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

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Main Card

Movsar Evloev (-250) vs. Lerone Murphy (+205)

Evloev: DK: $8.9k | Murphy: DK:$7.3k

Now this is a story all about how Lerone’s life got flipped, turned upside down. And I’d like to take a few paragraphs, just sit right there. I’ll tell u how he became the prince of a town called Vegas. In West Stockport born and raised. In a boxing gym is where Lerone spent most of his days. Throwing hands, clinching, wrestling like a fool, and all rollin’ some Jitz outside of the school. When a Bellator guy who was up to no good, started making trouble in his neighborhood. He got one little KOand his mom got scared and said, “You’re moving with your aunty and uncle in Las Vegas. He begged and pleaded with her day after day, but she packed his fight shorts and sent him on his way. She gave him a kiss, and then she gave him a ticket. He hopped on the Greyhound and said, “I might as well kick it.” 

The private school striker, Lerone Murphy, hit his reverse Fresh Prince arc in his most recent bout against Aaron Pico. Homie went from Bel-Air to West Philadelphia, riding coach on an Amtrak. Before that fight, Murphy was affectionately known to the WKO community as Clarence from 8 Mile, AKA Popa Doc. Because Murphy fights as if he attended private school. And by all accounts, Murphy’s parents have a real good marriage. Murphy fights like he’s wearing a preppy little plaid uniform inside the cage. And he treats it like a rented prom tuxedo, trying not to get any blood on it before he returns it. Homie treats his hands like grandmas in the 80s treated their couches, covering them in plastic to protect them from stains and odious farts. Taking risks is a rare occurrence for Murphy. Extending combinations isn’t really a thing. He usually does just enough, engaging only from the outside at range, to eke out suspect dubs.   

But before the Pico fight, Lerone’s parents transferred him from Bel-Air High to Carlmont High from the movie Dangerous Minds. Lerone came home after the first day with a three-day suspension, a nose piercing, and smelling like Marlboro Reds. On the night of the Pico fight, Murphy was drafted and sent to the front lines like poor kids. Pico marched Murphy’s ass off to war without congressional approval. The former pride of Bellator got in Murphy’s face right from the jump and was bullying Murphy for the first three minutes. But Murphy withstood the pressure and came out shining bright like a diamond. Yo! Hit that Rihanna “Diamonds!” Before I could tear up my Murphy parlay ticket, he landed a spinning elbow that left Pico looking like a Disney Princess waiting for a kiss from Prince Charming to wake him up from a curse-induced coma. When Pico woke up, his kids were grown up. It looked like the movie Avatar outside when Pico was finally roused from his slumber. Now, Lerone orders extra pico with his flautas.   

Murphy will have an advantage on the feet against Movsar Evloev. I’ve always thought of Murphy as a flyweight version of Leon Edwards. Call him Leon Murphy. He’s long and deadly from range while being a man of few punches. He prefers to snipe instead of praying n’ spraying the cage with indiscriminate fire, all like Leon Edwards. The bad news for Murphy is that he will be rocking a fifty percent takedown defense against a man who averages four and a half takedowns per fifteen minutes. Pico took down Murphy twice in the opening minutes. But Lerone is tough to hold down. Taking risks to get back on his feet will be the key for Murphy. He can’t allow himself to go out as Max Holloway did against Charles. Being knocked out or submitted is an acceptable outcome when fighting at this level. Lying on your back while another man rides you like a consensual encounter is not an acceptable outcome.   

Movsar Evloev is a takedown factory. He’s like a sweatshop of takedowns. They got nets surrounding him, so people won’t jump when no one’s looking. They got kids working twenty-hour shifts producing his takedowns. His takedowns are like an assembly line. They got a “How It’s Made” episode about how Evloev’s takedowns are manufactured. His takedowns are the epitome of the Industrial Revolution’s peak. This guy was shooting double legs before he could walk. Like his pops used to say, “You gotta suplex before you can walk, son.” Homie came out of the womb with cauliflower ears. Like Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing is certain but death and Movsar takedowns. Once Evloev gets hold of you, he’s like a human stain that Oxi Clean can’t even get out. He’s like a stain on a blue dress in the Oval Office. Goodwill won’t accept you after a fight with Evloev for being too soiled. This guy forms a permanent bond, and I ain’t talking about lifetime friendships, pawtnas.   

Evloev is what you get if you buried Frankie Edgar in Pet Sematary. Evloev stole Frankie’s identity like spam mail. His style is almost identical to the former two-time Lightweight Champ. Frankie had the best takedown setups in the game, using short, quick hand combinations before level changing. Evloev is at his best when he only boxes long enough to set up a takedown entry. He’s no crumb bum on his feet, but his striking isn’t dangerous in the least. Murphy is the finishing threat on his feet. But Evloev’s major malfunction isn’t his striking; it’s his availability. My man only fights on leap years. His fights are like the Olympics; they only come around once every four years. Evloev grew three inches and lost all his baby teeth since the last time he fought in December of 2024. When he finally steps into the cage, you don’t even recognize him like Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, all grown up.  

But I’m sure Evloev hasn’t forgotten how to wrestle since then. That’s why he will be the (-225) favorite, and Murphy will be the (+185) live-ass dog. As long as Murphy can keep getting back to his, making Evloev reenter on takedowns, he can win this fight. Murphy is good at forcing scrambles. The question is, will he have enough time to create some damage on his feet to steal close rounds? Neither of these guys has tasted defeat. It’s rare to get a 17-0 (Murphy) vs. 19-0 (Evloev) matchup at this high level. I think Murphy is a bigger finishing threat, but this one will likely go the distance. Neither fighter is a big finisher, excluding Murphy’s last dub.  

Kevin Vallejos will forever have his name in the WKO rafters someday after getting us back in the main event dub column last week. It was a bittersweet dub as Josh Emmett looked washed like Johnny Depp’s comforter. I feel guilty about this week’s pick; it feels a little too chalky. But I have to ride with the dominant wrestler/grappler. I’m gun-shy about taking a striker against a wrestler after what Charles did to Max. Movsar Evloev via decision. Put it on wax.   

Props

Evloev: TKO/KO (+800) Sub (+700) Dec (-135)  

Murphy: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+2500) Dec (+320) 

Winner: Movsar Evloev | Method: Decision

Luke Riley (-260) vs. Michael Aswell (+210)

Riley: DK: $9.1k | Aswell: DK: $7.1k

I might be wrong from time to time, but I’ll never lie to you. This is a suspect, ugly co-main event. And it’s all because of the Paddy Pimblett Peter-in-law, “Uncle” Luke Riley, AKA “Cool Hand” Luke Riley, AKA Luke “Skycrawler” Riley. Because you gotta crawl before you can skywalk. Luke Riley is like a Treehouse of Horror version of Paddy Pimblett. He’s the inverse of Paddy; he’s Paddy, the striking version. This kid is big in the UK, and that’s why he’s near the top of the billing.  

During his debut against Bogdan Grad, I went from unimpressed to mildly impressed after a Riley second-round TKO victory. In the first round, Riley looked like a lemon. Grad held Riley up to the light like they do one-hundred-dollar bills after swiping them with an invisible ink pen. Riley looked straight fraudulent. He got taken down four times by Grad. And Grad has Freshman P.E. wrestling. If I got taken down by Bogdan Grad, I’d give a Lou Gehrig farewell address to the fans immediatelyafter the fight, “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth...” Riley went on to lose the first round. That’s like Jokic losing a game of horse to Stephen A. Smith.   

As I was looking for my receipt so I could return Riley, he came back like Meek’s spine in the champagne room. In the opening thirty seconds, Riley hit Grad with a hypersonic Fatah-2 missile. He turned Grad’s chin into a parking lot with one left hook. They found Grad’s passport on top of the rubble. Grad's head spun around like the girl in the Exorcist. But I’m still not sold on this kid. Not just because he looks like his mammy still cuts his hair with a soup bowl on his head, but more so because he’s too easy to hit. His stance is too square; he’s a walking bullseye. He’s a fooking Target mascot in that bish. But there’s something about his power because, of the fights I’ve seen, all his opponents waste no time diving for his ankles. They all turn into a bunch of Scuba Steves as soon as the bell rings, throwing on some flippers and an oxygen mask. They rock Speedos and bust out triple gainers like Olympic platform divers right from the jump.   

It won’t be long before Riley is exposed like Tyson’s cheeks backstage. But it won’t be against Michael Aswell. No, I already know what you’re thinking. He’s not Michael Asswell. This guy is tough like Timberland boots. But his skill level is super mid. This is a guy who lost to Bogdan Grad on the Contender Series. If I lost to Bogdan Grad, I’d kick my own ass like Jim Carrey in Liar Liar, rubbing soap in my eyes and smashing my head between the toilet seats.  

“What the hell are you doing!?” 

“I’m kicking my ass. Do ya mind!?” 

There’s no partial credit for showing your work in MMA math, but this seems to be adding up to a Riley showcase fight in front of his home crowd. It feels like Aswell is being sacrificed like the guest of honor at a Hollywood party. He’s like the guy who gets his heart ripped out of his chest in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But that doesn’t mean Riley can sleep on Aswell like a Mattress Firm showroom display. Aswell fights like a terrier, nipping at your ankles everywhere you go, including the shitter. Aswell looks like he barks all day when he’s left home alone. But he won’t shy away from a scrap, and if he can get inside on Riley, he can land some clean combinations.  

Aswell is 11-3 with six TKO/KOs, and he’s still a submission virgin. Riley is 12-0 with noine TKO/KOs, and he is also still looking to break his submission abstinence. The play is a Riley TKO/KO or an Aswell decision. I don’t know if Aswell can wrestle, but this would be a good time to find out. Aswell can make Riley blow off a little steam while defending takedowns. Riley is the (-280) favorite, and Aswell is the (+230) flea-ridden dog. This could be a trap fight, but I’m going to trust Riley’s power. Luke Riley via TKO, round three. On wax.  

Props

Riley: TKO/KO (+225) Sub (+1800) Dec (+120) 

Aswell: TKO/KO (+450) Sub (+2200) Dec (+550)

Winner: Luke Riley | Method: TKO Rd.3

MVP (-190) vs. Sam Patterson (+160)

MVP: DK: $8.6k | Patterson: DK:$7.6k

You’ve never seen a more exciting yet boring fighter than MVP. This guy is so dangerous that nobody wants to fight him even when they sign on the dotted line. The bell rings, and MVP’s opponents keep their distance like he's a leper. They bring back six feet social distancing when someone steps into a cage against MVP. The only risk anyone is willing to take against MVP is showing up for the prefight face off. But I don’t blame them. They call MVP “Mr. Botulism” for a reason. Because he leaves people with dents in their heads like clearance soup cans. One of my former Muay Thai coaches, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, was a past victim of MVP’s. He is the guy who walked away with his forehead looking like a mine cave in after eating a flying knee. They wouldn’t let homie fly home immediately because they thought the air pressure might created more brain swellling and possibly kill him. I say all that to say this: Godspeed, Sam Patterson. 

MVP is 4-1 in the UFC, but we have yet to see a classic MVP finish inside the Octagon. So far, MVP has been a colossal tease. Fans walk away from every MVP fight with huevos azules after yet another boring decision. That’s because fighters go into survival mode the second the bell rings. They start looking around for a body to hide under, like they’re at Gettysburg facing heavy shelling. They hit the safe room like it’s the Purge in that bish. Because nobody wants to be turned into a Picasso painting with deformed features hanging in some Ep$t!3n billionaire bedroom next to Bill Clinton wearing a blue dress. Nobody wants to go out like that.   

MVP’s special power is length. His limbs are so long that they form an impenetrable barrier between him and the opponent. His arms are longer than the long arm of the law. MVP can keep you on the outside while stabbing you with fists and feet from across the Octagon. Getting inside on MVP is a fool’s errand. Trying to get inside on MVP is like being the first guy to storm the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. In twenty-seven MMA fights, only three men have been able to accomplish the feat. Ian Garry took down MVP twice and racked up nearly eight minutes of control time. And that is MVP’s major malfunction. He rocks a sixty-six percent takedown defense. Your only hope of beating this guy is taking him down and running out the clock.   

And Sam Patterson can do just that. He can also be the first to submit MVP. This guy chokes more people than weenies and windpipes. Sam Patt has choked more people than the nylon fishnets in Carradine’s dresser. This guy is walking gallows. Homie should make the walk to the cage wearing a black executioner’s hood. Patterson has sneaky grappling and submissions. He can lure you into a firefight on the feet, then tie you up and take you to the mat. All that grappling is cool and all, but what about his striking?   

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW HIS STRIKING IS! If Patterson isn’t shooting doubles legs during the glove touch, then the fix is in. On no planet in the galaxy can Patterson strike with MVP. This is a guy who got one-punch KO’d by Yanal Assmouz. Who?  That’s a bad look when going into a fight with one of the most unique strikers the world has ever seen. If you asked an AI generator to produce an image of Patterson knocking out MVP, the fookin’ thing would create a picture of a loaded pistol and self-delete. It’s impossible to comprehend even in a nonexistent reality. So... you’re saying take Sam Patterson via first round TKO/KO? Yeah, those are some famous last words, AKA el beso de muerto. Muah.   

MVP is the (-170) favorite, and Sam Patt is the (+140) live dog. The fact that Patterson isn’t a (+500) dog or more says a lot about MVP’s ground game. It could only take Patterson one takedown to find a submission. But if he can’t close the distance, he will be in a world of trouble. The value for this fight is an MVP TKO/KO or a Patterson sub. I think this could be the moment we’ve been waiting for since MVP’s debut. After fighting Kevin Holland, Shara Magomedov, Ian Garry, and Jared Cannonier, this is a slight step down in competition for MVP. This one is tailor-made for a classic MVP Fatality. Without a finish one way or another, this fight will be a Fantasy dud. MVP via TKO, round two. Put it on wax.  

Props

MVP: TKO/KO (+175) Sub (+2500) Dec (+200)

Patterson: TKO/KO (+650) Sub (+450) Dec (+650)

Winner: MVP | Method: TKO Rd.2

Iwo Baraniewski (-575) vs. Austen Lane (+425)

Iwo: DK: $9.5k | Lane: DK: $6.7k

“Jane” Austen Lane is about to be turned into Memory Lane. Beating Austen Lane is as easy as a walk in Mansfield Park. You lost all Sense or Sensibility if you’re holding an Austen Lane ticket on fight night. Austen Lane had to swallow his Pride and Prejudice after losing four of his last five bouts. Honestly, I’m not sure how Lane is still on the roster. Yo, DJ! Hit that Rod Stewart “Some Guys Have All the Luck!” How else can you explain another appearance after accumulating a 1-4-1 UFC record? And that one dub came against Robelis Despaigne, who literally never took Freshman P.E. wrastlin’ or a Groupon free beginners Jiu-Jitsu class and was immediately cut from the promotion before he exited the cage that night. All four of Austen’s Ls came via finish, including three KOs. This guy can’t stay awake in the cage like he’s in a Nightmare on Elm Street movie. This guy needs a mid-round nap like preschoolers after snack time.   

Lane’s problem is that he is huge. And huge things just don’t move very fast. Especially Austen’s hands. Austen has those lined up in the neutral zone hands. Illegal formation hands. Pre-snap penalty hands. Overall, it looks like it’s his first day on the job on the feet. He looks like he’s still in New Hire Orientation. Austen is learning on the job, and that’s hard at this level. He can’t stand and bang with this heathen, Iwo Baraniewski. Austen has to hope Iwo’s grappling is on Robelis Despaigne’s level.  

That will be the final Austen Lane crash out on the WKO. Because Iwo Baraniewski is about to stake a flag in Austen’s ass like Iwo Jima. No Diddy. Stop now and watch Iwo’s debut against Ibo Aslan. Iwo vs. Ibo was one of the wildest one and a half minute fights you’ll see. Both fighters were flopping all over the place like Luka anytime he misses a shot. I’ve seen more technical scraps on Jerry Springer reruns. That shit was a classic daytime talk show fight. It looked like one of them found out their sister was cheating on him with their cousin. Honestly, I have no idea how good Baraniewski is/isn’t. Iwo’s fight on the Contender Series was only twenty seconds. There’s less than two minutes' worth of footage on this guy. Luckily, I only need ten seconds to know he’s going to knock out Austen Lane.   

Iwo is a striker through and through. He’s all hooks like T-Pain. Just call him Captain Hook (who was actually a good guy, a former child who Peter Pan abducted and later managed to escape. #FreeCaptainHook). None of Iwo’s fights have lasted longer than three minutes, and he only has seven career fights with a 7-0 record. All I know is that this guy is the definition of kill or be killed. He plays chicken with fists. All his fights are twenty-car pile-ups—literal train wrecks. Homie literally goes off the rails when he starts throwing hands. Iwo will have a massive power advantage, and the only question is: Can he defend Austen’s half-assed takedowns? 

Iwo is the (-575) favorite, and Lane is the (+400) euthanasia dog. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Lane family member dropping a Hamilton on Austen. But Austen Lane has one hope: Every single time I completely write off a fighter in flowing Medieval script, they fookin’ win. The only play for Iwo is a TKO/KO. Lane will have to win via a miracle, most likely a decision. Now quit playing and put Iwo Baraniewski via TKO, round one on wax.   

Props

Iwo: TKO/KO (-250) Sub (+450) Dec (+1200)  

Lane: TKO/KO (+650) Sub (+2200) Dec (+1800)

Winner: Iwo Baraniewski | Method: TKO Rd.1

Roman Dolidze (+340) vs. Christian Duncan (-440)

Dolidze: DK: $6.9k | CLR: DK: $9.3k

Release the Dolidze files! We need a special committee investigation into what Roman Dolidze did to Jack Hermansson on December 3, 2022. It was so despicable that the government pretends it never even happened. They call it a 4chan conspiracy theory. They label Dolidze’s victim, Hermansson, an opportunist out to extort Dolidze for his performance bonus. Dolidze straight trafficked Hermansson to Dolidze Island on the Ass-Whoopin' Express. The powers that be can try to distract the public with another regime change war in yet another attempt to commandeer the world’s resources, but we won’t forget. We won’t move on until there is justice for Jack! 

Roman Dolidze is built like one—the ancient gladiator version. He looks like he rode into the Octagon in a chariot pulled by lions. When you get into a fight in a dream, it’s always against a guy who looks like Roman Dolidze. When some drunk patron hollers at your main squeeze at a bar, it’s always a guy who looks like Roman Dolidze. Guys named Roman steal Bettys like Rickey Henderson stole bases. MFers will even steal home on your ass. All this guy has to do is walk through the lobby of a fertility clinic, and all those negatives will turn to positives. They bring in Roman Dolidze to scare inmates straight. You want a main event for UFC 400? Roman Dolidze vs. Alex Pereira in a staring contest.

There’s no questioning Roman’s masculinity. But you can question his fight style. Is he a striker or a grappler? Enquiring minds want to know. On his feet, Roman moves like a GTA character with Heinz 57 bottle hand speed. His hand speed is like waiting seven seasons for the White Walkers. “Right hand is coming...” But when his hands finally land, they’ll fook you up like that ice dragon. His fists will turn your ass into memory foam real quick. And although he has Mackenzie Dern takedowns and rarely commits to his wrestling, Dolidze has heavy top position and a submission specialty: heel hooks. He just has to decide how he wants to win the fight, on his feet or on the mat, and commit.   

Christian Duncan looks like an uncle who claims he won the ‘87 Kumite when he was a Navy SEAL in ‘Nam. Talking about, “I once sparred with Bruce Lee.” Homie looks like people call him “Unc,” even his parents. Duncan looks like he rocks penny loafers with no socks and no pennies. My man likes to be barefoot even when he’s not. He can walk on hot coals in a leisurely stroll with all the bunions on his feet. It’s like being hit with brass toe-knuckles when he kicks you in the head. And he will kick you in the head. Because he’s the highest mall karate black belt in the world. He’s a black belt with a red stripe and we ain’t talkin’ about Jamaican beer. Cinderblocks sweat like they forgot to delete their browser history when they see Christian Duncan coming.   

All I do is doubt Christian Duncan. I don’t know what it is, but he’s like stadium nachos, not quite as good as he looks. He’s a ten in the club and a five in the Uber. There is a specific type of fighter that Duncan will consistently beat, but his skills have a hard ceiling. Brazilian Deebo was the last guy to beat Duncan, and that fight wasn’t close. His major malfunction is that he doesn’t commit to being a specialty striker. He inexplicably tries to wrestle in most of his fights. His hands aren’t as good as his kicks, but he has good hand speed and sneaky power. If he fights Dolidze strictly as a striker, he will dominate this fight. His kicking game alone will be enough to beat Dolidze on the feet.   

Like whoa! Hit that Black Rob “Whoa!” Duncan is the (-450) favorite, and Dolidze is the (+335) live-ish dog. He will have to increase his output (three and a half SLpM), or Duncan will run away with the scorecards. Power for power, give me Dolidze. But I’m not sure he has the striking savviness to hang with Duncan if Duncan decides to bust out the Wonderboy shit. He can clinch and make this an ugly fight within close quarters and not allow Duncan to post up in kicking range. I can’tremember the last time I picked CLR to win a fight. But here we are. Christian Leeroy Duncan via decision. Wax on, wax off.   

Props

Dolidze: TKO/KO (+1000) Sub (+1100) Dec (+900)  

CLR: TKO/KO (+130) Sub (+1600) Dec (+130)

Winner: Christian Duncan | Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Nathaniel Wood ($7.5k): Hit that DJ Khaled Khaled! All Nathaniel Wood does is win, win, win, no matter what. He’s won six of seven with an overall UFC record of 10-3. And he’s been fighting killers since day one. There’s a reason why the UFC brass is giving him a highly touted debutante, Losene Keita. Keita is 16-1 and looks like a mini–Israel Adesanya. They needed somebody who could test Keita right out of the gate. Nathaniel, don’t you dare call him Nate, is an all-around slick fighter with no glaring holes in his game. His only red flag is that he tends to take heavy damage early in fights and often has to resort to late-game heroics. He was nearly finished in the first round in his most recent bout against Jose Delgado. But he fought back to win the second and third. Wood averages over five and a half SLpM and has sneaky wrestling, which he uses to steal close rounds. I think Wood vs. Keita will be a high-output stand-up banger.   

 Danny Silva ($7.4k): Yo! Hit the DMX adlibs! Arf! Arf! Arf! Grrrrr! This kid, Danny Silva, is a fookin’ dog. Win or lose, this kid will take more than a pound of flesh. If he’s going down, he’s taking you with him. Silva vs. Campbell is a certified USDA Grade A stand-up banger. Silva averages over six and a half SLpM and once landed two hundred four significant strikes in a bout on the Contender Series. This kid is the epitome of a combination striker. He will go toe-to-toe with the highly touted UK prospect, Kurtis Campbell. The knock against Silva is that he isn’t much of a finishing threat. He’s 2-1 in the UFC, and both dubs were split decisions. This is a good Fantasy matchup to target because these guys will throw down from bell to bell. With twelve career scraps, Silva has yet to be finished. And I like the chances of this one going the distance.   

Axel Sola ($7.8k): I’m taking a chance on this guy against one of my favorite dogs, Mason Jones. Who! Mason Jooooones! Sola is an awkward southpaw with technical kickboxing. I think his lefty stance can cause Jones problems. Also, Sola’s specialty is attacking the body. He has that Maidas touch. He’ll give you that body work like a rerun of Pimp My Ride. In his debut last year, Sola systematically broke Rhys McKee down with liver shots and eventually finished him with shots to the body in the third round. Sola also has excellent round kicks. My only reservation for Sola is his ground game. I haven’t seen enough of him to know if he can stuff some takedowns and keep the fight standing. I love his chances of wearing down Jones on the feet, as Jones is very hittable and tends to take heavy damage. Sola isn’t a high-output fighter, but I think his upside is a late finish.   

 $6k Clearance Rack  

Roman Dolidze ($6.9k): Dolidze’s alpha male looks alone will keep him in the fight against Christian Duncan. If Dolidze commits to his ground game, even if it isn’t successful, he will set the foundation for creating some damage on his feet. Early in his UFC career, Dolidze was a marauder inside the clinch. If he can eliminate space and push Duncan against the cage and grind on him, not only can he win the fight, but he might also be able to find a late finish. If you look at Dolidze’s recent losses, he only loses to high-level guys. I’m picking CLR to win this fight, but I’m not sure he is as good as his record says he is.   

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Axel Sola (+110): This guy impressed me in his debut, and I’m hard to impress. He’s a southpaw striker with some unorthodox attacks. I see his left hand causing Mason Jones problems in the stand-up. If Jones can’t distance himself with timelytakedowns, I think Sola can out-point him on the feet. Also, Sola’s bodywork could lead to a late finish. This is a pick ‘em fight. Although Jones beat Jeremy Stephens in his most recent appearance, it wasn’t without some sketchy moments. That was a Stephens with close to two decades in the game. Sola is much younger in fight years, and I think his speed and sneaky power could win the day.   

Nathaniel Wood (+195): I’ve gone back and forth on Wood vs. Keita. Wood’s early chin problems were ultimately the difference in my settling on Keita. But let me tell you, Keita has major holes in his striking. He drops his hands every time he engages. He is a power striker, and he tends to load up on his punches, creating opportunities for opponents to counter. I can see Wood having to overcome another early knockdown, but if he can survive, he has the technical striking and timely takedowns to steal a close fight. Also, Wood’s UFC experience dwarfs Keita’s. This one could come down to the judges, and Wood has a knack for walking away with close decisions.   

Lerone Murphy (+195): Luck has played a part in Murphy’s 17-0 record. He won a couple of close decisions that could have gone either way. But he has yet to taste defeat, and he is coming in off a spinning back elbow KO of the highly touted former Bellator star, Aaron Pico. He could ride that momentum all the way to a title shot with a dub over Evloev. The key won’t be Murphy’s takedown defense; it will be his ability to force scrambles back to his feet. If he can create stretches on his feet, I think his stand-up is better than Evloev’s. I also think Murphy is the slightly bigger finishing threat. If Evloev wins, it will likely be by takedowns and top control. Evloev has shown holes in his striking, and Murphy can take advantage of them.  

Pick ‘Em

Kurtis Campbell (-225) vs. Danny Silva (+185) 

Winner: Kurtis Campbell 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Mason Jones (-130) vs. Axel Sola (+110)  

Winner: Axel Sola 

Method: Decision 

Nathaniel Wood (+195) vs. Losene Keita (-235)  

Winner: Nathaniel Wood

Method: Decision 

Louie Sutherland (+225) vs. Brando Pericic (-275) 

Winner: Brando Pericic 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Mario Pinto (-1200) vs. Felipe Franco (+700)   

Winner: Mario Pinto 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Mantas Kondratavicius (-750) vs. Antonio Trocoli (+500)   

Winner: Mantas Kondratavicius 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Shem Rock (+110) vs. Abdul Al-Selwady (-130)  

Winner: Abdul Al-Selwady 

Method: Decision 

Shanelle Dyer (-490) vs. Ravena Oliveira (+355)   

Winner: Shanelle Dyer 

Method: Decision 

Melissa Mullins (+105) vs. Luana Carolina (-125)   

Winner: Melissa Mullins 

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.