We breakdown and select our picks for the card top to bottom for #UFC255. Included below is the full fight card
- Early Prelims:
- Welterweight – Louis Cosce vs Sasha Palatnikov
- Middleweight – Kyle Daukaus vs Dustin Stolzfus
- Welterweight – Alan Jouban vs Jared Gooden
- Prelims:
- Welterweight – Daniel Rodriguez vs Nicolas Dalby
- Women’s Flyweight – Antonina Shevchenko vs Ariane Lipski
- Middleweight – Joaquin Buckley vs Jordan Wright
- Flyweight – Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval
- Main Card:
- Light Heavyweight – Mauricio Rua vs Paul Craig
- Women’s Flyweight – Katlyn Chookagian vs Cynthia Calvillo
- Welterweight – Mike Perry vs Tim Means
- Women’s Flyweight – Valentina Shevchenko vs Jennifer Maia
- Flyweight – (c) Deiveson Figueiredo vs Alex Perez
Transcript
UFC 255 Fight Picks: All right boom we’re back with another uh, picks video this time for ufc 255 figurero versus alex perez. As many times as i try to say that last name, i still butcher it every time, but uh davidson figuero, obviously on a on a tear right now facing alex perez who’s stepping up for cody garbrandt, i am joined by mason shadwell from the uk. He has a podcast, the sports podcast, it’s on youtube and if you don’t make sure you follow them on twitter, it’s mma, mason, um man. How are you doing i’m doing good brother cheers having me how you doing i’m doing i’m doing great uh just give a little bit before we start a little bit of a breakdown of how you started your uh, your podcast, and how it’s going so far. Well, basically, i think back in june me and my co-host were both writers for another mma website over here in the uk, and we thought it’d be a fun idea to start a podcast. So we can interview other sports stars, so we get, we gave it a go. We did a couple of episodes on our own and then we started getting the guests on and since then from the ufc we’ve had the likes of mason jones, sam alvey, joe salecki and matt fravola. So we’ve had a fair few guests on and i think we’re coming we’re one or two episodes away from our 30th episode. Oh wow, that’s that’s good! When did you start it uh back in june of this year june june? I started i started in march and it’s uh it’s fun because, like there’s, there are times where i’m like. I don’t really want to do one and then i’ll schedule, one in and right afterwards, i’m like i’m hyped on another level, i’m like man. I can’t wait to do another one uh, it’s so it’s so much fun to do, and i guess for people like us who necessarily a year ago weren’t even doing it uh, definitely try it because it is fun and the people you speak to are really cool And the entire mma community is really really awesome, so i mean it’s good to see that you’re doing it and it’s uh and i’m glad it’s going well interesting. Thank you. I appreciate it all right, so we’re gon na do the entire card here for ufc 255. um. It was supposed to be very, very stacked, with robbie lawler, obviously falling out as well as cody garbrandt, either way it’s we’ve got a double header, two title fights um. So not not the worst card of the year. Uh, definitely wouldn’t say it’s the strongest, but man we’ll take it we’ll take anything we can get at this point hundred percent we’ve just got to be thankful. We’Ve got some fights to watch exactly um, so starting off. We’Ve got a welterweight boat with uh louis, cosy, uh who’s, fighting sasha, palatnikov uh louis cosi. Uh obviously had that huge win on the contender series. His brother orion was supposed to fight on the card as well uh, but he had to pull out uh due to an uh due to an injury um. So man who do we have for this one. Well, i i think this is a quite an exciting fight, because i know louis is undefeated. I think at the time of recording now he’s 7-0 and every fight is finished, so receive a bit of tko, knockout or submission for the man and he’s a very dangerous fighter, no disrespect to sasha. But i don’t see him having too much of a chance against louis. I think louie’s going to go in there, try get it done early, but i think sasha’s toughness will come out in this fight and i’m going for a louis third round tko. But i think with people thinking and knockout, i think they might be, it might think it’s a very dominant display, but it could be, but we can’t count slasher out he’s a he’s, a hell of a fighter. So yeah i mean sasha, like you said, he’s very, very good, very dangerous. His record is very deceiving he’s five and two he fights out of hong kong, which is going to make him the first hong kong fighter ever to compete in the ufc, which i think is a neat fact. I’Ve spoken to both guys, so i have had an idea of what what to expect louis kosi obviously brings a ton of excitement and a ton of confidence, um and uh. One thing you know, especially recently, is the more confident you are the better as long as it doesn’t get into arrogance and uh. Both him and orion possess a ton of confidence, and i think that’s going to be key uh. I spoke to sacha as well and he’s happy to be here. He he moved to syndicate mma in in uh in california, so he’s uh he’s. I think he’s got the right training behind him. He’S trained uh entirely in hong kong, which doesn’t have the best training um, but i just think it might be too too much too soon for him um, i think he’s a high level fighter uh. His only one of his losses is to manila, which no slouch but about man. Louis right now is just based on what what we’ve seen so far louie’s going to go out there and he’s going to get it done um. I do think he’s going to get it done early um, but regardless man i’m just hoping for for an exciting fight and uh, i think whether sasha loses or wins. I think he deserves to stick around for taking this fight um. He took it on short notice too so, but yeah, but louis cosey. I think he gets it done. I think it’s done early, hundreds 700 percent – i i just well. I didn’t know that the facts were he said: sasha was the the first hong kong born fighter to fight in the ufc, and for that reason i i’d i’d like i’d like to see him stick around just to give hong kong a name in the mixed martial Arts, world yeah exactly it really is nice to see, especially that it could open up the doors for the ufc to go to hong kong. I know they’ve been there before, but they don’t necessarily have any fighters from there. So hopefully he’s the first of many uh. So uh it’s definitely nice to see when a guy comes in right, the same sort of thing is happening with india uh they had that one fighter come in and now you’re seeing uh. They even have an organization over there. So, even though it’s kind of hidden um, a guy like that making his way to ufc is huge uh for the world. Uh and mixed martial arts definitely and then we’ll jump into uh, kyle dawkis, who took that fight on short notice against a very dangerous brendan allen. I think i’m getting the right docus chris yeah. I got the right one um. He was fighting dustin’s dolphis, who had a very impressive performance on a contender series. What do you have for that one? Well, i think. Well, i’m i’m probably going to say it a lot. I’Ve said it in quite a few shows i’ve done about this card. All the fighters on air have the ability to be fighting the night contenders, but if that happens, it needs to be seen. But this one, i’m quite looking forward to i think kyle kyle’s got the ability to knock you out and submit you which, if a fighter can do both it’s going to be a dangerous fight, no matter what i think, dustin no disrespect, i think it’s going to Be a really tough fight and i think kyle’s ground game is going to be the deciding factor in this. I think the first round he’s going to try a feeling out process, would you say and get get comfortable second round. I think i think he’s going to try to take him down and then third round think he’s going to take him down and submit him. So i’m going for a kaio dalkist by a third round submission yeah. That’S the exact same breakdown. I have. I don’t know if it’s going to be submission, but i think the longer the fight goes, the more it favors dacas in this one, uh dustin mo the majority of dustin’s uh victories are early um, but kyle showed that he could hang in there with a guy. Like brendan allen, obviously brendan allen didn’t have the best performance last time out, but brendan allen. For me, i think, is a top 15 middleweight um, so i think he’s going to go out there and i think he’s going to get it done. I think he’s going to weather that early stern storm and and get it done late. I don’t know if it’s a submission or tko or decision, but i think the longer it goes, the better it is for kyle. I totally agree, i think, either way with any fight. All you can ask for well wish for is an exciting fight, and i think this one it could be, but at the other hand it could be a very, very dominant display by kyle, but it just depends which dustin shows up, because we know both guys both Guys will go in there and give it their own. Well, that’s all we can hope for, but yeah i’m going for the third round submission all right and then we’ve got alan joe ben, who is he’s lost three of his last four, but uh he’s taking some time off and he’s coming back and he’s facing a Um jared gooden, who a lot of people have been high on he was supposed to fight um dwight, grant my boy dwight grant a little while ago, um so now he’s making his ufc debut. It’S a tough ufc, debut um, but uh. But who do you have for this? Well, i’m quite looking forward to seeing jared in there. As you say alan. Fortunately, three of his last four – i think he said – is he he hasn’t come away with a victory, and i think that could harper his confidence going into the fight, knowing not he’s not in the best of runs and when, when a fighter’s got even the slightest Bit of confidence knocked off, i think he’s gon na you can’t go in you’ve got to go in there with 100 confidence, and i think i think he will have confidence in his abilities, but i think it’s going to be hard, knowing that he’s on the run That he’s on, but with jared, i think i just think he’s a different type of fighter. I think the submission game of him is very good. He’S got really strong hands so again, like like the last fight he’s, got the ability to knock you out and put you to sleep fire submission, and i think it’s gon na go into the second round. I think the first round first couple of minutes is going to be a bit of a feeling, our process again like most fights, but then i think aft for the last few minutes in the round thing and jared is gon na get his way in the fight And then hope well hopefully, for my predictions, it’s gon na go for a jared goodin via second round submission, so we finally have one that’s different. I mean i, i think allen joe ben is stylistically a bad matchup he’s got a lot of power. You know you saw what he was able to do to ben saunders, uh yeah. It was a declining ben saunders, but he’s got a lot of power in his hands and even to think that dwight grant is a guy who has a ridiculous amount of power and they fought to a split decision and i actually thought joe bem won it um. But it just shows that he’s got a lot of he’s. Got he’s got a hell of a chin. He can take a lot of damage. On the other hand, gooden has lost by by knockout and uh. I think joe ben is going to be able to to capitalize on that, and i think he gets it done but, like he said, especially when these guys are making their ufc debut, we really don’t know what you know what what they offer. The guy could be an absolute killer and we won’t know until uh he fights um or on the other hand he could come in and and be awful. So you never know, especially with guys outside the ufc, but i just think uh man. I just think that alan joe ben is just a step above right now um, but i could be wrong and uh. You know we’ll find out saturday night. Let’S, let’s hope, let’s, like you say all you can hold for is a good fight and if both guys go in there and give euro they’re all you can’t. You can’t complain because they’re they’re putting everything on the line, risks and all, and especially during these unprecedented times, so with every fight. All you can do is give the respect for going out there fighting during these times, yeah. Definitely um big fight next nicholas dalby, who is this was supposed to fight a guy. I had mentioned a couple times in ori and kosi uh. Obviously, change of opponents. Good news for nicholas dalby, his last loss was just overturned uh due to a suspension, um a drug suspension cut, for i think it was. It was jesse ronson, you know yeah. I just want to confirm. I don’t want to say the wrong name here, but thank you, yeah uh, so yep, so good news there. His last loss is no longer a loss um. It was jesse ronson and uh. Yeah he’s fighting a very, very dangerous daniel rodriguez, who is on a he’s on a tear right now, very, very good man. These guys, these welterweights are scary. I mean you’ve got him. You’Ve got lunir loses um, the guy who’s, the guy that just knocked out uh razak last week. Why am i blanking on his name yeah? I think my mind’s got black as well at the moment. Uh, but yeah like these guys, are have so much power they’re. So talented, so good um, any of these guys could could break into the top 15 and nicholas dalby’s got a lot. A ton of experience on you know, he’s fought in the ufc before he got released, fought his way back. He got back here. He got back here he’s a lot to prove, but man when these guys are confident and and everything is going their way, it’s hard to it’s hard to go against them, and for that reason i think daniel rodriguez is able to get it done. Um and i think he’s able to put him away – i’m gon na go second round daniel rodriguez finished. I i’d love to say i’d like to see well i’d like to see nicholas dolby win, but i’d love to see he’s gon na win. But i just don’t know because this, like you, said it’s his second stint in the ufc after being released. He went back to the european promotion. Cage warriors worked his way back into a ufc contract and – and i just know, we’ve we’ve not seen the best nicholas derby. We could see and he’s not performed to the best of his abilities in the ufc, and i i don’t. I don’t know why. I think i think there’s a lot of pressure anyway. We’Re fighting in the ufc but after being released, working your way back up and then going into the ufc for the second time. I think there’s adding pressure in that and with daniel rodriguez with his past, fights he’s got very strong hands and he’s won his last nine fights. He can knock you out and we can submit you, but i think for delby, it’s gon na be a very tough fight. I i love watching darby when he is at the cage warriors promotion, but in the ufc he’s just not he’s just been very below park compared to what the fans have seen of him before and for that reason i’m going for a daniel rodriguez decision win. I, like it man, it’s so hard to break down some of these fights. I mean danny rodriguez right now. All we see is power but nicholas dalby. Obviously, the last fight didn’t go his way, but the guy is durable. I mean he’s fought so many fights he’s kind of he’s, seen it all so uh. You know when you have that recency bias, it’s really easy to lean towards daniel rodriguez. Had this been a fight ago for nicholas dalby, i might even say his name, so it’s so hard, it’s so hard to predict these fights uh, which makes it very exciting, uh, and especially for i find with the fight nights. It’S really easy. It’S a lot easier to pick because it kind of be one-sided, but for these for these big cards, they’re so evenly matched oh yeah um makes it very difficult, but i’m excited for that one. The name i was mentioning i was trying to bring up. Was chaos? Williams, yeah um, but yeah um yeah, we’ll jump into the next one. Antonina chavchenko younger sister of uh, the the co-main event in valentina shivchenko she’ll, be fighting arianne, lipski, um she’s, probably fighting for her top 15 ranking if she loses it she’s likely out and for arianne lipski. It’S a huge chance to jump into the top 15.. So who do you have for this one? Well, as you say, antoni is the sister of valentina and it’s always going to be hard having a older or younger sibling, that’s a in in the in in the public aisle a lot more due to the standard of fights they fight at and no disrespect to Antonia but she she’s not at the same level as a sister and i’d love, to see i’d, love to see it because it’d be good to see like a sibling. Again, i’m going to reference to the diaz brothers. They were both there or thereabouts in the top of their divisions, and it’s always good to see a family or any anyone that are close in the top of their divisions. But this this one would be a tough one if antonia got to the top of the division, would i don’t i don’t? I don’t know if she’d be able to handle it, but this fight? I don’t. I think i think this is it. I don’t. I don’t think she’s going to get past. Ariana lipsky, with lipsky she’s got very strong hands is and, as i’ve said on another show earlier, i think, with the ufc women’s division at the minute, i’m not too excited for because it’s just there’s there’s not many people that are gon na challenge us fight the Champions, like i don’t see many people challenging valentina, amanda whaley’s and the girls like that. I don’t think anyone’s gon na challenge them anytime soon and give them a run for the money and i’m i’m thinking. Ariana lipsky’s gon na get a third round. Um tko yeah. I’Ve been back and forth on this one and i literally just opened it up again and i changed my mind um, but it’s so hard. It’S so hard to pick this one um and the reason i changed my mind. I was originally leaning lipski as well. Uh lipsky’s two losses are molly mechanic and joanne calderwood, who are very, very talented fighter. Both both went to decision. She had two wins over luanna carolina and isabella padua. She has very very high level submissions and she has some knockouts earlier on her career with antonina. It’S very very similar, however. Her losses are to roxanne mata ferry via split decision and catelyn chukagian who’s obviously fought for the title and uh is competing uh later on in the evening. I think yeah yeah yeah um, so it’s so hard to pick because both of them, i think, are on like opposite trajectories like one is just going down right now one’s going up, but i do think antonina, even though she’s nowhere near the level of valentina. She does have that. You know when you have someone like valentina training with you every day. It’S next level right like there’s nothing that ariane is going to offer her, that she hasn’t seen before valentina’s got the best of everything in that division like her. Her wrestling is probably her weak point and she’s still better than the entire division at wrestling um. So it’s it’s so hard um, but uh. Because of that one reason i think i’m gon na lean antonina. I just think roxanne and catelyn really beat 99 percent of the division. So it’s kind of hard for me to like hold those two losses over her, especially because the roxanne was so close. So i’m gon na go, i’m gon na go antonina and uh. I think part of the reason too is like: why not make it a little bit different. You had one i’ll take the other yeah offer a little bit of variety, two different perspectives. So if i’m wrong i’ll, just blame it on that reason, yeah and then we’ve got uh knockout king knockout of the year knockout of the decade um joe keane buckley, who seems to be getting kicked out of every gym. He goes to uh and uh jordan wright, who had a huge win over. I think it was ike, villanueva, um, very, very good, very, very talented. He fought a lot of the regional scene over in alaska and then competed in lfa. So this one’s an exciting one. Jordan, wright is undefeated, so we really very similar until you get thrown into a fight with a guy like buckley. We really don’t know what you’re made of so it’s it’s really chance for him to prove how good he is and for buckley it’s a chance to keep that highlight, highlight streak going so who do you have for this one? Well, as we’ve seen with buckley’s last fight, as you say, knock out of the air knock out of the decade, nothing short spectacular. I, when i watched that i literally draw open in that in that moment and i’d love to see it again, but jordan right. I think he’s something i think he’s something different. I think i think we’ve got another prospect on our hands in jordan. Right he’s undefeated, i’m i’m pretty sure if he’s finished all of his professional bouts and leave about obviously the reaper by knockout submission and i’m really looking forward to this fight, because buckley has the ability to knock right out and vice versa. So i think i don’t think it’s coming out the first round. Um i’ve gone for a jordan wright first round tko, but it i think it’s whoever lands first, with them big hands or again, with buckley a spectacular kick yeah. It’S a it’s a tough one, um because i don’t think buckley looked amazing against impa up until that kick so you know it. It really is like you said, whoever it lands that shot first, so i’m gon na hold it. Oh, like it’s hard because we don’t know what either guys we don’t know what jordan wright’s chin is made of right. So we know that i mean buckley got knocked out by kevin holland. He was getting pieced up the entire fight so based on what we know, jordan wright wins this. I think he possesses a lot of power. He has the ability to put out buckley’s lights same thing, buckley has the ability to, but we or maybe he doesn’t – maybe maybe maybe wright’s got this granite chin that we haven’t had the chance to see yet um and i think a lot of people are going To be writing buckley’s name down because of that ko, and i think this may be one that’s worth betting on, because i do think jordan wright could go out there and shock everybody and make a highlight of his own. I think he’s got the power to do it and uh. I i have jordan wright winning it in the uh in the first. I think he’s gon na get it done early understand. I totally agree with you there, but i’d look. I hope jordan’s chin does does have the ability to absorb the punches just because i’ve chosen him, but i would not be surprised one bit if buckley pulls it out yeah. Who knows he could like run off the cage like anthony, pettis and nationalism. Spinning thing who knows who knows what’s gon na happen, man but uh, i’m looking forward to it. I think this has got whatever. However long it lasts. I think there’s gon na be fight of the night yeah yeah. I think it yeah, as, as we said, every fight’s got the ability buff in this one more more than the rest. Has it’s going to get the fight at night? I just hope it could well, if there’s a lot of knockouts, it could even get knocked out of the night or performance of the night bonus. So hopefully for both guys, it is fighter than that and then both coming home with the 50 g’s and uh. Another contender for fight of the night is probably the most exciting guy i’ve ever seen at flyweight brandon roy val. His last fight was unbelievable against kai care. France, both guys were dropping each other with spinning stuff. It was ridiculous. He ended up getting the the finish. I thought he was going to lose it. I also thought he was going to lose against tim elliott, man, the guy’s. There he’s a contender if he wins this fight he’s thrown his name in a hat. That being said, brandon moreno uh, he could have been the next guy online. I personally thought he could have been ahead of alex perez, but either way if he gets a win here, he’s next in line. So who do you have for this? One brandon rival or i’ve got brandon royval, because i i love watching him last time in his last bout against kaikai friends, i did a show – and i guessed i guess the second round submission for roy val and everyone didn’t didn’t believe me so that that that’s That’S why i’m quite confident in brandon, well brandon rybal to get the win, and i think it’s going to be a very, very fast-paced fight. Both guys very light on the feet can knock each other down. They could submit each other, but i got a feeling. This is going to be a three-round war. This, along with the buckley fight, has the ability to be fight of the night, and i think them two fights are going to be the ones that are going out of for fighting our bonus and i’m going for a brand arrival by a decision yeah this one. I think is going to go to decision. I think a lot of people have. I agree with that. I mean moreno’s never been finished as a professional. He obviously had that loss on the ultimate fighter, but he’s never been finished as a professional, and i think that’s something that’s different to most of roybal’s opponents. Um reval is exciting, he’s a highlight reel, but i think mourinho’s faced so many tough guys. I mean kaiker. France, askaraskarov uh alejandra pantosia sergio perez who’s here for amiga he’s fought so many high-level guys, and i think the only guy that we’ve really seen rory val tested against was kai. Kara france, uh elliott was good. Eliot was good, but he’s nowhere near the guy. He once was – and i loved tim elliott, um but uh for that reason alone. I just think brandon moreno’s seen a lot more he’s he’s experienced guys who can come out and throw fun exciting stuff. He’S he’s fought guys who are good on the ground, he’s about guys that are good on the feet um, so i think moreno’s, just gon na he’s gon na use his experience. I think he’s gon na outsmart roy val to a decision. That being said, man that fight could go either way, uh there’s so many tough fights and uh yeah. I don’t i i don’t know i don’t know who’s gon na win that one, but i i have moreno too so i do. I do think this is going to be a real contender for fight of the night, along with the buckley fight. I think just because of how fast-paced i think the fight is going to be, and it’ll be great. If it goes. Obviously, we like to see a knockout we like to finish see a finish, but in a fight like this, i’m hoping for a decision as if it’s a good fight, fast paced, i’m hoping to see a full 15 minute war, yeah yeah. I think i think we’ll get it. I think we’ll get 15 minutes of excitement for that one then uh, we’ll jump on to the uh the main card here: shogun hua and paul craig, i’m going to start by saying i changed my pick yesterday because i spoke to mike rodriguez uh. I was talking to mike rodriguez, we were all like yeah paul, craig is going to win this, you know, and then he started talking and within seconds. I was like. Actually, i think you’re right um, who do you have for this one well paul craig is from scotland and which is in the uk and i’m a fellow brit. So i love i’m, i’m loving this fight. I think the last time i i think i edged it to paul craig and he paul craig’s. Last fight came, i can’t remember who he’s against, but i know he he won. That fight. I said no decision, sorry, um, submission and a lot. I think a hell of a lot of paul craig when have converted again sorry, uh submission and i’m sure he’s got very, very high level. Jiu jitsu, but mauricio shogun, who are one of many legends to support mma, has produced fighting out brazil, a true legend to the brazilian mma game and i think it could go either way. I think shogun could get a decision. He could knock him out. I think craig could get a decision. I think he’s got the power to knock him out, but i don’t see that being very likely. I think he, if he’s best bet to win for craig, is fire submission and i think shogun would be to knock craig out, because i’m not sure if shogun could go a full 15 minutes and not ghast i’m going for it might be the bias brit inside Of me, but i’m going for a paul craig via second round submission yeah. It’S it’s a tough one uh. It really is because we’ve seen it before and it obviously was a draw um very, very close. I had it the same way you did. I thought paul. Craig won, and that was someone who was rooting for shogun in that fight. Obviously i always i never like to see veterans lose. I just just a level respect for guys like that, so i wanted him to win and i thought he lost um. It was close fight, ended up being a draw great. We get to run it back um. That being said, shogun’s only lost one of his last seven, and that was to anthony smith, who, on a good night, beats 95 percent of the division yeah. We could have had the belt if he chose to uh to accept it, but he chose to fight out on his shield against jon jones and uh lost it, but uh shogun’s just fought so many guys and he’s been hurt so many times against tyson pedro. He got hurt, came back um and won the fight against against little nog. I thought he lost the fight, but he showed so much toughness uh ended up winning, so i just think he’s so tough he’s so gritty. I do think paul craig, like you said his only way to beat him is submission. I do think shogun has the cardio. I mean look at the wars he’s been in with dan henderson, with with nogara how many times he fought, nogara three he’s bought. So many trilogies he’s fought so many guys, leota machida he’s he’s tough. These guys are built of different material and uh. I just i think paul craig has to submit him. He showed that he can do it, but not against a guy like shogun shogun’s fought. So many guys he’s only been submitted a few times in his career against chelsea and forced griffin. Those the only two i can think of on top of my head, but uh he’s seen it all and i don’t think paul craig will offer him much more than than that. I think this is a different shogun than the one that fought paul craig. I don’t know i don’t know, i don’t know, i’m gon na go shogun though uh and mike rodriguez was the one that ultimately convinced me to switch ufc light heavyweight mike rodriguez is the one that made me switch. Also. He also said that would be his dream. Fight he said: if i could fight one guy, it would be shogun. He said. If it wasn’t for shogun, i wouldn’t have gone into mma, so i had to throw that out there. If mike rodriguez, idolized him and sang is saying shogun’s gon na win, i have to do it too. So yeah kind of switch my mind a little bit because i do, but i know he’s got the ability to go free rounds without guessing, but i don’t i it’s just his age. That’S the reason why it’s sway me a bit towards craig, but i i think either way. I think we we have got an exciting fight in our hands here, no matter the age of either guys. I know paul craig’s, not too old, but no matter the age of shogun. I think he’s still gon na put on a performance yeah. I mean paul craig’s, 32 too, so he’s no spring chicken. He is a lot younger than shogun still and hasn’t been in the same same amount of wars, but it’s uh it’s difficult because we’ve seen them both like paul craig. Arguably, isn’t his prime right now shogun his prime’s long gone, but he still had it in him and um man guys like shogun, guys like um overeem, guys like andre arlovski, like i find the second we count them out is when they go out there and shock Us so i that’s that’s the reason i i’m getting a lot of like this. Reminds me a lot of the tanner bozer fight, uh, tanner broser versus andre alaski. Yeah. You’Ve got a guy, that’s got all this hype, momentum he’s got finishes and then you’ve got a. You know a veteran of the game, who’s, durable who’s fought everybody and we all wrote tanner bowser. We all thought tanner broser was going to get it done. I’M canadian! I had tanner bowser, but uh just shows it was a close fight, but it just shows that these guys are built of something different and they’ll, find it in them to win, and i think i think shogun has it. Has it in him. I think it’s gon na be a decision, though i don’t i don’t think, but it’s it could go either way but shogun shogun. For me, i i i could see how shogun wins that i think it’s got. It’S slight reason. I’Ve got a baseball inside of me. I’M going craig but either way i do think. We’Ve got a good fight in our hands, yeah yeah and then we’ve got uh caitlyn chu, kagan who’s got a quick turnaround and is facing my opinion. The scariest female on the on the usc roster, not based on what she does, but just her personality is so so intimidating she uh. She reminds me a lot of the diaz brothers. It’S just like. I don’t give a damn, i’m willing to fight anybody um and i love it. I love it so who do you have for this one? I i don’t know i gave that i could. I could see how it goes both ways i’m going caitlyn gun. I just think i think she’s gon na i don’t know at least fine he’s got the ability to be a good fight, but i think it’s gon na be a yeah, i’m trying to think something. That’S not too disrespectful. Well, i think it’s going to be a bit of a bore fest. I don’t think it’s going to be the most exciting of fights. I think it could be a dominant display by caitlyn, but i think she’s going to drag it out to the decision. I think i know she’s fought both uh shachenko sisters this year. Obviously the title fight against valentina didn’t go away, but she did beat antonio. I think i think, if you’ve had the experience of a title fight, it can always give you the edge, and i think i’m go. I’M really torn because cynthia. What wants to get one scary person that, as you said, i think she does have the ability to beat caitlyn, but i’m going for a caitlyn shook again via decision yeah. It’S it’s a tough one to because we’ve seen caitlyn at so many like caitlyn’s. Looked unbelievable, um and then not not great, like her last time out, um obviously got finished by jessica andraj. Who can finish? I think anybody heavyweight down like i i she is if she connects she’s, got so much power so but it is a quick turnaround for it’s a little. Over a month, uh she’s talked about possibly retiring and usually, when you say the r word, it’s like one point’s already at the door. You do the right thing and cynthia calvillo, arguably hasn’t lost, like her. Only loss is to carlos esparza um. In a fight that i thought she won the first round ten eight uh, i thought she dominated that fight uh that first round uh, obviously turned around ended up being a loss. It is what it is. She moved up to 125, looked unbelievable against jessica. I something else that people don’t know about her is she has a win over aspen ladd? Who is one of the top contenders at 135., so she’s she’s got some some huge wins: um, she’s, arguably undefeated, um and uh. I think, like i said earlier, she she really is as tough as they come um and i think the only way caitlyn gets it done is with a dis with a um with a submission, and i just think cynthia is too tough to to do it. Uh. She really is um, so cynthia calvillo, uh, er, sorry um yeah, cynthia kovia will win. I think it’s going to be a decision um and i think it’s going to earn her the title shot. I think she’s next uh, i actually see where you’re going from there. I do i do agree and i don’t i’m i. I think it can go both ways for either girls, so i’ve just gone for a 50 50 coin. Talking for caitlyn yeah, there’s some there’s some really close ones. There really is um, but there are some fights that i’m bias on too, like the cynthia one is definitely one i’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. So usually, when i break it down, i’m like okay, yeah. No, this is cynthia’s. I got ta. Try to there’s definitely some bias there um and then speaking of bias. We’Ve got one of my favorite fighters mike perry facing tim means yeah uh notice, how i said: favorite fighters, not favorite people uh the difference. I i love mike perry as a fighter uh his attitude’s just completely different than anything we’ve ever seen, but he’s facing a veteran in tim means. So who do you have for this one? I think i was speaking to somebody else earlier and i thought i wasn’t too sure if mike perry was just having his girlfriend in his corner again, but i’m sure he’s got two other people accompanying his girlfriend in the corner. So i think this is a more smart decision than last time out, but he won his last fight, so it doesn’t matter who he had in his car or whatever. He’D done worked so like that. I’M a big fan of mike perry as as a fighter, but as a person i like his loudmouthness, but it’s his actions there they’ve, let it down like. I think it was after his last fight. Obviously the video came out of him hitting somebody in a bar which, when you’re representing the ufc, you can’t be doing stuff like that you’re representing the highest promotion in the world, no disrespect to anyone else. But it is – and you can’t be doing stuff like that. But disrespecting all that we’re on about mike perry in the cage and my perry in the cage is a very dangerous guy. I don’t see tim means getting through this. I think it’s perry, as we’ve seen very vicious fighter, he’s his losses that he’s had. Obviously they were losses, but i think their fights that he could have won. If he had a different approach in the fight he could, he could have won them, but i’m going for a mike perry, third round, tko yeah yeah. I have it the very similarly like i think i think mike perry has had some unbelievable moments inside the cage uh, where you know that jake ellenberger elbow and i think a lot of people. I think he’s really very very, i think, he’s very, very skilled, but i think his knockouts that haven’t come in like three years and his attitude really is what brings people to mike perry fights that being said, he’s very talented, um tim means is a veteran of The game he’s seen it all um. His only losses are to a guy fighting early in the card, daniel rodriguez, uh, nico price. Those are his two most recent losses. Um and uh nico price loss was also him fighting stupid uh. You know he had an eco price hurt which not many people can do and then got careless and got caught and obviously his leg broke. It was nasty, but um mike perry has so much power, so much power and all it’s going to take is one punch to end it um. I think it means he’s going to try to you know: stay in the middle hit. Him hit him clean, come down. The center keep kicks up up the center center up the middle hit him in the face with jabs. That’S that’s! That’S the way to do it. That’S the way to beat my parry mike perry is going to come out there swinging and he’s going to use his size he’s huge he’s very strong, very physical, that’s the key to victory for mike perry. I think mike perry is going to have an easier job. Doing it, i think mike perry was training for a guy like robbie uh who’s gon na come out there and swing, and i think he’s gon na try to do the exact same thing and all it takes with mike perry is one punch uh. So if he fights smart uh, i don’t think the corner is really gon na play a factor in mike perry’s. I don’t think that that matters to him anyway, i don’t think he listens to a corner, even if he has them. I think he could have greg jackson in the corner. He still would ignore it. So i really think it’s mike perry versus tim means his game plan and i i think mike perry is going to come out there and he’s got. I think mike perry’s going to get it done. I think he’s going to knock him out um. I think second round knockout for mike perry, yeah, i i agree. I i’ve well, we’ve both gone for my perry. Knockout i’ve just gone for a third round. I think tim means his toughness is gon na show, and i think i think he’s gon na be able to drag it to the third, but either way i like you. I do see my pair again the finish yeah, it’s hard, it’s hard to pick against guys with with so much power, um and so much strength. I thought mike perry, even though he didn’t have a proper corner. Looked the best he’s looked in a long time against mickey gall um, you know he was. He was hitting him with 70, not 100 in every shot, and i think that’s key yeah i mean mike perry only really needs 70 of a shot to knock someone out. He doesn’t need to go for a home run, shot every time um. So i think that’s going to be the difference. Fight smart hit him with power, but not not. Every shot needs to be 100 and i think he’s gon na knock him out. Um. I, like tim, means a lot too, though, so if tim means wins this, i’m not mad but uh, but i love mike perry still. I i’m rooting for mike perry and i think he gets it done all right. Co-Main event, we talked a little bit about uh lopsided fights only really happening on uh fight night cards uh. This is an exception. Uh valentina, shevchenko and jennifer maya is probably one of the most lopsided title fights we’ve seen in a long time, but we’ve said this before right. We’Ve said this before with hennan burrell, when he fought dj dillashaw. We’Ve said this before when uh george st pierre fought matt uh um, why am i blank? You know his name master. We’Ve we’ve said this before um, so yeah and rosamus when she fought uh joanna, so we’ve seen upsets before. That being said, do you think jennifer maya is the one to do it dad. Unfortunately, i can’t see it happening. I can’t bet against valentina. I don’t, i just think she’s too dominant in that weight class for anyone. Anyone in that weight class – i don’t see troubling at any time, so you’re, nothing, the only woman in the ufc that could trouble. Her is obviously amanda who she has lost two twice, but i think even a third fight between amanda and valentina, i think, would be very competitive. But i don’t see anybody in valentina’s weight class troubling her for the title. I think well, as you’ve seen she trains over uh tag. Mutai and they’ve got the guys, such as alex wendy alexander volkowski, my my boy and um petyan. They they’re both both very talented strikers and, if you’re, training people with like, like that, regularly you’re gon na pick stuff up from them and to be honest, she doesn’t even need to pick stuff up from them. She’S got all the the abilities she needs. I think what what she’s got now, i i i don’t. I don’t see anyone troubling her. I think the skills she does have is gon na, be everyone in her weight class. I just think i just don’t. I don’t know if she’ll get the finish, she’s she’s more than capable of, but i think she’s gon na. I think it’s gon na go for a valentine’s decision. Yeah i i mean. The only thing i have different is. I think she finishes it in the second round. I think valentina is just so skilled, she’s, so good on the feet. She’S got great wrestling, she’s super strong, she’s, very, very good um, and you mentioned amanda nunes yeah. She fought amanda nunes, twice um. She lost the second one via split decision. I thought she won it um, in my opinion, they’re one in one and, like you said, i think, she’s the only person that poses a threat to valentina shivchenko. The only thing that i have here to kind of give jennifer maya any sort of hope is that antonina is fighting early in the card. If antonina, you know, gets hurt if it’s a bad loss, how does that affect valentino mentally? They haven’t never fought on the same card in mma, so i think that’s important some people, let it get to their heads you’ve. It’S happened with the pettis brothers before they’ve talked about it to some it doesn’t even matter. I guarantee you that diaz brothers don’t give a damn but uh there’s some some fighters that really affects them and uh, so we’ll see we’ll see, hopefully hopefully doesn’t get to her. But that’s the only way i think valentina loses. This fight is if something goes on mentally um, whether it be an ant needle loss or something else, but i just think valentina’s on another level and i think the only way to beat valentina is amanda nunes or make her fight some of the men they’re at The top in the top ten, because i think i think she’s the top five top ten um male battle, family too and uh – that’s scary, 100 and then uh, the fight, uh, the main event, davis and figueroa versus alex perez uh. Obviously, figgy was supposed to face cody garbrandt, which i thought would have been a war, but we get the next best thing. Alex perez is no slouch he’s very, very skilled, very good he’s on a tear. He had that big. The big win last time out with light kicks, who do you have for this one? I i do like this fight. I don’t think it’s pay-per-view main event worthy no disrespect to the guys. I do think it could have been a better main event, but i’m not going to complain. This is a great fight, no matter where, on a card or what card it’s on, i think devinson. What a fighter past two fights against joseph benavidez, i’m sure he finished them both as well. I know last time out very vicious heavy hands. Can he can he can do it in the cage? I don’t see many well there’s a few people that could trouble him. I think alex perez his best chance to win this. I think his decision, i think devinson’s hands are going to be too fast they’re, going to very, very heavy punches for the weight class. I think i think devinson’s going to finish the fight, but when is the question i’m stuck between the second and third round? I’M i’ve gone for a device and second round tko, but i could i could see an alex perez decision, but i’m more leaning towards the tech second round, tko yeah on the same boat uh. I was speaking to um when i was speaking to mike as well. Yesterday he brought up a good point too, though he said the one thing about davidson: is he guys like that are explosive like it’s like? He does nothing and then he explodes does nothing and he explodes. So if alex perez can time and like get a hang of when he’s going to be explosive and whether those storms, i think he has a chance to win, be a decision, and i do really think that alex perez has a bigger shot in this than a Lot of people are giving him credit. For that being said, uh davis and figueroa looked unbelievable, both like last two fights uh to finish a guy like joseph benavidez i mean benavidez was beating everybody, everybody not named demetrius johnson. He was beating uh and it’s crazy. I mean he was so good, the guy to win over henry cejudo. The list goes on and on the guy is very, very good, but figgy made him look awful and uh. I just think davidson’s on another level. Man and he’s got uh he’s got this confidence. He’S dressing like conor mcgregor he’s got that uh. He looks good man, he never, he became champion and then instantly started. Looking like a i don’t know, it was crazy, crazy, um transformation and i think his fight style also transformed – and i think he’s just radiating confidence right now and when you have that much power at 125 that much explosiveness it’s hard to write uh the other guy’s Name down and i like alex perez, i think he’s got a shot. I think his shot is weathering those storms and make it to the decision. I don’t think he can finish figgy, but i have davidson, i think davidson gets it done and like, like you said, i think, third round, second late. Second early. Third, i think he gets it done. I think he’s just gon na be too much for alex perez. Alex perez has been finished by joseph benavidez davis davidson figaro yeah. I do agree. I think that alex does have the ability to win. I think if he does it’s going to be by decision, but i just can’t look past figueretto at the moment. The two fights against benavidez how how dominant he was he in this in the second fight as well, how how well it wasn’t too quick into the first round, but it was a quick fight because it was a first round finish main event: five five rounds. I do see i do see figaredo pulling out the second round tko. I think i think it is going to be a very dominant dominant display. I think it’s just the hands of figueretto. I can’t i can’t look past him because one punch to anybody’s jaw in the flyweight division, they’re gon na they’re gon na be waking up on the canvas. Yeah he’s got so much power. Um, it’s gon na be a good night of fights. I know it’s not the most stacked um that we’ve seen a lot. We’Ve had a lot of big pay-per-views um, but this one it’s underrated. I think there’s a lot of really good fights on it. Um and i think most casuals would overlook it, but i think for for guys who really like the sport. This is there’s a lot of good fights on this card and we can expect to see a lot of really good ones. That being said, man, i appreciate you taking the time. I know it’s late there. It’S probably it’s what like 10 o’clock yeah. It’S 10 p.m, it’s 10! So i appreciate you: do you uh you jumping on man, um um? If you haven’t yet make sure you follow him, mason mma, mason on twitter and the sports podcast on youtube he’s got some good stuff. A great interview with sam albee be sure to check that out and man all the best stay safe over there with uh covet everything’s going crazy over here, so stay safe man and we’ll do this again. Sometime 100. I appreciate that cheers having me on man. I appreciate that take care
