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

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Main Card

Mario Bautista (-160) vs. Vinicius Oliveira (+135)

Bautista: DK: $8.8k | Oliveira: DK:$7.4k

The crowd was still buzzing. The celebrity judges were still playing to the cameras, each in exaggerated states of euphoria, holding up placards—all tens. A 6’2” man leaping over a standing Shaquille O’Neal—who could beat that? Unless Vince Carter rocking the USA Dream Team jersey was about to walk out of the tunnel, nobody. But little did they know, they hadn’t seen shit yet. The competition’s dark horse, Vinicius Oliveira, was up next.   

Tearing off his warm-ups like a Dancing Bear at a bachelorette party, Oliveira signaled to the timekeepers: Start the clock. No warmups necessary. Two dribbles—three. He burst into a full sprint. Suddenly, the crowd, the vendors, “Hot dogs! Get your—”, the announcers calling the action in the booth; nobody made a sound. The slapping of Oliveira’s bare feet against the floor echoed throughout the arena. He’s going too fast... Wait a minute; he’s not going to... Yes, he is! A collective breath as those in attendance realized what they were about to witness. An ode to the GOAT: Number twenty-three. 

A foot behind the free-throw line, Oliveira took off. For a moment, he was running in mid-air, as if there was an invisible floor beneath him. Then, he feinted one knee and raised the other—a double flying knee. At his apex, Oliveira’s knee slammed into Bernardo Sopai’s jaw—the sound of the impact induced some weak stomachs into fits of vomiting. Sopai’s eyes were crusted over with sleep before his face could break his fall. The roof blew off that bish as if it were in the path of a supercell tornado. At the judges’ table, the celebrities began to short-circuit, sending showers of sparks into the crowd. Recognizing the immediate danger, the Fire Marshall gave the signal to evacuate the building. A mass exodus ensued, stampeding feet rushing toward every exit.   

It was a flying knee KO the likes of which has never been seen. Had Vinicius Oliveira busted it out at the NBA Dunk Contest, it would’ve unseated Mac McClung as the three-peat champion. Oliveira burst onto the scene like the Kool-Aid Man when he Shang Tsung’d Bernardo Sopaj in his debut. Oliveira left Sopaj with no soul, like gingers on South Park. This was after Oliveira came back from the dead after getting dominated in the first eight minutes. Homie sat up like the undertaker on the autopsy table, talking about, “It’s cold in here.” Then Oliveira stormed back, battering Sopaj on the feet before dropping the whammy, a running flying knee, like Jimi Hendrix. Oliveira looked like he was doing the long jump in the Olympics. You already know: He looked like Jordan taking off from the free-throw line. Sopaj was left looking like Bud Dwyer (do yourself a favor and don’t Google him) after eating that knee. 

Vinicius Oliveira is a human hadouken. My man looks like a Dragon Ball Z character. He's a Steve-O and Pontius Wild Boy. This MF is Nick Cannon Wildin’ Out when he steps into the cage. He got on some Ridiculousness against Sopaj and improved his takedown defense against Ricky Simon. On the feet, Oliveira is a Fantasy Factory of weapons. Oliveira reminds me of a Woodstock ‘99 Carlos Prates/Michael Morales love child. Hands down, man down. Like Prates and Morales, Oliveira rolls with his hands down at all times, never raising them in the form of a traditional guard. He uses the low-hand position to defend takedowns and throw bombs from the lower peripheral.  

Oliveira’s punches are long and looping. The distance his hands travel allows them to build up a head of steam like runaway trucks. They have to build ramps leading off the side of the road to slow them down. His hands go to sleep in Paris and wake up in Tokyo. Yo! Hit that Lupe Fiasco “Paris, Tokyo!” Oliveira’s hands go on world tours before they reach the target. He is anything but a traditional striker. I think of him as a dangerous puncher and kicker rather than a traditional kickboxer or boxer. 

But while he’s a weapons silo on the feet, Oliveira is unarmed on the mat. He files defamation lawsuits like Drake when someone puts him on his back. Oliveira is tough to get down, but once his back touches the mat, he is limited. And that could be his downfall against “Super” Mario Bautista. Don’t you dare call him Mario Lopez. He’s the guy who exposed the long-time Bellator Champion, Patchy Mix, like Pee-wee Herman at a matinee. Patchy had to register after getting exposed like that. He can’t come within five hundred yards of a school after being exposed by Bautista. My man turned Patchy Mix into Trail Mix—the kind without M&Ms—the kind with bird seeds in it. Don’t Give Me No Bammer Trail Mix!  All you need to know about Mario Bautista is that he’s like Pappy’s in the 80s; he’ll beat your ass anywhere: On the mat, on the feet, in the front yard with all the neighbors watching, at Chuck E. Cheese on your fookin’ birthday, in the clinch, anywhere. Against Bautista, every path to victory is lined with boobie traps (breast traps if you don’t want to be a Richard about it), like jungles in Vietnam. Around every corner is a punji pit, trip-wired grenade, or swinging log. Every round against Bautista is like a level in Pitfall. He’s dangerous everywhere. Fighting Bautista is like living one day as a kid in the 90s: hanging on to out-of-control merry-go-rounds, riding in the back of pick-up trucks, lighting fireworks and M-80s in the driveway, and having shoot-outs like De Niro and Pacino in Heat with BB guns. “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!” 

The game plan for Bautista is to put Oliveira on his back. Sopai dominated the top position early in that infamous fight. Oliveira is not easy to get to the mat. He rocks an eighty percent takedown defense. But his guard is weak. Bautista has to remain committed to wrestling for twenty-five minutes. He is a far more technical striker than Oliveira but avoiding an Oliveira fight-changing bomb for five rounds will be a fool’s errand. This has to be an MMA fight for Bautista to win. Oliveira only has to stay upright and throw bombs without gassing. 

Bautista is the (-205) favorite, and Oliveira is the (+175) live-ass dog. Bautista is the favorite because his UFC experience dwarfs Oliveira’s. Bautista has shared the cage with elite fighters. He’s coming in of a decision loss to Umar. And Bautista was far from dominated in that fight. Oliveira has some impressive scalps too, but this will be his first crack against a true title contender. Although Oliveira is the bigger finisher, I think this one will go the distance. Both fighters average over five SLpM, so this should be a high-output banger.  

The main event L streak continues—four in a row. Diego Lopes wasn’t willing to risk losing to win. And he lost anyway. This is another brutal pick. Don’t sleep on Oliveira. This guy hits hard. He’s a complete wild card. How good is he? We’reabout to find out. But give me the steady, well-rounded fighter. Mario Bautista via decision. Put it on wax.  

Props

Bautista: TKO/KO (+450) Sub (+300) Dec (+240)  

Oliviera: TKO/KO (+275) Sub (+1800) Dec (+500) 

Winner: Mario Bautista | Method: Decision

Amir Albazi (+275) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (-345)

Albazi: DK: $6.9k | Horiguchi: DK: $9.3k

Amir Albazi pops up on ya once every couple of years like a Kneehigh Park puppet. Zion Williamson has better availability than this guy. Albazi has the availability of eggs at Costco. Barring any irregular betting activity or weigh-in fookery, Albazi will be stepping into the cage for the first time since losing to Brandon Moreno in November of ‘24. And that was his first time fighting since June of ‘23. You know who has been fighting consistently? Kyoji Horiguchi. This guy once fought “Mighty Mouse” Demetrius Johnson for the flyweight title in his first stint with the UFC. Horiguchi returned to the promotion after an eight-year hiatus, fighting for Rizin and Bellator during that time. This is a “prove it” scrap for both fighters. Is the Albazi hype still warranted? And is Horiguchi once again a true title threat?  

It’s easy to get caught up with Albazi’s 17-2 record. But he hasn’t registered a dub since ‘23, and that dub was a highly suspicious decision against Kai Kara-France. Albazi formed a Super PAC and lobbied the judges for that dub. Homie set up multiple NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to fund the judges with dark money. That fight will go down in history as the Albazi-Contra Affair. Albazi used mail-in ballots to steal the decision. If the judges had gotten that decision correct, Albazi would be riding a two-fight losing streak. Amir Albazi would like the time to apologize... to absolutely nobody! At the WKO, I might dub-shame from time to time, but I never demand an apology for a dub.  

I hate to hate, but I don’t think Albazi is as good as he was hyped up to be heading into that Kara-France fight. You can say I saw Albazi for the first time without his makeup in that fight. Accordingly, I had to brown bag him after that fight—wait for my roommates to fall asleep before pushing him out the front door. Albazi is a ten in the club and a five in the Uber. He’s like getting home and finding out her name is Kaitlyn. He looks like Tracy Cortez at the bar and Amir Albazi in the morning. Homie has very technical skills, but they’re almost too technical. I don’t see anything dangerous when I see Amir Albazi fight. He can finish non-ranked fighters with the quickness, but he will struggle against elite strikers.    

Albazi is good at using his wrestling to disrupt the flow of fights, while making shit awkward. Awkward, like seeing your ex, and she’s dating a chef at Chili’s. And you’re still working the omelet station at Hometown Buffet. Albazi has to get back to wrestling. Horiguchi rocks a fifty-four percent takedown defense. He has only been submitted once in his career, but Albazi can win rounds with top control. But Albazi’s two and a half SLpM won’t get it done. Not now, not ever. That output wouldn’tbe enough to beat you or me.  

Horiguchi, Fendi, Prada. Hit track six on the Chronic 2001! This guy is Xxplosive. Xxplosive like E-Team taking pics next to boxes of thermite. Contents Under Pressure: Do Not Shake! Horiguchi is a throwback wrestler-striker. He was Michael Chandler before Michael Chandler. I call Horiguchi the Silver Surfer because his stand-up looks like he’s surfing. He’s a Hang Ten striker. His stance and the way he moves look like he’s riding a surfboard. A helicopter has to drop Horiguchi into the Octagon, so he can catch an ass-kicking wave. And although Horiguchi is thirty-five, he’s still wavy after winning his UFC comeback fight by finishing Team Khabib’s Tagir Ulanbekov.   

Kyoji builds ass-whoopin's from the ground up. He wastes no time decapitating your ankles. You’ll clickity clack your way out of that bish on wooden legs after fighting Horiguchi. You’ll be calling the Orkin man real quick. You’ll be looking ridiculous walking around with blue tents on your legs, wishing you hadn’t taken a fight with Horiguchi. My man had Ulanbekov looking like he was walking on hot sand on the beach without chanclas—had him looking like he was stepping on Legos in the living room. That fight looked like a schoolyard ass-whoopin’. Team Khabib was just waiting to jump in. Horiguchi finished Ulanbekov with a head kick and a follow-up rear-naked choke. Never try to catch leg kicks, kids. Horiguchi placed a collect call on the shin phone, and Tagir accepted the charges. Kids these days will never understand the struggle.   

Horiguchi is the (-330) favorite, and Albazi is the (+265) mangy dog. Horiguchi has been far more active. This is a self-deletion mission for Albazi—a tough fight after a yearlong layoff. If Albazi stays committed to wrestling, he can control Horiguchi. Albazi is a solid grappler, and he can turn this into a firefight on the mat. But he will struggle with Horiguchi’s speed and leg kicks on the feet. The play for this one is a decision. Both fighters are supremely technical and tough to finish. Give me the OG. Kyoji Horiguchi via decision. On wax.  

Props

Albazi: TKO/KO (+550) Sub (+450) Dec (-130) 

Horiguchi: TKO/KO (+500) Sub (+450) Dec (-130)

Winner: Kyoji Horiguchi | Method: Decision

Jailton Almeida (-155) vs. Rizvan Kuniev (+130)

Almeida: DK: $8.5k | Kuniev: DK:$7.7k

Jailton Almeida is the real-life “Pops” from Don’t Be a Menace to South While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. Almeida became the man of the house the day his parents brought him home from the hospital, tipping his dad five bucks for carrying his bags into the house. Homie started changing the thermostat before he could walk. Almeida’s first job was babysitting his parents. This guy took his driver’s test in a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, hit a curb, and changed lanes in an intersection, and still passed. Almeida stopped getting carded at the age of twenty-one months. From day one, Almeida has been a man amongst boys. And nothing has changed since his UFC debut in 2022. 

Almeida is a wrestler first, second, and third. There’s no guesswork when it comes to Almeida’s game plan: Wrestle or Die Trying.  The best way to escape from Jailton Almeida after he shoots a double leg from clear across the cage, picks you up, and slams you is to play dead like a soldier at Gettysburg. Hide under bodies until the sound of mortar fire is replaced with that of squawking carrion birds. You look like one of those Amazon videos (The Rain Forest) where the villagers find a boa constrictor wrapped around Alejandro, and the manpower of the entire village isn’t enough to free him. Almeida has some of the best top control in the promotion. What goes down doesn’t come back up. But his grappling has a major malfunction.   

When Almeida gets you to the mat, he treats you like a display at a Mattress Firm showroom. Almeida has violent takedowns, but he turns into a passivist once he gains the top position. Homie skips the action and gets right to the pillow talk. My man takes fifteen-minute cat naps from the top position. Almeida racks up the most amount of control time with the least amount of significant strikes landed. It’s almost like Almeida doesn’t know he can strike once the fight hits the mat. If Almeida had even a little ground and pound in his arsenal, he would be the champ. Check it: In his previous fight against Alexander Volkov, Almeida racked up seven takedowns and over ten and a half minutes of control time. But he only recorded noinesignificant strikes. Noine. The judges were so disgusted by his lack of aggression that they gave the fight to Volkov, who only landed twenty-four significant strikes.  

That won’t get it done against Rizvan Kuniev either. My first thought about Rizvan Kuniev was, “They make heavyweight ones, too?” It's not often you see a heavyweight Dagestani. Dominating every other division wasn’t enough for them. They’re like a plague of locusts taking over the MMA world. They're like the Harkonnens invading Arrakis. Rizvan looks like Magomed Ankalaev ate the Willie Wonka three-course dinner gum and ballooned to 265 pounds. “You’re turning violet, Violet!” This guy has to cut weight to meet the heavyweight limit. He’s built like an offensive lineman. All-You-Can-Eat buffets start sweating like the Jordan Peele meme when Rizvan walks through the double doors. Homie is built like he wears Speedos at the community pool.   

But don’t let his La-Z-Boy physique fool you. This guy will box you up like Shipping & Receiving. He’ll box you up like Postal Annex if you get to thinking shit is sweet. Don’t let his hand speed fool you either. He has that false start hand speed. Homie gets flagged for five-yard penalties every time he throws. But his hands are heavy. Rizvan has to throw his hands like he’s taking a granny shot in a game of HORSE. His special move is one of my favorite combinations: double jab-cross. If Rizvan’s noinety percent takedown defense holds up, he will box Almeida’s face... off. This will only be Kuniev’s second UFC appearance. Like babies learning to swim, they threw him in the deep end from the jump, matching him up against Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes only secured two takedowns in that fight and escaped with a split decision dub. Fighting Almeida in his second appearance speaks highly of Kuniev’s potential. 

Almeida is the (-165) favorite, and Kuniev is the (+140) live-ass dog. Will Kuniev’s takedown defense hold up? Or can he scramble back to his feet? If he can, he will run away with this fight. Almeida has no weapons on his feet. He’s just a hanging silhouette at the end of a shooting range. And Almeida’s lack of aggression once he gets the fight to the mat leaves plenty of room for Kuniev to steal close rounds by creating even minimal damage. The play for this one is a decision. Fantasy-wise, try to avoid this matchup. The majority of this fight will be spent on the mat and against the cage in the clinch. Although I’m a little gun-shy when it comes to picking dogs after last week, I think this is a good opportunity. Rizvan Kuniev via decision. On wax.   

Props

Almeida: TKO/KO (+350) Sub (+200) Dec (+500)

Kuniev: TKO/KO (+330) Sub (+2000) Dec (+350)

Winner: Rizvan Kuniev | Method: Decision

Michal Oleksiejczuk (-485) vs. Marc-Andre Barriault (+370)

Oleks: DK: $9.1k | Barriault: DK: $7.1k

The Drunken Master vs. The Road Rage striker. This one is an undercover banger. I love fights when opposite styles are pitted against each other. Michal Oleksiejczuk is a dangerous, awkward striker, and Marc-Andre Barriault is a close-quarters grinder. The fighter who can dictate the range will win this fight. Distance favors Oleks and fighting from within the pocket favors Barriault. Play this fight for a finish, one way or another; one of these guys will get got.   

I call Oleksiejczuk the “Drunken Master” because he has an inebriated style. His cadence on his feet looks like he was pregaming backstage before making the walk. Homie looks like he came straight from a Bills tailgate party. Homie has to blow into a breathalyzer before he can put on his fight gloves. He has to lock his hands in the trunk and sleep it off after every fight. DraftKings doesn’t open the betting until Oleks steps into the cage, just in case he gets stopped at a checkpoint on the walk to the cage. After every fight, Oleks gets into arguments with his ol’ lady, “You’ve been drinking again!” Oleks just looks a little off-kilter on his feet. But his style is hard to prepare for because nobody can replicate his movements.   

Overhands and hooks launched from extreme angles; that’s Oleksiejczuk’s style. Traditional guards don’t work when fighting Oleks. His hands have GPS alternative route capabilities that circumvent any roadblocks. He moves like a Thriller backup dancer with a herky-jerky shambling cadence while unloading nothing but kill shots. Oleks’ left hand will bless you like sneezes. Gesundheit! Like cars built after 2026, Oleks comes standard with a kill switch in his left hand. He can disable your motor skills with one punch. Oleks is 21-9 for his career with seventeen finishes (sixteen TKOs/KOs and one sub). But OIeks is a two-prong finisher. When he isn’t finishing fighters, he’s the one getting finished.  

Of his noine career losses, six came by submission. Oleks carries a whistle and bear mace in case he gets taken down. Mermaids have better ground games than Oleks. Matter of fact, hit that Little Mermaid “Under the Sea!” On the mat, Oleks moves like he’s underwater, waiting for Squints to come and save his ass. My man gets submitted like taxes—submitted like official documents. Barriault isn’t much of a takedown threat (averages less than a half a takedown per fifteen minutes), but it wouldn’t take much to take advantage of Oleks’s fifty-two percent takedown defense. If Oleks ends up on his back, rip up your parlay.   

Marc-Andre Barriault will pull you out of your Miata and whoop your ass at a red light. Your worst nightmare is waiting ten seconds after the light turns green to honk at the car in front of you, and a guy looking like Barriault hops out of a Priusand whoops your ass. This guy will fook you up while waiting in the communion line, “You’re taking all the wine that I worked for, motherf**ker!” Barriault hands out nothing but old-school Nolan Ryan beatings in the clinch, digging uppercuts and dirty boxing your ears off with the collar tie like you had the audacity to charge the mound. My man dishes out those ‘70s ass-whoopins. Ass-whoopins in the ‘70s just hit different. People were just hairier and didn’t take any shit in the ‘70s.   

Barriault is rough like Brillo pads. He has velociraptor skin; just clinching with him leaves your body raw like the roof of your mouth when you eat Cap’n Crunch. Homie is the type to take a knife to a gunfight on purpose. He prefers duels at one pace. Homie would go to war and rack up one hundred kills with his bayonet. Barriault’s major malfunction is striking at range. Mainly because he has that horse-and-buggy hand speed. It’s winter by the time his hands reach you. They get snowed in and have to resort to cannibalism to survive. The fookin’ war is over, and sailors are kissing Bettys in the street by the time his hands reach you. But although he’s only thirty-five years old, Barriault has that old man’s strength/power. He will knock your block off like eminent domain if you get to fooking around.   

The odds are a little wild. Oleks is the heavy (-320) favorite, and Barriault is the (+260) live dog. Oleks is one slip, trip, or fall away from being submitted. If Barriault doesn’t come out wrestling, the fix is in. I don’t care if he’s not a wrestler/grappler. Barriault can win this fight in the clinch against the cage. But every moment he spends at striking range, he will be playing with fire. Play this one for a finish. Barriault can score a finish from the top position. But I just don’t trust Barriault on his feet. Michal Oleksiejczuk via TKO, round two. Put it on wax.   

Props

Oleksiejczuk: TKO/KO (-250) Sub (+1800) Dec (+550)  

Barriault: TKO/KO (750) Sub (+1600) Dec (+1200)

Winner: Michal Oleksiejczuk | Method: TKO Rd.2

Farid Basharat (-280) vs. Jean Matsumoto (+225)

Basharat: DK: $9k | Matsumoto: DK: $7.2k

Matsumoto ain’t no chump, but they got guys like him on every corner in Brazil. He’s like liquor stores in El Barrio. He has that classic, stiff Brazilian boxing—stiff like old people when it rains. Someone needs to hit Matsumoto with a spritz of WD-40. My man’s problem is that he’s too buff to be a fluid striker. His muscles get in the way, and his shoulders have no range of motion. Matsumoto has that bachelor pad striking. Wtf is that? It’s just a mattress on the ground and nothing but condiments in the fridge, plastic silverware, and take-out box containers. The bare necessities—a left hook and an overhand right. He has just enough to get by, and he is content to live that way. Overall, his skills are limited. There’s nothing intricate or high-level about any part of his game. He’s a walking Madden 65 across the boards. But he hits hard and doesn’t lack aggression.   

Quasimoto, I mean, Matsumoto’s major malfunction is also his best weapon: takedowns. He almost entirely relies on top control to win fights. Moto averages over two takedowns per fifteen minutes while staying busy on his feet, averaging over five SLpM. The problem is that Moto tends to procrastinate on his takedowns; he’ll finish them tomorrow. He often gets lazy and will camp out against the cage. But if he gets you to the mat, he will “Hold You Down,” like Mobb Deep and the Alchemist. Hit that shit! 

Farid Basharat is a Billy Beane “Moneyball” fighter. Walks are as good as hits. Takedowns are as good as knockdowns. Basharat values jabs over overhands. Javid does All the Small Things. Yo! Hit that Blink 182! Like Jay-Z, he’s a, he’s a hustla. Basharat is all about that Hustle and Flow like Terrence Howard. He’s the kid who runs out a full swing bunt to the pitcher. Farid’s special power is being well-rounded. There are no holes in his game, and he makes different disciplines flow together seamlessly. There’s no telling where his striking ends and his wrestling/grappling begins. He can beat you on the feet and on the mat.   

On his feet, Basharat has annoying hands; they’re constantly touching you. MF can’t keep his hands to himself. My man has those illegal contraband penitentiary hands. Ssst! Ssst! Ssst! You’ll bleed to death in the yard before the guards can get to you. Short, stabbing hands with strict defensive fundamentals, that’s Basharat striking. And on the mat, homie rolls like school fire drills. Tumbleweeds roll like Basharat. Homie rolls like Zig Zags. He can control you and submit you. Basharat is 14-0 with one TKO/KO and six subs.  

The numbers: Javid averages four SLpM and over three and a half SLpM. This fight could come down to takedown defense. Moto defends at fifty-three percent, while Basharat defends at seventy-two percent. Basharat is the (-270) favorite, and Matsumoto is the (+220) live-ish dog. Moto swings for the fences and has a solid gas tank. His power can cause Basharat problems. But Basharat is a better fighter. He’s just a little better in every category. This one looks like another decision. Neither guy is a big finisher. And neither have glaring holes. Farid Basharat via decision. Wax on, wax off.   

Props

Basharat: TKO/KO (+1000) Sub (+550) Dec (-150)  

Matsumoto: TKO/KO (+1800) Sub (+1400) Dec (+330)

Winner: Farid Basharat| Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Vinicius Oliveira ($7.4k): This guy can turn the tide of any fight real quick. With the power Oliveira possesses, he can erase any lead with a violent flurry. Oliveira is the finishing threat in the main event. He will be at a technical disadvantage in every category, but his intangibles are off the charts. This guy has more power than Texas in the winter, and he throws from unorthodox angles. It’s hard to prepare for a guy like Oliveira. There just aren’t many guys like him in most gyms. If you look at his striking, you will think they found this kid scrapping in the streets and signed him to a professional contract. Low hand position, lack of head movement, no footwork; he breaks all the rules, and that’s what makes him dangerous. Oliveira is a throwback to the old Chuck Liddell sprawl-n-brawl days. Not only will he rack up significant strikes, but Oliveira will also be a finishing threat until the final bell.   

Jean Matsumoto ($7.2k): Matsumoto vs. Basharat features two high-level grapplers. And you know that means there’s a high likelihood that the fight will be fought mostly on the feet. Although Matsumoto is a minimalist striker, only implementing basic combinations, he doesn’t lack aggression. He averages nearly five and a half SLpM and is coming in off a career high noinety-eight significant strikes against Miles Johns. This is a guy who landed one hundred significant strikes on the Contender Series. Matsumoto does his best work on the mat, but he won’t be stranded on his feet if he can’t get Basharat to the mat. Even in a losing effort, Matsumoto can put some points on the board.  

Marc-Andre Barriault ($7.1k): If Barriault is smart, he will turn into a wrestler/grappler for one night only.  You, me, anybody facing Michal OIeksiejczuk has an advantage over him on the mat. Barriault needs to bust out the Koala Kare Station and put Oleks on his back. Barriault is nasty in the clinch. He can stifle Oleks’s freakish power on the feat by tying him up and putting his back against the cage. Then he can work some schoolyard trips, and the rest will be history. Barriault will have a good chance at scoring an upset finish as long as he doesn’t relent to a traditional kickboxing match at range. If that’s the case, Oleks will knock him out—sooner rather than later.   

 $6k Clearance Rack  

Alex Morono ($6.7k): I’m taking Alex Morono over Amir Albazi. There was a brief time when Morono was a WKO Twenty Twen-Twen sleeper every time he stepped into the cage. He doesn’t look like much, but Morono has been a problem for many fighters in the welterweight division. There was a time when he was on his way to routing Santiago Ponzinibio, pitching a three-round shutout on short notice before getting brutally KO’d in the closing minutes. Since that moment, the wheels have fallen off for Morono. He has gone 2-4 since that fight and is currently riding a three-fight L streak. However, Morono is a tough, well-rounded fighter with an unusual striking cadence and an underrated submission game from his back. His experience fighting some of the best fighters in the division will dwarf Danil Donchenko’s. Donchenko will be making only his second UFC appearance. This is a winnable fight for Morono. Morono has a special move: The Gilly. If Donchenko gets lazy on his takedowns, Morono can snatch his neck. 

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Vinicius Oliveira (+165): Oliveira is the more dangerous fighter in the main event. He’s the definition of a wild card. We know how good Mario Bautista is (pretty damn good), but we don’t know how good Oliveira is yet. This will be the test that can springboard him into big fights against some big names. Oliveira rocks an eighty percent takedown defense and averages nearly five and a half SLpM. That’s a Deadly Combination like Tupac and Big L. Oliveira can keep the fight where he wants it and let his hands go without reservations. He fights in short, violent clips, and his sudden blitzes can overwhelm anybody. If Bautista doesn’t stay committed to wrestling, the striking will favor Oliveira. 

 Rizvan Kuniev (+140): The likely outcome of this fight will be Jailton Almeida dominating the top position for the duration. And putting us all to sleep in the process. But Kuniev is Dagestani. And they like to wrestle in Dagestan. If Kuniev can muster any ability to scramble back to his feet or defend a couple of takedowns, he will knock out Almeida. This guy is pretty nimble on his feet for a guy his size. There is no planet within this solar system in which Almeida can survive a boxing match with Kuniev. Homie doesn’t have to stay on his feet for long to put Almeida away.   

Pick ‘Em

Alex Morono (+410) vs. Danil Donchenko (-585) 

 Winner: Danil Donchenko 

Method: Decision 

Dustin Jacoby (-185) vs. Julius Walker (+160)  

 Winner: Dustin Jacoby 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

 Bruna Brasil (+145) vs. Ketlen Souza (-170)  

 Winner: Ketlen Souza 

Method: Decision 

Gianni Vasquez *Late Replacement ( ) vs. Javid Basharat ( )  

 Winner: Javid Basharat 

Method: Decision 

Cong Wang (-390) vs. Eduarda Moura (+295)   

 Winner: Cong Wang 

Method: Decision 

Muin Gafurov (-135) vs. Jakub Wiklacz (+110)   

Winner: Muin Gafurov 

Method: Decision 

Nikolay Veretennikov ( ) vs. Niko Price ( ) *Late Replacement 

 Winner: Nikolay Veretennikov 

Method: Decision 

Klaudia Sygula (-150) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (+130)   

 Winner: Priscila Cachoeira 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

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.