So I was checking out the height:reach for both Whittaker and Cannoneer since they're fighting each other in a little over a week's time. Always knew Bobby had short arms, but his height:reach (in cm cuz I'm from RestOfTheWorldland) is 180:184 while Cannoneer's is 180:193. It's already insane that such short guys fight at 84kg (185lb), but the reach disparity is also crazy. Anyone know any other successful fighters with short arms? By short, I'd say maybe less than or equal to 1.02x height. PS. Artem isn't an MMA fighter anymore
Pacers • PG - Malcolm Brogdon • SG - Victor Oladipo • SF - Justin Holiday • PF - T.J. Warren • C - Myles Turner Heat • PG - Goran Dragic • SG - Duncan Robinson • SF - Jimmy Butler • PF - Jae Crowder • C - Bam Adebayo
Injuries
Pacers • Jeremy Lamb - Out (Torn Left ACL) • Domantas Sabonis - Out (Plantar Fasciitis, Left Foot) Heat • Jae Crowder - Questionable (Left Ankle Sprain) • Andre Iguodala - Questionable (Left Hip Soreness) • Derrick Jones Jr. - Questionable (Left Ankle Sprain) • Chris Silva - Questionable (Left Groin Strain) • KZ Okpala - Out (Personal Reasons) • Gabe Vincent - Out (Right Shoulder Sprain)
UFC Fight Night Covington v Woodley Fight Predictions
Hello! I hope everyone is doing well, and is healthy :) I am not super sure how many fights will drop out, but the rule of thumb in my opinion is "If a fighter drops out, and there's a replacement, bet on the staying fighter" so basically if it's x versus y, and y get's the Rona and drops out, and z substitutes, go for x. that's some MMA Algebruh. Also, one of the best fight nights of this year confirmed? (c) - Champ (D) - Debut FLS - Fight Lose Streak FWS - Fight Win Streak NS - No Streak (#x) - Rank in Division Lets go! Prelims Welterweight Miguel Baeza (9-0-0, 9 FWS) v Jeremiah Wells (D) (#1 Pennsylvania) (8-2-0, 2 FWS) - Wells is coming in as a late replacement. Baeza took on Matt Brown earlier this year, and if you know Matt Brown, then you know that he’s no easy fight, but from the start to the finish Baeza picked apart Brown easily, with effective leg kicks and very fast blitzes. IT was power versus speed and precision and Baeza is incredibly fast with his punches. Baeza is no doubt a very interesting prospect and he’s probably going to make short work against Wells, who is coming in without a full camp. Wells is making his debut coming off a fairly decent streak in CFFC, he’s clearly well rounded and has a decent ground game, so he might have to take a safe route and look for takedowns to eliminate any offensive that Baeza will certainly give on the feet. I don’t know all that much about Wells so i’ll be treating him as a regular debutant up until his fight where I get to see how well he does. But for now, I got Baeza on this one. Baeza via KO R2 Flyweight Tyson Nam (19-11-1, NS) v Jerome Rivera (D) (10-2-0, 3 FWS) - Nam is coming off a career saving win over Adashev just over two months ago via a very early round KO and boy was it beautiful. Countered off a leg kick, straight down the line, hitting the target perfectly. Nam is experienced, having just over 30 professional fights, whilst he has had a rough time in the UFC so far, he still hasn’t been finished. Nam has excellent kickboxing and he has fairly fancy footwork, he’s very flowy and has pretty decent power in his hands. I’m not too sure how good his ground game is because throughout his three fights in the UFC, his opponents have not taken him down and judging from the fact that he has 1 submission win in his career, it makes me wonder if Rivera will instigate a chess match on the ground and eventually get the upper hand since Rivera has 7 submissions under his belt. Rivera is coming off a fairly decent win on DWCS, and as i said just words ago, he seems to be a submission specialist with the proclivity to take his opponents down and work for a submission finish there. I don’t know how good Nam is on the ground so I can’t be confident that Nam will be fine. If Rivera can avoid the hands of Nam (and this is Flyweight so, you gotta be fast to avoid anything) then he might get the advantage, but I don’t fully know. This is a tough call and I think Nam is more than experienced enough to get ready for Rivera and up his takedown defence. So, yeah i’ll go with Nam but it’s not a super safe prediction. Nam via KO R1 Featherweight Darrick Minner (24-11-0, NS) v TJ Laramie (D) (#1 Canada) (12-3-0, 4 FWS) - Minner is coming back after a rough debut against Grant Dawson back in March, and whilst it wasn’t an action packed fight, Minner still has an exceptional ground game, with 21 submission wins in regional promotions, he was just simply outclassed by a better grappler. Minner has had an exclusive background in MMA and considering he’s still fairly young, he’s got a lot of mileage ahead and he seems to be a better grappler if we’re looking at submissions alone, but Laramie showed fairly decent offensive ground game during his DWCS, where he absolutely dominated the first and only round in his fight against Swain with excellent pressure and strong ground and pound, but he did get caught in two submission attempts which makes me think he might have trouble if Minner catches him in a submission. Surprisingly, according to Tapology, 84% think Laramie is going to win, but I wouldn’t pull that trigger that quickly. I’m taking a ballsy pick here and i’m gonna back my man Minner for this one. I could be wrong though so bet at your own discretion. Minner via Sub R2 Bantamweight Andre Ewell (16-6-0, NS) v Irwin Rivera (10-5-0, NS) - This is a fun one. Ewell is a very well rounded fighter who is on a win loss cycle at the moment but he is still an incredibly dangerous, scrappy fighter who has pretty decent boxing. Ewell is coming in with a fairly large reach advantage of 7 inches so he’s most likely going to be working some jabs and great lateral movement. Ewell hasn’t had a finish in the UFC but i'm sure it’ll come soon enough. Rivera is a mad animal, he was incredibly entertaining when fighting Chikadze, and he was in a very competitive bout against AlQaisi, it seems like he;s still finding his footing though, and he’s still a developing fighter. Rivera has power and speed behind him and if he can get inside the range of Ewell and land some solid shots to the midsection, he can shut down the movement of Ewell very quickly. I don’t know about you, but I got Rivera on this one. Rivera via KO R3 Bantamweight Randy Costa (5-1-0, NS) v Journey Newson (9-2-0, NS) - Costa is coming off a significant knockout late last year over Boston Salmon, and it was a violent fight up until that point, Costa is a very powerful striker, but he isn’t a very clean one, he’ll throw everything but land with little efficiency. It’s not a pretty style but it’s a style that hurts. He’s only two fights deep in his UFC career though so I suspect his striking diversity will only improve because he’s a solid fighter. Newson is the devil himself, how dare he smoke the nasty green stuff and win a fight, that’s straight up blasphemous. Newson is a dangerous striker, with a sharp right hand that slept Pilarte with one clean punch, it was beautiful and just showcased how accurate Newson can be. He’s in a similar position as Costa, having only two fights in the UFC and both are developing fighters, so this is certainly an interesting match up for two young fighters who are fairly new to MMA and especially the high level competitions that the UFC hosts. I feel like if Costa can manage the distance and keep Newson at bay, he’ll be able to get a win, I’m just not sure if it will be via KO or UD, let’s stick to the safer side and go UD. Costa via UD Women’s Bantamweight Sarah Alpar (D) (#1 Oklahoma) (9-4-0, 3 FWS) v Jessica-Rose Clark (9-6-0, 2 FLS) - This is a relatively okay fight, but I don’t have a whole lot to say about it. Alpar has won her contract via DWCS last year I believe, and it was a great performance, but I still don’t know a lot about her, so i’m gonna pay extra attention to her during this bout. She seems fairly well rounded but I suppose we will see where the kinks in her armour is during this fight. Clark is on a rough losing streak and even prior to her losing streak she really didn’t stand out too much, she’s not going to be a champion any time soon but that isn’t to say she shouldn’t be fighting, because boy can she scrap. She’s got a decent kickboxing game and is alright in the clinch, but she doesn’t excel anywhere but I suspect she might get the punches in sooner due to her reach advantage, but we’ll see. I got Clark on this one, not a popular choice I know but I want to see how Alpar can handle this fight. Clark via UD Flyweight Jordan Espinosa (15-7-0, NS) v David Dvorak (18-3-0, 14 FWS) - I tell ya what, that streak is nasty! Espinosa had an outstanding and dominant performance over Mark De La Rosa. His pace and his accuracy with those strikes were on point, those takedowns added onto the brutal pace and aggression that De La Rosa simply could not handle. This was an outstanding turnaround considering he was on a short losing streak. Espinosa is an exceptionally well rounded fighter who has very fast hands with excellent in and out movement, and when you combine excellent foot movement with the striking speed that Espinosa has, you get a dangerous, dangerous fighter in that cage. Dvorak is on a very significant streak right now, 13 of those 14 came via finish so he’s a highlight reel that’s only going to make more highlights in this fight because it’s a perfect match up. Dvorak is only one fight deep in the UFC but considering how young he is, he’s got an exceptionally bright future ahead of him, and if he breaks through the barrier that is Espinosa, he’s in the spotlight. Dvorak needs to use his grappling because it’s too risky to strike against a brilliant striker like Espinosa. If Dvorak can wrestle and maintain control, or even get into a position easily enough to get a submission, he’s got it. This is a great fight and you can’t miss it, as for who is going to win, it depends on the game plan of each fighter, but from what I can see, Dvorak has much more tools at his disposal. Dvorak via Sub R2 Women’s Flyweight Mayra Bueno Silva (6-1-0, NS) v Mara Romero Borella (12-8-0, 3 FLS) - I don’t have a lot to say about this one either. Silva is a submission specialist coming off a battle of a fight when she fought Maryna Moroz, and it showcased that she is willing to trade with the significantly better striker, but where Silva is absolutely dominant is on the ground, she’s an excellent submission artist, with a recent armbar submission in the very first round against Gillian Robertson. She’s dangerous on the ground and if Borella lets her, she’s gonna snatch a limb and just take it with her to the 9th circle of hell. Speaking of Borella, she has lost 4 of her last 5, with a split decision win stopping her from being kicked off the roster. She’s not a very exciting fighter in my opinion, she doesn’t push any pace or react to any action, she seems like fodder, and I hope that’s not the case because i don’t want to talk bad about her any more than I currently am, but you guys know I can be brutally honest sometimes. I have Silva in this fight, but I do hope that Borella has upped her game a bit. Silva via Sub R1 Main Card Middleweight Kevin Holland (18-5-0, 2 FWS) v Darren Stewart (12-5-0, NS) - This… This is a beautiful, beautiful fight. Holland is on my list for being one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC at the moment. He’s a trash talker, he’s a dangerous, dangerous fighter, and his wide variety of techniques and unorthodox, nearly unseen moves are simply something you cannot miss, Holland is a phenom in this Division, regardless of who is currently the champ, Holland is up there in my opinion. The way he knocked out Buckley? Picturesque. He’s coming in at a 7 inch reach advantage and he certainly knows how to use it. Stewart proved me wrong when he fought against Pitolo, he absolutely dominated the fight and sinked in a great guillotine that effectively ended the fight. Stewart doesn’t give a fuck when he fights, he’s violent and has great forward pressure when he throws down, he’s throwing to kill and if it lands on Holland then he’s in trouble. Luckily for Holland, Holland has a great fight IQ and probably can avoid everything. This is a violent fight, and I love this match up a whole lot. The Dentist versus Trailblazer? Fuck yeah. Holland via KO R3 Women’s Strawweight Mackenzie Damn (8-1-0, NS) v Randa Markos (#15) (10-8-1, NS) - Alright I just need to say this, and it’s probably odd of me to say, but does Markos’s record make anyone think “huh that’s not a normal record at all”, like, the losses are whatever but that one draw makes the record look a bit off… Maybe i’m just tired, anyway. Dern is a well known master of BJJ, she has won so many BJJ events and she has no doubt become such a role model for many young BJJ practitioners out there. Dern is insanely good on the ground, but that really doesn’t need to be said, does it? What does need to be said, is she’s going to finish Markos quicker than my kettle can boil, I mean, no disrespect to Markos because she’s had some significant wins but I don’t see her getting the upper hand when this fight goes to the ground. The difference here might be in the striking department, but because neither of these fighters are excellent strikers, it’s hard to say who has the advantage on the feet. I don’t know what else I can say, I have Dern on this one. Dern via Sub R2 Light Heavyweight Johnny Walker (#10) (17-5-0, 2 FLS) v Ryan Spann (#13) (18-5-0, 8 FWS) - Feels odd to see Walker on a 2 fight losing streak when only just last year he was crowned to be the one to destroy Jones. Walker has had it rough recently, losing to an excellent grappler in Krylov and prior to that being knocked out by Anderson. There is no doubt in my mind that Walker is coming into this fight with a new mindset, sure he’ll be entertaining still, but he’s going to be putting a much larger focus on the fighting aspect of well, fighting, and not the highlight reel aspect. Walker has power, that statement has been repeated so many times, but it’s true, he’s a dangerous striker when he lands. In 3 of his wins, he has only landed a shot 21 times. Whilst that’s impressive, that isn’t enough, it only showcases his power, not his longevity, and if you’re fighting an endurance athlete like Spann, you need to jog that marathon. Walker is going to have to take his time with this one and use his aggression and forward momentum to shut down Spann’s excellent boxing, back Spann up into the cage walls and shut off any lateral movement Spann will use to get out of danger. Spann has an excellent stand up game, his boxing and his timing are impeccable and he has the clean style that will allow him to slowly pick apart Walker. Now, what I do see happening is Walker gets hit with a clean right, stumbles, does some acrobatic stuff, then goes back into range to keep the pace going. This is going to be an explosive fight and we’re going to hear a lot of leather being landed. No cows were harmed in the process. This is a fun fight, and I feel like Walker is coming in as a different fighter. He has to, there’s no other way to adapt, look at Blachowicz and Reyes, top of the game and their striking isn’t particularly stylish. I got Walker on this one. Walker via KO R2 Middleweight Khamzat Chimaev (8-0-0, 8 FWS) v Gerald Meerschaert (31-13-0, NS) - There’s something I would like to quote from Iron Man 2. “If you can make God bleed, people would cease to believe in Him.” There is something that kinda irks me about Chimaev, and let it be known early that I am not pushing him aside as another “hype train about to be derailed”, but the fact that Dana White made two fights ahead of time for Chimaev is proof that people are only seeing his wins, and not his potential losses. If I get this prediction wrong, and you all know for a fact I might, then Chimaev is the real deal, but so far with his last two performances, i’m honestly not as impressed as many of you might be. Chimaev is an evolution in MMA, early on in his career, he has implemented everything you can in MMA into his game, and the fact that he fought twice in a month is nothing short of beautiful, he’s a hard worker and an even harder fighter to fight. His wrestling is at an elite level and his ground and pound absolutely smothers his opponents, but everyone has their kryptonite, and let me tell you about GM3. Meerschaert may have a rocky record in the UFC, but the fact that he has 23 submission victories, that is almost 3 times the amount of wins that Chimaev currently has, is proof that many people are overlooking Meerschaert, and that breaks my heart just a little bit because Meerschaert is being tossed aside like a used condom by so many pundits out there. Do not sleep on Meerschaert, in fact, don’t sleep on anyone, it’s rude and if you’re super fat you could actually kill that person. I can see Meerschaert struggling with the top pressure of Chimaev but a great grappler survives and finds an opening, and I feel like Meerschaert will do exactly that, survive then shut the fuck up every motherfucker that overlooked him. Alright that’s enough passion for now, this isn’t a romance novel. I got Meerschaert on this but bet at your own discretion. Meerschaert via Sub R2 Co-Main Event Welterweight Donald Cerrone (36-15-0, 4 FLS) v Niko Price (14-4-0, NS) - You know, I get very anxious when I watch Cerrone fight, I have watched Cerrone for a very long time, and right now, as much as it’s hard for me to say this, but he’s looking a lot like BJ Penn right now. Such a hard record to look at right now. Cerrone’s coach has said he is sparring now, and that’s an interesting thing to hear, and it just makes me curious about how he’s going to perform, he could be Cerrone 3.0, the Cerroniest Cerrone we’ll ever see. Cerrone has always been an incredibly good kickboxer, he doesn’t have a specific style, but that’s what makes him special, he makes what he has, work. A survivalist in a sport in which you only have about 5 good years before it turns to shit, Cerrone has adapted and changed the game many times now, and i’m intrigued to see how he’s going to manage Niko Price's pressure and striking, we could see some excellent BJJ work from him, but it’s Cerrone so really, who knows. Price is a man of insane power and athleticism, he has a very high finishing rate, in fact he has never taken a decision win or loss, it’s always been a finish, he’s a highlight reel and you most likely remember him from his comical knockout against James Vick, that upkick was beautiful and just shows the offensive that Price has, he throws his give-a-fucks out the window and is always ready to put on an excellent performance. This fight is interesting and I’m not sure who is going to win, I’m currently leaning on Price, because how big of an improvement can Cerrone make by adding sparring to one camp? So, yeah, as much as it breaks my heart, I got Price on this one. Price via KO R2 Main Event Welterweight Colby Covington (#2) (15-2-0, NS) v Tyron Woodley (#6) (19-5-1, 2 FLS) - If you told me that this fight was free for Fight Pass users, I wouldn’t believe you, especially if this was back in early 2019 where Woodley was still champ. Covington is the definition of chaos, he certainly lives up to his nickname because he brings chaos wherever he goes. He managed to survive and even give some trouble against Usman in their outstanding 5 round fight. I swear just watching those two cardio machine fighters made me lose maybe two kilo’s. Covington has a swarming style, he’s going to throw volume but not necessarily power, his main goal is to just break his opponents spirit, he’s done that to Robbie Lawler, I mean shit, he’s done it to everyone he fought. Hate him or love him, Covington is a championship level fighter. Woodley is having a rough time at the moment, losing back to back twice in very similar fashion, up against the fence, getting beat up. That was his biggest issue with both fights, he was defeated before being defeated. Accepting his position and doing nothing about it. Woodley is more than capable of getting his belt back, but he needs to do something this time to make a statement, he currently has what feels like one foot out of the door, he needs to shove that sucker back in because he’s got one good run left in him. Woodley has a vicious, vicious nuke of a right hand and he needs to use it this time. He’s got a desert eagle but doesn’t have the ammo. He needs to make his back somehow allergic to the fence, because once Colby has you against the fence, it’s game over for that round. I’m gonna get laughed at for this, but I got Woodley this time. Woodley via KO R3 Woo that was a big one. I hope you all have a beautiful week, lets start a conversation down below, share your thoughts on this card, give feedback, etc. If you would like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @Slayer_Tip or if you want, add me on discord and we can have a super friendly chat about all things MMA: Slayertip#7013 Also, i'm gonna ask for something probably asshole-ish and I want your opinion on it, I have been thinking about leaving a paypal link if anyone wishes to donate to me, i'm currently in the process of building a home gym (that is, punching bag, exercise bike and other misc stuff) I'm not gonna shove these "pls give me money" down your throat, if you don't want to see it, please let me know and i'll wipe that idea off the table faster than a couple that wants to fuck on said table. I fully understand it's tough times right now for every single one of you, especially those affected by the fires on the west coast... My heart goes out to you and I have donated a total of 95 dollars to various charities and food banks, Aussies know fires all too well, and we send all of our love to those affected. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this prediction post, take care out there. much love!
As per usual, expect these things to change by the start of the new season, especially if a new forward is signed. As a guide, (?) means that the player is in the Manchester City squad but not in the game and (??) means that the player is a rumored signing for the Sky Blues. TLDR: De Bruyne and maybe Foden if you are feeling spicy. Goalkeepers: Ederson (£6.0): Although the city stopper claimed his first golden glove for the club since Joe Hart, he still returned his lowest amount of FPL points last season. At 6.0, He is still a premium goalkeeper who will likely still face problems getting points unless a player like Koulibaly is signed. Key errors in games such as the Manchester United and Lyon illustrate that Ederson is not 100% trustworthy. However, a more direct approach from Guardiola can benefit Ederson in terms of potential assists. Verdict: .5 too much, avoid for now but keep an eye out for him Bravo (£4.5): Not sure why he is still in the game, he's going to be off in the summer Verdict: Avoid Steffen (£?): The U.S.A. international is set to return from his loan spell in the Bundesliga. Although he impressed throughout the season, Steffen will surely be #2 to Ederson in the pecking order throughout the season. He will likely be priced at around 4.5 as well but he will only have value if Ederson goes down with an injury Verdict: Only viable if Ederson gets a long term injury Defenders: Walker (£6.0): Oh Kyle Walker. A great footballer in real life but provides questionable value regardless that he scored miles ahead of any other city defender. His spot in the starting 11 should be the most nailed on amongst outfield players next season. If City strengthens their defense, he will provide additional value with his clean sheets. A true lack of contribution in the final third hampers Walker's potential, but he will likely rank amongst the top-scoring defenders at City next season. Verdict: Too expensive for his value due to his lack of end product. Avoid Otamendi (£5.0): I bet most Manchester City fans already thought he left the club. Although he was the 2nd highest FPL scoring defender for City last year, expect him to put up a fat 0 points this season. Verdict: Avoid!!! Ake (£5.5) After Laporte's less than impressive game against Lyon in the Champions League, Ake has become a more intriguing prospect. That being said, the odds of him beating out the Frenchman to the starting left center-back position is unlikely, especially at the start of the new season. If Laporte happens to go down again with another injury, Ake would be a great player. It is also worth noting that Guardiola may deploy Ake at left-back and defensive midfielder throughout the season, but he will largely only serve a rotational purpose. Verdict: Avoid for now Mendy (£6.0): Perhaps one of the most overpriced players in the game. He recently lost his place in the starting 11 to an out of position Joao Cancelo. Mendy will likely only be a rotational left-back this season, splitting time with both Cancelo and Ake. Adding into account his injury risks and lack of consistency just makes this problem worse. Unless Mendy has a true breakout season, 6.0 is far too expensive for the leader of the Shark Team. Verdict: Mostly likely avoid all season Laporte (£6.0): The heart of our defense. Although he has a few bad games a season, he is by far the best defender at the club at this moment. An early injury ruled him out for several months and took away the possibility for a great season. This season, however, Laporte could prove to be an effective choice in the Man City backline. This is largely dependent on who will partner him come the start of the new season. Verdict: Only for those with lots of faith in City's defending. Fernandinho(£5.5): The ever-present Brazilian in the Manchester City lineup for the past few seasons may be taking a step back this season as additional competition complied with his aging limbs will likely deem Dinho fantasy irrelevant. The same price as Ake, I expect Dinho to play fewer minutes than his new teammate this season, although a greater proportion of them may be in midfield. For FPL, Dinho has never been a viable option. This season, I expect the trend to continue Verdict: Only a lunatic would pick him. Zinchenko (£5.5): Things do not look good for the Ukrainian rapper. Not only did he lose his spot to both Mendy and Cancelo, but additional competition in Ake (and in theory Angelino) will only help plummet Zinchenko's stock. As a traditional midfielder, Zinchenko may prove to have value if he gets loaned out to another team should they choose to play him further up the pitch. As for now, I wouldn't place my bets on Zinchenko to have value this season. Verdict: Look out for a potential loan. Cancelo (£5.5): Joao Cancelo. The right-back turned left-back that only recently has proven to be trusted by Pep Guardiola. Not trusted enough, however, to avoid extra competition with the signing of Ake. I expect Cancelo to start the season for Manchester City at left-back barring any new left-back signings, but I am skeptical of his ability to put up points for our fantasy teams. Verdict: Risky and expensive differential Garcia (£5.0): Before the news broke out that Garcia has desires to go back to Barcelona, I believed that the future looked bright for the young Spaniard. Garcia started in most of Manchester City's games following the resumption of the league and although he had to be babysat by Laporte in those games, he showed enough for me (and Pep) to rate him over Stones, Otamendi, and Dinho at that position. Should City fail to sign another center-back, they will likely refuse to sell him to Barcelona this transfer window. If so, he would have great potential at 5.0. Verdict: Solid investment if City keep him + Don't buy Koulibaly/Other CB Stones (£5.0): I won't go too in-depth on this one. Stones' City career is likely coming to an end unless they decide to sell Garcia and keep Stones as their 4th center back. Even so, he wouldn't produce much value. If Stones goes to another top half team in England, he could have some potential. A loan move to Arsenal could be best for both the Gunners and the Sky Blues. Verdict: Only viable if he gets a move to another top half Prem side. Angelino (£?): Quick special mention to Angelino, who will likely leave the club this summer. Verdict: Avoid Koulibaly (£??): Technically not a City player, but after City's disappointing loss to Lyon, he should surely be a Sky Blue this transfer window. If so, he could provide value along-side Laporte. At 6.0 Koulibaly would stabilize City's defense and probably play more minutes than Laporte next season. As a result, he would likely be one of City's highest-scoring defenders. Verdict: Depends on transfer and price Midfielders: De Bruyne: (£11.5): The first name on my FPL team. De Bruyne scored the most points amongst all players last season and is still priced less than some of them. The Belgian midfielder has been wonderful in his time at the Etihad and his attacking returns should only continue to be magnificent next season. With more determination than ever, and possibly another striker to assist, De Bruyne should offer amazing value next season. If you can only find room for one City player, make it KDB. Verdict: Immense value, easy pick. Sterling (£11.5): Sterling, if he could stay consistent, would have been the highest-scoring play in FPL last year. After an amazing start to the season, Sterling lost his form. Now with Sane gone and only a young Ferran Torres in to replace him, Sterling has more responsibility on his shoulders than ever before. His recent form and insane miss against Lyon may raise some red flags about the Englishman, but he should still provide the 2nd move value amongst City midfielders next season. Verdict: Less value for money than KDB, but keep an eye out for how he starts the season Mahrez (£8.5): Another player who gets trapped in Pep Roulette. Mahrez played brilliantly last season but with the emergence of Phil Foden (who likes to play out wide) and the signing of Ferran Torres, Mahrez may see another significant cut into his minutes next season. Should he start the season strong, however, he may be able to nail down a spot in Guardiola's team for the first few game weeks. Verdict: Risky differential Bernardo (£7.5): After his breakout season in 2018/19, hopes were high for Bernardo Silva. This season, however, he failed to impress and was largely omitted from the starting 11 for the games following the resumption of the league, including crucial Champions League games. With his desire to stay at Manchester City made public, Bernardo can offer amazing value-for-money if he can hit the ground running next season. The absence of David Silva now opens up the possibility of Bernardo playing centrally more often, which can only benefit the Portuguese international. Verdict: Great potential but Pep doesn't seem to trust him in big games Rodrigo (£5.5): Defensive midfielders never really provide great value in FPL. Verdict: Avoid Foden (£6.5): The English wonderkid that took the Premier League by storm following the resumption of the league looks set to fight for his chance to play consistent minutes. His start in the crucial second leg against Real Madrid further proves that Pep has confidence in the young man. If he can nail down a spot, either centrally or out on the wings, Foden can easily be the best asset to own given his price. Ambitious managers looking for a differential may look Foden's way, but that largely depends on what happens between now and the start of the season. Verdict: Could be the gem of the season, although he could also largely spend time on the bench. Gundogan (£5.5): See Rodrigo Doyle (£4.5): Tommy Doyle is an exciting young prospect but he is a few seasons away from a real impact on the first team. Verdict: Avoid Torres (£7.0): Although he has been priced relatively cheaply for a City winger, I would urge caution with it comes to the Spaniard. Guardiola will most likely use the same approach he did when bringing Sane to the squad in that he will only really fully integrate the player after the end of the 2020/2021 season. If there was no redraft every year, Torres would be a good pick, but for this upcoming season, he shouldn't have much value. Verdict: Wait for 2021/22 season Braaf (£?): Braaf may be implemented into the game later this season, but he will likely fail to have any value once he is in. Along with Torres and Doyle, Braaf is one to watch out for a few seasons down the line. Verdict: Wait a few seasons Forwards: Jesus (£9.5): A whole million cheaper than Aguero, Jesus offers a potential entryway into the City attack. However, I believe that there are better options given his price tag and his rotational with Aguero (or another striker) will likely hinder any breakout season for the Brazilian. If Jesus can improve on his end product, he will have value. As for now, however, it seems too risky to pick him given all the transfer rumors surrounding a new city striker. Verdict: Keep an eye on him, but avoid for now. Aguero (£10.5): Every year, Aguero scores an absurd number of goals given his fitness problems and rotation with Jesus. That being said, Aguero may face additional competition if City sign another forward. With 12 months left on the Argentine's contract, this may be the last season we have the forward in the game. In my opinion, his pricing makes him a huge risk this season, although I'm sure he would love to prove me wrong! Verdict: Club favorite, but may not be an elite FPL option anymore for that price. Messi (£??): Just kidding. Unless... Thanks for taking the time to look at my guide, I will be updating it over time throughout pre-season. I would greatly appreciate it if you could either upvote or leave a comment with some feedback as this is my first ever preseason guide. If you disagree with any of my comments, send me a message as I would love another viewpoint on this.
Liga NOS returns today - here is my guide for you!
Hello and welcome! As you lads might know tonight the Portuguese league returns. Yes, I know, most of you don't give a damn. But then again, football is football and right now we are probably even excited about marble races, so let's give it a try, shall we? So, to start up with here are the matches for today and tomorrow: Today Portimonense x Gil Vicente - 7pm UK Famalicao x Porto - 9.15pm UK Tomorrow: Maritimo x Vitoria FC - 6pm UK Benfica x Tondela - 7.15pm UK Vitoria SC x Sporting CP - 9.15pm UK Friday: Santa Clara x SC Braga - 7pm UK Aves x B SAD - 9.15pm UK Saturday: Boavista x Moreirense - 9.15pm UK If you want to jump to the end, check out the Liga NOS table at the moment and also some interesting curiosities about it. P.S.: NOS is the sponsorship, it's a big TV/Internet provider, but they will stop being the sponsor in 2021/22. Now a small sum up of each teams current status, hopes and expectations. 1. PORTO Porto had quite a recovery after being 7 points down on the title race, as they won to Benfica at home and saw Benfica losing against Braga and drawing against Moreirense. Then again, they could have further their lead if they hadn't dropped points against Rio Ave, but they let that one slide. + STRONG POINTS Porto's defense Alex Telles and goalkeeper Marchesin mostly, have been their best assets. Although Telles is not available for Famalicao, but if he comes back with the usual pinpoint crossing accuracy they might have gather some victories with the usual Sergio Conceicao goals: set pieces! Players to watch: Diogo Leite, Fabio Silva, Fabio Vieira, Vitor Ferreira (young blood from the UEFA Youth League victorious team) - WEAK POINTS Well, you might have figured through my nickname that I am not the biggest Sergio fan. He is not very well known to make a proper use of the youth academy and his tactics are neither productive or attractive to watch. Porto does not have the best attack or defense (Benfica holds both) and has just lost Marcano on an injury that will sideline him for 3 months. The option is to finally let Diogo Leite shine, but might be too much pressure on the youngster. Added to that, add games against Braga and Sporting to a heavy calendar and they are sure to lose some points on the way. BENFICA They are one point behind Porto, but due to the injuries of their direct rival, they might have an edge. Plus they do not have such a difficult calendar, besides trips to face Rio Ave and hosting Sporting on last matchday. + STRONG POINTS They got the best defense and attack in the league. That said, they also can rely on players that can finish with ease, like Carlos Vinicius, Rafa Silva, Pizzi, while Porto's attackers are all quite clumsy in front of goal. Players to watch: Vinicius, Florentino Luis, Ferro. - Weak Points Benfica has a strong squad but the insistence in having Seferovic upfront has brought quite some nightmares to Benfica fans, as the Swiss is not very sharp in front of goal. He has only 2 goals this season in Liga NOS (10 games) and averages 1.6 shots on goal. If Bruno Lage strategy goes through bringing Seferovic in times of need, he might be shooting blanks once again. Verdict on the title hopes: I would say Benfica will have the edge if Porto's defense crumbles under the absence of Marcano. Pepe is 37 and is injured often, so they will have to rely on Mbemba and Leite, a duo who is unexperienced and might cost points. The other teams: SC BRAGA Currently in 3rd place, 4 points ahead of Sporting, they have not lost a single game since December. Their manager Ruben Amorim arrived and left undefeated, winning to Porto, Benfica, and Sporting on the way. Sadly though, jealous Sporting down there scooped him for €10M (either the best or worst deal ever?). The new coach Custodio is not a strange face as he coached their youth squads and will likely keep the tactics and routines of Amorim, so trust in Braga to keep their 3rd place (their most challenging match will be on last day against Porto). Players to look for: Palhinha, Trincão, Paulinho, Abel Ruiz. SPORTING CP The loss of Bruno Fernandes to United in January impacted the team immensely , as they have already accounted 2 losses since then. Then the president had the brilliant idea of spending some of the cash he just got on a shiny new coach, only for corona to come up and ruin his spotlight. Well, Amorim might not have enough eggs to make omelets and Sporting should not go further than the 4th place, as they are struggling to find a player who can bring the creativity that Bruno once did. Sporar, the striker they signed in January, does seem like a good asset as a player with the same characteristics of Bas Dost. Players to watch: Jovane Cabral, Sporar, Big Dick Wendel RIO AVE Probably the best surprise of the league so far, Rio Ave have been playing very attractive football, under the command of former Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal. They haven't lost a game since 14 of January and if they stick to 5th place they might sneak into Europa League. They have less goals conceded than Sporting and SC Braga. Matches against Benfica and SC Braga probably will be the highest worries. Players to watch: Taremi, Lucas Piazon (remember him?), Borevkovic Vitoria SC To start with it's Vitoria Sport Club, not Vitoria Guimaraes. Don't trigger a vimaranense! Vitoria are 6th and close to the desired 5th place, but they got a difficult calendar ahead with matches against Porto, Benfica and Sporting. They sold Tapsoba in January and that might impact their defense, although they won 4 of their last 5 games (the only defeat was against Porto). Players to watch: Sacko, Marcus Edwards, João Carlos Teixeira (will this kid finally bloom? Wait he is 27 already, wtf!!) Famalicao Back in October I posted here an article about the Famalicao phenomenon. Well, they are still making an impressive campaign but the hype quickly faded away as they conceded defeats to their closest rivals, being thumped by Benfica and Porto. For a newly promoted team 7th place is still a feat, but they got the top 3 on their calendar so an Europa League place seems too far out the horizon for now. Jorge Mendes will have to wait for this child to grow older. Players to watch: Neuhen Perez, Gustavo Assunção, Toni Martinez Moreirense They haven't been as strong as last season, when they finished 6th under Ivo Vieira. However they haven't lost a game since January. They have already faced Benfica (1x1 draw), but they will have matches against the other 3 teams in the top 4.. Players to watch: Fabio Abreu, Patricio Rodriguez, Pedro Nuno Santa Clara - The only team from Azores in the league, has gone through some extra sporting issues, but they have a complicated calendar with matches against 5 of the top 6. They haven't won any of their last 3 games, so they might drop some positions. They should be safe from relegation by now, though. Players to watch: Lincoln, Osama Rashid, Fabio Cardoso. Gil Vicente Guided by the veteran coach Vitor Pereira, the team from Barcelos has already played the top 3, so they got an easier calendar ahead. They have only lost one game in the last 5 matches (0-1 against Benfica) and they got a better attack than the opponents below (25 goals). Players to watch: Lourency, Lima, Kraev. Boavista They were a serious case of success in the beginning of the season, being mostly unbeaten. However, somehow they went through a managerial change (even though their coach Lito Vidigal had 18 points in 14 points) and since the appointment of Daniel Ramos they have struggled. They have 3 losses in the last 5 games and they might risk being relegation threatened if they don't get their shit together. Players to watch: Helton Leite (GK), Heriberto Tavares, Marlon Vitoria FC The other Vitoria, this one is called Futebol Clube but is from Setubal, south from Lisbon. They are coached by Spanish manager Julio Velasquez. They got only 2 points in the last month, but if it serves as consolation one of those points was against Benfica. Also, they already played the top 3 teams, so the calendar is on their favor. Don't fuck up sadinos! Players to watch: Mirko Antonucci (remember this guy Roma fans?), Tofol Montiel, Brian Mansilla Belenenses SAD Well, this is the only team who probably does not mind playing under closed doors, as this is the only way they can equal their opponents on fans. If you haven't heard about the Belenenses division interesting read here Anyway, they ere doing fine before the interruption and didn't lose any of the last 4 games. They have to face Porto and Braga still, but they should be safe from relegation (even though I wouldn't mind they dropped). Players to watch: Koffi (GK), Cassierra, Marco Matias (where are my Sheffield Wednesday fans at?) and Cafu Phete (for the South Africans out there!). Tondela This is a mystery for me, as this team always struggles but ends up being saved at last call. You know, like Sunderland years ago (so I guess when Tondela finally drops dark times wait for them: Tondela Until I Die?). They are coached by Spaniard Natxo Gonzalez and they had a pretty good season start being 6th, now dropping until 14th. They failed to win a game in the last 5 matches and they got the top 4 all in their calendar. Stay strong Tondela fans, hold up your buttcheeks together. Players to watch: Claudio Ramos (GK - seriously, how is this guy still not in a better team?), Jhon Murillo (FIFA legend), Fahd Moufi. Maritimo Edging close to the relegation zone is Maritimo, who somehow has the player with most successful take ons on all the league (Zainadine Jr), yet seem to be struggling anyway. 3 defeats in a row in their last 3 matches with games in hand against 5 of the top 6 will test the team from Madeira. Won't be surprised if they get back to Segunda Liga. Players to watch: Zainadine Junior (again, how is this guy not in a better team?), Daizen Maeda, Xadas (what happened to you mate?) Paços de Ferreira After 14 rounds on the relegation zone they finally saw the light to get out of the hole. Paços future might be positive as they got 6 points out of the last 5 games and they played Benfica already. A match against Portimonense who is just below might be a decider on who gets down and who stays up. Players to watch: Pedrinho, Tanque, Eustaquio (Canadian international!) Portimonense If you were expecting to see two teams from Algarve in the league next season and see some more Primeira Liga games while you are on Spring Break on Portimao... it might not happen. Farense did get promoted, but their counterpart Portimonense are edging by a thread. They got 5 points in the last 4 months so future seems dark. Players to watch: Jackson Martinez (he is likely to retire after this season), Mohanad Ali, Koki Anzai, Marlos Moreno (wonder where this guy had been?) Aves Well finally, if you thought Portimonense was doomed to drop, well what can we say about bottom placed Aves? Not only they are dead last, they also have some problems leaving due to owing them salaries. Their calendar contemplates matches against Porto, Benfica and Braga, so betting on them to drop seems like easy money. And thinking that not so long ago this team won the Portuguese Cup! Players to watch: Mehrdad Mohammadi, Adam Dźwigała. That's it lads. If you want to give some support and read further in depth on the league return click here Wish you some good games and might the odds be in your favor. Also fuck you Sergio Conceiçao!
Chelsea kicked off the new campaign with a 3:1 away victory over Brighton. Although they haven’t been so convincing as it might seem just by looking at the result, the Blues converted their chances and booked three points. Frank Lampard’s side still has some troubles in defense, and they should need to address them as soon as possible. They have conceded too many times last season, or to be more precise, 54 times, and if Chelsea wants to challenge the top spot, they cannot afford that luxury. The hosts were very active in the transfer window as they signed some top-class players. Kai Havertz, Thiago Silva, Benjamin Chilwell, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech should help the home side to be more competitive in the title battle. However, many of them will be out of the squad for this match due to injuries. Christian Pulisic will also be sidelined, and that is going to be a major blow for Chelsea. Liverpool opened the season with a win over Leeds United in a fantastic match that finished 4:3. The visitors were totally out of focus in their defensive tasks, and the newly-promoted Leeds United managed to score three times at Anfield. Thanks to Mo Salah and his hat-trick, Liverpool avoided the first hiccup in the campaign. It was noticeable that Alexander-Arnold struggles with his form, which might be one of the points that Chelsea can exploit. The Reds were pretty quiet in the transfer window as they signed only Konstantinos Tsimikas, who should be a hot prospect. We will see how Jurgen Klopp’s side will perform in the second derby match in the season, after losing against Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction
It is going to be a very tight clash in which both sides have chances to remain undefeated. We believe that both teams will pick up a point from this clash, and it should end in a draw.
Goals Market Prediction
The attaching potential of these two teams is immense. If we consider their poor defensive displays lately, it can only mean that we should see an efficient clash. We think neither of the sides will keep their net intact. Draw @ 3.75 BTTS Yes @ 1.55 Correct score 2:2 @ 13.00 Read the analysishereand share your opinion with us!
[Next-Day Discussion Thread] Atalanta 1-2 PSG (UEFA Champions League - Quarterfinals)
Alright, yesterday I created a quick match thread to calm down the increasing flow of new redditors on the sub, we went up to 3,598 online users on the subreddit at some point... So today, let's have a serious, interesting and calm discussion about what happened during the game yesterday.
Paris were so nearly the first to land a blow, Neymar racing clear in the third minute only to slot wide with just Marco Sportiello to beat. Atalanta soon found their feet, with Hans Hateboer’s back-post header – smartly saved by Keylor Navas – serving notice of their growing intent. La Dea’s ascendancy was rewarded before the half-hour when Duván Zapata played the ball neatly into the path of Mario Pašalić, whose first-time effort from just inside the penalty area arced perfectly past Navas. Paris carved relatively little out of their superior possession for much of the second half, at least until the 90th minute when Neymar squared for Marquinhos to tap in from close range. Crestfallen, Gian Piero Gasperini's side had barely caught their breath when substitute Kylian Mbappé raced down the left and crossed for fellow replacement Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to help himself to an added-time winner.
In the end it took £400m of attacking talent, 93 minutes of increasingly frantic football, and a man who mustered up five goals in a single year at Stoke to wrench a thrilling Champions League quarter-final the way of Paris Saint-Germain. It had to be Neymar, one way or another. The world’s most expensive footballer had played for much of the game like a man trapped inside another kind of storyline, finding space fluently but shooting at goal like a man wearing wooden clogs. Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta underdogs had played with familiar verve to lead 1-0 with 90 minutes already up. At which point PSG’s labouring star machine finally found some relief. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, on as a 79th-minute substitute, swung a fine cross into the box, and the ball was deflected in off a combination of an Atalanta defender and Marquinhos. Three minutes later, with extra time looming, Neymar played an extraordinary, high-pressure pass, taking the ball in a small space outside the area, freezing the moment, then sliding the ball inside José Palomino to meet the run of Kylian Mbappé. His low cross was equally precise. Choupo-Moting turned the ball into the net to set up a semi-final with either RB Leipzig or Atlético Madrid next Tuesday. Atalanta will remain the wider story and not just because of another stirring show from this high-intensity team of low-cost parts. A Champions League quarter-final represents an all-time high, albeit one that will be coloured by other emotions. The horrors of March in Bergamo are well-documented. This is a region still processing its grief. Freewheeling success on the football field is not a fix or a balm for this kind of real-life pain. But all things considered, it is not a bad place to start. The other story is, of course, Neymar, and a step into fresh territory for Thomas Tuchel’s version of that oddly brittle PSG star vehicle. Neymar remains, for all the outstanding moments, an object of some frustration among those baffled by the choice to move at his peak to an environment as lukewarm as Ligue 1. And yet, Neymar did deliver and did so when his team needed it most. There are stronger opponents in the draw but not many better attacks, with Mbappé likely also to be fit for the next round. The Estádio da Luz had provided an agreeably haunting stage for the latest instalment of midsummer Covid-bal. The late evening kick-off meant Lisbon was at least mercifully cool, a step down from the predicted mid-August firepit. Atalanta had Marco Sportiello in goal, with Josip Ilicic absent for domestic reasons. PSG were without Ángel Di María and Marco Verratti, with Mbappé on the bench. The action was frantic from the start. It took Neymar two minutes to produce an astonishing miss, running in on goal unimpeded from the centre circle, then shanking the ball five yards wide of the right-hand post. Unconcerned by their own suicidally high defensive line, Atalanta set about besieging the PSG end. With 10 minutes gone Hans Hateboer drew a clawing save from Keylor Navas and the game settled into a series of crisp, direct Atalanta attacks, broken up by the occasional white-shirted counter. For a while that powerful PSG midfield began to dictate its more stately rhythms but it was Atalanta who took the lead. Duván Zapata found space just outside the box, tumbling over as the ball ran on to Mario Pasalic. His first-time shot zinged into the top corner. The response was familiarly staccato. Neymar produced a nutmeg on Pasalic then pinged a shot just wide. Otherwise Atalanta held their high line and swarmed around the ball, their combinations zippy and urgent where PSG seemed to be playing through a midsummer haze. Neymar had time before the break to miss another presentable chance, blasting miles over the bar after seizing on a terrible pass from Hateboer and sending Tuchel into mild frenzy in his dugout. Tuchel has something agreeably pale and gaunt about him at the best of times, striding about the touchline looking like a sad-eyed victorian wraith. In Lisbon, left leg encased in a surgical boot, he could be seen shielding his brow and flinching in horror at times in that first half. Mbappé, his remaining ace, was sent out to warm up at the interval. And PSG did start with more purpose after the break. Neymar continued to find space but still lacked any sense of edge. A low free-kick on 50 minutes was his fourth shot at goal, his third off target. With 31 minutes to play Mbappé was on, replacing Pablo Sarabia. His impact was instant, a series of surges down the left offering a threat where PSG had been reliant on Neymar’s twists and spins. Atalanta flooded that side, surrounding Mbappé with five defenders at times. It looked like being enough, right up until that extraordinary ending.
Nerazzurri ahead 1-0 until the 90', then the mockery: Marquinhos' draw and Choupo-Moting's overtaking goal. The Parisians went to the semi-finals and Mbappé's entry was decisive. Players in tears over an incredible result, unbelievable stuff. Atalanta lost 2-1 on PSG, killing the minutes from 90 minutes (Marquinhos' goal) to 93 minutes, when Choupo-Moting signed the overtaking after Pasalic's great goal at 27 minutes of the first half. The Champions League quarter-finals speak French, in the semi-finals Tuchel's team will go there and now await the winner of Leipzig-Atletico Madrid, on the pitch tomorrow night. In any case, despite the defeat, the Goddess can return to Bergamo with a very high head. Compared to the hypothesis of the eve there is no news in Atalanta's house: Gasperini bets on Caldara, Hateboer and Pasalic, preferred to Palomino, Castagne and Malinovskyi. So, in his 3-4-2-1, space to Sportiello in goal. In defence also Toloi and Djimsiti with De Roon-Freuler on the middle and Gosens on the left. In front, of course, Gomez and Zapata. On the other side, without Verratti and Di Maria (out for injury and disqualification respectively), Tuchel chooses the 4-3-3 with Keylor Navas between the posts, behind Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpempe and Bernat. In midfield Herrera, Marquinhos and Gueye with Sarabia, Icardi and Neymar in attack (Mbappé starts on the bench). English referee Taylor. First ring at 3': left Papu from inside the area, para Navas on the ground. The real danger comes 1' later with Neymar who, incredibly, makes a one-on-one mistake with Sportiello kicking out. Super start in this first quarter final. The Goddess is in the game, PSG concedes something. On the 11th assist top of Gomez, who from a distance fishes Hateboer on the second post: dunked by the Dutchman's head, Navas is ok in answering (ditto a few moments later on Caldara, albeit offside). Until the 27th minute, the French push to corner the opponent, then the result changes: a ball to the limit for Zapata who, in a daring way, serves Pasalic, amazing with a left-footed shot to beat Navas on the second post. Goddess ahead. And he'll stay there until halftime, also because Neymar, in the 41st minute, didn't take advantage of Hateboer's mistake (Sportiello's back pass was too short) and sent him out. And by quite a lot. Thrill. We go into the locker room after 1' of recovery. Tuchel (on crutches due to a sprained left ankle with a fractured fifth metatarsus) is not happy and sends Mbappé to warm up immediately, on the field at 60'. At the same time Gasperini puts Malinovskyi and Palomino in place of Papu and Djimsiti, who just before (57') makes a mistake on the fly: what a chance for the Goddess. In the central part of the shot Atalanta shortens, PSG struggles to create. And it's no coincidence that, at this stage, Sportiello is still watching: it will seem absurd, considering adversary and level of competition, but that's how it is. The changes continue: Gasp throws in the fray Muriel (out Pasalic), Tuchel risks more with Paredes and Draxler for Gueye and Herrera. We're at 74', when Sportiello puts his big foot on Mbappé's right. Navas doesn't make it because of an injury accused just before, on 79' space for Sergio Rico, the reserve goalkeeper. Eleven minutes to go, Mbappé made another mistake (very good Palomino in closing). Gasp called for Castagne and Da Riva, midfielder of the 2000 class at his debut in the Champions League. PSG tries, tries and tries. And at the end, in the 90th minute, he finds a draw with Marquinhos, who puts it in the fray from a few steps. And in the 93rd minute he even overtakes Choupo-Moting, who receives a "chocolate" from Mbappé. Unbelievable, unbelievable stuff. Although a round of applause for this Atalanta is certainly not to be missed. POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS & QUOTES
Hello! So, I want to start off by saying I hope everyone here is doing well, is healthy and that their family and friends are well. You will notice a few quality issues with this post and i sincerely, sincerely apologise for that, I have had a nightmare of a week in terms of sleep, I won't even hide it, i've had a few panic attacks and other mental bullshit that I hate, so, yeah, it's been a very tough week for me personally and I tried my best to get this written up in time. With that said, Here it is! (c) - Champ (D) - Debut FLS - Fight Lose Streak FWS - Fight Win Streak NS - No streak (#x) - Rank in Division Prelims Welterweight Sean Brady (12-0-0, 12 FWS) v Christian Aguilera (16-4-0, 3 FWS) - A pretty sick start to this stacked card. Brady is an undefeated prospect who has fought and dominated two of his incredibly tough opponents. Brady has great utilisation of level change feints and movement overall, he’s a phenomenal and powerful striker especially in the pocket. Brady is definitely someone you must keep an eye on, he’s an imposing force and he’s still finding his footing in the UFC. He’s very composed and doesn’t collapse under pressure, he always leaves his hands high and uses his feints very, very well. Aguilera only has one fight in the UFC but it was one hell of a fight and one beautiful knockout. He caught him clean, saw that Ivy was hurt, and fired on all cylinders to get the finish, he gave Ivy no room to breathe and he looked for a finish, From the very little of what I could see, Aguilera has very fast hands and is incredibly accurate, but I don’t think he’s ready for the fire that Brady has. This is an interesting fight but I’m leaning on Brady on this one, He looked excellent in his two bouts and his cardio held up fairly well throughout those 6 rounds he fought in the UFC. Brady via KO R2 Women’s Strawweight Emily Whitmire (4-3-0, NS) v Polyana Viana (10-4-0, 3 FLS) - There really isn’t a whole lot to talk about here, both fighters only have 4 fights in the UFC, and whilst that typically should be enough to warrant a watch, it’s hard to see where either of these women excel, both just seem average really. I am leaning on Viana though because she does seem to be a finisher, who defeated Ribas back in 2016, but then again, that was back in 2016, but for the sake of saying something, I got Viana on this one. How? Probably submission. Viana via Sub R3 Featherweight Alex Caceres (16-12-0, 2 FWS) v Austin Springer (D) (12-3-0, 3 FWS) - I’m always a fan of the Leeroy. Caceres has been in the UFC for quite some time now and even though his record reflects that he has lost a whole lot of times, he always bounces back for more and even dominates some of the fights (See the recent Hooper fight). Caceres is a very well rounded fighter who has a very diverse range of techniques and is very flashy, sometimes to his own disadvantage. Now, unfortunately Chikadze had to drop out and get replaced by Croom, who had dropped out and get replaced by Austin Springer, and with that said, I have literally nothing else to say, It’s hard to get hyped for a fight then 2 fighters drop out. At least Caceres is still there. Caceres via UD Middleweight Zak Cummings (23-7-0, NS) v Alessio Di Chirico (12-4-0, 2 FLS) - Is this a late replacement? If so then I don’t think I have much to say about this one. Cummings has certainly made his rounds in the UFC, having a total of 12 submission victories, it’s easy to say that he’s great on the ground but most of his submissions have been in other promotions and he hasn’t really gained too much traction in the UFC despite fighting in it for 7 years. Cummings prefers the ground game compared to the striking part of MMA, he is always looking to wrestle and take the fight to the ground, where he is no doubt most comfortable. Di Chirico is on a rough losing streak and whilst he isn’t the most exciting fighter as of late, he’s durable and can last 3 rounds whilst keeping the same pace. His last finish was back in 2017 where he landed a devastating knee over Bamgbose, but even that fight wasn’t too exciting, with a total of 16 strikes landed by both fighters in total. I can see Cummings get a takedown early on and work on the ground from there, but ultimately there really isn’t that much riding on this fight. Cummings via Sub R3 Women’s Flyweight Mallory Martin (6-3-0, NS) v Hannah Cifers (10-6-0, 3 FLS) - It’s been sad to see Cifers fight very often, and lose just as often. Martin is only one fight deep in the UFC and unfortunately the performance she put on wasn’t too exceptional, she lost against a great submission artist in Jandiroba but ultimately she seems fairly well rounded with no expertise in either striking or grappling, she just seems fairly average. Cifers has been on a fairly horrible losing streak, and it still makes me scratch me head to see her come back after consecutive losses, you would think she’d take a bit of time away to recuperate and just start fresh next year since she’s fought a lot, but nope, she’s back at it. Cifers is a fairly decent striker who is great in the clinch, with excellent control and strength, and when i say strength, I mean she’s incredibly strong, she fought off multiple takedowns from Agapova yet ultimately succumbed to pressure and got submitted. Cifers needs to avoid the ground and keep the pressure going or she’s going to lose again. It’s hard to say who is going to win, I somewhat hope Cifers wins because she’s pretty close to being cut in my opinion. I’m gonna say Martin has this because I feel like Cifers is overworking right now, and whilst she might somehow get a win this time, how long will she be able to keep up the performances? Martin via UD Middleweight Maki Pitolo (13-6-0, NS) v Impa Kasanganay (D) (7-0-0, 7 FWS) - I’m pretty excited for this fight. Time and time again I have always stated that Pitolo is down to bang it out with the toughest of them, and even though he had a minor setback against Darren Stewart, in which somewhat surprisingly he lost by submission (I myself wasn’t expecting any submission attempts from either fighter). Pitolo has a rough style of boxing, he is willing to get down and dirty and just trade with the most game of opponents so regardless of his opponent, he’s always exciting to watch. Kasanganay is a debuting fighter who is on a strong 7 Fight Win Streak, but unfortunately a fair chunk of those wins come from decision which somewhat tells me he’s great at endurance and takes his time with his fights. He has had two attempts to get a contract in DWCS and just recently earned his UFC contract through a phenomenal win. He hasn’t been a pro MMA Fighter for a very long time so he is still very green, but his utilisation of feints and overall hand work is pretty great for a fresh fighter, but he will have some slips and falls throughout his career. Pitolo no doubt has more experience and I feel like he has this coming into this fight, he can handle the pressure better and will be looking to pressure and negate any offense that Kasanganay has, still, looking forward to his debut. Pitolo via UD Main Card Light Heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev (#13) (13-1-0, 4 FWS) v Ion Cutelaba (15-5-0, NS) - This is a long awaited rematch that we all wanted to see. There isn’t really too much technical talk behind this other than two titans in the Light Heavyweight Division doing whatever it takes to dismantle and destroy their opponent before our very eyes, this sport is pretty beautiful isn’t it? Ankalaev is one of the most dangerous strikers in the Light Heavyweight division in terms of power alone, he explodes when he fights, everything he throws has the intent to finish his opponent. It was very clear to me during his first fight with Cutelaba that Cutelaba was not ready for any sort of heat coming his way, all talk no action. It was actually odd seeing Cutelaba “stunned”, if he put it on to fake-out Ankalaev, he failed because he ate a few chunky head kicks which he no doubt got hurt from, and whilst the finish was premature, it was clear to me from the get go that Ankalaev was going to win. Cutelaba is a juggernaut of a man with crazy power in his hands. He has huge knockout wins over Khalil Rountree Jr., Gadzhimurad Antigulov and Henrique da Silva, and whilst they’re not the biggest names in the division, his power and ability to land huge, clean shots is nothing short of beautiful. Cutelaba is a dangerous man, but perhaps not as dangerous as Ankalaev. Cutelaba’s main weaponry is his punches and elbows, he has a clean boxing style and can get a little wild and wacky sometimes. Ankalaev on the other hand has a wide range of kicks and punches that he can use to pick apart Cutelaba. I got Ankalaev on this one. I’d be pleasantly surprised if Cutelaba can take this fight seriously and get a win, but I think Ankalaev is more composed and well versed to get it done. Ankalaev via KO R1 Featherweight Ricardo Lamas (19-8-0, NS) v Bill Algeo (D) (#2 US Northeast) (13-4-0, NS) - Lamas is on a rough road in the UFC at the moment, losing 3 of his last 5, he’s certainly getting up there in age, but that shouldn’t dismiss the fact that he has had significant wins over some very tough opponents, with a recent (1 year, 9 months ago is still recent, right?) knockout against Elkins, he’s got power in his strikes and can be incredible dangerous to trade with, he plans out his attacks and reads his opponent relatively carefully before executing attacks, that, and with his variety of attacks and skills at all range, make him a very dangerous opponent and I don’t think Algeo is ready for any of that heat. Algeo is making his debut coming off a decision win on CFFC a little under two weeks ago, which is great in terms of opportunity, but the dudes no doubt going to be still feeling the effects of his last fight, and he’s weight cutting once again (unless he walks around near 145 pounds). There’s not much that I can think about saying when it comes to Algeo, it could be a premature debut but who knows? I certainly don’t, all I know is that Lamas is someone you don’t wanna mess around with. Lamas via KO R2 Women’s Flyweight Ji Yeon Kim (9-2-2, NS) v Alexa Grasso (11-3-0, NS) - This is a pretty decent fight. Kim has missed weight twice in a row, and with the current pandemic going around, it’ll be interesting to see if she makes weight this time, i sincerely hope so because missing weight 3 times is seriously some Calvillo level shit. Kim is a relatively decent striker who attacks in bursts, so expect her to clash with Grasso and land some clean shots on exchanges. She doesn’t have the propensity to finish, despite her KO win over Nadia “The Beast” Kassem, she just seems like your average volume striker, and with her reach and height advantage I can see her getting the better shots at range. Grasso is currently on a win/loss cycle which hardly ever looks good on a record, especially in a women's division where only so few women are recognisable names, she does have some great wins on her side though, namely Karolina Kowalkiewicz, who as we all know is ready for a scuffle in the cage and can dish out as much as she can take. Grasso is always ready for a good scrap, she can throw hands exceptionally well and has very clean boxing especially within the pocket, and that’s most likely where she’s planning to do most of the work, she’s probably going to wait for the perfect time to counter Kims ranged attacks, get close and fire off a few shots, rinse and repeat until either Kim goes down, or the third and final round is up. It’s a coin toss at the moment in terms of who is going to win, but I feel like Grasso has this one, she seems to make weight far better and considering she’s moving up to Flyweight, she’ll no doubt look far better than usual. Looking forward to this one. Grasso via UD Co-Main Event Welterweight Robbie Lawler (#15) (28-14-0, 3 FLS) v Neil Magny (#12) (23-7-0, 2 FWS) - You know, when I saw that Geoff Neal dropped out of this fight, I was heartbroken, but Lawler is more than an acceptable replacement. Lawler has been in the UFC for a long time now, and he was a dominant champion back in 2014, where he had, and no doubt still has, absolute hands of fury. He has 20 knockout wins, and his rise to the UFC was nothing short of Ruthless. He is having a bit of a tough time now though, facing cardio machines in Covington and RDA, it’s going to be interesting to see how he handles the durability and patience of Magny. Lawler will no doubt be looking for a knockout early on, maybe in the first half of the fight, because I feel like he knows that he can’t go all three rounds without significantly slowing down in the third. Magny has near limitless cardio, he is a machine that keeps on going, and his style accentuates that, and makes his opponents exhausted to no end, he is always moving, always looking for an opening for great combinations and he’s always looking fresh in the second and third rounds. He absolutely dismantled the offensive of Jingliang Li and Tony Martin, Magny is a marathon fighter, he doesn’t exactly look for a finish, if it’s there, it’s there, but he is incredibly patient and his main game plan is to treat the fight like a marathon, take his time and slowly drain his opponent. He’s going to execute it the same way he executed it before, he’s going to avoid any direct confrontation and any risk-taking clashes from Lawler, he’s going to throw volume and circle away from danger. It’s gonna be a fun fight I tell ya that much. I got Magny on this one, as much as it pains for me to say because i’m a big Lawler fan. Magny via UD Main Event (3 Round Fight) Light Heavyweight Anthony Smith (#5) (33-15-0, NS) v Aleksandar Rakic (#9) (12-2-0, NS) - This is an interesting main event. Smith got absolutely, and heartbreakingly dominated in his last fight against Teixeira, it was incredibly hard to watch as someone who loves Smith. Smith is a veteran of the sport and this could probably be his last run for the title, he has an elite ground game that is one of the best in the division, and he will hopefully be looking to take Rakic down to negate the effective and accurate punches that Rakic has. Smith has been main eventing 6 fights in a row now, which is pretty huge and the UFC is giving him some awesome opportunities and he’s coming up against a dangerous, dangerous fighter in Rakic. Smith has the knowledge and the toolset to take on Rakic, who is typically a forward momentum fighter, but how? That, i’m not too sure about because Smith is that much of a veteran with no specific style. Rakic is a bulldozer of a striker who is incredibly fast with his flurries. He can go from 0-100 in a second and when he does, and lands, it’ll be disastrous for those on the receiving end. His knockout against Manuwa was devastating, he just launched a head kick from hell, landed it cleanly and put Manuwa, a great and experienced striker, straight to sleep. Rakic is dangerous on the feet, and that is why it’s imperative for Smith to avoid the feet as much as possible, he needs to grapple, he needs to get a dominant position and he needs to get a submission. This is a stretch and I am going to confess i’m writing this prediction out of love for Smith and hope that he doesn’t get obliterated, please, please bet based off your own predictions this time around, bit of favouritism here. Smith via Sub R1 And that's it! The Caceres v Springer write up has been changed twice now, because well, its a fuck up of a fight in terms of drop outs, its a mess and I just didn't have the energy to properly research, for that I'm sorry and please don't bet on that prediction based on my write up. If you would like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @Slayer_Tip or if you want, add me on discord and we can have a super friendly chat about all things MMA: Slayertip#7013 For now, lets have a great discussion down below, sorry for leaving this a day late by the way haha, long week. Take care, have a great weekend, stay safe and stay healthy. :)
UFC Fight Night: Whittaker v Till Fight Predictions
Hello! I'm posting this a bit early because i needed to start super early in order to cover all 15 fights, because really, this is a loaded card and i didn't wanna dawdle Gifs are making a comeback! Or at least I hope they are. I'm not adding a lot of gifs, this is simply a test run to see if the embedding works, if it works, then you'll see gifs come back in full! If not, I will leave a comment below talking about what I was doing and all that jazz. But for now, enjoy the predictions, have a beautiful week and enjoy this pretty stacked card. (c) - Champ (D) - Debut FLS - Fight Lose Streak FWS - Fight Win Streak NS - No Streak (#x) - Rank in Division Lets go! Prelims Bantamweight Nathaniel Wood (16-4-0, NS) v John Castenada (D) (#1 US West) (17-4-0, NS) - What a fun fight to start off a very long card. Wood is about as well rounded as you can get, at least for the current competition he faces. Wood has three remarkable performances under his belt, he landed some very clean combos on Eduardo, with a slick hip change on his last left hook which no doubt accentuated his power, and that’s just his stand up, his ground game is absolutely sublime, with 3 submission victories in all 3 wins in the UFC, going to the ground against this man is very dangerous and he will sink in a choke if you let him. Castenada will need to fight the hands and wrist the whole time and try to keep the fight on the feet because that’s the only way I can see Wood losing, Wood does not have a good defence and he will eat a lot of shots. His recent loss against Dodson was disappointing but just adds to the fact that Wood needs to work on his defences or he’s just going to get clipped over and over again, and with Bantamweight being loaded with powerful strikers, it’ll be tough for him to breach the top part of the division with the current skillset he has. Castenada is someone who i’m not super familiar with, he has an equal amount of KO’s and Submissions under his belt, and he seems to be coming in from the combate scene where he’s faced a variety of tough opponents, so his debut is going to be interesting, I don’t know what to expect, i’m as blind as a bat when it comes to his side of the fight, my main focus is on Wood this time. Wood via Sub R2 Welterweight Ramazan Emeev (18-4-0, NS) v Niklas Stolze (D) (#3 Germany) (12-3-0, 4 FWS) - Emeev is an absolute machine when it comes to grappling, he’s very physically strong and is an excellent Sambo fighter, with strong takedowns and just a brutal grinder. He hasn’t had a finish in the UFC yet, but his ability to outperform his opponents and always dominate them on the ground is truly a beautiful thing. He has a tendency to crash forward with a strong right hand then clinch in a body lock in order to get a takedown, so his opponents are always ready for either a strike or a grapple attempt, but never both, and that’s what makes him so dangerous. Stolze is someone who i’m also not super familiar with, so many debutants who could be potential stars! Stolze Is a very dangerous kickboxer who has an extensive record of 17-3, so from that alone we can tell he specializes in well, striking, which could be good against Emeev. It depends on what Emeev wants to do, and I think what Emeev wants to do is most likely take him down and negate any striking Stolze will have, and he will have an advantage on the feet. This is an interesting match up, a grappler v striker in its purest form. I got Emeev on this one though, he’s just so strong and aggressive. Emeev via UD Women’s Bantamweight Bethe Correia (#14) (11-4-1, NS) v Pannie Kianzad (12-5-0, NS) - The fact that Correia is ranked 14 in her respective division just tells me that the division is lacking in serious talent. Correia is an odd fighter. Whenever I watch her, she just lacks everywhere and it makes me wonder how she wins. Her grappling is probably her main weapon, as shes quite physically strong, but her striking is severely bad. I feel like this is her last chance at staying in the UFC because the general consensus amongst all viewers and pundits is that she’s just not UFC worthy, and if that is the case, Kianzad should easily be able to defeat her, either through domination, or through a submission, regardless if Kianzad can’t even defeat Correia then what hope is there for either of these fighters? I know i’m sounding harsh but let’s remember why these fighters are fighting, it’s for the belt, and Nunes is still the most dominant champ that the UFC has ever seen. These girls need to impress or they’re just going to be extras in a star filled film. Kianzad via UD Heavyweight Raphael Pessoa (10-1-0, NS) v Tanner Boser (18-6-1, NS) - I see you, Boser. I didn’t last time, I wholeheartedly went against you, but goddamn that was a beautiful finish. Literally Bulldozed him. Pessoa is a large and foreboding fighter who isn’t having huge success in the UFC, despite having a win over Jeff Hughes (who was well on his way out) he still hasn’t really impressed fans, he seemed slow and really just not UFC ready. Which is probably why they’re feeding him to Boser because you gotta build some hype somehow. But that isn’t to say that Pessoa is an easy fight, he could very well not be, he has 6 knockouts on his record, 5 of them being in the first round. He’s still a dangerous brawler and when it comes to heavyweights it really only takes one to put someone to sleep. Boser is a savage though, an absolute wild man who unleashed hell on Lins three weeks ago, he’s a power house and his only real chance at winning is to just initiate and be smart about it. He needs to flurry then reset, tire Pessoa out, and maybe in the second or third round we’ll see Pessoa slow down significantly. I feel like that’s probably the safer bet right now, so yeah, Boser probably has this. Boser via KO R2 Featherweight Movsar Evloev (12-0-0, 12 FWS) v Mike Grundy (12-1-0, 9 FWS) - There’s a lot going on in this match up. Both fighters have quite a significant streak going. Evloev is a very high pace, high skilled wrestler who absolutely ragdolls his opponents. His two wins against Barzola and Choi were extremely dominant and his cardio held up exceptionally well in the later rounds. His ability to make his opponents think about the takedowns almost all the time, only to pepper them with very fast and snappy punches is great, he never really stops moving, every time his opponent tries something, he either fires back, or he wrestles, and when he wrestles, it’s straight domination. He is a nightmare opponent purely because its a true test of cardio and endurance, he’s almost a perfect opponent to find out your own weaknesses. Grundy is a world class wrestler which makes this match up super interesting, because it probably won’t be a wrestler v wrestler fight, it’ll most likely end up being a striking bout, because if both fighters negate each other, then you have one round of “nothing happened” and really, on the biggest stage in the world, you don’t want that. I won’t pretend to know the difference between Russian wrestling and Olympic Freestyle wrestling, i’m sure there’s a whole intricate thing behind both styles, but if I was to guess who is the better overall fighter, i’d go with Evloev, he has shown us in his fight against Barzola that he isn’t only a threat on the ground, but on the feet as well, an ever evolving fighter, and that quite frankly is pretty exciting. Evloev via UD Heavyweight Jake Collier (11-4-0, NS) v Tom Aspinall (D) (7-2-0, 3 FWS) - This is a great fight, purely because Aspinall is a dangerous striker. Collier is on a vicious win/loss cycle right now, defeating relatively unknown fighters, but ultimately losing to more higher class fighters, so every time he wins, he has a minor setback afterwards. I’m not saying that’s gonna happen this time, but who knows? This is Colliers first time at heavyweight I believe, so it’ll be interesting to see if his cardio holds up against Aspinall who is a natural heavyweight. He could very well be a better athlete, but from what I saw during his Light Heavyweight and Middleweight performances, he seems like an average striker so, lets see what he’s worked on coming into this fight. Aspinall is a powerful boxer, he has fast and accurate hands, he’s huge, and he’s from england, and whilst that last bit probably doesn’t matter, we really need more England talent in the UFC. Aspinall is going to be trouble for Collier, his size and power is going to be at a huge advantage and I can see this fight ending in the first round easily. He’s a strong starter. Aspinall via KO R1 Welterweight Nicholas Dalby (18-3-1, NS) v Jesse Ronson (D) (#1 Lightweight Canada) (21-10-0, NS) - Dalby is going strong with his comeback to the UFC, with one significant win over Alex Olveira late last year, it was a slow, methodical fight and at the same time, it was intense. Oliveira being a veteran of the sport, anything could have happened, but Dalby handled that fight like a champ and got the win. He also had a very significant win, not in any cage, but in life, after fighting a rough run with alcoholism, he battled those demons, and now he’s back to chase his dreams once more, and that’s nothing short of beautiful and something I look up to. Dalby is fairly well rounded and no doubt a tough striker, but considering he’s nearing his late 30’s, he needs to push these last few years of his healthy prime before old age and wear and tear sets in. Ronson is apparently the Number 1 Lightweight in Canada, I don’t know how accurate that is because i’m getting all this info from Tapology, but if that is the case, then we could see something interesting from Ronson. He has a relatively interesting record, losing twice in his last five bouts in PFL, that kinda tells me he isn’t ready for that type of competition, which makes me wonder why the UFC signed him, perhaps because Dalby needed an opponent? Either way, I don’t have a lot to say about Ronson, i’ll be keeping an eye on him but most of my attention will be on Dalby. Dalby via KO R2 Lightweight Francisco Trinaldo (#15) (25-7-0, 2 FWS) v Jai Herbert (D) (10-1-0, 6 FWS) - An interesting debut. Trinaldo is an old, savage fighter. I say this time after time whenever Trinaldo fights, his age is probably an issue. I say probably because recently he’s still defeating younger fighters. Trinaldo is such a well rounded fighter, he’s got savage power in his hands, and he’s got a mean ground game, the only issues I see is that his age will probably catch up to him eventually, I’m not sure when, but it’ll probably be soon. Will Herbert be the one to retire Trinaldo? Possibly. But Trinaldo has faced some tough fighters and that experience adds up. Trinaldo winning is a possibility, but it also isn’t, if you catch my meaning. Herbert has one hell of a streak. 5 KO’s in his last 6 wins, he has proven to people that his striking capabilities and his power is immense and he could be a danger to Trinaldo. Trinaldo’s chin is possibly still there, he’s never been knocked out, but he could get outstruck and if Herbert keeps the pressure then he has a fair chance at winning, in fact i’d argue the only way he can win is to just keep the pressure up, avoid any takedowns and just ride out the storm. This is a fun fight, it can be gritty but that’s the fun part. I’m going against the tide on this one, Herbert has this, if he sticks with what I just said. I aint no coach though. Herbert via UD Welterweight Khazmat Chimaev (7-0-0, 7 FWS) v Rhys McKee (D) (10-2-1, 3 FWS) - This fight is a must see, and i’m sure you all know why by now. Chimaev reminds me of Khabib, one hundred percent. There is no doubt in my mind that this man has a very bright future ahead of him. His win over Phillips was pure domination, Phillips didn’t even touch him I don’t think, it was essentially a sparring match with a lesser fighter (not saying Phillips is a lesser fighter, but the differential in skill was most visible during the fight). His wrestling, his cardio, his pace, and his focus were key during that fight and he executed his game plan superbly. I cannot say enough good things about him, it’s incredibly clear the light is shining on this young man who is literally my age, what have i done with my life. Sadness aside, Chimaev is a problem for the division, but I do have one worry, and that’s his chin. McKee is a dangerous striker, with huge knockout power and incredible hand speed, will Chimaev play it safe and stay out of range and wait for an opening? Or will he strike against a potentially better striker and get hit hard? Chimaev is only 7 fights in his career, that’s still a fresh fighter, he probably hasn’t faced adversity yet and he might not even have difficulty in this fight, it’s the what ifs that make me mildly hesitant to jump on the hype train. Regardless though, Chimaev is very promising so i’m gonna grab that ticket and board the hype train. Such an incredibly interesting prospect. Chimaev via Sub R2 Main Card Welterweight Alex Oliveira (21-8-1, NS) v Peter Sobotta (17-6-1, NS) - A potentially fun scrap. Oliveira has definitely fallen off on some difficult times in his career recently, with his last significant win being over Pedersoli, which was just under two years ago, since then he’s faced defeat after defeat, and a fairly rough win over Griffin. Oliveira is always up for a good fight, he’s not the type to back down from one or pull out, he has the propensity to leave it all in the octagon and still come out a better martial artist. But I think the word that goes around when you hear Oliveira is “Gatekeeper” and that’s fairly true, he’s never going to be a champ, but he’s always going to be facing top level competition, and if you have the skills he has, which is very fast kickboxing and a fairly good ground game, he’s about as mixed as you can get, but he just doesn’t seem to push past a certain barrier of competition which probably explains why he’s facing Sobotta, someone who is still finding his footing in the UFC. Sobotta Is coming back after a two year hiatus due to injury, he’s most likely going to experience some form of ring rust and that alone kinda makes me think that Oliveira is going to have the upper hand, that and the fact that Oliveira is just overall a better fighter both on the feet and on the ground. There’s really not much to talk about Sobotta, I don’t know how he’s going to fight, I just know that he’s been away for quite some time now and he might not be 100% coming into this. Oliveira via KO R2 Light Heavyweight Paul Craig (12-4-1, NS) v Gadzhimurad Antigulov (20-6-0, 2 FLS) - A very tough fight. Craig is a legitimate grappler who excels on the ground. He is very physically strong and his takedowns are just nothing but brute power, but with that said, he’s not a very good striker, not at all. He has the tendency to panic wrestle but to great effect, so lets expect him to get hit a lot before he initiates something. During his fight against Da Silva, he was doing excellent work off his back, perfectly timing an armbar to submit Da Silva with great efficiency, so Craig really is an animal on the ground and will most likely get the upper hand on the ground. Antigulov is a very good wrestler, he’s exceptional at getting an opponent to the ground, maintaining a dominant position and just look for a submission to great effect, his two wins in the UFC have been by R1 Sub, one of those fighters being a black belt in BJJ you’d think that there would be more resistance during that fight but nope, Antigulov absolutely dominated that fight and it was beautiful. With that said, his two losses have been by knockouts, which only tells me his striking capabilities and defences are not there. There is a twist in this fight though, and that’s the fact that Craig is much larger, and has a huge reach advantage, so there is a slight chance there will be a knockout somewhere here, and if there is, it’ll be all in Craigs favour, its a very tricky fight to predict but in all honesty I feel like Craig is going to use his strikes to win. It’s gonna be a fairly technical fight and I can’t wait. Craig via UD Women’s Strawweight Carla Esparza (#7) (16-6-0, 3 FWS) v Marina Rodriguez (#9) (12-0-2, 12 FWS) - A very good matchup for both fighters. Esparza has been around for a very long time and that experience adds up, she might not be the most exciting fighter in the world but she’s highly effective at what she does best, and what she does well is her ground game, she isn’t a submission artist by any extent of the imagination, but she’s a dominant fighter on the ground, her ground and pound, her control over her opponents and her cardio hold up exceptionally well over three rounds, I don’t expect a finish to happen but I do expect Esparza to keep up a very high pace and never give Rodriguez room to recover or adjust. Her stand up game is fairly good, she’s great in the clinch where she can land effective elbows, but no matter the fight, she’ll always try to get it to the ground where she’s most comfortable. Rodriguez is an exceptional striker, she could be well on the way to greatness. She is a very efficient Muay Thai specialist who is great in the clinch and at range fighting, those punches and kicks are incredibly snappy, but she’s got one big gap in her fighting style and that’s her ground game, she doesn’t have one, Calvillo took her down three times in their fight, that’s three too many and i sincerely hope she worked on her takedown defence since then. I can’t exactly predict how this fight will go because it seems like your average striker v grappler fight, so it really depends on who executes their game plan better. If Esparza manages to just ragdoll Rodriguez and maintain a dominant position, she’s got this, but if Rodriguez has worked on her ground game a lot since her last fight, which i sincerely hope she did, then she’s going to easily get the cleaner shots in on the feet. Very much a coin toss, but i’m gonna go with Esparza on this one. Her wrestling is just so much better and will be such an advantage during this fight. Esparza via UD Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum (23-9-1, 2 FLS) v Alexander Gustafsson (18-6-0, 2 FLS) - This is an interesting fight. Werdum did not look good in his return to the octagon this year, he looked like a walmart dad that was publicly intoxicated, took off his shirt and said “lets bang but only slightly, my kids watching” It’s very clear to say that Werdum's time is over, he needs to retire after this fight, regardless if he wins by a 10 second knockout by a flying spinning back kick. He needs to go, he’s not fit for the UFC anymore. The only threat I can see from Werdum is the ground, but even then that’s a stretch. His return fight against Oleinik was like taking the most minimal, babiest steps to getting back to the game, but Gustafsson is a different force of nature. Gustafsson is moving up to heavyweight after a relatively rough end in Light Heavyweight, it was clear that his mind wasn’t really into it any more, and i hope he has revitalized his love and hunger for the sport. We haven’t seen Gustafsson in heavyweight before, so it’ll be interesting to see if he has the cardio and the muscle mass to be able to match Werdum’s obviously larger and thicker frame. Gustafsson has excellent boxing, he has displayed beautiful distance management and hand speed, it all seemingly comes naturally to him and he executes combos beautifully. He’s not gonna have any issue on the feet against Werdum, but if Werdum has indeed changed substantially since his last fight, and he has worked on his cardio, that’s a whole different story. There’s a lot of “what ifs” during this fight, but for the sake of backing my boy, I gotta go with Gustafsson on this one. Gustafsson via KO R1 Co-Main Event Light Heavyweight Mauricio Rua (#15) (26-11-1, NS) v Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (23-6-0, NS) - Is this bellator? Much respect to both fighters but jeez they’re both just really, really old. Rua is a powerhouse when it comes to his kickboxing, he’s absolutely destructive on his feet but recently it seems that he’s slowed down and his cardio is just not there any more. Rua still has tremendous punching power and is still very much a threat on the feet, especially against the ever aging Nogueira, who recently got knocked out by Spann, so his chin is certainly not there any more. Nogueira has been around for a very long time, and he has been a dominant fighter back in the day, but unfortunately the younger generation of fighters are catching up and I don’t think he can hold back that tidal wave much longer. There’s not a lot to talk about with this fight really. Just let these dudes bang. Rua via KO R1 Main Event Middleweight Robert Whittaker (#2) (20-5-0, NS) v Darren Till (#7) (18-2-1, NS) - This is an interesting fight to say the least and i’m no doubt going to stir a cauldron of shit by saying what i’m about to say. Till is not ready for Whittaker. Whittaker was a champion for a reason, his rise to the belt was an exceptional and momentous occasion for an australian MMA fan. His 50 minutes fighting Romero has been like watching a movie. Every round Whittaker faced adversity and came out on top, you can’t say that a lot when you face someone like Romero, even Costa had more issue against Romero than Whittaker did. Whittaker is as well rounded as you can get, he hasn’t exactly displayed aggressive wrestling but you can bet he’s gonna attempt that during this fight because Tills left hand is just dangerous. Whittaker is I believe the biggest fighter that Till has faced in terms of just size and muscle mass alone, with Thompson being a close second. But let's compare both fighters' previous wins. Whittakers last 5 wins were Romero twice, Souza, Brunson and Natal (who was on a streak prior to that fight.), all of those were absolute killers in the middleweight division. Till has defeated Gastelum, Thompson, Cerrone, Velickovic and Ayari. The notable wins would have been Cerrone and Thompson, since the Gastelum fight was a split decision and it was quite a slow fight to begin with. Till is by no means an easy opponent, he’s an excellent kickboxer with an exceptional left hook, he’s a huge fighter, maybe not so much in Middleweight but in Welterweight he was one of the largest fighters in the division. Ultimately though, I don’t think he’s ready for the top level competitors in Middleweight, if they’re trying to build him up again to be a star, this is not the right way, we saw how that ended up in his Woodley fight, and we’ll most likely see this happen in this Whittaker fight. Now granted, I could be wrong (and boy have I been wrong before), but Whittaker has proven to put his limits time and time again. We have yet to see that from Till. I got Whittaker on this one. Whittaker via KO R4 I hope you guys enjoyed this write up as much as I enjoyed writing it. If the gifs don't work, or if it looks super fucky, i sincerely apologise, ive been trying to find a decent place where i could upload gifs so i could keep the analysis up but gfycat flags everything these days. If you would like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @Slayer_Tip or if you want, add me on discord and we can have a super friendly chat about all things MMA: Slayertip#7013 And with that said, I hope you guys have a beautiful week, stay healthy, happy, and full of life. I'll see you all in the comments below ;)
Rules are pretty simple: If they're on YouTube and got through, they're on this list. They need to be on YouTube so that I can re-watch them to build more of an opinion, and I don't have access to recording episodes to re-watch them fully for any other acts. This also excludes acts that weren't filmed or shown. With these rules I got a list of 72 acts to rank. My process for ranking them was that I ranked all the acts in a given episode first, then once all 7 episodes had their ranked lists I combined them all to make the final list. One more thing; I'll be mentioning certain tiers I put the acts in almost like a tier list, but this is only so that you can better distinguish my opinions with certain acts. So we'll be starting with the F tier acts. So without further ado, lets get right into it with... 72. Chris and Sid - Oh dear god we are starting off terribly, but that is expected for the worst of the season. What the active f*ck was this act? Chris sings a short tune while his dog just howls in the background? The dog is not singing it just doesn't like music! It's not even in key or anything it's just howling! This is easily the worst of season 15, fortunately we can only go up from here, right? 71. Jacob Velazquez - Well we are going up, just not that far. Jacob just can't pick what he is. The audition was going all over the place. He starts with a vision board his parents probably made for him to get the sympathy vote, and while his piano skills were good enough, he then starts playing the drums for some reason? And it's not even the same song he wrote it's just drums to an already existing song! He's definitely not the worst because he can get better in later rounds if his act becomes more consistent, like if he only was a piano player because he at least does have good skills when it comes to composing. 70. Chef Boy Bonez - I'd place him higher because he (like me) has chef in his name, but this act wasn't very good so he's in F tier. If he was just a rapper with no gimmick he could score better on this but the whole eye popping thing just can't go anywhere or make him any better. Don't get me wrong, popping your eyes is an actual gift you have to be born with, which is part if the definition of a talent, but used like this just doesn't work. So those are the 3 acts I think deserve F tier. You might think they don't, but these are my opinions and not yours. Anyways we're now onto D tier which mostly consists of acts that had below average or auditions that don't stand out. I'll also start going more rapid fire with these and only go in depth when I feel necessary. 69 (Nice). Elijah de la Motte - Nothing against the cello but also nothing memorable about this kid. Elijah doesn't stand out to me in the slightest and that's about why he's so low. 68. Jesse Kramer - Same case with Elijah, his audition was just so terribly unmemorable. 67. Thomas Day - Nothing stands out about him, just kind of a singer. 66. Celina Graves - Same deal with the past 3 acts. 65. Xtreme Dance Force - The "hype" moments of this audition included them all punching the ground and them going generic moves. Just below average dance group in a season with so many better ones. 64. Erin McCarthy - I made a joke about how god probably had a dart board he used to determine some of this seasons acts and one of the things he ended up with was an opera singer horse lady, and that joke still stands as my opinion. In other words, why? 63. Bonavega - *Chuckles* I'm in danger. I get that people like him, but why? What part of this is appealing? To me, Bonavega just felt annoying and not entertaining, which are the two thing you really don't want a novelty act to be! If you like him, good for you, I don't care. 62. Michael Yo - Weakest comedian this season. Plain and simple. D tier is now complete. Next is C tier which mostly consists of acts I am VERY neutral towards or ones I feel are generally weaker than others in the competition. 61. Luca Di Stefano - Vocal talent that's beyond singing actually works in his case. He's not gonna get anywhere in the competition but I have enough respect for him to not put him in D tier. 60. Frenchie Baby - At the end of the day Frenchie Baby is just kind of an act. Like yep. That's a contortionist. 59. Ryan Tricks - Same deal with Frenchie Baby except this act probably won't go very far. 58. Ty Barnett - One of the more chill comedians and he got at least a little chuckle out of me. 57. Lewis Shilvock - Sure is a dancer alright. 56. Siena Uremovic - Literally just Lewis but with a blindfold. 55. Alexis and the Puppy Pals - It's a child training dogs...yep. That sure is a child training dogs. 54. Feng E - I've heard his audition was just him using 1% of his power and he is better than what he performed on Agt, but I only consider what we've seen from the act on Agt and this kid is fine enough. Will he get better later? Possibly. 53. Lightwave Theatre Company - I'm always pretty neutral towards acts like these that tell emotional stories and Lightwave is no exception. 52. Emerald Gordon Wulf - Emerald is a good contortionist. Nothing else to say here. 51. Marty Ross - Yeah he's kinda funny that's cool. 50. Jennifer and Daiquiri - Good ol' dog act. Not extremely memorable, but a good dog act. 49. Amanda LaCount - I'm not totally sure what sticks out to me about Amanda I just felt like her audition was better than the other solo dancers. 48. Voices of Our City Choir - Definitely the worst GB this season, but not absolutely terrible. I have a soft spot for choirs and this one is alright. It might not be the best choir we've ever had in all of Agt, but it's an alright one. Should it have been a GB? Probably not. That won't affect my opinion on certain acts though. Okay C tier is done now that was cute but now we're on to the big leagues of B tier. From this point onward, I have a positive opinion on all the remaining acts, so let's start with: 47. Kameron Ross - Not something too noteworthy but a good audition regardless. 46. Chicken Scratch Sam - This guy figured out the loophole and now he's on this list. I put him at 46 because 1: I don't know where else to put him, and 2: Kinda just to piss you all off. 45. Max Major - There's definitely some kind of science to his finger trick so that's out of the question but the other trick was okay and I overall just liked him more than Ryan. 44. Florian Sainvet - Fast unfolding cd man...just a good ol' fashion fast unfolding cd man. 43. Simon and Maria - They fun. Also apparently commented on one of my posts which freaked me out but yeah they fun. 42. Daneliya Tuleshova - I've heard a lot of people say she's gonna win because she was only "singing a song that wasn't as big she can get better ohohohohohohoh". Frankly I can't see it. I don't doubt she's a good singer outside of Agt, but again I'm only counting what we saw from the act on the show, and her audition wasn't as strong as others in my eyes. 41. Resound - I don't know how I feel about these guys. I just- I don't know. I put them here because they are good but I can't say they're gonna be really- look I don't know what I'm saying here my point is that I straight up just don't know how I feel about these guys. 40. The Spyro Bros - This really does feel like Mochi's revenge. He got robbed out of his frickin' mind in season 13 and it's good we have more Diabolo this season. 39. Ninja Twins - These guys are just charming to be honest. I actually laughed during the introductions and throughout their performance because it was just so ridiculous and I loved it. 38. Brandon Leake - Similar case to Resound where I just don't know where to put this act. I always joked in my head on "what if there was a motivational speaker on Agt" and now there kind of is and it got a GB. I was just confused after that whole thing. So did he deserve the golden buzzer? Sure. At this point, I'm kinda okay with Brandon getting a GB. Odd pick for sure, but it's okay. 37. Kelvin Dukes - From here we enter my favorite part of the list that I call, "The Pit of Singers". Basically the next 9 acts are all singers that are good enough to be memorable, but not my outright favorite singers. Kelvin is a good example of this. I liked his audition and he is good, but compared to the other singers coming up, he definitely falls short. 36. Annie Jones - Another good example of what the Pit of Singers is. Just a good ol' singer. 35. Ashley Marina - I liked her audition if we forget all the dumb build up and Simon cutting songs. Her original song is pretty good in my opinion. 34. Shevon Nieto - Memorable and good enough singer. 33. Archie Williams - Big oof to this guy right now. I wasn't very fond of his audition at first, but I grew to like it. Then the whole incident with Lovely Peaches happened which I'm sure most of you guys heard about, and now I REALLY don't know how I feel about him. Personally I think this was a stunt by Lovely as she has a history of doing scams like this, and we can argue about this all day, but no matter what I'm putting him at 33. 32. Double Dragon - It took me a while to really appreciate how epic Double Dragon's audition was, like these girls have f*cking PIPES man! 31. Roberta Battaglia - This is probably the most deserving golden buzzer pick, just not my favorite golden buzzer. Okay end of B tier, that was all fun and games but now the A tier begins and we're still in the pit of singers, are you kidding me? A tier is where the real good acts start to shine and my opinions get even less good so let's just get into it. 30. Broken Roots - Sure their audition was kinda just the same thing over and over, but it was a great thing so I can't complain. 29. Sheldon Riley - I was gonna put some edgy "This act speaks to me" kinda joke here but I couldn't make it good so yeah. Sheldon's just a really good singer. He caps off the Pit of Singers, but we still have more acts to cover so let's keep going with the list. 28. BAD Salsa - Honestly who doesn't like them? 27. Winston Fuemayor - We have very limited magic this season which makes Winston all the more appealing. He's the one magician I really like and can see going far. Also I just like the name Winston for some reason. 26. Alan Silva - I really like Alan's audition and I don't have much to say about it. 25. Shakir and Rihan - While BAD Salsa is definitely a better dance duo, Shakir and Rihan are just so damn charming that I had to put them above BAD Salsa! This act just was so sweet and warm and the moves are great and it was just great overall! 24. Noah Epps - Best solo dancer this season, period. 23. John Hastings - Funny comedian man makes good act ya dingus. 22. Alex Hooper - Honestly he deserved a second chance on Agt. His jokes were actually funny and the judges just didn't realize how good he actually was. Glad they can see more to what he's about. 21. Kenadi Dodds - This is sort of a mini singers pit where there is only 4 and these are the really good ones. Kenadi's audition was fantastic and her original song was just perfect in my opinion. 20. Christina Rae - Just because I said Roberta was the most deserving Golden Buzzer doesn't mean she was the only deserving GB. Christina definitely earned her GB. She's a really strong singer and an overall likable act. 19. Shaquira McGrath - I'm not sure if you noticed already but I have a weird soft spot for country. I don't listen to it but whenever I hear it, I have a good time. Shaquira is a prime example of this. Her audition was fun and he voice is spectacular. But like I said, this is a mini singer's pit of 4, and the fourth is... 18. Olox - ...the novelty singer, of course it is! Olox is just a fun act, and I found myself enjoying them more than any of the other singers so far! They're original and interesting and so much more! We do have 1 singer left on this list however, and we're getting to that guy later, but for now, enjoy the spotlight Olox. 17. W.A.F.F.L.E. Crew - I bet you guys we're waiting for them to show up, huh? W.A.F.F.L.E Crew might not be the best GB on any sort of level, but in an odd sense of ways, they ended up being my favorite. This is a loose reasoning held together by ribbon and string, but it hopefully justifies why W.A.F.F.L.E Crew is so high: You see, imagine if dancers on TikTok didn't do what they did for popularity, clout, or just to look cool, they did it because they had a genuine passion for dance and wanted to build a career off of it. And yeah, that's kind of what W.A.F.F.L.E Crew is. They dance, they have tricks, but they have reasons to other than just to dance. I'm not saying that every dancer this season doesn't have passion, all the other dance groups and other dancers care about what they do. I'm saying that W.A.F.F.L.E Crew is able to make a statement. They are able to show this generation of "TikTokers" what they can do with dancing if they had enough passion and determination. BUT they aren't the best dancers this season because screw me we have 16 acts left and 6 of them involve dancing! This is where we get into the tier of legends, the S tier. This is the biggest of the big leagues! The level of talent REALLY spikes up at this point and I mean it! 16. Usama Siddiquee - By all means one of the funniest comedians this season. His delivery, jokes, and storytelling are all on point! I can see why people consider him to be the best comedian this season, but we still have a few more of them to go. 15. Pork Chop Revue - Yeah to be honest this act is only so high because of personal preference. I'm just really interesting in having pigs perform on stage. This act was one that reminded me in a sense why I like this show; it's because of all the weird acts that can happen! Pork Chop Revue just felt like a heartfelt "We know why you're still here even though almost everyone in your life reminds you daily that this show is so amazingly terrible." 14. Crystal Powell - Best comedian this season (except for one other that we'll talk about later). You might not think that Crystal was funny, but comedy is subjective and yahdah yahdah you've heard this before. Crystal was a comedian that actually had me laughing and made me engaged in her storytelling! The chair prop might not seem like much but it does wonders for this act! I've heard some people write her off as a not very good comedian, but I'm here to disagree. 13. Brothers Gage - Hype as hell harmonica duo. You heard me, hype as hell harmonica duo. Please let them go far. 12. The Divas and Drummers of Compton - Just an amazing audition overall! You got tricks, moves, drums, just crazy stuff happening! 11. Wildcats - But there can only be one superior dance group! Wildcats are amazing and just barely missed out on the top ten, but they really do deserve being this high! What ruins this act is the GOD AWFUL editing they did for it! That isn't the act's fault by any means, but by god the editing on this act and even this season in general in TERRIBLE! Aside from that inconvenience, The Wildcats are an amazing act overall! 10. Malik DOPE - We are FINALLY in the top ten. In other words, my ideal finals for this season. We're still in S tier mind you, but we'll have a different tier in a while. Kicking off the top ten is Malik DOPE. This guy, is amazing! Malik is so much in this act. He is a performer when he is on stage. He has a show. He has, talent. There is so much to like about him. He is a fan favorite this season and I can't argue with that. Judging by past patterns in this show's history, Malik might get stuck at the quarter or semifinals, but god do I hope he doesn't. 9. Bone Breakers - To you guys, Bone Breakers might seem like an odd pick for number 9, and it is. Even to me, Bone Breakers seems like a odd pick. They do have originality and energy, but those alone don't seem to be very good reasons to have them high after the other 2 contortion acts this season were put so low. I might not have a very solid reason for putting Bone Breakers at number 9, but I'll get my opinions straight somehow. 8. Bello Sisters - I just love acts like these tbh. Bello Sisters are an all around fantastic act. My reasons for having them up here are similar to the reasons I like Messoudi Bros last season. They are exciting, they are thrilling, they are a display of strength. This group has a lot better reasons to be up here compared to Bone Breakers. But these two aren't the only group acts I have in the finals, I also have one more to show. 7. JD Marching Band - Remember how I kinda glossed over my reasons for liking Wildcats and Divas and Drummers of Compton? What if I did that again but with this act............JD Marching Band is fun as hell. 6. Muy Moi Show - This act is all around just so dang good. I love acts that have a good street performer vibe to them. Acts like Malik DOPE, W.A.F.F.L.E Crew, and this one! Muy Moi Show is entertaining on so many levels. The fact he had Terry be the one to smash the cement block also kinda adds something to this. Muy Moi Show is just a fun and enjoyable act overall! "Wow u/ChefMatthews865, you sure have a lot of acts in S tier! Are you really going to finish off the remaining top 5 in this tier and lump them all together?" NOPE! We have now unlocked the Double S tier, named the SS Tier. These are my top 5 acts of this whole season! Let's just get right into it... 5. Wesley Williams - A lot of this season's best acts are it's danger acts, and Wesley is no exception! This is the one danger act this season that actually had me thinking is could go insanely wrong, but he pulled this off like it was nothing! Wesley's audition was so incredible and jaw dropping and endearing, and basically everything I could ask for from a danger act. This is what the best danger acts are; no crazy dramatic explanation or stupid overproduction, just the performers and the true risk of death. 4. Nolan Neal - Of course I'm going to have at least one singer in my own ideal finals and it just had to be Nolan. He is by far my favorite singer this season. I've already gone over my bias towards country singers, and yeah I guess Nolan isn't a perfect fit, but I just love his voice and original song. The song he sang was one that actually hit me, like holy heck it was amazing! I'm trying to stretch out what I have to say about my finalists, but really, they're just amazing acts and that's all I really have to say about them. Funny how I had so much about W.A.F.F.L.E Crew but not as much for these finalists. Granted, W.A.F.F.L.E Crew took more reasoning to go through as to why they were so high so that's part of it and WAIT A MOMENT I'm only typing this part so that you guys think I have more to say about Nolan! But no, I just think he's a really damn good singer. 3. Demented Brothers - Ladies, gentlemen, distinguished guests, it is with full enthusiasm that I tell you that Demented Brothers, an act that probably won't even show up to judge cuts and was treated as a joke audition, cracked the top 3! Demented Brothers are the funniest comedians this season has! They made me laugh so hard when I first saw them and they still made me chuckle now! You might think to yourself that "well they can't have a vegas show if they win that couldn't work!" but when you think about it, their act is actually similar to ones like Tape Face or The Blue Man Group, two already Vegas shows! All in all, Demented Brothers are just a funny, ridiculous, and just goofy act that I had to put in the top 3! 2. Vincent Marcus - Each season when I pick my favorite act, my second favorite always feels like the second in command of some sort. In season 13 it was Samuel J Conroe and in 14 it was Messoudi Brothers. This season's "second in command" is Vincent Marcus, and with a title sounding like that, you'd think I'd have a very good reason for it, right? Well this time around, let me tell you that I really don't. My main reason for liking Vincent so much is honestly just my bias towards impressionists. I Think they're really cool on how they can imitate someone's voice or a certain character's voice, and they're probably my favorite act type on all Got Talent shows. Vincent is really no exception. Sure I might not know exactly all the rappers her impersonated, but for the ones I did know, this audition was amazing! I hope the best for Vincent in this competition. Well we have one spot left. Some of you may have been keeping track of who I haven't said yet and already know who he is. This act became my favorite the moment I say his whole audition, and with my preferences of certain acts and the criteria I set for this list, he's a perfect number 1. NUMBER 1. Brett Loudermilk - And yes saying "NUMBER" in all caps was necessary since I can't type "1. " without starting a list. But anyways, Brett Loudermilk is my (current) favorite act in Season 15 of America's got Talent. When you look at what I liked and disliked about certain acts, you can see why this act fits so perfectly. He shows his skills of being a performer, he's entertaining, he's funny, he's just an amazing act. I did also say that some of this season's best acts are danger acts, and he even fits that just fine! Heck, he swallowed 3 swords at once as a quick improv trick that he had never done before then! You might be thinking to yourself "He only got to show some of what you're saying because the judges kept messing with him!" and to that I say to you blind dimwitted baboon, "eh, yeah you have a point." I will admit, parts of what Brett showed to us came from the judges messing with him. And I could try to find some weird counter argument to this, but that'll just stretch out for way to long. So maybe if the Judges just went with what Brett had planned it wouldn't be my number one pick. However, we live in the timeline where the judges did mess with him, and it all worked out because he became my number 1 favorite act of Season 15. Congratulations, you made it to the end! Or perhaps you just skipped ahead to see my top picks or just so you could comment on how your favorite is at the bottom, who the heck cares! This list was a pain at times to make, but at the end of the day, it was all very fun and well. I've seen so many different opinions about the acts of season 15, which goes to show how unexpected this season will be! That was the main issue with last season on how we all knew Kodi Lee was gonna win right after the first episode. But these varying opinions come at the cost of me basically guaranteeing that i'll get flamed in the comments for having Bonavega close to the bottom, or how 6 of the 10 finalists are solo male acts, or how W.A.F.F.L.E Crew is my highest rated GB, or how I somehow put Voices of our City Choir too high when it was at 48, or how that- you get the point I'm getting flamed no matter what. It's 1:35 am as I write this so I'm gonna go to sleep at let you guys fight in the comments. Peace out my doods.
I decided to do a list just sorting all the acts into categories of what I think their odds of moving on to the Live Shows generally look like. Agree/Disagree as you wish. To fill the 44 Live Show Spots - In all I have 25 acts who are certain or near certain in my mind to take spots. 10 more I'm mildly confident will be in, but competing for space with 14 I see as toss ups and 14 more I see as mildly unlikely to be in. Then I have 18 acts listed as extremely unlikely or certain to be cut. (I listed every act who qualifies as in some way notable in mind) Golden Buzzers - Acts already through to the Live Shows
Brandon Leake - Slam Poet
Christina Rae - Singer
Roberta Battaglia - Singer
Voices of Our City - Choir
WAFFLE Crew - Dance Team
Live Show Locks - Acts I can’t imagine being cut from the Live Shows. Not necessarily the best acts or most likely to go far. But the ones I don't see a reason why they could be cut at this stage.
Alan Silva - Aerialist
The Bello Sisters - Acrobats
CA Wildcats - Cheer Squad
Kelvin Dukes - Singer
Lightwave Theatre Company - Puppeteers
Malik Dope - Drummer
Noah Epps - Dancer
Vincent Marcus - Impressionist
Live Show Favorites - Acts I’m very confident will be in the live shows, but a surprise cut isn’t inconceivable. For most (not all) of these acts, the main reason I think it's possible they would be cut is they're in a category of act with lots of competition (Lots of Singers, Comedians) so maybe they could be squeezed out as a result - but I would be very surprised if that did happen to any of these.
Archie Williams - Singer
Bonavega - Singer
BAD Salsa - Dancers
Celina - Singer
Daneliya - Singer
Marty Ross - Comic
Nolan Neal - Singer
Shakir & Rehan - Dancers
Sheldon Riley - Singer
Spyros Bros - Diablo Duo
Usama Siddiquee- Comic
Winston - Magician
Live Show Fillers - Acts I believe will grab a live show spot, but I wouldn't be that surprised if they were cut. I'll note I moved Shaquira up from Toss Up to here based on her early release performance. Tricks and Major are both performing in the Judge Cuts and will probably be seen as competing against each other for a spot - but I think it'll work out that both pass through
The Bone Breakers - Dance Contortion
Brett Loudermilk - Danger
Crystal Powell - Comedian
Jacob Velazquez - Instrumental Musician
JD High Band - Marching Band
Max Major - Mentalist
Ryan Tricks - Mentalist
Shaquira McGrath - Singer
Shevon Nieto - Singer
Wesley the One Wheel Wonder - Danger
Live Show Toss Ups - Acts I'd go either way on making the live show . For most (not all) of these acts, I think their odds depend on how many of a certain type of act the producers want in the Live Shows. I'll note Laura O'Brien's audition was only online, never aired on TV - which hurts her chances. But unaired auditions sometimes make it, and I thought she was good enough to possibly do it.
Alexis & The Puppy Pals- Dog Act
Annie Jones - Singer
Ashley Marina - Singer
Brothers Gage - Music Group
Divas & Drummers of Compton - Rhythm Group
Double Dragon - Singers
Florian Sainvet - Magician
Frenchie Babby - Dance Contortion
Kameron Ross - Singer
Kenadi Dodds - Singer
Lauren O’Brien - Impressionist
Muy Moi - Danger
Thomas Day - Singer
Ty Barnett - Comic
Live Show Underdogs - Acts I’d bet against making the Live Shows, but it wouldn’t be that shocking if they made it. If one of these goes through, it will probably be at the expense of a similar act in the Toss Up / Filler Categories.
Aaron Bonk - Danger Act
Broken Roots - Band
Amanda LaCount - Dance
Bello Nock and Annaliese - Danger Act
The Demented Brothers - Comedy Act
Emerald Gordon Wulf - Contortionist
Feng E - Ukelele Player
Jonathan Goodwin - Danger
John Hastings - Comedian
Luca Di Stefano - Singer
Michael Yo - Comedian
OLOX - Music Group
Simon & Maria - Dancers
Resound - Music Group
Live Show Shocks - Acts I believe are highly unlikely to make the Live Shows, but not impossible they would steal a surprise spot. A lot of acts here I outright think it be ridiculous to put in the Live Show, but they fit the mold of a Gonzo style weird pick. Other acts I just think are mediocre, but the Producers might like them enough to put through. Hula Hoop Dude is interesting because his audition was unaired but he's performing this round. So he could take us by surprise, but he doesn't seem like a serious option to put through
Alex Hooper - Comedy Act
Chef Boy Bonez - Rap / Novelty Act
Chris & Syd - Animal Act
Craig Reid- Hula Hoop Act
Dance Town Family - Dance
Elijah - Cellist
The Hurd Family - Dance
Jennifer and Daiquiri - Dog Act
Jesse Kramer - Singer
The Ninja Twins - Music Group
Pork Chop Revue - Animal Act
Siena Uremovic - Dance
Xtreme Dance Force - Dance
Live Show Duds - Acts I see no way they make the Live Shows. As you can see, I'm reluctant to say zero chance to an act - but these ones I just don't see why the Producers or Judgers would think were worth putting through. Lewis is a way better act than the other ones in this category, but I don't see why he'd be picked over the other solo dancers.
Prizefighter Preschool: UFC 251: Usman vs Masvidal
Prizefighter Preschool is a preview for UFC events aimed at casual fans interested in learning more about the sport, or hardcore fans looking for even more input and perspective. With the UFC headed to Fight Island, myself and OpenFlameRecon will happily be your tour guides. Event | UFC 251 Location | Yas Island, UAE (AKA Fight Island) Expected Attendance | 0 Fight Pass Early Prelims Start Time | 6:00pm EST ESPN Prelims Start Time | 8:00pm EST ESPN+ PPV Main Card Start Time | 10:00pm EST Prelims to Watch: Welterweight (170lbs): Elizeu “Capoeira” Zaleski Dos Santos vs Muslim “The King of Kung Fu” Salikhov Estimated Start Time: 9pm EST
Dos Santos
vs
Salikhov
Curitiba, Brazil
From
Buynaksk, Dagestan, Russia
22-6
Record
16-2
8-2
UFC Record
3-1
Capoiera
Style
Kickboxing
W (UD)
Last Result
W (UD)
Analysis: D: Expect an interesting bout here as elements of rarer martial arts play into what should be a striking heavy matchup. EZDS’ capoeira background manifests itself in flashy spinning kicks when he’s not throwing relentless combinations. Despite the “King of Kung Fu” nickname, Salikhov doesn’t show much Kung Fu in the cage. This is because it’s Kung Fu, and thus entirely ineffective in modern combat sports. However, his kickboxing is extremely crisp, and he is more than willing to throw vicious spinning kicks like his opponent. Salikhov has more potent 1-punch KO power, but he’ll need to overcome flurries from EZDS to show that off. C: While Salikhov is an extremely violent fighter, his style often involves throwing single big strikes at a lower pace than his opponents, in conjunction with absurd kicks that keep opponents at a distance while punishing their bodies. Meanwhile, although EZDS has looked somewhat slower in recent fights against Jingliang and Kunchenko, his volume is somewhat higher, and he has a higher tendency to throw strikes that don’t necessarily have the intention of ending the fight. As a result, it seems more likely that EZDS will be able to win with higher output and chance to do damage. Picks: D/C: EZDS/DEC Light Heavyweight (205lbs): (#7) Volkan “No Time” Oezdemir vs Jiri “Denisa” Prochazka Estimated Start Time: 9:30pm EST
Oezdemir
vs
Prochazka
Fribourg, Switzerland
From
Hosteradice, Czechia
17-4
Record
26-3-1
5-3
UFC Record
0-0 (Debut)
Kickboxing
Style
Kickboxing
W (SD)
Last Result
W (KO)
Analysis: D/C: Volkan Oezdemir is an interesting case; his UFC debut saw a controversial split decision win. After that, he flatlined his next two opponents early on, making good on his “No Time” nickname. When he challenged for the Light Heavyweight title, Daniel Cormier dominated him, and he followed that loss with two more losses. A big KO win over Ilir Latifi turned that around, and a split decision over rising contender Aleksander Rakic kept that momentum going. But now he faces a debuting Jiri Prochazka, the former champion of Japanese promotion Rizin. Prochazka enters the UFC on a 7 fight KO streak, having never lost his Rizin title, rather vacating in order to switch promotions. This fight has the possibility of ending at any moment due to the explosive power of both competitors. It’s a quintessential matchup of a mid-tier contender seeking to hold their ground against a newcomer with serious hype. Oezdemir’s style has changed over the past year or so, but the fundamental basis of it involves an extremely physical clinch, backed by hard low kicks. While Jiri’s powerful striking led him to a lot of success in Rizin, it may not work out in his UFC debut, against an incredibly durable hitter like Oezdemir. Personally, I think No Time has run out of time with this matchup. Picks: D: Prochazka/2/KO C: OezdemiDEC Main Card Women’s Flyweight (125lbs): (#14-SW) Amanda Ribas vs “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant Estimated Start Time: 10:10pm (EST)
Ribas
vs
VanZant
Minas Gerais, Brazil
From
Reno, Nevada
9-1
Record
8-4
3
UFC Record
5-3
Jiu-Jitsu
Style
MMA
W (UD)
Last Result
W (sub)
Analysis: D: To me, this fight is placed far too highly on the card, because both women are “marketable”. Not that these two aren’t good, as they are (especially Ribas), however this bout is just in a place more important than it should be. Usually fighting at Strawweight, Ribas and VanZant are fighting 10 pounds heavier at Flyweight for this bout. This will be VanZant’s first bout since January of 2019, with a surgery for a broken arm and a re-breaking of said arm in-between then and now. While VanZant’s striking is fairly good, Ribas will look to take this fight to the ground and control the grappling. While 12 Gauge Paige has some decent grappling and even a few submission wins, expect Ribas to take this one should it head to the canvas. C: I think a lot of people are underrating PVZ in this fight. Ribas is a violent and exciting prospect and PVZ has been out with injury after injury, sure, but Paige is still a decent grappler with flashy striking. While I, and a lot of others, are expecting that Ribas will be able to put in work on the ground vs. PVZ, it would not shock me to see her get outstruck on the feet. Picks: D: Ribas/1/Sub C: Ribas/2/SUB Women’s Strawweight (115lbs): (#2) “Thug” Rose Namajunas vs (#1) Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade
Namajunas
vs
Andrade
Arvada, Colorado
From
Parana, Brazil
8-4
Record
20-7
6-3
UFC Record
11-5
MMA
Style
MMA
L (KO)
Last Result
L (TKO)
Analysis: D: This bout, to me, is the exact opposite of the last bout; a highly skilled matchup between top contenders and former champions. This is a rematch of a world championship bout last year in which Rose Namajunas was dominating until holding on to a kimura too long, allowing Andrade to lift her opponent and send her skull-first into the canvas with a brutal slam KO. Andrade would go on to lose her first title defense to current champ Weili Zhang, setting up this fantastic rematch. The “story” of this fight is that of an attempted comeback for two women coming off of championship losses (Rose has not fought since the last Andrade fight). However, the more interesting aspect of this bout to me is determining how much of a fluke Andrade’s win was last time around. A lot of the MMA community believes that Rose simply lost due to the single mistake of hanging on long enough to get lifted and slammed. I fall in line with that point of view. Barring another crazy circumstance, Rose should be able to strike at a distance and avoid the absurd power of Brazil’s sledgehammer. C: I think a lot of people have the wrong mindset when looking at Namajunas/Andrade 1 and are too salty about Rose losing to fairly assess the fight. Rose had an absolutely incredible first round, consistently countering Andrade every time she stepped in, and even dropping her at one point. Her footwork is extremely light, and she has excellent in-and-out movement to compliment heavy hands and lethal grappling. Andrade, meanwhile, is like a female John Lineker, and a 5’1 Wanderlei Silva. Hooks, hooks, hooks. If Andrade ever threw a straight punch, I’d be concerned about which universe I’m living in. Her height lets her excel at throwing to the body and getting into a clinch, while her unreal strength lets her throw opponents around with minimal effort. However, Andrade seriously struggles with an opponent who can move around her with ease, and an opponent who can comfortably counter her on the way in (demonstrated recently by Zhang and Namajunas). Some people look at the first fight, see the success in the first round, and say Namajunas was winning the entire fight, and the slam was a lucky fluke. Here’s the thing for me: do I see a second slam happening? Not necessarily, but I think the option is there. The bigger thing for me is that Namajunas was beginning to slow down in the second round, and Andrade’s leg kicks were adding up. While she was not winning the round before the slam, she was very liable to pick up the next three or so rounds with consistent heavy leg kicks and pressure. In a five round fight, I’d probably pick Andrade here, but the 3 round bout leads me to think Namajunas can at least somewhat replicate her prior performance. Picks: D/C: Namajunas/DEC UFC Bantamweight Championship (135lbs)(vacant):(#3) Petr “No Mercy” Yan vs (#6) Jose Aldo “Junior”
Analysis: D: The most hyped up fight on this card, and the main event, did not exist as it does now just a few days ago. The original main event for this card was Usman defending his 170lb title against his teammate, Gilbert Burns. Because of this situation, Usman switched gyms temporarily. This switch proved to be a great decision as his original opponent and a few teammates caught COVID19. With Burns (the most deserving contender) out, the UFC decided to pay Jorge Masvidal the big bucks he thought he was worth and have him fight for the belt on short notice. Masvidal has been a consistent figure in the UFC for years, but was never more than a mid-card fighter. A stint on a survivor-like reality show had Masvidal claiming he’d come back “baptizing” people. While Jesus may not be a fan of CTE[a], Street Jesus certainly is, and Masvidal came back to flatline heavy favorite Darren Till in Till’s home country of England. Next, Masvidal was paired with undefeated wrestler Ben Askren. Knowing Askren’s striking to be terrible, Masvidal anticipated that Askren’s first move would be to dive in for a takedown. One flying knee later and Akren’s undefeated record was gone, in its place was Masvidal’s fastest knockout in UFC history record at just 5 seconds. All this talk about baptizing people and being a “bad motherfucker” caught the eye of Nate Diaz, who called for a fight with Masvidal to see if the east coast or west coast gangsters were more, well, gangster. The UFC, seeing a huge money fight, but not wanting to allow a single PPV event without a title belt on the line, instituted the “BMF” belt. While the BMF belt was nothing more than a vanity plate for the winner of a fun fight, Masvidal taking said belt via doctor stoppage was enough to start serious talk of him being a title contender. Cue months of money disputes, and one unfortunate case of COVID later and Masvidal is getting his shot at the real belt. While Masvidal was baptizing fools, Usman was welterweight champion, having dominated Tyron Woodley in shocking fashion to take the belt. The Nigerian Nightmare then took out noted loudmouth tool Colby Covington in his first defense. The two fighters known for their excellent wrestling decided that their hatred of one another was more important, leading to neither man attempting a takedown and both men trying to take each other’s heads off with punches. Usman cathartically broke the jaw of Covington to end the night. One interesting note here is Usman’s switch of gyms. Temporarily working under Trevor Wittman, I think Usman’s striking may greatly improve. If it does, Masvidal might be in serious trouble. While Masvidal has serious KO power and good grappling, he stands to get outwrestled for 5 rounds if he can’t close the show early. Usman’s chin and possible improvements to his striking game lead me to think that Gamebred won’t get such an opportunity. C: Usman is an extremely talented wrestler with endless cardio and a slowly developing striking game. Having shown himself capable of outstriking and outgrappling wrestlers like Covington and Woodley, while dominating strikers like RDA, the champion has put together a skillset and resume that leave some questioning who will be able to take the belt off of him. Between his solid clinch entries and consistent bodywork, Usman has few weaknesses to be exploited. However, some notable deficiencies in his game are present in his comfort standing (while his offensive striking is improving, his defense and capacity for getting out of the way of punches leaves something to be desired). Masvidal, meanwhile, is well suited to take advantage of some of these deficiencies. Having been around for nearly two decades in the fight game, his skill set is extremely well rounded. From showing incredible kick-catching against the likes of Ellenberger and Cerrone, to stuffing takedowns from Bendo and surviving on the mat against Maia (who went on to describe Masvidal as having some of the best defensive BJJ he’d ever faced), Masvidal has brought his game to a new level by demonstrating an urgency to finish fights that was lacking in his previous title runs. Given the extreme short notice nature of the bout, it’s kind of hard to pick against Usman here. Maybe the short notice will benefit Masvidal through a combination of not overtraining/a new stylistic matchup/willingness to take risks, but betting on x-factors like that against a champion as consistent as Kamaru Usman doesn’t make sense to me here. The more likely scenario, to me, is that a combination of Usman’s superior grappling and Masvidal’s short notice preparation will result in a successful defense of the title. Picks: D/C: Usman/DEC [a]jesus loves knockouts
At 34, Borella will enter the cage while five years older than Silva. Here are the betting odds at DraftKings Sportsbook for Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Mara Romero Borella at UFC Fight Night on September 19th. Money line odds. Mayra Bueno Silva: -250 Mara Romero Borella: +195 Silva played over 100 games for Valencia before moving to Manchester, and the early betting suggests he could be open to an emotional return to the Mestalla next summer. David Silva's Next Club Odds To Sign For In 2020 Betting odds for the potential Conor McGregor vs Anderson Silva superfight have been revealed ... The odds are surprising considering the way Silva's career has gone in the last few years. Online sportsbook Bovada has released odds on whether a bout between McGregor and Silva will occur by the end of 2020 with “Yes” listed at +300 and “No” coming back as the -400 favorite. Should this fight take place, the Brazilian, Silva, has been pegged as the -125 betting favorite with the Irishman, McGregor, being the slight -105 ... View all best prices/odds from all markets for the game Silva, Claudio vs Krause, James. Access all online top bookmakers in US and make the right choice with oddsFire!
UFC 247 Jones vs Reyes Predictions and Betting Analysis UFC 247 Picks
UFC 237 takes place Saturday at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "Thug" Rose Namajunas makes her second title defense as she lays her strawweight strap on the line against Jessica ... In today's craps betting strategy I will show you how to win at casino every time you play. This is a variation of the iron cross. In this strategy I add a p... Joe Osborne weighs in on the headliner and also offers his pick for Adesanya vs Silva. ... How Betting Odds Work - Sports Betting Odds Explained - Duration: 3:03. Kev's Picks Recommended for you. UFC Predictions and Odds for Saturday, March 14, 2020: Clint [email protected] and Drew Martin @DrewMartinBets take a look at UFC Fight Night 170: Brasil... This video is unavailable. Watch Queue Queue. Watch Queue Queue