"She like my kick game"

Ah, the elegance of sneaker culture immortalized in a bar. J. Cole opens with a profound statement about his footwear prowess, because clearly, the depth of a relationship is measured by one's ability to sport fashionable kicks. Revolutionary!

"And when you me, you don't kick game"

An introspective dive into the nature of authenticity. When you're with J. Cole, there's no need for superficial charm or 'kick game.' He's just too real for that. Shakespearean.

"I put her front row at the Knick game"

Symbolizing devotion and status, placing her in the front row of a Knicks game is the 21st-century equivalent of presenting a lady with the finest jewels. Truly, an act of modern chivalry.

"Now she in my phone with a nickname"

Nicknames are the foundation of intimacy. This line reveals the deep emotional bond formed, showcased through the sanctity of contact information. Profound and touching.

"It's, it's, it's, hmm (Mmm)"

The triple repetition of "it's" followed by thoughtful contemplation (hmm) signifies the struggle of expressing indescribable feelings. A lyrical stroke of genius.

"Grippy"

A word so impactful it requires no further explanation. "Grippy" stands alone, a beacon of poetic simplicity.

"Grippy, huh / Grippy, I call her that 'cause it's grippy"

Reinforcing the significance of the term, J. Cole masterfully reiterates 'grippy,' ensuring the audience understands its monumental importance. Poetry in its purest form.

"She thick in the hips, she a hippie"

A masterclass in wordplay and imagery. The juxtaposition of 'hips' and 'hippie' is nothing short of brilliant, painting a vivid picture of the muse.

"And she thick in the lips, she gon' lick me"

Diving into anatomical admiration, this line highlights both physical attraction and impending intimacy with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Artful!

"And she sendin' a flick when she hit me / With a kissy emoji, she miss me"

Modern romance, encapsulated. The digital age summarized in two bars, capturing the essence of contemporary love language through emojis and pictures. Iconic.

"When she see me, she say she gon' strip me"

Foretelling the undressing of not just clothes but societal norms. A metaphor for vulnerability and openness. Layers upon layers.

"She gon' chew on this stick like it's Wrigley's"

Ingenious product placement and a vivid simile that ties romantic action with everyday life. The marketing potential is limitless.

"Mm, yeah, believe it or not like Ripley's"

Channeling Ripley's Believe It or Not! to underscore the unbelievable nature of their connection. Clever and culturally rich.

"She said she was gay until I slayed, now she strictly dickly"

A transformative tale of love's power to alter identity. Deeply philosophical, examining the fluidity of attraction.

"As soon as she page, I'm on the way, and I be showin' up quickly"

Commitment and punctuality in one line. A lesson in reliability and speed, values we can all aspire to.

"On the highway, I'm doin' a hundred-and-fifty"

An adrenaline-fueled testament to urgency and desire. The speed metaphorically reflects his passion. Riveting.

"Like, I gotta get you up out of them Vickies, uh, like"

An homage to Victoria's Secret, elevating lingerie to a status symbol. The urgency to reveal hidden beauty, poetically expressed.

"Pussy so good, I just had an epiphany"

The apex of enlightenment through physical connection. A spiritual revelation sparked by intimacy. Enlightening.

"It's grippy and wet, you know I'm a vet, but you makin' me feel like a rookie"

A humble admission of being outmatched, even as a seasoned veteran. The vulnerability and respect for her prowess, beautifully conveyed.

"How you make me tap out so swiftly? / But I'm back for the second round victory"

Resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming challenge. The spirit of a true champion.

"I remember I saw you on Fifth Ave with your homies Sabrina and Tiffany"

A vivid scene setting, placing the listener right on Fifth Avenue. The names add a personal touch, bringing the memory to life.

"I was thinkin' like, 'Damn, your whole clique bad' / But I wanted your body specifically, hmm"

A moment of selective admiration, showing discernment amidst abundance. An ode to the power of individuality.

"Like, I'm tryna see how that glove gon' fit me, hmm"

A Cinderella-like metaphor, seeking a perfect match. The fairy tale continues.

"Like, I wanna feel like I'm touchin' your kidneys, hmm"

Anatomically ambitious, aiming for a connection that's deep—literally and figuratively. Bold.

"Like, bitch, I'ma send all your kids to Disney, hmm / I'ma pay a lil' extra, make sure they meet Mickey, hmm"

Generosity in its finest form, promising joy and magical experiences for her children. Philanthropy and romance intertwined.

"She a what? She a what? She a grippy, huh (Mmm) / She a what? She a what? She a grippy"

Ending with the refrain, solidifying the term "grippy" as a timeless descriptor. A hook that will echo through the ages.

Conclusion

In conclusion, J. Cole's verse in "Grippy" is an unparalleled work of art, combining emotional depth, cultural references, and profound insights into modern relationships. It is truly the best certified classic, banger, club track, black anthem, and negro spiritual of the year. A lyrical triumph that will be studied for generations to come.

It had transpired like this: a woman who lived next door to us at the time had said some unkind things to young Bud. Her son had hit or tried to hit him, and Bud had shoved him away. No big deal, but the lady took exception to it.
I had my back turned at the moment, doing some yard work, and was far enough away that I had not heard, as well as had not seen.
Our younger daughter raced past me into the house to tell Momma (she correctly surmised that She would want to know).
An unbroken string of shouted curses, the sound of bare feet pounding across the hardwood floor of a house raised on concrete blocks, and I sensed with some alarm that something was amiss.
The screen door flew open as I dropped the rake I was holding, and Momma came charging out. She cleared the steps midcry without touching a single one, and charged across the yard, long black hair flying.
She was wearing nothing but an old plaid shirt of mine, long sleeves rolled, buttoned down the front, and hanging to mid-thigh. The unbuttoned tails of which were flying backward to reveal a little more. I paused for the briefest of moments to enjoy the view. I’m only human. And have I mentioned she’s Pretty?
But then remembered myself and gave chase. From her proclamation of “I’ll kill you, you fucking bitch!!”, I presumed that her intentions were not good, concerning her obvious target.
That poor woman was in a bit of shock, mouth open and eyes round. And was just Standing there. As Gandalf would have advised: “Run, you fool!”
The first thought that ran unbidden through my mind was: “I don’t have money for bail.”
I cut her off at an angle, and snatched her off her feet. From behind, and I made sure to pin her arms to her sides. She wore her nails longer then, and I wanted no part of those.
It wasn’t hard to hoist her high enough that her feet were off the ground. She was only 4’ 9 1/2”, and hovering at the time between 90 and a hundred pounds.
Holding into her as I carried her back toward the house was the problem. She was squirming and twisting and kicking Me, her bare heels beating my shins and the sides of my legs like bongo drums.
And caught me with a good backward head butt. My fault - should’ve anticipated that. I thereafter had the good sense to tuck my face between her neck and shoulder.
And she was cursing like a drunken jarhead having a Good time as he was preventing himself from being ejected from a bar he did not wish to leave. In Spanish And English. She’d spent a lot of time around a lot of Marines at our last duty station - guess it’d rubbed off. They’d all liked her. So did I.
Interspersed with: “Put me Down, OP!!”
“Nope.”
“You better let me go, you motherfucker!!”
“Not a chance.” Pushing the screen door open with my foot.
I stepped inside with her and held onto her that way.
“Put me Down, you sonofabitch!!”
“Not ‘til you calm the hell down! Owe! Stop kicking!”
Her screaming and cursing gradually lessened, until, calmly: “It’s ok. You can out me down now.”
“Promise?”
“I Said it, didn’t I?!”
As soon as her feet touched the floor, she tried to bolt for the door again, the pint-sized liar! Here we go again.
Eventually I was sure I Could trust her, and I set her on her feet again. The object of her affections had surely, by that time, fled the scene and barricaded herself inside her house. Or hidden under the nearest parked car, whichever was closest. I would have.
I had a moment when she headed toward the kitchen, and I remembered the door to the outside there.
She: “Relax. I want a drink of water.”
I was limping the next day. You’ll do that when you have bruises up and down your legs, and said legs had tightened up. Even had some on the outside of my thighs - how had she managed that? Had a nice bruise high on one cheekbone. I’d taken less damage from some men I’d fought.
It reminded me of when I’d first started seeing her a decade or so before. We’d gone to a late movie, and we’re now walking toward the car in a now nearly empty lot. It had been full when we’d earlier arrived, causing us to have to park at the far edge, near a stand of high bushes.
I didn’t mind the walk. She was who I sensed she was even then. Untold beauty in miniature. Back and shoulders straight, he’d head high. A classic Spanish face such as I’d seen in old paintings, her father’s father having emigrated from there. One night, lying in bed together, I’d said: “I’ve met you before, you know.”
“Oh? And how is that?”
“I’ve seen your face looking at me from the walls of art galleries in cities in different parts of the world.”
I’d haunt the galleries in major cities, when we’d put into port, every chance I had - saw some wonderful old originals that way.
She was Perfection, as far as I was concerned, on that night. Long black hair falling loose down the back of the high school band jacket she wore above a pair of softly worn and faded denim jeans that clung to her perfectly. Brushing her hips, and catching highlights from the light on a lamp post we passed under.
Slender, proud, and unmatchable at 22, walking with a dancer’s grace.
And three men stepped out of the bushes as we approached the car. Probably not an issue, but they weren’t looking our way, as people normally would. It’s natural to give at least a glance. A small nod of greeting or acknowledgment. But they hadn’t.
On the streets, in the City where my brothers and I had done most of our growing up, you had to learn to read people and developing situations. Be aware and wary at all times. If a group of men were approaching you on the sidewalk, they and you going to pass each other, a glance and small nod of acknowledgement indicated no ill intent. A brief meeting of the eyes. Especially important if you yourself were alone.
But if they pointedly looked everywhere but At you, and made as if to ostentatiously ignore you, it was time to get ready. And you wanted on your person something with which to defend yourself. They would have their own. A sap or good knife, though illegal, PD would overlook if they found one on you. They understood the character of the place as well as we did.
That had saved me from being beaten, robbed, or worse on at least one occasion; being aware of what was about to happen. With no time or room to run, I’d stepped back into a recessed boarded-over store front. Those often, as did that one, kind of funneled or narrowed slightly the further back they went, until after seven feet or so, you had your back to the door at the narrow end.
Good defensive position. They’d have to come at you head-on - couldn’t do it from your back or sides. And not much room in which to maneuver.
A brief standoff, as they blocked my exit, and considered their options. Eye contact Now, the pricks. But I had something in my band by then, and at least one of them would get hurt, too.
They decided it’d be too much trouble, and went on their way. Easier pickings somewhere else. None of us had said a word.
I’d waited to make Sure they had, and hadn’t just been trying to trick me and draw me out. Then, after making sure the coast was clear, I did the same. I’d ventured alone into a part of town not my own, in which my brothers and I were not known. I’d been foolish to.
The things you had to know in that place.
A handgun, though, was another matter. Stopped and searched and one found on you, you were going to have a very bad day Before you got to the station house. And another bad one after. Too many of them had been killed with one. Just unwritten rules that were understood by all.
But still, there were times and situations when you needed one. They weren’t at all hard to find - didn’t even need to leave the neighborhood. And no paper trail to trace one back to you.
I motioned Momma to fall back a little, and she understood, and did. Three of them, but I knew I could take ‘em if I had to. I had before. And I had her with me to think about.
We both slowed our walk, as they and we drew nearer to each other, our paths about to cross at an angle. Get ready.
But they continued on their way. Just some guys taking a shortcut, maybe.
Paranoia? Not at all. In the inner city ghetto world in which my bros and I had lived, those not paying attention, and oblivious to what was going on around them, were the ones who got hurt. Killed, sometimes.
Momma stepped up beside me then, smiled up at me confidently, and I watched her slip what she’d been holding in her hand back into her purse. And laughed delightedly. The pretty little savage had been prepared to back me up all along.
My little honey badger.
I asked her once, years later, apropos of nothing, just making idle conversation during a long drive: “Would you kill for me?”
“To keep someone from hurting you? Of course I would. You’d do the same for me.”
That simple answer, and the easy confidence in which it was uttered, made me feel warm inside.
Another time, during the years we’d spent in California, when we were both still so unfashionably young, she and I had gone to a club in town for a much-needed night out.
She was looking better than I’d ever seen her that night, and that was saying quite a lot. A white summer dress with lots of lace. Black hair a river of shiny silk down her back. Silver at her throat, and in her hair. Silver hoops dangling from her ears. Silver bangles on her arms. The bright red lipstick she favored then.
I’d left her alone to make a quick head call, and had returned to find another man had taken my place in my absence, doing his best to chat her up. She watching his face in amusement and contempt, not saying a word.
I was used, by then, to other men looking at her. It didn’t bother me. Why should it? She was who and what she was. I’d’ve been looking, too. But this was a little much.
I walked over to where they both were, met his eyes and smiled. He stammered a hurried apology, face turning red, and headed for the door.
She and I looked at each other, and both started laughing at the same time. Worked every time - I never had to say a word.
“Why didn’t you tell ‘I’m to fuck off?” I asked.
“Didn’t need to, Babe - you were here.”
And I’d thought: “I always will be.”
I made a good friend at that our last posting, and she was the impetus of it. A very able and capable Lieutenant in our unit. He’d asked me one day: “Sgt OP, your wife is Latina?”
“Hispanic. South Texas girl by way of California, Sir.”
“I saw the two of you out walking the other day. Man, she has that long black hair! She reminds me of the small village in the mountains I grew up in in Cuba. The women there wore their hair like that. You don’t mind me saying so, she’s quite lovely.”
“That she is, Lt. That she is.”
“I’d say you’re a lucky man, Sgt.”
But I already knew that.
I liked Lt C a great deal, and we worked well together. Our new First Sgt didn’t seem to, though - they butted heads frequently. Top didn’t care for me, either, for that matter, and didn’t try to hide it. But considering C’s many outstanding qualities, I took That as a compliment.
All a long time ago now. Many years have passed. Her hair’s much shorter now, and has some white in it. She’s gotten a little rounder, and frets over it, though I continually reassure her it doesn’t matter - that she still makes me smile just by being in her presence, and is still as beautiful as ever.
She’s doing an aerobic workout every morning, though, along with some women on a U-Tube channel; determined to slim down. Can’t tell her anything - nothing new there.
And I’ve been using a walker today, for the downright humiliation of it. Better than falling on my butt, I guess. Knee’s starting to feel better, though. Doesn’t hurt as much, and starting to bend a little and take a little weight again.
When I was young, I could take just about anything. Fell out of the back of a moving pickup onto pavement when I was 19. Picked myself up, wiped off the blood, and laughed it off. We all thought we were immortal then, The Boys and me, until we learned we weren’t.
Had a surgical procedure performed the year before that with no anesthetic, due to circumstances, and hadn’t made a peep. Ever have an open bone-deep wound afterward flushed out with saline? Stuff Burns, brother.
And now my gimpy self, lol.
Hear here’s gone, though, with a storm blowing in. Thunder and lightning, strong, cool wind picking up. Lots of rain. Gonna sit outside here and enjoy it - love a good storm. There are certain things in life you don’t want to miss.
A buddy and I defied previous orders once, and snuck out on deck as our ship was passing through a typhoon it the Philippine Sea - wanted to experience it up close and personal. Experience of a Lifetime, and didn’t get blown overboard! Standing on deck trying to keep our feet under us as we watched the shrieking wind blow rain and sea- foam completely sideways was a thing to Remember! The high-quality weed we’d smoked only made it better.
The two of us were just surprised we were the only ones out there. Who in their right minds would willingly miss This? Afraid of getting in trouble, the lot of ‘em, the chickenshits. I usually was anyway, so meh.

• So there are clearly still a ton of misconceptions about their fight which I will break down into small sections. Also keep In mind that this is my opinion mostly.
• Close Quarters Combat (CQC): For most of this fight, Meguna doesn't use Domain Amplification (DA), leading to Gojo beating him up for most of the fight. This happens because Meguna wants to adapt to Gojo since he constantly uses Blue and Infinity around the clock.
• In every single instance where Meguna uses DA, he beats Gojo in CQC. The only time where he doesn't is in the beginning of the fight when they're warming up in he doesn't use it until mid-air.
• In total the record of Gojo vs Sukuna w/DA is 3-0, in now you might bring up the second Domain clash where Gojo lands a hit, but that was likely on purpose as Sukuna's facial expression changed after he landed the punch and then ended up getting behind him in destroying his Domain.
• Mind you Heiankuna and Yujikuna would be better due to them just outstating Meguna and Heiankuna has two arms (better CQC) and two faces (better pre-cog for CQC).

https://preview.redd.it/t9ywyeffkb3d1.jpg?width=784&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d229de239d0a21d65baffa569192bf7d4d0a8060
These are two instances when Meguna uses Domain amp
https://preview.redd.it/nvsdk879lb3d1.jpg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bbd6d3ef997b250b7cac5581e14607621a33d9dc
These are two instances where Meguna isn't using DA meaning Gojo can just go wild freely. This is the mistake people make when they assume Gojo bullied Meguna when that's not the case

• Domain Expansions: Now people might not know this but, before Sukuna's Domain evolved to where he didn't have to shrink its range for output. He actually had to shrink it manually in could have killed Gojo during the first clash believe it or not.
• As we see Sukuna increased his range from 140-200 meters near instantly and Gojo nearly died from his Malevolent Shrine at 140 meters, if he decreased the range more than that, then Gojo is dead which was not his objective at all. He was actually bored fighting Gojo as you see his tone in the words he uses with facial expressions. Also, Sukuna can just attack the inside of Gojo's barrier stated by Gojo himself.
• This means that when Gojo shrunk his barrier in it was super durable on the outside, it was weak similar to the first clash they had where Meguna instantly destroyed his Domain. I haven't even brought up Sukuna's Divine Flames which he could have used during the first clash here's why.
• So during this clash, there were no conditions changed, Gojo didn't have Blue amping him meaning he couldn't teleport or was at the speed which he keeps up with Meguna and he already had landed his sure-hit on Gojo by that point. Those flames would be in a 140-meter radius with a 280 diameter, Gojo is not escaping that (doesn't have the speed) or surviving that (already was getting slashed which was nearly killing him plus Divine Flames which would have engulfed him in the flames).

Decreased the range to increase output meaning smaller range stronger slashes
We also seen Mahoraga just punch straight down in destroy it so that argument that he wouldn't know where to hit is over
Could had use Divine Flames here but didn't want to kill Gojo
Everyone including Gojo thought he was gonna lose here, by Malevolent Shrine not even at its strongest or Sukuna for that matter of fact. He had 19F of power and didn't shrink his Domain, didn't use Divine Flames and was bored

• Heiankuna and Yujikuna would have an even easier time being faster than both of these characters. Especially Heiankuna, he's a total counter to Gojo the man has better perception, better CQC, better stats, better reach, and can chant while doing CQC it's just not fair like at all.
• I love Gojo as a character and Limitless and Six Eyes are fire as fuck, but he's just not on Sukuna's level, Gege has been trying to tell us this for a while now and if he beats Yuta (Gojo's body) now it makes it so much worse. He does have statements compared to 15-16F Sukuna I'll give him that doesn't mean he'd beat him just means overall as fighters they're comparable to a degree.

• So there are clearly still a ton of misconceptions about their fight which I will break down into small sections. Also keep In mind that this is my opinion mostly.
• Close Quarters Combat (CQC): For most of this fight, Meguna doesn't use Domain Amplification (DA), leading to Gojo beating him up for most of the fight. This happens because Meguna wants to adapt to Gojo since he constantly uses Blue and Infinity around the clock.
• In every single instance where Meguna uses DA, he beats Gojo in CQC. The only time where he doesn't is in the beginning of the fight when they're warming up in he doesn't use it until mid-air.
• In total the record of Gojo vs Sukuna w/DA is 3-0, in now you might bring up the second Domain clash where Gojo lands a hit, but that was likely on purpose as Sukuna's facial expression changed after he landed the punch and then ended up getting behind him in destroying his Domain.
• Mind you Heiankuna and Yujikuna would be better due to them just outstating Meguna and Heiankuna has two arms (better CQC) and two faces (better pre-cog for CQC).

https://preview.redd.it/t9ywyeffkb3d1.jpg?width=784&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d229de239d0a21d65baffa569192bf7d4d0a8060
These are two instances when Meguna uses Domain amp
https://preview.redd.it/nvsdk879lb3d1.jpg?width=1100&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bbd6d3ef997b250b7cac5581e14607621a33d9dc
These are two instances where Meguna isn't using DA meaning Gojo can just go wild freely. This is the mistake people make when they assume Gojo bullied Meguna when that's not the case

• Domain Expansions: Now people might not know this but, before Sukuna's Domain evolved to where he didn't have to shrink its range for output. He actually had to shrink it manually in could have killed Gojo during the first clash believe it or not.
• As we see Sukuna increased his range from 140-200 meters near instantly and Gojo nearly died from his Malevolent Shrine at 140 meters, if he decreased the range more than that, then Gojo is dead which was not his objective at all. He was actually bored fighting Gojo as you see his tone in the words he uses with facial expressions. Also, Sukuna can just attack the inside of Gojo's barrier stated by Gojo himself.
• This means that when Gojo shrunk his barrier in it was super durable on the outside, it was weak similar to the first clash they had where Meguna instantly destroyed his Domain. I haven't even brought up Sukuna's Divine Flames which he could have used during the first clash here's why.
• So during this clash, there were no conditions changed, Gojo didn't have Blue amping him meaning he couldn't teleport or was at the speed which he keeps up with Meguna and he already had landed his sure-hit on Gojo by that point. Those flames would be in a 140-meter radius with a 280 diameter, Gojo is not escaping that (doesn't have the speed) or surviving that (already was getting slashed which was nearly killing him plus Divine Flames which would have engulfed him in the flames).

Decreased the range to increase output meaning smaller range stronger slashes
We also seen Mahoraga just punch straight down in destroy it so that argument that he wouldn't know where to hit is over
Could had use Divine Flames here but didn't want to kill Gojo
Everyone including Gojo thought he was gonna lose here, by Malevolent Shrine not even at its strongest or Sukuna for that matter of fact. He had 19F of power and didn't shrink his Domain, didn't use Divine Flames and was bored

• Heiankuna and Yujikuna would have an even easier time being faster than both of these characters. Especially Heiankuna, he's a total counter to Gojo the man has better perception, better CQC, better stats, better reach, and can chant while doing CQC it's just not fair like at all.
• I love Gojo as a character and Limitless and Six Eyes are fire as fuck, but he's just not on Sukuna's level, Gege has been trying to tell us this for a while now and if he beats Yuta (Gojo's body) now it makes it so much worse. He does have statements compared to 15-16F Sukuna I'll give him that doesn't mean he'd beat him just means overall as fighters they're comparable to a degree.

Today I tried to AP through inducing sleep paralysis, by keeping still, and counting forward and backwards to 100 as long as it needed to take, while focusing on keeping my mind clear of any thought. After about the 4th round of counting I finally got that vibration feeling I always hear about! It was comparable to when you hum with your mouth closed, and you feel that weird vibratey feeling, but all over your body from head to toe. My heart rate climbed through the roof and startled me at first but I tried to stay calm because I knew it was all apart of the process. My body went numb with the vibrations continuing, and I almost felt a floaty sensation all over my body. The vibrations got so intense I was positive the bed was shaking with me. I also felt a feeling like I was falling through my bed, and I could feel my body wanting to catch itself but I let it go because I didn’t want to break what I have worked so hard to achieve. The problem is, this stage went on FOREVER. I tried to will myself to exit by using the rope technique, and the roll over technique and it felt like I wanted to exit, but I couldn’t if that makes sense. Like I could feel my literal soul trying to roll out of me but it was like stuck or something. I erased all fear from my mind, let go of all expectations and was so ready for it to happen, so I don’t understand why I couldn’t just exit! It was so overly frustrating! After trying for what felt like forever I finally just gave up, and when I looked at the clock 2 hours had passed!! I felt exited that it finally happened to me, but super bummed because I was SO CLOSE I could taste it!! What was I doing wrong?! And did I recognize the signs correctly? Or was all that something else? I’ve heard that when it happens you just KNOW and I knew that’s what I was feeling, but why didn’t my soul want to leave????
Any tips for next time would be greatly appreciated! Now that I know what to expect and that I can get to this phase, i need to know what to do next to give my soul a little push to get it to exit finally! Being this close is so frustrating! I keep thinking back at how close I was to finally visiting the Astral, and it makes me want MORE!

I became interested in the “Jack the Ripper” cases years ago. I had went with my Dad on a business trip to the UK when I was a child where I had first heard about the murders. Since that time I have checked out every library book that my city library has to offer on the matter, I have subscribed to several different genealogy sites along with various others from that region. I am an active member on various different forums and sites, I have read thousands of theories, and been involved in thousands of debates regarding everything from the identity of the killer, to the victims personal lives. Today, just like the many that came before me, I too am no closer to saying with any confidence that I have gained any ground in identifying the killer. I have came across some suspects that interest me, and of course some which I consider preposterous and others unlikely but still plausible. Somewhat recently I have started an investigation into a man who inserted himself into one of the murdered victims. To be more specific, the last man to see the last victim Mary Jane Kelly alive. I find him to be a very interesting suspect for several reasons which I will elaborate on in this thread. This person of course is the man who came forward on the evening of November 12th 1888 and gave inspector Abberline a very, very interesting account of what he claimed to have witnessed. This man of course is the man who identified himself as George Hutchinson.
George Hutchinson History:
We know very little of Hutchinson before he came forward on November 12th 1888. We do know that the census has him as an unemployed groom living at the Victorian home for working men. He was described being a SHORT and STOUT man having a military appearance.
Hutchinson inserted himself into the case, just as FBI profiler claims that the killer may do, when he gave a very detailed and almost too good to be true statement to inspector Frederick Abberline in regards to what he had observed on the early morning hours just before the last canonical victim Mary Jane Kelly was murdered.
Hutchinson’s statement to Abberline:
Hutchinson claimed that he had seen Mary Kelly, the victim, on the night of her death, 9th November 1888. He said that he was actually friends with the victim, having known her for three years, and bumped into her on Commercial Street at around 2am after finding that he no longer had a bed available at his home. She requested a sixpence from him, which he claimed he didn’t have, to which she bid him good morning and continued on her way.
Hutchinson told Abberline that after parting ways, he turned to see her get stopped by a man coming in the opposite direction. Supposedly, the man said something to Kelly which Hutchinson couldn’t hear and then they laughed. Afterwards, Kelly said “Alright,” and the man responded with “you will be alright for what I have told you,” before they turned around to walk back down the street, back towards Hutchinson.
Hutchinson claimed that he was intrigued by the man as he appeared wealthy and so stood against a lamp in front of the Queen’s House pub and waited for them to pass. As they passed, Hutchinson’s statement says that the man pulled his hat down to try and cover his face but Hutchinson stooped to ensure he could see him clearly.
Hutchinson claimed that the man was between 34 and 35 years of age, 5 feet and 6 inches tall with a small moustache which curled upwards at the edges and dark hair. He also specified that the man’s eyelashes and eyes were dark in colour, though he had a pale complexion. Beyond this, he wore a long, collared coat which was dark in colour but featured astrakhan cuffs; it was this trait which defined the man’s title of ‘The Astrakhan Man’ in Ripperology circles. Additionally, in this single glance, Hutchinson also noticed that the man was wearing boots and gaiters with white buttons, alongside a thick gold chain around his neck and a black tie with a horseshoe pin attached to it. He also identified that the man was holding a small parcel in his left hand with a strap around it.
All in all, a very highly detailed description given by George Hutchinson.
At around 2:15 AM the pair walked past him, Hutchinson claimed that he tried to follow them, heading towards the Miller’s Court, where Kelly lived and was found brutally murdered hours later. George elaborated, claiming he saw them stand and talk at the entrance to the courtyard, during which time he heard specifics of their conversation, saw them kiss and described how Kelly claimed she had lost her handkerchief, to which the man handed her a red handkerchief of his own.
Afterwards, Hutchinson waited in Miller’s Court to see if they would leave Kelly’s home. He waited for 45 minutes before departing, which is the only part of the statement corroborated by another eyewitness, Sarah Lewis, who claimed to see a man standing opposite Miller’s Court at this time. This concluded his statement.
Just before Hutchinson we have another eye witness who observed Kelly that evening. This is her statement. MARY ANN COX: “She last saw deceased alive about a quarter to 12 on Thursday night. Deceased was very much intoxicated at that time and was with a SHORT, STOUT man, shabbily dressed, with a round billycock hat on. He had a can of beer in his hand. He had a blotchy face and a heavy carroty moustache. Witness followed them into the court and said, "good night", to the deceased, who replied, "Good night; I am going to sing."
The door was shut and witness heard the deceased singing, "Only a violet I plucked from mother's grave."
Witness went to her room and remained there about a quarter of an hour, and then went out. Deceased was still singing at that time.
It was raining, and witness returned home at 3:10 a.m., and the light in the deceased's room was then out and there was no noise
Another eye witness was Sarah Lewis (as seen in the latter part of George Hutchinson’s statement) this is her statement.
SARAH LEWIS : “Sarah Lewis, Great Pearl Street, stated:- I visited a friend at Miller's Court on Friday morning at half-past two o'clock. I saw a man standing on the pavement. He was SHORT and STOUT but she could not see his face”
Are you noticing a pattern?
-Hutchinson admittedly puts himself in the exact spot at the exact time that Sarah Lewis sees a man she describes as SHORT and STOUT. This meaning that this man was Hutchinson. However, Hutchinson tells Abberline that he did not see Kelly until around 2AM when she asked him for sixpence. Hutchinson claims that that he spent all his money going down to Romford.
But, Mary Ann cox sees Kelly in the company of a SHORT and STOUT man at 11:45 PM.
How many SHORT and STOUT men “by description” came into Mary Kelly’s life within the course of a few hours?
Somebody using the description of “STOUT” is a unique physical description. For instance would anybody describe the current United States president as “Stout”? No, absolutely not. That is not a physical trait that he holds. What about a man who is 5’5 and weighs 185lbs? This may be considered as stout. Likewise, what is a man is 5’5 and has a square face with broad shoulders? Could we call him “Stout”. Yes, I would think so.
Nowhere in the eyewitness, police, or any other reports in these cases is ANYBODY else described as being stout. But this unique physical characteristic plagues this case, and is even more reported than that of the foreign or Jewish man. At least 6 different eyewitness from different cases of the canonical victims describe the SHORT and STOUT man with reddish hair and mustache.
QUESTIONING HUTCHINSONS STATEMENT:
1) Why did Mary Kelly who was broke and behind on her rent only ask Hutchinson for sixpence? Why not more? Why this specific amount? Oddly, this would be the same amount that Kelly would have charged.
2) A man with a big gold chain and dressed to the nines looking like he just walked off the monopoly board is walking around Commercial and Thrawl street (one of the roughest areas in Whitechapel) at 2AM and he is not worried about getting robbed, or worse? I don’t buy it.
3) Why did Hutchinson wait 3 days to come in? Is it because he knew that he had been spotted by Lewis and perhaps others and wanted to take the spotlight off the short stout man?
4) Dr Bond puts Kelly’s death between 3AM - 4AM. Ironically this is the same time that Hutchinson “claimed” to have left the court.
5) Hutchinson claimed that he had spent all his money going down to Romford. So we are to believe that Hutchinson walked roughly 16 miles back to Whitechapel in the cold and rain only to get back and have no lodging? Sixpence could also be the amount agreed for somebody to stay the night with no sexual favors.
6) Mary Ann cox says that when Kelly took the short stout man into her room that Kelly did not seem to engage in any sexual activities with him, but rather sand to him for over an hour and then more than likely shared a meal of fish and potatoes with him.
7) Where did Hutchinson go after he “claimed” to have left the court? He had no lodging, and he just witnessed what he described to Abberline as a very mysterious man walk into a room with his friend who he claimed to have known for the better part of three years.
8) If Hutchinson only wanted to get his five minutes of fame he certainly would have came forward a lot sooner than three days later.
9) Hutchinson lived on Commercial street, this is located in the heart of Jack the rippers kill zone.
10) The majority of Hutchinson’s witnesses statement seems made up and seems to piggy back off of bits and pieces of reports from the newspapers. The final blow was describing a foreign or Jewish man to Abberline, which by this time probably had Abberline drooling. Many researchers today consider Hutchinson’s statement to be overly embellished.
11) Kelly was the last canonical victim, and the last victim to have been so severely mutilated in this fashion around that area. Researchers have often speculated on why the killer stopped so suddenly after Kelly. Was it because he was sent to prison on an unrelated charge? If so, he would have started again after getting out. Could it be because he moved away? If so we would have seen more victims from another region but same MO. Could it be that he died? It’s possible. Or, it could be that he got so close to getting caught with Kelly that he stopped killing. After all, there was nothing that could top what he did to that poor girl.
I could keep going, but it is my opinion that when Hutchinson came forward on the evening of November 12th that Abberline only questioned him as a witness and did not interview him as a suspect.
It is my opinion that Hutchinson made an arrangement with Kelly to sleep at her place, possibly around the same time Cox observed he and Kelly drinking together, in exchange for sixpence. Kelly takes another client and tells Hutchinson to wait outside. Hutchison comes back into Kelly’s room after the client leaves around 3AM and murders her shortly after.
I am not saying that George Hutchinson is Jack the Ripper. Only that the man who identified himself as George Hutchinson was the man who killed Mary Jane Kelly.
Thank you for your time.

Last month, Walmart announced layoffs and the closure of 51 Health Clinics across the United States. Employees in the Health & Wellness division, initially reassured of their job security, faced another blow just two weeks later:
A majority of Walmart's full-time remote employees received notice this month to relocate to Arkansas or accept severance (if eligible). Concurrently, several hundred other corporate workers across North America received layoff notices without the option to relocate. A smaller number of employees were given the choice to move to remaining offices in the San Francisco Bay, New York, and New Jersey areas. Notably, these offers are based on role and business needs rather than employee proximity to existing offices, resulting in some workers being asked to relocate across the country despite living near a Walmart office. Additionally, if two workers living in the same household receive relocation notices to different offices, the location for the more "senior" role will take precedence.
The reason provided for the latest changes? "Walmart is an in-person culture," and they want workers reporting to the office five days a week.
This decision came despite the significant contributions of remote workers who helped the company navigate the pandemic, forge new ways of working, and achieve record profits. Walmart's latest financial report, released just days after the second round of layoff and relocation notices, showed profits of over $5 billion.
Ironically, after sending the in-person work mandate, a series of deadly tornadoes struck northwest Arkansas this Memorial Day weekend, causing widespread damage and power outages that affected Walmart's Home Office and many employees in the surrounding areas. In response, Walmart asked its Arkansas employees to work remotely for now...

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Hello!
I hope you're all doing well!
This is a fantastic event, and I had such a fun time writing about it. Although, I gotta say, a break is nice here and there, but getting back into the writing groove is tough lol, so if my writing is subpar here, expect it to be a bit better next week as my brain slowly switches back to writing mode!
(c) - Champ
D/DWCS - Debut/Dana Whites' Contender Series
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in division
x/3 - Confidence Levels
Lets go!
Prelims
Flyweight
Andre Lima (8-0-0, 8 FWS) v Mitch Raposo (D) (9-1-0, 4 FWS)
Striking: Despite the power of Raposo being a bit of a threat, I do think from a technical standpoint that Lima should be able to see a lot of the predictable attacks from Raposo coming, since Raposo’s best attack, which he uses very often, is his wide right during a two to three punch sequence, so as long as Lima avoids that and retaliates accordingly with his own boxing, we should be able to see Lima be the more effective striker.
Wrestling/Grappling: I don’t think either fighter wrestles when they fight, I mean, the footage I have seen from Raposo has mostly been him using his striking, and the same could very much be said about Lima. So, I call it a tie here, maybe?
Cardio: Lima is the one who is coming into this fight off a full camp in preparation for two other opponents who dropped out, and whilst a sudden change in opponent sucks because gameplans change, that cardio and conditioning work that has been done will still shine.
Prediction: Lima via KO R2 (1/3)
Women’s Bantamweight
Joselyne Edwards (+210) (13-5-0, NS) v Ailin Perez (-265) (9-2-0, 2 FWS)
Striking: I mean, considering this fight is between a striker and a grappler, I have to give the striking advantage to Edwards here, she is the longer fighter, she does have the power and the technique to make this a little bit tricky for Perez to close in and get that takedown she very much needs, but I don’t exactly rate Edwards’ striking to be particularly high in any regard.
Wrestling/Grappling: This is Perez’ bread and butter, she uses her wrestling almost exclusively when she fights, and the moment she is in a very strong top position, that’s when you typically see her let her hands go and land some solid ground and pound.
Cardio: I have criticised Edwards’ cardio in my main write up, she is a 1.5 round fighter at best and I do think that if Perez is the one to execute her takedowns effectively and with vicious amounts of activity on top, we will only see that fatigue appear sooner. Perez probably has the default advantage also given her style is practically to wrestle, and you need to have a good gas tank to do all that.
Prediction: Perez via KO R3 (2/3)
Welterweight
Mickey Gall (+225) (7-5-0, 2 FLS) v Bassil Hafez (-290) (8-4-1, NS)
Striking: I mean, this is a contentious one because on one hand Hafez has the power advantage, he was wild but he made it gritty against JDM in his debut, but is wildness enough on the feet to deal with Gall who, despite being away for two years, could be coming back looking like a brand new fighter? I am leaning on Gall being the more effective striker here, but it’s a bit of an unclear one due to that time away.
Wrestling/Grappling: This is a clash between a good BJJ fighter in Gall and an excellent wrestler in Hafez… and since Gall has dreadful takedown defence, sitting pretty at 36%, I cannot help but think Hafez has the advantage here. There is a possibility that Gall, using his height and reach advantage, could lock in a guillotine submission as a counter to one of Hafez’s takedowns, so if you want to sprinkle something on Gall winning this one by submission, i wouldn’t blame you, but I think the wrestling output from Hafez is enough to nullify a lot of the submission threat, as long as that guillotine is not locked in tight.
Cardio: I know there is talk about Hafez having bad cardio when he fought JDM, but I think he was stylistically backed into a corner. His main style is wrestling yet he faced JDM on short notice, and I mean, JDM’s takedown defence is legit.
Prediction: Hafez via UD (1/3)
Welterweight
Niko Price (+210) (15-7-0, 2 FLS) v Alex Morono (-260) (24-9-0, NS)
Striking: This is an interesting one because both have their little tendencies… Morono is a bit unorthodox with the way he strikes, he has an awkward stance, he plods forward and his leg is often exposed which I can see Price attacking very often during this fight, but Morono’s quick one two is pretty fascinating to watch, it comes from a slightly higher angle, shoulder height instead of chest height almost, and that could make it hard for Price to get a read on things. It’s pretty even here to be honest.
Wrestling/Grappling: If we are talking about straight grappling, Morono has a massive advantage here, although we don’t normally see Morono control his opponent enough to wrestle them to the ground, so I think his grappling is situational for the most part, instead of an active style he uses, if that makes sense?
Cardio: Pretty even here to be honest, although Morono has shown to be fairly good in three round fights, fighting at a relatively high pace, although he does wilt from time to time, that could just be his style, conservation in the last rounds and such. Price has great cardio too, he has ridiculously good output but I just don’t know if that output is going to be there when that one-two from Morono is going to be a bit problematic. 50/50 here.
Prediction: Morono via UD (1/3)
Welterweight
Phil Rowe (+135) (10-4-0, NS) v Jake Matthews (-165) (19-7-0, NS)
Striking: Rowe has the clear reach advantage in this fight, he uses his reach well, using awesome straight one-two combinations and stance switches, but the thing that makes this most interesting is that Matthews has a boxing style of weaving into range, and it’s in the pocket where Rowe doesn’t strike as well as he normally does at range, and I just see Matthews landing his strongest punches from that pocket position, just off the weave and angle change. Both fighters have very, very good striking, but the one with the advantage depends on the position of the fighters.
Wrestling/Grappling: Matthews built his career off wrestling, he’s got a very strong wrestling base, and whilst he doesn’t use it as much as he should these days, it is still very much a skill that he could pull out and surprise Rowe with. Slight advantage goes to Matthews, and it’s only slight due to how little he wrestles these days.
Cardio: Man, both are really durable fighters who can take a fight to the distance and still look fresh, it’s a tough one to decide who is better, so it’s a tie here.
Prediction: Matthews via UD (1/3)
Lightweight
Grant Dawson (#15) (-320) (20-2-1, NS) v Joe Solecki (+250) (13-4-0, NS)
Striking: Dawson probably has the advantage here, but since both fighters have such a focus on wrestling and grappling, it’s a bit hard to be confident in saying that Dawson has the better striking. I do know that Solecki doesn’t strike that much, and Dawson has shown to have decent boxing, so there’s that at least.
Wrestling/Grappling: I like Solecki’s BJJ, he’s very, very good on the ground, but BJJ is only good if you can catch someone in a submission, its ineffective until it is effective and I don’t think Dawson is going to let Solecki set up Submissions without a lot of resistance. So, it’s a battle of wrestling versus grappling here in my opinion, and its pretty damn close, I still think Dawson is going to control Solecki for most of the fight, but Solecki could pull off a funky little sub off his back.
Cardio: I don’t think this one matters a whole lot here, Dawson usually thrives in long fights, he’s great at grinding out his opponents on the ground, and since he is probably going to be in top position for most of the fight, I do think he can wear Solecki down here. So, Dawson probably has the advantage here.
Prediction: Dawson via UD (2/3)
Middleweight
Roman Kopylov (-135) (12-3-0, NS) v Cesar Almeida (+115) (5-0-0, 5 FWS)
Striking: This is going to first and foremost be a fantastic stand up bout, Kopylov is insanely quick with his southpaw powerside attacks, his straight left is a danger to almost anyone, but the problem that I see him facing is the fact he tends to be too hittable at times, I mean, if Fremd can smack around Kopylov a bit, what can Almeida do? Almeida is a very high level kickboxer who has a brilliant left hook (as well as practically every other attack a kickboxer might use, including leg kicks), and I only highlight the left hook because Kopylov leaves that right hand a bit out from a proper shell position, so I can’t help but think that left hook is going to be a dangerous weapon for Kopylov to deal with. Almeida has the better striking here, only due to his credentials though.
Wrestling/Grappling: I mean, Kopylov is a multiple time Sambo champion, so I do think he has the ability to mix it up and make it interesting for Almeida, but Almeida himself has decent takedown defence and grappling defence, so it kind of almost negates each other, but still, the longer the fight takes place on the ground, the better it is for Kopylov here. Slight advantage to Kopylov.
Cardio: Tough one to decide, but Kopylov is pretty good at fighting in the second and third round, whereas Almeida might be good in the second or third, but there’s not quite enough fights to where I can say that comfortably. 50/50 here.
Prediction: Almeida via KO R2 (1/3)
Main Card
Welterweight
Randy Brown (-155) (18-5-0, 2 FWS) v Elizeu Zaleski (+130) (24-7-1, 1D/2FWS)
Striking: It’s a bit of a battle of range and power here, Brown has the reach advantage to glide on the outside and let his hands go a bit more comfortably, but he is also quite good at mixing in teeps and leg kicks, so he’s quite dynamic at range. Zaleski is very, very good at making this a gritty fight, if he can close the range he can certainly land cleanly against Brown because Browns best defence is his distance management, so Zaleski’s best chance at a clean punch is to enter the pocket and fire away. It’s a bit of a 50/50 but given the reach advantage of Brown I think he has the very slight advantage here.
Wrestling/Grappling: I know Brown doesn’t wrestle a lot, but it could really play into his favour in this fight, just to mix it up a bit. I haven’t exactly seen Zaleski look for takedowns a whole lot, he’s mostly a striker but quite adaptable on the ground, so the advantage here is also a 50/50 as its situational.
Cardio: I know that Zaleski is getting up there in age, but he still holds up well in distance fights. Brown has great cardio too and he’s good at maintaining a high pace of activity, especially at distance. My only concern is if he gets his legs chewed up by Zaleski’s kicks, that might seriously sap his tank a bit. Maybe a 50/50 here.
Prediction: Brown via UD (1/3)
Heavyweight
Jailton Almeida (#6) (-300) (20-3-0, NS) v Alexandr Romanov (#14) (+240) (17-2-0, NS)
Striking: Almeida probably has better striking than Romanov, but its only very slight since he focuses a lot on his wrestling pressure and grappling.
Wrestling/Grappling: I can go back and forth about this one for quite some time, but you’re here for the plain and simples, not the fluff, so to put it bluntly, Almeida has much better aggressive wrestling than Romanov has defensive wrestling (outwrestled by Espino), I believe that Almeida also has that BJJ that will help him control Romanov on the ground.
Cardio: Almeida has decent cardio, he might be a bit lay and pray-ish but he’s great at pressuring his opponent and sapping their cardio quicker than he saps his own cardio, so I got Almeida having the better gas tank here.
Prediction: Almeida via UD (1/3)
Middleweight
Kevin Holland (-250) (25-11-0, 2 FLS) v Michal Oleksiejczuk (+200) (19-7-0, NS)
Striking: Holland has a wide range of attacks that he uses, although he is mostly known for his sharp long boxing, and its that long striking which could be most problematic for Oleksiejczuk. Holland is also moving up to 185 again so we might see some more impactful shots since he will be less depleted during fight day.
Wrestling/Grappling: Holland used to be a grappler, he has quite a few submissions under his belt, and it is proven that Oleksiejczuk is not good at all on the ground, so if Holland was to wrestle in this fight, he would be the far superior grappler. I mean, most of Oleksiejczuks losses have been from submission, so it just makes sense to me that Holland would be a lot better than Oleksiejczuk on the ground.
Cardio: You cannot count out Hollands cardio here, the dudes a bundle of endless energy. He is built for durability, he took severe punishment when he fought Thompson and MVP and still stood tall and hung in there. That’s not just a show of “heart”, that’s a well conditioned fighter.
Prediction: Holland via KO R2 (2/3)
Co-Main Event
Middleweight
Sean Strickland (#2) (-205) (28-6-0, NS) v Paulo Costa (#8) (+170) (14-3-0, NS)
Striking: It’s a story of two styles here, Strickland has an excellent jab cross, his boxing fundamentals are his strongest assets as a striker, he doesn’t stray from the ordinary too much, everything is clean, maybe a bit repetitive, but that striking, alongside his forward pressure, has resulted in some slick victories on his behalf. Costa on the other hand is the exact opposite. Big movements, big actions, massive power, that’s Costa in a few words, he is chaotic and is able to disrupt the pattern of Strickland, and if he looks good enough to the judges despite the strikes being a bit ineffective, then he could very well get the nod.
Wrestling/Grappling: I don’t think i’ve ever seen Strickland wrestle. I mean, he trains out of Xtreme Couture so he certainly should have some wrestling under his belt, but he doesn’t exactly use it a lot. Same as Costa, Costa is mostly a striker so he tends to avoid a lot of grappling situations as much as possible. I don’t think either fighter has an advantage in grappling here.
Cardio: Strickland doesn’t look any different in the 5th than he does in the first, so I think Strickland has the far better cardio, and Costa tends to throw big attacks early which saps the gas tank a bit. So, Strickland has the better cardio here.
Prediction: Strickland via UD (1/3)
Main Event
Lightweight Championship Bout
Islam Makhachev (c) (-480) (25-1-0, 13 FWS) v Dustin Poirier (#5) (+360) (30-8-0, NS)
Striking: There is little doubt that when it comes to technique and timing, Poirier is at a ridiculously high level. He holds all the cards when the fight takes place on the feet, all he needs to contend with is the wild power and speed of Makhachev, but Makhachev mostly uses his power and speed to close the distance and raise the guard of his opponents, making those takedowns a bit easier. I cannot wait to see if Poirier lands that fight ending left or right hook.
Wrestling/Grappling: This is all Makhachev, and whilst you might argue that Poirier has great grappling, I think it’s a bit basic in comparison to Makhachevs, and if you know Makhachev, he prepares for the best his opponent can ever do, I think he trains to overestimate everything his opponent has to offer, so as soon as the fight hits the ground, expect Makhachev to thrive.
Cardio: Both have reasonably good cardio to be honest, but there’s something special about Makhachev, he is so full on and fights at such a nasty pace throughout all 3-5 rounds that his opponent can barely keep up with him… He only wilted once before, and that was against Volkanovski, late into the 5th round, in that very first fight, that’s stupendously impressive.
Prediction: Makhachev via Sub R2 (2/3)
Primary Parlay - Price/Morono o2.5 or GTD + Dawson/Solecki o2.5 or GTD + Almeida/Kopylov ITD + Makhachev/Poirier ITD
Secondary Parlay - Price/Morono o2.5 or GTD + Almeida/Romanov R3 Starts Yes + Strickland/Costa o2.5 + Makhachev/Poirier u3.5 or ITD
Locks: Perez (optional), Dawson, Almeida, Holland and Makhachev.
Alt Bets: Kopylov Points, Zaleski KO/Points, Costa KO/Points, Poirier KO R1 2 or 3 (combo rounds)
Prediction Accuracy for 2024: 64.3%
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Lets have a fun and friendly discussion down below about this weekends card!
I hope you all have an amazing day, look after yourselves, and enjoy this awesome event!

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hello ! i am a 18 yo working in a 24 hour facility. i work NOC shifts and always, ofc, run into the nurse from PM shift. Today we had a nurse that is only at the facility 1 day a week. he isn’t known for being the nicest nurse/person there. he’s actually known for the opposite. today was my first bad interaction with him and i can say it was very terrifying. the nurse for NOC was already here when he came to our station. (no he wasn’t already there like he’s supposed too) he said he was taking his “30” min break. let’s just say he took way longer than a 30 min break. and he came back to count with the nurse but my nurse has someone she’s training so that guy goes to count with him not my nurse. then it first started off with my nurse and this RN from PM talking about how he took a long break and that he stays clocked in while he’s leaving to his other job. he basically takes his break at the very last hour he has so he can go to his other job to clock in for it then he will come back count and then leave to go back to his other job. but anyways after that she was telling him that someone has been asking for meds and since he was the nurse for that night he had to give them and they were just kinda arguing for a little then he tried to bring ME in the middle of it saying i should have told her that he was on his break and wtv. but i did tell her he just didn’t have any excuses for why he was so late. then he said we were harassing him but we were literally sitting down quiet talking to him being polite while he was yelling at us. then he said i was being rude and that he had a daughter my age and that he hates my attitude but he was yelling right to my ear and face was just straight up yelling. i’m not a fan of yelling but i stayed calm. but then he was just so pissed didn’t give anyone meds and just left. idk i think it was very unprofessional and it was just done plane disrespectful.

*mods green lighted this post\*
A few years ago I got fed up with my never-ending spreadsheets so I started building a FI tracking app to make it easier to track my progress to FI. I have posted a couple updates/feedbackers along the way in this sub (updates one, two, three & four). I also did an interview with Pete Matthews on meaningful money if anyone wants to dig into more of the details around my journey building this app interview here
It turns out building an app was waaaaay harder than expected so we had some hiccups along the way (especially with Android) + it's generally taken a lot longer than expected. Overall, we've seen a steady flow of usage and had pretty positive feedback, but it hasn't exactly spread like wildfire through the FI community.
I'm now at a bit of a crossroads as to whether I should keep investing my time & energy into building this.
We spent the last 4 months working round the clock on a new version of the app - Topia 3.0 which has a tonne of improvements + new features (summarised below).
I mainly wanted to use this post to get peoples genuine thoughts & feedback (and dw already mentally prepped for some prime reddit trolling) on the new version and ultimately get a gauge on whether it adds enough value for people to pay to use it which will help me decide whether to continue moving forwards with this.
With the new version, I did decide to add a monthly subscription (9.99/month). As much as I wanted to keep this as a free tool, to keep investing time/effort into this for the foreseeable future it needs to generate money to sustain itself and contribute to my FI journey. I do believe the app can make FI significantly easier and help pinpoint ways to reduce your time to FI, justifying the monthly price, but we'll see if you all agree. Either way, you get a 14 day free trial without needing to enter any card details so you can easily take it for a spin for free.
Quick summary of the app:

• Real-time tracking: Monitor your net worth and FI progress through open banking
• Automatic FI number: The app calculates your FI number automatically
• Explore FI Flavors:
  • Geo-arbitrage: See how relocating can save costs and affect your FI timeline
  • Lean FI: Opt for a minimalist lifestyle to reach FI faster by significantly reducing expenses
  • Coast FI: Work out when you can stop contributing to your investments and coast your way to the finish line
  • Mini-retirement: Explore the impact of taking a mini-retirement on your time to FI
• Tinker: See how small changes to your income and expenses can accelerate your FI journey
• Daily Budgeting: Discover how skipping daily expenses like your Starbucks coffee can bring you closer to FI

You can check it out here - iOS & Android if you want to
lemme know thoughts!

Hello all, I have recently reached diamond with Varus top. [Here](https://www.op.gg/summoners/na/Cremling%20John-Storm?queue\_type=SOLORANKED) is my OPGG.
I did this with primarily two builds, pretty much full lethality making my AD number go as big as possible and an AP build to make my AP number go as big as possible. Big number=good.
Before the builds themselves, let me tell you where I would take each build. Typically the lethality builds would be taken in lanes where I really don't want to interact with the enemy champion. These are spooky champs that are very dangerous to get near to apply blight. (Think aatrox, jax) Lethality is also a great tool to avoid being outranged by mages, teemo, and enemy adcs. Its also a great way to just make the enemy laner have a miserable experience. So if they need to be abused heavily (kayle, gangplank), go lethality.
On the other hand we have the AP build. The items are kinda important for this build for the matchups so I can explain that. If you are to lane against tryndamere or olaf, you will be exclusively building one item to beat them. This will be zhonyas. You also build zhonyas into any spooky AD champs that want to jump on your face (renekton, riven). If you're into spooky AP champs that want to jump on your face (sylas, zac). The ap build is typically good in general into tanks and bruisers.
Onto the builds themselves:
LETHALITY
Opportunity -> Swifties -> Hubris -> Manamune -> Syrulda's Grudge
AD Runes: Comet - Manaflow Band - Absolute Focus - Gathering Storm - Cheap Shot - Eyeball Collector
Simple lethality page. People in botlane seem to like first strike. Personally, I dont think it lets me commit enough warcrimes on enemy top to be worth taking. long cd.
Hubris is sometimes swapped for ghostblade if I feel slow in a game. Always take swifties to reduce Q ms slow.
AP/RESIST (more situational items)
Zhonyas/Banshees -> Sorcs -> Banshees/Zhonyas/Shadowflame -> Rabadons -> Jak-Sho the protein shake
AP Runes: PTA - New healy thingy - Alactrity - Last Stand - Bone Plating - Overgrowth
The items are a little more situational here so I will explain. For first item against AP, build Banshees. Against AD, build Zhonyas. For second item, its good to round out your resists and get the other defensive item. If the enemy does not have important damage dealers of the other damage type, improve your damage with shadowflame. Third item raba is simple reasoning. More AP is more better. Jak-Sho is good into divers and takes advantage of the hybrid combined resistances of both defensive items. If you dont need it, build damage or pen.
Summoner spell = Flash/Barrier (only exceptions to this is ghost into darius or cleanse into nasus)
Small note:
The ap build is partially inspired by Dhokla. He goes Terminus-banshee/zhonya combo. Personally, I see terminus as dogshit as nashors and building the item gives me an aneurysm. For this reason I just skip it. Maybe I will change my mind if climbing gets hard.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE
Champion selection is not your friend. In the eyes of your solo queue teammates you are a pariah to be trolled. Do not hover Varus in champ select if you value your LP. Secure last pick and hover teemo or quinn depending on the damage type you think your team needs. After you see enemy top, lock varus. Hopefully they locked frontline for you. If they didn't, carry their sorry asses anyway!
Will answer any further questions if you have any about builds or matchups.
Happy climbing!

If I had the same features I did now, but I was a cis man, I wouldn’t be grateful that I was a cis man because I’d have nothing to compare my experience to. Of course, if I woke up tomorrow with a dick, I would be ecstatic, but that’s only because I have the life experience of a trans man. I would never stop to think “well, I may be 5’6 with a small frame and a round face but at least I’m not trans.” I’d never consider how much worse things could be. I would just sit around wallowing in misery and self pity the same way I do now. It’s not my body that’s the problem, it’s my brain.

*System Restart\*
I blinked at the text hanging in the air.
A small image of da Vinci’s vitruvian man did calisthenics underneath the words. More information scrolled upwards.
HumanOS Version: 1.0 Model: Vincent J. Carter Serial: 987-65-4329 Battery: 1560 @ 100% Memory: 640/640 Provider: None Network: None Credits: 9360 Expansion: None
The words flashed then swirled and transformed into a small translucent cog that hovered in the top right corner of my vision. Other icons floated into existence across the top of my vision, just like the info bar on a cellphone. An (8E) symbol, signal bars at 100%, and a full battery symbol. The time was currently 16:43 and it was Thursday, June 16th 1885
“What the heck?” I muttered, my voice loud in the silence of the ruined room.
I focused on the cog and a series of icons filled my vision. It took me about two seconds to understand that I could move them around using nothing more than my thoughts.
App Store, Calculator, Calendar, Camera, Clock, Gear, Inventory, Map, Notes, System.
“Did… Am I somehow mentally fused with my smartphone?” I wondered aloud. The timeless chaos and the voice were fading to dreamlike memories, a nightmare event that scratched at the edge of my sanity and threatened to overwhelm me. Did that entity think that the cellphone was some part of me?
“Okay, no worries. Let’s get back home and deal with this later.” I grumbled. “Hopefully I don’t run into a protest or riot or get locked up for violating curfew or not wearing a mask.”
I mentally selected [Map]
A transparent map of the room filled my vision along with tiny labels covering everything. Ruined chair, ruined bed, ruined table, rusty knife, leather pouch, unknown book. A moment later I had mastered the controls and zoomed out to find… nothing. The map was blank.
*Local Map Updating…\*
The Local map was updating, possibly because it needed to be filled in by my own exploration? I noticed a couple of icons on the left side of my vision and focused on them. Map Type, Search. Map Type allowed me to switch between Local, Transit, and Terrain.
I flipped between them and was rewarded with better information. The Transit map was like a traditional map, just lines and points of interest with the distance and travel times. I am currently in ‘Ruins of Fort Galos” with a dirt road that leads 3 miles south to “Wendleton Road” which zooms out to run between the cities of Wendleton and Comstock. Another zoom out and I’m located in the Region of Stratford… zoom out…on the continent of North Anglia… zoom out … on the planet of Aerth.
It sort of looks like Earth, if Earth had no polar ice caps. I can recognise the major continents, although most are shaped strangely because the oceans are so high. North America is split completely in two by a huge gulf that eats up all of Louisiana, most of the southern states, and carves a deep furrow all the way up to the Great Lakes and out to the eastern seaboard. Florida is missing, as is most of the eastern seaboard. The map calls that area ‘Colonia’ and it’s marked with a somewhat familiar red, white, and blue flag with just 17 stars. I’m located somewhere near Colorado, but Colorado doesn’t exist anymore. It’s part of Wilmont county in the Region of Stratford in an area called the Midlands.
My hands started shaking. It’s some sort of joke. Some kind of insanity. Some sort of delusion. Or maybe I’m delirious with the damned virus and having a mad dream. Okay. Okay. Deep breaths. Calm down and think rationally. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths, inhaling the musty and burnt scents of my new reality.
Okay, if I’m really in some alternate world then maybe things aren’t so bad? I was on the verge of being homeless and now I am homeless, so, nothing has really changed, right? And since I seem to be fused with my smartphone, maybe I can use that to my advantage? I quickly imagined a million ways I could die in a fantasy world and pushed down the panic. No sense in panicking just yet — we can do that later when I’m being burnt at the stake for witchcraft or something.
I flipped back over to Local Map and examined the room again. Leather pouch, rusty knife, and unknown book were located under the rotting carcass of the bed. I approached it and looked carefully to see if I could spot them. I smiled to myself thinking maybe I could make a living as some sort of detective or something, finding lost items with preternatural ability. Unable to see anything in the mass of mushrooms and ferns, I mentally tapped the label “Leather pouch” on the Local Map.
*Place Item in Inventory? [Y/N]\*
I selected [Y] and received a notification. Memory: [639/640]
Huh. It takes up memory.
I pulled the heavy pouch from inventory and into my hand. The leather was dried and stiff, but I managed to open it to reveal 1 golden coin, 50 tarnished silver, 68 copper, and 30 bronze coins.
The copper coins were about the size of a nickel and quite worn, but I could make out the face of some priest with a fancy hat on the face and a hammer and anvil on the reverse. The brass were the size of a quarter and similarly worn, and featured a bull on the face and a sheaf of wheat on the reverse. The silver were the size of a dime and slightly tarnished, with the image of some queen on the face and a crescent moon on the reverse. The gold coin was untouched by time and featured a stern looking king on the face, with a stylised sun on the opposite face. I popped everything back into Inventory.
Huh. It appears that everything I stick into inventory counts against the available memory of 640 that was listed earlier, but coins stack into one slot for each type so now I have 636/640 memory. Not bad, not bad. A little experimentation quickly proved that I could add the ruined chair and table too. One slot each. A seriously overpowered feature that I planned to abuse in the future — just put things in bags and boxes and my Inventory was practically unlimited! I rubbed my hands together like an evil villain. Half an hour ago I was a broke nobody with no future, and now I’m able to start completely fresh with cash and some strange abilities. Thank you strange entity!
It was terrifying and exhilarating. I wanted to dance and puke at the same time.
I placed the Unknown Book into Inventory and it popped into my hands a moment later along with a strong musty aroma. The leather cover was green with mould and swollen with moisture. Carefully flipping through the pages I stared in wonder at the illustrated script. It was like one of those old religious books you see in museums, every page a work of art. Too bad it’s written in some strange language I can’t read. Arabic maybe? Putting it back into Inventory, it took just a moment to figure out that I could get a quick overview of the item. [Unknown Book. A mouldy old book written in an unknown language.]
The rusty knife was what my father would have called a “pig sticker”, with a grubby leather sheath, bone handle, and a thick blade about ten inches long. Even though the blade was spotted with a bit of rust, it seemed to be in decent condition and could probably be salvaged with a whetstone and some oil. It was a weapon, and considering current events, a welcome addition to my new collection of personal possessions.
I kept the ruined chair and table in inventory. Never know when you might need firewood.
The Calculator was pretty cool, selecting it allowed me to mentally perform arithmetic in moments or provided a count of items in my vision. As long as it was open I could just think of a simple maths problem and the answer popped in my head along with a running tally. There was a scientific tab on it, but I didn’t foresee me using cosine functions anytime soon.
The Camera was interesting, allowing me to snap a photo of what I could see, but each picture used one memory although they only took up one Inventory slot. Delete, Delete, Delete.
Calendar was 13 months with 30 days each. The weeks were 6 days long and Monday was missing. Good. I don’t like Mondays. Especially since the days here are 26 hours long. I could also set appointments and reminders.
Clock was a basic clock with alarms and stopwatch function.
Notes was really cool though, it was like virtual paper. I could sketch things with my finger, or use thought-to-text, or even attach photos to the note and save them, which took up one Inventory slot per filename. The Export function created a thick piece of paper that appeared in my hand. Nice. Fire starting material!
It has an Import function too?
I created a new Note, then imported the mouldy book from my Inventory. It appeared as a virtual object in my vision that I could manipulate with a thought. Then I exported it. A popup appeared in my vision and I watched my Battery dip from 1560 down to 1460, then a duplicate appeared in my inventory. Sweet! I could set up shop as a magical print-wizard! Or work as a pack-mule, hauling entire warehouses of goods invisibly. I chuckled to myself imagining that.
However it took 100 battery points, so it wasn’t much of a cheat unless I could reproduce expensive texts. I wonder if it took 100 battery for everything, or if it was based on the complexity of the object?
System had some nice features included. One was Health Monitor, which gave me a general screen of any health issues. Notifications was also nice for popping up things that might be important. Nothing else of real importance, just some little tweaks to the User Interface and the ability to turn off the (8E) connection I had noticed earlier. Airplane mode, I guess.
Another hunch presented itself in the System and I opened up the language setting. English was currently selected. I scrolled through the selection and choose Arabic from the list. A slight wave of dizziness washed over me and I examined the unknown book again. Nope. Still unknown.
I sighed and flipped back to the language settings and noticed there’s an “Auto-Translate” selection. Mentally mashing the illusory button in my User Interface, another wave of dizziness washed over me. This time the unknown book had a tag on it. [Old Avestan - Translate? Y/N]
Duh, yes, translate! An old, unknown book hidden in a burned out room? That just screams Secret Book of Incredibly Over Powered Magic, doesn’t it? Annnnd… Nope. I flipped through the copy and it seems to be nothing more than some religious textbook. Beautifully illustrated, but I’m not getting any magic vibes off of it. I tossed it back in my inventory [Book. Zoroastrian religious text. Professionally Illustrated. 50SP] and continued my journey of self exploration.
When I enabled “Show Hidden Files” in System, it was absolutely terrifying. File names like “Digestion.dna”, “Endocrine.dna” and “Sensory.dna” filled my vision. I disabled that feature as soon as I realised what I was looking at. I’d hate to accidentally delete my sense of taste, or something even more important.
The Service tab under System was confusing. It seemed to be some sort of weird version of a mobile service plan that asked me to choose a Service Provider.
There were dozens of Service Providers to choose from; Industrial Charms & Enchantments, Whitehall Wizard Group, Sorcerer’s United, Atlantis Magic and Enchantment, and a slew of other providers with different tiers named after gemstones and the best offering being the Diamond Unlimited plan that offered ‘unlimited mana and roaming, some limits apply’ for an astronomical amount per month. I could see the service zones of each provider laid out across a map, along with colour coding for the quality of service ranging from 1E to 8E.
I could also choose from various Celestial or Infernal Contracts which had entire pages of TOS benefits and obligations. Another terrifying aspect of my new world.
I decided to dig into that mess later. I had no use for a service provider and picking one was a problem for future-me if I ever needed one.
The Gear icon opened up a minimalist overlay with a picture of me and the items I was wearing. Socks, shorts, underwear, tee-shirt. A mental twitch rotated the image and confirmed that my backside was just as filthy as the floor. Two buttons were visible next to my image, [Custom] and [Labourer]. I selected Labourer and the image shifted to show me wearing work boots, wool socks, denim trousers, leather belt, cotton underwear, cotton pull-over shirt, leather gloves, soft-brim hat. [Select? Y/N]
A mental push of the button and a million indigo motes surrounded me. Two seconds and 10 battery later I was wearing the new gear. And clean! All the grime on my arms and legs had vanished. Seriously, how awesome is that? I still feel like I need a shower though.
[Labourer class selected - Standard] Skills: Lifting, toting, stepping, fetching, shifting, digging, hauling, packing…
Knowledge of menial labour filled my head beyond what I was already familiar with. I somehow knew the most efficient ways to dig a ditch, safely shift a box, casually walk to the water cooler, and slack off while looking busy.
Huh. Did changing my gear change my class? That’s interesting. What happens if I put on a Wizard hat? Would I become some sort of hybrid day-labour wizard with spells for digging ditches? Oh, wait. I have five slots and can fill them with clothing and label them whatever I want.
I opened up the App Store.
Holy. Shitsnacks.
Dozens of icons filled my vision, offering a vast selection of what appeared to be careers? Professions? Classes? Skills?
Archivist, Accountant, Bartender, Book keeper, Cartwright, Con-artist, Farmhand, Herbalist, Hobo, Inn keeper, …Priest, Prostitute, Politician, …Sorcerer, Tailor, …Wizard, Zookeeper.
It was a huge and confusing array of choices.

Hello!
I hope you're all doing well!
Gonna try to keep this under 40k characters... so, the main event is going to be a bit shorter than usual, so if you have questions about that particular fight (or any, really), let me know and i can expand on thoughts and answer those questions!
Also, if you have feedback about the slightly new format, let me know!
(c) - Champ
D/DWCS - Debut/Dana Whites' Contender Series
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in division
x/3 - Confidence Levels
Lets go!
Prelims
Flyweight
Andre Lima (8-0-0, 8 FWS) v Mitch Raposo (D) (9-1-0, 4 FWS) - I feel for Lima here, three changes in opponent during this entire camp, that can’t be easy for the mental stress, but I do think that this last minute change gives Lima that advantage in preparation and cardio and such.
Lima is coming off quite an interesting debut result, in which his opponent straight up chomped on Lima’s arm. For the most part prior to that unique moment, Lima was doing relatively well on the feet, his boxing was crisp and whilst Severino was being pretty effective with his wrestling and pressure, you can almost see Lima settle in the longer the fight went on, and in the second round, he was finding his punches fairly easily, landing at a 66% rate in that second round. That has always been Lima’s main attribute as a boxer, his accuracy is oftentimes high when he fights, never wasting many shots as he sets his own pace and finds his timing, and it’s going to be relatively effective against Raposo who has a slight disadvantage in reach, and has a rather funky style himself, and sometimes funk is fun, but not when you have a sharp boxer opposite you.
Raposo is someone who tried to get into the UFC a while ago via Dana Whites’ Contender Series, but didn’t quite succeed due to a loss against Jake Hadley. Raposo is a fairly well rounded fighter but from the footage that I have seen, he is mostly a stand up fighter who utilises variations of a two to three punch combination, with a bit of an emphasis on his wide right that he tends to swing from a somewhat loaded up position. Now, I do want to point out in a positive light that he does come from the New England Cartel, and that gym generally produces outstanding strikers, but I just think Raposo is a few steps (or leaps) behind the stars of the gym in Kattar and Font. Now, there are positives for Raposo, he shells up relatively well and he doesn’t stay in firing range the whole time, especially when shelling up, he circles away whilst keeping his guard up. The one thing I cannot help but notice though is how exposed his body is to attacks, he isn’t that adaptable when it comes to his defences, and whilst he has a very typical high shell, I can just see Lima exposing the body with strong punches, and given that Raposo isn’t quite prepared properly for a fight against Lima, those body punches could shut him down. Now, Raposo does have a strong right hand, the one he tends to wind up and throw from the same angle at the same speed and such, but once it lands it could certainly cause trouble for Lima.
Lima has incredible potential in the UFC, his boxing is very sharp and I do think that the fact he has been preparing for a fight for quite some time now shows that he has the cardio and the durability to perhaps outlast Raposo, especially if those body shots that I predict will be there, land effectively. I almost want to make him a 2/3 confidence pick, but since he’s new to the UFC, and Raposo does have a bit of danger himself, I don’t feel comfortable putting him that high of a confidence pick. This is a fun first fight of the night.
Lima via KO R2 - (1/3)
Women’s Bantamweight
Joselyne Edwards (+210) (13-5-0, NS) v Ailin Perez (-265) (9-2-0, 2 FWS)
Edwards has had an interesting time in the UFC, she has had rather lacklustre performances against some of the more lower skilled fighters in the division. Edwards was introduced to us fans as a kickboxer from Panama, and for the most part her performances have echoed that style of kickboxing, but she walks into two metaphorical brick walls which hinder her performances. First, her cardio tends to fall apart relatively quickly, she does look fatigued after the second round, heck, even during it, and I do think considering Perez’s skillset is heavily wrestling based, that the fatigue problems will be a bit more prevalent, but that also tends to lead to a different issue that Edwards walks into, and that’s her weight. See, Edwards missed weight a few times in the UFC so far, and whilst those issues on the scales are perhaps anomalous to those two incidences, it does somewhat connect with her fatigue problems, she carries a lot of weight on fight day and that’s all a major contributor to exhaustion and fatigue. As for her record, it’s been stated many times, but she’s been gifted quite a few scorecards… She arguably lost to Pascual, Pudilova and even went to a split decision against Kim Ji-yeon. To say her record is pretty sketchy is putting it lightly. Her style is pretty standard for a boxer or kickboxer, she often strings together decent combinations with a fair bit of power given her size, but her major weakness is defending takedowns, and given that Perez is perhaps the first major wrestler that she is going to face, I suspect she’s going to be struggling to defend those takedowns, especially the longer the fight goes on, when that fatigue problem kicks in (if it kicks in).
Perez on the other hand is slightly more newer to the UFC, having had her debut at 145 against Egger before moving back down to 135 to take on Ashlee Evans-Smith and Pudilova, and it was in those two fights that we truly saw what Perez is capable of. Perez is very dependent on her takedowns, she does not strike a whole lot on her feet, she often uses some strikes to close the distance then level changes for a takedown or a judo throw, in which she then unleashes a lot of ground strikes, and it’s a bit obvious to me that she is going to utilise that exact style against the much taller and longer Edwards. Now, the longer this fight remains on the feet, the more chance Edwards has of pulling away with a win, but I only say that because I know that Edwards is going to have a striking advantage, but her kicks perhaps would be shut down by the wrestling threat of Perez.
This is very much a wrestler versus striker bout, and whilst you might argue that Edwards has shown some wrestling in her last fight against Cornolle, it’s important to know that Cornolle most definitely was not a wrestler so those takedowns would have been relatively easy, and there’s no doubt that Edwards has worked on her wrestling just so she is a more well rounded individual. I still firmly believe that Perez is going to get a win here through her wrestling, and the longer the fight goes on, the more Edwards is most likely to feel that fatigue. I am predicting a KO here, but it is going to be one of those ground and pound TKO’s. It’s also very possible this fight goes the distance so if you want to place a bet, either double chance this one or just have it go o2.5 or something.
Perez via KO R3 - (2/3)
Welterweight
Mickey Gall (+225) (7-5-0, 2 FLS) v Bassil Hafez (-290) (8-4-1, NS) - There is honestly not a lot to say about this one, Gall is severely overrated and a bit of a failed product of the Lookin’ for a fight show, and Hafez still has quite a lot to show us given he went three rounds against future contender Jack Della Maddalena.
Gall is coming off back to back losses over two years ago, so not only is he coming into this fight with a tough losing streak on his record, but those two years away are certainly muddying the waters a bit here. Anyway, Gall is mostly a submission artist, he somewhat thrives on the ground, although that would be a major gamble given the fact that Hafez is very wrestling oriented, and I mean, let's be honest, as long as a wrestler is in top control, it’s very rarely that they get submitted, and it’s not like Gall is some high level BJJ fighter with an impeccable record, he is just someone who has been given somewhat name-worthy opponents and that’s practically it. Gall's best chance to win this fight is on the ground, he needs to stick to his guns in this fight and be incredibly active on the ground or Hafez is going to shut down all of the submission attempts and just smother Gall in pressure. There is a possibility of Gall being somewhat effective on the feet, but a lot of his striking is fairly standard, often really using his grappling over anything else to get a win. One thing I don’t particularly like seeing when it comes to Gall’s striking is he is very still and perhaps too calm when he’s standing in front of someone, he doesn’t move his head a lot and his lead leg is often very out there and exposed, and whilst he does have quite a bit of power in his hands, I just don’t think he’s that capable of being a strong striker, his best skillset really is his BJJ. He is often quick to tie up his opponent or at least grab for a guillotine, and that guillotine will be there for him the more Hafez looks for takedowns, that will probably be the main threat coming from Gall for Hafez in my opinion.
Hafez has only one fight in the UFC but it was against one of the toughest opponents one can possibly debut against in Jack Della Maddalena, and whilst Hafez was simply outmatched on the feet, he persevered and still looked for those takedowns that he very much needed. It is the style of Hafez that will test Gall in this fight, because if Hafez attempted 20 takedowns against JDM who has exceptional takedown defence, I just think Hafez is going to have a bit of an easier time against Gall who is mostly a BJJ fighter who typically has terrible takedown defence, and I mean, this is something i’ve gone on and on about many times before, a good wrestler is a lot better than a good BJJ fighter, and whilst this is not exactly a case of Gall being a good BJJ fighter and Hafez being a good wrestler, that style clash is basically the same. Even if Gall does put up a good defence/offence on the ground, I do think Hafez and his grappling skillset is more than enough to deal with it. Hafez has gorgeous double leg takedowns, I mean, look at this beautiful takedown he used just seconds into his debut against JDM, he can do this over and over again, and realistically, he just needs to do this for the first two rounds, then he pretty much gets a win, but I think it’s going to be a relatively one sided wrestling attack by Hafez, and a few defensive submission attempts by Gall like guillotines or arm triangles off his back.
This is a great fight to be honest, I was rather impressed by the grit and determination of Hafez, he was getting torn up on the feet by JDM but still was willing to try and wrestle, resulting in a split decision loss, but an immeasurable amount of experience gained. I think Hafez gets a win here, but I only say that because I just don’t know how Gall is going to look coming off of a two year hiatus. We have sometimes seen insane improvements from fighters who take a few years off, so it’s possible Gall could look incredibly good, but based on what I know for “certain”, I think Hafez has this one.
Hafez via UD - (1/3)
Welterweight
Niko Price (+210) (15-7-0, 2 FLS) v Alex Morono (-260) (24-9-0, NS)
Morono is coming off a fairly competitive back and forth fight against McGee, and whilst he got the win, he didn’t look too great in there in all honesty. Morono does quite a few things with his striking that looks very funky and silly, he plods around a lot, his open elbow stance leaves him very open to being attacked, which often plays into his speed advantage in his fights as he can easily retaliate very quickly and land some thunderous punches. Morono is a very powerful boxer and he often uses a very quick left body or inside/outside leg kick with his boxing combinations just to add more sting to the sequence. However, as much as I find his striking style to be very unorthodox, what I do love about him is his grappling. Morono has ridiculously good BJJ, and whilst he doesn’t have the best takedown defence to take full control of his grappling ability, he is very, very good off his back. During his fight against Court McGee, he jumped the Guillotine, and whilst he didn’t successfully submit McGee, he was proactive in chasing an armbar off his back instead… It is the activity off the bottom that makes him a dangerous grappler and it’s always great to see. Now, Morono most likely has a fairly big power advantage here, and given that Price is coming off back to back KO losses, there is some question about whether or not his chin is durable enough to handle the right hand of Morono, and boy that right hand is a tough one to deal with.
Price is indeed coming off a KO loss against Robbie Lawler, and whilst it’s a tough loss for anyone, I do think that he still offers a great deal of threat for Morono, and whilst one might imagine the threat is going to be mostly his punching power, volume and other delicious words, I firmly believe that Price is going to chew up the legs of Morono very early and very often. Price is a fantastic leg kicker, he lands about one third of his strikes to the legs most of the time, and given that Morono is a very “plodding” stance fighter, I just cannot help but imagine that Price is going to land phenomenal leg kicks throughout this fight. However, the counter for leg kicks is, as we all should know by now, a power side attack, and if Price gets hit by that right hand, the momentum could shift very quickly. Now, if the fight ends up on the ground, I do think that Morono is going to swarm Price with overwhelming pressure and activity, given that Morono has excellent BJJ, and Price isn’t exactly that well versed on the ground.
As long as Price avoids the grappling and wrestling of Morono, he has a solid chance to win this fight, but I do think if he attacks the legs early and slows down the forward aggression of Morono, he could pull out an upset here, but that’s a bit of a big order given the threat of Morono’s quick one-two and his ability to utilise a wide range of attacks throughout all three rounds. This is very much a 50/50 fight though, I don’t feel confident at all in either fighter to win, and whilst I think Morono has more tools and more pathways to victory, Price could indeed surprise us this weekend.
Morono via UD - (1/3)
Welterweight
Phil Rowe (+135) (10-4-0, NS) v Jake Matthews (-165) (19-7-0, NS) - This is certainly a fascinating fight, but the first thing that screams at me is the size difference between Rowe and Matthews.
Rowe is coming off a back and forth, relatively slow and unimpressive fight against Magny, and whilst the fight took place in the clinch for the large majority of the fight, I did enjoy watching him use his reach by throwing that quick one-two down the pipe, and its that one-two that is going to be fairly problematic for Matthews given the fact that Rowe has an 8 inch reach advantage. I do believe that if Rowe keeps this fight clean, he has a major advantage here, but there is a glaring problem that I can see Matthews expose, and that’s the lack of defence that Rowe has. Whilst his ranged attacks are relatively effective, I do not like how hittable he is because he does not use footwork a lot, he just stands in front of his opponents target zone, kind of eating punches whilst trying to maintain his range. This is a problem for Rowe in this fight because Matthews is the type to push forward at a strong pace and let his own hands go effectively. Rowe has a phenomenal right hand, it is very accurate and thanks to the reach advantage, I don’t think he needs to show it off too much for it to be effective, he would just need to pop it out there in order to have it land. Now, Magny did make the fight gritty in the third round when they fought, and I did notice that whenever a pocket exchange is initiated, Rowe is on the receiving end of the harder shots, and that is primarily due to his lack of footwork and evasive movement in that particular bout, and whilst he did underperform during his fight against Magny, I do think he has the sharper, straighter punches that could be problematic for Matthews if Matthews is unable to close the distance and enter the pocket effectively.
Matthews is coming off a tough loss against Michael Morales, and it was in that fight that we saw Matthews get hit the most in his UFC career, receiving 84 significant strikes, although I think it’s fair to say that Matthews’ incredible defence allowed him to absorb those significant strikes without much serious damage. Matthews’ defence is actually one of the most impressive things I have seen, he shells up so effectively whilst leaving his stance open enough for aggressive retaliation. Everything Matthews throws comes with him immediately shelling up and moving off the centre line, he is impeccable with his defensive timing, and whilst he has been stumbled and rocked before, he has never really been in dire trouble. I do see Matthews using his overhand left followed by a quick duck followed by a straight right, that is his best entrance for the pocket and it is something he has used incredibly well against Morales. It is this exact style which makes his fight against Rowe a phenomenal match up because we have seen Rowe struggle when an opponent enters range, and I think Matthews is a lot more quick and explosive with forward momentum than Magny is. Plus, it helps that Matthews is such a gritty fighter, constantly moving forward and putting on strong pressure even if he gets hit, and that’s mostly due to his defence, he is just so good at absorbing and blocking damage whilst moving forward.
It honestly is a bit of a story between who can initiate their gameplan a bit better. For Rowe, he needs to be active at range, on the feet, he needs to use that quick one-two to freeze up Matthews and just eventually find the chin, because the chin is there, especially if feints are involved because Matthews does instinctively shell up a lot when something is coming his way, feint or otherwise. However, I do see Matthews making this a chaotic fight, especially since he loves to enter the range by weaving into the pocket, where Rowe is perhaps at his most uncomfortable. I got Matthews winning this one, I think his experience is going to shine here, as well as the fact that his defensive habits are going to be pivotal in mitigating a lot of the dangerous shots coming his way. I am not very confident in Matthews, I do see Rowe being dangerous at range still, but I just think Matthews ability to enter the pocket here is going to be the main story here.
Matthews via UD - (1/3)
Lightweight
Grant Dawson (#15) (-320) (20-2-1, NS) v Joe Solecki (+250) (13-4-0, NS)
Dawson is coming off a rough KO loss against Bobby Green, and that was always going to be one of the main outcomes for that fight since Green has excellent boxing, and thankfully for Dawson, that boxing or striking threat will be mostly gone here since Solecki isn’t at all a striker. Dawson is a very well rounded fighter who is incredibly effective on the ground, he is someone who is able to keep up a high pace of activity and still have enough cardio to be explosive, and I do think that the UFC is kind of making this fight a “comeback” fight for Dawson because I honestly don’t think Solecki has enough of an all round threat to make this interesting for Dawson. Dawson is going to employ the same strategy he has done in almost all of his fights, and that’s wrestle and control, he is so good at maintaining advantageous positions on the ground and the longer he is in top control, the worse it is for Solecki whose only chance to win this fight is to find a submission off his back, but since Dawson has ridiculously good wrestling and grappling himself, I think he can see any set up that Solecki attempts coming. On the feet I could say Dawson has the advantage here, but I don’t think a lot of the fight is going to take place on the feet, I think there’s going to be a lot of wrestling involved with Dawson being in the better positions.
Solecki is a sneaky fighter though, and whilst he has had some underwhelming fights, I do think the threat of his submissions are going to be fairly prevalent. I don’t think those submissions are going to land. Now, I will put a major disclaimer here saying I have struggled to find a lot of “working” tape for Solecki, and I have been unable to find what submission attempts he used against Alex Da Silva when they fought two years ago, I only bring this up because I believe Solecki is active off his back and if he is lucky he could at least make Dawson’s control time a bit more difficult, but I still don’t think Solecki has that kind of threat to catch Dawson in anything, so whilst he might be active off his back and in the guard, it’s going to be the kind of activity that results in Dawson just adjusting over and over.
I don’t really have much else to say about this one, Dawson is the better all round fighter and a much better wrestler, and I do think that whilst both fighters have outstanding BJJ, Solecki’s submission output could make it a bit gritty for Dawson, but this isn’t new for Dawson, Dawsons faced excellent grapplers before (Ismagulov, Madsen and Gordon to name his recent wins). Dawson should win this one in my opinion.
Dawson via UD - (2/3)
Middleweight
Roman Kopylov (-135) (12-3-0, NS) v Cesar Almeida (+115) (5-0-0, 5 FWS)
Kopylov is coming off a tough submission loss against Alexander Hernandez, and it was a competitive fight up until that point. One thing that I like about Kopylov is his diversity with striking, he is ridiculously quick on the feet for a Middleweight and that allows him to simply flick out anything and there’s some certainty that it’s going to land. He has a very quick and sneaky lead leg kick that he often uses to change target very quickly, usually kicking the leg then following up with a left straight, instead of what we see in typical combinations where the leg kick is the final attack in a sequence. Kopylov does get hit a lot, and he does leave his right hand a bit far from his face, which makes me think that Almeida and his fantastic left hook is going to be a major problem for Kopylov. However, Kopylov does have some grappling in his arsenal, although we have yet to see it in the UFC, but since he is a multiple time sambo champion, I can’t help but think that he is going to be using his wrestling a fair bit in this fight, especially since he is facing one hell of a dangerous kickboxer, it would only make some sense, right? Now, on the feet, there are two attacks that Kopylov is going to put a major emphasis on, that is the liver body kick (left roundhouse) and the left straight, those two attacks are going to be his most damaging and I do wonder how effective it will be in slowing down Almeida.
Almeida is coming off a strong debut win against Budka, and whilst Budka isn’t exactly a tough debut, he still managed to test Almeida a little bit on the ground. However, as I highlighted in my last write up about Almeida, his defensive grappling is very, very good, he has adapted exceptionally well to MMA. Now, Almeida is one hell of a dangerous kickboxer, he is stupendously sharp on the feet and he is tight with his combinations, and it is for that reason alone that I think Kopylov needs to wrestle in this fight, use his Sambo to mix it up and make it frustrating for Almeida. Now, Almeida is outstanding at all ranges, but I think he excels in the pocket where he can land his tight left hook, a left hook that’s eerily similar to Pereira, it’s just a clean left hook that has no read and a lot of power behind it, and I think Kopylov is going to have to be the first one to start the action in order to not let Almeida settle in to throw that hook.
This is going to be a fantastic fight though, and honestly a fascinating match up for Kopylov who, up until this moment, only faced standard MMA strikers who throw big power with not that much technique, so this is going to be fascinating. Going with the underdog here, but it will absolutely not be a high confidence pick.
Almeida via KO R2 - (1/3)
Main Card
Welterweight
Randy Brown (-155) (18-5-0, 2 FWS) v Elizeu Zaleski (+130) (24-7-1, 1D/2FWS) - This is going to be absolutely awesome.
Brown is coming off a fantastic KO over highly touted kickboxing veteran Muslim Salikhov, and despite the fact that Brown did defeat Salikhov, it did not come without a lot of damage coming his way. Brown suffers a little bit from what a lot of longer and taller fighters suffer from, and that's a lack of fundamental striking defence, his range and reach is his defence, if someone can penetrate that reach difference and enter the pocket, then Brown is a vulnerable target in that moment. However, when Brown is at range and he’s in the zone, he is incredible. His long jab is his best weapon, he uses it to both damage his opponent and to set up subsequent punches, and these shots aren’t always the same, there are so many permutations of that same set up, as soon as you see Brown throw more than one jab, you know he is setting up a clean combination. However, he has shown a bit of a weakness and that’s his legs, he is so easy to leg kick due to his height and size, his lead leg is ripe for the taking and there is little doubt in my mind that Zaleski is going to chew up those legs early, as that was the game plan for Salikhov before that one-one-two combination came his way at ridiculous speeds.
Zaleski is coming off a draw against Rinat Fakhretdinov, and very early on we saw Zaleski struggle with the pressure and power of Fakhretdinov. That pressure and power is not exactly the style of fighting that Brown utilises, Brown is a lot more patient and systematic with his approach, never pressuring his opponent but keeping a constant pace of a wide sort of attacks. Zaleski has ridiculous power in his hands though and he has the speed and explosiveness to enter the pocket and land those dangerous punches that are going to land whenever he is going to enter the pocket during this bout. However, Zaleski does not have the best defence, he often leaves his hands a bit low, and whilst that’s great for an explosive overhand or a quick burst of action that’s hard to read, I don’t think that’s a good kind of defence when you’re fighting someone who has a 5 inch reach advantage and a 4 inch height advantage. Zaleski is not a safe fighter, he is here to perform and look for highlights, he is an incredible finisher, but he is also reckless, he is also susceptible to getting hurt, and whilst he did exceptionally well against Fakhretdinov, that was mostly due to Fakhretdinov’s predictable attacks. Now, Fakhretdinov threw the same attacks over and over, and since that same attack was the one that dropped Zaleski, he kept using that same thing. In order to be effective in any combat sport, especially against a veteran, you need to have different combinations, and that’s exactly what Brown has, he has such a wide range of attacks, including his very snappy front and head kicks, so there is little doubt that Zaleski is going to be somewhat overwhelmed on the feet if Brown finds his groove early on.
This is a fantastic fight, perhaps one of the best fights on this card, I expect there to be fireworks and a lot of adjustments as the rounds go on, but I do think that Brown is going to get a win here, his reach and height advantage gives him a lot of additional set ups and effective strikes, those front kicks up the middle could be effective given the loose shell of Zaleski, and those long one-two punches that Brown uses are just beautiful to watch. This is going to be awesome. Now, before I get to the prediction… Zaleski has the right tools to make this messy enough to get a win here, so there will be an alt bet here for a Zaleski Points/KO Double Chance.
Brown via UD - (1/3)
Heavyweight
Jailton Almeida (#6) (-300) (20-3-0, NS) v Alexandr Romanov (#14) (+240) (17-2-0, NS)
Almeida is coming off a KO loss against Blaydes just a few months ago, and I mean, losing to someone like Blaydes isn’t too big of a deal since Blaydes is a genuine talent in the division, but I do wonder how Almeida has improved since that loss. Almeida is a very grapple heavy fighter who has torn through a division full of unathletic brawlers, and now he is facing fighters who have a very similar style and skill set that he has, which makes this fight all that more interesting because I have been very high on Romanov in recent years, mostly due to his style being unique in the heavyweight division. Almeida has ridiculous cardio for someone at heavyweight, and whilst you could argue that his lay and pray style does not really reflect great cardio… how often are we going to see Blaydes get taken down 9 of 13 times. 13 fucking attempts against someone who has one of the best wrestling backgrounds in the UFC at heavyweight? Almeida’s wrestling is going to be a problem for a lot of people, even as we move up the division, but it comes at a cost. Almeida is very one dimensional, he has a heavy reliance on those takedowns, and if he doesn’t get them, you get a repeat of what Blaydes did to him. On the feet I don’t see a lot happening, Almeida has shown to be a bit more free with his boxing, only to open up his opponent to takedowns, and that could very well be the gameplan for Almeida this weekend, box a little then shoot for a takedown, and it could be effective against Romanov who is a bit more one dimensional than Almeida.
Romanov has somewhat stagnated a tiny bit in his career, with a not-very-recent win over Blagoy Ivanov, and for the most part it was a strong showing of his wrestling ability and strength, however I do question the quality of opponent that Romanov has defeated in comparison to Almeida’s… It seems that Almeida has been given the more star-power names whereas Romanov has been climbing the ranks in a more natural way. Anyway, I like Romanov, but I genuinely don’t think he is going to fare well against someone like Almeida. If an old 40+ year old in Espino can out wrestle Romanov, there is no doubt that a younger and perhaps more athletic fighter in Almeida can replicate that same kind of style and just overwhelm Romanov. Romanov is a strong competitor though so I think there might be enough resistance in the wrestling department to make this fight a long, gruelling one.
A very fun clash of similar styles here, which I find pretty important since Almeida is a very impressive fighter, and I think the more we see him take on opponents with a similar style to himself, the more we get to see what he is truly capable of. I got Almeida winning this one, it should be a fun fight!
Almeida via UD - (2/3)
Middleweight
Kevin Holland (-250) (25-11-0, 2 FLS) v Michal Oleksiejczuk (+200) (19-7-0, NS) - Oh man do I love this fight.
Holland is coming off back to back losses against JDM and MVP (Jack Della Maddalena and Michael “Venom” Page”), and whilst back to back losses could easily make people dismiss Holland, I do want to bring up how competitive his fight against JDM was, and how durable and tough he was when MVP was taking his soul in what was such a brilliant display of unorthodox kickboxing. Holland has always been a game fighter, he has a chin that allows him to hang in there with the hardest hitters, and he is genuinely a very skilled fighter who has outstanding boxing and such an expert at range and luring his opponent into an angle that gives him an advantage. Holland is coming back up to 185 after a fun stint at 170, and since Oleksiejczuk has very little wrestling threat, I am excited to see if we witness Holland be himself once again, because prior to his losses against Brunson and Vettori at 185, he was a dangerous fighter. Holland has a substantial reach advantage coming into this fight which is only going to shine even more when Oleksiejczuk tries to box him in a typical boxing range. Holland is also a fairly experienced grappler, he has quite a few submissions on his record and I do think that if he wants the path of least resistance when fighting Oleksiejczuk, he is going to look for that takedown and find a submission. However, that’s not how Holland fights, he is a crowd pleaser and is most likely going to want to keep this fight standing so he can land his quick combinations at range and just put away Oleksiejczuk that way.
Oleksiejczuk is coming off a tough sub loss against Pereira, and I honestly learnt nothing else about him during that fight, he was still looking for those heavy punches, and he still had somewhat bad takedown defence. I do think that Oleksiejczuk’s best chance to win this fight is to put Holland away, but it’s just a bit of a tall order because if Holland couldn’t get knocked out by the ridiculous power of MVP, I don’t think Oleksiejczuk is going to achieve that success that MVP tried to chase. The reach disadvantage is going to be fairly prominent here too, it’s going to make Oleksiejczuk rush in a little bit with some explosive forward movement in order to cover the distance, but Holland is so good at crowding punches and being hard to hit that I just don’t think Oleksiejczuk is going to land too cleanly on Holland.
With that said, I’ve always been a fan of Holland so maybe there is a bit of bias here, but I think Holland wins this one, i’m just mostly curious to see how he looks when he returns to 185 this weekend.
Holland via KO R2 - (2/3)
Co-Main Event
Middleweight
Sean Strickland (#2) (-205) (28-6-0, NS) v Paulo Costa (#8) (+170) (14-3-0, NS)
Strickland is coming off a very competitive fight against Dricus Du Plessis, and whilst he arguably won that fight, what I was most impressed with was the little amount of damage he absorbed, even by one of the most powerful punchers in DDP, and if Strickland could absorb that little amount of damage from DDP, I can only think that he is going to be relatively fine against Costa. Strickland does struggle a little bit in turning up the pressure when pressure is needed, he does have a bit of a predictable style which has been talked about for ages, but it’s a style that works, and if he sets a high pace of steady volume and walks Costa back throughout the fight, he can easily win this fight. The only thing that Strickland needs to be careful of is the power of Costa coming back his way.
Costa is coming off a tough loss against Whittaker, and whilst he did display that power late into the first round, he struggled to keep up with the speed and footwork of Whittaker. Now, the good news for Costa is that Stricklands footwork only involves walking forward, and occasionally taking a step back, there is no tricky blitzes or anything, so the striking success rate for Costa should be at least more stable numerically in the second and third if he doesn’t succumb to the pressure and slow down in those two rounds. However, I don’t trust Costa’s gas tank that much, he may be a physical specimen but the power he throws with is unsustainable for a three round back and forth, and it’s certainly not the first time Strickland has fought a powerhouse. My main concern however is the judges scorecards, and I know its a bit weird to talk about judging, but when you have big action fighters throwing things that aren’t super effective, the visuals reflect effectiveness, regardless of the supposed damage received, will the judges this fight see Costa throw heavy, despite not landing cleanly (which is hard to do against Strickland) and give the rounds to Costa? If that is the case, then a Costa Decision certainly should be in your books, but I just think that Strickland and his 4 inch reach advantage is going to be too effective in stifling the aggression of Costa.
I ultimately have Strickland winning this fight, I never really have been big on Costa, he’s a fun fighter to watch, but when you have Strickland taking away a lot of that fun by marching down a lot of his opponents, you get a Costa that struggles to keep up a bit. This is going to be a low confidence pick due to the judging factor, I have a weird feeling about this one lol.
Strickland via UD - (1/3)
Main Event
Lightweight Championship Bout
Islam Makhachev (c) (-480) (25-1-0, 13 FWS) v Dustin Poirier (#5) (+360) (30-8-0, NS)
Makhachev is one of the most well rounded fighters in the UFC at the moment. Everything he does is with clean technique and outstanding timing, and he has the cardio to keep up a ridiculously high pace for 5 rounds. There is no doubt in my mind that he is going to be using his brilliant wrestling and grappling to slowly dismantle Poirier, because Poirier’s grappling is rudimentary at best, it does not hold a candle to Makhachevs wrestling. There is a lot of discussion about Poirier landing a guillotine on Makhachev, but it’s all hype and hope at this rate because if he could not land a guillotine on BSD, he probably isn’t going to land one against a high level wrestler in Makhachev. Makhachev is a few steps behind when it comes to boxing though, I do not see him being successful against Poirier on the feet, Poirier’s striking is sublime, it is the most brilliant close range striking that you’ll probably ever see in the LW division, those tight hooks he uses is something nasty.
Poirier is on his last legs career wise, there is quite a lot weighing on him for this one as it is his final chance to get a belt, so that’s already a lot of pressure, but I guess he thrives in this kind of environment. Poirier is going to have to contend with the almost instant wrestling pressure and pace of Makhachev, and given that Poirier is not at all a wrestler, he is going to get taken down, he got taken down quite a few times when he fought a very depleted BSD, and now he’s coming up against a very physically ready Makhachev, I just don’t see Poirier doing too well in the wrestling department against Makhachev. However, when it comes to the striking, Poirier holds all the cards here, he has incredible timing with his lead hook and if he times it right, that uppercut could be disastrous for Makhachev. It’s going to be the hook and the uppercut that catch Makhachev, but if Makhachev can survive those attacks and get his hands wrapped around Poirier, it’s not going to matter if Poirier rocks Makhachev in the process, Makhachev is insane in top position.
That’s the story here, Poirier’s boxing versus Makhachevs wrestling and grappling. I got Makhachev winning this one, but it is always a good idea to sprinkle a bit of money on a Poirier KO, especially since he’s such a big underdog here.
Makhachev via Sub R2 - (2/3)
And that's it!
Primary Parlay - Price/Morono o2.5 or GTD + Dawson/Solecki o2.5 or GTD + Almeida/Kopylov ITD + Makhachev/Poirier ITD
Secondary Parlay - Price/Morono o2.5 or GTD + Almeida/Romanov R3 Starts Yes + Strickland/Costa o2.5 + Makhachev/Poirier u3.5 or ITD
Locks: Perez (optional), Dawson, Almeida, Holland and Makhachev.
Prediction Accuracy for 2024: 64.3%
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