UFC on Fox: Lawler vs. dos Anjos (December 16, 2017)

[firekillex]

Who would you say are the toughest top 5 matchups?

for me id say in no order
stephen thompson , till, woodley, usman and a dark horse gunnar nelson could all give him problems IMO

i think rory mcdonald would starch him as well, but hes in bellator now
also if Kelvin drops down back to 170 thats a super tough fight

[Hugo de Naranja]

for me id say in no order
stephen thompson , till, woodley, usman and a dark horse gunnar nelson could all give him problems IMO

i think rory mcdonald would starch him as well, but hes in bellator now
also if Kelvin drops down back to 170 thats a super tough fight

I think I'd pick him over Till, Woodley, and Nelson. I'd have Thompson or Usman over him.

[firekillex]

I think I'd pick him over Till, Woodley, and Nelson. I'd have Thompson or Usman over him.

i think Tills size can be a huge advantage, we still havent seem everything from him but i really like how crisp his striking is
woodley has so much power he can end anybody, but that is a very close fight i could see either guy winning
and i think Gunnar is super underrated still tbh, i thought he was winning that santiago fight until those disgustingly dirty eye pokes , which i still wonder how the fight wasnt stopped for a warning or anything

RDA will most likely get the shot if he wins this fight convincingly over Lawler though, Woodley still on the fence about his shoulder surgery so well see how it plays out... 170 becoming very deep again which is nice to see , really hope Kelvin drops back down too that could be interesting

[Shagdogy]

Btw I like the new Justin Willis avatar. What do you think his ceiling in the HW Division is?

He won me my most recent max bet so giving him props, but I mean, does anyone not named Ngannou have much of a future in the HW division right now?

[UncleChael]

Robbie Lawler wins you're welcome.

[Hugo de Naranja]

Robbie Lawler wins you're welcome.

I’ll take RDA if you want Lawler for some BetPoints.

[UncleChael]

I’ll take RDA if you want Lawler for some BetPoints.

I will have 99 on Saturday night.

[Hugo de Naranja]

I will have 99 on Saturday night.

Alright let’s do it. Your 99 your my 99.

[firekillex]

ill add in 2 points for you guys to make it 100 each haha

[Shagdogy]

Pretty surprised to see Roberts and Silvia open as dogs. Anyone else have a feel on either of those? I really think Roberts will bring the fight to Taleb, but he tends to fight very back and forth fights and the Canadian judges may be hard pressed to go away from Taleb.

[GunShard]

Santiago Ponz was a dirty fighter when he fought Gunnar Nelson. He kept poking Nelson in the eyes. Let's see if he does this again.

[firekillex]

Santiago Ponz was a dirty fighter when he fought Gunnar Nelson. He kept poking Nelson in the eyes. Let's see if he does this again.

absolutely disgusted he hasnt been called out on this more.. he was rocked and losing then starting poking gunnars eyes , gunnar said he was literally seeing 3 guys in front of him then got tagged himself

[PaperTrail07]

Don't hate on Ponz...

[PaperTrail07]

Nelson blamed seeing 3 people penetrate off......smh

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Don't hate on Ponz...

really hoping he starches Perry

guy needs to get humbled

that said, I agree with Hugo that Perry is live

in regards to betting, I'd have to go with Perry or nothing

[JAKEPEAVY21]

anyone else think Emmett is a live dog?

Lamas is getting a little long in the tooth and I think Emmett could KO him

[Hugo de Naranja]

anyone else think Emmett is a live dog?

Lamas is getting a little long in the tooth and I think Emmett could KO him

I like Lamas here. He's proven with his recent wins that he only loses to elite guys (Holloway, Aldo, Mendes etc). He's got a well rounded game and is a very opportunistic finisher who can capitalize on a single mistake made by opponents.

Also Emmett has not been a great finisher at the UFC level, despite dropping Felipe Arantes four times in a single round he couldn't get him out of there.

[Hugo de Naranja]

I like Lamas here. He's proven with his recent wins that he only loses to elite guys (Holloway, Aldo, Mendes etc). He's got a well rounded game and is a very opportunistic finisher who can capitalize on a single mistake made by opponents.

Also Emmett has not been a great finisher at the UFC level, despite dropping Felipe Arantes four times in a single round he couldn't get him out of there.

Even though I don't think Emmett finishing is likely, I don't hate a play on Emmett KO/TKO at (+610). Lamas has been stopped by strikes in 3 of his 5 career losses.

[Hugo de Naranja]

What do people think about Cirkunov/Teixeira?

[GoBlue77]

i like this card

[travis91]

Thought Santiago would open up at -220. From a technical standpoint does anyone think perry can beat santiago here in a decision? Perry can catch him for sure but i feel thats the only way. I love Perry too, my top 4 fav fighters i just think this is a bad match up. He actually should be at lightweight. There was videos on his IG this past weekend and he looks very doughy but its because he doesnt have to cut much. I really hope he can win this but i think the woodleys and Tills mop the floor with him

Mikes in the best shape of his life...

Easy W for platinum this weekend. Wait til you see his hair 😂😂

[UncleChael]

Santiago Pinnochio is going to sleeep in the first!! Tell 'em Uncle Chael sent yah.

[Hugo de Naranja]

Santiago Pinnochio is going to sleeep in the first!! Tell 'em Uncle Chael sent yah.

I like that Perry ITD prop at (+235)

[Sato]

What do people think about Cirkunov/Teixeira?

Im actually no sure about Glover anymore. Mishas last loss needs to be on Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.

Blachowicz +160 is also a nice play.

Anjos by dec. +370 and Glover by dec. +495 are really juicy.

[PaperTrail07]

Cannonier seems like a good price to me honestly...

Im actually no sure about Glover anymore. Mishas last loss needs to be on Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction.

Blachowicz +160 is also a nice play.

Anjos by dec. +370 and Glover by dec. +495 are really juicy.

[JIBBBY]

This is a really good card..

That RDA vs Ruthless Robbie fight is tough to call.. Slightly leaning Ruthless Robbie but RDA may start chopping those legs with kicks and begin to break down Robbie.. Tough fight to call could go either way...

[JIBBBY]

I like RDA over Lawler as well. I think at this point in their careers, he has Lawler beat in almost every category except for one punch KO power. I expect RDA to use his movement, speed and timely takedowns to get a decision.

I can't argue this..

[JIBBBY]

Write ups coming out... MMA mania short read previews..






205 lbs.: Jan Blachowicz vs. Jared Cannonier

Jan Blachowicz (20-7) stepped into the cage in October with his back against the wall, having lost four of his previous five fights. Despite this, he managed to delight the Gdansk, Poland, crowd with a rear-naked choke of the favored Devin Clark that earned him “Performance of the Night.”
He steps in for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira — who ran into USADA trouble — on a month’s notice.
Jared Cannonier (10-2) split a pair of bouts at Heavyweight before making the drop to 205 pounds, where he upset power-puncher Ion Cutelaba in his first appearance. A loss to Glove Teixeira slowed his rise, but he reminded fans just what he could do with his savaging of late replacement Nick Roehrick in July.
Six of his eight stoppage wins have come in the first round.
I’ll admit I was wrong about Blachowicz’s chances in his last fight. All the same, I’m picking him to lose badly here. Cannonier, despite that bulky appearance, will most likely have the edge in cardio on top of his superior output and power. Moreover, he’s tough enough to trade bombs with Cutelaba for 15 minutes, making a Blachowicz knockout a remote possibility.
Blachowicz has a jaw on him, too, but not enough volume to sway the judges away from Cannonier’s sledgehammers. Cannonier outworks, outmuscles and outslugs Blachowicz for a one-sided decision win.
Prediction: Cannonier via unanimous decision


185 lbs.: Darren Stewart vs. Julian Marquez

Darren Stewart (7-2) earned a technical knockout victory in his UFC debut, only to have it switched to a “No Contest” when replays revealed an unintentional head butt. Subsequent fights went even more poorly for him, as Francimar Barroso avenged the head butt with a decision win and Karl Roberson spoiled his Middleweight debut with a first-round submission.
“The Dentist” replaces Vitor Miranda on around two weeks’ notice.
Despite knocking out his previous two opponents in a combined 2:28, Julian Marquez (6-1) entered his “Tuesday Night Contender Series” fight as the B-side to prospect Phil Hawes. Undaunted, he went on to produce one of the series’ best highlights with a second-round head kick knockout.
He has stopped all six of his professional opponents with strikes before the halfway point of the second round.
I’m torn between wanting UFC to cut Stewart so he can develop more and wanting them to keep him on for taking this fight on late notice. That’s a decision it’ll have to make after they peel him off the canvas.
Marquez was in trouble against Miranda, who’s lethal when given room to operate on the feet. Stewart, on the other hand, is a far lesser striking technician and is not sufficiently adept in the wrestling to take Marquez out of his comfort zone. “The Cuban Missile Crisis” does to Stewart what his namesake did to international relations sometime in the second round.
Prediction: Marquez via second-round technical knockout


170 lbs.: Chad Laprise vs. Galore Bofando

Chad Laprise (12-2) got off to a perfect (3-0) UFC start before an upset knockout loss to Francisco Trinaldo slowed his momentum to a crawl. A subsequent loss to Ross Pearson didn’t help matters, but brutal knockouts of Thibault Gouti and Brian Camozzi certainly did.
Seven of the professional wins for “The Disciple” have come by form of knockout.
Galore Bofando (5-2) entered UFC in the midst of a 2.5-year layoff and with just one fight since 2012. He showed not a lick of ring rust, however, scoring a wild slam knockout of Charlie Ward in Glasgow, Scotland.
Both of Bofando’s losses came by disqualification.
Bofando is clearly capable of some absurd finishes, but it’s not yet clear whether his overall game can keep up with his kicking prowess. Laprise, on the other hand, is a capable technician in every area and packs some sneaky power in his hands.
We’re going to learn a lot about Bofando here. Most likely, nothing too positive. There’s just not enough on his resume to suggest he can handle a rounded, composed fighter who won’t be cowed by his theatrics ... especially now that he’s 35 years old. Laprise’s boxing should keep him afloat on the feet until he can start implementing his takedowns and cruising to victory from top position.
Prediction: Laprise via unanimous decision


125 lbs.: Tim Elliott vs. Pietro Menga

Despite a couple of close calls, Tim Elliott (14-8-1) came out on top on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 24 and gave Demetrious Johnson a run for his money on the Finale. He proceeded to out-duel Louis Smolka in UFC on FOX 24’s “Fight of the Night,” but an ill-advised scramble against Ben Nguyen resulted in Elliott’s first submission loss since 2014.
Counting his TUF bouts, he has won eight of his last 10 fights.
Pedro Menga (13-0) — one of Europe’s top Flyweight prospects — has earned 11 stoppages in his 13 wins, eight in the first round. He earned the latest of them on his biggest stage to date as he scored a 41-second knockout in his Bellator debut.
He steps in for the injured Justin Scoggins on short notice.
Menga is an excellent signing, a top-flight grappler with power in his left hand. What he isn’t is a proven takedown artist, which is a skill that’s generally mandatory when dealing with Elliott. Elliott’s sheer size, pressure and scrambling ability are a pain for grapplers to deal with and that iron jaw can stand up to anything Menga dishes out.
If Menga had a complete training camp, he’d have a real shot at catching Elliott in transition. As is, expect him to do well early before Elliott’s pace wears him down and leaves him on the wrong end of the decision.
Prediction: Elliott via unanimous decision


155 lbs.: John Makdessi vs. Abel Trujillo

Times have been tough for John Makdessi (14-6),who hit a 1-3 skid from 2014 through 2015. He managed to keep himself afloat with a decision over Mehdi Baghdad, only to wind up on the wrong end of 2016’s “Knockout of the Year” against Lando Vannata.
“The Bull” was originally scheduled to fight Sage Northcutt in July before both he and Northcutt suffered injuries.
Coming off a loss to Tony Ferguson, Abel Trujillo (15-7) put together the longest win streak of his UFC career with three straight victories, although one was a submission loss to Gleison Tibau before the Brazilian failed a drug test. This set the stage for a fight with the rising James Vick, who overwhelmed Trujillo and ultimately finished him by submission in the third round.
He has knocked out seven professional opponents, though none in the last three years.
Neither of these guys are what we thought they were. Makdessi isn’t the dominant technical striker he looked like at the start and Trujillo’s power has been nowhere to be seen in recent years. Trujillo’s had a better run lately, but this looks like Makdessi’s fight to lose.
Makdessi can absorb a huge amount of punishment — he walked through everything Donald Cerrone could offer until his jaw gave out and it took a perfect wheel kick for Vannata to get him out of there. He can survive the five-to-seven minutes in which Trujillo is a threat and take over with long kicks and a stiff jab for the rest. Cardio and technique win this for “The Bull.”
Prediction: Makdessi via unanimous decision


185 lbs.: Alessio Di Chirico vs. Oluwale Bamgbose

Alessio Di Chirico (10-2) knocked out and submitted four opponents apiece before making his UFC debut in 2016 against Bojan Velickovic, who edged the Italian by split decision. He has since scraped past former EFC champ Garreth McLellan and suffered a first-round submission loss to Eric Spicely.
This will be his first fight in almost 11 months because of injury.
Following an unsuccessful debut against Uriah Hall, Oluwale Bamgbose (6-3) demonstrated the lights-out power that had earned him five first-round stoppages by decking Daniel Sarafian in 60 seconds. Lightning has yet to strike again, however, and he steps into the cage this Saturday on a two-fight losing streak.
All of his professional wins have come in 3:18 or less.
Bamgbose is built to win (or lose) big. There is no in-between. His power is absolutely legit, but he has no sense of setups, pacing, or really any major aspect of mixed martial arts (MMA) beyond throwing punches as hard as he possibly can and hoping for the best.
The man tried a double axe handle against Paulo Borrachinha, for God’s sake.
Di Chirico has been mediocre throughout his UFC tenure, but he knows what he’s doing on the ground and hasn’t shown any major defensive liabilities that Bamgbose could exploit in the three minutes before his gas tank empties. He stays out of trouble early before hitting a takedown and choking him out.
Prediction: Di Chirico via second-round submission

[Hugo de Naranja]

Jake is hosting a picking/betting contest for this card. 100 BetPoint entry fee. Who wants to participate?

[JIBBBY]

Jake is hosting a picking/betting contest for this card. 100 BetPoint entry fee. Who wants to participate?

I'm in a bit of an MMA slump this year outside of Bellator... I'm out... .. All you Hugo!!!!

[Hugo de Naranja]

I'm in a bit of an MMA slump this year outside of Bellator... I'm out... .. All you Hugo!!!!

C'mon now Jibs you're one of the best on this forum and have never been known to back down from a challenge!

[JIBBBY]

C'mon now Jibs you're one of the best on this forum and have never been known to back down from a challenge!

Not this year Hugo you da man.. Not me.. I'm just trying to get back to absolutely destroying these UFC cards like in years past.. I mostly break even these days.. I'm capping my ass off too like in years past.. Just can't get over the hump.. I'm sure it will turn around for me soon in the UFC... I'm just so use to the UFC paying off event after event.. That hasn't been the case this year...

I need to start tailing you.. Unfortunately I'm to head strong to tail anyone especially in MMA... We'll see if I can get it going again... Props are still KING though ... Get after it HUGO!!!

[Hugo de Naranja]

Not this year Hugo you da man.. Not me.. I'm just trying to get back to absolutely destroying these UFC cards like in years past.. I mostly break even these days.. I'm capping my ass off too like in years past.. Just can't get over the hump.. I'm sure it will turn around for me soon in the UFC... I'm just so use to the UFC paying off event to event.. That hasn't been the case this year...

I need to start tailing you.. Unfortunately I'm to head strong to tail anyone especially in MMA... We'll see if I can get it going again... Props are still KING though ...

Definitely I agree with you here. I remember your proposed contest with JoshKnows back in the day. You guys had an interesting little rivalry for awhile there.

[JIBBBY]

Definitely I agree with you here. I remember your proposed contest with JoshKnows back in the day. You guys had an interesting little rivalry for awhile there.

I couldn't lose back then, I was very confident..




Before that I also took out a hot shot veteran on this forum in a betting contest named Nunyabidness.. Unfortunately he left the forum after that and I still feel bad to this day for that. Nunya was a good capper but that was before your time Hugo..

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Jake is hosting a picking/betting contest for this card. 100 BetPoint entry fee. Who wants to participate?

I tried last event with zero interest...

someone else's turn to host..I'll join if someone starts one though