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

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Main Card 

Jack Hermansson (+215) vs. Joe Pyfer (-260)

Hermansson: DK: $7.2k | Pyfer: DK:$9k

The Jack Hermansson origin story is a Grimm one, a ghost chapter hidden beyond the epilogue of the famous collection of dark fables. A kind of posthumous Author’s Note written with an impossibly prescient application for a world in existence today, more than two hundred years after the original stories were published. Only those who turn every page are privy to its morals. An entendre within itself: The story isn’t over until it’s over.  

In fact, Jack’s Story, as it is dubbed, ironically, has no ending. A ghost passage within a ghost chapter to be revealed... when society is prepared to handle the truths it reveals about itself. Those optimistic about the possibility of a happy ending point out that Jack’s Story didn’t necessarily end in a Las Vegas Octagon. On his belly... “WEEEeeee! EEEEEeeeee!” Scratching, clawing, reaching out for help. Someone. Anyone. “Squeal, boy!” His leg mangled. Twisted behind him. Helpless. No escape. “EEEEEeeeee!” No, when we left Jack, his lungs still had air, his heart, a beat. 

And on Saturday night, those whose skin Occam’s razor couldn’t penetrate will be vindicated.  

Jack is back.  

Sometimes, the most logical conclusion isn’t the correct one to draw. Jack Hermansson didn’t die in the Octagon after the Roman Dolidze fight, as the reader was guided down the path to believe. Instead, he was found crawling on hands and knees in the middle of the Nevada desert, where he was picked up by a passing motorist. Afraid they may be accused of being the perpetrators of the wounds inflicted upon Jack, the good Samaritan(s) left him in the handicap stall of a Valero restroom where, oddly enough, a group of three NSAC judges, all wearing dead president masks, Richard, George, and Bill, discovered Jack and called the authorities.   

More than a year after his ordeal, Jack is stepping back into the Octagon. And more impressive, Jack is seeking the brightest lights for his return, a main event and a gatekeeper role against a highly touted young killer, Joe Pyfer. Lest Joe thinks shit is sweet, I’m here to assure him that it is actually quite bitter. Jack Hermansson is not one to take lightly, even after the defiling and abuse that was administered to him in his last bout. A quick glance at Pyfer’s Sherdog record will confirm that Hermansson is the best fighter Joe has faced, and many before Joe have fooked around with Jack and found out. 

Hermansson is an annoying striker, a gifted grappler, and a mid-wrestler. When it comes to stand-up, Jack marches off to war armed only with a single sheet of college-ruled Mead notebook paper. Throughout the fight, Jack covers your entire body with papercuts; you’ll bleed to death one drop at a time, a reverse IV. He is one of those strikers who throws kicks more than punches. Jack's foot-to-hand ratio is so lopsided he might as well stand on his hands and punch with his feet. He’s like a freakshow main attraction. Jack attacks with his feet like that buff-ass kangaroo built like Brock Lesnar. He peppers with kicks to the legs, inside and out, and salts away rounds with precise point fighting from the outside.   

I say Jack’s striking is annoying because he flusters fighters by constantly touching them with three-quarters speed strikes while circling and staying out of range of counterfire. Every time you try to press the action, he interrupts your attack with an inside low kick, and you have to start all over again. Overall, Hermansson moves and fights like an old man at the park feeding ducks who used to know a thing or two and has been patiently waiting for forty years for some young bucks to come along and pop some shit. Don’t let the last known images of Jack bellied down, begging DC and Bisping for help, looking like a camper who forgot his bear mace, fool you. Jack won the first round against Dolidze, actually kind of tactically pieced him up, and was winning the fight... until he wasn’t.   

I say that to say this: Jack’s path to victory against Joe Pyfer is on the mat. Herm has a serious top game with heavy ground and pound and nifty submissions. In addition to eleven TKO/KOs, Jack has six career subs, including a heel hook sub over Kelvin Gastelum. I know Pyfer has some wrestling and solid top control of his own, but I don’t know how he looks from his back. Jack’s major malfunction is that his takedowns are kind of Jitzy. They aren’t quite Mackenzie Dern takedowns, but he often struggles to take advantage of his superior ground game because he can’t get it there. But Jack did manage to take down Dolidze twice before Dolidze went straight Deliverance on his ass.   

Hermansson is 23-8 and has alternated between wins and losses for his last eight fights, never winning nor losing two in a row. And he lost his last bout, so... Jack isn’t a power striker, but he averages over five SLpM and has hit the one hundred strikes mark in three and five-round bouts. Those little chopping inside/outside low kicks add up, and you can’t take one of those and tell me they aren’t significant. Have you rocking them Brett Favre Coppertones real quick. Also, Hermansson averages over one and a half takedowns per fifteen minutes, which will play a huge role late in the fight if Pyfer, who, in fourteen career fights, has only seen a third once, gasses.   

Joe Pyfer, aka Pyfe Dawg, aka The Pied Pyfer, aka Pyfer Sutherland, is the physical manifestation of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish logo. Joe Pyfer is a radical right-hand extremist with freshman PE wrestling in his back pocket. His fights read like CliffsNotes, mere summaries of actual fights; for better or worse, in sickness or in health, seven of his fourteen career fights ended in the first round. Pyfer’s right-hand turns wives to widows, shoot through satin pillows, the desolate one. You can hate Joe now, but he won’t stop now. Why would he? He’s 3-0 in the UFC with two TKO/KOs and one sub, and a win against Hermansson will fast-track him into the title conversation, a dark horse on the outside looking in.      

Stand-up-wise, Pyfer is mostly a boxer with a penchant for attacking the body. He attacks your liver like 151 shots then comes over the top and hits you with the whammy like Jimi Hendrix. Joe is one of the rare power punchers who stays defensively responsible and technically sound when he attacks. And when you start wilting under his power, he changes levels and dumps you on your ass. Pyfer has excellent timing and setups for power doubles, and his top control is ground and pound/submissions over position. He doesn’t use the top position to salt away the clock, he uses it to create damage and end the fight.  

As a dangerous striker, Pyfer fits right in with the top fighters in the division, but there are still plenty of unknowns about him. He’s never been in a fight. I mean a fookin’ fight-fight, a Maverick and Goose dog fight, caught in a rip current and dragged out into deep waters, type of fight. And he has some red flags: 1) He’s too dependent on his right hand; if he lost it in a freak farming accident and had to rely on his left hand to feed himself, wipe his arse, brush his teef, etc., he would be emaciated, have shitty draws, and his breath would be rank. 2) He doesn’t defend leg kicks. In his last fight against Abdul Razak Alhassan, Pyfer was inching toward borrowed time on a battered lead leg. Hermansson chops the legs nonstop, and if Pyfer doesn’t have an answer, he’ll be shopping QVC and making six easy payments for a shiny new metallic one. 

Pyfer is 12-2 for his career with eight TKO/KOs and three subs. He will be the lower output striker, averaging three and a half SLpM, but he more than makes up for a lack of volume with power. He also averages nearly three takedowns per fifteen minutes and might look to put Hermansson on his back early to slow him down on the feet late. Pyfer will be the (-220) favorite, and Hermansson is the (+180) live dog. This is the perfect fight to live bet. Pyfer’s sweet spot for a finish will be within the first ten minutes; if he can’t finish Jack early, it will be time to go all in on Hermansson. Jack has gone five full rounds three times in his career, while Pyfer has only fought past the ten-minute mark once. Pyfer is the early finishing threat, and Hermansson is the late one. Also, Herm has the style to stay on the outside and point fight his way to a tepid decision dub. 

The past two weeks, the pick ‘ems have been ugly, but I managed to get back in the main event winning column after Nassourdine Imavov all but dominated Roman Dolidze. This one has me second and third-guessing. Hermansson is a live dog, and I can see him poking and prodding and stealing timely takedowns here and there on his way to victory, but where’s his head at after the Dolidze fight? Joe Pyfer via TKO, round two. Put that ish on wax. 

Props 

Hermansson: TKO/KO (+600) Sub (+700) Dec (+700)  

Pyfer: TKO/KO (+100) Sub (+350) Dec (+650) 

Winner: Joe Pyfer | Method: TKO Rd.2

Dan Ige (-170) vs. Andre Fili (+140)

Ige: DK: $8.6k | Fili: DK: $7.6k

Andre Fili: Give the man his flowers for having the best nickname in the game, “Touchy” Fili, for going into his second decade in the UFC. Fili made his UFC debut in 2013, and he’s one of the few guys with that kind of tenure who is still getting better. Andre Fili is aging like your favorite pair of chanclas, aging like 90s action movies; he just keeps getting better with time. He’s aging like a Big Mac sitting on your shelf for twenty years, aging like he’s on that adreno-never mind. Throw his fight record out the window whenever Fili fights; wins/losses hold no weight in Fili’s world; he comes to scrap every time he steps into the Octagon and is a tough out for almost anyone in the division. I can say the same for Dan Ige, aka Mega Man. This guy has photon cannons for hands, and if you get to half steppin’ around him, he’ll quickly remind you that gangsters don’t dance; they boogie.   

Andre Fili is an X Games striker; he switches between goofy foot and orthodox in the middle of combinations. He’s out here busting out Tony Hawk 900s after cracking your ass with a quick 1-2. Switching stances is one thing, but switching mid-combination while your opponent is covered up is another. When they peek around their guard, Fili is attacking from a different orientation, which requires the opponent to adjust their defense accordingly. The lead hand is now the power hand, and vice versa. Fili’s striking has consistently gotten better over the years, and recently, Fili has had a bad case of the drops like Chiefs receivers; he’s been dropping people left and right. He uses every inch of his reach and tends to catch people at the end of his strikes when they think they’re safely out of range. 

Fili looks like Van Damme in Lion Heart, scrappin' in a drained pool, and has more ink than Bic, more ink than an LLC, but don’t get to thinking he’s some kind of hippie beach bum. This dude is aggressive as all get out and never takes a step backward. But it’s his aggression that doubles as a major malfunction. Fili puts himself in the path of danger with every exchange. For all the switching stances and lateral movement that he does, he isn’t very defensive. That’s why there seems to be a visible ceiling hovering over Fili’s potential. Don’t get me wrong; Fili has scalps on his record like the Crows after Little Big Horn, but he tends to lose to all the big names he fights. This guy has been in there with Max, Kalvin Kattar, and Yair, the elite in the division, and Dan Ige is at that level where Fili’s skills tend to top out. 

Fili is 23-10 for his career with ten TKO/KOs and three subs, and he’s coming in off a first-round TKO of Lucas Almeida. The striking stats will be nearly identical, with both fighters averaging just over three and a half SLpM, but Fili quietly averages over two takedowns per fifteen minutes, while Ige’s defense is only fifty-eight percent. Without a finish, Fili will likely notch only moderate striking stats between the fifty to sixty range.   

Dan Ige is a swap meet Josh Emmett; he still has the ink tag on him. Ige sets off the alarms when he’s leaving the store. He’s like a used Josh Emmett, aka Play It Again Sports Josh Emmett. The two have identical styles/skill sets, and both are two of the best one-punch-power punchers in the division. And like Fili, Dan Ige has fought the best in the division. Ige might have had one of the toughest stretches in UFC history, having fought the Korean Zombie, Josh Emmett, and Movsar Evloev back-to-back-to-back. That’s like fighting Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers in a row. Hit that “Underground” by Eminem! Ige walked up Elm Street with a fookin’ Wiffle bat drew, fought Freddy Krueger and Edward Scissorhands too! He also fought Kattar and Edson Barboza back-to-back like Mel Gibson and Danny Glover. The bad news is that Ige lost all those except the Barboza fight. Ige was also the last man to see Bryce Mitchell alive after losing a decision to Mitchell.   

But Ige is the Boris the Bullet Dodger of this shit; he went the distance in every fight and has never been finished in his twenty-four-fight career. Dan is a notorious pocket fighter; he dwells in the pocket like Smeagol and cracks like the San Andreas fault. Ige is calm under fire like a three-war veteran and specializes in engaging in 50/50 exchanges and climbing out of the ensuing rubble unscathed. The key for Ige against Fili will be cutting off the cage, setting traps, and getting inside of Fili’s long strikes. This will be a battle of range, where Fili will be at the advantage from a distance, and Ige will be at the advantage inside the pocket. Whoever can fight from their range more consistently will walk away with a dub. 

That being said, Ige is the finishing threat. Five of Fili’s ten career L’s came via a form of finish, including three TKO/KOs. Ige is 17-7 with five TKO/KOs and five subs and is coming off a decision loss to Bryce Mitchell. But if fights were judged by before and after pictures, Ige was the clear winner. Ige will be the (-175) favorite, and Fili will be the (+145) live dog. Fili is scrappy and makes fights ugly. Also, there’s a chance he could get Ige to the mat and steal some close rounds. But it will be hard staying away from Ige’s power for a full fifteen minutes, and Fili’s kryptonite is power punchers. Dan Ige via decision. Put it on wax. 

Props 

Ige: TKO/KO (+250) Sub (+1100) Dec (+165)  

Fili: TKO/KO (+600) Sub (+1800) Dec (+250) 

Winner: Dan Ige | Method: Decision

Robert Bryczek (-200) vs. Ihor Potieria (+165)

Bryczek: DK: $ | Potieria: DK:$

This fight was originally scheduled for Robert Bryczek vs. Albert Duraev, but now they’re throwing a curveball at me with a late replacement for Duraev. After the Charles Radtke vs. Gilbert Urbina fight last week, I’m done completely writing off fighters in flowing medieval script, but this is a much easier matchup for Bryczek. This guy is a monster in the making, like walking into a mad scientist’s laboratory and seeing him floating in a tank with hoses carrying neon green fluid into his veins. This guy is on some Wolverine-type shit. I watched five of this guy’s fights in five minutes; twelve of his twenty-two career fights ended in the first round. This one will make thirteen.   

Robert Bryczek is a rare technical power puncher. He looks like a pro boxer from his footwork to his smooth combinations. What separates good from great strikers is in between exchanges. Most fighters move straight forward and backward and relax and reset between exchanges. Elite strikers maintain active postures and movement at the end of exchanges. Bryczek uses frames after combinations to discourage counter attacks. If you immediately cover up after your throw, you are letting the opponent know it’s his turn to attack, inviting him to attack. But if you keep a long guard, use angles, or keep your jab in his face instead, there’s no clear opportunity to counter.  

This guy’s fights are like the best song on an album that is only two minutes long. Just when you start headbanging or throwing up made-up sets, it’s over. Just when you start getting into a Bryczek fight, he leaves someone in complete ruin on the mat. Bryczek knocks people across the cage like 50s special effects. People glitch when he hits them, blink in and out of existence. Matter of fact hit that D12: “Ya’ll better leave dat boy alone / And that there boy, he been known/ To tear some shit up when he in that zone.” I’m gonna guess Albert Duraev’s late pullout was a smart business decision. You know you fooked someone up when there’s no one standing next to you when you get your hand raised. There aren’t too many people standing next to Bryczek when he’s getting his hand raised.   

Ihor Potieria never had a chance after his parents named him after that ass on Winnie the Pooh. No, no, no; he’s not a TLC scrub. Dude has serious kickboxing skills and more than a puncher’s chance in this one. But Ihor is 1-3 in the UFC for a reason. And his only dub was against the exhumed corpse of Shogun Rua. And-and all three of his losses came via TKO/KO. Potieria will be at every disadvantage imaginable except for Octagon experience, which counts for a lot. Byrczek will be debuting, and Potieria has already seen high-level competition within the UFC. Potieria will have to fight fire with fire and try to short-play this fight by winning a 50/50 exchange. He has to shove the chips into the middle and go all in on a 7-2 off suit, hoping Bryczek doesn’t call his bluff. Potieria has some sneaky hand speed that can catch Bryczek slippin’, at least early.   

The numbers: F**k ‘em! Men lie; women lie; numbers do too. Numbers don’t matter in this one. The chances of this one making it outside the first rounds are similar to the chances of dropping a deuce and not looking at it before you flush: Zero. One of these guys is going to sleep. That will likely be Ihor Potieria. Robert Bryczek via TKO, round one. On wax.  

 Props 

Bryczek: TKO/KO (-125) Sub (+1600) Dec (+1100)  

Potieria: TKO/KO (+180) Sub (+1100) Dec (+1400) 

Winner: Robert Bryczek | Method: TKO Rd.1

Brad Tavares (+195) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (-245)

Tavares: DK: $7.1k | Deebo: DK: $9.1k

When you see that beach cruiser rollin’ down the street and hear that, “squeak, squeak, squeak,” you know what time it is. Tuck your Puka shell necklace and Timex watch. Deebo is coming. Brazilian Deebo, aka MMA’s Frida, his skull showing like Ghost Rider, is back! Gregory Rodrigues is Alex Pereira’s evil twin and one of my favorite current fighters. We could be inching closer to a Gregory Rodrigues main event with another dub or two. Deebo will be up against Brad Tavares, a UFC OG with general stripes. Tavares has faced everyone in the middleweight division, including the current Champ, Dricus Du Plessis, and to be honest, I thought Tavares won that fight. This one should be an undercover little banger of a scrap. 

Most people remember Gregory Rodrigues from his fight against Chidi Njokuani, a fight in which Rodrigues’ ate a knee that opened the Grand Canyon between his eyebrows. They were doing helicopter tours of that cut after the fight. He looked like Evil Dead Anthony Davis. But Deebo walked through that knee and went on to smash Njokuani with a second-round TKO. Deebo has excellent boxing, sharp, precise hands and noine career TKO/KOs to back that up, but he’s at his best on the mat. When Deebo decides to finally fully unleash his wrestling/grappling, the division will be on notice. But so far, Deebo has only used his grappling sparingly, and he doesn’t ever fully commit to it.  

Deebo has the perfect combination of slick Jiu-Jitsu and old-school ground and pound. When Deebo gets the top position, he beats you into the ground and leaves you to germinate, then comes back and carves his name into you when you grow and blossom. Sweeps, slick back-takes, nasty chokes, Deebos ground game is lethal. Rodrigues not using his grappling is like Nolan Ryan not using his fastball. Like if Aquaman couldn’t swim. Like if Dead Pool was a hemophiliac. But chicks dig the KO, and Deebo lives to knock people out. He is 14-5 for his career with noine TKO/KOs and three subs, and four of his five UFC bouts were finishes, including his last four dubs in a row. Add an average of six SLpM to his finishing prowess, and Brazilian Deebo is a Fantasy Deebo, a bully. 

Brad Tavares’s style is Kool-Aid, no sugar, cereal, no milk, peanut butter and jelly, no jelly. He’s the pristine vanilla ice cream tub at Baskin Robbins without a single scoop or tiny sample spoon divot disturbing its smooth surface. He’s like buying a MacBook Air instead of a MacBook Pro. Back in the day, he was like owning an iPod shuffle instead of a real iPod. Tavares is a stock kickboxer with none of the bells and whistles. He’s a savvy UFC veteran, but there isn't anything that really stands out about his style. Brad Tavares is just good enough to stand across the cage from anyone in the division for the last fourteen years. I guess that would make Brad Tavares pretty fookin’ good.   

His last bout against Chris Weidman was like watching a snuff film. I felt dirty watching it but didn’t dare look away. Tavares addressed the elephant in the cage right from the jump, attacking Weidman’s gimpy leg. Then Tavares attacked the other leg, and by the end of the fight, Weidman was walking out that bish looking like Kenny Smith (two weeks in a row, Kenny). It was ruthless. Tavares showed no compassion for Weidman’s reconstructed leg. It was clever foreshadowing for what’s about to happen to Conor McGregor at UFC 300 ; )  

Tavares is 20-8 for his career, and the biggest knock against him has always been a lack of finishes; he has five career TKO/KOs and two subs. That’s like having to throw complete games every time out. But Tavares has the technical kickboxing skills to survive Deebo’s early power and slow the fight down to his pace. If he can make this a back-and-forth traditional kickboxing match, he can outpoint Deebo. Also, Tavares has an eighty-two percent takedown defense; all he has to do is stuff one or two takedowns, and Deebo will concede to an exclusive kickboxing match. 

Deebo will be the (-240) favorite, and Tavares will be the neglected, mangy (+190) dog. The play for Deebo is a finish, most likely a TKO/KO. The play for Tavares is a win by decision. This is by no means a bye week for Gregory Rodrigues. Deebo was KO’d by Jordan Williams (Who?) on the Contender Series and by Brunno Ferreira. You can touch a button on Deebo’s chin that will put him out instantly. But you already know I’m riding with one of my favorite fighters. Gregory Rodrigues via TKO, round two. You know what to do with it.   

Props 

Deebo: TKO/KO (+165) Sub (+700) Dec (+200)   

Tavares: TKO/KO (+500) Sub (+2000) Dec (+450) 

Winner: Gregory Rodrigues | Method: TKO Rd.2

Michael Johnson(-130) vs. Darrius Flowers (+110)

MJ: DK: $8.3k | Flowers: DK:$7.9k

Dead Man’s pose: When the legs involuntarily cross when a person suddenly dies on their feet. Most often associated with gunshot victims.  

That’s how Michael Johnson went out the last time we saw him. In fact, he may hold the record for most Dead Man’s poses in UFC history. They can make him the UFC logo. I don’t mean to hate; I love me some MJ, but when it comes to dying hard, there’s Phil Hawes and Michael Johnson: Aftermath, and ain’t nuthin’ after that. There was once an Urban Legend making its rounds that said Michael Johnson once wobbled Khabib before getting mauled like Grizzly Man. I’ve never gone back to fact-check that claim because I like to think it’s true. If you added up the distance of all MJ’s falls to the canvas, they would add up to over a mile. But lest I digress. 

MJ is still the fastest muhf**ker in the game, and he still has the best sprawl the sport has ever seen. Better to be known for something than known for nothing, Lil Stank. Won’t he do it? He sho will. MJ will shuck off every takedown like Slow-mo Dave Chappelle shucking off drunk Betty’s in the club. Mj has stiff arms like a Polk High legend who once scored four touchdowns in a single game. And, of course, his hands are still faster than gold shoes Michael Johnson. MJ is so fast you think Herb Dean hit you. Faster than the Lions giving up a seventeen-point second-half lead.   

But MJ is too hittable. He’s fast getting into the pocket but slow getting out. MJ usually gets clipped at the end of his combinations because he doesn’t move his head off the centerline and returns straight back to his base position after every strike. MJ’s majorest malfunction is his chin. He can’t roll the windows down when he’s cruising the avenue. Convertibles are strictly forbidden. Johnson is 21-19 for his career with noine TKO/KOs and two subs and is coming off a first-round TKO loss to Diego Ferreira. Against Darius Flowers, MJ needs to stay on the outside and use his speed and length to keep the shorter fighter on the outside, where he can’t initiate body locks or level change.   

I don’t know much about Darius Flowers other than he’s built like Beetle Juice. 

“What are you doing here?” 

“Who? Me? Nothin’. Just hanging around.” 

Darius made his debut on short notice up a weight class against the much bigger Jake Matthews and caused Matthews some early problems. He reminds me of a mini Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Honey, I shrunk the Rozenstruik. Flowers has that big Tyrone Biggums energy, scratching and twitching all over the Octagon, his feet never stationary. When it comes to stand-up, his head movement looks like he ordered it from the back of a cereal box, but it’s oddly effective. He moves like a Payless Lando Vannata but has a knack for making you miss and making you pay with quick counters. Flowers throws from the chest at odd angles and is a deceptively slick striker. 

But I think his bread and butter is wrestling. He has powerful throws like a prime tiny Rampage Jackson. This guy is explosive and athletic, and it kind of feels like a trap fight for Michael Johnson. I don’t know if Flowers can get MJ to the mat, but he did score a takedown against Jake Matthews. Flowers is good at drawing you forward with quick hand exchanges and countering with a level change. If MJ can keep this standing, I think his speed and length will cause Flowers problems, but if Flowers can get inside and mix things up with his wrestling, he can steal this fight. Flowers is 12-6 for his career with eight TKO/KOs and one sub. Darius is a complete wild card and the true definition of a gamble. 

MJ is the slight (-125) favorite, and Flowers is the (+105) dog likely to end at even money. I don’t know if Flowers’ odds are a vote of confidence or a lack of confidence in MJ. MJ was on fire in the first round against Diego Ferreira; he was cookin’, lookin’ like prime MJ... until he wasn’t. I don’t feel good about this pick at all, but his speed is hard to overcome. Michael Johnson via decision. Go ahead; put that ish on wax.   

Props 

Johnson: TKO/KO (+140) Sub (+1400) Dec (+450)  

Flowers: TKO/KO (+180) Sub (+1100) Dec (+700) 

Winner: Michael Johnson | Method: Decision

Rodolfo Vieira (-115) vs. Armen Petrosyan (-105)

Vieira: DK: $8.2k | Petrosyan: DK:$8k

I’m beginning to feel like a Jitz God, Jitz God. All my people from the front to the back nod, back nod. The Jitz God is back. Rodolfo Vieira is one of the most decorated Jiu-Jitsu World Champions of all time, and he’s built like Shannon Sharpe. This fight will be as grappler vs. striker as you can get. Armen Petrosyan is a nasty kickboxer whose default setting straight out the box is to throw combinations. Both fighters are wack in the other’s area of expertise, and this one will come down to if Vieira has worse striking or if Petrosyan has worse grappling.  

On the mat, Rodolfo Vieira has a Tremors ground game. Similar to Jailton Almeida, Rodolfo Vieira burrows under the mat and swallows fighters whole. For his career, Vieira is 9-2 with one TKO/KO and eight subs. They put airbrushed pictures of your face on t-shirts and paint murals of you on the side of the neighborhood Food-4-Less when Vieira gets you to the mat. The end is near as soon as one cheek touches the mat.  

BUT (huge but), Vieira has major flaws in his game. He has Richard Simmons cardio to go along with his Conan physique. Rodolfo is the Jumpman logo, the Jerry West NBA logo of Missy Elliott one-minute men. And he doesn’t have the striking to set up his takedowns. If he can’t get you down with a naked double leg, he ain’t getting you down. Vieira went zero for twenty on takedown attempts against Chris Curtis and got boxed up on the feet. When the takedown well runs dry, Vieira is up Shits Creek, with paddles this deep; he’s still gonna sink. I checked the game manual, and “jab” and “cross” are the only attacks Vieira has on the feet. When he gets stuck on his feet, Vieira is like Arnold in Total Recall when he loses his helmet on Mars. Striking is like a different planet without an atmosphere for Vieira.  

If this was a kickboxing match, it wouldn’t be sanctioned. Armen Petrosyan is a high-output striker with quick three-shot AR burst hand combinations and kicks to match. Petrosyan’s lead leg is his best weapon, and he uses it to throw inside leg kicks targeting the calf and then follows with quick 1-2s. If he can get to Vieira’s legs early, the fight will be over before it starts. 

But absolutely none of that matters if Vieira can’t keep the fight standing. My neighbor’s Halloween decorations have better takedown defense than Petrosyan's. Grandpeople in the shower have better takedown defense than Petrosyan. Petro rocks a thirty-six percent takedown defense like a JC Penny suit. Also, Petrosyan has the bad habit of going to all fours to get back to his feet. Cue that Snoop Dogg “Doggystyle” album. If Petrosyan exposes his back, Vieira won’t hesitate to violate him.   

The numbers: Petrosyan is also 9-2 with six TKO/KOs and is 3-1 in the UFC. He averages six SLpM to Viera’s under three and a half, but Vieira averages over three and a half takedowns per fifteen minutes to Armen’s zero. This is basically a Vegas pick ‘em, with Vieira returning (-115) and Petrosyan returning (-105). The play is a finish for Vieira, and I kind of like a decision for Petrosyan. A finish is definitely in the cards, especially late, but Vieira managed to make it to the final bell against Chris Curtis, and Curtis is a more dangerous puncher than Petrosyan. And all three of Petrosyan's promotional dubs came by decision. I don’t trust this pick any more than I do a fart after eating a burrito supreme. Armen Petrosyan via decision. On wax.   

 Props 

Vieira: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+165) Dec (+550)  

Petrosyan: TKO/KO (+240) Sub (+2500) Dec (+300) 

Winner: Armen Petrosyan | Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Bogdan Guskov ($7.8k): This guy cracks like plumber’s ass. He looks like Alex Morono rolled around in turtle ooze. Like Alex Morono hit a mushroom power-up. Don’t let the fact that he looks like Eddy from Ed Edd N Eddy fool you; this guy is kill or be killed and has one of the best shots within the $7k range of scoring a finish. Guskov debuted against Volkan Oezdemir and lost via first-round submission, but while it lasted, Guskov threw bombs and asked questions at the press conference. Guskov will be up against Zac Pauga, who is as mid as you can get. Pauga rocks fifty Madden ratings across the board and will likely look to put Guskov on his back where Guskov has a day-one white belt. But if Guskov can stay on his feet, he will spend every second trying to land a bomb. Guskov is 14-3 with a one hundred percent finishing rate, including twelve TKO/KOs and two subs. Bogdan is a huge gamble with a huge upside (an early finish) and a massive downside if he ends up on his back.   

Max Griffin ($7.7k): Max Griffin can be a bit of a head-scratcher. Sometimes he’s a formidable gatekeeper, looking like a suped-up Neil Magny, and sometimes, he looks like Peter Griffin out there. But one thing is certain: You can beat Griffin, but you can’t finish him. In twenty-noine career fights, including fifteen appearances in the Octagon, Max was only finished once. Durability is the most important ability when facing an absolute monster like Jeremiah Wells. The first round against Wells is like getting caught in a tornado in the middle of a category-five hurricane. This guy goes apocalyptic right out the gate, throwing opponents out of the cage and all over the arena. But Wells lacks fundamentals in every facet. He’s wild and quite amateurish in his approach on the feet and on the mat. Max Griffin has the skills to survive the first five minutes and take over with his more technical stand-up and well-rounded game. Fantasy-wise, Griffin won’t drop a Kobe eighty-one, but he can land a dependable sixty or so significant strikes with a serious shot at stealing the fight.  

Jack Hermansson ($7.2k): Jack has two extra rounds to rack up inside/outside low kicks and jabs from the outside. And they add up quick. Of course, the key is Jack getting the fight to the championship rounds. This is a classic case of survive and advance. Nothing is known about Joe Pyfer outside of the second round; he has only seen a third round once in his career. Can he go five hard rounds? I don’t think even he knows the answer to that. But Jack can. Herm has a knack for frustrating fighters by staying on the outside and point fighting, taking minimal risks. I subscribe to the motto, “Life’s a risk, carnal,” but in this case, playing it safe early will be a smart approach. This fight could end up being another early finish highlight reel for Pyfer, but there’s a lot of pressure to secure an early finish when you’re fighting on borrowed time. Herm has the advantage of knowing he has twenty-five minutes to work with, and he averages over five SLpM. 

 $6k Clearance Rack 

Aoriqileng ($6.9k): The first fight of the night. Aoriqileng is a tough sleeper who averages nearly five and a half SLpM. After going 0-2 to start his UFC career, Aoriqileng has won three of his last four. He’ll be up against the slick striker Daniel Marcos, who people have been ducking left and right. Marcos has serious skills and is rightfully a heavy favorite, but Aoriqileng is awkward on the feet, and his biggest red flag is his takedown defense and overall ground game, both of which he won’t have to worry about against Marcos. Aoriqileng can make this a crunchy little firefight and rack up some valuable striking stats along the way.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Max Griffin (+140): That most important stat is Max’s seventy percent career takedown defense. Jeremiah Wells likes to overwhelm with wild striking to close the distance and get the fight to the mat ASAP. Griffin has the size, length, and experience to not only defend takedowns but to get back to his feet consistently. If Max can turn this into a kickboxing match, I love his chances on the feet as the more technical and tactical striker. If the takedown well runs dry on Jeremiah, Max can pick him apart from the outside and steal the fight late. Wells is coming off the first loss of his career and was a follow-up or two away from being finished in the first round in his previous fight against Matthew Semelsberger. Wells has black holes in his game and relies solely on athletic ability and crazy power. But that will only get you so far at this level.   

Darrius Flowers (+110): If someone touches the thermostat in the arena, it could spell disaster for Michael Johnson. The added draft could put him on wobbly legs at any moment. Darrius Flowers is the ringer at the Y who gets picked last for five-on-five and fooks around and drops a triple-double. Flowers is one of the biggest wild cards on the entire card; he has sneaky, slick striking and explosive wrestling. MJ is known for his excellent takedown defense, but Flowers has a knack for drawing opponents into wild exchanges and capitalizing with timely level changes. Flowers also has noine finishes in twelve career dubs, and he made his debut at 170 against a much bigger Jake Matthews. Now down at his natural weight of 155, Darrius could be a TLC flipper.   

Pick ‘Em 

Trevin Giles (+215) vs. Carlos Prates (-260) 

Winner: Carlos Prates 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Loma Lookboonmee (-270) vs. Bruna Brasil (+205) 

Winner: Loma Lookboonmee 

Method: Decision 

Devin Clark (-220) vs. Marcin Prachnio (+170) 

Winner: Devin Clark 

Method: Decision 

Max Griffin (+140) vs. Jeremiah Wells (-165) 

Winner: Max Griffin 

Method: Decision 

Zac Pauga (-125) vs. Bogdan Guskov (+105) 

Winner: Bogdan Guskov 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Fernie Garcia (+160) vs. Hyder Amil (-195) 

Winner: Hyder Amil 

Method: Decision 

Daniel Marcos (-250) vs. Aoriqileng (+205) 

Winner: Daniel Marcos 

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