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See how the Bloody Elbow staffers picked to win at UFC Vegas 61.

The UFC is back at the APEX this weekend with a card tailored for an ESPN+ only audience. The headliner is an intriguing battle in the strawweight division. Outside of that are a host of fighters who are looking to show they can still be a relevant force in the promotion.

For the main event, Anton is alone in picking Nan Xiaonan to upset Mackenzie Dern (thus preventing Dern of receiving the ‘BE curse’). The co-main event is Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo. This time its Victor playing spoiler, being the long Bloody Elbowian to pick the 44-year-old ‘Massaranduba’, who could be fighting his final UFC contest.

If you believe us, this event is filled with squash matches. The only bout with any real split of opinions is Joaquim Silva vs. Jesse Ronson down on the prelims. You can check out all our picks below and, please, share your own picks in the comment section!

*Reminder: I’m making my picks based solely on fighter’s past winning percentages as an experiment to see how effective that nugget of data is at predicting fight outcomes. More on that here. You can see the data here. This method of picking fights is currently 22-16. Once 1,000 fights have been logged like this, we’ll take a look at what it all might mean.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xiaonan

Anton Tabuena: It’s a bit frustrating how Dern focuses on standing and improving her boxing, when she’d probably wreck everyone with a Demian Maia-type approach and a wrestling-centric game plan. She’ll run into a lot of shots trying to stand with Yan, and if she struggles to take her down — or just decides to strike for long stretches again — it’ll be a long night for her. Smart pick is still Dern, since she’ll have a massive advantage on the mat, but Yan has underrated wrestling and I’m not sure if Dern will even focus enough on trying to get her down. Yan Xiaonan by decision.

Tim Bissell: Dern is coming off a split decision win over the always tough Tecia Torres. It was a welcome victory for her after her four fight winning streak was smashed by Marina Rodriguez. She’ll be facing a fighter desperate for a rebound of her own. Yan has lost her last two, to Rodriguez and Carla Esparza. Those are her only UFC defeats in eight bouts. The picking algorithm is choosing Dern here, due to her w% of .778 versus Yan’s .750. The variance between their scores is based on Dern having a single win more than Yan in the promotion. It’s close when you look at their career-wide w%’s, too. Dern’s 12-2 record is good for .857, whereas Yan’s 15-3 has her just behind with .833. It’s wise to think this bout will be close, regardless of what any stats say, but I agree that Dern poses the greater risk in this bout, thanks to her vaunted grappling game — the likes of which Yan is yet to be tested by. Mackenzie Dern via decision.

Zane Simon: As is often the case for Dern if she can’t get this fight to the mat, she’ll have problems. Given Yan’s ability to skate away on angles out of the pocket, I might even say that Dern could run into more trouble than she did against Tecia Torres standing. Still, if Dern’s time in the UFC has been marked by anything beyond her submission prowess, it’s been her unbreakable confidence in her ability to take strikes and push forward. And when fighters really go after Yan and try to push her, she usually turns to her wrestling game in response. It was notable against Carla Esparza that, without the ability to win the wrestle/grappling battle Yan was quickly overwhelmed. That seems like too big an Achilles heel for Yan in this kind of fight. She has a path to victory available, but she’ll have to walk a tightrope all the way there to get it. Mackenzie Dern via submission round 2.

Staff picking Dern: Bissell, Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Victor, Dayne
Staff picking Yan: Anton

Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo

Tim Bissell: Brown and Trinaldo are also nearly neck-and-neck when it comes to w%. Brown’s 12-4 UFC record equals a w% of .750. Trinaldo’s 18-7 equals .720. It’s pretty remarkable that these two have over 40 UFC fights between them. At 44-years-old Trinaldo is yet to show us he can’t hang in the promotion. He’s beaten Danny Roberts and Dwight Grant in the last twelve months. The Brazilian is 5-2 since the beginning of 2019. Brown, who is no spring chicken at 32, is on a good run right now with three victories since a brutal loss to Vicente Luque in 2020. His wins have come over stiff competition in the form of Alex Oliveira, Jared Gooden and Khaos Williams. Those wins have me thinking Brown has what it takes to get past Trinaldo, thus putting me in agreement with the algorithm. Randy Brown via decision.

Zane Simon: I’d love to pick Trinaldo here. His crafty, simple, but effective style has been great to watch as he slides into his mid-40s and remains one of the UFC’s most difficult to beat welterweight talents. By contrast, Brown’s game is full of gaps and points where, even in the midst of success, he seems precariously close to collapse. But, given that Trinaldo’s not a great finisher, not very high output, aging in a division that really isn’t kind to that sort of longevity, and has a massive size and reach and speed disadvantage here, it just feels like the deck is far to stacked against him. Brown may often get in bad spots, but unlike Jai Herbert or Danny Roberts, he’s often proven himself very capable of battling back and staying dangerous throughout his bouts. Randy Brown via TKO, round 3.

Staff picking Brown: Bissell, Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Trinaldo: Victor

Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones

Tim Bissell: Barcelos has an above average .714 w%, thanks to his impressive start to his UFC career and that will mean he gets the pick here. The bloom has come off the rose a bit for him, with back to back losses to Timur Valiev and Victory Henry. This is a real make or break fight for him that will tell us whether his early form or current form is best to judge his abilities. Jones has yet to make an impact in the UFC. His debut fight, which was initially a phenomenal TKO win over Valiev, got wiped out for a positive test for marijuana (which was taken off the banned substance list pretty soon afterwards). He’s lost his last two bouts, one of which was to the undefeated, and highly interesting, Javid Basharat. I think this fight has Fight of the Night potential and both men have shown they have enough power and mean intentions to wreck someone’s night. Personally, I think Jones will win, but we’re testing a theory here so let’s see if Barcelos’ past wins mean he will be able to slip Jones’ power punches and land with his own. Raoni Barcelos via TKO.

Zane Simon: This is a real rough matchup for Trevin Jones, who usually finds his way into fights by being the tough, seasoned, and well-rounded veteran against greener, more active competition. Against Barcelos, he’ll meet an opponent who can not only match him for raw physicality, but can match him, and out-work him technically just about everywhere. The best shot Jones has will be in the fact that Barcelos loves to push forward and create exchanges so he can open up the opportunities to ransition between wrestling and striking. As he does so, he tends to get hit a lot, clean on the counter. That’s a great chance for Jones, who has the power to get KOs, but Barcelos has, so far, been unbreakably tough to put away. Raoni Barcelos via decision.

Staff picking Barcelos: Bissell, Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Victor, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Jones:

Sodiq Yusuff vs. Don Shainis

Tim Bissell: This should have been Yusuff vs. Giga Chikadze and I’m a little baffled why that fight wasn’t postponed when Chikadze withdrew. Instead we have newcomer entering the Octagon with an extremely dangerous task on his hands. Shainis’ past wins aren’t much to shout about. In 2022 he beat Cody Pfister and Jay Ellis (who has a record of 16-104). Everyone has a puncher’s chance, but this match-making feels, at best, strange and, at worst, irresponsible. The only blemish for Yusuff in the UFC was a decision loss to Arnold Allen last year. He holds notable wins over Alex Caceres, Andre Fili and Gabriel Benitez. Sodiq Yusuff via TKO.

Zane Simon: I love Shainis’ motor and I love his wrestling game, and willingness to throw in the pocket with power. But even as a former lightweight, I can’t help feeling that he’s giving up too much size in the UFC to be much of a force at 145. Especially on short notice against someone like Yusuff, who is both incredibly difficult to hold down on the mat, and has great power trading in the pocket as well. Could easily see Shainis putting a scare into Yusuff early in round 1, but if Yusuff survives that and starts firing back, I think ‘Shameless’ is gonna run out of options in a hurry. Sodiq Yusuff via KO, round 2.

Staff picking Yusuff: Bissell, Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Shainis:

John Castaneda vs. Daniel Santos

Tim Bissell: The algorithm doesn’t have much data to go on here. It’s selecting the 2-1 Casaneda over the 0-1 Santos. Casaneda’s wins over Miles Johns (sub) and Eddie Wineland (TKO)were both super impressive and you can forgive him for losing a decision to Nathaniel Wood. Santos, who had a so-so career on in promotions like Brave and Akhmat, was given the tricky Julio Arce in his debut. He failed to make any impression in that bout and was totally outclassed by a pretty middling UFC bantamweight. John Castaneda via submission.

Zane Simon: Castaneda feels like the obvious pick here, to some degree. He’s the more flexible, more technical fighter between the two. Both men are capable of putting together a high paced battle of attrition when their opponent doesn’t have a major skill advantage over them standing, but as we’ve seen in the UFC, both can also fall way behind if their opponent can really outclass them as well. The question for me, however, is can Castaneda actually outclass Santos? Or will he just go to war with him? My guess is the latter. Castaneda is slicker, but not by a huge margain. And if opponents bring a tough fight to him, he’ll usually stand in and try to keep the battle going. Given that Santos is the more willing and natural pressure fighter, I think that just might favor him here. It’s a bit of a risk, but I’ll take Daniel Santos via decision.

Staff picking Castaneda: Bissell, Kristen, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Santos: Zane

Mike Davis vs. Viacheslav Borshchev

Tim Bissell: There’s not a tonne of UFC experience in this match-up. Borschev’s 2-1 record beats Davis’ 2-2 so he gets picked by the algorithm here. Last time out Davis handed a loss to the previously undefeated Mason Jones. Borshchev came up short against Marc Diakiese last time out, losing a decision. In his previous UFC appearances he looked impressive, scoring a liver punch KO over Dakota Bush and a picture-perfect counter left hook KO over Chris Duncan. Those clinical hands could spell an early shower for Davis. Viacheslav Borshchev via KO.

Zane Simon: Should be an absolute banger. Both men like to box, first and foremost. Davis is more willing to throw kicks, which could come up huge against the front-leg-heavy Borshchev. And he’s more willing to wrestle, which we’ve also seen his opponent struggle with. However, he’s also the fighter more prone to getting uncomfortable and to gassing. Davis carries his power well late into bouts, but the relentlessness with which he tries to land huge shots seems to leave him feeling taxed and forced to carefully pick his spots pretty early in the fight. And while he’s willing to wrestle, he’s not a very good top control threat. I’m not sure that takedowns won’t leave him more tired than Borshchev here. Eventually, Borshchev is the much more fluid, confident boxer in the pocket, and if these two are going to trade a lot on the feet, I have more faith in how that will serve him as the fight goes on. Viacheslav Borshchev via TKO, round 3.

Staff picking Davis: Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Borschchev: Bissell

Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi

Tim Bissell: This is a bizarre, although somehow inevitable feeling, match-up. These two have the thinnest margin of w% differential of any match-up I’ve ran the numbers on thus far, with just 0.089 separating them. Latifi gets the nod because of that slight difference. Latifi has gone 1-1 since moving up to heavyweight; he got a split decision win over Tanner Boser last time out. He’s never been submitted, despite fighting a few folks known to be good in that area. None of them have the specialization that Oleinik has, though. This will be Oleinik’s 78th pro bout. He’s won 60 of those and 48 of those wins have come by submission. In his last fight he pulled off a scarf hold on Jared Vanderaa. That snapped a three fight losing skid for the Russian. If Latifi does win this one, I think it will be thanks to his energy advantage and knowing enough wrestling to stay out of harm’s way for 15 minutes. Ilir Latifi via decision.

Zane Simon: Latifi’s heavyweight move doesn’t really seem like it’s been any kind of great decision for him. Most of what he’s looked like at 265 is a man that doesn’t want to have to deal with the potential power that his opponents can bring back at him in the cage. That said, he’s never been submitted and I don’t even think he’s got enough of a neck to choke if Oleinik gets himself the opportunity to try. Latifi isn’t actually way younger here, but he seems to have way more cardio and conditioning left in the tank to grind out a win. Ilir Latifi by decision.

Staff picking Oleinik: Kristen
Staff picking Latifi: Bissell, Zane, Stephie (I am also putting this as Mookie’s default pick forever), Victor, Dayne, Anton

Joaquim Silva vs. Jesse Ronson

Tim Bissell: Silva is the only fighter here with a winning record in the UFC, though it’s marginal. Ronson has yet to get his hand raised after 5 Octagon appearances. Joaquim Silva via decision

Zane Simon: Realistically, someone here is probably getting knocked out. I have a soft spot for Ronson, so I’ll pick him, despite the fact that he’s the much stiffer striker. He’s got some surprisingly tricky hand trap/parry counters and has a way of surprising people. Joaquim Silva is more the fighter that’s doing great right up until he eats that one shot that puts him away. Jesse Ronson via KO, round 2.

Staff picking Silva: Bissell, Anton
Staff picking Ronson: Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Dayne

Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko

Tim Bissell: Brendan Allen has been extremely active in the UFC since debuting on the Contender Series in 2019. He’s appeared for the company on 10 occasions now and only lost to the accomplished Chris Curtis and Sean Strickland. After a torrid spell where he lost three in a row (including two TKO losses) former contender Krzysztof Jotko has been able to get back in the win column. He’s 5-1 since that losing streak with wins over Gerald Meerschaert and Misha Cirkunov. Allen is pretty far ahead in w% in this match-up, with a very good .800 compared to Jotko’s .688. Jotko does have a better w% when you factor in their whole careers, though. Brendan Allen via submission

Zane Simon: There’s a very very real chance that Krzysztof Jotko just rides Brendan Allen to a win. Hell, Jacob Malkoun almost did it and he’s only 5’ 9”. But, if Jotko’s late career fights have been typified by anything, it’s an increasingly cautious approach to MMA. He has the potential to hit slick takedowns and rack up control time, but there seems less likelihood than ever that he’ll get a lot else done with that. It’s also notable that when Sean Strickland put Jotko on the back foot with consistent pressure boxing, that wrestling game vanished. Allen isn’t as good a defensive wrestler as Strickland, but he is aggressive. If he can get Jotko in a position where he can’t take good shots, the wrestling may not matter. It’s also worth noting that wrestling Allen has rarely been the way to beat him. He’s dangerous and active at all times. Jotko isn’t. Brendan Allen by decision.

Staff picking Allen: Bissell, Kristen, Zane, Stephie, Dayne
Staff picking Jotko: Anton

Maxim Grishin vs. Philipe Lins

Tim Bissell: The journeyman Grishin is 2-2 in the UFC. Lins, a millionaire thanks to the PFL, is 1-2 in the UFC. Maxim Grishin via decision

Zane Simon: I’ll take a flyer on Lins here just to have more output that Grishin, who plays one of the slowest paced, least exciting games in the heavyweight division right now. Philipe Lins via decision.

Staff picking Grishin: Bissell, Kristen, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Lins: Zane

Julija Stoliarenko vs. Chelsea Chandler

Tim Bissell: Brutal submission artist Stoliarenko 1-4 UFC record gets the nod over Chandler’s 0-0 (even though Chandler’s an exciting prospect in the division, who looked well above her competition in Invicta). Julija Stoliarenko via submission.

Zane Simon: There’s no fight out there that Stoliarenko can’t lose. If she doesn’t get the sub, she’ll very likely pull guard all the way to a loss here. But Chandler is exceptionally green and seems very likely to just fall right into an armbar. Julija Stoliarenko via armbar, round 1.

Staff picking Stoliarenko: Bissell, Zane, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Chandler: Kristen

Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti

Tim Bissell: Neither Costa or Cannetti have a winning record in their UFC careers. Costa is coming off back-to-back TKO losses (to Adrian Yanez and Tony Kelley). Cannetti beat Kris Moutinho by TKO last time out to stop a three fight losing skid. Costa has the marginally better w% in both UFC fights and total MMA fights. Randy Costa by TKO.

Zane Simon: Both men throw with lots of power and lots of variety, and both are entirely capable of self destructing even in the midst of their own success. Randy Costa is a whole lot younger though, so I’ll pick him to ride out the absolute war that this first round will be and have something left in the tank to finish the fight in round 2. Randy Costa via TKO.

Staff picking Costa: Bissell, Zane, Stephie, Dayne, Anton
Staff picking Cannetti: Kristen

Leader board (as of Sept 3):

Kristen won the week with an impressive 11-2 record, helped by the fact she was the only staff member to pick Damon Jackson over Pat Sabatini. That is enough to push her to the top of the leader-board and replacing Zane who went 7-6.

1. Kristen 30-6 .833

2. Zane 28-10 .737

3. Dayne 24-14 .632

4. Bissell 22-16 .579

5. Stephie 20-18 .526

6. Anton 13-12 .520

7. Victor 4-5 .444

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Fighters read your tweets.

UFC flyweight Casey O’Neill improved her undefeated record to 9-0 last time out, with a split decision win over Roxane Modafferi at February’s UFC 271. The win means O’Neill has four UFC victories under her belt.

But despite her stoppages of Antonina Shevchenko, Lara Procopio and Shana Dobson, one random dude on the internet was not impressed.

A twitter user thought it was a good idea to tag O’Neill and share his low opinion of her.

“[O’neill] is genuinely such a low level of fighter,” wrote the user who I am choosing to leave anonymous. “Women’s mma in general is low level but Casey is something else. I have no fighting experience at all but could still fight better than she does.”

It didn’t take long for O’Neill to seize on those words and offer a challenge.

“[Xtreme Couture] in Las Vegas. Tuesday/Thursday is sparring day. 3:30pm,” she wrote.

She followed that tweet up with, “Come spar me, that would be fun.”

Fun for her, I’m sure.

O’Neill’s coach waded into the conversation, attempting to make sure his gym wouldn’t be held liable for what might happen if a random dude on the internet sparred a UFC fighter.

“Just sign the waiver,” wrote Eric Nicksick.

O’Nell’s teammate, and fellow UFC fighter, Chris Curtis got in on the act, too. “I am definitely filming this,” he wrote. “I love that he called out a woman though. Super brave.”

The troll seemed to accept the offer, writing “Get it agreed by the gym owner and I’ll spar you next Tuesday and prove my point.”

So now we can wait and see if this dude gets to join a growing Hall of Shame of men who thought they were tough enough to hang with pro fighters in the gym.

And if this doesn’t happen, hopefully that’s the end of this matter. Though, one fighter once showed that things you say on the internet can really come back to bite you.

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The recent UFC signee doesn’t sound all that impressed by the former welterweight title challenger.

Bo Nickal set his sights on one of the ‘Smesh Brothers’, but it looks like he’s mostly caught the attention of the other.

Following his 52-second win over Donovan Beard at Contender Series this past Tuesday, Nickal was signed to the UFC. Though he challenged Khamzat Chimaev (and Logan Paul), during his post fight presser, the three-time NCAA Division I National Champion found himself on the radar of another UFC notable entirely: Darren Till.

“Bo Nickal is looking good, be good to meet up with him in the future in the Octagon,” wrote Till on Twitter. “Drive the left hand through his skull.”

Suffice it to say, the call-out instilled no fear in Nickal, who reminded the ‘Gorilla’ of what happened in his most recent appearance against Derek Brunson.

“Man, Darren, very, very cute,” said Nickal on Thiccc Boy Fight News recently. “I guess that’s my first impression, that’s it. It’s a cute thing of you to say having just got absolutely bodied by Derek Brunson—another wrestler, another grappler who is a tough dude. But I don’t know why you would say something like that, knowing what I could do to you.

“Hopefully we fight in the future and hopefully you’re ready,” continued Nickal. “Good luck.”

Till suffered a third-round rear-naked choke loss to Brunson at UFC Vegas 36 and has not fought since. The No. 9 middleweight was scheduled to return against Jack Hermansson earlier this year but withdrew after suffering an injury during training.

For the moment, the Team Kaobon product has his next assignment all ready and waiting. He shares the Octagon with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Surprisingly enough, Nickal is also featured on that upcoming pay-per-view event. The American Top Team (ATT) representative debuts against Jamie Pickett, a fellow Contender Series graduate who is currently on a two-fight losing streak.

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The Team Diaz representative slammed Chimaev for all that happened during UFC 279 earlier this month. 

Chris Avila is still criticizing Khamzat Chimaev for his weight miss that led to a seismic shift at UFC 279 earlier this month.

Originally scheduled to fight Nate Diaz in his final UFC appearance, Chimaev lost out on the opportunity after he missed weight by 7.5 pounds. That forced the promotion to reshuffle the pay-per-view event on 24 hours’ notice, which saw Diaz and Chimaev paired against different opponents in Tony Ferguson and Kevin Holland.

Both men earned wins, as Diaz submitted Ferguson via fourth-round guillotine and Chimaev steamrolled Holland for a first-round D’arce, but Avila was left with a sour taste in his mouth given all that happened during the week. On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, he slammed Chimaev for his unprofessional conduct.

“It was a crazy two weeks. Well, we were out there for two weeks, but the whole time, yeah, it got crazier and crazier day by day,” said Avila. “That whole turnaround was f—king insane. The whole Khamzat thing was very unprofessional. Good things happen to good people, so Nate’s a f—king good dude and f—king Khamzat’s not too good of a dude. He’s a piece of s—t for f—king missing weight, and that’s on him. He ain’t going to get that bag, so whatever. That was 2-0 for Nate, dog. That was two wins in one week.”

Avila also addressed the now-canceled fight between Diaz and Chimaev. The way he saw it, ‘Borz’ was on his way to suffering the same fate as ‘El Cucuy,’ which would have been the first loss of his professional career.

“All that talk of Khamzat’s over here going to destroy, whoop, whoop, whoop, was bulls—t anyway,” said Avila. “I think the fight would’ve turned out the same way it did with Tony, 100 percent. I believe so, yeah, either standing or the same way, unless all Khamzat wanted to do was f—king hold on for dear life, scared as f—k.”

Now that he has completed his UFC contract, Diaz has shifted his focus to other endeavors, such as the creation of Real Fight Inc. The promotion is hoping to sign fighters ‘who fit the brand of “Real Ninjas. Real Fighters. Real Shit,”’ and Avila is one of the first to represent it.

The Team Diaz product returns to the boxing ring against YouTube personality Dr. Mike — real name Mikhail Varshavski — on the pay-per-view portion of Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva next month.

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Mackenzie Dern is using the private card and lack of a crowd as motivation.

Women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern is headed for her sixth UFC Apex apperance next Saturday. Paired up against Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 61, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt laments not being able to fight in front of a crowd once again, but plans to make the best of it.

In an interview with Combate, Dern revealed how she asked UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard to allow her to fight somewhere in which she could have a crowd, but to no avail. However, now that the event has been made private, the grappler says she is even more motivated to put on an impressive performance.

“Of course I’d like to fight in a main event in front of a crowd. When we were closing the deal, that was one of the things I kept asking Mick Maynard for. I have fought in the Apex five times, then I went back to Florida, where they had a crowd. I was able to feel that nice sensation of fighting in front of a crowd again. But he told me ‘No, that’s all we have’, And now it even became a private card.

“It has only made me more motivated, though. “Dern said. “People want a show, so I’ll give them one. It’s part of my job. It’s another hardship for me to overcome. That’s nice, right? We don’t evolve without adversity, so I’m happy,”

Against an effective striker such as Xiaonan, Dern knows she must be careful not to get caught too many times. Nonetheless, the Brazilian believes her opponent’s style could even favor herself, since an aggressive approach could make things easier for Mackenzie to take Yan down.

“If she’s aggressive, I’m sure I’ll take some shots, because people want to take off your head. I’m ready, though. Everyone knows I can take a punch. It’s not the best thing, of course. I want to leave the fight with no injuries, but that’s what I’m here for. I’ve trained for this, for a war. If she comes at me, that’s actually better for a grappler like me. It makes my job easier, to score a takedown.”

In her last outing, Dern (12-2) scored a split decision win over Tecia Torres, back in April. The victory made the 29-year-old bounce back from a unanimous decision defeat to fellow contender Marina Rodriguez, in October 2021.

Now, Dern is expected to take on Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 61’s main event, on October 1. The co-main event is scheduled to feature a lightweight bout between Randy Brown and seasoned veteran Francisco Trinaldo.

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The multiple time DI wrestling champ feels he’s been well prepared for the high expectations of success inside the Octagon.

Success inside the cage has come fast for Bo Nickal. With his UFC debut right around the corner, it seems that oddsmakers aren’t expecting that to change anytime soon.

Nickal is scheduled to face 2020 DWCS signee Jamie Pickett on December 10th, at UFC 282 in Las Vegas. While Pickett has seven-times the MMA fight experience of the former champion collegiate wrestler, bookies put Nickal down as a landslide favorite to get the win.

As MMA Fighting notes, that means a bet of $ 100 on Nickal to win would return just $ 5.56 in profit. Whereas, a bet of $ 100 on Pickett would return $ 1,100 in earnings. Even with those numbers, it seems unlikely that the ‘Night Wolf’ will be seeing many takers.

Despite the obvious hype surrounding Nickal’s UFC debut, however, the ‘Allen Assassin’ sounds like he’s well prepared for the weight of serious expectations.

“It’s definitely interesting, but I feel good because, I feel I’ve built up to this point,” Nickal told reporters of the increased attention he’s experiencing, following his latest win on DWCS (transcript via MMA Junkie). “Some people get that fame and stardom like it’s zero to 100, but for me, it’s been a slow build.

“Through wrestling and all the time I’ve put in since a young age to get to where I feel very confident and prepared, I know how to handle these type of things. It’s just been something I’ve made small incremental steps to get to where I am. It’s not zero to 100. I know how to handle it, and I have a great team around me, great people that love me and care about me, and I trust them. So I’ll just continue to improve, get better, and on to the next.”

Alongside Nickal’s debut, UFC 282 is expected to feature middleweight bouts between Edmen Shahbazyan & Dalcha Lungiambula, Dricus Du Plessis & Darren Till, and Chris Curtis vs. Joaquin Buckley. Seems like the card is primed for some major shakeups at 185 lbs. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and notes as fight night approaches.

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The recent UFC signee has received high praise from the former champion. 

Henry Cejudo is confident Bo Nickal would out-wrestle Khamzat Chimaev.

Nickal signed with the UFC following a second appearance on Contender Series this past Tuesday. The highly touted prospect needed less than a minute to submit Donovan Beard, and that was enough for UFC president Dana White and co. to offer him a contract. Following his signing, Nickal told Laura Sanko he would be ready to fight soon, asking for Chimaev for his first appearance.

White was not sold on the fight (yet), telling Nickal to ‘not get crazy here,’ but Cejudo commended the three-time NCAA Division I National Champion for going for the best of the best. In fact, ’Triple C’ said on his YouTube channel that Nickal would pose a significant threat to Chimaev, especially when it comes to the wrestling.

“Bo Nickal calling out Khamzat Chimaev, man. That just lets you know where his mind is at,” said Cejudo. “And when I see somebody’s confidence, that he wants someone undefeated and that’s been looking extremely well — yeah, he didn’t make weight. Granted, but he’s still a dangerous guy at 170 pounds. And now I believe he can no longer make 170, so it’d be 185. That being said, I think this match-up is going to be down the road. It’s going to be in the future, but just the simple fact that, Bo Nickal says, ‘Hey, I want the Swedish princess, I want the guy that didn’t make weight. That’s the guy that I want.’ I just hope he shows up. It just shows his confidence.

“Chimaev thinks he’s good in wrestling – his wrestling is nowhere near Bo Nickal, I can tell you that,” continued Cejudo. “He can take down these UFC guys that have never wrestled. Try taking Bo Nickal down, and 100 percent I can see Bo Nickal easily taking down Khamzat Chimaev.”

Though sure Nickal can—and will—find success in the Octagon, Cejudo would prefer to see the 26-year-old get built up slowly. Just four fights into his UFC career, the Olympic gold medalist was vying for the flyweight championship. It did not go well, as then-champion Demetrious Johnson finished him via first-round TKO.

It was an eye-opening experience for Cejudo, who realized being fast-tracked to the top of the division was not the best idea at the time. He hopes Nickal can avoid a similar situation.

“Really take your time in this game,” said Cejudo. “People eventually are going to start calling you out, especially if you have a closer fight, but right now, take whatever it is that Dana White and all those people are going to give you. Give yourself, at least, eight fights. I would love for the [first] four fights for you to be against guys that are not as experienced. I wouldn’t crack into the top 15 until your first four fights. I would love for you to get your first four fights and then crack into the top 15 and then starting chipping away. And within your eighth fight, you’ll be fighting for a title real soon.”

Nickal is already set for his promotional debut at UFC 282, where he fights Jamie Pickett on Dec. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Zane Simon & Connor Ruebusch are back to break down this week’s UFC event in Las Vegas, NV. With picks and odds for every fight on the card. From Mackenzie Dern vs. Xiaonan Yan in the main event down to Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti in the opening prelim.

The UFC’s is back with a super special secret event, apparently; putting Mackenzie Dern’s bid to become a strawweight title contender against Yan Xiaonan behind closed doors with no media allowed, for reasons yet to become clear. It’s not the most fascinating card ever created, but most of the bouts promise solid action, if not a whole lot of meaning.

For fans interested in diving deeper into the undercard, check out the Prelims Vivi below.

June M. Williams

The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 61 fight card as it stood at the time of recording:

ESPN+ MAIN CARD | 7pm/4pm ET&PT
Mackenzie Dern vs. Xiaonan Yan — At 5:45, Odds 19:25, Picks, Both: Dern
Randy Brown vs. Francisco Trinaldo — At 20:27, Odds 29:47, Picks, Both: Brown
Raoni Barcelos vs. Trevin Jones — At 31:11, Odds 38:52, Picks, Both: Barcelos
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Don Shainis — At 39:49, Odds 50:27, Picks, Both: Yusuff
John Castañeda vs. Daniel Santos — At 51:56, Odds 1:06:49, Picks, Zane: Santos, Connor: Castañeda
Mike Davis vs. Viacheslav Borshchev — At 1:07:09, Odds 1:22:17, Picks, Both: Borshchev

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4pm/1pm ET&PT
Aleksei Oleinik vs. Ilir Latifi — At 2:46, Odds 11:32, Picks, Both: Latifi
Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci — At 12:00, Odds 19:33, Picks, Both: Penne
Joaquim Silva vs. Jesse Ronson — At 20:25, Odds 21:48, Picks, Zane: Ronson, Connor: Silva
Brendan Allen vs. Krzysztof Jotko — At 22:33, Odds 29:30, Picks, Both: Allen
Maxim Grishin vs. Philipe Lins — At 30:21, Odds 35:40, Picks, Zane: Lins, Connor: Grishin
Julija Stoliarenko vs. Chelsea Chandler — At 35:46, Odds 36:27, Picks, Both: Stoliarenko
Randy Costa vs. Guido Cannetti — At 36:38, Odds 37:46, Picks, Both: Costa

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisection shows for UFC Fight Island 1: ‘Kattar vs. Ige’. So far, here are the overall standings:

• For our last event, UFC Vegas 60: Sandhagen vs. Song: Zane went 7/13 for 54%, while Connor tied with 7/13 for 54% as well
• Overall from UFC Fight Island 1 through UFC Vegas 60: Zane is now at 728/1124 for 64.8% and Connor is now at 684/1124 for 60.9%
• So far, in 2022: Zane is at 259/387 for 67% and Connor is at 242/387 for 63%
• 2021: Zane went 305/493 for 62% and Connor went 285/493 for 58%
• July-Dec 2020: Zane went 164/244 for 67% and Connor went 157/244 for 64%
  Reference: Vivi Picks Stats_9.29.22.pdf

If you enjoy our variety of shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels. Check out the new MMA Vivi Facebook Page, where the shows always drop an hour earlier than they do anywhere else on the network, be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi.

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Bo Nickal finally earned his UFC contract on this week’s Contender Series.

UFC super prospect Bo Nickal, who fans online have started called ‘The American Khabib’, blasted through his latest opponent on the Contender Series this week to earn a UFC contract. On Wednesday he tapped Donovan Beard in 52 seconds, following up on his one-minute submission win over Zachary Borrego in August.

This week’s win moved his pro record to 3-0, which was enough to prompt UFC President Dana White to hand Nickal an entry-level contract.

Nickal has run through his first three opponents thanks his ultra-high-level wrestling credentials, which he has now parlayed into a deadly club-and-sub game reminiscent of a certain Dagestani ex-lightweight champion.

However, when given a chance to speak on the mic this week, Nickal called out another wrestler who hails from the North Caucasus.

“If the UFC wishes, give me that Swedish dude,” said Nickal (ht MMA Fighting) in reference to the Chechen-born Khamzat Chimaev. “He might not even be the best guy, because he can’t even make weight, but if that’s the case, I’ll take him.”

Chimaev might be the only fighter more hyped up than Nickal right now. ‘Borz’ has looked unstoppable in his short UFC career. Most recently, after a botched weigh-in, he defeated Kevin Holland—with ease—at UFC 279.

Nickal added that, if he couldn’t get in there with Chimaev, maybe he could fight a famous YouTuber instead.

“If not, then give me Logan Paul. UFC debut. Me vs. Logan Paul, I know he has some skills. If we can’t do it in the UFC, let’s do it in the WWE. I’ll meet you in the ring.”

Nickal’s exuberance may not have gone over well with his new boss. White rubbished his new recruit’s match-making ideas during his post-event press conference.

“Let’s not get crazy here,” said White. “It’s funny, we were in matchmaking today, and we were talking about Khamzat and possibilities and how fucking good that guy really is.”

“You don’t test him against ranked talent,” he continued. “You bring him in just like you would bring in any prospect. You build him up, give him fights.

“The problem is, there’s no easy fights here. This isn’t like the boxing model. But he walked into a show where there’s no easy fights. Everybody here are killers. So if you perform the way that you performed here twice – there’s some guys that come in here and it’s a rough go. There’s wars, and they’ll squeak out a win at the end. This guy came out and dominated twice.”

The 26-year-old Nickal switched to MMA after finishing out his collegiate freestyle wrestling career at Pennsylvania State University. While in school he competed in NCAA Division I, where he won three national championships. He also won three Big Ten Championships, a US National Championship and a U23 World Championship.

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See what happened at Invicta FC 49: Delboni vs. DeCoursey on Wednesday night.

Invicta Fighting Championships went to Hinton, Okla. on Wednesday with an exciting event topped by an atomweight championship fight between Jéssica Delboni and Jillian DeCoursey.

Jéssica Delboni vs. Jillian DeCoursey

Jillian DeCoursey is the new Invicta FC atomweight champion after submitting Jéssica Delboni by first-round rear-naked choke.

Delboni and DeCoursey met in the center of the cage and traded a few punches and kicks. The Brazilian clinched with the American up against the cage and got her down, but DeCoursey reversed the position and worked her way into mount. From there, DeCoursey rained down a few punches before Delboni turned on her stomach. ‘Lionheart’ took advantage of the position and sunk in a rear-naked choke, forcing Delboni to tap.

In her post-fight interview, the new champion said she would go on a mini-vacation before returning for her first defense. That could come against Delboni, who asked for an immediate rematch.

Maiju Suotama vs. Ketlen Souza

Ketlen Souza had little to no issue with her short-notice replacement Maiju Suotama in the co-main event of the evening. ‘Esquentadinha’ staved off the takedowns of the ‘Mountain Momma’ and hurt her to the body, similar to what we saw earlier in the night in Neil vs. Guy. Suotama had no answers for Souza, who also dazzled with some flashy offerings such as a flying knee and spinning wheel kick. Flashiness aside, Souza did what she needed to do to secure the win and leave quite an impression in the Invicta FC cage.

Liz Tracy vs. Valesca Machado

Valesca Machado swept the judges’ scorecards for a decision over Liz Tracy. ‘Tina Black’ was patient, waiting for the ’Titan’ to slow down after a frantic start to the fight. Once she settled in, Machado countered with some right hands and well-timed combinations that would bloody Tracy up. For her part, Tracy would either try to close the distance or go for a takedown, but she would be met with a counter or shucked off by Machado. Her most successful moment was a standing crucifix, which she used to get Machado down and go for a submission. Nothing happened, and Machado would return to her feet for the rest of the the fight.

Kaytlin Neil vs. Hannah Guy

Kaytlin Neil dominated Hannah Guy en route to a unanimous decision. ‘Katniss’ found a home for some vicious body shots on the ‘Hurricane,’ who was hurt on several occasions. However, Guy was tough and continued on, despite how much she was in clear pain (she was literally clutching at her mid-section and fighting with one hand during the second round). Neil admitted it was difficult fighting a friend like Guy — both women were featured on The Ultimate Fighter 30 — but she was happy to get the win, her first since leaving the TUF House.

Helen Peralta vs. Poliana Botelho

Poliana Botelho returned to the win column in her first post-UFC fight with a unanimous decision against Helen Peralta. Both women are considered strikers, but Botelho and Peralta were glued to the cage as they battled in the clinch over the course of three rounds. The Brazilian scored with takedowns and knees to the body, which was enough to seal the win.

Brittney Cloudy vs. Montserrat Rendon

Monsterrat Rendon won a controversial split decision against Brittney Cloudy. The ‘Monster’ struggled with getting the ‘Quiet Storm’ to the ground, so she was forced to stand and trade. Cloudy got the better of Rendon, connecting with her jabs and bloodying up the nose of her opponent. In the final minute of the fight, Rendon got Cloudy down but offered nothing more than a few kicks to the legs. It appeared as though that swayed the opinion of the judges as they scored the fight in favor of Rendon, to the chagrin of Cloudy and the rest of the viewers.

Nadia Vera vs. Shauna Bannon

Shauna Bannon earned a unanimous decision over Nadia Vera in her first Invicta FC fight. The undefeated fighter found success with her striking and grappling against Vera, nearly finishing her with a final flurry of punches and a few triangle attempts. Bannon improved to 3-0 as a professional, while Vera fell to 3-1.

Here are the full results of Invicta FC 49:

Shauna Bannon def. Nadia Vera by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Monsterrat Rendon def. Brittney Cloudy by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Poliana Botelho def. Helen Peralta by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Kaytlin Neil def. Hannah Guy by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)

Valesca Machado def. Liz Tracy by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Ketlen Souza def. Maiju Suotama by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Jillian DeCoursey def. Jéssica Delboni by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:49 of Round 1

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