UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs Penn (January 15, 2017)

[JIBBBY]

Maia not getting a title shot again is an injustice and that's all I have to say about that!!!. Dude is gonna be 40 soon. He can't hold much longer and Dana White knows this.. Cruelty I say!!

T-Wood on Maia 2 days ago - http://www.mmanews.com/tyron-woodley...-from-the-guy/



6 straight wins in the UFC against stiff comp and still no shot!! http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Demian-Maia-14637

[firekillex]

hes been screwed by circumstance , wonderboy had the hype and beat guys with standup/ knockouts which casual fans like more , plus he has the look ... the draw really screwed maia , hes getting pretty old he better pray this fight goes smooth and the winner doesnt get injured so he can get the fight around early summer.
such a clash of styles between him vs wonderboy or woodley so id like to see how hed fair, i think he has the better shot vs wonderboy but well

[PaperTrail07]

I know I am a UFC Conspiracy guy BUT.....they simply don't like the ground guys LOL....Okami--GONE---Ben Askren....Never Looked At....Fitch -GONE.....list goes on.....

hes been screwed by circumstance , wonderboy had the hype and beat guys with standup/ knockouts which casual fans like more , plus he has the look ... the draw really screwed maia , hes getting pretty old he better pray this fight goes smooth and the winner doesnt get injured so he can get the fight around early summer.
such a clash of styles between him vs wonderboy or woodley so id like to see how hed fair, i think he has the better shot vs wonderboy but well

[PaperTrail07]

Win	24–6	Carlos Condit	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit	000000002016-08-27-0000August 27, 2016	1	1:52	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada	Performance of the Night.
Win	23–6	Matt Brown	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC 198	000000002016-05-14-0000May 14, 2016	3	4:31	Curitiba, Brazil
Win	22–6	Gunnar Nelson	Decision (unanimous)	UFC 194	000000002015-12-12-0000December 12, 2015	3	5:00	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	21–6	Neil Magny	Submission (rear-naked choke)	UFC 190	000000002015-08-01-0000August 1, 2015	2	2:52	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Performance of the Night.
Win	20–6	Ryan LaFlare	Decision (unanimous)	UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare	000000002015-03-21-0000March 21, 2015	5	5:00	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	19–6	Alexander Yakovlev	Decision (unanimous)	The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale: Miocic vs. Maldonado	000000002014-05-31-0000May 31, 2014	3	5:00	São Paulo, Brazil

And No Title Shot----Condit Pretty much had Lawler....

[firekillex]

I know I am a UFC Conspiracy guy BUT.....they simply don't like the ground guys LOL....Okami--GONE---Ben Askren....Never Looked At....Fitch -GONE.....list goes on.....

UFC has never really liked backpack/ ground guys but at least Maia finishes people by submission, askren was the worst of all I could easily see him being a champion in the UFC if he got the opportunity

[PaperTrail07]

100%.....and Maia has a big following---otherwise he would have gotten the BOOT lol...

UFC has never really liked backpack/ ground guys but at least Maia finishes people by submission, askren was the worst of all I could easily see him being a champion in the UFC if he got the opportunity

[Hugo de Naranja]

Thinking BJ misses weight here. Cut to 145 will be too mich

[firekillex]

Thinking BJ misses weight here. Cut to 145 will be too mich

gonna be a tough cut for sure, not even sure why hes really dropping to 45 thinking hell get a 3rd belt somehow
just going 02.5 and hoping he can survive a bit

[PaperTrail07]

BJ has a fight itch that is about to get scratched real hard LOL...

[Shagdogy]

Thinking BJ misses weight here. Cut to 145 will be too mich

Looks pretty small in all the lead up videos. That used to be a dead giveaway if he'd win or lose if he was in shape or not... now I'm not so sure it matters. I do think Rodriguez would have been a great matchup for him back in the day. The kind of guy he could really show off against. I love old BJ... but new BJ is so bad.

[JIBBBY]

Thinking BJ misses weight here. Cut to 145 will be too mich

He's older (38) and remember he's not use to cutting weight for a few years now.. Could be a concern.. If he makes weight how drained will he be from the cut?

A 5 round fight is a long time to go with the younger guy Yair.. Keep in mind the dude hasn't lost since coming into the UFC.. 5-0 in UFC fights..http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yair-Rodriguez-106305

Yair's gonna have the reach on BJ at 5'11" as well.. BJ also never had great take downs so this fight stays standing. I just don't see how BJ can win this fight?...http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/BJ-Penn-1307

I think BJ is gonna catch a beating.. He's gonna be the typical tough BJ and come forward with the jab and with little to no head movement..

Tough odds across the board on how to play this fight?????

I'm kinda liking Yair ITD myself but the odds are crap..

1009

Rodriguez wins inside distance

-162

Ko Prop is a gamble but I may end up just playing this..

1041

Rodriguez wins by TKO/KO

-130

If some of you guys think BJ is tough enough to last the 5 then this is probably the call.. Can't see BJ out working Yair over 5 rounds on the cards..

1011

Rodriguez wins by 5 round decision

+320

Or even this

1047

Rodriguez wins by 5 round unanimous dec

+450

[firekillex]

People hyping yair to much imo because his flashy fun style, guys 5-0 in UFC but who's his best win probably Andre fili? He has 4 decisions outta 5 wins and 2 were split decisions, he doesn't have much power he's more of a wild kicker and spinning attacks if one lands it could be lights out but it's hard to land those shots, especially if bj is trying to wrestle which it looks like he could... bj has fought much bigger and stronger/ powerful strikers then yair and didn't get tkod so... I think yair wins this still unless bj has improved but o2.5 is the bet here

[JIBBBY]

^^^I reads ya Fire - Yair isn't a big finisher true and maybe BJ can make it past 2.5 rounds... Odds are decent..

UFC Fight Night 103 - Featherweight 5 rounds - Talking Stick Resort Arena - Phoenix, Arizona - FS1

Sun 1/15		1001 B.J. Penn		+375	o2½ -110
11:30PM		1002 Yair Rodriguez		-470	u2½ -110

Bit safer prop play -

1055

Penn/Rodriguez starts round 3

-146

[PaperTrail07]

Had to guess I would say it starts round 3.....there is value there..IMO

[firekillex]

the chances are fairly high -110 is a great price, bj has never been finished in under 02.5 i dont think and yair isnt a power hitter, his only chance is landing a crazy spinning kick or something before then ... if not i see him taking out bj late unless bj can pull off the miracle might put a small wager on bj SUB for fun , i see him working on his takedowns in videos i think hes gonna try to close the distance and use dirty boxing, clinch work and ground work in this match... should be interesting to see wheres he at though , just not the highest on yair he has potential but people saying hes jon jones/ pettis hybrid is a joke lol hes a solid prospect thats about it ... o2.5 is the bet and sprinkle something small on props theres 0 value on yair straight here either try to guess which round he finishes bj for solid value or take the long shot with bj moneyline / sub prop only paths i see value here tbh

[Hugo de Naranja]

He's older (38) and remember he's not use to cutting weight for a few years now.. Could be a concern.. If he makes weight how drained will he be from the cut?

A 5 round fight is a long time to go with the younger guy Yair.. Keep in mind the dude hasn't lost since coming into the UFC.. 5-0 in UFC fights..http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Yair-Rodriguez-106305

Yair's gonna have the reach on BJ at 5'11" as well.. BJ also never had great take downs so this fight stays standing. I just don't see how BJ can win this fight?...http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/BJ-Penn-1307

I think BJ is gonna catch a beating.. He's gonna be the typical tough BJ and come forward with the jab and with little to no head movement..

Tough odds across the board on how to play this fight?????

I'm kinda liking Yair ITD myself but the odds are crap..

1009

Rodriguez wins inside distance

-162

Ko Prop is a gamble but I may end up just playing this..

1041

Rodriguez wins by TKO/KO

-130

If some of you guys think BJ is tough enough to last the 5 then this is probably the call.. Can't see BJ out working Yair over 5 rounds on the cards..

1011

Rodriguez wins by 5 round decision

+320

Or even this

1047

Rodriguez wins by 5 round unanimous dec

+450

Played Yair Decision for a good size stake. Like the over as well.

[Hugo de Naranja]

the chances are fairly high -110 is a great price, bj has never been finished in under 02.5 i dont think and yair isnt a power hitter, his only chance is landing a crazy spinning kick or something before then ... if not i see him taking out bj late unless bj can pull off the miracle might put a small wager on bj SUB for fun , i see him working on his takedowns in videos i think hes gonna try to close the distance and use dirty boxing, clinch work and ground work in this match... should be interesting to see wheres he at though , just not the highest on yair he has potential but people saying hes jon jones/ pettis hybrid is a joke lol hes a solid prospect thats about it ... o2.5 is the bet and sprinkle something small on props theres 0 value on yair straight here either try to guess which round he finishes bj for solid value or take the long shot with bj moneyline / sub prop only paths i see value here tbh

BJ Scorecards = No Action (+371) is a decent hedge as well. If he wins, it's likely by early sub. I'm probably fading Yair in the future since I agree that he's overrated and has a bunch of flaws. It will be interesting to see if he has progressed in this fight.

[Rich Benjamins]

Here http://mmajunkie.com/2017/01/ufc-fig...aves-town-bout

Mendes says: “I had knee surgery three months or so after my last fight,” he said. “I tore my ACL. It required reconstruction. It’s the same procedure Dominick Cruz had done twice. I couldn’t train for more than six months. My upcoming fight will be exactly eight months after my surgery. I was idle for six months and training for two.”

Idle for 6 months after knee surgery and then only trained for 2 months? That doesnt' seem like enough time. What do you guys think? Bet on Saenz?

[JIBBBY]

Here http://mmajunkie.com/2017/01/ufc-fig...aves-town-bout

Mendes says: “I had knee surgery three months or so after my last fight,” he said. “I tore my ACL. It required reconstruction. It’s the same procedure Dominick Cruz had done twice. I couldn’t train for more than six months. My upcoming fight will be exactly eight months after my surgery. I was idle for six months and training for two.”

Idle for 6 months after knee surgery and then only trained for 2 months? That doesnt' seem like enough time. What do you guys think? Bet on Saenz?

Most people aren't down for 6 months from that surgery let alone a pro athlete... Secondly he can still swim, do some sparing, stationary training, etc which he probably did just a few months after the surgery.. My guess is he'll be ready but maybe not 100% but probably close..

That's just my opinion...

[imbabygordon]

Where has time gone? I remember when you didn't bet against BJ. Hasn't been the same since he fought The Answer

[JIBBBY]

Where has time gone? I remember when you didn't bet against BJ. Hasn't been the same since he fought The Answer

BJ PENN isn't the young prodigy anymore, he's 38 and hasn't fought in years.. He's gotten his ass beat in much of his last 7 or so fights when he was active.. Like with some of these legendary older fighters the sport has evolved and passed them bye also..

To think we are gonna see the young hungry BJ Penn show up and deliver at the UFC level now is a long shot.. He'll be a punching bag in this fight. Yair isn't even all that, decent though...

Everyone knows it's harder to cut weight and drop divisions when you are older as well.. BJ was also always cardio challenged in recent fights, is that going to change? I don't think so...

The question is how long does he last in this fight?

[firekillex]

any of those wild shitty moves will just be good for BJ Penn tbh, he barely ever lands any of those flying or spinning kicks and lands on his asss, BJ would just swarm him , and stay ontop on the ground, yair has never fought a ground wizard like BJ , and his boxing isnt great at all , hes mostly all flash ... gonna be an interesting fight but if BJ can fight smart he can bring this is into deeper waters if he doesnt get caught right away , plus the time off could help heal his granite chin a bit .. Pumped to see how this fight ends

[JIBBBY]

any of those wild shitty moves will just be good for BJ Penn tbh, he barely ever lands any of those flying or spinning kicks and lands on his asss, BJ would just swarm him , and stay ontop on the ground, yair has never fought a ground wizard like BJ , and his boxing isnt great at all , hes mostly all flash ... gonna be an interesting fight but if BJ can fight smart he can bring this is into deeper waters if he doesnt get caught right away , plus the time off could help heal his granite chin a bit .. Pumped to see how this fight ends

You think BJ can control Yair in top position or land a submission on him?

May I remind you BJ became a stand up fighter basically during his entire MMA career, even with his Jits titles and talents from years ago he never used his ground game like a Demian Maia does in fights..

Yair is scrappy and very athletic, don't think BJ can hold him down and control him... He'll scramble, wrestle and pop back up on BJ... I also don't remember Yair ever being controlled on the ground in any of his fights thus far.. Correct me if I'm wrong?

[firekillex]

i think BJ could easily control Yair on the ground and have his way , hes a much better grappler then him and any grappler hes ever faced... Hes tapped out and controlled much much better guys then yair in his career . Matt hughes is a horse compared to Yair

this is Yairs padded record in UFC his opponents ufc records are the following
7-7 he won a split
4-3
3-3
2-2 split
0-2


his fights outside the UFC the opponents full records
7-11
1-2
2-2
0-1
0-1

[JIBBBY]

^^Fire I never said Yair is all that, he's decent. I'm focusing more on what BJ Penn isn't today.

BJ's best days of grappling are behind him.. He has no offensive take down capabilities.. I can't remember the last time BJ has gotten a take down from a double or single can you?.. He usually gasses and doesn't even go for take downs after the 1st couple rounds if I remember correctly...

BJ goes into fights trying to stand and strike, unless he's changed his game up and is a completely different fighter today then I'd be wrong.. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks as I see nothing changing in this fight.. The fight remains standing..

If BJ does get a chance to show his ground it will come off a wild Yair strike, trip and fall.. Still think Yair pops right back up..

We'll see?

[firekillex]

I dont even think BJ will be great either and he probably losses this fight even after all i said, but i think hell survive longer then people think ... He may get a takedown against the cage but hes not shooting double legs in the middle of the octagon, im saying more of how yair throws those wild kicks and lands on his ass bj can easily jump in on him and land ontop and control him for a bit , even bj at 38 on your back or ontop is an elite talent you dont lose that... I would agree on the point hes been coming in with bad gameplans lately but hes been fighting elite guys ( frankie edgar amazing wrestler and super fast boxer, rory macdonald a hugeeee guy thats just a plain beast and to big for bj pen, jon fitch who he drew is a huge wrestler , all these guys are much much larger and more powerful then yair ) yair is a new comer prospect, theyre setting this fight up for him to win so he gets more hype behind him obviously but this is BJs last chance at fighting i think this is the best he can be at this moment, especially with Jackson/Wink behind him where Yair previously trained theyll have some good looks on him... I think Yair finishes him round 4 range but BJ has a shot here id give him 30% or so shot but people are completely writing him off i think he deserves a bit more respect tbh....

should be a good fight though im excited to see what happens, who knows Yair could come out with one of those crazy kicks and knock Bj into retirement round 1 but ill take the odds 02.5 normal sized bet and maybe take a shot yair round 4 or bj submission prop gotta check the prices

( bj penn sub +675 )
( yair rd 4 + 775 )

[JIBBBY]

^^ BJ sure sounds confident, I'll give him that much...

http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/1/12/14246870/b-j-penn-confident-that-ufc-phoenix-will-not-be-his-final-fight

I also think if BJ is to win this fight which I think he wont it's gonna be by KO and not by Sub... He hasn't won by submission in 8 years just for the record.. His last 2 wins have come by KO... http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/BJ-Penn-1307

1037 Penn wins by TKO/KO

+1245

The ITD prop

1005

Penn wins inside distance

+496

Yair is gonna have a speed advantage in this fight which wasn't mentioned.. Speed kills aging fighters and boxers...

[THE_LOCKSMITH]

Lets do this sheeet BJ Penn +375

[Shagdogy]

Jibbs you're right about the takedowns but that's it. If Yair tries some of that dumb stuff and ends up on the ground and BJ gets on top, he'll find out real quick he shouldn't have been so confident. BJ has an excellent mount/back control flow. He has absolutely whored fighters in smaller weight classes with his ground control. Joe Stevenson specifically. This is something he won't have lost in his time off either. Yair would be stupid to fight on the ground unless it's on top of a gassed out BJ.

[JIBBBY]

Yair won the Ultimate Fighter Latin America, he hasn't lost a fight in almost 6 years now.... BJ is gonna get worked..

https://twitter.com/panteraufc?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

[PaperTrail07]

BJ loses----end of fuckn story----does it go to decision is the only question....even roids cant save the man.....age killed him years ago IMO

Jibbs you're right about the takedowns but that's it. If Yair tries some of that dumb stuff and ends up on the ground and BJ gets on top, he'll find out real quick he shouldn't have been so confident. BJ has an excellent mount/back control flow. He has absolutely whored fighters in smaller weight classes with his ground control. Joe Stevenson specifically. This is something he won't have lost in his time off either. Yair would be stupid to fight on the ground unless it's on top of a gassed out BJ.

[JIBBBY]

MMAMANIA part 1 -




115 lbs.: Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger vs. Nina Ansaroff

Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-3) punched her ticket to UFC with a five-round decision over former Bellator MMA tournament winner Zoila Frausto, earning RFA's Strawweight title in the process. She’s yet to replicate that success in the UFC, losing competitive decisions to Tecia Torres and Randa Markos.
She will give up an inch of height to the 5’5" Nina Ansaroff (6-5).
After facing the likes of Carla Esparza and Barb Honchak in her first four fights, Ansaroff rattled off four consecutive stoppage wins to stake her claim as a UFC-worthy Strawweight. Like Jones-Lybarger, she is winless (0-2) in the promotion itself, having lost a fair decision to Juliana Lima in her debut and a terrible decision to Justine Kish her next time out.
She owns four wins by (technical) knockout and one by submission.
Jones-Lybarger is tough, durable and totally outmatched. So long as Ansaroff can stay busy, her lateral movement and angles ought to work wonders against Ansaroff. Against Kish -- a similar breed of pressure fighter -- those skills should have earned her the win. Here, with the knowledge gained from that loss, they will.
Jones-Lybarger is just going to eat too many strikes, struggling with Amsaroff’s movement as she gets pot-shotted to an eventual finish.
Prediction: Ansaroff via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Devin Powell vs. Drakkar Klose

The latest acquisition from Dana White’s "Lookin’ for a Fight," Devin Powell (8-1) impressed UFC's head honcho with a first-round submission of Jon Lemke in Aug. 2016. The win marked his sixth straight and followed a split decision win over Tommy Marcellino in World Series of Fighting (WSOF).
He owns three wins by submission and two via knockout.
The latest prospect out of MMA Lab, Drakkar Klose (6-0-1) got his first shots at the big time with fights in Tachi Palace Fights and RFA, going 1-0-1. He had previously knocked out four of five opponents, including one in just 31 seconds.
He replaces Jordan Rinaldi on three weeks’ notice.
Klose still has some work to do, but I’m just flat-out not impressed by Powell. His striking flows decently, but his wrestling is severely under-developed and his skill off his back won’t be enough against UFC-caliber grapplers. Klose’s wrestling pedigree alone makes him a hard counter to Powell, not the mention the sort of punching power that punishes lax defenses.
Powell’s opportunistic enough to threaten a couple finishes, but Klose’s fundamentals and athleticism have him outclassed. He pounds his way to a mid-round stoppage.
Prediction: Klose by second-round technical knockout

265 lbs.: Walt Harris vs. Chase Sherman

Walt Harris (8-5) washed out of UFC his first time around, then got pounded out by Soa Palelei upon his return. "Big Ticket" finally secured his first win in the promotion with a knockout of Cody East in April 2016, then dropped a decision to Shamil Abdurakhimov six months later.
All eight of his wins have come by first-round knockout, six of them in two minutes or less.
Chase Sherman (9-2) -- who thankfully didn’t go for the usual low-hanging nickname fruit that is "Tank" -- scored nine first-round knockouts in nine wins and lost only to Alex Nicholson before joining UFC. Once there, he struggled with former boxer Justin Ledet’s steady jab and eventually lost a decision.
In addition to his three-year professional career, Sherman went perfect (4-0) as an amateur.
This could be fun! Harris and Sherman are cut from a similar cloth, both big, athletic Heavyweight fighters in need of serious technical refinement. While it may just come down to whomever lands the first big punch, I’m leaning towardHarris.
"Big Ticket" has been around the block quite a bit more than his opponent has and, while he may have a pretty damn spotty record on that block, experience is valuable. Further, Sherman doesn’t have the sort of wrestling that Harris has struggled with in the past nor the constant lateral motion Abdurakhimov used to great effect.
Harris’ edge in speed and top-tier experience should carry him to the knockout victory.
Prediciton: Harris via first-round knockout

205 lbs.: Bojan Mihajlovic vs. Joachim Christensen

Serbia’s Bojan Mihajlovic (10-4) brought a 10-fight win streak into his UFC debut, a main card showdown with Francis Ngannou on FOX. He had no answer for the Cameroonian giant, suffering a technical knockout loss 94 seconds into the first round.
He will give up four inches of height to the 6’3" Joachim Christensen (13-4).
Christensen fought a "Who’s Who" of the European circuit, including Stepan Puetz, Max Nunes and Jonas Billstein on his way to UFC. In his debut, he dropped Luis "Frankenstein" with a knee in the second round but fell victim to an armbar.
He owns five wins by submission and four by knockout.
Dropping to 205 pounds is the right move for Mihajlovic -- he looked fairly soft against Ngannou at 228 pounds and he’s fairly quick. He’ll still lose here, but it won’t be the blowout his debut was.
Christensen is more proven against quality opposition, is likely the better striker and can at least hold his own in the grappling. There’s also the chin advantage -- Christensen ate some solid shots from Henrique and didn’t flinch. He outstrikes the Serb from the outside on his way to a decision win.
Prediction: Christensen via unanimous decision

265 lbs.: Dmitry Smolyakov vs. Cyril Asker

Before joining the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, Dmitry Smolyakov (8-1) rampaged through the Russian circuit with eight first-round finishes, including four within the first minute. The early finish wasn’t there against Luis Henrique, who overpowered him on the mat and choked him out in the second.
His wins are split evenly between knockouts and submissions.
Cyril Asker (7-2) entered UFC as a well-traveled competitor, earning the EFC Heavyweight title in South Africa back in Oct. 2015. He debuted last April against Jared Cannonier, who knocked him stiff midway through the first round.
Three of his professional wins have come by form of knockout.
Smolyakov looked like another Konstantin Erokhin against Henrique -- just a bad, bad performance. His wrestling wasn’t there and his gas tank looked flat-out abysmal. Even as mediocre as Asker is, Smolyakov is toast if he comes in in that kind of shape again.
Asker can wrestle a bit and has experience going three rounds, which by itself may be enough to guarantee victory. His chin’s a bit shaky and it wouldn’t surprise me all that much if Smolyakov blitzed him, but the more likely outcome is that Asker survives the early onslaught and steadily overpowers him on the ground to secure the stoppage.
Prediction: Asker via second-round technical knockout

Part 2 -





135 lbs.: Frankie Saenz vs. Augusto Mendes
Three consecutive UFC victories -- one of them a decision over Iuri Alcantara in the face of +700 odds -- set up a battle with Urijah Faber that saw Frankie Saenz (11-4) acquit himself well in defeat. There would be no moral victory against Eddie Wineland, though, who handed Saenz the first knockout loss of his career via brutal right hands.
Saenz won and twice defended the King of the Cage Bantamweight title before joining UFC, all three wins via stoppage.
Augusto Mendes (5-1) brought a tremendous grappling pedigree into his UFC debut, a short-notice battle with future 135-pound champion Cody Garbrandt. Unfortunately, "Tanquinho" didn’t get an opportunity to put that Brazilian jiu-jitsu prowess to use before "No Love" flattened him with a huge right hand.
He owns three wins by submission and one via technical knockout.
This could definitely wind up being closer than I’m giving it credit for, but this fight seems all wrong for "Tanquinho." The Brazilian doesn’t have the sort of Demian Maia/Rani Yahya death touch where all he has to do is grab your leg to doom you to five minutes of back control. Saenz has the wrestling pedigree to keep this standing and, rough as he is on the feet, Mendes is just as much so and lacks his experience.
Saenz has quite a bit going for him here, too much for Mendes’s jiu-jitsu pedigree to overcome. He takes an ugly decision via effective striking and takedown defense.
Prediction: Saenz via unanimous decision

265 lbs.: Oleksiy Oliynyk vs. Viktor Pesta

A professional fighter since 1997, Oleksiy Oliynyk (50-10-1) emerged as an unexpected contender with first-round finishes of Anthony Hamilton and Jared Rosholt in his first two UFC bouts. "BkofAma Constrictor" next fought almost two years later, losing a decision to Daniel Omielanczuk in Sioux Falls.
That loss snapped an 11-fight finishing streak dating back to 2012.
Viktor Pesta (10-3) rebounded from his Octagon debut loss to Ruslan Magomedov with an upset of Konstantin Erokhin as a +600 underdog in Sweden. He’s yet to continue that success, suffering knockout losses to Derrick Lewis and Marcin Tybura in his last two fights.
He was originally set to face Damian Grabowski before "Polish Pitbull" suffered an injury.
Well this is a toss up if I’ve ever seen one. Both men have underperformed in recent fights and their styles could mush together into a deathly boring affair. Plus, I’ve generally been very bad at picking both of their fights.
Eh, let’s go with Pesta.
Oliynyk’s just got so much wear -- he looked old and worn down against Omielanczuk. Pesta’s 13 years younger than him and a strong enough wrestler to take those creaky joints to the woodshed. I’ll be rooting for Oliynyk, but time catches up with us all. Pesta grinds his way to a decision victory.
Prediction: Pesta via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: Tony Martin vs. Alex White

The towering Tony Martin (10-3) got off to a rough start in UFC, running out of gas against Rashid Magomedov, Beneil Dariush and Leonardo Santos in a 1-3 run. Against Felipe Oliveira in Jan. 2016, he seemed to put his cardio issues behind him and tapped the Brazilian in the third round.
Eight of his 10 wins have come by submission.
Alex White (11-2) roared out of the UFC gate with an 88-second knockout of Estevan Payan, only to lose some steam with consecutive losses to Lucas Martins and Clay Collard. He replaces the injured Erik Koch on a month’s notice. Injury kept him out of action for all of 2015, after which he returned to action with a win over Artem Lobov in February.
He owns five wins by submission and four by (technical) knockout.
When Martin’s got some gas in the tank, he’s a beast. His physicality is ridiculous for the division and he does excellent work from top position, attacking with constant submissions. The gas tank is the rub, though -- in all three of his UFC losses, he’s faded and been subsequently dominated. Against original opponent Erik Koch, that would have been a serious point of consideration even with his solid late-fight efforts with Oliveira. Against White, a natural Featherweight, it isn’t.
White just doesn’t have the size, strength or ground prowess to tire out Martin before the big man does something unpleasant to his arm joints. First-round finish for Martin.
Prediction: Martin via first-round submission



Patrick Stumberg - MMA writer for MMAMania -

Final UFC "Prelims" Prediction Record for 2016: 173-107-6

[PaperTrail07]

Personally I think OO gets it....Daniel Omielanczuk had to dig deep to earn a decision and I imagine he edges this one---

[PaperTrail07]

Thoughts on Court McGee Vs Saunders?

[PaperTrail07]

$75.00	$247.89		Pending	4 Team Parlay
					Pending	1/15/17 11:30pm UFC Fighting 1002 Yair Rodriguez -440* vs B.J. Penn
					Pending	1/15/17 9:00pm UFC Fighting 1502 Oleksiy Oliynyk -140* vs Viktor Pesta
					Pending	1/15/17 8:30pm UFC Fighting 1602 Tony Martin -225* vs Alex White
					Pending	1/15/17 6:30pm UFC Fighting 2002 Joachim Christensen -240* vs Bojan Mihajlovic