MMA DFS Playbook: UFC Fight Night 138

UFC FIGHT NIGHT OCTOBER 27^TH LIVE FROM MONCTON, NEW BRUNSWICK CANADA

We have an exciting card lined up. There is a slew of young and up and coming talent on this card that will surely have some excitement. There are also several long-time veterans on this card including Court McGee, Michael Johnson, and Ed Herman. The main event will be an exciting fight not to be missed. We have Volkan Oezdemir vs Anthony Smith. As always, we will start on UFC Fight Pass for the first action of the night.

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS 6:30PM

Stevie Ray 21-7 vs Jessin Ayari 16-4

Stevie has six KO/TKO, eight submissions, and seven decision wins. He has won nine of his last twelve. He has nine 1^st round wins. He holds a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He has a win over Joe Lauzon and Ross Pearson.

Jessin has three KO/TKO eight submissions, and five decision wins. He also has nine 1^st round wins. He as well is a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He is also well versed in Sambo.

Very evenly matched fight that could easily be higher up on the card. Both are very equal in skill set. This fight will be a back and forth battle with no clear person dominating the other. It will be standing and ground grappling for most of the fight. I see this fight going all three rounds and coming to the judge’s decision. In the end I see Stevie getting the win over Jessin.

Arjan Singh Bhullar 7-1 vs Marcelo Golm 6-1

Arjan has three KO/TKO and four decision wins. He was on the 2012 Canadian Olympic Wrestling team. He has a very dominate ground and pound game.

Marcelo has five KO/TKO and one decision win. All his wins are in the 1^st round. He has a big over hand right that is devastating.

This is classic grappler vs striker. Arjan needs to immediately close the distance and take the fight to the canvas. He needs to get in for his big throws and takedowns. Marcelo needs to keep this fight standing. If he lets in go to the ground, he will have a difficult time getting a win. In the end I see Arjan dominating this fight and coming out on top.

Te Edwards 6-1 vs Don Madge 7-1

Te has six KO/TKO that are all in the 1^st round. He is riding a five-fight win streak. He has KO’s in 28, 33, and 43 seconds. He is a former Two Time NCAA Wrestling Qualifier. He is also a former High Scholl State Wrestling Champ. This is his UFC Debut.

Don has four KO/TKO and three submissions. He has five 1^st round wins. He holds a brown belt in Jiu jitsu and is also well versed in Muay Thai.

Should be an exciting fight. With Te we haven’t seen his high-level wrestling on display, he keeps getting a knockout. So, he is very comfortable with standing and trading punches with his opponents. I think in this fight he needs to take it to the ground and use some ground and pound. Don is very comfortable standing and taking it to the ground. He should try and utilize his Muay Thai clinch to break down his opponent. He will look to setup some type of submission if the fight goes to the ground. Should be a great fight but I see Don with an upset over the newcomer tonight.

FS1 PRE LIMS 8:00PM

Sarah Moraes 5-4 vs Talita Bernardo 5-2

Sarah has two KO/TKO, two submissions, and one decision win. She was on Team Tate for TUF 18. She has a win over Juliana Pena on TUF. She is coming off a tough decision loss to Lucie Pudilova. Well rounded game.

Talita has four submission and one decision wins. She has four 1^st round wins. She has won four of her last six. She has a black belt in Jiu jitsu, also well versed in Muay Thai.

Will be an exciting fight. The women typically bring it when they are on the fight card. Sarah needs to be a counter puncher and avoid Talita coming in for any clinch or takedowns. She needs to use that distance to gain the advantage and strike when needed. Talita needs to get into the clinch throw some knees and elbows and take Sarah down and use her Jiu jitsu expertise to gain the advantage. In the end I see Talita finishing this fight in fast. She will just be to much for Sarah.

Calvin Kattar 18-3 vs Chris Fishgold 17-1-1

Calvin has eight KO/TKO, two submissions, and eight decision wins. He has eight 1^st round wins and has won ten of his last eleven. Excellent stand up game. He has a Fight of the Night bonus.

Chris has two KO/TKO twelve submissions, and three decision wins. He has eleven 1^st round wins. Is on a seven-fight win streak. He holds a brown belt in Jiu jitsu and favors the guillotine choke. This is his UFC debut.

Will be a great fight. Calvin has amazing stand up and he will need to keep this fight on his feet and avoid going to the ground. Chris needs to get in and take the fight to the ground as soon as he can. Chris will look to setup a submission in some way. In the end I see Chris getting the win via submission tonight.

Thibalt Gouti 12-4 vs Nasrat Haqparast 9-2

Thibalt has four KO/TKO six submissions, and two decision wins. He has eight 1^st round wins. He is coming off a decision loss to Sage Northcutt. He has great standup

Nasrat has eight KO/TKO, and one decision win. He has six 1^st round wins. He is a former wrestler and likes to do some ground and pound. He is coming off a big win against Marc Diakiese.

Another outstanding match up. Both are evenly matched. Thibalt needs to look for a takedown and avoid the power of Nasrat. He needs to control the fight on the ground and ensure that Nasrat doesn’t get a sweep and gain top position. Nasrat will look for another big KO. But he can also take it to the ground and use his ground and pound. In the end I see Nasrat with another win tonight.

Nordine Taleb 14-5 vs Sean Strickland 19-3-1

Nordine has seven KO/TKO and seven decision wins. He has three 1^st round wins. He has won six of his last nine fights. He has a great standup game. He has a win over UFC Vet Pete Sell. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Sean has eight KO/TKO four submissions, and seven decision wins. He has nine 1^st round wins and has won four of his last six. He has a brown belt in Jiu jitsu. He has a win over Court McGee.

Should be an exciting fight. Nordine has heavy hands and will look to keep the fight standing. He will need to avoid the ground game of Sean. Sean will look to get inside and go for a takedown. He will use his Jiu jitsu knowledge to wear down Nordine and setup a submission. In the end I see the fight going the distance and Sean wins via judge’s decision.

MAIN CARD FOX SPORTS 1:10PM

Alex Garcia 15-4 vs Court McGee 19-6-1

Alex has six KO/TKO, six submissions, and three decision wins. He has ten 1^st round wins and has won nine of his last eleven. He is a very well-rounded fighter. He has wins over Mike Pyle and Mike Swick. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Court has five KO/TKO, six submissions, and eight decision wins. He was a member of Team Liddell on TUF 11 and later won the TUF 11 championship. He has a wrestling and karate background. He has one Submission of the Night bonus.

Well matched up fight. Alex will need to push the pace and control the tempo of this fight. He has the better endurance of the two and needs to take advantage of it. Court will need to take it to the ground to slow the pace of the fight down. Once on top he needs to do some ground and pound. Fight will most likely go the distance and the judges give the nod to Alex.

Gian Villante 16-10 vs Ed Herman 24-13

Gian has ten KO/TKO, two submissions, and four decision wins. He has won nine of his last sixteen. Former NFL player. Has lots of power and is very explosive. He is the teammate to form champ Chris Weidman. Has a big double leg and a good over hand right.

Ed has six KO/TKO, fourteen submissions, and four decision wins. He was a finalist in Season 3 of TUF. He has wins over Glover Teixeria, Kyle Noke, and Kendal Grove. He is a ground and pound specialist. He has one Performance of the Night, two Fight of the Night, one Knockout of the Night, and two Submission of the Night bonuses.

Very exciting match up. Gian has the youth on his side on this one. He will look to push the pace early. He needs to setup his right hand and takedowns carefully to be successful. Ed will look to close the distance and take it to the ground and try to get another submission victory. He needs to control the tempo of the fight and be in control of the octagon as well. In the end I see the Vet Ed with another win.

Andre Soukhamthath 12-6 vs Jonathan Martinez 9-1

Andre has eight KO/TKO, three submissions, and one decision wins. He has three 1^st round wins and has won four of his last seven. He has a boxing background, so he is a very technical striker. He has one Fight of the Night bonus.

Jonathan has five KO/TKO, two submission, and two decision wins. He has three 1^st round wins and has a two-fight win streak. He has a blue belt in Jiu Jitsu. This is UFC Debut.

Good fight for two up and coming talent. Andre will look to keep the fight standing and out strike his opponent. Jonathan has some standup, but I think in this fight he needs to go to the ground. Jonathan will be eager to get a win, so he may make a mistake and Andre can capitalize on it. In the end I see Andre with the win.

Misha Cirkunov 13-4 vs Patrick Cummins 10-4

Misha has five KO/TKO, six submissions, and two decision wins. He has won eight of his last ten fights. He has nine 1^st round wins. He has an impressive three wins in under a minute. He holds a black belt in Jiu Jitsu. He hasn’t fought in 10 months.

Patrick has four KO/TKO, two submissions, and four decision wins. He is a 2004 NCAA runner up for Penn State Wrestling. He has excellent ground and pound abilities, and big takedowns.

Will be a great fight. Misha needs to relax and settle in the fight early since he has had such a huge layoff. He needs to setup his jab to keep distance and avoid the big takedowns of Patrick. Patrick will need to push the pace early on and control the fight. He needs to get in close and get the takedowns and start his ground and pound. In the end I see Patrick with another victory.

Michael Johnson 19-12 vs Artem Lobov 14-14

Michael has eight KO/TKO, two submissions, and nine decision wins. He has won six of his last eleven. He was a member of Team GSP on TUF 12. He has eight 1^st round wins. He holds wins over Dustin Poirier, Andre Fili, Edson Barboza, and Joe Lauzon. He has one Performance of the Night, two Fight of the Night, and one Knockout of the Night bonuses.

Artem has five KO/TKO, two submissions, and seven decision wins. He was on Team McGregor on TUF 22 and is his longtime teammate. He has two 1^st round wins. He has good striking. He has a blue belt in Jiu jitsu. He has one Fight of the Night bonus.

Michael took this fight last minute when Khabib teammate Tukhugov after his suspension involved in the fight with McGregor in the octagon a few weeks ago. Michael will look to use his reach and his jab to keep distance. He will always look to use his long legs for leg kicks. Artem needs to close the distance and get into the clinch. He needs to stay inside of Johnson’s power and reach. In the end I see Johnson with the win tonight.

MAIN EVENT

Volkan Oezdemir 15-2 vs Anthony Smith 30-13

Volkan has eleven KO/TKO, one submission, and three decision wins. He has an impressive twelve 1^st round wins. He has seven KO in under a minute. He has won five of his last six fights. His last loss was against current Champ Daniel Cormier. He has wins over Ovince St Preux, and Jimi Manuwa. He has one Performance of the Night bonus.

Anthony has eighteen KO/TKO, ten submissions, and two decision wins. He has amassed seventeen 1^st round wins. He has won thirteen of his last fifteen and has two wins in a row. He has a purple belt in Jiu jitsu. He has wins over Mauricio Rua, Rashad Evans, and Hector Lombard.

This fight is all fireworks. Two heavy hitters going at it with a huge chance to move up the ranks. Volkan has been out for a while but don’t underestimate that. He has heavy hands and is very quick on his feet. He needs to keep the fight on his feet and avoid the ground game. Anthony also has KO power but is much more suited to finish this fight on the ground. He needs to establish the clinch early and take the fight to the ground fast. This fight will be a back and forth battle between the two as well as on the ground and feet. In the end I see Anthony with the upset.