Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted September 18, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted September 18, 2020 (edited) Saturday 10th October. Fight Island. ESPN+ MAIN CARD Marlon Moraes vs Cory Sandhagen Edson Barboza vs Makwan AmirkhaniĀ Ben Rothwell vs Marcin Tybura Markus Perez vs Dricus Du Plessis Tom Aspinall vs Alan Baudot Youssef Zalal vs Ilia TopuriaĀ ESPN+/FIGHT PASS PRELIMS Tom Breese vs KB Bhullar Rodrigo Nascimento vs Chris Daukaus Impa Kasanganay vs Joaquin Buckley Ali Alqaisi vs Tony KelleyĀ Giga Chikadze vs Omar Morales Tracy Cortez vs Stephanie Egger Bruno Silva vs Tagir Ulanbekov Ā Thatās probablyĀ not the official bout order and, letās face it, half of this probably wonāt even end up happening. But weāll roll with it and keep theĀ glass half full vibes. If this mostly stays intact (yeah, I know), I think itās a tremendous card. Way better than that Holm vs Aldana one the week before.Ā Ā Marlon Moraes vs Cory SandhagenĀ tops the bill. Now weāre talking! Love this fight. Both guys have kind of been in no manās land recently. Moraes won that close decision over Jose Aldo in December but got treated like he lost. And Sandhagen was on a strong 7 fight win streak but got steamrolled in 90 seconds by Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250 in June. So theyāre both kind of frozen out of the title race in different ways for the time being. A convincing win for either here, especially a finish, would catapult them right back into that conversation fast. Moraes should be in the mix anyway. However you scored the Aldo fight, itās gone down as a win for Moraes. I had him winning myself. And aside from the loss to Cejudo, heās been on fire in the UFC. Really looking forward to this one. Both beasts but in different ways. Moraes will just try to blast your head off with power strikes. Sandhagen will usually go the more technical route but is tough as old boots and pretty slick on the ground despite the quick submission loss to Aljo. Iām actually hoping this goes into the āchampionship roundsā just to see how it plays out. Should be a corker whatever happens. Iām a fan of both but Iād like to see Moraes win. Yan vs Moraes is a bit of a dream match for me. Ā Edson Barboza vs Makwan Amirkhani isĀ ***WANDāS ONE TO WATCH*** this time. CrackingĀ fight. Was supposed to be Barboza vs Sodiq Yusuff, which I liked even better, but Yusuff couldnāt make it due to visa issues. Apparently, Yusuffās side tried to keep the fight on and just delay it a few weeks but I guess Barboza didnāt want to wait. Havenāt seen Amirkhani confirmed by the UFC as the replacement yet but Combate is reporting it so thatās good enough for me.Ā I really likeĀ this pairing. We know the score with Barboza. Beast striker. Pound-for-pound maybe the best kicker in the sport. This still might be the greatest knockout in MMA history... Itās either that or Zombie vs Yair for me. His flying knee against Beneil Dariush is up there as well. Heās faltered against the elite like Khabib, Ferguson and Gaethje but heās always going to be a popular fighter just because heās so exciting to watch. Badly needs a win now though. Heās 1-5 in his last 6. Heās had a fairly brutal run of opponents, in fairness to him, but itās still not a good look. He dropped to Featherweight in May and lost a razor close decision to Dan Ige. He looked good though and most people seemed to think he shouldāve got the nod from the judges. Amirkhani is Finnish-Iranian but has trained out of SBG in Ireland. Not sure if heās still affiliated with them. Heās 16-4 with nearly all his wins coming via submission. HisĀ one knockout victory came in his UFC debut when he took out Andy Ogle with a spectacular flying knee in just 8 seconds! Really like Amirkhani. He looked every bit of a legit potential breakout star after that KO in his debut. The way the fight went plus his likeable personality in the post-fight media, there was genuine buzz around him but it didnāt last. Injuries piled up and he fought very sporadically between 2016 and 2018. Heās coming into this fight off a sweet anaconda choke finish over Danny Henry in July. If he canāt get Barboza down I think this is going to get ugly for Amirkhani. Heās not aĀ bad striker himself but I think he takes a beating in a striking match with Barboza. On the ground Iād give him the edge though.Ā Good fight. Wouldāve preferred Barboza vs Yusuff but thisāll do. Hopefully with the winner facing Yusuff before 2020 is done. Ā Ben Rothwell vs Marcin Tybura isnāt getting my nips erect, to be totally honest. Not the worst fighters on the roster by any stretch but theyāre just two big lugs really. Rothwell turns 39 a week after this fight. He was never in the title race but people forget he wasnāt far off a few years ago. This is a man who holds a knockout over Alistair Overeem and a submission over Josh Barnett, for fuckās sake. But he got had by USADA in 2016 and heās gone 2-3 since. Beat Stefan Struve and OSP in his last 2 fights though. The āstreakā begins. Heās not bad āBig Benā. I actually really enjoyed his ugly scrap with Arlovski in their rematch not too long ago. He can still go when he has to. Tybura is 34 with a respectable record of 19-6. Wins over Arlovski and Struve and just beat Sergey Spivak and Maxim Grishin. Itās not that bad a fight. Iām probably being harsh. I just canāt envision anything other than a lumbering, sweaty, uncoordinated mess here. But enough about the Prime Minister. Ā Markus Perez vs Dricus Du Plessis.Ā OK, change of plan here. This was originally supposed to be Perez vs BJJ gorilla Rodolfo Vieira but Vieira has pulled out injured. In steps Octagon newcomer Dricus Du Plessis. A 26 year old South African with a record of 14-2 and all his wins (and losses) being finishes. Not familiar with him but apparently heās supposed to be a bit of a prospect. He was the KSW Welterweight champion and was also a double champ (170 & 185)Ā for the EFC promotion in Africa. That said, nearly all of his opposition have been unknowns and he got knocked out a couple of fightsĀ ago. Still, doesnāt seem a bad signing. He sounds exciting if nothing else.Ā Perez isĀ 12-3 and a former LFA Middleweight champ. Heās lost a few recently but also has victories over the likes of Ian Heinisch and ex UFC fighter Paulo Thiago who I completely forgot existed. Perez isnāt going to be a problem for any of the top boys at 185 but heās decent, crafty and has some tricks up his sleeve. Heās certainly a decent test on paper for a debuting guy like Du Plessis. Ā Tom Aspinall vs Alan Baudot. Another late switch up. Aspinall was all set to face Sergey Spivak but Spivakās out so here we are. Fucking Clubber Langās stepped in.Ā On paper it looks like aĀ decent battle of up and coming Heavyweights. Often we see these HW fights bookedĀ between new guys and roll our eyes. But these are two who actually look like they might potentially go on to be something more than the fat brawlers who get released after going 1-4 and never get above the prelims. Aspinall is 27 from Wigan and fights out of Team Kaobon. Heās 8-2, all his wins have been finishes and it took him just 45 seconds to TKO Jake Collier in his UFC debut in July. Baudot is 32 years old out of Lyon, France. Heās 8-1 with 7 knockouts, 5 inside a round. So yeah, amongst the sea of shite, there are some newĀ Heavyweights who actually show some promise. I pity the fool who doesnāt recognise that.Ā Ā Youssef Zalal vs Ilia Topuria.Ā Not massively familiar with these two but the little bit Iāve seen of Zalal heās looked fun. Heās 24, 10-2 with 7 finishes and nicknamed āThe Moroccan Devilā. Doesnāt fuck about either. Only made his UFC debut in February and heās 3-0 in the Octagon already. I didnāt see his last fight but I love thisĀ picture which surfaced from it; Now thatās a man who thoroughly enjoysĀ his job right there. Never heard of Topuria. Heās jumping in to replace Seung Woo Choi here. Looking him up though, he sounds like a good signing. Heās Georgian, 23 years old and has a perfect record of 8-0 with 7 finishes, and only one has gone past a round. Hasnāt beat anyone youād know yet so,Ā as always, take his undefeated streak with a pinch of salt for now. But itās always a good start. And even if they were all bums, heās disposed of them as such. Canāt really ask for more than that. Weāll soon find out if heās legit.Ā Ā Tom Breese vs KB Bhullar. This has been moved from the Holm vs Aldana card for some reason. Iām guessing because Bhullar is a late replacement and mightāve needed an extra week for the weight cut or whatever.Ā Brummie Breese at one point was considered one of the better British prospects in MMA. In early 2016 he was 24 years old and 10-0 with 9 finishes. Heād been training under Firas Zahabi at Tristar, was a standout grappler and had battered McGregor teammate and UKFF favourite Cathal Pendred early into his UFC run. The sky seemed to be the limit. Then he lost to Sean Strickland and started racking up injuries at an alarming rate. To the point heās only fought twice in the last 4 years. He last fought in February and got bashed by Brendan Allen in a round. Bhullar is filling in for Roman Kopylov who dropped out. Heās Canadian-Indian, 28 years old and heās currently 8-0 with 6 finishes. He beat Matt Dwyer in his last fight, an exĀ UFC fighter who I only remember for his absolute corker with Alan Jouban years ago. Bhullar was scheduled to fight on DWCS but obviously thatās off now and heās straight in the UFC. Sounds like someone worth taking a look at. MyĀ confidence in Breese turning things around is flagging at this point. Ā Rodrigo Nascimento vs Chris Daukaus. What was I saying about Heavyweight prospects? Hereās a couple more. Nascimento is one Iāve been impressed by so far. Trains at American Top Team, think he was on Danaās Contender Series and heās 8-0 with 8 finishes. Made his Octagon debut in May and subbed DonāTale Mayes without much bother. Only 27 as well, which in Heavyweight years is a baby. Daukaus was also on DWCS. Heās 30 with a record of 9-3, 8 by knockout, 6 inside a round. Made his UFC debut on the Miocic vs Cormier 3 prelims in August and battered Parker Porter in a round. On paper it looks like submission artist vs KO artist but weāll see what happens. Ā Impa KasanganayĀ vs Joaquin Buckley.Ā Right then. More pullouts. Abu Azaitar (older brother of Ottman) was supposed to fight Buckley hereĀ but heās out. Again. Kasanganay has stepped up in his place. Heās 26 years old out of Charlotte, North Carolina (WOOOOH!) and heās unbeaten so far at 8-0. He beat Maki Pitolo on points in his UFC debut in August and lookedĀ really sharp despite also jumping into that one on late notice.Ā Buckley is 10-3 with 7 knockouts. He jumped into his UFC debut on very late notice against Kevin Holland on the Aug 8th Fight Night and got stopped in the third round. But I thought he gave a real solid account of himself and Iām looking forward to seeing him again with a little bit more prep time. Ā Ali Alqaisi vs Tony Kelley.Ā Not a clue. Theyāve both fought in the UFC but I didnāt see either of them. Alqaisi is 29 years old with a 8-4 MMA record. Background in Kung Fu and Sanda apparently. Made his UFC debut on the Aug 8th card and lost a split decision against Irwin Rivera. Kelley is 5-2 and fights out of Team Alpha Male in California. Debuted on the UFC 252 prelims and lost on points. Nothing to add. No fucks given. Ā Giga Chikadze vs Omar Morales.Ā Another pretty good piece of matchmaking. Chikadze is a Kickboxer (38-6 record) and former GLORY fighter. In MMA heās 10-2 and on a nice little 5 fight streak. Hasnāt looked devastating so far but I like him. Watched some clips of his GLORY fights and heās definitely got some good scraps in him if heās matched with the right opponents. Loves a body kick stoppage as well, old Giga. Morales Iām less familiar with. Heās fought twice in the UFC, winning both on points. I saw his debut but canāt really remember much. Sounds quite promising though. 10-0 with 7 finishes. Canāt ask for much more can you? Ā Tracy Cortez vs Stephanie Egger.Ā I dunno. Itās yet another late change as Cortezās original opponent Bea Malecki dropped out with about a week to go.Ā Cortez looks good, in more ways than one. Sheās 26 years old with a 7-1 record. Fought in Invicta, then got noticed on Danaās Contender bollocks, then beat Vanessa Melo in her UFC debut in November. Sad backstory as well. She got into MMA as a teenager because her older brother was in it. He lost a split decision to Drew Fickett in 2008 and that got her hooked. But it turned out to be his final MMA fight as he became sick and was eventually diagnosed with cancer. He died in 2011. I know nothing about Stephanie Egger. A quick search on Sherdog tells me sheās from Switzerland, 32 and 5-1 in MMA so far. Sheās got a 2015 TKO win over current UFC fighter Mara Romero Borella on her record for whatever thatās worth.Ā Ā Bruno Silva vs Tagir Ulanbekov.Ā Again, not up on either guy enough to give a proper analysis. Iāve seen Silva before. Heās 30 with aĀ 10-4-2-1Ā record. Trained with the Pitbull brothers, donāt know if he still does. Hasnāt beat anyone particularly good and heās coming off a loss and a No Contest in his last couple of fights. Ulanbekov is one of Khabibās teammates and a student of the late Abdulmanap. Heās got a 10-1 record with 6 finishes and was the Flyweight champion in a promotion called GFC in Russia. Like most of the Dagestani crew, his main strength seems to be his grappling. Ā Quality. Especially for a Fight Night. IF it stays in one piece. Which it wonāt. Lick my balls 2020.Ā Edited October 5, 2020 by wandshogun09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted September 18, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted September 18, 2020 i had completely forgotten about Thomas Almediaš² Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted September 23, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 23, 2020 Get the fuck out. Edson BarbozaĀ vs Sodiq Yusuff and Markus Perez vs Rodolfo Vieira are both off. Yusuff and Vieira are out. As far as I know the UFC are looking for replacements to fightĀ Barboza and Perez. Read some stuff about Makwan Amirkhani being lined up for Barboza. And Perez, erm... Appropriate face paint. He must be joking.Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted September 27, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted September 27, 2020 Updated the OP with the latest. ā¢ Combate in Brazil are reporting that Makwan Amirkhani is stepping in against Barboza after Sodiq Yusuff pulled out.Ā ā¢ South African UFC newcomer Dricus Du Plessis replaces Rodolfo Vieira against Markus Perez. ā¢ Impa Kasanganay in against Joaquin Buckley, filling in for Abu Azaitar. Disappointed with all 3 of those original fights falling out but theyāve done a good job with the substitutes there, in fairness.Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted September 28, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted September 28, 2020 Amirkhani/Barboza is a great fight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted October 1, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted October 1, 2020 Spivak out, Mr T in... Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Egg Shen Posted October 1, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted October 1, 2020 fuck meš Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted October 3, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted October 3, 2020 Updated for the changes. Again. Aspinall vs Mr T as above. Bea Malecki pulled out soĀ Tracy Cortez is now fighting some fucker calledĀ Stephanie Egger. Oh and Alejandro Perez is out. Theyāre looking for a replacement for Almeida as far as I know. Shitās exhausting. One change which caught my eyeĀ though, Ilia Topuria is making his debut against Youssef Zalal. Iāve previewed the fight in the opening post but he looks like a solid signing. Unbeaten, all finishes, fought in Brave FC most recently. Sounds like a bit of a handful.Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 5, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted October 5, 2020 On 10/3/2020 at 7:52 AM, wandshogun09 said: some fucker calledĀ Stephanie "Ham &" Egger. Fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted October 5, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted October 5, 2020 15 minutes ago, Carbomb said: Fixed. Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted October 8, 2020 And just like that,Ā Iām a KB Bhullar fan. Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted October 10, 2020 Paid Members Share Posted October 10, 2020 Is he related to Arjun Bhullar?Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members wandshogun09 Posted October 10, 2020 Author Paid Members Share Posted October 10, 2020 (edited) I thought that myself @CarbombĀ but I havenāt seen any mention of it. Really up for this card tonight. I think itās getting slept on.Ā There seemed to beĀ more talk about the Holm vs Aldana card last week and howĀ shit it looked than this little beauty. MMA fans love a bit of negativity donāt we? This looks quality though. Moraes vs Sandhagen might just be the best least talked about fightĀ so farĀ this year. Criminally overlooked. Barboza vs Amirkhani should be all kinds of fun as well. Then youāve got a couple ofĀ Heavyweight prospects in Aspinall and Nascimento. Not to mention Mr Fucking T! Looking forward to KasanganayĀ vs Buckley too, was impressed by both in their debuts despite Buckley coming up short. And finally, the debuts of Du Plessis, Topuria and Bhullar are legit. These arenāt just the usual random newcomers. They all sound like theyāve got something about them. TopuriaĀ and Bhullar especially. Itās a very, very strong Fight Night card pretty much top to bottom.Ā Edited October 10, 2020 by wandshogun09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra Kid Mark Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 I'm with you Wand, I will be watching the prelims on BT Sport followed by the main card. The only fight that I don't feel invested in on the main card is theĀ Youssef Zalal vs Ilia TopuriaĀ fight. I'm not familiar with either two guys. On the prelims I am excited to see Kasanganay and I'm hoping he wins. I feel very invested in all of the DWCS guys from this season that I really want them to succeed. Buckley looked strong against a far more experienced Holland so even though he is coming in with a loss he's definitely a high level opponent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimufctna24 Posted October 11, 2020 Share Posted October 11, 2020 Ka-boom. Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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