Written by LineStar contributor, combat sports enthusiast, and practitioner, Chris Guy. Instagram: @therealsethgeko | Twitter: @DadHallOfFamer

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“While I’m starin’ at the world through my rearview/

See, I’m seein’ nothing but my dreams coming true/

While I’m starin’ at the world through my rearview” – Tupac Shakur “Starin’ Through My Rear View”

Before you can know where you’re headed, you have to acknowledge where you’ve been. UFC 280 changed the landscape of the historically most competitive division in the world and ushered in another ruthless ‘ev’ regime under the newly crowned champion Islam Makhachev. It was a Suge Night in Abu Dhabi; Makhachev ran over the most accomplished and feared submission artist in the promotion's history, Charles Oliveira. There wasn’t a single second of the fight that Makhachev didn’t dominate, leaving everyone asking the question; who can beat this fookin’ guy?

F!@k an electric chair; death penalty states adopted a new method of legal euthanasia, Aljamain Sterling’s back mount. After the last rites are read, the state rolls in Aljo on a dolly like Hannibal Lecter and latches him onto the condemned’s back with a fully locked-in body triangle. What results is a tedious and painful death onset by extreme claustrophobia, abdominal constriction, and eventual suffocation via rear-naked choke. Regardless of the circumstances, there was no escape for Dillashaw once Aljo sank his hooks in; the fight was over. Even if Dillashaw had four arms like Goro, he wasn’t going to survive that position after the bell saved him in the first round.

Sean O’Malley rolled up on Petr Yan like White Goodman with his Globo Gym cronies in an infamous Valero restroom and utilized the ol-finger-gun-in-the-coat-pocket routine to turn Yan into a Shook One, robbing him of a dub. But win or lose, O’Malley showed he can hang with the best in the division and had Yan hurt multiple times, far exceeding my expectations. Maybe the dubious dub opens an avenue for Chito Vera to challenge Aljo next, or at the very least, sets up Chito vs. O’Malley 2.

Next up, I bust out my Spirit Halloween AB costume, a bag of Candy Corn, and post up at the local Ramada Inn and watch the UFC Halloween card poolside. On deck is a filthy little banger between “Hey” Arnold Allen and Calvin “& Hobbs” Kattar. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.

Main Card

Arnold Allen (-116) vs. Calvin Kattar (-120)

Allen: DK: $8.2k |Kattar: DK:$8k

This is gonna be a stand-up shootout in the streets, a modern-day O.K. Corral at the intersection of Howling and At The Moon. Arnold Allen is probably one of the best UFC veterans you haven’t heard of, and Calvin Kattar is a war vet with General Patton stripes. At its core, this is a matchup of power vs. volume, Allen possessing the former and Kattar the latter. You’ll want to stay away from the windows and hunker down in your bathtub to avoid catching a stray while watching this one.

Arnold Allen is an op wearing a wire. One minute you’re chilling at IHOP enjoying a stack of happy face pancakes, and the next, flash bangs are going off all around, and Feds are repelling from the ceiling, pointing ARs at you. Allen is an undercover killer with a perfect 9-0 UFC record since his debut in 2015. There are no easy paths to victory against Arnold Allen; it’s all Kit Carson heavy bushwhacking through dense terrain populated with hostile inhabitants when you engage in fisticuffs with him. Allen can stand and bang and shut the lights off, or go full BDSM, strap on the pleather chaps and choke you without ever establishing a safety word. “Hey” Arnold’s striking has been the talk of the town as of late, having KO’d Dan Hooker in the first round most recently, but he also has excellent wrestling and can flip the script if he’s not winning the striking battle.

I think most fighters sleep on Allen’s stand-up, and you can pinpoint the moment they realize they done F’d up. His left hand punches one-way tickets to Valhalla, and his left high kick is lightning quick. You don’t want to ride the Arnold Allen lightning. You don’t want to catch an ankle sock tan line upside your head likeSodiq Yusuff did. Allen’s kick had Yusuff doing the Griddy in the middle of the cage like he was trying to bring back the Soul Train dance line. There’s nothing particularly intricate about Allen’s striking, but he’s fearlessly aggressive with deceptive speed and life altering power.

I say all that to say this; Calvin Kattar is the better, more technical striker, and it will best serve Allen to look to make this an MMA fight, using his power on the feet to set up takedowns. Kattar sets a relentless pace, using a high output of jabs and short two to three-punch combinations, and using takedown attempts to siphon Kattar’s gas tank should be plan A. Despite his sleeper power, Allen has only finished one fight on the feet and two by submission in the UFC. That’s because he’s a one-punch striker for the most part and doesn’t put together smooth combinations. He’ll be the slight (+105) dog, and his Fantasy value will be in doing what no one has been able to do in the UFC, finish Calvin Kattar. Allen is far from a high-output striker, averaging less than three and a half significant strikes per minute, and has only come close to one hundred in a fight once.

Kalvin Kattar is a coach’s example of the perfect fundamental technique. He keeps his hands high and elbows in, maintaining an effective handguard with two uses: defending strikes and parrying/countering. There’s no wasted motion. Kattar’s jab is a piston that he keeps in his opponent’s face, creating openings to attack the body and land his right hand.

Shadowbox feints are rarely used effectively in MMA, but Kattar is one of the few who can use them to probe the defense and open avenues of attack. Also, shadowbox feints can be used to create momentum to propel strikes and give them extra speed.

The problem for Calvin Kattar during his UFC career has been that he’s a notoriously slow starter, and it has cost him in every one of his three UFC losses. Against Max Holloway, the fight was over after the first round. Kattar had already taken massive damage, so much so that he couldn’t mount any offense for the duration of the fight. He was a punching bag for twenty-five minutes, and it was a modern miracle that he made it to the final bell. He can’t afford to start slow against Arnold Allen, or he’ll get truck-sticked like Dan Hooker did.

The key for Kattar will be pressuring Arnold Allen and making him defend voluminous attacks. He can’t let Allen march forward and unload left hands and left shins over and over again. He needs to do what Belal Muhammad did to Sean Brady last week, stay in Allen’s face and make him wilt under constant pressure. He may be able to hang for a couple of rounds, but those championship rounds are a mother-shut-your-mouth. For his UFC career, Kattar is 7-4 with four TKO/KO’s and averages over five significant strikes landed per minute. His Fantasy value will be twofold: output and a possible finish. Kattar’s last four fights have all been five rounds, and he topped the one hundred strikes landed mark all four times. Accumulative damage is Kattars means to score a finish.

Kattar will be the (-120) favorite and the fight ending over four and a half rounds will return (-135) odds. An Allen TKO/KO will return (+475) and a Kattar TKO/KO (+285). But, at the end of the day, when Bill Whithers finally takes a breath, when the Free Bird guitar solo fades, I think this one goes the distance. Both these guys have that dog in them and are hard to kill, like Steven Seagal. Last week, we went streaking, pushing the main event-winning streak to two after Islam Makhachev claimed the iron throne. This one is another toss-up. Bust out the Fall-scented Yankee candles and put it on wax, Calvin Kattar via decision.

Winner: Calvin Kattar | Method: Decision

Tim Means (+150) vs. Max Griffin (-200)

Means: DK: $7.4k | Griffin: DK: $8.8k

This one features a couple of OG’s resorting to fisticuff over a game of dominos in the park. Tim Means is a Castor Troy All-American with a scalpel for a jab, and Max Griffin is a Hollywood Blvd Michael B. Jordan street performer who sometimes gets run off his spot by a Snoop Dogg look-alike. The interesting thing about these guys is that they have multiple versions of themselves, like in that movie Split, and you never know which one will show up. Sometimes the Norman Bates killer versions show up, and sometimes they don’t show up at all; no-call/no-shows.

Tim Means has forty-five professional fights to his name, including twenty-five in the UFC. His best weapon is his jab, and he’s surgical with that bish; he can give you a facelift, a tummy tuck, a nose job, or take your face… off. Means can eat a peach for hours and takes his time peppering opponents from the outside, constantly touching them and eliciting provoked attacks that he can counter. When you use the jab to set up your power shots, you don’t have to load up and can land at a higher rate. The big hole in Tim’s striking is his stance and posture. He hunches over; his head naturally leads his body and hangs perilously in the center and lower than his shoulders like a speed bag waiting to get blasted.

Means also has takedowns stashed in his back pocket just in case he finds himself at a disadvantage on the feet. Overall, Means is a well-rounded fighter and a tough out for anyone. He works the swing shift as a gatekeeper at the Bridge Of Death, and if he can pull off a win against Max Griffin, that will be four out of his last five and get him one step closer to earning a coveted position on the opening shift. Even though Means has an excellent finishing rate, twenty-five in thirty-two career wins, his value will be output with a slight shot at a finish. In twenty-seven career fights, Max Griffin has only been finished once, and I don’t think Means will add to that.

Max Griffin is a bit of a head-scratcher. He’s had some impressive performances in his thirteen-fight UFC career, but there have also been some Cheddar Bob own-worst-enemy performances. Griffin’s style is like Grammy’s stuffing, always missing something, but you can never quite put your finger on what it is. Raisins? F!@k no. He has sneaky power and solid aggression, but he’s also stiff like a teenager’s tube socks. Griffin has that Morse Code, start and stop, herky-jerky striking, that student driver driving stick striking. I guess you could say sometimes he fights more like Peter Griffin than Max Griffin.

Griffin is good at making fights ugly, fighting in the clinch, and dragging the fight to the mat. He constantly switches stances on the feet and can keep a strong pace for the full fifteen minutes. His major malfunction is that he’s a JUD, just a dude. There’s nothing flashy or intricate about Max Griffin, and watching him fight can be like getting hit with the MIB memory-erase wand, forgettable. Max is 6-7 in the UFC and had won three in a row until his most recent bout against Neil Magny. He averages almost four and a half strikes landed per minute and will have to be around the seventy-five strike range to keep pace with Tim Means.

Bet the house on a decision one way or the other; I don’t see either one scoring the finish, but if it did end in a finish, it would be Griffin getting his hand raised. Means has been finished eight times in his career, twice by TKO/KO and six by sub. On wax, Max Griffin via decision.

Winner: Max Griffin | Method: Decision

Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-215) vs. Jared Vanderaa (+170)

Waldo: DK: $9k | Vanderaa: DK: $7.2k

This right here is a Southwest Airlines baggage claim scrap started because these guys have the same name written on their briefcases. What is it? It starts with an ‘s’. Swim… Swami… Slippy… Slappy… Simmons… Swamu… Swanson? It’s on the briefcase. Oh yea, Samsonite! I was way off. These are two heavy-heavyweights who will stand, blocking gate ten to Albuquerque, and trade hands back and forth until one gets slept and misses the ride they were supposed to bum off the Molly Maids van. Jared Vanderaa is that guy at work who has twelve late write-ups, never clocked out for his mandatory thirty-minute lunch break, and got caught Xerox’ing his butt cheeks but never gets fired. Maybe he was fired, but he keeps showing up anyways. After losing to PC Principal Chase Sherman in his last bout and going 1-5 in the UFC, I don’t know whom in the division Vanderaa can beat.

I’ll say this for “He Went To” Jared Vanderaa: he stands and trades and takes his L’s like a man. He served as Alexey Oleynik’s sixtieth career win and has faced a murderers row of heavyweight killers. Chase Sherman excluded. Vanderaa doesn’t lack aggression; he won’t shy away from a firefight; he just lacks physical attributes. His major malfunction is that he has DMV line hand speed when they skip your number after you waited for six hours. His jab looks like he’s sleepwalking and searching the highest cupboard for the Dunkaroos, lifting his head straight up in the air to look behind the expired cans of green beans. You combine that with Christopher Reeves footwork, and it’s a recipe meant for that cooking show Nailed It. Every path to victory for Jared Vanderaa takes Final Destination twists and turns with flying logs and exploding planes falling from the sky.

Vanderaa will come into this fight against the debuting Waldo Cortes Acosta, trade hands, and let the chips fall where they may. His value is in a finish; he has big-man power and solid output, averaging over five significant strikes landed per minute, and has gone over one hundred twice. For his career, Vanderaa is 12-9 with seven TKO/KO’s and three subs and will be stepping in as the (+180) ASPCA Adopt-A-Pet underdog.

I don’t know much about “Where’s” Waldo Cortes Acosta; this will be his debut, and his Contender Series fight was only three minutes in duration. I wasn’t much impressed for most of those three minutes. Acosta looks like a Woodstock ’99 Greg Hardy love baby but without the mean streak. He has a heavy right hand that he sets on repeat with the ten-second-skip button activated and just unloads overhands. Then he presses the opponent against the cage and leans on them like he’s in need of emotional support.

Waldo is an undefeated fighter with a 7-0 record with four TKO/KO’s and one submission, but his resume reads like a high schooler applying at Golden Spoon. His value will be in his right hand and landing a big shot that will sleep the often-drowsy Vanderra before the allotted fifteen minutes are up. This is a fight where both fighters should be plus money, but Waldo will be the (-225) favorite. The chances for a finish are higher than I am right meow. An Acosta TKO/KO will return (+150) odds and a Vanderaa TKO/KO (+550). I think both outcomes are a coin flip. Waldo Cortes Acosta via TKO, round two.

Winner: Waldo Cortes-Acosta | Method: TKO Rd.2

Josh Fremd (-170) vs. Tresen Gore (+140)

Fremd: DK: $8.7k | Gore: DK: $7.5k

I’m not sure, but I think this is a grappler vs. striker matchup. I say, I think, because I don’t know much about Josh Fremd. There aren’t many YouTube videos of his fights and his UFC debut was spent mostly on his back defending Fluffy Hernandez submissions. Fremd did show some slick grappling of his own and put Hernandez in some bad positions, but I’m not sure if grappling is his specialty. I hope it is because his stand-up didn’t look like anything I haven’t seen while watching Shaun T Insanity cardio workouts.

Tresean Gore is a sometimes-scary striker who I had a lot of expectations for after he made it to the Ultimate Fighter finals. Since the show ended, his first two UFC bouts have been huge disappointments. This guy has deadly power but often fights like his name’s Russ. There’s too much bark and not enough bite. “Are you gonna bark all day little doggy, or are you gonna bite?” He’s a Pit Bull with dolphin teeth. Also, he has an uncanny resemblance to Darren Till, and Till has had similar issues inside the Octagon as Gore. On the rare occasions Gore lets his strikes go, he has tight technical kickboxing with nasty hooks and heavy round kicks.

Gore’s biggest malfunction is his experience; he doesn’t have any. Tresean was only 3-0 when he debuted off the Ultimate Fighter and subsequently took back-to-back L’s against more seasoned opponents. His value will be in a possible TKO/KO finish if he can keep the fight standing. Fremd’s game plan will likely be to take the fight to the mat and work submissions and top control. If it stays standing, Gore will have massive power and technical advantages, but none of that matters if he doesn’t let his hands go.

Man, this is shaping up to be an ugly card. I have zero idea who wins most of these bouts. Josh Fremd will be the (-175) favorite, and that probably says something about his ground game. Bust out the Piso Mojado signs or dial (505) 503-455 and ask for Saul Goodman because you’ll have a slip-and-fall lawsuit on your hands and need a good lawyer. Gore can KO anybody if he can get past his mental hurdles, and a Gore TKO/KO will return (+265) odds. I don’t know anything about Fremd’s takedowns, but I have the feeling he’ll get this fight to the mat and be able to keep it there. The odds for a Fremd submission are (+900), and a TKO/KO, likely from the top position, are (+175). Josh Fremd via rear-naked choke, round three.

Winner: Josh Fremd  | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.3

Dustin Jacoby (-175) vs. Khalil Rountree (+140)

Jacoby: DK: $8.3k | Rountree: DK: $7.9k

This fight right here will be worth the price of admission. Khalil Rountree is a violent Tong Po Muay Thai fighter. Stop right now and go check out his most recent fight against Karl Roberson. The beginning of the second round was one of the most violent outbursts I’ve ever seen in the Octagon. It was an uncalled-for, disrespectful ass whooping that Khalil delivered. Before that fight, he street-stomped Modestas Bukauskas’ knee backward, and Bukauskas’ picture has been on the back of milk cartons since.

Everything Rountree throws is a death sentence; his kicks require CCW’s and are illegal to carry in forty states. His hands are Thor hammers that he launches from his waist in long, wide arcs, and he attacks in short wild spurts. Pay attention to Rountree’s stances during the fight. He’s a man of one thousand stances, like when you’d play Wiffle Ball in the front yard and switch up your batting stances from Julio Franco to Frank Thomas to Ken Griffey Jr. Khalil will switch his stance/style completely in between rounds and give his opponents different looks to adjust to.

For his career, Rountree is 11-5 with seven TKO/KO’s and 6-5-1 in the UFC. His biggest malfunction over the years has been an inexplicable lack of aggression. There are fights where Rountree just won’t let his hands go but for a handful of exchanges the entire fight. It’s crazy because when he does decide to throw, it’s scary shit. He averages less than three and a half significant strikes landed per minute and has never even come close to one hundred in a fight that went the distance. If the half-stepping version of Rountree shows up against Dustin Jacoby, Rountree will be on the wrong end of the ass whooping he gave Karl Roberson. This is no place for any Shook Ones. Ain’t no such things as halfway crooks.

Dustin Jacoby is a former Glory Kickboxing World Champion who once stepped in the ring against Alex Pereira. This guy has a Master's degree in striking and should teach classes at Harvard or Yale. Jacoby takes a workman-like approach to a fight and looks to deal damage from the ground up. He builds a foundation of pain before he starts headhunting by attacking the legs both inside and out with both stances. A sneaky way to retreat or advance and stay in the pocket is to use backward and forward pivots. Jacoby will use a step-in lead hook to close the distance and a back-pivot lead hook to retreat and counter simultaneously. Joystick striking; striking in any direction is Jacoby’s specialty, and he maintains a constant high output, landing just shy of five and a half significant strikes per minute.

For his career, Jacoby is 18-5 and 7-3 in the UFC. This is his second stint with the promotion, and since making his way back via the Contender Series, Jacoby has gone 6-0-1. Eleven of his eighteen career dubs came via TKO/KO, and he’s coming off a first-round KO of Da Un Jung. His consistency is the biggest reason why he’ll be the (-170) favorite and Rountree the (+140) dog. Jacoby always comes ready to fight and never has stretches of inactivity. The key for Jacoby will be pressure and staying in Rountree’s face. Rountree doesn’t defend strikes well and has to be the hammer. Jacoby has to make him the nail and adopt the Belal Muhammad heavy-pressure game plan.

The over for two and a half rounds is (+115), and I like the chances of a finish one way or the other. Rountree will be a high upside lower tier Fantasy option with a strong shot at a finish. He’ll be at a technical disadvantage, but he’ll have the freaky power advantage. A Rountree TKO/KO will return (+265) and Jacoby (+165). I’m rolling with technique and overall fight IQ. Dustin Jacoby via TKO, round three.

Winner: Dustin Jacoby  | Method: TKO Rd.3

Prelims

Value Menu

Roman Dolidze (+145) vs. "Uncle" Phil Hawes (-175)

Dolidze: DK: $7.8k | Hawes: DK: $8.4k

Phil Hawes is one of the scariest MF’ers in the UFC. This dude is built like the Hulk and has elite-level wrestling. Also, now in his second stint with the UFC, Hawes has become an excellent striker. Hawes was originally on the Ultimate Fighter and lost to Andrew “Filthy” Sanchez, and at that time, his striking was Walmart self-checkout at best. But since his return fight on the Contender Series in 2020, Hawes’ boxing has gone to a different level. He’s won four out of five and has big wins against Kyle Daukaus and Nassourdine Imavov. He was delivering a downhill X-Games ass whooping to Chris Curtis but caught the speed wobbles and biffed it just before the finish line in the first round, getting KO’d as he rushed in to put the finishing touches on Curtis. That marked his only loss in his last five bouts.

Roman Dolidze’s style is the polar opposite of Phil Hawes’. While Phil Hawes is a killer and crushes a lot, Dolidze is a Pit Bull with dentures. His style is comparable to drinking a bottle of NyQuil, drowsy. I’ll give him this, though, gold rings were flying all over the place when he was cracking Kyle Daukaus’ ass in his most recent bout. I was waiting for Tails to come flying into the cage like Fan Man to save Daukaus’ life and carry him away. With the exception of that fight, Dolidze has implemented a clinch-against-the-fence-for-fifteen-minutes style that usually leads to Mary Jane and I politicking in the Thunderdome after the first round.

I say all that to say this: Someone’s going to sleep in this one. Hawes’ major-major malfunction is his cardio. He coined the phrase January 1st cardio and has about ten minutes to finish the fight. Phil Hawes in the third round looks like Tua getting off the teacups at Disneyland and requires divine intervention to make it to the final bell. If Dolidze can survive the early category-five storm, he’ll have a good shot to come back and score a finish of his own. Dolidze is 10-1 and has never been finished, while all three of Hawes’ losses came by finish. Roman can take a lot of punishment, and you’ll likely see the Homer Simpson game plan in all its glory. Survive early, push them over after they gas late. Hawes is the (-175) favorite, and Dolidze is the (+145) dog. A Hawes TKO/KO will return (+250) and a Dolidze TKO/KO (+500). Dolidze will also make a solid middle/low tier Fantasy option with a high upside and a steep downside if he gets overwhelmed early.

Steve Garcia (+225) vs. Chase Hooper (-355)

Garcia: DK: $7k | Hooper: DK: $9.2k

The Birkenstock Barbarian, Chase Hooper, is back. If you had photos of every fighter in the UFC and had to pick one to fight, you’d choose Chase Hooper. He looks like Ben Askren’s MTV Spring Break love child and will have a second career outside the UFC in Hollywood if they ever green-light a Revenge Of The Nerds remake. Don’t let the dweeb-ish looks fool you; Chase Hooper will tie you in Boy Scouts knots and add a new patch to his vest. This guy is a grappling Harry Potter who, at just twenty-three years old can hold his own on the mat with almost anybody in the featherweight division. His major malfunction is his striking; he looks like he’s wearing Oculus VR goggles, clearing out his living room of occupants with wild flailing limbs all over the place. Hooper’s value is two-fold: he can finish the fight with strikes from the top position or secure a submission. A Hooper TKO/KO will return (+475), and a sub (+250). This could be a split-the-difference type of bet, as both outcomes are equally likely.

Steve Garcia is a fighter in the UFC. That’s it. That’s all I got. He’s a solid all-around fighter with extensive experience fighting for Bellator and even has a win over the nasty Ronnie Lawrence. But since winning on the Contender Series, Garcia has gone 1-2 in the UFC. Chase Hooper’s all-or-nothing style is what gives Garcia value. Hooper’s takedowns are not great, and if he struggles to relocate the fight, Garcia will piece him up on the feet. The value in Garcia is a win-by-decision, which will return (+550). It’s hard to finish a guy who is constantly looking for takedowns. The pace of the fight slows down as the striker becomes diligent with his/her output. Despite his poindexter looks, Hooper is tough and will be hard to finish, especially when you have to choose your engagements wisely.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleepers

I ended up playing it safe last week and bet the house on Belal Muhammad, who had no business being any kind of underdog against anyone not named Chimaev, Usman, or Leon. This week is looking tough for straight-up dogs, but you know there's always one or two that get to yippin' and yappin' and get you by the ass like Mr. Jones delivering the mail in Friday.

Tim Means (+150): Veteran on veteran violence is on deck for Means vs. Griffin. Means is fearless and savvy and will keep that nasty jab pumping. This has a close decision written all over it and is a complete toss-up. "The Dirty Bird" will also make for a solid low-tier Fantasy option that will have solid output, win or lose.

Andrei Arlovski (+190): This fookin' guy is still fighting. He's in his third decade of professional fighting, and he's still winning. Arlovski is a judge's favorite, as of late, and always seems to get the nod when in a close fight. And all Arlovski fights are close fights. Marcos Rogerio de Lima has heavy hands but no technique and an excellent ground game but sometimes struggles to score the takedown. If Arlovski can keep it standing, he can use his tight short combinations to beat Marcos down the middle of his wide-looping punches. And, again, the judges love Arlovski.

Cody Durden (+145): Cody Durden is Tyler Durden's younger brother, and like his big bro, he's his own worst enemy. Durden will either get KO'd right from the jump or grind out a grimy dub. I don't know much about his opponent, the debuting Carlos Mota, other than he fought Charles Johnson recently for the LFA title. He's an awkward striker and looks more built for grappling. Durden has sneaky good wrestling, and this could turn into a wild firefight real quick. I think Durden can hang around and take over in the later rounds.

Pick 'Em

Phil Hawes (-175) vs. Roman Dolidze (+145)

Winner: Phil Hawes

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Andrei Arlovski (+190) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (-285)

Winner: Andrei Arlovski

 Method: Decision

Joseph Holmes (+190) vs. Jun Yong Park (-240)

    Winner: Jun Yong Park

 Method: TKO Rd.3

Chase Hooper (-355) vs. Steve Garcia (+225)

    Winner: Chase Hooper

 Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Cody Durden (+145) vs. Carlos Mota (-175)

    Winner: Carlos Mota

 Method: Decision

Christian Rodriguez ( ) vs. Joshua Weems ( )

    Winner: Christian Rodriguez

 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