UFC 211 Miocic vs. dos Santos 2 or ATT versus the World: Picks, Prognostications + Odds

May 13, 2017

American Airlines Center

Dallas, Texas

Welcome back fight fans from a nice little break to recharge our batteries. MMA is back on the agenda as the UFC comes storming back with a great PPV card. 9 of the 13 fighters on the card are representing American Top Team versus the world! MMAFO has ATT going 5-4 for a moral victory. This card is absolutely stacked and is a must watch for all true MMA fans!

Main Card (PPV):

Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic (16-2) -125 vs. #5 Junior dos Santos (18-4) +105 [Rematch]

"Steepay" has won his last 4 since a closely contested loss to "JDS" in December of '14. Miocic has used his heavy hands and stout chin to dispatch foes with extreme prejudice. Cleveland's favorite son has wrestling skills to fall back upon, but prefers a boxing match. On a side note, what is with Stipe parading around like Fabricio Werdum, trying to be funny while looking like an unfocused idiot? Just an observation.

"The Nicest Man In MMA" is a lovely human being who is a boxer with some kicks but he is one of the best pugilists in the game today and hooked up with ATT to improve even more! "Cigano" has struggled with injuries and needed years to heal from absolute meat grinding fights against Cain Velasquez and the aforementioned Stipe. Many wondered if those encounters ruined the now 33 year old with all the punishment taken in those campaigns. 

The 1st meeting between these two men was a bloody conflict that ranks as one of the best Heavyweight fights of all time! Both men were badly wounded at times, covered in blood, and pushed to their absolute limits for 25 minutes. Now 3 years later they do the damn thing again. This bout is going to be a boxing match and we feel that favors dos Santos. Junior is an exceptional boxer and his footwork is far better than Stipe's. MMAFO also believes "JDS" has the edge in cardio and his takedown defense is so solid, Miocic isn't going to be able to get him down for long. 

It's an Upset pick as "Cigano's"career has fluctuated more violently than the steady Stipe, but its all about match ups and if the dos Santos who showed up looking reborn against Ben Rothwell shows up, its going to be an interesting night. Miocic showed against Alistair Overeem just how powerful his punches can be, but "JDS" is already aware and will use the proper movement to maximize his game while "Steepay" flounders trying to brawl his way to victory. Anything can happen in the big boy division but we side with dos Santos' skill set and would like to give the guy a hug.

Upset Pick WINNER-Junior dos Santos by Decision

Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk (13-0) -150 vs. #6 Jéssica Andrade (16-5) +130

     "Joanna Champion" has won 4 in a row since claiming her belt and has never been defeated as a professional. "Ms. Violence" is already light years ahead of her competition in kickboxing skills and recently made the move to ATT which will only enhance her deadly arsenal.

     "Bate Estaca" has found new life since dropping to 125's and has murdered her opponents. Andrade is a stout lil' tank that throws barrages of hooks like a female Wanderlei Silva though it also leaves her open to counter striking. Jessica has relied on her aggression and power to overwhelm ladies into the fence for a shellacking. 

     This is going to play out on the feet with kickboxing facing Muay Thai. Jedrzejczyk is technically more proficient but she lacks the power that her Brazilian challenger brings. ATT knows this as well and will have Joanna using movement and a lot of kicks to keep Jessica at bay while racking up points and avoiding the knockout blow. This could be very close down the stretch but that is where "Joanna Champion" thrives!

WINNER-Joanna Jedrzejczyk by Decision

#4 Demian Maia (24-6) +110 vs. #10 Jorge Masvidal (32-11) -130

You MMA fans and pundits lost your fucking minds when Masvidal defeated Donald Cerrone in January. This mid-level fighter was suddenly elevated to God status for wrecking a cat who generally loses via TKO when he gets near anything important. People are making too much of the win. Don't get us wrong, Jorge is a solid fighter everywhere but he is limited as well. "Gamebred" has a tendency to build a lead and then just coast or completely losing all semblance of offense. He's good, not great.

Maia meanwhile, is fighting out of his damn mind!  The Brazilian has been patiently waiting a title shot while amassing 6 wins in a row to top talent including embarrassing MMAFO's boy Carlos Condit in just under 2 minutes last August! This cats Jiu-Jitsu is just on another level and if he gets his mitts on you, you're fucked.

With all the "names" Maia has defeated and made to look foolish, how in the hell could anyone pick Masvidal? Sure the hands are an issue with Demian not being a very good boxer and Jorge being quite good, but its nothing Maia hasn't already dealt with on a higher level. Also how to say this politically correct... the Brazilian is a smart technician while Jorge is a moron. What that PC? We pick Demian and give this man a title shot already!

Upset Pick WINNER-Demian Maia by Decision

#3 Frankie Edgar (21-5-1) -120 vs. #8 Yair Rodriguez (10-1) +100

Um, defeating BJ Penn in this day and age doesn't mean shit and the UFC has made a mistake here pitting a promising prospect against the most grizzled and successful of veterans. 

Yair has a lot going for him though with flashy kicks and a significant size advantage. The dude is also very young is quite unpredictable with his array of attacks.

Mr. Edgar don't give a fuck. Bring all your cute spinning shit and bravado and Frank will stick to planting you on your ass and out scrambling everything you can think up.

Rodriguez has a lot of hype around him but hasn't shown the substance yet against weak opponents. Edgar has done it all at the highest level and he ain't done yet. The man has made a career of winning when he was supposed to lose. Good luck kid, Frankie is coming to spank dat ass!

WINNER-Frankie Edgar by Decision

Henry Cejudo versus Sergio Pettis Cancelled!

Cejudo has injured his hand and has pulled out of the proposed contest.

Prelims (on FX):

#4 Eddie Alvarez (28-5) +110 vs. Dustin Poirier (21-5) -130

This is an amazing contest between two great Lightweight strikers who can grapple their asses off as well. Both men have questionable chins and neither man is looking to hear the final bell.

"The Underground King" lost his crown last November when Conor McGregor blew him out of the Octagon in embarrassing fashion. 

Dustin "Diamond" hit the Michael Johnson wall last year which halted his winning streak but Poirier rebounded in a tough close fight with Jim Miller in February. 

Both of these dudes do a lot of similar things but Poirier is more likely to become overwhelmed by emotion in the cage and forget his game plan. Eddie gets rocked in almost every fight he has but he is rarely put away while the big hits have ruined Dustin at times. MMAFO really likes watching both men fight but we side ever so slightly with Alvarez bringing more volume while mixing in the wrestling game which might catch Poirier off guard. 

Upset Pick WINNER-Eddie Alvarez by Decision?

Chas Skelly (17-2) -130 vs. Jason Knight (16-2) +110

Good ole Chas is a working "Scrapper" who just doesn't stop coming. Skelly is a grappler to the nth degree.

So this Knight character is a crazy motherfucker. The guy talks shit in the cage like a Diaz brother and fights the same way. Its so much fun to watch but Jason leaves himself open to a lot of counters though he can dominate the ground game.

It'll be interesting to see if Knight can get in Skelly's head and make him brawl. Chas' path to victory is earning the takedown and controlling the bout. Jason is hardly a slouch though off his back and we just think this weirdo has something intangible that is going to carry him a long way. Time will tell.

Upset Pick WINNER-Jason Knight by Decision

Krzysztof Jotko (19-1) -150 vs. David Branch (20-3) +130

The WSOF Light Heavyweight and Middleweight Champion drops two pieces of gold to make another run in the UFC. Branch has won 10 in a row since losing to monster Anthony Johnson in '12! David is as solid as they come though he slows things down to a miserable crawl at times. 

ATT's Jotko has won 5 in a row but at a much higher level of competition than his foe. "Krzy Bone" is 11 years younger than his opponent.

David's overblown record doesn't impress us much and he's not able to keep up the offense to out point the younger and voluminous Krzysztof. It's a close battle but Jotko wins on the cards.

WINNER-Krzysztof Jotko by Decision

Marco Polo Reyes (7-3) +340 vs. James Vick (10-1) -425

Team Gang Rape

"El Toro" has found a groove winning 4 in a row backed by a move to Alliance MMA. However, Marco had a child recently and did not train at Alliance for this bout. Reyes should still be using movement to enhance his skills as a kicking boxer.

Vick is huge for the division and will have a massive size advantage. James still gets hit way to often like Stefan Struve but he has a good jab, aggression born at his Team Rape Gym, and solid Jiu-Jitsu.

Cute footwork aside, we don't see a whole lot in Reyes. Best of luck finding Vick's chin way up in the sky and James just has more effective tools. His gym is full of rapists though.

WINNER-James Vick by Decision

Prelims (on UFC Fight Pass):

Jessica Aguilar (19-5) +105 vs. Cortney Casey (6-4) -125

"Jag" was the woman to beat when she was outside the UFC but when she was brought in, she immediately lost to Claudia Gadelha and went to the bench with injuries and a long layoff. It really could be the case that Aguilar just spent her prime outside the big dance and is now on her way down. Jessica is a strong wrestler who ran game on the world but now there are so many questions surrounding her long absence.

"Cast Iron" Casey also lost to Claudia Gadelha last out and has struggled in the UFC going 2-3. Courtney is a serviceable fighter with but nothing emphatic in her game. Casey also likes to pull guard which would be a huge mistake against Aguilar.

So many doubts surrounding this one but if Jessica still has some gas left in her tank, she should win at least a couple rounds backed by her toughness and solid technical grappling game based upon top control which Casey tends to allow with porous takedown defense. Aguilar wins at least a couple rounds to take the fight on the cards.

WINNER-Jessica Aguilar by Decision

Jared Gordon versus Michel Quinones Cancelled! 

Jared had a bad weight cut (or food poisoning if you believe bullshit) and had to go to the hospital to get an I.V. which removes him from competition.

Chase Sherman (9-3) -130 vs. Rashad Coulter (8-1) +110

Coulter gets the call up on short notice as Dmitry Poberezhets was removed without explanation (?). "Daywalker" is a big boxer and that is his game. Rashad has no experience against high level fighters. 

"The Vanilla Gorilla" hasn't looked good during his UFC stint (0-2) but he has some good movement for a biggun. Sherman can absorb a lot of punishment which will be key early.

If Coulter can't get Sherman out of there early, he's in trouble. Rashad got very little notice for this opportunity and looking at his resume, he doesn't generally go for long periods of time in the cage. Provided Chase can withstand the early onslaught, he'll outlast the rookie and win the 2nd and 3rd.

WINNER-Chase Sherman by Decision

Gabriel Benítez (19-6) -140 vs. Enrique Barzola (13-3-1) +120

AKA's "Moggly" is 3-1 in the UFC and uses his array of kicks to keep you at distance before coming in for the kill. 

Barzola is hittable but the guy has a lot of grit in his game. Enrique takes a lot of chances but his activity is his strength. Barzola can really take control on the mat doing the G&P.

This should be a pretty close fight and could go either way. We lean toward the athleticism of Benitez to carry him but expect a close fun one.

WINNER-Gabriel Benitez by Decision

Joachim Christensen (14-4) +350 vs. Gadzhimurad Antigulov (19-4) -440

"Gadzooks" will try to murder you early and he often succeeds.  Christensen doesn't have much of a shot here and is really just fodder for the big boy division. This fight is about how good Antigulov can look going forward.

WINNER-Gadzhimurad Antigulov by Rd.1 TKO