UFC Fight Night 199- GEEKS PREVIEW

Derrick Lewis #3 vs Chris Daukaus #7

Always a treat to get a heavyweight banger for the main event. The Geeks are excited for this bout to wrap up an amazing year of MMA. Derrick Lewis provides the star power in this one, as he is one of the most recognizable figures in the game. If you want to know about his fight style, just look at his chest tat. He truly is the “Knockout King” as the tattoo proclaims. The “Black Beast” brings a game-plan of brute force every time he steps in the octagon. Saturday, he will face off with Chris Daukaus. He brings a new school style to the heavyweight division similar to the likes of Tom Aspinall and Cyril Gane. Historically, the heavyweight division has been almost exclusively about who has the most power. The new era heavyweights bring a skillset similar to that of welterweights and let their size supply the power. Daukaus falls in line with that philosophy. He has arguably the fastest hands in the heavyweight division and puts an uncomfortable pace on his opponents. The former Philadelphia police officer comes into this one undefeated with 4 KO wins in the UFC, and is 12-3 overall. History shows Lewis will be hunting for that big right hand, and is willing to be as patient as it takes to find it. Daukaus is going to bring pressure and punches in bunches. Chris also has the better grappling, but I do not plan on that being a huge factor in this fight. The pressure striking style has been kryptonite for Lewis in the past. I’m siding with the new school in this one. Prediction: Daukaus round 2 KO.

Geek: Goosey

Stephen Thompson #5 vs Belal Muhammad #10

Boy oh boy, Saturday night we have the OG Wonderboy Thompson squaring off against the Palestinian Prodigy in Belal Muhammad. A matchup that can’t be any better described than as a striker vs wrestler throwdown in my eyes. So the question really becomes, can Belal get this fight to the mat? Or will Thompson stay on his feet? Wonderboy has made a career of keeping people on their feet and blasting them with an array of BEAUTIFUL and MASTERFUL karate combinations until they drop out cold or get saved by the bell, but this fight is different to me in a unique sense. Wonderboy will fight takedowns relentlessly until he almost lures his opponents into striking battles with him. I won’t deny that Wonderboy’s takedown defense is brilliant and that’s definitely a massive contributing factor for that, but he won’t have that option on Saturday with Belal the least bit. Belal is an extremely intelligent rising talent out of Palestine who’s known for his grit and toughness, as well as his ability to suffocate opponents and successfully carry-out well put together game plans, which will be vital to have in this one. I see Belal Muhammad applying an absurd amount of pressure and pace on Thompson, allowing no space for any of his typical techniques, and landing Thompson from the feet to the mat a handful of times en route to a scrappy and hard earned decision. If Wonderboy had some crazy power to meet Belal with on all these entries I foresee it might be a different story, but the youthful wrestling energy gets the best of Stephen with a great price on the books to follow. Prediction: Belal Muhammad by Decision.

Geek: CEO Geek

Ricky Simon vs Raphael Assuncao #12

This fight marks two careers on totally different paths. Raphael Assuncao comes into this one trying to bounce back from three straight losses, but do not let this recent stretch fool you. The 39 year old is still very dangerous with powerful striking, good takedown defense and elite jiu jitsu skillset. His counterpart comes into this fight a decade younger at 29 and is currently on a 3 fight winning streak. Simon brings a wrestling heavy gameplan and pushes a pace to break down his opponents in the octagon. Ricky is looking to break into the rankings with a victory as Assuncao currently holds the #12 spot in the bantamweight division. Breaking down this fight, Assuncao definitely has the more impressive resume. Assuncao has been fighting elite competition since 2013. That being said, fighting at the highest level for that long will definitely take its toll. Simon does not have the same wins, but one could make the argument that his best days are ahead. As a prospect on the rise, he shows a ton of toughness and determination that are promising. I expect this fight to be close through the first round, but Simon’s pace and chain wrestling will eventually prevail as the fight goes on. Prediction: Ricky Simon by Decision.

Geek: Goosey

Gerald Meerschaert vs Dustin Stolzfus

Meerschaert vs Stoltzfus… hmmmmm Meerschaert vs Stoltzfus… yup Gerald Round 2 Submission. Gerald got folded by Khamzat but don’t let that fool you. He’s a sneaky 2-0 in his last 2 with 2 submissions over some decent competition in Fabinski and a second round submission over a highly praised Muradov who was a interesting prospect before entering the shark tank with Mr. Gerald. Dustin isn't a can but he doesn't have the credentials to roll with Gerald when this fight inevitably gets there. This Submission will be his third of the year marking him undefeated in 2020 with 3 finishes as well as spark conversations for him to get another bigger named opponent that isn't Khamzat hahaha. Ride the Meer! Prediction: Gerald Round 2 Submission (Rear Naked Choke)

Geek: CEO Geek