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

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Main Card

Mayra Bueno Silva (+145) vs. Holly Holm (-175)

MBS: DK: $7.6k | Holm: DK:$8.6k

Cue: Eminem “Talking To Myself:”

Is anybody out there? / It feels like I’m talkin’ to myself 

No one seems to know my struggle / And everything I’ve come from 

Can anybody hear me? / Yeah, I guess I keep talkin’ to myself 

Hello? Is this thing on? I’m going to start this one in an unprecedented fashion with back-to-back music quotes. There’s a famous saying likely derived from a 1986 song, “Come from the Heart” by Susanna Clark. The lyrics go like this: 

You’ve got to sing like you don’t need the money / 

Love like you’ll never get hurt / 

You’ve got to dance like nobody’s watchin’ / 

It’s gotta come from the heart if you want it to work 

I’d like to add: You’ve got to write like nobody’s reading. Noinety-noine percent of the people who see this in their inbox will read the headline and quickly direct it to the trash bin. Half a percent will Google “Bueno Silva,” then quickly direct it to the trash bin. The other half percent are probably here for some “stand-up jokes.” Stand-up as in he/she has stand-up like Professor X, stand-up like Brendan Shaub’s comedy, stand-up like Polio, and that sort of thing. To that half percent I say: LFG!!! 

A reporter recently asked Mayra Bueno Silva what she was doing in a main event: 

“What are you doing?” (Reporter) 

“Hmm?”  

What are you doing? 

Pssh, nothin’. Me? Just hanging around.  

And overnight, a meme sensation was born. But the reporter’s question was left unanswered. Siri and Alexa were consulted, and neither could offer a viable explanation. Thus, the MMA community was left to its own devices. It wasn’t long before conspiracy theories flooded social media. One such theory says Ronda Rousey’s consciousness was downloaded and swapped with Bueno Silva’s, so Rousey could get revenge on Holly Holm for killing Rousey’s MMA career in 2015. Many have pointed out this is just the plot of 1997’s Face/Off; only consciousnesses are swapped instead of faces. Other conspirators say the original main event for this card was a passenger in the Titan sub that imploded while searching for the Titanic, and the UFC brass had to scramble to find a new main event. Mainstream media has floated the idea that foreign actors are interfering with our main events and Dana White should respond with a nuclear first strike. But the most likely explanation is: It is what it is. 

The first bet I ever placed on a sporting event was Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey. Yes, I was a gambling Andy Stitzer at the time. I’ve smoked Amazon forests worth of trees since 2015, but if I remember correctly, Holm was in the (+700)’s or something like that. All I know is I’m still eating off the Grant I dropped on Holly to win by TKO/KO. Although it was brief, the moment Holly and I shared was magical, and I will always cherish it. But I have to say, I think that magic has worn off. The fans are on a four-fight losing streak when it comes to Holly Holm fights, including 0-2 in main events. Gone are the days of E. Honda hand speed, fancy Willie Pep footwork, and hype train derailing head kicks. Here are the days of emotional support embraces against the cage and non-psychedelic trips. The first “fight” I ever got into was in first grade. It was a tripping battle in the sandbox, me and my opponent trying to step behind each other and outside trip a leg. It was a Moreno vs. Pantoja dog fight until the recess bell rang, but I emerged the victor, three trips to two. I catch flashbacks of that war every time I watch a Holly Holm fight. 

After the Amanda Nunes KO loss, Holm seemed to completely abandon the 2001 Honda Civic that got her to the dance, her striking. When Holm is forced to stay on her feet for stretches, she’s missing the same level of commitment she once had. Her striking now strictly consists of spam junk box left hands and constant circling to the left. On top of reigned-in aggression and creativity, Holly seems to have lost a step. The constant clinching and wrestling are likely necessary to cover for decreased hand speed, a lost step, if you will.  

Against Bueno Silva, Holly may be forced to break her striking mental block because Bueno Silva may have the best Jitz Holm has faced in a while. Ketlen Vieira is a strong offensive wrestler but nowhere near the submission threat from her back that Bueno Silva is. If there is some of the 2015-2017 Holly left, and she commits to her boxing with kicks (not quite kickboxing), this could be a solid lil’ scrap. That’s a big IF, though. I know this isn’t Holm’s final fight, but she’s my third favorite female fighter of all time—Gina Carano and Valentina Shevchenko being one and two— and I’d love nothing more than for her to go out of some Ruthless Robbie Lawler type-shit and walk off into the sunset, a prone lifeless body left in her wake.  

*Side note: WAR “RUTHLESS” ROBBIE LAWLER! 

Unfortunately, the money to be made on a Holm fight is picking against her. And TBH, you have to be a real degenerate to be gambling on Holly Holm fights in 2023. Fantasy-wise, Holly averages just over three significant strikes landed per minute (not good), but in her last two five-round scraps, she landed noinety-six against Vieira and one hundred fifty-four against Irene Aldana. But in her four previous five-rounders, dating back to the Miesha Tate fight in 2016, Holm averaged fifty-eight significant strikes per fight.  

Hear me out: Mayra Bueno Silva is actually pretty good. Her specialty is the Thai Plum and striking from the clinch. She has nasty Lumpinee elbows and knees and is creative when she initiates the clinch. Bueno Silva will shoot her jab past the opponent’s head like she missed the target and then grab the collar tie on the jab’s return. When it comes to the clinch, Bueno Silva is a much better striker than Holm is, and Bueno can turn fights ugly when she’s at a disadvantage at range. Bueno’s overall striking style is classic Brazilian Muay with rounded shoulders, a squared stance, and constant stalking. Everywhere you go, Bueno Silva marches you down and has respectable power in her hands and kicks. Jim Miller is credited with being the first to use the low calf kick in a UFC bout and thus began a deadly trend. I think the next trendy yet effective strike will be the overhand donkey punch, aka el ponche de burro. I’m seeing it more often, a standing overhand hammerfist that obliterates guards and lands at a two o’clock to seven o’clock angle. Bueno Silva likes to throw a quick 1-2 and follow it with a right-hand donkey punch over the top.  

The key for Bueno Silva will be making it ugly wherever the fight goes. Seven of her ten professional wins are submissions and include a variety of subs like kneebars, armbars, and Nija Chokes. She will create a unique danger for Holm in positions Holm is usually comfortable in and used to dominating. For her career, Bueno Silva is 10-2 with one TKO/KO and seven subs, including 5-2-1 in the UFC. Fantasy-wise, Bueno Silva will be the better finishing threat, but the biggest question mark is her gas tank in a twenty-five-minute scrap. Her best, and likely only, chance to finish Holm will be early as Holm’s cardio and experience in five-round fights will take over late. 

Holm is the (-155) favorite, and Bueno Silva is the (+130) dog. Bust out the Piso Mojado sign and make sure the upset alarm has fresh batteries. Bueno Silva is aggressive and has answers for Holm’s grappling-heavy game plans. There is also a strong chance Bueno Silva could initiate the wrestling and control the top position. And it’s been a while since I’ve seen Holm for extended time on her back. A Bueno Silva sub will return (+350). A Holm TKO/KO will return (+500) and a win by decision (+100). The main event-dub streak sits at two and seven of the last eight, so I feel comfortable taking a chance here. Mayra Bueno Silva via armbar, round three.    

Winner: Mayra Bueno Silva | Method: Armbar Rd.3

Albert Duraev (+125) vs. Jun Yong Park (-155)

Duraev: DK: $7.7k | Park: DK: $8.5k

I like tuttles. The “Iron Turtle” is back, and the holiday shopping season is starting four months early this year when the Black Friday doorbuster Khamzat Chimaev, Albert Duraev, steps in to face him. This one will be a sprint to see who can secure the top position first, as both share a penchant for doling out sadistic ass-whoopings from the position. Striking-wise, these guys are brothers from another mother, estranged Peter-In-Laws, who look the part of fierce strikers but are really just average when you really break them down. Their skills are nearly identical, and this one will be a Maury Povich reunion in the center of the Octagon as they try to remember the face of their father.   

Albert Duraev is a wrestler/grappler with average striking that looks better than it is. His striking is just good enough to encourage him to keep the fight standing instead of implementing his wrestling base. This guy goes from Pixar on the feet to the Hostel movie franchise on the mat. In his debut against Roman Koylov, Duraev went straight Hollywood satanic ritual in the second round. He landed at least one thousand ground strikes once he got Kopylov on the mat. House of 1000 Strikes, Dr. Satan-type-ish. Then he gassed in the third, but that’s old shit, and I’m trying to kick the habit. He then got doctor TKO’d against Joaquin Buckley, only to return in March to “beat” Chidi Njokuani. I thought Chidi won the fight, but Chidi only has himself to blame because he wasn’t willing to let his hands go enough. It led to a famous Chidi post-fight rant: “We let him off the hook! You wanna crown his ass, then crown him! He is who we thought he was.” 

Duraev’s stand-up is technical, complete with tight straight punches, but it’s vanilla AF. His striking comes off the lot with stock combinations and 0-60 in six seconds hand speed. The upside of Duraev’s striking is that it is good enough for him to be patient while he looks for and creates opportunities to level change. His Popeye right hand he delivers like a third baseman firing across the diamond provides him with flashes of ESPN Top Ten KO’s, and he starts glory-chasing. The downside is that he starts doing the Macarena, feeling himself, and keeps the fight standing longer than he should, sometimes abandoning his wrestling for entire rounds. But when this dude drags you to the mat, it looks like a shark attack. He dishes out HBO-when-your-parents-went-to-bed beatings. 

The prowess of his ground game is evident in his record. Duraev is 16-4 with three TKO/KOs and noine subs. He is 2-1 in the UFC, but both dubs were decisions. Fantasy-wise, Duraev is kind of a bust. He averages less than three significant strikes per minute, but he also averages two takedowns per fifteen minutes. His value is in takedowns and top control, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to get the Iron Turtle to the mat. The key will be committing to his takedowns even if they aren’t successful. The ol’ Merab game plan. It is effective because it supplements his weakness, striking. 

Jun Yong Park is a member of the All Hands team. He’s a Big Lots Sean Strickland boxer who relies solely on his hands. Like Strickland, Park doesn’t commit his hips to propel his strikes but instead arm punches from the shoulders. But Park doesn’t have the Strickland Philly Shell in his defensive arsenal. But-But, Park does have sneaky power that usually catches opponents off guard at some point during the fisticuffs. Duraev may have the more eye-pleasing striking, but I think Park might be a little more dangerous. If the fight stays standing, Park will need to increase his output because he has a tendency to get outworked and it could come down to who is leading the dance more often.  

Cue Mobb Deep “Got It Twisted.” Don’t get it twisted, homies; the Turtle is a savage on the mat. He is a middleweight Freddy Kreuger who catches u in your dreams while you’re sleeping on him. This dude turns straight Leatherface on the mat and scalps your face with filthy elbows from the top, then wears your likeness like a mask during the cage side post-fight interview. This dude hand-crafts literal face masks and sells them on his Etsy boutique. The Iron Turtle uses bouncer takedowns to grab hold of you and sag his weight until your legs give out. And when Park is on top of you, it’s like getting sucked under by the sinking Titanic, hopeless. Then he chips away with precise minimalist elbows that leave you a bloody mess before you even realize it.  

The problem will be getting Duraev to the mat. Park struggled to get Eryk Anders to the mat and had to eke out a decision on the feet. He ran into similar problems against Brazilian Deebo, Gregory Rodrigues, and eventually got TKO’d. This fight could come down to one of two things: Who has the better guard game, or who has the better stand-up if neither can establish a wrestling advantage. For his career, Park is 16-5 with five TKO/KOs and six subs. Even their records are similar. Fantasy-wise, Park is the slightly better finishing threat. All four of Duraev’s career losses came via TKO/KO, and three of Park’s five losses were finishes.  

I was hoping the oddsmakers would sleep on Jun Yong Park, but that’s not the case. Park is the (-150) favorite, and Duraev is the (+125) dog. As a straight-up bet to win, Duraev has a ton of value, but as a Fantasy option, even in victory, he likely won’t put up big stats. The upside for the Turtle is a finish and nearly five significant strikes landed per minute. An Iron Turtle TKO/KO will return (+500). A Duraev TKO/KO will return (+900) and a sub (+400). Give me the Tuttle. I like tuttles. Jun Yong Park via decision.  

Winner: Jun Yong Park | Method: Decision

Norma Dumont (-140) vs. Chelsea Chandler (+110)

Dumont: DK: $8.4k | Chandler: DK:$7.8k

Norma, I bet you think this fight is about you, don’t you? But it’s about the Diaz Sister Chelsea Chandler. Annie Wilkes, aka Shelley Marsh, Chelsea Chandler is a female Josh Barnett and one of the grimiest female heathens I’ve seen come up in a while. After her first-round molly whopping debut against Julija Stoliarenko, the UFC brass is giving Chandler a stiff test against a true veteran in Norma Dumont. Norma Dumont could be a champion, but you play too much. When she lets her hands go, Norma is one of the better women’s strikers, but she often plays it too safe and ends fights with the same number of bullets in the clip she had when she set off for battle. But playing it safe won’t be an option this time. Norma will be forced to defend herself at all times, and the best defense is always a good offense. 

Chelsea Chandler is a true throwback. She has a pre-2010 aura to her, an old-school catch wrestling/dirty boxing vibe. She’s a cross between Josh Barnett and Mark Coleman. On the feet, she dips her rear shoulder and fires the lead hand over the top, chopping downward, while her power hand travels an upward, almost uppercut-like path to the target. Her strikes are bludgeoning more than they are crispy and snappy. But where Chandler really shines is on the mat. She delivers tailgate parking lot ass whoopings, overwhelming with aggression and power. She is a true bully in the cage, the UFC version of Shelley Marsh. More importantly, she trains out of Cesar Gracie in Stockton, CA. The infamous 2-0-9. And she fights like an honorary Diaz with the exact same me-against-the-world attitude. From the limited fights I’ve seen of her, Chandler could be special. But her biggest red flag is her lack of experience. Chandler is only 5-1, and Dumont has more fights in the UFC than Chandler does in total professional fights. 

Norma Dumont is one of the most frustrating female fighters in the game. She shows glimpses of elite striking but has yet to master the mental game. She has the power on the feet to sleep anyone in women’s MMA, but she doesn’t let her hands go nearly enough. Instead, she clinches against the cage and works trips that rarely materialize into takedowns. Dumont is “when playing it safe goes wrong” personified. Blood in Blood out: Life’s a risk, carnal. Risk is the spice of life, and the lack of risk is why Dumont’s career has been relatively bland. When it comes to mental approaches, Chelsea Chandler has that Black Mirror Metalhead dog in her, and Dumont has an accouterment Maltese stowed away in a cute Prada handbag dog in her. Dumont’s only chance against Chandler is to put all her shake into the butter and eat the whole pan of brownies. She has to stand and bang and commit to combinations. Keeping her hands in Chandler’s face is the only way Dumont can stop Chandler from building up a head of steam and running over her like Suge Knight in a pickup truck. 

Bust out the Piso Mojado signs ASAP; slip and falls are imminent! Chelsea Chandler will be dripping value all over your freshly Swiffered floor. Chandler will be the (+120) dog but may close into the negative come fight night. The only way to explain the odds is experience. Add the level of competition to that as well. Dumont has fought the much better competition and will be Chandler’s toughest test by far. But I think Chandler is the bigger finishing threat with paths to victory on the mat and on the feet. Norma Dumont has noine career dubs, and seven are decisions. A Chandler TKO/KO will return (+350), and a Dumont finish in the same fashion will be (+1200). The odds alone show who the bigger finishing threat is. No fookin’ way am I betting against a Diaz Sister. Chelsea Chandler via TKO, round two. On wax. 

Winner: Chelsea Chandler | Method: TKO Rd.2

Ottman Azaitar (-105) vs. Francisco Prado (-120)

Azaitar: DK: $8k | Prado: DK: $8.2k

Francisco Prado wasn’t even old enough to do a shoey after his debut back in February against the Little Doodie That Could, Jaime “Bull” Mullarkey. Prado is an MTV Spring Break champion with a perfect eleven for eleven, one hundred percent finishing rate. And Ottman Azaitar is a fight pharmacologist who prescribes heavy hooks and overhands over the counter, no prescription needed, to treat insomnia. Azaitar is a highly touted fighter with extensive experience fighting in Brave FC and is coming off of his first career loss to Matt Frevola. This should be a crunchy little banger; eleven of Azaitar’s fourteen career fights ended in the first round, and eight of Prado’s twelve career fights ended in the first round.  

You should stop now and check out some of Azaitar’s highlight reels. When Azaitar KO’s people, they Die Hard like Bruce Willis. Check out his UFC debut against Teemu Packalen; Azaitar had Teemu clicking his heels together like Dorothy, tap dancing like Gregory Hines. Teemu went out looking like the protagonist's death scene in a Broadway play. Homie gave a poetic monologue on his way down to the mat. Azaitar has an extended catalog of starching dudes like khaki suits. Dude has some of the slowest, longest strikes you will see, but when they land, it sounds like a mallet hitting a slab of beef. His strikes travel the globe on some Amelia Earhart type-ish. Been around the world, and I-I-I. Azaitar's been playa hated. Azaitar’s power comes from his cadence as he bobs his way into the pocket. Bobbing allows him to load up on punches while hiding the fact that he’s loading up; it is disguised as a defensive movement. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Azaitar’s ground game, but it’s safe to say his game plan will be trading with Prado on the feet and avoiding the mat if Prado attempts to wrestle. 

Francisco Prado is a young Globo Gym boxer who approaches scraps like he’s hitting a heavy bag. He just recently turned twenty-one years old and had to be escorted through the Vegas casino by an adult before his debut in February. He suffered his first career loss that night, but he went the distance with a savvy veteran. Judging from that fight, Prado’s weakness is his guard. He displayed a sensual lover’s guard against Mullarkey, never attempting to get back to his feet, almost as if he was enjoying the moment. You want to take Prado down? Don’t threaten him with a good time. And Prado showed some immaturity in his debut; he displayed no sense of urgency and almost looked like he was just happy to be there. He’ll KO someone for hogging the bench press but only had noineteen strikes midway through the third round in a professional fight. Someone needs to rub two sticks together and light a fire under his ass this time, or Ottman Azaitar is gonna have him looking peaceful in his sleep like an 1800s Wild West outlaw coffin picture with rouge on his cheeks. 

I say all that to say this: Prado is 11-1 with five TKO/KOs and six subs. He has tight technical boxing with short, powerful hooks. His path to victory will be down the middle between Azaitar’s shoulders and wide punches. He also needs to attack Azaitar’s legs to weaken his base and make it difficult to sit down on heavy punches. This guy is a finisher, and Azaitar is coming off a vicious one-punch KO loss. The time to catch Azaitar is now. 

I had to check the odds three times. Francisco Prado is the early (-125) favorite, and Azaitar is the slight (+105) dog. I can’t imagine Azaitar staying in plus money for long. Fantasy-wise, I think Azaitar is a little more dangerous than Prado and has a good shot at an early finish. Azaitar isn’t used to fighting past the first round, and I’d imagine Prado’s chances to win will grow as the fight progresses to the later rounds. Fantasy-wise, F stats; play this one way or the other for a finish. But Azaitar’s upside is early finishing points. An Azaitar TKO/KO will return (+150), and a Prado TKO/KO will return (+225). Ottman Azaitar via TKO, round two. On wax.  

Winner: Ottman Azaitar | Method: TKO Rd.2

Terrance McKinney (+115) vs. Nazim Sadykhov (-130)

McKinney: DK: $7.5k | Sadykhov: DK:$8.7k

Ding, ding-dong, ring-gading ding, ding-dong. Terrance McKinney keeps their heads ringing. When it comes to kill-or-be-killed fighters, McKinney is the Tony Soprano leader of them all. McKinney fights are like race-against-the-clock 90s films. The round clock doubles as a countdown to Armageddon. One of two things will occur during a McKinney fight: 1) He will come out shot out of a cannon and overwhelm his opponent and snatch a neck, or 2) he will do the aforementioned and then completely gas and fall apart in the second round and get finished in a viral fashion. McKinney is one of those ultimate gambles that make you feel alive when you bet on him because the line between victory and defeat is thinner than a hair on a bee’s ass. 

Terrance “& Phillip” McKinney is a whirlwind in the cage, a blur of flailing limbs, a spin cycle striker who throws the streaked chonies to the wind. He comes out the gate and tries to overwhelm with speed and aggression on the feet and slick submission grappling on the mat. McKinney is at his best when full chaos ensues and struggles when the fight slows down to a more traditional pace. When he can’t bum rush and overwhelm you with lightning-fast hands and kicks and explosive takedowns, his chances of winning the fight dwindle.  

Nobody ends fights more abruptly than Terrance McKinney, and no one gets ended more abruptly than McKinney. Terrance “Lives at Home with Both Parents” McKninney has been finished twice in his career via flying knee and just so happens to be coming off one such KO against Ismael Bonfim. Bonfim left McKinney looking like he was trying to impress Wendy Peppercorn by falling off the high dive. Dude got a full eight hours of sleep before he hit the mat. The key for McKinney against the far more technical striker and overall well-rounded Ray Longo fighter, Nazim Sadykhov, will be sticking to the script and doing Terrance McKinney shit. It’s too late to change his style, and some fighters are at their best when they try to make it a five-minute fight and accept the consequences if they can’t finish it.  

Nazim “Punch a Hole in His Fookin’ Chest” Sadykhov is a nifty little striker with Zumba-like footwork. Nazim will dance on ya’ and hit you with little Eddie Alvarez dart punches on his way out the back door. Defensively, he uses a Goodwill Philly Shell and shoulder roll to deflect strikes and stays in the pocket where he can attack with quick counters. He has an old-school potshot style where he focuses on touching and breaking you down systematically with half-speed punches before opening up with heavier power shots. Dirty boxing in the clinch is a lost art, but Nazim thrives in close quarters, where he digs uppers to the body and head from the collar tie. He has the perfect style to weather Phillip’s early category-five storm and chip away until a finish is presented.  

But Sadykhov has to be careful in the opening round. His Philly Shell springs leaks and isn’t a defensive staple in MMA because the gloves are too small. If Nazim gets to shoulder rolling while McKinney is flurrying, some of those strikes will get through, and Nazim will find himself woozy real quick. Sadykhov needs to focus on footwork, circling away from danger, maintaining range, and engaging on his own terms. For his career, Sadykhov is 8-1 with six TKO/KOs and one sub. Fantasy-wise, Sady averages just over five significant strikes per minute and will be a serious late-finishing threat. 

Sadykhov will be the (-130) favorite, and McKinney will be the slight (+115) dog. McKinney will have a huge upside for an early finish but also a huge downside if he can’t get it. It’s hard betting on a guy fighting within a tight window like McKinney because it’s rare a fight at this level will end in the first round. But McKinney is one of the biggest finishing threats in the $7k price range, and this is only Sadykhov’s second fight in the UFC. A McKinney TKO/KO will return (+250) and a sub (+350). And a Sadykhov TKO/KO will return (+130). At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, I have to ride with the more technical fighter and the guy with a full fifteen minutes to work with. Nazim Sadykhov via TKO, round two.  

Winner: Nazim Sadykhov| Method: TKO Rd.3

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Chelsea Chandler ($7.8k): An honorary Diaz sister, this lady doesn’t pussyfoot around. The bell rings; she throws bombs. If Norma Dumont comes in dancing the same ol’ half-step, she will get mauled, and her image during the post-fight show highlights will be completely pixilated. Chandler’s aggression won’t allow for a dull fight or a passive Dumont. The MMA Shelley Marsh, Chelsea Chandler, is going to be a problem; remember where you heard it first. 

Mayra Bueno Silva (7.6k): Bueno Silva is 6-3 in the UFC and has never been finished. There’s a good chance she will get to the championship rounds and have a good shot at hitting the one hundred significant strikes mark if she can stay upright or use submission attempts to end up on top or get back to her feet. And she’s nasty in the clinch, which is almost exclusively where Holm likes to fight these days. When push comes to fisticuffs, I trust her a little more than I do guys like Parisian and Duraev when it comes to the value menu. 

Austin Lingo ($7.1k): The only Lingo this guy knows is ruff ruff. Homie is the dawg your neighbors warn the mailman about. Since Lingo's debut in 2020 against Youseff Zalal, he has been thrown into the deep end without any floaties. He has a big win over Luis Saldana, a fight he was on the verge of losing in the first round, only to come back and grind out a dub. Lingo is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Nizzy Nate Landwehr, but there’s no shame in that. He was highly competitive in the first round before Nate did Nate shit in the second. Lingo’s heart pumps no fear, and no matter what, he commits to combinations and has get-you-by-the-boo-boo sneaky power. This guy will get in the pocket and mix it up and leave the rest in the hands of the highest power. Plus, Lingo’s opponent, Melquizael Costa, is a JUD, just a dude. The trickiest part of his game is spelling his name. 

90% Off $6k Clearance Rack 

Tyson Nam ($6.6k): Nam is a tough guy to bet on. He has a Mega Man cannon for a right hand that can turn you from a solid to a gas in a blink. He will be the striker in a wrestler vs. striker matchup against the debuting Azat Maksum. Maksum (16-0) has some serious skills and will likely dominate the fight on the mat, BUT like Nas only needs one mic, Tyson Nam only needs one punch. The downside is Nam getting dragged around the cage and held down and possibly submitted. But the upside is as good a finisher as you could hope to find while digging around on the clearance rack next to the restroom. 

Istela Nunes ($6.9k): Weekly KO history has been made. This is the first time two fighters made the Clearance Rack. Like Nam, Nunes is facing a grappler vs. striker matchup against the debuting Victoria Dudakova. If Dudakova struggles under the bright lights to hold Nunes down, Nunes will light her up like a Cheech and Chong blunt on the feet. Nunes is Chun-Li on the feet with lightning-quick hands and feets. She can land strikes in bunches between defending takedowns and will be at a significant speed advantage. Don’t let her 0-3 UFC record fool you; Nunes has serious skills and is a live dog. 

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Austin Lingo (+170): If you sleep on Austin Lingo, it won’t be long before you’re rocking a pair of Heelys around the mall. Lingo wades into the pocket with short clubbing hooks and overhands and gives himself a chance to win every fight. His opponent Mel Costa is the more technical, eye-pleasing fighter, but he offers nothing out of the ordinary. The longer the fight goes, the better chance Lingo will have to grind down Costa. I expect Costa’s slightly better physical attributes to help him get out to an early lead and Lingo to have to mount a late comeback. 

Tucker Lutz (+140): Ol’ Nucker Futz, aka Tucker Lutz, will be the wrestler in a wrestler vs. Striker matchup against the savvy kickboxer Melsik Baghdasaryan. Melsik was finished by Joshua Culibao via submission in his last outing, and Lutz has the wrestling chops to put Melsik on his back and grind out important minutes. You will know within the opening minutes if Lutz has a chance to earn the dub. He will either score an early takedown and remain committed to his wrestling, or he will get stuffed, discouraged, and relent to a kickboxing match. A Kickboxing match he can’t win. So, for Lutz, it’s wrestling or bust. 

Albert Duraev (+130): The co-main event has split decision written all over it. If each fighter’s wrestling cancels each other out, and the fight remains standing for most of the duration, the nod will go to whoever leads the dance most often. Duraev has technical kickboxing and a fight-ending right hand, and he went the distance his last time out against a very dangerous striker in Chidi Njokuani. And Chidi’s prowess on the feet far exceeds Jun Yong Park’s.  

Pick 'Em

Tucker Lutz (+140) vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan (-170)

Winner: Melsik Baghdasaryan

 Method: Decision

Victoria Dudakova (-210) vs. Estela Nunes (+170)

Winner: Victoria Dudakova

 Method: Decision

Austin Lingo (+170) vs. Melquizael Costa (-210)

Winner: Austin Lingo

 Method: Decision

Jack Della Maddalena ( ) vs. Bassil Hafez ( )  

Winner: Della Soul

 Method: TKO Rd.1

Evan Elder (-300) vs. Genaro Valdez (+240)

Winner: Evan Elder

 Method: Decision

Tyson Nam (+325) vs. Azat Maksum (-425)

Winner: Azat Maksum

Method: Decision

Alex Munoz (-170) vs. Carl Deaton (+140)

Winner: Alex Munoz

Method: Decision

Ashlee Evans-Smith (+170) vs. Ailin Perez (-210)

Winner: Ailin Perez

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.