We're Back With Another LineStar Weekly Knockout!

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

Instagram: @therealsethgeko & Twitter: @DadHallOfFamer

There’s victory in defeat. It’s the first step. It’s the decision to risk failure. Most trip on the first step and stumble through life, struggling to find meaning.

Atychiphobia: The fear of failing. Sometimes inverting something and examining it from a different angle can provide a more meaningful perspective. Atychiphobia: The fear of success.

Fear is the mind killer.

It’s paralyzing venom that courses through the body slowly so as to not alert the system. Asymptomatic. The first signs, the only signs, are terminal, only appearing when it’s too late. Too late to go back and do things over. Too late to risk the result you feared but ended up with anyways.

When it comes to Mixed Martial Arts, the biggest victory is making the walk. The only true defeat is making excuses not to. There’s a common misconception about MMA that the biggest stars are the loudest, most brash individuals. Take another look. Not on social media. Take a look on fight night at the crowds and how they react to fighters like Bobby Green and Gilbert Burns, who step up when others won’t. Fighters who accept a seemingly impossible task with complete disregard for the likely result.

Some people enter a crosswalk, see headlights coming at them and freeze. Others jump out of the way. Gilbert Burns somersaults out that bish, chases the asshole down, and enacts retribution.

Last weekend, Gilbert not only stood up to the boogieman, but he had the boogieman clinging to his legs for dear life at the end of the second round. Within the confines of a thirty-five-foot octagon, Gilbert Burns went down in defeat; outside of them he achieved the ultimate victory, inspiration.

Main Card

Belal Muhammad (+150) vs Vicente Luque (-170)

Muhammad: DK: $7.7k | Luque: DK:$8.5k

We learned a couple of things last weekend. The first thing we learned is that Khamzat Chimaev is beatable. The second, Chimaev isn’t ready to face Kamaru Usman. That puts the winner of Belal Muhammad vs. Vicente Luque in play as an opponent for Chimaev’s next bout. Before the Gilbert Burns fight, Dana White said Chimaev would likely face Colby Covington if he beat Burns. If that fight doesn’t materialize, the winner of this bout would be a logical backup plan.

Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad are both underrated veterans who fought each other back in 2016. That fight ended in just over a minute after a Luque left hook ended Muhammad’s night. Since then, Muhammad has only lost once in his last twelve fights. Luque has been on a tear of his own. Since 2015, Luque has gone 14-2, with his two losses coming to Wonderboy Thompson and Leon Edwards. Like I said, both of these guys are underrated.

The problem with the first fight between these guys is that you can’t really take away much from it. Belal got caught early and it was a wrap. We didn’t get to see if Luque can defend against Belal’s takedowns, Belal’s bread and butter. This time around, the fight will be determined by the effectiveness of Belal’s wrestling.

In his last bout, Luque faced Michael Chiesa and was taken down and gave up his back in the opening minutes. But everything about Luque is underrated, including his grappling/submission game. He survived, reversed the position, and locked in a D’arce choke before Chiesa could scramble back to his feet. That was Luque’s eighth career submission win to go along with eleven career TKO/KO’s.

Despite his confidence on the mat, Luque’s path to victory will be through his stand-up and attacking with leg kicks early. Luque uses low calf kicks in high volume; he can render Belal’s takedowns useless real quick. Dhiego Lima exposed Muhammad’s inability to defend leg kicks in a fight last year, and Luque will no doubt look to do the same thing. It’s simple, if you can’t stand on your lead leg, you can’t shoot. If you can’t shoot, you can’t take anyone down. If this turns into a twenty-five-minute kickboxing match, Luque will have a big advantage.

This is a very tricky matchup for Luque. He’s not a distance fighter and needs to be in the pocket to land his heavy hooks. That’s a dangerous place to be with a guy who’s looking to level change from the same range. Luque is a flatfooted, plodding power striker who doesn’t use much footwork to create angles. He’ll be a stationary target standing in front of Belal all night. Volume will be the key for Luque and attacking the body to make it hard for Belal to duck under his strikes.

By no means is Belal Muhammad a slouch on the feet; he has awkward unorthodox boxing and attacks from unconventional angles. Belal attacks the body with combinations and changes levels mid sequence and never stops moving forward. He moves his head off the centerline and rolls off punches allowing him to avoid counters. There’s no problem Belal can’t punch his way out of. Even when he’s not getting the better of the exchanges, Belal stays busy and presses forward.

But I’ve noticed something about Belal’s striking, and if I’ve noticed, Vicente Luque has, too. Muhammad tends to slip strikes almost exclusively to his right. To an orthodox fighter, Belal ducks right into lead-leg head kicks and left hooks. And the left hook is Luque’s light switch.

I expect Belal to come out and pressure Luque, get Luque moving backward so he can initiate a take down right out the gate. Much like we saw with Aljamain Sterling against Petr Yan last weekend, Belal is savvy at taking the back. You will see similar grappling exchanges in this fight. Belal will look to advance into dominant positions during scrambles, as Luque will be desperate to get back to his feet.

Fantasy-wise, Luque is the finishing threat. Despite a heavy wrestling style, Muhammad only has one career submission. He’s a top control, position over submission grappler with fifteen career decision wins and only four TKO/KO’s. Luque has more wins by submissions than Muhammad has total finishes. If Luque stays on his feet, he wins. If he doesn’t, Belal will grind out a decision win. The main event losing streak ended last week after Alexander Volkanovski put some Will Smith disrespect on the ass-whooping he gave the Korean Zombie. Here’s to streaking again: Belal Muhammad via decision.

Winner: Belal Muhammad | Method: Decision

Caio Borralho (+120) vs. Gadzhi Omargadshiev (-145)

Borralho: DK: $7.8k | Omargadshiev: DK: $8.4k

Who the fook are these guys? I don’t remember two debuting fighters ever co-headlining a card before. But here we are. The good news is, this should be an undercover banger.

Caio Borralho is a Dollar General Lyoto Machida. He’s a southpaw who uses a bladed upright karate stance and relies on in/out movement to attack and defend. Borralho has two special moves, a counter-check right hook, and a retreating flying knee. The flying knee is a timing technique that he throws repeatedly throughout the fight. As he retreats under pressure, Caio will leap into a flying knee, and the opponent will walk right into it. Against a wrestler like Gadzhi Omargadzhiev, this strike could be deadly. Borralho also has quick hands and heavy rear-leg round kicks.

The vulnerabilities in the karate stance are the upright head position and the in/out movement. Caio’s head rarely moves off the centerline, and he has to leap into the pocket to cover distance and leap out to avoid counters. In/out movement can be timed and countered with strikes and level change takedowns. The game plan for Caio will be to maintain distance and keep the fight standing. Up the middle strikes will be pivotal for Borralho to deter Omargadzhiev from level changing.

Gadzhi Omargadzhiev is undefeated with a perfect 13-0 record. He’s a ground specialist who reminds me a lot of Bruno Silva. Omargadzhiev throws nothing but Donkey Kong clubbing haymakers on the feet and the mat. Homie looks like he’s trying to gun Griffey out at the plate from left-centerfield with every strike. His striking isn’t pretty and is often downright sloppy, but he has Chief Wiggum stupid power. Power he uses to bully people into the cage where he can initiate takedowns.

Once he gets the takedown, Gadzhi is a throwback from the top position. He’ll sit in the half guard and deliver knees to the body and the shoulders. Yes, Charlie Horses. This dude uses knees to the arms to cause Charlie Horses that immobilize over time. Omargadzhiev has eight career wins via TKO/KO, and I’m sure most of them came from vicious ground and pound.

This is grappler vs. striker in its most classic form. More times than not, the wrestler/grappler wins these match-ups. There’s no greater advantage than being able to dictate where it takes place. It’s the MMA equivalent of knowing what pitch is coming. Both fighters have excellent finishing rates, so a full fifteen minutes is unlikely. Omargadzhiev is the (-140) favorite, a reflection of his dominant ground game. As a dog, Caio has a ton of value as a middle/lower tier fighter, especially late in the fight when takedowns get harder to secure. But, I think Gadzhi will relocate the fight and cause heavy damage from the top. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev via TKO, round two.

Winner: Gadzhi Omargadzhiev | Method: TKO Rd.2

Miguel Baeza (-175) vs. Andre Fialho (+145)

Baeza: DK: $8.7k | Fialho: DK: $7.5k

Walk with me. We’re going way back. Andre Fialho reminds me of Baby Sinclair from the 90s TV show, Dinosaurs. Fialho would be an adult version of Baby Sinclair if they made a modern reboot of the show. Baby Sinclair grows up to be a cage fighter who steals Shogun Rua’s whole style and goes on to be the greatest fighter of all time. And one day, Shogun shows up at an award show Fialho is hosting and slaps the shit outta Fialho on stage. Something like that. That’s what they call a soft pitch in the business.

Anywho, this fight should be a crunchy little banger. Andre Fialho is making his second appearance in the UFC after taking a short notice debut against First Team All Moon Howler Michel Pereira. Fialho was competitive throughout the fight and won the second round, but in the end, Pereira’s cartwheeling and backflips were too much.

There’s a serious Mauricio Shogun Rua vibe with Andre Fialho. He has a similar stature and short overhand hooks. Fialho uses tight technical kickboxing and has a solid defensive feel, using rolls and slips when he feels out of position. His lead hook is his go-to weapon, and he uses intermittent periods of aggression throughout the fight.

Fialho has an excellent professional record of 14-4, with eleven TKO/KO’s and one submission; he’s a finisher. Fialho’s major malfunction, he can’t fight moving backward, only forward, and constantly crouches to his power side to slip punches. That’s a tell that can get you kicked in the head real quick. Against Miguel Baeza, Fialho needs to increase his volume and shorten the time between engagements. Although his stature is similar to Shogun’s, Fialho’s aggression isn’t even close. Fialho allows for too much dead air and often spends time following his opponent around the cage instead of cutting it off and attacking.

Miguel Baeza was once a highly-touted prospect with a 10-0 record. Then he suffered his first loss to “The Ponz” Santiago Ponzinibio in an all-out war. Then-then he fought Khaos Williams, engaged in another all-out war, and got KO’d in the third round. Now Baeza is 10-2 and facing the dreaded UFC three-fight losing streak.

Leg kicks: can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. Miguel Baeza lives and dies by the leg kick. They're a big part of Baeza’s offense, but he throws them almost exclusively naked with nothing in front of them. Baeza had Khaos Williams’ lead leg hanging on by a vein during their bout. But Khaos eventually timed one and dropped the whammy. Without a setup, leg kicks are very risky. Most fighters will give up a leg kick to land a power hand counter.

Baeza has the classic upright Brazilian Muay Thai and looks a lot like the Lightweight Champion, Charles Oliveira. Baeza doesn’t open up very much and is a relatively low output striker, but he chooses his openings wisely and has long, straight punches that he can fit between tight hand guards. He won his UFC debut by leg kick TKO and has finished all three of his UFC wins.

This fight card is filled with complete toss-ups. Pick ‘ems are going to look ugly this week. Baeza is coming in as the (-175) favorite, but Fialho will have a lot of value as a low-tier roster option. If he pressures Baeza and extends combinations, he can win this fight. But, at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, I think Baeza’s leg kicks will slow down Fialho if Baeza hides them. Miguel Baeza via decision.

Winner: Miguel Baeza | Method: Decision

Mayra Bueno Silva (-475) vs. Wu Yanan (+350)

Silva: DK: $9.3k | Wu: DK: $6.9k

Fantasy points are going to be scarce for this fight. You’ll likely come away Fantasy point famished after this one. On some Oregon Trail type-ish, looking around at your wagon-mates as potential fantasy points when all the food runs out. You’ll find yourself on the corner with a clever quip written on a piece of cardboard begging for fantasy points. “Anything you can spare will help.” 

Mayra Bueno Silva fights like Wanderlei Silva, with the same rounded shoulder stalking style. Everything she throws is heavy, and she uses a good mix of kicks and punches. Like Wanderlei, she is very aggressive with constant forward pressure. But Bueno Silva is flatfooted and stiff and the definition of a one-punch striker.

Silva’s path to victory will be using her Jiu-Jitsu to control the top position. Five of Bueno Silva’s seven professional wins have come via submission; four were armbars. If Silva gets stuck in a kickboxing match, she’s likely to get out-worked and end up on the wrong side of a decision.

Yanan Wu has an odd kickboxing style. It looks like she’s fighting in sync with the rhythm of an unknown song playing inside her head. I’ve tried to make out the tune, and I think it’s Ace Of Base's “The Sign.” Wu bobs and grooves to the beat while throwing short combinations from odd angles. Her style is like pretending you’re busy at work, typing blank emails all day, so when the boss walks by, he/she thinks you’re trying to win the employee of the month parking spot. Wu just stays busy with no real fervor or gusto. She punches just for the sake of punching and out-pointing the opponent.

But Wu is a surprisingly good finisher, having finished eleven of her twelve pro wins, five subs, and six TKO/KO’s. None of those have come in her four UFC bouts, though, and she holds a 1-3 record within the promotion.

I think Silva will be able to eke out a decision if she can score a couple of takedowns and clock some top control time. I don’t see a finish either way. Mayra Bueno Silva via decision.

Winner: Mayra Bueno Silva  | Method: Decision

Pat Sabatini (-500) vs TJ Laramie (+350)

Sabatini: DK: $9.2k | Laramie: DK:$7k

This fight is like if you woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of a scuffle outside your window and saw your lawn gnomes scrapping in the front yard. These guys can barely ride the rides at Chuck E. Cheese. What rides? Both these guys eat free at Denny’s and get maze placemats with a three pack of crayons to play with while they wait for their happy face pancakes.

That being said, Pat Sabatini is a little grappling monster, and TJ Laramie is in for a long-short night, if you know what I mean. Pat Sabatini is going to grapple Picasso sketches around Laramie. This is as close to guaranteed finishing points as you will get.

TJ Laramie is also a strong grappler with throwback Mark Coleman/Tito Ortiz ground and pound from inside the opponent's guard, but there are levels to this ish, and Laramie just isn’t in Sabatini’s league. Laramie was choked out quicker than Taco Bell regrets (under a minute) in his debut against Darrick Minner, and Sabatini is a better grappler than Minner. Pat Sabatini via rear-naked-choke, round two.

Winner: Pat Sabatini | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Ange Loosa (+210) vs Mounir Lazzez (-250)

Loosa: DK: $ k | Lazzez: DK:$ k

Welp, there goes a certified banger. Ange Loosa is stepping in for Elizeu Dos Santos on just four days' notice. Lazzez goes from fighting a guy who almost Apollo Creed’d someone in his last fight and what would have been a likely L to a very favorable matchup.

Mounir Lazzez has my style; when I used to dream about being a three-division world champion. He’s a kickboxer with a boxer’s hands and movement, blending both art forms into a highly effective, exciting style. Head kicks, Lazzez throws them more than any fighter I’ve seen, and he has a unique way of throwing standing knees from different ranges.

There are many different types of knees, stabbing, spear-like knees that are propelled forward parallel to the ground, round knees thrown similar to kicks, and upward knees like uppercuts. Lazzez counters his opponent’s pressure with stabbing knees and can turn them into a teep or snap kick if the opponent backs away out of range. I know, you’re probably saying, “This guy is talking about knees?” Yes, Mounir’s are fight-changing and help him manage distance and thwart attacks while maintaining position outside the pocket.

Lazzez is 10-2 with eight TKO/KO’s and is coming off a devastating first-round loss to Warlley Alves. Alves literally kicked the shit outta Lazzez with repeated round kicks to the body. No man on earth can take four straight kicks to the liver without browning their chonies like medium/low heat. The key for Lazzez this time around will be getting off to a fast start. He is a roll-that-shit-downhill-and-hit-the-clutch-to-get-it-started type of fighter in the first round.

Mounir’s new opponent, Ange Loosa, is 8-2 as a professional and had one appearance on the Contenders Series. Loosa lost a decision to the highly touted Jack Della Maddalena. From what I’ve seen of Loosa, he’s a fairly vanilla power striker with short basic combinations. His striking at times feels preprogrammed and repetitive, making him very predictable and easy to counter. He moves in straight lines and headhunts but has power you can’t sleep on. Five of his eight wins are by TKO/KO.

This is a dangerous fight for Loosa, and toupee off to him for taking it on such short notice. Loosa has a wide-open style, making him highly vulnerable to up-the-middle strikes, and Mounir Lazzez is a master with knees and snap kicks. Mounir’s strengths align perfectly with Loosa’s weaknesses. Loosa will have to embrace the Weekly KO’s number one rule: Be First & Be Often. He has to short play this fight and look for an early finish. Lazzez is not a sound defensive fighter and usually doesn’t start fighting until the second round.

There’s no doubt this is Mounir Lazzez’s fight to lose. He went from a very tough matchup with Elizeu Dos Santos to a showcase fight against Ange Loosa. Lazzez should be a heavy favorite, but dropping a Hamilton on a Loosa first-round finish might not be a bad look. Mounir Lazzez via TKO, round two.

Winner: Mounir Lazzez| Method: TKO Rd.2

Prelims

Highlighted Matchup

Chris Barnett (+180) vs Martin Buday (-230)

Barnett: DK: $7.2k | Buday: DK:$9k

Motel 6 ain’t keeping the lights on for one of these guys. Chris Barnett is built like the Hamburger Helper glove and had one of the most glorious wins of all time in his last bout. He TKO’d Gian Villante after landing a spinning wheel kick and executed a perfect front flip, dismounted on his ass, in celebration. Barnett’s nickname is “Huggy Bear.” That’s all you need to know about him; he’s an immediate fan favorite, and all his fights are wildly entertaining.

Unfortunately, Barnett is facing a straight killer in Martin Buday. I don’t know much about Buday. He’s making his debut after a dominant first-round win on the Contenders Series. Buday is 9-1 with eight finishes and looks to have dominant wrestling and clinch game. In his Contenders Series bout, Buday pushed his opponent up against the cage and battered him for two straight minutes. There was no escape no matter what his opponent tried.

This will be a wild style matchup. Barnett is a carefree and surprisingly agile striker with unpredictable taekwondo kicks, and Buday is a power striker with a heavy ground game. I almost always favor the fighter with the ability to relocate the fight to the mat; it’s just too great an advantage. There’s long-shot underdog value for Barnett. His freeform style is the equivalent of a home run hitter who strikes out a lot. Mark McGuire. But I gotta put it on wax: Martin Buday via rear-naked choke round two.

Winner: Martin Buday | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleeper

I slept on Aljo last week. It was an ugly fight, but he got the job done. In the end, I dropped my Jackson on Gilbert Burns, and after the second round, I thought I was about to cash in. But Chimaev proved he had the dog in him and eked out a decision.

This week, I'm looking at Andre Fialho (+145) against Miguel Baeza. This is going to be a nip/tuck back and forth battle. Baeza isn't a high output fighter and runs the risk of being out-worked in this one if Fialho comes out aggressive. I think Fialho has the power to sit on one of Baeza's leg kicks and change the fight with one punch.

Check out Lina Lansberg at (+240) against another low output striker in Pannie Kianzad. Lina has nasty ground and pound and can neutralize Kinazad's striking within the clinch with trip takedowns and top control. At one time, Lansberg was a promising talent but just hasn't been able to make the walk consistently enough. The first round will be the key. If Kianzad loses the first round, her point striking style will make it hard to mount a comeback.

Looooooongshot: Ange Loosa at (+210). Mounir Lazzez has taken severe ass whoopings in the first round of both of his UFC bouts. Loosa needs to pressure heavy early and make it an ugly firefight right from the jump. If he allows Lazzez to settle into the fight, he'll slowly get picked apart.

Pick 'Em

Devin Clark (-175) vs. William Knight (+145)

Winner: Devin Clark

 Method: Decision

Lina Lansberg (+240) vs. Pannie Kianzad (-300)

Winner: Lina Lansberg

 Method: Decision

Drakkar Klose (-500) vs. Brandon Jenkins (+350)

    Winner: Drakkar Klose

 Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Rafa Garcia (-110) vs. Jesse Ronson (-110)

    Winner: Rafa Garcia

 Method: Decision

Jordan Leavitt (+110 ) vs. Trey Ogden ( -130)

    Winner: Jordan Leavitt

 Method: Guillotine Choke Rd.2

Sam Hughes (+180 ) vs. Istela Nues (-220 )

    Winner: Istela Nunes

 Method: Decision

Alatengheili (-190) vs. Kevin Croom (+155)

    Winner: Alatengheili

 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