Toronto Dragons versus New York Pitbulls

The Toronto Dragons are still in the driver's seat for a spot in the playoffs, but it will be hard to steer since the New York Pitbulls will be on the roof punching them through the window. Carlos Newton (Pictures)'s team has looked good this year, narrowly losing to the Portland Wolfpack and then rebounding by curb stomping the Tucson Scorpions in their last outing.

Renzo Gracie (Pictures)'s Pitbulls haven't been too shabby either. They easily dispatched the Chicago Red Bears to start their 2007 campaign and grinded out a tough victory against the Portland Wolfpack in April.

As long as they don't get swept or lose 4-1 to the Dragons, New York is assured a spot in the playoffs. Of all the teams competing for the final two spots, they have the best chance considering the match-ups and the recent addition of BJJ monster "Pe de Pano" as their heavyweight.

Wagnney Fabiano (Pictures) (Dragons) has been a submission beast so far in the IFL but his opponent Erik Owings (Pictures) (Pitbulls) may know a thing or two about the ground game having trained with Renzo Gracie (Pictures). The Pitbulls are loaded for bear in every weight class but Wagnney is no pushover and this lightweight fight could make the Pitbulls awfully nervous if they were to lose this match.

Gideon Ray (Pictures) is a lot like Jose Canseco at the plate: he can go yard with ease or strike out wildly. He'll definitely need to be at the top of his game when he faces Delson Heleno (Pictures) (Pitbulls), who has won eight of his last nine fights.

The only loss Heleno suffered during that span was a disqualification against Dennis Hallman (Pictures) in the IFL finals last year. Ray, fighting out of Chicago, will need to take it to the Brazilian while they are standing if he wants any shot of winning.

Another IFL star in the making is Fabio Leopoldo (Pictures), whose only professional loss happened outside the IFL at the hands of Portland coach Matt Lindland (Pictures). Brent Beauparlant (Pictures)'s IFL career that has been up and down along the way. The Toronto Dragon could really make a name for himself if he can get past the first round with Leopoldo and force this fight from early submission to late decision.

Light heavyweight Wojtek Kaszowski (Pictures) hasn't had much luck in the IFL, going 0-4 so far. But with losses to guys like Travis Wiuff (Pictures) and Ben Rothwell (Pictures), it's not like he's facing pushovers. Kaszowski isn't getting a pass this week either as he'll see New York's Jamal Patterson (Pictures) standing across from him. Patterson is a fearsome athlete who's made the switch from football and wrestling into MMA with aplomb. His two victories over Matt Horwich (Pictures) are proof enough that he's got skills and he alone should be able to help make sure his team makes it into the semifinals with a win here.

What do you do if you're an IFL coach and your grappling stud at heavyweight has to serve an injury suspension? You do what Renzo Gracie (Pictures) did and get yourself an even bigger stud grappler. With the late addition of Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz to his team, Gracie has to like his chances to get his team into the semis in Jersey. "Pe de Pano" is a world-class jiu-jitsu expert and although his MMA career is about 50/50 you can't go wrong by pairing him with this already sick Pitbulls team. Rafeal Custodio can ruin Cruz's coming out party and shake up the math with a win here.

It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out this weekend. No matter who wins, they will be at somewhat of a disadvantage to the Tokyo Sabres and Los Angeles Anacondas, who will have had over a month to rest and heal before the semifinals in August.

Other IFL news

Following up on their successful visits during "Fleet Week" in New York, the IFL sends head coaches Pat Miletich (Pictures) and Don Frye (Pictures), along with reigning PRIDE champion and Portland Wolfpack assistant coach Dan Henderson (Pictures) to the Persian Gulf for a USO tour. These legends will be participating in meet and greets along the way and will probably be giving some pointers to any MMA practitioners they meet.

USA World Grappling Team trials were held in Las Vegas this past weekend and Matt Horwich (Pictures) of the Portland Wolfpack and Bryan Vetell (Pictures) of the New York Pitbulls both qualified for the 2007 U.S. Grappling Team. The World Team Championships will be held in Ankara, Turkey this September. Exciting news for people who want to see the submission game get more respect and make it to the Olympics.

The IFL has also come to a licensing agreement with the Topps Company to create collectible cards for IFL fighters and coaches. "The sport of mixed martial arts is exciting and rapidly growing, and we are proud to partner with the IFL, their world-class coaches and rising stars to make our entry in the sport," said Ira Friedman, Topps' vice president of publishing and licensing. "We have looked for the right entry point for the MMA category from a collectible standpoint, and feel that the IFL model is the best fit for both now and for the long term." Soon you'll be able to brag to all your friends about your unopened 2007 IFL box set and how you have a signed Ben Rothwell (Pictures) rookie card that is in mint condition.