2020 Italian GP Free Practice 1 and 2 Debrief

Words by UnmeshDatta26, Death_Pig, and showstopperNL

• Free Practice 1 Results
• Free Practice 2 Results
• FIA Documents for the Italian GP

Discussion Threads:

• Free Practice 1 Discussion Thread
• Free Practice 2 Discussion Thread

More Impactful News Since Belgium

After a busy week in Belgium saw several important developments, the F1 circus returns to the Temple of Speed having seen another busy week on the news front.

Williams Family Leaves F1

The Williams F1 team announced last weekend that the team has been sold to Dorilton Capital, a USA investment firm. At the time, the destiny of Sir Frank and especially that of Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams were up in the air, everyone involved giving vague and non-committal answers to questions about the direction of the team moving forward.
There were plenty of rumors flying around that neither would carry on in the team, and these were confirmed this week, as the team announced this will be Claire Williams’ last race as Deputy Team Principal, with no replacement named yet. Sir Frank and Sir Patrick Head founded the team 43 years ago and the Tuscany Grand Prix will be the first time the team is not headed by someone with the Williams last name.
In those years, the team won 7 Drivers’ titles, 9 Constructors’ titles, with drivers such as Keke Rosberg, Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Damon Hill, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, David Coulthard, and Jacques Villeneuve driving for the team. More recently, Nico Rosberg, Valtteri Bottas, Sebastian Vettel, and Lance Stroll all got their first taste of an F1 car in a Williams.
The team faced incredible financial struggles after the car’s performance dropped in the last few years, with main sponsor Rokit ending their agreement before the 2020 season.
The team has announced that the Board of Directors will now be composed of Matthew Savage (chairman of Dorilton Capital), Darren Fultz (CEO of Dorilton), and James Matthews (CEO of Eden Rock Group).
The departure of the Williams family from F1 brings a lot of sadness to many fans, even if the team name will be maintained (for now, at least), as one of the legendary names in F1 leaves the sport. We say goodbye to the Williams family with sadness, as they were a great example of the determination, hard work, ingenuity, and commitment that helped Formula 1 become what it is today.

Technical Directive Slows Down Engines

The new Technical Directive designed to end the use of “party modes” has finally been set by the FIA. Teams will now have to use the same engine mode from the start of qualifying to the end of the race.
Nominally, it appears the objective of the TD is to hold Mercedes’ PUs back, but initial analysis shows that it may actually help the Mercedes-powered teams, so we will have to wait and see what actually happens.
It would be great for fans of Mercedes and of schadenfreude if the TD had the diametrically opposite effect.
ERS usage has not been affected, so drivers will still have their hybrid options available to them.

Tech Talk And Rules Update

For this weekend, we will be seeing the lowest downforce packages of the entire season, with the skinniest rear wings and the most angled front wings for each team. Some teams, such as McLaren, even tested parts for this weekend at Spa, as they all bring their lowest downforce package to Monza. Expect to see tiny rear wings and top speeds in excess of 350 kph over the weekend.
The FIA’s crackdown on track limit abuse marches on and at Monza, they are cracking the whip hard. Timing loops have been installed at the exit of Parabolica to monitor track extensions (with both the current and next laps being deleted if the driver goes beyond the limit), whereas last year they had to rely on camera shots to make sure the drivers kept all wheels inside the white lines, resulting in some confusion about some track extensions.
There looks to be no chance of rain, and the temperatures look to be stable and pleasant throughout the weekend.
Lastly, in an attempt to avoid a repeat of last year’s qualifying debacle, Michael Masi sent the teams a document reinforcing the rule of Article 27.4 of the Sporting Regulations while also establishing maximum lap times for FP3 and Qualifying.
[Note: Article 27.4 reads: “[a]t no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person.”]
With the tow from another car being very powerful at Monza, however, we will have to wait for tomorrow to see if the FIA will in fact strictly enforce Article 27.4, and also wait to see if the tragicomical scenes from last year’s qualifying session will be repeated.
—-

Free Practice 1

Friday morning started off slow, with teams waiting a while before getting started. The first timed lap came with around 20 minutes gone in the session, Alexander Albon setting a time that was promptly deleted for track limits at Parabolica. It would not be the last time we would see that happen.
The track showed its greenness, multiple drivers locking up as they applied the brakes,, the most notable of these being Sebastian Vettel and Romain Grosjean, who both locked up their front tires going into the second chicane.
Vettel’s struggles were not restricted to a lock-up, though. The 4-time champion went off at Lesmo 1 and kicked up a lot of gravel, finishing the season with only the 19th fastest time, ahead only of Nicolas Latifi. The other Williams FW43 was driven by Israeli F2 driver Roy Nissany, who finished immediately ahead of Vettel in P18.
Max Verstappen was also in trouble during the session, losing the rear in the second leg of Ascari and crashing into barriers. He was able to limp home to the pits, sans his front wing. The usual quick Red Bull pit work had him back on track in a few minutes, but he could not find his usual torrid pace, while his teammate found himself third behind the all-powerful Mercedes duo.
Mercedes seemed unperturbed about the engine mode change ban, stamping their authority right from the start. Even if Valtteri Bottas appeared to struggle in the early going with a number of lock-ups and off-track excursions, he managed to set the fastest lap by the time the checkered flag came out, a 1:20.703 leading his teammate by over 0.2 second.
As has been the case throughout the season, the W11 reigned supreme around Monza, Albon’s best lap 0.797s slower than Bottas’ best effort. The Mercedes driver was irked by both the Williams drivers for their car placement, the Finn being very vocal about Latifi and Nissany not paying attention to the faster car’s approach.
Outside the rarefied heights of the W11, the midfield battle continued to be as tight as ever. AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly’s different to 17th placed Kimi Räikkönen was less than a second. Ferrari, usually a force at their home event, had another miserable session, along with the teams that use their PU. Charles Leclerc managed the 11th best time, 1.201 second to Bottas, while Haas had to retire Kevin Magnussen early due to cooling issues. While teams do run different programs with their drivers in Free Practices, the lack of pace of the Ferrari-powered cars is still evident at Monza.
The battle in the midfield seems to be tightening up, with Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo predicting a strong weekend for the French outfit after the RS20 showed impressive pace around Spa. Touted to be an extremely fast car on straights, Monza should be perfect for Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon to show the RS20’s pace. McLaren, after having a few lacklustre weekends, will be looking to turn the tides at Monza as well. Racing Point will, obviously, try to frustrate the other two teams’ expectations, in what promises to be another intense battle in the midfield.
The traffic problems at Monza persisted, with everyone trying to get the best tow into their flying laps.
Lando Norris commented about how the FIA should do something about the dangerously slow speeds cars queued up to start their laps, and Lance Stroll was not particularly happy with the traffic through Turn 6. But the tow’s powerful effect cannot be denied, so teams are always looking for some help. Leclerc was clearly worried about getting a tow whenever possible, as the Ferrari could certainly use some help.
Gasly appears to have maintained his strong form from Belgium, setting some rapid times in the AT01 before having a slight off into the gravel at T5. But with the engine running and the car pointing the right way, he was able to get rolling without too much damage and set a very respectable time, good enough for 6th place, while his teammate’s apparent resurgence continues, with Daniil Kvyat finishing the session with the 4th best time, between both Red Bulls.
—-

Free Practice 2

The second session also got off to a slow start. After about 15 minutes, teams started to head out. Some minor incidents included Romain Grosjean locking up at Turn 1 and Leclerc having his time deleted for track limits at the Parabolica.
With more cars out on track, teams looked for ways to test out the slipstream. The midfield teams were especially eager to attempt to use a tow, as a properly executed manoeuvre can lead to a gain of half a second or more on a fast lap.
The session then went into a short lull where nobody was out on track for a few minutes. Around the 60-minute mark, the session went into a higher gear, with all 20 cars on track. 15 of those 20 cars got caught in a giant traffic jam towards to the Parabolica.
Ricciardo, after posting a strong session for Renault in the morning session, was on his way to a similar result, but had his time deleted for track limits at the Parabolica, with Vettel and Albon suffering the same fate later in the session.
After qualifying simulations were done, most teams did longer runs on more durable tire compounds, with Hamilton going 0.2 second faster than his teammate while fellow Briton Norris had a PU issue, and was forced to go back into the pits. He would make amends, though, finishing the session with the third best time, less than half a second ahead of Gasly’s AlphaTauri.
Over at Ferrari, Vettel’s woes were not done for the day. Coming into Lesmos, the SF1000 twitched sending him on a spin, and rolling in reverse into the Tecpro barriers, a severely flat spotted set of tires being the worst consequence. Leclerc had a small outing into the gravel at the same spot, grumbling “[t]his is such a difficult car to drive”.
Down at the Alpha Tauri garage, it was raining purple for Daniil Kvyat, why Gasly maintained his strong form through the session until the end, when something broke in his AT01, the French driver complaining of a springy rear end and slowly limping back to the pits.

Predictions:

u/DeathPig: Mercedes seem set to be on pole, even if they mess up the tow. The W11 is that powerful. However, we might see a toss up of the qualifying order with the teams thinking about which engine mode to use for qualifying as well as the race. I predict Mercedes, Red Bull, Racing Point to be in the top 6, with Ferrari, McLaren, and Alpha Tauri making up the rear of this train. As for the race, it should be a HAM BOT VER podium followed by Checo, who would have been pursued yet not passed by Alexander Albon. Ricciardo will move into sixth, Leclerc into seventh, and Stroll eighth. Personally, I’m not betting on Gasly after his problems today, but time will tell.
u/UnmeshDatta26: Toto Wolff has talked about how he thinks the party mode ban wouldn’t affect the team, so I expect the two Mercedes cars to be on top, along with their 2019 car painted in pink for Racing Point. That said, Red Bull are my pick for second best come qualifying. Alpha Tauri are sure to challenge for a top 10 spot following the great showing at Spa last weekend, although Kvyat has been some distance away from his teammate. McLaren should be close with Renault in the fight for the top 10, and as much as my Ferrari heart bleeds, I expect the Prancing Horse to be outside of the points. Leclerc could spring a surprise, but I don’t expect anything special. For Qualifying, I expect the two Mercedes drivers to share the front row along with the Racing Point duo, with a faint chance of the Red Bull duo breaking up the hegemony.
u/showstopperNL: I’ll stay away from the usual predictions, because I think we all know the score at front, but in the midfield and further back I’m really expecting some fireworks. Renault seemed really quick. It didn’t show in the end, but Ricciardo’s deleted lap time was 2nd fastest. With last weekend’s performance in mind I'm expecting big things. Certainly a top 6 in qualifying, maybe even out qualifying Max Verstappen. Renault will battle along with Racing Point and Mclaren for the top 6 on Sunday. AlphaTauri looked good, but I think when push comes to shove, they lack the ultimate one lap pace to really compete. Although I’m happy to be proven wrong. I have a soft spot for Gasly. The way he was treated by both Red Bull and the media seemed really unfair to me. I think Russell can make it out of Q1 again. He certainly seems to understand how to get the most out of his car. I don’t expect much from all Ferrari-powered cars. Both Ferrari drivers are very unhappy with the car, as showcased by their offs in FP2.
Editor's Note: Sorry for the delay, but the editor was called to help put out a small bushfire and things took a little longer than expected.

The basest thing recorded of the devil in scripture, is what he did concerning Job and his family, and that was done by the express permission of YHWH, and to decide a little difference of opinion between their serene highness as to the character of "my servant Job."
On the case of Job:
"Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, although you moved me against him to destroy him without cause.” (Job 2:3)
It is notable that in 2:3, YHWH seems to be arguing that he is not ultimately responsible for Job's loss: "... although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause." This is a very strange line, since Satan was not reported as doing anything but state an opinion about the shallowness of human loyalty. Indeed, Satan never suggested destroying Job, and YHWH himself never allowed such a drastic move. What is YHWH doing here? Is it possible that he is wrestling with his own demons, a bit guilt-ridden? And if he has this feeling, why does he again hand over power without being asked to do so?
It's a minor addendum, but I think it's noteworthy that when Satan enters, he's merely talking about what he's been doing, possibly with the connotation of looking for something to do. In essence, God is the one to initiate the challenge with Satan by suggesting Job. As suggested with the first paragraph, this places even further responsibility on God.
Job 1:7-8
The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?
And thus ensues the bet of 2 demons playing with a man's life for sport.
God recommended and encouraged Satan to destroy Job's life, even including murdering his kin and servants. Innumerable human lives are toyed with in the process, many times resulting in death. It's a tyrannical dictator slaughtering whomever he sees fit just to prove a point--or hell, if we're going to be more specific with the case of Job, it's one who makes a casual recommendation to the local arsonist and serial killer. A challenge, more like.
Also considering the fact that the Biblical God is omniscient knowing all the events of the future, including that which Satan would respond with, this further goes to show the immorality of God in initiating the challenge with Satan by suggesting Job.
Had the introductory bit not existed--God's bet with Satan--there could've been far many more interpretations to that story, but if this book is indeed God-breathed, then even as a mere parable, its message should ring true: that human lives are but fodder to God when his pride is at stake and that those who question him after such acts are to be silenced.
Also, what if Satan was testing God?
After all, if God directly commits all sorts of unjust tortures, deaths, and molestations to men, women and children, seen clearly throughout the rest of the Bible-- physical torture in the Old Testament and spiritual torture in hell in the New Testament, all the while expecting people to blindly follow and believe him, what does it say about him?
What if Satan did that because he thought it was a "necessary evil" to uncover the truth about God (or to test him)? Just like God supposedly thought that torturing Job and killing all those people was a necessary evil to teach Job and/or Satan an important lesson (or to test them).
Satan was the only one in the story who was in a position to do this -- to unmask this part of God. Being at one point one of YHWH's greatest of angels, being able to roam freely heaven and earth as he pleases, he was the only one who was able to show God's true character. To test God himself, to show the world his wickedness.
Here is the reason God treats human beings as trash:
"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another to throw trash into?" ( Romans 9:21)
This is why in the Bible God treats human beings in the way that he does. He directly has women raped, commits genocide after genocide, has infants and children murdered, has the stomachs of pregnant women ripped open to have their babies smashed to pieces, children sacrificed alive in fire and cannibalized, people torn apart by bears for making jokes, etc.
He [Satan] did the same thing in Eden, saving the human race from the brainwash of God, once again unraveling God's true nature. The necessary evil there was that it led to human death due to sin's nature being inherited, but I would rather die than be a slave in the mind, not knowing good from evil, being ruled by an evil God while brainwashed to think he is good. But again, it is not Satan killing them with a curse, but God. Satan did not make the fruit and place it in the midst of the garden.
The first account we have of the devil is found in the book of Genesis, and is as follows:
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat....
And the Lord God said, Behold the man is become as one of us, knowing good and evil; what if he then puts forth his hand and takes also of the tree of life and eat of it, then they will live forever! Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep away any from the tree of life."
According to this account the promise of the devil was fulfilled to the very letter. Adam and Eve did not die, and they did become as gods, knowing good and evil (without which by the way, we would have never known that God was evil).
The account shows, however, that the gods dreaded education and knowledge then just as they do now. The church still faithfully gaurds the dangerous tree of knowledge, and has exerted in all ages her utmost power to keep mankind from eating the fruit thereof. The priests have never ceased repeating the old falsehood and the old threat: "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."
From every pulpit comes the same cry, born of the same fear: "Lest they eat and become as gods, knowing good and evil." For this reason, faith detests reason, theology is the sworn enemy of philosophy, and the church with its flaming sword still gaurds the hated tree, and like its supposed founder, curses to the lowest depths the brave thinkers who eat and become as gods.
If the account given in Genesis is really true, ought we not, after all, to thank this serpent? He was the first schoolmaster, the first advocate of learning, the first enemy of ignorance, the first to whisper in human ears the sacred word liberty, the creator of ambition, the author of modesty, of inquiry, of doubt, of investigation, of progress and civilization. Give me the storm and the tempest of thought and action, rather than the dead calm of ignorance and faith! Banish me from Eden when you will; but first let me eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge!
Additional information on Job:
When Job opens his mouth seeking an answer to his suffering from God, it is troubling how God answered him. God comes down screaming at Job from a whirlwind and goes on a 4 chapter litany of all the things he created instead of answering the question that Job raised.
In 38:1 we are told that "YHWH answered Job out of the whirlwind." This is critical. A whirlwind (tornado) is a deafening experience. If the whirlwind itself is the voice of YHWH, he is in essence screaming. If the whirlwind is NOT YHWH, he must scream to be heard above the noise. Either way, YHWH is screaming at Job. What he screams is troubling. Instead of addressing the issue that Job and his friends have been arguing (What is the reason for Job's suffering?), YHWH launches into a four-chapter litany of all the things he created.
The actual answer for Job's suffering as you know was that God proposed a bet to Satan, and so was too ashamed to tell Job the real reason behind his suffering -- hence his screaming and belittling of him. The fact is, if God actually told Job the real reason behind his suffering, God would have lost the argument to a mortal man, and it would have proved that God was in the wrong, that God himself was evil. But he dodges the question for 4 long chapters, and never gives the real answer. Christians look at this and say, "Ah, God truly is mysterious!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVgZqnsytJI

The Detroit Lions are on a bye this weekend, but after that, they return to action against the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the worst teams in the league. This kicks off a relatively easy stretch for Detroit, games against the Jaguars, Falcons, and Colts.
After that, Tuesday, Nov. 3 serves as both the U.S. Elections and the NFL Trade Deadline, so please go vote, but then know there will at least be something interesting happening in the sports world. So, going to present two scenarios with questions.
Please note: This is not to say I believe either scenario actually happens. Just, if it did, what would your response be.

Scenario A: Detroit Turns It Around

Should Detroit run the table on that brief three game stretch, Detroit would be sitting at a 4-3 record before the trade deadline. The next three games after that all appear very winnable, with matchups with the Vikings (one of the few teams with as bad a defense as Detroit's), then Washington and Carolina, both rebuilding teams. At that point, they'd have the Houston Texans, who are now under the guidance of interim head coach Romeo Crenell.
But, back to the premise, should Detroit find itself fresh off a 3-game win streak on Nov. 3, the question here is: Should Detroit be buyers at the trade deadline, aiming to capitalize on the easy schedule and make a run for the playoffs? If so, who should they target?
Personally, I think I'd be okay with it, even with my hesitations around Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn, simply because you take every chance you have to compete for the playoffs, and I'd argue that Detroit upsetting the Colts would at least give some faith, even if it be ever so slight, that Detroit could capitalize on the easy stretch of play. However, if they are seeking new additions, I believe that they should focus their attention on the defensive side of the ball. Some names, offense and defense that could be available would seem to include...

• WR Kenny Stills (Houston Texans)
• WR Will Fuller (Houston Texans)
• WR Curtis Samuel (Carolina Panthers)
• TE Evan Engram (New York Giants)
• DT Jaleel Johnson (Minnesota Vikings)
• EDGE Dante Fowler (Atlanta Falcons)
• EDGE Markus Golden (New York Giants)
• EDGE Takk McKinley (Atlanta Falcons)
• EDGE Brandon Graham (Philadelphia Eagles)
• EDGE Ryan Kerrigan (Washington FT)
• LB Eric Wilson (Minnesota Vikings)
• LB Denzel Perryman (Los Angeles Chargers)
• S Keanu Neal (Atlanta Falcons)
• S Logan Ryan (New York Giants)
• S Jalen Mills (Philadelphia Eagles)
• S Damontae Kazee (Atlanta Falcons)
• CB Nickell Robey-Coleman (Philadelphia Eagles)

Personally, if Detroit was going to go big in one final push for Quinn and Patricia to make the playoffs, then I think the best bet would be adding multiple pieces. Jalen Mills was someone Detroit had interest in during free agency last year, so adding him and perhaps either a pass rusher like Ryan Kerrigan or Takk McKinley could be a boost to Detroit's chances in the second half of the season, though I'd be shocked if Patricia or Quinn valued EDGE rusher enough.

Scenario B: Detroit Continues to Flop

The other scenario to explore seems like the most likely; Detroit continuing to struggle, dropping games to at least the Falcons and Colts, maybe even the Jaguars. If so, this would likely take Detroit into the opposite mindset, sellers. Bob Quinn has not hesitated to move on from players when the team seemed to be underperforming, and so even with his job potentially on the line, continue to operate as though you'll be around in the future would create the willingness to sell of some pieces and aim to acquire some additional draft picks for the future.
If that's the case, Detroit has a few pieces who would likely be trade bait for other teams. Usually the formula to figure out who could be moved is to ask yourself these questions.

• Are they a part of our short-term and long-term goals?
• Are they under contract for that period? If not, can we afford to retain them for that duration?
• Are they young enough to continue to grow? Are they in their final years?

Short to say, players who are not long-term pieces on expiring deals are the best players to move at the deadline. For Detroit that would probably mean selling off some guys like...
WR Marvin Jones Jr. - He's 30 years old, on an expiring contract, and while productive, hasn't exactly been a stud for Detroit this season (12 catches, 130 yards, 1 touchdown). With plenty of teams looking for quality wide outs, Jones could perhaps bring back a mid-round pick (4th or 5th maybe).
WR Danny Amendola - Similarly would be Amendola, a quality slot wideout even at 34 years old. Also on an expiring deal, perhaps someone making a playoff run would want his steady demeanor and playoff experience.
LB Jarrad Davis - I'm not sure you could get anything for Jarrad Davis, but he is an athletic freak and only 25 years old, so perhaps some wannabe defensive mastermind will see him as a project he could still mold into something useful. If you could even get a 6th or a 7th round pick out of him, I think that'd be worth it, given that he doesn't have much of a role nowadays.
CB Darryl Roberts - He's got starting experience, and will be 30-years old soon enough. If Detroit is tanking, then shedding guys like Roberts clears up room for Okudah and Oruwariye to step into more minutes.
RB Kerryon Johnson - Neither old nor on an expiring deal, Johnson could be expendable after selecting RB D'Andre Swift in the second round this past year. Detroit may want to cash in on Johnson while he still has value, as his injury history is less than ideal, and he's been overtaken by a 35-year old Adrian Peterson as well.
LB Christian Jones - Similar to Johnson, Jones is just a piece that the Lions won't need going forward, especially if Matt Patricia is ultimately fired. Moving him for whatever you can get makes sense and makes room for someone like Julian Okwara to step into a bigger role this season.
Personally, I'd be open to moving just about any of these guys. I'd ideally like to keep Amendola however, so I'm not moving him unless Detroit gets a great offer. He remains someone I'd want to try and bring back next season, and the easiest way to do that is to retain him now. But the rest of them, fine to sell, though Kerryon would require a solid enough offer, not just whatever you can get. Still has value as a cheap RB with talent next season.
So, the two questions...
Should Detroit find itself fresh off a 3-game win streak on Nov. 3, the question here is: Should Detroit be buyers at the trade deadline, aiming to capitalize on the easy schedule and make a run for the playoffs? If so, who should they target?
Should Detroit themselves drop to 5 or 6 losses by the trade deadline: Who should Detroit be willing to part ways with? What do you think they could realistically get for some of their moveable assets?

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this done on this sub before and figured it would be fun given how far the show has come. Please put in your top ten as well!
I based this off of key factors

1. Overall Entertainment
2. Level of Knowledge and Competition
3. Backstory
4. Epicness
5. Quality of the Announcers
6. Characters
7. The Ending

And now for some Honorable mentions

1. Dan Murrell vs Ethan Erwin II (Season 6)
2. Kevin Smets vs Chandru Dhandapani (Season 7)
3. Founding Fathers vs Korruption III (Season 7)
4. Dan Murrell vs Ben Bateman (Season 7)
5. Chance Ellison vs Robert Parker (Season 7)
6. The Family vs Paddington 2 (Season 6) (THE ENDING!)

The List

1. Kevin Smith vs Chris Jericho (Season 7)

- There is a lot you can say about this match, but for me it comes down to two things. The first is that this match was the almost perfect balance between the competitive play of schmoedown present and the freewheelin' "fuck it, lets have a good time" of the past. While I do love how much of a sport schmoedown has become, I can't help but miss the old days where it felt like friends who just had fun and broke each other's balls. We don't really get moments like JTE losing to Cody Miller or Cobster running to celebrate Cody Hall getting a perfect first round against Lon. It was a great return to form while still keeping the competition up. It ended in sudden death for Christ's sake.
- The second reason makes it a lot easier to see why this makes the top Ten for me and that's because it was fucking KEVIN SMITH AND CHRIS JERICHO. We've had celebrity matches before but not to this extent, both in the stature of the celebrity and investment to the game. This match is a benchmark and will be remembered when this show eventually hits the ground and becomes the vision Kristian wants it to be. If we can get Kevin Smith and Chris Jericho, anything is possible for this sport.

1. Sam Witwer vs Ken Napzok (Season 4)

- This match is definitely the go to when you want to introduce a star wars fan to this show and how could you not agree. The announcers are on fire here and the knowledge is just as strong. These were two of the best just going at it for 30 minutes and to this day is the only Iron Man Match that really worked for me. We all knew who was gonna win Above the line vs Patriots III by the first 10 minutes. The real thing that seals this match though is the ending. We all know it and to this day it is one of the most exhilarating moments of the whole show. There was a moment where I actually thought Ken could do it and everything kept getting faster and faster and faster and then the clock hit zero and history was made.

1. Mike Kalinowski vs Kevin Smets I (Season 6)

The next 5 matches are going to have this theme of "I can't believe he did it". When Smets came into this league, he changed everything. We had seen Ethan, but this man was a machine and he looked like he would never miss and in his way to the belt was Mike Kalinowski. He is a player that often gets hate given some bad performances, but he is on my rushmore because he is passionate and more often than not he pulls it off everytime. Even before the match, this shit was real with them facing off and interrupting the undercard. And then when the match started we saw something weird. They were both shaken and it was great to see. This is a mental sport and you can see them combat this beautifully. It was tight the whole time and led to the infamous "Don't Tell Peter". And to top it all off we get THE BEST reaction to winning a match. Mike is a cryer but this cry is the best. Seeing him start to collapse when he hears his 5 pointer that he had studied just before still gives me chills. He knew he had done the impossible and the emotion was too strong and overtook him to the point where he over-answered leading to tears and a crushed Smets. Legendary show.

1. Andres Cabrera vs Andrew Dimalanta (Season 7)

- This match is very similar to number 8, but where Mike did the impossible against one person, Andres did it against a whole tournament. No one expected him to beat Napzok and Kelly let alone the whole tournament, but the son of a bitch actually did it and seeing it all live on twitch made it all the better. Cabrera turned into Rocky and became the show's ultimate underdog story and who doesn't love an underdog story in sports ? This doesn't even go to the match itself which was excellent with so many twists and turns. Dimalanta played the better game only missing one question, but Ace won like the great under dog he is. Again, who doesn't love rooting for the underdogs ?

1. Above The Line vs The Patriots II (Season 5)

- The two best teams at the time going at it. The Patriots finally lost after 9-0 and Sam becomes the first double-belted champion. The Patriots were entertaining as always (especially Jeff). Add to that the history of The Patriots beating them the season prior and you got the 2nd greatest teams match of all time.

1. Andrew Ghai vs Dan Murrell (Season 5)

- The match with the best character work even till this day (Lon is a close second). People argue who the better heal is between Drew and Rocha and all I have to say is, John Rocha walked so Andrew Ghai can fly. Drew was pure evil in this match and evil won and it won beating the most beloved competitor in the league. To this day, this match is still hard to watch but its too good to turn away. Ghai played the match of his career and he'll never top it. Andrew Ghai, the weaker half of team action, beat Dan Murrell in his debut singles match. It wasn't even a close fight, it was a TKO.
This match is another to put up there when you say this is a sport. Anything could happen when you play the game and this match showed it. It is the greatest upset of all time and the greatest character work of all time.

1. Dan Murrell vs John Rocha (Season 4)

- This was when the show started and became something greater-something special. The two greatest of all time going head to head. John and Dan are the Founding Fathers of this game and man that ending. We all know it. For me, it is the 2nd Best reaction to winning a match but I can't deny it has become the league's defining moment.

1. Free For All III (Season 6)

- This match would be higher if it had key players like Clarke Wolfe and Ethan Erwin in it. Besides that, this was an amazing event and possibly the shows best live show. Almost everyone was here and most gave great performances wether by trivia or creative entrances. I just don't see how you can't have at least one Free For All in your top ten. All three were great, but I ultimately chose this one for one reason- Bibbiani still standing. He was number 1 and went to the end. Yet another "I can't believe he did it". What the Beast pulled off will never be topped again. The only way to do it is to be number 1 and win the whole thing. And the ending was great with Bibbs vs JTE vs Dan in overtime. Another Benchmark in my book

1. Mike Kalinowski vs Rachel Cushing II (Season 6)

- I just realized I've been writing too much so I'll try and be concise. He came back from an 8 point deficit. It was incredible and something that was never really seen before in the game. People came back from 5 points but to do it in this fashion and in this much of high pressured situation was a joy to witness.
- The history between these two was so deep both as individuals and together. They were so competitive, but so passionate and kind to each other. It is probably the greatest rivalry we've seen so far and again the ending. Mike hits the 5 and before the announcers can say anything you can hear Rachel softly say, "it is". The amount of respect between the two was inspiring and then it went into overtime and it was the difference of one word that made Cushing the second double belted champion. This is the greatest I.G match of all time.
​

1. The Shirewolves vs Who's The Boss (Season 5)

Without a doubt, the greatest team match of all time. This match could not have been planned any better. All 4 competitors had a deep history with each other and each went through somewhat of a rough spot in their respective careers ( Who's the boss especially). Gucci lost the Patriots, Reily got TKO'D by Ghai and Ben fumbled the ball against the Shirewolves months earlier giving the wrong name to an answer they knew. All of this added a dimension to this match that still hasn't been seen to this day. Normally championship matches are driven by the need to win and out match your opponent. Here, everyone had something deep within themselves that drove them to excel and be the best they could be.
The Shirewolves were given a lot of crap for having such an easy rode to the belts and even more crap because they were women. To them, this wasn't just about defending. This was about proving everyone that they belonged and that they deserved to be champions. No other belt holder has gone through something like this. It made the match so hard to chose sides. Who's the boss was so entertaining. They were three men who were seemingly so different but came together so well and made each other better and truly felt like a family. You saw them share a flask in the middle of matches and same goes for the Shirewolves. You heard of how much effort Emma out into making the team a family and she did a great job. Now we have Shazam, Korruption, and Founding Fathers that fit that bill well but before these two were the first.
And the match was exceptional. Who's the boss lead round 1 by 1. Both teams went 12/12 in round 2. Both miss the betting round. Shirewolves lead round 4 thanks to Cushing and both hit their 5. This match was the greatest climax to a season and a tournament. There's so much more that could be said, but this has been too much lol.
​
Hopefully you guys enjoy reading it because I enjoyed writing it (grammatical mistakes and all). I hope to see yall's favorites. I wish I could've included weird little matches like Fouch vs Zipper but this show has too many great ones.

“I want X for Switch”, “when is X coming to the Switch”, “X is perfect for the Switch!” How often have you heard or said these sentences? Quite a lot, probably, especially about Nintendo franchises. Nintendo fans really like first-party games, and they’re always asking for their favorites to come back. Problem is, even though Nintendo owns dozens of franchises, there’s only a few that are guaranteed to show up during any given console, so fans of smaller franchises are left wondering when they’ll play them again.
Well, today I’ll try to mostly answer these questions. I’ll take a look at several, Nintendo-owned franchises and try to figure out what are their chances of coming to Switch. I’ll be basing myself on this such as release schedule, success of previous entries, popular demand, market niche and internal interest at Nintendo.
However, keep in mind two things. One: Nintendo owns a shit-ton of IPs, and I won’t cover them all. I’ll focus on the ones that have multiple entries, and even then, I might skip a few if I feel I have no meaningful insight.
And two: No matter what I or anyone else says, the chances for any of these games to come back is NOT ZERO. Nintendo is unpredictable and they’ll sometimes bring something out of the blue when you least expect it. This year alone we saw the return of Brain Age (a franchise not seen since 2012), Clubhouse Games (a sequel to a game from 2005), and Famicom Detective Club, a franchise with two games from 1988/89, which then received a remake in 1998 and then nothing until twenty two years later. Granted, it’s another remake, but it is still a modern installment in a franchise twenty two years dormant. If Famicom Detective Club can come back in 2020, so can your favorite franchise. Now, let’s begin, in alphabetical order:
Art Academy
Starting off with a small one. Art Academy is a series of drawing games that started on the DS in 2010 and then released pretty consistently over the following years, with three entries on 3DS and two (well, one and a half) for the WiiU between 2010 and 2016. Already this feels like a franchise with a pretty consistent release schedule, even though it hasn’t been seen for four years now. I don’t think any of the games were blockbusters, per se, but they also don’t need to be. They’re small games, probably inexpensive to produce that seem to do consistently well enough to get new sequels.
There are several obstacles that present themselves to the release of a new Art Academy, but I think all of them are easily overcome. For starters, AA is the type of casual game that thrived during the DS/Wii eras, a Touch Generations game. Since the Switch released, many have noted that Nintendo may want to distance themselves from that era due to the failure of the WiiU, and there may be some truth to that, but I feel like this is starting to change. Again, this year saw the return of both Brain Age and Clubhouse Games, both casual, Touch Generations DS games. I feel like, at the start of the Switch’s life cycle, Nintendo was indeed trying to focus on core gamers, but now that they have secured that core gamer audience, they may be more comfortable releasing more casual fare.
Furthermore Art Academy is developed by Headstrong Games, a British developer that doesn’t seem to do much other than AA. However, in 2017, that team was absorbed into its parent studio, Kuju Games. This move, which happened the year after the last AA game released, may have something to do with the franchsie’s MIA status. But, Kuju games is still active, having released a game just last year, and I don’t see why they couldn’t take up the mantle.
Finally, some speculated a few years ago that AA was dead due to the Switch not having a stylus but, OH WAIT, Brain Age fixed that too!
All in all, even though Art Academy is hardly a hot franchise, there’s very little standing in the way of its return, and little reason to doubt that it will.
Chances: Good
Chibi-Robo!
We may have started on a positive note, but here comes a downer. Chibi-Robo is probably not coming back anytime soon. This cute little robot debuted in his self-titled Game Cube game, developed by Skip Ltd. Like most games by the developer, it was quirky and fun, and not very popular, but had its fans, and Chibi-Robo must have endeared someone at Nintendo, because he kept showing up here and there. He got two DS sequels, though the second one was Japan-only, already a red flag. In 2013, he starred in a 3DS eshop game that was very different from the main games, more of an experimental spin-off, and was not well-received.
But the real final nail came in 2015, with Chibi-Robo Zip Lash! The game was announced to be a 2D platformer, and many fans identified the change in genre (from a unique adventure game to one of the most over-saturated genres in Nintendo consoles) as a total sell-out, and they were totally correct! The developers basically admitted that they did it to try and get more players (red flag). Series producer Kensuke Tanabe then said that if the game didn’t sell well, it could be the end of the franchise (RED FLAG). And then, the unfortunate but inevitable happened. Zip Lash was a critical and commercial bomb, and neither the developer nor the franchise has been seen again. Aside from the inevitable Smash Bros mentions, Chibi-Robo has only been seen on that infamous flaming tweet from 2018 (I told you someone at Nintendo really likes them). To make matters worse, there are increasing signs that Skip Ltd may be going under
So, a struggling franchise makes a desperate move to gain fans, a developer expresses concerns for its future if the game bombs, said game bombs and now the developer may be going out of business? It seems the writing is on the wall.
Now, even if Skip goes under, that is not necessarily the end of Chibi. Nintendo would still retain the rights, as they did for Trace Memory and Hotel Dusk after developer Cing went under. As for whether or not Nintendo would want to give the franchise a second (third? Fourth?) chance, it doesn’t look good
Chances: Very bad
Custom Robo
From one diminutive robot to another, the Custom Robo series is and robo-battle series that began on the N64. It was Japan only, as was its N64 and GBA sequels. Afterwards, Nintendo did try to expand it, releasing a GameCube game in NA, and a DS game in NA and Europe. However, despite the fact that players of these games will attest to how good these games are, they didn’t seem to do very well, and the franchise has not been seen since 2007.
There was one statement of internal interest, when a developer in 2014 said that he heard demands both inside and outside the company for a new entry, but that there were no plans for one, and he was unsure when there would be. Six years on, it seems there still aren’t. In fact, the developer itself, Noise, is also strangely MIA. Though they are officially still active, with their website being updated for 2020, they have not worked on a game since 2015.
Then, in 2018, many fans watched in horror the news that Nintendo let the trademark expire. Some have pointed out that this isn’t as bad as it seems, as it refers specifically to games on optical discs, which Nintendo doesn’t make anymore, but I don’t know enough about the subject to say for certain. Regardless, it’s evident that Nintendo still owns the franchise, as Custom Robo content appears in Smash Ultimate.
On the other hand, one of the series creators, Kohji Kendoh, is still thinking about it. He is working for another developer, and released a suspiciously similar game called Synaptic Drive just this year, as well as talking about Custom Robo in social media. It seems like a Mighty no9/ Yooka-Laylee/Bloodstained situation, in which the owner of an Ip is not using it, so the creator releases a spiritual successor.
Bottom line, there seems to be demand for Custom Robo. A developer saw it six years ago, and the creator is seeing it now. Whether or not thinks this demand is enough to revive the franchise, is tough to say, but doesn’t look great.
Not as bad as Chibi-Robo, though
Chances: Bad
Daigasso! Band Brothers
Here’s a franchise Americans never got. Daigasso! Band Brother is a rhythm game released for the DS in 2004 and stars Barbara the Bat, who has an uncharacteristically risqué design for Nintendo. The game was Japan-only but seems to have been successful, it received a sequel in 2009 (released in Europe, but not NA), and another in 2013 for the 3DS. Despite not having received new games since then, the series is far from inactive. Barbara the Bat in particular, like Chibi-Robo, seems to have fans inside Nintendo because she pops up everywhere. She had cameos in a few other DS games, she was an AT in Brawl and a spirit in Ultimate, she was a costume in Mario Maker, she appeared in a comic strip with WarioWare’s Ashley, and the series has a Twitter account that was super active all the way up to April of this year (more on that later). In 2017, that account even tweeted a comic strip of Barbara demanding a Switch. That was probably not a tease of anything, as it’s been 3 years and nothing, but stuff has happened with the franchise even more recently.
Last year, in 2019, six years after the release of the 3DS game, there were 30 songs added to the game in celebration of the series 15th anniversary. So as late as last year, Nintendo was celebrating this franchise with an in-game event. Now, the servers for the game were shut down earlier this year (hence the end of the Twitter account), and the game was removed from the eshop (as it is basically pointless without the servers), but with recent news that the 3DS has ceased production, it’s pretty clear that the game’s end is a consequence of the 3DS’ end, and not a lack of players. So if the series is alive, but can’t be on the 3DS, it has to go somewhere, no? Bottom line: the games are successful, the series is active, and the character is popular. I don’t know if Barbara the Bat’s next tour will be an international one, but I’m confident it will happen
Chances: Very Good
Dillon’s Rolling Western
DRW is a unique western-themed tower defense game released on the 3DS eshop in 2012. It received mixed reviews, but had a dedicated fanbase, and was successful enough to spawn two sequels, one in 2013, and a post-apocalyptic themed one in 2018. With a game having released just two years ago, its reasonable to say the series is not dormant, so the prospect of a new game is always likely. The developer, Vanpool, who mostly works on smaller scale stuff like this, is both still active and still working at Nintendo.
So, really the only reason to believe the series wouldn’t continue would be if the latest game bombed really hard. It’s hard to say that it did, as sales figures are unavailable, but it was a 3DS game in 2018, probably didn’t set the charts on fire. But then again, unless Nintendo had some really unrealistically high expectations, I don’t think it could have bombed hard enough to kill the franchise that fast.
There’s not much more to say. There aren’t any rumblings of a return, but also no reason to be pessimistic.
Chance: Above Average
Earthbound
Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: There will not be a Mother 4
The Creator of the series, Shigesato Itoi, has said that he would not work on a fourth installment, as he feels the story is complete. Now, normally, Nintendo could just say “screw creative integrity, let’s make a fourth game anyway!” but Shigesato Itoi directly co-owns the series’ copyright so they actually can’t. So unless Itoi changes his mind, or he dies and Nintendo decides to ignore his wishes (neither scenario is completely outside the realm of possibility), Mother 4 is not happening.
So, if new Mother content is made, it’d be either a remake, or Mother 3 localization. We all know demand for this last one is overwhelming, Nintendo themselves have acknowledged it multiple times, but it still hasn’t happened, and it doesn’t seem things have changed. A remake is possible, but don’t hold your breath for it.
Despite the series’ popularity, I think all we’ll see of it is the first two games in NSO.
Chances: Bad
Excitebike
This is a hard one to pinpoint. Excitebike is one of those classic NES games that Nintendo likes to reference all the time, like Ice Climber, Balloon Fight, Wrecking Crew and Duck Hunt. Unlike those, Excitebike actually received sequels and established a franchised. There was a great entry on the N64 and three entries on the Wii, but nothing more since. I can’t imagine the Wii entries were super successful, and there really hasn’t been any word from Nintendo about any interest in reviving the series, either from developers, or the fans. The developer of the Wii games, Monster Games, is still active, and still makes racing games and extreme sports games, but hasn’t worked with Nintendo in 5 years.
Now, one point I see often, and that I’d like to address, is the idea that Nintendo doesn’t want multiple games from the same genre on the same console. I can’t agree. With the exception of the WiiU, every Nintendo home console since the SNES has had multiple Nintendo-published racing games released for it. WiiU didn’t but that console is an exception to many norms. I don’t see why Mario Kart, behemoth that it is, would stop any other racing game from being made, especially when they are so very different (although the fact that MK8 has an Excitebike track doesn’t inspire confidence).
No, I don’t think Mario Kart is the problem, I think is just lack of interest. And though Excitebike is not a franchise Nintendo will ever truly forget, it’s not really revving up for a comeback either. It could happen, it could not
Chances: Medium
Fatal Frame
This horror franchise wasn’t originally a Nintendo product, being released on the PS2 by Tecmo. However, since the fourth game, each title in the series has been published and copyrighted by Nintendo, and this seemingly applies to all future entries, as the series producer said the series’ future is up to Nintendo. So, how does that future look like?
Well, the last game in the series, Maiden of Black Water, was a WiiU game, which means it didn’t sell well, but not as badly as you might think. From all I could find, which is admittedly not much, sales for the game seemed to be only slightly less than previous entries, a gap more than explainable by its console. So, if the series was getting sequels before, the WiiU game’s sales wouldn’t be the reason why there wouldn’t be more. And though Nintendo of America has had to take baby steps into accepting the franchise overseas, Nintendo of Japan seemed satisfied with it, releasing four games between 2008 and 2014.
So sales aren’t an evident problem, what about the developer? That developer is Tecmo Koei, who is not only active and buddies with Nintendo, their current project is none other than Nintendo’s big holiday title. There’s obvious trust there. As for interest, there is a lot. From Koei Tecmo calling it a valuable IP, to the series producer stating multiple times, including this year, that he’d like to bring it to the Switch
Now, this comment pretty much confirms that a new Fatal Frame is not in development as of now, but it has a chance of happening. And remember, the last game is on WiiU, and if we know anything about those, is that they like to come to Switch. And though I don’t see Nintendo breaking their necks to make a new entry, I don’t think they’d oppose it if Tecmo pitches it to them, especially if it’s just a port.
Chances: Good
Fossil Fighters
This game is not Pokémon, or so its fans tell me. Fossil Fighters is a DS game from 2008 where you collect various species of dinosaur and battle with other ~Dinosaur Trainers~ Fossil Fighters in RPG battles. It didn’t receive great reviews, but was successful enough to get a sequel two years later, and another one on the 3DS in 2014. Three games in six years is a pretty good release schedule, and things were looking alright, until that 3DS game came. It was primarily developed by a different studio, and it showed. The game received abysmal reviews, and fan reception was similar. Sales weren’t awful, but not great either.
Since then, the series has been completely quiet. The developer, Red Entertainment, is still active, but hasn’t worked with Nintendo since the 3DS game. As for interest, there hasn’t been a peep from Nintendo about this series at all. No interviews describing vague interest in bringing it bad, no acknowledgment of fan demand, no cameos in other games (aside from Smash, which doesn’t count, Smash has everything). Even fan demand doesn’t seem too high, most of what I’ve seen is a Change.org petition which has been up for a year and has not reached its 2500 signatures goal.
It looks like this series could become a fossil itself. Someday some might dig it up and revive it to use in battle, but I’m not feeling it.
Still not as bad as Chibi-Robo
Chances: Bad
F-Zero
This is the reason you’re reading this.
Oh, F-Zero. If fan demand alone was the deciding factor, F-Zero would be top priority. People want F-Zero, people beg for F-zero, people who have never played, beg for F-Zero. And Nintendo knows this, they’ve acknowledged it. They themselves haven’t forgotten it. Even putting Smash aside, there was an F-Zero minigame in Nintendo Land. There are F-Zero tracks in Mario Kart. They’ve done everything but make a new F-Zero game, but why the hell not?
Well, it’s important to understand that the F-Zero series declined in sales throughout its life. The best-selling game is still the first, and though the following games were fantastic, they sold less and less, and yet, strangely enough, between 2003-2004, Nintendo released THREE F-Zero games. Around the same time, they also released an anime. There are several great articles and videos about what happened to F-Zero, but the best point I’ve seen is that Nintendo tried, in 2003, to really push F-Zero, but it didn’t work. So, with their attempt failed, they let the series sleep, and just never woke it up, even as fan demand increased.
In 2015, Miyamoto commented on the series, and said that, though he heard the demand, he was unsure on what to do with the series, on how to make a new game. Many fans scoffed and said he’d just need to make a modern F-Zero and that’d be great, but I think internal concern runs deeper. Just doing F-Zero failed in 2003, so why would it work now?
That said, I think there is hope. Fan demand is powerful, and more and more we see a new generation of Nintendo developers pushing the company forward. These younger developers are the ones behind new IP like Splatoon and ARMS, and great reinventions of existing ones like Odyssey and BotW. It’s possible that these same younger developers could hear the fan demand, and want to take on the series without the hesitation of their older peers.
It’s been 16 years, but Kid Icarus was gone for 19, wasn’t it?
Stranger things have happened
Chances: I want to believe
Golden Sun
And here’s the other one.
Few Nintendo fans are as vocal and dedicated to their dormant franchise as Golden Sun games. For those who don’t know, Golden Sun was a couple of excellent GBA RPGs released in 2001 and 2002, with a DS sequel in 2010. Such erratic release schedule would make predicting the series’ future difficult at the best of times, but the DS game was seen as a disappointment by many fans and sales were unimpressive. With ten years having passed with no new game, is the series done for? Well, let’s look at it.
In 2012, one of the developers gave an interview in which he straight up said that, if there was fan demand for it, there would “naturally” be a fourth game. We know that developer interview doesn’t immediately guarantee a sequel, but this is also a much more positive statement than Custom Robo and F-Zero’s “We know there’s demand, but we don’t know what to do with it”. This is “If there’s demand, it will happen.” So, is there demand?
You bet your ass there is. And it feels like it is growing. There was a high-profile hoax about a fourth game in 2017 (a similar hoax happened some time before the third game, by the way). The series received notably more content in Smash Ultimate than series of similar standing (quite possibly an acknowledgment of its popularity). And last year, Cory Balrog, director of 2018’s GOTY God of War, tweeted about all the franchises he would trade for a new Golden Sun. Nintendo could hardly have asked for a higher profile endorsement within the industry.
So if fan demand is there, why hasn’t it happened yet? Well, it helps to look at the development history of the series. The first game took eighteen months to develop, considered a long time for a handheld game at the time. And though the eight years between the GBA and DS games may have you believe it took a long time to greenlight a sequel, that’s not the case. Signs point to internal discussion about a sequel to the GBA games as early as 2002, with developers quoted as saying that Nintendo was asking them to make a new one. One of the series producers also said that the series takes a long time to make because of its complexity. After the DS game failed to meet expectations, its understandable that Nintendo may not have been as enthusiastic for a new game as it was before, but it seems like, even if the series is alive and well, the long hiatus would not be uncharacteristic. In that same interview quoted before, the developer even said that a new game would take a long time. In fact, if GS4 had started development shortly after that interview, if it took as long as Dark Dawn, the game would be wrapping up production around now.
Then there’s the developer, Camelot. Aside from Golden Sun, they pretty much only make Mario Tennis and Mario Golf. They release schedule is also super consistent, with a new game every other year, sometimes every year. We already got a Mario Tennis on Switch two years ago so, if not for COVID, their new game would probably have released this year. All things point, then, for the next Camelot game to hit the Switch next year. Smart money would be in Mario Golf, but maybe it is finally Golden Sun.
Finally, I don’t think, as others do, that Xenoblade is the reason GS is not happening. Again, I don’t see evidence to support the idea that Nintendo doesn’t want to publish more than one game in the same genre. Both the GBA and DS had more than a dozen Nintendo-published RPGs, and the Wii and 3DS got RPGs even after Xenoblade released for them. I don’t see why Xenoblade would stop a Switch Golden Sun, especially when they are very different kinds of RPGs. GS is actually closer to Octopath Traveler, whose success was enough to impress SE, why wouldn’t Nintendo want a piece?
Really, I think the biggest obstacle is that Nintendo might want to prioritize the safe investment of Mario sports games over Golden Sun, but the more I research, the more I feel like GS’s chances are higher now than they were at any point in the last ten years.
I feel there’s hope this sun will rise again
Chances: Above average
Kid Icarus
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Kid Icarus was an OK NES game that had a forgotten Game Boy sequel and then nobody cared about it for 19 years until it was unexpectedly revived for the 3DS in 2012. This story is a testament to the fact that, just because its been a long time, it doesn’t mean it will never happen. But in order to know if it will happen again, let’s understand how it happened in the first place.
It’s important to mention that reviving Kid Icarus was not the intent behind KI: Uprising, it was the idea of its director, Masahiro Sakurai. Nintendo had given him a project and Sakurai decided to use an established franchise for it. He briefly considered Star Fox, but decided to use Kid Icarus, for which he probably had a soft spot, considering he had added Pit to Brawl some years earlier. So, there wasn’t an exec at Nintendo who woke up one day and decided to bring Kid Icarus back, they gave the director a project, and, after some deliberation, he decided to use Kid Icarus for it.
That director is currently busy developing Smash Bros DLC, but even after that’s over, he probably won’t revisit Kid Icarus. He has shot down the idea of him working on a sequel or a port. His words were: "For now, my thought is that perhaps we'll see someone else besides me make another Kid Icarus in another 25 years." Yikes. That’s pretty damning. Sure, Nintendo could get someone else to make the game, but if it was only Sakurai that was interested in the series in the first place, what is the hope of that?
Well, that statement is not super accurate. Before Uprising, there was actually a Kid Icarus reboot in development for the Wii. It was cancelled, and thank God for it, as it was an awfully stupid gritty reboot, but it showed that there was interest in the franchise even before Uprising. Naturally, you’d expect interest to be bigger now than before.
The fact that Uprising not only grew the series’ fanbase, but the that there are Kid Icarus characters in Smash Bros, means that the franchise has a permanent place in the interest in Nintendo fans. Smash in particular means that there are 18 million people who know Pit and Palutena and would turn their heads if a new game was announced. Furthermore, Nintendo’s new CEO is interested in bringing 3DS franchises to the Switch after the success of the Switch Lite, especially now that the 3DS is officially dead, so the opening is there for it.
There is definitely demand for a new Kid Icarus game, but it is too sporadic a franchise to be certain, and if it were to happen, Nintendo would have to find someone new to do it. But, in the end, the series is definitely in a better place now than it was 10 years ago.
Chances: Medium
Legendary Starfy
Legendary Starfy was a 2D platformer for the GBA that was apparently really successful, as it received four sequels in the span of five years. Not only that but, like Barbara and Chibi-Robo, Starfy himself was quite popular. He had cameos in Mario & Luigi and Super Princess Peach, music of the series was in Donkey Konga, he is a regular Assist Trophy in Smash and was a costume in Mario Maker. Though the series took until the last game to come to the West, there were plans to bring the first four games too, as well as consideration for expanding the series to the Wii. The series was widely advertised, with animated commercials and tons of merchandise, including plush dolls, CDs, pencils, birthday balloons, casino cards and two manga series. When asked if there were plans for a sixth game, the developer answered “Yes!”, no ifs, not buts, straight-up Yes.
And then… nothing. The series just stopped. And the reason why is: I have no idea. Maybe if the last game bombed spectacularly, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Sure, Japanese sales declined with each entry, but not by that much. Maybe NA sales weren’t what Nintendo was hoping for, but surely not enough to kill such a steady franchise.
The confusion only grows when we look at its developer, Tose. Now, this is interesting. You’ve probably played a Tose game without knowing. They have worked on over A THOUSAND GAMES, but they never receive credit. They merely assist with development in the shadows. As one exec puts it: "Our policy is not to have a vision. Instead, we follow our customers' visions. Most of the time we refuse to put our name on the games, not even staff names." They are a ghost developer. Even its Wikipedia page admits that the list of games on it is purely speculative. There are probably hundreds more, that we don’t know about.
The only exception is the Starfy series. That series was their vision. So why did they stop? Could they have decided that it was against their vision to make a game of their vision? We can only speculate.
The fact that the series’ end was so unexpected, and its developer so mysterious, means that any speculation about it is a shot in the dark. All I can say is that there’s no particular reason to expect it.
Chances: Not Good
Nintendogs
Here’s a big one. Nintendogs was one of the biggest successes of the casual era, on par with Brain Age and Wii Fit, but unlike those, it remained a multi-million seller during the 3DS/WiiU generation. And though Nintendo may have tried, at first, to distance the Switch from that era, the return of Brain Age and Clubhouse Games indicates that other casual games would follow, and Nintendogs would be a no-brainer.
There is, however, one big problem: the Switch does not have a microphone. While Brain Age on the DS also used the microphone a lot, it was not essential to it. You could easily make Brain Age without it. But not Nintendogs. Issuing voice commands to your virtual pup is integral to the experience. No microphone means no Nintendogs.
But with that said, Nintendo did go to the trouble of making a Switch stylus, seemingly just for Brain Age, so maybe they could make a microphone peripheral. Sure, a microphone would be more complex to make than a stylus, but not inconceivable. They did something like that with the Wii Speak. I’m sure for that nintendogs money, Nintendo would do it.
Worst case scenario, Nintendo releases Nintendogs and forces you to use the NSO app’s voice chat to talk with your dog. You know they’d do it.
There’s also the fact that another developer released a nintendogs clone for the Switch last year, but I don’t think Nintendo gives a shit.
Chances: Good
Nintendo Wars
You may know this series better as “Advance Wars” and you may also know that it is fantastic. In fact, it is one of the highest rated Nintendo franchises on Metacritic, and had a pretty consistent release schedule between 1988 and 2008. All was looking pretty god. But unfortunately the series has been dormant since the last entry on DS. Part of it may be because the series, though originally Japan-only, was never all that popular in Japan. In fact, that last game only saw a limited release as a My Nintendo reward in the region.
There is, however, still demand for the series, both externally and internally. Producers from both Nintendo and developer Intelligent Systems have expressed enthusiastic support for a new entry, although they’ve also expressed some uncertainty on what they’d do with it, similar to the Custom Robo and F-Zero responses.
The developer for the series is Intelligent Systems, who do a ton of stuff and will be discussed multiple times in this post. They used to release multiple games a year, but have slowed down this past game to just one or two games a year, another possible reason why Advance Wars has been deprioritized, especially in comparison with that boogeyman of Advance Wars and Smash Bros fans alike: Fire Emblem. There is real concern that Nintendo might not want to make a new Advance Wars when they could just make the similar but more popular Fire Emblem instead.
That said, IS has already released a Fire Emblem and Paper Mario for Switch, and though we definitely will get at least one more FE during the Switch’s life cycle, there’s enough years left for IS to release some other games, whether they be AW or one of the three other franchises we’ll discuss in the future. Problem is, of those franchises, AW might be the most difficult to produce, and the most risky, so it could probably be lower priority. When asked about the series last year, one IS producer gave a pretty evasive answer, so things aren’t looking too good, but they aren’t hopeless either.
Chances: Medium
Ouendan/Elite Beat Agents
This rhythm series for the DS is widely beloved by those who played it, but its life cycle was pretty limited. One game in 2005, and Americanized version in 2006, and one sequel in 2007. Nothing more since The games were critically acclaimed, but not blockbuster hits.
The series creator said back in 2016 that he would love to create a new game, but nothing else has been said about it. The game’s developer iNis, doesn’t appear to be super active either.
All in all, there is very little pointing to a return
Chances: Bad
Pilotwings
The biggest obstacle to seeing this series of arcadey flight sims on the Switch is that the series has a very specific purpose: it’s a tech demo. All three games were launch titles for their systems and explicitly meant to show off each system’s new tech. The original game was made to show off the SNES’ Mode 7, the N64 game was meant to show off the console’s polygonal graphics, and Resort was meant to showcase the 3DS’ stereoscopic 3D. With the Switch’s release far behind us, and its graphics not really needing a showcase, Pilotwings chances seem low. Granted, Pilotwings doesn’t need to be a tech demo, but it could be how Nintendo views it as.
There is some fan demand for it, but not as much as F-Zero or Golden Sun, and no developer has commented on the possibility of a return. Pilotwings has always been moderately successful, but not enough to justify constant releases. The only glimmer of hope is the comment from Nintendo’s CEO about wanting to bring more 3DS franchises for the Switch, but it’s quite possible that he didn’t have Pilotwings in mind when he said that
Chances: Bad
Punch-Out!!
Another series popular enough to get a Smash character but not popular enough for consistent sequels, Punch-Out is a beloved classic with a consistent fanbase, but with a very erratic release schedule. After the SNES game in 1994, the series lay dormant for 15 years until it was revived for the Wii in 2009 and then laid to rest again. One explanation is that the series was never really popular in Japan. Neither the NES or SNES games were even available as full releases in the country, being instead, distributed as prizes or rewards. And though the Wii game got a full retail release, it sold very poorly. It’s always been a game more for Americans, so it is understandable that the Japanese developers at Nintendo aren’t super enthusiastic about it. That said, it was Nintendo who pitched the reboot in the first place, so they may want to do it again someday.
The developer for the Wii game was Next Level Games, who release a game every three or two years, and they also develop Mario Strikers and Luigi’s Mansion. Having already released LM3, it’s likely they’ll release another game for the Switch some time soon. That could be Punch-Out, but it is just as likely that it could be Mario Strikers, or something else entirely.
Some think that the series use of flagrant national stereotypes would impede it from coming back in today’s political climate, but frankly, I don’t think that’s as definitive a problem. Worst case scenario, they simply make a new cast, just like Super Punch Out, but less racially insensitive.
Another interesting development is that Mike Tyson has been talking about wanting a new Punch-Out this year. I don’t think Nintendo cares what he says, and they definitely don’t want to associate with him again, but it is a pretty high-profile person talking about the series, which is bound to raise interest. Whether that’s enough for Nintendo to consider a new game? I don’t think so. But regardless, Punch-Out is popular enough that the door is never truly closed for it.
Chances: Not Good
Pushmo
This acclaimed puzzle game was released for the 3DS eshop in 2012 and was successful enough to get three sequels. Although it hasn’t been seen since 2015, there doesn’t seem to be anything impeding its return. The developer is our good friend Intelligent Systems, and, of the aforementioned IS franchises still to launch on the Switch, Pushmo, being a simple, but beloved, puzzle game, seems like the safest investment. It likely could be developed alongside another major game.
There is demand for it, and considering Nintendo’s eshop efforts, Pushmo would fit in perfectly alongside Snipperclips and fellow 3DS eshop puzzle star Boxboy. All in all, there’s no reason not to expect Pushmo to come back.
Chances: Good
continued in comments

In the Bible, God has women raped, children sacrificed alive in fire, people slaughtered by bears for making a joke, punishes parents by forcing them into murdering then cannibalizing the flesh of their own children, slices open the stomachs of pregnant mothers -- yanking out and then crushing their babies, the list goes on. All ordained directly by the Lord. Satan never does these things in scripture, but God does.
In nearly all the theologies, mythologies and religions, the devils have been much more humane and merciful than the gods. No devil ever gave one of his generals an order to kill children and to rip open the bodies of pregnant women. Such barbarians were always ordered by the good gods. The pestilences were sent by the most merciful gods. The frightful famine, during which the dying child with pallid lips sucked the withered bosom of a dead mother, was sent by the loving gods. No devil was ever charged with such fiendish brutality. One of these gods, according to the account, drowned an entire world, with the exception of eight persons.
The old, the young, the beautiful and the helpless were remorsely devoured by the shoreless sea. This most fearful tragedy was the act, not of a devil, but of a god, so-called, whom men ignorantly worship unto this day. What a stain such an act would leave upon the character of a devil! One of the prophets of one of these gods, having in his power a capture king, hewed him in pieces in the sight of all the people. Was ever any imp of any devil guilty of such savagery? One of these gods is reported to have given the following directions concerning human slavery:
"If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve, and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master have given him a wife, and she have borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out free. Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him unto the door, or unto the door-post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever." According to this, a man was given liberty upon condition that he would desert forever his wife and children. Did any devil ever force upon a husband, upon a father, so cruel and so heartless an alternative? Who can worship such a god? Who can bend the knee to such a monster? Who can pray to such a fiend? (And this, mind you, is only the laws pertaining to Jews owning other Jews. Wait until you see how God tells the Jews to treat non-Jewish slaves they captured/kidnapped!)
(Parallel verse in Luke 14:26?)
All these Gods threatened to torment forever the souls of their enemies. Did any devil ever make so infamous a threat? The basest thing recorded of the devil, is what he did concerning Job and his family, and that was done by the express permission of one of these gods, and to decide a little difference of opinion between their serene highness as to the character of "my servant Job."
On the case of Job,
"Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, although you moved me against him to destroy him without cause.” (Job 2:3)
It is notable that in 2:3, YHWH seems to be arguing that he is not ultimately responsible for Job's loss: "... although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause." This is a very strange line, since Satan was not reported as doing anything but state an opinion about the shallowness of human loyalty. Indeed, Satan never suggested destroying Job, and YHWH himself never allowed such a drastic move. What is YHWH doing here? Is it possible that he is wrestling with his own demons, a bit guilt-ridden? And if he has this feeling, why does he again hand over power without being asked to do so?
It's a minor addendum, but I think it's noteworthy that when Satan enters, he's merely talking about what he's been doing, possibly with the connotation of looking for something to do. In essence, God is the one to initiate the challenge with Satan by suggesting Job. As suggested with the first paragraph, this places even further responsibility on God.
Job 1:7-8
The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?
​
And thus ensues the bet of 2 demons playing with a man's life for sport.
God recommended and encouraged Satan to destroy Job's life, even including murdering his kin and servants. Innumerable human lives are toyed with in the process of the bet, many times resulting in death. It's a tyrannical dictator slaughtering whomever he sees fit just to prove a point--or hell, if we're going to be more specific with the case of Job, it's one who makes a casual recommendation to the local arsonist and serial killer. A challenge, more like.
Also considering the fact that the Biblical God is omniscient knowing all the events of the future, including that which Satan would respond with, this further goes to show the immorality of God in initiating the challenge with Satan by suggesting Job.
Had the introductory bit not existed--God's bet with Satan--there could've been far many more interpretations to that story, but if this book is indeed God-breathed, then even as a mere parable, its message should ring true: that human lives are but fodder to God when his pride is at stake and that those who question him after such acts are to be silenced.
Also, what if Satan was testing God?
After all, if God directly commits all sorts of unjust tortures, deaths, and molestations to men, women and children, seen clearly throughout the rest of the Bible-- physical torture in the Old Testament and spiritual torture in hell in the New Testament, all the while expecting people to blindly follow and believe him, what does it say about him?
What if Satan did that because he thought it was a "necessary evil" to uncover the truth about God (or to test him)? Just like God supposedly thought that torturing Job and killing all those people was a necessary evil to teach Job and/or Satan an important lesson (or to test them).
Satan was the only one in the story who was in a position to do this -- to unmask this part of God. Being at one point one of YHWH's greatest of angels, being able to roam freely heaven and earth as he pleases, he was the only one who was able to show God's true character. To test God himself, to show the world his wickedness.
Here is the reason God treats human beings as trash:
"Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another to throw trash into?" ( Romans 9:21)
This is why in the Bible God treats human beings in the way that he does. He directly has women raped, commits genocide after genocide, has infants and children murdered, has the stomachs of pregnant women ripped open to have their babies smashed to pieces, children sacrificed alive in fire and cannibalized, people torn apart by bears for making jokes, etc.
He [Satan] did the same thing in Eden, saving the human race from the brainwash of God, once again unraveling God's true nature. The necessary evil there was that it led to human death due to sin's nature being inherited, but I would rather die than be a slave in the mind, not knowing good from evil, being ruled by an evil God while brainwashed to think he is good. But again, it is not Satan killing them with a curse, but God. Satan did not make the fruit and place it in the midst of the garden.
When Job opens his mouth seeking an answer to his suffering from God, it is troubling how God answered him. God comes down screaming at Job from a whirlwind and goes on a 4 chapter litany of all the things he created instead of answering the question that Job raised.
In 38:1 we are told that "YHWH answered Job out of the whirlwind." This is critical. A whirlwind (tornado) is a deafening experience. If the whirlwind itself is the voice of YHWH, he is in essence screaming. If the whirlwind is NOT YHWH, he must scream to be heard above the noise. Either way, YHWH is screaming at Job. What he screams is troubling. Instead of addressing the issue that Job and his friends have been arguing (What is the reason for Job's suffering?), YHWH launches into a four-chapter litany of all the things he created.
The actual answer for Job's suffering as you know was that God proposed a bet to Satan, and so was too ashamed to tell Job the real reason behind his suffering -- hence his screaming and belittling of him. The fact is, if God actually told Job the real reason behind his suffering, God would have lost the argument to a mortal man, and it would have proved that God was in the wrong, that God himself was evil. But he dodges the question for 4 long chapters, and never gives the real answer. Christians look at this and say, "Ah, God truly is mysterious!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVgZqnsytJI
The first account we have of the devil is found in the book of Genesis, and is as follows:
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat....
And the Lord God said, Behold the man is become as one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep away any from the tree of life.
According to this account the promise of the devil was fulfilled to the very letter. Adam and Eve did not die, and they did become as gods, knowing good and evil.
The account shows, however, that the gods dreaded education and knowledge then just as they do now. The church still faithfully gaurds the dangerous tree of knowledge, and has exerted in all ages her utmost power to keep mankind from eating the fruit thereof. The priests have never ceased repeating the old falsehood and the old threat: "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." From every pulpit comes the same cry, born of the same fear: "Lest they eat and become as gods, knowing good and evil."
From every pulpit comes the same cry, born of the same fear: "Lest they eat and become as gods, knowing good and evil." For this reason, faith detests reason, theology is the sworn enemy of philosophy, and the church with its flaming sword still gaurds the hated tree, and like its supposed founder, curses to the lowest depths the brave thinkers who eat and become as gods. If the account given in Genesis is really true, ought we not, after all, to thank this serpent? He was the first schoolmaster, the first advocate of learning, the first enemy of ignorance, the first to whisper in human ears the sacred word liberty, the creator of ambition, the author of modesty, of inquiry, of doubt, of investigation, of progress and civilization. Give me the storm and the tempest of thought and action, rather than the dead calm of ignorance and faith! Banish me from Eden when you will; but first let me eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge!
​

Los Angeles Rams (1-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (0-1)

The 2020 Philadelphia Eagles season didn’t have the start they were looking for week 1 as they opened the season without their starting LT, RT, RG, RB, DT and WR and struggled against the Washington Football team to open their season with a loss. Luckily they will get two of those starters back this week in running back Miles Sanders and RT Lane Johnson. Both will be welcome additions as the Eagles struggled to block anyone against the Football Team both on the line and from the running back position. Additionally, getting a running game going will greatly help slow the pass rush which will be impressive as the Rams posted one of the best pressure rates last week led by All-Pro Aaron Donald. Hopefully Doug Pederson learns from his mistakes of last week and gets Carson moving with some designed rollouts and mixes up his play-calling more to establish the run. If Doug tries to do the same thing as last week it will be a long day for Carson and Donald will feast. On the other side of the ball, Schwartz had Slay follow McLaurin last week and it worked as Slay shut McLaurin down, but that is more difficult this week as the Rams have two talented receivers in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. The Eagles will need to see how Maddox holds up on the outside with a bigger challenge this week. With the struggles of the Eagles offense and their injuries on that side of the ball, the Eagles will need their defenses to limit the quick scoring Rams offense or it will be a long day. Should be a good test for the Eagles to rebound after falling flat out of the gate last week. Go Birds!

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
Remember to [join us on Discord]https://discord.gg/HwwBbM3) during the game!
New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!
Score Prediction Contest

Date
Sunday, September 20th, 2020

Game Time	Game Location
1:00 PM - Eastern	Lincoln Financial Field
12:00 PM - Central	1020 Pattison Ave
11:00 AM - Mountain	Philadelphia, PA 19148
10L00 AM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Open Air
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 62°F
Feels Like: 62°F
Forecast: Clear. Clear throughout the day.
Chance of Precipitation: 0%
Cloud Coverage: 0%
Wind: Northeast 10 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Even
OveUnder: 45.5
Record VS. Spread: Philadelphia 0-1, Los Angeles 0-1

Where to Watch on TV
FOX will broadcast Monday’s game to a national audience. Kevin Kugler will handle the play-by-play duties and Chris Spielman will provide analysis. Laura Okmin will report from the sideline.
TV Map - Week 2 TV Coverage Map

Radio Streams
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Rams Radio
Rams Radio J.B. Long will handle the play-by-play duties and former pro bowl running back Maurice Jones-Drew will provide analysis. D'Marco Farr will report from the sidelines.

National Radio
N/A

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Rams Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 98 (Streaming 825)	SIRI 156 (Streaming 818)
XM Radio	XM 231 (Streaming 825)	(Streaming 818)
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 231 (Streaming 825)	SXM 386 (Streaming 818)

Eagles Social Media	Rams Social Media
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: snaptherams

NFC East Standings

NFC EAST	Record	PCT	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Net Pts	Streak
Football Team	1-0	1.000	1-0	0-0	1-0	1-0	27	17	+10	1W
Eagles	0-1	.000	0-0	0-1	0-1	0-1	17	27	-10	1L
Cowboys	0-1	.000	0-0	0-1	0-0	0-1	17	20	-3	1L
Giants	0-1	.000	0-1	0-0	0-0	0-0	16	26	-10	1L

Series Information
The Philadelphia Eagles lead the Los Angeles Rams (Philadelphia Eagles lead series, 22-19-1)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
September 21, 1937 at Philadelphia Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, PA. Cleveland Rams 21 Philadelphia Eagles 3
Points Leader
Philadelphia Eagles lead the Los Angeles Rams (843-842)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 2-0 against the Rams
Sean McVay: 0-2 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Sean McVay: Pederson leads 2-0
Quarterback Record
Carson Wentz: Against Rams: 1-0
Jared Goff: Against Eagles: 0-2
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Carson Wentz vs Jared Goff: Wentz leads 1-0
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Eagles lead Rams: 2-0
Record @ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Rams lead Eagles 5-4-1

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 21 - Rams No. 09
Record
Eagles: 0-1
Rams: 1-0
Last Meeting
Sunday, December 12th, 2018
Eagles 30 - Rams 23
Nick Foles filled in for the injured Carson Wentz, taking up his spot under center after three months without game action. Foles promptly recaptured the magic, passing for 270 yards and confidently leading the Eagles to a 30-23 win over the Rams on Sunday night with plenty of help from his defense and his playmakers. Foles got plenty of help from his running game as Wendell Smallwood rushed for two touchdowns and rookie Josh Adams ran for another score as the Eagles (7-7) kept their playoff hopes quite viable with a gritty victory over the Rams (11-3), who lost consecutive regular-season games for the first time in coach Sean McVay's tenure.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap
Last Meeting at Site
Sunday December 10th, 2017
Eagles 43 - Rams 35
Carson Wentz threw for 291 yards and four touchdowns before leaving with a knee injury and Jake Elliott kicked the go-ahead 33-yard field goal with 3:45 left for the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Los Angeles Rams 43-35 in a thriller Sunday to clinch the NFC East title.
Click here to view the Video Recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
12/16/18	Eagles	Rams	30-23
12/10/17	Eagles	Rams	43-35
10/05/14	Eagles	Rams	34-28
09/11/11	Eagles	Rams	31-13
09/07/08	Eagles	Rams	38-3
12/18/05	Eagles	Rams	17-16
12/27/04	Rams	Eagles	20-7
12/01/02	Eagles	Rams	10-3
01/27/02	Rams	Eagles	29-24
09/09/01	Rams	Eagles	20-17

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Rams	Rams

2020 “Expert” Picks
Week 2 - "Expert" Picks

2020 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Rams Season Stats

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Wentz	34	42	57.1%	270	2	3	72.5
Goff	20	31	64.5%	275	0	1	79.4

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Scott	9	35	35	3.9	0
Brown	18	79	79.9	4.4	2

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Goedert	8	101	101	12.6	1
Woods	6	105	105.0	17.5	0

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Sweat	1	3
Donald/Floyd/Brockers	1.0	3

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Gerry	10	5	5	0.0
Fuller	8	5	3	0.0

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
N/A	0	0
N/A	0	0

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
Johnston	5	268	62	53.6	50.2	3	0	0
Hekker	3	142	58	47.3	40.7	2	0	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	2	1	50.0%	38	2/2
Sloman	3	2	66.6%	35	2/2

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
NA	0	0	0	0	0
Webster	1	20.0	20.0	40	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Raegor	2	6	3.0	6	0	2
N/A	0	0	0	0	0	0

League Rankings 2020

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Rams Stat	Rams Rank
Total Offense	265.0	29th	422.0	5th
Rush Offense	57.0	30th	153.0	6th
Pass Offense	208.0	T-21st	269.0	8th
Points Per Game	17.0	T-23rd	20.0	T-19th
3rd-Down Offense	35.7%	23rd	52.9	8th
4th-Down Offense	0.0%	T-17th	100.0	T-1st
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	50.0%	T-18th	40.0%	T-25th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Rams Stat	Rams Rank
Total Defense	239.0	1st	380.0	22nd
Rush Defense	80.0	5th	136.0	22nd
Pass Defense	159.0	3rd	244.0	20th
Points Per Game	27.0	T-21st	17.0	T-8th
3rd-Down Defense	27.8%	5th	25.0%	T-3rd
4th-Down Defense	50.0%	T-19th	33.3%	T-17th
Red Zone Defense (TD%)	75.0%	T-20th	50.0%	T-9th

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Rams Stat	Rams Rank
Turnover Diff.	-3	31st	-1	T-19th
Penalties Per Game	3.0	T-2nd	5.0	T-8th
Penalty Yards Per Game	20.0	T-2nd	34.0	6th

Recap from Last Week’s Games.
Eagles - In a near-reversal of the previous season's opener, the Eagles scored the first 17 points, only for the Washington Football Team to then shut their offense out for the remainder of the afternoon. Meanwhile, Washington's offense scored 27 unanswered points, and the defense sacked Carson Wentz eight times, recorded two interceptions, and forced three fumbles. With the loss, Philadelphia's six-game winning streak against Washington was snapped dating back to Week 14 of the 2016 season, and the Eagles lost the first game of the season since 2015.
Rams - Playing their first game ever in their brand-new home at SoFi Stadium, the Rams held off the Cowboys in a close battle of NFC contenders. Receiving the opening kickoff (from former Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein), Los Angeles drove 75 yards in seven plays, with Malcolm Brown scoring the new stadium's first touchdown on a 1-yard run. Rookie kicker Samuel Sloman missed on his first field goal attempt, a 29-yard try that bounced off the left upright near the end of the first quarter, but later was successful on field goals of 35 and 31 yards in the second quarter. However, Dallas took a 14-13 halftime lead as Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott scored on both a touchdown run and a touchdown reception. The Rams reclaimed the lead as Malcolm Brown (who finished with a team-high 18 rushes for 79 yards) scored his second touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run midway through the third quarter to put Los Angeles ahead 20-14. Zuerlein converted a 33-yard field goal late in the third quarter, but it would be as close as the Cowboys would get. Rookie safety Jordan Fuller led the Rams with eight total tackles, including a key tackle of Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on a fourth-and-3 play at the Rams' 9-yard line, just one yard short of a first down to kill a Dallas scoring drive.

Connections
Rams QB Jared Goff and Eagles QB Carson Wentz were selected 1st and 2nd in the 2016 NFL draft after both teams traded up.
Eagles S Rodney McLeod played for the Rams from 2012-16.
Eagles CB Nickell Robey-Coleman played for the Rams from 2017-19.
Eagles LB coach Ken Fajole was defensive coordinator of the Rams for three seasons from 2009−2011.
Eagles TE Zach Ertz went to Stanford (2009-13) and is from Orange County, CA.
Eagles Director of Sports Performance Ted Rath worked for the Rams from 2017-2019 as their Strength and Conditioning Coach (2017) and Director of Strength Training and Performance (2018-2019).
Eagles Special assistant to the general manager Connor Barwin played for the Rams in 2018.

2020 Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Rams
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)	DT Aaron Donald (Starter)
OG Brandon Brooks (Starter)	CB Jalen Ramsey
C Jason Kelce (Starter)
LS Rick Lovato (Starter)
TE Zach Ertz
SS Malcom Jenkings (1st Alt)
OT Lane Johnson (1st Alt

General
Referee: Brad Allen
Philadelphia has produced a 22-19-1 (.536) record in the all-time series vs. Los Angeles. The Eagles own a 6-game winning streak against the Rams, scoring 30+ points in 5 straight contests.
Philadelphia is 15-8 (.652) in home games vs. Los Angeles, with victories in each of the last 2 such meetings (last: W, 34-28 on 10/5/14 at Lincoln Financial Field).
The Eagles are 23-9 (.719) at home in the regular season under head coach Doug Pederson, which marks the 5th-best home winning percentage in the NFL since 2016, trailing only New En-gland (.818, 27-6), Baltimore (.758, 25-8), Kansas City (.758, 25-8) and New Orleans (.727, 24-9).
Philadelphia has captured all 4 of its home openers with Doug Pederson at the helm (since 2016). Pederson is one of only two head coaches in Eagles history to win each of their first 4 home openers with the team, joining Joe Kuharich (1964-67).
In Week 1 at Washington, Philadelphia allowed only 239 total yards (80 rushing, 5th; 159 passing, 3rd), which were the fewest by any defense in the NFL during kickoff weekend. The Eagles limited Washington to just 27.8% (5-of-18) on third downs, which was also the 5th-best mark in the league.

Draft Picks

Eagles	Rams
WR Jalen Raegor	RB Cam Akers
QB Jalen Hurts	WR Van Jefferson
LB Davion Taylor	OLB Terrell Lewis
S K’Von Wallace	S Terrel Burgess
OT Jack Driscoll	TE Brycen Hopkins
WR John Hightower	S Jordan Fuller
LB Shaun Bradley	LB Clay Johnston
WR Quez Watkins	K Sam Sloman
OT Prince Tega Wanogho	G Tremayne Achrum
LB/DE Casey Toohill

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Rams
S Will Parks	DT A’Shawn Robinson
DT Javon Hargrave	OLB Leonard Floyd
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
CB Darius Slay
	S Sean Davis
	WR Cody Latimer
	CB Kendell Fuller
	RB JD McKissic
	G Wes Schweitzer

Notable Off-season Departures

Eagles	Rams
S Malcom Jenkins	DE Dante Fowler Jr.
CB Ronald Darby	RB Todd Gurley
RB Jordan Howard	WR Brandin Cooks
WR Nelson Agholor	LB Cory Littleton
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai	S Eric Weddle
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill	CB Nickell Robey-Coleman
RB Darren Sproles	WR Jojo Natson
DT Timmy Jernigan	WR Mike Thomas
LB Nigel Bradham	LB Clay Matthews
	QB Blake Bortles

Milestones
Eagles QB Carson Wentz (99) needs 1 passing TDs for 100 career passing TDs.
Eagles WR Desean Jackson (6322) needs 145 yards to move up to 3rd on the Eagles all-time receiving yards list all-time passing WR *Mike Quick
Eagles WR Desean Jackson (34) needs 2 TDs to move into a tie for 7th on the Eagles all-time receiving TD list tying WR Jeremy Maclin
Eagles DE Brandon Graham (51) needs 3.5 sacks to move to 4th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Hugh Douglas
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox (48) needs 2.5 sacks to move up to 6th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DE Greg Brown
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (27) needs 1 sack to move up to 19th on the Eagles all-time sack list passing DT Darwin Walker

Rams WR Cooper Kupp (2636) needs 28 yards to move up to 16th on the Rams all-time receiving list passing WR Carroll Dale

Pro Football Focus Matchup Charts courtesy of PFF Edge (join.profootballfocus.com/edge/)
WDB Matchups (CAPS = expected shadow coverage)

Stats to Know
Pressure Rate
It doesn’t take advanced stats to know that Wentz spent most of Sunday under significant pressure. Washington sacked him eight times behind a makeshift offensive line that struggled to contain the Football Team’s pass rush. The Eagles allowed a 34% pressure rate Sunday, according to ESPN Next Gen Stats. That was the third-worst in the NFL. Five different Washington players generated at least four pressures. And it doesn’t get any easier against the Rams. The Cowboys allowed a 40.5% pressure rate Sunday night in their loss to the Rams, which was the second-worst mark of Week 1. And a big reason for that was Rams star Aaron Donald. Donald — the six-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and two-time AP Defensive Player of the Year who has 44 sacks over the past three seasons — posted a 28.6% pressure rate on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott himself. He pressured Prescott 10 times for 35 pass rushes and finished with four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and four quarterback hits. According to Next Gen Stats, Donald’s pressure rate over the past three seasons is 13.5%, 13.9% and 14.6%. The Eagles offensive line is going to have to be ready or it is going to be another long Sunday for Carson Wentz.

Matchups to Watch
Carson Wentz vs. Himself
I note this matchup not to downplay the Rams and what they bring to the table, but to note that Wentz had plenty of mistakes that ultimately cost us the week 1 matchup. Change nothing of the game last week, bad OL, questionable scheming especially in the second half, Carson Wentz playing better wins us the game. Things were bad around him and he actively made them worse at times. These two things can be true: Wentz cost us the week 1 game and he should bounce back because he is a really good QB. This isn't the sky is falling, #TankForTrevor blurb, it's simply acknowledging the biggest change from week 1 to week 2 that would aid in a victory - Carson Wentz returning to form. There was also a lot of good last week, namely the first half! Check out the first TD throw to Ertz. Short, compressed field where he needs to make a snap decision and he comes off his first read (JJAW) and hits Ertz for 6. This is a great play by Wentz where he showed how good he is capping off a great drive. We need more of this consistency. Wentz was even missing on staples of the offense. He was erratic in the pocket and regularly off target. I love hero ball, I hate when QBs play scared, but better urgency and avoiding negative plays in the pocket would go a long way in smoothing out the rough edges of his game. It's infuriating to have some of the same issues he had in year 3 continue in year 5. Regardless, Wentz is a really good QB, so he should be expected to bounce back from a bad game every QB has once in a while. It just needs to happen quickly so the Eagles don't fall behind in the young season. This Rams secondary has a phenomenal CB in Jalen Ramsey and a really good young safety in John Johnson III; they aren't slouches. Wentz needs to be better and it would be surprising if he isn't.
Eagles (downright) Offensive Line vs. Aaron Donald and the Rams Pass Rush
Washington may have a better, deeper defensive line but they don't have Aaron Donald. He is so good he lifts a pass rush up to the top tiers of the league on his own given his dominance and versatility. Donald isn't just a Defensive Tackle; he'll line up inside and outside while wrecking every part of the OL he can along the way. Just look at what Baldy has in his review for him this week. This is a problematic matchup for Philly given their patchwork offensive line. Even though there were positive things some of the new guys did, they made a lot of mistakes, and will continue to do so in their young careers. The last time the Eagles played the Rams in 2018, Philly held Donald to 2 total pressures in probably his most ineffective game during the course of his DPOY season. The difference between that Eagles OL and this one is the health. Philly won't have a healthy Brandon Brooks; while they'll have Lane Johnson again it'll be in his first start of the season, he's coming off a late summer ankle procedure. So his effectiveness is still TBD. JP, who also played in that game, has also declined a considerable amount since then. One player returning to the field Sunday that should also give the Eagles a boost in pass protection is Miles Sanders. Not only is Sanders the best runner on the team, he's also the best pass blocking running back on the team. This alone won't stop Donald, but it should help. This defensive front from the Rams can get pushed around in the run game (more on that later) but can absolutely get after it in the pass rush department. Dallas doesn't have the line it used to either and Dak was under pressure at a roughly 42% rate, among the worst in week 1. The return of Lane Johnson should increase the effectiveness of this OL a considerable amount but given the new parts there will still be an adjustment period. This unit needs to come together quickly and the coaching staff needs to actually focus their game plan on helping their OL much more so than they did in week 1. Otherwise, expect Donald and his homies to bring the pain up front.
Eagles Pass Rush vs Rams OL
Even with some of the sustained injuries on this roster, the Eagles still have a formidable pass rush and flashed it quite a bit in week 1. The box score stats are highly deceiving in this area as Washington shifted their game plan quite a bit as the game went along. Philly pressured Haskins at a 30% clip last week. That number isn't great considering the state of Washington's offensive line. However, Haskins had the quickest time to throw in the NFL in week 1 with an average time to throw of 2.13 seconds. It's extremely difficult to pressure QBs when they get the ball out that quickly. Last week, Jared Goff was 8th in the NFL in this category, which will present some challenges for the Eagles. Dallas pressured Goff at a 20% clip last week, which is a horrendous number. Goff is a good QB and will slice you up if you don't get to him. But when you do, oftentimes he's effectively standing in quick sand as he was a bottom 8 QB under pressure (by Rating) in 2019. It's imperative this defensive front plays well this week. We already saw Malik Jackson return to form, now we need Fletcher Cox. Philly should get Brandon Graham (concussion) and Derek Barnett (hammy) back this week which should increase the effectiveness of the pass rush. Josh Sweat has also shown tremendous growth in year 3 having the best game of his career this past Sunday with TY McGill flashing in limited snaps. This offensive line from the Rams underwent a mini make-over this offseason but still has some question marks up front. This will be a real test for them as the Eagles pass rush is much more formidable than the one Dallas offers. Furthermore, this is a defensive staff that has consistently gotten to Goff of late. Given the changes on both squads, this is a good measuring stick game in the trenches.
Eagles Coverage vs Rams Receivers
Jim Schwartz had Sean McVay's number in their most recent matchup in 2018 so I am curious to see who gets the upper hand this time around. The Rams have a really good WR room with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and Josh Reynolds. They also have a good tight end in Tyler Higbee. Philly has their work cut out for them this week as the Rams are much deeper than Washington. The Rams passing attack was predicated on the short, quick game with a lot of motions and play action last week. Carson Wentz led the NFL in Average Intended Air Yards while Jared Goff was last. Goff's Average Intended Air Yards were 4.3 per attempt with roughly half his passing attempts coming within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. Getting the ball to Goff's first read and out of his hands quickly is key as he can be an adventure when he is forced to hold onto the ball. McVay is really good at disguising what the Rams will do running multiple plays out of similar looks. Lastly, their receivers are great at getting quick separation and great getting yards after the catch. The defensive game plan for Philly in the secondary should look quite different this week than it did last week. There isn't one receiver the Eagles can key on for Slay to take away. I'd bet Schwartz moves him around quite a bit but with Woods as the primary recipient of special attention. Slay looked every bit as good as you'd expect last week and that's a huge addition to this secondary. One area of concern I have for Philly is the middle of the defense. This Eagles LB group is among the worst in the NFL in coverage; McVay is going to look to attack that relentlessly all game long. He did the same thing to Dallas last week. It was encouraging to see Rodney McLeod bounce back after a poor 2019 as he was every bit as spry as he once was. The rest of the middle of this defense leaves a lot to be desired. Either way, this is a deeper Rams receiving room, with a creative play-caller, and a better passer than the Eagles just faced. There was a lot of good to take from the defensive performance last week but they face a significant test Sunday in the Rams.

Special thanks to MikeTysonChicken and abenyishay for their help in creating this Game Preview.

Hello!
I hope everyone is doing excellent this week, and if you're not, I hope it gets better.
This has unfortunately been a horrible card to talk about, I felt very little motivation to write this... it was very hard to promote this fight because a lot of these fighters aren't ranked and really don't have a lot to risk if they lose. So, not too much going on here, but that isn't to say the event will be boring, no event is.
Lets get down and dirty.
(c) - Champ
(D) - Debut
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in Division
Lets go!
Prelims
Lightweight
Jessin Ayari (16-5-0, 2 FLS) v Luigi Vendramini (8-1-0, NS) - There’s not much to say about this fight considering both fighters are coming back from a two year hiatus. Ayari is a fairly decent stance switch striker, he tends to be pretty patient with his offensive movement and attacks, he kinda luls his opponent into attacking him in which he moves out of range to land a counter, but the one thing I notice when watching his fights is that he’s sometimes too hesitant and thus doesn’t throw as much as he should, which probably explains why he lost his last fight, with Stevie Ray getting the heavier shots in whilst Ayari was waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Whilst that’s great, it's obviously quite detrimental to his record because he’s on a losing streak now. Vendramini is returning from a hiatus and a meniscus injury, so i’m not too sure how much that will affect his performance coming into this fight, whether or not he will be slower. It’s also pretty difficult to see any comparison videos because his debut against Zaleski Dos Santos was purely a destructive loss. He only landed 4 solid strikes throughout the fight and got absolutely tooled throughout the bout. Despite his loss, he has a one hundred percent finish rate, 4 submissions, 4 knockouts. At a young age of 24, it’s clear to me that one set back isn’t going to slow this young and talented fighter down. He still has quite a bit to go and is yet to stretch his wings in the UFC, and Ayari is certainly a good match up to test his capabilities. Ultimately though, I feel like Vendramini has this, but considering both fighters are coming off a long hiatus, it’s hard to tell how they’re gonna fight.
Vendramini via KO R2
Bantamweight
Casey Kenney (14-2-1, NS) v Heili Alateng (14-7-1, 4 FWS) - Kenney isn’t afraid to bang it out with the toughest of them. Get in range and he’s going to throw hands very fast and hard. He has the tendency to get close, slip off the centre line, and land a hook to the side of his opponents head, This seemed to be the game plan when fighting Louis Smolka, he consistently used excellent head movement and left right hook combos to land significant damage to Smolka, eventually rocking him. His only recent setback was against Merab Dvalishvili and well, you’ll always have trouble when fighting a machine like Merab. Alateng has a very wrestling-heavy approach to MMA, he isn’t known for his excellent striking or anything like that, in fact he often gets out striked by his opponent, but what he does exceptionally well is drive for takedowns and manage to control his opponent movement on the ground. He is very strong and will battle for the better position in a clinch in order to get a trip or takedown. Very interesting fight but at the moment i’m leaning on Kenney getting this one. I love what I see when Kenney fights, he just needs to avoid the wrestling of Alateng.
Kenney via UD
Women’s Strawweight
Loma Lookboonme (4-2-0, NS) v Jinh Yu Frey (9-5-0, NS) - Again, another fight where there’s not a whole lot to talk about. Lookboonme is a very experienced Muay Thai fighter who is currently somewhat struggling in the MMA circuit. Now, her striking is great, but her opponents know that, and they start to grapple, and that’s where Lookboonme looks pretty bad. If the fight stays on the feet, then I fully expect Lookboonme to look exceptional, but it all depends on how Frey will fight. Frey was the Invicta Atomweight champion back in 2018 through to early this year, prior to her transition to the UFC. She hasn’t really been too exciting to watch as a fighter and in her debut she got absolutely dismantled by Kay Hanson. She seems to be relatively well rounded, and has decent striking, but is it enough? I guess we’ll see in this fight, last time we saw her get tested on the ground, now we’ll see where she stands when it comes to a striking exchange. I know I keep predicting that Lookboonme is going to win, and this time it won’t be any different, so please feel free to not bet based on this prediction.
Lookboonme via UD
Middleweight
Jordan Williams (D) (9-3-0, NS) v Nassourdine Imavov (D) (8-2-0, 5 FWS) - What is with all these filthy pothead fucks who keep getting caught for having the filthy devils lettuce in their body? That of course is sarcasm. Williams had two bouts in DWCS, his first attempt at the notorious and highly lustrous contract for the UFC was successful until the fated drug test in which he was caught with marijuana and thus the fight was overturned. He’s back with a vengeance though, and he made very quick work of his opponent and now, finally after all these years, he’s made it to the UFC. Williams is a powerful striker, he throws hammers but he’s not ready for the UFC in my opinion. During his fight against Rodriguez, he looked very sloppy, he was getting hit a lot, he didn’t have a lot of head movement, it was all aggression, and whilst that’s fun to watch, it’s not good in the long run, what i’m seeing here is a cocky young fighter who just got a ticket to the chocolate factory, what i’m very curious about is how he’s going to handle a dangerous striker in Imavov. imavov is a tough fighter coming out of France, and he has a very high finish rate. He is called the “Russian Sniper” but he also has garnered quite the resume of submission victories. Now, I haven’t seen a whole lot of Imavov so I am judging this off his record and the performance from Williams. This is a very big stretch, but i’m leaning on Imavov. Not a very good analytical prediction, i know, but there really isn’t a lot to say about this one, with neither fighter having fought in the UFC yet, so, an educated guess let’s say.
Imavov via Sub R2
Lightweight
Joshua Culibao (8-1-0, NS) v Charles Jourdain (10-3-0, NS) - This is a fight with “Fireworks” written all over it. Culibao might be very new to the UFC, but watching his regional fights, it’s very clear that he lets his hands go and they land with some oomph. But, this is the UFC, and the calibre of fighters in the UFC is exceptionally high, and I highly doubt that Culibao has faced anyone like Jourdain. Jourdain is a very powerful fighter, both on the ground and on the feet, and despite his recent loss against Fili, he has one significant win, and that’s over our boy, Doo Ho Choi. Now, it’s questionable how good Choi was during that fight, he did seem like a shell of his former self Either way, with the rate that Jourdain finishes his fights, it’s very clear to me that he’s as well rounded as they get, his only losses were decision losses so regardless of those losses, his fights are full of highlights. This is a fun fight and i’ve got eyes on Jourdain winning this one.
Jourdain via KO R2
Welterweight
Carlos Condit (30-13-0, 5 FWS) v Court McGee (19-9-0, 2 FLS) - You know, I've been doing these predictions for quite a while, never have I seen a 1-9 record being shown on Tapology, 0-5 for Condit, and 1-4 for McGee, just thought I'd bring that up before I talk about this bout. There is no doubt in my mind that Condit has been a veteran of the sport, he has fought the who's who of the division and for the most part, gotten out of that fight with a victory. But recently, or, well, since 2016, and there has been very little sign of Condit bouncing back. Now, i’m sure this is attributed to the fact that the UFC is extremely fast moving with its up and coming talent. Condit is clearly on his way out, it’s extremely hard to bounce back from a 5 fight losing streak and I don’t see how he’s going to fight this one. Condit was an excellent, scrappy fighter who always got into these violent brawls, but there is one interesting tidbit I would like to tell you all about, the takedowns. In all of his fights in the UFC, Condit has successfully landed 10 takedowns, but he has been taken down 70 times. Now, I’m sure that’s due to the aggressive style of Condit, and those rare moments that Condit decided to take down his opponent, but I just thought that was interesting. McGee is also on a very fine line in terms of his recent performances, losing back to back against some very tough up and comes in Sean Brady and Dhiego Lima… His Brady fight was nothing but gorgeous violence and if he brings that energy into this fight against Condit, Condit might retaliate and we’ll see a classic banger, but I feel like McGee will be smarter than that, he’ll wrestle and land some solid ground and pound on Condit. Other than that, I don’t see the fight going to the distance. McGee is going to retire Condit, as hard as that is to type.
McGee via KO R1
Main Card
Middleweight
Dequan Townsend (21-11-0, 3 FLS) v Dusko Todorovic (D) (#1 Europe Balkans) (9-0-0, 9 FWS) - This is an interesting one for sure. Townsend has yet to win a fight in the UFC. In each of his fights, he has been absolutely dominated, especially in his fight against Clark. I don’t see Townsend making a comeback to be honest, and he’s coming up against an extremely talented newcomer in Todorovic. Townsend does indeed have power in his hands, but its a style issue, it’s too predictable and the easiest way to handle him is to take him down. Todorovic is an interesting debutant who at the moment is undefeated. Todorovic has been on an absolute tear in his career and just last year won a fight on DWCS, it wasn’t an insane finish but it was a fairly competitive win and just showed us that he can go all 3 rounds and be totally fine. Now, that was one year ago so it makes me wonder how he will adjust to the Fight Island training regiment, no gym, just working out in your hotel room. This is mostly an interesting fight because I’ve heard nothing but good things about Todorovic, his pace and his aggression seem to be his main selling points, and frankly I can’t wait for this fight to happen. It’s also a curiosity to see if Townsend has found himself also.
Todorovic via KO R2
Bantamweight
Kyler Phillips (7-1-0, 2 FWS) v Cameron Else (D) (10-4-0, 6 FWS) - Apparently, Else is from the BMF Ranch (According to Tapology), so that’s already a very interesting note for that fighter. Phillips had a stint in TUF Season 27 but didn’t make it very far. Since then though, he has worked hard to get back his opportunity to be in the UFC, and on his debut, he absolutely put on an excellent performance against Gabriel Silva. The incredible pace and the ability to just keep his opponent guessing with his very creative striking. He’s always moving and he’s always throwing everything, never the same punch, never the same kick, always something different, and that’s going to be key to many victories coming forward. However, he is still very green and he’s fighting a slightly more experienced fighter in Else. Else has a 100% finish rate and whilst that’s incredible to see, it makes me wonder how he’ll handle a 3 round fight, as he has never gone past round 2. Phillips is a very active striker so if Else can handle the pace and counter Phillips, he has a chance. But, I have never seen Else fight before, and I’m not too sure if him fighting out of the BMF Ranch (that is, if it’s true) is a good idea. We only know of one decent fighter to come out of there, and that’s its creator Donald Cerrone. So, it’s definitely going to be an interesting fight. I’m not sure who is going to win this one but i’m leaning on Phillips.
Phillips via UD
Women’s Bantamweight
Germaine De Randamie (#1) (9-4-0, NS) v Julianna Pena (#7) (9-3-0, NS) - These rankings make very little sense, well, they make sense but it’s just ridiculous, and probably shows how constipated the division is. De Randamie is one of the best kickboxers in the division, she is a very experienced competitor and has always put on a striking clinic against her opponent, even Amanda Nunes. The only thing she has to worry about is competition catching up to her, lucky for her though, she’s not facing a super dangerous opponent, the only thing she’s facing is time, she’s getting up there in age and whilst at the moment there’s no signs of slowing down, there are signs of competition catching up. Pena is an infrequent fighter who is coming back after an almost two year hiatus (i’ve used that word a lot this post), and I’m not too sure how she’s going to fare against GDR. Her only real way of winning is to wrestle, and Pena is a fairly adept wrestler and that’s all she will have against GDR. Will she land takedowns? Maybe, maybe not, but ultimately this comes down to the barebones, basics of MMA matchups, a striker versus a grappler, and I wholeheartedly believe that GDR will absolutely outstrike Pena.
De Randamie via KO R3
Co-Main Event
Heavyweight
Yorgan De Castro (6-1-0, NS) v Carlos Felipe (8-1-0, NS) - I don’t know why this is the Co-Main and the previous one isn’t. De Castro is a very one dimensional fighter, and has only one decent thing going for him, and that’s his power, other than that he’s not exactly a well rounded Martial Artist, he’s just a big boy with big hands that land hard. His performance against Greg Hardy was very questionable, he didn’t retaliate after round 2, he kinda just froze and didn’t do anything, and whilst Hardy is indeed a powerful brawler, De Castro had the slight edge in technique, yet still didn’t do much. That makes me question his abilities coming into this bout. Now, i’m not saying he’s gonna freeze against Felipe, but if he does then that’s just not a great look for him. His only highlight was that knockout against Tafa, and that was a year ago. It would have been incredible to see him knock out Hardy but it just didn’t happen. Felipe had a relatively rough debut against Spivak a couple of months ago, and it was clear to me that he needed to work on his ground game, he didn’t even show any defences or know-how to defend said takedowns… I get it, Spivak is a really good grappler, but he should have come in more prepared. Felipe is very similar to Yorgan De Castro in terms of fighting style, they’re both powerful punches, so I fully expect them to clash many times in the Octagon, I don’t expect either fighter to show off style or flair when they strike, it’s going to be a bar brawl, and frankly I don’t know who is going to win. I’m leaning on Felipe, but for no particular reason, it’s literally a coin toss in my opinion. I could be wrong and according to Tapology, i’ll be a part of the 12% who think Felipe is going to win. So be it, bet based on your own thoughts on this one haha.
Felipe via KO R2
Main Event
Women’s Bantamweight
Holly Holm (#2) (13-5-0, NS) v Irene Aldana (#3) (12-5-0, 2 FWS) - I swear to fucking god, if Dana White, or any MMA Media pundit or even the promo’s say “She knocked out Ronda Rousey” I’m gonna fucking scream. Holm has lost all 5 fights in the UFC, Tate, Shevchenko, GDR, Cyborg and Nunes, all of them are, and were champs. Holm had her time in the limelight, and since her fight against Rousey, she has been the UFC’s super star in WMMA, but it’s clear to me that she’s no longer in her prime. Holm is an excellent kickboxer and has a great cardio, she’s built for a 5 round fight, and numerous times, she’s gone all 5 rounds, and despite her losses, she’s always shown heart and the ability to just keep moving and keep fighting, she’s never looked defeated mentally, she’s never given in to pressure, but she has lost some dominating fights, almost all of them were championship fights, and I don’t know what the UFC is planning for her after this, if she wins, she fights Nunes, then loses again. With that said though, I don’t think she’s winning this one. It’s time for the younger generation to step up and take the throne. Aldana is one of the toughest and most talented fighters who hasn’t fought for the belt yet, With 6.16 strikes landed per minute on average, she has become one of the most dominant strikers to step up to the occasion and her rise to the title has been nothing short of beautiful. The combo’s and pressure she puts on her opponent is dangerous and something you really need to see. In almost all of her fights, she has thrown 200+ strikes, not necessarily landing them all, but just imagine that amount of pressure coming at you for three, long, gruelling rounds. That would break any opponent, and I feel like Holm will be on the receiving end of said pressure. See, holm is great at distance and when she’s in control of the striking exchanges, but Aldana is great everywhere, she adjusts to the range, changes up angles and just goes crazy. It’s truly a beautiful thing to see and I can’t wait to see it this weekend. I got Aldana on this one.
Aldana via KO R4
And that's it!
Thank you for reading, i sincerely apologise if it's not my best work, there's just, not a lot going on in this card.
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With that said and done, I hope everyone has a beautiful week, take care of yourselves, feel free to start a conversation down below, i'm more than happy to have a chat!
Take care and much love.
o/