728 Days since Vitor Belfort’s last win, which came over Dan Henderson, his opponent on Saturday night, at UFC Fight Night 32 on November 9, 2013.
5 Number of wins by Belfort in his native Brazil. He is a perfect 5-0 in the country.
70.8% Percentage of Belfort’s wins that have come by knockout. He has scored 17 of his 24 wins by knockout.
10 Total number of knockdowns recorded by Belfort in UFC competition, 4 of which have come as a middleweight, which is tied for fourth most in UFC middleweight history (min. 5 fights)
3:40 Average fight time in UFC middleweight bouts for Belfort, the lowest in UFC middleweight division history (min. 5 fights)
28 Length of time, in seconds, of Dan Henderson’s last fight, a knockout win over Tim Boetsch at UFC Fight Night 68 in June
5 Number of UFC bonus awards won by Henderson
45 Age of Henderson, making him the oldest member of the UFC roster
6 Number of title fights in the career of Henderson, spanning roster stints in the UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce
15 Number of knockout wins in the career of Henderson
4 Current ranking of Glover Teixeira in the UFC’s light heavyweight division
16 Number of first-round wins recorded by Teixeira in his career
11 Number of guard passes Teixeira recorded in his most recent bout, a win over Ovince Saint Preux in August
26 Takedowns landed by Patrick Cummins, third-most in UFC light heavyweight history (min. 5 fights)
4.37 Strikes landed per minute by Cummins in his UFC career
30 Age of Cummins when he made his professional MMA debut
20 Career wins and win streak by Thomas Almeida. He is a perfect 20-0 in his career.
95 Finishing rate percentage by Almeida earning 19 of his 20 wins by stoppage
175 Significant strikes landed in just 3 UFC bouts by Almeida
7.45 Significant strikes landed per minute by Anthony Birchak in UFC competition
91 Percentage of strikes defended by Birchak
83 Career finishing rate percentage by Birchak as he has earned 10 of his 12 wins by stoppage
4 Number of fights Alex Oliveira has competed in during the year 2015
3 Number of short notice fights taken by Oliveira, who will be fighting with a full camp for the first time during his UFC career on Saturday
8 Number of takedowns landed by Oliveira in his two UFC wins
2 Consecutive losses by Piotr Hallmann, who is 2-3 in his UFC career
93.3 Career finishing rate percentage by Hallmann, who has scored 14 of his 15 wins by stoppage
44 Takedown percentage rate by Hallmann, ninth-best in UFC lightweight history (min. 5 fights)
10 Straight wins to start his career by Gilbert Burns
4 Gold medals won by Burns in various jiu-jitsu competitions
2 Performance bonuses won by Burns in just three UFC bouts
11 Consecutive wins by Rashid Magomedov
0 Number of fights in 2015 by Magomedov, who fought 3 times in 2014
91 Percentage rate of takedowns defended by Magomedov
622 Significant strikes landed by Fabio Maldonado, most in UFC light heavyweight history (min. 5 fights)
62 Boxing wins, both professional and amateur, by Maldonado in his career
5.93 Significant strikes per minute landed by Maldonado, most in UFC light heavyweight history (min. 5 fights)
63 Days between fights for Corey Anderson, who has the quickest turnaround of every fighter on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
13 Takedowns landed by Anderson during his four UFC fights
264 Significant strikes landed by Anderson during his four UFC fights
25 Number of fights in the UFC by Gleison Tibau
82 Takedowns landed by Tibau, most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
4:51:15 Total Octagon fight time by Tibau, third-most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
21 Number of times Abel Trujillo was taken down by Khabib Nurmagomedov, the UFC record for one fight
66.6 Career finishing rate percentage by Trujillo, who has scored 8 of his 12 wins by finish
378 Days since Yan Cabral’s last fight, which came at UFC 179 in October 2014
91.6 Career finish by submission rate percentage for Cabral, who has won 11 of his 12 fights by submission
11 Straight wins by Johnny Case heading into UFC Fight Night 77
47 Number of professional fights for Clay Guida, most of the fighters on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
4:30:32 Total Octagon fight time by Guida, fifth-most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
40 Takedowns landed by Thiago Tavares, tenth-most in UFC history (min. 5 fights)
10 Straight wins by Kevin Souza heading into UFC Fight Night 77
13 Number of days between wins for Chas Skelly when he fought Tom Niinimaki and Sean Soriano in UFC bouts in 2014
630 Days since Viscardi Andrade’s last fight, which came at UFC Fight Night 36 in February 2014
89.3 Takedowns defended percentage rate by Gasan Umalatov in his UFC career
75 Finishing rate percentage by Pedro Munhoz, who has scored nine of his 12 wins by stoppage (2 KO/TKO, 7 submissions)
16 Straight wins by Jimmie Rivera, the second-longest win streak of the fighters on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
4 Career bouts for Bruno Korea, who makes his UFC debut on Saturday
22 Age of Matheus Nicolau, making him the youngest fighter on the UFC Fight Night 77 card
Late Thursday night/Friday morning, news broke from MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that top UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov suffered a rib injury training in Russia and is out of his fight with Tony Ferguson at December’s UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Mendes, making a great weekend just a little less great.
Nurmagomedov (22-0) has been out of action with various knee injuries since April 2014 when he beat now-lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. On an Instagram post confirming the news, Nurmagomedov opined that “I’m not sure that I’ll ever be back” which could be a case of emotions running wild.
Helwani says sources tell him Edson Barboza could be lined up for past TUF winner Ferguson, a winner of six straight and a guy that is making a lot of noise at 155 pounds in the process.
With dos Anjos defending his title against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in December, the next challenger for the belt is likely to be the winner of January’s Anthony Pettis vs. Eddie Alvarez tilt with Ferguson as a dark horse if a) the Barboza fight happens and b) if he can beat Barboza. It can also be assumed that Ferguson could be slotted into either RDA or Cerrone’s spot if either guy gets injured before their showdown.
The scheduled lightweight main event from last Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Dublin, Ireland — Dustin Poirier vs. Joe Duffy — has been rescheduled for the 1/2 UFC 195 PPV show in Las Vegas, NV, announced on UFC Tonight Wednesday.
The 27-year-old Duffy (14-1) was pulled out of the fight three days prior by UFC due to his suffering a concussion in training on 10/17. Poirier was asked to face Norman Parke as a replacement, but turned the fight down, feeling it would do nothing to help his career. He was hoping the Duffy fight would be rescheduled, and got his wish.
Duffy is looking to extend a four fight win streak (2-0 UFC), while Poirier (18-4) has won both of his fights since returning to lightweight.
That fight joins a lineup headlined by Robbie Lawler vs. Carlos Condit for the welterweight title, Stipe Miocic vs. Andrei Arlovski in a top heavyweight contender fight, Albert Tumenov vs. Lorenz Larkin, Neil Magny vs. Stephen Thompson, and more.
FILTHY FOUR RADIO returns today with special guest Tom Lawlor to talk tons of different topics including the state of his concussion, Raw and Hell in a Cell thoughts, Kurt Angle and Bellator, a bunch of WWE toy talk and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
UFC Fight Night 80 has undergone a big change in the headline bout. Paige VanZant (6-1, 3-0 UFC) will make her first main event appearance, but her opponent, Joanne Calderwood (10-1, 2-1 UFC), has been forced out and will be replaced by Rose Namajunas (3-2, 1-1 UFC). The change was first reported on the Team Alpha Male radio show, Stud Show Radio, and was confirmed today by UFC President Dana White.
An official reason wasn’t given for the change in the main event, though it is said that Calderwood was forced out due to injury.
VanZant will be looking to remain undefeated inside the Octagon in her first headline bout as she is coming off a win over Alex Chambers at UFC 191 in September. She also holds wins over Felice Herrig and Kailin Curran during her UFC career. She is currently ranked sixth in the UFC’s official rankings in the women’s strawweight division.
Namajunas, currently ranked third in the UFC’s official rankings, will be looking to score her second straight win after submitting Angela Hill at UFC 192 earlier this month. It was her first appearance since being submitted by Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship bout in December. Despite already having fought for the championship, she actually has less overall experience than her opponent, VanZant.
VanZant and Namajunas are two of the youngest fighters in the division with VanZant having just turned 21-years-old and Namajunas being 23-years-old.
UFC Fight Night 80 takes place on December 10 from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the entire event will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass. The event kicks off three straight nights of UFC events in the fight capital of the world, capped off with UFC 194 headlined by Jose Aldo against Conor McGregor.
UFC: Fight Night 76 – AKA: The All Fight Pass Prelims Show
This show has zero star power, but a lot of potential for fun fights, and since the main card is virtually the same as the undercard in terms of name value, I’m going to score all the fights.
Changes to today’s event…
No longer will I be providing my Classic Ten score. I’ll only be reporting the official scores and results and my True Ten score and results. It’s too hard for me to try and score a fight in my head using two systems. It’s not that it’s physically difficult, but it can be tricky to objectively distinguish between the two. Remember, my system is simply the current system but using potential round scores of 10-10 all the way down to 10-5.
Questioning the Decision…
On our last event, we had one whacky decision. Well, more like a whacky circumstance. It occurred in the Tom Marcellino vs. Nick Newell fight. As you may remember, Newell is the one-armed fighter, and he won the fight This is how it was scored:
Official Results: Unanimous decision for Nick Newell (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Further Analysis: At the end of the second round, instead of the 10-second blocks being clacked, the timekeeper clanged the bell. This occurred just as Marcellino knocked down Newell and could have possibly finished. He didn’t because the ref stopped the round. During the confusion, the ref just decided that it was an error, and we’re moving on to round three. Upon the reading of the decision, Marcellino was pissed, and rightfully so. I think he could have a case if he protested, but he probably won’t. This was one of those fights that any score was possible as the first and the third were clear, but the second was a coin toss. Why not score it a draw?
Analysis: Easy pick here, but another example of a round that should have been a 10-8. The third round was dominated by Elkins, which included securing a rear naked choke with 5 seconds left but Whiteford just did not tap.
185: Krzysztof Jotko vs. Scott Askham
Official Result: Jotko by Split Decision
Judges: 29-28 Jotko, 29-28 Askham, 29-28 Jotko
True Ten: Rd1) 10-10 Rd2) 10-10, Rd3) 10-9 Jotko
Result: 30-29 Jotko
Analysis: Don’t be fooled by blood. Jotko maybe won the first round but barely because he was really close to being finished by that arm bar, which is why I gave it a 10-10. I don’t think Askham won a round, but I guess I’m wrong.
115: Aisling Daly vs. Ericka Almeida
Official Result: Aisling Daly by Unanimous Decision
Analysis: I loved this fight! Baby face fire by Daly was great in the third. Only one judge gave it a 10-8 third, which I thought it pretty clearly was as well. Two judges also gave Almeida the second, so Daly’s corner was right telling her she had to win the third. By the way, you should always tell your fighter that they need to win the third.
Analysis: Well, this was great a call. I figured it was going to be a unanimous decision for Till and I’d write my usual rant about not giving 10-8s, but two of these judges showed some guts because clearly the last round was a 10-8 for Dalby. It could have been stopped at least one time. Till got very lucky here.
155: Norman Parke vs. Reza Madadi
Official Result: Norman Parke by Unanimous Decision
This ended up being a good show, with a pretty dang good main event. The judging seems to be getting better with each passing show, and by better I mean judges are using more 10-8s. That’s a step in the right direction. Is it this column that is leaving an impression? My theory is yes.
Welcome to WrestlingObserver.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 76: Holohan vs. Smolka from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The event has undergone some major last-minute changes, losing the original main event earlier this week when Joseph Duffy was forced out of his bout against Dustin Poirier. The card is now headlined by a three-round flyweight bout as Paddy Holohan takes on Louis Smolka in the first flyweight main event bout not featuring Demetrious Johnson. The entire event will be streamed on UFC Fight Pass. The action kicks off with preliminary card fights at 1:15 PM eastern time before the main card kicks off at 4 PM eastern time.
Real quick thank you to everyone for all their nice messages today.
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 1:15 PM ET/10:15 AM ET)
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- BUBBA BUSH (8-2 1 NC, 0-0 1 NC UFC) VS. GARRETH MCLELLAN (12-3, 0-1 UFC)
First round: McLellan is the top star from South Africa. A regular Jan Wilkens. Bush looks like Matt Brown’s face on Anthony Nese’s body. Bush is trying to take him down. McLellan blocked the early takedown attempts. Bush tripped him down. McLellan back up. Another takedown by Bush. Bush in side control. Super hot crowd already. McLellan trying a Kimura from the bottom but Bush out and has his back. Bush now punching. McLellan back to his feet and went for a gullotine. Bush popped out. 10-9 Bush.
Second round: McLellan kicked to the body. Bush took him right down. Bush tried another takedown but McLellan, held onto the fence and landed on top. The ref should have reset them but didn’t. McLellan landed in the mount. He worked for an arm triangle. McLellan landing some punches from the top. McLellan landing a lot of punches now. Now he’s landing elbows and punches. More punches and elbows by McLellan. I’d go 10-8 McLelland but I think the judges will have it even 19-19 right now.
Third round: Crowd hot. McLellan with an uppercut and now McLellan going for a takedown. McLellan was able to slam him down. McLellan working for a choke. Bush got up and wants a takedown. Bush took him down. McLellan back up. Takedown by McLellan. McLellan landing punches from the top. McLellan dropping elbows. McLellan landing a ton of punches late. It was stopped with seconds left from ground and pound. If anything, should have been stopped a second or two earlier. 4:58
FEATHERWEIGHTS- (#14) DARREN ELKINS (18-5, 8-4 UFC) VS. ROB WHITEFORD (12-2, 2-1 UFC)
First round: Elkins landed some punches. Whiteford landed a left. Left by Elkins. Whiteford landing good punches. Elkins took him down. Whiteford back up. Elkins with an uppercut and takedown. Whiteford bleeding fro under the right eye. Whiteford back up. Whiteford hurt him with a right. Elkins 10-9.
Second round: Elkins took him down. Whiteford bleeding near the left eye. Elkins got his back. Elkins working for a choke but Whiteford out of trouble. Whiteford tried to get up but Elkins took him back down with a single leg. Whiteford back up with 1:33 left. Whiteford with a cool judo throw and landed elbows but Elkins took him down again. Elkins landing punches. Elkins 20-18.
Third round: Left by Whiteford. Left and right by Whiteford. Elkins took him down. Whiteford with a left. Elkins landed some punches and took him down. Whiteford bleeding bad from the left ear. Elkins has his back. Whiteford working for a choke. Elkins 30-27.
Scores: All three have it 30-27 for Elkins.
WELTERWEIGHTS- CATHAL PENDRED (17-3-1, 4-1 UFC) VS. TOM BREESE (8-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Breeze from England, but trains in Montreal at Tri-Star. Place going insane for Pendred. Big left by Breese and Pendred went down to a knee. Left by Breese. Pendred’s nose bleeding badly. Right and knee by Pendred. Breese wth a left to the face and another left to the body. High kick by Breese. Breese landing big punches. Body kick by Breese. Breese dropped him with a series of punches and it’s over. Three lefts put Pendred down and he threw punches on the ground when it was stopped.
Breese asked Dana White for 50Gs. Some advice for guys. Don’t do that. Instead, challenge somebody. He asked to be put on the February card in London.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- SCOTT ASKHAM (13-1, 1-1 UFC) VS. KRZYSZTOF JOTKO (15-1, 2-1 UFC)
First round: Jotko took him down. Fans chanting for Jotko. Askham bleeding from above the left eye. Jotko took him down a second time. Ashkam with elbows from the bottom and looking for an armbar. Jotko escaped. Ashkam bleeding badly now. Jotko 10-9.
Second round: Ashkam missed a high kick. Jotko now bleeding from the nose. Jotko got poked in the eye. Ashkam landed a front kick. Ax kick by Ashkam. Ashkam’s round so 19-19 after two.
Third round: Jotko with a knee. Ashkham went for a judo throw but Jotko landed on top and landed a punch as Ashkam got up. Left and right and kick by Ashkam. Right by Jotko. Jotko bleeding from the nose and right ear. Ashkam covered in blood. Left and body kick by Jotko. Close fight I’ve got Ashkam 29-28. Could go either way.
First round: Daly out with punches early. Almeida with an elbow. Almeida with knees to the body. They are in a clinch on the fence. Daly got the takedown. Daly landing punches from the top. Daly 10-9.
Second round: Daly pushed her into the fence. Daly with a takedown. Daly landing punches. Almeida looked for a triangle. Almeida up and took Daly down. Almeida in side control. Almeida got her back. Close round, Almeida so 19-19 into the third.
Third round: Daly out throwing punches. Daly with a hip toss but on the way over Almeida blocked it with a body scissors. Daly throwing punches. Crowd going to ridiculously nuts for this fight. Daly with elbows to the thigh as she got Almeida down. Daly landing a ton of punches. Daly landing all kinds of punches. Daly clearly won the third. The place is going crazy 29-28 Daly. She climbed to the top of the cage and was crying because the crowd was cheering so loudly.
Scores: 30-27, 29-27 and 29-28 Daly. She’s crying like crazy. What a freaking great babyface promo. This was one of the best undercard crowd reactions in UFC history.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- STEVIE RAY (18-5, 2-0 UFC) VS. MICKAEL LEBOUT (14-4-1, 1-1 UFC)
First round: Big left by Ray. Left by Ray. Body kick by Ray. Left by Ray. Body kick by Ray. Hard left by Ray. Ray 10-9
Second round: Ray landing punches. Left high kick by Ray. Jumping kick by Ray. Ray 20-18.
Third round: Lebout landed a right. Body kick by Ray. High kick by Ray. Lebout landed a hard right. Body kick by Lebout. Spinning elbow by Lebout. Ray picked him up and spun him and threw him down, almost like an F-5 right as the match ended. This round was closer. 30-27 Ray.
Scores: 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 Ray
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 4 PM ET/1 PM PT)
FLYWEIGHTS- NEIL SEERY (15-11, 2-2 UFC) VS. JON DELOS REYES (8-4, 1-2 UFC)
First round: Seery landing punches. Crowd going crazy since Seery is from Dublin. Knee by Delos Reyes. Serry landed a nice right to the side of the head. Delos Reyes took him down. Knee by Delos Reyes. Both landing punches. Seery landing a lot of rights. Seery wrestled him to the round. Delos Reyes got a takedown but Serry back up. Seery landing punches and a low kick. Both trading. Seery 10-9.
Second round: Seery with punches, Delos Reyes took him down but Seery grabbed a guillotine. Delos Reyes escaped and got Seery’s back. Seery escaped and took Delos Reyes down. Dels Reye sbakc up. Both landing hard shos. Both swinging. Really good round. Delos Reyes slammed him down but Serry grabbed him in a guillotine for the submission. Easily the best fight of the show so far.
WELTERWEIGHTS- NICOLAS DALBY (14-0, 1-0 UFC) VS. DARREN TILL (13-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Dalby is from Denmark, Till is from the U.K. but trains in Brazil. Both tying up. Till with knees. Left by Till. Till with body kicks. Another body kick by Till. Dalby with a body kick. Till with a kick, knee and elbow. Low kick by Dalby. Left to the jaw by Till. Body kick by Till. Till landed an upppercut and had Dalby in trouble as the round ended. 10-9 Till.
Second round: Good body kick by Till. Takedown by Dalby but Till right back up. Knee to the head by Dalby. Till knocked him off balance at the end of the round. Close round, 10-9 slightly for Till so he’s up 20-18.
Third round: Dalby landed a head kick. Till went for a takedown but Dalby escaped. Dalby landed a punch to the nose. Dalby working for a takedown. Dalby got the takedown. Till got up. Till bleeding from the nose. Another head kick by Dalby and some punches. Dalby landing solid punches and a knee. Dalby with a kick to the body and punches. Dalby took him down with 2:20 left Dalby got mount and is pounding on him. Till is in a lot of trouble. Dalby landing all kinds of lefts on the ground. Till back up but he’s wobbly and worried. Dalby threw him down but Till immediately got back up. Till with a knee and a punch. Dalby with punches and he landed a head kick. Dalby with knees to the head. Dalby’s round for sure. Great fight. Really comes down to round two, I’ve got 29-28 for Till, but it could even be a 28-28 draw if you gave a 10-8 third.
Scores: 29-28 Till 28-28 28-28 draw. So they gave Dalby 10-8 third which is not bad scoring at all. Till’s shoulder went out in the second round but he came out and survived the third round. Dan Hardy was pushing the idea of a rematch.
LIGHTWEIGHTS- NORMAN PARKE (20-4-1, 4-2-1 UFC) VS. REZA MADADI (13-3, 2-1 UFC)
First round: Madadi working for a takedown. Parke defending. Madadi shot and Parke sprawled. Parke landed a few lefts. Another left landed by Parke. Crowd booed, not much happened. Parke 10-9.
Second round: Parke throwing kicks. Parke landing a few punches. Madadi got the takedown but Parke back to his feet. Head kick by Parke. They are in a clinch against the fence. Body kick by Parke. Parke landed several punches. Parke going for a takedown but didn’t get it. Parke with some uppercuts. Parke’s round, up 20-18.
Third round: Madadi going for a single leg. Madadi started to land. Madadi landing more and working for a takedown. Parke took him down. Close third round, Parke 30-27.
Scores: All three have it 30-27 for Parke.
FLYWEIGHTS- PADDY HOLOHAN (12-1-1, 3-1 UFC) VS. LOUIS SMOLKA (9-1, 3-1 UFC)
First round: Holohan took him down and moved into side control. Smolka working for a D’arce choke from the bottom. Holohan tried to get his back. Smolka up but Holohan took him down again. Smolka moved to the top. Holohan went for a heel hook. Smolka worked for an ankle lock Holohan took him down again. Smolka up and landed a kick. Holohan trying for a takedown but this one was blocked. Front kick by Smolka. Two more front kicks by Smolka. Holohan went for another takedown but doesn’t have it. Smolka landing punches and Holohan back. Great first round. Holohan 10-9.
Second round: Both trading. Smolka’s punches are crisper. Holohan landed a nice left. Holohan jumped on his back. Crowd going crazy for Holohan. Holohan has his back and working for a choke with a body triangle. Smolka trying to spin to the top but Holohan holding a body triangle. Holohan throwing punches. Smolka turned to the top with 2:45 left in the round. Smolka with elbows to the body. Smolka has a guillotine standing. Smolka used it to take him down. Smolka with elbows. Holohan tried an umpa plata but Smolka blocked and landing punches. Smoka landing a lot of punches for the top. Holohan is in a lot of trouble. Smolka pounding him from the mount. Smolka working for a choke. He’s got it. It’s over. Great fight.
The crowd loved Holohan even after losing. His left eye is swollen. Smolka said the people may not like him but this was a great crowd. Fans ended up cheering him.
UFC Fight Night 76 comes your way on Saturday afternoon here in the United States as the Octagon makes its’ third appearance in Dublin, Ireland. The event has undergone some late changes, losing the original main event and co-main event. We still have some interesting bouts and some chances to make money if you are playing daily fantasy this weekend on DraftKings. Let’s take some look at some studs, some values, and some fighters to avoid this weekend when setting your roster for UFC Fight Night 76.
STUDS
Stevie Ray ($11,000)
Stevie Ray has the highest salary of all the fighters competing on the UFC Fight Night 76 card, and for good reason. He has been impressive in his two bouts in the UFC, scoring knockout wins early in those bouts. He has averaged 101.5 DFS points in those two fights, and he is the biggest betting favorite on the card in his bout against Mickael Lebout. Ray has a lot of power in his fists, and some solid submission skills too if the fight hits the mat. Lebout has some submission skills as well, having won six fights that way, and Ray has lost four fights that way. Lebout is more of a point fighter, though, and Ray likes to get that finish. With his 14 stoppage wins and the power he displays, he is the best bet to score a big finish on this card.
Scott Askham ($9,700)
I like Scott Askham in his fight against Krzysztof Jotko. Askham scored a big finish over Antonio Carlos Junior in his last bout, and he is a tall middleweight. The best thing is he knows how to use his length to his advantage. He is a knockout artist, having won eight of his 13 fights by knockout, and finishes are where you are going to maximize your points. Askham also has underrated submission skills. Jotko has only lost once in his career, but he is not much of a finisher. His only loss also came by stoppage. Both men share the same salary, and it is a toss-up on the betting lines. However, I like Askham’s chances of scoring a win by stoppage, and I like him to win the fight in general.
VALUES
Darren Till ($9,300)
Darren Till is a young, undefeated prospect making his second appearance in the Octagon. At just 22-years-old, he is 13-0 with eleven wins by stoppage. He fights another undefeated fighter in Nicolas Dalby, who comes in with a 14-0 record. Till has a lot of knockout power and some brutal ground-and-pound, and he is still evolving. Dalby has likely peaked in his career, and he has good skills, but is not much of a finisher. Till is a solid value play because of his ability, his progression, and his power. I see him getting a stoppage win.
Robert Whiteford ($9,200)
Robert Whiteford fights the most experienced UFC veteran on the card in Darren Elkins. Whiteford has won his last two fights, showing off his solid judo skills. Elkins is a strong wrestlers so Whiteford will be needing to use those judo skills. He scored a big knockout win in his last fight, but Elkins is a tough fighter to finish. Elkins has struggled putting his wrestling and kickboxing together and that is where Whiteford is going to have to take advantage of. It could be tough for Whiteford to score points, but he has some solid value with his knockout power in his hands.
AVOID
Norman Parke ($10,800)
Norman Parke has the second-highest salary of all of the UFC Fight Night 76 participants. He has scored just one finish in his UFC career, and it was against a lesser fighter. He is fighting Reza Madadi, who despite coming off a 30-month layoff, is still a stout opponent who will be hard to finish. Parke is more of a points fighter and this fight will likely go the distance. With his high salary, I would stay away from Parke as I don’t see him getting enough points to get you high in the cash. I do expect him to win, though, so the risk is there if you choose to go that way.
Cathal Pendred ($8,800)
I can’t tell you to avoid Cathal Pendred enough. He just hasn’t shown the skills to be a finisher on a consistent basis in the UFC. He has won four of his five UFC bouts, but only one has been a finish, and the rest have been boring decisions, and some were controversial decisions. He is awkward in his strikes and he telegraphs his takedowns. He has been given a tough opponent in Tom Breese, one that could send Pendred right out of the UFC. Breese may actually finish Pendred, so his $10,600 salary could be enticing if you have room on your roster. However, stay away from Pendred at all costs.
OUR LINEUPS
RYAN FREDERICK- Stevie Ray ($11,000), Tom Breese ($10,600), Scott Askham ($9,700), Darren Till ($9,300), Robert Whiteford ($9,200)
Every one of the fighters I’m using have been listed in some form above. I like all of my roster to actually score finish wins. Ray has the knockout power and is facing a fighter he can finish quickly. Breese, I see him finishing Cathal Pendred, but that may be tough. Askham and Till have such solid power and they’re in fights that should be showcase bouts for them. Whiteford is the toughest one to predict since he has such a tough opponent in Darren Elkins. I think Elkins has almost peaked as a fighter and Whiteford is developing quite nicely.
PAUL FONTAINE- Stevie Ray ($11,000), Aisling Daly ($9,900), Paddy Holohan ($9,600), Darren Till ($9,300), Cathal Pendred ($8,800)
The crowd has been such a factor in previous shows in Dublin so I’m going with all fighters from that area. I like Aisling Daly who I believe it better than she’s shown herself to be in previous UFC fights. She has a long history of fighting the best at both 115 and 125 and she should grind out a decision win or perhaps a late submission. Paddy Holohan will be fighting the biggest fight of his life and I’m predicting his main event bout with Louis Smolka to be a potential fight of the year candidate. The crowd will will Paddy to a win. Cathal Pendred had a 4 fight win streak snapped at UFC 189 but they’ve given him a winnable fight here Pendred will do what he always does and grind out a decision win. As the lower priced fighter, he’s a must for my team. Stevie Ray is a finisher and I think the Scottish fighter is going to blitz Mickael Lebout and score a dynamic KO win. My last pick is Darren Till. Unbeaten, fighting close to home and he’s an underdog. Great value pick in my opinion. Someone’s zero has got to go and I think it will Nicolas Dalby’s.
PEACH MACHINE- Norman Parke ($10,800), Nicolas Dalby ($10,100), Scott Askham ($9,700), Paddy Holohan ($9,600), Jon Delos Reyes ($9,400)
I was taking Dustin Poirier, but switched to Paddy Holohan when Poirier’s fight was cancelled. I’m also taking Jon Delos, my Guam homie. I trained with him in Guam and was always impressed by his grit. He’s tough as hell, and had a great fight last time out in Manila. It was a blood bath. I expect him to finish. Norman Parke I believe is underrated. He’s dang good but has lost his last two by split decisions. He’s got a ton of potential and a lot to prove here in his home country. I expect a good showing with Parke scoring a lot of points off of strikes. Scott Askham I chose more as a pick against Jotko. I don’t think Jotko will last any longer and I expect him to get KO’d and then cut. Finally, I went with Nicolas Dalby because his nickname is Sharpshooter and I’m a huge fan of Bret Hart and Tyson Kidd. That’s the sort of in depth analysis you get with the PeachMachine… I’m actually pretty interested in this show but there are a lot of guys that the average fan won’t recognize. This card does have potential to be fun, and it’s airing in the middle of the afternoon, so you know what that means… Day drinking!
NOTE: Due to an error with Draft Kings, UFC 192 events did not take place, therefore we have no scores from that event to compare how we did. We hope that doesn’t happen this time.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today to talk all the news in wrestling and MMA including the official reinstatement of Jon Jones to the UFC, plus Dr. Lucha joins us to talk Lucha Underground and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Lavar Johnson, a heavyweight fighter who had fought for both the UFC and Bellator, is currently in jail in Fresno on a number of charges including domestic assault regarding an alleged attack on his girlfriend in August.
Johnson has been held since that time, but the story went unreported until today when TMZ first broke it.
Johnson, 38, was arrested on 8/25 for an alleged incident on 8/11 where he is accused of slamming his girlfriend against a wall and on the ground, and repeatedly kneeing her in the face and head. He is also accused of punching her 11 times in the face.
The list of charges include corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and dissuading a witness by force.
The police report stated that Johnson then fled the scene. Police arrived and saw the woman with a swollen forehead and nose, bleeding. She said that when Johnson saw the blood, he backed off. She needed staples to close one of the cuts.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held on $175,000 bond. He is facing a maximum 128 months in prison on the charges.
Johnson had a similar arrest in 2007.
Johnson, was a Strikeforce regular from 2009 to 2011, and then moved to UFC after the heavyweight division was switched over and fought four times in the organization, going 2-2. He was cut after testing positive for testosterone after a loss to Brendan Schaub on February 23, 2013. Since then he was signed to Bellator, where he had a 1-3 record.
