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UFC 272 Preview

On March 5, 2022, fans of the fight game will be presented with an absolute treat in the form of UFC 272: Covington vs Masvidal.

The two former friends and training partners will clash under the bright lights in T-Mobile Arena following an already-stacked fight card.

My main card predictions (excluding the main event):

Greg Hardy def. Sergey Spivak via 2nd-round TKO

Kevin Holland def. Alex Oliveira via UD

Edson Barboza def. Bryce Mitchell via 2nd-round TKO

Rafael Dos Anjos def. Rafael Fiziev via SD

And, for the main event, I think that the constant pressure of Colby Covington will be too much for Jorge Masvidal. While Masvidal will have his moments and be successful in keeping the crowd entertained, Covington will use his far-superior grappling to win a fairly easy unanimous decision. He will then make an attempt to secure a fight with the winner of Kamaru Usman vs Leon Edwards for the undisputed championship belt. 

My value-pick of the night: Rafael Dos Anjos (+220).

[david-roupas]

Gamecock Football 2022 Preview

Everybody who goes to USC should be excited about the upcoming football season.

After a very promising inaugural season for coach Shane Beamer in which the team endured the gauntlet of SEC conference play to finish 7-6 with a bowl win over the neighboring Tar Heels, the 2022 team looks to be capable of taking unprecedented steps towards success.

Since the end of the 2021 season, the Gamecocks have gathered an impressive recruiting class that features an impressive group of transfers, highlighted by former 5-star recruit and Oklahoma quarterback, Spencer Rattler.

Although the team looks to be quite loaded going into next season, the SEC is a formidable conference. With that said, I think the Gamecocks will improve on last season’s 6-6 regular season to finish between 8-4 and 10-2.

Go Cocks!

[david-roupas]

Super Bowl LVI

Wow! What a game.

Both of these teams left it all on the field, and it would’ve been heartbreaking to see either one of them leave the stadium as a loser. 

However, as we know, it was the Bengals who were forced to make such a depressing exit. Burrow and the Bengals were behind in the first half, but opened the third quarter with a 75 yard touchdown on the first play and an interception of Matthew Stafford directly afterwards, allowing them to score a field goal and take a 20-13 lead early in the third quarter. However, this lead didn’t last, and the Rams slowly but surely were able to retake the lead, 23-20. The score remained this way, and the Bengals were unable to score on a last-minute drive, thanks to an outstanding play to stop Cinci on 4th down by Aaron Donald.

It is sad to see the Bengals lose, but Stafford and the Rams deserve all the credit for an amazing game plan that allowed them to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in their home stadium.

[david-roupas]

UFC 271 Recap

What an outstanding night of fights!

To get things started, let’s talk about Brunson vs Cannonier. Brunson absolutely took it to Cannonier in the 1st round, taking him down multiple times and even catching him with a left hand for a knockdown. However, in the 2nd round, Cannonier proved to be the better-conditioned fighter and put on a striking masterclass to stun Brunson before finishing him with vicious ground strikes.

Tuivasa vs Lewis was as electric and action-packed as a heavyweight bout ever will be. In the first, both men exchanged strikes, with Lewis seemingly dealing out the more effective blows. In the second, more of the same continued, with both men swinging for the fences. Tuivasa was able to stun Lewis and finish him with an elbow-induced knockout.

Adesanya vs Whittaker II was much closer than the first fight, but Adesanya seemed to use momentum from a strong 1st round to carry him to a close decision victory and retain his belt with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46.

[david-roupas]

UFC Fight Night Recap

Over the weekend, the world witnessed Sean Strickland and Jack Hermansson headline a UFC Fight Night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Strickland entered the fight on a five fight win streak, with Hermansson having split his previous two fights.

Strickland, who has experienced recent gains in popularity due to his rash comments, backed up his words to the media with a thorough decision victory over the always-competitive Hermansson. 

Looking forward, Strickland will likely either fight the winner of the Brunson vs Cannonier matchup in a title-eliminator to decide who will face off against the winner of UFC 271′s headliner, Adesanya vs Whittaker. However, he may skip the line and immediately get a title shot in the Middleweight division. Only time will tell.

For Hermansson, his title dreams are now surely on hold for at least three or four fights, and he may end up fighting Darren Till in a must-win matchup in the near future.

[david-roupas]

UFC 271 Preview

This Saturday, UFC 271: Adesanya vs Whittaker II will go down. This is an outstanding card with electrifying fights that spectators in the Toyota Center will be lucky to see. My top three fights this weekend are Jared Cannonier vs Derek Brunson, Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa, and, of course, Israel Adesanya vs Robert Whittaker.

With a strong, well-rounded performance I think that Brunson will defeat Cannonier by unanimous decision.

Tuivasa will once again drink beer from a sneaker, as he is accustomed to doing after victories, as he will defeat Lewis by first or second round knockout.

Adesanya and Whittaker will go back-and-forth, and I see this fight ending in a close decision. I think Adesanya will get his hand raised once again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Whittaker pulls off the upset.

[david-roupas]

Super Bowl LVI Preview

Bengals vs Rams. Two star quarterbacks who’ve never played in the big game. Joe “Shiesty” vs Matt Stafford. Zac Taylor vs Sean McVay.

This year’s Super Bowl is shaping up to be a classic, and will ultimately result in a first Super Bowl victory to one of the two star quarterbacks in this game. The question is, will it be the savvy strong-armed veteran or the budding superstar who rocks Cartier glasses?

Only time will tell, but I see this game being very close, and likely coming down to the final possession. Both of these teams have proven to be very competent i in close games, and they are both seemingly “peaking” at the perfect time this season.

Burrow will throw for multiple scores and will be given a chance by his clutch defense. Stafford will do the same, and the game will be won by a kicker. Evan “Shooter” McPherson will win the game for the Bengals and bring Cincinnati its first Lombardi Trophy.

Bengals 31

Rams 28

[david-roupas]

Conference Championship Recap

Wow! What a great Sunday for football fans.

For starters, Joe “Shiesty” Burrow and the Bengals pulled off an epic comeback against a nearly unstoppable Chiefs squad, rallying from a 21-3 deficit to a 27-24 OT victory. Not enough can be said about the resilience of this team, as they have been counted out from the beginning of the season, in which they started off with 100-1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Zac Taylor has gone from a perch upon a boiling “hot seat” to being heralded as a rising star in the coaching industry, and for good reason.

On the other side of the aisle, the Rams outlasted the 49ers in another all-time classic in a sold-out SoFi Stadium. Matthew Stafford was not perfect, but did enough to help his team rally from a 17-7 second half deficit to win the game. The dynamic offense of the Rams is lethal, but this team’s star-studded defense is truly excellent when it counts and proved to be the X-factor in the squad’s advancement to the Super Bowl.

[david-roupas]

NFC Divisional Round Recap

Well, I was evidently completely wrong in regards to predicting the Packers to make easy work of the 49ers, as they lost 13-10 in excruciating fashion.

Up 10-3 with five minutes to go, the 49ers blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown, knotting the game up 10-10. Followed by a quick stop of the Packers offense, the 49ers got the ball back and drained the clock before Robbie Gould kicked a game-winning field goal, rendering Lambeau Field a lifeless bowl in the Frozen Tundra.

I am still recovering from this loss.

Moreover, Joe Burrow and the Bengals proved triumphant over the Titans, and the Chiefs outlasted the Bills in a shootout for the ages, setting up an exciting Bengals-Chiefs AFC Championship.

The Rams held on with a game-winning field goal as time expired, sending Tom Brady and the Bucs home early to set up an intriguing Rams-49ers NFC Championship matchup.

[david-roupas]

UFC 270 Recap

UFC 270 was an absolute doozy, and was an electrifying way for the world’s top MMA promotion to begin its 2022 pay-per-view season.

For starters, Moreno vs Figueiredo III lived up to expectations and then some, as the two hashed it out with violence and an extreme pace, making for an all-time classic. Figueiredo was able to secure a close decision victory, leaving the series at 1-1-1. I think we should expect a fourth matchup at some point in late 2022 or early 2023, especially given that these two are easily the biggest stars in the Flyweight division.

Moving up the chain, Francis Ngannou utilized his ground game, rather than his never-before-seen knockout power to dismantle Ciryl Gane. This development shocked many, including me, as Ngannou was previously perceived to possess little grappling skill and technique. The fight was not as exciting as many hoped, but it was a defiant display of Ngannou’s improvements as a mixed martial artist since his UFC debut. 

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Divisional Round and UFC 270

This is quite the eventful weekend for sports fans, as we get to enjoy the NFL’s quarterfinals as well as the first UFC PPV of 2022.

With that said, here are my picks for the Divisional Round:

CIN-TEN: CIN 27 TEN 24

GB-SF: GB 31 SF 23

LAR-TB: LAR 31 TB 28

BUF-KC: KC 34 BUF 27

I am pretty confident about these picks, and fully expect Aaron Rodgers to torch the 49ers defense with 3+ passing touchdowns. Furthermore, Jimmy Garappolo, who is mediocre at best, is injured which further lessens the 49ers’ chances at an NFC Championship appearance.

Now for my UFC 270 title-fight picks:

Ngannou v Gane: Ngannou via 2nd-round KO

Moreno v Figueiredo: Figueiredo via U-Dec

I am not as confident about these picks, but I expect fireworks this weekend as the hardest hitting UFC fighter of all time (Ngannou) matches up against a savvy technician (Gane) and a scrappy underdog-turned champ (Moreno) meets a familiar foe (Figueiredo).

Everyone tune into these events, you do not want to miss out!

[david-roupas]

Intro Blog

Hi, my name is David Roupas. I am a freshman at the University of South Carolina and am a finance major. However, I do plan on applying for the International Business program. If all goes well, I will be in Barcelona in two years for the Spring semester.

My blog will consist of sports news and updates regarding recent and upcoming events, as well as some of my own takes. 

This is quite a great time to start a sports blog, as we are currently in the thick of the NFL playoffs, as Wild Card Weekend just occurred. To any Cowboys fans, I give my condolences.