[THE_LOCKSMITH]

Pay-per-view 10:00 pm ET
Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero (for middleweight title)
Zhang Weili vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk (for strawweight title)
Beneil Dariush vs Drakkar Klose
Li Jingliang vs Neil Magny
Max Griffin vs Alex Oliveira

ESPN 8:00 pm ET
Sean O'Malley vs Jose Quinonez
Austin Hubbard vs Mark Madsen
Saparbek Safarov vs Rodolfo Vieira
Gerald Meerschaert vs Deron Winn

ESPN+ 6:15 pm ET
Polyana Viana vs Emily Whitmire
Jamall emmers vs Giga Chikadze
Danaa Batgerel vs Guido Cannetti

[Thrilla]

What are people's thoughts on the Adesanya/Romero fight?

Romero or pass for me

[Thrilla]

In this episode John and Dan breakdown the breakdown the thrilling middleweight title bout at UFC 248 between current champ, Israel Adesanya and the challenger Yoel Romero.

[SEKTAUR]

Shoulda took Weili at -130 fukk almost up to -200. I prefer to take the underdog on these chick fights but Weili is a Chinese machine, I think she defends her belt.

[Unwritten Law]

I really like Weili here, she seems super determined and working hard to defend her belt. JJ is in for a beat down here in my opinion.

[turbozed]

I took JJ at +165 just because I thought the line was wide. But my gut is telling me that Weili is more powerful and athletic than anything JJ has seen. Might switch and hit a Zhang prop instead.

[209 Life]

+143 Neil Magny 1 unit is only play for me. GL everyone

[Pinoy-T-X]

Parlay written all over this card.

[Thrilla]

See you suung...boyh

[bjpenn85]

Mee to, i feel she might bulldoze JJ within 2 rounds, and that were never really will see the technical pitty patt JJ as we want to.

[UncleChael]

Mee to, i feel she might bulldoze JJ within 2 rounds, and that were never really will see the technical pitty patt JJ as we want to.

#AndStill

[Wohlford]

I took JJ at +165 just because I thought the line was wide. But my gut is telling me that Weili is more powerful and athletic than anything JJ has seen. Might switch and hit a Zhang prop instead.

Not that it was an amazing success, but JJ has fought Shevchenko at 125.

[JIBBBY]

Romero will try to ground Israel that's all know.. Romero can take a punch as well standing.. VERY HARD TO KO..

Still leaning Israel by decision though.. Dance around keep distance and out point will be his game plan for sure going in..

Prop odds aren't out for that yet.. Limited props only..

1003 Romero / Adesanya goes 5 round distance

+155

[Thrilla]

I'm expecting hedge master expert Jibbby to go for Romero itd hedged with Adesanya ml/ dec. correct?

[Thrilla]

MMA Pros Pick

[JIBBBY]

I'm expecting hedge master expert Jibbby to go for Romero itd hedged with Adesanya ml/ dec. correct?

No just Adesanya by decision for me no hedges..

He reminds me of Jon Jones, will stick and move and avoid the TD's.. Romero will gas and just look to survive like always after the gas tank fails and then lose by decision..

There is an outside chance though that Adesanya could finish inside 5 rounds.. Romero could quit in rounds 4 or 5 on an outside chance if getting badly peppered and gasses but I'm not betting on that.

Romero will not clip and drop Adesanya or lay and pray and win the fight IMO.. Speed kills and so does youth.. That all favors Adesanya..

[Unwritten Law]

I think Weili might look for submission against JJ here and believe she's being outlooked for her jits skills. After all she does have nearly as many sub wins (7) and KOs (10). Either way I think Joanna goes to sleep within 8 minutes.

[Pinoy-T-X]

I’ll be really surprised if any of the champs lose.

[WolfTicketDealer]

Picking Adesanya, but Romero shouldn't be +235 to anyone.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Shoulda took Weili at -130 fukk almost up to -200. I prefer to take the underdog on these chick fights but Weili is a Chinese machine, I think she defends her belt.

I really like Weili here, she seems super determined and working hard to defend her belt. JJ is in for a beat down here in my opinion.

I think Weili might look for submission against JJ here and believe she's being outlooked for her jits skills. After all she does have nearly as many sub wins (7) and KOs (10). Either way I think Joanna goes to sleep within 8 minutes.

Agreed guys, I don't see how JJ can hang with Weili. She is so much more powerful. Looking at Weili inside the distance.

[Pinoy-T-X]

I’m on the Chinese She hulk as well. Albeit JJ’s loss to Rose, she did hang for five rounds with a much bigger and powerful Valentina.

[Sanity Check]

[Thrilla]

I luh yu mike!

[Thrilla]

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Klose as a dog looks pretty good to me, I see a clear path to victory for him with his wrestling and takedowns.

[PaperTrail07]

Feel like he wins or take a wild KO shot from Dariush.....he will be walking forward thats for sure.......

Klose as a dog looks pretty good to me, I see a clear path to victory for him with his wrestling and takedowns.

[Thrilla]

I luh yu mike!

See you suung...boyh

[Hugo de Naranja]

Klose as a dog looks pretty good to me, I see a clear path to victory for him with his wrestling and takedowns.

When has Dariush been outgrappled? Only time that really comes to mind is Chiesa who had back control for huge portions of the fight. Dariush has beaten guys like Diego Ferreira and Rocco Martin in fights that featured grappling prominently.

[JIBBBY]

MMA MANIA prelim write ups..




115 lbs.: Emily Whitmire vs. Polyana Viana

Emily Whitmire (4-3) took out Christina Marks with a 40-second armbar in the opening round of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 26, but suffered stoppage losses of her own to Roxanne Modafferi in the house and Gillian Robertson at the Finale. She went on to win her next two, including an upset of Jamie Moyle, before running into Amanda Ribas in Minneapolis.
“Spitfire” faces a 3.5-inch reach disadvantage.
Polyana Viana (10-4) — a decorated submission artist — showed her stuff in her Octagon debut by dominating Maia Kahaunaele-Stevenson. She hasn’t tasted victory since, losing three straight and tapping to Veronica Macedo in her most recent effort.
All but one of her 10 stoppage wins have come in the first round.
Viana absolutely has the tools to win this fight. She also had the tools to beat J.J. Aldrich, Hannah Cifers and Veronica Macedo, and look how that turned out. I don’t know whether it’s a mental block or just an overall inability to fight up to her potential, but Viana is a profoundly frustrating fighter to follow.
That said, “Spitfire’s” wrestling and submission defense have failed her in the past, and Viana’s grappling credentials are pretty dang impressive. This pick will probably come back to bite me, but I say Viana claws her way back into the win column with an early submission.
Prediction: Viana via first-round submission
Related
Up Next! Championship Doubleheader In Vegas!


145 lbs.: Jamall Emmers vs. Giga Chikadze

Jamall Emmers’ (17-4) four-fight win streak, which included a decision over future Bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen, came to a crashing halt on “Contender Series” thanks to a Julian Erosa head kick. He went on to win another four straight, among them a knockout of TUF veteran Jay Cuccinello and an LFA main event victory.
He has knocked out seven professional opponents and submitted another three.
GLORY Kickboxing veteran Giga Chikadze (8-2) looked on the brink of victory on “Contender Series,” only for his wrestling to fail him late in the third and result in a submission loss to Austin Springer. He wound up getting his Octagon shot a year later, scraping past Brandon Davis in Copenhagen. He was originally slated to face Mike Davis in Norfolk last weekend, but injuries to Davis and former Emmers foe Movsar Evloev led to him taking this fight on short notice.
Chikadze was probably in trouble against Davis, who does his best work on the feet but has some takedown chops in a pinch. He’s definitely in trouble against Emmers, a decorated wrestler with the skills to finish Chikadze on the ground in a hurry. The only thing that keeps this from being a total wipeout is Emmers’ occasional tendency to overindulge on the feet; he didn’t shoot once against Erosa, which ultimately cost him, and didn’t commit to takedowns until partway through his most recent effort.
Chikadze may not be anywhere near a rounded fighter yet, but he’s more than good enough to turn Emmers’ lights out if given room to operate.
Still, it’s difficult to rely on a guy who gave up three takedowns to Brandon Davis against a wrestler of this caliber. In the end, Emmers drags him to the mat and either submits him or pounds him out at his leisure.
Prediction: Emmers via first-round submission
Related
Watch The UFC 248 Countdown Full Video

STAPH ATTACK?!?!?!?


135 lbs.: Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti

Mongolia’s Danaa Batgerel (6-2) — who owns a 2013 decision win over Kai Kara-France — returned from 2.5 years away to score two knockouts in less than two months. One year later, he debuted against Alateng Heili, losing a unanimous decision but walking away with a “Fight of the Night” bonus.
Half of his professional wins have come by form of knockout.
Guido Cannetti (8-4) got a second chance on TUF: “Latin America” after losing a close split decision to Marco Beltran, but ran headlong into Alejandro Perez to make it 0-2 on the season. He’s 2-3 in the Octagon itself, notably upsetting Hugo Viana and tapping to former teammate Marlon Vera in his last effort.
This will be his first fight in almost 16 months.
I’ve been harsh on Cannetti in the past, perhaps unfairly so, but I genuinely think this is a rough match up for him. Danaa can match or exceed him in most areas of the game, but with the added bonus of being far more durable. Danaa can survive Cannetti’s blitzes and come back with his own, while the inverse isn’t true.
There’s also the fact that Cannetti is 40 years old, which is more than a little concerning.
Cannetti just leaves himself way too open to deal with a fighter of Danaa’s grit and aggression. In short, Danaa survives the early storm to blow away Cannetti around the midway point.
Prediction: Danaa via second-round technical knockout



135 lbs.: Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez

Sean O’Malley (10-0) punched his ticket to “Contender Series” with a wheel kick knockout under the LFA banner, then followed that up by sparking Alfred Khashakyan to earn a contract. His Octagon career has seen him cruise past Terrion Ware and slug it out against Andre Soukhmathath, earning “Fight of the Night” against the latter after surviving a late foot injury.
This will be his first fight in almost exactly two years thanks to multiple run-ins with United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).
A loss to Alejandro Perez in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): “Latin America” didn’t stop Jose Quinonez (8-3) from putting together a four-fight win streak in the Octagon, including victories over castmates Leonardo Morales and Diego Rivas. Though he came up short against prospect Nathaniel Wood, “El Teco” returned to the win column with a decision over Carlos Huachin in Mexico City.
He’ll give up three inches of height and reach to “Sugar.”
As someone who’s fond of Quinonez as a fighter, I think it fair to say that limited opposition contributed greatly to his Octagon success. Everyone he’s beaten has a losing record in the world’s largest fight promotion and it’s become clear that, while very well-rounded, he’s not the breakout success that Vera was.
That’s bad news against a taller, rangier, more powerful striker in O’Malley, whose wrestling and scrambling chops look sufficient to deal with the takedowns Quinonez relies on. We’ve seen “El Teco” hit the mat before and a bit of rust isn’t sufficient to convince me that he can survive the “Sugar Show.” Indeed, O’Malley blasts him out with power punches partway through the first round.
Prediction: O’Malley via first-round technical knockout
Related
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155 lbs.: Mark Madsen vs. Austin Hubbard

A hugely decorated Greco-Roman wrestler with an Olympic silver medal to his name, Mark Madsen (9-0) enjoyed great success in his native Denmark before joining UFC for its trip to Copenhagen in Sept. 2019. In what was his Lightweight debut, Madsen delighted the hometown crowd with a 72-second mauling of Danilo Belluardo.
His professional wins are split evenly between knockouts, submissions and decisions.
Consecutive wins over LFA standouts Harvey Park and Killys Mota earned Austin Hubbard (11-3) the LFA Lightweight title and a trip to the Octagon, only for Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Davi Ramos to spoil his debut. Undaunted, Hubbard brought his own wrestling to bear in his sophomore effort to score a decision win over Kyle Prepolec in Vancouver.
“Thud” is the taller man by two inches, but surrenders one inch of reach.
Bulldozing a tailor-made foe in Belluardo didn’t tell us much about whether the 35-year-old Madsen has developed skills beyond his wrestling. That said, overpowering wrestling might just be enough to win him this fight — “Thud” struggled to stay on his feet against Ramos, whose grappling prowess does not extend to his takedowns. Madsen’s frantic entries and conservative top game look like a problem for Hubbard, especially since “The Olympian” has proven able to maintain that attack for 15 minutes.
That said, we still don’t know how Madsen holds up in the face of adversity, and there’s every chance that Hubbard’s refusal to fold could throw Madsen’s game off. Between his pedigree and his quality training at Xtreme Couture, though, I feel confident picking Madsen to grind out a win.
Prediction: Madsen via unanimous decision
Related
Watch The UFC 248 Countdown Full Video

STAPH ATTACK?!?!?!?


185 lbs.: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Saparbeg Safarov

Rodolfo Vieira (6-0) enjoyed a smooth transition from Brazilian jiu-jitsu to mixed martial arts (MMA), handily dispatching his first five professional foes en route to UFC. He was similarly dominant in his debut, which saw him overpower fellow black belt Oskar Piechota.
He has submitted five opponents and finished one other with ground-and-pound.
Saparbeg Safarov (9-2) brawled his way to a “Fight of the Night” against Gian Villante in his first Octagon appearance, succumbing to the latter’s power in the second round. A submission loss to Tyson Pedro followed, but he came up big with his back against the wall by dominating Nick Negumereanu in London.
This will be both his Middleweight debut and his first fight in nearly a year because of injury.
There are types of fighters that Vieira, for all his legendary submission skills, will struggle with. Wrestle-focused brawlers aren’t one of them, at least not of this caliber. Safarov can’t take it to the ground under any circumstances and he’s not sharp enough on the feet to overpower Vieira without leaving himself open for takedowns in return.
Safarov’s size is something to consider, but Vieira started his MMA career at 205 pounds and is a physical monster.
However the Russian decides to play it, he’s going to end up on his back at some point. From there, it’s academic — Vieira chokes him out early.
Prediction: Vieira via first-round submission
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185 lbs.: Deron Winn vs. Gerald Meerschaert

Deron Winn (6-1) — a disciple of Daniel Cormier — defeated Octagon veteran Tom Lawler to earn a UFC opportunity and made the most of it by out-slugging Eric Spicely in his debut. His next fight didn’t go quite as well, fading down the stretch beneath the striking attack of Darren Stewart on his way to a split decision loss.
He is seven inches shorter than “GM3” and faces a 7.5-inch reach disadvantage.
Gerald Meerschaert (30-12) got off to an impressive 4-1 UFC start, taking home two “Performance of the Night” bonuses among his four stoppage victories. He presently finds himself in a 1-3 hole, though, the last two losses were questionable split decisions against Kevin Holland and Eryk Anders.
He has submitted 22 professional opponents and knocked out another six.
Man, UFC must really have some faith in Winn. Meerschaert’s awfully inconsistent, but there’s a strong argument that he should be 5-1 in his last six bouts. He also looks damn problematic for Winn if the latter hasn’t shore up the issues that cost him the Stewart fight. Meerschaert’s reach and volume are a serious issue for Winn on the feet and he can’t afford to slow down against an opportunistic finisher of this caliber.
For all Winn’s potential, I’m not sure five months is enough time for the technical turnaround he needs. Combine that with his weight issues and you’ve got a recipe for an 0-2 skid. In the end, Meerschaert bounces back from a rough first round to outwork Winn en route to victory.
Prediction: Meerschaert via unanimous decision

[PaperTrail07]

Its definitely a step in in competition for Klose......VERY INTERESTING FIGHT.

When has Dariush been outgrappled? Only time that really comes to mind is Chiesa who had back control for huge portions of the fight. Dariush has beaten guys like Diego Ferreira and Rocco Martin in fights that featured grappling prominently.

[PaperTrail07]

Winn's IQ is going to come into play here.....just STAY AWAY from the ground lol.......nothing but respect for GM 3 and I agree Ref's have ****** him

[Thor4140]

In this episode John and Dan breakdown the breakdown the thrilling middleweight title bout at UFC 248 between current champ, Israel Adesanya and the challenger Yoel Romero.

Thank god someone (Hardy)has some sense and realizes Yoel barely uses his wrestling. I am tired of hearing people say "hey i think Yoel is going to wrestle him to death and ground and pound him" First off Israel isn't easy to take down and second Yoel uses his wrestling as much as Roy Nelson uses that alleged great JU Jitz game Rogan feels the need to tell us about every Roy fight. Yoel is a real frustrating guy to bet on. i wouldn't waste my money on him. I do hear his training has upped a level so we will see.

[Unwritten Law]

Yoel and Weili so far for me in the co/main event.

[Sanity Check]

Yoel's open workout was all wrestling, suplexes and throws.

I wonder if this matters.

[povis]

I hope to see wrestling from Yoel