January 15, 2017
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Phoenix, Arizona
Main Card on FS1:
BJ Penn (16-10-2) +350 vs. Yair Rodriguez (8-1) -440
No, no, no! How many times do we have to go through this?
"BJ is back!" "This is the real Prodigy." "Now Penn is
motivated." MMAFO is tired of this damn song. BJ is
overrated (yeah, we said it) and he's never going to attain his
previous levels of success. Not gonna happen. "Pantera" by
massacre.
WINNER-Yair Rodriguez by Rd.4 TKO
Joe Lauzon (26-12) -120 vs. Marcin Held (22-5) +100
The Polish fighter has shown moments of brilliance and then he
goes out and completely forgets how to fight against Diego
Sanchez last last November. It was a pedestrian effort maligned
by Held's inability to switch gears mid-fight. The lack of a gas tank was because he took the bout on short notice coupled with the high elevation in Mexico so Marcin gets a pass there.
"J-Lau" is far more consistent. You know what you are going
to get from the 8 year veteran. Lauzon is going to come at you
with all he's got even if it means putting himself in precarious
situations.
And so, Joey is going to bring the fight to Marcin forcing him to
engage. Both men are adapt at subs but after Held's lackluster
showing in his debut for the UFC, its hard to pick the kid.
Maybe it was "UFC jitters" but he hasn't established any good
will with us. We'll ride with the man we know is fighting for a
bonus and always lays all his cards on the table.
WINNER-Joe Lauzon by Decision
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@bensaundersmma (Instagram)
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Ben Saunders (19-7-2) -110 vs. Court McGee (19-5) -110
"Killa-B" is back in the house! Again. It was kinda strange
when Saunders was bounced from the organization after a
single loss to then surging Patrick Cote last January. Ben went
out and armbar'd idiot Jacob Volkman in a mere 0:17 and
"Killa-B" is back. Again. If you don't know MMAFO are huge
"Killa-B" fans then you haven't been paying attention. Ben is a
submission ace and is very long allowing for some vicious work
in the clinch. Saunders has been splitting his training with ATT
and 10th Planet and Jiu-Jitsu master Eddie Bravo.
"The Crusher" has been trudging along winning some and
others. The guy doesn't really improve as much as he just
soldiers on with grit, determination, and cardio for days.
Saunders allows himself to be taken down far too often (likely
because his Jitz is so good off his back) but McGee isn't one for
takedowns. Court is slow but steady and he could slowly wear
down Ben over the course of the bout, but more likely is that
"Killa-B" keeps some distance before using trip takedowns
to control the bearded one if'n he doesn't straight tap him out. Saunders is the better striker and better grappler. Ben simply needs to be aware of the time he spends on his back since the judges do not reward men who work from their back.
WINNER-Ben Saunders by Decision
John Moraga (16-5) +125 vs. Sergio Pettis (14-2) -145
The "other" Pettis has been up and down amassing a 5-2
record while trying to establish himself at Flyweight. The
Roufusport fighter is a solid technical kickboxer with good
takedown defense. Sergio has shown a bit of a weak chin in the
past but he is young and improving.
John is an okay striker but he really excels when he is able to
get into a scramble and attain a submission before his opponent
get into a scramble and attain a submission before his opponent
knows what is happening. The MMA Lab combatant is far
more experienced having fought the best of the division though
admittedly with mixed results.
Moraga isn't one to test any one's chin which leaves Pettis free
to box up John unless he is taken down. On the mat, Sergio is far, far behind John and must avoid the canvas like it was lava. Pettis can stick and move amassing more points to win at least 2 rounds in a close bout.
WINNER-Sergio Pettis by Decision
Prelims on FS1:
Frankie Saenz (11-4) -160 vs. Augusto Mendes (5-1) +140
What can you say here? Frankie is a 36 year old boxer while
Augusto is the younger submission grappler. Neither seems
likely to be a player at Bantamweight or very interesting. Saenz is a powerful striker and capable grappler which means he's got all the tools to defeat Augusto.
WINNER-Frankie Saenz by Rd.1 TKO
Oleksiy Oliynyk (50-10-1) -140 vs. Viktor Pesta (10-3) +120
"The Boa Constrictor" had won 11 in a row (all by finish!) until
lost a close decision to Daniel Omielanczuk last July. Oli is as
tough as they come (and he'd better be having fought 61 times
by the age of 39) and is a submission expert. He'll do anything
he can to get the fight to the floor including enduring a beating
to do so.
Pesta has gone 1-3 since joining the UFC and has looked like
absolute garbage. He'll be submitted before he knows what
time it is.
WINNER-Oleksiy Oliynyk by Rd.1 Submission
Tony Martin (10-3) -225 vs. Alex White (11-2) +185
White by aggression over the guy who cannot seem to develop
any endurance.
Upset Pick WINNER-Alex White by Decision
Devin Powell (8-1) +210 vs. Drakkar Klose (6-0-1) -250
WINNER-Drakkar Klose by Decision
Prelims on UFC Fight Pass:
Jocelyn Jones-Lybarger (6-3) +125 vs. Nina Ansaroff (6-5) -145
Amanda Nunes' girlfriend has been disappointing to say the
least since coming up from Invicta FC. Is the "rub" real?
JJL hasn't done well either but she has faced tougher
competition and we just like the cut of her gib. The lady is
tough and a fighter in every aspect.
Look, we're not gonna lie here. We respect JJL a lot but she's prolly gonna lose. Sad but so.
Look, we're not gonna lie here. We respect JJL a lot but she's prolly gonna lose. Sad but so.
WINNER-Nina Ansaroff by Decision
Walt Harris (8-5) -140 vs. Chase Sherman (9-2) +120
2-4 for the "Big Ticket." 0-1 for the "Vanilla Gorilla." Both
men are going to stand and trade bombs which bodes well for
Walt.
WINNER-Walt Harris by Rd.1 KO
Bojan Mihajlović (10-4) +200 vs. Joachim Christensen (13-4)
-240
WINNER-Joachim Christensen by Decision
Dmitri Smoliakov (8-1) +100 vs. Cyril Asker (7-2) -120
Upset Pick WINNER-Dmitri Smoliakov by Rd.1 TKO
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