🥊 Francis is back, Conor is not and UFC Picks

We have a new boogeyman in the UFC, but he’s in the 135lbs division as Umar Nurmagomedov showed up and showed out as the headliner of UFC on ABC 7…is Umar NEXT for a title shot? Is this the END for Tony Ferguson in the UFC? Let’s get into it!

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HEADLINES

🥊 Francis Ngannou is set to make his return to MMA as the PFL announced that Francis Ngannou vs Renan Ferreira will headline the promotions PPV on October 19th. Ngannou (17-3) hasn’t fought in an MMA setting since his January 2022 decision win over Ciryl Gane. Meanwhile Ferreira, is a multiple-time PFL Champion, currently riding a 4-fight win streak dating back to August 2022. 🥴 This one is sure to be a banger and will feature Cris Cyborg against Larissa Pacheco in a WMMA super-fight as the co-main event.

🥊 Staying in the PFL, surging phenom Dakota Ditcheva rolled in her semifinal matchup against Jena Bishop. While she did show some weakness in the wrestling and ground exchanges, she fought through adversity and landed a nasty knee to the chin that marked the beginning of the end for the tough Bishop. Ditcheva will carry here undefeated 13-0 record into the PFL finals in November. 😵‍💫

🥊 Conor McGregor continues to check offside quests in the life of “The Notorious” as he was highly publicized with his appearances at Sturgis Bike Week and the BKFC event that took place within the festivities. Donning a Steve Austin-esque leather vest and shaved head, McGregor 🇮🇪 was seen chugging his Proper Irish Stout and enjoying lots of his famous whiskey, amongst other small festivities…(see below) — With each passing day it feels we get closer to the reality of never seeing Conor in the UFC cage again 😢 

👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

UFC on ABC 7 Recap

Umar Nurmagomedov def. Cory Sandhagen (Unanimous Decision)

So, this recap is going to feel a little short-changed compared to that of UFC 304’s last weekend, but not because of any lack of interest.

It’s because of the dominance.

In MMA we often can’t use the numbers to describe a fight adequately, but this one I think we can. For starters, Cory Sandhagen, a striking dynamo, was out-struck in every round after R1 which was a 17-15 strike advantage for Cory, but featured Umar landing 1 of 4 takedowns for 40 seconds of control time. So, for the 4.5 minutes on the feet, Cory landed just 2 more strikes over Umar.

Every round after R1 belonged to Umar Nurmagomedov in the striking by a margin of at least 4 strikes. As the fight went on Umar would outpace Cory in the striking and land more in the wrestling.

The control time for Umar in the entire fight totaled 5 minutes 11 seconds, and in the 19.8 minutes or so that were on the feet, it was Nurmagomedov, the grappling tank, who landed the better strikes.

The best thing you can say about Umar Nurmagomedov’s performance in the fight is that he made It look boring and easy. At no point did I really feel Cory had a chance with what Umar was presenting. It was a sight to see, albeit not one I probably would have enjoyed at 1am as opposed to the 4pm eastern we did get it at.

What’s next for Umar Nurmagomedov?

Title shot. Simple as. You do Winner of Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili against Nurmagomedov in a February return to Abu Dhabi or the Middle East next year. Done.

What’s next for Cory Sandhagen?

The path is a little different for Sandhagen as he sees his three-fight win streak come to a close. Back to the drawing board of the Top 10 at 135lbs where he’s probably favored against everyone outside the championship triumvirate mentioned above. Maybe you do Sandhagen vs Chito Vera with both coming off losses at 135lbs?

QUICK HITTERS from UFC on ABC 7: Nurmagomedov vs Sandhagen

• Shara Magomedov def Michal Oleksiejczuk in a one-sided performance against a 15-fight UFC vet “Shara Bullet” showed all the tools and that fun style that makes him a fan favorite. He called out Nick Diaz in the post-fight interview which is fun, also scary, and probably never going to happen. Can’t wait to keep watching this guy grow in the UFC.

• Deiveson Figueiredo def. Marlon Vera in a close yet clear unanimous decision win for the “God of War” who has quickly become a championship-worthy name at the top of the bantamweight division with his 3rd straight win at 135lbs. Dude has aura like you read about. DEUS da GUERRA… BEAST.

• Michael Chiesa submits Tony Ferguson which then featured a classic Tony Ferguson post-fight interview that left us with more questions than answers. Many feel this Is the end for Tony in the UFC, but this seemingly changes on the hour for Tony. “El Cucuy” in his prime was a damn nightmare at 155lbs, truly the boogeyman, but now running off 8 straight UFC losses. It’s time.

  • Chiesa in his own right looked great in a fight where he was a heavy favorite. Before the fight he said to people in his camp that the length of this fight would determine his fighting future. With a sub just a few minutes into R1 he said it’s time to rock and roll for one last title run.

Most terrifying KO of the night goes to 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 👇️ 

How to Bet UFC Fight Night: Spivac vs Tybura

The UFC doesn’t stop rolling as they go from Abu Dhabi over to the UFC Apex with Serghei Spivac and Marcin Tybura taking center stage for the UFC on ESPN+ card that does feature some spots to hit at the betting window!

THIS WEEK:

• SERGHEI SPIVAC (-162) v. MARCIN TYBURA (+136)

  • This heavyweight headliner for the UFC features two veterans of the division with “The Polar Bear” taking on “Tybur”. The two stalwarts of 265lbs have just 12 losses between them across 53 fights. Spivac saw his 3-fight win streak end against Ciryl Gane 11 months ago whereas Tybura got the win his last time out against Tai Tuivasa with an RNC.

    • This one is an age play for me at -162, Spivac feels like the profitable number to bet on against a 38 year old Marcin Tybura with nearly a decade more life on earth. They’ll be similarly sized and both have strong ground games but I do see the younger Spivac being able to wear on Marcin to the tune of 3 rounds of control to net a decision win.

• CHEPE MARISCAL (-230) v. DAMON JACKSON (+190)

  • “Machine Gun” Mariscal has been a force since he came on the scene for the UFC 13 months ago, netting 3 wins in that span. Chepe is on a 6-fight win streak and hasn’t lost since 2020 and puts on a pace that carries his crippling power throughout the 15 minutes. He takes on a very game UFC vet in Damon Jackson who has 23 MMA wins to his credit.

    • Now because of this number, you can’t really bet Mariscal straight up and make much off of it… so we dig deeper. I love Chepe via KO/TKO as he goes out to make a name for himself. You can protect yourself a bit with the double chance KO + Decision win for Chepe as well to bring the number down because he’s not getting a sub.

• CHELSEA CHANDLER (+124) v. YANA SANTOS (-148)

  • Short and sweet here. Yana Santos (formerly Kunitskaya) is a formidable WMMA veteran with 14 wins to her name, but not one in 3.5 years. Chelsea Chandler, just 6-2 overall presents a lot of the same problems that Yana had with Karol Rosa and Irene Aldana and I’m getting it at dog money. Chandler +124 is the play here.

    • Parlay her with Karol Rosa (-205) earlier on the card for some nice action. Hell, do both by decision, have some fun!

POUND 4 POUND PODCAST

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LISTENER HOT TAKES

WHAT UP NIP!

So, your X handle says you are “Nip The Truth” so I’m here to tell you if you’re telling truth here on this post.

“UMAR IS ONLY BEING PUSHED BECAUSE HE IS KHABIB’S COUSIN”

This is just simply not the truth.

I understand why Merab is saying this. It’s taken him (and Aljo to some extent) YEARS to get the rightful title shot. 10 fights unbeaten dating back to April 2018, which itself was a bit of a fluke loss against Ricky Simon, but anyways, I get it. Merab Dvalishvili, perhaps more than any contender in UFC history, has had to earn and fight and claw his way into this position. Of course, he’s pissed that this guy with a similar, perhaps even less exciting style, is being pushed by the UFC. I can understand some of the nepotism concerns.

I just don’t agree.

Umar Nurmagomedov is doing things that his cousin Khabib never did. He is 16-0, undefeated in 6 UFC bouts in a 3-year, COVID-delayed, span. He’s just 28 years old, represents a massive market for global MMA, and he may be the best English speaker in the entire camp which goes a long way to endearing himself with fans.

I wouldn’t say the “push” is because he is Khabib’s cousin, but it is because of the Nurmagomedov name and brand that comes along with it. Just like the “push” of Sean O’Malley is because of his popularity, the “push” of Shavkat Rakhmanov because of his undefeated record of all finishes, the “push” of Jon Jones as the GOAT.

🚀 BUCKLE UP 🚀 

When the UFC sees a star, they put them on a rocket ship.

DISAGREE 👎️ 👎️ 👎️ 👎️ 

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BANGER ALERT IN FRANCE ✊