Decorated submission specialist Pablo Popovitch will make his long-awaited mixed martial arts debut tonight (June 4) when he takes on Jeff Savoy (0-1) at Action Fight League (AFL) "Rock-N-Rumble 3" from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Popovitch tore through the 2009 Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC), winning the 76kg division by defeating three-time world champion Marcelo Garcia in the finals.
The Brazilian also holds grappling wins over Jake Shields, Renzo Gracie and Kenny Florian. Popovitch was inducted into the Grappling Hall of Fame by the North American Grappling Association earlier this year.
How well will he transition into mixed martial arts? That may depend on how much of a learning curve there is with his striking and ability to adapt to the nuances of cagefighting.
American Top Team's Savoy will certainly look to give him a failing grade later on this evening.
The Karate instructor was actually booked for the Hard Rock back in April under the Bellator banner; however, the Port St. Lucie native struggled to make weight and was a last-minute scratch from the promotion's season two premiere.
Now he gets a chance to return and make a huge impact if he manages to get by the grappling legend.
Here is the current AFL: "Rock-N-Rumble 3" fight card:
Pablo Popovitch vs. Jeff Savoy
Charles Bennett vs. Luis Palomino
Crafton Wallace vs. Patrick Mikesz
Yuri Villefort vs. TBA
Aliton Barbosa vs. Mitch McElroy
Jessica Agullar vs. Sara Schneider
Efrain Ruiz vs. Valdir Araujo
Caleb Archer vs. James Wynn
Tony Crothers vs. Chris Pecheo
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more AFL updates as they become available.
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