Joel Antik Presents TOP RANK

Hey everybody, Joel Antik here, resident MMA enthusiast and sometimes reporter for all things fighting. Perhaps it's a bit too early to do some rankings as of yet, but I thought to myself, hey, why not just rank some of these amateur fighters? What's the worse that could happen? Maybe a fighter will get upset with my opinions and in turn become hostile with me. Or maybe they wont take interviews with me anymore, thereby ridding me of my job. Oh god, why did I sign up to do this. I got a family to feed! Anywho, that's beside the point, y'all probably don't care anyways. All you fans are probably waiting to see some rankings. Well, I've decided to start out small, then move up to them big boys. Y'all guessed it, featherweights it is!

#5 Mark Melancholy (3-1-1)

Starting us off at #5 we have 'DJ'. Melancholy made an unforgettable amateur debut at the inaugural AFC 1 fighting against Hoyt Cole. Mark showed his boxing prowess and his lethal liver kick, which crumpled his opponent onto the mat and forced a stoppage. What better way to start off your career am I right?! Melancholy was cleared to fight again at AFC 2 against Edward Hoover. This fight, we saw Melancholy work his clinch game with some moderate success. Hoover pushed Melancholy in ways he probably didn't expect. This fight showed some flaws to Melancholy's game. A great boxer, he seems to get overconfident in his ability, leaving him open to counters, which we saw he was on the receiving end of some. Melancholy certainly got tagged in this one and he gave up a round to his opponent. However, 'DJ' was able to stick to his gameplan and earn the unanimous decision win. He did get small cut on his chin sometime during the fight, but it's minor. Lets hope he isn't the type to cut easily.. that may prove to work against him in the future. And then came AFC Russia 1, the fight that exposed many flaws to Mark Melancholy's game. He was matched up against relatively unknown Marvin Sparks, and was touted as a HEAVY favorite to come out on top. Then it happened.. what started off as a routine fight with Melancholy working his boxing turned ugly. Sparks did well exchanging with Melancholy, but decided to take the fight to the ground, which we then saw a new Mark Melancholy. Lets just say, 'DJ' isn't exactly a ground fighter. Much to everyone's surprise, Melancholy's ground game, or hereby lack of, was absolutely astonishing. 'DJ' looked so uncomfortable and confused off his back and Sparks took every advantage of it, grinding out a decision victory over the huge favorite, handing 'DJ' his first amateur loss. Melancholy fought again at AFC USA 3, this time bouncing back and showing the fans that he's still an up and coming prospect at FW, dismantling Clay Sparks in 3 rounds. Boy, did I feel terrible for him. Was Clay Sparks the brother of Marvin Sparks? But I felt sorry for whoever was fighting Melancholy at the time after his first loss. He definitely came into that fight with a chip on his shoulder and it showed. Clay tried to employ the same tactics as Marvin, but Melancholy just wouldn't play that game and make the same mistake twice. TKO from a body shot. Stock rising. Melancholy's most recent fight was at AFC Brazil 2, facing off against a very tough Eric Young. Honestly, I believe Melancholy got lucky with this one seeing how Young pushed him to his limit. The fight ended in a draw but Young definitely deserved the nod over Melancholy in that fight, at least in my humble opinion.

So currently sitting at (3-1-1) 'DJ' has many holes to his game. He definitely needs to work on his wrestling and his ground game. His boxing has shown to be phenomenal at times, yet gets suckered into his opponents game by taking one too many unnecessary shots that could potentially be avoided. With proper coaching and development, he may prove to be a dangerous foe in the future. For now, he sits at #5.

#4 Ryan O'Donnell (3-0)

At #4, the 'Notorious One'. Fans may ask, why do you have him so low? I mean y'all probably gonna tell me, HES JUST COMING OFF A BIG WIN FROM AFC JAPAN 2! YOU MUST BE AN IDIOT JOEL ANTIK! YOUR MOM'S A WHORE! But yeah anywho. Some might expect him higher on the list, maybe top 3. Let me give my thoughts on this. You guys may know O'Donnell, big talker, exciting fighter, perhaps one of the brightest prospects in the FW division.  His ongoing beef with Cannon Mendoza, who had called him a 'midget f***' or something along those lines. He's definitely one of the more hyped prospects and I'm sure true fans have seen him featured on CFN, hosted by the ever so beautiful Olivia Megan, whom I just adore, and perhaps one of the most beautiful women on the planet! (Don't tell my wife that!) Now, what's so appealing about O'Donnell? He made his amateur debut in AFC Japan 1, facing Korean rookie Han Gyong Eo. Right from the start, O'Donnell made a splash onto the amateur fight scene. He controlled the fight displaying beautiful stand up. Changing levels, working the angles, punches and kicks, you name it. He ended up finishing the Korean fighter with a beautiful neck crank in round 2. Ain't no better way to debut in my opinion. His second fight has him facing a tough Japanese fighter in Eichi Santo at AFC England 1. In my opinion, this is the fight that really showed everyone why he's going to be the next big thing in MMA. If you want to see some textbook stand up, watch this fight. O'Donnell worked Santo all throughout the fight. My goodness Santo looked like a zombie out there after the fight. O'Donnell beat Santo down without mercy for 3 rounds until Santo's leg buckled and gave out, which forced a referee stoppage. O'Donnell wasn't touched the entire fight! What a slippery devil! Santo on the other hand... lets see the injury report. Cuts on both eyes and chin, bruising on the cheeks, hyper extended left leg... ouch. And y'all already know of his most recent fight as AFC Japan 2's main draw. He fought Shinichi Shimura.. and y'all know how that turned out. An absolutely one-sided brutal beat down.. could've been classified as a hate crime. Does O'Donnell secretly hate the Japanese or something? He threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Japanese fighter, but wasn't able to finish the tough cookie. O'Donnell won one of the most lopsided decisions I've yet to see.

So why #4? O'Donnell's a very well rounded guy. He's shown he can fight standing and also shown some proficiency on the ground. But only 3 fights in, against some just OKAY opponents. Perhaps I need some more fights to really see O'Donnell and what he's made of. He hasn't really been pushed yet, so maybe his opponents haven't stepped up, or he's really THAT good. I'm leaning towards the latter. We have a star in the making here folks. For now, the 'Notorious One' stands at #4.

#3 Michael Carter (3-0)

At #3 we have 'The Hurricane'. Michael Carter made his debut at AFC Japan 1, fighting, at the time, Japanese rookie Eichi Santo. No words to describe his first fight honestly. Very impressive. Quick, methodical, precise. Carter came in with a gameplan and he executed it flawlessly. There was no eye of the hurricane that night, just some good ol' wrestling and jujitsu. A quick and textbook kneebar under two minutes to notch his first amateur win over the Japanese rookie. His second fight came against a struggling Hoyt Cole at AFC Brazil 2. Michael Carter displayed some brilliant wrestling and ground control, finishing his opponent with a beautiful arm triangle in the opening minute of the second round. It wasn't a fluke, Michael Carter showed the fans that he was here to contend, and put the FW division on alert. He has a mean ground game and he intends to use it to his full advantage. 'The Hurricane' continued to impress at AFC Canada 1. With GFC head honcho David Gray in attendance, Carter showed off yet once again why he's a force to be reckoned with. He made quick and easy work out of Michael Dunlap in the main event with an armbar under two minutes into the first round. Carter gave us a quick sneak peak of his boxing too in this one! What a treat! There could only be one true Michael.. and it was Michael Carter that night.

'The Hurricane' is truly a prospect to watch out for. His wrestling is perhaps one of the best in the FW division. His ground game? Without a doubt at the top. His quick and dominant victories are a testament to his limitless potential. The only knock I have with Carter is his stand up. I have yet to see him throw much punches. Then again with quality wrestling and jujitsu like that, who needs boxing? A dangerous grappler, Michael Carter sits at #3.

#2 Demarcus Jackson (5-0)

At #2, we have 'Bluntman'. Sporting a very interesting and telling nickname Demarcus Jackson has proved time and again why he deserves to be at the top of the FW class. Known as the brother of amateur heavyweight standout Bimbo Jackson, and fighting from the same team that houses the outstanding Mendoza brothers, he's definitely found himself in a great stable of fighters. Making his debut at AFC 1, 'Bluntman' gave the fans a show with a two round brutal beatdown of Edward Hoover. His boxing was absolutely crisp and his ground and pound was DEADLY. Jackson fought again at AFC 2 against Marvin Sparks. This time making quick work of his opponent, and showing off his knockout power, getting the finish early in the first round off a hook that left Sparks dazed and confused. A punch that sent him back to yesterday. There was without a doubt that 'Bluntman' was truly a different kind of beast. The train kept rolling at AFC Russia 1, Jackson absolutely destroyed Danya Golovkin. Knocking the Russian out silly with his ground and pound. It wasn't even close guys, it was a murder! A murder I tell you! Then came AFC USA 3, where Demarcus looked somewhat mortal. He fought against Eric Young, whom had the audacity to tag 'Bluntman' on several occasions. Early on in the second round, Jackson decided to make Young pay after throwing a sloppy kick, landing an absurdly clean counter hook that reverberated through the stadium. The same hook that send Sparks to la la land. His most recent outing came during AFC Brazil 2, where he was matched up against David Penn. It was a typical 'Bluntman' fight with a twist. He didn't finish his opponent with his fists this time, but with a kneebar! Maybe he picked it up from training with the infamous Cannon Mendoza!

What can I say? I honestly don't see a weakness so far in Demarcus Jacksons game. This kid can do it all and then some. He has amazing power in both his hands, some good wrestling, and underrated jujitsu! Please guys, it was tough honestly. He's at #2, but clearly I could place him at #1 also. Honestly he might even be #1. God, it's tough. 'Bluntman' is truly one of the best amateurs in the game right now.

#1 Omar Romero (7-0)

It was tough, but at the top spot we have Omar Romero. The record doesn't lie. Undefeated with seven fights under his belt, I couldn't place him any lower. Omar made his debut at AFC 1 against Marvin Sparks. He showed great poise in the pocket. Great technical boxing. Nothing all too spectacular, but he displayed dominance over his opponent. It was at AFC 2 when we saw Omar Romero break out. He fought Hoyt Cole, and Cole absolutely got brutalized. Romero made hamburgers out of his face. Romero must've heard his critics, because he turned it up to another level that night. Some vicious ground and pound for three straight rounds that left Cole hospitalized. I had to turn away for a couple instances during that fight. That was some pure unadulterated violence on display, and Omar Romero loved every second of it. That sick bastard. Omar Romero continued the onslaught at AFC Russia 1 when he faced off against David Penn. It was like the sequel to the Cole fight, some more vicious ground and pound! To add insult to injury, Romero even poked the poor guy in the eye! Maybe he was doing Penn a favor. What he can't see wont hurt him right? Finally, at AFC USA 3, we had a brave soul stand up to evil bad boy Omar Romero, a man known as Fedor Wolowitz. Omar was slowed down by Fedor, much to the surprise of fans and the media alike. Fedor did a great job avoiding much damage from Romero this fight, which definitely led to some frustration on Romero's part. Omar Romero didn't get the finish but he still was quite dominant over Fedor. Hey, at least Fedor got some shots in! At AFC Brazil 2, Omar faced off against Michael Dunlap. With fire in his eyes after a somewhat lackluster (in terms of how Romero fights go) performance, he was prepared to lay down the hammer on Dunlap. Romero fought a great fight, delivering some signature ground and pound to Dunlap for three rounds, but yet again, he was unable to put away his opponent. However, his dominant reign continued. Omar Romero quickly entered the impromptu FW tourney right after AFC Brazil 2, which is a testament to his killer conditioning and his fighting spirit. In the first round he got a rematch with Fedor. A war it was, with Omar showing slick submission defense. The rematch showed that Omar definitely has Fedor's number, but Fedor isn't a chump. He put up a valiant effort, but Omar was just too strong of an opponent for him, at least in this stage of his career. Romero met Rodrigo Campos in the finals of the tournament, and it was a wrap. Some say Campos was gassed, others say that Romero got possessed by a demon. Whatever the case was, Romero came out of the gates with a quick takedown. From there on, it was a typical Omar Romero fight. Vicious ground and pound that led to a ref stoppage and a concussed Campos.

7-0. Winner of the FW AFC Brazil 2 tournament. An absolute monster. A killer. A man who drowns his opponent in ground and pound. Stylisticly, Romero and Demarcus Jackson are quite similar. I'd give the stand up to 'Bluntman' but the killer instinct and sadistic nature of Romero is undeniable. Only reason why Romero is at the top is because records and stats don't lie. I'm excited to see the possibility of a matchup between them. Until then, Omar is the king.

Thank you guys! This has been the first addition to TOP RANK! Feel free to discuss your opinions on my rankings. Do you guys agree? Disagree? State your opinions! Until next time. Joel Antik out!