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

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Main Card

Belal Muhammad (-122) vs. Gabriel Bonfim (+102)

Belal: DK: $8.3k | Bonfim: DK:$7.9k

“Welcome to Talk to the Hand! Do you have an appointment?”

“Yeah, Bonfim at noine o’clock for a pedicure.”

The woman’s face became contorted, misshapen Picasso, and her eyes started to water. “My God, what is that smell? It smells like a used diaper filled with Indian food!” 

Mr. Bonfim looked around nervously. “I’m not sure what you mean...”

Speaking through her hand tightly clamped over her nose and mouth, the woman at the front desk said, “Follow me, Sir. Betsy will be your nail technician today.”

The salon quickly filled with the sounds of retching and gagging. An anonymous voice exclaimed, “What is that!? It smells like a turd covered in burnt hair!” Another proclaimed, “It smells like Bigfoot’s d**k!”

Mr. Bonfim kept his gaze on the floor, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Finally seated, he kicked off his chanclas and propped up his feet.  

“Hello! My name is Bet—” The woman promptly vomited in her mouth. Grabbing a can of Glade, she sprayed it liberally into the air, as if she were Craig’s dad taking a dump. When she finally gained control of her gag reflex, she assessed the task at hand. “This may take a while,” she muttered. “I’ll start with the corns.” Grabbing a pair of pliers, she began plucking yellow kernels from the ends of his toes. “How on earth...”

Mr. Bonfim apologized: “I’m sorry, ma’am. It’s just that I’ve been kicking a lot of ass lately.”

Once the corns were removed, the woman disappeared. A moment later, she reappeared with a welding mask and a pressure washer. Cranking the washer to full pressure, she started spraying the layers of doodie covering Mr. Bonfim’s feet. Between the toes was particularly tricky. Two hours later, the woman was drenched in sweat, her hands on her knees, as if she had just beat out a Beer League infield single.  

On his way out the door, Mr. Bonfim stopped at the front desk. “Can I make an appointment for Sunday morning? I have a fight tomorrow night.”

The woman looked terrified. “I’m sorry, Sir. We’re closed on Sundays. Try Tipsy Toes down the street.”

Lately, Gabriel Bonfim—Mr. Bonfim to you—has been kicking so much ass that his feet stink. He kicks so much ass that he wins the brown boot after every match. Bonfim is 19-1 for his career, including 6-1 in the UFC. Four of his six promotional dubs came via finish, including two of his last three. Although Bonfim scored his first TKO/KO on the feet, his bread and butter is on the mat. 

From the top position, Mr. Bonfim will ride you like Magic Mike, grinding on you and making shit awkward until, in your desperation to escape, you make a mistake, and he snatches your neck like a Bad Boy chain. This guy bends you like elbows, turning you into some kind of poseable action figure he tortures like Sid from Toy Story. For his career, Bonfim has thirteen career subs, and three came in the UFC. The problem for Bonfim against Belal Muhammad is that Belal rocks a 90% takedown defense. That’s better than Mormon underoos. Bonfim will likely have to beat Belal on his feet.

You have to respect Bonfim’s power, but overall, Bonfim’s striking is fairly mid. His biggest deficiency is a lack of footwork. My man has those guilty feet, and you already know guilty feet ain’t got no rhythm. Yo, DJ! Hit that George Michaels “Careless Whisper!” There are no wrinkles in Bonfim’s striking; it’s all day one combinations. Belal isn’t known for his striking, but he will have a slight edge on the feet as Belal is a solid combination striker. Bonfim will have to put pressure on and land something big, as he did in his previous fight against Randy Brown.   

Bonfim’s major malfunction is his gas tank. Once a gasser, always a gasser. Ask Khamzat Chimaev. Like Khamzat, you have to make Bonfim work like a lazy son. Nicolas Dalby did just that when he became the only man to beat Bonfim. I bought a super yacht like a Ukrainian general after I dropped an Andy Jack on Nicolas Dalby that night, anticipating that Bonfim would fade. Bonfim got remastered in Dalby Digital after completely gassing after the first round. Homie is built like a Lambo but has a leaf blower’s gas tank. And that’s a bad look going into a fight against King Size Merab, aka Belal Muhammad. 

Belal Muhammad is cancerous, so when he disses you, you wouldn’t want to answer this if you responded back with a battle rap you wrote for Canibus. You need chemo treatments to get Belal off you once he gets hold of you. You’ll be bald like Jada Pinkett by the end of the second round. Belal locks his hands behind you and grows on you like a tumor. “It’s not a tuma!” Okay, it's a sack filled with parasites. Anywho, you’ll be 250k in medical debt by the time they get Belal off you. That’s if you survive. Belal disease is terminal. Once he gets hold of you, you might as well quit teaching high school chemistry and start cooking meth for Mexican cartels. You need bolt cutters to free yourself once Belal gets his hands locked behind you. But lately, inexplicably, Belal stopped wrestling. 

For the previous two fights, Belal and his wrestling have been estranged. One day, Belal never picked it up after school. He picked up his last paycheck and was never seen again. Since he has started a new life with his striking. Some say it’s just a midlife crisis. I don’t know. But I do know he can out-wrestle Bonfim if he commits to it. In a battle of wrestling attrition, Belal will win 100 out of 100 fights against Bonfim. Belal is no crumb bum on his feet. His best attribute is that he is awkward—awkward like blind dates and forgetting to hold doors open for them. He beats you with unorthodox arm angles and sneaky round kicks. Belal will have a technical advantage but a power disadvantage on the feet. He has to reintroduce wrestling into his game plan, even against a dangerous grappler like Bonfim.  

Fantasy-wise, these guys can light up the scoreboard with a combination of strikes landed, takedowns, and top control. Both average 4.5 SLpM, But Bonfim averages 3.6 takedowns per fifteen minutes compared to Belal’s 2.1. Bonfim defends at 76%; this will likely be a twenty-five-minute kickboxing match. Belal is the slight (-120) favorite, and Bonfim is the (+100) live-ass dog. Bonfim can end Belal’s night with one bomb. But can he go five hard rounds? The play for Bonfim is a TKO/KO. The play for Belal is a decision, but there is value in a late TKO/KO if you’re in a sprinkling mood.

We’re streaking again. The main event dub streak is now two after Song Yadong finished what was left of Deiveson Figueiredo. This week’s pick is a complete toss-up. I don’t think Bonfim could go the distance with Jack Della Soul Maddalena or Ian Garry as Belal did. I think he’s just a little better than Bonfim. Belal Muhammad via decision. Put it on wax. 

Props

Bonfim: TKO/KO (+350) Sub (+450) Dec (+450)  

Muhammad: TKO/KO (+650) Sub (+800) Dec (+150) 

Winner: Belal Muhammad | Method: Decision

Brendan Allen (-205) vs. Edmen Shahbazyan (+170)

Allen: DK: $8.8k | Shahbazyan: DK: $7.4k

WKO historians know the significance of Edmen Shahbazyan to the publication. Edmen and Shahbazyan were literally the first two words I ever typed. The very first issue of the WKO was Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Derek Brunson. I infamously declared that Shahbazyan would be a future middleweight champion. Ed went on to lose three in a row and four of five. But out came the sun and dried up all the rain. Don’t look meow, but Ed Shahbaz is riding a three-fight dub streak.  

“What do u say the chances are that Edmen can still be the champion as I prophesied on the first issue of the WKO? Hit me with it! Just give it to me straight! The least you could do is level with me.”

“I’d say like 1 in a million.”

“So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!”

There is a small problem with Ed’s recent win streak: he fought Manny, Moe, and Jack. I would say Larry, Moe, and Curly, but Larry looked like he could crack like butt cheeks. Edmen faced a tee-ball lineup. Going from fighting Dylan Budka to fighting Brendan Allen is like going from climbing a McDonald’s PlayPlace to climbing K2 without any Sherpas and only wearing a ‘93 Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket. 

For five minutes, Edmen looks like a world beater. But nobody fumbles the bag like Edmen Shahbazyan. Fumble, fumblaya, Sergeant Fumblina, fumblerooski—Edmen fumbles the bag like Tony Romo fumbled the extra point snap against the Seahawks in the playoffs. I’m over it! You’re not over it! Edmen fumbles the bag like Batman’s mammy. Homie is a five-minute champion. Then the wheels fall off like Marshawn Lynch falling asleep behind the wheel. For the first couple of minutes, Edmen is dangerous on his feet. Then he turns into Danger-Russ, throwing picks and slapping asses, talking about, “Let’s ride, Denver!”

The problem (other than cardio) with his striking isn’t with his hands; it’s with his feet. He has that Shannon Sharpe footwork—every step looks painful. He has that pigeon-toe footwork. It almost looks like Edmen learned his footwork from a Kenny Smith instructional. But I say that to say this: For the first two to three minutes, Edmen will be the more dangerous striker against Allen. His left hook will catch you by the boo boo. 

Edmen also has solid wrestling/grappling from the top position. But he won’t out-grapple Brendan Allen. RDR couldn’t do it, so there’s no way Edmen will. Brendan Allen exposed RDR like indecent exposure. RDR has to register after getting exposed like that. RDR isn’t allowed within 1000 yards of a school after that kind of exposure. Between the fourth and fifth rounds, RDR quit on the stool like he was constipated. I’ve only seen one man out-grapple Allen: Fluffy Hernandez. But Allen had some good moments on the mat in the rematch. Allen rolls like a pair of dice on the mat. He rolls like 70s Dicks (Private I’s if you don’t want to be a Richard about it) when they enter a suspicious room.  

Allen has a special move: the rear-naked choke. He has fourteen career subs, and twelve came via RNC. Allen throws up RNCs like a bulimic throws up dinner. Like cats always land on their feet, Allen always lands in a fully locked RNC. Homie will choke you like he’s Latrell Sprewell; he’ll turn your ass into BJ Carlesimo real quick. Where Brendan Allen tends to run into trouble is on his feet.  

Allen has Ikea showroom striking. All he’s missing is the Swedish meatballs. It looks sleek, sophisticated, and modern AF, but as soon as one ass cheek touches, the futon turns into kindling. His striking holds up until the one-round warranty expires. Homie’s striking is just good enough to get him into trouble. Brendan gets into firefights and gets smoke inhalation. In every fight, there comes a moment when Allen turns into Napoleon dancing at the talent show. The highlight footage of Allen dancing after being rocked could win Dancing with the Stars. But after the first few minutes, Allen will box Shahbazyan’s face... off.

Allen is the (-230) favorite, and Shahbazyan is the (+190) semi, lukewarm, live-ish dog. I thought Allen would be a bigger favorite. He’s just better than Shahbazyan across the board. Edmen will have a chance on the feet in the opening minutes. He has deceptive speed and power—definitely more power than Allen. But Allen doesn’t fade; Edmen does. The play for Edmen is an early TKO/KO. The play for Allen is a late submission. Give me Brendan Allen via rear-naked choke, round three. On wax.  

Props

Shahbazyan: TKO/KO (+330) Sub (+2500) Dec (+650) 

Allen: TKO/KO (+450) Sub (+200) Dec (+240)

Winner: Brendan Allen | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.3

Fares Ziam (-310) vs. Tom Nolan (+250)

Ziam: DK: $9.1k | Nolan: DK:$7.1k

Memberberries, when you were a kid and used to make flip-book drawings, you’d draw stick figures on each page in a slightly progressive movement, then flip through the pages quickly, and it would look like the figures were animated? Ziam vs. Nolan will be the real-life adult version of a stick-figure comic book. These two guys are longer than an issue of the WKO. This matchup will look like two giraffes fighting, swinging their necks at each other. These guys are so long they could fight each other from different zip codes. Call Elite Security because these guys are streaking. This is a matchup of winning streaks: Fares Ziam is riding a six-fight win streak, and Tom Nolan is riding a four-fight win streak. Somebody’s will end on Saturday night.  

Yo, DJ! Hit that Jay Rock “Win!” All Fares Ziam does is win, win, win, win. Fook everything else; win, win, win, win. All I do is pick against this guy, while he keeps stacking W’s. Ziam has been throwing up more W’s than Wu-Tang. You can count on this guy like your fingers if I asked you what 37 + 7 is? In the UFC, Ziam is 8-2, with one of those losses coming against the one-round GOAT Terrance “& Phillip” McKinney. The other was in Ziam’s UFC debut. This guy is dependable like cars built before the 2000s. The only knock against Ziam is a lack of finishes. He remained abstinent until 2024, when he finally finished a fight against Matt Frevola. That KO must have gassed Ziam up because he scored his second UFC finish in his most recent fight against Nazim Sadykhov.

I used to call Ziam Darth Fader because he would start every fight with crisp and clean striking, looking like a refurbished Leon Edwards, then slowly fade. But along with his skills, Ziam’s cardio has gotten better with every fight. Overall, Ziamgets the job done like a six in the club at last call. On his feet, Ziam can beat you from the outside with long, technical kickboxing. And on the mat, he ties you up like he has eight limbs. Ziam’s grappling is probably the most overrated part of his game. This kid is an all-around solid fighter with no glaring holes.  

His major malfunction is that he’s a goody-goody; he follows all the rules: he makes his bed, brushes his teeth before bed, and eats all his veggies. Ziam is supremely technical at the expense of taking risks. Ziam only averages 2.8 SLpM. He’s a staunch one-punch striker. But he supplements his low output with 1.7 takedowns per 15 minutes. Ziam’s path to victory will be on the mat, out-grappling the striker Tom Nolan. But that won’t be easy, as Nolan rocks a 71% takedown defense and long striking that make it hard to close the distance.  

Tom Nolan is straight out of a Mark Twain novel. He looks like he has never owned a pair of shoes. And he’s built like Popeye’s betty Olive Oil. Homie looks like you can sponsor him for ten cents a day. Tom Nolan is the president and CEO of the Lanky & Janky Committee. This guy chips at you from the outside like he’s making a sculpture out of your ass. Nolan has long, accurate hands. So accurate that he could hit a mole on a fly’s ass. But his major malfunction is a lack of power. Nolan has power like citizens living next to AI data centers: none. His hands are rubber, your face is glue. When he lands, his hands make Three Stooges sound effects: Zoink! Dink! Boing! But he can pick you apart from range with kicks, elbows, and nifty spinning attacks. 

Nolan is 10-1, including 4-1 in the UFC. Fares Ziam will be the best fighter Nolan has faced. Previously, Nolan’s best win came against Charlie Campbell, who is more like a Campbell’s Soup can. But his one loss is a red flag. It came against Nikolas Motta, who smoked Nolan like some mota in the first round. Against Ziam, Nolan has to pressure and out-pace Ziam. He can’t let Ziam dictate his typical pedestrian pace. He has to force Ziam out of his comfort zone with extended combinations.

Ziam will be the (-325) favorite, and Nolan will be the (+260) live-ish dog. Nolan can fight length with length. Nolan has far more diverse striking than Ziam, using all his limbs to inflict damage. He has to sell out on his feet because there will be little hope of getting back up if Ziam gets him to the mat. Nolan is the higher-output striker, averaging 5.8 SLpM. He can steal rounds with superior activity. The play for this one is a decision. Neither are emphatic finishers. These are two guys whom I rarely pick to win, but they got me cornered. Fares Ziam via decision. Put it on wax.  

Props

Ziam: TKO/KO (+175) Sub (+450) Dec (+180)

Nolan: TKO/KO (+650) Sub (+2500) Dec (+550)

Winner: Fares Ziam | Method: Decision

Iwo Baraniewski (-380) vs. Junior Tafa (+300)

Iwo: DK: $9k | Tafa: DK: $7.2k

It took me longer to type the names of this matchup than the fight will last. Iwo Baraniewski is 8-0 with 8 finishes, all inside of three minutes. And Junior Tafa is 7-5 with 7 TKOs/KOs, and all but one came in the first round. If you take your eyes off this one to ash the blunt, you might miss it. When the dust clears, this one could earn these guys a bust in the Slobber Knocker Hall of Fame.

Speaking of slobber, Iwo Baraniewski looked like a damn Saint Bernard, slobbering all over the cage in his debut against Ibo As(s)lan. Iwo turned Ibo’s ass into Iwo Jima when he staked a fist in it like it was Mount Suribachi. Whoa, what? It was the live-action adaptation of Bad Dad vs. Randy Marsh, battling it out in the stands. Iwo got his hand raised with his pants around his ankles. That was a Jerry Springer scrap; it looked like two brothers fighting over their cousin. It had more plot twists than a full season of House of Cards.

There’s not much to Iwo’s game. You can call him Captain Hook; he’s all hooks like Nate Dogg. This guy throws every punch like a last-second half-court heave. “Yo, DJ! Hit that 2Pac “Hail Mary!” Come with me, homie, run quick, see... Iwo throws more Hail Marys than a rosary—more Hail Marys than the last five seconds of a football game. Technique: Fook it! Footwork: Fook it! Defense: Fook it! All that shit goes out the window when Iwo steps into the cage.

The red flag for Iwo is that all eight of his fights barely add up to a single five-minute round. The entirety of his level map is shaded. He needs to send some explorers out to the second and third rounds. You could watch all of this guy’s fights before a Pop-Tart burns in the toaster. Is he good? I don’t know. He doesn’t even know. Surviving early knockdowns against Ibo is the most he’s ever been tested.  

If Iwo is smart, he’ll take down Junior Tafa ASAP. Even if he’s never wrestled in his life. Because everybody knows the Tafa brothers are the worst grapplers in the history of mankind. Junior grows moss when he gets taken down. Like a prude, Tafa doesn’t even fake it when he gets put on his back. He won’t even pretend to get up. MF has those Pompeii get-ups. If a Tafa falls in the Octagon and nobody is there to see it, does he get back up? But I’ll say this: Tafa rocks a respectable 72% takedown defense. His problem is getting back to his feet.

But on his feet, Tafa has Blue Origin hands; he will send your ass into orbit like a B-list Celebrity. Once he retires, Tafa’s hands will require a thirty-year cool-down period like nuclear reactors. When he lands, the arena looks like a model house in the New Mexico desert filled with Ikea furniture and mannequins, as if they were testing the atomic bomb. Tafa’s technical kickboxing dwarfs Iwo’s. Tafa kickboxed at the highest level before joining the UFC. There isn’t anybody this guy can’t stand with.  

I was hoping Vegas would make this mistake: Iwo is the (-310) favorite, and Tafa is the (+250) live-ass dog. Unless Iwo has some hidden grappling that no one knows about, he will be at a technical disadvantage. Ibo Aslan nearly KO’d Iwo in under a shot clock violation. I know MMA math is frowned upon, but Ibo is half the striker Tafa is. The only play for this fight is a TKO/KO. I would say the value is on a Tafa TKO/KO. This one is a dog-or-pass situation. And I’m taking the fooking dog. Give me Junior Tafa via TKO, round one. I can give it to ya, but whatcha ‘gone do with it? Put it on wax.  

Props

Iwo: TKO/KO ( ) Sub ( ) Dec ( )  

Tafa: TKO/KO ( ) Sub ( ) Dec ( )

Winner: Junior Tafa | Method: TKO Rd.1

Bryce Mitchell (-142) vs. Santiago Luna (+120)

Mitchell: DK: $8.5k | Luna: DK: $7.7k

Santiago Luna is stepping in on short notice to replace Bryce Mitchell’s original opponent, Victor Henry. I don’t know if that’s good news, bad news, or if it matters to Bryce Mitchell at all. There’s nothing that any fighter can do to Bryce that hasn’t already been done to him by Josh Emmet and Jean Silva. Emmett turned Bryce into a human Shake Weight on the mat. Bryce needed a kiss from a prince to wake him up after Emmett landed that right hand. It looked like a Jetsons episode outside when Bryce finally woke up. And Bryce could have won a staring contest against Maycee Barber after Jean Silva choked him out. Lately, Bryce has been dying hard like David Carradine. 

Why you bringing up old shit? Because I’m Petty like Tom. While I’m on my petty shit, I might as well get Bryce’s major malfunction out of the way. If you couldn’t guess, it’s his stand-up. Moe Syzlak has better stand-up than Bryce Mitchell: “... Or as the ladies call me, hey, you in the bushes!” It turns into a Lemmiwinks path to victory for Bryce if he can’t get the fight to the mat. He’s left stranded, his only companion a Wilson volleyball, when he can’t ground his opponent. 

But other than the elite fighters, Bryce can get anyone to the mat. He averages 3.2 takedowns per fifteen minutes. Legend has it that Bryce once landed a takedown against Ilia Topuria. It didn’t take Topuria long to get back to his feet, but if I took down Topuria for even one second, it would be the only thing written on my tombstone. Bryce wrestles his ass off until he walks around looking like Miley Cyrus in latex pants. The thing about Mitchell is that he only loses to high-level/elite strikers who can defend takedowns. 

Don’t look now, but Santiago Luna is a three-time Mexican National wrestling champion. And although his striking is still raw like Kobe beef, it’s better than Bryce’s. This could turn into a trap fight for Bryce. If Luna’s defensive wrestling is as good as his offensive wrestling, this will turn into a boxing match. And I trust Bryce’s boxing about as much as I trust Edward Scissorhands serving puffer fish. I don’t know much about Luna outside of his two UFC bouts. His stand-up has massive holes, but he doesn’t lack aggression. The biggest disadvantage he will have to overcome is a lack of experience. Luna is only 8-0. His two UFC bouts were against NPCs. They were extras working per diem. This will be a Homer jumping the Springfield Gorge leap in competition for Luna.   

Mitchell will be the (-142) favorite, and Luna will be the (+120) live-ass dog. Anything can happen if Mitchell struggles to get Luna to the mat. Which is a good chance given Luna’s wrestling credentials. The fact that Luna is only a slight dog against a guy with far more MMA/UFC experience proves that Luna will more than hold his own. The play for this one is a decision. If a kickboxing match ensues, it won’t be pretty. I would have to give Luna a better chance of scoring a finish on the feet. Damn, I’m torn on this one. I’m going to take Bryce’s experience to be the difference, but best believe I have an Andy Jack with Luna’s name on it. Bryce Mitchell via decision. Wax on, wax off. 

Props

Luna: TKO/KO (+400) Sub (+1200) Dec (+300)  

Mitchell: TKO/KO (+1600) Sub (+380) Dec (+140)

Winner: Bryce Mitchell | Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Gabriel Bonfim ($7.9k): Bonfim averages nearly 90 Fantasy points in seven UFC bouts. He’s a Fantasy monster because he combines dominant wrestling/grappling with power striking. Belal Muhammad may have the best takedown defense since Jose Aldo, so there’s a strong likelihood that this fight will play out almost entirely on the feet. If that’s the case, Bonfim will have a sizeable power advantage, and he will be the finishing threat. At least for the first two to three rounds. The red flag on Bonfim is his gas tank. His only loss came against Nicolas Dalby, who weathered the first-round storm and finished Bonfim in the second. How will Bonfim look in the championship rounds if he can’t find an early finish? Bonfim averages 4.6 SLpM, with a career high of 101 in one of only two fights that went the full 15 minutes.  

Santiago Luna ($7.7k): I’m not so sure this young lion might not step in on short notice, fook around, and beat Bryce Mitchell. This kid is a Mexican national wrestling champion. Mitchell may not be able to rag-doll him to the mat as Mitchell is used to doing. And if the fight stays standing, Luna has better striking than Mitchell. Luna isn’t a polished product on his feet, but he applies relentless pressure and throws nothing but combinations. In his previous fight, Luna landed 131 significant strikes and five takedowns. In two UFC bouts, he averages 118 Fantasy points. But this will be a massive step up in competition for Luna. Angel Pacheco isn’t walking down that tunnel. At only 8-0, Luna is too young in his career and blissfully unaware of the taste of defeat. He’s walking into the casino with pockets full of Monopoly money, ready to hit it big. If the fight stays standing, Luna’s upside is a TKO/KO.  

Junior Tafa ($7.2k): Unless Iwo Baraniewski has some wrestling/grappling hidden up his sleeve, this fight will be a short and sweet stand-up banger. Tafa has an extensive kickboxing resume before making the switch to MMA. Technically, he is thesuperior striker. Iwo’s game plan is no secret: heavy pressure and unrelenting wide, looping hooks. Iwo was nearly KO’d in the opening seconds of his UFC debut before mounting a Meek Mill-like come back. Iwo is defensively irresponsible. This fight will come down to who lands the first big shot. The key for Tafa will be taking Iwo’s legs out from under him. Before unleashing his hands, Tafa should attack Iwo’s legs. Hand-to-hand, power for power, this fight is a complete toss-up. But a word of caution: Tafa will be an all-or-nothing pick. He will either flip the Fantasy board with an early TKO/KO, or he will be on the receiving end of a vicious TKO/KO.   

 $6k Clearance Rack  

John Yannis ($6.7k): If you can afford Tom Nolan at $7.1k, take him. The Clearance Rack is looking meager this week. The options are already starting to spoil. But John Yannis gives you the best chance of at least going the distance. The other two options will surely be finished within fifteen minutes. Yannis is a super mid fighter, but he has good enough striking to hang with Marcus McGhee. McGhee is the superior fighter, but he is far from a world-beater. I think Yannis can at least hang with McGhee and avoid putting a goose egg up on the scoreboard.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Junior Tafa (+280): Trusting the Tafa brothers is like trusting Kanye and his cousin home alone. It’s like trusting your leftovers in the breakroom refrigerator at work. But Tafa will be in a kickboxing match and likely won’t have to worry about takedowns. Iwo and Tafa will trade early and often, and one will be left hooked up to the sleep apnea machine at its conclusion. In my book, it’s a toss-up who will be left sawing logs on the canvas. Tafa is a superior technical kickboxer to Iwo. Iwo is all power and aggression and no defense. If Iwo gets out of pocket inside the pocket as he did in his debut against Ibo Aslan (who nearly finished Iwo), Tafa will knock him out.  

Santiago Luna (+120): This may be a little too much, too soon for the 8-0 Luna. But the fact that he isn’t a heavy dog against Bryce Mitchell says a lot about his skills and potential. He has the wrestling pedigree to stifle Mitchell’s wrestling/grappling. If Bryce can’t get Luna to the mat consistently and keep him there, he will be up Shit’s Creek with paddles this deep; he’s still gonna sink. Luna will out-strike Mitchell on the feet. Luna is a high-volume combination striker. Even without a finish, he can run away with a decision on the scorecards with superior output. And if he can damage Bryce on the feet, I wouldn’t be surprised if Luna flipped the script and put Bryce on his back.  

Gabriel Bonfim (+105): I like taking more sizeable dogs, but this card is loaded with lopsided matchups and mangy dogs. Bonfim can beat Belal on the feet. But he will have to do it early. If this fight makes it into the third round and beyond, Belal will take over. Bonfim has a ten-minute window to find a finish, or he will fade like Great Clips. I think the wrestling/grappling will cancel each other out, leaving us with a kickboxing match. Belal is more of a combination striker, and his unorthodox, awkward striking causes fighters a lot of problems. But Bonfim has the one-punch KO power to turn the tide at any moment.  

Twenty Twen-Twen Longshot Parlay

You gotta fight for your right to paaaaaaaarlay! If you parlay the Twenty Twen-Twen options this week, it will yield (+1614) odds. A ten-dollar bet will pay $161. 

Pick ‘Em

Matt Schnell (+525) vs. Alessandro Costa (-800)

Winner: Alessandro Costa

Method: TKO Rd.2

Marcus McGhee (-500) vs. John Yannis (+360) 

Winner: Marcus McGhee

Method: Decision

Bruno Silva (-135) vs. Edgar Chairez (+115) 

Winner: Bruno Silva

Method: Decision

Priscila Cachoeira (+105) vs. Chelsea Chandler (-128)

Winner: Priscila Cachoeira

Method: TKO Rd.2

Jordan Leavitt (+158) vs. Joanderson Brito (-183)  

Winner: Joanderson Brito

Method: Decision

Jeisla Chaves (+305) vs. Yuneisy Duben (-410)  

Winner: Jeisla Chaves

Method: Decision

Ketlen Souza (-300) vs. Ariane Carnelossi (+250) 

Winner: Ketlen Souza

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.