We're Back With Another LineStar Weekly Knockout!

Written by LineStar contributor, combat sports enthusiast, and practitioner, Chris Guy. More about me at the end of this newsletter.

Instagram: @therealsethgeko

Twitter: @DadHallOfFamer

Sometimes in life, before you can move forward, you have to take a look back at where you’ve been.  As I look back on last Saturday night, I see a lazy boy recliner, its armrests lightly seasoned with what looks like oregano to the untrained eye, surrounded by a scattering of empty Truly cans and Pop-Tart wrappers.  My laptop sits open on an ottoman, and heaped in the corner next to the luxury recliner lays a pair of chonies—once white but now the color of coffee-stained dentures—bisected with rare limited edition racing stripes.  What I see all adds up to provide historical evidence to support the theory of another classic fight night having gone off without a hitch.

Tapping the laptop’s trackpad, the screen immediately illuminates and displays an Amazon wish list.  At the top of the list is a three-stream bidet with temperature control.  I’m confused until I see the name of the wish list: Jacare.  I’m instantly flooded with memories from the previous night and Jacare stuck in a nasty inverted armbar and not tapping even after his arm snapped in half.  Jacare isn’t known to vary from his orthodox stance, so the bidet makes sense as a safer alternative to wiping southpaw.

The strange, unnerving image of Shane Burgos short-circuiting after getting hit with a Barboza right hand and looking immediately okay sends a stab of anxiety through my chest, and without clearing it of debris, I collapse onto the Lazy Boy with a loud crinkle.  Before the fight, I facetiously said Burgos’s defense, or lack of, was the inspiration for track four on the Slim Shady LP, “Brain Damage.” That turned out to be eerily prophetic, and in all seriousness, I hope Burgos is okay and returns to the cage soon; he’s one of my favorite current fighters.

My emotions take a turn towards sadness, remembering Tony Ferguson’s performance.  He looked like prime Tony Ferguson when he was shadowboxing into the camera while Bruce Buffer was announcing him, but those turned out to be his best strikes of the night.  I don’t know what’s next for Tony, but I do know one thing, it’s impossible to tap Tony Ferguson.

The twilight of despair gives way to the dawn of a smile on my face, envisioning Charles Oliveira with tears in his eyes lovingly embracing a six main-event-winning streak and hoisting it high into the air.  His title fight with Michael Chandler was as good a five-and-a-half-minute fight as you’ll ever see and opens the door for some wild possibilities for Oliveira’s first title defense.  Timing may prove to be Justin Gaethje’s staunchest proponent, while a title defense against the Mcgregor vs. Poirier 3 winner would be a huge money fight.

I think about cleaning the mess I made the night before, but I’ve spent enough time living in the past, and it remains just that, a thought.  Instead, I look forward, and ahead of me lies an undisturbed path, a path that leads to Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt, a certified banger.

Rob Font (-110 ) vs. Cody Grabrandt (-110)

Font: DK: $8.3k, FD: $ | Garbrandt: DK: $7.9k, FD: $

*Fight Of The Night*

Former Bantamweight Champ Cody Garbrandt briefly flirted with the flyweight division when he was scheduled to face the champ Deiveson Figueiredo late last year.  Garbrandt planned to drop weight classes after sustaining three straight losses after capturing the bantamweight crown, but the fight never materialized.  Instead, Garbrandt stayed at bantamweight and scored a huge second-round TKO of Raphael Assuncao. 

Garbrandt won the bantamweight belt after a master class performance against possibly the best bantamweight of all time, Dominick Cruz.  In a way, Garbrandt was the first to solve the Cruz puzzle.  It was the first time Cody showed patience instead of ungoverned aggression and refused to chase Cruz around the cage.  He forced Dominick to come forward and plant his feet, and Cody made Cruz pay with quick combination counters and leg kicks and knocked Cruz down multiple times in the fight.

Consistency and fight IQ have proven to be Garbrandt’s biggest weaknesses over the years.  It’s like there are two Cody’s in the cage, and the fight is between the real Cody that fights intelligent and patient, and an evil twin named Hugo that he locks in the attic but escapes on occasion and takes over Cody’s mind and gets him KO’d in firefights.  

The good Cody has excellent boxing, complete with Canelo-like head movement and footwork that he uses to evade strikes and attack at angles.  The evil Hugo-Cody doesn’t use any head movement or footwork and only attacks in straight lines and gets drawn into ridiculous firefights.  Hugo-Cody reacts emotionally when he gets hit and immediately attacks out of anger and gets drawn into extended exchanges in the pocket.  When Cody starts stringing together long combos, his rear foot drifts forward, and his feet and shoulders square up, leaving him vulnerable and at the mercy of 50/50 exchanges.  Cody flipped a coin and engaged in 50/50 exchanges twice against nuclear cheater T.J. Dillashaw and once against Pedro Munoz instead of methodically boxing from the outside.  All three times, the coin landed on KO.  

Last summer, good Cody showed up and put on a boxing clinic against Assuncao that culminated in one of the nastiest walk-off KO’s at the buzzer of the second round that you will ever see.  Good Cody refused to engage in the pocket and picked apart Raphael from the outside with short two punch combinations while maintaining perpetual bilateral movement.

Garbrandt’s best weapons are his hand speed and the two-three combination (cross-lead hook).  He likes to close the distance behind his piston right hand and sneak the lead hook behind it and around the opponent’s guard.  Cody is also a voyeur kicker; they’re always naked.  The low calf kick, in particular, is his best kick; he also has heavy round kicks to the body, but he never throws them in combination with his hands.  Cody is a boxer with kicks and not necessarily a kickboxer.

On the opposite side of the cage will be Rob Font.  Last December, I slept on Rob, hitting the snooze button four times before he woke my ass up with a vicious first-round TKO of Marlon Moraes.  I famously said if Rob Font were an actual font, he would be Times New Roman, plain and professional, and gets the job done.  Upon further review, he’s more like flowing renaissance calligraphy so intricate you can’t even read it.

Rob Font is training partners with Calvin Kattar and has a very similar style to Kattar; he may even have a few more skills in his arsenal than Kattar.  Font’s 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.  I can’t emphasize enough how well he uses the jab.  It's 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 an 8-3 record, including a current three-fight winning streak and four out of his last five.  His losses have all come to stiff competition: Raphael Assuncao, Pedro Munoz, and the little monster John Lineker.  He pappy’d Marlon Moraes in his most recent bout, dragged Moraes through the mall, and threw him up on the Koala Station.  Rob was taken down early in the fight but managed back to his feet and peppered Moraes with the jab and bullied him with pressure and heavy combinations.  It was an eye-opening performance and vaulted Font onto the fringe of the title challenger conversation.  A win over Garbrandt cements him in that conversation.

I said Font may have more tools than his homie Calvin Kattar, and those would be UFC experience, excellent grappling from his back, and takedowns to diversify his attacks.  He can engage in a full-on MMA bout wherever the fight goes, and he has a special move in his back pocket, a Shoryuken he uses behind the one-two and the double-jab.  The rear uppercut is the most misused strike in MMA.  Too often, fighters throw it naked and use it to cover too much distance.  It’s a risky strike that leaves you vulnerable to overhand counters.  Font hides the power uppercut behind short combos and slips it through the guard.  Keep an eye out for it.

The key for Font will be to cover and return.  Garbrandt has exceptional hand speed, and it’s hard to deal with, so Font will have to feel Cody’s punches against his guard and return fire.  It will require a little time for Font to adjust to Cody’s speed, and he may struggle early in the fight, but I think once he settles in, he has a more varied attack and fights longer than Cody and will eventually take over.  You already know, Cody needs to avoid a firefight at all costs and stay calculated on the outside.  In and out, stick and move.  He can’t get drawn into a war against Font and needs to use those calf kicks not just early in the fight but throughout.

Here we go, the main event winning-streak is on the line and sits at six.  I would advise both fighters to clear their browser histories before the fight; the likelihood of this fight ending before the final bell is high.  On wax, Rob Font via TKO, round three.  #Seven.

Winner: Rob Font | Method: TKO Rd.3

Yan Xiaonan (-125 ) vs Carla Esparza (+105)

Xiaonan: DK: $8.6k, FD:$ | Esparza: DK:$7.6k, FD:$

I can’t, and I won’t lie to my loyal readers and supporters; this fight has strong ASMR feels.  It could be the perfect remedy for insomniacs to enjoy a coma-like full-night sleep.  Why? Carla Esparza.  Don’t get me wrong; she’s good.  But her style is like cow tipping; once they hit the ground, all the fun is over.

Little known fact, Carla Esparza was the first-ever strawweight champion.  She won The Ultimate Fighter by beating Rose Namajunas in the finale for the inaugural strap.  Her first title defense was unsuccessful as Joanna Jedgsdgkljdz placed hands all over Esparza and handled her aggressively on the way to a second-round mollywop.

It’s wrestling or catch an ass-whoopin' for Esparza.  Her wrestling is elite and among the best in women’s MMA.  Her entries are well-timed, and she changes levels quickly and can run through single or double legs.  Esparza’s takedowns are so effective because she doesn’t give up on them and turns the corner and drives through the opponent at an angle instead of just shooting from directly in front, making it difficult to escape the hips.   She’s a throwback ground and pound practitioner and will sit in the guard and chip away with punches and elbows without showing an urgency to advance position.

Esparza gets into trouble when her striking is rendered useless, and she resorts to shooting without setups and from too far away.  Her hands just aren’t.  It’s one right hand that she throws sloppily and lacks very basic fundamentals, including a purposeful jab or any ability to put combinations together.  Fortunately for Esparza, if she can get a hold of any part of you, an ankle, a leg, a finger, you’re going down to the mat.  If she can’t score takedowns consistently after the first round against Yan Xiaonan, she’ll be in a heap of trouble.

Yan Xiaonan is 13-1 and a quiet 6-0 in the UFC.  She’s coming off of a decision win against Claudia Gadelha, a fight that Yan was able to control on the outside with long striking.  Gadelha was able to take Yan down, but Yan showed a strong ability to scramble and get back to her feet.  The problem for Yan is that Gadelha doesn’t have the same level of commitment to takedowns that Esparza does and nowhere near the same technical ability.

Yan wins a lot of her fights by outworking her opponents and using short combos from the outside.  In many of her fights, Yan uses a very effective side-kick like we saw Michelle Waterson repeatedly use two weeks ago against Marina Rodriguez.  The side-kick will come in handy against Esparza; Yan can use it to disrupt Esparza’s timing and pocket entries.  Yan also uses round kicks well and throws them like a traditional kickboxer behind her hand combinations.  Finishing combinations with your lead hand: Manny Pacquiao and Vasyl Lomachenko (two all-time great boxers) often end combinations with their lead hand and sneak it over the opponent’s lead shoulder.  It’s a good way to cover a little more distance in a way the opponent can’t judge.  Yan does this consistently with her combinations.

The key for Xiaonan will be staying away from the warning track and subsequently away from the cage.  If she’s going to be taken down, she should force Esparza to take her down in the open mat.  When she is taken down, because she will be, she needs to mount her own offense from the bottom with elbows and force scrambles at all cost.  For Esparza, the key is takedowns and making this fight a grinding slow, boring fight.  A dub is a dub, and she shouldn’t care any less if I’m watching or in the Thunderdome politicking with Mary Jane.

That being said, Esparza isn’t much of a finisher, but she can score Fantasy points with top control and peppering ground and pound that adds up quickly.  Yan’s six UFC dubs have all come via decision, so you can also rule out any finishing points from her, but she has a high output and will have a big advantage on the feet.  Esparza is coming in as the slight dog and has a lot of value as such, but I’m going with Yan Xiaonan to stay on the feet long enough to edge out a split decision.  Yan Xiaonan via decision.

Winner: Yan Xiaonan | Method: Decision

Justin Tafa (-190) vs. Jared Vanderaa (+155)

Tafa: DK: $9k, FD:$ | Vanderaa: DK: $7.2k, FD:$

This is a fight you’d expect to see in front of the soft-serve machine at HomeTown Buffet, back when buffets were still allowed to exist. Someone’s going to be buffering like my man Shane Burgos at the end of this one, and Spoiler Alert, it’s going to be Jared Vanderaa.

These are two huge heavyweights, and only one has solid technical skills, and that’s Justin Tafa.  Don’t let Tafa’s gluttonous appearance fool you; he has deceptive striking from the southpaw stance with heavy power in his left hand and surprising dexterity in his left leg.  Tafa is the actual definition of a one-punch striker, as I think it is against his religious beliefs to use any combinations.  You may see an occasional one-two on certain holidays, but restrictions may apply.  He has a nasty left-round kick to the body, naked, and uses his lead leg to throw outside leg kicks to orthodox fighters.

I’m going to give you my exact notes on Jared Vanderaa.  I quote: “Turn the other cheek defense.  Backs up in a straight line eating all the punches.  Made his way up through the Flying J circuit.  That’s all I got.  I was hoping this wouldn’t be on the main card.”  End quote.

Justin Tafa via TKO, round two.  Wax on, wax off.

Winner: Justin Tafa | Method: TKO Rd.2

"Bye" Felicia Spencer (-170 ) vs Norma Dumont (+140)

Spencer: DK: $8.7k, FD:$ | Dumont: DK: $7.5k, FD:$

 I think this fight is more worthy of the co-main event spot than Xioanan vs. Esparza.  This one right here is a crunchy little banger.  Felicia Spencer is as tough a fighter as you’ll see in the UFC.  She is the only woman alive that can say she survived encounters with Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg Santos.  Spencer went the distance against both female GOATS and had her moments against Cyborg in which she caused her some problems.  Amanda Nunes… not so much.  But she survived five rounds against Nunes, and you may not believe in moral victories, but I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan, and if I didn’t value moral victories, I wouldn’t have a damn thing for the last quarter-century.

Spencer reminds me of the female version of Chris Leben; she takes heavy damage but never stops coming forward and throwing haymakers and cutting standing elbows.  I think Spencer has better elbows than she does hands.  Her style on the feet is awkward and unorthodox, and she likes to initiate the collar tie clinch much like Daniel Cormier does.  She will throw overhands and leave her arm extended instead of returning her hand back to her face and use it to control the opponent’s head and neck.  

“Bye” Felicia is grimey, a straight heathen that will never ever quit and would be the women’s Featherweight Champion if it weren’t for Amanda Nunes.  Spencer’s hands on the feet are her weakness, but she has excellent takedowns and grappling and has better strikes from the top position than she does standing.  If she can achieve the mount against Norma Dumont, it’s a wrap.  Wrap-It-Up-B.  Pack it up, pack it in, let me begin.  Felicia’s elbows from the top are fight-enders and require four seams like baseballs to close the damage they cause.

Norma Dumont is a savage in her own right.  She’s a hyper-aggressive Brazilian Muay Thai fighter with bombs in both hands.  She’ll have a decisive advantage on the feet and will be tough for Spencer to take down regularly.  Norma has an excellent bounce to her stance.  It allows her to move in and out quickly and manipulate the pocket to her advantage.  She uses sharp, short two-punch combos and likes to unload three to four-punch flurries to counter her opponent’s forward pressure.

Dumont is 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the UFC, her lone loss coming to Megan Anderson in her debut.  Dumont was caught being too aggressive and telegraphing her attacks and ate a massive Anderson right-hand counter on her way inside and was KO’d in the first round.  The key for Dumont will be staying on her feet and forcing Felicia to kickbox for extended periods.  She has solid grappling from the top position, but I haven’t seen anything from her guard.  Forcing scrambles will be crucial for Dumont if she ends up on her back.

There’s good value for Dumont if she can maintain outside pocket presence and stay upright, but I think Spencer can make it an ugly fight and find a way to get Domont to the mat.  Felicia Spencer via decision. 

Winner: Felicia Spencer | Method: Decision

David Dvorak (-150 ) vs Raulian Paiva (+125)

Dvorak: DK: $8.8k, FD:$ |Paiva: DK:$ 7.4k, FD:$

Who vs. who?  This one right here is like watching a booger on your wall dry when you were six or seven or thirty-six.  It’s oddly satisfying in the beginning but gets old quickly.  This is a battle between two JAG’s (Just A Guy).  David Dvorak and Raulian Paiva are two vanilla point strikers who don’t take many risks.

Dvorak tends to think too much.  He’s a lot like Data in Goonies; he makes precise calculations before making any moves.  As a result, he’s a low to moderate output striker and will be involved in mostly close decision fights.  His defense-first style has afforded him a shiny 19-3 overall record, including 2-0 in the UFC.  Counter striking is Dvorak’s best skill, and he likes to counter over the top of the opponent’s strikes with an overhand right or a check step back hook.

Raulian Paiva fights like he’s missing half his body like Gus Fring.  He relies heavily on right-hand strikes from the orthodox stance and often attempts to close distance with his cross rather than using his jab.  Paiva’s head movement is on par with Donald Cerrone’s; zero point zero.  Although his leg kicks are effective when they land, Paiva leaves his head straight up on a flagpole.  A good striker will give up the leg kick to punch through them and land heavy counters.  Overall, Paiva’s hands are a little sloppy, but he has a higher output than Dvorak.  He may be able to outwork Dvorak and steal close rounds base on output more than effectiveness.

This should remain on the feet for nearly the entire duration, and in the end, David Dvorak is the more technical striker and can use Paiva’s aggression against him to land the more effective strikes.  David Dvorak via decision.

Winner: David Dvorak | Method: Decision

Jack Hermansson (-165 ) vs Eden Shahbazyan (+135)

Hermansson: DK: $8.9k, FD:$ |Shahbazyan: DK:$ 7.3k, FD:$

I have a special kind of beef with Edmen Shahbazyan.  The first-ever Weekly Knockout featured Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson, and I typed my fingers raw touting Shahbazyan.  I may have even crowned him the future champ; I don’t know because I can’t bring myself to go back and revisit that cringe.  I completely wrote off Brunson, and he went out and KO’d Shahbazyan, twice.

In the first round, you’ll swear Edmen was the champion.  He has technical boxing and surprisingly good hands, having come up under the tutelage of one of the worst coaches in America, Ronda Rousey’s former coach Edmend Tarverdyan.  If I had to choose between training under Tarverdyan or Master Rex from Rex Kwon Do… well, I already have the American flag hotpants.   Shahbazyan has a Jake Paul-like right hand that can end any fight real quick, but he leads with it too often, and his lead hand is like Hanson’s from Scary Movie, useless.

Edmen has solid wrestling and clinch work and has a strong top game, but he lacks urgency to finish the fight on the ground and when he chooses to wrestle, he gasses out quicker.  Against a grappling Ace like Jack Hermansson, I don’t think he’s going to want to mess around in Jack’s guard too much.  Shahbazyan’s path to victory is in the first round on the feet.  Hermansson struggles defensively on his feet and can be overwhelmed by volume.  BUT, big but, the same can be said of Shahbazyan; he can’t defend volume and second level, three to four-punch combos.

Hermansson is a dog.  He’s a fighter who I will never bet on.  A lot like Glover Teixeira, Hermansson looks like he’s on the verge of unconsciousness at some point in every fight, and it’s usually early.  When he survives early adversity, he gets a second wind and claws his way back into the fight behind awkward, stiff, yet effective striking.

The Joker’s striking is mostly dependent on the use of long-range kicks to the body and legs.  He’s an excellent kicker, but his hands are below average.  Hermansson can survive on his feet with most in the division if he can establish his range outside the pocket.  But if the opponent can get inside his long reach, he can't exchange in close quarters and struggles.  Herm doesn’t put combinations together fluidly and is a one-punch striker who lacks power.  But he’s Gandalf on the mat, a wizard with submissions from his guard and the top position. 

Shahbazyan is coming in as the (+130) dog and has a lot of value.  I like Edmen’s chances of scoring an early finish if he can come out, pace himself, and pick his shots.  If Hermansson can get out of the first round, I like his chances to take over the second half of the fight as the more active fighter and has a great shot at a late fight submission.  On wax, Jack Hermannson via guillotine, round three.

Winner: Jack Hermansson | Method: Guillotine Choke Rd.3

Prelims

Highlighted Matchup

Ricardo Ramos (+105) vs. Bill Algeo (-125)

Ramos: DK: $7.7k, FD:$ | Algeo: DK: $8.5k, FD:$  

Sick fight right here.  This should be a fun kickboxing match, featuring a lot of spinning s!#t.  Bill Algeo uses a Payless Wonderboy Karate stance and has Ramen Noodle lanky strikes.  His hand speed is seven to ten-day economy; you forgot you ordered anything by the time it finally arrives.  Much like the inflatable wavy-arm man outside of a carwash, Algeo stays busy.  He continually peppers from the outside with a wide variety of kicks and long punches.

Algeo lacks power.  Some may call that an understatement.  His strikes bounce off the target and make boinking sounds when they land.  But Algeo is fun to watch; he uses both stances to throw everything, starting with the kitchen sink.  

Ricardo Ramos is a much more technical and dangerous striker with a traditional Brazillian Muay Thai style.  Ramos looks a lot like Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira on the feet, but he has a much more diverse arsenal of kicks.  Calf kicks, teep kicks, round kicks, Ricardo Ramos even uses a soccer rainbow kick to distract his opponents.  Ramos uses a unique spinning back elbow counter when the opponent pressures.  He retreats out of the pocket, baiting the opponent to continue chasing him, and when they do, Ramos stops on a dime and spins and throws the rear elbow.  Opponents literally run into it, and Ramos throws it often like a fundamental strike.  It’s sneaky, and if it lands, it’s lights out.

The grappling advantage goes to Ramos.  He can take down Algeo and work chokes from the top position.  Algeo has serious cardio issues late in fights, and Ramos might be able to find a late submission.  Not too long ago, Ricardo Ramos was a highly touted future contender; this is a fight he should win.  Ricardo Ramos via TKO, spinning back elbow, round two.  Why not?

Winner: Ricardo Ramos | Method: TKO Rd. 2

Fighter Spotlight

 Damir Ismagulov (-600) DK: $9.5k

 Damir Ismagulov is the official spokesman for my “Be First & Be Often” brand, set to make its first appearance in Bed Bath & Beyond brick and mortar stores in the late Fall of 2030. Name a top ten or even top five lightweight, and this guy can compete with any of them.  Ismagulov is a technical kickboxer who can strike while moving in any direction and is as good a counter striker as he is as an attacker.  His last name ends in “lov,” so you already know he can wrestle/grapple and is a polished 19-1, and currently on a fourteen-fight dub streak.  I was hoping the oddsmakers would sleep on my man Damir, but he’s entering his bout against Rafael Alves as a massive (-600) favorite.  This dude is solid, and I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot about him in the future.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleeper

Last week I dropped an Andy Jackson on Michael Chandler and was one or two follow-up shots away from cashing in. If Chandler had let Oliveira get back to his feet after the late knockdown, there's little doubt that Chandler could have stopped Oliveira, but...he didn't, and he didn't. 

If you look at the undercard, you'll see some big dogs down there, but don't get hornswoggled. Those odds are what they are for a reason. The Joshua Culibao vs. Sha Yilan matchup is interesting, but I couldn't find any footage on the (+200) dog Yilan. Everything I read about him says he has a strong wrestling/grappling game, and he's facing a guy, Culibao, who's 0-1-1 in his young UFC career. Culibao is far from a world-beater, and there might/maybe/possibly be a little value on Yilan as a complete sleeper.

But I'm face-planting my man Jackson down of Edmen Shahbazyan. Hermansson's stand-up is very shaky, especially early, and all of Shahbazyan's ten career stoppages have come in the first round, with three of them coming in the UFC. For one round, I like Shahbazyan's chances to pressure Hermansson and land something heavy early.

Pick 'Em

Ben Rothwell (-325 ) vs. Chris Barnett (+250 )

            Winner: Ben Rothwell

 Method: TKO Choke Rd.3 

Court Mcgee (-110 ) vs. Claudio Silva (-110 )

            Winner: Claudio Silva

 Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Victor Rodriguez (+265 ) vs. Bruno Silva (-350)

Winner: Bruno Silva

 Method: Decision

Joshua Culibao (-250) vs. Sha Yilan (+200)

*Picking Stevie Wonder (No footage of Yilan)*

    Winner: Joshua Culibao

 Method: Decision

Yancy Modeiros (+100) vs. Damir Hadzovic (-120)

    Winner: Yancy Modeiros

 Method: Decision

Rafael Alves (+400) vs. Damir Ismagulov (-600)

    Winner: Damir Ismagulov

 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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