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

Ciryl Gane (-150 ) vs Francis Ngannou (+135)

Gane: DK: $8.4k | Ngannou: DK:$7.8k

Francis Ngannou is that dude. Which dude? THE dude. He has the most power pure square knuckle the sport has ever seen. A nick, a scrape, a glancing blow can provide enough energy to power any human being into orbit on an Allistair Overeem rescue mission. Overeem has been orbiting the earth, an unofficial NASA satellite, since 2017. Ngannou sent Jairzinho Rozenstruik on an ambitious rescue effort in 2020 and earned a title shot for his efforts even though the mission was eventually aborted and deemed unsuccessful.

Ngannou then sent former champ, Stipe Miocic, on a different type of discovery mission; this time, instead of upward, exploring the heavens, Ngannou blasted Stipe into the center of the earth, a Crab People diplomat. Francis displayed new modifications, upgraded processing speeds during the Stipe fight. Not only did Ngannou display a more calculated, measured approach on the feet, he also showed some improved wrestling skills.

Early in the first round, Ngannou stuffed Stipe’s only takedown attempt and reversed the position, pinning Stipe against the cage and nearly finishing the fight with heavy strikes. On the feet, Ngannou used an improved double jab and heavy leg kicks in combination to make Stipe hesitant to strike or shoot. The improvements were necessary, swinging wildly and charging forward with your chin straight up in the air will only get you so far and for a limited time.

Ngannou tends to fight like he’s playing Madden; every play is a deep route forty yards downfield. Every strike Francis throws is a bomb, a haymaker, a death sentence. All his movements are big and require massive amounts of fuel to power. In the first Stipe fight, Ngannou was rendered useless, stumbling around the cage incoherently from fatigue after the first round. Was the second Stipe a permanent change in philosophy or just a one-off against an opponent with a clear game plan to take him down?

The power advantage will always be with Francis Ngannou, but against Ciryl Gane, Ngannou will be at a massive technical striking disadvantage. Francis will have to use a mixture of the hyper-aggressive Francis, throwing reckless bombs like Oprah giveaways, and the calculated more technical Francis who was on display at UFC 260. He won’t out-strike Gane technically, and he can’t afford to wade in indiscriminately, or he'll get picked apart with counters, but... he can't afford not to, either. A controlled stand-up fight executed from kickboxing range heavily favors Gane; Ngannou will have to pick his openings wisely and force Gane to engage in some 50/50 wild exchanges.

Ciryl Gane is MMA’s version of the T-1000. Made from mimetic poly-alloy, the T-1000 is equipped with nanotechnology, enabling it to scan the molecular structure of whatever it touches and become it. In Layman’s terms, it can shapeshift.

The T-1000 can take the form of inanimate objects, human beings, and it can change its extremities into deadly metallic weapons. Its development was kept secret until 2019, the year project “Ciryl Gane” made its UFC debut.

Gane is the most technical striker ever in the heavyweight division. It all starts with his footwork; his feet never stop moving. He uses a perpetual bounce like he’s jumping rope that allows him to leap in and out of the pocket with kicks and punches. Gane’s bladed stance maximizes distance even against longer, taller fighters and allows him to utilize his jab like a boxer, covering distance while avoiding danger.

The dual stance is the future of MMA. Fighting from both stances will soon be rudimentary tutelages starting in the early fundamental years. Using two stances unlocks the ability to strike in any direction offensively and defensively. Ciryl Gane likes to mismatch his stances, using the opposite stance of his opponent so he can land power punches down the middle. Ngannou is strictly an orthodox fighter, so you can expect to see Gane in the southpaw stance for the majority of the time except when he wants to mix things up and give a different look.

The key for Gane is drawing out Ngannou’s power with feints and touching him from the outside. If Gane can draw out those big movements of Ngannou, he can tie Ngannou up, push him against the cage, and drain his very limited gas tank. Gane should look to slow play this fight early and take over with volume late. An overlooked aspect of Gane’s game is his takedowns from the clinch and overall wrestling game. Making this an MMA fight and not just a kickboxing match gives Gane a big advantage, limiting Ngannou’s opportunities to land a fight-changing bomb.

The Champ, Francis Ngannou, will be stepping in as the slight dog at (+120), and Francis at plus money is always a no-brainer. Old footage of the two sparring a couple of years ago made its rounds through the social media networks a few months ago, and it showed Gane getting the best of Ngannou. They say you can’t take much away from sparring sessions, but I tend to believe my eyes. Gane is the superior striker, but Ngannou can lose every minute of the fight, land one punch, and walk away with his belt. In a lot of ways, Ngannou is MMA’s Deontay Wilder. And that would make Gane MMA’s Tyson Fury.

The main event-losing streak has reached a historic high at five fights after Giga Chikadze caught a Bill-Belichick-without-Tom-Brady-playoff-ass-whooping last week. Luckily, I’m in familiar, comfortable territory, my back up against a wall. Ciryl Gane via TKO, round three.

Winner: Ciryl Gane | Method: TKO Rd.3

Deiveson Figueiredo (+145 ) vs. Brandon Moreno (-175 )

Fig: DK: $7.7k | Moreno: DK: $8.5k

Here we go again for the third time, the rubber match and hopefully the final match between these two fighters. I thought it was pretty clear after the second fight, Brandon Moreno was the better fighter, and a third fight between the two made little sense. Moreno provided me with one of my favorite UFC moments last year when he dominated Deiveson Figueiredo and won the belt. He tapped Fig with a rear-naked choke that later became the Submission of the Year.

It was obvious from the jump that Moreno was a massive fan of The Weekly Knockout and used it as a blueprint to secure the title. The key for Moreno going into the second fight was using his jab to establish range and thwart Figueiredo’s aggressive advances. Moreno also needed to use his wrestling early. Late in the first fight, Moreno discovered he could take Figueiredo down but didn’t commit to keeping him there. The second time around, Moreno took Fig down early and managed to clock some top control time.

Moreno’s jab was a piston, and Fig showed no ability to navigate around it. Head movement without foot movement isn’t movement. Fig has a bad habit of moving his head and slipping but not moving his feet to find exits and angles to counter. Without footwork, you’re just one of those blowup baby’s-first-punching-bags that just spring back to the center no matter which way you hit them.

On the mat, Figueiredo tends to get lazy with his shoulders flat on the mat in a closed or passive open guard. Moreno is a scrambler, ground and pounder, and a guard passer; you can’t afford to lie flat on your back for any duration against Moreno. Brandon took advantage of these Figueiredo flaws and slowly wore down Fig until Moreno got the back and wasted no time locking in the choke.

Figueiredo’s biggest flaw is that he fights with his ego. We saw this exact same thing from Amanda Nunes against Jessica Peña. Amanda showed no respect for Peña’s power and opted to eat every one of Peña’s punches instead of defending or slipping and countering. Nunes headhunted with her right hand over and over, believing it could bail her out of any situation. Figueiredo is plagued with the same mentality at times in the Octagon. He’ll take one to give one that he believes will end the fight instantly. But before he knows it, he’s hurt and spitting pick-up lines and blowing kisses at unconsciousness.

Also, like Amanda Nunes, Figueiredo breaks, Moreno doesn’t. You can’t break Brandon Moreno, he’ll never give up, but Figueiredo will if you give him a reason to. Moreno is entering this fight as the sizeable (-185) favorite, and I don’t see why this fight would end any differently than the second one did. But Figueiredo at plus money is a lot like Ngannou or Derrick Lewis at plus money, dripping with value. He can end the fight in a blink with his aggressive kill or be killed style and had Moreno hurt multiple times in the first bout. But I expect Moreno to sit behind his jab until he finds an opening to take down Figueiredo and wear him down until Moreno eventually finds the submission again. Brandon Moreno via rear-naked choke, round three.

Winner: Brandon Moreno | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.3

Andre Fialho (+220 ) vs. Michel Pereira (-285 )

Fialho: DK: $7.1k | Pereira: DK: $9.1k

Michel Pereira had two different opponents last week and a slot as the co-main event, but both fights fell through. Bellator and PFL veteran Andre Fialho agreed to step in on less than a week’s notice, but the bout was eventually pushed back a week. Agreeing to fight Michel Pereira in and of itself is commendable, but to do so on less than a week’s notice is something else. Michel Pereira, for those who don’t know, is the Cirque Du Soleil trapeze artist who moonlights as a UFC fighter. Homie comes out doing full-on Simone Biles Olympic floor routines in the cage. Twice in the Octagon, Pereira has pulled off backflip guard passes and has the record for most backflips performed mid-fight in UFC history.

Michel Pereira is wild; he howls at the moon. Ah ah awoooo! You may remember the beast, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson; he fought for the UFC light heavyweight belt against Daniel Cormier and started his promotional career at welterweight. He most recently fought at heavyweight for Bellator. The point is, he was the biggest welterweight I’ve ever seen. He rarely actually made weight, but that’s beside the point. This dude Michel Pereira is massive for welterweight. You’ll take one look at him and then a half a look at yourself and wonder how the F!@k did that guy make one hundred seventy pounds. I have homies who haven’t weighed one hundred seventy pounds since middle school.

Pereira is long with a cape on, super long, and uses every inch to control range. He can touch you from across the Octagon and has scary power, BUT (that’s a big but) he has January 1st cardio, a Tesla gas tank. Michel has about seven to ten minutes of world-class, creative striking and grappling before the clock strikes midnight and his glass slippers turn into dog-chewed chanclas. In his most recent bout against Niko Price, Pereira dominated early but looked like he just left Applebee’s happy hour in the third round, stumbling all over the cage, barely able to stay on his feet. Not because he was hurt, rocked, woozy from damage, but because he was gassed, exhausted.

Pereira should dominate Andre Fialho, but if he doesn’t get Fialho out of there early, Fialho has the experience and the striking to finish Pereira late. Fialho will be making his UFC debut and reminds me of a slightly more technical Shogun Rua without the uber aggression. He has tight technical kickboxing and 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 14-3, with eleven TKO/KO’s and one submission; he’s a finisher. He’s currently riding a four-fight winning streak and has a notable loss to Chris Curtis, who recently stormed on the stage and grabbed the mic late in 2020 with two massive upsets against Phil Hawes and Brendan Allen. 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. Also, Fialho struggles against southpaws, and Michel Pereira uses both stances well.

There’s little chance this one goes the distance. Either Michel Pereira will score an early ESPN Top Ten KO, or Fialho will survive early and finish Pereira late. I’ll take the former option. Michel Pereira via TKO, round one.

Winner: Michel Pereira | Method: TKO Rd.1

Cody Stamann (+170 ) Said Nurmagomedov (-200 )

Stamann: DK: $7.6k | Nurmagomedov: DK: $8.6k

You gotta watch this guy Said Nurmagomedov scrap. Yes, the last name says it all, but Said’s style couldn’t be more of a polar opposite than the real Nurmagomedov’s, Khabib. Yeah, every Nurmagomedov on earth can wrestle better than noinety-nine percent of the people who have ever dawned a singlet and ear muffs, and his last name ends in “ov,” so you know he’s a killer straight out the box. But Said’s stand-up is what makes him special.

Said is a whirling dervish, the spin cycle on a washing machine; he’s got more spins than Maytag. He throws spinning attacks galore, using a spinning backfist like a jab. Nurmagomedov will counter the opponent’s jab with a spinning backfist or elbow, and he lands them like fundamental strikes.

The rear leg question mark kick is a prominent weapon in Said’s arsenal. The question mark kick is a low feint turned into a high kick all in one motion. Said can whip his shin up over your lead shoulder in a flash, and no matter how often he uses it, it lands. You have no choice but to defend high every time against his kicks to avoid getting head kicked, and that opens up leg and body attacks.

Said is a home run hitter, throws Hail Mary’s on every down, and never settles for a field goal or punts on fourth and long. And if you happen to find an answer to his striking, he’s a Nurmagomedov and has been shooting double legs since the womb.

But Said does have weaknesses. He needs space to operate, and exchanging in the pocket is his kryptonite. Said doesn’t use many hand combinations and almost exclusively throws single shots. Against Cody Stamann, Said’s job will be to maintain distance and keep Stamann at the end of his spins and kicks. Cody’s job will be to close the distance and grind Said in the clinch and make this a firefight in close quarters.

Cody Stamann is the Malt-o-Meal Michael Chandler. I’m talking Fruity Dyno Bites, Marshmallow Mateys, Berry Colossal Crunch, all that. Stamann has prototypical wrestler striking, but he lacks the hand speed that most wrestler strikers have. He tends to throw one punch at a time and engage level change takedowns off his power strikes. If Stamann were a flavor at Baskin Robbins, he’d be the pristine tub of vanilla in the corner without a single scoop taken from it.

On the positive side, Stamann averages four significant strikes per minute and nearly three takedowns per fight. I’m not sure he’ll be able to find much success taking down Said, but he has to commit to takedowns regardless. If he can make this an ugly fight, Stamann has the experience to pull out a close decision. In the Octagon, Stamann has faced Aljamain Sterling, Yadong Song, Jimmie Rivera, and Merab Dvalishvili, all straight killers.

At (+170), you’ll find some value on Cody to pull out a victory, but I think he will have problems closing the distance and getting off his short, round punches. In four UFC bouts, Said is 3-1 with two finishes. His lone loss came to Raoni Barcelos, who was able to control Said on the mat for stretches. I don’t see any finishing points for either fighter in this one. In sixteen career fights, Said has never been finished, and in twenty-three career bouts, Stamann was finished only once. Said Nurmagomedov via decision.

Winner: Said Nurmagomedov | Method: Decision

Wellington Turman (+185 ) vs Rodolfo Vieira (-225)

Turman: DK: $7.2k | Vieira: DK:$9k

It’s that time of year again, folks. In the bosom of January lies the heart of winter, and there’s no better time of year to wrap up in a warm cozy Wellington Turman. J.C. Penny’s exclusive winter scarf collection features a mix of out-of-season pastel colors with in-season plaid patterns. The combination of the Wellington Turman’s lively colors and patented cotton-wool blend construction provide both the illusion and reality of warmth, a two-pronged attack perfect for the toughest winter conditions.

In addition to Wellington Turman sounding like the name of a J.C. Penny’s high-end scarf, he’s also a Jiu-Jitsu specialist in the UFC. He will be facing of with THE Jiu-Jitsu specialist in the UFC, Rodolfo Vieira. Unfortunately for Turman, Vieira is as decorated a Jiu-Jitsu player as there is competing in MMA. He has world championships stacked on top of world championships. I don’t think Turman can boast anything close to Vieira’s Jiu-Jitsu accomplishments.

Some of you may remember C.B. Dollaway; he was a finalist on The Ultimate Fighter Season 7. Turman's style and stature remind me a lot of Dollaway. Both are basically wrestler strikers with big power and minimal technical skills. Wellington has heavy hands but is mostly a one's and one-twos striker and never gets to the second and third level. His jab is limited, and he relies on his power right hand to close the distance rather than speed and footwork.

He’s coming off a win against Sam Alvey; Turman won a decision even after having two points deducted during the bout. Turman used his wrestling/grappling extensively and was able to take down Alvey at will and control him. That’s the path to victory for Turman in any fight. Bad news/good news: The bad news is, he’s facing a better grappler. The good news is, Vieira has a weed wacker’s gas tank, and if Turman can stay out of harm’s way early in the fight, he should be able to take over in the late minutes.

Rodolfo Vieira has the cardio of The Biggest Loser runner-up. Vieira gets gassed after throwing the glove touch. It might be the worst cardio in the sport’s history. I will say this, though, in his last bout, Vieira showed better pacing on the feet and had enough gas in the tank to secure a third-round submission against Dustin Stoltzfus. Vieira also showed an improved jab and was able to control the stand-up exchanges without exerting too much valuable energy.

Vieira is 7-1, and the one loss was to Fluffy Hernandez, who weathered an early storm before Vieira gassed out and literally just stood there letting Hernandez punch him in the face. Vieira looked like those Karate mannequin punching bags in the shape of an actual human.

That’s it, that’s all I got for Rodolfo Vieira. If he were 50 Cent putting out a new album, it would be called Get Sub Or Die Trying. He will either score an early submission or gas and wake up in the back by the Craft Service station serving as an elaborate platter display. This fight will likely end with a finish. Vieira will land an early submission, or Turman will find one late while battering a Vieira CPR dummy. On wax, Rodolfo Vieira via rear-naked choke, round one.

Winner: Rodolfo Vieira | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.1

Prelims

Highlighted Matchup

Victor Henry (+350 ) vs Raoni Barcelos (-475)

Henry: DK: $6.9k | Barcelos: DK:$9.3k

I highlighted this fight a few weeks ago and of course it was subsequently canceled at the last moment. I don’t know much about Victor Henry, but I will say this: if the UFC thinks highly enough of you to throw you in on a week’s notice against a killer like Raoni Barcelos, AKA Jose Aldo Jr.-Jr., then you’re probably a bad mother-shut-your-mouf.

I watched a couple of Henry’s fights, and he has a solid resume, competing in high-level promotions like Rizin, Pancrase, and multiple Russian promotions. Henry is 21-5 with eight submissions and six TKO/KO’s. He’s a well-rounded fighter and especially dangerous on the mat from the top position. The stand-up will be fairly even, and although Henry lacks the hand speed to match Raoni’s, he has tight technical kickboxing. Henry uses his rear leg up the middle and round, and defensively, he sees strikes well with subtle slips and counters.

Overall, Henry looks like a serious scrapper, and I can only imagine he’ll step in the cage as an underdog and will have a ton of value for a potential upset. Also, Victor Henry has two first names, and you never ever mess with a dude with two first names because you know his parents are wild.

All you need to know about Barcelos is that he has a win over a Nurmagomedov, Said Nurmagomedov. More impressive was the fact that Barcelos out-grappled a Nurmagomedov. Raoni is a Gandolf on the mat, and if the fight ends up there, the grappling exchanges will be litty.

On the feet, the resemblance to Jose Aldo is uncanny; Barcelos's stance and leg kicks are almost identical to Aldo’s. Pedro Rizzo is an OG UFC fighter who is known for being one of the greatest leg kickers of all time; he is Barcelos's head coach, and Barcelos uses the same techniques Rizzo was known for. Raoni counters the jab with leg kicks and will fire a lead hook behind it and finish with another leg kick.

I’m going to give Raoni Barcelos a slight edge in both the stand-up and grappling, but I expect Henry to cause Barcelos all kinds of problems. Tread carefully on this one. Victor Henry has all the skills to be a live sleeper, but I’m going to give Barcelos the nod. Raoni Barcelos via decision.

Winner: Raoni Barcelos | Method: Decision

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleeper

There is a lot of potential at the top of the card for underdogs. The co-main and main events feature two underdogs who can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in a blink. Deiveson Figueiredo and Francis Ngannou have the power and uber-aggression to change the tide of any fight; one wrong move, zigging when you should have been zagging, could end the nights of both Brandon Moreno and Ciryl Gane with the quickness. Both Figueiredo and Ngannou will be at technical disadvantages standing and on the mat but can make up for those shortcomings with chaotic pressure that can force their opponents to abandon their game plans. Getting either fighter at plus money is a steal, and I’ll likely be performing the ol’ sawing a volunteer in half routine when I turn a Jackson into two Hamiltons and drop one on Figueiredo and Ngannou. This is budget balling at its finest.

If you’re looking for a long shot, Andre Fialho at (+220) against Michel Pereira is nearing that magical territory where Jackson's turn into Grants. Watch any Pereira fight that has gone the distance, and you’ll see Michel Pereira limping to the finish line just before the tortoise overtakes his lead. Pereira is huge, and the disadvantage to having a muscular physique is that it takes a lot of gas to fuel such a frame. If Fialho can get this fight to the midway point, he will have a real shot at stealing the fight late. IF—that's a big if—he can get it to the midway point.

Pick 'Em

Ilia Topuria (-550 ) vs. Charles Jourdain (+400 )

Winner: Ilia Topuria

 Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.3 

Jack Della Maddalena ( ) vs. Pete Rodriguez ( )

Winner: Jack Della Maddalena

 Method: MK Fatality Rd.1

Michael Morales ( ) vs. Trevin Giles ( )

Winner: Michael Morales

 Method: Decision

Tony Gravely (-250 ) vs. Saimon Oliveira (+195 )

    Winner: Saimon Oliveira

 Method: Guillotine Choke Rd.2

Silvana Juarez (+115) vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (-135 )

    Winner: Silvana Juarez

 Method: Decision

Matt Frevola (-200) vs. Genaro Valdez (+160 )

    Winner: Matt Frevola

 Method: Decision

Kay Hansen (-240) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (+190 )

    Winner: Kay Hansen

 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