We're Back With Another LineStar Weekly Knockout!

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

Instagram: @therealsethgeko & Twitter: @DadHallOfFamer

Some of you got your first taste of glory last Thursday; it’s intoxicating. It may take a while to get your footing; the paradigm shift tends to expose alien terrain in the unlocked areas of the mind and may take getting used to. Others of you were an EpiPen in the thigh away from choking on the bitterness of defeat. Either way, victory or defeat, welcome to the fight life. Whether you took home a… Hold up, there’s another flag on the field. Pass interference, Anthony Brown. Okay, where was I? But whether you took home a dub or Tupperware full of leftover L’s, the important thing is that you fought. Thanksgiving fisticuffs are where boys become men and men become Al Bundy’s talking about how they KO’d uncle Rick and cousin Joe four times on one Thanksgiving day back in ’97.

If you broke turkey with any Cowboys fans, you undoubtedly attained invaluable Championship fight experience, the equivalent of fighting Jose Aldo in Brazil. There’s no more formidable foe than a Cowboys fan on Thanksgiving. By the way, Anthony Brown gets flagged for pass interference at the Claim Jumper salad bar. Anthony Brown gets flagged for PI while waiting in line at self-checkout. Anthony Brown gets flagged for PI on his day off, and you gotta be a special mother-shut-your-mouf to get flagged for PI on your day off.

For most of you, the bridges are smoldering rubble like weak signal fires in all directions, and the options on where to proceed are limited. It may be months or years before aunts, uncles, and in-laws are spoken to again, which means you have plenty of time to train, plenty of time to perfect the sidearm deliver that sailed the gravy boat wide right this year. Fortunately, if you are looking for a couple of fighters to model your style after in preparation for Turkey Day 2022, there are few better options than Rob Font and Jose Aldo. The two will be fighting this weekend in a banger of a main event.

Main Card

Rob Font (-115 ) vs Jose Aldo (-105)

Font: DK: $8.4k | Aldo: DK:$7.8k

Jose Aldo will always represent the one that got away. I often wonder what the UFC would look like today if that Conor McGregor left hand had been slightly off target. I’ve always thought had Aldo not walked right into that left-hand trap, we would have witnessed a classic war. For sure, McGregor’s inability to defend leg kicks would have been exposed five years before Dustin Poirier secured the patent. After the McGregor fight, Jose Aldo fell on rough times, losing twice to Max Holloway by TKO and eventually dropping down to bantamweight, where he lost his first two bouts. I thought Aldo’s window for a title run was over, seeing as he already has a loss to the current Champ, Petr Yan. But as I sit here nice and cozy next to a crackling cherry DuraFlame fire log with matching Mary Jane Christmas stockings hanging from the mantle, Jose Aldo is one big win against Rob Font away from being on the verge of another title shot.

Aldo has managed to do what eludes many great fighters heading into the twilight of their careers, maintaining his world-class physical attributes. The hand speed and power are still there; the debilitating leg kicks, the gas tank to push a heavy pace for five rounds; they’re all still there. Aldo is also a unicorn rarely found in the wild in MMA, a prominent leg kicker who can also defend leg kicks. In his last bout, Aldo put on a clinic, free of charge, on how to defend the dreaded low calf kick. He defended every single one of Pedro Munhoz’s calf kicks and completely neutralized Perdo’s best weapon. It was an impressive win for Aldo against a dangerous opponent.

In his bantamweight debut against Marlon Moraes, Aldo was robbed like a Black Friday department store smash and grab. He then lost to the Champ Petr Yan but has since won two in a row against Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz. The key for Aldo against Rob Font will be using pressure and combinations to get inside on Font. This will be a battle of boxer’s jabs; Aldo will have to have a plan to navigate around Font’s piston-like long jab, including slip-counters and using pressure to stay inside of the jab’s range. A win for Aldo won’t generate a title shot, but it will put him firmly in a title eliminator bout against Cory Sandhagen or TJ Dillashaw.

It was almost exactly a year ago that I had to be escorted out of the Sleep Train Mattress store at closing after a coma-like slumber I took on Rob Font. Even after I was custom fitted with a sleep number of seventy-seven and the mattress was delivered (free shipping) to my front door, I continued to sleep on Rob Font. I often hit the snooze button four times before he finally woke my ass up with a vicious first-round TKO of Marlon Moraes last December. I famously said if Rob Font were an actual font, he would be Times New Roman, plain and professional, and gets the job done. But upon further review, he’s more like flowing renaissance calligraphy so intricate you can’t even read it.

Font has a highly educated jab, Ph.D. He works off that jab like a pro boxer, doubling and tripling it to set up his right hand and combinations. My favorite combination is the double-jab-cross; that’s Font’s bread and butter. Font's jab is a lot like playing Mortal Kombat back in the day against someone that would use that weak little trip move over and over again and never let you get up, scoring a flawless victory and taking your quarter and sending you to the back of the line. Font keeps his laser beam jab in your face and makes it very difficult for you to close the distance or engage with combinations of your own.

Since 2014, Font has compiled a 9-3 record, including a current four-fight winning streak and five out of his last six. His losses have all come to stiff competition: Raphael Assuncao, Pedro Munoz, and the little monster John Lineker. In his last bout, Font dominated Cody Garbrandt for the better part of five rounds by controlling range with his jab and stifling Garbrandt’s explosive flurries. Font has a great understanding of how to alternate between power and finesse; he touches you with peppering shots to create openings to set up his power shots. Aldo is the opposite and throws one hundred percent into every strike.

The keys to success for Rob Font will be defending leg kicks, dominating range from the outside, and starting fast. Font is a traditionally slow starter, and Aldo is a notoriously fast starter; Font will have to strap on the gasoline boots and walk through hell early. The first round will be pivotal for Font because it will take some time getting used to Aldo’s speed, and Font can’t afford to fall behind early.

Fantasy-wise, both fighters have excellent value. Aldo’s best chance to finish the fight is in the first three rounds, while I think Font’s best chances will come late. Font is the higher output fighter on paper, averaging five and a half significant strikes per minute, and Aldo averages just over three and a half. Vegas has this fight set as a virtual pick ‘em, the definition of a complete toss-up. The main event-winning streak came to an end at just two after Meisha Tate found a way to lose to an I Love Kickboxing cardio striker two weeks ago, and a lot is riding on this one. Rob Font via TKO, round five

Winner: Rob Font | Method: TKO Rd.5

Brad Riddell (-130) vs. Rafael Fiziev (+110)

Riddell: DK: $7.9k | Fiziev: DK: $8.3k

We have a code red banger alert. If you haven’t seen Rafael Fiziev fight, make sure you don’t miss this one. Watching Fiziev fight is like watching one hundred car crashes in fifteen minutes. Every single kick or punch he throws is like a ten-car pile-up. State Farm covers Rafael Fiziev kicks as part of their basic coverage, zero deductible. This dude has scary power, especially in his kicks. Fiziev throws kicks like Mirko Cro-Cop in his prime: Right leg, emergency room; left leg, cemetery. For Fiziev, both kicks lead down golden paths to Valhalla.

Fiziev is the head trainer at Phuket Top Team in Thailand and is one of the scariest fighters in the world. Thailand is the Mecca of Muay Thai, and Fiziev has some of the best Muay Thai techniques in MMA. Thai fighters have a different approach to throwing kicks; they understand that all kicks are significant strikes and cause damage even if the kick is blocked. The Tong Po’s of the world will keep kicking your arms over and over again until you can’t use them to defend with or attack. Fiziev’s lead leg is as powerful as his rear leg, and he throws it without a switch. Switching on the lead kick gives it more power, but throwing it without a switch makes it quicker to the target and provides no tell.

But Fiziev isn’t all kicks, he uses subtle slips and counters, and his left hook is like a mini Roy Jones. Fighters become so hyper-aware of Fiziev’s kicks they forget about his hands, which are just as deadly. Fiziev bobs back and forth like Mike Tyson, and this is a multifaceted technique: 1) It provides a moving target that is hard to hit and 2) it loads up his strikes giving him extra momentum to throw his hands and shins. Rafael’s aggression allows for little dead air between exchanges, and what little dead air he allows, he spends moving laterally and probing with feints from the outside.

Rafael is 4-1 in the UFC. Someone actually beat this guy. Magomed Mustafaev TKO’d Fiziev in Fiziev’s debut with a spinning backfist. Just goes to show anybody can get got at any time in this sport. Fiziev is coming off a “win,” but it was like approaching a bank teller wearing a Richard Nixon mask; highly suspicious. Bobby “King” Green won that fight but the Valero judges gave it to Fiziev. It was a close fight and fight of the year candidate, and it’s safe to say every single Rafael Fiziev fight will be an absolute banger.

Against Brad Riddell, Fiziev will have to stay on his feet, avoid the cage, and control the center of the Octagon, forcing Riddell to kickbox with him for fifteen minutes. Brad Riddell has excellent wrestling/grappling and reminds me of a Ryan Bader action figure that no kids ever beg their parents to buy them. He has powerful wrestler striking, including a Michael Chandler-like right hand that can change any fight quickly. Riddell uses the two-three (cross-hook) combination to cover distance and has the speed to get away with it against most strikers. If Riddell can’t find different pocket entries other than using his right cross, he’s going to get countered and picked apart all night. Riddell tends to rely too much on his chin during exchanges and suffers a lot of damage because of it, but he hasn’t been forced to change his style because his right hand can bail him out of any predicament like the Joker at any time.

Riddell’s path to victory is on the mat. Fighters who kick a lot like Fiziev offer wrestlers like Riddell ample opportunity to catch kicks and score takedowns. Riddell will have to compress the cage and trap Fiziev along the fence while closing the distance behind heavy punches. If Riddell can time some of Fiziev’s kicks, he’ll have a means of scoring takedowns without having to rely on level changes.

Both fighters have excellent value. Fiziev is a bit of an oxymoron; although he has the power to sustain all of Texas during the winter, he only has one finish in five UFC bouts. Riddell has a solid output and the added advantage of scoring points from takedowns and top control. The question is Fiziev’s takedown defense and ground game from his back. They got the winter gingerbread candles on the shelves at Bath and Body Works now, and it’s time to put this one on wax. Rafael Fiziev via decision.

Winner: Rafael Fiziev | Method: Decision

Clay Guida (+135) vs. Leonardo Santos (-175)

Guida: DK: $7.4k | Santos: DK: $8.8k

Clay Guida is in the Fan Favorite Hall of Fame, a unanimous inductee. He embodies everything romanticized about the sport, heart, perseverance, underdogs, never giving up, everything we all think we are, but we're never willing to test ourselves to find out. Since 2006, Guida has fought hard to be taken seriously and shatter the mold that typecasted him after his success appearing as the Geico caveman for several years. Guida has fought thirty-one times in the UFC and holds a 16-15 record within the promotion. Before his UFC debut, Guida fought in Strikeforce and the legendary WEC and became known as an MMA Gypsy, who traveled around in his Winnebago training at different gyms throughout the U.S.

Guida’s style can never be duplicated; it’s perpetual movement personified; his striking is erratic, sporadic, dramatic, and traumatic if you’re not prepared for his pace. He bobs and weaves, weaves and bobs, bounces and skips, and is overall just unpredictable. Cardio, Clay weaponizes it, and his superiority is usually so great that it can close most skill gaps. There’s nobody in the sport that can match Guida’s pace for any length of time, and he can seamlessly flow between his herky-jerky boxing and his relentless wrestling and tests every opponent’s all-around MMA skills. If you have any holes in your game, Guida will eventually find them and exploit them.

Leonardo Santos has quietly compiled a 7-1-1 record in the UFC and was the Ultimate Fighter Brazil 2 welterweight winner. Santos made his debut almost a decade ago in 2012, but a Tony Romo-like list of injuries has often derailed his career. He has nonthreatening striking, there’s no flashy techniques, explosive athleticism, or hyper aggression to speak of, but he just seems to hang around and chip away until he gets his hand raised. The combinations he throws are basic one-twos and three-twos (jab-cross, cross-hook), but he’s smooth and uses his free hand defensively to frame and hamper the opponent’s offense. Santos will counter off the lead hand frame or use it to initiate the Thai clinch and deliver knees.

But Santos is Brazilian, and Brazilians are born wearing a gi. Leonardo Santos scored the first submission of his career via armbar on the doctor that delivered him. His top control is like an overbearing mother, stifling. The half guard is a dominant position that is rarely acknowledged as such. It provides the fighter on top with an anchor (the opponent’s legs) to hold the opponent in place underneath them while providing an arm to hold an underhook and a free hand to deliver punches and elbows. Santos loves the half guard position as a means to score top control time and significant strikes.

The key to this fight will be Santos’s cardio. Can he keep pace with Guida’s nonstop chaotic aggression? Santos will have the advantage on the feet and the mat early in the fight, but if he can’t score an early finish, look for Guida to take over late. Santos tripped on a banana peel one foot away from the finish line in his last fight against Grant Dawson and was KO’d literally at the final buzzer. He was on his way to maintaining an undefeated 8-0-1 record. I’ll take Santos to get out to an early lead and hang on for dear life in the third round. Leonardo Santos via decision.

Winner: Leonardo Santos | Method: Decision

Jimmy "Valmer" Crute (-220 ) Jamahal Hill (+185 )

Crute: DK: $9.2k | Hill: DK: $7k

This is a battle of defective limbs. Both fighters were banished to the Island of Misfit Toys in their most recent bouts after suffering severe damage to one of their extremities, making them unworthy of a spot under any child's Christmas tree. After taking a calf kick from Anthony Smith, Jimmy Crute’s leg looked like a control subject in Viagra clinical trial. His leg turned from a solid to a liquid without any increase in atmospheric temperature. Crute’s leg went dead and wouldn’t respond even after busting out the shock pads and a minute-long break between rounds.

Jamahal Hill suffered a broken arm against Paul Craig when he was caught in a triangle choke/armbar. Hill’s arm was flapping around at the point of the break and scoring significant strikes on his face when the ref finally stopped it out of pity. It looked like when a bully gets on top of you and starts making you slap yourself while yelling, “stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself.” Homie had two elbows. Homie’s arm looked like it was playing rock-paper-scissors. Hill came out on top in the end, though; he became a spokesperson for a luxury line of bidets and adopted the motto, “If you’re wiping dry, you’re just pushing it around.”

Jimmy Crute has a 4-2 UFC record, and all four of his wins have been finishes, including a submission win over the aforementioned Paul Craig. Crute combines solid kickboxing with excellent wrestling/grappling. He can hang with most fighters in the division on the feet and has two TKO/KO’s in the UFC, but in most cases, his path to victory is on the mat. This fight against Jamahal Hill will be no different. Crute will be at a slight disadvantage on the feet but will have a massive advantage on the mat. The game plan for Crute should be to avoid an ego battle on the feet and look to take down Hill repeatedly at all costs.

Jamahal Hill is a sleeper in the light heavyweight division. Other than Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev, Hill is one of the best natural strikers in the division. He’s a southpaw, and his jab has a Master's degree. A master manipulator, Jamahal manages distance at an elite level and has a left hand that can execute any life insurance policy without the fear of an ID Network three-part tell-all documentary. Hill has an excellent high output and attacks the body regularly with combinations. The counter check-hook is Hill’s most often-used defensive weapon; otherwise, he relies on his chin to defend strikes.

Again, both of these fighters have high value when it comes to Fantasy rosters. Jimmy Crute is entering as a massive (-220) favorite, and that’s a reflection of the difference in the levels of each fighter’s ground game. Jamahal Hill can KO anybody in the division, and if he can find a way to stay on his feet or scramble back to his feet consistently, he’s a real threat to finish Crute late in the fight. Hill could be a lower-tier option that could pay off big time. But I’m taking Crute to control the fight from the top position with a good shot at an early submission. Jimmy Crute via arm triangle, round two.

Winner: Jimmy Crute | Method: Arm Triangle Rd.2

Brendan Allen (-300 ) vs Chris Curtis (+250)

Allen: DK: $9.6k | Curtis: DK:$6.6k

Chris Curtis was the only thing that prevented me from achieving a perfect UFC 268 14-0 record. Like jock straps hold deez nuts, I hold grudges, and I’ll never forgive Chris Curtis for making me stand up my date with destiny. Vicariously through Brendan Allen, I will seek retribution. Fortunately for me, Brendan Allen is the far better fighter in this matchup. Curtis is stepping in against Allen on short notice and is currently a (+250) underdog.

Brendan Allen is one of the best grapplers in the middleweight division and has technical kickboxing to compliment his grappling. Although Allen is a solid striker, he tends to fall in love with his striking and forgets about the Bod Man cologne and LA Looks hair gel that got him to the big dance. Against the wild animal Sean Strickland last year, Allen got shaken down for his pogs and slap bands behind the bleachers after school. He failed to initiate any takedowns and got his ears boxed in, and was eventually finished via TKO in the second round.

I don’t want to sound like Allen can’t hang on the feet; he has just under high-level striking, and his best attribute is that he engages first more often than not. Allen signed an exclusive sponsorship deal with Pier One Imports for my “Be First & Be Often” line of throw pillows because of his inhibition to throw first. Unfortunately, Pier One Imports went out of business, but Allen and I are working on a new line of chonies and chanclas available exclusively online in mid-2022.

The question is, can Chris Curtis stay on his feet if Brendan Allen chooses the path of least resistance and attempts to take Curtis down? Curtis is a power striker with limited technical ability and was getting pieced-up-Willie in his debut just weeks ago against Phil Hawes. But Curtis kept swinging for the fences even while taking heavy damage early in the first round and showed he has the required mental toughness to compete in the UFC. Brendan Allen will have the technical advantage on the feet, but Curtis will have the one-punch knockout power advantage. I expect Curtis to come in with the Las Vegas Raiders offensive game plan, throw Hail Mary’s all over the field and let the refs call pass interference all the way down the field. Curtis should try to short play this fight and look for the early knockout without regard to possible late-round repercussions.

Is there any long-shot Fantasy value on Chris? Sure, he has fifteen career TKO’s/KO’s and twenty-seven professional wins. Knocking out fifteen grown men is impressive even if they were all Rams fans outside of Sofi Stadium. But I’m rolling with Brendan Allen via rear-naked choke, round two.

Winner: Brendan Allen | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Darian Weeks (-105 ) vs Bryan Barberena (-125)

Weeks: DK: $9.6k | Barberena: DK:$6.6k

The original matchup was supposed to feature the Immortal Matt Brown vs. Bryan Barberena. Barberena is a twelve-fight UFC veteran and has fought the absolute best competition in the welterweight division. I don't know many fighters that can say they've fought Colby Covington, Leon Edwards, and Vicente Luque. Of course, those are all names in Barberena's L column, but he did go the distance against Edwards and Covington. Bam Bam is a solid all-around fighter who has basically alternated wins and losses his entire UFC career and holds a symmetrical 6-6 record.

Darian Weeks is making his UFC debut on a week's notice, and I don't know a whole lot about him. He has a perfect 5-0 professional record and a 6-3 amateur MMA record and appears to have prototypical wrestler striking. He's fast, athletic, and explosive and has a mean streak in him when he lets his hands go. He mostly throws power hooks and overhands and has an awkward right hand that's between an overhand and a straight cross. The big question for Weeks is, is he ready for the bright lights, the big show? The toughest attribute to overcome is experience, and if this were Madden, Weeks's experience would be rated a ten, and Barberena's would be a ninety.

The odds have yet to be set, but I couldn't imagine Bryan Barberena being the sizable favorite. Baberena is coming off of a three-round war against Jason Witt, a fight in which Baberena almost pulled off a late comeback win for the ages. Almost. I think this is a good opportunity to pick an underdog, a young, explosive, hungry fighter who should hold the advantage in most physical categories, speed, power, etc. Professionally, Weeks has a one hundred percent finishing streak with five TKO/KO's and two submissions. Barberena has lost three of his last four bouts, and two of those L's were via stoppage. Darian Weeks via TKO, round two.

Winner: Darian Weeks | Method: TKO Rd.2

Prelims

Highlighted Matchup

Alonzo Menifield (-150 ) vs William Knight (+120)

Menifield: DK: $8.7k | Knight: DK:$7.5k

Banger. Somebody will be pulling up a twin mattress next to me in the Sleep Train Mattress store at the end of this one. Or… it’ll be a boring clinch fest against the cage. One or the other. Both fighters like to use wrestling-heavy game plans, but both also have heavy hands and light switch knockout power. William Knight is 10-2 with noine KO’s, and Menifield is 11-2 with eight KO’s and one submission, a nearly one hundred percent finishing rate.

These two have near-identical styles and skillsets, and the fight will be like playing Mortal Kombat using Scorpion against Scorpion. William Night will be wearing the yellow sash and Menifield the orange one. Flip a coin, and put one of these guys on your roster. Alonzo Menifield via TKO, round two.

Winner: Alonzo Menifield | Method: TKO Rd.2

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleeper

Most of the sizable underdogs on this card are strikers facing fighters with excellent wrestling and takedowns. Jamahal Hill has Ralph Wiggum stupid power and can and will cause Jimmy Crute all sorts of problems on the feet if he can keep it there or weather Crute's early storm. At (+185), Jamahal Hill has a ton of value based on his ability to end any fight. Go back and watch how he dominated OSP just before the Paul Craig debacle.

William Knight vs. Alonzo Menifield is a complete toss-up, and Knight is stepping in as the (+120) dog and has plenty of value as a finisher on the feet and the mat if he can take down Menifield.

Honorable mention shout-out goes to Mickey Gall. He's the guy who earned his way into the UFC by beating CM Punk. Hear me out. He has a 7-3 professional record, and six of those wins were by submission. Gall is a Tempur-Pedic sleeper on the mat if he can get it there. He'll be at a massive disadvantage on the feet against the awkward Alex Morono, but if Gall can get Morono's back, Morono's gonna have a bad time.

Pick 'Em

Maki Pitolo (+200 ) vs. Dusko Todorovic (-235 )

Winner: Maki Pitolo

 Method: Decision 

Manel Kape (-260 ) vs. ZhalgasZumagulov (+220 )

Winner: Manel Kape

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Jake Matthews (-195 ) vs. Jeremiah Wells (+150 )

Winner: Jeremiah Wells

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Cheyanne Buys (-200 ) vs. Mallory Martin (+170 )

    Winner: Cheyanne Buys

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Chris Gruetzemacher (+130 ) vs. Claudio Puelles (-150 )

    Winner: Claudio Puelles

 Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Azamat Murzakanov (-350 ) vs. Jared Vanderaa (+285 )

    Winner: Azamat Murzakanov

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Mickey Gall (+190 ) vs. Alex Morono (-230 )

    Winner: Alex Morono

 Method: Decision

Vince Morales (+160 ) vs. Louis Smolka (-185 )

    Winner: Louis Smolka

 Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

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