Last week I spent the entire introduction venting my hatred for Mike Perry. As if the NHB gods heard my profanity laced prayers, the Platinum One was beaten bloody by Tim Means.
While that outcome brought a smile to my face, the opposite result would have just as easily brought me to tears (well, almost). MMA events, much less the individual fights within said events, elicit that emotive response, for good or bad, when the characters involved are compelling.
We enthusiastically tune in to celebrate their rise or fall. It is rare where the UFC relies on a single magnetic personality to carry an entire card, but it’s such a character on which the UFC leans this week in The Black Beast. From sweet talking Rhonda Rousey or waxing about gastrointestinal distress in post fight interviews, to having one of the best Instagram feeds on the planet, H-Town’s very own Derrick Lewis is my kind of must see tv.
On a side note, the analysis is going to be shorter this week due to a trip, but the quality remains. Let’s ride!
Curtis Blaydes (-360) vs Derrick Lewis (+300)
Talk about a slugfest! Sometimes hyped up heavyweight fights devolve into two giants circling each other, each afraid to engage inside a range that might get them clipped, or a clinch-fest on the cage. I’d be willing to bet my eye teeth that this one exceeds our expectations.
Obviously, Blaydes is longer and will seek to use that length to keep Lewis on the end of his combinations, but Lewis is a master at ducking into range and dropping bombs.
Maybe my love for Derrick clouds my judgment, but I think he finds Blaydes’ chin and sleeps him. Still, both guys are good GPP plays, as I don’t see this going past 1.5 rounds.
Anthony Smith (-140) vs Devin Clarke (+120)
I have watched Anthony Smith fight since 2011 when he took on Adlan Amagov in a Strikeforce Chalkengdrs show, and if I’m being honest, I’d have called you a moron if you then told me he would fight for a UFC belt one day.
Here “Lionheart” looks to end a two fight skid as he takes on Devin Clark, who is coming off back to back decision wins. The trouble with Clark is he tends to get phimself into danger a couple times a fight. If he perseveres, he wins a decision, but if not, he gets finished. That is how his last 10 fights have gone.
Smith is hungry again. When he hurts Clark, the “Brown Bear” won’t be able to wriggle off the hook. I like Smith in all formats. If you need to save money in cash and can afford Clark, I wouldn’t make fun of you for playing him.
There is a preview of my breakdown article for this week. We will have the full article on our premium side so head over to the membership page to get signed up! We are also currently running a buy one month, get one month free, so for $19.97 you can access all our premium content until the end of the year!
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Coupling various research techniques with the discipline learned earning a JD from Baylor University School of Law, he was able to grind his way up to some entries in the 2017 Draft Kings Spin-O-Rama where he scored a six figure payday. From there he never looked back, and has racked up multiple five figure wins in NHL, MLB and Soccer, and countless four figure paydays in everything from MMA to eSports.
On a personal note, he spent 14 years as an Assistant District Attorney, but now spends his day hanging out with his family, watching his son play baseball and writing NHL and MLB content for DFSHQ.
- “Fighting Words” – UFC on ABC 2 | Vettori vs. Holland - April 9, 2021
- “Fighting Words” – UFC 260 | Miocic vs. Ngannou - March 26, 2021
- “Fighting Words” – Vegas 22 | Holland vs. Brunson - March 19, 2021
