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

Jake Paul is ducking me...

The miles pile up behind me as thick as the powder that blankets the countryside. All white everything. Each step’s more strenuous than the previous. I swear this one is my last. The same hollow vow for the next one and so on. It’s shin-high in some places, the powder. High knees barely clear the plateaus. Each stride is a hurdle to clear. The physical ones I pay no mind. The mental ones threaten to trip me up.

My nostrils flare; plumes of heat escape like dragon’s breath, like the dual exhaust on a Mustang. In the distance, a farmer struggles with an excited horse, the buggy its drawing lays overturned on its side. My muscles ache, straining against its weight, but each inch it raises provides momentum for the next until the buggy is upright again. Then it’s swallowed up by the miles in my past. There’s no end in sight.

I can’t go any further.

But I do.

The cabin isn’t a sanctuary. There are logs, plenty of logs. And saws and axes to section them. Some I carry like wounded soldiers, like people from burning buildings across my shoulders and back. The powder is getting higher. Without the aid of my arms for balance, I fall over. Again and again.

Just stay down.

I get back up.

Some become acquainted with comfort and luxury. Acquaintances quickly become friends. And friends eventually become inseparable companions. For others, comfort is the enemy, an existential threat to their hunger. And hunger is fuel. There’s no other more valuable.

Powder lays undisturbed in every direction. Thigh-high now. There is no discernible path. But I’m led to the base of a mountain. Its summit looms overhead. Dismissive.

Even as I near the peak of my suffering, I don’t envy other MMA writers, writers who politic with convention and mediocrity in palatial high-rise offices overlooking metropolitan skylines. Their MacBooks run Big Sur while adorning state-of-the-art convertible standing/sitting desks. Me, I prefer a one-car garage, a 2010 Mac that can't upgrade from Mavericks, and a medicine ball.

They want me to fail.

They train their fingers. To type faster. I train my mind. To think faster. They train to reach their limits. I train to exceed mine.

Why do I do this? The memory of a loved one? To write in flowing calligraphy the wrongs scrawled in the history books? No. This is what I do. This is why I was put here. I troll doubt. I toy with it. It has no idea. Don’t tell it. I let it creep in just enough to encourage it to take another step. To give it hope. This time is different. This time it’s going to make it. But it never does. I never let it.

It’s impossible.

No, it’s not.

I’m back in the powder. It’s thicker, higher than ever. Waist-high in some places. I become it. And the summit’s features slowly become more distinguished. Saturday night is just around the corner. My feet are cold. My hands are cold. My face is cold. And so is my heart. No mercy. Zero point zero surrender.

They said it can’t be done. Nobody can make Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Augusto Sakai interesting. Turns out, this is what I’ve been training for my whole life.

Augusto Sakai (+105 ) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-125)

Sakai: DK: $8k, FD: $ | Rozenstruik: DK: $8.2k, FD: $

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is the Jebediah Springfield of the UFC. He has more in common with the headless statue than he does with a UFC title challenger. Both are motionless centers of attention for curious onlookers who have no idea why they’re on looking. That’s because he does absolutely nothing but stand in front of his opponent for ninety-seven percent of a fight’s duration.

The inexplicable thing about his style is that it works more often than not; Rozenstruik is five and two in the UFC, with all five wins coming via TKO/KO. Big Boy has the Dim Mak touch that can pull him out of any hole he digs for himself. Allistair Overeem was on his way to an uncontested five-round touchdown when he turned into DeSean Jackson in the closing seconds of his bout against Rozenstruik. He appeared to spike the ball at the one-yard line before crossing the plane, and upon further review, the refs overturned the call, the touchdown was taken off the board, and The Reem was literally KO’d at the buzzer. Until that moment, Rozenstruik was relatively inactive for twenty-four minutes and fifty-five seconds. Against Francis Ngannou, it was the complete opposite. Rozenstruik wasn’t afforded any time to stand around and do nothing before he was promptly left slumped against the fence in the opening seconds like a Rockies fan in the right-field bleachers.

I can’t think of a bigger head-scratcher than Jairzinho. He was a highly accomplished kickboxer with a 76-8 record before transitioning to MMA; on the rare occasions he lets his strikes go, you can see his technical ability to put together hand and kick combinations. The problem for Jairzinho, if he can’t find an early finish, his extremely low output will make it difficult for him to win decisions against stiff competition. He reminds me of an Eminem rhyme, in which he clowns opposing rappers, saying they sold one million albums, but they had to record one million albums. At his output rate, Rozenstruik will need one hundred UFC bouts to reach one hundred significant strikes.

That being said, here are some gaudy Rozenstruik numbers: Eight of Rozenstruik’s eleven professional victories have come in the first round, four of those eight were inside of thirty seconds, and two of those four were inside of ten seconds. He’s got Mega Man cannons in each hand, and he throws them over the top like a Cy Young winner.

Augusto Sakai is an anomaly in his own right. He’s both overrated and underrated at the same time. Sakai is built like the Michelin Man, but that doesn’t mean you should feel comfortable bumping your gums if you catch him sitting alone at the local Applebees with a two for twenty-meal all to himself. He’s 15-2 with eleven KO’s and is coming off his first career loss to the aforementioned, Allistair Overeem.

In that fight, Sakai won the first three rounds decisively by outworking The Reem and trapping him against the cage with well-timed flurries. But at the end of the third round, Sakai caught the speed wobbles and toppled over. Overeem took Sakai down at will from that point on and beat Sakai like he was logged into Overeem’s Netflix account. The fight ended in the fifth round after a barrage of Overeem elbows from the top position.

Sakai fights in bursts, blitzes, and flurries, and everything Sakai throws is heavy. He has excellent leg kicks and a nasty overhand right and throws a counter-right as he exits the pocket while moving backward. It's a KO waiting to happen. He throws hooks palm-down and sneaks them around the guard three to four at a time. But Sakai tends to shoe shine his combinations (a quick succession of short strikes with little power, used to steal points) instead of sitting down on them. Check out Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather if you want to see an example of shoe shining; Oscar tried to shoeshine Floyd’s body all night to steal points, and a dubious decision win. It didn’t work.

The question for Rozenstruik is, will he do anything? And the question for Sakai is, can he go five rounds? The answer to both of those questions could be no. I’m perturbed that my main-event-winning streak, which stands at seven, comes down to this. There’s no way anyone can predict this fight with any certainty at all. It’s all up to Rozenstruik. The ball is in his court; it’s up to him to dribble it out. IF (big if) Rozenstruik has addressed his inactivity and mental approach, he’s the better and more powerful striker, and he should win the fight early. If he sticks to his one strike per round output, Sakai will win a decisive decision as long as he doesn’t Boxcar Willie himself and run out of gas while punching Rozenstruik. On wax…Jairzinho Rozenstruik via TKO, round two.

Winner: Jairzinho Rozenstruik | Method: TKO Rd.2

Marcin Tybura (-175 ) vs Walt Harris (+145)

Tybura: DK: $8.7k, FD:$ | Harris: DK:$7.5k, FD:$

This is a fight featuring two fighters headed in opposite directions. Marcin Tybura is currently riding a four-fight winning streak, while Walt Harris is rocking a two-fight losing streak. In some ways, this fight could turn out to be more exciting than the main event. Again, that’s all up to Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

It’s no secret I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. Among all the questionable moves Jerry Jones has made in my lifetime, the signing of Greg Hardy was one of the most embarrassing. To say I’m not a fan of Hardy’s is like saying Rockies fans can’t fight, a huge understatement. Marcin Tybura squared off against Hardy in his most recent bout, and to my dismay, he made Greg Hardy look like Tom Hardy in the first round. Pick a movie. Tybura has a bad habit of parrying punches like he’s Steven Seagal doing Hollywood Aikido, but it looks more like he’s swatting flies in a Port-O-John. It resembles a nervous tick more than a defensive tactic. Tybura got pieced up in the first five minutes but was able to score a takedown in the second, and Greg Hardy looked like a CPR dummy on his back.

Tybura is a par-for-the-course striker who can switch stances and offer different looks, but he’s more of a counter striker and has trouble leading the dance. He’s at his best when he can sit back and let the opponent dictate the pace. Marcin uses switch-step counters to retreat without giving up the pocket when he is pressured. The rear hand becomes the lead hand, and he check-hooks off of it as the opponent enters the pocket. It’s a sneaky technique and is an effective way to neutralize an aggressive opponent.

Marcin has a better ground game than he does stand-up, but Walt Harris also has solid wrestling, and their skills may add up to a stalemate, forcing a predominant striking match. If Tybura can work his way to the top position, he has fight-ending ground and pound after securing the position. But the last place Tybura will want to be is on his back with Harris on top of him.

Walt Harris got served like a bar and grill in his last bout against Alexander Volkov. The Denny’s maître d’ handed Harris a plate of hotcakes before he even showed him to his seat. Harris couldn’t close the distance against Volkov and got stuck in no-man’s land; a deadly place that resembles a post apocalyptic Mad Max movie where you can’t reach your opponent but your opponent can reach you. Much like we saw with Cody Garbrandt two weeks ago, Walt couldn’t navigate around Volkov’s jab; he had no answer for it, no slipping and countering or lateral movement to angle around it.

The good news for Harris is Marcin Tybura isn’t Alexander Volkov and doesn’t fight nearly as long as Volkov does. Harris has excellent hand speed for the weight class, and Tybura struggles mightily against faster strikers. Tybura relies heavily on parrying and deflecting punches out in front of him, but Greg hardy had no problems sneaking big power shots through the openings. With speed usually comes volume and to struggle against one is to struggle against the other. Second and third level strikes are Tybura’s kryptonite, and Walt consistently uses combinations.

I see both fighters running into roadblocks attempting to score takedowns, and the fight will likely be decided on the feet. Ultimately, the fighter with the higher output will have their hand raised. That doesn’t bode well for Tybua, who is more comfortable counter striking. Walt Harris’s hand speed will be a problem early for Tybura. But if Tybura can draw out the fight into the late second and third round, he will have the advantage.

When it comes to Fantasy rosters, Harris has a one hundred percent finishing rate. All thirteen of his professional wins have come via TKO/KO. He has a better chance of scoring a finish, but his activity will wane in the later rounds. Since 2017, Tybura only has one finish, his latest bout against Hardy. His output isn’t conducive to scoring a high number of significant strikes, but if he can take down Harris, he has six submission wins to his name. On wax, Walt Harris via TKO, round one.

Winner: Walt Harris | Method: TKO Rd.1

Roman Dolidze (-145) vs. Laureano Staropoli (+120)

Dolidze: DK: $8.4k, FD:$ | Staropoli: DK: $7.8k, FD:$

This one is speed and volume vs. power and wrestling and could shape up to be an undercover banger. Laureano Staropoli is a combination striker with a high pace and a variety of strikes in his arsenal. Spinning ish, Staropoli loves spinning attacks, everything from back elbows and back fists to back kicks and wheel kicks. Staropoli has tight, technical kickboxing and rarely throws single strikes and changes levels mid-combination with short two to three strike-combos. Fundamentals, no matter what you’re line of work, everything has fundamentals. The first fundamental combination you learn at your Chuze fitness cardio kickboxing class is the one-two. Staropoli’s best weapon isn’t spinning attacks; it’s his fundamental one-two.

Staropoli’s major malfunction, he lacks power, and in four UFC appearances, has yet to find a finish. To all my amateur fighters out there, an oft-overlooked skill is exiting/entering the pocket. There are passive exits (bad) and active exits (good). Just like there are passive entries (bad) and active entries (good). A passive exit/entry is exiting/entering the pocket straight forward/backward without head movement or angling off. You’ll hear coaches say, “stop watching your strikes.” Some fighters throw in the pocket and stand there afterward without any head movement or covering up and are vulnerable to counters. An active exit/entry is rolling in and out of the pocket and stepping off at angles after striking. Stepping off at angles ensures you’re never in line for a counter on your way in/out. Staropoli exits the pocket passively and often gets caught watching his handiwork. He won’t get away with that against a heavy striker like Dolidze. There’s your technique of the week: active vs. passive pocket entries/exits.

Roman Dolidze is a power striker and world-class wrestler/grappler. When he made his UFC debut last summer, I mistook him for a kickboxer with a little wrestling in his back pocket. Now, I think the opposite is true. Dolidze has dial-up hand speed; the line is always busy when you try to call. But he makes up for it with power, and although he’s not the savviest striker setting up his power shots if he lands, he has one-punch finishing capabilities. He also has a glitch in his striking; whenever he switches to the southpaw stance, he’s faking the funk and will almost exclusively throw naked left round kicks to the body. Defensively, he doesn’t defend combinations well, and when he switches to southpaw, he’s awkward, and it hinders him more than it adds any dynamics to his attacks.

Roman’s path to victory is on the mat. He’s excellent at timing his opponents to change levels under their strikes. Dolidze is a world champion grappler, and his top game is stifling. His special move is the heel hook submission, but it’s not a practiced technique often implemented in MMA. Roman will often give up top position to hunt for a heel hook finish, and if he doesn’t land it, he allows the opponent to get back to his feet.

I think there’s some underdog value on Staropoli. He can outwork Roman as long as he stays away from the warning track and the fence and can stay on his feet. The likely scenario is that Dolidze will drag Staropoli to the ground and grind out close rounds. Dolidze gasses late in fights, and the third round could provide Staropoli with an opportunity to steal the fight. Roman Dolidze via decision.

Winner: Roman Dolidze | Method: Decision

Santiago "The Ponz" Ponzinibio (+100 ) vs Miguel Baeza (-120)

Ponzinibio: DK: $7.9k, FD:$ | Baeza: DK: $8.3k, FD:$

The big question is, did The Ponz jump the shark? Depending on how Santiago Ponzinibio bounces back after his KO loss to Li Jinliang in January after a three-year layoff, this fight has the potential to be the best fight on the main card. Jingliang is a sleeper in the welterweight division, and a loss to him isn’t an indictment against Ponzinibio’s abilities. But he didn’t look like his former 2018 self, who was coming off a dominant ass cracking of Neil Magny.

Ring generalship is a judging criterion and refers to how a fighter controls the fight by controlling the cage by cutting it off and leading the opponent into traps, using the fence as a backstop. The Ponz compresses the cage much like Khabib Nurmagomedov, and his opponents usually retreat until their back is against the cage and can’t retreat any longer. Khabib does this with menacing forward pressure without necessarily using strikes, and Ponzinibio is much of the same. He stalks the opponent and cuts off the cage with round punches and kicks to keep them boxed in.

Ponzinibbio has an educated lead hand that he throws from varying angles as a jab and as a hook. He’s judicious with his right hand and rarely deploys it without a lead hand escort, using his jab like a boxer to set up his power strikes. Both Santiago’s hands carry fight-ending power, but his three-quarters overhand right is the college tuition fundraiser.

Before his three-year hiatus dating back to 2018, Ponzinibio was on a seven-fight win streak and was the winner of nine of his last ten bouts. Five of those wins were via TKO/KO, and Ponzi has twenty-one total finishes in twenty-eight professional fights.

Miguel Baeza is like Emilio Estevez (who?), a Young Gun. He’s a highly touted undefeated prospect with a 10-0 record. He’s 3-0 in the UFC with an additional win on The Contenders Series. Baeza already has two impressive UFC wins; one over the wily veteran Matt Brown and one over Takashi (not Tekashi) Sato.

Baeza has the classic upright Brazilian Muay Thai and looks a lot like the newly crowned Lightweight Champion, Charles Oliveira. He’s a leg kicker with a leg kick TKO win on his record, but he will have to be careful throwing his kicks naked because The Ponz will make him pay with massive right hand counters. Baeza doesn’t open up very much and is a relatively low output striker, but he chooses his opening wisely and has long, straight punches that he can fit between tight hand guards.

Miguel’s striking isn’t without flaws; he lacks head movement and has Nintendo directional pad movement, zero diagonals. He uses zero, none, and nada head movement or footwork to setup angles. Defensively, he cracks under pressure and moves straight back, and relies on vacating the pocket completely to avoid strikes, leaving no opportunities to counter.

I don’t see this fight going to the ground. Miguel Baeza has one submission victory, and Ponzinibio hasn’t scored a submission win since 2012. When a Ponzinibio fight goes to the mat, it’s usually due to a knockdown. Have one of these guys on your roster; they’re both finishers. The Ponz has twenty-one career finishes, and eight of Baeza’s ten pro wins have come via finish. I’m going to give The Ponz one more chance, a mulligan if you will, for his performance in January. I think he will come out more aggressive and look to land that right hand early and often. Matt Brown damn near finished Baez in the first round of their bout, and in doing so, exposed some of Baeza’s striking holes. Santiago Ponzinibio via TKO, round two.

Winner: Santiago Ponzinibio | Method: TKO Rd.2

Dusko Todorovic (-145 ) vs Gregory Rodrigues (+120)

Todorovic: DK: $8.6k, FD:$ |Rodrigues: DK:$ 7.6k, FD:$

I bought my two-year-old son—the future quadruple champ—his first punching bag, an inflatable balloon that returns to the center after every overhand baby bomb. The little punching bag reminds me of Dusko Todorovic. Although he has slick, savvy, unorthodox striking, he has a major flaw; his main means of defense is the pull, pulling straight back to avoid a strike. The pull is a good technique to set up counters, but if you go to the well with it too often, the opponent can time you, and you’re completely vulnerable with your hands down. That’s Dusko; he pulls every time then returns his head right back to the center. Double jabs and combinations are the antidotes to the pull defense. In his last bout, Punahele Soriano slept Todorovic in the first round, after Soriano figured out to attack Todorovic with extended combinations.

Offensively, Todorovic is a lot to handle. He uses creative entries into the pocket, like switch-steps, and throws hands at odd angles. Dusko is light on his feet and uses excellent lateral movement and short, quick combinations. But he doesn’t manage distance well, and… refer to the first paragraph. Todorovic needs to implement traditional head movement and guards in addition to using the pull technique. If he can develop in that way, he could be a real problem.

Gregory Rodrigues is twenty-nine years old, going on fifty-seven. He looks like if the Nogueira brothers, Rodrigo and Rogerio, had a baby. My man looks like the Brazilian Debo.

“Pops is trippin’, man. He wants me to ask for my bike back. You know I wouldn’t trip.”

“What bike?”

“The beach cruiser. The one I let you use a couple of weeks ago. The one I’ve been asking you about.”

“Oh… that bike. I didn’t know you wanted it back, homie. It’s right here…”

BAAAAAAM!

“That’s my bike, punk!”

Seriously, the Brazilian Debo. Rodrigues is coming off two back-to-back KO wins in the LFA promotion since a loss on The Contender Series. His last fight was just two weeks ago. He’s a one-punch, power striker with slow economy seven to ten-day delivery hands. But he has heavy straight punches and can definitely put Dusko to sleep... again. He also features stock Jiu-Jitsu built into ninety-nine percent of Brazilians and is a submission threat on the mat.

Do you remember Danny Almonte? He was the sixteen-year-old Little Leaguer who posed as a twelve-year-old. He looked like Randy Johnson during the Little League World Series back in the early 2000s. That’s Gregory Rodrigues, the Danny Almonte of MMA. There’s no way this guy isn’t even thirty years old.

Anywho, I’m sure Rodrigues will be the underdog when the odds are released, and you can put me on wax for the upset. Brazillian Debo via TKO, round two.

“He ‘gone cry in the car.”

Winner: Gregory Rodriguez | Method: TKO Rd.2

Tom Breese (-265 ) vs Antonio Arroyo (+210)

Breese: DK: $9.2k, FD:$ |Arroyo: DK:$ 7k, FD:$

Tom Breese is the guy who I mistook to be Sean Strickland for almost the entirety of 2020. As it turns out, he has serviceable stand-up and not crispy combination striking like his doppelgänger Strickland. His suggested serving method is on the mat from the top position and garnished with a Salt Bae pinch of ground and pound.

Antonio Arroyo is a monster on the feet for about a round and a half, otherwise, he couldn't make it through a Zumba class. His weed whacker gas tank is his major malfunction, and sometimes he tends to show Jeff The Drunk-level fight IQ, walking into takedowns even when he knows they're coming. But Arroyo has deceptively quick hands and heavy round kicks. He throws punches from his waist, which makes them hard to see as they travel from the lower peripheral instead of from eye level. Arroyo has excellent movement and manages distance well. Until he gets tired, then he becomes a takedown waiting to happen.

This is another night of complete toss-ups; I don’t see many “lock” picks on this card. You can flip a coin on this one. Arroyo is the more dangerous striker, but if he can’t stay on his feet or force scrambles from his back, it won’t matter. If Breese gets stuck engaging in a kickboxing match for fifteen minutes, it won’t end well for him. I’m going to take Tom Breese to weather an early storm, secure takedowns, and grind out a close decision win with extended top control time. If you’re looking for value in Arroyo, it’s in an early finish. Five of his nine career wins have come by first-round finish. Tom Breese via decision. Wax, put it on.

Winner: Tom Breese | Method: Decision

Prelims

Highlighted Matchup

Youssef Zalal (+150) vs. Sean Woodson (-185)

Zalal: DK: $7.4k, FD:$ | Woodson: DK: $8.8k, FD:$  

You’ve never seen a fighter like Sean Woodson. His stature is that of an ancient sheepherder hieroglyphic on the seal of King Tut’s tomb. He looks like every child’s first drawing of a person. Sean Woodson doesn’t take the UFC shuttle from the hotel to the arena; instead, he rides his trusty horse Pokey and leaves him outside tied up to the bike rack. Woodson is a 6’2” featherweight, and he’s long with a cape on. Super long. He’s so long he doesn’t need a remote for anything.

Sean Woodson is also a deceptively good striker who throws a never-ending barrage of combinations. He lacks power and hand speed, but he makes up for it with his reach, distance management, and volume. Woodson can throw standing knees without lifting his leg while hiding them behind short two to three-punch combinations. All of his strikes are of the peppering variety, but they add up quickly, and he has a knack for hitting you when you think he can’t.

Youssef Zalal is a better striker than he has shown in his last two performances, both losses. Zalal has technical kickboxing with flashy spinning attacks and flying techniques in his arsenal, but lately, he's been afflicted with the Jairzinho Rozenstruik disease. He doesn’t let his strikes go. Wrestling/grappling has become his most often traveled path to victory. But at times, he struggles to secure takedowns because he doesn't strike enough to set them up. Zalal will definitely look to relocate the fight to the mat, and for him to be successful, he has to increase his volume on the feet.

I think this will be a back and forth battle with a little bit of every element from A to Zinc. Youseff started his UFC career going 3-0 and was a name tossed around as a promising prospect. That shine has dulled some in his last two bouts, and he’ll have a lot to prove. This will be a fun fight. Don’t miss it. Sean Woodson via Decision.

Winner: Sean Woodson | Method: Decision

Fighter Spotlight

Manon Fiorot ( ) DK: $8.5k

She’s a killer and a possible future champion. Remember where you heard it first. She’s a mix between Holly Holm and Michelle Waterson. Fiorot has some of the best striking in women’s MMA. Manon will be making only here second appearance in the UFC and is getting a late replacement opponent in Tabatha Ricci.

Mason Jones (-310 ) DK: $9.5k

(Insert DMX adlib) This dude’s a dog. Here’s your homework assignment before the scraps on Saturday night: watch Mason Jones vs. Mike Davis. Mason Jones lost a razor-close decision, but Mike Davis is a savage, and their fight was a high-level barnburner.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleeper

I think almost every fight on this card is a coin flip. Walt Harris at (+145) has a 50/50 shot at sleeping Tybura in the opening five minutes. After that... Antonio Arroyo at (+210) will have a big power advantage early in his bout against Tom Breese. If he can stay on his feet, he'll have about a seven-minute window to finish Breese before he's calling AAA. Youssef Zalal (+150) and Ilir Latifi (+160) have clear paths to victory if they can consistently find takedowns, especially early in the fights.

This week I'm strapping Andy Jackson to a saw blade table and splitting him up the middle. With a blue face, I'm dropping Hamilton's on Arroyo and Harris.

Pick 'Em

Montana De La Rosa(-275 ) vs. Ariane Lipski (+220 )

Winner: Montana De La Rosa

 Method: Decision 

Tanner Boser (-200 ) vs. Ilir Latifi (+160 )

Winner: Ilir Latifi

 Method: Decision

Francisco Trinaldo (+200 ) vs. Muslim Salikhov (-250)

Winner: Muslim Salikhov

 Method: Decision

Mason Jones (-310) vs. Alan Patrick (+240)

    Winner: Mason Jones

 Method: TKO Rd.3

Makwan Amirkhani ( ) vs. Kamuela Kirk ( )

    Winner: Kamuela Kirk

 Method: Decision

Manon Fiorot ( ) vs. Tabatha Ricci ( )

    Winner: Manon Fiorot

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Claudio Puelles (+170 ) vs. Jordan Leavitt (-210 )

    Winner: Jordan Leavitt

 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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