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

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Main Card

Marvin Vettori (-115) vs. Jared Cannonier (-110)

Vettori: DK: $8k | Cannonier: DK:$8.2k

Father’s Day is this weekend. I was granted access to the club four years ago, the four best years of my life. It’s the only job I will never quit or retire from, and OT isn't a mandate but a voluntary act. My dream is to raise two world champions, the first two siblings to simultaneously hold world titles, the next GSP and Amanda Nunes. But I’ll be just as happy if they never hoist a belt or throw a punch and instead go on to become nurses, mechanics, teachers, or firefighters. In fact, these words will be the only manifestation of such ambitions written, spoken, implied, or otherwise, as my dreams will bear no influence on the routes they choose to explore in life. But just in case, I’ll keep scouting the McGregor, Cerrone, and Nunes kids, take tedious notes, and draw up the game plans; they might come in handy one day.  

I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize one of the GOAT UFC dads, Israel Adesanya, on this occasion, a man who son’d an entire weight class. I imagine Izzy’s special day going something like this: He wakes up to Robert Whittaker serving him a McDonald’s hot cake platter in bed. Then Paulo Costa shows up to pay his respects and gifts Izzy the macaroni glued to the construction paper game plan he used during their bout. And the day ends with Izzy sitting in front of a pile of Hallmark cards like Tony Montana in front of a pile of booger sugar while watching two fruits of his loom, Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori, engage in fisticuffs, a modern-day Cain and Abel, the prize, the affection of their Pappy, the Last Stylebender. 

Marvin Vettori is one of Izzy’s oldest sons, a guy who fought Izzy twice, including a title shot in their second meeting. Vettori is a Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out character if I’ve ever seen one. He would probably fit in somewhere between Piston Honda and Don Flamenco; he’s not a can like Doc Louis, but at the same time, not a killer like Soda Popinski either. The problem for Vettori is he’s just good enough to not be good enough. He can beat most in the division just by sheer will and having a Mt. Rushmore granite chin, but for the most part, he’s a pitbull with dolphin teeth. He’s like a 2000 Honda Civic hatchback on Pimp My Ride with a jacuzzi in the back and refrigerator in the front seat, but it still has the same shitty four-banger engine with three plugs blown out. At least you’ll be chillin’ while you wait for AAA on the side of the road. If scary looks translated to fighting ability, Marvin Vettori would be reigning, defending champ right meow. 

But Vettori has always been missing something. Variety. He’s a boxer with decent takedowns but lacks one-punch power and diverse attacks. He’s all hands on the feet and uses the same basic combinations on repeat. In his most recent bout against Roman Dolidze, Vettori added a nasty leg kick to his game, and it was probably the difference in him winning the fight. There’s no guessing with Vettori; you know exactly what you will get from him, and he’s relatively easy to prepare for. His best weapon is volume; he can touch up your face like Bob Ross dabbing happy little clouds on a canvas and outwork/outhustle you for any length of time. Vettori has Costco Wholesale punches, Kirkland brand punches, and he usually wins fights by being a dog and, as cliché as it sounds, wanting it more than his opponent. 

Marvin Vettori is an anti-finisher; he can’t be finished, and he can’t finish fights, and I bet if you asked a couple of his former Bettys... never mind. One finish in his last thirteen fights, that’s what Vettori is working with. And that one finish was against Karl Roberson, a habitual half-stepper. But Vettori has also never been finished in his twenty-six-fight career. He’s never had to respawn, and I’ve only ever seen him get his ass completely kicked once against Robert Whittaker, a habitual ass-kicker. Only dust particles and Marvin Vettori would float through space after a supernova. The key for Vettori against Cannonier will be output and diversifying his strikes. You need to diversify your bonds, homie. Some round kicks to the body behind hand combinations and a continued commitment to leg kicks. Stats-wise, Cannonier and Vettori are similar in output, averaging just over four strikes per minute, but the difference comes in time spent between engagements. Vettori has to eliminate dead air and be the first to bomb. My life’s motto: Be First & Be Often. FYI, my Be First & Be Often throw pillow line will finally make its retail debut exclusively at Big Lots this fall. 

Jared Cannonier shares many flaws with Marvin Vettori; he is a better finisher than Vettori but lacks that sixth gear. I think the issue with Cannonier is in his cadence, his flow. He’s a moderate-output striker, but watching him sometimes feels like watching Jairzinho Rozenstruik, at least for stretches. Cannonier allows too much time to lapse between attacks; it’s like he’s a storm chaser waiting for the perfect conditions to generate the storm of the century. At times he’s a little too technical and allows opponents to hang around even when it’s clear he is the superior striker. But he has Book of Eli dystopian power, something Vettori lacks. And Cannonier uses both stances, including step-in hooks, to cover distance and add variety to his attacks. But there is an asterisk: Cannonier is a Milli Vanilli southpaw. When he switches to southpaw, he only throws rear-leg kicks and occasional lead right hooks. If Vettori is reading this, attack Cannonier when he is in the southpaw stance; he isn’t nearly as polished defensively as a southpaw. 

Also, like Vettori, Cannonier is hard to kill. Cannonier has never been finished at middleweight; his only two losses by finish came at heavy and light heavyweight. Cannonier is a 1s and 1-2s striker, and he rarely over-extends himself and gets caught out of position. His hand guard remains high at all times, and he has just enough head movement to make him tough to hit like a chastity belt. The key will be putting Vettori on the defensive and using high kicks. Vettori struggled with Whittaker’s hand speed and had a hard time picking up head kicks. Cannonier will have a speed and power advantage, but I’d be shocked if this fight ended before the final bell. 

Marvin Vettori is the slightest of favorites at (-115), and Cannonier is the slightest of dogs at (-110). I think Cannonier is the more dangerous fighter, but Vettori can steal rounds by staying more active. Cannonier is coming off a split-decision win over Sean Strickland, and I thought Strickland did enough to win that fight. I think this one will look almost identical to that scrap, a back-and-forth FX Nip/Tuck close fight with split decision written all over it like jealousy written all over Juliana Peña's face when Amanda Nunes cracked Irene Aldana’s ass and promptly retired. 

Speaking of the Lady GOAT, the main event-dub streak sits at four after Amanda pitched a perfect game in her final fight. The main event dub was the only positive on an otherwise historically wack pick ‘em last week. But I have a habit of putting my money where my mouf isn’t and hit on two (+200) dogs, including the AMSR sleeper, Steve Erceg. This Cheech and Chong “Up in Smoke” doobie is to number five: Jared Cannonier via decision. On wax. 

Winner: Jared Cannonier | Method: Decision

Joaquim Silva (+600) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (-1000)

Silva: DK: $6.4k | Tsarukyan: DK: $9.8k

Make it make sense. The only explanation for this matchup is there was no one else willing/available to fight the number eight-ranked and serious title challenger, Arman Tsarukyan. The unranked Joaquim Silva, who has gone 2-3 in his last five fights, will be stepping in with his pockets full of house money on some Ocean’s Eleven type-ish. Silva will be the equivalent of a bus driver becoming a replacement player during an NFL strike season. This will be like when the former Bellator champion Ilima-Lei McFarlane (before she was in Bellator) fought a literal soccer mom pulled from the crowd. But I will say this about Joaquim Silva, he has some Randy Marsh medicinal KFC huevos that require a wheelbarrow to haul around town. 

My lightweight dark horse, Beniel Dariush, was put out to pasture last weekend, but I didn’t have to scramble long to find a replacement. Arman Tsarukyan. This guy debuted against the current champ, Islam Makhachev, and more than held his own on the mat. That was back in 2019 when the expectations for Makhachev’s future were well known. That was our first clue about Arman Tsarukyan’s potential to get the call-up to the majors to fight a guy with a championship upside. Tsarukyan is the perfect mix of elite wrestling/grappling and powerful wrestler striking. When Arman gets his hands locked behind you, it’s like Six Flags; you’re going for a ride. Arman is a master working from the bodylock to take the back or score trip takedowns. He also has excellent power doubles, and more importantly, he’s surgical with the single leg, a technique that lifelong wrestlers struggle with in MMA. “You know I’m surgical with this b**ch, Jake.” 

On the feet, Tsarukyan has some of the heaviest, nastiest, filthiest body kicks in the game. He throws round kicks like he’s hitting pads and has a natural upward swing that lands below the elbow, much like the Giga kick. The knock against his striking is that his hands are too stock. There aren’t any bells and whistles, no power windows or locks, or a six-CD disc changer in the back. His hands are all basic 1s and 1-2s. But Tsarukyan throws everything heavy and draws out his opponents’ offense, which he uses to level change and take the fight where he really wants it, on the mat. Tsarukyan is coming off a dominant dub over Damir Ismagulov, another sleeper in the division. The key for Tsarukyan, not only in this fight but moving forward, will be becoming ordained like Jorge Masividal and baptizing fighters. He has to hit that switch and take his damage from the top to the next level and end fights emphatically. 

Joaquim Silva will be an Apocolypto maze runner in this one. Silva is the prototypical explosive little Brazillian striker with flashy spinning/flying techniques. He’s a Venice Beach striker whose stand-up is more eye-pleasing than practical in a technical kickboxing match. In Brazil, they mass produce fighters like Joaquim Silva on an assembly line at wartime speeds and ship them out to every major fight promotion around the world. There will be two things working in Silva’s favor when he steps in the Octagon against Tsarukyan: 1) He has a Quagmire Giggity-Goo right hand that you have to respect. 2) Whenever I completely write off a fighter in elegant medieval script, they usually win. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time. 

Tasrukan will be the (-950) favorite, and Silva will be the (+575) dog that’s missing a leg and has one of those little wagon wheels as a replacement. The only bet for Tsarukyan is round and method. A TKO/KO will return (-135) and a sub (+275). The most improbable of scenarios, a Silva TKO/KO, will return a new mansion in Calabasas with just a dollar bet. Arman Tsarukyan via rear-naked choke, round two. On wax. 

Winner: Arman Tsarukyan | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.2

Armen Petrosyan (+130) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (-150)

Petrosyan: DK: $7.6k | Duncan: DK:$8.6k

If you don’t know who Raymond Daniels is, Google “most spectacular KO of all time.” Daniels is one of the highest-level kickboxers ever-ever and is famous for his pure Karate style. He also dabbles in MMA and owns a Tony Hawk X Games nine hundred rolling thunder overhand right KO that created ripples throughout the space/time continuum that still haven’t settled and were last tracked near Hyperion, a satellite of Saturn. I’m going somewhere with this, and here it is: Christian Leroy Duncan has some Raymond Daniels in him. Excuse me? You know what I mean. Duncan has some slick Karate techniques in his stand-up repertoire like Daniels, and he’s making his second UFC appearance after his debut against Dusko Todorovic ended before it could even get started when Dusko blew out his knee in the opening minutes. Duncan will be taking a leap up in competition when he steps in against Armen Petrosyan, and this one is all but guaranteed to be a nuckin’ futs stand-up ba-ba-banger. 

Gangsters don’t dance; they boogie. Duncan is a man of many styles, but when he is in the bladed Karate stance, he glides, electric slides around the Octagon. He Bounce, Rock, Rollerskates on ya. The bouncing Wonderboy cadence allows you to manipulate range by varying the distance you cover with each bounce. The best bouncers mix long and short “leaps” to deceptively move in/out, and you never know if they’re attacking or feinting to draw you into counters. Duncan usually starts fights with the Raymond Daniels flow and settles into a more traditional, squared kickboxing style when he feels he found the holes to land power shots. His special moves are flying kicks, everything from Taekwondo flying side kicks, hook kicks, question mark kicks, and jumping switch scissor kicks. He’s a man of one thousand kicks. 

But Duncan is also a Classic Man. You can be mean when you look this clean; he’s a Classic Man. Duncan can also switch it up and walk you down with classic boxing hand combinations and set up headshots with clean bodywork. Then he starts blending styles and setting up the Slam Dunk contest flying-ish with jabs and short combos. The unknown about Duncan is his ground game. I’ve seen him struggle to defend takedowns during his championship run with Cage Warriors, but he always seemed to have decent get-ups. Armen Petrosyan isn’t known for his wrestling takedowns, but it might be in his best interests at some point to shoot some Goldberg spears on Duncan. The key for Duncan will be dictating range and drawing Petrosyan forward. Petro likes extending combinations and can get caught being over-aggressive and chasing opponents. 

For his career, Duncan is 8-0 with six TKO/KOs and one sub. And three of his last four bouts ended in the first round. Duncan is a moderate sixties to seventies strikes landed per minute striker, but he may have to up his output to keep up with Petrosyan, who averages six strikes landed per minute and has landed nearly one hundred twenty strikes in two of his three UFC bouts. 

Armen Petrosyan has First Team All Castor Troy honors because he will box your face... off. Petro keeps his hands pumping like he’s at an EDM concert and only throws hands in multiples. The key to Petro’s striking is his light lead leg. He peppers to the legs and body with the lead leg and uses it to jump start his hands like a crow hop from the outfield. He will touch the legs repeatedly then suddenly fire hands right behind it. Now that I think about it, he mostly only kicks with his left leg. No matter what stance he is in, he favors the left leg. When he’s orthodox, he uses that quick low kick like a jab to establish range and interrupt the opponents forward pressure.  

Like that weird little kid on the movie Sixth Sense sees dead people, I see holes in striking. Petrosyan likes to lead with lead-hand hooks too much, and when he jabs, his offhand falls to his waist. Couple that with passive pocket exits (head straight up without moving off centerline or stepping off at angles), and Petro tends to get clipped a lot at the end of his combinations. He’s a guy who you can identify specific tendencies to counter. Duncan’s counter game will be the difference on the feet. Petrosyan travels in straight lines and uses volume over power and sometimes falls into point striking. Also, Petrosyan has been taken down in every one of his UFC bouts, including a fight on the Contender Series. If Duncan can wrestle, it’s the path to take against Petrosyan. 

Petrosyan’s Fantasy value will be in significant strikes landed with a good shot at a finish. For his career, Petro is 8-2 with six TKO/KOs, but he has yet to finish a fight in the UFC. Duncan’s UFC debut was pretty much a mulligan, and I don’t know what kind of dog he has in him or how he will look in a firefight against a killer like Petrosyan. Duncan will be the (-170) favorite, making Petro a (+140) dog dripping with value. Fantasy-wise, Petrosyan has a high upside as a mid $7k roster option; he will have a good shot at reaching the one hundred strikes landed mark and could find a finish if Duncan isn’t built for deep waters. I’m literally going to flip a coin on this one... It landed on its edge; one more time... Christian Leroy Duncan via decision. 

Winner: Christian Leroy Duncan | Method: Decision

Pat Sabatini (-190) vs. Lucas Almeida (+155)

Sabatini: DK: $9.1k | Almeida: DK: $7.1k

This one is a straight up-and-down wrestler vs. grappler matchup. Pat Sabatini is built like a lawn gnome and is a turnstile’s worst nightmare. Sabatini can walk under any without even offering a courtesy duck. And Lucas Almeida is a nifty little Wii boxer with hand combinations set on repeat. The theme of this one will be all or nothing. Sabatini will either get the fight to the ground or get finished on the feet, and Lucas will either keep it standing or get finished on the mat. I love/hate these matchups. Grappler vs. striker matchups embody the very essence of mixed martial arts and emphasize the clash of styles, but at the same time, they’re hard as fook to bet on. So much rides on the wrestler’s ability or inability to dictate where the fight takes place. 

Pat Sabatini is a little ball of grappling. He has limbo world champion level changes and can get low to the earth like an ant. He uses leg rides to work his way to the back mount or anchor the position to land some ground and pound. Sabatini is like a Chucky doll chasing you around the cage wielding double legs. His success rides entirely on his takedowns. On the feet, you can just put your hand on his 4-head and hold him at arm's length while he swings at the air. In his last bout, Damon Jackson TKO’d Sabatini on the feet, and Jamall Emmers nearly KO'd Sabatini in the opening seconds before Sabatini found a miracle heel hook submission. When Sabatini gets stuck on the feet, it’s like he is holding on to a dingy in a Ramada Inn pool surrounded by a dozen circling ABs. 

Sabatini’s Fantasy value will be in a submission finish. There couldn’t be a larger discrepancy in striking stats than if you or I were fighting Lucas Almeida. Sabatini averages one fooking significant strike landed per minute. OK, one and a half. And Almeida averages over six and a half. But Sabatini averages nearly four takedowns per fifteen minutes, and his ancillary value will be in takedowns and top control. What bothers me most about Sabatini: he may not be as good as I originally thought. But... he might be... IDK. 

Lucas Almeida is a Chris Rock turn-the-other-cheek striker, the very definition of take-one-to-give-one. He throws hands in combinations of only even numbers like he’s superstitious. Almeida is all offense, no defense, the equivalent of driving one hundred mph everywhere you go, parking lots, school zones; it doesn’t matter. Because he doesn’t value defense, he gets rocked in every fight. He has that ol’ neck brace head movement, that People’s Court complainant head movement. Almeida’s special move is the cross-liver shot-overhand. It’s a quick three-punch combo, and he sandwiches the liver shot in the middle of combinations regularly. The liver shot brings the hands down and clears a highway for the overhand or cross to land. Slip the Ripper. Almeida slips and rips to the head and body and punctuates hands with kicks. 

The red flag for Almeida is his takedown defense. I trust his takedown defense about as much as I do Bernie Madoff with my life savings. None of his slick kickboxing matters if he can’t stay upright. But I don’t know enough about his wrestling. He didn’t face a takedown in his official debut, a dub against Michael Trizano, and he was one for two on defending takedowns on his Contender Series bout, which was his only career loss. Almeida is 14-1 with noine TKO/KOs and five subs. I did the math on my fingers, and that’s a one hundred percent finishing rate. His value will be in a mid to late finish when/if the Sabatini takedown well dries up. I suspect Almeida will have to rebound from a rough first round and turn the tide on the feet in the second and third. 

Sabatini will be the (-190) favorite, and Almeida will be the (+155) diggity dawg. Bring ‘em out! Bring ‘em out! Bust out the Piso Mojado signs. Almeida will be a low $7k steal if he can buy some time on the feet. There is a chance Almeida can survive Sabatini on the mat, but there is less chance Sabatini can survive Almeida on the feet. A Sabatini sub will return (+235), and an Almeida TKO/KO will return (+350). I’m a little gun-shy after a rough pick ‘em week last week, but FOOK IT! Give me the dog. Lucas Almeida via TKO, round three. Put that ish on wax.

Winner: Lucas Almeida | Method: TKO Rd.3

Manuel Torres (-200) vs. Nikolas Motta (+150)

Torres: DK: $8.9k | Motta: DK:$7.3k

Fumas Motta? Ah, sí sí! This is a test nuke in the New Mexico desert. The arena will look like those model homes with mannequins inside when the bomb goes off. This will be a stand-up banger, and this card is far better than last week’s PPV. You gotta better chance of taking a doodie and not looking at it before you flush than this does of going the distance. Manuel Torres is an Outkast B.O.B. reckless striker with lead pipes for hands, and Nikolas Motta reminds me of a little Shogun Rua, with hybrid hook/overhands and heavy round kicks. I rarely play round props, but this is one with a ton of value on a first-round finish. 

Manuel Torres is 13-2 for his career, and twelve of those dubs came in the first round. He fights like he’s standing on the ledge of a skyscraper and can’t take a step back. He’s a classic defense atheist who subscribes to the best defense is a good offense dogma. Torres is long and has a natural feel for the pocket, and only moves forward. Guard manipulation is one of Torres’ specialties. He reaches out with both hands and pulls the guard down or pushes it aside and lands strikes around it. The red flag for Torres is he swings out of his chanclas with every strike and leaves himself wide open for return fire. And his head movement walked out on him when he was just a little boy, and he hasn’t found anything to fill the void. Torres’ upside is astronomical. He’s a first-round finish personified. Torres will engage in coin flip exchanges for better or worse, and most of the time, it’s for better.  

Nikolas Motta is Johnny Blaze to Manuel Torres’s Johnny Storm. This is fighting fire with fire, aggression with aggression. Motta is a classic Brazilian Muay Thai fighter with the square stance, round punches, and heavy rear-round kicks. With Motta, all roads lead to the left hook. Almost everything he does is to get to his lead hook. The Aldo feint-cross-left hook is his go-to weapon. That’s the combo Aldo tried to land against Conor but ran into that infamous McGregor left hand counter. Motta likes to feint the cross, or throw a throwaway cross, and leap forward with the lead hook. His biggest red flag is that he freezes in the cross walk when he sees headlights coming. Some people jump out of the way, and others freeze and become hood ornaments. When he’s under fire, Motta’s feet freeze squared up, and he is left vulnerable in the pocket. His secret weapon is his right high kick; it comes out of nowhere and provides a little breathing room for his hands, gives the opponent another element to think about. 

Have one of these guys on your Fantasy roster. Motta is the more technical striker, but Torres has the unpredictable intangibles. Torres is the (-180) favorite, and Motta is the (+150) dog and another valuable low-tier roster option. Motta has shown he can get got on the feet; he got Earthworm Jim’d in his debut against Jim Miller. Miller melted Motta with a left hand in the second round. Although Torres is very hittable, I don’t know if Motta can handle his early pressure. Motta’s chances to win will increase as the time on the clock decreases. A Torres TKO/KO will return (+165), and a Motta TKO/KO will return (+225). I’m going with the moon howler, Manuel Torres, via TKO, round one. 

Winner: Manuel Torres | Method: TKO Rd.1

Nicolas Dalby (+150) vs. Muslim Salikhov (-190)

Dalby: DK: $7k | Salikhov: DK:$9.2k

This is a scrap you didn’t know you needed in your life. Nicolas Dalby is a Sons of Anarchy extra with criminally underrated kickboxing, and Kung Fu Panda, aka Muslim Salikhov, is a rare Karate-centric Dagestani fighter. Dalby also strikes out of a Karate base, and this one could turn into the big boy version of Daniel San vs. Johnny Lawrence real quick.  

Dalby Digital has been a valuable sleeper in his UFC career. He’s 4-1-1 in his second stint with the promotion with dubs over Cowboy Oliveira, Warlley Alves, Claudio Silva, and Daniel Rodriguez. I think he was a dog in every one of those scraps. Dalby is a dog with a motor that never runs out of gas. Dalby uses a hybrid karate stance with slick stance switches that he implements as he extends combinations. He uses the Masvidal switch-right hook, which doubles as a slick way to close the distance and create a misdirection. What makes Dalby a tough out for anyone is that he strings together short combinations, one leading to the next, and leaves little dead air when he’s not striking or offering some form of offense. 

But what stands out the most about Dalby is his breathing. Dude sounds like sea turtles mating from the opening bell. “I like tuttles.” You’ll swear the glove touch gassed him, but it’s just how he breathes. He’s a walking Breathe Right strips commercial. When he ends up on his back, ESPN has to cut to a commercial break lest they suffer the wrath of the FCC. But overall, Dalby is a doodie you can’t flush with the help of the Mario brothers; he just stays busy and can mix in timely takedowns and point fight or volume strike, depending on the matchup. This dude has made me some money over the last couple of years. For his career, Dalby is 21-4 with six TKO/KOs and four subs. Finishing Muslim Salikhov might be a stretch, but he can definitely outwork Salikhov and steal another one.  

Muslim Salikhov has more spins than Journey in a dive bar. Salikhov throws spinning back kicks like jabs. When you think of Russian “ov/ev” fighters, your first think of wrestling. But some of these guys have unique approaches to striking that you can’t prepare for. Umar Nurmagomedov uses the question mark kick as a fundamental strike, Said Nurmagomedov uses spinning back fists like jabs, and Muslim Salikhov uses the spinning back kick as such. You can land any strike if you have good timing and know how to set it up. Muslim can attack or draw you forward and counter with spinning attacks. Once you start sitting on the back kick, he turns it into a back fist and targets the head. Let’s call it what it is, a nuclear b**ch slap. Get your shine box! 

Salikhov operates mostly out of the southpaw stance and has a heavy overhand left and crispy short hand combinations. His major malfunction is that he tends to slow down. All that spinning shit catches up to you. Salikhov is 19-3 for his career with thirteen TKO/KOs and two subs, and he will be the bigger finishing threat against Dalby. They both have similar stats, averaging in the mid-three strikes landed per minute and just over one takedown per fifteen minutes.  

Salikhov will be the (-190) favorite, and Dalby will be the (+155) dog. Dalby showed a new wrinkle in his last bout against Warlley Alves, volume. He landed one hundred noineteen strikes and topped the one hundred strikes mark for the first time in his UFC career. He can push a more consistent pace than Salikhov as long as he can avoid Salikhov’s homerun strikes. Dalby has never been finished in his career, so there’s a strong chance this could go the distance, and Dalby will rack up solid striking stats even in a loss. But I have to play chalk again. Salikhov’s power is too hard to bet against. Muslim Salikhov via decision. On wax. 

Winner: Muslim Salikhov | Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Armen Petrosyan ($7.6k): As long as Christian Duncan doesn’t come out in a singlet and ear muffs, Petrosyan will be in his face pumping fists like it’s the Jersey Shore. Dude averages six strikes landed per minute, and one hundred landed in a fifteen-minute fight is almost a given... as long as he can stay on his feet. His value, even in a decision loss, is worth a roster spot. 

Lucas Almeida ($7.1k): The gamble on Almeida is similar to Petrosyan, staying on his feet. But unlike Petro, Almeida will be facing a 100% grappler. A grappler who will be up F**ked Creek without any floaties on if his secret stash of takedowns gets raided and he gets stuck standing. You couple the strenuous effort of needing to wrestle for fifteen minutes with a good body attacker, and Almeida has the recipe to be able to slow down Pat Sabatini and take over the latter minutes. 

6k Clearance Rack 

Miles Johns ($6.9k): Johns is a power wrestler with power wrestler striking. He will be facing a guy, Raoni Barcelos, who has lost three of his last four after looking like a possible title challenger. Barcelos is also coming off a KO loss at the hands of Umar Nurmagomedov at the beginning of the year. Miles Johns has won three of his last four, and two of those dubs were one-punch KOs. Dude can crack like a plumber. His major malfunction is output. He just doesn’t throw enough and relies too much on landing the homerun shot. But when it comes to the clearance rack, Jons has the best shot at not only winning but scoring a finish too. 

Plays of the Night

Arman Tsarukyan Via Submission (+275): Tsarukyan will likely dominate the top position with control and heavy ground and pound. He can finish the fight from the top with strikes, but heavy ground and pound often leads to fighters giving up their backs in desperation to escape and leads to rear-naked chokes.

Lucas Almeida Via TKO/KO (+350): A TKO/KO finish is likely Almeida’s only path to victory. A decision will heavily favor the superior grappler, Pat Sabatini. But the discrepancy on the feet in Almeida’s favor makes (+350) a steal.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Lucas Almeida (+155): The question isn’t if Almeida can keep the fight standing but if he can get back to his feet. If he can, this is money in the bank; he will win this fight will superior stand-up. It’s a big IF, a gamble if you will, but that’s what we’re here for.

Miles Johns (+180): This has to do more with Johns’ opponent, Raoni Barcelos. Barcelos is coming off a TKO loss to the boogeyman, Umar Nurmagomedov, and he hasn’t looked like the serious contender he once was. Johns has solid wrestling and one-punch power that can make up for any technical disadvantages on the feet. The key for Johns will be defending leg kicks and countering them with heavy right hands.

Zac Pauga (+140): Pauga was recently in the finals of the Ultimate Fighter, where he lost to a Usman. His opponent Modestas Bukauskas has shown to be a killer outside of the UFC but has been much tamer inside it. Bukauskaus is coming off a dub against Tyson Pedro, but it was very lackluster. Pauga needs to ditch the clinching against the fence and trust his hands. He has excellent hand speed for the light heavyweight division, and he has a better output, four and a half strikes landed per minute, compared to Bukauskas’ three and a half. The knock on Pauga is his lack of finishes, but he can outwork Bukauskas to a decision dub.

Pick 'Em

Raoni Barcelos (-225) vs. Miles Johns (+180)

Winner: Raoni Barcelos

 Method: Decision

Jimmy Flick (+190) vs. Alessandro Costa (-240)

Winner: Alessandro Costa

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Kyung Ho Kang (+145) vs. Cristian Quinonez (-180)

Winner: Cristian Quinonez

 Method: Decision

Carlos Hernandez (+100) vs. Denys Bondar (-130)  

Winner: Carlos Hernandez

 Method: Decision

Zhalgas Zhumagulov (-175) vs. Felipe Bunes (+145)

Winner: Zhalgas Zhumagulov

 Method: Decision

Tereza Bleda (-260) vs. Gabriella Fernandez (+205)

Winner: Tereza Bleda

Method: Decision

Dan Argueta (+145) vs. Ronnie Lawrence (-175)

Winner: Ronnie “The Limo Driver” Lawrence

Method: Decision

Zac Pauga (+140) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (-175)

Winner: Modestas Bukauskas

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.