Shogun Fights 16 Preview and Predictions

One of the biggest events to grace Charm City makes its way back around again on Saturday, April 8.

The 16th edition of Shogun Fights takes place at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore with the usual crop of fighters known to Maryland mixed martial arts fans. The card kicks off at 7 p.m. and boasts four title fights, including the main event where Shogun Fights welterweight champion Chauncey Foxworth defends his title against Micah Terrill.

Foxworth and Terrill are coming off dominant performances in their previous appearances for Shogun Fights. Foxworth smothered former welterweight champion Jon Delbrugge to win the belt, while Terrill scored a first-round knockout victory.

Terrill has won three fights in a row overall, with three knockouts, so he should come into this fight on a wave of momentum. Foxworth still wants to show he can trade shots in addition to taking his opponent down for some ground-and-pound. Terrill is always looking to let go and let his hands fly, but he’s used his ground game to his advantage as well. The combination makes this contest a top “Fight of the Night” candidate.

This fight is likely to go all five rounds. Both guys are too tough to finish, and Terrill has improved leaps and bounds as a fighter the more he appears in the Shogun Fights cage. Foxworth was really impressive in his previous performance against Delbrugge, who seemed destined at the time to move up to the big leagues sooner or later.

Foxworth, en route to retaining his title, will use his wrestling and ground-and-pound again to neutralize Terrill’s striking.

Binky Jones just doesn’t age. He’s 47 years old, the same age MMA legend Randy Couture was when he decided to hang it up, and yet he’s still fighting and winning. He scored a first-round submission victory in his last fight at Shogun Fights 15. However, Isata got the best of Jones via unanimous decision when they faced each other for the inaugural Shogun Fights featherweight title at Shogun Fights 13.

Isata is coming off a submission victory of his own in his last fight. He has only lost twice in nine fights since 2014. However, both of those losses came last year.

The pair’s first meeting for Shogun Fights was a seesaw affair. Each guy came close to finishing the other. Jones deserves applause for what he’s accomplished in his career, and for the type of role model he is for children in the Baltimore area. But as the old saying goes, Father Time is undefeated. Although Jones has adopted that moniker for himself, it won’t help him get one over on his younger rival. Isata will retain his title.