We're Back With Another LineStar Weekly Knockout!

Written by LineStar contributor, combat sports enthusiast, and practitioner, Chris Guy.

Instagram: @therealsethgeko & Twitter: @DadHallOfFamer

I’ve always been a proponent of learning martial arts for a variety of reasons: safety, health, confidence, and the list goes on. But with the NFL season just around the corner, and stadiums around the U.S. now allowing fan attendance, it’s more vitally important than ever before. Too many fans are accepting short notice fights in the stands without proper preparation or training and are getting duffed out in record numbers. The days of rolling up to a sporting event on a whim are gone. Because of this, I’ve felt compelled to do my part to ensure spectators survive their live sporting event experiences.

I’m offering full eight-week training camps to prepare you for your plaza-level title shot. For a limited time only, I’m offering seven-day trials to the Thunderdome—the world-class training facility in my one-car garage. I emphasize close quarter tactics, including striking and takedowns from the clinch and basic ground and pound. For those of you who get a call from your buddy inviting you to this weekend’s game, and accepting a short notice scrap is unavoidable, I offer one-day masterclasses focusing on fundamentals, including real-life scenarios. Most importantly, you’ll gain access to my patented philosophy guaranteed to increase your chances of winning a stadium championship tenfold: Be First & Be Often.

Edson Barboza (-120 ) vs Giga Chikadze(+100)

Barboza: DK: $8.2k | Chikadze: DK:$8k

If this isn’t a banger, there’s no such thing. Every single Barboza fight is a banger, even when Khabib was beating the lunch money out of him like Sonic the hedgehog while discussing post-fight dinner options with Dana White. Barboza can knock you out so clean and fast you won’t even fall; you’ll just stand there in purgatory, stuck between this life and the next, haunting the arena for the rest of eternity while the ref raises Barboza’s hand. A&E will produce a special three-episode edition of Ghost Hunters to investigate the possible existence of a malevolent apparition at the UFC Apex Arena.

Edson Barboza is the owner, in my opinion, of the greatest KO in UFC history. Terry Etim has been making a living as an ironing board since 2012 after Barboza KO’d him with the most glorious spinning wheel kick ever-ever. If you’ve never seen it… I don’t even know how to finish that. Barboza's name is among the most vicious leg kickers of all-time with Pedro Rizzo, Jose Aldo, and Justin Gaethje. If you watch JRE, you know Rogan has said a million times that Barboza has the fastest switch-step left-round kick he has ever seen. That’s high praise and #facts. The switch-step round kick forces his opponents to anticipate it and drop their hands to defend, leaving them vulnerable to shots to the head.

In a lot of ways, Barboza is a bigger Jose Aldo. They both have similar boxing and utilize similar combinations. Barboza, like Aldo, sets up the liver punch behind a one-two and then comes back to the head with a same-hand lead hook. His hands are tight, and he throws short combinations, and for the most part, Barboza’s hands are underrated. The “dart” punch is Baboza’s specialty; it’s like a delayed cross thrown after firing the hips, creating a short hitch that has the same effect a changeup has on a batter after seeing a ninety-five mph fastball. You tend to defend it prematurely and then get hit with it when you play peek-a-boo around your guard. Barboza drops people with his dart right hand and uses it often.

Barboza’s major malfunction is his defense. You can bully Barboza with pressure and volume, and he has been known to wither under pressure and eventually breaks. Fighting Barboza is like fighting Pennywise; you have to stand up to him, show him you aren’t afraid and hit him with rocks and pipes until he transforms back into his natural form and retreats into the sewage tunnel he crawled out of.

You could argue, since his KO loss to Justin Gaethje, Barboza is 4-0 instead of 2-2. Two robberies were reported at a Valero in the middle of the Nevada desert shortly after Barboza fought Paul Felder and Dan Ige. But when the police arrived, all parties involved had already left the scene. Since the Ige fight, Barboza is 2-0 and coming off a scary TKO win over Shane Burgos. Barboza hit Burgos with a nasty punch combination in the third round, and Burgos suddenly started to buffer in the middle of the Octagon before losing server connection and collapsing against the cage.

The key for Barboza against Giga Chikadze will be navigating around Chikadze’s long kicks and punches and getting inside the pocket to land his short power punches. This will be a battle of distance. Barboza will want to keep the fight within boxing range, while Chikadze will want to keep it at kickboxing range and fight from the fringe of the pocket, keeping Barboza in no man’s land.

The Giga Kick; that’s Chikadze’s special back, back, low-punch move. He likes to combine it with a teleport punch: down, back, high punch. The Giga Kick is a round kick from the southpaw stance thrown more like a soccer kick than a traditional round Thai kick; it travels at an upward angle and lands underneath the opponent’s arm. It’s especially nasty, and Giga throws it with such efficiency that there’s no tell that it’s coming.

Giga is a former Glory kickboxing title challenger and has a 13-2 record in MMA dating back to his debut in 2015. Chikadze carries his hands low and can attack from different angles and peripheries. He can bring the jab up from his waist or throw it straight from his face while whipping his overhand right over the top. Giga’s overhand right is a haymaker thrown from left field, and he sets it up with peppering kicks and jabs.

The ability to manage distance is what separates Chikadze’s striking from other elite strikers in the division. Whenever a Karen asks to speak to the manager, the District Distance Manager, Giga Chikadze, shows up and pretends to give a f!@#. His variety of long-range attacks allows him to stay on the outside and pick fighters apart, and he throws one hundred mph fastballs with both hands.

Chikadze uniquely mixes kickboxing and boxing techniques and blends them into a hybrid style. You’ll see him slipping and countering and rolling off strikes like a traditional boxer and mixing in kick combinations like a kickboxer. The unknown on Chikadze is his overall MMA skills. So far, Giga hasn't been tested on the mat, and I doubt we will collect any data about his ground game against Barboza. This will be the highest-level kickboxing match with four-ounce gloves that you can witness.

I’m telling you, this is as good a main event as there has been all year. Adding in The Ultimate Fighter finals, this is a card you don’t want to miss. Have one of these guys on your roster. The chances of a finish are high, and given that it’s a five-round fight, significant strikes will also be high for both fighters. The main event-winning streak now sits at seven and sixteen of the last seventeen after Jared Cannonier won a competitive decision against Kelvin Gastelum last weekend. This one is impossible to pick, but pulling off the impossible is what the Weekly Knockout is all bout. Giga Chikadze via TKO, round three. It’s on wax, so it shall be done.

Winner: Giga Chikadze | Method: TKO Rd.3

Bryan Battle (-165 ) vs Gilbert Urbina (+135)

Battle: DK: $8.6k | Urbina: DK:$7.6k

*The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 Middleweight Finals*

 We’re now heading into uncharted waters. Unlike all fifteen episodes of season eight of 90 Day Fiancé, I didn’t keep up with every episode of the Ultimate Fighter. 2006 me would have been appalled to learn of this. Two days ago, I couldn't tell you who was in the Ultimate Fighter finals, but I could give you an exact number of people Angela cussed out during the season, I could tell you Andre scored a 10-8 round against his brother-in-law Charlie, and I could tell you Jovi is a Mardi Gras frat boy who isn’t mature enough to be a father. But like 2001 me, I bought the Cliffs Notes and crammed for the exam at the last minute. I fast-forwarded every episode to the fight at the end to see what these guys are all about.

The middleweight finals were supposed to be Bryan Battle vs. Tresean Gore, but Gore dropped the fight just weeks out after sustaining an injury in training. The man Gore KO’d in the semifinals, Gilbert Urbina, will be getting the gift of a lifetime and will be replacing Gore against Battle. Urbina will be the UFC version of the guy who got KO’d in the Karate gold medal match in the Olympics and still won the gold. Homie got Wonderboy kicked in the face and turned off like a light switch, but still won because knocking someone out is illegal and ruled a disqualification. So Urbina gets KO’d and still ends up in the finals will a shot to win the whole thing. That’s called playing with house money.

Battle and Urbina have very similar stand-up styles. They both use the southpaw stance, but Battle is a natural southpaw, while Urbina is a right-handed southpaw who likes to switch stances. Both fighters fight long and like to initiate exchanges from the outside, but I would give Urbina a slight technical edge and Battle a slight edge in power. Urbina likes to push the pace and is a sponsored member of the “Be First, Be Often” team. He leads the dance using his jab on the outside to set up his power shots and leaves little dead air between exchanges. Battle, however, is a more reserved, moderate output striker with better counter striking when exiting the pocket.

Bryan Battle dominated the show’s favorite to win it all, Andre Petroski, in the semifinals. Battle was superior in the clinch and used knees to attack Petroski and defend takedowns against the cage. He has solid defensive Jiu-Jitsu and wastes no time scrambling back to his feet when he is taken down. At all costs, Gilbert Urbina should avoid Battle’s Thai clinch. When Battle gets the plum grip, he breaks your posture and delivers nasty knees to the body and head. Overall, Battle uses peppering strikes from the outside with snap kicks from both legs, but he lacks power. I would consider Battle an accumulative damage striker more than a one-punch power striker.

Gilbert Urbina was very competitive with Gore before he was caught loading up with a lead hook and put to sleep by a Gore counter left hook. I think Gore would have won the whole thing, and he will be a name to remember in the future. Gore is a scary power striker with a little bit of Paulo Costa in him, minus the macaroni glued to construction paper game plan. The only loss on Urbina’s 6-1 official professional record is the highly touted Sean Brady. Fights on The Ultimate Fighter are considered exhibitions and don’t count for or against the professional record.

The main difference between Urbina and Battle is that Urbina takes more risks and tends to put himself in danger far more often than Battle does. Urbina also uses his jab more often and more technically than Battle. But, like Battle, Urbina uses snap kicks from both stances and lacks one-punch power. I haven’t seen Battle’s ground game, but Urbina has solid grappling and is especially crafty from the back mount. Urbina is a Jansport backpack when he takes the back and has two rear-naked choke submissions on his record and one on the show.

So who wins? I have no damn clue. I think Urbina is the more dynamic, eye-pleasing striker, but Battle makes things ugly and seems to have an unbreakable toughness. Bryan Battle via decision.

Winner: Bryan Battle | Method: Decision

Ricky Turcios (-155) vs. Brady Hiestand (+130)

Turcios: DK: $8.7k | Hiestand: DK: $7.5k

*The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 Bantamweight Finals*

 This one is a banger. Turcios vs. Hiestand borders on a classic wrestler versus striker matchup, with Turcio being the latter. Ricky Turcios looks like Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men and probably has a hard time making it through customs with the air compressor gun. He’s wild, Turcios; he howls at the moon; he bites through his leash and squats on lawns indiscriminately.

Ricky Turcios pushes a heavy pace of nonstop forward pressure, punches, and kicks on the feet, and when the fight hits the mat, he rolls around like he’s on fire. His style is a lot like Tim Elliot but with more commitment to his striking. One of the sneakiest techniques on the feet is same-side combinations. Same-side combos are hand and kick combinations thrown almost at the same time. For example, throwing a right kick behind a right hand and vice versa. Robert Whittaker is the best I’ve ever seen at same-side combos. He throws his power right cross and right leg almost simultaneously and almost always lands it. Turcio uses his lead leg to initiate the combo and follows it with a same-side punch, and he uses it as a fundamental strike.

Although Turcios has excellent, unpredictable stand-up, he lacks power and has major holes defensively. When in either stance, Turcio almost exclusively ducks to his power side to avoid strikes, and he’s right-hand dependent and gets predictable. But Turcios makes up for those gaps with consistent second and third-level combinations and having the cardio to go three hard rounds. The key for Turcios against Brady Hiestand will be staying on his feet, creating space, and forcing scrambles back to his feet when he is taken down.

Brady Hiestand wants to get the fight to the mat as quickly as possible. He’s only willing to stand and bang late when his ability to score takedowns wanes. Early on, Hiestand will rush forward, pinwheeling his arms to close the distance and initiate the clinch against the cage. Hiestand will look down at the floor and wing alternating hooks, hoping the shrapnel provides some cover for a level change or tie-up. I’ll say this though, if Hiestand catches you with one of his bombs, you’re gonna have a bad time. Defensively, Hiestand has black holes. He doesn’t defend his lead shoulder at all, his punches end at his waist, and he retreats in a straight line. You can beat Hiestand with right hands and volume, two of Ricky Turcios’s strengths.

Like Chris Benoit landing hat trick German Suplexes, Hiestand strings together takedown attempts and rarely gives up on them. As long as he has his hands clasped, he will continue to make you work to stay on your feet. This will be the strategy to wear down Turcios and bring Turcios’s output down to controllable levels. Once Hiestand gains top control, he works to the back and hunts for rear-naked chokes relentlessly.

This is another complete head-scratcher. Turcios reminds me a little of Brandon Royval; his careless, aggressive style is a gift and a curse. Ricky has four finishes in ten career wins, while Hiestand has finished four of his five professional wins. The experience level will go to Turcios, but the ability to dictate where the fight takes place will lean toward Hiestand. On wax, Ricky Turcios via decision.

Winner: Ricky Turcios | Method: Decision

Kevin Lee (-150 ) vs Daniel Rodriguez (+125 )

Lee: DK: $8.5k | Rodriguez: DK: $7.7k

We have another banger right here. Because every Daniel Rodriguez fight is a banger. Right off the bat, I don’t like Kevin Lee at welterweight, he’ll be giving up a lot of size and power to Daniel Rodriguez. Making 155 forces Lee to be more disciplined, and his wrestling translates better at the lower weight class. Lee will have to be fully committed to getting the fight to the mat and keeping it there at all costs. Daniel Rodriguez is Chris Leben 2.0. If you don’t know who Chris Leben is, you missed a great era in MMA. That dude had odd, freakish power in his left hand, and he would stumble around the cage throwing bombs until eventually, one of the three men in the cage fell.

Rodriguez’s left hand is a death sentence with no appeals. You could call it Judge Dredd, the combined powers of judge, jury, and executioner. D-Rod won’t wow you with intricate technique and creative combos, but you will instinctively duck in your living room every time his left-hand whizzes by Kevin Lee’s face. Rodriguez never stops moving forward and usually wears down his opponents with pressure over time. He’s 5-1 in the UFC, his only loss coming to Nicolas Dalby, and he’s coming off a first-round TKO win in July against the late replacement Preston Parsons.

In 2017, Kevin Lee looked on the verge of winning the lightweight belt after the second round against Tony Ferguson. Lee dominated Tony in the first two rounds with takedowns and heavy elbows from the top. Ferguson was able to turn the tide from his guard in the third, landing nasty elbows from the bottom. Tony broke Lee down and secured a triangle choke submission to win the interim belt.

Since then, Lee has gone 2-3 and hasn’t fought in over a year. His last bout was against Charles Oliveira just before the pandemic began. Lee was on the defensive from the top position from the jump in that bout, and had to constantly fight his way out of submission after submission. Eventually, Oliveira landed a guillotine choke after Lee began to slow down in the third round.

There’s a clear path to victory for Lee on the mat, using his wrestling and heavy ground and pound. Rodriguez does not defend takedowns very well, and Mike Perry even scored a takedown in the first round against D-Rod. If Lee stays committed to his wrestling, he should be able to maintain enough top control to grind out a dub. Lee is opening as the (-150) favorite, and that’s one hundred percent because of his wrestling advantage.

Lee isn’t a double arm amputee on the feet or anything; he has the prototypical wrestler striking with heavy power in his right hand, but it doesn’t compare to Rodriguez’s power. I wouldn’t spend any more time on the feet than is absolutely necessary if I were Kevin Lee. I think each fighter has not only a path to victory but also a path to a finish. Kevin Lee can soften up Rodriguez from the top with elbows and land a choke, and Rodriguez can put Lee away on the feet if he’s able to keep it there. I’ll take the underdog. Daniel Rodriguez via TKO, round three.

Winner: Daniel Rodriguez | Method: TKO Rd.3

Andre Petroski (-600 ) vs Michael Gillmore (+400)

Petroski: DK: $9.2k | Gillmore: DK:$7k

There’s nothing to see here other than free submission victory Fantasy points in the form of an Andre Petroski rear-naked choke finish in the second round. I fully confess, I only watched Petroski’s opponent’s, Michael Gillmore, one-minute long fight on the Ultimate Fighter, and I don’t really know what he’s good at other than tapping to rear-naked chokes. Gillmore predominantly uses his right hand to tap and has a very efficient technique using a short range of motion to generate a lot of power. He leaves no doubt that he is conceding the fight. Truth is, I didn’t think Michael Gillmore was going to be on the exam; I couldn’t find his name anywhere on the study guide.

Petroski was the middleweight favorite heading into the competition, but Bryan Battle showed resistance to Petroski’s wrestling and caught Petroski in a modified guillotine choke in the semi-finals. A division one wrestler, Andre Petroski, has the distinct advantage of determining where the fight takes place against most opposition. He’s the Webster Dictionary definition of a wrestler striker, using repetitive power shots to close the distance and level change. When on the feet, ninety percent of the time (stat not fact-checked), Petroski will throw his left straight. The other ten percent of the time, he will throw a 2-5-2 (cross-lead hand uppercut-cross) and attempt to get in on the hips for a takedown.

One of Petroski’s major malfunctions other than throwing repetitive left hands is that he squares his shoulders in anticipation of changing levels and telegraphs his takedowns. Gillmore should be looking to counter with strikes up the middle, uppercuts, knees, and snap kicks. Gillmore wasn’t originally selected for the show and only got a shot to compete in the middle of the tournament due to a fighter injury. He has a professional record of 5-3 with three TKO/KO’s, while Petroskin has a 5-1 record with all wins coming by finish. At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, and when the sun sets on this fight, it will be Andre Petroski getting his hand raised. Andre Petroski via rear-naked choke, round two.

Winner: Andre Petroski | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Gerald Meerschaert (+425 ) vs Makhmud Muradov (-650 )

Meerschaert: DK: $6.9k | Muradov: DK:$9.3k

Makhmud Muradov is the Lance Armstrong of the UFC. No, that’s not a PED reference. In combat sports, the term “get on your bike” means to circle the cage/ring and don’t stop. Muradov rides his bike, dawning the yellow jersey for the entire fight. He is the perfect example of perpetual lateral movement while staying active on the outside. Body striking, Makhmud’s is textbook, headshots to open up body shots and vice versa. Stop right now. Google Muradov’s fight against Trevor Smith. It’s one of the nastiest KO’s you’ll see. He’s a lock for first-team all KO with seventeen career TKO/KO’s and a Fantasy monster.

In his last fight against Andrew “Dirty” Sanchez, Makhmud hit Sanchez with a massive right hand haymaker that made Sanchez do the Mr. Roboto across the cage. Homie looked like he was playing Dance Dance Revolution and blew out both of his ACL’s bringing home a new high score. Sanchez looked like Crazy Legs in Don’t Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood suspended from wires performing as an MC Hammer backup dancer. “Yea I got a dream…”

Muradov is currently riding a fourteen-fight winning streak and is 3-0 in the UFC with two TKO/KO’s. His specialty is managing distance from the outside and using a low hand position to initiate strikes from multiple peripherals. He’ll bring his jab up from his waist while throwing his right-hand north/south over the top, and he’ll mix in wide looping hooks to navigate around the guard. Muradov throws a 1-2 that looks like he’s crow hopping a throw to the plate from the warning track. Makhmud’s creep status is expert; he stays on the outside looking in like The Hills Have Eyes, waiting for an opening to attack. The jab is key to managing the pocket, and Muradov uses a long jab and doubles it to stifle the opponent’s pressure.

The only way Muradov could have any more of a striking advantage than the one he will have against Gerald Meerschaert is if Muradov was fighting me after I hit the four footer. As the homie Tambo1987 on Twitter would say, Gerald Meerschaert has economy-shipping hands like when your Amazon Prime trial expires. You forget you ordered anything by the time it arrives. If Meerschaert was sitting in Plaza Level 36 Row 17 in Sofi Stadium, he’d probably be a heavy underdog to make it out of there with all of his faculties in check.

The good news for Meerschaert is that what he thought was a fart but then thought was a full-on gamble and loss turned out to be just a mere shart after all ; ) Nah, the good news is, he has solid wrestling and a heavy top game. Gerald is an uber veteran with a professional record of 32-14 with twenty-four career submissions. Unfortunately, you may remember Meerschaert from one of his greatest hits, a seventeen-second one-punch KO loss to Khamzat Chimaev last summer. To his credit, Meerschaert rebounded with a first-round submission win against Bartosz Fabinski in April.

The game plans are simple; for Meerschaert, it’s to get the fight to the ground as quickly as possible and keep it there. He needs to close the distance and press Muradov against the cage to grind him while looking for trips and top control. For Makhmud, the game plan is to stand and bang and use the jab in abundance to stay on the outside, looking for openings to throw his massive right hand. Makhmud Muradov via TKO, round two.

Winner: Makhmud | Method: TKO Rd.2

Prelims

Highlighted Matchup

Dustin Jacoby (-175) vs. Darren Stewart (+145)

Jacoby: DK: $8.8k | Stewart: DK: $7.4k

Someone is getting knocked out in this one. Dustin Jacoby is a former Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion. Jacoby is in his second stint in the UFC and also previously fought in Bellator. You don’t become a Glory Champion without world-class striking, and Jacoby definitely has it. Everything is in play for Jacoby, knees, elbows, kicks, and punches in combination. He carries his hands low but manages distance well, staying just outside of his opponent’s reach. In the clinch, he beats you up with dirty boxing and filthy elbows. Jacoby has nasty leg kicks and won his re-debut by leg kick TKO. Jacoby is coming off a draw against the Toyota Frontrunner, Ion Cutelaba, a fight that I thought Jacoby won but wasn’t quite a Valero robbery.

Darren Stewart is a strange fighter; he almost wins every fight after throwing away two-thirds of it. He basically lost his last two fights to Eryk Anders; the first fight ended in controversy when Anders eye poked Stewart as Stewart was on the verge of being TKO’d. Stewart has flashes of greatness in every fight but always seems to find the one L in a haystack of W’s. Against Kevin Holland, Stewart got his ass cracked like the Liberty Bell for the first two rounds before ending the fight in full mount dropping bombs on Holland. The fight would have been stopped if the round had lasted only ten seconds longer. Stewart has stupid power and is never out of a fight unless you sleep or tap him.

So what’s Darren Stewart’s major malfunction? Output. He’s not busy enough and gives rounds away due to passivity. Stewart will inexplicably allow himself to be held against the cage for a full round or give up a takedown and fail to attempt to scramble back to his feet. You can add Stewart to the list of fighters to never bet on because you never know which version will show up. That list includes Ovince St. Preux, Uriah Hall, and now Darren Stewart.

Stewart is rolling in as the (+140) underdog, and he is always just a bomb away from stealing a fight. Jacoby can get over aggressive and often throws an abundance of naked leg kicks, leaving himself vulnerable to counters down the middle. The difference will be the mental edge. Jacoby never falters or quits and looks like he loves violence when he’s in the cage. Sometimes when you watch Stewart, you have to wonder if he even wants to be there or if he’d rather be at Sofi stadium making ends meet as a ringer in the plaza level. Dustin Jacoby via TKO, round three.

Winner: Dustin Jacoby | Method: TKO Rd.3

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleeper

I crashed and burned last weekend with Brandon Royval. He came out causing chaos but played with fire too much, giving up his back multiple times against the best grappler in the division, Alexandre Pantoja.

This week, Pat Sabatini at plus money has plenty of value. He's a heavy wrestler who can ground Jamall Emmers and control the fight with top control while threatening with chokes. Both of The Ultimate Fighter finals provide solid underdogs. Gilbert Urbina has the striking to go toe to toe with Bryan Battle and is probably the better grappler if it goes to the mat. And Brady Hiestand can use his wrestling to put Ricky Turcios behind on the scorecards early and try to steal a decision.

But I'm rolling with Giga Chikadze at (+100). Plus money for Giga against a guy who will stand and bang with him is always a good look.

Pick 'Em

Alessio Di Chirico (-230 ) vs. Abdul Raak Alhassan (+185 )

Winner: Alessio Di Chirico

 Method: Decision 

Sam Alvey (+105 ) vs. Wellington Turman (-125 )

Winner: Wellington Turman

 Method: Decision

J.J. Aldrich (-425 ) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (+315)

Winner: J.J. Aldrich

 Method: Decision

Jamall Emmers (-155) vs. Pat Sabatini (+125)

    Winner: Jamall Emmers

 Method: Decision

Guido Cannetti (+225 ) vs. Leomana Martinez (-285 )

    Winner: Leomana Martinez

 Method: Decision

Thanks for reading LineStar Weekly Knockout! We'll be back next Thursday with another one. Until then, good luck and support your local MMA Gym.

About Me

My name is Chris Guy, and I’m an avid combat sports enthusiast and practitioner. I’ve been a fan of MMA since the early 2000s when Limewire was still around, and I downloaded Bas Rutten’s Big Book of Combat. In 2004, I started training Muay Thai at City Boxing in San Diego, CA. I competed as an amateur for many years, and I've also dabbled in Jiu-Jitsu. I follow many different disciplines, such as Combat Ji-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Glory Kickboxing, Boxing, and MMA.

I’m equally as enthusiastic about the craft of writing, and in addition to writing about combat sports, I also write short fiction and music. I hope to bring unique prose to sports writing, and along the way, encourage people to not only become Martial Arts fans but to also become Martial Artists themselves.

In the future, you may see me refer to the Thunderdome; it's an ode to the old Mad Max movie and refers to the world-class training facility I built in my one-car garage. It's complete with throw dummies, wrestling mats, heavy bags, and six months' worth of Chef Boyardee cans from when I thought the world was going to end back in March. I hope you enjoy my work, and if you don’t, the Thunderdome has an open door policy.

Check out my Podcast The Whiskey (S)ick Podcast on Apple and Spotify. Parental Advisory Warning

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