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

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Main Card

Tatsuro Taira (-350) vs. Hyun Sung Park (+275)

Taira: DK: $9.2k | Park: DK:$7k

The stars are out, shining bright despite an overcast sky. They congregate on the red carpet in such impressive numbers that together, they form a celestial body, a constellation of Hollywood’s most prominent movers and shakers. Only a once-in-a-lifetime event could pry them away from their elaborate sets and stages erected in the most exotic corners of the world and bring them all together in one place, for one night only. 

Inside, an anxious, almost eerie hush blankets the crowd. Only the whisper of hurried feet breaks the silence as they rush to their seats in the final seconds before the curtain lifts. Along the runway, like air traffic controllers, men in black, double-breasted and garnished with bowties, articulate hand gestures, and after a slight delay, the lights dim. 

With a haughty gait, Carlos Hernandez struts his way into the view of the waiting crowd. At the end of the catwalk, he spins, giving the spectators a 360 view of his ensemble, a Full Mount Tatsuro Taira evening romper. Those in attendance applaud with their wide, shocked eyes, actively searching those around them to share in their mirth.   

Only moments after Hernandez disappears behind the curtain, Alex Perez marches out – a man on a mission. The crowd is compelled to their feet as if cued, a collective gasp rising above the pulsing trance music. A stunning walk up to the line between minimalist and voyeur, Perez is clad in a Tatsuro Taira Back-Mounted Body Triangle Trench Coat with nothing but Venom fight shorts beneath. No longer able to contain their pretentious gaiety, the crowd erupts, a black-tie affair turned into a raucous gathering of the plebes and their displays of brawn. It will go down as a revolutionary night that will change the Met Gala forever.  

That’s what it’s like fighting Tatsuro Taira. You wear him like a morbid Met Gala costume, doing little pirouettes and shit. Taira will have you looking like an NBA player making his arena entrance. He’ll turn you into Russell Westbrook real fookin’ quick. Taira is the Greatest Show on Canvas. He makes grappling sexy again. Taira is a freak show attraction on the mat. People take pictures and throw fish heads at him while they watch him grapple. And the trainers feed him strikers or grapplers-turned strikers.   

Like Alex Perez. Taira took Perez’s back like he was climbing a fence. He mounted Perez in the standing position and started wrenching on his back until Perez’s knee blew out. It was diabolical work. It looked like Taira was carjacking Perez. Poor Perez was mashing the OnStar button. The people on the other end pretended not to hear Perez, crumbling paper next to the receiver, “I’m sorry! I can’t hear you! You’re breaking up!” Click. It looked like Taira was breaking into Anthony Smith’s house. Winner by “Breaking and Entering!”   

Taira is the Max Holloway of grapplers. He’s a volume submission grappler. Position, damage, and submissions: Taira possesses the Holy Trinity of Grappling. But Taira is beatable on the feet. Don’t get it twisted, he’s no crumb bum. He has solid boxing with long, straight punches. But he’s like Bill Clinton in the pocket. He doesn’t inhale the smoke. Taira is a sniper from range but a patsy inside the pocket. He gets Jack Ruby’d when he extends combinations. That’s where Brandon Royval exploited Taira’s striking when he handed Taira his first career loss. But that fight was 2-2 going into the fifth round. Taira showed he could hang with the very best.   

Midway through writing this, the main event between Taira vs. Albazi was called off. The new main event is Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park, who won the “Road to UFC” show in 2022. Park has since gone 3-0 in the UFC with three finishes (two subs and one TKO). I don’t know much about Park because his fights are too damn short. His fights are so short that there are no scroll bars on his videos. He has only been to one decision in ten career fights, while sporting an undefeated record. And this fight might be more dangerous for Taira than the Albazi fight. Park is also a wrestling/grappling specialist, and he has far more power on the feet than Taira. As a late replacement, Park is an Uno wild card if I ever saw one. 

On the feet, Park is a little stiff like the socks you hid at the bottom of your hamper. You know what socks I’m talkin' about. But he has power like U.S. lobbies. And he might be an overall better boxer than Taira. But can he fight for twenty-five minutes? Homie is built like Vageta in Dragon Ball Z. And guys built like him usually fade late. He hasn’t gone the distance in a three-round fight since his pro debut. Even though it’s a short-notice fight, it’s still scheduled for five rounds. Park was set to fight Steve Erceg next weekend as a late replacement. So, Park won’t be coming in off the couch.   

I’m assuming Park will be the dog in this matchup. I don’t think it will be by much, though. Taira will have to make Park burn energy early defending takedowns and getting back to his feet. He can't stand and trade with Park until the middle rounds, when some of Park’s power is drained. Park averages nearly four and a half SLpM compared to Taira’s three. Park throws combinations, and Taira will fall behind on the numbers on the feet. There is value in a Park early TKO/KO, but I think this one will go the distance.   

Last week, I had the main event 2-2 heading into the final round and thought Whittaker clearly won round five. But like the Rock says, “IT DOESN’T MATTER” how I scored it. The main event L-streak now sits at three. There was no way Albazi was going to beat Taira. I had already counted my dub this week. Now here we are with a complete wrench thrown in my plans. I just haven’t seen enough of Hyun Sung Park. But he is a live-ass dog. I think he would beat Albazi. But give me the guy who just went five rounds with Brandon Royval. Tatsuro Taira via decision. Put it on wax.   

Props

Taira: TKO/KO (+500) Sub (+150) Dec (+200) 

Park: TKO/KO (+1000) Sub (+800) Dec (+800)

Winner: Tatsuro Taira | Method: Decision

Mateusz Rebecki (-210) vs. Chris Duncan (+175)

Rebecki: DK: $9k | Duncan: DK: $7.2k

As I’m writing this, I have no idea what’s going on with this card. It’s falling apart. The main event is rumored to be off, and the bout order is all over the place. But whoever ends up in the main event, this fight right here is an undercover banger. The new main event could be the hairlines of Mateusz and Neil Magny. Winner flies to Turkey, all expenses paid. Shit, I’ll make that a three-man tournament. Rebecki rocks that Spartacus helmet fade, AKA the cul-de-sac fade. That hairline is the equivalent of cauliflower ear. If you see a man rocking that hairline, you know he will crack your ass real quick. Those dudes have been adults since they were fifteen, buying cigs and Sparks energy drinks without being carded.   

“So, Mr. Rebecki, how are the wife and kids?” 

“Oh, you know, growing like weeds.” 

My man Rebecki is only thirty-two, but he looks like he could qualify for a 55 and up community. On the feet, he has that old man power. His left hand will leave you seeing little cherubs flapping around your head with their bare asses out like Tyson giving interviews backstage. All my MMA day-ones will remember Sean Sherk. Rebecki is the Luke Skywalker to Sean Sherk’s Darth Vader. “Mateusz, I am your father.” Homie is built like a tiny brick shit house. Or is it a shit brick house? Either way, Rebecki looks like he bleeds protein powder and creatine, and it glows green like the Predator’s blood. Homie could swim in the Springfield River without growing a third eye. Rebecki is built like Big Poppa Pump’s biceps.   

And he will pump you full of left hands. He’s the southpaw Chandler. And I ain’t talking Chandler Bing. Rebecki generates power on the feet by changing shoulder levels as he throws. It also allows him to attack from above and below the opponent’s guard instead of repetitively down the middle. He attacks from underneath with the lead hand and from over the top with his power hand. And he has a nasty ground game to match his striking. He’s a garbage disposal on the mat; he will turn you into compost and use you in his tomato garden real quick from the top position.  

Rebecki is 20-2 with noine TKOs/KOs and seven subs. He’s coming in off a big dub against Myktybek Orolbai. He averages just over four and a half SLpM and nearly four takedowns per fifteen minutes. This fight could come down to who can defend a takedown. Rebecki averages only a forty-five percent takedown defense, only outdone by Duncan’s thirty-seven percent. Duncan also averages around four takedowns per fifteen minutes. This could be a firefight on the feet and on the mat.  

Chris Duncan is a dog. He’s the result of a Resident Evil zombie dog having its way with a Belgian Malinois. Never forget his epic comeback on the Contender Series. He was sleepwalking in the opening minutes, out on his feet, but survived and landed a Hail Mary overhand right that Charlie Campbell walked right into. Duncan left Campbell face down on the mat like he got caught stealing second. This guy has so much dog in him that DMX once tried to adopt him. The fight is never over for Chris Duncan. He will comeback on you like Easter Sunday. He has more comebacks than Meek Mill. He comes back like that shit on ya lip. 

“That shit on your lip got some shit on its lip.” 

“Is that why no puff puff?” Pass the dutchie, my friends!” 

Chris Duncan is the classic overachiever. He’s the type to ask for homework on weekends and summer break. He’s the doodie you have to plunge, then call a plumber to replace the pipes to get him out of there. And don’t look now, but Chris Duncan is streaking. He has won two in a row, both by guillotine. This guy has guillotines like public executions in the 1600s. Homie has Bolaji Oki’s and Jordan Vucenic’s heads mounted on spikes in his front yard like the Lord of the Flies pig head. But his best weapon is his Battle Toads right hand. This guy is all right hands. Right hands like the pledge of allegiance. Like bibles before you testify. If you’re still standing after he throws it, he’ll take you down and dominate the top position.   

Rebecki is the (-205) favorite, and Duncan is the (+175) live-ass dog. Duncan just finds ways to win even when he is outgunned. Which he will be on his feet against Rebecki. This could come down to who commits to their wrestling. I think the value in this fight is in betting a TKO/KO finish one way or the other. Rebecki’s two career losses came by TKOs/KOs, and Duncan has been finished twice (once by sub and once by KO). One of these guys will land something heavy. I think Rebecki is a little smoother on his feet. Mateusz Rebecki via TKO, round three. On wax.   

Props

Rebecki: TKO/KO (+165) Sub (+650) Dec (+250) 

Duncan: TKO/KO (+500) Sub (+900) Dec (+550)

Winner: Mateusz Rebecki | Method: TKO Rd.3

Neil Magny (+165) vs. Elizeu dos Santos (-195)

Magny: DK: $7.4k | Santos: DK:$8.8k

Yo! Hit that The Pharcyde “Runnin’!” Neil Magny’s hairline can’t keep runnin' awaaaay. Can’t keep runnin' awaaaay. I’m still waiting for the day when Neil Magny finally waves the white flag and rolls up into the Octagon rocking a bald head like the fourth member of the rap group Onyx. My man’s hairline is runnin’ like a rookie lit the J. It’s about to lap mine, and I had a five-year head start. My man’s hairline is looking like what climate change experts in the ‘70s said the California coastline would look like by the year 2000. But Magny’s Stephen A. fade is still standing here screaming “Fook the Free World!” But for how much longer?  

Like his fade, Magny’s career is reaching the end of the line. He has dropped three of his last four and four of his previous six fights. The two wins came over Mike Malott (who stole defeat from the jaws of certain victory in the last minute) and Phillip Rowe. The guy who hosts Dirty Jobs? There was a time when Magny was one of the biggest sleepers in the welterweight division, a tough out for anyone. But somewhere along the way, Magny began experiencing schizophrenic episodes. He started conducting the BiPolar Express. He became the MMA Two Face, flipping a coin to determine which Neil Magny would show up – the ass-kicking sleeper or the disinterested prude, waiting stoically on his back for the fight to be over. I call Magny a poet without a muse. Sometimes, he just goes through the motions like a third-base coach.   

But when you least expect it, Magny will pull off some shit like Johnny Depp’s comforter. His style has always been generic, sterile like hospital waiting rooms. But it has always been effective. The only thing that goes further back than Magny’s hand when he salutes is his UFC career. Since 2013, Magny has been doing it and doing it and doing it well like LL Cool J. Hit that shit! In his prime, Magny’s M.O. was dragging you into deep waters like Scott Peterson. He would take your best shot and keep coming. Long, lanky, and janky – underrated traits in MMA. Neil Magny possesses all of them. He can stick you from the outside and take you down if you get out of pocket.   

Against Elizeu dos Santos, Magny has to dominate from outside the pocket and stay off his back. Homie won’t even fake it when you put him on his back. He just rolls his eyes and says, “Are you done yet?” This is a very winnable fight for Magny. He can out-point dos Santos from the outside with his jab alone. Dos Santos is the higher output striker, averaging just under four and a half SLpM compared to Neil’s three and a half. But Neil can stifle dos Santos’s ability to throw combinations using his superior reach.   

It’s been four years since Elizeu dos Santos nearly caught a body when he fought Benoit St. Denis. I’ll never forget watching my first Spirit Cooking that night. Dos Santos went Chris Benoit on Benoit St. Denis. Homie dragged St. Denis from the end of his chariot like Achilles did Hector. St. Denis was left for dead like Murphy before they turned him into RoboCop. By the second round, buzzards were already circling the Octagon. The ref was feeling for a pulse and still let the fight continue to the final bell (he was fired backstage immediately after). Dos Santos also once KO’d Sean Strickland with a spinning wheel kick. He even beat a Nurmagomedov franchisee. “Hey! That’s a lot of past tense you’re using, buddy!” 

You’re right. But I ain’t your buddy, guy! After his most recent TKO loss to Chidi Njokuani, I think the best of dos Santos is behind him. Dos Santos never had good hand speed, but he looked especially slow against Chidi. Dos Santos has always had that carrier pigeon hand speed. The town is already pillaged and set ablaze by the time you get the message warning of a surprise attack by the time his hands reach the target. But dos Santos has always been known for his deceptively heavy hands. Homie has to wear a weightlifting belt into the Octagon just to carry them without blowing out his back. When he throws, it’s like throwing a bowling ball overhand from the stretch. His hands are like battering rams used to storm castles in medieval times. They leave you with internal bleeding. He’ll leave you looking like Doc Holiday with TB, coughing up blood.   

Elizeu isn’t a takedown guy, but he doesn’t have to be to get Magny to the mat. Magny rocks a fifty-three percent takedown defense. He can beat up Magny in the clinch and drag him to the mat. I’m not sure he can stand at range with Magny anymore. I think those days are gone. Dos Santos is the (-215) favorite, and Magny is the (+180) live-ass dog. I can’t believe I said live-ass dog when referring to Neil Magny. But he can win this fight. I lost a lot of faith in dos Santos after his recent performances. Neil could end up in the top position after dominating at range on the feet. The play for this one is a decision. Damn, I’m stuck on this one. The dogs were barking last week. Give me the dog. Neil Magny via decision. On wax. 

Props

Magny: TKO/KO (+1200) Sub (+1400) Dec (+240) 

Dos Santos: TKO/KO (+240) Sub (+700) Dec (+185)

Winner: Neil Magny | Method: Decision

Esteban Ribovics (-260) vs. Elves Brener (+215)

Ribovics: DK: $9.1k | Brener: DK: $7.1k

Like 2Pac is still alive, sipping daiquiris in the Bahamas, Dustin Poirier didn’t retire. He just switched faces with Esteban Ribovics on some Sean Archer and Castor Troy type-ish. Ribovics is the Southern Hemisphere Dustin Poirier. Ribovics fights are like if someone hit the SAP button during a Poirier fight. All you hear is the Bumblebee Guy voice from The Simpsons, “Aye yi yi!” In keeping with the Simpsons theme, Elves Brener looks like a Tree House of Horror Eddie Bravo, the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu founder and perfector of the Rubber Guard. This guy started his UFC career hotter than the whole lot of Kneehigh Park puppets. But after winning his first three fights, he has dropped two in a row. This one is another guaranteed banger. And I don’t gotta lie to kick it.   

All you need to know about Esteban Ribovics is that he cracks like the ‘80s. He cracks like Delonte West at a Bobby and Whitney house party. Cracks like wedgies – like the shit stains in ya draws before Mammy hits them with the Spray N Wash. This guy throws hands like he invented combinations. Extending combinations is Ribovic’s special power. He fights like Deadpool was cast in a Final Destination movie. He fights like he’s Kenny. “Oh my God, they killed Ribovics!” This guy has a Death Wish like Charles Bronson found a genie.   

Hit that “Low Rider” by War! Like Dustin Poirier, Ribovics is a low rider. He carries his hands low and heaves punches from the waist. Shovels punches (hook/uppercut hybrids) are Ribovic’s best punches. When he gets to stringing combos together, his hands sound like the opening track of Chronic 2001. And Ribovics’s hands are heavy. He needs a spotter to wipe his ass. His hands are like throwing Acme anvils. They just sound different when they land. But Ribovics’s major malfunction is his defense. My man goes full indecent exposure in the pocket. He bares all when he commits to combinations. Almost entirely, Ribovics relies on his chin to defend. His chin could withstand reentry. His chin could’ve brought the stranded astronauts home.   

Ribovics is 14-2 with seven TKOs/KOs and five subs. You want Fantasy points? Get a load of this guy. Ribovics averages over eight SLpM. And that’s with six measurable fights. He has landed well over one hundred strikes in three fights. The only thing that can stop him from landing over one hundred significant strikes is knocking out his opponent early. 

Don’t let Elves Brener’s style fool you. His cadence on the feet looks like a drunk patron squaring up in the parking lot against an invisible opponent. It looks like he learned how to strike on YouTube. He has that influencer striking. Brener has lunch lady hands, dishing out Sloppy Joes. But somehow, he not only beat, but TKO’d Guram Kutateladze, a world class kickboxer. That’s because you can’t kill this guy. Spray him with a can of Raid, and he will keep crawling. Step on him, and he will slip through the treads in your shoe, then keep on keepin' on. He isn’t great anything; he just fights. He puts his heart and soul into every punch and takedown like Grandma’s puts into her cookies. If you get to fooking around, he’ll knock your block off on some Tetris type-ish.   

Brener is the type to get better as the fight progresses. He just hangs around like Carradine did until his maid walked in on him. Overall, Brener fights like he’s playing HORSE. Nothing but wild, random shots. Spinning backfist: H. Superman Punch: O. Flying Scissor Kick: R. Brener is 16-5 with three TKOs/KOs and eleven subs. He averages a respectable four SLpM and over one takedown per fifteen minutes. His specialty is his grappling, but he rarely commits to relocating the fight.  

Spicy Poirier will be the (-280) favorite, and Brener will be the (+230) live dog. Brener is nasty in his own way. He makes fights ugly and never fails to go for it. Ribovics is one of the most hittable fighters in the UFC. Like 2Pac, his chin ain’t hard to find. Also, Ribovics has a sixty-three percent takedown defense. His weakness is on his back. That’s how he lost his debut (I thought he won), from his back. But Brener will probably have to go the distance to get his hand raised. Ribovics can end the fight at any time. I actually like playing this one for a decision. These are two dogs. Esteban Ribovics via decision. Put it on wax.  

Props

Ribovics: TKO/KO (+150) Sub (+1400) Dec (+165)  

Brener: TKO/KO (+1200) Sub (+800) Dec (+450)

Winner: Esteban Ribovics | Method: Decision

Kevin Vallejos (-460) vs. Danny Silva (+340)

Vallejos: DK: $9.4k | Silva: DK: $6.8k

This is a crunchy little banger, featuring a striker who went the distance with Jean Silva on the Contender Series, Kevin Vallejos. Without a doubt, Vallejos gave Silva a better fight than any of Silva’s five UFC opponents thus far, which included Charles Jourdain, Drew Dober, and Bryce Mitchell. Going the distance with Jean Silva is like being the lone survivor of a plane crash after parachuting from a hole in the fuselage. Yo! Hit that Akon and Jeezy "Soul Survivor!" If you're looking for Kevin Vallejos, he’ll be on the block, with his right hand cocked, possibly sitting on the drop now. Because he’s a rider, a soul survivor. After a first-round TKO finish in his debut, Vallejos will be up against the overachiever Danny Silva. Silva will be outgunned, outmanned, and out-everything, but that won’t stop him from throwing hands and making this a dope striker’s delight.   

Kevin Vallejos is an aggressive combination striker. He has more combinations than a Mexican restaurant. Vallejos consistently reaches third and fourth-level strikes. The key to his striking is the use of body shots. And I ain’t talking belly buttons and lime wedges. This guy will leave your liver on life support – Do Not Resuscitate. They’ll read your liver its last rites. Once your hands drop to defend, he throws over the top, and it’s not long until you’re reaching for the snooze button when you wake up.   

Vallejos’s special move is the counter right hand. He sets the counter right-hand hand on fully automatic. For Vallejos, "counter right hand" is the answer to every question. If train A leaves the station going 50 miles an hour, and train B leaves the station one hour later going 70 miles an hour, how many miles will it take for train B to catch up with train A?  

Counter right hand.  

Opponents run into Vallejos’s counter right hand like birds flying into windows after a spritz of Windex. The key to fighting Vallejos is using feints and double/triple jabs to get him out of position. Vallejos is 15-1 with eleven TKOs/KOs and two subs.   

Danny Silva is all heart. Even when he’s chest naked, Silva wears his heart on his sleeve. His heart makes up for a lack of elite skills. Otherwise, Silva is a fairly vanilla striker. He takes the extra out of extraordinary. Silva is the equivalent of when you first start out on Quest Mode, still rocking leather armor, before upgrading to chain mail. He’s the orange flavor Otter Pop - the orange flavor of any variety pack that is left over after all the other flavors are gone. Orange is still bomb, but it’s just not blue, green, or red. Yo! Hit that The Weeknd “Ordinary Life!”   

But that’s okay because Danny Silva has that dog in him like a kennel. He’s that dog that barks all damn day while the owners are at work. Homie is persistent like “Scam Likely” calls. Block his number, and Danny still keeps calling. Silva's M.O. is constant pressure. He pressures you like a car salesman. And like Vallejos, Danny has more combinations than high school lockers. But Danny’s major malfunction is that he gets too predictable. His hands get those marching orders – left, right, left. And he moves in straight lines like an Etch A Sketch. With every exchange, Silva will have to risk getting KO’d to get inside on Vallejos and deliver extended combos. He is 10-1 for his career with five TKOs/KOs. 

Vallejos will be the (-510) favorite, and Silva will be the (+370) mangy-ass dog. I didn’t think the odds would be that wide. But Vallejos is clearly the better fighter with superior physical attributes. Silva will have to win on sheer heart, while Vallejos has the intricate technical skills to beat Silva anywhere. But barring an early finish, this is a good fight to pick up Fantasy points. Vallejos averages six and a half SLpM, and Silva averages nearly seven and a half. This will be a high-output fight from beginning to end. But give me Kevin Vallejos via TKO, round three. Wax on, wax off.    

Props

Vallejos: TKO/KO (-110) Sub (+800) Dec (+240)  

Silva: TKO/KO (+1200) Sub (+2000) Dec (+550)

Winner: Kevin Vallejos | Method: TKO Rd.3

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Chris Duncan ($7.2k): The Value Menu is Motley Crue this week. Likely, you won’t find many finishes in the price range, but one of the long shots is Chris Duncan. He has a specialty: Guillotines. And he has a fight-ending right hand. But his biggest weapon is that he gets slept on like a homie’s couch every time he fights. Mateusz Rebecki is the all-around better fighter, but Duncan can compete with him anywhere the fight goes. Both fighters like to implement wrestling, but this could turn into a banger on the feet. Although Rebecki is the slicker striker, Duncan has more one-punch power. Barring an early finish, this one should produce solid striking stats both ways.   

Hyun Sung Park ($7k): I haven’t seen a whole lot of Park inside the Octagon, but I’ve seen enough to know he’s a problem. And I think he will cause Tatsuro Taira more problems than his original opponent, Amir Albazi, would have. Park is the overall better boxer with cleaner combinations. He also has the power that Taira lacks. But most importantly, Park is a wrestler/grappler like Taira. I’m not sure Taira will be able to take down Park at will, at least not early. While Taira is more of a Jiu-Jitsu guy, Park is more of a power wrestler. He’ll have to be careful in transitions. The biggest question about Park is his gas tank. He hasn’t gone five rounds since his debut, that’s noine straight fights. What will he look like in the championship rounds? Otherwise, this guy will land striking stats that will make him far more valuable than his salary cap hit.   

Tresean Gore (7.3k): Last week, I didn’t pull the trigger on Martin Buday fighting the grappling legend Buchecha. Once Buchecha couldn’t get Buday to the mat, the fight was over. That will be the case with Gore vs The Jitz God, Rodolfo Vieira. If Vieira can’t submit Gore in the first round, he will lose this fight. Gore will box him up for the remainder. The red flag on Gore is that he is an underachiever. He has the look of an elite, dangerous striker, but he has KO losses to Cody Brundage and Marco Tulio. Vieira won’t cause Gore any difficulties on the feet. But Gore is one of those fighters you just can’t trust to show up and fight to his potential consistently. If you have live betting in your state, this is the fight for you. Go all in on Gore if he can survive the first round. Vieira is known for nasty submissions, but he’s also known for Mackenzie Dern Jiu-Jitsu takedowns.   

 $6k Clearance Rack

Danny Silva ($6.8k): Danny Silva will have to pull off some shit like Mel Gibson in The Patriot to win this one. He has to go full minutemen, using guerilla tactics (ambushes and shit) to beat Kevin Vallejos. He can’t line up straight across from Vallejos and engage in traditional Lobsterback warfare. Silva has to make this fight ugly – make it an MMA fight in the clinch and against the cage. Silva averages nearly seven and a half SLpM, with a high of two hundred four strikes landed in a bout on the Contender Series. The problem is, his opponent also landed one hundred noinety-seven strikes against Silva. He’s highly hittable. But for this price tag, Silva should return respectable striking stats, barring an early finish.   

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Tresean Gore (+175): Last week, the dogs were barking. Nobody in the neighborhood was getting any sleep. The Twenty Twens went 3-0. One of the bets that I didn’t make and that still haunts me is the Buchecha vs. Buday fight. Buchecha had nothing on his feet after he was unable to get Buday to the mat. Gore vs. Vieira is an opportunity to right the wrong. This is the exact same matchup, just at a lower weight class. Vieira will be a massive sub threat for the first five minutes. But after that, he will just stand around throwing an occasional jab until the final bell sounds. Gore will be the far better striker. He also rocks an eighty-three percent takedown defense. That’s a good look when facing a guy with suspect takedowns. 

Neil Magny (+170): “I’ll take things I never thought I’d type for five hundred, Alex.” Neil Magny as a sleeper!? Here we are. Elizeu dos Santos used to be one of my best-kept underdog secrets. But he’s pushing forty (so is Magny) and just hasn’t looked like the same killer who KO’d Sean Strickland with a spinning wheel kick and who got robbed by the judges against Rinat Fakhretdinov. The Ls have been piling up for Magny, but he has been on some Geralt of Riva type-shit, fighting nothing but monsters lately. His jab and ability to use range are still solid. And although he is prude from his back, Magny is nasty from the top. I can see Magny using his range to outpoint dos Santos over three rounds.   

Hyun Sung Park (+280)/Chris Duncan (+170) Parlay: I’m getting silly on this one. This parlay will return (+920). Dropping an Andy Jackson will return $183. I just can’t decide on the two for the final Twenty Twen-Twen spot. So fook it! Parlay them! Park is fairly untested, but he possesses all the skills to cause Taira problems on the feet and on the mat, defending takedowns. If that fight turns into a kickboxing match, I think it will be a toss-up. And Chris Duncan is just a low-down, dirty, shifty dog. And he’s a dog with a knack for landing guillotines. Rebecki will definitely be looking to take down Duncan, and any time he does, Duncan will have the Gilly sitting shotty. Also, Duncan has a fight-ending right hand. And he’s good at using it to counter. There are legitimate paths to victory for both these dogs.   

Pick ‘Em

Karol Rosa (-175) vs. Nora Cornolle (+150)  

Winner: Nora Cornolle 

Method: Decision 

Rinya Nakamura (-415) vs. Nathan Fletcher (+310)  

Winner: Rinya Nakamura 

Method: Decision 

Rodolfo Vieira (-205) vs. Tresean Gore (+175)  

Winner: Tresean Gore 

Method: Decision 

Nick Klein (+140) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (-165) 

Winner: Andrey Pulyaev 

Method: Decision 

Felipe Bunes (+360) vs. Rafael Estevam (-500) 

 Winner: Rafael Estevam 

Method: Decision 

 John Yannis ( ) vs. Austin Bashi ( ) 

 Winner: Austin Bashi 

Method: Rear Naked Choke Rd.3 

 Ketlen Souza (+180) vs. Piera Rodriguez (-220) 

Winner: Piera Rodriguez 

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.