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

Pssst) Real quick… Have you heard of Chalkboard Fantasy? It’s the latest Pick’Em fantasy game. Use promo code LINESTAR and get a deposit match up to $300!!! That’s by far the most generous offer that we’ve seen yet. Plus we’re going to hook you up with 2-months of LineStar Premium if you go through that link.

Cue "Been Around the World” by Ma$e and Puff Daddy:  

Been Around the world and I-I-I / I’ve been playa hated / I don’t know, and I don’t know why / Why they want me faded / I don’t know why they hate us / Is it our ladies? / Or our drop Mercedes? 

The past twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind since I dropped an Andy Jack on a Bobby Green TKO at (+550). Suddenly, old “friends,” family, and ex-girlfriends have been blowing up my phone, showing up at my doorstep, and sliding into my DMs.  

Is this Chris? 

 New phone. Who dis? 

 ...  

They say it’s the offseason here in Saint-Tropez, but you couldn’t tell from the unobstructed sunshine, turquoise waters, and endless parade of tropical beverages with tiny umbrellas standing perfectly upright in the glass to provide the ice with shade. Tonight, I’ll be dining on the deck of a Benetti Superyacht, the same yacht on which Jay-Z filmed the music video for Big Pimpin’. I don’t always put my money where my mouth isn’t, but when I do, good things tend to happen.  

It’s made sweeter by the fact this is all thanks to my favorite fighter, Bobby “King” Green. Dino, stand up! As in San Bernadino, the city in CA with the highest murder rate and the birthplace of King Green, the UFC’s newest star killer. Hard cities create strong men, and strong me create good times. And boy, am I ever experiencing good times.  

The place where Grant Dawson f**ked up at was right around the corner from standing with Bobby Green for thirty seconds and across the street from not shooting at the sound of the opening bell. I’ve never been happier to be so wrong about a fight. On the horizon, I see nothing but clear skies and a possible rematch against Dustin Poirier. Maybe even a short-notice replacement spot against Conor McGregor or Michael Chandler should one bow out in December. Options, they got Bobby Green surrounded, and he will undoubtedly come out with his hands down and mouth chirpin’.  

Now, if you’ll excuse me, a school of mermaids just swam up to the sandbar and look as if they could use some SPF 50 on their shoulders and back. If you don’t hear from me after this, know that wherever I am, I have a smile on my face.  

Main Card 

Sodiq Yusuff (-165) vs. Edson Barboza (+140)

Yusuff: DK: $8.7k | Barboza: DK:$7.5k

When I think about Double OG, Edson Barboza, I think about the Redman episode of MTV Cribs back in the day. U had to hot start Redman's doorbell for it to ring by rubbing two wires together like you were stealing a car. Inside he had a mattress on the floor with no box spring, a janky Sam Goody clearance DVD collection, a random homie sleeping on the floor in the living room, a freezer filled with Gorton’s Fisherman frozen grilled fish fillets, and shoeboxes on top of the fridge filled with random crap, including one filled with dollar bills. I imagine Barboza’s crib would look like a frat taxidermy Ikea showcase room decorated with all the hides he has collected during his career. In the living room, there would be a prone Terry Etim coffee table that doubles as an ironing board with drink ring stains on his chest, a slumped Shane Burgos recliner with a Billy Q. ottoman, and a Beneil Dariush standing lamp. The kitchen shelves would be lined with jars filled with formaldehyde and amputated legs harvested from the leg kick TKOs he has recorded over the years. In other words, it would be a modern-day classic episode.  

In his prime, Barboza was one of the scariest strikers in the game, up there with the Rafael Fizievs of the world. Your worst nightmare was fighting Edson Barboza and catching a spinning wheel kick to the dome and, subsequently, being immortalized as the victim of the greatest KO in UFC history. But that’s what you would be risking if you stepped into the cage against Barboza when he was still competing in the lightweight division. Don’t get me wrong, Barboza is still a dangerous savage, and I still wouldn’t step into a cage with him even if I was rocking a pair of your legs. But since the infamous Khabib fight, Barboza has gone 4-7 and has often looked like a deep fake version of himself. Barboza can still pull off highlight reel finishes, but a little luster has worn off over the years. Fast forward to 2023, and you can bully the bully. You can break Edson Barboza if you stand up to him with pressure and volume, a thought that seemed farfetched back in the day.  

Barboza is all striking and zero grappling; if Barboza had any takedown defense and more than white belt beginners’ Groupon grappling, he likely would have won a belt at some point in his career. His hands are tight like hallways and are the kryptonite for wide punchers; he can beat anybody down the middle between the shoulders. The liver shot-overhand combination is Barboza’s special move, as well as the liver shot-to-leg kick, a classic Dutch kickboxing combination. The liver shot leaves you in a natural position to follow with the low kick, and Jose Aldo and Edson Barboza are two of the best at setting up low kicks with bodywork.  

Even after thirteen years in the game, Barboza will be the more dangerous striker when he steps into the cage with Sodiq Yusuff. Barboza still has plenty of hand speed and flashy spinning techniques that he throws like fundamental strikes. The threat of his spinning attacks freezes fighters, making them hesitant to engage. The key for Barboza will be staying out in the open mat and avoiding the cage and clinch. When facing strikers with equal prowess, Yusuff likes to initiate the clinch and look for cheap takedowns. Also, Yusuff prefers a traditional kickboxing match on the feet; Barboza has to pressure early to get Yusuff out of his comfort zone and lure him into engaging in fifty/fifty exchanges in the pocket.  

Sodiq Yusuff’s right hand turns wives into widows. Like a lockdown corner, Sodiq Yusuff can take away half of the Octagon with his right hand. His right hand is Prime Time Deion Sanders in this bish. Yusuff Island. Your instinct of self-preservation innately forces you as far away from his right hand as possible and, in turn, limits the diversity of your attacks. But what makes Yusuff’s striking special is the Steffi Graf tennis grunts that punctuate each strike. Even when his strikes don’t land, subconsciously, you think they landed, and you start absorbing psychological damage. In your mind, you start thinking you look like Randy Marsh after fisticuffs with Bat Dad and react out of pocket. In addition to a Sentient Morty right hand, Yusuff has excellent hand speed and overall physical attributes that are hard to overcome. He’s built like a 1:42 scale diecast Kamaru Usman, and so far, only “Hey” Arnold Allen has been able to get the better of Yusuff in the stand-up. 

(Cracks his knuckles) Time to get on my petty shit and point out some flaws. Other than a wrestler striker's right hand, Yusuff’s striking is fairly vanilla. He is all physical attributes and no intricacy. Also, he is stingy with his output. He’s Ebeneezer Scrooge with his output. F**k Tiny Tim, there won’t be any combinations under the Christmas tree this year. Oftentimes, Yusuff is all grunt, no shit. His stats say he averages nearly five and a half SLpM, but since his debut (seven fights ago), Yusuff hasn’t landed more than seventy-three strikes in a three-round scrap. He just doesn’t take enough risks; he won’t even play the board game. Also, other than Arnold Allen, Yusuff’s level of competition is super mid. He has wins over Bruce Leeroy and Andre Fili, but both were fairly unimpressive decisions. 

Yusuff will be the (-165) favorite, and Barboza will be the (+135) live dog. I think Barboza will be an early finishing threat when he is still fresh and explosive, but his chances to end the fight will wane as the fight progresses. Yusuff will be a finishing threat throughout, especially late, when Barboza’s low tread warning starts to show. There are fights when you can watch Barboza fade physically, especially when his opponent can grind out crucial minutes from the top position and create damage on the feet; two things Yusuff can do. I wouldn’t be surprised if Yusuff tried to slow-play the fight and grind Barboza on the mat early.  

The main event pick ‘em has fallen under unprecedented circumstances, resulting in a 0-4-1 record for the last five cards. During that time, I fell victim to two massive upsets (Sean Strickland and Bobby Green) and a freak injury (Rafael Fiziev), but you know what? I’m still standing here screaming, “F**k the Free World!” Sodiq Yusuff via TKO, round four. Put that ish on wax. 

Props 

Yusuff: TKO/KO (+215) Sub (+550) Dec (+275) 

Barboza: TKO/KO (+215) Sub (+2500) Dec (+800) 

Winner: Sodiq Yusuff | Method: TKO Rd.4

Jennifer Maia (-160) vs. Viviane Araujo (+130)

Maia: DK: $8.5k | Araujo: DK: $7.7k

At first glance, this looks like a Universal Soldier versus a soccer mom. Viviane Araujo is built like Dolph Lundgren, complete with a necklace of severed ears hanging around her neck like a No Limit Chain. Van Gogh shit. And Jennifer Maia looks like a Yard Duty at your kid’s elementary school. But, as you know, book covers don’t reveal anything about the content between the pages. Jennifer Maia is a one-time title challenger who took the former champ Valentina Shevchenko the distance, and Viviane has hovered around the fringe of title contention and needs a dub to get back in the picture after back-to-back losses. 

Viviane Araujo bombs like she’s in Vietnam. She we will dump your dead body inside a trash can with more holes than Afghan. So, when you see her on your block with two Glocks screamin’, “F the world!” like 2Pac, she just don’t give a fook. Araujo is all power and no finesse. Two and four seam fastballs are all she knows. She won’t throw any sliders, changeups, or curves; she’s bringing the heat with every strike she throws. Every punch she throws is like she’s hitting that speed bag that measures the power of punch; the one I can’t score more than 420 on no matter how hard I hit it. Araujo is all driving and no putting. She can win a long drive competition, but my four-year-old will smoke her on a Put-Put course.  

Araujo’s power doubles as a gift and curse. She can sleep you with one punch like Bobby Green, but she lacks the intricacies and wrinkles needed to compete with the elite strikers in the division. In a world where you are taught from day one to color between the lines, it’s those who color outside of them that make life interesting and push the envelope of possibility. Araujo’s reliance on her power has created a ceiling for her potential as a real contender unless she comes through the Thunderdome and learns some King Green footwork. For her career, Araujo is 11-5 with three TKO/KOs and four subs but only has one finish in noine UFC bouts. That one finish was a TKO in her debut. Her Fantasy value will be strictly in strikes landed; she averages over four and a half SLpM with a high of eighty-noine in a three-round bout. She is a one-punch striker and relies heavily on landing one fight-changing strike. 

Jennifer Maia reminds me of a Bethe Correia 2.0. She has classic Brazilian production line Muay Thai, and is overall the better fighter in this matchup. She lacks Araujo’s power, but Maia is a combination striker, a point fighter who focuses on volume. Quantity over quality. She’s a shoeshine striker, and her style reminds me of Oscar De La Hoya’s when he fought Floyd. In that fight, Oscar tried to steal the fight by throwing body punches in bunches to score points and steal rounds. He didn’t really commit to beating Floyd that night; he just wanted to win. There’s a difference. Maia uses a similar mentality in all her fights. 1-2-3, circle, circle, stop... 1-2-3, circle, circle, stop... and repeat. Maia is a Bill Murray Groundhog Day striker who repeats the same cadence and flows over and over. She’s Greg Maddux, nothing but eighty-five MPH fastballs, but she can paint the corners. 

Career stats: Maia is 21-9 with four TKO/KOs and five subs but only has one finish in eleven UFC bouts. If this was a fight to the death, these two would outlive the audience. She averages four and a half SLpM, but Maia has eclipsed the one hundred strikes mark in two straight bouts. Her value will be in her Oscar De La Hoya shoe combinations and stealing rounds with superior output. Both ladies have solid grappling but not dangerous grappling. Araujo averages over one and a half takedowns per fifteen minutes. But if Araujo ends up on top, she has to be careful because Maia has three armbar subs on her record. 

Maia will be the (-145) favorite, and Araujo will be the (+120) dog. The big question is: Is this a trip to the garage to politic with Mary Jay type of fight? Yes. Jennifer Maia via decision. On wax. 

Props 

Maia: TKO/KO (+1600) Sub (+1000) Dec (-125) 

Araujo: TKO/KO (+1400) Sub (+750) Dec (+225) 

Winner: Jennifer Maia | Method: Decision

Jonathan Martinez (-115) vs. Adrian Yanez (Even)

Martinez: DK: $8k | Yanez: DK:$8.2k

How the fook isn’t this the co-main event? How Sway!? This is a banger; there’s no GPS alternative route around it. This is a classic Tombstone, Arizona O.K. Corral shootout in the middle of the street. The only question is, who will be Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp, and who will be the Cowboys (not the 42-10 Cowboys) stuffed in pine boxes with rouge on their faces at the end of it. There’s a higher chance that the Dallas Cowboys will win the Super Bowl this year than this fight has of going to the mat.  

Snap back to reality, Oh! There goes gravity! Adrian Yanez was left with a lapful of Mom’s spaghetti after his last bout against the field general, Rob Font. Rob Font pappy’d the youngster, put him on restriction. No iPhone after seven o’clock. Yanez got off to a fast start, using his speed to touch Font’s chin straight out of the gate. But Yanez quickly caught the speed wobbles like he was longboarding down an X Games course. No matter the sport, defense wins championships, and Adrian Yanez’s defense was severely exposed. Rob Font consistently beat Yanez over Yanez’s lead shoulder and dropped Yanez like luggage at baggage claim. Yanez has sharp hands, scalpels for fists that can slice you open so quickly when your blood spills, it’s still blue. His elbows stay tucked against the body, and his punches don’t have a degree of curve like a flat earth. Sprinkle in some slick pivots and slip-counters, and Adrian Yanez has the foundation for developing into an elite striker.  

Sound the iPhone emergency alert; I’m about to get petty. Although Yanez has slick head movement and footwork, he only uses it intermittently. When he starts getting clipped with shots, all that fancy shit goes out the front door like Jazzy Jeff by the seat of his pants. Yanez is an arsonist who starts firefights without gearing up in his turnout apparel. He’s like a stuntman set on fire without the petroleum jelly lube slathered all over his body. My man has been cited for loitering in the pocket over one hundred times. My man squats in the pocket and doesn’t use an effective hand guard when exchanging back and forth. His lead hand discipline gets a Needs Improvement on his progress report; he doesn’t defend his lead side at all. And this will be Bad News Bears when facing a Gus Fring southpaw like Jonathan Martinez. Martinez is all power side attacks, left hands, and kicks. Yanez’s chin will leave the lights on for J-Mart's power strikes all night long.  

Yanez is 16-4 with ten TKO/KOs and two subs, and four of his five career UFC dubs came via TKO/KO. He also has a TKO dub on the Contender Series. Yanez’s Fantasy value will be a TKO/KO finish and nearly seven SLpM. It doesn’t get higher output than nearly seven SLpM. That's some Maxxy Baby type-ish. In his only bout that went the distance against “Wavey” Davey Grant, Yanez landed exactly one hundred strikes and threw over two hundred fifty.  

Jonathan Martinez is the Sid from Toy Story of the UFC. He leaves opponents with mismatched limbs after he gets through with them. Your Wolverine action figure will be walking around with Barbie legs when J-Mart is done hacking it to pieces. This guy is Pastor Troy, not the rapper, but Castor Troy’s first cousin; he’ll take your legs... off. Hacksaws for legs make it difficult for J-Mart to walk around outside of the Octagon and nearly impossible to get through customs at the airport. The damage his leg kicks create looks like shark bites, huge chunks missing. Low calf or above the knee, J-Mart's kicks deteriorate the legs like a flesh-eating virus days after the fight. Martinez is a nasty southpaw who almost exclusively attacks with rear-hand strikes and is one of those rare strikers who relies on kicks more than his hands. Three of his eight career TKO/KO dubs came via leg kick TKO. 

And that there is my segway into some petty shit. Martinez doesn’t use his hands enough. Look, Ma! No Hands. Cue that Schoolboy Q “Hands on the wheel”: “Hands on the wheel, nuh-uh, F**k that!” Because he doesn’t use his boxing consistently, Martinez is a walking split decision. Your starfish puckers up watertight for the entire fight when you place a bet on this guy because he tends to get outworked and is always in close fights. Also, Martinez has that mut in him but not quite that dog in him. Volume and pressure can break this kid. But check it: Martinez is riding a five-fight dub streak and is 9-3 in the UFC. He is also coming in off a dub against a Nurmagomedov, and if I beat a Nurmagomedov in a dream, I would wake up and apologize, go to confession, and repent for my sins.  

This one is basically a Vegas pick ‘em. Yanez will return (-105), and J-Mart will return (-115). Both fighters are finishing threats. Yanez has the volume and speed to touch up Martinez and create damage that will lead to a stoppage, and Martinez has the single power strikes and leg kicks that can flip the script real quick. Although he is a one-punch striker, Martinez still averages over four and a half SLpM, but he will have to up his output and commit more to combinations if he doesn’t want to fall too far behind on the striking stats and the judges' score cards. Damn, this one is impossible to pick. I don’t trust Yanez’s chin and overall defense, and I don’t trust Martinez’s output. But I think this one will be FX Nip/Tuck all the way to the buzzer, and Yanez’s combinations could be the difference. Adrian Yanez via decision. Wax on, wax off.  

Props 

Martinez: TKO/KO (+250) Sub (+1100) Dec (+275) 

Yanez: TKO/KO (+200) Sub (+1400) Dec (+400) 

Winner: Adrian Yanez | Method: Decision

Michel Pereira (-185) vs. Andre Petroski (+155)

Pereira: DK: $8.6k | Petroski: DK: $7.6k

This matchup is news to me. Michel Pereira went from a fight with Wonderboy at welterweight to missing weight and having the bout called off, to a matchup against Marc-Andre Barriault to now, a matchup against a late replacement, Andre Petroski. That Wonderboy fight will forever be the one that got away. I can’t think of a crazier style matchup than that fight would have been. Michel Pereira is a Terrell Owens get-your-popcorn-ready fighter and the final boss of all the moon-howling wild mf’s in the UFC. I have a Gangs of New York motley crew of favorite fighters, and you already know, Michel Pereira is in the front throwing up twisted fingers.  

Early in his UFC career, Michel Pereira would treat you to an MMA fight and a Cirque du Soleil Vegas trapeze show simultaneously. His only real UFC loss came to Tristan Connelly. That was the infamous fight in which Pereira came out doing a Simone Biles Olympic floor routine, complete with backflips and cartwheels all over the cage. Pereira is also the only fighter, not once, but twice, to successfully use the backflip guard pass. But since that Connelly fight, Pereira has gradually reigned in all the wild shit and become one of the most unique strikers in the game. At welterweight, Pereira would have been a problem, but now, at middleweight, I’m not sure what his ceiling will be. The massive size advantages will be gone, and he had problems finishing fights at one-seventy.  

Pereira is built like Stretch Armstrong, will do laps around you like Lance Armstrong, and send you to the moon like Neil Armstrong. He is one of the most effective high-output one-punch strikers around. The difference between a combo and two successive strikes is the beat, the cadence. Pereira’s strikes are off beat; instead of a snare on two and four, Pereira’s snare is only on three. In addition to long, straight punches, Pereira’s teeps are like Steve Irwin barbs to the chest. He sets up a lot of his boxing with up-the-middle snap kicks. His major malfunction is that he gasses heavily. But the unique thing about Pereira is that he manages to stay busy even when he gasses.  

I say all that to say this: Andre Petroski’s style is Michel Pereira’s kryptonite. If a guy named Tristan was able to take down and hold down Pereira, Andre Petroski could definitely do the same. Petroski is a massive meathead wrestler striker with excellent power takedowns and heavy top control. On the feet, this is a mismatch from the physical attributes to technical ability. But Petroski has Homer Simpson stupid power and throws nothing but hooks and overhands. Michel Pereira’s straight punches will beat Petroski down the middle all night. But Petroski will likely put Pereira on his back and try to gas Pereira before he gasses himself. Petroski has a Tesla gas tank and often ends rounds beyond the first with his hands on his knees. 

For his career, Petroski is 10-1 with four TKO/KOs and four subs. He fought on the Ultimate Fighter but didn’t win the show and has gone 5-0 with one TKO and one sub since his debut. Petroski’s Fantasy value will be in takedowns and control time with a good shot at a late submission victory should Pereira fade. But in thirty-noine career bouts, Pereira was only finished twice, once by sub and once by TKO/KO. This fight was just announced as I was writing, so I don’t know the odds. I wouldn’t be surprised if Pereira was a slight dog. His kryptonite is his ground game, and Petroski has strong wrestling. When it comes to striker vs. wrestler, the wrestler has the advantage the majority of the time. If Pereira comes in at plus money, he’s an Andy Jackson no-brainer. He can finish this fight or piece up Petroski on the feet if the takedown well runs dry. I didn’t come here to not pick Michel Pereira. Michel Pereira via TKO, round three. On wax. 

Props 

Pereira: TKO/KO (+200) Sub (+750) Dec (+325) 

Petroski: TKO/KO (+700) Sub (+600) Dec (+250) 

Winner: Michel Pereira | Method: TKO Rd.3

Darren Elkins (+155) vs. T.J. Brown (-185)

Elkins: DK: $7.4k | Brown: DK:$8.8k

This fight is technically the showcase on the prelims, but I had to show the G-O-D Triple OG Darren Elkins some love. This man bleeds when they put the Vaseline on his face before he steps into the cage, and his nose starts bleeding after the glove touch. Between rounds, they hook up the I.V. and give Elkins blood transfusions to keep him alive. His skin is thinner than Parks & Rec tp; your finger slips right through Darren Elkins. My man’s skin is perforated. And even after one hundred UFC bouts since his debut in 2010, Darren Elkins still has a whole pack of rabid stray dogs in him. That Cujo found a Resident Evil dog in heat type of dog in him. If T.J. Brown steps into the Octagon dancing that same ol’ half-step, Elkins will plant him in the ground, where he will germinate and grow into a Charlie Brown Christmas tree just in time to be harvested for the holidays.  

Elkins is a wrestling/grappling specialist who has faced guys you don’t even remember he fought, like Alexander Volkanovski. His UFC resume is a Hollywood who’s-who list of elite fighters, and his dub column is just as impressive as his L column. Elkins is an almanac of takedowns, a walking takedown historian. Once he gets the top position, Elkins suffocates you with heavy top control and blood pouring in your mouf. He’s the Webster dictionary definition of a grinder on the mat, and his best attribute is surviving heavy damage and dragging opponents into Bermuda Triangle deep waters where they are never seen again.  

But on the feet, Elkins takes damage like a car in a Street Fighter bonus stage. By the end of the first round, he looks like the Bonnie and Clyde car. Elkins’s hand speed was never impressive, but it is even less so now. And his only reaction to strikes is no reaction. It is paramount that Elkins gets this fight and any fight to the mat ASAP. T.J. Brown is also known for his wrestling and top game, but he is a turtle on his back. Downtown T.J. Brown rocks a thirty-six percent career takedown defense, and that’s bad news when facing Darren Elkins. Brown averages more takedowns per fifteen minutes, three and a half to Elkins’s two and a half, but that doesn’t always paint a clear picture. You don’t need as many takedowns when the opponent never gets back up once you get them down. Elkins’s top control > Brown’s top control. This will be a battle of who can secure the top position first. And if it stays standing, T.J.Brown isn’t a great striker, but he doesn’t need to be against Elkins.  

T.J. Brown is the (-225) favorite, and Elkins is the (+185) live-ass dog. If Brown f**ks around, he will find out. Elkins is a notorious all-time sleeper; he catches tigers by their toe routinely, and if they holler, he doesn’t let ‘em go. Both fighters will be finishing threats. Brown is 17-10 with four TKO/KOs and ten subs, and Elkins is 27-11 with noine TKO/KOs and five subs. Elkins has been finished five times but only once by submission. Brown was finished seven times, three by TKO/KO and four by sub. This could turn out to be a real ugly pick ‘em; Li Jingliang ugly. But fook it! Darren Elkins via rear-naked choke, round three. On wax. 

Winner: Darren Elkins | Method: Rear-Naked Choke Rd.3

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Cameron Saaiman ($7.8k): Super Saaiman. This guy reminds me of a Fun-Size Ian Garry. Honey, I shrunk the Ian Garry. When Ian Garry puts on the Antman suit, he turns into Cameron Saaiman. Cameron Saaiman is a hustla, he’s a, he’s a hustla! This kid stays busy from bell to bell, parading a never-ending showcase of kicks and crispy boxing. He averages nearly five and a half SLpM and can hover around the one hundred significant strikes mark in a three-round scrap. Combinations are Saaiman’s specialty, and as long as the fight stays standing, he will outwork his opponent, Christian Rodriguez. The key phrase is: “As long as the fight stays standing.” Rodriguez is the guy who punked the Easter Island talking head Raul Rosas Jr by outgrappling the grappling Harry Potter. I expect C-Rod will look to win this fight on the mat, and the key will be Saaiman’s guard. Saaiman isn’t a chump from his back, but he tends to spend too much time hunting for subs that don’t come to fruition instead of getting back to his feet. If he forces scrambles and can force extended stand-up exchanges, he can notch solid striking stats and steal a dub.  

Andre Petroski ($7.6k): Petroski has the key to crack the Michel Pereira code: wrestling. Dude is built like an action figure and has stifling top control. Pereira’s weaknesses are his cardio, takedown defense, and overall ground game. The key for Petroski will be getting Pereira to the mat ASAP and using the first five minutes to drain some of Pereira’s battery, so Pereira can’t do all that spinning/flying/wild shit. But closing the distance will be like running through a minefield with no cute little metal detector. On the feet, Petroski is all wide overhands, hooks, and big movements, which will make it difficult to navigate around Pereira’s long, straight strikes. But if Petroski gets the top position, he can ride out a significant portion of the fight while being a significant sub-threat. This will be Pereira’s first fight in the UFC at middleweight, and the first time he won’t have a massive size/weight advantage on fight night.  

Daniel da Silva ($7k): Edson Barboza is another solid $7k option; he’s a walking KO highlight reel, but da Silva always has the potential to be a flipper. Breaking away from traditional Daniel da Silva orthodoxy, he came out in the first fight against Edgar Chairez subdued and under control, juxtaposed to his usual mini-Michel Pereira acrobatic antics in the opening minutes. I don’t know if that was a good or bad thing since the fight ended way too prematurely, but I suspect the wild antics can rear their ugly head at any moment. Da Silva won’t be the more technical striker in this matchup, but he’s an Uno Wild Card, and at 0-4-1 in the UFC, the MMA Gods are due to throw this guy a freakin’ bone. If this guy decides to bust out the cardboard square and boombox and gets to spinning on his head, he’s a lot to handle, and it’s nearly impossible not to get caught with some strays here and there.  

$6k Salvation Army Donations 

Brendon Marotte ($6.7k): This guy is a late replacement, fighting out of the New England Cartel gym, which is home to Calvin Kattar and Rob Font. He is 8-1 with five TKO/KOs and one sub, and more importantly, he’s fighting the five-minute dynamo, Terrance “& Phillip” McKinney. You already know McKinney is the definition of kill-or-be-killed and fights like he’s stuck in sixth gear from the jump. If you can survive the first five minutes against McKinney, your odds of winning the fight skyrocket. This kid, Marotte, is stepping in on short notice and will have his work cut out for him, but he has some Mr. Hanky in him. He’s a doodie the Mario Bros can’t flush. Those Boston fighters are just built differently. Marotte has a solid all-around game and can not only survive on the mat but can put McKinney on his back when McKinney starts to fade. On the feet, he will hold his own even in a Back Draft firefight, and the key to his game plan will be to survive and advance like it's March Madness. Also, when McKinney goes out, he goes out like Bruce Willis and dies hard. All six of McKinney's career losses came via stoppage, including four TKO/KOs and two subs.  

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Darren Elkins (+155): Two things are certain when it comes to Darren Elkins: He will be bleeding during the walkout music, and he will get pieced up on the feet. But this guy is a low-down, dirty, shifty mother-shut-your-mouf and the very definition of a grinder. For literally over a decade, I have seen fighters underestimate this Lord of the Flies savage and walk away with a humiliating L. T.J. Brown ain’t a killer, and he doesn’t crush a lot; he’s, as the kids like to say, a mid at best, and Brown’s strongest attribute is his wrestling. That’s also Elkins’s strength, and the difference is Elkins is better from his back at forcing scrambles and creating reversals. If Elkins can somehow, someway, close the distance and get hold of Brown, Brown will have a bad time.  

Brendon Marotte (+350): It’s gonna be a rough night for the dogs, but I like Marotte’s chances because Terrance McKinney is the ultimate window fighter. McKinney has a strict five to seven-minute window to win the fight before the wheels fall off and he’s riding on rims, sparks flying. I don’t know much about Marotte (he has limited fight footage available), but he comes from a top fight camp and has some dog in him. He can take punishment and will come back for seconds. This one is a long shot, but Marotte has the potential to overturn the Monopoly board like a sore loser and send the pieces scattering all over the room. If you see the Octagon girl parading around the #2 card, you know it’s Go time, and Marotte’s chances to pull off the upset will increase tenfold.  

Edson Barboza (+140): Barboza is always on that American Pickers shit, looking for unique human taxidermy furniture pieces to add to his living room. A Sodiq Yusuff futon would match perfectly with his Shane Burgos recliner and Billy Q. ottoman. Barboza has lost a step over the last couple of years, but he’s still explosive, technical, and the King Kong of spinning shit. I’ve never been overly impressed with Sodiq Yusuff, and this is definitely a winnable fight for Barboza. But he will need a vintage Barboza highlight reel finish to pull it off. 

Pick 'Em

Christian Rodriguez (-150) vs. Cameron Saaiman (+125) 

Winner: Christian Rodriguez 

Method: Decision 

Tainara Lisboa (-325) vs. Ravena Oliveira (+260) 

Winner: Tainara Lisboa 

Method: Decision 

Terrance McKinney (-550) vs. Brendan Marotte (+350) 

Winner: Brendan Marotte 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

Irina Alekseeva (+125) vs. Melissa Dixon (-150) 

Winner: Irina Alekseeva 

Method: Decision 

Chris Gutierrez (-375) vs. Alateng Heili (+290) 

Winner: Chris Gutierrez 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

Ashley Yoder (+290) vs. Emily Ducote (-375) 

Winner: Emily Ducote 

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.