Brothers at Odds

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Poor little Robert just can’t seem to win a Brothers Battle anymore. He needs to get good ASAP! In this week’s battle Charles Jourdain outworked Kyler Phillips over three rounds. Both guys were their usual selves in the octagon. Phillips came out with high energy and did really well in the grappling exchanges early on holding top position over Jourdain for several minutes. However, as usual, Phillips was unable to put everything together to produce a victory. Jourdain did just enough to limit Phillips success on the mat and was able to outwork Phillips on the feet to convince the judges to give him the victory. I was hoping for Jourdain to finish Phillips with either a knockout or a submission, but I’ll happily take this decision victory. I now have a dominant and permanent 5-3 lead in Brothers Battles – long time!

The main event went exactly as I expected. As much as I love Gilbert Burns he just doesn’t have it anymore. Burns has had such a legendary career with so many epic fights. His war against Khamzat Chimaev is an all-time great fight. He definitely belongs in the Hall of Fame. But for now he made the right decision to retire. Mike Malott was patient for 2 plus rounds and waited for the right opportunity to strike. It seemed like whenever Malott threw strikes they landed. Burns’ face was already busted up going into the third round. One more sharp combination from Malott in round three and the fight was over. Again I was sad to see Burns go out like that but with that finish my ultimate pick of the week hit as this fight and the opening fight both ended before decision. I hope retirement treats Gilbert Burns well. 

Jai Herbert picked up an incredibly impressive first round knockout victory over Mandel Nallo in a fight where Herbert was hurt early and weathered the storm for a comeback. Super impressive performance from Herbert. I picked Nallo to win this fight but his lack of experience really showed when he wasn’t able to put Herbert away quickly. Curious to see who both fighters are matched up with next. 

Jasmine Jasudavicius picked up a nice decision win as I expected out grappling the underwhelming Karine Silva. Jasudavicius proved to be the more disciplined grappler over 15 minutes. Silva has just never really been able to put all of her skills together in the octagon. She did have Jasudavicius in trouble a couple times with submission attempts but Jasudavicius was able to escape everyone and dominate with top control for the majority of the fight. 

Gauge Young was able to outpace and outpoint Thiago Moises for three rounds. I had originally picked Moises to win this fight but made the decision to pick Young at the last minute. I’m glad I did so because Moises is a pretty one-dimensional fighter. He is absolutely reliant on getting the fight to the ground and doesn’t have much to show for in the stand-up game. Young fought very cautiously but was able to pressure Moises and land enough significant strikes to really take over the fight. The judges somehow scored this a split decision victory, although it should have been unanimous for Young all the way. 

It was also nice to see Marcio Barbosa get an epic first round knockout victory over Dennis Buzukja. Barbosa was the biggest favorite on the card and he showed everyone why. Barbosa has absolutely killer power and sent Buzukja to the shadow realm with one punch. Quick and easy. 

Prior to that unfortunately we saw my underdog of the week Julien Leblanc quickly defeated by a reinvigorated Robert Valentin. I really thought Leblanc could give him some trouble in the striking department but Valentin was really successful with leg kicks early on leading to an early takedown and then dominated the UFC newcomer on the ground for a slick submission victory. I really overvalued Leblanc’s striking and Valentin’s recent struggles. But I’ll give Valentin credit, with his back against the wall after three consecutive losses he was able to turn things around. 

I had also picked Tanner Boser to beat Gokhan Saricam and I was feeling pretty good about that pick until Saricam put Boser out with an epic bomb out of nowhere at the end of round two. I really thought Boser was doing a great job of out working Saricam and slowing him down with leg kicks. He ate most of Saricam’s best shots and Saricam seemed to be tiring. But unfortunately for me Saricam was far from done and perfectly countered one of Boser’s leg kicks for a knockout victory. 

Melissa Croden picked up a nice decision victory over Darya Zheleznyakova although it wasn’t easy. Zheleznyakova was peppering Croden early with crisp combinations and Croden was leaking blood from her nose before the first bell. However as expected Croden used her toughness and veteran savvy to continually pressure Zheleznyakova with clinches and takedowns to steal the decision victory. Croden got better as the fight went on while Zheleznyakova slowed significantly. A very satisfying victory for Croden. 

JJ Aldrich completely robbed Jamey-Lyn Horth for a decision victory. I don’t know what the judges were watching but I thought Horth easily won that fight. Horth obviously outlanded and out pressured Aldrich for 15 minutes. I’m not even counting this as a loss against my record. Judges need to get good. Pure robbery here.

To wrap things up John Castaneda should have won a clean decision victory over Mark Vologdin but the fight ended up being a draw after an unfortunate point deduction. And in the opening fight John Yannis absolutely smoked an under-skilled Jamie Siraj for a first round knockout victory. I thought Siraj could sneak in a submission win here but my real pick was for this fight not to go the distance so I honestly didn’t care who won. Curious to see how Yannis does against higher level competition in the UFC. 

So I’m actually going to give myself a 9-3 record this week but with some controversy. Let me explain. I picked the opening fight between Siraj and Yannis to end before a decision. I picked Castaneda to win although the fight ended up being a draw because of a point deduction. I picked Horth to win and she did win in my mind except the judges completely screwed that one up. So I don’t care what anyone says but I’m counting all three of those his victories in my mind. If Robert and others want to complain, I have one thing to say in response. GET GOOD!!!

I’m already hyped for next weekend’s card. My streak of Brothers Battle victories shall continue. Poor little Robert is going to be writing a lot of “Loser’s Laments” this year. Someone please send him some encouragement. He needs it long time. 

How am I writing a loser’s lament when I picked 9/12 fights correctly versus 6/12 fights correctly for Chris… This all feels so wrong! Although I cannot lie, I felt like Simba on top of a mountain until my pick of the week was squashed. Mandel Nallo was the fool of fools in his fight against Jai Herbert. After that loss and the loss of Phillips in the Brother’s Battle of the week… my 9/12 record felt so much less significant. However, the blasphemy of Chris must be called out! He went 6/12 in his picks and had a rough start to the night. Do not let him convince you otherwise with his fake news of a Victor’s Verdict – he is trying to rewrite history! He might have won the Brother’s Battle, but I shall win the war with my superior picks! You will see my dominance rise throughout the coming weeks. By June, I shall be champion and Chris shall bow to my awesomeness. Only then will he ever have a chance of getting good! Regardless, let’s get down to business and break down UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Malott.

Starting with the main event, my guy Mike Malott did exactly what needed to be done! This was one of those fights where patience mattered, and Malott showed a veteran-level understanding of timing and damage accumulation on a past his prime fighter. Burns had his moments early, but you could see the wear and tear start to show. Malott’s striking was just sharper, cleaner, and more impactful. Once that third round came, it felt inevitable. Burns retired afterwards, which felt right. He is a legend of the sport and has given the fans some epic battles over the years! I hope he enjoys the peace of retirement, he deserves it.

Now… the Brother’s Battle. Kyler Phillips vs. Charles Jourdain. This one stings but someone had to take the pity choice in Kyler Phillips! Chris and I could not decide on a Brother’s Battle at first and I volunteered as tribute to back Phillips because I initially felt that it was a pick’em fight… Let me tell ya, I did not feel that way Saturday morning. The more I sat on my pick, the more I knew that the Canadian Jourdain would garner the favor of the judges in a close fight. Still, I will stand by my pick! Phillips looked phenomenal in the grappling exchanges and controlled large portions of the fight. But this is the same story we’ve seen before. He just cannot sustain it. Jourdain did what he always does: stay dangerous, stay active, and capitalize late. It wasn’t domination, but it was enough. And unfortunately, “enough” is all that matters on the scorecards. I got good here, longtime.

Then we get to the absolute disaster of the night: Mandel Nallo vs. Jai Herbert. My pick of the week… obliterated. And the worst part? It started EXACTLY how I expected. Nallo had Herbert hurt early and had every opportunity to finish that fight. But this is where experience matters. Instead of staying composed and picking his shots, he rushed, got reckless, and left openings. Foolish beyond words. Herbert weathered the storm like a seasoned veteran and made him pay in devastating fashion. This one flipped the entire night for me and I was in disbelief.

Jasmine Jasudavicius was pure business. This was one of the cleaner reads on the card. Grappling advantage, control, composure – all of it showed in her performance. Silva had moments, but Jasudavicius dictated where the fight took place and that was the difference. This was a dominant win and exactly why she was the pick.

Gauge Young was another solid call. The key here was always going to be whether Moisés could impose his grappling. He couldn’t. Young kept it standing, stayed disciplined, and outworked him over three rounds. Not the flashiest performance, but effective. And that’s what matters when you’re stacking wins. I considered making him my pick of the week but Nallo tricked me!

Márcio Barbosa… wow. This was as clean as it gets. Power, precision, and zero wasted time. He proved why he was such a heavy favorite. One shot, lights out. These are the types of wins that seem too straighforward beforehand, which made me cautious to make him my pick of the week. I am very curious to see who he matches up with next and what odds the bookies will give him!

Rafael Valentin came through in a big way. Valentin vs LeBlanc was the spirtual Brothers Battle of the Week. I tried to tell Chris that his horse – LeBlanc – was totally broken… but unfortunately he drank the lies juice and could not be swayed to the truth! I expected Valentin to bounce back and he did just that. The leg kicks set everything up, and once the fight hit the ground it was over. Dominant performance and a great rebound spot.

Gokhan Saricam might have scared me for a bit, but a win is a win. Boser was having success early, and I won’t pretend I wasn’t a little nervous watching that play out. But all it takes is one moment at heavyweight, and Saricam found it. Perfect timing, perfect shot, and the fight was over. That’s why you back power in these spots.

Melissa Croden showed grit in a striker’s delight. This was not an easy fight, and she had to dig deep. Zheleznyakova came out sharp, but Croden adjusted, applied pressure, and leaned into her strengths. Veteran performance. Not pretty, but effective. I can see someone with power getting the better of Croden eventually but she is certainly a girl who will fight for your money and is not afraid to get bloody!

JJ Aldrich… I don’t even know what to say here. I’ll take the win on paper, but let’s be honest — that fight was razor close. These are the kinds of fights where judging always becomes the story. I picked Aldrich, she got the nod, and that’s what counts in the record… Get GOOD CHRIS. But yeah, not exactly a dominant showing.

John Castañeda was another frustrating one. He was clearly the better fighter across the majority of the fight, but the point deduction changed everything. That’s one of those situations where the result doesn’t fully reflect the performance. I’m still confident in the read – just didn’t get the clean result.

And to kick off the night, John Yannis did exactly what needed to be done. I had high levels of confidence in his come Saturday morning. Siraj who is the question everyone needed to ask themselves before the fight. He was a Canadian getting a call simply because the card was taking place in Canada. There were serious questions about Siraj coming in, and they were answered quickly. Yannis wasted no time proving the gap in skill level. First round finish, statement made. Get GOOD CHRIS.

At the end of the day, 9-12 is a STRONG night. The reads were there. The analysis was there. But the Brother’s Battle slipped away, and unfortunately, that’s what everyone will remember. Chris can celebrate his little moment now… but my numbers don’t lie. I’m building something here. Consistency wins over time. Enjoy it while it lasts, Chris. The comeback tour has already begun.