We're Back With Another LineStar Weekly Knockout!

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

Instagram: @therealsethgeko & Twitter: @DadHallOfFamer

Main Card

Chito Vera (-250) vs Dominick Cruz (+190)

Chito: DK: $8.5k | Dom: DK:$7.7k

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention? I’ve just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you to stop what you’re doing and listen. The UFC is returning to America’s finest city, San Diego, CA—or as the incomparable E-40 says, “San-Dee, San-Dee, Let-Go-Of-My-Muhf**kin-Ego—and if you haven’t been paying attention lately, the uglier the fight cards have been on paper, the crazier the fights have been in the Octagon. Last weekend, the card was as motley of a crew as I’ve ever seen but delivered a perfect 10/10; all ten fights ended before the final bell, a card chock-full of Mortal Kombat finishes.

It’s fitting the UFC brass would save the ugliest card of the year for a city with enough beauty to blunt its traumatizing effects. If I were in charge, this card would be known as UFC Tekken, with the Octagon built right on the beach in Carlsbad or on the pier in Oceanside. It’s little known, but San Diego has long been one of the world’s capitals for combat sports. Some of the world's best MMA/boxing gyms, homes to countless world champions, are in San Diego. It’s a fact; it's the greatest city in the history of mankind. Discovered by the Germans in 1904. They named it San Dee-ah-go. Which, of course, in German means a whale’s—

But you didn’t come here for a history lesson; you came here for the teacher’s answer key to the test. This week we have another banger main event, featuring the GOAT bantamweight and San Diego’s adopted son, Dominick Cruz. He’ll be looking to continue his quest to become a three-time champion against one of the grimiest savages in the UFC, Chito Vera. A win over the best bantamweight of all time will place Chito on the doorstep of a title shot with instructions not to feed after midnight. You can smell it in the air. Not the carne asada. That’s the smell of desire, my homies. And neither of these guys will lack it even though it's illegal in nine countries.

I love footwork. I love head movement. I love angles. Are you just looking at things and saying you love them? I love switch-steps. All are synonymous with Dominick Cruz’s unique stand-up style. No one in the history of the sport moves like Dominick. He mixes classic boxing movements like Wille Pep switch steps and the Muhammad Ali shuffle and crouch. Dom’s style is predicated on creating angles, and not only with his footwork but also arm angles. Cruz will duck down and wing overhands and kicks out of nowhere, and just when you think you got a beat on him and try to counter, he’s gone.

Dom is known for his figure eight footwork in which he dances rehearsed patterns to create false pocket entries and misdirections meant to draw opponents into counters or lull them to sleep, leaving them open to attacks. Cruz can also mix in takedown attempts off his movement and is one of the best ever at using the knee-tap to get the fight to the mat. Cruz doesn't waste much time or energy trying to establish top control but uses takedowns to keep the oppoenent guessing, not knowing what's coming next.

Dominick’s Achilles heel is defending leg kicks. That’s Bad News Bears when you’re facing a Civil War surgeon like Chito Vera. Vera famously handed Sean O’Malley the only loss of his career after landing a single calf kick that turned O’Malley’s leg into a ramen noodle. Knights of Columbus that hurt. But Cruz is coming off a tough decision win over another prolific calf kicker, Pedro Munhoz, and showed much improved leg kick defense.

The key for Dom will be the same as it always is, movement and volume. Chito tends to get out-worked and has lost close fights throughout his career because of it. He was down 2-0 heading into the final round against Frankie Edgar before he bailed himself out like the Joker with an Anderson Silva snap kick to the face. Chito is the far better finisher and will have a big power advantage; Dom will have to out-work Chito for twenty-five minutes and try to get ahead on the score cards with constant pressure and volume.

Chito Vera will straight up murder your ass. He will smash your face into a car windshield and take your mother, Dorothy, out for a nice seafood dinner and never call her again. Vera is a damage-over-volume striker who chases down opponents without ever having to break from a brisk walk like Jason Voorhees. He wins fights with accumulative damage created by using every one of his limbs. When Chito goes to war, he utilizes all his weapons, knees, elbows, shins, and fists.

Chito fights are ugly. He operates in the gray, beats you in all the areas often overlooked, in transitions, in the clinch, or striking from his back. He can adapt his stand-up to fight outside the pocket, using long snap kicks and jabs to establish range, and he can haul out the turnout gear and engage in a firefight in the pocket. His best weapons are his up-the-middle snap kicks. I mentioned the Frankie Edgar fight earlier; Chito landed a snap kick to Frankie’s face and made it look like a melted candle. Vera put Edgar on wax.

Chito’s biggest red flag is his tendency to fall behind on points from lack of output; he’s a cerebral fighter who precisely calculates his attacks and takes time to download information. In his last fight against Rob Font, he did just that. Fell behind after the first round, as Font was busy from the outside peppering Chito with jabs and quick one-twos. But at the end of the second round, Chito dropped Font with a left hook, and the tide changed. After that, it seemed like Chito dropped Font with a knee or elbow at the end of every round, sparking Font every time he landed anything significant. He went on to thoroughly dominate Font and left Font looking like Martin after Martin fought Tommy Hearns. Boy that escalated quickly. I mean that really got outta hand fast. It just jumped up a notch.

For his career, Chito is 19-7-1 with seven TKO/KO’s and eight subs, and is 13-6 in the UFC. It’s the pleats. Don’t act like you’re not impressed. The key for Chito will be avoiding the temptation to follow/chase Dom around the cage. Chito has to force Dom to set his feet and come to him. Calf kicks will be an x-factor and necessary to slow down Cruz’s footwork. Chito will be the finishing threat, even though I think this will be a five-round war. Vera has never been finished in his career, and Cruz has only been finished twice in twenty-seven career scraps.

The main event random injury/losing streak finally ended last week. I’ll forever be indebted to Jamahal Hill for busting out the tourniquet and staunching the bleeding. Dom will be entering as the (+180) dog in his own pad, while Chito will be favored at (-230). Dom will be a solid low/middle tier Fantasy option as he’ll likely top over one hundred significant strikes in a five-round fight, and Chito will provide a possible finishing threat. I’ve been dreading this pick. I hate this pick. Chito Vera via decision. Stay classy San Diego.

Winner: Chito Vera | Method: Decision

Nate Landwehr (+225) vs. David Onama (-285)

Landwehr: DK: $7.6k | Onama: DK: $8.6k

Nate Landwehr is one of my undercover favorite fighters. He’s a mix between Al Bundy, who famously scored four touchdowns in a single high school game, and a Hill Billy Nate Diaz. Landwehr has an eccentric personality and looks like a used Birkenstock salesman, but don’t let that fool you; Nate is a dangerous fighter who has a lot in common with Chito Vera. He uses all his weapons and has a little bit of crazy in him. Standing across the cage from Landwehr will be David Onama, a fast and athletic young killer in his own right.

In addition to being a Polk High legend, Nate Landwehr is a former M-1 Global World Champion. You won’t forget watching Nizzy Nate Landwehr fight. He looks like he was selling Encyclopedias door-to-door in 1978 when he stumbled across Bill and Ted’s time machine and jumped to 2022. But his unassuming vintage looks are his best weapon. Opponents tend to let their guards down, thinking Nate wants to sell them a set of Cutco knives, and before they know it, they’re getting their ass cracked. Nate uses 80s slasher movie forward pressure and engages in careless, dangerous exchanges one hundred percent of the time.

Landwehr will never be in a boring fight. He can counterstrike moving backward, attack with extended combinations, and initiate chaotic scrambles on the ground. Nate is best in close range; he’s a squatter in the pocket; the sheriffs have to come out to remove him. Landwehr dirty boxes in the clinch, uses the Thai plum to attack with elbows and knees, and never stops looking to create damage in every position. From range Nate uses tight short boxing with sneaky kicks and averages six and a half significant strikes landed per minute.

Nate by the numbers: For his career, Landwehr is 15-4 with eight TKO/KO’s and one submission, and is 2-2 in the UFC with impressive wins over Darren Elkins and Ludovit Klein. Nate will be the (+175) dog against David Onama, and you better have the piso mojado signs on deck because he’ll be dripping with value. The key to victory for Landwehr will be pressure and making every second of this fight ugly.

Onama is the favorite mostly because of his speed and physical attributes. He reminds me of a JV Israel Adesanya or a homemade vegan recipe Adesanya where all the delicious ingredients are replaced with tofu and cardboard. Izzy Lite has Raiden teleport hand speed and uses long strikes to attack from the outside. A classic one-punch striker, Onama uses a stiff jab to create cover for his fight-ending right hand and heavy round kicks.

Onama’s major malfunction is operating in close range within the pocket, Landwehr’s strength. This will be a battle of range and who can control it. David’s hands fall apart in combination and are too long in the pocket to get caught exchanging back and forth. Onama needs to stay on the outside, attack on his own terms, and make this a controlled kickboxing match.

For his career, Onama is 10-1, his only loss coming in his short-notice debut against the savage Mason Jones. David was highly competitive in that fight and had Mason Jones hurt on a couple of occasions and has since won two straight, both finishes. He averages five and a half significant strikes landed per minute, and in his only fight that went the distance, he landed noinety. Nate Landwehr will push a pace that will necessitate a similar output.

Both fighters are finishing threats, Nate with accumulative damage and Onama with one-punch KO power. Both of Landwehr’s UFC losses came by KO inside of the first round. Nate will either get caught and finished early, or he’ll grind and wear down Onama with a chance to finish late. Nate Landwehr via TKO, round three.

*Note: I’m 0-4 picking Nate Landwehr fights.

Winner: Nate Landwehr | Method: TKO Rd.3

Yazmin Jauregui (-210) vs. Iasmin Lucindo (+165)

Jauregui: DK: $8.7k | Lucindo: DK: $7.5k

How did the ancient Egyptians build the pyramids? Are we alone in the universe? Where’s Jimmy Hoffa’s body? Why are some farts hot? How the hell did this fight end up on a main card? Inquiring minds want to know.

Disclaimer: I know very little about Yazmin Jauregui and even less about Iasmin Lucindo. Both are making their UFC debuts, and very little fight footage is available for either of them. I will say this about Jauregui; from the short fights I found on YouTube, her striking reminds me of a young Joanna Jedrzejczyk. She has fast straight punches and throws them by the baker’s dozen. Nothing but combinations, punches in bunches, and all that.

Jauregui looks to have very polished kickboxing, complete with day one fundamentals such as ending punch combos with kicks and vice versa. I hesitate to say this based on the little I’ve seen, but she looks like a future problem. The questions are her ground game and the level of competition faced. UFC level competition is near impossible to find on regional and some international circuits, and you never know how someone will look under the bright lights. Yasmin is an undefeated fighter with an 8-0 record with six TKO/KO’s. Her style is pressure, volume, and systematically damaging and breaking opponents’ wills.

Iasmin Lucindo also has polished skills and travels more along the grappler spectrum than striker. Her striking isn’t bad, but she appears to want to initiate the clinch and drag the fight to the mat. She has a strong top game and will likely implement it in this matchup. Lucindo will be at a big speed and technical disadvantage on the feet but isn’t a TLC scrub either. The game plan will be to close the distance behind short combinations and test Jauregui’s ground game and try to grind her to slow her down.

There’s got to be something about these two that led to them debuting on the main card, other than the card was falling apart, and the UFC was desperate. Yasmin Jauregui has the look of a possible future first team all moon howler; she’s wild. Jauregui will be the (-220) favorite, and is the better finishing threat. Her speed is a lot to overcome, and if she has the ground game to match her striking, Lucindo might be in trouble. But I think Lucindo is tough with serious skills but will be up against a possible serial killer hidin’ murder material in a cereal box on top of her stereo. Yasmin Jauregui via decision.

Winner: Yasmin Jauregui | Method: Decision

Devin Clark (+130) vs. Azamat Murzakanov (-155)

Clark: DK: $7.8k | Murzakanov: DK: $8.4k

These guys better clear their browser histories before this one because one of them might not be coming back. And you don’t want to go out like that. You don’t want your mammy and pappy knowing you spend six hours a day watching 90’s Cowboys highlights and not be around to defend yourself. Devin Clark is a Harvey Dent Two-Face fighter who can look simultaneously like a killer and a jabroni, and Azamat Murzakanov is an undefeated fighter with a Quagmire left hand that can bail him out of any situation without calling Saul Goodman. It’s all good, man.

Devin Clark is known for the hardship he faces, the epic paths to victory he travels like a Frontiersman forging the Oregon Trail. In every first round, one of his oxen always dies when he’s crossing a river, or a wheel breaks on the Great Plains, or he comes down with a fever, and the next thing he knows, he’s in a soup getting ladled into cups and passed around. But then the second round starts, and he’s back on his killer shit. He’s a push-him-down-a-hill-and-kick-the-clutch type of starter. When the starting gun goes off, he hits the deck and takes cover.

But Devin Clark is a big, powerful wrestler with improving boxing. He’s a little stiff on his feet, and is the prototypical wrestler striker, but his right hand is a piston and he throws two-punch combos very well. Clark usually opens up every fight, charging across the cage behind a big right hand, looking for an immediate takedown. His specialty is throwing a lead hook or right hand while changing levels at the same time. The power double behind a heavy right hand is hard to stop.

Devin “The Dude” Clark is 13-6 for his career with four TKO/KO’s and one sub and is 7-6 in the UFC. His game plan will be to pressure and sit down on some heavy punches and change levels. You can read the last name; you know Murzakanov can wrestle, but that’s Devin Clark’s bread and butter, and he should have the edge. Clark only averages three significant strikes landed per minute but also averages two and a half takedowns per fifteen minutes.

Azamat Murzakanov is a power puncher, and his left hand will give you PTSD just from watching him throw it. He’s a Makaveli track one striker, bomb first, and ask questions later. A southpaw, Murzakanov ducks his head and wings overhand lefts and right hands and likes to throw timing counters; he’ll wait for the opponent to engage and try to beat him to the punch.

In his debut against Tafon Nchukwi, Azamat showed a serious red flag, his cardio. Murzakanov slowed drastically after the first round and looked to have Herbert Burns five-minute cardio. And Herbert Burns Five-Minute Cardio isn’t the name of a new training regiment taking the world by storm. He looked like he beat out a throw to first base in his beer league with his hands on his knees by the end of the second round. BUT, and that’s a big but; he landed a flying knee in the third round and KO’d Nchukwi. Azamat is 11-0 with eight TKO/KO’s and one submission and is 1-0 in the UFC with a dub on the Contender Series.

The fight is favored (-155) to end before two and a half rounds, and both fighters have paths to a finish. If Clark can wade through the first round deep waters and not lose any oxen along the way, he can take over in the second and third rounds with takedowns and top control. Seven of Azamat’s eight career TKO/KO’s came in the first round; the value/bet for him is an early finish. But I think Devin Clark can suck out the poison if a snake bites him and eventually get Azamat to the mat. Devin Clark via TKO, round three.

Winner: Devin Clark  | Method: TKO Rd.3

Nina Nunes (+145) vs Cynthia Calvillo (-175)

Nunes: DK: $7.9k | Calvillo: DK: $8.3k

This will be a crunchy little groove. Nina Nunes is Amanda Nunes’ wife and has always been a scrappy underrated fighter. Last April, Nina returned from a two-year hiatus after giving birth and was immediately thrown to the wolves. She fought the best female grappler in the game, Mackenzie Dern. It was the second straight fight Nina was matched against an elite wrestler/grappler, and she had troubles defending takedowns and getting back to her feet.

I don’t think Nunes will have that problem against Cynthia Calvillo. Nunes will be the more refined, technical striker, and her style reminds me of BJ Penn. She carries her hands low and slips in and out of range with short hooks. But unlike BJ, Nina adds a clever variety of kicks to her arsenal. She’ll turn round leg kicks into side-kicks like a question mark kick and attacks up the middle with snaps.

The question for Nina will once again be how she’ll look after another lengthy layoff. Before her first absence, she was coming off a big decision victory against Claudia Gadelha, a fight that Nina came back to win after a tough first round. The key for Nunes against Cynthia Calvillo will be lateral movement and pumping her jab like she did against Gadelha. Nina is at her best when she dusts off the boxer’s jab and keeps it in the opponent’s face. She uses it to stay on the outside and set up short combinations.

It wasn’t long ago Calvillo was a promising prospect coming out of Uriah Faber’s Team Alpha Male. Calvillo plateaued because she’s good at many things but not great in anything. She has French vanilla kickboxing and struggles to get the fight to the mat when she’s behind in the striking. Cynthia is 6-5 in the UFC with three submissions and is riding a three-fight losing streak, and was finished in the last two.

This has decision written all over it. Both fighters average just over four and a half significant strikes landed per minute, and neither has finished a fight in a while. Somehow, someway, Cynthia Calvillo is the (-155) favorite, making Nina Nunes a live dog at (+130). If the 2019 Nina Nunes shows up Saturday night, she’ll be the better fighter. Nina Nunes via decision.

Winner: Nina Nunes  | Method: Decision

Bruno Silva (-300) vs Gerald Meerschaert (+235)

Silva: DK: $9k | Meerschaert: DK: $7.2k

One of these fighters is a savage, and the other is Gerald “Gambled and Lost” Meerschaert. Gerald is one of those guys that are impossible to bet on. When you believe in him, he craps the bed, rolls around in it, and finger-paints the walls. When you doubt him, he turns into Royce Gracie in UFC 1 and submits everyone in the arena.

Across from Meerschaert will be an underrated and often hated-on fighter, Bruno Silva. People often dismiss Alex Pereira’s win against Bruno as if Bruno is some kind of Beck Loser. But Silva is a former M-1 Global champion and dangerous fighter. Bruno has excellent relentless takedowns and some of the scariest ground and pound you will see. The way to beat grapplers on the mat is to punch and elbow them. The old Jiu-Jitsu adage says, “Punch a black belt in the face, and he/she becomes a brown belt. Punch a brown belt in the face, and he/she becomes a purple belt…” and so on. The best defense against submissions is ground and pound and Bruno has plenty of it.

On the feet, Silva is wild; he howls at the moon. He uses erratic blitzes and throws bombs like he’s in the New Mexico desert. Silva tends to run straight forward, leading with his face while alternating heavy left/rights to close the distance. But Meerschaert is far from a decent striker, and Bruno’s style can overwhelm.

Gerald Meerschaert is an uber veteran with a professional record of 34-15 with twenty-six career submissions. I’ll say this about Gerald, he rebounded as few would after that vicious KO loss to Khamzat. He came back with three straight submission wins. Meerschaert is known for his bottom of the ninth walk-off submissions. He’s a lot like Paul Craig, who can be losing an entire fight and pull off a last-second dub. I didn’t hear no bell.

The downside for Meerschaert is in fifteen career losses, he’s been finished eleven times, eight by submission. Oh, and his hands come with insured delivery in case they get lost in transit. You have to have Chris Rock head movement to get punched by Gerald Meerschaert. Meerschaert’s only path to victory is on the mat, and his submission prowess will always make him a valuable dog. He’ll return (+235) odds and will have a long shot at a submission if he can catch Bruno being overaggressive from the top. But at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, when push comes to shove, I’m rolling with Bruno Silva to chip away from the top position and win a decision. Bruno Silva via decision.

Winner: Bruno Silva  | Method: Decision

Prelims

Value Menu

Ode Osbourne (-250) vs Tyson Nam (+200)

Osbourne: DK: $8.8k | Nam: DK: $7.4k

This one will be a speed vs. power stand-up banger. Ode Osbourne is long and fast, and Tyson Nam throws short bombs. The odds for this one favor a finish at (-165), but I think the value is in it going the distance at (+125). Both have five fights in the UFC, and only Osbourne has been stopped once. And that was a quick stoppage against Manel Kape. Both guys are all kinds of tough and rely on one big shot to create fight-ending moments.

The other way to play this is by Tyson Nam TKO/KO. Dude has one-punch power and twelve career TKO/KO’s in twenty career wins. The knock against Nam is his lack of volume and tendency to go long stretches without engaging. But his overhand right is an off switch for a full fifteen minutes.

Ariane Lipski (-200) vs Priscila Cachoeira (+160)

Lipski: DK: $8.7k | Cachoeira: DK: $7.5k

Déjà vu. This one was scheduled last week but was canceled after weigh-ins. Lipski had trouble making weight, and that’s never a good sign. I think this could become a drawn-out three-round battle, but the value is in playing a finish. This is how I’m going to play this fight: I’m going to double dip. Swirl my pinkie toe around in both pools. I’m dropping twin Hamilton’s on a Lipski submission at (+475) and a Cachoeira TKO/KO at (+625). I can see Cachoeira ending up in the top position and being overaggressive and getting caught in an armbar, and I can see Lipski gassing late (especially if she has issues making weight) and Cachoeira dropping Donkey Kong haymakers on her until she drops. Then I’ll sit back and watch the money pile up. Maybe get on Zillow and take a look at new homes in gated communities.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleepers

I was two for two with two dingers last week. I hit on Mohammed Usman and Geoff Neal and took my time rounding the bases. I'll be ready for the high and inside heater this week and won't hesitate to Robin Ventura charge the mound.

This week, I like Nizzy Nate Landwehr at (+225). He will have to survive the early storm, but this is a proving ground fight for David Onama. Does he have the dog in him? If he can't use his speed to get Landwehr out of there early, we'll find out. If Nate can drag him into deep waters, he can grind out this dub.

Gerald Meerschaert (+235) has submission wins like Antonio Cromartie has kids. Bruno Silva's specialty is top control and ground and pound, which play into Meerschaert's strength, his guard.

Tyson Nam (+200) has upset loaded in his right hand. He isn't the most intricate, technical fighter but has an equalizer cocked and loaded at all times. Ode Osbourne will have a significant speed advantage, but he doesn't always remain defensively responsible when exchanging in the pocket. If Nam can draw out Osbourne, time him, and counter with his right hand, he can end the fight in a blink.

Pick 'Em

Priscila Cachoeira (-200) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+160)

Winner: Priscila Cachoeira

 Method: TKO Rd.3

Angela Hill (+255) vs. Loopy Godinez (-325)

Winner: Loopy Godinez

 Method: Decision

Martin Buday (-265) vs. Lukasz Brzeksi (+210)

    Winner: Martin Buday

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Gabriel Benitez (-360) vs. Charlie Ontiveros (+275)

    Winner: Gabriel Benitez

 Method: TKO Rd.3

Ode Osbourne (-250) vs. Tyson Nam (+200)

    Winner: Ode Osbourne

 Method: Decision

Jason Witt (+195) vs. Josh Quinlan (-260)

    Winner: Josh Quinlan

 Method: TKO Rd.3

Youssef Zalal (-125) vs. Da'Mon Blackshear (-125)

    Winner: Youssef Zalal

 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