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

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Main Card

Jared Cannonier (+185) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (-220)

Cannonier: DK: $7.6k | Deebo: DK:$8.6k

“Here comes Deebo!” 

“Who?” 

“Dee-BO!” 

Squeak, squeak, squeak... 

Better hide your Indiglo Timex watch, mood ring, and buck-fifty Costco hotdog lunch money... Deebo is coming. Some call him RoboCop. The government calls him Gregory Rodrigues – no hard z. But at the WKO, we affectionately call him Brazilian Deebo. Since the UFC announced Deebo would be headlining his first Fight Night main event at the Apex in Las Vegas, the city has experienced a string of electric bike disappearances. At the press conference, reporters asked Deebo if there was a more than coincidental connection between the timing of the stolen bikes and Deebo’s arrival. Deebo’s response: “What bikes?”   

One brave, possibly stupid, reporter pushed the issue, “Weren’t you riding an electric bike in the parking lot before the presser?” 

“That’s my bike, punk!”  

The disappearances remain a mystery.  

Last year, I prophesized that Deebo was a win or two away from a main event spot. And here we are. My man has come a long way since being KO’d on the Contender Series against Jordan Williams. Who? Exactly. Then there was the time Chidi Njokuani opened up a Nebraska six-lane freeway between his eyes with a well-timed knee. You could see Deebo’s skull like Ghost Rider. You could fit a fifteen-minute city in the gash. It looked like the fault line that opened and swallowed Michael Cera in “This Is the End.” They did helicopter tours in that bish. They discovered a lost civilization similar to the ancient Egyptians at the bottom of that canyon in his forehead. Homer once tried to jump that shit on a skateboard. It was so big you could see homie’s thoughts.  

“Does this moomoo make me look fat? 

“Uh... No.” 

“You liar!”  

But all that is old shit, and we’re bout that new shit at the WKO. Deebo has gotten better every time he has stepped into the cage. Training with Alex Pereira will do that for you. Adamantium sharpens Adamantium. Deebo is a deadly striker with a hidden superpower, his Jiu-Jitsu. Every time I talk about Deebo, I mention his ground game. We have only caught glimpses of his genius on the mat. This guy moves like Saquon Barkley on the mat. Deebo has the agility of a flyweight on the ground. What makes Deebo’s Jitz special is his ability to float from the top position. He floats like bodies in the Hudson River. If Deebo gets you to the mat, “You’ll float too!” He seems to hover over you as you struggle beneath him to find an escape route. Demian Maia was the best at floating from the top position. Although he only has three career subs and has yet to record one in the UFC, Deebo’s ground game, in my opinion, is the best part of his game.   

But Deebo loves sending people flying across the cage with his right hand like they’re Red, talking about, “Pops is trippin’. He wants me to ask for my bike back.” Deebo has an upright, stiff posture and straight, Pereira-like punches. But he doesn’t have Pereira’s left hook or defensive awareness. Deebo’s major malfunction is his complete lack of head movement. And you can put his chin in a police lineup because it's suspect. Deebo has been KO’d three times in his career, not counting that street scrap against Craig. And The Iron Turtle, Jun Yong Park, had Deebo on skates like a Boogie Nights deleted scene before Deebo recovered and turned the tables on The Turtle like interior decorators. Deebo can stand and bang with Jared Cannonier. But his clearest path to victory is taking advantage of Cannonier’s sixty-two percent takedown defense. But Deebo averages five and a half SLpM for a reason. He loves to stand and trade. And when Alex Pereira is your main training partner, it’s hard to be weary of a forty-year-old fighter with only one finish in his last eight fights. 

I love me some Jared Cannonier. But his career is starting to death spiral. But after the career he has had, there’s no shame in that, especially at his age. Homie is still out here banging with the young bucks and headlining cards. Never forget, Jared started this Ozempic shit. And this is the muhf**kin’ thanks he gets? Jared started at heavyweight, now we here. Yo! It has been a rough couple of months for Drake. Hit that “Started From the Bottom!” After two fights at heavyweight to begin his UFC career in 2015, Cannonier went on that Christian Bale “The Machinist” diet. Compared to his heavyweight days, Cannonier looks like 50 Cent when he lost all that weight for a movie nobody watched. But even as the numbers on the scale decreased, his power remained the same.   

“He Went To” Jared Cannonier still has that Stankonia power. He’ll still turn your pound cake to red velvet real fookin’ quick. And even though his championship window is sealed shut, you can’t tell Jared that. He still has that spark to ignite Gasoline Dreams of becoming a world champion. B.O.B: He’ll still carpet bomb you with right hands. But his major malfunction has become his chin. Lately, Jared has been getting his ass cracked like single-ply Toilet Tisha. And you have to wonder how many fights he has left until he’s taking the Spaghetti Junction exit and Cruisin’ in the ATL instead of fighting young up-and-coming lions.  

Don’t get it fooked up like Sean Strickland’s nose. Cannonier can win this fight. But he has to be more aggressive than he has been in recent fights. He just hasn’t been throwing enough. Historically, Cannonier has been a high-output striker, averaging four and a half SLpM over eighteen UFC bouts. In five, five-round fights, Jared has eclipsed the one hundred strikes mark twice and came close twice. If he lets his hands go, Cannonier will find Deebo’s chin. Cannonier’s punches are a good mix of straights down the middle, hooks, and overhands. And right hand for right hand, I’ll still take Cannonier’s over Deebo’s.   

Deebo will be the (-185) favorite, and Cannonier will be the (+160) live-ass dog. This one is almost guaranteed to be a boxing match with four-ounce gloves. Anybody can get got at any time. Cannonier has fought for a title, and I don’t think Deebo is or will reach the championship-contending level. My hunch is that his ceiling is just below that, making banger Fight Night main events like this one. There is value in the fight going the distance, but there is more value in a TKO/KO finish one way or the other. In his last two bouts, Jared was TKO’d by Nassourdine Imavov and was all but finished against Ciao Borralho. And Deebo has been finished and close to finished multiple times.   

We finally recorded the first main event dub of 2025 last weekend when DDP did DDP shit – made shit ugly and flailed haymakers on his way to pitching a shutout. I’ve never seen an uglier yet more effective style than DDP’s. This week’s main event is close to a toss-up in my book. But I haven’t been conducting the Deebo train since his debut in 2021 to turn back now. Gregory Rodrigues via TKO, round three. Put it on wax.   

Props

Deebo: TKO/KO (+100) Sub (+550) Dec (+500) 

Cannonier: TKO/KO (+330) Sub (+2800) Dec (650)

Winner: Gregory Rodrigues | Method: TKO Rd.3

Kalvin Kattar (+370) vs. Youssef Zalal (-510)

Kattar: DK: $6.8k | Zalal: DK: $9.4k

Kalvin “& Hobbs” Kattar hasn’t been the same since he fought Max. In that fight, Max turned Kattar into the slab of meat that Rocky boxes-up in the meat cooler. 

“You’re breaking the ribs!” 

Max landed a world record—I’m talking about the entire history of mankind world record—four hundred forty-five strikes. Kattar looked like the Bonnie and Clyde car after that fight. That shit was overkill, like Murphy’s death before becoming RoboCop. Overkill like James Gandolfini at the end of True Romance. Since that night, Kattar has gone 1-3, including three straight Ls. Kattar is like the dead people in the Pixar movie Coco that slowly begin to fade away as they are forgotten in the physical world. Calvin is semitransparent now. You have to go back three years to actually see Kattar fight. He blew his knee out against Arnold Allen in 2022 and returned at UFC 300 only to lay on his back against Aljo for fifteen minutes.   

It turned out that Kattar has the Tafa brothers’ takedown defense and ground game. My man wears a Life Alert amulet around his neck in case he ends up on his back during a fight. It sounds like a car alarm when it goes off as soon as one ass cheeks touches the mat. Aljo scored eight takedowns and racked up nearly eleven minutes of control time – damn near the entire fight. That’s not a good look when going into a bout against another slick grappler in Youssef Zalal. Kattar rocks a fifty-four percent takedown defense like third-generation holey hand-me-down chonies. And Zalal averages just under three takedowns per fifteen minutes. Those are the most telling stats. 

I say all that negative shit to say this: Kattar is still a bad mother-shut-your-mouf on the feet. They wheel his hands out on a little silver tray just to scare the shit out of you before they put the gas mask over your face, and you fade to black. Kattar will give you a facelift and a tummy tuck real fookin’ quick. His hands are sharp and exact. There isn’t even a single degree of curve in his punches. Kattar beats you down the middle with straight, quick punches. His special move is turning punches into elbows mid-combination. Kattar will close the distance with punches and throw elbows when he’s inside the pocket. If he can keep the fight standing against Zalal, he will have a big advantage in the striking. Kattar averages over four and a half SLpM to Zalal’s under two and a half. Volume will be the key for Kattar.   

Youssef Zalal was the first poor bass turd trampled and gored by Ilia Topuria on the mean streets of Pamplona. What am I gonna do, pick Youseff Zala to beat the future world champ like it’s something to do. Yeah, I remember picking Youssef Zalal to beat the future world champ. That was the only fight I’ve ever seen Zalal get out-grappled. Topuria dominated Zalal on the mat to the point that I still think Topuria is a wrestler/grappler first. Zalal was released by the UFC after a 0-3-1 stretch only to return on short notice last year against Billy Q. And what did Zalal do? Dominated and finished Billy Q. in the second round. Then Zalal went on to win two more fights in 2024 and is currently riding a six-fight dub streak. Zalal is a rags to riches to rags to riches story. Now here he is in a UFC co-main event. That’s some UFC Behind the Octagon type-ish.  

Zalal is a grappling wizard - a Hogwarts graduate. Although not quite a Harry Potter, he’s more like a Ron Weasley. Fook a patronus spell, Zalal has choke spells. And he’ll cast one on you as soon as your ass hits the mat. Zalal’s grappling is effective because he doesn’t rely on it entirely. He’s crafty like Etsy on his feet with quick little pool hall darts for hands. Zalal has thread-the-needle hands, and, like Kattar, Zalal attacks almost exclusively down the middle. When you start thinking you’re in a kickboxing match, Zalal level changes and initiates the clinch while working trips. Zalal is a hybrid fighter with no major areas of weakness. His major malfunction is output. He doesn’t throw enough, and he is painfully a one-strike puncher. Zalal won’t reach third-level strikes. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a 1-2 out of him.    

Like Whoa! I didn’t see these odds coming. Zalal is the (-410) massive favorite, and Kattar is the (+310) live dog. I almost dared to say live-ass dog. Will Zalal stay committed to his grappling for fifteen minutes? I’m not so sure. If he doesn’t, Kattar is the more diverse and dangerous striker. But Kattar’s ground game has been exposed like Tyson’s cheeks backstage. It’s hard to get those images of Aljo lying on top of Kattar out of mm mind. Youssef Zalal via decision. On wax.  

Props

Zalal: TKO/KO (+1000) Sub (+275) Dec (-135) 

Kattar: TKO/KO (+800) Sub (+2800) Dec (+700)

Winner: Youssef Zalal | Method: Decision

Edmen Shahbazyan (-415) vs. Dylan Budka (+310)

Shahbazyan: DK: $9.2k | Budka: DK:$7k

I have a soft place in my heart for Edmen Shahbazyan. The first words I ever typed for the WKO were “Edmen Shahbazyan.” Memberberries: I then declared him a future champ. Yo! Hit that Dennis Green. “You wanna crown his ass, then crown him!” And I did. And if fights were only five minutes, I would have been right. Shahbazyan might be defending his belt for the n-teenth time, a UFC record. Since starting his career 4-0, Shahbazyan has gone 2-5. If the fight was called after the first round, he might be 5-2. Nobody, not even Mark Andrews, fumbles the bag like Edmen Shahbazyan.   

“Fumble, fumblaya. Sergeant Fumblina Shahbazyan fumbles the ball.”  

But Edmen Shahbazyan is still standing here screaming fook the Free World! And he’s stepping up to the plate with the ball gently set upon a tee. This matchup against Dylan Budka (Who?) is as close to a bye week as you can get. This matchup is the result of cronyism. Someone called in a favor for Shahbazyan. If Shahbazyan can’t win this one, it might be time to sell pictures of his feet for a living. If you grow a little toenail fungus, you can double the price.  

The problem with Shahbazyan’s striking isn’t his hands; it’s his feet. He has that Shannon Sharpe footwork – every step looks painful. For the first couple of minutes, Edmen is dangerous on the feet. Then he turns into Danger-Russ, throwing picks and slapping asses, talking about, “Let’s ride, Las Vegas!” Shahbazyan has a deadly left hook that, at some point in every fight, nearly finishes the fight. Ed’s hands are surprisingly quick, and he is good at changing levels and attacking the body. But Edmen lacks defensive prowess. And he has a suspect chin. Yo! Hit that Method Man Suspect Chin Music!” Even a slight alteration of the arena’s thermostat can be a detriment to Shahbazyan’s consciousness.   

But striking isn’t Edmen’s best attribute. He is an excellent offensive grappler. Emphasis on offensive. From his back, Edmen is a victim filing a police report, trying to remember what color fight shorts his assailant was wearing. And his biggest malfunction is his cardio. Shahbazyan has a gas tank like the little red one you carry on the side of the road when you run out of gas and have no cellphone signal to call Triple A. Overall, Edmen Shahbazyan is a heavily flawed fighter. But he also has some serious skills. But-but, like the McRib, they only last for a limited time. Shahbazyan is 13-5 with eleven TKO/KOs and one submission. He averages over three and a half SLpM and two takedowns per minute. The only value in Shahbazyan is playing him for a finish. His career-high striking total is fifty-four.   

Dylan Budka looks like a Wilding. He has a couple regional wins over some white walkers. This guy looks straight out of “Vikings.” His first two UFC appearances weren’t much to text home about. He debuted against Cesar Almeida on short notice, then got dominated on the mat for three rounds against Andre Petroski. That fight looked like a Jake and Heath deleted scene. Wifey caught me rewatching Petroski vs. Budka and made me sleep on the couch. After watching that one, I had to immediately clear my browser history and destroy my hard drive. I hate to hate, but I really don’t know what Budka is good at. I think he’s a wrestler. Although Budka can wrestle, he can’t grapple. Those are two different things.   

For Shahbazyan, Budka is the three in the club, eyeing you at closing after you’ve been slammin’ double IPAs all night – a sure thing. He’s an NPC, a background extra in story mode. But don’t get it twisted; Budka didn’t come here to take part; he came here to... Wait, yes, he did. If I could go 0-3 in the UFC, I could die a happy man. Budka is 7-4 with one TKO/KO and two subs. In two UFC bouts, he averaged only one SLpM. A strike. Singular. No plural. So I’m basically setting up Dylan Budka to shock the world with a first-round TKO/KO. 

Shahbazyan is the (-370) favorite, and Budka is the (+285) is the neglected ASPCA commercial dog. Honestly, it’s kind of a knock against Shahbazyan that he isn’t a (-1000) favorite. Anywho, the play for Shahbazyan is a TKO/KO. The play for Budka is surviving the opening round and riding out a decision should Edmen gas out. Damn, come on, Edmen! LFG! Get a fookin’ dub for ya boy! Edmen Shahbazyan via TKO, round two. Put it on wax! 

Props

Shahbazyan: TKO/KO (+125) Sub (+450) Dec (+250) 

Budka: TKO/KO (+1600) Sub (+1100) Dec (+550)

Winner: Edmen Shahbazyan | Method: TKO Rd.2

Ismael Bonfim (-200) vs. Nazim Sadykhov (+170)

Bonfim: DK: $8.4k | Sadykhov: DK: $7.8k

Ismael Bonfim is one half of the Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger Twins. Ismael is the Danny DeVito of the duo, and his brother, Gabriel, is the Arnold. I’ll tell you this: No baseball cards got traded in the neighborhood without the Bonfim brothers’ explicit consent. These guys have been running shit since Spider-Man pull-ups and Baby Einstein. Ismael is a smaller version of his brother – their fighting styles are almost identical. Both are all power-everything. Except Gabriel relies on wrestling/grappling more than Ismael. Ismael is little Stephen King Firestarter on the feet and is on a never-ending quest to start firefights. He won’t have to traverse very far this Saturday night. This fight against Ray Longo-trained Nazim Sadykhov is the undercover banger on the main card.   

Bonfim reminds me of an action-figure version of Vitor Belfort. His war strategy is siege warfare. He is more apt to wait you out than launch an attack of his own. That’s a man who knows his own shortcomings as a fighter. Bonfim’s biggest weakness is closing the distance. He relies only on power shots. So, instead of engaging recklessly, he draws the opponent forward with heavy pressure and implements same-time counters. He bets on himself like Pete Rose to beat you to the punch. Bonfim’s best weapon is his Jason Pierre-Paul right hand. It’s a lit M-80 that will blow off more than just a couple fingers. When this guy lets his hands go, he turns the arena into Silent Hill, ash eternally falling like snow flurries. This lil' MF has Chernobyl power. He leaves behind in his wake three-eyed fish and lepers that look like Jerry Jones. He’s got that Mr. Burns nuclear power.   

Against Sadykhov, Ismael has to extend combinations. Sadykhov has excellent footwork and movement. He’s good at making the first punch miss. Ismael must extend past second level strikes and unleash those little alternating hooks. Bonfim has more hooks than Jelly Roll. This will be a high output affair. Bonfim averages over five and a half SLpM compared to Sadykhov’s five. This is one of those scraps that should produce solid striking stats on both sides. Bonfim is 20-4 and 2-1 in the UFC. His loss came to the heathen Benoit St. Denis.  

Lil Nazim X is back. Yo! Quit playin’ and hit that “Old Town Road!” Nazim Sadykhov had one of the fights of the year against Viacheslav Borshchev in 2023. Naz had Borshchev all but dead in the first round. But Naz let him off the hook: “We let ‘em off the hook!” Borshchev’s family had already cashed his life insurance policy. In that first round, Borshchev got his ass kicked like he tied it up in someone’s driveway. But Sadykhov decided to takedown Borschev instead of finishing him on the feet. And Borshchev came back like that shit on ya lip and fought to a draw. I expect this fight to look like the Borshchev fight, a stand-up banger. 

On the feet, Nazim combines nifty hand guards and slick lateral movement. When he’s deflecting punches, he looks like Steven Seagal doing some Wang Chung type-shit. But it works. Naz is a nifty striker, a gadget striker with lots of hidden features. Slips n’ Rips, stance switches, Philly Shells, boxing head movement, Sadykhov has it all. And he has quick, straight punches to take advantage of any openings his movement creates. Bonfim is all straight lines on the feet. Sadykhov is all angles. The key for Sadykhov will be not engaging in extended exchanges inside the pocket. He has the bad habit of covering up immediately after throwing strikes, inviting the opponent to attack – sending out RSVPs. When you cover up in front of the opponent, you’re signaling that it’s his turn to strike. And Naz doesn’t want to let Bonfim get off some free shots.   

Sadykhov is 9-1 with six TKO/KOs and two subs. Bonfim will be the (-170) favorite, and Sadykhov will be the (+150) live-ass dog. Angles beat straight lines every day of the week. If Sadykhov brings his dancing shoes and cuts a rug, he will cause Bonfim problems. But if Sadykhov gets lulled into a firefight inside the pocket, he will get got. The one-punch power will be on Bonfim’s side. And I think he is a slightly better finishing threat. The big question about Bonfim is his gas tank. Does he have his big brother’s Tesla gas tank? I like playing this one for a decision either way. And there’s too much value on the slicker striker, Lil Nazim X, to pass up a dog opportunity. Nazim Sadykhov via decision. Put it on wax.   

Props

Sadykhov: TKO/KO (+500) Sub (+1000) Dec (+450)  

Bonfim: TKO/KO (+350) Sub (+650) Dec (+130)

Winner: Nazim Sadykhov | Method: Decision

Rodolfo Vieira (-285) vs. Andre Petroski (+235)

Vieira: DK: $8.8k | Petroski: DK: $7.4k

I’m starting to feel like a Jitz God, Jitz God. Everybody from the front to back nod, back nod. Yo! Hit that Em “Rap God!” The Jitz God Rodolfo Vieira is back. I tried to warn you guys last week about dudes named Rodolfo. They go everywhere chest naked. Rodolfo Vieira is built like a Magic Mike stunt double – like a Thunder From Down Under lead dancer. But it’s Thunder From Over/Unders when this guy gets hold of you. He’ll toss you in the air and submit you on your way down. Submitting Andre Petroski won’t be easy. Petroski is a wrestler with solid grappling of his own. This fight is essentially a grappler vs. wrestler matchup and will likely turn into an ugly, tepid boxing match.   

Rodolfo Vieira is all grappling. He’ll grapple his ass off until he looks like Lego people. No ass, like urinals. Your roommates start selling all your shit as soon as Vieira gets you to the mat. They crash the boards like Rodman after breaking the news to your ol’ lady. Vieira bends you like corners; he shapes and molds you. You’re just a G.I. Joe in the hands of Sid from Toy Story to Vieira. Nobody in MMA has more Jiu-Jitsu world championships than Rodolfo Vieira. Surviving on the mat with this guy for more than one minute is a lifetime achievement. He’s 10-1 for his career with noine subs and one TKO/KO. It’s grappling or bust for Vieira.   

Vieira has major malfunctions on the feet. One: He’s built like Conan but has Richard Simmons cardio. Two: When stranded on his feet, Vieira looks like Arnold in Total Recall when Arnold loses his helmet on the surface of Mars. Striking is like being on a planet without an atmosphere for Vieira. He’s out of his world. He’s The Martian, like Matt Damon on the feet. Over the years, Vieira has developed a solid jab but not much else. Three: Vieira struggles to get the fight to the mat after the first round. Mackenzie Dern takedowns? Not quite. Vieira has solid-level change takedowns, but he tends to gas after the first round and no longer shoots with any fervor. Vieira averages over four SLpM and four takedowns per fifteen minutes. Don’t let those numbers fool you. Fanstasy-wise, Vieira is submission or bust.   

This could turn into a boring stand-up fight quickly if neither guy can score an early finish. I don’t know whose gas tank is worse, Vieira’s or Petroski’s. Petroski ends rounds with his hands on his knees like he just beat out a Beer League infield single. This could turn into a staring contest real quick if these guys gas simultaneously. They gas so quickly because they’re both built like brick shit houses. Or is it shit brick houses? Petroski is built like Vieira’s spotter. These guys might fook around and flex out at the glove touch. Petroski is built like the guy you imagine hopping out the Rav 4 after you honk at him for cutting you off – the face you imagine behind the limo tint as the window slowly rolls down. But as scary-looking as Petroski is, it doesn’t quite translate into being a scary fighter. He’s fifty shades of average in every category.   

Petroski is wrestling or bust. The only thing he has on the feet is a big left hand and right hook. He relies on his power hand to close the distance. Being a southpaw, he can level change and get to the lead leg of an orthodox fighter quickly. But Petroski’s major malfunction is that he is position-over-submission. In his last fight, Petroski literally laid on Dylan Budka for close to fifteen minutes. Hey, control time adds up! Petroski landed only twenty-three strikes with over noine minutes of control time against Budka. Petroski is 12-3 with four TKO/KOs and four subs. He averages over two and a half SLpM and just under four takedowns per fifteen minutes.   

Vieira is the (-230) favorite, and Petroski is the (+190) mangy dog. There’s a good chance that this fight will go the distance. Petroski can survive on the mat until they gas out and trade jabs for the rest of the fight. The finishing threat is Vieira. His value is in an early submission. I don’t see Petroski finishing Vieira. Let’s hope Vieira can land an early sub, or I might have to head to the garage to politic with Mary Jay. Rodolfo Vieira via rear-naked choke, round one. Wax on, wax off.   

Props

Vieira: TKO/KO (+550) Sub (+140) Dec (+275)  

Petroski: TKO/KO (+600) Sub (+1800) Dec (+400)

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

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Nazim Sadykhov ($7.8k): This is a more conservative pick. Sadykhov vs. Bonfim will surely be a stand-up banger that should result in moderate to high striking stats for both fighters. Bonfim has more explosive and dangerous striking, but Sadykhov is the more diverse and technical striker with much better footwork. I don’t see Sadykhov as much of a finishing threat, especially after he failed to finish Viacheslav Borschev in his last fight after having Borshchev on the ropes in the first round. But I trust Sadykhov’s gas tank late in the fight more than I do Bonfim. As the fight progresses, the better Sadykhovs chances of pulling ahead will get.   

Khaos Williams ($7.3k): I think Khaos Williams will be the biggest finishing threat on the value menu. He will be up against the other Bonfim twin, the Arnold of the two, Gabriel. Never forget when Gabriel fought the undercover savage, Nicolas Dalby. Bonfim dominated the first round on the mat then faded like Great Clips in the second and was promptly finished on the feet. If Williams can survive the ground threat in the first round, he can take over the fight with his power like Dalby. The key stat is Williams’ eighty percent takedown defense. This guy is hard to get to the mat. If he can keep this fight standing, I’ll take his awkward power over Bonfim’s any day. Also, Williams averages nearly six SLpM with a career-high of one hundred thirty significant strikes landed.   

Jared Cannonier ($7.6k): Cannonier will have two extra rounds for scoring striking stats. Also, who knows what Brazilian Deebo will look like in the championship rounds should the fight reach them. There’s zero doubt that Cannonier can go five hard rounds if his chin holds up early. Deebo has an excellent ground game, but he isn’t apt to use it very often. If Jared can stuff a takedown or two, Deebo will more than welcome standing for the duration. Of his five career losses, Deebo was knocked out three times. And although Cannonier is now in his forties, he still has that Stankonia power and a Chonkyfire lit under his ass. Cannonier’s value is high significant strikes with the possibility of a late finish.   

Clearance Rack

Jesus Aguilar ($6.9k): There are two solid clearance rack options this week: Kalvin Kattar and Jesus Aguilar. If Kattar can stay on his feet, he will out-strike Youssef Zalal. But staying on his feet is a big IF. The same is true for Jesus Aguilar who will likely spend most of his fight against Rafael Estevam on his back. But Aguilar has a secret weapon: The guillotine choke. Aguilar has seven career subs and six came via guillotine, including his most recent fight. Estevam is a dominant wrestler/grappler, but his gas tank is highly suspicious. In his debut, Estevam gassed heavily around the midway point and had to be pushed across the finish line like Lightning McQueen did The King at the end of Cars. Charles Johnson nearly stole that fight late. Estevam is a huge sub-threat early, but if Aguilar can get the fight to the second round and beyond, he can steal this fight.   

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Khaos Williams (+180): This guy cracks like Liberty Bell. The one-punch power will almost always lie with Khaos Williams, no matter the matchup. Bonfim major weakness is his cardio. If Williams can make this a kickboxing match, I like his chances of not only winning but possibly finishing Bonfim late. But Khaos will have to survive the early storm. Bonfim is a lot to handle in the opening five minutes, especially on the mat. But Williams rocks an eighty percent takedown defense, and although he lacks defensive prowess, he can bang with almost anyone. 

Nazim Sadykhov (+170): Sadykhov vs. Bonfim will be an FX Nip/Tuck close fight with split-decision written all over it like male anatomy drawn on the face of the first person to pass out at the shindig. Sadykhov has excellent footwork and counters, while Bonfim is a straightforward power striker. Bonfim’s power makes him a slightly better finishing threat, but Sadykhov is more of a tactician on the feet. This one is a dope-style matchup. And Sadykhov is a member of Team Ray Longo, Merab’s coach (and Aljo and former champ Chris Weidman). Longo fighters always show up with a solid game plan and rarely get outclassed.   

Jared Cannonier (+180): Gregory Rodrigues is one of my favorite current fighters. But I just don’t trust his chin. And I don’t trust his fight IQ. He has a clear advantage on the mat in almost every matchup. But he rarely uses it or gives up if it isn’t immediately successful. If Deebo allows this to be a kickboxing match, it will be 50/50 who gets got first. Also, the championship rounds will likely be all Canonnier, who has gone a full five rounds five times in his career.   

Pick ‘Em

Connor Matthews (+260) vs. Jose Delgado (-310)  

Winner: Jose Delgado 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

Angela Hill (-115) vs. Ketlen Souza (-105)  

Winner: Angela Hill 

Method: Decision  

Jared Gordon (-285) vs. Mashrabjon Ruziboev (+230) * 

Winner: Jared Gordon

Method: Decision

Rafael Estevam (-395) vs. Jesus Aguilar (+310) 

Winner: Rafael Estevam 

Method: Decision 

Gabriel Bonfim (-220) vs. Khaos Williams (+180) 

Winner: Khaos Williams 

Method: Decision 

Vince Morales (+140) vs. Elijah Smith (-160) 

Winner: Vince Morales 

Method: Decision 

Don’Tale Mayes (+185) vs. Valter Walker (-225) 

Winner: Valter Walker 

Method: Decision 

Julia Avila (+200) vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti (-550) 

Winner: Jacqueline Cavalcanti 

Method: Decision 

*Late Replacement

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.