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Daily Fantasy MMA: DraftKings Picks for Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort 3 Card

DraftKings players ought to avoid the third fight in the Dan Henderson vs. Vitor Belfort trilogy. While there’s some logic in taking Belfort ($10,800) considering he flattened Henderson with a first-round KO via head kick in November 2013, there’s more…

The post-testosterone replacement therapy version of the 38-year-old Belfort is not the KO artist he used to be. Belfort has fought just once since then. He was stopped in the first round by UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

Because we know Henderson ($8,600) has a legendary chin, it’s difficult to imagine Belfort connecting with Henderson and stopping him again. Likewise, a Henderson stoppage win seems far-fetched. He wants to load up his powerful right hand—which he used to stop Tim Boetsch in June—and put his opponent’s lights out.

The 45-year-old legend simply isn’t as efficient with his one-dimensional plan these days. He’s won just two of his last seven fights. This bout screams: boring unanimous decision with low fantasy totals.

Instead, here’s a list of the fighters you should tab in Saturday’s card.

Thomas Almeida ($10,900)

Thomas Almeida is a must for any DK lineup for this event. In fact, there are few more automatic DraftKings selections in the UFC. He has secured wins in all three of his fights in the UFC. Two of those wins have come by stoppage. In the process, he’s averaging 95.2 fantasy points per fight.

On Saturday, he’ll tangle with a good fighter in Anthony Birchak.

While Birchak possesses some power—as evidenced by his TKO of Joe Soto in June, he doesn’t have the complete toolbox of strikes and grappling game Almeida possesses. Per FightMetric.com, Almeida lands seven strikes per minute with 50 percent accuracy. Because Birchak wants to land a big shot, he should be there to hit.

Performing in front of his home fans for the second time in his UFC career should have Almeida charged and ready to shine. Bank on a TKO finish from the dynamic Brazilian.

Chas Skelly ($10,100)

Not many people regard Chas Skelly as one of the top young featherweights in the UFC. The more he wins, the more he may ultimately deserve to be seen as a contender. He’s won three fights in a row, with all three coming by stoppage.

On Saturday, he will face a tough, powerful and aggressive striker in Brazil’s Edmilson “Kevin” Souza ($9,300). The latter has 15 wins, with 13 of them coming by KO or TKO. That includes two straight KO wins in the UFC.

Souza is a thought—especially considering his reasonable salary—but Skelly is my pick to win. While he gets the most attention for his grappling and submission skills, Skelly is also an improved striker.

He dismantled Jim Alers with punches and knees en route to a TKO victory in February. He won’t want to spend a ton of time trading with Souza, but Skelly can hold his own long enough to take the fight to the ground. There, he has a big advantage over Souza.

The latter has acquired all three losses on his professional record via submission. On Saturday, Skelly will make it four.

Gleison Tibau ($9,800)

Abel Trujillo has a comparable salary at $9,600, but Gleison Tibau is the smarter pick in this fight. Trujillo has never shown much of a ground game. Against a guy like Tibau, that’s a fatal flaw. Trujillo is a powerful striker with a sturdy chin, but technically, Tibau should eat him for lunch. Emotion is perhaps Trujillo’s best weapon and biggest flaw. He can often burn himself out, or put himself in harm’s way because of his aggression.

The uber-experienced 32-year-old Brazilian has 33 professional wins, with 13 by submission. Tibau will be looking to take advantage of Trujillo’s wildness. It shouldn’t take long for this fight to go to the ground, and once it does, Tibau will pick up the submission victory.

Viscardi Andrade ($9,500)

Despite losing his last fight via unanimous decision to Nicholas Musoke in February 2014, Viscardi Andrade is still an intriguing welterweight. He’s a little stiff, but he’s powerful and proficient on the ground.

Andrade is the pick here because he has perhaps the most favorable matchup of any fighter with a salary below $10,000. Gasan Umalatov seems like a prime candidate for release in the near future. In his last fight, he lost a split decision to Cathal Pendred in October 2014.

That was his second loss in three UFC bouts. He’s a very one-dimensional grappler with slow feet and hands. On athleticism alone, Andrade should take the upper hand and finish this with a TKO, or a fantasy-productive unanimous-decision win.

Gilbert Burns ($9,400)

Despite being undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career, Gilbert Burns has shown some vulnerability in his most recent fights. He needed a third-round armbar to beat Alex Oliveira in March, and he went the distance with Andreas Stahl in his UFC debut in 2012.

On Saturday, Burns faces rugged Russian Rashid Magomedov. The latter prefers to dispatch his opponents with strikes, but he may find it difficult to get a bead on Burns. The Brazilian will be the quicker and stronger fighter, though his striking isn’t as refined as his opponent’s.

Chances are he knows that, and thus Burns will likely be working to take the fight to the ground, where he can pile up points while in top control. He’ll make attempts to finish with submission, but it seems unlikely he’ll complete the process.

Instead, Burns is a better pick to win via unanimous decision.

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Bellator 145: Freire vs. Straus 3 Fight Card, TV Schedule and Predictions

We’ve seen Dynamite and other hyped cards, but Bellator 145 is one of the strongest pure MMA cards the promotion has put on. It’s being billed as With a Vengeance, and the show is set for Friday, November 6, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missou…

The main event and co-main event would be main card bouts in the UFC. That’s how good this lineup of fights looks on paper. The co-feature pits Bellator Lightweight champion “Ill” Will Brooks against the Polish submission machine Marcin Held.

The main event is a third battle between former Bellator featherweight champion Daniel Straus and current title holder Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Before those two battles take place, fans will get a heavyweight bout between the always entertaining James Thompson and Bobby Lashley. Also, former 155-pound champion Michael Chandler will face David “The Caveman” Rickels.

This is going to be intense. Here’s a look at the full card, TV schedule and predictions.

Only the main card will be televised, but the prelims will be viewable on Spike.com at 6:45 p.m ET. Click here to see the prelim matchups.

Chandler Too Talented for Rickels

After a three-fight losing streak that included respectable defeats to Brooks twice and Eddie Alvarez, Chandler proved he was still an elite lightweight with a first-round submission win over Derek Campos in June.

He’ll now have a tougher opponent ahead of him on Friday in The Caveman. This bout is a rematch of a 2013 scrap that Rickels would just as soon forget. Chandler won that initial bout against Rickels via first-round TKO.

While Rickels‘ game has grown since then, he’s still no match for Chandler. Rickels is a grinder who has rarely finished opponents at this level of the sport. Instead, he relies on his strong grappling game.

Chandler is an even better grappler, and he has already proven himself to be a superior striker. Bet on Chandler again stopping Rickels with strikes, only this time the Caveman will get out of the first round.

Straus Will Take Advantage of Third Chance

Straus lost to Freire by unanimous decision in May 2011. He had Pitbull beat when the two met the last time back in January. He used his length and technical striking ability to keep Pitbull at bay and frustrated. The champion’s face was showing the rigors of the contest, through three-plus rounds.

Like a champion, Pitbull responded. He took advantage of a tired and careless Straus in the final minute of the fourth round. The champion secured the submission win to retain his title in scintillating fashion, but he won’t be as fortunate on Friday.

It’s really tough to beat the same opponent three times. It’s especially difficult when that opponent has gotten closer to winning in each fight. Straus will crack Pitbull‘s code using much the same formula he did in the second fight. Only this time, he won’t tire late.

Expect Straus to wear down Pitbull with his length and technical striking prowess. He’ll stay disciplined throughout and finish what he started in January.

Brooks Will Prove He’s a Star

The problem with Brooks is his lack of flair and cage wins by finish. Both deficiencies have hurt his popularity. He did finish Chandler in their brutal rematch, but it’s the only stoppage win he has in his last six fights.

He won’t get a stoppage victory over Held on Friday, but he will win. Held’s submission game is next-level, but the 23-year-old isn’t stellar in any other area. Brooks is already a talented wrestler, but he has to have been working hard on his submission defense in preparation for this bout.

Chances are, Held will get his chances against Brooks on the ground, but once the champion stuffs the challenger’s attempts to stop him, he will have his way in the striking and top control departments en route to the win.

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Glory Kickboxing 25: Milan Fight Card, Schedule and Predictions

Despite Glory Kickboxing recently losing its television deal with Spike TV, the shows must go on. On Friday, Nov. 6, Glory 25 in Milan will take place. The promotion’s website lists the lightweight title bout between champion Robin van Roosmalen and Si…

The event is being marketed as the return of the legendary Giorgio “The Doctor” Petrosyan. The 29-year-old Armenian-Italian is widely viewed as one of the—if not the—best kickboxer of all time. He’ll be facing tough Canadian Josh Jauncey in a bout that will surely grab the attention of the Italian fans in attendance.

Here’s a look at the schedule, card and predictions for each fight:

Can The Doctor Overcome His Previous Glory Setback?

The last time Petrosyan was in a Glory ring he was faced with something he hadn’t tasted in six years—defeat. Not only did Petrosyan lose his first fight since 2007, but he was knocked out by the powerful Andy Ristie at Glory 12 in what Fraser Coffeen of Bloody Elbow called the KO of the Year in 2013.

After considerable time away from the promotion, Petrosyan is set to make his comeback in front of a Milan crowd that will almost certainly be firmly in his corner.

Jauncey will be looking to channel his inner Ristie and play the spoiler to Petrosyan‘s homecoming and planned return to prominence. Petrosyan hasn’t fought in Glory since his loss, but he has put together two unanimous-decision wins and a victory by KO over Xu Yan in August to capture the Hero Legends 70 Kilograms Championship.

Even with that return to success, there’s still some unfinished business for Petrosyan. Glory has established itself as the premier kickboxing promotion in the world. A fighter who is revered as much as Petrosyan in the sport would undoubtedly want to prove his dominance in such a promotion.

Having failed in his first run, The Doctor is back and looking to right the ship. Jauncey is another powerful foe, but he’s not quite as explosive as Ristie. Petrosyan controlled the first two rounds against Ristie before the 33-year-old caught him off guard with a left uppercut that spelled the end of his night.

Jauncey has power, but it’s hard to imagine him closing the distance and penetrating Petrosyan‘s legendary defense to land a big strike. Expect Petrosyan to control the action en route to a unanimous-decision win.

The Secondary Main Event

Van Roosmalen has the edge in Glory experience with 12 fights to Sitsongpeenong‘s two, but the Thai fighter’s overall experience is eye-popping.

Friday night’s bout will mark the 136th in the 24-year-old’s career—though many of the fights have been in the art of muay thai. He’s currently the No. 1-ranked lightweight in Glory, but he’ll run into a champion who is not keen on relinquishing his belt.

Van Roosmalen is a grinder. While he doesn’t possess big KO power, he’s technically sound and more acquainted in the art of kickboxing as opposed to muay thai, which is where most of Sitsongpeenong‘s expertise lies.

According to the Thai fighter’s coaches (via Glory Kickboxing on Facebook), they see him as a top candidate in their gym to make the successful transition from muay thai to kickboxing:

I’m not as convinced. Look for Van Roosmalen to wear Sitsongpeenong down with body shots and leg strikes early. He’ll help to reduce the speed advantage and some of the more dynamic strikes with this strategy. By the third round, he’ll be the fresher fighter, and he’ll win a close but fair decision to retain his title.

In his Glory career, Van Roosmalen has only lost to Ristie and Petrosyan. He avenged the KO loss to Ristie with a unanimous-decision win at Glory 20 in April. If he and Petrosyan are victorious on Friday, there’s a good chance the Dutch champion will get the opportunity to avenge his other defeat against The Doctor.

If both men hold up their end of the bargain, there could be an intriguing lightweight main event in Glory’s near future.

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UFC Fight Night 76 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Holohan vs. Smolka Card

Injuries ripped apart the top portion of the UFC Fight Night Dublin card, and quite honestly, most of the event was disappointing. However, the makeshift main event was awesome.
In a fight that could have doubled as a grappling instructional video…

Injuries ripped apart the top portion of the UFC Fight Night Dublin card, and quite honestly, most of the event was disappointing. However, the makeshift main event was awesome.

In a fight that could have doubled as a grappling instructional video, Louis “The Last Samurai” Smolka defeated Paddy “The Hooligan” Holohan via second-round submission with a rear-naked choke. You may read that description and think “no thanks, I’ll pass,” but this was no ordinary grappling match.

Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani tweeted this before the fight was even over:

Holohan came into the bout as one of the unquestioned kings of the ground game in the sport.

He put his full arsenal of transitions and submission positions on display. Unfortunately for him, Smolka had an answer for every move—and then some.

Smolka calmly escaped every attempt to set up a submission. He displayed a sick amount of flexibility and genius-level knowledge of the ground game. He appeared to wear Holohan out—mentally and physically.

According to UFC.com, Holohan never actually attempted a submission. That’s a little debatable but still a credit to Smolka as he countered out of harm’s way so quickly that Holohan was never able to get to the second stage of his game plan.

A telling moment of the fight came at the end of the first round. In a rare moment where the two men engaged in a stand-up exchange, Smolka landed the cleaner shots with hooks and two nasty elbows.

The shots took a bit out of Holohan and set up his demise in the next round.

In the second frame, Holohan again took the fight to the ground—only with a little less vigor than before. Smolka countered the first three attempts to put him in a bad spot (a rear-naked choke and two omoplatas) and spun to wind up on top of the exhausted Irishman in front of his hometown fans.

Shortly after raining down some elbows that hurt Holohan, the latter gave up his back, and Smolka sunk in the choke to force the quick submission.

When the fight was over, per Helwani, Smolka addressed the fans in attendance and acknowledged their disapproval of his work against one of their favorite sons:

As hard as the Dublin crowd cheers for its fighters, the Irish fans are among the most respectful to the winners. They didn’t obstruct Smolka’s post-fight interview and seemed to give credit where it was due.

Sporting a visibly swollen left eye, Holohan was candid and passionate when he spoke to his followers, per Helwani:

When people discuss the top flyweight contenders, rarely do you hear Smolka’s name. That might change. His skill level is ridiculously high—though I’m not sure he has the speed for John Dodson, Kyoji Horiguchi or Joseph Benavidez, let alone champion Demetrious Johnson.

Here are the rest of the card’s results:

Best Performances

Breese with Ease

Cathal Pendred is tough, but he’s criminally overrated. That said, Tom Breese looked every bit the superstar prospect he’s been made out to be. The 6’3″ welterweight was smooth, poised and completely unaffected by Pendred’s experience or the rabid Irish fans.

On Saturday, the 24-year-old used next-level boxing to pick Pendred apart early. Within a minute, his nose appeared to be broken, and Breese was adding more damage by the second.

A body kick and punching combination dropped and finished Pendred in the very first round. When it was over, Mike Bohn of USA Today and Damon Martin of Fox Sports had observations and ideas for Breese’s next opponent:

Breese vs. Tim Means could offer a surplus of elite-level striking. Hopefully, that scrap takes place in the near future.

Seery Chokes out Delos Reyes

Neil Seery came out looking for a fight, and he got one. He was up to the challenge as he was able to stop Jon Delos Reyes via second-round submission.

Delos Reyes came forward the entire fight—despite getting the worst of most of the exchanges. He slightly altered his approach as he started to shoot for double-leg takedowns. Seery would counter in the first round with a sell-out guillotine attempt.

Delos Reyes escaped the first attempt, but he wouldn’t be as fortunate in the second round. Seery was waiting on Delos Reyes to charge him, and when he did, the Irishman again went hard for the guillotine.

This time he got it as Delos Reyes’ head went careening toward the mat. Seery squeezed tightly and forced the tap from his opponent. Sherdog.com complimented Seery’s persistence:

Epic Battle

Darren Till owned the first two rounds of his fight against Nicolas Dalby, but the third was a totally different story. Dalby rallied back with strikes and pressure.

He dominated the round and influenced two of the three judges to score the fight a draw. Martin and others in the MMA community surprisingly applauded the majority-draw decision:

I’m not sure a round should be scored 10-8 when there are no knockdowns, but there was no doubt Dalby controlled almost every second of the final frame.

When it was over, Till behaved as if he had injured his left shoulder. It’s unclear when the injury took place, but he definitely looked like a different fighter in the final round. A rematch may be in order to settle this one.

What’s Next

On November 7, Dan Henderson will get another shot at Vitor Belfort. Back in November 2013, Belfort became the first man to defeat Dan Henderson via strikes when he finished the fellow legend with a head kick.

It avenged a 2006 loss to Henderson back when both men were competing in Pride. Their third battle will headline UFC Fight Night Brazil from Sao Paulo. In the co-main event, Glover Teixeira will take on Patrick Cummins. Let’s just hope all of the primary competitors make it to the event in one piece.

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Bellator 144 Results: Winners, Scorecards, Reaction from Halsey vs. Carvalho

Rafael Carvalho became the new Bellator middleweight champion after knocking out former champion Brandon Halsey in stunning fashion Friday. The previously undefeated Halsey came in aggressive as he dominated the first round with his powerful takedowns…

He nearly submitted Carvalho in the first round with a head-and-arm choke, but the resilient Brazilian stayed calm and escaped the attempts. Halsey sold out, looking for the submission, and he seemed to tire after his unsuccessful attempt to end the fight.

In the second round, Halsey again shot for Carvalho’s legs early in the frame. Carvalho showed excellent balance against the cage as he fought off Halsey’s attempts at a dominant position. Finally, Halsey gave up the top position and backed away, looking to try his hand at a stand-up exchange.

That was a mistake.

Within seconds, Carvalho landed a perfectly placed kick to Halsey’s liver. The hulking former champion turned into Bruce Banner before our eyes. Carvalho rained downed a few punches on his fallen foe, and referee Dan Miragliotta had seen enough.

He called a halt to the bout, and Carvalho was the new champion. Here’s a look at the epic finish:

Bellator MMA captured footage of its newest champion celebrating his victory:

Halsey vacated the title in his last fight with Kendall Grove back in May. Halsey came in overweight and lost the title on the scale despite tearing through Groves en route to a fourth-round TKO victory.

With a chance to regain his title, he couldn’t overcome a cerebral and dangerous opponent in Carvalho. The Brazilian will enjoy his win and new title for now, but you can bet talk of a rematch will be in the wind shortly.

Here’s a look at the rest of the results from the card:

MVP Bashes Ontiveros

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden’s night got better, thanks to Michael “Venom” Page:

Page has been electric in each of his appearances in the Bellator cage. The trend continued Friday, when he destroyed Charlie Ontiveros in the first round with some devastating elbows from a top position. Check out Page’s savagery:

Immediately after the fight, Page added insult to injury by hitting his fallen opponent with the “What are those?” pose, per HDMG:

Page has become one of the biggest draws in the promotion, though he has yet to match up against one of Bellator‘s best welterweights. Perhaps he and Brennan Ward will lock horns in the future. That’s undoubtedly a bout that would excite fans.

Yamauchi Is Dominant

In a battle between two Japanese warriors, Goiti Yamauchi pounded Isao Kobayashi for nearly three rounds before submitting him in the third. His maneuver of choice was the rear-raked choke. It was his 15th win by submission and 11th by way of the rear-naked choke.

Here’s the finish:

There was nothing close about this one. Yamauchi got the better of Kobayashi in every aspect of the fight. He landed hard strikes during the moments the fight took place on the feet, and he had Kobayashi in danger of losing via submission on a few instances.

Prior to the bout, Kobayashi had never been stopped. Yamauchi‘s ability to accomplish what no other opponent had done against Kobayashi is a testament to his many weapons.

In his post-fight interview, Yamauchi made it clear that he wants champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire next:

Ward Smokes Olson

Brennan Ward came to the cage to trade with Dennis Olson, and he got the best of the exchanges. Late in the first round, a hard combination dropped Olson, and Ward pounced on his opponent to finish the bout.

Check out Ward’s fireworks:

Ward had taken a few shots early, and his face wore the scars of the brief war. But he had the advantage in power. His strikes had more of an impact, as is often the case when he lands big shots on opponents.

He may be in line for a title shot against Andrey Koreshkov down the line, but a more appropriate fight would pit Ward against Page.

Even Pitbull agrees:

Let’s make that happen.

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UFC Fight Night 76: Holohan vs. Smolka Fight Card, Live Stream and Predictions

Cancellations have drastically dimmed the commercial shine of the UFC Fight Night Dublin card, but there are still some intriguing stories to follow on this trimmed-down UFC Fight Pass exclusive.

When: Saturday, October 24, at 4 p.m. ET for main…

Cancellations have drastically dimmed the commercial shine of the UFC Fight Night Dublin card, but there are still some intriguing stories to follow on this trimmed-down UFC Fight Pass exclusive.

When: Saturday, October 24, at 4 p.m. ET for main card, 1:15 p.m. ET for prelims

Where: Dublin, Ireland

Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

The New Main Event

The first significant blow to the card was dealt when an injury pushed Stipe Miocic out of his fight with Ben Rothwell. Per Tristen Critchfield of Sherdog.com, the same thing happened to Joe Duffy and forced him out of the main event against Dustin Poirier. Because of the cancellation of the two biggest fights on the card, Ireland native Paddy Holohan will carry his country’s flag in a tangle with “The Last Samurai” Louis Smolka.

Holohan may not have a name as big as Conor McGregor or Duffy’s, but he’ll have no problem connecting to the crowd. MMA Junkie’s Chamatkar Sandhu tweeted:

Holohan originates from humble beginnings, and his grinding style endears him to his countrymen. The striking red hair doesn’t hurt either.

His opponent is a no-nonsense, well-rounded fighter who is very capable of beating him—only he won’t. There’s no secret to Holohan’s approach. He has excellent jiu-jitsu and wants to take his opponent to the mat and submit him.

Eight of the 12 wins he’s had in his career have come by way of submission. Smolka is no slouch on the ground, but he’s going to be fighting in the main event of a UFC show in very hostile territory. Can he handle that energy and an expert grappler like Holohan bearing down on him looking for an opening to make him tap out?

I say no. Holohan will outwork Smolka and secure a fourth-round-submission win in a competitive main event.

Back from Hell

After a 14-month prison term for an aggravated burglary, Reza Madadi is back in the UFC. The talented submissions fighter last appeared in the UFC back in 2013, when he defeated Michael Johnson by submission.

He barely had time to celebrate the victory. Madadi’s incarceration began just a month after his big win over Johnson. Per Shaun Al-Shatti’s article on MMA Fighting, Madadi maintains his innocence.

With that ordeal behind him, he will take on Irishman Norman Parke in a bout that is suddenly the co-main event. Parke is a battler, but he’s yet to prove himself to be a consistent winner in the UFC. He’s lost his last two fights by split decision and fails to finish opponents in many instances.

He fights with a ton of emotion, and that will only be augmented fighting in front of his countrymen. That exuberance will open him up for a submission attempt against Madadi.

The latter doesn’t waste many of those opportunities. Eight of his 13 wins have come by submission, and I’m predicting he adds to that total against Parke on Saturday.

Stand-Up Classic?

Both Nicolas Dalby and Darren Till are undefeated and dynamic strikers. Someone’s “0” must go when the two meet in a bout that could easily win Fight of the Night.

It could also end with a Performance of the Night award because of the striking prowess of both men. Dalby’s probably more powerful with his variety of head kicks, but Till’s quick-twitch athleticism makes him a little more explosive. Both men have only had one UFC bout, so it’s difficult to use their brief experience with the promotion as a barometer.

In looking back at their fights before joining the UFC, Till was the most impressive.

He’s likely to beat his opponent to the punch, use his quickness to close the distance and then escape before the counter can come. Bank on this one ending in a TKO, with Till coming out on top.

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