UFC Fight Night 153 Gustafsson vs Smith: Fight Card, Prognostications + Odds

June 1, 2019

Ericsson Globe

Stockholm, Sweden

Oh, let us herald the coming of another shit card by the complacent and money whores who are the UFC brass. Most of this is garbage and we'll appropriately skip over the crap but there are some hidden gems and our Bea is a lovely "must-see" if you catch our sexist drift.

Main Card:

#3 Alexander Gustafsson (18-5) -330 vs. #4 Anthony Smith (31-14) +270

MMAFO is just gonna say it, we've seen the best of Gustafsson. No lies, no bullshit. The Swede peaked in 2013 in a heroic effort against Jon Jones that still came up just short of the title. "The Mauler" is a good fighter make no mistake. In fact, one of the best in the game at 205 but he's never going to be a champion. These are just the cold facts. Alex is in his prime at 32 but his ground game can and has been exploited and though he may remain near the top of the division for quite some time, the ceiling is obvious. Gusty is the gatekeeper of Light Heavy.

"Lionheart" found new life at 205 wrecking two former champs and a Swiss before finding a cold hard truth against Jon Jones. Smith isn't elite. Anthony is a good solid fighter and a really interesting, good human, but he's not gonna wear gold either. The Nebraskan, as his nickname portends, is a durable fighter who will give you every damn thing he has, and that's pretty great.

And so, MMAFO has just rained sadness all over these two good fighters but all is not lost. Both of these dudes are great to watch and this is a bout to determine who remains in the title race, but that is all and that is okay. It's still high level MMA as long as we are honest with what is at hand. 

Finally, the pressure is on in the homeland hero as Gusty returns to try and not get annihilated as he did when he faced Anthony "Domestic Abuser" Johnson who treated him like one of his ladies. Couple that with Alex mentioning in passing the thoughts of retirement that signal a loss of focus and desire which is fatal in MMA, and you've got a recipe for "Lionheart" taking down and mauling "The Mauler" for an Upset win. Luke Rockhold beware.

Upset Pick WiNNER-Anthony Smith by Rd.2 TKO

Ilir Latifi versus Volkan Oezdemir is CANCELLED!

A late back injury to the "Sledgehammer" has scrapped this bout. Oez lives another day. 

Jimi Manuwa (17-5) -230 vs. Aleksandar Rakic (11-1) +190

The "Poster Boy" for middle-age has lost 3 in a row and at this point he needs to start thinking about the concussions he is suffering in these hard losses. 

Austrain Aleks has won 11 in a row (only losing his pro debut) and is 3-0 in the promotion. He's got promise for sure but this is a definite step up in competition. Rakic is pretty well rounded but not exceptional.

The clock is ticking for old Jimi but he's still a dynamic striker and he can land some nasty shit that will, at the very least, have Sandar on the back foot if'n he doesn't put him away.

WiNNER-Jimi Manuwa by Decision

Makwan Amirkhani (14-3) +105 vs. Chris Fishgold (18-2-1) -125

"Mr. Finland" had all the hype in '15 but then he took his foot off the gas, slowed his roll, and took time out to hone his craft, we expected good things from someone smart enough to not get caught up in their own print. However, the results have been mixed with Makwan only fighting a single time each year which resulted in a loss and some very narrow wins. 

This is going to be a grapple heavy fight (yup, we're skipping right past Chris' breakdown and we think you know why) which may disappoint some casual fans. For the smart marks, there will be some really interesting exchanges but Amir will win the day.

Upset Pick WiNNER-Makwan Amirkhani by Decision

Damir Hadzovic (13-4) -175 vs. Christos Giagos (16-7) +155

WiNNER-Damir Hadzovic 

Daniel Teymur (6-3) +130 vs. Sung Bin Jo (9-0) -150

WiNNER-Sung Bin Jo

Prelims:

#9 Tonya Evinger (19-7) -265 vs. Lina Lansberg (8-4) +225

The former Invicta FC champ has gone 0-2 in her UFC stint, but she's faced murderer Cristiane Justino and young undefeated contender Aspen Ladd, so a little understanding is necessary. The worry, is that at 37 and after a couple of TKO losses, is the end nigh for Tonya? 

MMAFO has a soft spot for the "Elbow Queen" and she is tough as shit, but she doesn't have all the necessary skills to compete at the highest level in MMA. 

"Evil" Evinger can "get-right" here using her superior grappling to get a much needed win even if it requires the blanket treatment.

WiNNER-Tonya Evinger by Decision

Rostem Akman (5-0) +135 vs. Sergey Khandozhko (25-5-1) -175

WiNNER-Sergey Khandozhko

Steven Ray (22-8) +215 vs. Leonardo Santos (16-3-1) -255

MMAFO didn't understand when Ray got the nice re-up from the UFC as we find nothing special here.

We haven't seen Santos since 2016 so what exactly is going on with him?

We have some interest in Leo returning and possibly being something, but that's about it.

WiNNER-Leonardo Santos by Decision

Nick Hein (14-4) -110 vs. Frank Camacho (21-7) -110

WiNNER-Nick Hein

Bea Malecki (2-0) -120 vs. Duda Santanna (3-0) 

MMAFO has decided to be brutally honest and here we go. Bea is a beautiful babe and this dude scares us. We're not trying to be mean but Leslie Jones over here is gonna man up on Malecki only "Bad News Barbie" has the Muay Thai skills to employ range and collect points.

WiNNER-Bea Malecki by Decision

Darko Stosic (13-1) -140 vs. Devin Clark (9-3) +120

WiNNER-Darko Stosic

Joel Alvarez (15-2) -130 vs. Danilo Belluardo (12-3) +110

Upset Pick WiNNER-Danilo Belluardo 

MMAFO PiCKS Results:

Bellator 221 3-1
UFC 237 10-2
UFC, Bellator, ONE, PFL, Invicta May 4th Weekend
11-1

Total
24-4