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

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They think they’re clever lately with all their Dooms Day nuclear war histrionics, attributed to a looming World War.  It’s all an okie-doke, a flim flam, a bamboozle, a hoodwink, a hornswoggle, a misdirection, an end-around; it’s all smoke and mirrors for the real impetus of nuclear holocaust:  Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira.  After this one, there will be nothing left.  Water World, The Book Of Eli, Mad Max; all scenarios are in play at the conclusion of one of the best lightweight title fight matchups in UFC history.  

What will the future look like afterward?  Will humanity be reduced to the survival of the fittest?  Will everyday blue-collar men and women, teachers, nurses, truck drivers, retail workers, mechanics, the ones hardened by generations of the rulers’ oppression and their commandeering of the assets of life’s Monopoly board through deceitful rhetoric and the skewing of resources through rigged veils of democracy, become the ones most prepared for a level playing field, a free for all?  While the softened pajama/laptop, white-collars, used to living at the top, hundreds of stories above the nebulous of adversity, quickly become the prey with no survival skills or ability to deal with struggle.  

The landscape of the future is unknown, a blackened level map with no areas of exploration illuminated, and whether we are forced to survive on atolls, makeshift communities floating in vast oceans with the vestiges of once densely populated cities visible below, or form miles-long caravans of desert-adapted vehicles in search of life’s second most precious liquid, oil, life will go on.  And Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira will likely meet again just as civilization begins to gain any semblance of its former greatness and thus thrust us once again into nuclear winter.

Main Card

Islam Makhachev (-175) vs. Charles Oliveira (+145)

Makhachev: DK: $9k |Oliveira: DK:$7.2k

Well, here we are.  A week away from the event horizon.  There’s no turning back now.  But who would want to after two weeks of sorry Thursday Night Football and fairly weak main-event matchups?  This here is the chaser to get that bored taste out yo’ mouf.  This is the closest we’ll ever come to witnessing the most intriguing matchup the UFC could possibly make, Charles Oliveira vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov.  But who knows; Khabib once said the only way he’d come back would be if someone beat Makhachev.  Well, beat Makhachev again because Makhachev was KO’d in his second UFC bout in 2015.  Trivia question: Who KO’d Islam Makhachev?  I’ll tell you one thing, if I KO’d Islam Makhachev in a dream, I’d wake up and apologize.  

At the heart of this fight is a grappler vs. grappler matchup.  Oliveira’s style is Jiu-Jitsu with a specialty of submissions from the guard, and Makhachev’s style is power wrestling and crushing top control and ground and pound.  Each fighter’s strengths are perfectly suited to negate the other’s.  Makhachev’s strength is top control, and Oliveira’s most dangerous skillset is implemented from his guard.  Something will have to give.  For Vegas, the only question is when will that something give?  The overall (-175) favorite is Islam, and the fight going the full twenty-five minutes will return (+260) odds.  The fulcrum for breaking into plus money is two and a half rounds, which the over will return (+125) odds.

As the odds suggest, this one isn’t likely to go the distance.  Oliveira’s threat to finish the fight is two-fold, on the feet and with slick submissions from his back.  I’ve heard many fighters and coaches talk about how good Islam’s kickboxing is, but I’m canceling after the trial period; I’m not buying it.  I’m just window-shoppin’; I’m not buying it.  No soliciting, try next door.  Makhachev’s striking is all power based and centralized in his left leg and left hand.  He can throw heavy one-punch strikes, but doesn’t throw fluid extended combinations; it’s rare Makhachev throws more than two punches.  The striking advantage will belong to Charles Oliveira; Makhachev’s weakness is and always will be his striking.  He can get got on the feet.

Oliveira uses a full Muay Thai attack on the feet, including stabbing knees and teep kicks that impale you like Steve Irwin.  He turned the tide of the Dustin Poirier fight by countering Dustin’s heavy pressure with knees and kicks to the body.  These are especially handy tools to have against a wrestler looking to level change.  Up-the-middle attacks, uppercuts, knees, and snap kicks make it hard to shoot double or single legs while trying to avoid them.  Also, Oliveira has sneaky power and has sparked everyone he has fought in the last few years.  He uses traditional boxing hand combinations and attacks the body like few fighters in the UFC.  The biggest hole in his striking is his stiff, upright stance.  Every fight Charles Oliveira wins, he almost loses first.  He takes heavy damage because he lacks movement and is a sitting duck defensively.  

The ground game:  The power Oliveira has on the feet, Makhachev possesses on the mat.  Some people value technique over power and vice versa, but having both trumps everything.  Makhachev uses the perfect mix of power and technique and is in the all-time great conversation from the top position.  He hangs on you like a lion bringing down a wildebeest and tenderizes you with intermittent heavy ground and pound.  But Oliveira has the Uno wildcard, sixteen UFC submissions and twenty-one for his career.  He’s the greatest submission artist the UFC has ever seen.  Charles has an attacking guard and won’t be Makhachev’s typical victim on the mat who just lays there trying to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.   Oliveira can finish the fight and force scrambles and reversals with his submission attempts, and will have a good shot of keeping the fight standing for long stretches.

If you don’t bust out the Piso Mojado signs on Saturday night, you’ll likely get sued for a slip and fall from all the value Charles Oliveira will drip all over your freshly Swiffer’d floor.  This guy can end any fight at any time, even after getting his ass half-kicked.  But there’s something about how Makhachev grabs hold of someone and thrashes them about like their weightless.  You can see it in their eyes; it’s like they’re watching that little girl crawl out of the well with her filthy hair matted over her face.  They look terrified like they’re experiencing something for the first time.  Also, I never forgot Oliveira’s last loss back in 2017 to Paul Felder.  Felder hung out in Oliveira’s guard and beat Oliveira up with heavy elbows from the top, and eventually, TKO’d Charles on his back.

I got back in the main event-winning column last week when Alexa Gra—Alexa, shut up—Alexa Grasso used crispy kickboxing to out-point Viviane Araujo.  I’ve gone back and forth on this one for a while.  For me, this one’s a toss-up, but at the end of the day, when it’s all said and done, when push comes to shove, I’m riding with dominant wrestling.  Islam Makhachev via TKO, round four.

*Trivia answer: Adriano Martins.  After KO’ing Islam Makhachev in 2015, Adriano Martins never won another fight.  He lost five of his last six with one no contest, and his most recent bout was in 2021.  

Winner: Islam Makhachev | Method: TKO Rd.4

T.J. Dillashaw (+140) vs. Aljamain Sterling (-170)

Dillashaw: DK: $7.7k | Sterling: DK: $8.5k

Well, this is a banger.  Before the rematch with Petr Yan, I scoffed at Aljamain’s Sterling’s bantamweight belt, hanging it in the rafters with other dubious sports titles as the NBA and MLB bubble titles and the rankest of them all, the 2017 Houston Astros World Series “win.”  But then Aljo purchased a mobile food truck specializing in serving patrons their own words and parked it in my driveway for the last five months since beating Petr Yan in the rematch.  He fought a much more disciplined fight and capitalized on Yan’s unforced turnovers, and rode an early lead to the final bell and a decision win.  For his first real title defense, a face from the past has reemerged with a chance to win the belt for a record third time.  T.J. Dillashaw can separate himself from the Bantamweight GOAT, Dominick Cruz, with a win and subsequent third bantamweight title.

Aljo has a specialty, back control; he’s a grappling specialist with an uncanny knack for taking opponents’ backs and not relinquishing them once he takes them.  Unlike a lot of wrestlers in MMA, Aljo’s specialty is the single-leg takedown.  He uses it to work his way to the opponent's back, usually against the cage, while locking in the nearside hook.  Aljo used the same single-leg entry on multiple occasions against Petr Yan in the second fight, and almost every time, Yan gave up his back trying to defend.  When grappling Aljo, you have to defend takedowns and build back to your feet in steps.  Instead of giving up your back, going to your knees, and trying to stand straight up, you have to turn into Aljo, regain half or full guard, then use your feet on the hips to push off and get back to your feet.  There’s no shortcut; you have to take the PCH 101 scenic route against Aljo.

T.J. is no TLC scrub in the wrestling/grappling departments, but he’ll have the clear advantage on the feet.  Aljo has fairly vanilla stand-up, using a squared stance to throw long, wild kicks and punches.  He’s mostly a ones and one-twos striker that overcompensates for lack of technical abilities with aggression, often times over aggression.  Before taking shots became a topic leading to instant fisticuffs when brought up at the dinner table on Thanksgiving, Dillashaw was taking them in his bum Willy-Nilly, an untold number of boosters, to enhance his performances.  That old school, doped-up T.J. would run through Aljamain Sterling like the Padres did the Doyers.  But present-day Dillashaw… IDK.  

Dillashaw stole Dominick Cruz’s whole stand-up style, copyright infringement, no bibliography, no sources cited.  He rocked the swap meet knock-off Cruz style all the way to two world titles.  He switches stances mid-combination, uses step-in hooks, foot shuffles, and creates angles with forward and backward pivots, just like Dominick Cruz.  The only difference is T.J. has more power.  His path to victory is keeping this fight standing and using volume and pressure to keep Aljo on his back foot.  Also, Dillashaw is a sneaky good leg kicker, and he can severely hamper Aljo’s ability to close the distance and shoot by attacking his lead leg.

Aljo will be the (-180) favorite, making T.J. Dillashaw a live (+145) dog.  Both fighters are finishing threats, Aljo by submission and Dillashaw by TKO/KO on the feet.  Aljo is 21-3 for his career with two TKO/KO’s and eight submissions, and Dillashaw is 17-4 with eight TKO/KO’s and three subs.  Aljo’s style is explosive early, and a finish from his end would likely be early in the fight.  T.J.’s power and output will remain constant for twenty-five minutes if he can keep the fight standing for long stretches, and I think his window for a finish is larger than Aljo’s.  An Aljo submission will return (+390), and Dillashaw TKO/KO will return (+450).  This one is impossible to pick.  T.J. Dillashaw via TKO, round three.  On wax.

Winner: T.J. Dillashaw | Method: TKO Rd.3

Sean O'Malley (+220) vs. Petr Yan (-275)

Sugar: DK: $6.9k | Yan: DK: $9.3k

Even when you tilt your head and squint at it, this matchup looks a little odd.  Sean O’Malley is taking a massive leap up in competition after a less than stellar performance in his last bout against Pedro Munhoz.  O’Malley spent much of the two-round fight executing a classic Paulo Costa dry-pasta-glued-to-construction-paper game plan, standing around getting the shit kicked outta his legs and doing little about it.  The fight ended prematurely after an eye poke and subsequent FIFA soccer-like flopping performance by Munhoz led to a no contest.  

That fight led to this matchup against the former champ, Petr Yan, who’s an ass-kicker extraordinaire.  Yan is coming off a Cheddar Bob/Plaxico Burress-in-the-club-like performance against Aljamain Sterling in which Yan repeatedly shot himself in the leg with unforced error after unforced error.  I mean, homie emptied the entire clip into his leg.  But somehow, he crawled back into the fight like Rick James after Charlie Murphy stomped his legs and finished strong.  Yan fought angry like someone cut his Tide Pods with Cascade, cut his KFC gravy with Boston Market’s, swinging out of his shoes and often leaving himself out of position to defend Aljo’s level changes.  Fighting with anger is dangerous, like going grocery shopping after spending a little time with Mary Jane.

Petr Yan’s biggest weakness is his ego, and there’s a good chance he’ll fight with it this weekend.  He’ll stand and trade, march down Sean O’Malley, and try to take his head off instead of making this an MMA fight and taking O’Malley down with his sneaky-good wrestling.  Yan trains at Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand, and the Thai have the best trips in the world.  Foot sweeps are a huge part of Yan’s ground game, using them behind hand combinations to relocate the fight without the use of traditional level changes.  If he chooses to implement his wrestling early and often, I think Petr Yan will dominate Sean O’Malley.  But that doesn’t mean O’Malley isn’t a threat to Yan.

The Sugar Show has excellent, long-range kickboxing and is a rare fighter who uses every inch of his long reach.  He has same-hour Amazon delivery hand speed and smooth two to three-punch combinations while maintaining a consistent lateral motion.  The key for O’Malley will be defending leg kicks.  His only career loss came to the nuclear savage, Chito Vera.  Vera landed a single calf kick that left O’Malley’s leg limp, unable to perform like whiskey shots and a Li Jingliang look alike for a date.  O’Malley depends heavily on constant movement and creating attacking angles, and landing just one or two calf kicks can eliminate that.  If O’Malley can defend the calf kicks and dawn the yellow jersey and stay pedaling around the Octagon for fifteen minutes, he can pick Yan apart from the outside and win this fight.

The numbers:  Yan is 16-3 for his career with seven TKO/KO’s and one submission, and O’Malley is 15-1 with eleven TKO/KO’s and one sub.  O’Malley averages nearly eight significant strikes per minute, a blistering pace, the product of a mixture of successive one-punch striking and combination striking.  Yan’s output is impressive, too, at over five and a half per minute, but the difference is Yan also averages almost two takedowns per fifteen minutes, and most are attributed to those sneaky foot sweeps.  

Petr Yan is the sizeable (-275) favorite, and O’Malley the (+230) dog.  The fight is favored (-185) to end before the final bell, but I like playing a win by decision at (+130).  I think Yan is the bigger finishing threat, he implements more tools, but both fighters have that dog in them and will be tough to finish.  Petr Yan via decision.

Winner: Petr Yan | Method: Decision

Mateusz Gamrot (-190) vs. Beneil Dariush (+155)

Gamrot: DK: $8.8k | Dariush: DK: $7.4k

It’s like this and like that; other than the main event, this is the biggest banger on the card.  This should have been last weekend’s main event.  The fact that this is a three-round fight instead of five is a travesty, like playing one hundred and sixty-two regular season games and having three and five-game series in the playoffs.  This one’s a grappler’s paradise, a grappler’s delight.  Tupac rapped about grappling matches like this in his famous song, “Does Heaven Have A Grappling Mat?”

Beniel Dariush is the most slept-on since Rip Van Wink.  He’s the dark horse in the stacked lightweight division.  Earlier this year, we were robbed when a main event between Dariush and Makhachev fell through, and my favorite fighter, Bobby Green, stepped in on short notice.  Beneil looks like he wears toe shoes and reads one hundred books per year at Barnes and Noble but never buys anything.  But don’t let that fool you; Benny Dariush will sleep you like ASMR or choke you like a pair of fishnets did David Carradine.  Dariush was one of the first fighters to build a float for the Tony Ferguson ass-kicking parade when he dominated Ferguson in his most recent bout back in 2021.  He all but amputated Tony’s leg with a heel hook that Tony refused to tap to.

Dariush is a special grappler with patient, slow, constricting top control and a grab bag of submissions at his disposal.  Benny also makes use of intermittent heavy ground and pound from the guard like old school Tito Ortiz; he doesn’t waste energy trying to pass the guard and will instead camp out and land bombs.  On the feet, Dariush is a sleeper.  His left hand looks like he’s gunning out a runner at the plate from the warning track, like he’s throwing a 300 spear at Xerxes.  He combines it with heavy low kicks and zombie-like forward pressure and whoops your ass subtly yet soundly.  The whole time you can’t believe the guy from Independence Day is cracking your ass.

If Mateusz Gamrot lays a finger on you, you’re going to the ground.  Gamrot has elite wrestling on par with Islam Makhachev’s.  Like Aljo, Gamrot specializes in low single-leg takedowns.  He can execute ankle picks and knee taps or hike the single-leg over your head until you can’t stretch anymore and collapse.  In his last bout against Arman Tsarukyan, Gamrot had Tsarukyan doing Amateur’s Night standing splits, trying to defend the single-leg.  I thought Gamrot lost to Tsarukyan that night, but it was the best under-the-radar main event of the year and very close on the scorecards.

As is the case often with two elite grapplers, the fight ends up being a three-round kickboxing match, and both fighters subconsciously acknowledge a grappling stalemate.  Dariush will have a power advantage on the feet and has the one-punch KO power, but Gamrot has solid boxing and can hang with most on the feet.  He likes to switch stances but has a big tell; when he’s in the southpaw stance, he’s going to shoot.  Gamrot almost exclusively shoots from the southpaw stance and has problems defending his body on the feet.  The game plan for Gamrot will be the Khabib game plan, constant takedowns.  Dariush’s skills on the mat won’t sway Gamrot from using his wrestling early and often.

Maybe it’s wishful thinking, but this one has grappling firefight written all over it.  Gamrot averages nearly five takedowns per fifteen minutes, and Dariush averages over two.  Both also have excellent takedown defense, Gamrot noinety percent and Dariush eighty percent.  And on the feet they’re close to identical averaging around three and a half significant strikes landed per minute.  This one has split decision written all over it.  I’d be shocked like Marv if one of these guys finished the other.  A Gamrot decision will return (+130) odds, and a Dariush decision (+285).  Straight up, Gamrot is the (-200) favorite, and Dariush the dog at (+160).  Bust out the Piso Mojado signs, Dariush will be dripping with value.  I think his power on the feet can cause Gamrot problems if the takedown well dries up.  But I think Gamrot can record just enough top control time to edge this one out.  On wax, Mateusz Gamrot via decision.  

Winner: Mateusz Gamrot  | Method: Decision

Manon Fiorot (-225) vs. Katlyn Chookagian (+175)

Chookagian: DK: $8.9k | Fiorot: DK: $7.3k

This is a dope little matchup and an official undercover banger.  Manon Fiorot is an up-and-coming Holly Holm software update with a Wonderboy-like karate style, and Katlyn Chookagian is the Steve Young of the UFC. Chookagian specializes in the West Coast offense and slowly matriculating the ball up the field with a high volume of peppering strikes.  This will be a fiery battle of stand-up styles featuring two high-output strikers.

Katlyn Chookagian once fought Valentina (no last name necessary) for the flyweight title and has shared the Octagon with the best of the best in women’s MMA.  Except for her loss to Jessica Eye, Chookagian has only lost to elite competition and holds an excellent 18-4 professional record.  Her style is tight and technical and nonstop offense.  She’s death by one thousand paper cuts personified   Her major malfunction is that her strikes make clown nose honking sounds when they land; her strikes generate as much power as a windmill on the moon.  Her path to victory is avoiding the clinch and hip throws of Fiorot while maintaining constant pressure and volume.

Manon Fiorot is the female version of Wonderboy Thompson with sneaky Judo takedowns and solid top control.  Fiorot uses a bladed karate stance and leaps in and out of the pocket with quick one-twos and side kicks, and I ain’t talking Robin.  She uses a high volume of side kicks to disrupt the opponent's attacks and uses them to disguise round high kicks.  Her style reminds me of prime Holly Holm when Holly still had confidence in her stand-up.  Manon is aggressive on the feet and pushes a heavy pace that few can hang with, and she has the added advantage of mixing takedowns from the clinch with her striking.  When the round is close, Fiorot can steal it with a quick hip toss takedown.

Manon Fiorot will be the big (-220) favorite, and Chookagian the value-drenched (+175) dog.  I think this fight is closer to a complete toss-up than what the odds would suggest.  The question remains: does Manon Fiorot have that dog in her?  What happens when she isn’t the hammer and becomes the nail?  Fiorot’s sleek, athletic style has all the bells and whistles, but she hasn’t been truly tested yet.  This is one of those fights where you can’t go wrong with either fighter on your Fantasy roster.  Even in a loss, both fighters will have high outputs, and the fight will all but assuredly go the distance.  Chookagian averages four and a half significant strikes landed per minute, and Fiorot averages over six and a half.  The odds for a Chookagian decision are (+200) and a Fiorot decision (-120).  But at the end of the day, when the credits finally roll, Fiorot’s sneaky takedowns might be the difference.  Manon Fiorot via decision.  On wax.

Winner: Manon Fiorot  | Method: Decision

Prelims

Value Menu

Volkan Oezdemir (+150) vs. Nikita Krylov (-185)

Oezdemir: DK: $7.6k | Krylov: DK: $8.6k

This is a classic grappler vs. striker matchup between two UFC veterans.  Volkan Oezdemir is a giant galoot of a man with twelve TKO/KO’s on his record, and Nikita Krylov is a submission specialist with fifteen career submissions and twelve TKO/KO’s.  Krylov’s career record is 28-9, and if you’re decent at math, Krylov finished twenty-seven of his twenty-eight career dubs.  Although Nikita has decent striking, his TKO/KO finishes come from domination on the mat.  

What makes this fight a special on the value menu is it will almost assuredly end in a finish.  Oezdemir will have a distinct power and technical advantage on the feet, and Krylov will have Grand Canyon-sized advantage on the mat.  Volkan is a baby at the mall propped up on the Koala Kare station with his heels over his head when it comes to his ground game.  His takedown defense is that of a Miami highrise apartment complex, and officially around fifty-five percent.  If Krylov can get this fight to the mat early, Oezdemir is going to have a bad time.  BUT, big but; if Krylov can’t secure an early finish, and the takedown well dries up, Oezdemir will take over on the feet and have a good shot at a finish.

Krylov is the straight up favorite at (-175), and Oezdemir the live dog at (+145).  These fights are always tough when one fighter is working within a small window of time to get a finish.  A Krylov TKO/KO will return (+375) and a submission (+350).  Both are in play for Krylov because he can finish a fight with strikes from the top position or with subs.  The play here is a Hamilton or Jackson on both and splitting the difference.  A Volkan Oezdemir TKO/KO will return (+300) and will be a real possibility the longer the fight plays out.  Fantasy-wise, Krylov is a high-risk/high-reward option, and Oezdemir is a solid low-tier option with a high upside.

Muhammad Mokaev (-1400) vs. Malcolm Gordon (+650)

Mokaev: DK: $9.6k | Gordon: DK: $9.6k

There’s only one reason to highlight this fight, Muhammad Mokaev.  I’ll start by saying this: I wasn’t impressed with Mokaev’s second appearance in the Octagon back in July.  Mokaev never came close to finishing the late replacement Charles Johnson, and it gives me cause to pause for his matchup against Malcolm Gordon.  But I think Mokaev was humbled after believing he would just walk through everybody on his way to holding the belt.  I expect Mokaev to be more focused this time out and measure his performance by whether he finishes it or not.

Malcolm Gordon will be a stiff test for Mokaev, and if there comes a time when Mokaev can’t score takedowns, Gordon will box his face… off.  Castor Troy him with long fast combinations from the fringe of the pocket.  Mokaev can absolutely get got on the feet.  Gordon has only one career submission loss, but it came to Amir Albazi, who has a similar style to Mokaev.  

Mokaev is a ridiculous (-1400) favorite and Gordon the neglected left-out-in-the-rain dog at (+650).  I think those are wild-ass odds, and this fight will be much closer than the odds suggest.  BUT, another big but; I like the chances of a Mokaev finish either from the top with strikes or a submission.  A Mokaev TKO/KO will return (+260) odds and a submission (+130).  If you’re feeling froggy, a Gordon TKO/KO finish will return (+2000) odds and is his only means of victory.  He likely won’t out-point a guy who will try to clinch and hold him against the cage for fifteen minutes.  F!@k the (+650) odds, roll with the finishing odds.

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Twenty-Ten-Twen Sleepers

Last week, I struck out looking with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth.  I bet the Thunderdome on a Victor Henry submission, but a Coachella hologram version of him came out and stood around looking at the crowd like Truman Burbank when he realizes his whole life is just a television show.  But this week, we have some more dependable, proven rabid dogs with clear paths to an upset.

Charles Oliveira (+145): Oliveira at plus money versus anybody from any century of the history of the earth is always a good look.  He’s a sub-threat from his back, but more importantly, his ground game allows him to fight freely on his feet without fear of the takedown because he doesn’t give a fook if you put him on his back.  And if there comes a time when Makhachev can’t secure a takedown, Oliveira will have the edge on the feet.

Belal Muhammad (+115):  By the time Saturday morning rolls around, Belal might not be a dog anymore.  But at plus money against another grappler, Belal is a steal.  No way should he be the dog here.  His resume speaks for itself, and if this fight against Sean Brady turns into a grappling stalemate, Belal has the more diverse and overall better striking.  If these two engage in a wrestling match, we could be in for some Olympic Gold Medal Match type-ish, and I’d still give that edge to Muhammad.

Lucas Almeida (+130:  I’ll dip into the early prelims for this one.  Almeida is a nasty little combination striker who attacks the body and uses traditional European kickboxing hand/kick combinations, following one with the other and vice versa.  His opponent is Zubaira Tukhugov, who, as you can guess, has excellent wrestling but, at times, struggles to score takedowns.  If Zubaira can’t get Almeida to the mat, he’s gonna have a bad time.

Pick 'Em

Belal Muhammad (+115) vs. Sean Brady (-145) 

            Winner: Belal Muhammad

 Method: Decision

Makhmud Muradov (+170) vs. Caio Borralho (-210) 

            Winner: Caio Borralho

 Method: Decision

Volkan Oezdemir (+150) vs. Nikita Krylov (-185)

    Winner: Volkan Oezdemir

 Method: TKO Rd.2

Zubaira Tukhugov (-170) vs. Lucas Almeida (+130)

    Winner: Lucas Almeida

 Method: Decision

Abubakar Nurmagomedov (-175) vs. Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (+140)

    Winner: Abubakar Nurmagomedov

 Method: Decision

Armen Petrosyan (-210) vs. A.J. Dobson (+165)

    Winner: Armen Petrosyan

 Method: Decision

Muhammad Mokaev (-1400) vs. Malcolm Gordon (+650)

    Winner: Muhammad Mokaev

 Method: Rear Naked Choke Rd.2

Karol Rosa (-350) vs. Malcolm Gordon (+250)

    Winner: Karol Rosa

 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. 

Check out my Podcast The Whiskey (S)ick Podcast on Apple and Spotify. Parental Advisory Warning