DWCS 7: August 22 8pm EST

[Rich Benjamins]

Main Card

UFC Fight Pass, 8 p.m. ET


Anton Berzin vs Kennedy Nzechukwu

Benito Lopez vs Steven Peterson

JP Buys vs Joby Sanchez

Mark Cherico vs Mike Santiago

Jordan Espinosa vs Nick Urso

[Rich Benjamins]

I did some research on this card. The bold names are who I think should be the favorites:

Anton Berzin vs Kennedy Nzechukwu

Benito Lopez vs Steven Peterson ???

JP Buys vs Joby Sanchez

Mark Cherico vs Mike Santiago

Jordan Espinosa vs Nick Urso

[Rich Benjamins]

Here are my notes:

Anton Berzin (5-1) vs Kennedy Nzechukwu (2-0)

Berzin:
A light heavyweight bout. Berzin fought in TUF 19. No doubt, he's improved since then.

In TUF
vs Mumma
Berzin was only 23 in this fight. Berzin hung back, quick to cover up when getting hit. Mumma went for a single, Berzin defended well. Berzin got some knees in. Mumma kneed twice, that gave Berzin the opportunity to take him down, then took his back. Went for RNC. Got the hooks in. Berzin got high on his back, then got the arm bar finish.

vs Walsh
Walsh pressures quick, throws bombs. Berzin back on cage, then gets a td. Berzin takes back, gets hooks in, goes for RNC. Walsh reverses and pushes him against the cage. Berzin sprawls double leg td attempt. Berzin gets back again. Walsh stands up, gets free, Berzin immediately knees to the head. Waslh at distance but pressures, swings. Berzin connects with high kick. Walsh gets a judo throw. Berzin looks tired. Walsh connects with a lot of punches. The 2 start swinging toe to toe. Walsh tries judo throw again, but Berzin lands on top. Walsh swings hooks but has trouble getting the right range, Berzin either kicks or ties up. Berzin's hands aren't too good. Walsh connects with jabs. Berzin has a good counter right.

Everytime Walsh comes at him, Berzin covers up, once in awhile has counters. Walsh takes him down with a single leg. Berzin got free then went for an armbar, failed miserably.

Rd 3, Berzin gets picked up and slammed immediately. Berzin couldn't get up the whole round.

Nzechukwu:

Nigerian dude. 6'4" Only 2 pro fights

vs Foster

Kennedy has a wide stance. Pushes foster against the cage. Kennedy goes for the dl. Kennedy gets the td. Foster gets to his feet. Kennedy presses him to the corner. Foster went for inside leg trip, couldn't convert. Kennedy looks ineffective in this fight. He got some helps in the clinch.

Kennedy is Jon Jones like in his build. In the Muay Thai clinch, Kennedy gets elbows. Fostr counters with un uppercut and cross. He went for guillotine. Then gets knees.Kennedy gets dl, got him down. Foster stands up again, Kennedy takes him back down. Kennedy gets dls easy, GnP. Kennedy's standup and punches suck.

In 2nd round, Kennedy got Foster down easy, and GnP him to a stoppage.

vs Waylwn

Waylun lost vs Kennedy, then lost his next fight. Kennedy is athletic and moves well, but his strikes aren't too good, takes weird angles. Pushed Waylwn into corner, lands elbows. His punches are so awkward, he has no combos. He's just an oaf.

Both fighters are 6'4".

Kennedy, stright stance. Likes to push against the cage and td. Is good at grappling and taking control. Kennedy taking knees. He knees Waylun in the clinch. Kennedy gets hit with low blow. Waylun connected with a punch to Kennedy, has weak punches.Kennedy goes for front hook. But his standup is still really bad. Of course, so is Berzin's. Pushed Waylun against fence to end the round with knees.

I think Kennedy did improve between those 2 fights. They were only 3 months apart, and this fight is 7 months after his last fight. Therefore not sure if you can bet on this one because you can't know how much Kennedy has improved.

Benito Lopez (7-0) vs Steven Peterson (15-5)

Lopez vs Rick James

Quick KO, Lopez right away caught James with a flying knee to the face.

vs Jeff Carson - amateur 2013
A good back and forth scrap right off the bat. An even tussle back and forth until Lopez trapped him in the mount.

vs Drey Mitchell
Gets a quick takedown on Lopez. Mitchell in the guard. Lopez stands up. Mitchell gets a double leg against the fence, Lopez gets up again, reverses it, gets a single leg td. Lopez gets mount, Mitchell holds on to him. Lopez got a td in teh 2nd, maintained top control. Mitchell doesn't have good td defense. Mitchell reversed, got on top at the end of the 2nd, rained down punches. Lopez gets td, double leg, in the 3rd round.

I think I have a good idea about Lopez now, and what kind of a fighter he is. He's very fast, athletic, good takedowns, but can get reversed. Probably a midtier UFC caliber fighter.

Peterson
vs Vazquez highlight: Looks like peterson dominated. Vazquez fought on DWCS 1.

vs Pacurariu
Peterson was only 22 in this fight in 2013. He's 26 now, seasoned. Pac has long arms keeps swinging hooks, and knees. Peterson seems to have his number, he's the one who did those hooks and checking kicks. Pac swinging wildly. Pac ducked down then over the top with a hook, he kept connecting, Peterson going too slow. Pac outmuscling Peterson, punishing hooks, slammed into him for a KO. Pac was much quicker. Has Peterson gained quickness recently?

vs Machado
Peterson connected with a str8, then KOed him with elbows in top position. Machado woke up.Machado got to his feet, Peterson connects with more right hooks. But he doesn't have huge power. Machado gets td, then Peterson wins with a guillotine.

Vs Higo
Peterson loses a decision. He got beat in the standup.

Who to pick here? This one is tough, they seem pretty equal.

JP Buys (4-1) vs Joby Sanchez (10-2)

Sanchez won the 1st DWCS. I know exactly how he fights, likes to get it to the ground. Not sure about Buys.

Buys is very young. Only 21 years old. Lost his first fight against Mdlalose in 2015 when Buys was 19. Then Buys beat Mdlalose in their rematch in 2016. Buys got countered a few times as he came in. Buys had a lot of poise in tehir first fight, very impressive for a 19 year old. Buy took Mdlalose down but cuaght a kick in the process. Buys went for leglock, but htat gave up his position. Then Mdlalose got his back, transistioned to a RNC.

In their 2nd fight, Buys got a head and arm choke vs Mdlalose. He had great standup head movement vs Mdlalose.

Buys seems to be on the next level over Sanchez. Sanchez struggled to beat Vasquez. He's not champion caliber. Buys has potential to become a champion. JP Buys dominates everyone. Only lost to that one guy.

Buys is a young guy, so I want to see where his head is at. In this video, he seems to like being champion of EFC. He said "I'm going to be here for awhile, you'll see a lot more of me" at the end.

Buys is very young, has the potential to be a superstar. You gotta pick him to win this.

Mark Cherico (11-1) vs Mike Santiago (18-9)

Cherico:

Vs Landwehr
Says Cherico might retire after this fight. He's gonna take some time off, and do some thinking after this fight.
Cherico caught Landwehr with a strong overhand right. Cherico gets dl away from the cage in side control. Landwehr gets up. Kept going back and forth getting reversed against the cage. Landwehr has bad standup defence, Cherico doesn't hit hard, doesn't have KO power. Landwehr drops hands and connected vs Cherico, wobbling him. Landwehr is actually dominating, the guy is very tough. I'd livebet Landwehr here, the guy seems to really know his stuff.

In 2nd round, Cherico connected hard with a left hook, Landwehr gets dropped. Landwehr underestimated Cherico's power. Cherico got the back, did GnP, then got the RNC.

CHerico is the corner man and coach for Adam Milstead. Just watching this one fight, I have a good idea of what Cherico is going to bring to the fight. He's a tough veteran, not many weaknesses, will exploit Santiago's weaknesses.

Santiago:
Lost 3 fights consecutively in 2013, but those were fighters that are now in the UFC. He found his groove recently, dominates.

vs Pacheco

Santiago easily transitioned to the head and arm choke. Was in control the whole time.

He seems like he's really together now. Cherico wasn't sure if he wanted to keep fighting a couple years ago. You gotta go with Santiago here.

Jordan Espinosa (10-5) vs Nick Urso (10-3)

Espinosa has fought a lot recently. Already fought twice in 2017, won his last one, lost the one before that.

vs Dominic Mazzotta, late 2013. Mazzota is a beast, a great record. Got KOed to AJ McKee his last fight. Espinosa pressuring Mazzatta, but Mazzotta attacks explosively now and then. Mazzotta got the td and then his back. Espinosa reversed the td, then he got reversed. Espinosa is quick on the balls of his feet. Espinosa has great cardio. Espinosa got good hits in, is quicker than Mazzotta. Mazzotta is stronger, and able to catch Espinosa's kicks and take him down. Espinosa was in a terrible position, he gave up his back and then got flattened out and choked.

vs Jeremy Pender

In 1st rd, Espinosa finds his back against the cage again. Pender pushes him against the cage, tries to get a sl td. Espinosa defends and gets on top. Espinosa jumps forward and pick, tries to pot shot. Espinosa does an in and out style. But he can be easily pushed into the cage. Espinosa defends td well, and reversed it and got on top.

Urso

Is a top prospect out of Jackson/Wink.

Had a NC vs Espinosa in early 2016, he was hit in the back of the head. Seemingly, Urso was kicking his ass, but stopped by the ref. In an interview after the fight, Urso said he doesnt care if he gets hit, he has an iron jaw.

Urso KOed Jesus Urbina quickly.

I think you gotta go with Urso in this fight. He is more solid, Espinosa can sometimes be knocked around.

[terpkeg]

Buys out at +190

[Rich Benjamins]

Buys out at +190

That does surprise me. But I guess the organization he fought for earlier is very low level so he might have looked better than he really is. I still am going to put a bet on him, now at +220.

[Rich Benjamins]

Where is everyone? On vacation?

[Shagdogy]

That does surprise me. But I guess the organization he fought for earlier is very low level so he might have looked better than he really is. I still am going to put a bet on him, now at +220.

Buys level of competition is terrible. I was only able to watch the first fight with Mdalose where he lost, but he got reversed in grappling, had his back taken and then went for that terrible leg lock attempt. Once he failed at that he was choked by RNC shortly after. I wasn't impressed but at his age he can improve a ton. Where did you find his most recent fight? I couldn't find it.

Compared to Buys, Sanchez has fought very good competition. He handled Vazquez easily for rounds 2 and 3 last time out. He has gone the distance with Wilson Reis. He trains at Jackson-Wink. IMO Sanchez is deserving of being the big fav. Can't change my opinion unless I can watch Buys most recent fight. Got a link?

[Shagdogy]

Rich - I was able to watch the Peterson/Vazquez fight (rounds 2-4), not just highlights. It's out there. Peterson clearly lost round 2 because he did not get takedown. Vasquez ate him up with a stiff jab. Peterson is absolutely hittable by long, straight, crisp strikes. On the mat though his top position is very good and his squeeze in chokes looks excellent. A lot of grit in him too.

Lopez being a younger, taller, undefeated fighter has a lot of promise. His striking isn't the sort of crisp striking it needs to be to really give Peterson fits. He probably has an edge there but not enough to change the fight. He's susceptible to being taken down when pressed to the cage which is exactly what Peterson will do, but Lopez is very very hard to keep down. He gets back up and keeps getting back up and eventually he out works his opponents. If you do get him down he's got real good sub attempts that he uses to threaten a finish or at least get a sweep. He never stops working.

Peterson's top game might be too right for Lopez and he could find himself having trouble creating scrambles, getting sweeps or reversals like he's used to. Lopez does his best work countering the wrestling of his opponents but Peterson is going to make that very difficult. That said, Lopez is the young up and comer that this show is made for. Can't count him out. An even line seems right here.

[Shagdogy]

Finally - I agree with you on Mike Santiago. He and Cherico look to have very similar fight styles and skill sets. Have to go with the younger, stronger, longer, southpaw. Cherico is super slick on the mat, but his ability to get takedowns isn't that great. Meanwhile Santiago is rag dolling guys, picking them up and throwing them down. His size and strength are a big advantage when the skill sets seem so similar. On the mat, Santiago has some very strong GNP. He works to mount often and wastes no time throwing strikes. He doesn't have the slick back takes that Cherico has because of his long limbs, but he will put his weight down and wrestler ride guys if they turtle and throw strikes to soften them up. He's on an 8 fight streak too, and like you said, losses to current UFC fighters before that. This show has been all about the promising young fighters. Gotta go Santiago here.

[Shagdogy]

^ about Santiago - can't commit too big to him. Cherico at 11-1 is definitely a talented fighter. His only loss to Kelleher by guillotine makes me feel like he's almost more like 11-0 with fluke loss to Kelleher since apparently his guillotine is super human. Can't hold that against Cherico really. He probably didn't have much tape on the regional Kelleher at the time and didn't know that he had to avoid headlock like the plague.

[turbozed]

Where is everyone? On vacation?

I've been in Bali and now Bangkok so am sitting this one out. May just tail one of you guys.

[Demonata]

Hmmmm maybe I will bet this card

[Shagdogy]

Early money on Cherico. Is it just name recognition? I wish I could see more of his fights.

[Rich Benjamins]

I'm not betting big on this card, dont' think there's any obvious plays. I put money on Buys (+240), Santaigo (+145), and Urso (-255).

[Shagdogy]

I'm not betting big on this card, dont' think there's any obvious plays. I put money on Buys (+240), Santaigo (+145), and Urso (-255).

Where'd you see Buys's most recent fight? Based on what I've seen I really like Joby.

[Rich Benjamins]

Buys level of competition is terrible. I was only able to watch the first fight with Mdalose where he lost, but he got reversed in grappling, had his back taken and then went for that terrible leg lock attempt. Once he failed at that he was choked by RNC shortly after. I wasn't impressed but at his age he can improve a ton. Where did you find his most recent fight? I couldn't find it.

Compared to Buys, Sanchez has fought very good competition. He handled Vazquez easily for rounds 2 and 3 last time out. He has gone the distance with Wilson Reis. He trains at Jackson-Wink. IMO Sanchez is deserving of being the big fav. Can't change my opinion unless I can watch Buys most recent fight. Got a link?

Yea, there isn't much on Buys. Here's the video showing Buys winning the EFC Championship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeHEwJ27KYs

[Shagdogy]

Yea, there isn't much on Buys. Here's the video showing Buys winning the EFC Championship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeHEwJ27KYs

Hmmm... Poor competition is what stands out to me there. You'd have a hard time finding UFC level fighter who gets tapped from a standing arm triangle except maybe Sage Northcutt. A guy like Joby is going to be able to fight out of that situation without much difficulty. Remember, he went the distance with Wilson Reis.

[Shagdogy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcOwZjwYr64

The NC between Urso and Espinosa starts at 4:30 in this vid. Looks like it was back and forth for a little bit but Urso had taken over and was putting a whooping on Espinosa when the ref jumped in and saved him. Looked like Espinosa coulda continued but he quit and fight was NC. This makes me like Urso a lot. He felt where Espinosa was dangerous, and he knows how to take the fight where he can put the hurt on him. Both times Espinosa got taken down it was ill advised flying knee attempts. He can probably fight the takedown better if he calms down a bit, but that's not how he fights and that's not how this show makes people fight. I expect Urso to take advantage of Espinosa's aggressiveness and once he gets him down and starts beating on him, Espinosa will have flashbacks to last time and will be looking for a way out. Urso should take this fight.

[Rich Benjamins]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcOwZjwYr64

The NC between Urso and Espinosa starts at 4:30 in this vid. Looks like it was back and forth for a little bit but Urso had taken over and was putting a whooping on Espinosa when the ref jumped in and saved him. Looked like Espinosa coulda continued but he quit and fight was NC. This makes me like Urso a lot. He felt where Espinosa was dangerous, and he knows how to take the fight where he can put the hurt on him. Both times Espinosa got taken down it was ill advised flying knee attempts. He can probably fight the takedown better if he calms down a bit, but that's not how he fights and that's not how this show makes people fight. I expect Urso to take advantage of Espinosa's aggressiveness and once he gets him down and starts beating on him, Espinosa will have flashbacks to last time and will be looking for a way out. Urso should take this fight.

Thanks. Yea, Espinosa leaves himself very easy to get taken down. Don't see him winning this.

[PaperTrail07]

Anyone On Peterson Here? Seems like he will be the more experienced fighter and cant possibly be in deeper water than VS Dantes (HIGO) and he didn't get finished there.....Like my chances vs the 23 year old......He must have hype as Bella gave him a shot (WON) at 20 years old....but going w hopefully the stronger guy here...

[PaperTrail07]

He went from -130 to +105 in a blink on heritage so you would assume $ came in on the other side

[PaperTrail07]

Didn't pull the trigger....HELP LOL.......

[Shagdogy]

Don't let the money sway you. I see it as a pretty even fight. If Lopez wins I think it will be his pace and work rate that gets it done. Peterson is real good on top and has solid control and transitions but Lopez is squirly, super hard to hold down, and a good scrambler. They match up well. If Lopez can create space and make scrambles he'll end up seeing some success eventually. If Peterson's control is top notch he should be able to secure the takedowns enough to wear on Lopez. Hard to call. I give edge to Lopez cause of the length and age. But it's slim.

[spurginobili]

[Demonata]

I like Peterson here. I think he has higher fight iq and will get takedowns. Think he s stronger too

[Hugo de Naranja]

I've got
Peterson (-110) .55u to win .5u
Sanchez+Buys Under 2.5 (-105) .525u to win .5u
Nzechuwku (+235) .5u

[Shagdogy]

Urso -255, 3u
Santiago +135, 1u

That's all for now... might play around a little while drinking and watching. I have fun with these Tuesdays.

[spurginobili]

On Espinosa...small

[Demonata]

Anybody find a stream? I searched the whole internet. I can't find one anywhere? Even on reddit

[Shagdogy]

Uh oh... time to chaaaaaaase?? Damn.

[spurginobili]

That'll fricken work...put him to sleep

[Demonata]

penetrate this stupid shit

[Shagdogy]

Anybody find a stream? I searched the whole internet. I can't find one anywhere? Even on reddit

I think most of us are watching on fight pass. It's worth it for capping anyway.

[spurginobili]

Santiago straight & ITD

[Demonata]

I think most of us are watching on fight pass. It's worth it for capping anyway.

Yeah if I wanted to buy fightpass I would buy it.