It's Showtime Preview: Badr Hari Back in Action Tomorrow

This weekend marks the biggest kickboxing card to date of 2010 as It's Showtime hosts an event Saturday night in Prague. Click here for a nice hype video, and check back tomorrow for results.

In easily the biggest fight of the card, Badr Hari will return to action for the first time since losing in the GP finals to Semmy Schilt.  Last year, Hari returned from his GP loss on an absolute rampage, knocking out Freddy Sinestra and Semmy Schilt in the first half of the year.  I expect to see him bring that same intensity tomorrow as he defends the It's Showtime HW title against Mourad Bouzidi.  While he is definitely overmatched, Bouzidi is no can, as he holds wins over Errol Zimmerman and Hesdy Gerges.  Still, while Bouzidi does pose more of a threat that many other opponents, I can't see him scoring the upset here and taking out Hari.  I anticipate a big KO from Badr in the 1st.

The #2 fight on the card is a rematch that European fans have been looking forward to, as Daniel Ghita faces Dzevad Poturak.  Ghita of course made a huge name for himself in 2009 with a record-setting tournament win in Tokyo, followed by a gutsy performance against Schilt in the Final 16.  Coming in off a strong win over Sergei Kharitonov, Ghita has already been labeled as the next big thing in K-1 by many fans and experts, and for good reason - his crushing leg kicks are among the best in the game.  That said, this is no gimme fight.  While not as widely known, Poturak is a tough fighter who should never be counted out.  The last time these two men fought it was November 2008, and Poturak pulled off the decision victory.  Since that fight, Poturak has been somewhat inconsistent, going 2-3, including a show-stealing fight with Raul Catinas for K-1 ColliZion in October.  Look for Poturak to make try and make this a brawl.  In the end, I see Poturak making it interesting, but Ghita should pull it out.

In an interesting fight for MMA fans, Sengoku FW fighter "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung will test the kickboxing waters here as he faces Pajonsuk.  Jung has impressed in his Sengoku run, and holds a strong MMA record of 10-1 with a win over Michihiro Omigawa in DEEP, and his only loss coming to Sengoku FW champion Masanori Kanehara.  However, Jung is being thrown into deep waters here as he faces the tough Thai fighter Pajonsuk.  At one time considered a hot prospect, Pajonsuk has been away from the game recently to pursue a shot at the Olympics.  He's now rededicated himself to kickboxing full time, and looks to make a big name for himself in 2010.  This fight is an interesting test for both men, but I anticipate Pajonsuk outworking Jung en route to a decision win.

Also on the main card - the highly popular and always entertaining Gego Drago is in action against Yataro Yamauchi, heavy-hitting HW propsect Anderson "Braddock" Silva takes another step towards bigger and better things as he faces Adnan Redzovic, and Hakan Aksoy faces Ondrej Hutnik.  Finally, pre-show action features Tomas Hron (another up and coming fighter absolutely worth watching) v. Andonis Tzoros and Artiom Vachitov v. Tomas Senkyr.