It's Showtime Preview Part 2: Highlighting the Rest of This Stacked Card

We're just a few hours away from the It's Showtime Amsterdam ArenA event.  Last time, we looked at the 5 fights we're most looking forward to; now, we take a look at the rest of this amazing card.

If there was a #6 fight to put on our list, it would be Pajonsuk v. Yoshihiro Sato.  This is a very rare opportunity to see one of K-1's big Japanese stars fighting outside the K-1 umbrella, and it makes for a very intriguing fight.  Sato is the best real Muay Thai style fighter out of Japan today, and it will be great to see him against a fellow Muay Thai specialist.  Pajonsuk has a lot of promise, but is still looking to get back in the groove after a lay off. 

Rounding out the main televised card are two more solid fights: Daniel Ghita v. Ashwin Balrak, and Gago Drago v. Leroy Kaestner.  Ghita is a fighter who gained a lot of fans last year thanks to his impressive K-1 debut, though European fans have had their eyes on him for some time.  The stakes are much higher for him than when he won in this event last year, and Balrak, while less known, is a tough opponent.  This is no easy fight for Ghita, though he should get the win.  Drago is a very popular fighter, mainly for his extreme personality and all action fighting style.  That style often gets him in trouble as he has some huge wins on his record, but also some disappointing loses.  Kaestner is a very solid opponent, and he's the kind of fighter Drago should beat, but may not.  I kind of think Kaestner pulls it off here.

On the undercard, there are two fights with some extra significance.  First, the IS 65kg title is on the line, as reigning champion Orono vor Petchpoon defends against Atty Gol.  Orono is a Thai legend, and though he's on the downward side of his career, he's still very skilled and a joy to watch.  Next up, Rayen Simson v. Sahin Yakut in Simson's retirement fight.  Simson is not a name many fans know too well, though he is a very popular Muay Thai fighter in this area.  Yakut has been slowly rising the IS ranks in the past year, and I have been hoping to see him get a crack at some bigger fights.  A win here would be a helpful step for him.

Other undercard fights include: Mourad Bouzidi v. Anderson "Braddock" Silva and Rico Verhoeven v. Dzevad Poturak, both very well matched fights between two men on the fringes of the top 25 and looking to move up; William Diender v. Dzhabar Askerov, two crowd favorites who should put on an exciting show; Tomas Hron v. Rustemi Kreshnik; Sem Braan v. the man Simon Rutz has pointed out as a future world title challenger, Lhoucine Ouzgni; and Anthony Nekrui v. the exciting young fighter Chris Ngimbi.

Don't forget - watch it all live at www.showtimefights.com.