^^
(In heavy Scouse) "There's nothing I like more than fighting southpaws"
(In heavy Scouse) "There's nothing I like more than fighting southpaws"
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Comment -
Part 2 -MMA MANIA PART 1 -
205 lbs.: Francimar Barroso vs. Aleksandar Rakic
The bizarre UFC career of Francimar Barroso (19-5) continued in 2016 when, after C.B. Dollaway lost a fight with an elevator before UFC 203, he faced Darren Stewart and lost via headbutt in 94 seconds. The pair went on to fight again in Stewart’s native England, where Barroso handed “The Dentist” his first professional defeat.
“Bodao” will give up four inches of height to Aleksandar Rakic (8-1).
Austria’s Rakic lost by submission in his first professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, then went on to stop all eight of his subsequent foes. Though he missed all of 2016, he came back strong with a first-round knockout in March.
Seven of his eight stoppage wins have come by form of knockout.
Rakic passes the eye test ... at the very least. His Muay Thai looks sharp, he’s clearly got power, and he looks like he at least knows what he’s doing in the wrestling department. That said, Barroso can drag a boring fight out of anyone and thrives in the slog. It’s the kind of style that Rakic — who’s built on fast-twitch action — could easily struggle with. On the other hand, Barroso had issues with the sheer aggression of Nikita Krylov and his tendency to throw naked single strikes plays into Rakic’s counter-punching.
Eh, what the heck, let’s put our faith in the future — Rakic pounds him out early.
Prediction: Rakic via first-round technical knockout
145 lbs.: Mike Santiago vs. Zabit Magomedsheripov
Ten straight wins and a couple of regional titles lead Mike Santiago (21-9) to Dana White’s “Contender Series” where he squared off against once-beaten Mark Cherico. Santiago made the splash he was looking for with a brutal knockout, earning himself a contract and, thanks to a willingness to step up, a debut fight less than two weeks later.
He replaces the injured Nick Hein on five days’ notice.
Zabit Magomedsheripov (12-1) — a disciple of Mark Henry — has emerged as one of the top prospects in the game today. He enters the UFC cage with eight straight wins, seven of them stoppages, and the ACB Featherweight championship under his belt.
The 26-year-old has knocked out six and submitted four opponents to date.
Magomedsheripov is a legit blue-chip prospect. He’s towering for the Featherweight division at 6’2,” has slick, powerful striking, and has ironclad takedown defense. He’s poised to make a big impact at 145 pounds, and with the likes of Frankie Edgar and Edson Barboza in his gym, I only see him getting better.
Santiago’s the more battle-tested of the two and looked damn good against Cherico. A turnaround this quick against a fighter this good is just way too much, though. I see him struggling with Magomedsheripov’s length and power before ultimately overcommitting to a takedown and getting his neck crunched.
Prediction: Magomedsheripov via second-round submission
205 lbs.: Bojan Mihajlovic vs. Abdul-Kerim Edilov
After starting his MMA career winless (0-3), Serbia’s Bojan Mihajlovic (10-5) got his feet under him and rattled off 10 straight before running afoul of Francis Ngannou in his Octagon debut. He made the drop to 205 pounds for his next bout, which saw him knocked out in three by Joachim Christensen in Phoenix.
He has knocked out four opponents and submitted another two.
Abdul-Kerim Edilov (16-4) — the cousin of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov — put together 10 consecutive first-round finishes to earn a call up to the big show. A torn meniscus scrapped a planned debut against Francimar Barroso, after which a failed drug test kept the 25-year-old on the sidelines for all of 2016.
This will be his first fight in more than two years.
This is a showcase for Edilov. Even putting aside his connections, he’s an entertaining young prospect in an aging, top-heavy division. They’re not going to take any chances.
While Edilov’s striking is a work-in-progress and his clinch entries aren’t great, he has a lovely takedown arsenal and moves extremely well on the mat for a man his size. Mihajlovic — who attempts to make up for pretty much everything with sheer enthusiasm — is prime fodder for an impressive finish. Edilov ties up, takes him down, and submits him with little trouble.
Prediction: Edilov via first-round submission
155 lbs.: Thibault Gouti vs. Andrew Holbrook
Despite falling short in the elimination round of TUF 22, Thibault Gouti (11-3) got a shot in UFC after knocking out Anton Kuivanen in a sizable upset. He’s yet to repeat the feat, suffering three stoppage losses in three UFC fights.
Five of his nine stoppage wins have come by submission.
It’s been quite a UFC ride for Andrew Holbrook (12-2), who used nonstop submission attempts to eke past Ramsey Nijem in his debut. He defied +400 odds to defeat Jake Matthews in Melbourne, but the victory was sandwiched between knockout losses to Joaquim Silva and Gregor Gillespie that lasted a combined 55 seconds.
He owns nine wins by submission, all but one in the first round.
Holbrook has no chin whatsoever. He does, however, have a pretty darn good ground game and decent takedowns with which to enforce it. Gouti has some pop in his right hand, certainly enough to put Holbrook down for the count, but his grappling has consistently failed him during his UFC tenure.
Barring another sub-minute thumping, expect Holbrook to stay out of trouble long enough to wrap up Gouti and drag him into his world for an early finish.
Prediction: Holbrook via first-round submission
170 lbs.: Darren Till vs. Bojan Velickovic
Darren Till (14-0-1) staked his claim as one of the most promising young United Kingdom-bred talents with his brutal knockout of Wendell Oliveira and gutsy war with Nicolas Dalby. After 17 months out of action, he returned to the cage in May with a decision over Jessin Ayari in Stockholm, though he did miss weight badly.
Nine of his 14 professional wins have come by form of knockout.
Bojan Velickovic (15-4-1) entered UFC with the RFA Welterweight Title around his waist and promptly went 1-1-1 in his first three fights. He went on to face Nico Musoke in hostile territory and, after a rough start, came back to knock the Swede out with less than thirty seconds left.
“Serbian Steel” will have two inches of reach on Till.
I’ve mentioned before that I’m not impressed with Velickovic. He does a poor job of exploiting his massive size for the division and is just awkward overall. That’s not enough against Till, a big boy in his own right with far superior striking.
With the layoff behind him, Till’s only real question mark is whether he can still safely make 170 pounds. Even with that concern, the technique gap is too great for me to pick against him. Till shuts down Velickovic’s wrestling and picks him apart for a wide decision win.
Prediction: Till via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Mairbek Taisumov vs. Felipe Silva
Mairbek Taisumov (25-5) put his forgettable win over Tae Hyun Bang in his Octagon debut and subsequent upset loss to Michel Prazeres behind him with four consecutive knockout victories, one of which earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus. Unfortunately, injuries and **** issues have kept him to just one fight in the last two years, an uppercut finish of Damir Hadzovic in April 2016.
Fourteen of his 25 professional wins have come by form of knockout.
Felipe Silva (8-0) punched his ticket to UFC with five knockouts in his first seven fights, including a first-round finish of UFC vet Anton Kuivanen in the latter’s native Finland. He made it six for eight in his debut, a 73-second body shot knockout of Shane Campbell in hostile territory.
He stands three inches taller than the 5’9” “Beckan.”
This one looks like it’ll produce at least one “... of the Night” bonus. Taisumov is a power-punching dynamo and Silva has plenty of stopping power of his own. Even with the layoff, I’ve got Taisumov here.
Though Silva’s got quality power and a quality array of strikes, his eagerness to engage inside puts him in the squatter Taisumov’s wheelhouse. In addition, “Beckan” can wrestle if needed and has significantly more pro experience. With more tools and greater speed in his corner, Taisumov is in an excellent position to secure another highlight reel finish. They brawl for a few fun minutes before a Taisumov right hand ends things.
Prediction: Taisumov via first-round technical knockout
155 lbs.: Michel Prazeres vs. Mads Burnell
Michel Prazeres (22-2) has come into his own since opening his UFC career 2-2, winning four straight. His last two wins were the most impressive of the bunch, an upset decision over Gilbert Burns and a 102-second thrashing of Josh Burkman.
At 5’6,” “Trator” is three inches shorter than Mads Burnell (8-1).
Burnell, Denmark’s latest prospect, made a name for himself with five first-round submission wins, several in less than two minutes. He’s won three straight, including two by Japanese Necktie.
He replaces Islam Makhachev on less than a month’s notice.
This is among the toughest match ups Burnell could possibly have gotten in his debut. He’s a submission artist, small enough to make Featherweight, up against a bulldozer of a man with terrific grappling chops. So long as Prazeres’ cardio hold up, he’s more or less unstoppable, and it’s been holding up pretty damn well.
It remains to be seen if Prazeres can maintain his pace against other physical specimens, but Burnell has neither the strength nor the style to really make the Brazilian work. Endless takedowns and top control carry Prazeres to a fifth straight win.
Prediction: Prazeres via unanimous decision
155 lbs.: Rustam Khabilov vs. Des Green
Three consecutive UFC victories, including a suplex knockout of Vinc Pichel and “Fight of the Night”-winning war against Jorge Masvidal, earned Rustam Khabilov (21-3) a headlining spot against Benson Henderson at UFC Fight Night 42. Though he came up short there and in a subsequent fight with Adriano Martins, he’s fought his way back into contention with four consecutive wins.
Five of his nine stoppage victories have come by submission.
Des Green (20-5) — a former Bellator tournament finalist and Titan FC champion — put together a four-fight win streak to earn a shot in UFC. In his April debut, “The Predator” faced Team Alpha Male slugger Josh Emmett and defied the odds to take an entertaining split decision.
He stands two inches taller than Khabilov at 5’10.”
This is the fifth time in a row that UFC has booked Khabilov against a wrestler. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this one doesn’t end any differently than the other four. He’s the stronger takedown artist of the two and should hold a slight edge on the feet thanks to his power.
We’re not going to see any more finishes out of Khabilov until he can fully get his aggression back, but we’re probably not going to see any more losses outside the top ten, either. Khabilov spends enough time on top to take the decision.
Prediction: Khabilov via unanimous decisionComment -
Nothing jumping out at me here..
Back Soon
Comment -
Glad we agree, Turbo. Till has superior hand speed, power, and accuracy. His counters are so sharp and accurate. He does a great job of seeing his target and landing. He may struggle to put Bojan away and round 3 could get a little interesting but I think Till takes the first 2 rounds comfortably.Comment -
Yea gotta go w/ Unc C here...
I mean lets be honest Volkov aside from roughing up some cans before the UFC...what else does he got? A win over the fattest, oldest, and most gassed Roy Nelson? Look if he beat Roy back in the day that might be something...certainly not the case here though.
Against a guy like Struve who is still young but experienced, and has managaed to string together some finishes lately, not to mention also has a clear GG advantage here? Yea gotta go with Struve.Comment -
Sounds like me. I usually don't post plays and I never tail anyone.
I suck these days. I liked things better 2016 to early 2017 when I doubled my money at a lot of UFC events & only lost when I made stupid decisions expecting to win because I was so used to winning.Comment -
This year has been a little tough in MMA I agree. I've done much better in past years.. I'm still up on the year though and can't complain.. MLB is working well for me this year as well after a slow start..
Football is always an adventure for me though... Last year I won, the year before I lost.. NFL has always been very hit and miss for me..Comment -
Early start time fellas..
Capping still... Last minute bets going in now..Comment -
UFC Fight Night 115: Struve vs. Volkov Picks:
Andrew Holbrook Round 1 Submission (Guillotine Choke)
Abdul-Kerim Edilov Round 1 TKO (Punches)
Zabit Magomedsharipov Round 2 Submission (Guillotine Choke)
Francimar Barroso Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Rustam Khabilov Split Decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)
Michel Prazeres Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-26 x2)
Mairbek Taisumov Round 1 TKO (Punches)
Darren Till Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Bryan Barberena Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Marion Reneau Round 1 Submission (Triangle Choke)
Siyar Bahadurzada Round 1 TKO (Punches)
Alexander Volkov Unanimous Decision (49-46 x2, 48-47)Comment -
UFC Fight Night 115: Struve vs. Volkov
Fight Pass Prelims:
Fight #1: Gouti vs. Holbrook
No Bet
Fight #2: Edilov (DEBUT) vs. Mihajlovic
Parlays
Fight #3: Magomedsharipov (DEBUT) vs. Santiago (DEBUT)
Magomedsharipov Submission (+385) 1u
Hedge:
Santiago (+350) 1u
Fight #4: Barroso vs. Rakic (DEBUT)
No Bet
Fight #5: Khabilov vs. Green
Green (+260) 1u
Green Decision (+410) .5u
Fight #6: Prazeres vs. Burnell (DEBUT)
Prazeres Decision (+122) 1u
Fight #7: Taisumov vs. Silva
Taisumov ITD (+138) 2u
Hedge(s):
Silva KO/TKO (+475) .5u
Silva Round 1 (+600) .25u
Fight #8: Till vs. Velickovic
Till ITD (+200) .5u
Till+Velickovic Draw (+6500) .25u
Hedge(s):
Velickovic Decision (+250) 1u
Velickovic Round 3 (+2500) .25u
Main Card:
Fight #9: Edwards vs. Barberena
Barberena (+270) 1u
Barberena Round 2 (+1700) .25u
Barberena Round 3 (+2675) .25u
Fight #10: Reneau vs. Bernardo (DEBUT)
Reneau+Bernardo Under 2.5 (+100) 1u
Reneau Submission (+320) .25u
Reneau Round 3 (+750) .25u
Fight #11: Bahadurzada vs. Wilkinson (DEBUT)
No Bet
Fight #12: Struve vs. Volkov
Volkov (-120) 1.2u to win 1u
Volkov Decision (+385) 1u
Hedge:
Struve Submission (+563) .5u
Straight Parlays:
Taisumov/Till+Velickovic GD (+126) .5u
Edilov+Mihajlovic WSR2/Taisumov (+130) 1u
Taisumov/Till (+154) 3u
Prop Parlays:
Holbrook+Gouti WGD/Edilov+Mihajlovic WSR2/Magomedsharipov ITD (+327) .5u
Reneau+Bernardo WGD/Bahadurzada/Volkov (+421) .5u
Barroso Decision/Velickovic+Till GD (+649) .25u
Barroso/Khabilov Decision/Prazeres Decision (+740) .25u
Taisumov SNA/Till Decision/Barberena (+1054) .25u
Full Card Props:
Over 6.5 Fights Go Distance (+285) 1.25u
Magomedsharipov+Santiago FOTN (+800) .25u
Over 7.5 Fights Go Distance (+867) .5u
Over 8.5 Fights Go Distance (+2750) .25uComment -
Notes.
- Promotional newcomer Abu Azaitar was expected to face Siyar Bahadurzada at the event, but pulled out in early August and was replaced by fellow newcomer Rob Wilkinson on August 8.
- Islam Makhachev pulled out of a scheduled bout against Michel Prazeres and was replaced by another newcomer in Mads Burnell on August 8.
- Nick Hein was expected to face promotional newcomer Zabit Magomedsharipov at this event, but pulled out on August 21 due to injury. Hein was replaced by promotional newcomer Mike Santiago on August 28.
- Germaine de Randamie was expected to faced Marion Reneau at the event. However, De Randamie pulled out of the fight on August 25 citing injury. She was replaced by promotional newcomer Talita de Oliveira on August 28.Comment -
Taisumov line dropped from -250 to -500 almost instantly just now. Something going on there. Props off the board in 5DimesComment -
Edwards -265, 2.65u
Till -200, 2u
Racik -132, 2u
Green +255, .66u
Santiago +355, .66u
Burnell +275, .66u
Good luck everyone. Thought about playing Holbrook and still thinking about Struve. This is it for now though.Comment -
I finally baught fight pass. Guess it is worth it since fight nights are not all on fs1Comment -
Halbrook straight in this first fight.
Early events kinda suck but Good luck fellas!!! I'll be sober for this one
....
UFC Fight Pass
Thibault
Gouti
"GT"
vs
Andrew
Holbrook
FRANCE
Country
UNITED STATES
11-3-0
Record
12-1-0
27%
KO/TKO
25%
55%
SUB
58%
18%
DEC
8%
70 in
Height
71 in
155 lbs
Weight
155 lbs
72 in
Reach
70 in
41 in
Leg Reach
40 inLast edited by JIBBBY; 09-02-17, 10:47 AM.Comment -
u2.5 for me, I look for Holbrook to get the finish.Comment -
Nice job goiti.! That was awesome!Comment -
Sorry Jibby, wrong guys energy bar went to zero first.Comment -
Shiiiit.
.. Head kick and Holbrook couldn't get the take down.. Not good
Gouti tougher and hit harder.. Could take a better punch too.. Only a matter of time.. Picked that fight wrong for sure..Comment -
Got the under 1.5 in this next on to win $100.. Down $180 to start not liking this so far.. Rude awakening..Comment -
under too, that was bs. Guy was full on rag doll for a moment lolComment -
Had won't start round 2...bastard refComment
