedrasul Khasbulaev vs Alexei Nazarov 4. Adam Khaliev vs Magomed Magomedkerimo 5. Viktor Nemkov vs Magomedbag Agaev 6. Mikhail Zayats vs Alexei Varagushin 7. Vyacheslav Vasilevskiy vs Jorge Luis Bezerra 8. Alexander Shlemenko vs Anthony Ruiz http://s-70.ru/index.php/newss70/351
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