Author Archives: Ryan Plessl

Josh Kwiatkowski VS JT Donaldson: Fight Of The Night

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Josh Kwiatkowski made his return to the octagon March 30th at Battle Field Fight League (BFL) 76 in an all out war with JT Donaldson.

Josh Kwiatkowski is Vancouvers favourite fighter due to his enigmatic personality and exciting fighting style. Fans were ecstatic to make his return to the Harbour Centre in March 30th.

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Josh was coming off a unanimous decision win against Tim Tamaki at the Rumble In The Cage event in Lethbridge, Alberta. Before that fight Josh had a tough stint in the BFL cage losing some closely contested fights, each of which he could have won.

However, in his time away from the BFL Josh made improvements to make sure that he’s able to come out on top of these close fights:

“I feel like I’ve grown up as fighter recently and fighting and life has just been clicking and in doing so I feel as I’m in a flow state a lot more where my fighting feels so natural and controlled. So the most improved part of my game is my awareness and control.”

Josh had a tough test in front of him though on March 30th when he faced off against jiu jitsu black belt JT Donaldson. Josh believed he was prepared for the challenge though and predicted a fast finish to the fight:

“My prediction is tko late first or second round with him shooting on me and me sprawling out and finishing the fight!”

Josh couldn’t have been more wrong as the fight stayed on the feet for the entirety of the match and the two men had a bunch of back and forth exchanges. Both men were bloody, battered, and beaten by the time the final bell rang. Josh was able to come out on top though with the split decision victory!

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The fight was crowned fight of the night and both these men left with elevated stock.

Josh has no fights booked at the moment but fans are eager to see Vancouvers favourite fighter enter the cage again soon.

The Coquitlam Expresses Season Is Over!

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The Coquitlam Expresses season comes to a close after a loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs last night.

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The Coquitlam Express had a solid season this year that saw them win the majority of their games leading to them having the fourth seed coming into this playoff series. The Chilliwack Chiefs also had a solid season though and secured the fifth seed leading to these two rivals facing off against each other in round one.

Game one was a heated one with multiple penalties issued throughout the game. The Chiefs dominated the game though leading to a final score of 4-1.

Game two was much better for the Express as the team had their moments leading to a fun back and forth game. The energy in the arena for this game was incredible as both teams fan bases came out to support. The Chiefs were able to secure the overtime victory though leading to a final score of 3-2 for the team.

The Express had to win game three if they wanted any chance in this playoff series. They headed to Chilliwack and put on a show destroying the Chiefs 5-1.

It seemed as though the Express had finally solved the puzzle that is the Chilliwack Chiefs. The Chiefs delivered a message in game four though out scoring the Express 7-2 and taking the 3-1 lead in the series.

At this point hope was lost for the Express but the team fought their heart out in game five. It wasn’t enough though as the Chiefs still got the overtime victory to win the game 6-5 and take the series.

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While this isn’t the end to the series the Express we’re hoping for the team still has multiple takeaways from the season to be happy with. They have a bunch of young talented players that the team is starting to build around which will lead to future success on the ice. Keep an eye out for this team next season.

The UFC Comes To Vancouver!

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Dana White, president and partial owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has finally announced his plans to bring the biggest fighting organization in the world back to Vancouver!

It’s been a long time since the UFC came to B.C. The last event held in Vancouver was UFC Fight Night in September 2019. That event was headlined by Justin Gathje and Cowboy Cerrone. Justin Gathje won the fight launching his 2020 title run campaign.

Now the UFC is set to make its return to Vancouver, for UFC 289! There was deliberation between Vancouver and Calgary for the event but ultimately the decision boiled down to the Calgary Flames still being in playoff contention, and the Canucks having no shot.

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Dana took to Instagram yesterday to share the good news with fans. He announced the event will take place in Vancouver on June 10th, at Rogers Arena. Local fans were ecstatic to hear the UFC would be making its return as multiple local fighting promotions and fighters shared the news.

The event is yet to schedule a main event but Juliana Peña and Amanda Nunes three is rumoured to be the main event.

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Tickets go on sale April 22nd, don’t miss the UFC’s return to Canada!

The Canucks Are On A Losing Streak!

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The Vancouver Canucks are finally doing what fans have been begging them to do for the past few months; lose.

At the start of the year fans were hoping that the Canucks would finally be a winning team as it was a fresh start to the season. However, after the teams terrible start to the year fans quickly gave up hope and switched from wanting the team to win, to wanting them to do poorly so that they get a higher draft pick come the end of the year. This draft is significantly more important than previous years as well, as top prospect Connor Bedard is on the table and every team is looking to snatch him up. Connor has gone on the record though and said that he wants to play for the Canucks making it even more important that the team snatches him up.

The Canucks had a really good chance at getting the number one pick this year, but after their recent win streak, and 8-2 record in the last ten games, it’s unlikely that the team can secure the number one draft pick anymore.

However, over the course of the past few games the team has finally started to do what fans have been begging them to do.

The Canucks lost 6-5 against the Blues last Tuesday night, 5-4 against the Flames Friday night, 4-1 against the Kings Sunday night and 5-2 against the Kraken last night. That puts the team on a four game losing streak which is great news for the fans!

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Maybe the team does have a chance to get Connor Bedard after all. Let’s hope the Canucks can keep doing what they do best; losing.

Toronto Raptors Could Clinch The Playoffs!

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The Toronto Raptors increased their chances for a playoff run last night after another impressive win over the Charolette Hornets.

It’s a tight race to the playoffs in both the Eastern and Western conference right now. Every win counts for the teams currently ranked 4th-12th which is why it’s so important that the Raptors win every game they play over the course of the next few days before the regular season ends.

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The Raptors looked to better their playoff/play-in chances last night when they faced off against the Charolette Hornets. These two teams faced off Sunday as well with the Raptors taking the victory 128-108.

The Hornets were able to take the lead in the first quarter but the Raptors destroyed the Hornets in the second outscoring them 36-20. The Hornets tried to battle back in the third period but they got outscored by a landslide once again. The fourth quarter was closer but the Raptors once again outscored the Hornets to secure the victory.

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Final score 120-100 for the Raptors.

With this win the Raptors secure eighth place in the Eastern Conference and guarantee their spot in the play-in tournament. However, if the Raptors keep winning they still have a very small chance to clinch a playoff spot and move out of the play-in tournament. Time will tell if the Raptors can keep the momentum rolling and get more wins.

The Raptors have a tough match up against the #2 ranked Celtics tonight.

Matt Kwan Makes His Grappling Return!

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Vancouver grappling superstar Matt Kwan competes two weekends in a row, officially making his return to the local competition scene.

Matt has been out of competition since the summer of 2020 due to some health issues related to his knee. The last time he competed he defeated ADCC Trials bronze medalist Mike Crisp.

Matt made his official return to competition last weekend at Grappling Industries. Even though its been a moment since Matt competed he came back and dominated the competition. Matt won his weight division in the gi, open division in the gi, and open division in no-gi.

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Now this weekend Matt competed again at the Revolution tournament in Seattle. Matt came first in no-gi and second in gi losing on takedown points.

These past two weekends are super impressive showings for someone who hasn’t competed in three years and it just further proves that Matt is one of the best competitors in all of B.C.

Matt Kwan has confirmed that he will be competing at the ADCC Canadian Open, as well as the world masters later this year. Lets hope he can go out and show why hes not only one of the best in Vancouver, but the entire world.

Toronto Raptors Get the Win!

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The Toronto Raptors increased their chances for a playoff run today after their impressive win over the Charolette Hornets.

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It’s a tight race to the playoffs in both the Eastern and Western conference right now. Every win counts for the teams currently ranked 4th-12th which is why it’s so important that the Raptors win every game they play over the course of the next few weeks.

The Raptors looked to better their playoff/play-in chances today when they faced off against the Charolette Hornets. The Raptors got out to a fast lead in the first quarter out scoring the Hornets by ten points. The Raptors out scored the Hornets again in the second quarter to take a fifteen point lead heading into the second half. The Hornets battled back in the third period but the Raptors quickly shut down their momentum and out scored the Hornets once again in the forth.

Final score 128-108 for the Raptors.

With this win the Raptors move up to eighth in the Eastern Conference and basically guarantee their spot in the play-in tournament. However, if the Raptors keep winning they still have a chance to clinch a playoff spot and move out of the play-in tournament. Time will tell if the Raptors can keep the momentum rolling and get more wins.

The Raptors play the Hornets again on Tuesday.

Edge VS Finn Balor Tonight!

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Canadian wrestling superstar Edge is set to face Finn Balor tonight at WrestleMania in a Hell In A Cell match!

This match has been building for months now but reached its boiling point a few weeks ago on RAW.

Edge announced that he would be accepting Austin Theory’s open challenge on RAW right after the Elimination Chamber event. Edge had just defeated the team of Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley alongside his wife Beth Phoenix.

Edge was looking to move on from that chapter of his career against Judgement Day. The feud has been a long one with Edge being the one who formed Judgement Day. The faction eventually turned on Edge though and injured him. Edge returned at the Royal Rumble event to exact his revenge leading to his match with the team at Elimination Chamber.

Facing Austin Theory for the United States Championship seemed to be the perfect opportunity for Edge to move on from this feud and work towards one more title run in his career.

Edge was on fire during his match with Theory. Austin Theory had some good moments but Edge was large and in charge for the majority of the match.

However, Finn Balor was not looking to move on from his feud with Edge just yet. He interfered in the match costing Edge the title. He then proceeded to beat Edge down and went backstage to tell the camera crew “Edge thought this was over? Are you kidding? This is just the beginning!”

Edge got his revenge the following Monday night though as he speared Balor to the canvas and screamed in his face “this is not over!”

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Finally a match between the two was announced for WrestleMania night two in the Hell In A Cell. This means no interference from the judgement day, no disqualification, and no more unanswered questions for these two men. We will see who is the better wrestler tonight at WrestleMania!

Mitch Strazzella Makes His Return To The Octagon In Exciting Fashion!

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Popular local fighter Mitch Strazzella made his return to the octagon March 30th at the Harbour Convention Centre for Battle Field Fight League (BFL) 76.

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Mitch Strazzella is a popular fighter on the Vancouver scene. He fights out of Vancouver Island, but splits his time between the island and mainland for fight camps.

Mitch was 2-0-0-1 professional fighter coming off a tough no contest bout against Austin Russell at Battle Field Fight League (BFL) 75.

Mitch had his chance at retribution though when he faced off against Ali Wasuk, a 5-2 MMA fighter with legitimate submission, and knockout capabilities.

The two met in the octagon March 30th at BFL 76 in an all out war. Round one was very close with both men having their moments. Round two saw Ali Wasuk lock up a tight triangle though and tap out Mitch to win the fight.

Local fans were disappointed to see fan favourite Mitch lose, but it was a very entertaining fight and both fighters should be proud of their performance.

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At this point it’s unclear what’s next for Mitch but fans are eager to see him back in the octagon soon! Follow him on the Instagram above to see when he will fight next!

Ariel Helwani Shares His Thoughts On Texas!

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Ariel Helwani shared his opinion on the controversial decision that took place when Marlon Chito Vera faced off against Cory Sandhagen last Saturday night as well as the horrible officiating in the state of Texas.

Ariel Helwani is a Canadian born combat sports journalist. In his two decades of experience he’s covered promotions like UFC, Bellator, Pride, and many more. His large popularity in the sport is due to his hard hitting questions, and professionalism he brings to every interview. He is without a doubt the face of combat sports journalism.

Bottom line- Ariel knows what he’s talking about.

When Marlon Vera faced off against Cory Sandhagen in the Main event of UFC Fight Night, fans expected a clear cut unanimous decision win for Sandhagen after he dominated the fight. However, that was not the case as one judge scored the fight for Marlon.

Fans, experts, and Ariel were fuming about the decision.

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Ariel posted a video to his Instagram account going off on the judges and referees in the state of Texas. The main problem Ariel had is that a referee who made a terrible call in a smaller MMA promotion the previous night was then a judge for the UFC main event the next night.

Judging continues to be an issue in the UFC and if this doesn’t change fast fans are going to start rioting.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, time to make the change UFC!