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

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Main Card

Merab (-410) vs. Petr Yan (+320)

Merab: DK: $9.5k | Yan: DK:$6.7k

Everywhere you go, you see it. From small rural towns, connected to the heartland only by unincorporated, dirt-road arterial routes, to the sensory decadence of the bright lights and neck-breaking high-rises of major metropolitan cities worldwide, the signs are unmistakable. Fiends frozen in suspended animation like morbid mannequins posed in various states of action, their incapacitated bodies clogging alleyways and sidewalks and blocking the entrances to local businesses. Walking down the street requires one to conjure an adolescent version of oneself, as they must hopscotch down the street to avoid trails of feces like vile breadcrumbs that lead off the edge of civilized society. What is going on, and how did we get here?   

Merab Copium. 

Everywhere you go, people are on their Delonte West arc, “You got any more of that Merab Copuim? I got these cheeseburgers, man!” Everywhere you go, people are cheesing off that Merab Copium like Kenny and cat urine. “All he does is spam takedowns,” a needle between the toes. “He’s so boring,” no room left on the legs and buttocks; try an armpit. The powers that be have officially labeled it an epidemic. As the world clamors for a solution, only one has been presented as viable: Defeat. Someone has to knock out Merab Dvalishvili. The consequences of not doing so are unimaginable. Five years, ten, how long will it last, and how many lives will be destroyed? 

In their desperation, the world will once again turn to Petr Yan, a man who failed in his first attempt to rid the world of Merab Copium. From the outside looking in, it’s so simple. Merab isn’t even that good. He doesn’t have much power; he doesn’t have any fancy footwork; he’s short and stout like that doodie you had to sweat and shed all your clothes to push out, and his physical attributes are unimposing—Madden seventy-five across the board—in and of themselves. All except one attribute: cardio. Merab’s pace is unmatched. He can sprint the duration of a marathon, while most people are bent over, hands on knees, like they beat out a Beer League infield single after the first one hundred yards. There’s only one way to beat Merab. 

You have to knock him out. You won’t out-point him without scoring two 10-8 rounds. Like there was only one way to destroy the T-1000—submerge it in a vat of boiling liquid metal—the only way to beat Merab is to separate him from his consciousness. Nothing less will suffice. The only question is, will Merab shoot one hundred takedowns and double his output from the first fight with Yan? Merab’s secret is making you defend takedowns instead of creating offense. The more takedowns you defend, the more paranoid you become. And the next thing you know, Merab is boxing your ears in, while you’re supposed to be the better striker. 

Isn’t that right, Petr, Sean, and Cory? But there’s good news for Petr Yan: Even after giving up eleven takedowns against Merab, he still rocks an eighty-five percent takedown defense. He defended thirty-noine takedowns in that fight—that has to be a Guinness World Records record. Yan’s equilibrium is like a gyroscope; you can’t upend him. He stays upright no matter how you tilt or manipulate him. Cats always land on their feet like Petr Yan. The issue for Yan in the first fight was that he didn’t have time to do anything other than defend takedowns. After the fight, homie was defending takedowns in his sleep—even in the darkness between blinks. Yan looked like Smokey in the pigeon coop at the end of that fight. Paranoia is a helluva drug.   

The bad news for Yan is that people were wearing microwaves and fish tanks and gas masks and all kinds of wild shit for face masks the last time he finished a fight. Everybody has a plan to stay on the outside and out-kickboxing Merab until Merab shoots the first dozen takedowns. Yan has to create space by using lateral footwork. Moving backward is not an option. Only creating angles can thwart Merab’s relentless level changes. What makes Yan a unique threat to Merab is Yan’s pocket presence. He’s good at retreating, using backward pivots while not evacuating the pocket, and staying within striking distance. This guy stays in the pocket like hands on a cold day. The key for Yan is drawing Merab into level changes and using up-the-middle strikes to counter. He has to use his footwork to make Merab predictable and counter accordingly.   

Merab is the (-420) favorite, and Yan is the (+315) live-ish dog. Merab is a human being, therefore Merab is beatable. One day, Merab will lose again. Will that day be Saturday? If Yan can find time, space, and energy to produce offense, sure. But I don’t know if he has the one-punch power to shut off Merab’s lights. Lately, it’s been Merab who has been leaving opponents wobbly on their feet. The play for this one is a decision. Why? Because Merab is going to win his fourth title defense in 2025. That’s diabolical work.  

The main event losing streak came to a merciful end when Arman Tsarukyan turned Dan Hooker into some banging Trunk Muzik. Like that pick, this week’s pick feels close to a foregone conclusion. I call that a trap pick. But I can’t bet against Merab. Merab Dvalishvili via decision. Put it on wax. 

Props

Merab: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+800) Dec (-250)  

Yan: TKO/KO (+1000) Sub (+3500) Dec (+550) 

Winner: Merab Dvalishvili | Method: Decision

Alexandre Pantoja (-240) vs. Joshua Van (+195)

Pantoja: DK: $9k | Van: DK: $7.2k

Toja Cat, AKA the most underrated/underappreciated champion, is back. Alexandre, don’t you dare call him Alexander. Pantoja is back against the most dangerous striker in the division, Joshua Van. Van unwrapped the Willy Wonka golden ticket when he jumped the line to face Brandon Royval—the number one contender—on short notice. Van received a silver star after that war. Much like Merab, the only way to beat Toja Cat is to knock him the fook out. There’s no man in the division more suited to carry out those orders than Joshua Van. This fight is guaranteed to be a fookin’ banger. Why? Because every Toja Cat is a fookin’ banger.   

During Toja Cat’s career, he has defeated two Brandons, two Kai’s, two Matt’s, and two Brunos, but this will be his first Joshua. Speaking of Joshua, Toja Cat will climb you like a Joshua tree. This MF will straight scale and summit you. His back control is like he sinks ice picks into you while wearing those shoes with spikes on them. Toja’s back control is like falling into a huge bear trap. He turns you into that guy who got his armed wedged against a rock by a falling boulder and had to cut off his own arm to escape. Toja Cat will have you playing eenie, meenie, minie, Moe to decide which limb you will sacrifice to get back to your feet. You already know Toja Cat’s style: he sprints off the line like a pass rusher, forces you up against the cage, and takes your back. In the opening seconds, you find yourself in the exact position you trained for months to avoid.

On the feet, Toja isn’t special. But he’s aggressive and has sneaky power. His special move is running the two-minute drill in the fifth round. Homie is unbeatable in the fifth round. When he hits you up in the fifth round and tells you he’s coming through, it’s usually in the clutch. When it comes to coming through in the clutch, this guy is Yamamoto in the ninth inning of game seven. Winning a fifth round against Toja Cat is like winning the first round against Khamzat. Toja Cat has more fifth-round game-winning drives than Tom Brady. Nobody executes the two-minute drill with no timeouts like Pantoja. Against Van, Toja has to create an early submission. Van rocks an eighty-one percent takedown defense; there’s a good chance Toja will have to survive on his feet late if he can’t submit Van early.   

There’s an old myth that says you should wait at least thirty minutes after kicking an ass before kicking another one, or you might cramp up. Well, you can call Joshua Van a Myth Buster because he stepped in on short notice against Brandon Royval after fighting just two weeks earlier. He hadn’t even digested the previous ass he kicked before he was kicking another. Joshua Van is an ass-kicking glutton like Homer at the All You Can Eat buffet when he got kicked out at closing. “But the sign said all you can eat!”   

Joshua Van’s M.O. is power. His hands are heavier than depression. He’ll knock your ass into the Great Depression. You’ll wake up in a Steinbeck novel. They use Van’s hands to drill for oil. He has those There Will Be Blood hands. And there will be blood like Carrie’s prom dress whenever this MF scraps. Van is the MMA version of the Muay Thai Lumpinee Stadium legend, Rodtang. Rodtang is a little block of concrete who hits like a light heavyweight with a chin built like cars in the ’60s when they could run head-on into a brick wall at 80 mph and drive away without a scratch on them. That’s Joshua van to a T. Van has one-punch power and eats punches like Joey Chestnut eats wieners. Van eats punches like a Man vs. Food episode. His only kryptonite is a Charles Johnson uppercut. 

Van’s special move is attacking the body. Life is a Hershey Highway, and you’re gonna ride it all night long like you’re in the HOV lane. Much like Jack Della Maddalena, Van begins combinations to the body and finishes at the head and vice versa. In noine UFC bouts, only one man has been able to withstand Van’s power. His hands are so heavy that they have to bleep out the sound of them landing. They have to create a clean version of his fights. His hands get slapped with a Parental Advisory sticker. Oh, and don’t forget, Van has takedown defense like the pyramids. But I’ll say this: He has never faced a wrestler/grappler like Toja Cat, a guy who will relentlessly pursue takedowns until the final bell.  

The numbers: Van averages a nucking futs just under noine SLpM compared to Pantoja’s four and a half. But Toja averages nearly three takedowns per fifteen minutes. Toja Cat will be the (-230) favorite, and Van will be the (+190) live-ass dog. I can see that number next to Van’s name coming down during the week. It’s like his style was built specifically to beat Toja Cat. But Toja will have the big fight/big moment experience. Toja has been in far more high-pressure moments than Van. Plus, Toja just knows how to win when the fight is on the line. Toja will either take Van’s back early and submit him, or Van will slowly work his way back into the fight and steal it late. I don’t know if I’ve ever picked against Toja Cat... Don’t do it. I just have a feeling... Joshua Van via decision. On wax   

Props

Toja Cat: TKO/KO (+800) Sub (+150) Dec (+225) 

Van: TKO/KO (+550) Sub (+3500) Dec (+400)

Winner: Joshua Van | Method: Decision

Brandon Moreno (+110) vs. Tatsuro Taira (-130)

Moreno: DK: $7.7k | Taira: DK:$8.5k

El Mariachi is back. When he’s not fighting, Brandon Moreno travels the countryside of Mexico, carrying a guitar and singing a ballad about the day he will regain his lost belt. Best believe a corrido is already being composed for the next man standing between El Mariachi and his revenge: Tatsuro Taira. Taira is known as the human finger trap; once he gets hold of you, there’s no escape. This will be a classic grappler vs. striker matchup, and one that could put the winner next in line for the winner of the main event. Although Moreno has fought Pantoja three times, he has never fought a grappler quite like Taira. Taira’s grappling is extraterrestrial, not of this world. This matchup is worthy of a Fight Night main event and is an absolute banger.  

Chances are that Brandon Moreno has out-dogged your favorite dog at some point in his career. El Mariachi has so much dog in him that the local police department assigned him to a K-9 unit. Whenever trouble is afoot, Moreno’s human handler pushes a button, causing the rear door to swing open, and Moreno jumps out and latches onto that ass. Moreno’s opponents step into the cage wearing one of those Michelin Man foam bite suits. El Mariachi ain’t the first dog that shitted on your lawn, but he might be the last if you get to thinking shit is sweet, and Moreno is past his fighting prime. Homie is still in his prime like the integers 3, 7, 9, and 11. Homie is indivisible like the American people if they could ever be deprogrammed from seeing the world only in hues of blue and red.   

Back to how much dog Brandon Moreno has in him: He has so much dog in him that Top Dogg Entertainment signed him to a record deal. El Mariachi dropped his debut album “Cracked Steve Erceg’s Ass” back in March. Now he’s set to drop his sophomore effort, “Brandon Moreno 4Ever,” if he can beat the grappling heretic Tatsuro Taira. And he can do that by using his jab. Moreno could jab a face for hours. If he can keep Taira at the end of his jab, forcing Taira to shoot from outside the pocket, he can stuff some takedowns and out-box Taira on the feet. This fight will come down to Moreno’s sixty-four percent takedown defense versus Taira’s nearly three takedowns per fifteen minutes. Moreno will likely end up on his back early; he will have to scramble and avoid allowing his shoulders to rest on the mat. Getting back to your feet begins on your way down to the mat. If you don’t start to scramble until your ass hits the mat, it’s too late.   

Especially against Taira. When Taira gets hold of you, he turns you into a Project Runway model, doing little haughty pirouettes with Taira clamped onto you with a standing body triangle. He’ll have you looking like Deebo Samuel making his stadium entrance. Taira will have you looking like Kyle Kuzma wearing a size XXXXL nitted pink sweater that he jacked from Lizzo’s closet.  

“Hey, buddy! Lizzo is skinny now!” 

She’ll be back after she goes blind. And I ain’t your buddy, homie.  Anywho, Taira is the Greatest Show on Canvas. When it comes to grappling, he brought sexy back. DJ! Hit that Justin Timberlake “SexyBack!” Taira has that Dallas Cowboys offense on the mat; he throws up submissions like Dak throws deep balls to George Pickens. Taira is the Max Holloway of grappling; he’s the BMF of grappling. He throws submission combos like Max throws hand combos, a never-ending stream of consciousness of submission attempts. Never forget the time he carjacked Alex Perez and left Perez sitting on cinderblocks in a Tijuana back alley. Taira looked like King Kong on top of the Empire State Building when he back-mounted Perez. They tried to swarm Taira with drones to try to get him off, but Taira just swatted them away and blew out Perez’s knee.   

But none of that ground game matters if the takedown well dries up. Taira isn’t a crumb bum on his feet, but he’s not a killer either; he just crushes a lot. Taira is a sniper from range but a patsy in the pocket. When it comes to exchanging in the pocket, Taira is like Bill Clinton (or Bubba if you want to be a Richard about it); he doesn’t inhale the smoke. He can cause Moreno problems on the feet, but not for long. He can’t sustain engaging in long stretches of striking. Taira’s path to victory will never be on his feet; it will always be on the mat, even against Toja Cat should the two ever meet. This is the only man in the division who can out-grapple the Champ.  

Taira is the early (-130) favorite, and El Mariachi is the (+115) live-ass dog. Sleep on Moreno at your own risk. Outside of Toja Cat, on any given Saturday night, Moreno is still the best flyweight. But styles make fights, and this is a tough matchup for Moreno. Can he buy enough time on his feet to steal close rounds? Taira’s control is different. Fantasy-wise, Taira’s value will be almost exclusively in control time. He doesn’t strike much on the mat; he’s a sub hunter. It would be a feather in Taira’s cap to be the first fighter to ever finish Moreno. But I don’t see that happening. The play for this one is a decision. I have to ride with Taira’s control on the mat. Tatsuro Taira via decision. Put it on wax.  

Props

Moreno: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+1400) Dec (+150)

Taira: TKO/KO (+1400) Sub (+500) Dec (+140)

Winner: Tatsuro Taira | Method: Decision

Henry Cejudo (+225) vs. Payton Talbott (-280)

Cejudo: DK: $7k | Talbott: DK: $9.2k

The former Triple Champ is desperate for a win. If his fans were like Eagles fans, they’d be pelting him with snowballs and booing his ass out of the arena. Like Luniz takes sacks to the face, Cejudo has been taking L’s to the face. Yo! Hit that “I Got 5 On It!” So far, Cejudo’s comeback tour has been like Guns N’ Roses when Axl Rose came back looking like a FemDom Karen. Cejudo’s comeback has been like Tiger Woods’ after Tiger crashed in the woods and broke his legs. Only Meek Mill has had a worse come back than Cejudo. None of the young kids even know the words to Henry’s greatest hits like his TKOs over Dominick Cruz and T.J. Dillashaw. To the younger generation, Henry’s fights are oldies and might as well have been recorded in black and white.  

Fighting Payton Talbott is like Henry swung and missed three times, and they had to bring out the tee. And all the kids in the dugout are on the fence, cheering him on. Not that Payton Talbott isn’t a bad young MF. Because he is. But Cejudo should still be fighting in title fights and title eliminators. Not fighting young prospects. So, what has changed? Everything. Henry isn’t fast or quick anymore. His hand speed is what made his wrestling effective. He could blind you with a quick combination and level change in a blink. I don’t know if Cejudo can’t wrestle anymore, or if he just prefers to stand and bang. Cejudo’s path to victory will be like Mad Max: Fury Road on the feet against Talbott, complete with dudes with silver spray-painted mouths, swinging from pole vault poles, and lobbing Molotov cocktails through the sunroof. Or are they moonroofs? Either way, Cejudo has to wrestle.   

Never forget the time dusty-ass Raoni Barcelos took down Talbott eight times and racked up nearly ten minutes of control time. The path to victory is there for Cejudo on the mat. In that fight, Talbott’s grappling got exposed like Tyson's cheeks (Happy one-year anniversary, BTW!) But I’ll say this: Talbott completed some missions and leveled up his grappling in his previous bout against Felip Lima. Talbott out-grappled the Brazilian. But Felip Lima isn’t an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling like Cejudo.  I get strong whiffs of Max Holloway from time to time when I watch Talbott fight. He looks like season ten Dustin from Stanger Things. His special move is the dart punch. Homie throws darts like a pull hall—throws darts like ESPN 3 at 2 a.m. The dart punch is rear rear-hand strike that allows Talbott to escape out the back door while throwing the punch, creating an angle to continue the attack. Talbott is at his best when he uses volume like he did when he set the bantamweight striking record on the Contender Series when he landed one hundred forty-five significant strikes. As good as Talbott’s striking is, he has a major malfunction: defense.  

Homie is defensively illiterate like Floyd Mayweather trying to read The Count of Monte Cristo. His guard doesn’t guard shit. His guard falls asleep like the guards outside Eps3!n’s cell. Head movement: Nope. Stepping off at angles: Nope. To top it off, Talbott always holds his hands at waist level. Extended combinations are Talbott’s kryptonite. Talbott will beat Cejudo with volume. He averages six SLpM compared to Cejudo’s just under four. The key will be Talbott’s seventy-five percent takedown defense. Except for the Barcelos fight, Talbott has shown solid takedown defense. But he’s never faced a wrestler of Cejudo’s caliber.   

Like, “Whoa!” Hit that Black Rob! Talbott is the (-280) favorite, and Cejudo is the disrespectful (+230) live-ish dog. If Cejudo comes out committed to wrestling, he can win this fight. I just don’t see that happening. If Talbott can shake off one or two, Cejudo will abandon his wrestling. And I don’t see him beating Talbott in a kickboxing match. Not this version of Cejudo. The play for this one is a decision. Either Cejudo will dominate with control time, or he will get boxed up for fifteen minutes. Cejudo has only ever been finished once in his career. I have to ride with the young buck. Payton Talbott via decision. Put it on wax.  

Props

Cejudo: TKO/KO (+900) Sub (+3000) Dec (+350)  

Talbott: TKO/KO (+275) Sub (+2500) Dec (-110)

Winner: Payton Talbott | Method: Decision

Jan Blachowicz (-130) vs. Bogdan Guskov (+110)

Jan: DK: $8.4k | Guskov: DK: $7.8k

It just hit me: Bogdan Guskov looks like the Grinch without makeup. He also looks like Eddy from Ed, Edd n Eddy. He also looks like Sloth from Goonies if Sloth’s mammy hadn’t drop-kicked him like a Doug Flutie extra point when he was born. He also looks like every super villain’s right-hand henchman. He also looks like the composite sketch displayed at the end of every Unsolved Mysteries episode. All that, while simultaneously looking like separated-at-birth Anthony Smith. Bogdan Guskov looks so much like Anthony Smith that he even started acting like Smith. He accused the Amazon driver of kidnapping his wife and kids. And he doesn’t even have a wife and kids. I was really hoping the UFC brass would feed the trolls (such as myself) and give us Guskov vs. Smith before Smith retired. That would be like two players using Scorpion. We’ll just have to settle for the former “Almost Champ,” Jan Blachowicz.   

I call Guskov “Gone Boy.” Gone in 60 Seconds: that ain’t just a movie, it’s every one of Guskov’s fights. One way or the other, the fight isn’t lasting much longer than sixty seconds. Guskov comes to Bring the Pain like Method Man. Yo DJ! Hit that shit! Homie lives in a House of Pain like Everlast. They have to yell, “Fire in da hole!” when Guskov lets his hands go. Much like Payton Talbott, Guskov doesn’t spend any headspace thinking about defense. He moves only in one direction: Forward. And he swings until someone falls down, you, him, the ref; it doesn’t matter. Someone is going down. 

18 for 18 isn’t a new ESPN special; it’s Guskov’s finishing rate. Homie has that Stefon Diggs finishing rate. Call him the Octodad. Guskov has a finishing rate like Cletus Spuckler. Two of his three losses came by finish also. This guy can’t make a decision like Betty’s when you ask them where they want to eat after they shit on your first six suggestions. But Guskov has a major, major malfunction other than his defensive striking: his ground game. His only loss in the UFC came by submission against Volkan Oezdemir. Getting sub’d by Oezdemir is like being KO’d by Kron Gracie. It’s not a good look. We haven’t seen much of his grappling, but what little we’ve seen is a huge red flag. Blachowicz has a sneaky ground game that he used to nearly beat Alex Pereira. And Guskov’s fifty-seven percent takedown defense is a glaring weakness.  

Jan is like Jack Rooney from Any Given Sunday, just trying to hold on to his starting job as QB. He’s like Brett Favre when the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers. Never underestimate Jan’s ability to make fights boring. It’s his special power. Jan almost beat the last two champs, Ankalaev and Pereira. He had a draw against Ankalaev. He had Ankalaev looking like Ace Ventura with spears stuck in his legs after destroying his calves with low kicks. After the fight, Jan carved his initials in Ankalaev’s wooden legs. This fight is simple for Jan: Takedowns, takedowns, and more takedowns. He can expose the holes in Guskov’s striking, but that would be dangerous. If Jan approaches this fight as he did against Pereira, he will win. 

Jan will be the (-140) favorite, and Guskov will be the (+115) live-ass dog. If he can stay upright, he can instigate a firefight that will favor his wild combination striking. Jan doesn’t want that smoke. If he can’t get Guskov to the mat, he wants to chip away with low kicks from the outside while mixing in some short blitzes. Guskov has the power to KO anyone in the division. The only play for Guskov is a TKO/KO. The play for Jan is a decision. I see him taking the safe route and riding out the top position. Guskov will be an all-or-nothing Fantasy pick with a huge upside and a steep downside. I think Jan will play this one smart and avoid a firefight at all costs. Jan Blachowicz via decision. Wax on, wax off. 

Props

Blachowicz: TKO/KO (+330) Sub (+700) Dec (+225)  

Guskov: TKO/KO (+200) Sub (+1200) Dec (+650)

Winner: Jan Blachowicz | Method: Decision

Prelims

$7k Value Menu

Nazim Sadykhov ($7.9k): When it comes to striking, Lil’ Nazim X Sadykhov is slicker than Meek’s ass at a freak-off. This guy has more features than a Swiss Army knife. The Slip N’ Rip Records representative combines nifty footwork with a boxer’s footwork. He even has a cute little Philly Shell shoulder roll that he uses inside the pocket to not concede ground when under attack. In five UFC bouts, Lil Nazim X averages noinety Fantasy points and is coming in off a career-best one hundred twenty-one-point performance. The keys for Nazim against the undercover sleeper, Fares Ziam, will be staying on his feet and using his movement to get inside of Ziam’s long reach. Ziam averages over one and a half takedowns per fifteen minutes, while Nazim defends at seventy-five percent. If Sadykhov can keep this standing, I like his chances of hanging up high significant strikes, even in a loss.   

Miguel Torres ($7.3k): This fookin’ guy howls at the moon; he’s wild. Torres is 4-1 in the UFC with four finishes, including a submission of the undercover heathen Chris Duncan. Wreck-It Miguel: That’s what I call this guy. This guy wrecks everything he touches: Careers, dreams, lives; you name it. Torres vs. Dawson will be the definition of wrestler vs. striker. Never forget when King Green KO’d Grant Dawson with a jab in thirty seconds back in 2023. Torres has infinitely more power than King Green. And he’s far more unpredictable on the feet. But can he stay on his feet and scramble when he gets taken down? That’s the big question and the reason he is on the Value Menu. Torres rocks an eighty-eight percent takedown defense, but he’s never faced a hell-bent wrestler like Grant. If Torres can create stretches on the feet, he will sleep Grant like ASMR. But Torres is an all-or-nothing pick.    

Joshua Van ($7.2k): Oh, you thought you weren’t going to see Josh Van? It will take removing Alexandre Pantoja from his consciousness in order to remove the belt from his waist. If anybody can do that, it’s Joshua Van. Can he avoid giving up his back early? That’s the only question for Van. If he can survive the opening ten minutes, I think he will slowly take over this fight with his power on the feet. He’s one, if not the only, one-punch KO artist in the flyweight division. Van will either get choked out early, or he will fook around and win the fight. He can erase any deficit with one punch. Van is 8-1 in the UFC and currently riding a five-fight dub streak with his most recent dub coming against Brandon Royval. Like Torres, Van will be all-or-nothing. He averages nearly noine SLpM. He spends his time on his feet wisely. I love this kid’s (kid because he just turned twenty-four in October) upside. Van could be a Fantasy flipper. 

 $6k Clearance Rack

Edson Barboza ($6.9k): Petr Yan is another viable option on the Clearance Rack this week. I’m riding with Barboza because he will be in a striker vs. striker matchup that should lead to moderate significant strikes landed at the very least. Yan will be spending much of his time defending takedowns. The red flag for Barboza is his chin. After fifteen years in the UFC, Barboza’s chin ain’t what it used to be. At any given time, he will bust out the Van Damme dance when in Kickboxer Van Damme gets faded and mollywhops everyone in the bar while never missing a beat. But Barboza still has respectable speed and power. The key will be getting inside Jalin Turner’s long reach. Homie has arms and legs like a spider. But if Barboza can work his way inside behind some body work, he can at least make this a fight and put some points on the board.  

Twenty-Twen-Twen Sleepers

Manuel Torres (+180): The most difficult thing to do in this sport is to wrestle for fifteen to twenty-five minutes straight. Never forget the time Grant Dawson dominated the first two rounds against Ricky Glenn, then faded in the third round. Grant gave up a 10-8 round in the third and ended up taking home a draw. If anything remotely similar to that happens against Manuel Torres, Grant will get got. Grant has to maintain the top position. He’s like Arnold in Total Recall when he winds up on the surface of Mars without a helmet on his feet. Grant isn’t a bad striker; he’s a terrible striker. Torres’s power will carry until the final seconds. Like Nas only needs one mic, one mic, Torres only needs one punch, one punch.  

Joshua Van (+205): This kid is special. Even if he doesn’t pull off the upset on Saturday night, I think he will hold the belt someday. His biggest disadvantage will be experience. Toja Cat has all but cleared out the division and has been fighting in title fights for years now. Van will need some ski goggles to deal with the glare of the bright lights, while Toja Cat can look directly at them. But Van has something that no other title challenger has brought to the table against Toja: one-punch touch of death Dim Mak power. Yo DJ! Hit that Limp Bizkit “Break Stuff!” This kid breaks shit when he touches them. It sounds like a meat tenderiser when he starts landing shots. It’s sickening, blaah! If he can avoid giving up his back in the first and second rounds (HUGE if), he can chip away and steal this fight.  

Nazim Sadykhov (+110): The number next to Lil Nazim X’s name is dropping quickly. Many think this guy should be the favorite against Fares Ziam. All Ziam does is win. I keep doubting him, and he keeps winning. But if he can’t consistently get Naz to the mat and has to rely on his kickboxing, Nazim can win this fight with volume and slick footwork. Ziam’s style is linear; he only moves in straight lines. Nazim can dance angles around him. In a straight kickboxing match, I trust Sadykhov a little more.   

Pick ‘Em

Grant Dawson (-215) vs. Manuel Torres (+180) 

Winner: Grant Dawson 

Method: Decision 

Terrance McKinney (+150) vs. Chris Duncan (-170)  

Winner: Chris Duncan 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

Maycee Barber (-175) vs. Karine Silva (+150)  

Winner: Maycee Barber 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Nazim Sadykhov (+110) vs. Fares Ziam (-130)  

Winner: Fares Ziam 

Method: Decision 

Marvin Vettori (-115) vs. Brunno Ferreira (-105)  

Winner: Marvin Vettori 

Method: Decision 

Edson Barboza (+240) vs. Jalin Turner (-290)   

Winner: Jalin Turner 

Method: TKO Rd.3 

Iwo Baraniewski (-200) vs. Ibo Aslan (+170)   

Winner: Iwo Baraniewski 

Method: Decision 

Mansur Abdul-Malik (-1300) vs. Antonio Trocolli (+725)   

Winner: Mansur Abdul-Malik 

Method: TKO Rd.2 

Muhammadjon Naimov (+205) vs. Mairon Santos (-245)   

Winner: Marion Santos 

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.