Hm. Disagree. I think his submission defense is just average. Krylov beat him up to get the RNC and Gadzhimurad has a serious guillotine. It's one of those subs that guys assume they will defend no problem, and then they get caught in someone who is just freakishly good at it and they tap before they know it. I can forgive him for that. Besides, Kimball isn't subbing anyone so it won't come in to play anyway. I agree De Lima isn't some world class guy to feel great about, but I think he's good to go in this fight.
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Kimball has wins over Chidi Njokuani, Matt Van Buren and Matt Speer.
2 of those guys fought in the UFC. Njokuani hasn't fought in the UFC yet but he's on that level.
De Lima is 1-2 in his last 3 UFC fights & his only win there is against Clint Hester who fought moved up to 205 from 185 for that fight.
De Lima was finished in the 1st round in both losses of his last 3.
If Kimball is significantly smaller(I don't know if he is or isn't), he might not cut weight to make 205, which could be an advantage.Comment -
maybe so but I'm not banking on an Italian having ANY real wrestling chops at this level. The fact that McClellan took him down is embarrassing. Chirico likes to shoot for take-downs himself at times and that isn't what you want to do in this match-up. I think his striking is very overrated and I don't think he has ANY real power at this level for MW. Spicely probably needs to finish to win this fight because I could see him losing the striking exchanges but I can't see him getting finished by this guy, even if his chin is a little suspect. To top it all off, Chirico likes to fire one off strikes and not combine his strikes. That isn't a good sign in a guy that wants to rely on being a point fighter.Comment -
Here's a hedge tip. De Lima and Da Silva R1 and their opponents in R2, R3, or by decision. I really like my +525 on Da Silva in Round 1 but Johnson R2 at +500 looks pretty tempting and then maybe splash some on R3 at +800 but there's no way that this fight hits the scorecards IMO. In theory, you lean towards overs on this card but Da Silva will fold and quit in this fight. Johnson is in on only 2-3 weeks notice but he has VERY good cardio for a LHW and has a serious wrestling pedigree as well. I think he'll get Da Silva down and Da Silva will break when he realizes he can't score a one off submission from bottom. He may just pound Da Silva out but the sub will probably be thereComment -
Johnson +126 inside distance looks good... Johnson in general is probably the best bet on the card because on paper he has like your saying (serious wrestling pedigree) and not only but that but his jj is winning him no-gi tournaments. His striking isn't special and he takes some shots, so it might not be seem like a lock.. But Da Silva just fought last month where he gased out halfway in the first and got submitted. This is a nightmare match up for him in Denver if he cant get the KO early in the 1st. Johnson looks to have a clear advantage and it probably wont go the full 15.Comment -
Pretty big movement on Valentina. Got here for small at (+100) but Pena could definitely win this one.Comment -
Having a hard time brushing up on Johnson. Only really been able to watch one of his fights but wasn't all that impressed. If he's fighting Da Silva from last month vs. Craig, then he will likely smother him. If he's fighting Da Silva from the Christensen or Wilson fights then he's going to be tested on the feet more than he ever has before. Da Silva can throw some serious fire early on in fights and is pretty strong in clinch. If he's in shape and confident he could finish early or even do enough to win 2 rds. Da Silva looked so bad in the fight vs. Craig that something had to be wrong. Injury or something. One month is a real short time to fix whatever went wrong, but I can't look at him in one fight at his worst and assume he'll stay that way. I see the value with Da Silva here at +185. A lot of questions in this fight.Comment -
So where we at? We got weigh ins tonight.. Alrighty then..
Can watch on this link - http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/1/27...weigh-in-videoComment -
Everyone makes weight except De Lima (209.6)Comment -
Open workouts
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Chick fights are sketchy take the over or distance props..
1003 Pena / Shevchenko goes 5 round distance -140 Comment -
Some observations so far:
* Ngannou is a scary scary man.
* Knight/Caceres could be fight of the night. Knight prob wins with his relentlessness and pressure.
* Jingliang/Nash is technique vs. size/strength/athleticism. Nash is clearly build like a cyborg but he's stiff like one too. Jingliang should be able to get hands on him, but you can't discount the build and youth of Nash.
* Da Silva/Johnson. Which Da Silva will show up? If we can discount his last fight, then he's a big test for Johnson and I think will win. Lots of unknown though.
* De Lima/Kimball. De Lima will be much bigger and now he even missed weight... size/power advantage is real. But is that a sign he had a rough camp or is out of shape? He needs to take fight serious. If he's ready come fight time, he should be able to bully Kimball but he has to get it done otherwise Kimball takes over as De Lima tires.
So much unknown on this card. Very hard to call. Stick to the underdogs? Caceres, Sterling, Da Silva, Gonzalez all have decent shots.Comment -
problem is Da Silva and De Lima will gas hard in their fights. Johnson is a potential contender at LHW and should be able to take care of him if he survives early. Kimball is tougher because he could gas as well but I think his cardio will be better. I think the over may be a play in that fight because if both guys gas, we'll be treated to a snoozer. Don't discount Jingliang's toughness and power either. He has technique but he's a tough guy with a lot of heart as well.Comment -
Def agree with you that Jingliang has toughness. I like everything he has in this fight. I think he will finish Nash. Why are you so high on Johnson? I just haven't been able to find enough of his fights to watch to feel like I know what he really can do. I like that he is at MMA Lab, is young, and has a good gas tank. I hear he has real good wrestling but I haven't been able to see it for myself.
Finally brushing up on Assuncao and Sterling and I'm thinking that I like Sterling in this fight, especially as the dog. I think he will be hungry off a loss and Assuncao's best days are behind him. I don't see Assuncao being able to have enough offense. Aljo by dec.Comment -
DK Lineups
Tourny
Ngannou
Spicely
Shevchenko
Johnson
Gonzalez
Kimball
CASH
Ngannou
Spicely
Shevchenko
Pantoja
Masvidal
KimballComment -
Imagine this at LHW, you have a great gas tank and a great wrestling base. You can zap the energy out of most of your weaker opponents by just taking them down and holding them there. By the time they get up, they're gassed and can't finish you. Add to that fact that you have some decent athletic ability as well. Those kind of builds just match up very well with winning at the weaker levels at 205 and 265 IMO.Comment -
I guess the problem I'm having is that I actually think Da Silva is good (except for his Craig fight which I think there was some kind of problem, injury maybe?) and can test Johnson with very hard strikes, and I can't find any tape of Johnson facing a guy with remotely decent striking. I agree he will likely just rush forward and smother for the entire fight. Just wish I could see some tape of him handling a test on the feet.Comment -
Aljamain Sterling dominated Bryan Caraway everywhere in round 1.
I think the only reason Caraway won that fight is due to Sterling gasing out going for a sub late in the 1st round, or not training properly leading up to the fight.
Not sure if he can beat Assuncao but Aljo is better than people give him credit for being.
Cat gased out in the 1st round when she fought Pena.
She was winning the fight up until she got tired.Comment -
Fair enough, I'm just willing to gamble on the guy being a good prospect with his skill-set and Da Silva's shaky cardio and inability to do anything but push forward. I think Johnson will be able to find well timed takedowns at will against someone so aggressive. Da Silva may be able to catch a guillotine or something thoughComment -
I think Aljo can win this fight because I think Assuncao will have a real hard time getting his offense going. He relies almost solely on the counters with his hands and Aljo should be able to attack from outside of Assuncao's counter range, especially with his reach advantage. Also, Assuncao's takedowns are decently strong but he struggles to keep guys on the ground. As long as Aljo has been training getting back to his feet and doesn't get too confident in his ground game to spend time on his back, he should be able to keep it standing and pick at Assuncao from range. Add in the fact that Aljo is young and hungry off of a loss and Assuncao has to be entering the twilight of his career both physically and mentally, I think Aljo is in a very solid spot as the underdog. I expect a decently close fight on the feet with Assuncao's strikes falling short too often while Aljo connects from the outside enough to win the decision.Comment -
how the hell did shev odds jump to -170Comment -
Pretty much all locked and loaded for this card.Comment -
Probably because she looked as big if not, bigger than Pena at the weigh-ins. Schevchenko's cardio will not be a problem in this fight. The fact that this is a 5 rounder instead of a 3 rounder makes all the difference here, as it did in her fight with Nunes. Nunes got saved because it was a 3 rounder, even though she beat the piss outta Schev, took her down repeatedly, elbowed the crap outta her, for two rounds. Only to gas out and almost get knocked out in the third. Pena won't have the same luck, even with two rounds in the bag she'll have to win three more. She has the ground advantage, it's the one area she has over Schev, by a substantial margin.
Schevchenko has better striking, kicking, a full camp at altitude vs. 3 weeks for Pena, more 5 rnd experience and to be honest even has had better opponents. Schevchenko has a real speed advantage as well, however if she isn't careful, some of her more flamboyant moves could land her in real trouble if Pena reacts quick enough. Pena definitely looks like she can be heavy on top, and if she can hold her down on the mat, disaster could loom for Schev, but me thinks she'll be alright.
Takin' Schev in most of my parlays.Comment -
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Looks like Dana is rooting for Ngannou.Comment -
Here's my opinions on some of these fights tonight. The chick fight to me looks like Brunson Wittaker all over again. A bull in a china shop against a solid technical fighter. I hate the way Schevchenko fights but it is effective. The problem is her output makes u worry because of close fights. Still got to go with the more technical fighter. I got her when the line was even. Don't think i would taker her now. Nate the great is on borrowed time. He caught lightning in the bottle lately. I think he is washed up and Smiling sam takes him out eventually. Same with Arloski but i never saw his opponent fight so i will pass on this. Cerrone fight i love Mas in this because Cerrone will box and get lit up the problem is will he use his new found wrestling game? His kicks are lethal. I just hate the way Mas takes time off in fighst but lately he has shown a more killer instinct. Cerrones kicks are a worry but Mas i feel is a really a slick fighter. This should be a great fight. Good luck fellas.Comment
