UFC 216 Ferguson vs. Lee: Picks, Prognostications + Odds

October 7, 2017

T-Mobile Arena

Las Vegas, Nevada

Isn't this the most hateable bunch of twats ever to appear on a UFC poster? Excluding Derrick Lewis of course who spends his free time saving flood victims in Texas and putting out one of the most hilarious Instagram pages in all of MMA. Tony Ferguson is just a dick of a human being, Fabricio Werdum is a homophobe who never feels remorse for his actions, and Kevin Lee is a fraud who acts like a cocky bitch but is really a decent guy. Its all very confusing. At least we have the wonderful human being who is Demetrious Johnson vying to set the UFC record for most title defenses (as long as Ray Borg can make a damn weight cut) to help balance out the evil on this card.

Main Card on PPV (9CT):

Vacant Interim Title Fight

#2 Tony Ferguson (23-3) -230 vs. #7 Kevin Lee (16-2) +190

It may not even be possible to be as much of a frat boy douchebag as Tony. The sunglasses on indoors. The attitude problem with everything. The cheap trendy rhetoric. But put those things aside because this guy is a bad motherfucker. MMAFO actually made the prediction back in 2011 that "El Cucuy" would one day contend for the belt (that is our horn tooting in the background). His long limbed frame is perfect for MMA. The striking is creative when needs be and technical by design. The Jiu-Jitsu game has been honed under Eddie Bravo to be lethal. This dude is frighteningly good. 

Kevin Lee is not a bad dude, he just pretends to be one. Lee is actually a pretty smart affable guy, but he acts the fool just to get attention. It's just a shame to MMAFO because he isn't a bad person by any stretch. Still, the gift of gab worked since he's getting a title shot before more deserving Lightweights so hate all you want. 

Make no mistake, both of these men have all the tools. Whether its grappling or striking, both men can not only hold their own but excel at all levels. The experience advantage easily goes to Ferguson who has faced a much higher level of competition while Lee remains unproven against the elite. "Fergie" also has the better chin and more power. Tony clips Kevin's chin at some point and scrambles into position to finish things before calling out Conor McGregor who is never going to face him.

WINNER-Tony Ferguson by Rd.3 Submission

Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson (26-2-1) -1250 vs. #4 Ray Borg (11-2) +800

There is no debate, Demetrious Johnson is the best Pound4Pound fighter in the world. Since "Mighty Johnson" (his new preferred nickname that is obviously a reference to his penis) won the Flyweight title in '12 against Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious defeated John Dodson, John Moraga, Joseph Benavidez (again), Ali Bagautinov (who was on steroids), Chris Cariaso, Kyoji Horiguchi, John Dodson (again), Henry Cejudo, Tim Elliott, and Wilson Reis. None of these fighters even came close to causing problems in the cage for "Mighty Mouse" (we're still going to use the old nickname as well). Johnson is currently tied with Anderson Silva with the most title defenses at 10. Saturday, DJ looks to stand alone and make MMA history!

The challenger, Ray "Camo" Borg has pulled out of fights 4 times and missed weight twice! Two of the pullouts came from "illness" that was likely due to failed weight cuts. So really, the cat has missed weight 4 times(!). That makes one wonder why in the hell the UFC booked him to face the champ, and why they would do it twice when he proved a month ago he couldn't be a professional! Anywho, coming down off our soapbox, Borg stated he has the "will to win." You might as well just say, "I know I can't win!" kid. 

Check the odds, view Johnson's resume, and know why "Mighty Mouse" is expected to break the record. Anything can happen in MMA and the MMA Gods are cruel, but nobody can even sniff the realm of excellence where DJ resides. Demetrious is highly motivated for this moment in history and he is bringing a little anger as well, citing frustration with the UFC and Borg forcing the cancellation of their bout last month. Be afraid lil' camo warrior. Be very afraid. 

WINNER-Demetrious Johnson by Rd.4 Submission

#3 Fabricio Werdum (21-7-1) -255 vs. #9 Derrick Lewis (18-5, 1) +215

Werdum is out there picking on smaller fighters and calling them "maricon's" (which translates to queer) while Lewis is literally saving flood victims lives in Texas. Could there ever be more diametrically opposed Heavyweights fighting each other? Fat Fab=bad person. Black Beast=good guy

Werdum literally admitted he is on the payroll of Chechan dictator/warlord/human garbage Ramzan Kadyrov, as a MMA ambassador. Seems fitting since Kadyrov also hates homosexuals but for more on that see our "breakdown" on Magomed Bibulatov's bout below. We know, we know, get to the fucking fight already. 

Okay, "Flabby Fabby" may be a piece of shit (last shot) but he's a great fighter. Werdum lost the belt to Stipe Miocic and honestly, we have no idea whey he wasn't given an immediate rematch. Then Fabricio goes out and loses to Alistair Overeem in July really gumming up the works. The "Go Horse's" resume is filled with "greats" and he's a highly respected and feared grappler. Werdum has been doing the damn thing for 15 years now.

Didja see Lewis on the UFC embedded episode #2? The guy barely training had the MMAFO staff laughing our asses off. God love him he doesn't train for shit. Even so, the guy has the power of a supernova in his hands and is dominant if'n he lands on top of you. "H-Town in the ho."

(sigh) Lewis isn't going to win this. Derrick doesn't have the endurance to do what he needs to do and has terrible defense. "The Black Beast" has even admitted to being distracted with the tragic events in Texas, and he's coming off a rather short "retirement" as well. Dude just needs to take a vacation and breathe a bit. Werdum should be able to avoid the big bomb while hunting and pecking his way back to a title shot. 

Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis
https://www.instagram.com/thebeastufc/?hl=en

WINNER-Fabricio Werdum by Decision

#8 Beneil Dariush (14-3) -235 vs. Evan Dunham (18-6) +195

What a great fight that is really flying under the radar on a rather interesting card. Dunham is trying to crack the Top 10 while Dariush is vying to be a legitimate title contender. We like both of these cats but only 1 can win.

Beneil is known as a Jiu-Jitsu specialist but he has no issues with a brawl. The chin has failed him a few times but his aggression has aided in these losses. Training under the legendary Rafael Cordeiro at King's MMA is the best recipe for continuing to learn and grow. 

Dunham has remained loyal to the Xtreme Couture camp that is beginning to make a comeback after falling off when their namesake departed from the sport. Evan has rebuilt himself and surprised many rattling off 4 wins in a row. For the Oregonian, its always been a"slow and steady" wins the race approach. Dunham is one of the slowest 155ers in the division but he tends to wear foes out by his continual glacial attack. 

Evan doesn't have a ton of varied attacks in his arsenal while Beneil can really mix things up well. Expect a very entertaining scrap but Dariush diversifies to gain the judges nod.

WINNER-Beneil Dariush by Decision

Prelims on FX (7CT):

Tom Duquesnoy (15-1, 1) -165 vs. Cody Stamann (15-1) +145

The "French Fry" has won 11 bouts in a row and trains out of the Jackson-Wink camp. Duquesnoy (duke-N-wah) likes to work in the clinch where he strikes suddenly and without mercy. There is a lot of (deserved) hype coming in on this kid who prefers to finish fights.

Stamann has won 7 in a row and is your run-of-the-mill wrestler. The "Daisy Dong" (shout out to Connor Ruebusch of https://www.bloodyelbow.com/) will test Tommy's takedown defense before getting knocked silly.

WINNER-Tom Duquesnoy by Rd.2 TKO

Will Brooks versus Nik Lentz is Cancelled

* Lentz has become ill from a treacherous weight cut and the bout is off.

Landon Vannata (9-2) -220 vs. Bobby Green (23-8) +180

"Lando's" roll has officially been slowed! Vannata got waaay overconfident when he faced David Teymur and gassed himself out while throwing wild, low percentage strikes, and lost a unanimous decision for it. Now the Jackson-Wink fighter has a 1-2 record for the promotion and is in the "must-win" situation. Landon is a creative striker with a pretty solid game everywhere if'n he just calms down, gets the range, and executes an actual game plan. 

"King Bob" has had a rough personal life and is currently on the worst skid of his career losing 3 straight. There has long been an issue with staying focused on his profession while dealing with things outside of the cage. Green is a good wrestler/striker but has a bad fight I.Q. in the Octagon, opting to trade with opponents or battle them at their strengths as if to prove a point. It doesn't work anymore. 

Two combatants who have a penchant for making head scratching decisions in fights meet and who the hell knows how it will play out. The tried and true rule for MMAFO, is to identify the fighter on the up (Vannata) and the fighter on the way down (Green). Bobby is now 31 while "Lando" is a spry 25 year old not even in his prime. The speed and durability advantages go to the upstart who has far more to prove and the percentages lean his way.

WINNER-Landon Vannata by Decision

https://www.instagram.com/pearlgonzalez/?hl=en

Pearl Gonzalez (6-2) +115 vs. Poliana Botelho (5-1) -135

Um, no offense, but neither lady is really ready for this level. We're pretty sure we know why Pearl was brought in, and perhaps Poliana has improved in the 2 years she's been inactive, but who knows. Prolly Botelho wins on the cards.

WINNER-Poliana Botelho by Decision

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass (5:30 CT):

Walt Harris (10-5) -310 vs. Mark Godbeer (12-3) +255

"The Big Ticket" doesn't have much of a chin which is worrisome at the big boy division, but he has learned at ATT to employ a safer bomb and run style. The bomb's are crazy strong but we can't say we see much upside to Harris.

The Scotsman is a fun dude to watch but he's going to try and out-slug his foe and that is a disaster waiting to happen here. When he stands in front of Walt and begins to throw, and he will, it will just be a matter of time before he's looking up at the lights and wondering where he is.

WINNER-Walt Harris by Rd.1 KO

John Moraga (17-6) +415 vs. #8 Magomed Bibulatov (14-0) -525

Magomed is a crony of horrible piece of shit dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. The fact that Bibulatov refuses to admit to his friendship with the Chechen tyrant is completely reprehensible. Ramzan has rounded up and murdered homosexuals, condoned "honor killings," promoted MMA bouts involving children, and is a bizarre psychopath from a bygone age of ignorance. We're talking about a guy who recently challenged the UFC to face his fighters in, "A fight to the death."

His crimes are so heinous that the UFC should cut anyone on the roster who associates with him. Khabib Nurmagomedov and Bibulatov were even at a recent MMA show (World Fighting Championship Akhmat 42) alongside the horrific warlord. His crimes are so heinous that the UFC should cut anyone on the roster who associates with him.

More information on this insane monster can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramzan_Kadyrov#Accusations_of_human_rights_abuses

MMAFO encourages everyone to speak out to the UFC about their refusal to address this embarrassing and terrible situation.

WINNER-Magomed Bibulatov by Rape

Thales Leites (27-7) +150 vs. Brad Tavares (15-5) -170

Welcome to the middle of the pack. Neither of these Middleweights are going to contend for a title in what is left of their careers, but at least Leites fought for a belt (9 years ago). Tavares, will never get there. Both of these men are decent fighters with flaws. 

Tavares is on a 2-fight winning streak but he's already proven he cannot defeat the 2nd tier of the division. Brad has technical striking but no power to make his opponents respect him. There is some grappling but nothing special though he does have good takedown defense.

The grappling and Jiu-Jitsu is a key for Leites. The black belt has long been steady in his career but he's on the wrong side of 30. The Nova Uniao fighter has never been finished with strikes in 34 professional bouts and will need to find a way to ground his opponent to be the most effective.

We've never seen much in Tavares and the veteran and shown shining moments in his career. Though many are picking Bradster we have the feeling Thales can compete on the feet and get a few takedowns to steal rounds.

Upset Pick WINNER-Thales Leites by Decision

Matt Schnell (10-4) -120 vs. Marco Beltran (8-6) +100

It's a "Loser Leaves Town" match! Neither guy has the salt to remain in the UFC for long, but Beltran is absolute garbage so there is our pick and that is all the time we are willing to spend on this nothing.

WINNER-Matt Schnell by Decision

Kalindra Faria (18-5-1) -210 vs. Mara Romero Borella (11-4) +175

Hey, Faria seems to have found an opponent and will be somewhere on the card. How about that? "Kunoichici" is from Italy. Sorry, we've put zero effort into this one.

WINNER-Kalindra Faria by Decision?

Paige VanZant vs. Jessica Eye is Cancelled

Andrea Lee vs. Kalindra Faria is Cancelled