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

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Main Card

Uros Medic (-395) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (+310)

Medic: DK: $9.4k | D-Rod: DK:$6.8k

“Mom, you didn’t tell Dad about the fight, did you?”

Looking slightly affronted, she said, “You know I wouldn’t tell on my baby.” 

“Cool!” he said, sounding relieved.

From down the hall, his dad’s voice echoed, “Uros! Get in here!”

Mom and son exchanged suspicious glances. “Where you at?” Uros yelled back.

“In the bathroom!”

Cracking the bathroom door open, Uros’ olfactory senses were assaulted by the pungent smell of shit and Fresh Linen Glade air freshener. Gagging, Uros said, “I’ll wait ‘til you come out.”

Pops snapped back, “Boy, bring your ass in here! I smelled your shit for thirty-three years. Now you can’t smell mine for five minutes. Your mom told me you’re planning to fight Daniel Rodriguez.”

“What!?”

“That’s stupid. How you gonna catch a dog—” he was interrupted by an explosive, liquid ass eruption. Through gritted teeth, he continued, “—and you’re still afraid of Mrs. Parker’s Miniature Schnauzer? That MF don’t even have a tail. You need to train. Take a look—” His ass sounded like it was blowing bubbles underwater. “—at that paper on the counter.”

Uros picked up a golden sheet of paper. Written across the top:

Join Our Team

City of Las Vegas Department of Animal Regulation

“I ain’t trying to be no dog catcher!” 

“Why not? George Clinton was a dog catcher.”

“No he wasn’t. I don’t even like dogs.”

“That’s the beauty of it. I grab a dog, and I choke him, and I kick the shit out of him. All day long, I have my foot up a dog’s ass. Bang! Bang! Bang! Up his ass. That’s my pleasure!”

“I don’t think so.”

Well, I’ll tell you one thing: If you get your ass kicked, the first of the month, the rent is still due. If you ain’t got nothing on the table, you don’t gotta worry about catching a dog. You gotta worry about a dog catching your ass!” 

A blast of Fresh Linen chased Uros out of the door. 

Uros Medic better volunteer at the Humane Society before he fights Daniel Rodriguez, or he’ll look like Craig’s dad after saying, “I got bit in the ass today, son. By a stankin-ass filthy dog!” Uros should make the walk with a can of air freshenerand the seat of his pants torn out of a pair of navy-blue coveralls. D-Rod isn’t your typical dog. Homie has that DMX dog in him. I know somebody told you about Fookin' Wit D. Stuck in a tree is what you will be, like a cat. And D-Rod is the dog at the bottom, looking up. You can call him D-Rod, but his opponents call him Damien. If Uros doesn’t treat him like the dog that bit Craig’s Dad’s ass, he’ll be a Crime Story on the evening news.

D-Rod's style is bringing the streets to the Octagon. His fights are more like initiations. He hands out nothing but Blood In Blood Out ass-whoopin’s. U feel like you’re getting jumped by a dozen people. D-Rod's best weapon is his left hand. He puts it on repeat with the ten-second anti-skip button activated. He sprays his left hand like drive-bys. D-Rod has that Ricky Baker left hand: you can’t outrun it. He throws so many left hands that his right hand just looks at it and says, “Stop Being Greedy.” But you know what they say: you can’t teach an old dog a new jab.  

This Is How It’s Going Down: D-Rod's game plan is to pressure Uros Medic, eliminating the space Uros needs to unload his long, straight punches. D-Rod has to win this fight at close range in the trenches. At range, he will get picked apart. Inside the pocket, D-Rod has the advantage, wearing down Uros to the body. 

Uros—don’t you dare call him Gyros—Medic is riding an ass-kicking wave right now like he’s Kelly Slater at Mavericks. Most recently, he turned Geoff Neal into Jeff Neil. Neil looked like he had sleep paralysis lying on the mat after a Uros left hook. On the slow descent to the mat, Jeff got a full eight hours of sleep. They had already turned the Octagon into a hockey rink by the time he hit the ground. Lying there, Jeff looked like how Johnny Depp must have looked when Johnny woke up covered in shit that one time. Murder was the case that they gave Uros after the Neal fight. Yo, DJ! Hit that Snoop Dogg “Murder Was the Case!”

Medic’s best weapon is his speed. His hands will lap D-Rod's. Uros has DeLorean hand speed. You get hit with a left hand and wake up in 1955 in a Chevy Bel Air at Lovers’ Point, making out with your grandma. Medic has Misiorowski hand speed. Homie hits triple digits on the gun—187. Medic doesn’t give opponents a chance to adjust; he just rushes you like old-school Black Friday stampedes. That’s why five of his seven UFC dubs came in the first round, including his last three fights.

But I say all that to say this: I still don’t take Medic seriously like the guy in Pompei who said, “Maybe we should get the fook outta here,” when smoke started coming out of Mt. Vesuvius. Medic has nothing but brown bag dubs. Looking at these dubs makes my eyes water like cutting onions. His dubs are so ugly he didn’t introduce any to his parents. Maybe he bragged about the Neil dub to a first cousin, “I think this could be the one...” That version of Neal was sprayed with Shout stain remover and washed on perm press like my seven-year-old’s shit-stained Minecraft underoos. But at the end of the day, ugly dubs are better than pretty Ls.

Uros is the (-390) favorite, and D-Rod is the (+310) live-ass dog that bit Craig’s dad in the ass. D-Rod's style could wear on Uros if Uros can’t find an early finish. Uros has only reached the third round once in his sixteen-fight career. D-Rod has never fought five rounds, but I’ve never seen him gas in three-round wars. The play for this one is a TKO/KO. Take Uros early and D-Rod late. This is the perfect fight to live-bet. If it gets to the third round, the play is D-Rod. Either Uros' speed will get D-Rod early, or D-Rod will wear on Uros late. Keep this in mind: Ian Garry is the only man to finish D-Rod on his feet in twenty-five career bouts.

The main event dub streak is at five after Magomed Ankalaev struggled to finish Guskov until the fifth round. It wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take it. This week’s pick might trip us up. I have no clue who wins. It will be a tale of two halves. There’s a lot of value in the dog, but I have to ride the hot hand. Uros Medic via TKO, round two. Put it on wax.

Props

Medic: TKO/KO (-250) Sub (+750) Dec (+1400)  

D-Rod: TKO/KO (+400) Sub (+1400) Dec (+2200) 

Winner: Uros Medic | Method: TKO Rd.2

Jan Blachowicz (+250) vs. Navajo Stirling (-310)

Blachowicz: DK: $7.2k | Stirling: DK: $9k

I still have my own words leftover in Tupperware in my fridge from a few weeks ago when I wrote off Navajo Stirling against The Toyota Frontrunner Ion Cutelaba. I should’ve known it’s impossible to knock out guys with the Moe Szyslak skull. Sorry, Mammy, but you’ll never get it through his thick skull. Stirling looks like they created him at Jurassic Park by taking blood from a mosquito trapped in fossilized tree sap. His forehead is like an awning for his eyes, always protecting them from the elements. It’s like having a built-in sun visor. Every year, twelve people die trying to summit Stirling’s forehead, most on descent.

As you can guess, Stirling’s special power is his skull. He can take a Nicky Santoro beating and walk away looking like a minor fender bender—no need to exchange insurance. He survived the first round with Cutelaba on top, which is like falling into the gorilla exhibit at the zoo and hanging on until the guys in little brown safari shorts tranq them all. Before the fight, I dub-shamed Stirling. That was my main reason for doubting him against Cutelaba. He took that personally. Now, Stirling has his eyes set on a former almost-champion. What will I say if he beats Jan Blachowicz?

Well, I’ll say Jan is forty-fookin-three. Jan and I could’ve gone to high school together. And I’ll say that Stirling is still just a heavy puncher with a Moe Szyslak skull profile. Like ginger kids, there’s nothing special about Stirling. But nothing special is needed to beat the Jack Rooney of the UFC. Jan is like Rooney trying to hold onto his starting position with Willie Beamen breathing down his neck.

In his prime, Jan became the Undisputed Almost-Champ when he had Ankalaev looking like Ace Ventura with spears stuck in his legs after destroying Ank’s legs in the first two rounds. Ankalaev had to walk on his hands like Zion Clark (Google him). Ankalaev was already lowered six feet under. All Jan had to do was throw dirt on him.  And Jan still almost lost the fight. Overall, Jan’s style is like rocking a plain white tee everywhere—to church, job interviews, weddings. Jan will probably wearone to his own wake. Jan is like the Hanes three pack they sell at Walmart. I’m not hating on white tees; they look crispy and get the job done. But maybe this time around, Jan can try a deep V-neck or something.  

Yo, DJ! Hit that Plain White T’s “Red Flags!” Because you know Jan has plenty of them, starting with his age. The only ability he has left is making fights boring. And Jan has more draws than dubs in his last six fights since 2021 (1-3-2). But I’ll say this: Jan went the distance with Ankalaev, Alex, and Carlos Ulberg. He’s one of those fighters who is hard to look good fighting against.  

Stirling is the (-320) favorite, and Jan is the (+260) mangy-ass dog. Jan might drag Stirling to the mat, but it’s more likely Stirling drags Jan down. If Stirling survived Cutelaba’s early grappling, he can survive Jan’s forty-three-year-old grappling. Jan will have to sell out on his feet, which I don’t see happening. This one is going the distance. Stirling is undefeated, and Jan is just a tough ol’ bass turd. Fantasy-wise, try to steer clear of this matchup. Jan will make this a slow-paced kickboxing match. Navajo Stirling via decision. On wax. I’m just playing, ginger kids; you know I love you.

Props

Stirling: TKO/KO (+250) Sub (+1000) Dec (-105) 

Blachowicz: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+2200) Dec (+450)

Winner: Navajo Stirling | Method: Decision

Aleksandar Rakic (-345) vs. Marcin Tybura (+275)

Rakic: DK: $9.3k | Tybura: DK:$6.9k

There aren’t many heavyweights on the roster who haven’t kicked Marcin Tybura’s ass. Now they are recruiting light heavyweights to get in on the action. Tybura was once a decent fighter, but in his later fight years he became the town Meek Mill—everyone takes turns clappin' his cheeks. In the on-deck circle, getting limber, is Aleksandar Rakic. There was a time when I thought Rakic might be a real title threat at 205 lbs. Back then, I also thought Edmen Shahbazyan would be a middleweight champion. It’s almost like Rakic sabotaged his career just to fook up my parlays. At first glance, I thought this would be an easy dub for Rakic. But now I’m having second thoughts like when she tells you her name is Kaitlyn. This one could come down to who doesn’t want it the most.

Marcin Tybura fights are like the movie 50 First Dates – I'm Henry Roth, and each round is like the first round all over again. At the start of each round, I say, “Who is this guy?” I’ve seen every one of his twenty-five UFC fights, but every time, it’slike the first time. I’m like Jason Bourne pulled from the ocean—I can't remember shit. I’m over here leaving Polaroids of his fights taped up all over my house. I have my notes tatted all over my body on some Memento type-shit, trying to remember watching them the next day. They call Marcin Tybura’s style The Butterfly Effect. Tybura is that level of forgettable. He’s a Street Fighter without any special moves, just basic controls. Punch: Jab/Strong/Fierce. Kick: Short/Forward/Roundhouse. There ain’t any Hadukens, Shoryukens, Sonic Booms, or Flash Kicks.

I’ll say this about Tybura: for a guy built like a retired water polo player, he moves pretty well on his feet. He has an odd, tipsy cadence—that bottle-of-wine flow. That liquid courage, hollering-at-the-ring-girl-between-rounds cadence. When Tybura steps into the cage, it looks like he’s been pregaming at Casa Bonita, drinking Happy Hour slushy margs. But he’s a functional tipsy striker. He has makeshift Dominick Cruz footwork, changing stances and attacking in any direction. But Tyburalacks power, and if there’s any of the old Aleksandar Rakic left, he doesn’t want to go toe-to-toe with him.  

That’s a big IF. Rakic’s Sherdog record looks like traffic leaving Burning Man, all brake lights. He has to turn off his engine to conserve gas. His record is backed up like stadium toilets, every one overflowing with Ls. But that is about to change because there is no way Rakic can lose to Tybura, right? Rakic was never the same after Anthony Smith made his shin look like Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s forehead after the first fight with Weili Zhang. Homies were shooting their shot at Rakic’s shin after the fight. Thirsty MF’ers. Rakic’s shin looked like Kuato in Total Recall popping out of that guy’s stomach, talking about “Open your mind!” Rakic has only had one dub since that fight, going 1-4.

Rakic learned from that infamous fight and became the one decapitating ankles. Now he’s the dude wearing the black hood, dropping the guillotine on ‘em. This guy has an acute disdain for calves. Somewhere along the road, some cankles hurt Rakic. This guy William Wallace’s calves. He’ll have you wiping your knees off on the Welcome mat real fookin’ quick. When he feels like it, Rakic is a Menace II Society on his feet. His arms are long like scaffolding, and he’ll punch holes in you like Kyle’s and drywall. He’ll leave you like streets in NOLA, riddled with potholes. Rakic will have the little orange vests out there at 5am, repaving your ass. Against Jiri, Rakic showed he has that dog in him. And we know All Dogs Go to Heaven. Rakic went to war and earned a Purple Heart in that fight.

But that seems like ages ago. Yet he’s still a (-350) favorite against Tybura, the (+280) flea-ridden dog. Tybura can win this on the mat from the top position. He averages 1.3 takedowns per fifteen minutes. It won’t be easy because Rakic defends at 85%. There is also a chance that Rakic is cooked—well done. Send his ass back to the kitchen type of cooked. The play for this one is a decision. I see it settling into a tepid kickboxing match. It’s been nearly a decade since either fighter came close to one hundred strikes landed in a fight. This one will be a Fantasy bust without a finish. Give me Aleksandar Rakic via decision. Put it on wax. 

Props

Rakic: TKO/KO (+120) Sub (+1400) Dec (+180)

Tybura: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+1600) Dec (+550)

Winner: Aleksandar Rakic | Method: Decision

Ludovit Klein (-265) vs. Tofiq Musayev (+215)

Klein: DK: $8.8k | Musayev: DK: $7.4k

This is an undercover banger. I’m not sure if this one will end up on the main card, but I’m putting it there anyway. Ludovit Klein is the male Maycee Barber. I mean that respectfully. Klein is an elite striker who often relies on everything but his striking to win fights. The only difference is that his name sounds like a fragrance sold at Macy’s: Ludovit Klein Eau de Toilette. Many suggest it smells like success, going 7-1-1 since 2022. This will be the first time in two fights that Klein won’t face a man named Mateusz. Klein went 1-1 against Mateusz, Gamrot, and Rebecki. If I went 1-1 against guys named Mateusz, I’d get out of the hood and turn my back on all the people who helped along the way. If Klein’s 76% takedown defense holds up, this could turn into the Fight of the Night on the feet.

Klein is a frustrating fighter. He has the makings of an elite ass-kicker, but he’s missing something. He’s missing that Travis Scott “Sicko Mode.” Yo, DJ! Hit that shit! Homie is like John Wick before they killed his dog. No, I’m not suggesting for someone to kill Klein’s dog. But maybe someone could step on his Js or steal his parking spot while he’s waiting with his blinker on. Something to make shit personal. He needs to go train with the Argentina soccer team and learn how to play dirty. 

The biggest cause of his lack of aggression is low output (3.7 SLpM). There are times when Ludo just stares at his opponents, not even offering a feint lest it be misconstrued as a significant strike attempt. He’s got that Man in the Mirror stand-up. Sometimes I feel like somebody’s watching me. But on the rare occasions he lets his hands go, you see the opponent's life flash before his eyes. Ludo is all left, everything. He’s a Flanders Leftorium striker. The left side of his body was dipped in the River Styx. His best weapon is his left high kick. It’s a hybrid Karate/Muay Thai round kick and turns people into the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  

Tofiq Musayev looks like Shara Bullet before he shot himself with the BB gun his mom told him would put his eye out. Homie looks like Scar from The Lion King. He looks like he’s been 36 for 36 years. Musayev has that “Four score and seven years ago” look. But not even John Wilkes Booth can stop this MF. On his feet, Musayev lacks Klein’s sharp technical ability, but he throws every punch and kick as if it is his last. He puts his soul into every strike like Grammy does her biscuits. When he lands, it sounds like 100 mph fastballs hitting the catcher’s mitt. But he lacks command of the strike zone like Rick Vaughn. He tends to send some overhands and hooks over the backstop. Some lucky fan always take home a souvenir when Musayev fights.

Musayev is a globetrotting ass-kicker who has fought for promotions worldwide. Where in the world is Tofiq Mustayev? Yo! Hit that Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego theme song! This guy should have a show on the Travel Channel, kicking ass in remote destinations. Got Reservations with Tofiq Mustayev. Overall, Mustayev looks like he was born nine months after the Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev fight. He looks like a combination of both but isn’t as good as either. Being an “ev,” Musayev can also wrestle. He beat the tough Ignacio Bahamondes with three takedowns and nearly eight minutes of control time. All he needs to do is copy and paste that game plan for Klein. 

Wow. I thought the odds would be closer to a pick ‘em. Klein is the (-245) favorite, and Musayev is the (+205) live-ass dog. Klein’s only recent loss came against Gamrot, who took him down six times. In his previous fight, Mateusz Rebecki took him down three times. That’s not a good look going into a fight against an “ev,” and we ain’t talking about electric vehicles. One of these guys will be a Fantasy stud and the other a dud. Either Musayev will dominate with takedowns and top control, or Klein will distance himself on the feet. The play for this one is a decision. I want to take a shot on the dog, but Klein always has the potential to make someone look foolish on his feet. Ludovit Klein via decision. On wax. 

Props

Klein: TKO/KO (+300) Sub (+650) Dec (+120)  

Musayev: TKO/KO (+550) Sub (+1800) Dec (+500)

Winner: Ludovit Klein | Method: Decision

Dusko Todorovic (+136) vs. Robert Valentin (-162)

Todorovic: DK: $7.7k | Valentin: DK: $8.5k

Yo, DJ! Hit that Bubba Sparxxx “Ugly!” This one will make you vomit on your shoes if you look at it too long. Dusko Todorovic is the “Where Are They Now” Gerber baby. Every time I see him fight, I think it’s the last time I’ll see him fight. Dusko has the dubious distinction of losing a decision to Zachary Reese, aka the human version of an above-ground pool. Losing a decision to Zachary Reese, aka the human toe shoe, is like getting diarrhea from a salad—until recently, it seemed impossible. Dusko rocks a 4-6 UFC record, and all four dubs came against TLC Scrubs. This guy has dubs over Little League umpires and mall custodians (janitors if you want to be a Richard about it). Unfortunately, a dub over Robert Valentin won’t do much to change that narrative.  

Dusko steps into the cage and can’t wait to fall asleep like kids on Christmas Eve. This guy catches ass-whoopin's like Charlie Sheen catches VDs. Dusko Todorovic leads the league in ass-whoopin' receptions every year, catching them like OBJ catches one-handed TDs against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The only time he’s not catching an ass-whoopin' is when he’s fighting guys like Jose Medina and Jordan Wright. Who da fook are those guys? I’ll say this for Dusko: I like his name, and he has decent grappling. But I’m not sure it’s better than Robert Valentin’s grappling.

That’s because all Robert Valentin can do is grapple. If Valentin can’t make the fight look like a Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar entanglement on the mat, he doesn’t stand a chance. He has that Moe Szyslak stand-up, “Or as the ladies call me, ‘Hey, you in the bushes!’” But he does have this going for him: His nickname is Rodzilla. My man never outgrew his first-grade nickname. Rodzilla sounds like something you would name a pet gerbil (hamster if you want to be a Richard about it). Maybe that’swhy in four fights, he averages only 1.3 SLpM. Rodzilla made it to the Ultimate Fighter finale, where he got his ass kicked by a guy who hasn’t won a fight since.

Overall, Valentin is the type to take a leak with his eyes closed. He’s kind of soft. He reminds me of a consignment store Reinier de Ridder. The UFC brass are miracle workers. They found the one guy Valentin would be favored against. He is the (-163) favorite, and Dusko is the (+138) live-ass dog. You and I would be live-ass dogs against Robert Valentin. That said, I hope he doesn’t read this shit. I rock a 23% takedown defense. Play this one for a submission. One of these guys is getting choked out. Give me Robert Valentin via decision. Wax on, wax off. 

Props

Valentin: TKO/KO (+240) Sub (+225) Dec (+750)  

Todorovic: TKO/KO (+380) Sub (+600) Dec (+600)

Winner: Robert Valentin | Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Tofiq Musayev ($7.4k): I've never seen a sorrier set of Value Menu options. It's like McDonalds removed the McDouble and McChicken from the McValue Menu. Musayev is one of the few options with a legitimate chance of winning his matchup. He has the wrestling to take down Ludovit Klein. Although it probably won’t lead to a finish, he can still rack up control time. Against Ignacio Bahamondes, Musayev scored 89.5 Fantasy points by landing three takedowns and nearly eight minutes of control time. The key for Musayev is staying committed to his ground game beyond the first round when Klein is likely to stuff his takedown attempts. Klein has given up nine takedowns in his last two bouts, including two against striker Mateusz Rebecki.

Daniel Rodriguez ($6.8): We’re making WKO history today. We have a Clearance Rack item on the Value Menu. If D-Rod doesn’t get finished in the first 7-10 minutes, he will take over this fight. Medic will have a significant speed advantage early, but if D-Rod can survive, he should dominate the pocket exchanges. Medic needs space to operate; he’s not built to extend combinations in the pocket with D-Rod. The key for D-Rod is closing the distance and setting traps along the cage. He has to shrink the Octagon and stay in Medic’s chest. If D-Rod gets stuck out at range, he will get dealt with quickly. D-Rod's upside is a late finish, which is more than I can say for most of the Value Menu options.

Oban Elliott ($7k): I’m stretching like a first baseman on a short hopper from third base on this one. I don’t like Elliott’s matchup against Michael Oliveira. Oliveira reminds me of a smaller Michael Morales with similar power. He lacks experience (9-0) and has holes defensively on his feet. Elliott started his UFC career 3-0 but recently lost two in a row. He showed he had some dog in him with an impressive win over Bassil Hafez, who nearly beat Jack Della Maddalena. If Oban can make this a true MMA fight and force Oliveira to burn steam defending takedowns in the clinch, he will have a chance at pulling off the upset. If he wins, it will mean he beat Oliveira with takedowns and time control. That will translate to solid Fantasy points at a low cost. But these are a lot of big IFs.

 $6k Clearance Rack  

Kyle Prepolec($6.6k): Obviously, take a chance on D-Rod before Prepolec. Likely, Prepolec will get his ass cracked for a third straight fight. Consider this: Prepolec’s opponent, Mateusz Rebecki, has lost three in a row and four of his last five. He has faced tough competition but sustained heavy damage in every fight. Even in the one fight he won, his face was hanging by an eyelash at the end. Prepolec reminds me of a diluted Michal Oleksiejczuk—an Oleksiejczuk impressionist, mimicking his drunken cadence to a T. In his previous bout, Prepolec nearly made it to the final bell against Drew Dober and had some good moments. Plus, his name is Kyle, and we all know Kyles always have a hare up their ass like a suspect magician. 

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Tofiq Musayev (+195): Last week was tough for the dogs. But we hit on the only dog who won. This will be another tough week for the dogs. Musayev has fought for three major promotions and has “ev” in his last name. He can lure Ludovit Klein into a firefight on the feet and use the chaos to level change. Klein’s takedown defense was exposed against Gamrot and Mateusz Rebecki. And Musayev is coming in off a dub against another dangerous striker, Ignacio Bahamondes. It wasn’t a pretty dub. In fact, it was a hideous dub. If it pays out, the dub could look like Li Jingliang for all I care. Musayev only landed 32 significant strikes in three rounds of work against Bahamondes. But he supplemented with eight minutes of control time. 

D-Rod (+315): So far, the only man to finish D-Rod on his feet is Ian Garry. Medic will have to get it done early, or D-Rod will claw his way back into the fight. D-Rod is coming in off a decision dub against Kevin Holland, who is another long, dangerous striker. But Holland doesn’t have the hand speed of Uros Medic, nor the kicking game. D-Rod will have to take chances, wading into the pocket. This will be a battle of distance. D-Rod's range is inside, extending combinations to the body and head. The first round or two should be spent up against the cage, making Medic work and not allowing him to gain a full head of steam right out of the gate.  

Dusko Todorovic (+140): I never thought I’d have Dusko Todorovic as a TTTS, but here we are. Todorovic vs. Valentin is a classic “pick your poison” match. One of these weak fighters has to win. Dusko has the grappling to survive Valentin on the mat and enough striking to dominate on the feet. Valentin has zero point zero striking. If Valentin can’t keep Dusko on the mat, Dusko will dominate the striking. It’s hard to imagine, but Dusko has a TKO win over Michel Pereira in his prime before either fighter was in the UFC. Even if Dusko ends up on his back, he has the Jitz to reverse position and end up on top. The top position is Dusko’s specialty. In the end, Dusko has more ways to win.

Loooongshot Parlay

You gotta fight… for your right… to paaaaaaarlay! This week, I’m dialing things back a notch. The underdogs haven’t inspired much confidence lately, so rather than rolling the dice on the Twenty Twen-Twen Sleepers, I’m putting together a more playable parlay.

Uros Medic by TKO/KO (-250)

Michael Oliveira by TKO/KO (-140)

Dusko Todorovic Moneyline (+140)

Total Odds: (+476)

Pick ‘Em

Vlastislav Cepo (-330) vs. Gilbert Urbina (+270)

Winner: Vlastislav Cepo

Method: TKO Rd.2

Oban Elliott (+275) vs. Michael Oliviera (-340) 

Winner: Michael Oliveira

Method: Decision

Mark Vologdin (+158) vs. Borislav Nikolic (-183) 

Winner: Borislav Nikolic

Method: Decision

Bogdan Grad (-205) vs. Dennis Buzukja (+173)

Winner: Bogdan Grad

Method: Decision

Mateusz Rebecki (-525) vs. Kyle Prepolec (+395)  

Winner: Mateusz Rebecki

Method: TKO Rd.3

Nina Milosevic (-435) vs. Hailey Cowan (+340)  

Winner: Nina Milosevic

Method: Decision

Jovan Leka (-220) vs. Alexander Poppeck (+185)  

Winner: Lovan Leka

Method: TKO Rd.2

Milos Janicic (-105) vs. Noah Gugnon (-115)  

Winner: Noah Gugnon

Method: Decision

Marina Spasic (+250) vs. Stephanie Luciano (-300)  

Winner: Stephanie Luciano

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.