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

Main Card

Uriah Hall (-230) vs. Anderson Silva (+180)

Hall: $8.6k, FD: $20 | Silva: DK: $7.6k, FD: $18

There’s been a lot of GOAT talk this year, Michael Jordan, LeBron, Kobe, Tom Brady, Eminem, etc. Last Saturday night, the ultimate GOAT was crowned in the ultimate sport; Khabib Nurmagomedov was cemented as MMA’s best fighter ever. The original MMA GOAT discussion, pre-Jon Jones era, included three names, Fedor, GSP, and Anderson Silva. Fedor was usually dropped from the discussion due to a lack of competition and never having stepped into the Octagon. GSP and Anderson Silva were almost universally acknowledged as the GOATs but a clear winner could never be determined.

With Anderson Silva set to fight in the main event this Saturday night (possibly for the last time), I decided to answer the original debate with a Versus Battle. Each fighter’s four best fights will square off against each other to determine who was the OG (Original GOAT) before Khabib took his seat on the Iron Throne with his submission win over Justin Gaethje to improve to 29-0.

Round One

GSP: defeated B.J. Penn UFC 58

Vs.

Anderson Silva: defeated Rich Franklin UFC 64

I’m giving the slight edge to GSP in this one; B.J. Penn was already considered an all-time great in the sport and was a two-division Champion. Rich Franklin dominated the middleweight division before Silva’s arrival, but his skills were highly overrated, and his run was mostly the product of a weak division.

Round Two

GSP: defeated Matt Hughes UFC 65

Vs.

Anderson: defeated Dan Henderson UFC 82

Slight edge to Anderson. Hendo was a two-division Pride champion coming off a KO of Wanderlei Silva, a Wanderlei Silva on hulk juice. Hughes was the greatest welterweight of all time but wasn’t nearly the threat Hendo was with his wrestling and H-bomb.

Round Three

GSP: defeated Nick Diaz UFC 158

Vs.

Anderson: defeated Nick Diaz UFC 183

GSP’s victory over Nick was more impressive than Silva’s; Nick was still in his prime and fighting regularly. When Silva got Diaz, it was after a two-year layoff and marked the last time Diaz ever fought, suggesting he already had one ass cheek out the door.

Round Four

GSP: defeated Jake Shields UFC 129

Vs.

Anderson: defeated Vitor Belfort UFC 126

Jake Shields was a Strikeforce champion and considered the best grappler in MMA at the time, and was coming off a dominant win against Dan Henderson, but this one goes to Anderson. Vitor was still juiced up Willie and had some of the fastest hands in the sport’s history. TRT Vitor was a true monster.

Tie Breaker: Hollywood Martial Arts teacher

GSP: trained with Jean-Claude Van Damme

Vs.

Anderson: trained with Steven Seagal

Bloodsport, enough said. The Original GOAT was GSP.

At forty-five years old, Anderson Silva is entering this fight against Uriah Hall as the (+175) underdog. It’s been hard to watch Anderson compete since he lost his title to Chris Weidman in 2013. The showboating he did in that fight completely changed the course of his career, and he’s lost six of his last eight bouts. His most recent win came against Derek Brunson in 2017, and that was questionable.

Anderson’s trademark was his ability to go full Neo from the Matrix and dodge punches coming from any plane of existence. That’s no longer the case; he no longer even reacts to strikes because he doesn’t see them coming. His chin is a broken eggshell pieced back together like a Market Pantry Humpty Dumpty; he doesn’t take shots well and was almost KO’d by a jab from a Stylebender who was doing his best not to KO him.

On the other side of the Octagon, Uriah Hall was once proclaimed by Dana White to be the next Anderson Silva after the vicious KO’s he recorded on the Ultimate Fighter show in 2013. He didn’t live up to that hype, not even close. Uriah has the explosive striking to KO anyone in the division, but he just never found the right balance of aggression.

Uriah is on a two-fight winning streak and has won three of his last four bouts, his lone loss coming to the Dave & Buster, Paulo Costa. He’s a one-punch striker, and his best weapon is the variety of kicks he throws. Both fighters average three significant strikes landed per minute; the low output from both fighters will almost guarantee long stretches of feeling out with few exchanges in between.

Uriah Hall should win this fight, if for no other reason than he’s fighting a 45-year-old man pushing a decade removed from his glory days. Israel Adesanya carried Anderson to the finish line in their fight out of respect for the man he grew up idolizing. I don’t think that will happen in this one. Hall should be able to finish this, especially if this is a five-round main event. My overall pick ‘em record has been stellar lately, but I’m in the midst of a terrible main event losing streak, and I think this is the one to get me off the schneid. Uriah Hall via TKO, round three.

Winner: Uriah Hall | Method: TKO Rd.3

Bryce Mitchell (-155 ) vs. Andre "Touchy" Fili (+125)

Mitchell: DK: $8.5k, FD: $17 | Fili: DK: $7.7k, FD: $15

This is a fight of the night candidate, pitting two polar opposite styles against each other. At 9-6, this will be Fili’s sixteenth fight in the Octagon, with many of his losses coming to top contenders in the division. He’s long and rangy and uses it well, and has a bottomless gas tank. A mixologist, Fili, creates creative concoctions of strikes with relentless forward pressure. Lateral movement makes him difficult to take down, but he is more than capable if he is. He will rely heavily on his takedown defense and ability to scramble in this fight.

Bryce Mitchell is an undefeated grappling extraordinaire with a Heisenberg-like stash of takedowns at his disposal. He has a position top game; he hunts for submissions more than he looks to ground and pound his opponents and has noine submission wins in thirteen professional wins. For Bryce, it's mostly takedowns or bust, as his striking is very average.

The bad news for Mitchell is that Andre Fili averages more takedowns per fight and has better takedown defense. Mitchell was taken down five times against Bobby Moffett but still managed to win the fight, but I think Fili has the grappling prowess to go stride for stride with Mitchell. Fili is the far more experienced fighter, having faced a much higher level of competition, and he has the best nickname in MMA. On wax, Andre Fili via decision. Add him to your roster; he has the ability to score takedowns and significant strikes on the feet. Bryce could pay off as a long-shot gamble for his ability to land submissions.

Winner: Andre Fili | Method: Decision

Kevin Holland (-140 ) vs Charlie Ontiveros (tbd)

Holland: DK: $8.2k, FD: $17 | Ontiveros: DK: TBD, FD: TBD

Banger alert, mostly because every Kevin Holland fight is a banger. Two weeks ago, we witnessed possibly the greatest KO of all time when Joaquin Buckley KO’d Impa Kasaganay with a jumping spinning back kick when Impa caught one of his kicks and held on to it. Kevin Holland KO’d the same Joaquin Buckley back in August and is coming off a close split decision win to Darren Stewart a month ago. He has been very active and is on a roll. He’s fought eight times since his debut in 2018 and is 6-2.

Holland has long, powerful striking and mixes his attacks with kicks and punches. He maintains distance well and isn’t afraid to trade in the pocket. He gassed late in his last fight and almost spoiled a near-flawless performance up until that point.

Makhmud Muradov is out and Charlie Ontiveros will step in on short notice, making his UFC debut. Ontiveros (11-6) coming out of Fury FC, is on a 2 fight win streak. He won his most recent fight by 1st round KC last December.

I’m going with Kevin Holland.

Winner: Kevin Holland | Method: Decision

Maurice Greene (+255) vs. Greg Hardy (-335)

Greene: DK: $7.4k, FD: $10 | Hardy: DK: $8.8k, FD: $20

I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, and I’ll toot my own horn for the courage it takes to admit that. I’ve made a modest living defending Jerry Jones and some of the moronic moves he has made in the past. Like trading the farm for wide receiver Roy Williams, firing Jimmy Johnson, sticking with 8-8 Jason Garrett for close to a decade, but I never could defend Jerry signing Greg Hardy. It destroyed the locker room, didn’t pan out on the field, and it rewarded a guy who just didn’t deserve to wear the Star on his helmet.

My hate for Hardy has been dry, Mojave Desert dry, and when he decided to compete in MMA, I thought he would get his comeuppance tenfold. I thought he would spend more time being resuscitated than he would spend remaining upright. That hasn’t been the case. In fact, he’s gotten pretty good and pretty quickly at that. He’s powerful, uses his jab, isn’t afraid to engage, and has an instinct for managing the pocket. His only real loss was to Alexander Volkov, and he was competitive in that fight but couldn’t get inside of Volkov’s reach often enough.

Maurice Greene has a unique built-in physical attribute refined from years of natural selection; his eyes are close to the sides of his head, much like a hammerhead shark. This allows him to look in two different directions at the same time and misdirect and befuddle his opponents. He’s a vanilla, low output, one-punch, power striker with average ground skills. He’s 4-2 in the UFC but has lost two of his last three and was almost KO’d by the very undersized Gian Villante in his last fight.

Greene can make this an ugly fight with clinch work against the cage, attempting to drag Hardy to the floor, and if he wins, it will likely be by decision. It won’t go the distance, though. Greg Hardy via TKO, round two.

Winner: Greg Hardy | Method: TKO Rd.2

Bobby "King" Greene (-305 ) vs Thiago Moises (+235)

King: DK: $9k, FD: $19 | Moises: DK: $7.2k, FD: $11

I love Bobby Greene; he’s easily one of my favorite active fighters. His style is impetuous, his defense is impregnable, and he’s just ferocious. He strikes naturally from both stances and can flow back and forth between the two mid-exchange. There’s no such thing as a boring Bobby Greene fight, and win or lose, he goes out on his shield. He tends to get into firefights, and that has cost him some victories in the past, but in a year that has cracked the average person’s ass, Bobby Greene has dominated 2020. Like the vision, he has been perfect, 3-0, and coming off a dominant win against the tough Alan Patrick last month.

Thiago Moises is a style matchup nightmare for most strikers, as was the case in his last fight against Michael Johnson. Johnson boxed Moises’s ears in the first round, but in the second, Moises ran straight across the cage took Johnson down, and sub’d him with a heel hook. His striking isn’t very good, and in five UFC bouts, he has only recorded a takedown in one. For an almost pure grappler, that’s not an encouraging stat.

Bobby Greene needs to maintain distance and pick Moises apart from the outside. King Greene isn’t much of a finisher; the task will be more daunting, having to avoid the ground for a full fifteen minutes. Without a finish, Moises’s Fantasy value is strictly sentimental. Green’s output may be below his norm—he has reached over one hundred significant strikes landed several times in his career—as he will have to choose his openings more judiciously. Give me Bobby Greene for win number four in 2020 via decision.

Winner: Bobby Greene | Method: Decision

Prelims

Chris Gruetzemacher (+300 ) vs. Alexander Hernandez (-400 )

Gruetz: DK: $6.9k, FD: $8 | Hernandez: DK: $9.3k, FD: $23

Alexander Hernandez is a mother-shut-you-mouth for the first five minutes of a fight. He’s shot out of a cannon like the circus guys shot into huge nets in those 1920’s black and white movies. He has no idea how to pace himself and throws every strike with one hundred percent power. He takes shots worse than Anderson Silva does and looks hurt by every strike his opponent lands and some that they don't.

Hernandez is 3-2 in the UFC with L’s to Donald Cerrone and Drew Dober but does have a first-round KO of Beneil Dariush. At three significant strikes landed per minute, he won’t be a high Fantasy scorer even averaging over two takedowns per fight.

If you only compared Hernandez and Gruetzemacher’s first rounds, you would wonder how the athletic commission even sanctioned this fight. Chris has zero movement, head, foot, movement in general. He swings a lot but leads with his head, and his defense consists mostly of parrying punches with his face. But he never stops; he stays in the opponent's face, taking their best shots and plodding forward with an over seven significant strikes landed per minute pace. He’s a problem in the clinch with relentless dirty boxing and tight, crisp elbows from close range.

Hernandez passes the eye test, and on paper, would appear to be the better fighter. Gruetz hasn’t fought in two years and smoked a Joe Lauzon, who had both cheeks out the door in his last fight. All signs point to Hernandez so... I really want to take the upset here, but... I'm going with Hernandez . On wiz-ax, Alexander Hernandez, via decision.

At $9,300, and the biggest Fantasy cap hit, I'd stay away from Hernandez. He has a tendency to fade late, and Gruetz is the type of fighter to hang around and make it ugly late. For $9,300 I want a finish, and I don't see it here.

Winner: Alexander Hernandez | Method: Decision

Adrian Yanez (-333) vs. Victor Rodriguez (+250 )

Yanez: $9.2k: , FD: $16 | Rodriguez: $7k: , FD:

The Tampa Bay Rays could have used Victor Rodriguez on the mound in game six after Kevin Cash decided to throw the series by taking Blake Snell out of the game; he’s a heat throwing lefty who isn’t afraid to fall behind in the count. Rodriguez throws ¾ overhand punches with both hands but relies on his power left with little setup early and often. His left leg and body kicks are nasty, and he operates most efficiently from outside of the pocket, so he’ll want to avoid a firefight.

Adrian Yanez has tight, technical striking and strings together short, quick combinations. He uses his jab more traditionally than Rodriguez and has good lateral movement. Guerrilla Black was a rapper best known for stealing the Notorious B.I.G.'s whole style without citing any sources. Google him. Adrian Yanez looks like he Guerrilla Black'd Jorge Masvidal, stole his style with no bibliography. The way he carries and throws his hands is very reminiscent of the BMF Champ.

Both fighters are making their UFC debuts, but Yanez has the added experience of having competed on the Contender Series in his last fight, scoring a forty-second TKO win. Rodriguez is 4-2 with four KO’s and has a good chance to score a finish for your roster, but I think Yanez will survive early and go on to outwork Rodriguez on his way to a decision win. Adrian Yanez via decision. Don’t miss this one.

Winner: Adrian Yanez | Method: Decision

Sean Strickland (-340 ) vs. Jack Marshman (+260 )

Strickland: DK: $9.1k, FD: $19 | Marshman: $7.1k, FD: $10

This is a matchup of two decent boxers, and that’s really about all there is to say about it. Strickland has tight, straight punches and is an overall average fighter. He suffers from the Irene Aldana syndrome; he chases his opponents around the cage instead of cutting it off and trapping his opponent with hooks and round kicks. Strickland is 20-3 with twelve bouts in the UFC since 2014. Early in his career, he showed a lot of promise but has since failed to evolve.

Jack Marshman is a slow, sloth-like boxer with short bus power and a puncher’s chance. He doesn’t incorporate kicks or any creativity in his striking. Since 2016, Marshman has gone 3-4 in the promotion and has lost three of his last four bouts.

I say all that to say this, take Sean Strickland; I think he has a good shot at a finish here. He’s more aggressive and overall just a much better fighter. Sean Strickland via TKO, round two.

Winner: Sean Strickland | Method: TKO Rd.2

Cole Williams (+120 ) vs. Jason Witt (-150 )

Williams: $7.9k, FD: $15 | Witt: DK: $8.3k, FD: $16

This fight will be like watching Brennan and Dale fight over a drum set. Both fighters were finished inside half of a round in their debuts, so somebody’s UFC 0 will go. Witt has average boxing and tends to end his punches at his waist. He doesn’t use much head movement or footwork to avoid strikes and tends to take a lot of damage because of it. He has power in his hands and mixes his strikes to the body well.

Cole Williams could probably drop to featherweight if he went on the Jared Cannonier diet. He has a hybrid karate stance that looks like a Payless Wonderboy Thompson, but he doesn’t throw many kicks. Williams's striking defense consists mostly of blocking punches with his face as he carries his hands low and is careless when engaging. One thing he does well is he hides the power uppercut behind his jab and consistently lands it.

Both fighters tend to take a lot of damage, but I think Williams has a better chin. Williams has a higher output and should outwork Witt. There’s not much data on these two, only having spent a short time in the Octagon, but Williams may be the better Fantasy roster option. A finish is more likely to come by his hands than by Witt's, but I think this will go the distance. Cole Williams, via decision.

Winner: Cole Williams | Method: Decision

Dustin Jacoby (-325) vs. Justin Ledet (+250)

Jacoby: DK: $8.9k, FD: $21 | Ledet: DK: $7.3k, FD: $9

Dustin Jacoby has Original Recipe extra crispy striking. A former Glory Kickboxing heavyweight champion, this will be Jacoby’s second stint in the UFC, and he also previously fought in Bellator. You don’t become a Glory Champion without world-class striking, and Jacoby definitely has it. Everything is in play for Jacoby, knees, elbows, kicks, and punches in combination. He carries his hands low but manages distance well, staying just outside of his opponent’s reach. In the clinch, he beats you up with dirty boxing and filthy elbows.

Justin Ledet is up Doo Doo Creek without any floaties on. He’s not a chump by any means, but he’s at a serious striking disadvantage. In this sport, when people describe one of your best attributes as “durable,” it means you have a propensity for getting your ass cracked. Ledet is durable and probably has the scars to prove it. His striking is loose, he keeps the jab in his opponent’s face, and he has consistent forward pressure. But he eats a lot of punches and goes back to the buffet for seconds, and takes a doggy bag home. Jacoby needs to watch Ledet’s power uppercut and lead hook; he has power in both and can change the fight if he lands them.

Jacoby will probably cost you an arm and your favorite limb when it comes to your Fantasy roster, but this will be as close to a guaranteed finish as there is on the card. Dustin Jacoby, via second-round TKO.

Winner: Dustin Jacoby | Method: TKO Rd.2

Cortney Casey (-240 ) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+190)

Casey: DK: $8.7k, FD: $18 | Cachoeira: DK: $7.5k, FD: $12

These ladies won’t put on the most technical display of martial arts techniques, but they will put on a show. Cortney Casey is coming in with twelve fights in the UFC since 2015 but has a salty record of 5-7 in that time. She’s fought almost every big name there is at strawweight and flyweight, but she’s lost to almost every one of them. Casey looks the part of an excellent striker, but she’s missing something. Using footwork to set up angles, head movement and slips, counter striking, going to the body, all the intricacies that set elite strikes apart from good strikers, Cortney doesn’t possess those things.

I live in San Diego, CA and Palm Springs is a popular getaway for San Diegans. Just outside of Palm Springs, on your out, you’ll see hundreds of windmills steadily churning and producing electricity. Those windmills mimic Priscila Cachoeira’s striking to a T. Or is it the other way around? Either way, Priscila is a windmill striker who lowers her head, and while looking down at the ground, pinwheels her arms in circular motions. She runs right at her opponents and hopes they stay within the path of her rotating arms. Technique, she doesn’t have any. Power, she’s got enough to respect. Gas tank, equal to a ten-gallon Ford Escort.

I’m taking Cortney Casey to win via decision. The fight should remain standing for the duration and should provide plenty of exchanges. Priscila is coming off of a forty second KO victory of Shana Dobson, but I don’t see her finishing this fight. Her output isn’t high enough to justify any Fantasy price. They’re taking her off the clearance rack and putting her in the donation bin. Stay away.

Winner: Cortney Casey | Method: Decision

🚨 Update: Cortney Casey vs. Priscila Cachoeira has been cancelled.

Miles Johns (-165 ) vs. Kevin Natividad (+135)

Johns: DK: $8.4k, FD: $18 | Natividad: DK: $7.8k, FD: $12

This will be a fun fight, and for each fighter, it’ll be like fighting in front of a mirror. These guys have very similar builds and styles, and both are heavy power strikers. Their records are even almost identical; Miles Johns is 10-1, and Kevin Natividad is 9-1, but Johns has two fights in the UFC, and Natividad will be making his debut.

Miles Johns throws long, looping power shots and hunts with his right hand. Natividad is another power striker, but he’s a little more technical and more aggressive with forward pressure. This is a complete toss-up. I think a finish is unlikely, as these guys near identical in skill level. Look for these guys to be around the fifty to sixty significant strikes range. Give me Kevin Natividad via decision. There's good value for Natividad at $7,800; there's no data to fact check, but Natividad should be the busier fighter, and I like him in this price range.

Winner: Kevin Natividad | 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. Parental Advisory Warning:

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