UFC on ESPN+ 24: Blaydes vs. Dos Santos (January 25, 2019)

**Sanity Check** · 01-19-20, 04:13 PM

Dequan Townsend opens up about positive test for cocaine, fentanyl: 'I don't judge nobody'

Dequan Townsend opens up about positive test for cocaine, fentanyl: 'I don't judge nobody'

https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/01/ufc-raleigh-dequan-townsend-cocain-fetanyl-positive-test-dont-judge-nobody

Overcoming adversity isn't anything new for Dequan Townsend. At UFC on ESPN+ 24, the UFC middleweight will return from a six-month U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension for cocaine and fentanyl when he takes on Bevon Lewis (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC). The positive test was announc

**kcchiefs** · 01-19-20, 10:30 PM

Liking Blades and Chiesa

**kcchiefs** · 01-19-20, 10:37 PM

May be totally off on Chiesa but honestly figured he would be favorite. I may be missing something.

**Sanity Check** · 01-20-20, 01:04 AM

Kevin Lee tapped Michael Chiesa out in like 30 seconds. Remember that? Back when Kevin Lee said Chiesa's mom bought tickets to watch him fight. Chiesa says: "don't you talk about my mom". At the press conference.

RDA beat Kevin Lee.

/MMA math.

That was BEFORE Chiesa moved his training out of Syndicate MMA in Vegas though. Back when Chiesa was still based out of sikjitsu. Things might be different. Or Chiesa might get smashed.

**bjpenn85** · 01-20-20, 06:28 AM

Originally posted by kcchiefs

Liking Blades and Chiesa

Do you know why RDA is this favoured?

RDA the Better striker, but not with a large margin. Ground games compared, quite close i suppose? I wouldnt have any issues with a evens line, so im a little suprised to see thaw wide line.

**PaperTrail07** · 01-20-20, 03:08 PM

Blaydes is easy $ here you would think....JDS fade in FULL effect

**Pinoy-T-X** · 01-20-20, 04:09 PM

Blaydes and RDA parlay for me - BOOM

**Hugo de Naranja** · 01-20-20, 05:26 PM

Liking Curtis too.

**JIBBBY** · 01-20-20, 11:37 PM

Good main event.. I wouldn't count out JDS in this as he's hard to hold down.. He's very good at kneeling and getting right back up to his feet when taking down. Blaydes a wrestling based fighter first..

He's beaten up black dudes before when standing.. Lost to them too.

**JIBBBY** · 01-20-20, 11:43 PM

Originally posted by kcchiefs

Liking Chiesa

RDA hard to grind on, such a better striker the Chiesa.. I think RDA gets the finish in this fight.. KO..

**Pinoy-T-X** · 01-21-20, 12:30 AM

Originally posted by JIBBBY

RDA hard to grind on, such a better striker the Chiesa.. I think RDA gets the finish in this fight.. KO..

RDA by hammer fist

**JIBBBY** · 01-21-20, 12:38 AM

Originally posted by Pinoy-T-X

RDA by hammer fist

RDA is no slouch in the clinch or at range..

Pending1/25/20 10:00pm MMA Props Fighting 1109 Dos Anjos wins inside distance +170* vs Not Dos Anjos inside distance

**Pinoy-T-X** · 01-21-20, 01:08 AM

That was a five round ass whipping to win the belt.

**bitcoinLuke** · 01-22-20, 03:56 PM

Originally posted by JIBBBY

RDA hard to grind on, such a better striker the Chiesa.. I think RDA gets the finish in this fight.. KO..

Agree. No where is Chiesa better than RDA

**WolfTicketDealer** · 01-23-20, 09:21 AM

Originally posted by kcchiefs

May be totally off on Chiesa but honestly figured he would be favorite. I may be missing something.

Chiesa doesn't have the offensive wrestling to be too bad of a style matchup for RDA. Not to mention questionable gas tank and not a great round winner. I think RDA finishes him.

**WolfTicketDealer** · 01-23-20, 09:22 AM

Also like Blaydes quite a bit. Think it's R1 or bust for JDS.

**bjpenn85** · 01-23-20, 12:53 PM

Blaydes here also

**Teem** · 01-23-20, 01:24 PM

Thoughts on McMann? Lansberg just got handled by a lesser wrestler and has never submitted anyone I believe.

**JIBBBY** · 01-23-20, 08:49 PM

Prelims -

135 lbs.: Montel Jackson vs. Felipe Colares

Numerous boneheaded fouls kept Montel Jackson (8-1) from earning a UFC contract on “Contender Series,” and though he got his shot by stepping up on short notice two months later, he had few answers for the grappling attack of Ricky Simon. He has since gotten his feet under him with dominant wins over Brian Kelleher and Andre Soukhamthah, the former of whom Jackson submitted in just 100 seconds.
He’d knocked out five opponents prior to that, his first professional submission win.
Felipe Colares’ (9-1) perfect professional start (7-0) included a three-fight stint in Jungle Fight that saw him claim the promotion’s Bantamweight title in 2017 with a decision over Caio Gregorio. Though he fell to Geraldo de Freitas in his Octagon debut, “Cabocao” returned five months later to upset “Contender Series” veteran Domingo Pilarte by split decision.
He is the shorter of the two by one inch.
Jackson is a standout prospect in a division utterly choked with quality talent. Colares, well, isn’t. “Cabocao” is horribly out-gunned on the feet and his greatest weapon, his top game, is unlikely to play a factor against a far superior wrestler. Colares got rocked more than once by de Freitas, whose firepower Jackson far outstrips. The Brazilian isn’t lasting long in a stand up battle and lacks the tools to avoid one. “Quik” lives up to his nickname with a swift (technical) knockout finish.
Prediction: Jackson via first round technical knockout
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135 lbs.: Sara McMann vs. Lina Lansberg

Sara McMann (11-5) rebounded from a 1-3 skid with a three-fight win streak, which featured a bonus-winning tapout of never-before-submitted Alexis Davis. The run wasn’t to last, as she suffered consecutive come-from-behind upset submission losses to Ketlen Vieira and Marion Reneau in successive bouts.
She returns to the cage after 23 months away, having given birth and subsequently suffered an injury ahead of a planned comeback.
Lina Lansberg (10-4) put her disastrous debut loss to Cris Cyborg behind her to win four of her next six, losing only to division standouts Aspen Ladd and Yana Kunitskaya in the process. Her last bout saw her defy massive odds to upset seemingly unstoppable The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) veteran Macy Chiasson for her second consecutive win.
“The Elbow Queen” is the taller of the two, but will give up a half-inch of reach.
As with most of her fights against sub-elite opposition, the true battle is McMann vs. herself. She packs legitimate knockout power in her hands and world-class wrestling to back it up, but poor fight IQ and a habit of giving up when caught in a submission make even the most favorable of stylistic match ups a risk.
Luckily for her, Lansberg isn’t a submission threat, and though the Swedish bruiser shut down Chiasson’s takedown offense, Ladd and Kunitskaya found great success dragging her to the mat. Expect a similar effort from McMann, who cruises to victory from top position.
Prediction: McMann via unanimous decision
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135 lbs. Brett Johns vs. Tony Gravely

Brett Johns (15-2) capped off his undefeated (3-0) UFC start with a 30-second calf slicer finish of Joe Soto, earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process. The momentum didn’t last, however, as “The Pikey” dropped subsequent bouts to top contenders Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz.
This will be his first fight since June 2018.
Tony Gravely (19-5) earned the CES Bantamweight title with a 36-second slam KO of Kody Nordby, then followed that up with finishes of Kris Moutinho and Darren Mima. His efforts earned him a spot on the Contender Series, where he pounded out Ray Rodriguez to secure a contract.
He has knocked out eight pro foes and submitted another three.
Johns’ two defeats came against top-10 Bantamweights. Gravely’s last three came against beasts in Merab Dvalishvili, Manny Bermudez, and Patrick Mix. Basically, don’t be fooled by their seven cumulative defeats; in short, these two are studs, and this is an extremely close match up.
Though I’ve historically been high on Johns, I give Gravely the slightest of edges. He’s the more credentialed and physically imposing wrestler, and Johns’ edges in striking and experience don’t look significant enough to make up for that. Hopefully we don’t end up with these two stalemating against the fence, but either way, Gravely should control enough of the grappling to claim a decision.
Prediction: Gravely via unanimous decision
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145 lbs.: Herbert Burns vs. Nate Landwehr

Herbert Burns (9-2) — the younger brother of current UFC standout Gilbert Burns — defeated several of ONE FC’s more prominent Featherweights before dropping consecutive bouts to future PFL competitors Movlid Khaybulaev and Magomed Idrisov. He then took his talents to Titan FC, where he tapped a pair of foes en route to a contract-earning submission of Darrick Minner on “Contender Series.”
Seven of his professional victories have come by submission.
Nate Landwehr (13-2) bounced back from a loss to future “Contender Series” hopeful Mark Cherico with a seven-fight win streak, claiming and twice defending the M-1 Featherweight title along the way. His most recent effort saw him survive a brutal head kick to war his way past Viktor Kolesnik, whom he’d beaten by split decision in 2017.
“The Train” will give up 3.5 inches of reach to “The Blaze.”
Rarely has there been a more appropriate nickname than “The Train” — Landwehr is all about marching forward and slinging right hands until someone falls over. That seems like a viable strategy against Burns, who has similar defensive issues without the offensive potency to make up for it. Unfortunately, he lacks fellow head-knocker Justin Gaethje’s concrete chin or ironclad takedown defense. Considering Burns only needs to clip him or take him down once to end things, it’s hard to picture Landwehr avoiding that world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu for 15 minutes.
Landwehr can definitely win this if he can survive long enough to wear down Burns’ cardio with his pace. More likely, though, Burns takes advantage of Landwehr’s big swings to slip an uppercut, change levels, and work his way to the back for the finish.
Prediction: Burns via first-round submission

185 lbs.: Bevon Lewis vs. Dequan Townsend

Though it took two tries, Bevon Lewis’ (6-2) “Contender Series” efforts culminated in a UFC contract in July 2018. He hasn’t been quite as successful in the Octagon itself, falling victim to a come-from-behind knockout from Uriah Hall and turning in a tepid performance against Darren Stewart.
Half of his professional wins have come via (technical) knockout.
Nearly a full decade after his first amateur bout, Dequan Townsend (21-9) finally found himself in UFC when Dalcha Lungiambula needed a new opponent on days’ notice. “The Tarantula’s” height advantage wasn’t enough to save him from a third-round knockout loss, nor from a six-month suspension for cocaine (details).
He replaces Alen Amedovski on just over one month’s notice.
I don’t think less of Lewis for his loss to Hall — “Primetime” just kinda does that to people sometimes. The Stewart loss, however, was worrying. Lewis failed to take him down five times and never seemed to get out of first gear on the feet. He’s clearly extremely talented, but he clearly needs to sort out his mental game.
Well, he needs to sort out his mental game to be quality Middleweights. He’s fine against Townsend, whose skill list comprises entirely “hits pretty hard” and “is large.” He won’t even have the latter advantage here, as Lewis matches his height and reach. Lewis should dominate wherever he wants; Townsend’s tough to finish, so expect a full 15 one-sided minutes.
Prediction: Lewis via unanimous decision
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145 lbs.: Arnold Allen vs. Nik Lentz

Arnold Allen (15-1) has had to score dramatic comebacks to do it, but currently finds himself undefeated (6-0) in the Octagon with a pair of post-fight bonuses to his name. The last fight for “Almighty” was his most dominant yet, a three-round destruction of former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez at UFC 236.
His stoppage wins are split 5/4 between knockouts and submissions.
Returning to Lightweight after a submission loss to Charles Oliveira, Nik Lentz (30-10-2) won five of his next seven, taking home “Performance of the Night” for his guillotine finish of Will Brooks. The run led to a third battle with Oliveira, who dropped Lentz and pounded him out for the latter’s first (technical) knockout loss since 2012.
Lentz was originally set to face Nad Narimani, while Allen was booked against Josh Emmett; when both opponents suffered injuries, UFC did the logical thing.
Allen-Emmett obviously offered far more fireworks, but I actually really like this impromptu matchmaking. “Almighty’s” most difficult UFC fights came against skilled, durable grapplers in Alan Omer, Makwan Amirkhani, and Mads Burnell, and we recently saw Lentz overcome a physically superior foe in Scott Holtzman. There’s intrigue here — if the 25-year-old Allen hasn’t shored up his takedown defense, this could go sideways in a hurry.
Still, Allen seems to have enough going his way to warrant confidence. He’s taller, rangier and a fair bit faster than Lentz, who’s never been difficult to hit at the best of times. Expect his striking edge to compensate for the handful of times Lentz puts him on his back.
Prediction: Allen via unanimous decision
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125 lbs.: Justine Kish vs. Lucie Pudilova

Justine Kish (6-2) — bounced from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 20 with a torn ACL — started her Octagon run with controversial decision wins over Nina Ansaroff and Ashley Yoder. A one-sided loss to Felice Herrig followed, after which Kish suffered a controversial defeat of her own against Ji Yeon Kim.
She ends an almost exactly two-year-long hiatus on Saturday.
Despite picking up consecutive wins over Ji Yeon Kim and Sarah Moras, Lucie Pudilova enters the cage having lost three straight. That said, two of those losses were a narrow “Fight of the Night” split decision loss to Irene Aldana and a “Fight of the Night” with Antonina Shevchenko that saw Pudilova deal serious damage to her favored foe before succumbing to a rear-naked choke.
She has knocked out and submitted two professional opponents apiece.
Kish relies heavily on her size and strength to compensate for her poor technique, and while this move to 125 pounds isn’t unexpected considering her historical struggle with the scale, it’s hard to see her being anywhere near as effective against larger opposition. Pudilova, by contrast, has held her own against genuine Bantamweights. Kish isn’t going to bulldoze her, and to make matters even worse for the TUF veteran, Pudilova is comfortable meeting her head on and trading heat.
Kish’s only real path to victory lies in muscling Pudilova to the mat and chilling in top position for as long as possible, a strategy that’s worked against Pudilova in the past. Without a size advantage, though, it’s hard to see that working. Pudilova’s size and technique carry her to victory in a slugfest.
Prediction: Pudilova via unanimous decision

**WolfTicketDealer** · 01-24-20, 08:59 AM

Originally posted by Teem

Thoughts on McMann? Lansberg just got handled by a lesser wrestler and has never submitted anyone I believe.

Lansberg or pass. McMann is a notorious quitter which makes it tough for me to back her. Probably will look at live betting Lansberg if she survives R1.

**Demonata** · 01-24-20, 10:33 AM

I have a 12 team parlay that needs blaydes Perez rda jackson and Lewis to hit. I got a chance? Lol

**Teem** · 01-24-20, 12:29 PM

Pudilova or Hill for a WMMA pick?

**Teem** · 01-24-20, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by WolfTicketDealer

Lansberg or pass. McMann is a notorious quitter which makes it tough for me to back her. Probably will look at live betting Lansberg if she survives R1.

Thanks for the reply. I ended up ignoring that fight. Looking at Hill or Pudilova now for a pick.

**Pinoy-T-X** · 01-24-20, 12:47 PM

I only have one bet on this card.
Blaydes / RDA parlay

**SBR Drew** · 01-24-20, 01:41 PM

Will be an entertaining night...

In the main event, Curtis Blaydes (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC). Dos Santos was the last fighter to weigh in during the two-hour window. He came in at 247 pounds. Blaydes was 248.
In the co-main event, Michael Chiesa (15-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) meets ex-lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos (29-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) at welterweight. Chiesa came in at 170.5 pounds, while dos Anjos was 170.
The early weigh-ins took place at the UFC host hotel in Raleigh, N.C. Unlike most UFC events, there are no ceremonial weigh-ins for the fans ahead of Saturday’s card, which takes place at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C. The event streams on ESPN+.
The full UFC on ESPN+ 24 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

Curtis Blaydes (248) vs. Junior Dos Santos (247)
Michael Chiesa (170.5) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (170)
Jordan Espinosa (126) vs. Alex Perez (125.5)
Hannah Cifers (114.5) vs. Angela Hill (116)
Jamahal Hill (205.5) vs. Darko Stosic (205)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

Bevon Lewis (186) vs. Dequan Townsend (185)
Arnold Allen (145.5) vs. Nik Lentz (146)
Justine Kish (126) vs. Lucie Pudilova (126)
Felipe Colares (135) vs. Montel Jackson (135.5)
Lina Lansberg (135) vs. Sara McMann (135)
Brett Johns (136) vs. Tony Gravely (135)
Herbert Burns (146) vs. Nate Landwehr (146)

**PaperTrail07** · 01-24-20, 02:01 PM

Agree Drew....these end up being VERY entertaining....

Not locking in bets until tomorrow

**PaperTrail07** · 01-24-20, 02:01 PM

IMO blades should be -450 lol...

**bjpenn85** · 01-24-20, 02:25 PM

Originally posted by Teem

Pudilova or Hill for a WMMA pick?

Both will win most likely but how would the judges see it? What does judges most favour? Activity, pressing forward, head shot count etc.

Ill say Hill marginally edges pudilova on a couple of parameters, movement, headshot count, experience. But i think it will be up to the judges to decidide at the end of the day. After three rounds both Hill and Pudilova would be the rightfully winners, but judges normally dont care about whos winning, they just throw a dice, and the least dicey of the two matcups are Hill as i think Cifers will look worse than Kish. Kish throws a lot of strikes and the fight may look to a judge eye as closer and than Hill vs Cifers.

Its times like these i wonder how rich i would be if they fixed the judges. I could put 10u on Hill, but instead i play 0, because i know its 3 idiots cage side who doesnt know what their doing.

**SBR Drew** · 01-24-20, 03:57 PM

Originally posted by PaperTrail07

Agree Drew....these end up being VERY entertaining....

Not locking in bets until tomorrow

**frankieunits2685** · 01-25-20, 02:24 PM

Looking forward to this card! Nice Bellator card as well.

**BIGDAY** · 01-25-20, 03:08 PM

It’s FIGHT NIGHT!

**JIBBBY** · 01-25-20, 04:39 PM

Let's win some money fellas!!!

**Hugo de Naranja** · 01-25-20, 04:44 PM

UFC Fight Night 166: Blaydes vs. Dos Santos
Herbert Burns Round 1 Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
Brett Johns Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Sara McMann Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Montel Jackson Round 1 TKO (Punches)
Justine Kish Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Arnold Allen Unanimous Decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Bevon Lewis Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Jamahal Hill Round 2 TKO (Punches)
Hannah Cifers Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Alex Perez Round 1 Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
Rafael Dos Anjos Round 2 Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)
Curtis Blaydes Round 2 TKO (Elbows and Punches)

**Sanity Check** · 01-25-20, 04:57 PM

I know everyone and their dog is on Curtis Blaydes.

Would like to point out JDS is training out of american top team FL. One of the best gyms to train counter wrestling.

There is value on JDS here imo. But we shall see.