UFC FIGHT NIGHT 139: KOREAN ZOMBIE VS. YAIR RODRIGUEZ (November 10th)

**strictlypaypal** · 11-07-18, 07:23 AM

Thank you for starting the thread

**firekillex** · 11-07-18, 02:34 PM

ray borg out

**Hugo de Naranja** · 11-07-18, 02:42 PM

Originally posted by firekillex

ray borg out

That sucks. He’s been going through a lot lately.

**Thrilla** · 11-07-18, 03:36 PM

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A fashion icon since day one.<a href="https://twitter.com/brucebuffer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BruceB uffer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCDenver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Et fw">#UFCDenver</a> <a href="https://t.co/FIK2HGZQ8w">pic.twitter.com/FIK2HGZQ8w</a></p>— UFC (@ufc) <a href="https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1059943510273474560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" >6 november 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

**firekillex** · 11-07-18, 05:08 PM

and donald cerrone is saying this is his last fight at 170 hell go back down to 155 to chase the belt before he hangs it up... dont like that mentality going into a fight

**Hugo de Naranja** · 11-07-18, 07:38 PM

Anyone else going to this card?

**Thrilla** · 11-07-18, 09:28 PM

Event Background

UFC Fight Night: Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez (also known as UFC Fight Night 139) mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship will be held on November 10, 2018 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, United States.^[1]

The UFC will celebrate its 25th Anniversary at this event, given its first event took place on November 12, 1993. This event will also take place in the same city as the inaugural show.^[2]

A featherweight bout between former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and former UFC Featherweight Championship challenger Chan Sung Jung was expected to serve as the event headliner.^[3] However on October 26, it was reported that Edgar pulled out due to injury and replaced by The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America featherweight winner Yair Rodríguez.^[4]

Ricardo Ramos was expected to face Ricky Simon at the event. However on October 15, it was reported that Ramos pulled out due to a hand injury, and in turn, Simon was removed from the card as well.^[5]^[6]

A lightweight bout between Beneil Dariush and Chris Gruetzemacher was expected to take place at the event. However on October 18, it was reported Gruetzemacher withdrew from the event due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Thiago Moises.^[7]

A women's strawweight bout between Maycee Barber and Maia Stevenson was expected to take place at the event. However on October 20, it was reported that Stevenson pulled out from the event due to injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Hannah Cifers.^[8]

A light heavyweight bout between Alonzo Menifield and Saparbek Safarov was expected to take place at the event. However it was reported on October 21, that Safarov pulled out from the event for undisclosed reasons and the bout was scrapped. Menifield will be rescheduled for another event.^[9]

Jordan Espinosa was expected to face Mark de la Rosa at the event.^[10] However, on November 4, 2018 it was reported Espinosa pulled out from the event and he was replaced by Joby Sanchez.^[11]

Ray Borg was expected to face Joseph Benavidez at the event.^[12]Borg pulled out on November 7 due to medical issues and the bout was cancelled.^[13]

**HurlSweatPants** · 11-07-18, 11:24 PM

Like Shelton in this spot, wonder how the line will play out.

**Thrilla** · 11-08-18, 03:41 AM

MMA Pros Pick

**Unwritten Law** · 11-08-18, 08:17 AM

Love the Zombie at -130. He shall get the submission.

**HurlSweatPants** · 11-08-18, 10:24 AM

Originally posted by Unwritten Law

Love the Zombie at -130. He shall get the submission.

I love the sub prop here. Low-key, I am glad Edgar pulled out of this one. I like the matchup down the road, but this is a much better style for KZB to deal with.

**Teem** · 11-08-18, 12:02 PM

I want to take either Pena or Yoder straight. What do you guys think? I think Yoder will get her fight to the ground and has a very good chance to sub Cooper. Pena also has the wrestling advantage and has better kicks.

**UncleChael** · 11-08-18, 02:05 PM

Originally posted by Hugo de Naranja

Anyone else going to this card?

The Cowboy or Platinum Mike Perry?

**Thrilla** · 11-08-18, 02:05 PM

Many here like the Korean...but what about the rule?

**Hugo de Naranja** · 11-08-18, 02:08 PM

Originally posted by UncleChael

The Cowboy or Platinum Mike Perry?

Platinum

**Thrilla** · 11-08-18, 02:36 PM

The return of former UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie vs. Raquel Pennington is the fight to watch at UFC Denver on Saturday.

Without a doubt, one of 2017’s most controversial figures in MMA was the inaugural UFC featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie.

For de Randamie the controversy started in the cage when she took on former bantamweight champion Holly Holm.

In the bout, de Randamie would land two illegal punches after the bell sounded at the end of two separate rounds. De Randamie was never faulted for those late blows and would go on to pick up the unanimous decision victory regardless.

The drama continued afterward as the champion was then inevitably expected to face the future champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino. Once it came time to make the fight official, de Randamie would decline due to Cyborg’s history with performance-enhancing drugs and she was later stripped of her title due to her refusal to fight Justino.

Since then the multi-time world champion Muay Thai striker has essentially been missing in action. However, she is finally returning and is now back to her original weight class of 135-pounds. She looks to add to her win streak to make another run for a title — this time at bantamweight.

The matchup

Love her or hate her for how things played out early last year, the Iron Lady is undeniably one of the best female strikers in the world and always captures your attention for that very reason.

This matchup will be no different as she looks to fend off the rebounding recent bantamweight title challenger Raquel “Rocky” Pennington.

Stylistically, this has all the makings to be a slugfest. Of course, that kind of comes down to if Pennington can make it ugly because going technique for technique with de Randamie will quickly work against her.

Throughout her career, de Randamie’s weakness has clearly been her grappling. However, if her last fight was any indication, she looked greatly improved in defensive situations in comparison to fights prior. So it will be interesting to see how she fairs if Pennington attempts to take it to the ground.

Obviously, we’ll have to see if the layoff plays a factor at all for the former champion but if we look at her track record, that should be a non-factor as she has only fought once per year since 2013 (but didn’t fight at all in 2014) and looked just fine on her current three-fight winning streak.

If de Randamie can keep it on the feet and avoid getting into a straight up brawl with The Ultimate Fighter season 18 alum, she should be able to outstrike her opposition en route to a successful return.

Jul. 30. 2018.

Germaine de Randamie speaks to Luke Thomas on The MMA Hour about her absence from MMA, her health, the situation regarding her vacating the women's UFC featherweight title, and much more

Nov. 07. 2018.

**JIBBBY** · 11-08-18, 05:30 PM

Mike Perry by KO.. Cowboy is washed up, chin is glass..

**UncleChael** · 11-08-18, 05:38 PM

Originally posted by Hugo de Naranja

Platinum

Originally posted by JIBBBY

Mike Perry by KO.. Cowboy is washed up, chin is glass..

He's gonna get his ass kicked.

**Sanity Check** · 11-08-18, 06:13 PM

Cowboy is fighting in denver colorado, here.

The last time he fought in denver was against Jorge Masvidal who KO'ed him.

Cowboy's grandma shows up to watch him fight when he fights in colorado.

Will be embarrassing for him if he gets KTFO again.

Edit: For those who think Mike Perry vs Donald Cerrone will be a kickboxing battle... Remember both of these guys were training together. Its been said Cowboy got the better of the grappling. Cowboy via sub could be live play. I like Perry--he's hungry and he takes things seriously. Cowboy is always fkin around goofing off.

**JIBBBY** · 11-08-18, 06:17 PM

Originally posted by Sanity Check

Cowboy is fighting in denver colorado, here.

The last time he fought in denver was against Jorge Masvidal who KO'ed him.

Cowboy's grandma shows up to watch him fight when he fights in colorado.

Will be embarrassing for him if he gets KTFO again.

He gets KO'd in every other fight these days.. He's not the same fighter he once was.. Till punk'd him badly.. Masvidal too..

Platinum hits like a truck.. His defensive wrestling will keep the fight standing also.. Cowboy is in trouble with this fight.. He's fade material now...

**Hugo de Naranja** · 11-08-18, 08:50 PM

Originally posted by UncleChael

He's gonna get his ass kicked.

Who?

**JIBBBY** · 11-08-18, 08:54 PM

Originally posted by Hugo de Naranja

Who?

Unc thinks Mike Perry is gonna get his asss kicked by Cowboy that's who..

**Shagdogy** · 11-08-18, 11:04 PM

Originally posted by Teem

I want to take either Pena or Yoder straight. What do you guys think? I think Yoder will get her fight to the ground and has a very good chance to sub Cooper. Pena also has the wrestling advantage and has better kicks.

I think Yoder could maybe win a tight decision on the feet from the outside, and she has TDs to go to which could be another route to a decision victory. She's also the much more likely finisher with her sub game and ABC loves to tap. Don't mind a play on Yoder at all.

I think the Pena/Trizano fight is much closer than originally lined and the recent line movement has brought it closer to even where it should be. Trizano is technically sound, has some solid experience, and likely a pure power advantage in this fight. He should make this tough.

**Sanity Check** · 11-09-18, 12:22 AM

Originally posted by Shagdogy

I think the Pena/Trizano fight is much closer than originally lined and the recent line movement has brought it closer to even where it should be.

Pena training full time out of AKA with Khabib, Islam and friends ^ could be why he's a big favorite.

**Thor4140** · 11-09-18, 01:17 AM

Originally posted by Thrilla

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A fashion icon since day one.<a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/brucebuffer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BruceB uffer</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCDenver?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Et fw">#UFCDenver</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="https://t.co/FIK2HGZQ8w">pic.twitter.com/FIK2HGZQ8w</a></p>— UFC (@ufc) <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1059943510273474560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" >6 november 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He might be a fashion icon but to me he is a big waste of time. You really don’t need 3/4 of his breakdown of a fighter especially if it is two champions or former champions fighting. When i have the fights taped it joys me to fast forward thru his long winded introductions.

**Unwritten Law** · 11-09-18, 02:33 AM

It's almost at even odds for the Korean Zombie (-115). Would love to grab it at plus odds, it might be by weigh-ins/fight day.

**Hugo de Naranja** · 11-09-18, 03:03 AM

Originally posted by Unwritten Law

It's almost at even odds for the Korean Zombie (-115). Would love to grab it at plus odds, it might be by weigh-ins/fight day.

Unwritten Law knows what's up. Zombie all day

**Unwritten Law** · 11-09-18, 05:39 AM

Zombie is taking him down and Yair has no answer for the ground game. Even in the stand up besides those spinning wheel kicks, Yair doesn't offer much else and that's mainly his path to victory while CSJ has multiple ways to win.

**Sanity Check** · 11-09-18, 06:08 AM

What do people think of Yair's social media pics of him sparring with Kevin Lee.

Does Yair actually work his wrestling with athletic high level wrestlers like Kevin Lee?

Or do they only spar kickboxing together, where Yair might have a chance of competing?

I think Tony Martin was Yair's wrestling coach back when Yair fought Frankie Edgar. Yair was training out of JacksonWink, back then(I don't remember...)?

All too easy to see the line movement and wonder what Yair has been up to in the time he's been out.

**Sanity Check** · 11-09-18, 08:16 AM

^

**JIBBBY** · 11-09-18, 11:17 AM

Write ups Prelims MMAMANIA -

155 lbs.: Davi Ramos vs. John Gunther
Davi Ramos (8-2) made his UFC debut on short notice last year, moving up in weight and losing a narrow decision to fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu great Sergio Moraes. He has since shown what he can accomplish with a full training camp by submitting Chris Gruetzemacher and Nick Hein.
He has submitted six professional foes and knocked out one other.
John Gunther (7-0) was one of the more memorable figures on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27, but being a character didn’t save him from losing consecutive fights to Joe Giannetti and Mike Trizano. He had a bit more luck at the Finale, overcoming some hairy moments to defeat teammate Allan Zuniga.
He is one inch taller than Ramos and will have two inches of reach on him.
There are two things you can do with a fighter as charming and limited as Gunther: Either dig deep in your roster for winnable matchups or just throw him to the wolves. As there are only so many Allan Zunigas in the world, UFC appears to have chosen the latter — Ramos is better than Gunther in every conceivable facet of mixed martial arts (MMA).
Gunther’s only area of, well, competence is his top control, but even if he does manage to take down a superior wrestler, Ramos’ grappling pedigree blows his out of the water. Ramos wins in whatever fashion he wants, most likely by early rear-naked choke.
Prediction: Ramos via first-round submission

125 lbs.: Eric Shelton vs. Joseph Morales
Eric Shelton (11-5) unexpectedly reached the semifinals on TUF 24 before losing a close decision to Tim Elliott, then went on to lose split decisions to Alexandre Pantoja and Jarred Brooks in the Octagon. He returned to the win column with a decision over Jenel Lausa, only to lose another decision to the fast-rising Alex Perez.
“Showtime” has never been finished as a professional or amateur.
Jospeh Morales (9-1) got off to a red-hot start in UFC, submitting fellow unbeaten Roberto Sanchez and earning “Performance of the Night” in the process. He didn’t have quite as much luck against the surging Deiveson Figueiredo, who put him away with punches late in the second round.
Five of his seven professional finishes have come by either rear-naked choke or triangle choke.
Shelton’s ineffectiveness against Perez surprised me, but the latter’s subsequent thrashing of “Shorty” Torres has me thinking Perez is just a lot better than I thought he was. Shelton is still a durable, well-rounded Flyweight who should be able to exploit Morales’ shaky defense without getting caught by the younger man’s opportunistic submissions.
Morales’ ceiling will be determined by how quickly he can get his wrestling up to snuff. After his last performance, I’m not thinking nine months will be enough. Shelton outwrestles him and lands a fair share of significant strikes to take a clear decision.
Prediction: Shelton via unanimous decision

125 lbs.: Mark De La Rosa vs. Joby Sanchez
Mark De La Rosa (10-1) got no breaks in his UFC debut, which pitted him against the venerable Tim Elliott on short notice and resulted in his first career defeat. Dropping down to Flyweight, he welcomed Roufusport prospect Elias Garcia to the Octagon with a second-round rear-naked choke.
“The Bumblebee” has scored five of his six pro submission finishes by rear naked choke.
Following a 1-2 run in his initial Octagon tenure, Joby Sanchez (11-3) picked up a pair of victories before joining the “Contender Series.” His decision victory over Manny Vazquez in Season 1 wasn’t enough to get him a contract, but he returned 13 months later to knockout J.P. Buys and earn Dana White’s attention.
He steps in for the injured Jordan Espinosa on a week’s notice.
De La Rosa may have had some issues with Espinosa, as the latter is a long, lanky wrestler, but faces a much more winnable bout here. Sanchez remains a good striker, but his takedown defense consistently fails him and he’s dealing with a guy who’s historically had little trouble wrestling with Bantamweights.
Sanchez will need to land a game-changing strike early if he wants to set get De La Rosa’s respect and neuter his wrestling. More likely, though, “The Bumblebee” wrangles him to the mat and locks up a choke before long.
Prediction: De La Rosa via first-round submission

115 lbs.: Ashley Yoder vs. Amanda Cooper
Ashley Yoder (5-4) defeated Jodie Esquibel in the opening round of that same The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 season, only to fall to Kate Jackson shortly thereafter. She’s gone winless (0-3) in UFC itself, though she did fight Mackenzie Dern to a split decision in March.
“The Spider Monkey” has four professional wins via armbar.
Amanda Cooper (3-4) represented Team Claudia on TUF 23, reaching the finals before submitting to teammate Tatiana Suarez. She’s since alternated wins and losses, defeating Anna Elmose and Angela Magana and tapping to Cynthia Calvillo and Mackenzie Dern.
She is four inches shorter than Yoder and will give up five inches of reach.
It is not clear to me the reason UFC elected to make this the featured “Prelims” bout. Neither Yoder nor Cooper have any real momentum at the moment, and though they’re both good grapplers, they’re not super entertaining. I can’t imagine this fight being the sort of spectacle that convinces a skeptical viewer to stick around for the main card.
As with most clashes of similarly skilled submission artists, this one will come down to who gets on top more often. Cooper’s measly 20 percent takedown defense and tendency to get tapped once she’s on her back suggest that Yoder will get the first takedown and finish it soon after.
Prediction: Yoder via first-round submission

145 lbs.: Chas Skelly vs. Bobby Moffett
Chas Skelly (17-3) rebounded from a debut loss to Mirsad Bektic to win six of his next seven bouts, including a 19-second anaconda choke of Maximo Blanco that earned him “Performance of the Night.” Things took a turn for the unpleasant against Jason Knight, who handed Skelly the first stoppage loss of his career via ground-and-pound.
This will be his first fight in almost 18 months.
Losses to Raoni Barcelos and Thanh Le kept Bobby Moffett (13-3) from earning RFA or LFA gold, but he got a shot on “Contender Series” last August against Jacob Kilburn. Moffett put his wrestling chops to good use, scoring his second consecutive D’arce finish early in the second round.
“The Wolfman” has tapped eight opponents overall, half of them via D’arce.
This is a clash between two extremely similar fighters. Both are big, strong wrestlers with dangerous chokes, plus decent enough stand up to where they’re not fishes out of water if they can’t get the takedown. It’s honestly razor close in my mind; Skelly is the more proven of the two against top opposition, but his cardio has failed him in the past.
In the end, it will boil down to who can consistently wind either on top or in dominant position against the fence. I say Skelly does so for the first two rounds, then turns away a resurgent Moffett in the third to eke out a decision.
Prediction: Skelly via split decision

155 lbs.: Beneil Dariush vs. Thiago Moises
Beneil Dariush (14-4-1) — who opened his UFC career 8-2 — has not tasted victory since upsetting Rashid Magomedov in Nov. 2016. After running face-first into an Edson Barboza knee, Dariush settled for a draw against Evan Dunham, then suffered a shocking one-punch knockout loss to unheralded Alexander Hernandez in March.
Six of his nine stoppage wins have come by submission.
Thiago Moises (11-2) submitted Dave Castillo in 2016 for the RFA Lightweight championship, which he defended twice before losing to Robert Watley after RFA merged with Legacy. After choking out Jeff Peterson, he got called up to “Contender Series,” where he knocked out an overweight Gleidson Cutis in the first round.
He replaces the injured Chris Gruetzemacher on two weeks’ notice.
Moises is a strong young talent at 23 years old, boasting solid combination punches, deceptively fast kicks, and a nasty submission game. Unfortunately, his skillset isn’t well-suited to dealing with what Dariush brings to the table; Moises struggled with Watley’s pressure and looks to be the lesser wrestler by a fair margin, meaning Dariush should be able to hold his own at range, in the clinch, or in top position if needed.
The unknown here is Dariush’s confidence after the last couple of years. He’s a genuine top-notch fighter, but two brutal knockouts can throw anyone off. Assuming Dariush has his head on straight, he stifles Moises’ kicks and beats him up at close range to take the decision.
Prediction: Dariush via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Devonte Smith vs. Julian Erosa
Devonte Smith (8-1) picked up a trip of stoppage victories after a loss to John Gunther, including a 90-second knockout of UFC veteran Justin Edwards, to get his own spot on “Contender Series.” There, “King Kage” obliterated the undefeated Joseph Lowry with Travis Browne-style elbows to punch his ticket to the Octagon.
Seven of his eight stoppage victories have come via (technical) knockout.
Julian Erosa (22-5) was the last man standing for Team Faber on TUF 22, reaching the semifinals before falling to Artem Lobov, but went just 1-1 in the Octagon before getting the axe. He went on to win six of his next eight fights, then knocked out Jamall Emmers on “Contender Series” to earn a second chance.
“Juicy J” is five inches taller than Smith, but will give up one inch of reach.
Erosa has certainly improved since his initial Octagon tenure, but he still keeps his hands low and chin high; this could work if he used his 6’1” frame to its fullest, but he simply lets opponents get too close with his looping punches and naked kicks. This is a man who got chinned by Artem Lobov and Teruto Ishihara despite boasting at least half a foot of reach on both.
Smith just hits too hard for Erosa to be this lackadaisical on defense. Though Erosa could certainly make it interesting through his long-range kicks, expect Smith to get inside and find the mark with a bomb before too long.
Prediction: Smith via first-round knockout

Current UFC “Prelims” Prediction Record for 2018: 150-72-1

**WolfTicketDealer** · 11-09-18, 01:00 PM

Some fun prospects and fights on this card. Really excited to see Zombie and VBR in action. Let's go!

2018 UFC SBR YTD: +5.42 units

Zombie vs. Yair Rodriguez

Zombie (-120) 4.8 u to win 4 u
Zombie -5.5 (+135) 1 u

Cowboy vs. Perry

Perry KO/TKO (+110) 1 u

Pennington vs. GDR

Pennington (+155) 1.5 u

Dariush vs. Moises

Moises Round 1 (+475) 0.5 u

Trizano vs. Pena

Pena ITD (+140) 1 u
Pena Round 3 (+950) 0.25 u

Yoder vs. Cooper

Yoder (-115) 1.15 u to win 1 u

Skelly vs. Moffett

Skelly (+100) 1 u

Smith vs. Erosa

Smith Round 1 (+195) 0.5 u

De La Rosa vs. Sanchez

De La Rosa -3.5 (+145) 1 u

Good luck everyone!

**PaperTrail07** · 11-09-18, 03:22 PM

My Plays off the bat:

Over 1.5 Erosa fight -120....he is a gamer and can use standup or go for the takedown.....Devonte may start slow...
Dariush-150....style is hard to train for...coming off a brutal TKO looking to right the ship, has the ability to beat anyone
Bob Ross-165....will own the standup....just hope his TDD holds but I think it will....tall so if he goes down...may be trouble getting up..Trizano is skilled and its a big spot for him..only reason I'm not going HUGE on this one
Small-
Gunther by Sub-+3000
Gunther by KO/TKO+2200
Gunther Decision+900
Those odd are just wild IMO anything can happen..MMA right boys lol
Skelly By Decision +200-needs the takedown via grapple to win....makes for a long tired fight..
Barber by Decision +135 she wins....if she wins, most like a dec...

Gl fellas.....obviously parlays in play as well

**Thrilla** · 11-09-18, 04:05 PM

Maycee "The Future" Barber Gets cauliflower ear drained!