#got a back bet I’m MMA when I was 16

[the-cookie-of-doom]

I want to get back into martial arts so bad but I’m so out of shape, I’d die 😩

[lilacyennefer]

Finally, beautiful stranger chapter 2

“Used to think that loving meant a painful chase, but you're right here now and I think you'll stay” 

A/N: Here it is! This chapter is longer than the previous one. Also, a bit of explaining: the story takes place 2 years after Will's fianceé leave him but before the events of the movie. The SoA part is not canon, Isabelle is two years younger than Jax, and he's living together with Tara happily and they don't have any babies yet. I hope you like this and feedbacks are greatly appreciated! 

TW: sexual references, mention of character's death, language

You’re sitting at your table on Monday morning, it’s still really early but you have a lot of work to do. The weekend went by quickly, on Saturday morning you called both Kate and Natalie if they were okay and making sure they both got home safe. They assured you that everything was okay and you’ll see each other at work. You didn’t leave the house all weekend, couldn’t shake that sad feeling of not getting Will’s number. You really liked him, not just his look, sure, he was handsome, but you also liked his personality (as much as you could see from it) and the energy he radiates. You have to get over this, You have work to do and probably won’t see this man ever again. Your boss won’t arrive until a few more hours, but some of your colleagues are already arriving. You take a sip from your coffee and start focusing on your work.

“Boo!” You feel two hands wrap around you.

“Fuck!” You turn around quickly and see Kate laughing at you. “You scared me!” she keeps laughing.

“Sorry, I couldn’t miss this.” she sits down on the corner of your table. “What’s up?” 

You let out a sigh. “Nothing” you reply as you lean back in your chair “How was your weekend?”

Kate has a big smile on her face as she replies “Well you know, it will be a bit hurtful to sit down today” she winks at you and you playfully roll your eyes at her reply. “Anyway, how was yours?”

You shrug “It was okay” she gives you a look that makes you sure that she won’t just leave this.

“Why, what happened? What even happened after I left?”

“Well you know, Natalie and Benny boy went home together.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What happened between you and that blondie? You two seemed to have good chemistry.”

“Yeah well, I fucked it up. I forgot to ask for Will’s number, that’s his name by the way, and he didn’t ask mine either. I don’t know if it was on purpose or he forgot it, but that’s it.”

“Oh man, I’m sorry” she gives me a small smile.

“It’s okay.” You shrug again. You look behind Kate and see Natalie approaching the two of you with a big smile on her face. 

“Hi girls!!” she greets us cheerfully.

“Someone looks happy.” Kate comments.

“Yeah well” she smiles “I had a good weekend.” 

“We can imagine.” You say smirking. “You too will have difficulties sitting down today?”

“What?” Nat asks me laughing.

“Iz and I were talking about how it’s difficult for me to sit down after my weekend activities.” Kate says proudly.

“Well, I can relate to that.” Natalie laughs. You just snort at her response and try to focus on work when you hear Natalie ask you about your weekend. You told her the same thing you told Kate and she offers you an encouraging smile. They leave shortly and sit down at their desks. Time flies quickly, at lunch break Natalie joins you at my table, Kate had work to do outside the office. 

“So,” she starts “I talked to Benny earlier. Remember that he’s an amateur MMA fighter?” you nod your hand as you take a bite from your lunch “he has a match on Thursday. Will is his trainer, you should come along, so you can see him again.”

“I don’t want to tag along while the two of you are making out in the locker room or something”

“His brother will be there too, Iz. Besides, don't you want an answer if he likes you or not?” Of course you do. But it’s not that simple. What if he doesn’t like you? 

“Well yeah, I do.” You say unsurely.

“But?”

You sigh “ What if he doesn’t like me the way I like him? What if he was just polite to me, because we were forced to be in the same group?”

“Isabelle, honey, I love you, but you have to stop overthinking.” She’s right. You overthink every single thing in life that causes you more trouble than anything else. 

“You’re right.” you agree with her.

“So this means you’re coming?” she asks happily.

“ONLY if it’s okay with Ben too.” You wave a finger at her.

“Yeah, yeah” Natalie answers with an eye roll. 

The rest of the week goes by quickly, and it’s Thursday night faster than you realised. You stand in your apartment in a towel, trying to decide what to wear. What do people wear to an MMA match??? Is it similar to the night the motorcycle club had back at home? With all the drunk people yelling, throwing drinks, organising random fights, and making bets who would win? You kinda miss those. You miss the people more than those wild nights. You miss your brother, and your mother of course, and all these people you grew up with. It was a hard decision to leave, it took an awful lot of convincing so your mother would let you go. You had to leave. You couldn’t handle the violence, being in danger all the time,  the uncertainty of whether your brother, and all of the other members of the MC who you looked at as a family, will be alive tomorrow morning when you wake up, or if they’ll be dead somewhere. Being away from this doesn't take all of this away, but the feeling of not being in danger all the time, because of the club’s enemies, helps a lot. Of course you still worry about your people, you always will, but you wanted to have your own life and make it at least a little bit safe. The uncertainty, the violence, it's all part of being born outlaw. All of you are outlaws. You always have been and always will be. You love your family, and your father’s club. It was his life and his legacy. Your brother one day will inherit all of this. He doesn’t mind, all he wanted since he was a child is to be the part of the club and a Harley. He has all of this now, he’s happy with his life. You needed his help to leave Charming, to convince your mother to let you leave. He wasn’t happy about it either, you two are incredibly close. After the death of your little brother, you and your older brother seemed to get closer, and after your father’s accident, the two of you were inseparable. You didn’t know where you wanted to go or what you would do. You did know that you wanted to stay close to your hometown so you could visit your family anytime you wanted, and you also know that the city where you would move needs to be safe, possibly without an MC. Sacramento seemed to be fine, it was a lot bigger than the small town you grew up in, you could just disappear in the crowd and the people didn’t know who you were. In Charming everyone did, after all, your dad was a legend, and everyone knew who the Sons of Anarchy were. This just got even worse after your father’s death, you couldn’t stand the look in the people’s eyes, everywhere you went people gave you this look. It made you angry, you didn’t need their pity, you didn’t need their reminder that your father who you loved so much and were really close to, is no longer with you. You were 14 when it happened, Jax was 16, and it destroyed the two of you. You couldn’t stand the fact that your father will never see you become a woman, never walk you to the altar, and never will hold your first born. You shake yourself, trying to stop these negative, sad thoughts, as you choose the clothes for the night. After like an hour you’re ready to go, wearing a simple t-shirt, jeans and a vans. You grab your bag and a jacket, and head towards the cab, what you called earlier, is waiting outside your apartment building; you give the driver the address what Natalie texted you while the two of you were still at work. You’re nervous, you don’t know how Will will react, and you don’t know if Natalie actually told them that you’re coming. You rub your palms on your jeans, trying to get rid of the damp feeling that the nervousness caused. You’re almost there, your heart is racing, and you take deep breaths to calm yourself down. Relax, you tell yourself, you have nothing to worry about. You remember the chemistry between you and Will, what Kate mentioned earlier. You know you felt something when you were with Will, what you never felt before, but again you can’t tell if he feels the same, or even looks at you in that way. Kate is sure about that he does, and Natalie assured you that she saw the way he looked at you. You snap out of your thoughts as the driver tells you that you arrived. You pay the driver and get out of the cab, walking towards the entrance. The parking lot is already filled with drunken people, you enter the place where the match is held. It’s hot, and it’s filled with people. You navigate yourself through the crowd trying to find Natalie. You finally find her, she’s standing close to the ring and the left side of it, she wears a simple tank top and jeans. She looks gorgeous, but she always does. She spots you too and waves her hand, you quicken your steps to get close to her. 

“Hey sweetie” she greets you.

“Hi gorgeous” I reply to her. She holds a beer in her hand and has a big smile on her face. “So, where are they?” I ask her.

“Locker room, getting ready for the fight.” she takes a sip from her beer “the match should start soon though.” I nod in reply.

“Don’t you want one?” she holds her beer towards me. I shake my head and mouth a “no”. We stand there in silence for a few minutes until the match starts. You suddenly feel excitement running through you, and realise that it does look really similar to the fight nights at home. You hear the presenter say the opponent’s name and see him walk into the ring. The crowd cheers loudly, and a few minutes later you hear Ben’s name announced. You turn to look back at the entrance where Ben is coming in, Will behind him hyping up the crowd for Benny. They pass by you and Natalie, Ben gives her a smile and a wink, and he nods his face toward you, you smile back at him. You nervously look at Will, you can’t read his expression and that worries you. You have a bad feeling that he’s not happy to see you there and suddenly you really regret agreeing with Nat’s plan. The match starts and you try to focus on it and not on Will, you don’t even look at him, he’s busy anyway trying to guide Ben through the fight. After a bit you seemed to ease up and lose yourself in the fight, you’re yelling and cheering whenever Ben is doing good, and Natalie does the same next to you looking incredibly proud of him. The match ends with Benny winning, both him and Will look incredibly proud. Will comes up to the two of you and tells you to meet outside the locker room. He still didn’t look at you and you suddenly feel really nervous again. You swallow, trying to calm yourself. You start to regret not drinking a beer earlier, at least it would have calmed you down a bit. Natalie and you walk toward the locker rooms in silence, she’s in her little happy bubble because of Ben and you don’t want to ruin that with your worries. You stop in front of the door where Ben’s supposed to change and you feel even more nervous now. There’s no crowd here so it means it’s only the two of you now, and after Benny comes out it will be only you and Will, since the love birds will be all over each other. You lean towards the wall quietly, none of you say a word. After a few minutes the door opens, Will steps outside, “He wants you in there.” he says to Natalie. She smiles and walks in while Will holds the door for her. You’re nervously playing with your fingers, looking at the floor, not sure what to say.

“Congratulations on winning the fight.” you finally say after a while. He smiles a bit and nods his head in thank you. He leans towards the wall in front of you, arms crossed over his chest, he’s chewing a gum.

“What are you doing here, Isabelle?” he asks me coldly. You look up to him from the floor where you rested your eyes since you congratulated him. His question took you by surprise, and not gonna lie  it hurt you.

“I came to see Benny.” you see him nod. “Is that a problem for you?” you ask him. His question made you upset and this made all of the nervousness disappear. 

“No.” he looks surprised.

“Are you sure? Because you look like you hate me for being here.”

“It’s not true.” he says defensively.

“Right.” I mutter. You stand with him in awkward silence, not the one you seemed to be so fond of when you first met with him. 10 minutes passes in this awkward silence until you finally see Natalie and Benny walking out of the locker room, you don’t know what they were doing inside but you honestly don’t even want to. She looks at you and when she sees your upset expression her smile quickly disappears from her face and it’s replaced with a confused look. You shake your head, silently telling her to not ask what happened, or at least not here.

“So, who wants to grab something to eat?” you hear Ben ask. Natalie agrees immediately, you shift your weight from one leg to another, you really don’t want to go, especially not after what happened with Will.

“I’m sorry Benny but I’ll pass this, but congrats on your win, you were amazing tonight.” you tell him honestly and give him a smile. He turns towards you and you can see Will’s eyes on you.

“No, c’mon Izzy, you have to come with us. My brother needs your company while I make out with my girl.” you smile at him, but you can’t help but feel sad about what he said about you and Will.

“I doubt that’s true.” you say with a sad smile. 

“Ben” Will suddenly says “Why don’t you and Natalie go ahead and wait in the parking lot while Isabelle and me talk a little?” you’re surprised at this, Ben looks at you and nods. Natalie also looks at you with a worried and confused expression, but you assure her with a nod that everything will be okay and she can go. The couple leave and Will and you are alone again.

“Isabelle” he starts “I seriously meant that I don’t mind you being here.” he seems sincere but you’re still hurt and upset about what happened earlier.

“Then why are you like this?” 

“Like what?” he asks confused.

“You’re cold and rude. I know we don’t know each other well, or for a long time, but when you asked me what I’m doing here, it was rude. It wasn’t the question itself but your tone.” you explain to him. 

“I’m sorry that I hurt you.” he says sincerely.

“Why, Will?” you ask him “Why did you do it? You were so nice when we met and now you’re being rude and ignoring me. Did I do something?” you can’t help but feel angry now and helpless about the whole situation, you just want answers. Will is quiet for a few minutes, you see him struggling to find his words, the right thing to say.

“Because I like you.” he says so quietly you think you imagined it. 

“What?” you ask him.

“Because I like you.” he repeats louder this time. You don’t believe what he just said. 

“Then why were you like this?” you ask him. You feel like this whole thing doesn't make sense.

“I...I umm…” you can see him struggling with what he wants to say “let’s just say that it’s hard for me to get close to anyone since my last relationship.” Shit. Now you feel bad for pushing this whole thing.

“I’m sorry.” you say honestly to him, you really do sorry and this kinda explains his behaviour. You too know what it’s like to be in a shitty relationship or go through a bad breakup and distance yourself from everyone. You understand him, you really do. 

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have hurt you, because of something what happened in the past. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. I hope you can forgive me.” he looks at you with those gorgeous blue eyes, and you see his vulnerability in it and you can tell that he truly does feel sorry. You give him a honest smile and tell him that it’s okay, but if next time something is wrong, you’d appreciate him being honest. He nods in agreement and gives you a little smile and the two of you start walking towards the parking lot. You agree to go and eat something with the group, but you insist on not staying long because tomorrow you start early at the office again. You actually ended up having fun, Benny is a real class clown with a heart of gold. He really is a sweet boy who seems to make your friend really happy, and this makes you smile. Will and you talked a lot, mostly small talks and shared some stories, but the two of you still don’t know much about each other, but you sure that you like each other. He seems more at ease after your conversation and that relaxed you too. You still don’t know what exactly happened with Will what made him this distant from people, because he only seems to have a close connection with his younger brother, but again you can relate to this. You don’t have any close friends either, sure Kate and Natalie are close to you, but you can’t talk to them about certain things, like about your life back home or what’s happening with your brother at the moment. After the dinner Will offers you a ride home what you accept. You get in the car with him and tell him the address of your apartment building. You spend the ride with him in silence, you don’t mind, because this silence is that comfortable silence you like about Will. He parks his car in front of the building and you’re a bit disappointed that the night ended already. You feel his eyes on you, you look at him and see that he has a small smile on his face, you can’t help but smile back at him.

“Can I ask you out on a date?” he asks suddenly. This takes you by surprise. 

“With one condition.” you start playfully. He nods.

“What is that?” he asks curiously.

“No restaurant dates. I don’t really like restaurant dates, especially not on first dates.” he gives you an expression and his smile grows bigger and he licks his lips before he answers.

“Iz, we were at the restaurant like 40 minutes ago.”

“Yes but that was different!” you can’t help but smile at him.

“Why is that?” 

“Because those weren't dates.” you point it out. 

“Good point.” he nods his head, that small smile is still on his face. You like this, that little smirk he gives you, it makes him look really handsome. “So what would you like to do?” Oh. That’s a good question. You want to go somewhere where the two of you can talk freely, possibly without people around you. You want to get to know him and you feel like being around people makes him a bit uneasy and you don’t want that for him.

“What about going hiking?” he looks really surprised about your idea.

“You want to go hiking on our first date?” he asks in disbelief.

“Well, yeah. It gives us a great opportunity to really get to know each other, there won’t be many people around and we can talk freely. Plus nature is beautiful.” you tell him.

“This kinda sounds like you want to murder me.” he says jokingly. You let out a laugh at this idea, his smile grows even bigger and he laughs a little too.

“I swear I don’t have any bad intentions, I just noticed that you seem tense in crowds. I don’t want that for our first date.” you tell him honestly. You see an expression on his face, you don’t know what it was because it disappears so quickly you had no time to analyse it. 

“That’s really thoughtful of you.” he says quietly. You just nod and give him a small smile. You agreed on the day and time of the date, it will be on this saturday in the afternoon. Will said he knows a good hiking place, but it will take awhile to get there with a car so he’ll pick you up to take you there. You’re really excited at the idea of going on a date with him. The two of you say your goodbyes for the night, and you slept better tonight than in the last couple of days.

[barytyrannus]

My Conversation w/ Murdoc Niccals

(Just posting this cause I want to save it somewhere)

Hello Michael Meyer. Welcome to the Wormwood Scrubs Prison Messenger System. You can now receive a fortnightly digital visitors pass. Would you like to apply for the fortnightly visitors pass?

12:14 PM

Yes

Free Murdoc,12:14 PM

Ok. To receive your pass, you must first get through our really strict security process.

Free Murdoc,12:14 PM

What is your name?

12:14 PM

Michael

Free Murdoc,12:14 PM

You want us to call you Michael? We'll call you Michael. So, Michael...

What is the name of the prisoner you wish to contact?

12:14 PM

Murdoc Niccals

Free Murdoc,12:14 PM

You have selected Murdoc Niccals.

Please type the prisoner's number:

12:15 PM

24602

Free Murdoc,12:15 PM

Please type #24602's favorite alcoholic beverage:

12:16 PM

Rum

Free Murdoc,12:16 PM

Close enough. He’ll drink anything.

Congratulations, you have passed the vetting process. You now have digital visitor access once every two weeks (in case you don’t know what fortnight means).

Connecting you to prisoner #24602…

Finally! Where the bloody hell have you been!?

12:16 PM

Trying to get pass security

Free Murdoc,12:16 PM

Whatever. Right, well long story short, I'm stuck in bloody prison because some dodgy bloke named El Mierda framed me! So, naturally, I hatched a masterplan to prove my innocence

Genius, isn't it?

12:17 PM

Wow. Amazing

Free Murdoc,12:17 PM

Course it is. It's fullproof. Right, so the only way to prove my innocence was to get some INFO on El Mierda.

The only way to do that was to gain RESPECT! And the only way to gain respect around here is to pick a FIGHT with the biggest baddest bastard in the bin, Big Balls Mcguinness.

So, bet you’re dying to hear about how I gave Big Balls a proper beating, MMA style, eh?

12:17 PM

Tell me

Free Murdoc,12:17 PM

Well, it didn't go quite as planned. But in my defense, I had no time to defend myself. He sucker-punched me as I was doing my warm-up stretches.

I protested, only to be informed there are no rules in a prison yard brawl.

How was I supposed to know?

12:18 PM

You never really can know, can you

Free Murdoc,12:18 PM

Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine, luv. Anyway, no honour amongst thieves, as they say.

Next thing I remember is waking up in the infirmary. I’ve had a lovely time in there, tbh. Comfy pillows, daylight, and all the baby food I can drink.

Still gorgeous, eh?

12:18 PM

You're a fine pickle

Free Murdoc,12:18 PM

I know.

Anyway, they’ve wheeled me into the computer room for my five minute’s chat time. Which is expiring faster than a raven in a microwave (which was a friggin’ accident, btw, I’m not a sicko). So let’s keep this moving.

Listen, mate - I cannot in good conscience go on without warning you. El Mierda is an evil, twisted bastard. Imagine if Anne Robinson mated with Krampus and sired a child. Actually don't. That's horrible. Has he reached out to you? Maybe an email? Carrier pigeon? Horse's head in your bed?

12:19 PM

Not yet. I worry that he may try to, though.

Free Murdoc,12:19 PM

Phew. Some say he can turn your own mother against you, so watch your back.

Let not the Beast get a taste for you, for he serves la Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte, Our Lady of Holy Death, and her teeth shall feast on your flesh for all eternity.

Anyway, lovely stuff! BTW, by proving I can take a beating, I’m now respected in here for having medium-sized balls.

What do you think of that?

12:19 PM

I think you're over-compensating for something

Free Murdoc,12:19 PM

Oh FFS the keyboardjkljlk is stickopkling again. Bloody savages don't wasgfgfgh their hands before using thffsis computer.

Anyway, fortunately, a few of my fingers aren’t broken, so I can still get online and take care of the important things…

12:20 PM

Like what

Free Murdoc,12:20 PM

I'm talking about messaging you to begin stage 2 of my master plan, tentatively titled: Murdoc Niccals Proves His Innocence, Gets Gorillaz back and Makes The World Great Again with the Help of an Awe-Struck Fan, Act II. What do you think of the name?

12:20 PM

Needs work.

Free Murdoc,12:20 PM

Looks like it's international 'I don't give a monkeys' day so in the spirit of the holiday, I'm gonna ignore what you just said.

Anyway, it's a work-in-progress, and thanks to my new medium-sized balls, a little birdie whispered in my ear that an associate of El Mierda is currently residing IN THIS VERY PRISON!

What are the chances?

12:21 PM

Pretty high I guess, considering how contrived this whole thing is.

Free Murdoc,12:21 PM

If I was a betting man (and my gambling debts would suggest I am), I'd say you're a prime smart-arse!

Anyway, El Mierda’s associate goes by the name of Vlad the Inhaler…

Not the prettiest but if we’re gonna track down El Mierda and prove my innocence, we're gonna have to go through Vlad. You up to this?

12:21 PM

I'm up for whatever

Free Murdoc,12:21 PM

Lovely! Now, the problem is, the location of El Mierda’s hideout is a closely guarded secret. When I say "closely guarded", I mean Vlad keeps it on him at all times. And by "on him", I mean literally ON HIM…

Am I going to have to spell this out for ya?

12:21 PM

So are they a gay couple or what?

Free Murdoc,12:22 PM

Well you'll just have to tell Eusebio AND Sebastian that you're not that kind of boy, honeybuns...

Soz mate, that last message wasn't meant for you.

Anyway, I meant a tattoo, you wanker! On his body somewhere. He’s such a moron he got the map to El Mierda's hideout tattooed onto himself cos he kept getting lost.

Oh, by the way, how well can you impersonate a woman?

12:22 PM

Depends on what type of woman

Free Murdoc,12:22 PM

You had me fooled, darling.

So, here's the plan. Vlad is going to reach out to you in two weeks’ time. Thanks to a nifty bit of hacking by yours truly, he’ll think he’s chatting with his fiance Millie. But he’s really talking to you!

Your mission is to GET HIM TO SEND YOU A PICTURE OF THAT TATTOO! I don't know why I'm screaming. Bloody caps lock.

Anyway, can you do that?

12:23 PM

I'll try my best.

Free Murdoc,12:23 PM

Smashing. I’d do it myself only this needs to come from an outside line. Your mission: convince Vlad you're Millie, then get a peek of that map tattoo.

Right! Don't let me down, Michael Meyer, I mean Millie 😉. Gorillaz, the free world and my private collection of nearly extinct Bornean Orangutans are depending on you. Seriously, I forgot to feed them before I got locked up. LMAO.

Oh, and one more thing, mate…

12:23 PM

What

Free Murdoc,12:23 PM

Write this down: BEETLEJUICE. Remember that word. It'll come in handy.

Ok, good luck with Vlad. Look out for his message in TWO WEEKS TIME! Right, I best get back to my one-handed press-ups. Murdoc out!

[thesportssoundoff]

“Friday Night With Marlon Moraes” The UFC in Utica Preview

Joey

May 28th, 2018

A casual perusal of the Fight Night in Utica, reveals a nothing special lower level card to the average eye at least. It's very light on star power on a not normal UFC night from a place nobody probably equates MMA with (sorry Utica!) without the usual big hook and sell to it. After watching a PPV with some big names then the first MMA card in Chile and then the biggest free WW fight in quite some time in Till/Wonderboy, it might be hard for some folks to then turn around and get giddy over a show in Utica on a Friday night. Making matters worse? Its headlined by bantamweight which is still one of those weight classes struggling to find some acceptance. Having said all of that? I really like this card. It's not a great show by any stretch of the imagination but the main event is sublime, there's a few debuts I'm excited about on the card and there are some damn good action fights on it. It's not going to compete with UFC 225 for card of the year or anything but I believe it's well worth checking out on a Friday Night. Maybe you'll be able to say you saw the next bantamweight champion debut live.

Fights: 13

Debuts: 4 (Jose Torres, Nate Wood, Sijara Eubanks, Chance Rencountre)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: (Bryan Barberena OUT, Ben Saunders IN vs Jake Ellenberger/Leonard Santos OUT, David Teymur IN vs Nik Lentz/Niko Price OUT, Chance Recountre IN vs Belal Muhammad, Hector Sandoval OUT, Jose Torres IN vs Jarrod Brooks)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 1 (Jake Ellenberger)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Ben Saunders, Jake Ellenberger, Gleison Tibau, Desmond Green, Walt Harris, Jessica Aguilar)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC:  6 (Jimmie Rivera, Marlon Moraes, Belal Muhammad, Gregor Gillespie, Vinc Pichel, David Teymur)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2016 (in the UFC): 26-17

Marlon Moraes- 2-1 Jimmie Rivera- 3-0 Vinc Pichel- 2-0 Gregor Gillespie- 4-0 Walt Harris- 2-2 Daniel Spitz- 1-1 Ben Saunders- 2-3 Jake Ellenberger- 1-3 Daniel Teymur- 0-1 Julio Arce- 1-0 Sam Alvey- 6-3 Gian Villante- 2-3

Divisional Breakdown: Lightweight- 3 Welterweight- 2 Bantamweight- 2 Light Heavyweight- 1 Flyweight-1 Featherweight- 1 Heavyweight- 1 Women's Flyweight- 1 Strawweight- 1

Too High Up- Jake Ellenberger vs Ben Saunders

I feel bad for kicking two guys when they're down, I really do. Ben Saunders and Jake Ellenberger probably shouldn't be fighting anymore but this is MMA and you have to basically go out feet first. The winner of this fight will probably wind up getting fed to another dude way higher up in the food chain than them.The loser probably fights Michael Venom Page in Bellator. Both guys are on losing streaks with Ellenberger in particular rocking a nasty 3 wins in his last 10 fights. All of this paints the picture of a really sad fight on the main card because both Saunders and Ellenberger are still "names".

Too Low- Nik Lentz vs David Teymur

So why is this here on the prelims? Nik Lentz since moving up to 155 lbs is a cool 3-1 with wins over Will Brooks and Danny Castillo. David Teymur is 4-0 in the UFC with wins over Drakkar Klose and Lando Vannata plus he's normally good for either a snazzy finish or an exciting fight. Lentz isn't the same dude who would lay and pray his way to wins, dude's improved as a striker, has tremendous grappling chops and still brings pacing and cardio to all his fights. Color me bummed this one is buried on the prelims package since it's not even the prelim headliner (Sijara Eubanks vs Lauren Murphy is in that spot).

Stat Monitor for 2018: Debuting Fighters (Current number: 11-16):  Jose Torres, Nate Wood, Chance Rencountre, Sijara Eubanks

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 12-6): Jose Torres, Chance Rencountre, David Teymur, Ben Saunders

Second Fight (Current number: 16-15): Jodie Esquibel, Julio Arce, Daniel Teymur

Cage Corrosion (Current number: 10-16, 5 straight wins):  Jessica Aguilar, Jake Ellenberger

Undefeated Fighters (Current number: 18-13): Gregor Gillespie, Jose Torres

Keeping An Eye On But Not Really:

The UFC Win Check Test The records of fighters who have 4 or more UFC fights (or three full calendar years in the organization) but 0 wins against people still in the UFC: Nik Lentz. I would've been SURE that Gleison Tibau would be here but Tibau has two insanely impressive in hindsight wins over Francisco Trinaldo and RDA. Dude was really good once.

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Every fight is its own story and journey through the careers of two athletes. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out how friggin' insane the "How we got here" for both of these guys is. Marlon Moraes was 7-4 going into a fight with Miguel Torres on the first WSOF show, he was there to lose but apparently didn't get the memo. After beating Miguel Torres, Moraes was put up against WSOF's prized signing Tyson Nam. He finished Nam who was coming off an upset over Dudu Dantas which in turn made Moraes a bit of a fan favorite as this super underdog beating all of the hyped dudes. Moraes is now 20-5 which means that since his time as "the opponent" vs Torres until his UFC debut, he went undefeated and racked up 11 wins all over relatively quality competition. It's easy to accuse a dude on a run like his of can crushing but Sheymon Moraes, Josh Hill, Carson Beebe and Josenaldo Silva are quality regional fighters (Moraes has the ability to be a lot more). In the UFC, Moraes' lone loss is a "What can ya do?" split decision vs Rafa Assuncao who basically neutralized him as he tends to do. Since then Moraes decisioned John Dodson in a close scrappy fight and became the only man to finish Aljamain Sterling when he ruined his life with a step in knee. Moraes has proven his worth and his reward is his first ever UFC main event less than a year into his run with the organization.

The road was equally weird for Jimmie Rivera. Rivera's pre-UFC career is littered with fighters you'd know (Jared Papazian, Brian Kelleher, Willie Gates, Carson Beebe) in big time organizations (Bellator, WSOF, ROC and CFFC) but he never really stuck or found a home. Bellator used him frequently but for some reason, never featured him as a name. Perhaps that's because he was a guy who went to the decision more often than secured a dominant statement win. Maybe Rivera is just difficult to negotiate or deal with (more on that later) or perhaps he was just overlooked. He tried out for TUF and fought up a weight class in deference to his friend Louis Gaudinot. That decision proved to be the wrong one as Rivera drew Dennis Bermudez and lost by TKO in the try outs. Rivera eventually did make it to the UFC----as a short notice replacement on an international fight card. Since that point, RIvera has gone 5-0 with wins over Thomas Almeida, Pedro Munhoz and Urijah Faber. Jimmie Rivera has proven his worth in the UFC and his reward after being "the opponent" for what seems like his entire UFC run is his first ever main event spot in Utica.

There's a pride in this, I suppose. We see guys debut, get hyped and get main events far earlier in their careers than Rivera. We've seen guys be "the favorite" long after they've proven they're not the guy for the job while guys like Moraes have to just keep winning. For two guys who had to really earn it, I'm glad they're in a main event spot no matter if it's a Friday UFC event or a Fox spotlight. These guys earned it and in a sport where earn and deserve is more about timing and opinion, it's nice to have two definitive cases of "earning it" colliding at the same time.

2- I'd ALSO be remiss I suppose if I didn't point out how long it's taken this fight to come together. Both guys claim they were supposed to fight on the regional circuit but those sorts of "You might fight X" type rumors are what they are. What we DO know is that Moraes was offered the opportunity to fight Rivera in December as a fill in for Dom Cruz. Moraes said he couldn't make weight and depending on who you ask, he either needed to fight at 145 or higher to fight Rivera. The fight fell apart and THEN it was rebooked for UFC in Orlando. According to Moraes at least. Rivera has said that he wasn't offered a contract or wouldn't sign it or etc etc etc. Whatever the case may be or may not be, we've got it now. The whole back and forth created legitimate realistic tension.  Sometimes it's nice to have dudes who dislike one another a little bit.

3- Jimmie Rivera is currently the slight betting favorite and while that might seem controversial for some, I think it's insanely realistic that he can take a decision. Marlon Moraes' weakness has been guys who can counter strike with him, force him to think and react more than he wants to and challenge him with either a size or a speed advantage. Rivera can fight going forward and backwards, has all sorts of versatility to his game and carries consistent pop in his hands. He's not a fight finisher by any stretch but we've seen him drop dudes like Thomas Almeida and Iuri Alcantara. He's also far more likely to be active during the lulls where Moraes seems to just be trying to patiently stalk a dude down for power shots. Conversely Moraes winning this fight by KO is pretty possible as well given that Rivera loves to exchange, often times abandons defense and security for swangin' n bangin' PLUS Moraes really does hit fucking hard.

4- Is the main event a #1 contender fight? The winner will probably have a hell of a case for the shot, no? The alternatives are Raphael Assuncao who I'd bet the UFC would rather cut than put in a title shot if they were given only those options (although Rapha vs TJ/Cody winner sounds like a fantastic way to kick off your ESPN run), Dom Cruz or John Lineker.  Lineker is a guy who people assume is a draw but never really generates any numbers worthwhile of backing that up. Both Lineker headliners at BW did pretty poorly which, I suppose, helps create the mythos that BWs can't draw viewers. I also can't imagine an audience being that giddy for Lineker vs TJ 2 if Dillashaw wins again. You could make the argument that Dom Cruz has a case over both guys but if Garbrandt wins then whats the point? We've been there and Cruz was soundly handled by Cody. Cruz vs Dillashaw 2 might be a lot more intriguing a second time around for some folks? Still I couldn't count on Cruz to make it to fight night again since 2016 seemed like an anomaly across the board for him health wise. Perhaps the ultimate question mark is Rob Font who seems to be finally getting his act together en route to a clash with Raphael Assuncao in July.

5- So just WHO necessarily is it that the UFC is attempting to hype up and develop in the famed "special showcase third fight" slot? Will Harris is 34 years old and he's already been in the UFC for close to six years now on and off. Harris is coming off two straight losses and while he deserves credit for stepping up vs Fabricio Werdum on like thirty minutes notice, his performance vs Mark Godbeer was hilariously heavyweight. Is the focus on Daniel Spitz? Spitz is a newbie HW who has a 1-1 record in the UFC  with a win over Anthony Hamilton and a loss to Daniel Spitz. Was this just a case of wanting a big guy in a key spot because you've got a bantamweight and a lightweight up top?

6- Sijara Eubanks attempting to make the cut to 125 lbs again seems....dicey. I suppose conversely the same could be said for Lauren Murphy as well so let's just hope everybody makes weight healthily.

7- It took me 7 spots to talk about Gregor Gillespie and at first it kind of bothered me that I had forgotten about. In hindsight, I guess I just don't know what would make him worth remembering to begin with. As a fighter Gillespie is fantastic and while he's slowly creeping out of his athletic prime (he turned 31 in March), he's pretty much dominated everyone he's faced. The only thing a detractor could cling to would be a short brief moment where he was hurt in a firefight vs Jason Gonzalez, a fight he ultimately won in the second round. He's a tremendous wrestler with serious control on the ground plus his hands are really powerful. I just don't know what else there is to really comment on about him. Seems like a nice enough guy, am I right? He fights in an insane division where thus far he's wiped out everybody he's faced----but it's likehe's the world's biggest afterthought. He's really good and really forgettable at the same time. I hope this fight vs Vinc Pichel showcases more of why we SHOULD be excited about Gillespie's prospects. Pichel is one of those guys who exists just below the level of good but way above the level of opposition Gillespie has faced thus far. I'd like a bigger step up for Gregor but in a showcase fight with a moderate step up in competition, you could do a lot worse.

8- If you pay your $9.99 for UFC Fight Pass, your reward for such is the debut of two fascinating prospects who figure to be players in the lighter weight classes. We can begin with Nate Wood who is the easier of the two to explain. Think of everything you liked about Brad Pickett and then make him slightly less chinny and slightly more athletic. The wrestling improvements (or lack thereof) will determine his upside his ultimately. I think he has a more fundamental game than Tom Duquesnoy but I feel more confident on Duquesnoy turning into a bigger deal. On the same card you have the long overdue debut of Jose "Shorty" Torres, a tremendous prospect who has shades of everybody from Chris Weidman to Kelvin Gastelum in his game. He has tremendous pop in his hands, great cardio, a stalking power style on the feet and the ability to absolutely mix it up on the ground as well. I don't know if Torres will be as good as a lot of us think he can be but he's the most excited I've been about a lighter weight fighters debut since probably the aforementioned Duquesnoy last year. Shorty is a really good fighter who I think can comfortably be a force at either 125 lbs or 135 lbs. Both guys get tough matches as Nate Wood gets Johnny Eduardo and Jarrod Brooks welcomes Jose Torres to the UFC.

9- If Sam Alvey vs Gian Villante leaves the first round, I think you're within your right to spend the next 10-20 minutes doing something more important.

10- Daniel Teymur with a full TC is going to give Julio Arce more problems than people imagine. I think that speaks more to the qualities Teymur has than it does about Julio Arce.

11- We're six fights into Belal Muhammad's UFC career and I have zero idea what kind of fighter he really is at this point. I know he's good (wins over Randy Brown, Jordan Mein, Tim Means proves you're quality) but I have no idea if he's anything more than a placeholder in an aging 170 lb division. The Niko Price fight would've told us a lot about him but now he's facing the pretty good Chance Recountre; a regional fighter who would've probably found his way onto the DWTCS eventually.

12- Is Demond Green contractually obligated to just fight massive wrestlers in the UFC? Four fights in he's had Josh Emmett, Rustam Khabilov, the oversized Michel Prezares who was basically fighting at MW vs him and now Gleison Tibau.

Under Pressure

1- Jake Ellenberger

We might as well start here. Ellenberger is no longer the dude who flirted with title contention on multiple opportunities. Those days are long and gone. What remains? Well....it depends. We can start with the cynical view; the raw numbers aren't pretty. Ellenberger is coming up on close to 50 pro fights before the age of 35 in the USADA Era where the dramatic "he's turning back the clock!" runs aren't going to happen. Since the start of 2014, he's just 2-6 with only one decision loss. He's taken damage in his losses and of his two wins, he's Matt Brown changing his mind again away from having 0 current UFC wins. He's chinny, spotty with his offense and it's fair to wonder if he's just been figured out by better fighters who have evolved quicker than he has. An optimistic POV? Ellenberger was far too good for far too long to fall apart this quickly. The quality of competition hasn't helped either given his losses are to genuinely top tier dudes like Rory Mac, Robbie Lawler, Jorge Masvidal and Wonderboy. Even in the losses, he had some moments of life to make you believe that something STILL is in there. In his most recent fight vs Mike Perry, it sure felt like the "old" Ellenberger was back----right before Perry exploded his face with an elbow. He had glimpses vs Masvidal and I felt like he did damn good vs Tarec Saffiedine as well. What if this is just a really bad ugly sort of slide that'll eventually even itself out? Maybe against weaker competition even? Ben Saunders is really the last in the line for Ellenberger. It's win or go home.

2-Jimmie Rivera

Jimmie Rivera's 5-0 run has been fantastic during his time in the UFC----but outside of the cage? It hasn't been as smooth sailing. We detailed the Moraes fight scuffle but beyond that, Rivera sort of got put in an awkward spot as his wife and Aljamain Sterling had a back and forth on twitter that was pretty cringy. Beyond that Rivera has been known to turn down fights in the past and we know that puts a spotlight on a dude. He's not the guy the UFC "wants" so to speak as much as he's the one they got. Rivera has his main event in what is essentially home turf against an opponent with a ton of buzz. You gotta step up and show out.

3- Sijara Eubanks

The Eubanks we saw on TUF was a hell of a lot better than the Eubanks from Invicta. Even with that said, she got yanked from the event the day before fighting for the title due to an awful weight cut. She might've had enough to beat Nicco Montano but alas and alack, it's back to the drawing board. Lauren Murphy is a really tough go of it in your UFC debut but if the TUF Eubanks shows up? Good chance she pulls this off.

4- Jose "Shorty" Torres

It's short notice and that normally is the caveat needed. This is a different situation though. It's not just some prospect but arguably MMA's best unsigned prospect. We're talking about a guy in Jose Torres who is too good to not have these sorts of expectations put on him. He has the ability to be a genuine lightning bolt in a struggling 125 lb weight class or a blossoming 135 lb weight class. It's a lot of pressure to put on somebody making a short notice debut but again, Torres is a different kind of fighter and a different kind of prospect.

5- Vinc Pichel

He is the opponent. Gregor Gillespie is the guy that everybody is excited about which leaves Pichel in the spot of "don't lose too badly!" which is always a bad place to be. Pichel is the sort of fighter who presents enough stylistic questions for Gillespie that even if Gregor is better, you're still looking at a guy who has the ability to give Gillespie some problems.  The pressure is on Pichel to not get blown out here and test Gillespie.

Five Can't Miss Fights

1- Marlon Moraes vs Jimmie River

2- Jarred Brooks vs Jose Torres

3- Walt Harris vs Daniel Spitz on the Walt Harris factor alone

4- Julio Arce vs Daniel Teymur

5-  Nik Lentz vs David Teymur

[fbi-agent-anderson]

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20

Didn’t think I was interesting enough to call for another info dump, but here we go.

1. Are you an organized individual?

- I try but I find more organization in disorganization.

2. If you weren’t an agent, where do you think you would be working?

- I don’t know. Probably some other job that doesn’t require all that much schooling. I don’t have all that many options for a few reasons…

3. What was the last thing to make you laugh?

-My cats can pull a chuckle from me every now and then.

4. What was your least favorite subject in school? Favorite subject in school?

-Math. Math is and always will be the worst. My favorite subject was English.

5. How many years have you been working in your agency?

-Hmm, the monitoring division is a relatively new development but I was doing field work for quite a while before this.

6. What kind of music do you like?

-Mostly rock (classic, alt, indie) but I don’t mind pop

7. If you could get a vacation, where would you like to go?

-I think I’d like to go camping (somewhere by a lake)

8. What weird food combination do you actually like?

-I love to dip my fries and nuggets in my frosties and Cain absolutely hates it. Whenever I get Wendy’s, I make sure to be to sit within his line of sight.

9. What do you always have with you at all times?

-Whatever self-defense weapon I feel like I should carry at that moment and some form of electronic device to monitor the citizens I’m assigned to.

10. What does your own personal hell look like? 

-Personal Hell: I think I’m in one.

11. What song does your assigned citizen(s) keep playing on repeat? Do you actually enjoy that song?

-Currently, the most played are Take On Me, Dancing Queen, Bagbak, and don’t even get me started on the k-pop. They aren’t bad songs but I feel like they could really use some variety which is why I may or may not add some potential choices in their recommended sections.

12. Do you ship any of your coworkers?

-Not really but I am glad to see more of them getting together and finding happiness within each other.

13. Have you participated in/set up any betting pools in the office? For what?

-I have not and I’m not sure I will. In fact, I’m pretty sure half of them revolve around me in some way…

14. What was the longest you’ve had to stay and work for?

-It was around the end of the semester for students, Dominique was sick, and both Gus and Roy were gone for a few days so I decided to volunteer until they got back. It ended up being about 84 hours with light breaks in between. It was probably the closest I’d come to quitting besides the wall incident.

15. What did you want to be growing up?

-Depends on what time we’re talking about. Around high school, I debated going into filmmaking or being a park ranger.

16. Do you enjoy or participate in any sports?

-I practice boxing as a hobby and I used to participate in multiple MMA matches. Don’t watch very many sports.

17. Do you have any hobbies for when you don’t work?

-Besides boxing the only other thing I can think of is writing.

18. Any embarrassing stories about co-workers?

-Not that I want to share right now cause I know they all have just as much dirt to throw back.

19. Do you own any pets?

-I own 2 cats. One is an orange long haired cat named Pogo and the other is a grey tabby named Bingo.

20. Free space! Give a fun fact about yourself.

-I play exactly one instrument.

[purplesurveys]

668

what is the one thing you remember most about january of last year? I was taking a Public Relations elective then and we got free tickets to a PPV for ONE Championship because they’re a client of my prof’s PR firm. I initially got just one ticket, but I had a couple of friends who weren’t into MMA so I asked if I could get their tickets so I could ask Gab and her dad for a night out. The night ended up being really fun and I remember how much her dad’s face lit up when he saw that I paid for his dinner hahaha, it was even more worth it than the time we spent together in the show itself :(((( you look at the clock and it's 11:11, do you wish? My usual pretend-wish is to end up happy one day, but I don’t take 11:11 seriously. how do you think you will look 3 years from now? I bet I’d still look 16, but with a different hairdo and maybe a little more professional by then. once you graduate (if you haven't already) are you leaving your hometown? Definitely not *once* I graduate. I want to make sure I’m financially independent first before I take my first real step outdoors. what is your dream job? To work PR for my dream company, WWE.

what would be number one on your bucket list? Settle, and settle happily. how old do you think you'll be when you make your will? Tbh I’ve already made several rough drafts. I was like 18 or 19 when I made them, probably. you get a text message. who do you hope it is? Just my girlfriend. I don’t really get as excited if it were anyone else. are there any songs that you hear that just make you wanna dance? A lot. Both of my favorite artists – Beyoncé and at least Hayley from Paramore – are into dancing and make songs that make people want to dance, so it’s a natural thing for me. do you get any of your songs from limewire? I never used Limewire, actually. I was always too young for it. I do remember my older cousins introducing me to the program, though. what's the oddest thing you are wearing right now? I’m wearing pretty normalish stuff tonight. you and your best friend get in a fight. why do you think that is? Existential stuff that we disagree on. do you use the word "basically" a lot? I use it pretty often but tbh it’s such a common word used by basic people so I always make it a point to use it much, much less. I use other words or phrases that might be able to take its place like essentially, virtually, simply put, etc. do you use proper grammar or use IM talk? I can use both in one sentence, lol. what is your biggest annoyance at the time? I announced a call for respondents for mine and Andrew’s thesis survey and SO many people are helping out by reposting, sharing, retweeting, tagging people they know – it’s not so much an annoyance but like I’m internally beating myself up just because I feel like I’ve never deserved such a show of kindness. It’s amazing how many people would help out for a thesis; all I could do is thank them one by one, so that’s exactly what I’ve been doing all evening. you see the person you fell hardest for. what do you do? Be surprised as I was literally just with her a little over an hour back. have/are you depressed? Am pretty sure I am, mildly at the very least. did you grow up in the united states? I’ve never even been there. are you dreading tomorrow? Not really. Sundays mean family lunch out, which is always fun (and very filling) when my dad is home. i'm going to see the person i like tomorrow; any confidence boosters? It’s been over 10 years, judging from the year this survey was posted; I hope the meeting went well! do you call anybody 'baby'? Just Gab.

if your school had a winter formal on new years, would you go? I would be very surprised as to why we would need it, but it’s worth checking out I guess. where is the fanciest place you have ever visited? Manila Hotel, without a doubt. Also my friend’s house in Forbes haha. who is the one person you can completely be yourself around? They’re two, and they’re my best friends. are your pop-ups blocked on your computer? Yep, which can sometimes be a real bitch when going to websites that can tell if you have ad blockers on. do you know a guy that has voice cracks, but it's cute? I think most guys have their fair share of voice cracks haha. I don’t find it ‘cute,’ but like I don’t mind it either. It’s just something that slips out. do you wear earrings on a normal basis? Nah. I can’t wear the traditional earrings because of my fucked up piercing, and as for clip-on ones, I keep losing the one I have :/ what stereotype would people associate you with? Prrrrretty sure I’d be bunched with the conyos, but I don’t mind. Idk where else I’d fit, actually. how old were you when you realized that life goes on? 17, when my grandfather died. do you consider yourself mature? It’s not the first word I’d use to describe myself. are your parent's night owls or morning birds? Definitely morning birds. I’m the complete opposite. do you like to sing? By myself. are there some songs that you will never understand the lyrics to? Fucking alt-J songs, dude lmao. I’ve grown to be content with just humming along to their songs because I’ve found it impossible to understand all of them. do you own a lot of picture frames? Nope. who is your favorite author? I don’t have one. how many pillows are on your bed? Two. how is your hair right now? It’s doing just fine lol, nothing too remarkable to say about it at the moment. is your phone fully charged? Far from it; it’s at 22%. what's your favorite thing about the holidays? No classes. are you still in school? Yes. how many days/months until your next birthday? Like a month and two weeks. HOLY SHIT I’M TURNING 22. what is your favorite type of cake? Cheesecake! how many rings do you wear on a day-to-day basis? Zero. Rings have never been my accessory of choice. when will you next laugh until you cry? Honestly no clue. Maybe the next time we drink out, which will be I have no idea when.

[seattle-fog]

My blog

If you’re someone who wants ripped abs, but you weren’t born with “stellar genetics”, then this may be the most important message you read all year long. Well, because I used to be a chubby accountant. That’s right, I let myself get up to 225lbs with a body fat percentage of 22%. I did every single “ab workout” that I found, but could never get any definition in my midsection. Because everything changed once I realized that your abdominals cannot be trained like every other one of your muscle groups. In fact, by training my core less frequently, I was able to get a set of ripped eight pack abs in just a few short months… Within just a few months, I was able to go from a “Fat Kid to a Fitness Model.” My transformation caught the attention of major magazine publishers, in addition to the World’s #6 Ranked Fitness Expert (by Sharecare.com), Obi Obadike. Being someone who was born with “poor genetics”, I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to find strategies that work for me. As an accountant, I would often work 16 hour days. This left me with very little spare time to get to the gym. I realized that if I ever wanted to get “six pack abs”, I needed to find another alternative…one from the comfort of my own apartment. Instead of focusing on training my “abdominals” as a whole, I started to dig deeper. I started to isolate my upper abs, obliques, and lower abs in every one of my workouts. Instead of training my abdominals for 30 minutes once per week at the gym, I trained them for only 3 minutes per day… I’ll never forget when I ran into my ex girlfriend (who dumped me 6 months prior) at a barbeque and she was SHOCKED with how I looked… But, I’m betting that, like me, you’ve never been taught how to train your abdominals correctly, and you probably thought that you needed “good genetics” to get a SHREDDED core. In fact, most “fitness gurus” who are in shape have NO IDEA how to get others in shape. They usually resort to posting an outrageous amount of “selfies”, convincing everyone how great they are. This leaves YOU in a dilemma if you want to get ripped, eight pack abs that makes people’s heads turn wherever you go…or if you want to have a rock solid core that makes women salivate and other men envious. These insights have allowed me to help hundreds of people world wide burn their gut and get six pack abs. “When I first got out of the Army, I was 290lbs. It was a depressing time in my life, and I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and make a change. Now, I’ve lost nearly 70lbs of fat and am now 220lbs. My energy levels increased and I have a newfound sense of confidence.” “At 38 years old, I was looking to take my body to the next level. After following the workouts and nutrition plan in this program, I was able to get six pack abs in just 6 weeks. My back became much more defined, and I had a V-shaped upper body for the first time ever.” “My name is Bruno Amorium and I’m an MMA figher. Being an athlete for over 15 years, losing weight is something that became part of my life. However, for my last fight none of my “diets” were working, and that’s when I...

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Description:

RE: Get Ripped Abs At Home…

If you’re someone who wants ripped abs, but you weren’t born with “stellar genetics”, then this may be the most important message you read all year long.

Well, because I used to be a chubby accountant. That’s right, I let myself get up to 225lbs with a body fat percentage of 22%. I did every single “ab workout” that I found, but could never get any definition in my midsection.

Why should you care about that?

Because everything changed once I realized that your abdominals cannot be trained like every other one of your muscle groups. In fact, by training my core less frequently, I was able to get a set of ripped eight pack abs in just a few short months…

Once I realized there are 3 different regions of your midsection, I started targeting my upper abs, obliques, and lower abs in short, intense training sessions – no longer than 5 minutes per day.

Within just a few months, I was able to go from a “Fat Kid to a Fitness Model.” My transformation caught the attention of major magazine publishers, in addition to the World’s #6 Ranked Fitness Expert (by Sharecare.com), Obi Obadike.

But I’m not here to talk about my personal accolades. I’m here to teach YOU how to get similar, if not better results than me in a shorter amount of time…

Well, I’ve spent the past 10 years studying virtually every workout and diet routine on the market.

Being someone who was born with “poor genetics”, I’ve had to fight tooth and nail to find strategies that work for me. As an accountant, I would often work 16 hour days. This left me with very little spare time to get to the gym.

I realized that if I ever wanted to get “six pack abs”, I needed to find another alternative…one from the comfort of my own apartment.

Instead of focusing on training my “abdominals” as a whole, I started to dig deeper. I started to isolate my upper abs, obliques, and lower abs in every one of my workouts. Instead of training my abdominals for 30 minutes once per week at the gym, I trained them for only 3 minutes per day…

It wasn’t about WHAT type of ab exercises I was performing, but rather HOW I was training my abs that mattered. By doing short, intense circuit workouts from my apartment floor, I was able to target each individual region of my core AND get a great fat burning workout.

I’ll never forget when I ran into my ex girlfriend (who dumped me 6 months prior) at a barbeque and she was SHOCKED with how I looked…

Trust me my friend, there’s no way that you’ve struggled to get six pack abs longer than I did. I trained them wrong for over 10 YEARS, and only recently started to see results.

But, I’m betting that, like me, you’ve never been taught how to train your abdominals correctly, and you probably thought that you needed “good genetics” to get a SHREDDED core.

Frankly, it’s not your fault because…

Most of them have the luxury of eating whatever they want, whenever they want, and maintaining a lean body at all times. They are among the top 1% of genetically gifted people in the world.

In fact, most “fitness gurus” who are in shape have NO IDEA how to get others in shape. They usually resort to posting an outrageous amount of “selfies”, convincing everyone how great they are.

This leaves YOU in a dilemma if you want to get ripped, eight pack abs that makes people’s heads turn wherever you go…or if you want to have a rock solid core that makes women salivate and other men envious.

Which makes you ask the question…

Luckily, I’ve been able to personally learn from some of the best fitness experts in the world. I have purchased every program, attended every seminar, and read every article that relates to fitness and nutrition.

These insights have allowed me to help hundreds of people world wide burn their gut and get six pack abs.

“When I first got out of the Army, I was 290lbs. It was a depressing time in my life, and I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and make a change. Now, I’ve lost nearly 70lbs of fat and am now 220lbs. My energy levels increased and I have a newfound sense of confidence.”

“At 38 years old, I was looking to take my body to the next level. After following the workouts and nutrition plan in this program, I was able to get six pack abs in just 6 weeks. My back became much more defined, and I had a V-shaped upper body for the first time ever.”

-Ken Primola, BJJ Black Belt

“My name is Bruno Amorium and I’m an MMA figher. Being an athlete for over 15 years, losing weight is something that became part of my life. However, for my last fight none of my “diets” were working, and that’s when I contacted Kiley. His program got me to lose over 15 pounds in a little over a month. This process did not involve starving myself and allowed me to keep my energy levels high. These workout and nutrition techniques optimized my results a great deal. Whether you’re an athlete or not, this program will help you achieve your fitness goals.”

-Bruno Amorium, MMA Fighter

“If you are serious about making a change in the way you look and feel, you can’t go wrong with this program. I promise you, if you just trust and follow the workout and diet techniques you will be amazed at the end. Not only will you look and feel better than you hoped, but you will also have a great plan for how to move forward and maintain your results. Thanks for giving me the tools to make this change in my life. I can’t thank you enough!”

-Phil Glatts, 45 years old

It’s not about “training your abdominals.” It’s about isolating your upper core, lower core, and obliques.

This is the ONLY WAY you will get symmetrical definition in your midsection. Once you do this, it will become so much easier to get six pack abs.

Rather than using fancy equipment at the gym, you can simply do a series of simple exercises from the comfort of your home. All you need is a floor and 3 minutes per day.

Imagine one month from now – you looked in the mirror and started to see definition in your abs for the first time ever. Think of how your life would change…

You’d be more confident, you’d feel better, and people would constantly harass you on how about how the HELL you overcame your bad genetics so quickly. I know this because it happened to ME my friend.

That’s why these home ab workouts are literally all you need to get started (some of these exercises can make a difference to your waistline within just one week)…that of course, and a floor.

“I have always been in decent shape, but I gained an extra 20 pounds this past winter. I was looking for a way to slim down for summer, so I decided to give this program a shot. Within just 60 days, I saw incredible results! I lost a total of 21 pounds and can see my six pack start to show!”

“Following Kiley’s program allowed me to make great gains. I found myself getting much stronger with both my muscular endurance and cardio. The workouts pushed me to new limits and the nutrition plans helped lock in my progress.”

So…you’ve caught me at JUST the right time. Tune in below and get in on all of this when you can:

Once you get your six pack, you may want to take your core to the next level. In this e-Book, you’ll learn the secrets to sculpting all the different valleys of your abdominals. You’ll also discover the 20 best weighted exercises to develop granite hard eight pack abs in record time.

With the THOUSANDS of different supplements on the market, it’s nearly impossible to determine what ones you actually need to transform your body. That is exactly why I created the Secret Supplement Sources file. This report will cut through all the propaganda and highlight the few supplements that will be a GAME CHANGER in your quest for six pack abs. This will save you lots of confusion, money, and will amplify your RESULTS going forward.

This is the EXACT meal plan that I used to go from 225lbs and 22% body fat to 185lbs and 6% body fat in just a few short months. Up to this point, I have never released this information to the public. However, due to the fact that literally hundreds of people have been asking me about my diet, I decided to make this a bonus for a very limited time. It could literally be gone within the next couple of hours.

But because you don’t know me that well yet, and you haven’t trained with me before, I’m going to give you an incredible deal on the “Get Ripped Abs At Home” system. You see, I want to be your trainer who helps you overcome your bad genetics. I want you to get a ripped body and six pack abs that literally turns heads wherever you go. I’m not some “naturally gifted” fitness model my friend. I have been in your shoes before, and know what it feels like to look in the mirror and constantly feel depressed.

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“Before I started Kiley’s program, I was 157lbs and 22% body fat. Being a middle aged man at 47 years old, losing fat around the waist was challenging. At the end of the program, I was down to 11% body fat at 155lbs. I was starting to see my abs and getting more defined!”

“After finishing this program, I was able to build lean muscle and torch my belly fat. I actually ended up gaining 10 pounds of muscle, and my stomach ended up looking better than it ever did before!”

I’m just going to be honest with you my friend. You aren’t going to come across many opportunities like this.

We both know that there is a reason why you are still reading this page. You can choose to continue doing exactly what you’re doing now. But I’m willing to bet you are going to look the same year after year after year..

I know this because I was once in your shoes. I have struggled with poor genetics, fat loss, and building lean muscle for the majority of my life. This makes it EASY for me to get you over the fat loss hump because I can completely RELATE to what you’re going through.

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But most importantly, you won’t LOSE this incredible opportunity to take advantage of an easy to follow, step by step, proven system…at the absolute lowest price that will ever be offered.

I know this isn’t a “warm and fuzzy” message…but I believe in YOU my friend.

I believe you will make the best and only decision to get the body of your dreams, improve your health, and live a life full of energy.

You can be completely confident about claiming your discount on the “Get Ripped Abs At Home” course, because it’s backed by my 60 Day, 100% Money Back Guarantee. If for any reason you don’t think this course is worth a minimum of TEN TIMES the price, simply shoot me an email and I’ll refund your money…no questions asked.

So there you have it my friend. Within just minutes, you can be one of the many people who I’ve helped get shredded, six pack abs in just a couple of short months. Isn’t it time that you finally learned from someone who can actually relate to your struggles?

Unlike most “fitness gurus”, I know what it feels like to be constantly disappointed and overweight. But I also know what it feels like to have defined muscle and ripped abs. I remember the first time I looked in the mirror and was SHOCKED at my own reflection…and I remember when my ex girlfriend saw me at the beach last summer and her jaw DROPPED.

I know that if I can get these results, then YOU can get these results. So take advantage of this ridiculous, 100% money back guarantee, 90% discount.

To transforming your body and your life,

P.S. One more thing — it’s crucial. Because this program is being offered at an introductory price (for the first one thousand orders only) I cannot guarantee that this offer will be available in 24hrs — . While were just a small operation, sometimes we get swamped with unexpected orders (some guys will order multiple copies to share with their friends & loved ones!) and it’s very likely that this offer will not be available tomorrow. So I urge you to order now & avoid losing out on the amazing introductory offer.

P.P.S. Remember – if you are currently following any sort of workout program that isn’t getting you the results that you want…or you’re following any diet that has you skimping out on your favorite foods, please get your hands on this program as soon as possible, anyway you can…before you spend another nickel! There is nothing more important to your health right now, than the information I have for you here!

Please Note: This is a downloadable digital program. A physical copy of the Get Ripped Abs At Home course will NOT be shipped to you in the mail. Once your payment is processed, the entire package will be immediately available for you to download on the Thank You Page. This program is only accessible through this website and is NOT available in stores.

Clicking the above order button will take you to a secure page for the transaction by Clickbank, the most popular online payment processor of digital products in the world. Upon confirmation of your order, you will immediately be redirected to the Thank You page, where you can download the digital course and the bonuses. If you have a high speed internet connection, the download usually take less than a minute. The instructional videos will be instantly downloadable in your web browser. The e-book download will be in PDF format, so you’ll need install Adobe Reader on your computer. 

Copyright 2015 – Kiley Lynch Fitness – All Rights Reserved

Click here to get My blog at discounted price while it’s still available…

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[thesportssoundoff]

“A Typical Fight Night From Europe”

Joey

July 10th, 2017

After a hectic, eventful and landscape changing International Fight Week you have approximately one week to get it all out of your system before everyone's favorite traveling circus heads overseas! Scotland has had one UFC event and now they better get ready for the UFC wackybus to roll back into town! The first event had a killer main and co-main and then some decent enough stuff under it. This card seems a bit deeper but not without some fluff as well. It's top three fights are fantastic stuff as the main event could be a potential title eliminator, it's co-main event is a really intriguing fight at strawweight and it's third fight is a slick lightweight clash between two guys who are more than capable of going on a run but dangerously close to falling behind in a crowded 155 lb picture. I think I've hammered on the "elite" stuff enough for one weekend. The rest of the card is essentially a very typical European card for what that's worth.

Fights: 12

Debuts:  6 (James Mulheron, Justin Willis, Galore Bofando, Danny Henry, Daniel Teymur, Amanda Lemos)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (Mark Godbeer OUT, James Mulheron IN vs Justin Willis/Lina Lansberg OUT, Amanda Lemos IN vs Leslie Smith, Mitch Gagnon OUT, Albert Morales IN vs Brett Johns)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 3 (Gunnar Nelson, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Steven Ray)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC:  0

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 4 (Steven Ray, Cynthia Cavillo, Santiago Ponzinibbio, Gunnar Nelson)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 16-18)- James Mulheron, Justin Willis, Galore Bofando, Danny Henry, Daniel Teymur, Amanda Lemos

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 12-17)- Amanda Lemos, Albert Morales and James Mulheron

Second Fight (Current number: 20-19)-  Charlie Ward, Brett Johns, Bobby Nash

Cage Corrosion (3-2)- Neil Seery

12 Precarious Ponderings:

1- There are going to be plenty of people disappointed in this main event on paper but let's be totally fair; this is a very acceptable Saturday afternoon main event in the middle of a rough Summer stretch of six events in a row. It's a respectable headliner featuring two WWs on winning streaks who could easily slip and slide their way towards a title shot. With Lawler/Cerrone happening and Masvidal/Wonderboy happening, that's four guys looking to fight through winning streaks. Maia vs Woodley is in two three weeks and then GSP "awaits" in November but I think we're all a hint smarter than that, am I right? So if there's a very impressive win, we might be looking at a new potential contender.

2- It's interesting to look at who each guy has beaten and realize that they've both kind of failed in their attempts to step up to the next level. Ponzinibbio was TKO'd by Lorenz Larkin in a really good fight whereas Nelson has lost to the likes of Rick Story and Demian Maia when asked to take a step up. Both are well rounded guys who have beaten fair competition (Ponzinibbio over guys like Sean Strickland, Nordine Taleb and Zack Cummings; Nelson over Alan Jouban, the aforementioned Cummings and Albert Tumenov). It's a very good stylistic matchup as well as Ponzinibbio's striking matches up well with Nelson's and while he lacks Nelson's grappling game, Santiago has great takedown defense. This is a good exciting fight that should be fun over five rounds.

3- Joanne Calderwood vs Cynthia Calvillo is one of those weird fights where a lot of bad outcomes could happen for the UFC. Calderwood seems destined to jump up to 125 lbs after this fight and so right off the bat, the big concern has to be that Calvillo loses to Calderwood who then goes up to 125 lbs and one of your more promising fresh prospects is left at 115 lbs with nowhere to go. On the other hand, it would probably kill the crowd entirely if Calderwood gets dominated by Calvillo.

4- Khalil Rountree vs Paul Craig is pretty interesting if you still think Rountree has potential. He's had 3 UFC fights and outside of getting smothered to death by a great wrestler, he's had a fight where he gave Tyson Pedro problems before his ground game fell apart and a fight where he almost removed Daniel Jolly from the realm of the living with a knee. Paul Craig likes to live in the clinch where there's plenty of danger from Rountree's knees. At the same time, if Craig takes the fight to the ground then tchances ar Rountree is going to have a very bad time.

5- Worth noting that Rountree and Craig are BOTH under 30 years old so we should want them to do well. Also holy shit let's do less of these under 30 fights at LHW and HW please?

6- Steven Ray going into this fight on the last fight of his deal. That's normally a sign of a guy having a breakout performance and then losing the NEXT fight right after it.

7- Paul Felder vs Steven Ray at range is going to be a lot of fun given how both guys tend to be hittable but can crack. Felder is more unorthodox but Ray's boxing can be really crisp plus both guys tend to be so-so takedown artists so expect a lot of power clinch work as well.

8- I don't want to say that it's shameless (because it's probably the kind of guy he should be fighting) but McGregor's buddy getting a dude with a 4-2 record who hasn't fought since 2015 is PEAK MMA. The very height of this stupid fun sport.

9- Danny Roberts gets a very serious gut check after losing vs Mike Perry. I don't know if he would've won a decision vs Perry but he had moments of brilliance in between getting rocked and eventually finished. Roberts is a fun welterweight to watch; an all offense all the time kind of guy who is susceptible and vulnerable in just about every passing second of a fight. Roberts is a work in progress for sure and Bobby Nash is the sort of wacky as fuck brawler with pop who can give him troubles. This could be a bonus earning fight.

10- Neil Seery's wacky amazing MMA journey comes to an end vs Alejandre Pantoja and I just wonder if maybe the UFC should've found an easier opponent for Seery.

11- In a crowded messy and talented 135 lb division, Brett Johns is one of those guys on the lower half just trying to find himself. Johns made a name for himself in good ways and bad on the regional circuit; a dude who vacated the CW title in a messy situation, missed weight in Titan FC and ultimately got to the UFC with questions about his commitment and focus.  His debut was a great fight but not without some questions, primarily his cardio and his striking defense. Johns came into the UFC as a wrestle first desperation takedown guy but he showed even more in his debut. Albert Morales is the most athletic guy that Johns has faced but he has been prone to getting taken down in the past.

12- Really excited to see how the Teymur brother does. His brother has been a fantastic revelation for the UFC and might be Sweden's best chance for a champion going forward.

Must Win

Joanne Calderwood

The UFC clearly has had no problem letting people go recently. From releases to just not matching deals, they're skimming out people they deem excessive, expensive or headaches. At this point, Joanne Calderwood might fall more or less into the category of one of those three. She's getting Dana White's big pet project in Cynthia Calvillo who is 2-0 but hasn't fought anybody major of note. This is a decent enough stylistic matchup for Joanne Calderwood plus she's at home.

Steven Ray

Free agency looms for Mr. Ray and fighters are getting "paid" by somebody. Ray has a tough out in the versatile Paul Felder and he's proven to be a very durable 155er.

Khalil Rountree

You gotta imagine that at some point, Rountree has to make good on his promise and athletic upside. He's still very, very young in this division where age and staleness has taken over. Is his takedown defense improved? Has he rounded out the holes in his game? These are all key questions requiring serious answers. He's got a tough match up in Paul Craig who is a total stylistic crunch for him.

Five Fights You Can't Miss

1- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Gunnar Nelson

It isn't often the case but the main event on this show is far and away the best fight on this card. Both are streaking WWs with a wealth of ability and in the case of Ponzinibbio, an interesting challenge for a very good Gunnar Nelson.  Smarter people than I have discussed almost to an ungodly extent how the WW division is slowly aging and getting stagnant and these are two guys in their primes who are improving with each fight and fit a perfect spot for the WW division in need.

2- Brett Johns vs Albert Morales

I could just be really high up on Morales and overrating this newfound more aggressive Johns but I'm betting this fight is going to steal the show.

3- Joanne Calderwood vs Cynthia Calvillo

I'm pretty jacked for this one since there's so much at play. Cynthia Calvillo has real star potential and while the chance for Calderwood to be a "star" has come and gone, she's still a good strawweight who has flashes of greatness from time to time. Curious to see if Calvillo can get her down and even more curious of Calderwood's size will play a factor. There's a decent chance IMO that both women could fit for titles next year.

4- Khalil Rountree vs Paul Craig

Under 30 LHWs. Y'all need to be in on this.

5- Neil Seery vs Alexandre Pantoja

This should be a pretty interesting fight although I think it's going to be a bit of a bummer for Neil Seery fans. Seery's weaknesses have been against dominant grapplers and better athletes than he is. Pantoja touches both markets pretty easily and he's gone from being a very talented grappler to a solid striker as well. It's a damn good fight for those of us who love flyweights and would be a great send off for Seery if he can pull this off.

[thesportssoundoff]

“From Brazil to New Zealand” UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs Lewis preview

Joey

May 5th, 2017

A five weekend streak of events continues onward with the sandwich from Auckland, New Zealand. After a surprisingly good Rio show, the UFC rolls into New Zealand with a pretty solid FS1 card with a few big fights at 125 lbs, 145 lbs and obviously the big headliner fight at heavyweight. The main and co-main pit Australians vs Americans as we've got Mark Hunt against streaking HW banger Derrick Lewis and Aussie Granddad Dan Kelly taking on Derek Brunson at middleweight. The top two fights could be pretty sad for the local crowd but they're well matched fights on paper and could provide for some nasty finishes. The rest of the card is a solid if unspectacular set of fights, the type of affair you'd expect from an FS1 card overseas. There's nothing BAD on the show but outside of maybe two fights, there's nothing you'd have to go out of your way to see.  That said, there's plenty of good stuff to talk about so let's talk about it!

Fights: 12

Debuts: 3 (Chan-Mi Jeon, Luke Jumeau, Ashkan Mokhtarian)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (Joe Benavidez out, Tim Elliott in/Nadia Kassem out, Chan-Mi Jeon in/Warrelly Alves out, Zack Ottow in)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 6 (John Moraga, Derrick Lewis, Mark Hunt, Tim Elliott, Ross Pearson and Derek Brunson)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 5 (Derek Brunson, Thibault Gouti, Henrique da Silva, Ross Pearson, John Moraga)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC:  4 (Derrick Lewis, Dan Kelly, Damien Brown, Vinc Pichel)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 14-13)- Chan-Mi Jeong, Luke Jumeau, Askhan Mokhtarian

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 8-13)- Chan-Mi Jeong, Zack Ottow

Second Fight (Current number: 16-18)- Alexander Volkanovski, JJ Aldrich

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- Since the start of 2014, Mark Hunt's UFC run has been memorable if nothing else. He's 3-3-1 with a no contest vs Brock Lesnar thrown in to the mix. What's more, all three of those losses are by (T)KO and each one seemed to be more and more distressing. He took an ungodly amount of punishment vs Stipe Miocic, got KO'd by a guy who (at the time) wasn't known for being a good striker and last time out he got faceplanted vs Alistair Overeem. Hunt has evolved since his UFC debut but time is not on his side and he seems to be consistently getting put up against guys who are either too big, too strong (heh) or too versatile for him. What's more, his biggest fight seems to be with the UFC over wanting a "Mark Hunt" clause where fighters who face steroid/PED users get their purse if they pop positive for a test. It's absurd (for an abundance of legal reasons) BUT it is a worthy enough cause one supposes.

2- As much as we all love Derrick Lewis' "Swangin' N Bangin'" style of fighting, he actually seems to do his best work (I'm serious here) when he's able to secure a takedown and get on top of dudes. If he gets you against the fence, he's going to tee off on you but when he gets on top of you, few guys can survive the amount of offense he's able to put forth in close quarters. He simply hits too hard for a lot of these guys. While Mark Hunt is not somebody you can easily takedown, when he HAS been taken down, there have been fights (Silva, Brock, Stipe) where his inability to get up has been exposed. If Hunt's unable to get to his feet then this is going to be a short night for him.

3- I wonder if Lewis feels like he's competing against Francis Ngannou here. In a way, Lewis and Ngannou have been trying to top one another as both have trucked their way to equally impressive winning streaks. Ngannou flattened Arlovski in a round and then Lewis the next month went out and crushed Travis Browne in two roundds. Lewis has Hunt here in June and in August or September, Ngannou gets JDS. With Cain/Stipe believed to happen in August or September (and believe me if I'm those guys, I wanna fight in August and avoid two big PPVs if Conor/Mac happens) then one of those two guys will get the title shot. So in a way, arent they competing against one another?

4- Is it wrong to be scared for his well being when Dan Kelly fights Derek Brunson? Yeesh.

5- Derek Brunson could be heading into this fight on a seven fight winning streak had some things gone his way. While I think the level by which has Robert Whittaker hurt is somewhat overstated, there's no doubt that he had Whittaker reeling at times before he got too sloppy and got finished. Vs Anderson Silva, he fought like a guy who was fighting Anderson in his prime which led to him losing a decision I think he probably could have or should have one. With two losses in a row, Brunson gets IMO a rebound fight against glacially slow yet successful Dan Kelly. It's a fight he should win but we've heard THAT before when it comes to Dan Kelly haven't we?

6- Mizuto Hirota vs Alexander Volkanovski is a pretty interesting fight if you're looking for new names from Australia who could emerge. Volkanovski rocks a 14-1 record and a pretty spiffy fighting style that should earn him plenty of support on the regional circuit. He was relatively dominant in his win over Yasuke Kasuya but then made the decision to drop to 145 lbs where Mizuto Hirota will greet him. By now you know what Hirota is good at and you know that if somebody is going to test whether Volkanovski has "it", it's a guy like him.

7- Does Tim Elliott jump the line at 125 lbs if he dominates Ben Nguyen? Would Elliott vs Mighty Mouse II trump Mighty Mouse vs Borg in the eyes of the fans?

8- Vinc Pichel still being in the UFC is far and away the most surprising factoid I learned in 2017.

9- Dan Hooker moving up to 155 lbs is an interesting decision. I'll always be in favor of guys cutting less weight but Hooker's problems at 145 lbs in my estimation have genuinely just been relative to his lack of athleticism comparable to 155ers. I know the argument is that 155 lbs has slower guys but it's not like the division is remarkably slower.  I dunno what the play out is here.

10- Thibault Gouti is 0-3 in the UFC and probably in line for a release if he loses this one. He draws a tough challenge in "The Mastro" Dong Hyun Kim who got his first UFC win in December. Kim's a beatable opponent for Gouti but he's also the King of knock down drag em out fights as well so I'm not betting against him.

11- Speaking of guys with a history of action fights, NONSTOP ACTION PACKED IS BACK! LEGGO! Dominique Steele could easily be 3-1 in the UFC but he'll enter this fight on a two fight losing streak and facing newcomer Luke Jumeau.

12- If Ross Pearson loses this fight, is he released? A loss would give him four losses in a row, five losses in his last six fights and seven losses in his last ten fights.

Must Win

Derrick Lewis

This Mark Hunt is not the same guy who ran through the UFC's HW division once upon a time He's older, chinny and fights in stops and starts. He's still powerful as all hell but if Lewis is REALLY, REALLY serious concerns and designs about actually accomplishing anything in the top 5 of the division, he needs to emphatically make a statement and beat Mark Hunt.

Thibault Gouti

I mean FEW guys go 0-3 and stick around and even fewer can go 0-4. Gouti needs a win in the absolute worst way.

Alexander Volkanovski

Between Tyson Pedro, Dan Kelly and Robert Whittaker, Australian MMA has a few faces to turn to. Jake Matthews was ultimately a flop when it comes to turning into a big time MMA star for the market. Volkanovski has to avoid the same fate when he takes on Mizuto Hirota.

Five Underlying Themes

1- If they dance around Mark Hunt suing the organization.

2- With the champ currently in limbo and no opponent decided upon, do these flyweight fights mean anything besides just being fun action fights?

3- The way the crowd responds to some of the debuting/unproven Aussie talents.

4- If Dan Kelly is hyped as anything other than a nice story at a division in need of a nice story.

5- Will they give Mark Hunt a live mic if he wins?

[thesportssoundoff]

“A Very Good Card In A Very Divisive World” UFC 209 Preview

Joey

Feb 27th, 2017

Well well! It's time to do one of these deals, eh? Time and general malaise on MMA has prevented me from really writing one of these out but it's well overdue now. The UFC returns to Las Vegas and it's got a really, really solid showcase for us with a really good PPV card, a decent prelim slot and some great FP prelims to occupy our time on a Saturday night. I'll be going from combine footage to UFC 209 on a string so I'll be all sport'd up. The main card is anchored by two tremendous fights for championships. Sorta. The main event is a rematch of a FOTYC for 2016 when Tyron Woodley defends his championship vs Stephen Thompson. The co-main event is the fight of the year for me thus far as undefeated Russian lightweight phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov takes on the real funkmaster of the UFC in Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight championship. If Conor McGregor is bullshitting us, again, then it might as well be the real championship. The main card features a wealth of veterans and "names" like Rashad Evans, Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. OH! and Lando Vannata is back fighting a scary powerful stand up specialist in David Teymur. That fight's going to be fucking cool. There's a few heavyweight scraps on the FS1 slate plus Mirsad Bektic is back! Anyways let's get our numbers right real quick:

Fights: 12

Debuts: 3 (Daniel Spitz, Cynthia Calvillo, Andre Soukhamathath)

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (Todd Duffee out, Daniel Spitz in/Igor Pokrajac out, Gadzhimurad Antigulov in/Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs Ed Herman cancelled)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 7 (Tony Ferguson, Wonderboy, Tyron Woodley, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem, Rashad Evans and Lando Vannata)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 2 (Albert Morales and Rashad Evans)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 8 (Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Dan Kelly, David Teymur, Mirsad Bektic, Darren Elkins, Luis Henrique and Luke Sanders)

Stat Monitor for 2017:

Debuting Fighters (Current number: 6-4)- Daniel Spitz, Cynthia Cavillo, Andre Soukhamthath

Short Notice Fighters (Current number: 5-6)- Daniel Spitz

Second Fight (Current number: 3-8)- Mark Godbeer, Luke Sanders (Tyson Pedro and Paul Craig also but they're fighting so who knows)

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- I suppose we need to address the elephant in the room, primarily on ticket sales being poor thus far. Now we've been here before; ticket sales don't equal PPV sales so who knows what this event will do with the main revenue getter. NOW having said that, I'm reminded of Jim Cornette's "venue that needed a show, not a show that needed a venue" line about Royal Rumble 1997. Vegas is a finicky market and we've seen big shows struggle to sell tickets there (UFC 182 and 183 struggled to move tickets) and if you don't have a BIG main event, you're sort of going to lose going there. They booked a venue needing a show and while UFC 209 is an amazing card, it''s not a "Vegas" card. Now where would this show do better numbers? With New York and Texas out of the equation, you're kind of stuck finding the right sort of venue for two big title fights. Wonderboy is from South Carolina and Woodley is from Missouri so maybe something southern-y would work although you leave out Tony and Khabib as well. I wonder if Florida would've been a good fit for a PPV or even maybe making a return to Atlanta. Whatever the case, ticket sales either will or they won't fix themselves.

2- This main card really does have something for everybody. Wonderboy/Woodey 1 was really great and heavy on drama, the trashtalk between Khabib and Tony Ferugson has only amplified that this is a great fucking fight for a title that may or may not exist nor matter, Overeem/Hunt and Teymur/Vannata are for those of you who love striking and if granddads fighting is your game then Rashad Evans/Dan Kelly should be all the rage. The prelims have some fantastical fights with divisional relevance too, namely Darren Elkins vs Mirsad Bektic at 145 lbs and Marcin Tybura vs Luiz Henrique.

3- So the main event is hard to predict because rematches more often than not don't follow the tone of their predecessors. The first fight between Woodley/Thompson was almost all striking outside of the Woodley dominant rounds (1 and 4) where he found a way to get the fight to the ground. The first round was off a caught kick and the fourth was off an insanely tight looking guillo that Thompson somehow survived. The rest of the fight was a Tyron Woodley fight with bits of a Wonderboy Thompson fight mixed in. Woodley lived against the fence, picking his moments for big power shots while Thompson was happy to point box and take advantage of Woodley's lulls. So what can change in the rematch? I suppose Woodley can try for more takedowns and Wonderboy can try to kick more. Otherwise the fight will look the same, the question being whether we'll get more rounds like 1 and 4 or more rounds like 2, 3 and 5. I 'unno.

4- Fair to say Thompson vs GSP would never happen but what about Woodley vs GSP? If money is the goal (and it is), I wonder if Nick OR Nate get a call from Dana about fighting the winner.

5- The Khabib vs Tony Ferg fight is SUCH a tough one to call. Both are really great wrestlers in unconventional ways. It's hard to imagine a single fighter as strong as Khabib at 155 lbs who can wrestle the way he does and at the pace he does. Tony Ferguson's wrestling is slippery, unorthodox and his submission game may be the best Khabib has faced. Ferguson was taken down at will vs Danny Castillo but that may have been primarily due to his desire to try and work for submissions. That's not going to work vs Khabib who if he takes Ferguson down will probably notlet him up. In Ferguson's favor, he's fought at altitude for five rounds before with zero let up and Khabib's striking is subpar at best even if he packs serious power. This fight is going to be awesome.

6- LET'S SAY for the sake of argument McGregor ducks the winner of this fight between Tony and Khabib. Who is next? Edson Barboza if he beats Beneil Dariush?  Poirier/Alvarez winner? God don't tell me Michael Chiesa!

7- Will Mark Hunt get a live mic if he wins? I'm betting he doesn't.

8- Are we all  overlooking David Teymur? Sweden is kind of a big market for MMA and Teymur, a kickboxer who has taken to MMA very quickly, is super powerful in his hands and feet and won't be at a serious athleticism disadvantage vs Lando. What's more, he went through TUF which exposed him to a wide variety of fighters and styles. I'm not sure if Teymur wins but given how Lando is quickly on the path to superstardom, it feels like its the UFC's luck for him to drop the ball.

9- How did Rashad Evans get cleared? Will he even make weight for this fight?

10- Nice to see Luke Sanders back. For those who  forgot, Sanders stepped up on like two weeks notice to submit Maximo Blanco in a round. Then he disappeared! He pulled a ghost to steal a phrase. Sanders is a really strong talented sturdy bantamweight but Iuri Alcantara only loses to the elites of the world (even Frankie Saenz is pretty stout) so this is a fine test for Luke.

11- We bemoan the lack of genuine 205ers but the UFC's giving us two really good young fighters in Tyson Pedro and Paul Craig. Both are under 30, coming off big wins and in the case of Pedro, they may be a lot of upside in that package. I'm excited to see that fight and IMO it's main card worthy.

12- If I told you Darren Elkins has had 16 UFC fights and he just finished 1 of those fights, would you be surprised?

Must Wins:

1- Tyron Woodley.

Well duh. Remove the title fight aspect from it and Woodley's STILL got the most pressure on him. Woodley is a guy who talks a lot about social justice and trying to do the right thing in a rather muddled MMA  scene and social climate. His words will have power regardless of whether he's champion or not. For Woodley though, his social impact and his big money fights can only come through with a win in a main event.

2- Tony Ferguson

"El Cucuy" doesn't have an in to the road to UFC stardom. He doesn't have a big Russian fanbase that can be mobilized to try and garner support. He isn't from some big city where the UFC can go and run shows based around him. He's not a talker either. Tony's just a tremendous fighter who puts on top notch performances and finishes fights. That has never meant less than it does now. Ferguson beating Khabib, given the legend of Nurmagomedov and his standing in the company, would basically catapult him into superstardom. If such a concept exists.

3- Rashad Evans

The UFC did Rashad a solid by giving him a fighter who for the most part isn't going to trouble him a whole bunch. While BJ Penn got Yair and Arlovski got Ngannou, the UFC is giving Rashad a very good wrestler/judoka with okay-ish power and okay-ish submission skills. It's Rashad's first fight at 185 lbs and it's a sensible test to see what he still offers to the company and what he offers at a new weight class.

Five Underlying Themes:

1- How they dance around the rather obvious concern that Conor McGregor might not even defend his 155 lb title while promoting an interim title.

2- If the three man booth, Anik, DC and Rogan, can improve from a decent debut. Primarily whether or not Rogan and DC improve their chemistry.

3- Will the UFC suffer its second decision heavy PPV in a row?

4- Is Lando Vannata still on his way up the rankings as a star?

5- The continued remaking of the HW division with three fights including a really good one as the prelim headliner.

Predicting (Bonus) Winners!

Current record: 12-12 (Missed on: Houston card, UFC 208, the Canada card. Went 4-8 on the last show I did, UFC on Fox)

Tyron Woodley Tony Ferguson Rashad Evans Lando Vannata Mark Hunt Marcin Tybura Mirsad Bektic Iuri Alcantara Mark Godbeer Paul Craig Amanda Cooper Albert Morales