[oFFICIAL@StReAM]#[10:00PM ET] UFC 234 fight card live reddit stream FREE Feb 8, 2019, Melbourne
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
The Bloody Elbow staff has made its predictions for UFC 234, and it is a clean sweep for Robert Whittaker to defend his middleweight title by beating Kelvin Gastelum, while everyone is backing Israel Adesanya over Anderson Silva in the co-main event. In other words, congrats to Gastelum and Silva on their wins on Saturday.
LIVE STREAMING HERE ▓██►►☛
Watch in Full HD TV Here ▓██►►☛
UFC 234: Whittaker vs Gastelum on Saturday, Feb 9, by subscribing to ESPN+…
Note: Predictions are entered throughout the week and collected the day before the event. Explanations behind each pick are not required and some writers opt not to do so for their own reasons. For example, if Phil Mackenzie entered all of his predictions on Wednesday without adding in any explanations, he has no idea if he’s going to be the only one siding with one fighter for any given fight.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Anton Tabuena: Two former welterweights fighting for the middleweight belt. Will this convince people that extreme weight cutting really isn’t worth the trade off in performance? Probably not, but this should be an entertaining bout either way at least. I think this will be even closer than what the odds say, but I believe Whittaker is just slightly better just about everywhere, so he should take this. Robert Whittaker by decision.
Mookie Alexander: Gastelum absolutely has a chance here. He’s got powerful hands, insane durability -- not that Whittaker’s durability is to be scoffed at by any means -- and excellent cardio. But he’s not going to be able to take Whittaker down (or at least hold him there), and Whittaker has way more depth to his offensive striking. His leg kicks in particular can slow Gastelum down, and I think he cuts better angles and mixes up his strike selection and targets more effectively than Kelvin. It’ll be a close battle through the opening couple of rounds but Whittaker will come on strong in the later rounds and get the win. Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision.
Shakiel Mahjouri: What fascinates me about this fight is Whittaker and Gastelum are arguably two of the middleweight division’s most unappreciated fighters, despite their immense talent and success. Whittaker is a complete and constantly evolving mixed martial artist. They called him a boxer before a thudding head kick added Jacare’s head to his trophy collection. They called him a kickboxer before he fended off Olympic wrestling monster Yoel Romero across 10 rounds. Do not be surprised if he flips the script and takes Gastelum down in this fight, it’s just the kind of guy Whittaker is. Gastelum has just about all the tools it takes to give Whittaker problems. He shows phenomenal growth from fight-to-fight and has crisp powerful boxing to compliment his strong grappling game. Whittaker has thus far been the more impressive fighter and I am not prepared to bet against the champion, despite his poor taste in video games (I’m looking at you Fallout 76). Robert Whittaker by TKO, round 4.
Zane Simon: Gastelum is tough enough and his cardio decent enough that I think he can go the distance with Whittaker. I just don’t think his offense is varied enough to win rounds. I expect him to do well early when his speed will still come as a shock. But once Whittaker adjusts to that, he should be able to slip the 1-2 and counter with his own punches, and to chain together combinations as Gastelum is a much better pressure threat than he is off the counter. Robert Whittaker by decision
Staff picking Whittaker: Nick, Shak, Phil, Fraser, Anton, Mookie, Harry, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
Staff picking Gastelum:
Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva
Anton Tabuena: For all the talk about Adesanya being a “clone” or better version of Silva, I just hope they don’t clown around and stare at each other for 15 minutes. Silva can surprise Adesanya (and a lot of pundits) by landing some good shots early, but I doubt he can do enough to actually win this. In fact, I think Adesanya just runs through him the moment he chooses to step on the gas pedal. It is 2019 after all, and Silva is already 43-years-old. Apart from a disputed decision against Brunson, Silva hasn’t had a proper win in almost seven years. I don’t expect that to change now. Adesanya by brutal and depressing TKO.
Mookie Alexander: Your heroes get old. Israel Adesanya by whatever he wants.
Shakiel Mahjouri: I am no mixed martial artist and I am no analyst, so let us stick to the facts. Silva is the most decorated fighter Adesanya has faced. SIlva is the most experienced fighter Adesanya has faced. Silva is the most talented striker Adesanya has faced in mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, time always wins and Silva has not looked like the killer of old in quite some time (except for that wicked knee against Michael Bisping). Furthermore, it is hard to lend too much weight to Silva’s experience edge when he has sat out most of 2017 and all of 2018. The safe bet is “The Stylebender” via earth, wind, fire, or water, whatever sort of bending he prefers. Israel Adesanya by TKO, round 2.
Fraser Coffeen: So within a few weeks of each other I get to see both Fedor and Anderson humiliated? That’s just great MMA. Israel Adesanya, KO R1
Zane Simon: I’m not necessarily sure that Adesanya just KO’s Silva. Silva has been fighting much safer lately. The problem is that he’s just not putting out much offense. His moments of extremely dangerous accurate striking have grown fewer and fewer and, less and less dangerous. If Silva doesn’t get reckless, Adesanya likely just outworks him to a somewhat lopsided decision loss. If he does get reckless, then there’s a good chance Adesanya puts him away. Israel Adesanya by decision.
Staff picking Adesanya: Nick, Shak, Phil, Fraser, Anton, Mookie, Harry, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
Staff picking Silva:
Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon
Anton Tabuena: Man, this is really a boxing style PPV, as the talent and name value just drops significantly after the top two bouts. Anyway, I guess the vet in Yahya can pull this off. Rani Yahya by decision.
Mookie Alexander: I just get a Joe Soto vibe out of this fight. Simon fights at an even faster pace, is a pretty good wrestler, and while he may get himself caught in a scramble, I think he’ll be able to tire Yahya out and outstrike him as the fight progresses. Ricky Simon by unanimous decision.
Shakiel Mahjouri: Rani Yahya does not get the credit he deserves and I would argue he deserves a more highly-ranked opponent than Ricky Simon. The soft-spoken Brazilian is an ADCC gold medalist and has won seven of his last eight UFC fights with three consecutive submissions. Yahya has shared the cage with the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Kid Yamamoto, Chad Mendes, Eddie Wineland, and Takeya Mizugaki in his 17 year professional career. Simon is two-for-two inside the Octagon, but not without controversy. He won a unanimous decision over Montel Jackson in his sophomore UFC effort. His technical submission win over Merab Dvalishvili occured at 5:00 of round 3 in a fight he was arguably losing. Whatsmore, there is still debate over whether or not Dvalishvili was truly unconscious. Yahya is too talented, too experienced, and too tough for SImon. ‘Nuff said. Rani Yahya by submission, round 1.
Phil Mackenzie: I’ve enjoyed Yahya’s miniature Maia renaissance. However, like Maia he tends to have a commonality to his losses: powerful, skilled wrestlers. Simon isn’t overly large and isn’t exactly error free on the floor, but he keeps a crazy pace and I think he’ll just stay active on the feet and stuff takedowns. Ricky Simon by unanimous decision.
Zane Simon: I’m just not at all convinced with what I’ve seen from Simon as a defensive fighter, whether it’s wrestling, grappling, or striking. He’s a wild man going forward, but on the back foot he’s wide open. If Yahya just runs out of the gate and starts pushing takedowns, will Simon stay up and stay safe in the scramble? My gut says no. Rani Yahya by submission, Round 2.
Staff picking Yahya: Shak, Anton, Harry, Zane
Staff picking Simon: Nick, Phil, Fraser, Mookie, Dayne, Stephie
Montana De La Rosa vs. Nadia Kassem
Mookie Alexander: Kassem is a raw, physical talent but she’s not more skilled than De La Rosa. I think this is a pretty clear-cut result unless Kassem has shown substantial improvement from her win vs. Alex Chambers. Montana De La Rosa by submission, round 2.
Shakiel Mahjouri: Sometimes you need to vote with your heart and Montana De La Rosa is just too likeable to root against. She also has 13 pro-fights against the undefeated Nadia Kassem (6-0). Kassem likely has the striking advantage in this fight, but De La Rosa will likely use her grappling prowess for her fourth consecutive submission win against the hometown fighter. Montana De La Rose by submission, round 3.
Phil Mackenzie: This is a terrible fight which shouldn’t be anywhere near a PPV main card. De La Rosa is bigger, has a more structured striking game, and is a better grappler. Both women are extremely young and thus could show shocking improvements from fight to fight, but largely this figures to be scrappy and messy and meaningless. Montana De La Rosa by submission, round 2.
Zane Simon: MDLR just seems like she’s a little better everywhere. Much more structured and technical standing. Just as aggressive and likely better schooled on the mat, and a better athlete in better condition who has fought better competition. Montana De La Rosa by Submission, round 1.
Staff picking De La Rosa: Nick, Shak, Fraser, Phil, Anton, Mookie, Harry, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
Staff picking Kassem:
Jim Crute vs. Sam Alvey
Mookie Alexander: Egad. Jim Crute by split decision.
Shakiel Mahjouri: I love weird, quirky people and nothing screams weird likely shaving a smiley face into your hair or tanning a sponsor’s logo onto your chest. Both Alvey’s strengths and limitations were exposed in his last fight vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The man is patient and hits like a mule, but he does not show the sort of versatility and gameplanning to hang in their with the best. That is sort of crazy to think considering Alvey has 44 professional fights under his belt. Jim Crute is only 9-0, but back-to-back finishes of Chris Birchler and Paul Craig shows me he has serious potential in the open wasteland that is 205. Crute can prove to be a real prospect with a win over Alvey and I think he gets it done in a hard fought fight. Jim Crute by split decision.
Phil Mackenzie: Crute didn’t look good at all against Paul Craig, and pretty much won by getting less tired. Alvey is fairly hard to take down and has a determined one-track game so he’s a tough style match up on paper... but he also just got dusted by Lil’ Nog in the year of our lord 2018, and he’s sort of starting to look like he’s forgetting how to win. Egh, I can’t do it. Crute is just too defensively porous. Sam Alvey by TKO, round 1.
Zane Simon: Crute is much more varied, but he’s really not very experienced and I didn’t see much I liked in his win over Paul Craig beyond his willingness to scrap and ability to scramble. Alvey’s not going to play that game, and isn’t that easy to take down. If Crute is going to just march after him looking for a brawl, he’s likely going to get picked off by counter shots. If Alvey can’t hurt him, then Crute may win just by sheer will, but that still feels like a tossup. Sam Alvey via TKO, Round 1.
Staff picking Crute: Shak, Phil, Anton, Mookie, Harry
Staff picking Alvey: Nick, Fraser, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
The Bloody Elbow staff has made its predictions for UFC 234, and it is a clean sweep for Robert Whittaker to defend his middleweight title by beating Kelvin Gastelum, while everyone is backing Israel Adesanya over Anderson Silva in the co-main event. In other words, congrats to Gastelum and Silva on their wins on Saturday.
LIVE STREAMING HERE ▓██►►☛
Watch in Full HD TV Here ▓██►►☛
UFC 234: Whittaker vs Gastelum on Saturday, Feb 9, by subscribing to ESPN+…
Note: Predictions are entered throughout the week and collected the day before the event. Explanations behind each pick are not required and some writers opt not to do so for their own reasons. For example, if Phil Mackenzie entered all of his predictions on Wednesday without adding in any explanations, he has no idea if he’s going to be the only one siding with one fighter for any given fight.
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Anton Tabuena: Two former welterweights fighting for the middleweight belt. Will this convince people that extreme weight cutting really isn’t worth the trade off in performance? Probably not, but this should be an entertaining bout either way at least. I think this will be even closer than what the odds say, but I believe Whittaker is just slightly better just about everywhere, so he should take this. Robert Whittaker by decision.
Mookie Alexander: Gastelum absolutely has a chance here. He’s got powerful hands, insane durability -- not that Whittaker’s durability is to be scoffed at by any means -- and excellent cardio. But he’s not going to be able to take Whittaker down (or at least hold him there), and Whittaker has way more depth to his offensive striking. His leg kicks in particular can slow Gastelum down, and I think he cuts better angles and mixes up his strike selection and targets more effectively than Kelvin. It’ll be a close battle through the opening couple of rounds but Whittaker will come on strong in the later rounds and get the win. Robert Whittaker by unanimous decision.
Shakiel Mahjouri: What fascinates me about this fight is Whittaker and Gastelum are arguably two of the middleweight division’s most unappreciated fighters, despite their immense talent and success. Whittaker is a complete and constantly evolving mixed martial artist. They called him a boxer before a thudding head kick added Jacare’s head to his trophy collection. They called him a kickboxer before he fended off Olympic wrestling monster Yoel Romero across 10 rounds. Do not be surprised if he flips the script and takes Gastelum down in this fight, it’s just the kind of guy Whittaker is. Gastelum has just about all the tools it takes to give Whittaker problems. He shows phenomenal growth from fight-to-fight and has crisp powerful boxing to compliment his strong grappling game. Whittaker has thus far been the more impressive fighter and I am not prepared to bet against the champion, despite his poor taste in video games (I’m looking at you Fallout 76). Robert Whittaker by TKO, round 4.
Zane Simon: Gastelum is tough enough and his cardio decent enough that I think he can go the distance with Whittaker. I just don’t think his offense is varied enough to win rounds. I expect him to do well early when his speed will still come as a shock. But once Whittaker adjusts to that, he should be able to slip the 1-2 and counter with his own punches, and to chain together combinations as Gastelum is a much better pressure threat than he is off the counter. Robert Whittaker by decision
Staff picking Whittaker: Nick, Shak, Phil, Fraser, Anton, Mookie, Harry, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
Staff picking Gastelum:
Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva
Anton Tabuena: For all the talk about Adesanya being a “clone” or better version of Silva, I just hope they don’t clown around and stare at each other for 15 minutes. Silva can surprise Adesanya (and a lot of pundits) by landing some good shots early, but I doubt he can do enough to actually win this. In fact, I think Adesanya just runs through him the moment he chooses to step on the gas pedal. It is 2019 after all, and Silva is already 43-years-old. Apart from a disputed decision against Brunson, Silva hasn’t had a proper win in almost seven years. I don’t expect that to change now. Adesanya by brutal and depressing TKO.
Mookie Alexander: Your heroes get old. Israel Adesanya by whatever he wants.
Shakiel Mahjouri: I am no mixed martial artist and I am no analyst, so let us stick to the facts. Silva is the most decorated fighter Adesanya has faced. SIlva is the most experienced fighter Adesanya has faced. Silva is the most talented striker Adesanya has faced in mixed martial arts. Unfortunately, time always wins and Silva has not looked like the killer of old in quite some time (except for that wicked knee against Michael Bisping). Furthermore, it is hard to lend too much weight to Silva’s experience edge when he has sat out most of 2017 and all of 2018. The safe bet is “The Stylebender” via earth, wind, fire, or water, whatever sort of bending he prefers. Israel Adesanya by TKO, round 2.
Fraser Coffeen: So within a few weeks of each other I get to see both Fedor and Anderson humiliated? That’s just great MMA. Israel Adesanya, KO R1
Zane Simon: I’m not necessarily sure that Adesanya just KO’s Silva. Silva has been fighting much safer lately. The problem is that he’s just not putting out much offense. His moments of extremely dangerous accurate striking have grown fewer and fewer and, less and less dangerous. If Silva doesn’t get reckless, Adesanya likely just outworks him to a somewhat lopsided decision loss. If he does get reckless, then there’s a good chance Adesanya puts him away. Israel Adesanya by decision.
Staff picking Adesanya: Nick, Shak, Phil, Fraser, Anton, Mookie, Harry, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
Staff picking Silva:
Rani Yahya vs. Ricky Simon
Anton Tabuena: Man, this is really a boxing style PPV, as the talent and name value just drops significantly after the top two bouts. Anyway, I guess the vet in Yahya can pull this off. Rani Yahya by decision.
Mookie Alexander: I just get a Joe Soto vibe out of this fight. Simon fights at an even faster pace, is a pretty good wrestler, and while he may get himself caught in a scramble, I think he’ll be able to tire Yahya out and outstrike him as the fight progresses. Ricky Simon by unanimous decision.
Shakiel Mahjouri: Rani Yahya does not get the credit he deserves and I would argue he deserves a more highly-ranked opponent than Ricky Simon. The soft-spoken Brazilian is an ADCC gold medalist and has won seven of his last eight UFC fights with three consecutive submissions. Yahya has shared the cage with the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Kid Yamamoto, Chad Mendes, Eddie Wineland, and Takeya Mizugaki in his 17 year professional career. Simon is two-for-two inside the Octagon, but not without controversy. He won a unanimous decision over Montel Jackson in his sophomore UFC effort. His technical submission win over Merab Dvalishvili occured at 5:00 of round 3 in a fight he was arguably losing. Whatsmore, there is still debate over whether or not Dvalishvili was truly unconscious. Yahya is too talented, too experienced, and too tough for SImon. ‘Nuff said. Rani Yahya by submission, round 1.
Phil Mackenzie: I’ve enjoyed Yahya’s miniature Maia renaissance. However, like Maia he tends to have a commonality to his losses: powerful, skilled wrestlers. Simon isn’t overly large and isn’t exactly error free on the floor, but he keeps a crazy pace and I think he’ll just stay active on the feet and stuff takedowns. Ricky Simon by unanimous decision.
Zane Simon: I’m just not at all convinced with what I’ve seen from Simon as a defensive fighter, whether it’s wrestling, grappling, or striking. He’s a wild man going forward, but on the back foot he’s wide open. If Yahya just runs out of the gate and starts pushing takedowns, will Simon stay up and stay safe in the scramble? My gut says no. Rani Yahya by submission, Round 2.
Staff picking Yahya: Shak, Anton, Harry, Zane
Staff picking Simon: Nick, Phil, Fraser, Mookie, Dayne, Stephie
Montana De La Rosa vs. Nadia Kassem
Mookie Alexander: Kassem is a raw, physical talent but she’s not more skilled than De La Rosa. I think this is a pretty clear-cut result unless Kassem has shown substantial improvement from her win vs. Alex Chambers. Montana De La Rosa by submission, round 2.
Shakiel Mahjouri: Sometimes you need to vote with your heart and Montana De La Rosa is just too likeable to root against. She also has 13 pro-fights against the undefeated Nadia Kassem (6-0). Kassem likely has the striking advantage in this fight, but De La Rosa will likely use her grappling prowess for her fourth consecutive submission win against the hometown fighter. Montana De La Rose by submission, round 3.
Phil Mackenzie: This is a terrible fight which shouldn’t be anywhere near a PPV main card. De La Rosa is bigger, has a more structured striking game, and is a better grappler. Both women are extremely young and thus could show shocking improvements from fight to fight, but largely this figures to be scrappy and messy and meaningless. Montana De La Rosa by submission, round 2.
Zane Simon: MDLR just seems like she’s a little better everywhere. Much more structured and technical standing. Just as aggressive and likely better schooled on the mat, and a better athlete in better condition who has fought better competition. Montana De La Rosa by Submission, round 1.
Staff picking De La Rosa: Nick, Shak, Fraser, Phil, Anton, Mookie, Harry, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
Staff picking Kassem:
Jim Crute vs. Sam Alvey
Mookie Alexander: Egad. Jim Crute by split decision.
Shakiel Mahjouri: I love weird, quirky people and nothing screams weird likely shaving a smiley face into your hair or tanning a sponsor’s logo onto your chest. Both Alvey’s strengths and limitations were exposed in his last fight vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The man is patient and hits like a mule, but he does not show the sort of versatility and gameplanning to hang in their with the best. That is sort of crazy to think considering Alvey has 44 professional fights under his belt. Jim Crute is only 9-0, but back-to-back finishes of Chris Birchler and Paul Craig shows me he has serious potential in the open wasteland that is 205. Crute can prove to be a real prospect with a win over Alvey and I think he gets it done in a hard fought fight. Jim Crute by split decision.
Phil Mackenzie: Crute didn’t look good at all against Paul Craig, and pretty much won by getting less tired. Alvey is fairly hard to take down and has a determined one-track game so he’s a tough style match up on paper... but he also just got dusted by Lil’ Nog in the year of our lord 2018, and he’s sort of starting to look like he’s forgetting how to win. Egh, I can’t do it. Crute is just too defensively porous. Sam Alvey by TKO, round 1.
Zane Simon: Crute is much more varied, but he’s really not very experienced and I didn’t see much I liked in his win over Paul Craig beyond his willingness to scrap and ability to scramble. Alvey’s not going to play that game, and isn’t that easy to take down. If Crute is going to just march after him looking for a brawl, he’s likely going to get picked off by counter shots. If Alvey can’t hurt him, then Crute may win just by sheer will, but that still feels like a tossup. Sam Alvey via TKO, Round 1.
Staff picking Crute: Shak, Phil, Anton, Mookie, Harry
Staff picking Alvey: Nick, Fraser, Dayne, Zane, Stephie
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