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I'm a Paranormal Investigator for the U.S. Government. My agency is getting annoyed.
Part two: Blood Trees
Let me start this off by saying one thing: I fucking hate Blood Trees. Look, there are a hundred thousand ways to die in this world. Over half of those are from Cryptids. Half of that is pretty quick or relatively painless, and smaller still are the ones that make it hurt. Within this percentage are two ways of death that every one of you really needs to be aware of.
One: Mental break. This method isn't exclusive to Eldritch beings, but they love the shit. The idea of yanking your mind and soul out of your body and driving you mad while inflicting pain is probably their favorite dish. You sit there for what feels like an eternity, getting your soul flayed while they show you images and scene that no human was built to see.
Two: Physical break. These are what I like to call Digestors. An entity, human or not, who secures your body to something and just puts you through it. Peeling your skin off, bamboo under the fingernails, cutting off your eyelids, the works. These things typically have the ability to heal the damage they cause so they can inflict more pain without killing you.
Blood trees? They can do both. I don't know what asshole conjured these things up, but I hope their creation did some turnabout on them. Blood Trees are hard to pin down. Not that there aren't a lot of them; they are everywhere, relatively speaking. Every forest in the U.S. and Canada has them. The young ones are more active, constantly needing food, and every once in a while you get some kind of cult that pops up around them, with assholes wearing robes chanting in a made up language while they yeet some poor schmuck into the bowels of the tree. They typically feast on a live body for a few weeks, and then longer as they get older and learn how to make the meal last longer.
The older ones are the ones you REALLY have to worry about. One live body can sustain them for a few decades or so, which means you are typically being digested for the rest of your natural life. If they get more bodies, they store them for later. The ugly tree from the Johnny Depp version of Sleepy Hollow? Blood Tree. Some can serve as gateways to a pain dimension or something, but those are actually really rare.
So, Blood Trees possess the ability to not only digest you over time and keep you alive while doing so, but many of them can mess with your mind while doing it. So, you can see why I hate them.
The following investigation showcases three things: One: I fucking hate Blood Trees. Two: I hate other agencies (suck it, F.B.I.) Three: I try not to go on any investigation alone. Being alone means you're more vulnerable, and there is no help. So...onto the investigation.
"Agent Echo, arrival on scene at 0645, XX DEC 20XX. [REDACTED], Colorado."
You'll realize pretty quick that I hate a lot of things. Dense forests, cults, springform pans, the F.B.I. Three of these things came into play today. I found myself at the entrance to a state park, whose name I won't share for obvious reasons. For this one, I didn't have to blend in with the locals, so no shitty apartment or beat to crap vehicle to deal with. Nope, I made my way to Fort Carson and yanked one of their range control trucks, something with some ground clearance and self recovery options.
I pulled the big vehicle into the gravel parking lot which was freshly layered with fresh snow. I can't tell you enough how fucking beautiful this state is. Flocked trees, quiet wilderness, elk running everywhere and in many cases, not a lot of people. Anyways. The small visitor center sat nestled in the foreground of a mountain range, an idyllic location for a lovely state park. It was a log cabin style, single story with large windows, dark stain and a green tin roof. A set of glass double doors served as the entrance, with a small set of stairs leading up to it and a handicap ramp to the side. There were a few park ranger trucks sitting off to the side; the rest of the lot was empty save for a couple of mid sized SUVs and a Subaru or two.
After parking and shutting off the truck, I hopped out and checked for my gear. I was wearing a set of snow pants over my jeans, and a matching parka with fur lining. Mittens covered my thin under gloves, and I wore a black beanie. It was balls cold out, and I really don't like being cold, but dressed down enough so I wouldn't get overheated while walking. My backpack held enough food and supplies for a few days of travel, with a small axe hanging off the side. I slung a 12 gauge over my shoulder and slid a .454 revolver with a 6 inch barrel into the holster at my hip. Why such a big revolver? A few reasons. First off, this is bear country. I don't give a damn about hibernation season; you don't go into bear country at any time without packing some iron. Second off, revolvers don't jam like a semi auto will. Third, a 454 will put down a bear without much drama. Go into a fight with a bear using a 9mm, I dare you. Bear attacks happen pretty quick, so you aren't gonna be playing John Wick with a 500lb bear that can move faster than you.
Secure that I had all of my crap, I walked up the snowy steps and into the visitor center. It was quiet. Not unsettling quiet, just that no one was really having loud conversations. A tall, brawny man with sandy colored hair made his way up to me. A park ranger by the uniform, he opened his mouth to speak when I shoved a piece of paper in his face. He took a few moments to read it, then folded it and handed it back to me.
"Well, that takes care of the first round of questions. I'm [Fake name, obviously] Ranger Sandover, call me Mike."
"Echo, nice to meet you."
M: "Echo?" The beginning of amusement lit up on his face. "That a secret codename?"
I wasn't about to explain the intricacies of agency policy or the need for official cover names to a park ranger. Yes Mike, it's a codename, now fuck off.
Instead, I looked up at him. He was probably a hair taller than Shout was, but more muscular. "Yep. Can we get to business, Mike?"
He chuckled. "Sure thing." He turned and waved me along as he walked through the facility. "You with the F.B.I. or something?"
I bristled. You may not know this, but I fucking hate the F.B.I. "No. They do their own thing, I don't mess with them." I barely hid my disgust.
The walk through the facility was...short. It took only a few seconds to reach the wooden door labeled 'Ranger Office', and for Mike to throw it open and reveal the contents inside. It wasn't anything special. A medium sized wooden desk, basic ass industry catalogue issue, sat in the middle. A computer screen from 20 years ago sat on the side, along with the nameplate of the supervisor to the area. James T. Celery. [It should be pretty clear by now that all of these names are fake.]
Ranger Celery sat his portly ass in a swivel chair behind the desk. He was huge. Not huge like a UFC Heavyweight, huge as in he probably could wolf down an elk by himself huge. His fat face had sweat on it just from sitting, and his hair had cleared out of the top of his head, leaving a horseshoe of thin brown hair that traveled the circumference of his dome.
To his side stood another Ranger, that made up the three on duty right now. Christ, she was fucking adorable. Black hair, bright blue eyes, a hair taller than me and probably in better shape than Mike. That was about all she had going for her. Nametag said Bristol.
B: "Who is this, new guy? Why are you bringing an armed civilian in here?"
M: "Not a civilian. You remember the other day, we got a call about an agent coming to take a look around? This is Agent Echo."
Bristol looked at me like I had just beaten her dog and killed her mom. Probably the same way I look at F.B.I. agents.
B: "And...why do we need an 'agent'? This is a state park, we don't need-"
This bitch was already getting on my nerves, so I cut her off. "Are you the one in charge? If not, then shut the fuck up. This crap is above your paygrade."
I could hear Shout now. 'Do you always start fights wherever you go?' Sometimes. I can't help it though. This long doing the work I do, I don't have the time or patience for uppity peons. Bristol turned fully towards me and started forward. Immediately I pulled the revolver free and thumbed the hammer back, pointing it at her body.
E: "Don't fucking try it. I could put a new asshole in every inch of your body and still get away with it."
The room was tense. Mike's face was white. Obviously the guy was an easy-going type, one who hadn't seen the more uncouth side of human nature. Celery, to his credit, remained calm, folding his hands together.
C: "Alright. Calm down everyone. Bristol, take a walk outside. Agent, please lower your weapon. I understand your role here, but lets have a bit of tact."
I nodded slowly, and stepped to the side when Bristol passed, still glaring daggers at me, and closed the door. I ran the hammer forward and slid the revolver back into the holster.
C: "Please, sit down."
I didn't.
C: "The search and rescue team is arriving soon, you can head out with them when the snow lifts." He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
I shook my head. "I'm not search and rescue. There is something else I am after, and honestly, this is a courtesy that we told you I'm coming." Sometimes they didn't understand that. For a few reasons, my objective isn't exactly the safety of human beings. SAR handles that. My objective is the destruction of the Cryptid Emergence I was assigned to. That, and feelings can get you killed...it sucks, but thats the way it is. "I just need someone who knows the area."
C: "Well, Mike is still new..."
Fuck.
C: "...SAR won't be here until a few hours most likely..."
Double fuck.
C: "...meaning the only experienced one I can send with you is Bristol."
Triple fuck!
I sighed. SAR may not be willing to high tail it right now, not sure why SAR would be delaying at the moment, but I didn't have the luxury of waiting. "Fine." I said after exhaling a calming breath.
As a group we walked out of the office. Celery pulled Bristol to the side while Mike and I hung back.
M: "Be careful. I shouldn't be saying this, but Bristol has a temper..." He said in a whisper.
E: "Then don't. Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine." I replied evenly.
Celery and Bristol talked for a few minutes...a few minutes that went by way too slow.
Once they were done, Bristol disappeared in the back for a few moments, then returned dressed for the weather, a lever action rifle slung over her shoulder. I nodded, one that she returned, and we walked out of the station and around the back towards the looming line of flocked trees ahead that marked the true boundary to the park. We followed the snow filled footsteps into the trees and started along a path that would have been easier to see were it not for the 8 inches of snow covering the ground.
B: "Echo...did you make that up? Must be some kind of organization for you to just use codenames. Are you the C.I.A.?"
At least she didn't say FBI. "No. CIA handles issues outside of the continental US mostly. Espionage and things like that." I replied evenly, our earlier tension suppressed under a layer of professionalism. We walked for a while, the miles passed and the time went with it. It was midday by the time either of us attempted conversation again.
"Huh. So, what are we looking for? You said you aren't search and rescue, so what's the deal?" She spoke after a few minutes. We were walking side by side in the pathway, and I pulled up a GPS with a preloaded set of coordinates on it. "Honestly, I won't be sure until I see it..."
Thump thump.
"...and hopefully its nothing."
Thump. Thump thump.
I paused while Bristol walked forward, alarm bells going off in my head. Something was coming. I sped up my walk until I closed in on the Ranger, mouth opening to speak.
"You act like it's gonna just jump out at you-"
Jesus, she had to say that. From the thick underbrush a bear barrelled out. Large, fast and angry, it shouldered me to the side, having locked in Bristol as its target. My shotgun fell to the side and I went backwards onto my back. Bristol screamed out as the bear slammed her to the ground, massive paws raising and slamming downward to try and rip her limb from limb. If she hadn't gotten her rifle longways between herself and the bear, she really would have been done for. As I came to my feet, the bear caught her left shoulder in its mouth, grabbing and dragging her side to side, shaking her violently. I ran up with the .454 in hand.
I got up close so I wouldn't risk hitting her, and fired. Once...twice...the bear went down in a heap, it's head half gone. I took Bristol's rifle and looped the sling around the bear's neck and pulled back hard, giving the ranger a bit of room to shimmy out from under it.
Blood was pooled underneath her shoulder, and she was breathing hard, eyes wet as the realization of what just happened set in. I dropped to her side and pulled her coat open, expecting to find a tattered mass of flesh where her torso had been. Instead, I found claws. Not marks, but actual claws. The claws from the bear's paws had broken off the second they split the skin!
"Fuck...uh, alright, you look surprisingly good..."
Bewildered was a good word for it. Her nervous chuckle split the air. A few drops of blood pooled from under her uniform shirt, but her shoulder was a little worse off. The teeth had remained intact for a bit longer, and had cut a few nice gouges into the flesh. I pulled a medkit out of her bag and set to work.
"How...how am I not..what the fuck..." She spoke between breaths. She looked up at my face and shot me a peculiar stare. "You know what happened? Fucking tell me! That thing should have ripped by guts out, what is going on!?"
I finished the bandage on her shoulder and sighed. Reaching out, I pulled the claws from her chest and lifted one up, squeezing it between my fingers. It snapped quickly and fell to pieces afterwards. "It was already dead."
"Come again?" She spoke incredulously.
"Already dead. I think I know why, but I really wish I didn't." I leaned down and removed Bristol's knife from the sheath on her belt. Before she could protest, I lifted up the arm of the bear to expose its underbelly better, and pushed the knife in. Pulling to the side, the skin split open with a sick pop and disgorged its inside all over the snow. Well, the entrails at least. Huge clots of blood remained attached to the different organs, and I reached a gloved hand down into its body, searching around for a moment.
"Okay, that is disgusting, what in God's name are you doing?"
I didn't speak for a moment, then pulled my hand free, holding up a horrid looking obkect. It looked like a seed with many small roots coming off of it, covered in flesh. Like a tumor growing. The roots wriggled randomly, trying to find purchase in something.
"Oh...oh my God..." Bristol went pale. Most people did when they first saw one of these things. Human minds can't fully process some things very well.
"Blood Tree, goddammit." I stuck the tip of the knife into the seed and pulled it free. A copious amount of fresh blood spewed from the opening, more than the palm sized thing should have been able to hold. I tossed it back on the bear.
"Its been using the bear to travel. Animals have an instinct that is hard to override, especially with a predatory animal. A few more days and the seed could have controlled it."
B: "Okay. I'm gonna need you to explain this in a bit more detail. Why isn't the bear hibernating, why did it not kill me, how is it dead and what the FUCK did you just pull out of it!?"
E: I sighed softly. "Look at the bears head, where I shot it...look where I cut it. See any blood that didn't come from the seed? No, because it's already coagulated. The bear was mostly dead. It attacked you because the seed trying to control it made it lose its mind. The seed I pulled out is from a Blood Tree. They survive off of fresh bodies...there is a whole book I could tell you, but just realize that they are bad fucking news, and it seems you have one in your little park. Probably with a cult around it too."
B: "A cult? Like, guys in black robes chanting shit?"
E: "Yep, exactly. Blood Trees don't usually infect animals. Their instinct makes it hard to separate an animal from its natural area to spread, which means it was probably put there by someone. Ergo, you have a Blood Tree Cult. Here, help me with this."
Finding it next to a bottle of tequila and a rag, I pulled a big bottle of lighter fluid from my bag and tossed Bristol the long torch. She fumbled with it, but caught it. I began dousing the bear carcass with the lighter fluid.
"Not sure how many seeds are in this thing, so best bet is to burn it." Once finished, I swapped the lighter fluid for the torch and set the bear alight, Bristol squeezing a bit more of fluid on there for good measure.
B: "So, what now?" She asked softly, nibbling her lip.
E: "Find the tree, burn it, kill the cultists."
She didn't respond. We took a few minutes to rest and eat, regain some energy. I checked her bandages, but the wounds were surprisingly superficial. Bristol floated the idea of making camp, but I shook my head. "Not the place we want to camp. If we are going to find it and live, then we have to find it soon. It knows it's seeds just died."
After securing all of our gear and finding her rifle and my shotgun, we continued our walk in the direction the bear had come from, with me reloading the .454 on the way. A half hour went by before she spoke again.
B: "Um...Echo?"
Far contrasting her earlier bravado at our first meeting, her voice was meek, girlish...scared.
E: "Yeah?"
B: "What is going to happen to me?"
Damn, she had good instincts too.
E: "Depends. If the seeds had enough control to sprout their own, then you'll probably be infected. Your shoulder will ache more, get red hot, and you'll see small roots in the wound. They'll slowly move through your body until they invade your brain, and kill you while retaining control of your body. If not, then a few weeks of recovery and you'll be fine."
I don't sugarcoat things. It never pays to, really. Bad things happen, and they happen whether we like it or not.
She let out a small sob. It was too early to tell if she had been infected though.
B: "What happens then? You burn me too?"
E: "After I put a bullet in your head, yeah. Mostly so you won't feel it. Remember, its too early to tell, though. You might be alright."
That wasn't a lie at least.
We walked farther and deeper into the woods. The sun had set, leaving us in the darkness, but the moon provided enough light that it reflected off of the snow and made walking easier. I didn't want to use a light; we already made enough noise walking to risk fully giving ourselves away visually. We stalked silently up the ridge where light played random shadow games over the top and on the other side. I slid down to my knees in the snow and Bristol followed suit, where we crawled the rest of the way up.
Looking out, there was a small clearing, a fire looming in front of a large, gnarled tree that bled profusely from many different openings. Four figures in hooded cloaks stood there, evenly spaced but far from the tree to stay out of range of its flailing limbs and roots. The scene was grotesque, and I heard Bristol dry heave into her jacket to muffle the sound. I've been around a few of them, and I still have to fight nausea from overwhelming me. The things were bad news on every level, a sickening entity that could have an effect on someone just based on proximity. I watched for a few minutes just to get the nausea under control, and hopefully Bristol could do the same. I looked over to her laying just a few feet from me.
E: "You alright?"
B: "Y-yeah, I think..."
E: "Make sure you are. This is gonna happen fast." I peeked over the rise we lay upon, noticing we were about 2 meters above the clearing. Not much of an elevated position, but enough to give us an edge. I searched in my bag for the bottle of tequila. Shame to use it on a blood tree, but we would have to get another bottle later. I unscrewed the cap and stuffed a rag into it, then put the cap back on. "Hop down the hill, kill the cultists, burn the tree."
B: "Wait, we can't just kill them. The law doesn't work like that, Echo."
E: "Are you serious? Do you know what these people will do to you if they-"
My words were stopped short by the sound of heavy footsteps. I looked back in time to see an athletic man barreling towards us, murder in his eyes with a touch of fanaticism. I saw the faint traces of a Ranger uniform before a long leg pushed forward in a vicious kick to my side. The amount of power in the kick was absolutely ridiculous. My body lifted off of the snow covered ground and with a scream of pain I went over the side and down the 2 meter drop onto the floor below. Trying to catch my breath, I pushed shakily to my knees, my shotgun laying to the side a few feet away. A quick lift of my head showed me that the three robed figures were coming at an alarming pace. Pulling the revolver free I lifted it in a quick motion and fired. One cultist dropped when a .454 blew his spine out of his back. My reaction was a little slow due to the fall, though. I managed to squeeze one more shot off that annihilated the left thigh of a second, causing the woman's screams to echo out into the wilderness. The third had reached me. Dropping his full weight on top of me, he slapped the .454 out of my grasp and closed around my neck with two beefy hands, squeezing tight and cutting off my air supply instantly. I thrashed, moving and squirming, trying to get away.
Another shot rang out in the Forest, followed by a thud off in the distance. I couldn't hear much, my ears were clogged, vision was fading. He was too strong at this point, and had too much leverage...guess this was my time?
A thunderclap startled both of us. The man stiffened, and fell to the side like he had gotten hit by a sledgehammer...which, he might as well have. Bristol pulled herself forward, ragged breaths shooting steam into the cold night air. Her rifle fell down as kneeled next to me, and pulled me up to a sitting position. Leaning on each other, we climbed to our feet and I grabbed the .454. She held the bottle of tequila up for me to see, and didn't even need to say anything. I pulled out the torch and lit the rag, and Bristol reared back like she was throwing a grenade. Her aim was perfect.
The Molotov sailed through the air and blew against the side of the tree. Fire spread all along the trunk, screeches from the tree, a cacophany of all its still living victims, providing a macabre chorus as its death cry. The tree would burn for quite a while most likely.
E: "Come on. Lets get out of here."
She didn't respond. Tucked under my shoulder, her breathing was ragged, rough, her body hot against mine. We tried to walk, but she held fast.
B: "Re...remember what you said...earlier? About the seeds...?"
She spoke softly, almost calm. Like she had accepted this. I laid her against the ridge and kneeled in front of her, reaching out to push her parka aside and lift her bandages. Small roots sprouted from the wound, which was festering, and an angry red.
E: "...fuck."
B: "Hah...yeah, this sucks..."
I stood there, cursing internally. She had the instinct to be apart of our Agency...that, and she was a fighter, a survivor...a decent fucking person, actually. I pulled the revolver and aimed it at her.
E: "I really wish I didn't have to do this."
B: "I know." She stared up at me, scared, but knowing this was going to have to happen. "You aren't gonna look away?"
E: "I never do."
B: "Just...don't tell me when you're gonna-"
I pulled the trigger. My face didn't change, but I just stood there...breathing. Tears made their way down my cheeks, and I pulled a cigarette free and lit it.
After the tree had fully burned, I had to do the same to Bristol, as it was the only way to ensure the destruction of the seeds. I climbed the rise again to see Mike Sandover's body lifeless, with a giant hole in his head. I burned his body too, and that of the cultists as well, then began the long trip back to the Ranger station.
I called Brain on the way back, and by the time I was done with the report, I had made it back. The parking lot was empty...Celery was gone. I put out a mark on him (more on that later), and jumped in the truck. Time to find a bar to get wasted at.
End Of Transcription.
There is another one. I'll let you guys know what happened to Celery next time, but until then? Stay out of the fucking woods.

SURPRISE!
Ya'll must have been waiting till wednesday/thursday to see this. Nope, i'm a determined motherfucker to make you guys happy, and this is a service im more than happy to provide, ya'll stuck with me... alright i'll stop saying ya'll.
This does come with a heavy warning though.
With how volatile covid makes fights and match making, some of these fights will change... Just today two fights have changed this year so.. if there are indeed changes after me posting this, please let me know and depending on the date (in australia, when the date it the 10th of december, im unable to change anything, as im going to my mums once again for christmas) I can change it. It's all date dependent.
(c) - Champ
(D) - Debut
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in Division
Lets go!
Prelims
Featherweight
Chase Hooper (9-1-1, NS) v Peter Barrett (11-4-0, NS) - An interesting fight between some fairly decent newcomers. Hooper has been in the spotlight for some time now, whether that is due to his extremely young age or his likeness to Ben Askren, but this kid has talent, unrefined talent. He is by no means a Jon Jones, his age is basically that and his experience reflects it. Hooper's unique size advantage over most of his opponents makes him seem like a formidable opponent, but really when it comes to the UFC, he’s a few steps behind. His striking is clumsy and slow, his grappling ability is perhaps his strongest skill, those long limbs allow him to lock in a body lock or sink in a submission, so really, for Hooper to have any hope of winning, he needs to grapple this time or else Barrett is going to blast him. Barrett may have started in the UFC a little late on the age spectrum but he’s incredibly well rounded. His work load when he fought on DWCS was great and he just didn’t slow down at all. He kept pushing the pace, combo’s, takedowns, aggression and a thirst for victory. His only setback was against Zalal and well, Zalal is an animal of a whole different nature. Barrett has faced some questionable opponents, some fighters being noticeably on a huge losing streak, like, huge, like, if Floyd Mayweather was 0-50, that huge. So, it makes me wonder how he’s going to handle Featherweight further down the line. I see Hooper getting this fight to the ground as soon as possible and working from there, he has a sizeable physical advantage so getting into positions where he can submit Barrett should be easy enough
Hooper via Sub R2
Welterweight
Dwight Grant (10-3-0, NS) v Jingliang Li (17-6-0, NS) - This is a banger! Grant is always up for an excellent fight. Grant has a very odd style, its explosive and sporadic and his long limbs allow him to deceptively cover large distances and his long legs allow him to just throw some very hard kicks. He does have a rather unorthodox style, he’s very hard to read and has exceptional power in everything he throws. He also has a strong wrestling base so grappling with him is only a good idea if you can chain wrestle, but this is Jingliang we’re talking about so I don’t think there will be that much wrestling. Li has a beautiful and dangerous striking game, and he’s just a straight savage. His right straight is a powerful tool and he will lunge and land with significant power. Li is very good on the feet, his pressure and ability to endure damage is incredible. He has significant wins over the likes of Zaleski dos Santos, Zak Ottow and my boy Camacho. Li is nothing but violence and pressure and if that right hand lands, then his opponents are in trouble. He also is a fairly decent wrestler but really, I feel like it’s going to be a striking heavy bout. I have Jingliang on this one. He’s just far more experienced and has tasted UFC competition many times before.
Li via KO R2
Middleweight
Karl Roberson (9-3-0, NS) v Dalcha Lungiambula (10-2-0, NS) - This is going to be a bit of a chess match. Roberson is a very good kickboxer who has adapted to the UFC quite well. As long as the fight stays on the feet, Roberson is incredibly comfortable and confident. He’s got excellent pressure and mixes his punches and kicks exceptionally well. His cardio holds up as well, able to keep similar pressure going into the last round, as he does in the first. He is a former Glory kickboxer so he has faced some excellent kickboxers so if this fight stays on the feet (it most likely will), Roberson will be able to handle this fight fairly easily. Lungiambula is a very powerful fighter, his explosiveness and aggression are his main weapons coming into this fight and if he clips Roberson then he is in trouble. But we did see some very big holes in his game, Lungiambula is a very… barebones fighter, power and explosiveness, that’s all, and Ankalaev saw through that and put him to sleep effortlessly. Roberson needs to utilise movement and methodical striking to slow down Lungiambula, leg kicks, touch and go, and a well timed counter or ten and it’ll slow down Lungiambulas momentum very quickly. I see Roberson winning this in the long run, if the fight lasts longer than 2 rounds, than we might see Lungiambula slow down a whole lot and that’s where Roberson will go off.
Roberson via KO R3
Heavyweight
Sergei Spivak (11-2-0, NS) v Jared Vendaraa (D) (11-4-0, 2 FWS) - An interesting fight. Spivak was definitely a bear in his past life. The dude is strong, he might not have the most incredible striking but when he gets a hold of his opponents it's essentially game over for them, he ragdolls them, he clings onto them like an annoying spider web that you walk through when it's pitch black. His only weakness from what I can see, is the fact that he either needs to dominate, or he will be dominated, there’s no fine in between. Like, you know how fighters are losing but they’re still kinda fighting? When Spivak is losing, it's hopeless. He’s a very good fighter, don’t get me wrong, but adversity tells a story here and the adversity that he has faced over his career has been tough. The good news is, is that he’s fighting a debuting fighter who is yet to taste the competition in the UFC. Vendaraa is a big lad, he’s absolutely massive, solid, thick, tight, and he’s going to be trouble for Spivak if he lands a few heavy blows. There was an issue that I could see with Venderaa’s performance on DWCS though, and that’s his ability to get hit, he’s just so hittable, he’s slow, but strong, but if he is going to fight someone like Spivak he needs to avoid the quick jabs that Spivak has, and fire off first. There is a reach advantage there but I don’t think Venderaa uses it well. I got Spivak on this one, he’s very strong and has faced some crazy opponents in his time. Spivak is just going to wrestle with him for all three rounds. Maybe sink in a submission, I haven’t seen enough of Venderaa on the ground to know how good he is grappling wise. So, yeah, safe bet here would be Spivak.
Spivak via UD
Featherweight
Billy Quarantillo (15-2-0, 8 FWS) v Gavin Tucker (12-1-0, 2 FWS) - Billy is back! Quarantillo is a legitimately dangerous fighter at Featherweight, he is exceptionally well rounded, very fast with his striking, accurate and he just has an excellent pace. He’s almost the perfect prospect for Featherweight, amongst many insane prospects. His notable fights are when he shut down the game of Carlyle and absolutely overwhelmed Kyle Nelson with his insane workload. Nelson put it on him in the first round, crazy hard body punches and a relentless pace, but Quarantillo kept his cool, methodically planned out his movements and next attacks and eventually got the win. Keep an eye out for Quarantillo, he has incredible potential and can make it far. According to UFCstats, he has a 7 strikes landed per minute stat which is pretty nuts and if he keeps it up I can see him being a stat leader. Tucker is a brilliant submission artist who is insane on the ground. It was beautiful to watch him go for multiple submissions during his bout against Jaynes, he just was relentless with his attacks, kept Jaynes guessing and when he finally sunk it in, it was just another highlight added to his reel. Tucker's striking is fairly decent but it’s not on the level of Quarantillo, and he mostly uses his striking to set up takedowns, or to loosen up his opponents to open them up for a takedown. I see Quarantillo sticking to the feet as much as possible because I don’t think he’s that great on the ground, especially against a Black Belt. Bit of a tough fight to predict, but I like Quarantillo on this one, especially if he sticks to the feet and puts on a striking clinic, whilst avoiding any takedown attempts. Control the center and he can control the fight.
Quarantillo via KO R2
Women’s Strawweight
Mackenzie Dern (#12) (9-1-0, 2 FWS) v Virna Jandiroba (16-1-0, 2 FWS) - This is a great fight, mostly because i’m a fan of Dern. Dern is an absolute goddess on the ground, she’s one of the best to ever grapple on the ground and if she grappled against Rousey, i’d happily pay my left arm to see that. Dern has had a bit of a slip in the UFC but that aside she has always maintained a dominant ground game and almost every single one of her opponents never wants to be on the ground with her. That’s about it, that’s all the analysis you need, Dern = best ground game in the division. Jandiroba has been fighting for quite some time now and has racked up an impressive record, she has numerous submissions on her record, especially in the UFC, submitting the likes of Herrig and Martin in almost effortless fashion. This is going to be a scrappy fight. Most of the time when two submission geniuses are fighting, the fight stays on the feet, if we look at the striking capabilities of both fighters, I’d argue that Dern is maybe a little better and has more power, but Jandiroba has more speed. Overall, an interesting fight. If it goes to the ground though, I'm still very confident that Dern can win, so I'll be going with Dern on this one.
Dern via Sub R3
Featherweight
cub Swanson (26-11-0, NS) v Daniel Pineda (27-13-0, NS) - This is a fight between some incredibly experienced fighters. A total record of 53-24-0. Swanson has had it incredibly rough, losing 4 of his last 5, his last win was against a Gracie and it was a fucking war. A total of 521 strikes were thrown, 152 landed, both fighters absolutely left it all in the octagon that night and it made me respect Swanson so much more, to be able to come back from a horrible losing streak to get a win over a current generation Gracie… goddamn. Swanson has beautiful boxing, he’s highly proficient and a ruthless assassin when he wants to be. For the newcomers here who are like “why is Slayer talking so much about Swanson, he’s 1-4 in his last 5, he’s a scrub” bro you better shut the fuck up and watch his fight against Doo Ho Choi. Swanson is a violent, violent fighter and he always, always brings the fight to his opponents. Pineda’s return to the octagon has been a blessing for his career. His elbow knockout against Herbert Burns still blows me away, it was brutal. He had Burns in a crucifix position and just landed hell on him. If this is the new Pineda then consider me very, very intrigued. Pineda has always had a strong ground game, a controlling one where he either chases a submission or just lands some beautiful ground and pound. His top game is legit and if he can get Swanson to the ground then I don’t see it going very well for Swanson. This is a fight for the fans right here, and I feel like Swanson has this fight. He still has it in him, he still has the ability to bang and hang with the best of them, but what a fight this is, I’m not gonna be too analytical on this one, lets just enjoy the violence.
Swanson via KO R3
Main Card
Heavyweight
Junior dos Santos (#8) (21-8-0, 3 FLS) v Cyril Gane (6-0-0, 6 FWS) - Holy fucking shit what a fight… There is going to be some serious bias here because i’m a huge fan of Gane. JDS has long been a legendary brawler in the UFC, he has insane power and speed, but recently with his losing streak he’s been caught on the negative side of the sport, doubters, talks of retirement, discussion of why he’s still around.. Well, rest assured, he’s going to bring it this fight, he needs to because a 4 fight losing streak looks bad at heavyweight. Junior has always had beautiful boxing and power, it was a perfect mix back in the day when power and boxing really shined in heavyweight, but now times have changed, and his losses to the likes of Ngannou, Blaydes, and Rozenstruik have proven to us that the next generation of fighters is here… and Gane is no different. Gane is a monster, a fucking elite monster that has been in the game for a very long time. Undefeated in kickboxing (13-0), undefeated in MMA and now has a few submission wins under his belt? It's very clear to me that his adjustment to MMA in all fields has been nothing but a wild success. Gane is going to be serious trouble for so many heavyweights and i’ll be keeping an eye on him very, very keenly. As i said, very biased, huge fan. War Gane.
Gane via KO R1
Middleweight
Kevin Holland (20-5-0, 4 FWS) v Jacare Souza (26-8-0, 2 FLS) - This fight makes me happy. You guys know how much I love Holland, I always speak highly of him, and now he’s fighting a huge fight, against former middleweight contender Souza? What a great fight to end the year for Holland. Holland is one of the most entertaining, yet dangerous middleweights in the UFC right this instant. He’s not izzy levels of great, but he’s at the very least top 7. One huge advantage that Holland has here is his ridiculous reach advantage (9 inches) and if you watched his fight against Buckley, you know for a fucking fact he’s a master of his range. Everything that you love about the UFC, the trash talk, the skill and style, the flair… it’s all Holland, its his whole thing and it fucking works. So… fucking hyped. Souza is no doubt a very dangerous submission artist, with a Black belt (4th degree) in BJJ and Judo, if he gets his arms around Holland than Holland will be in trouble, but Jacare is also very one dimensional and as he ages (he’s 40 now) his opponents know him better and better, know what to avoid (the fence and the grappling situations) and can defeat him easily by outstriking him. I do have a bit of a worry though, and thats Souza’s ability to make weight. He has never missed weight, but he’s coming down from Light Heavyweight, and it is Corona season so it might be wildly different this time. I got Holland on this one, I’m sure you all guessed that already, Hollands reach advantage is going to play the most vital role in this fight and we’re going to see some fucking beautiful striking from Holland.
Holland via KO R2
Lightweight
Renato Moicano (14-3-1, NS) v Rafael Fiziev (8-1-0, 2 FWS) - Welcome to a wild, wild matchup. Moicano made very quick work over Hadzovic earlier this year, winning in the first round, within the very first minute, it was an excellent execution of ground positioning and well timed submission. Everything that Moicano planned during the fight came to fruition. Moicano has a beautiful ground game and that’s most definitely where he will be planning to take this fight, but it will be incredibly difficult to do so especially since he’s fighting someone with a lengthy kickboxing background mixed in with top level muay thai skill. Moicano will need to keep Fiziev against the cage, add pressure, feint, then shoot… or something along those lines. If he can get Fiziev to the ground then I can see Moicano getting the upper hand, but Fiziev is a scrappy fighter who just doesn’t stand still. Fizievs striking is a thing of true fucking beauty. Looking at his stats during the Marc Diakiese fight, he landed to the head 35%, the body 42% and the legs 21%. His ability to keep his opponents guard guessing, not knowing where to block or when to check, especially against a high level (and I mean very high level) kickboxer in Fiziev, it’s going to be a very tricky nut to crack. I don’t know who is going to win this one, but i’m feeling extra nutty so let’s go with Fiziev on this one.
Fiziev via KO R3
Co-Main Event
Lightweight
Tony Ferguson (#3) (25-4-0, NS) v Charles Oliveira (#4) (29-8-0, 7 FWS) - This is a fucking insane fight. Ferguson will always remain one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC, whether its his out-of-cage rants, or his in-the-cage destruction… he’s insane. But, I will repeat what I said in my predictions when he fought Gaethje. Ferguson is not a good fighter. He’s wild and hard to calculate and read, yes, but his striking capabilities are just that, wild. Gaethje has shown almost all lightweights the tools that are needed to defeat him, you need patience, well timed shots and the proclivity to keep up the pace throughout all rounds. In my honest opinion, Oliveira could very well do that. Oliveira has an interesting set of skills, he’s an excellent kickboxer and is very patient, he makes sure to land everything he throws, and if he times it well enough, he can land a takedown, get to a dominant position and sink in a beautiful choke. Oliveira has the most submission wins in the UFC and that's just proof of his ability to destroy his opponents on the ground. Now, people have said numerous times that Ferguson is great on the ground, but I don’t see him being better than Oliveira… It’s a tricky fight to talk about really because whenever Ferguson is in a fight, anything can happen. If you look at Fergusons submission wins, they’re against fighters who aren’t submission artists and thus don’t really know what to do to avoid submissions from someone like Ferguson.. Oliveira has numerous submission wins (also numerous submission losses) against the very best the UFC has had to offer… As I said, very hard fight to predict. The next big thing you need to remember is that Ferguson lost against Gaethje in horrible fashion… That can fuck someone up mentally and it might be detrimental to his performance against Oliveira. Fuck it, its the end of the year so what’s the worst that can happen.
Oliveira via UD
Main Event
Flyweight Championship Bout
Deiveson Figueiredo (c) (20-1-0, 5 FWS) v Brandom Moreno (#2) (18-5-1, 3 FWS) - Once again, Fig creates headlines. Figueiredo is one of the most dangerous fighters the UFC has at the moment and exactly what the Flyweight Division needs to be interesting. I feel like i should just copy and paste what I wrote on my predictions when he thought Perez but fuck it, you all know how insane he is, he has power, speed, athleticism, explosiveness and sneakiness. His last fight ended in some controversy, because there were some fence grabs, but otherwise, that leg take he did before the fight nearly ended was fucking slick and just made me trust him more in becoming one of the best. Figueiredo will be a champ for a long time and i’m sticking with that statement… However, he is cutting weight twice now, and he did have trouble on the scales when he first fought for the belt, so i hope there won’t be a repeat of that this time around. Moreno is what you get if you hose down a caged animal, starve it, then release it amongst the public. He is a wild, wild fighter, violent and just doesn’t give enough fucks when he takes damage, as long as he’s moving forward, creating pressure and landing his incredible shots, he’s winning… Unfortunately, Figueiredo is a different animal and I don’t think Moreno will be able to win this. He will need a flush knockout or something in order to win this one because the longer this fight goes on, the better Figueiredo will be. A fight of endurance will be a losing factor for Moreno, so he needs to be aware of the striking power of Figueiredo, and become wrestle heavy, wrestling really is the only chance he has when it comes to this fight. Fig is just too fast and too strong… And Still.
Figueiredo via KO R1
And that's it!
Once again, if changes do occur, ill try to change it, depending on the severity of the change and if i have time to do so, but typically what I write is set in stone, i can however comment on who i think will win (replacement bout of course).
If you wish to support me please message me and i can provide details on how you can do so.
If you would like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @Slayer_Tip or if you want, add me on discord and we can have a super friendly chat about all things MMA: Slayertip#7013
Lets have a fun discussion down below, let me know if you agree/disagree with my picks :)
But for now, have a beautiful week, take care of yourselves :)

I'm a Paranormal Investigator for the U.S. Government. My agency is getting annoyed.
Part two: Blood Trees
Let me start this off by saying one thing: I fucking hate Blood Trees. Look, there are a hundred thousand ways to die in this world. Over half of those are from Cryptids. Half of that is pretty quick or relatively painless, and smaller still are the ones that make it hurt. Within this percentage are two ways of death that every one of you really needs to be aware of.
One: Mental break. This method isn't exclusive to Eldritch beings, but they love the shit. The idea of yanking your mind and soul out of your body and driving you mad while inflicting pain is probably their favorite dish. You sit there for what feels like an eternity, getting your soul flayed while they show you images and scene that no human was built to see.
Two: Physical break. These are what I like to call Digestors. An entity, human or not, who secures your body to something and just puts you through it. Peeling your skin off, bamboo under the fingernails, cutting off your eyelids, the works. These things typically have the ability to heal the damage they cause so they can inflict more pain without killing you.
Blood trees? They can do both. I don't know what asshole conjured these things up, but I hope their creation did some turnabout on them. Blood Trees are hard to pin down. Not that there aren't a lot of them; they are everywhere, relatively speaking. Every forest in the U.S. and Canada has them. The young ones are more active, constantly needing food, and every once in a while you get some kind of cult that pops up around them, with assholes wearing robes chanting in a made up language while they yeet some poor schmuck into the bowels of the tree. They typically feast on a live body for a few weeks, and then longer as they get older and learn how to make the meal last longer.
The older ones are the ones you REALLY have to worry about. One live body can sustain them for a few decades or so, which means you are typically being digested for the rest of your natural life. If they get more bodies, they store them for later. The ugly tree from the Johnny Depp version of Sleepy Hollow? Blood Tree. Some can serve as gateways to a pain dimension or something, but those are actually really rare.
So, Blood Trees possess the ability to not only digest you over time and keep you alive while doing so, but many of them can mess with your mind while doing it. So, you can see why I hate them.
The following investigation showcases three things: One: I fucking hate Blood Trees. Two: I hate other agencies (suck it, F.B.I.) Three: I try not to go on any investigation alone. Being alone means you're more vulnerable, and there is no help. So...onto the investigation.
"Agent Echo, arrival on scene at 0645, XX DEC 20XX. [REDACTED], Colorado."
You'll realize pretty quick that I hate a lot of things. Dense forests, cults, springform pans, the F.B.I. Three of these things came into play today. I found myself at the entrance to a state park, whose name I won't share for obvious reasons. For this one, I didn't have to blend in with the locals, so no shitty apartment or beat to crap vehicle to deal with. Nope, I made my way to Fort Carson and yanked one of their range control trucks, something with some ground clearance and self recovery options.
I pulled the big vehicle into the gravel parking lot which was freshly layered with fresh snow. I can't tell you enough how fucking beautiful this state is. Flocked trees, quiet wilderness, elk running everywhere and in many cases, not a lot of people. Anyways. The small visitor center sat nestled in the foreground of a mountain range, an idyllic location for a lovely state park. It was a log cabin style, single story with large windows, dark stain and a green tin roof. A set of glass double doors served as the entrance, with a small set of stairs leading up to it and a handicap ramp to the side. There were a few park ranger trucks sitting off to the side; the rest of the lot was empty save for a couple of mid sized SUVs and a Subaru or two.
After parking and shutting off the truck, I hopped out and checked for my gear. I was wearing a set of snow pants over my jeans, and a matching parka with fur lining. Mittens covered my thin under gloves, and I wore a black beanie. It was balls cold out, and I really don't like being cold, but dressed down enough so I wouldn't get overheated while walking. My backpack held enough food and supplies for a few days of travel, with a small axe hanging off the side. I slung a 12 gauge over my shoulder and slid a .454 revolver with a 6 inch barrel into the holster at my hip. Why such a big revolver? A few reasons. First off, this is bear country. I don't give a damn about hibernation season; you don't go into bear country at any time without packing some iron. Second off, revolvers don't jam like a semi auto will. Third, a 454 will put down a bear without much drama. Go into a fight with a bear using a 9mm, I dare you. Bear attacks happen pretty quick, so you aren't gonna be playing John Wick with a 500lb bear that can move faster than you.
Secure that I had all of my crap, I walked up the snowy steps and into the visitor center. It was quiet. Not unsettling quiet, just that no one was really having loud conversations. A tall, brawny man with sandy colored hair made his way up to me. A park ranger by the uniform, he opened his mouth to speak when I shoved a piece of paper in his face. He took a few moments to read it, then folded it and handed it back to me.
"Well, that takes care of the first round of questions. I'm [Fake name, obviously] Ranger Sandover, call me Mike."
"Echo, nice to meet you."
M: "Echo?" The beginning of amusement lit up on his face. "That a secret codename?"
I wasn't about to explain the intricacies of agency policy or the need for official cover names to a park ranger. Yes Mike, it's a codename, now fuck off.
Instead, I looked up at him. He was probably a hair taller than Shout was, but more muscular. "Yep. Can we get to business, Mike?"
He chuckled. "Sure thing." He turned and waved me along as he walked through the facility. "You with the F.B.I. or something?"
I bristled. You may not know this, but I fucking hate the F.B.I. "No. They do their own thing, I don't mess with them." I barely hid my disgust.
The walk through the facility was...short. It took only a few seconds to reach the wooden door labeled 'Ranger Office', and for Mike to throw it open and reveal the contents inside. It wasn't anything special. A medium sized wooden desk, basic ass industry catalogue issue, sat in the middle. A computer screen from 20 years ago sat on the side, along with the nameplate of the supervisor to the area. James T. Celery. [It should be pretty clear by now that all of these names are fake.]
Ranger Celery sat his portly ass in a swivel chair behind the desk. He was huge. Not huge like a UFC Heavyweight, huge as in he probably could wolf down an elk by himself huge. His fat face had sweat on it just from sitting, and his hair had cleared out of the top of his head, leaving a horseshoe of thin brown hair that traveled the circumference of his dome.
To his side stood another Ranger, that made up the three on duty right now. Christ, she was fucking adorable. Black hair, bright blue eyes, a hair taller than me and probably in better shape than Mike. That was about all she had going for her. Nametag said Bristol.
B: "Who is this, new guy? Why are you bringing an armed civilian in here?"
M: "Not a civilian. You remember the other day, we got a call about an agent coming to take a look around? This is Agent Echo."
Bristol looked at me like I had just beaten her dog and killed her mom. Probably the same way I look at F.B.I. agents.
B: "And...why do we need an 'agent'? This is a state park, we don't need-"
This bitch was already getting on my nerves, so I cut her off. "Are you the one in charge? If not, then shut the fuck up. This crap is above your paygrade."
I could hear Shout now. 'Do you always start fights wherever you go?' Sometimes. I can't help it though. This long doing the work I do, I don't have the time or patience for uppity peons. Bristol turned fully towards me and started forward. Immediately I pulled the revolver free and thumbed the hammer back, pointing it at her body.
E: "Don't fucking try it. I could put a new asshole in every inch of your body and still get away with it."
The room was tense. Mike's face was white. Obviously the guy was an easy-going type, one who hadn't seen the more uncouth side of human nature. Celery, to his credit, remained calm, folding his hands together.
C: "Alright. Calm down everyone. Bristol, take a walk outside. Agent, please lower your weapon. I understand your role here, but lets have a bit of tact."
I nodded slowly, and stepped to the side when Bristol passed, still glaring daggers at me, and closed the door. I ran the hammer forward and slid the revolver back into the holster.
C: "Please, sit down."
I didn't.
C: "The search and rescue team is arriving soon, you can head out with them when the snow lifts." He wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.
I shook my head. "I'm not search and rescue. There is something else I am after, and honestly, this is a courtesy that we told you I'm coming." Sometimes they didn't understand that. For a few reasons, my objective isn't exactly the safety of human beings. SAR handles that. My objective is the destruction of the Cryptid Emergence I was assigned to. That, and feelings can get you killed...it sucks, but thats the way it is. "I just need someone who knows the area."
C: "Well, Mike is still new..."
Fuck.
C: "...SAR won't be here until a few hours most likely..."
Double fuck.
C: "...meaning the only experienced one I can send with you is Bristol."
Triple fuck!
I sighed. SAR may not be willing to high tail it right now, not sure why SAR would be delaying at the moment, but I didn't have the luxury of waiting. "Fine." I said after exhaling a calming breath.
As a group we walked out of the office. Celery pulled Bristol to the side while Mike and I hung back.
M: "Be careful. I shouldn't be saying this, but Bristol has a temper..." He said in a whisper.
E: "Then don't. Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine." I replied evenly.
Celery and Bristol talked for a few minutes...a few minutes that went by way too slow.
Once they were done, Bristol disappeared in the back for a few moments, then returned dressed for the weather, a lever action rifle slung over her shoulder. I nodded, one that she returned, and we walked out of the station and around the back towards the looming line of flocked trees ahead that marked the true boundary to the park. We followed the snow filled footsteps into the trees and started along a path that would have been easier to see were it not for the 8 inches of snow covering the ground.
B: "Echo...did you make that up? Must be some kind of organization for you to just use codenames. Are you the C.I.A.?"
At least she didn't say FBI. "No. CIA handles issues outside of the continental US mostly. Espionage and things like that." I replied evenly, our earlier tension suppressed under a layer of professionalism. We walked for a while, the miles passed and the time went with it. It was midday by the time either of us attempted conversation again.
"Huh. So, what are we looking for? You said you aren't search and rescue, so what's the deal?" She spoke after a few minutes. We were walking side by side in the pathway, and I pulled up a GPS with a preloaded set of coordinates on it. "Honestly, I won't be sure until I see it..."
Thump thump.
"...and hopefully its nothing."
Thump. Thump thump.
I paused while Bristol walked forward, alarm bells going off in my head. Something was coming. I sped up my walk until I closed in on the Ranger, mouth opening to speak.
"You act like it's gonna just jump out at you-"
Jesus, she had to say that. From the thick underbrush a bear barrelled out. Large, fast and angry, it shouldered me to the side, having locked in Bristol as its target. My shotgun fell to the side and I went backwards onto my back. Bristol screamed out as the bear slammed her to the ground, massive paws raising and slamming downward to try and rip her limb from limb. If she hadn't gotten her rifle longways between herself and the bear, she really would have been done for. As I came to my feet, the bear caught her left shoulder in its mouth, grabbing and dragging her side to side, shaking her violently. I ran up with the .454 in hand.
I got up close so I wouldn't risk hitting her, and fired. Once...twice...the bear went down in a heap, it's head half gone. I took Bristol's rifle and looped the sling around the bear's neck and pulled back hard, giving the ranger a bit of room to shimmy out from under it.
Blood was pooled underneath her shoulder, and she was breathing hard, eyes wet as the realization of what just happened set in. I dropped to her side and pulled her coat open, expecting to find a tattered mass of flesh where her torso had been. Instead, I found claws. Not marks, but actual claws. The claws from the bear's paws had broken off the second they split the skin!
"Fuck...uh, alright, you look surprisingly good..."
Bewildered was a good word for it. Her nervous chuckle split the air. A few drops of blood pooled from under her uniform shirt, but her shoulder was a little worse off. The teeth had remained intact for a bit longer, and had cut a few nice gouges into the flesh. I pulled a medkit out of her bag and set to work.
"How...how am I not..what the fuck..." She spoke between breaths. She looked up at my face and shot me a peculiar stare. "You know what happened? Fucking tell me! That thing should have ripped by guts out, what is going on!?"
I finished the bandage on her shoulder and sighed. Reaching out, I pulled the claws from her chest and lifted one up, squeezing it between my fingers. It snapped quickly and fell to pieces afterwards. "It was already dead."
"Come again?" She spoke incredulously.
"Already dead. I think I know why, but I really wish I didn't." I leaned down and removed Bristol's knife from the sheath on her belt. Before she could protest, I lifted up the arm of the bear to expose its underbelly better, and pushed the knife in. Pulling to the side, the skin split open with a sick pop and disgorged its inside all over the snow. Well, the entrails at least. Huge clots of blood remained attached to the different organs, and I reached a gloved hand down into its body, searching around for a moment.
"Okay, that is disgusting, what in God's name are you doing?"
I didn't speak for a moment, then pulled my hand free, holding up a horrid looking obkect. It looked like a seed with many small roots coming off of it, covered in flesh. Like a tumor growing. The roots wriggled randomly, trying to find purchase in something.
"Oh...oh my God..." Bristol went pale. Most people did when they first saw one of these things. Human minds can't fully process some things very well.
"Blood Tree, goddammit." I stuck the tip of the knife into the seed and pulled it free. A copious amount of fresh blood spewed from the opening, more than the palm sized thing should have been able to hold. I tossed it back on the bear.
"Its been using the bear to travel. Animals have an instinct that is hard to override, especially with a predatory animal. A few more days and the seed could have controlled it."
B: "Okay. I'm gonna need you to explain this in a bit more detail. Why isn't the bear hibernating, why did it not kill me, how is it dead and what the FUCK did you just pull out of it!?"
E: I sighed softly. "Look at the bears head, where I shot it...look where I cut it. See any blood that didn't come from the seed? No, because it's already coagulated. The bear was mostly dead. It attacked you because the seed trying to control it made it lose its mind. The seed I pulled out is from a Blood Tree. They survive off of fresh bodies...there is a whole book I could tell you, but just realize that they are bad fucking news, and it seems you have one in your little park. Probably with a cult around it too."
B: "A cult? Like, guys in black robes chanting shit?"
E: "Yep, exactly. Blood Trees don't usually infect animals. Their instinct makes it hard to separate an animal from its natural area to spread, which means it was probably put there by someone. Ergo, you have a Blood Tree Cult. Here, help me with this."
Finding it next to a bottle of tequila and a rag, I pulled a big bottle of lighter fluid from my bag and tossed Bristol the long torch. She fumbled with it, but caught it. I began dousing the bear carcass with the lighter fluid.
"Not sure how many seeds are in this thing, so best bet is to burn it." Once finished, I swapped the lighter fluid for the torch and set the bear alight, Bristol squeezing a bit more of fluid on there for good measure.
B: "So, what now?" She asked softly, nibbling her lip.
E: "Find the tree, burn it, kill the cultists."
She didn't respond. We took a few minutes to rest and eat, regain some energy. I checked her bandages, but the wounds were surprisingly superficial. Bristol floated the idea of making camp, but I shook my head. "Not the place we want to camp. If we are going to find it and live, then we have to find it soon. It knows it's seeds just died."
After securing all of our gear and finding her rifle and my shotgun, we continued our walk in the direction the bear had come from, with me reloading the .454 on the way. A half hour went by before she spoke again.
B: "Um...Echo?"
Far contrasting her earlier bravado at our first meeting, her voice was meek, girlish...scared.
E: "Yeah?"
B: "What is going to happen to me?"
Damn, she had good instincts too.
E: "Depends. If the seeds had enough control to sprout their own, then you'll probably be infected. Your shoulder will ache more, get red hot, and you'll see small roots in the wound. They'll slowly move through your body until they invade your brain, and kill you while retaining control of your body. If not, then a few weeks of recovery and you'll be fine."
I don't sugarcoat things. It never pays to, really. Bad things happen, and they happen whether we like it or not.
She let out a small sob. It was too early to tell if she had been infected though.
B: "What happens then? You burn me too?"
E: "After I put a bullet in your head, yeah. Mostly so you won't feel it. Remember, its too early to tell, though. You might be alright."
That wasn't a lie at least.
We walked farther and deeper into the woods. The sun had set, leaving us in the darkness, but the moon provided enough light that it reflected off of the snow and made walking easier. I didn't want to use a light; we already made enough noise walking to risk fully giving ourselves away visually. We stalked silently up the ridge where light played random shadow games over the top and on the other side. I slid down to my knees in the snow and Bristol followed suit, where we crawled the rest of the way up.
Looking out, there was a small clearing, a fire looming in front of a large, gnarled tree that bled profusely from many different openings. Four figures in hooded cloaks stood there, evenly spaced but far from the tree to stay out of range of its flailing limbs and roots. The scene was grotesque, and I heard Bristol dry heave into her jacket to muffle the sound. I've been around a few of them, and I still have to fight nausea from overwhelming me. The things were bad news on every level, a sickening entity that could have an effect on someone just based on proximity. I watched for a few minutes just to get the nausea under control, and hopefully Bristol could do the same. I looked over to her laying just a few feet from me.
E: "You alright?"
B: "Y-yeah, I think..."
E: "Make sure you are. This is gonna happen fast." I peeked over the rise we lay upon, noticing we were about 2 meters above the clearing. Not much of an elevated position, but enough to give us an edge. I searched in my bag for the bottle of tequila. Shame to use it on a blood tree, but we would have to get another bottle later. I unscrewed the cap and stuffed a rag into it, then put the cap back on. "Hop down the hill, kill the cultists, burn the tree."
B: "Wait, we can't just kill them. The law doesn't work like that, Echo."
E: "Are you serious? Do you know what these people will do to you if they-"
My words were stopped short by the sound of heavy footsteps. I looked back in time to see an athletic man barreling towards us, murder in his eyes with a touch of fanaticism. I saw the faint traces of a Ranger uniform before a long leg pushed forward in a vicious kick to my side. The amount of power in the kick was absolutely ridiculous. My body lifted off of the snow covered ground and with a scream of pain I went over the side and down the 2 meter drop onto the floor below. Trying to catch my breath, I pushed shakily to my knees, my shotgun laying to the side a few feet away. A quick lift of my head showed me that the three robed figures were coming at an alarming pace. Pulling the revolver free I lifted it in a quick motion and fired. One cultist dropped when a .454 blew his spine out of his back. My reaction was a little slow due to the fall, though. I managed to squeeze one more shot off that annihilated the left thigh of a second, causing the woman's screams to echo out into the wilderness. The third had reached me. Dropping his full weight on top of me, he slapped the .454 out of my grasp and closed around my neck with two beefy hands, squeezing tight and cutting off my air supply instantly. I thrashed, moving and squirming, trying to get away.
Another shot rang out in the Forest, followed by a thud off in the distance. I couldn't hear much, my ears were clogged, vision was fading. He was too strong at this point, and had too much leverage...guess this was my time?
A thunderclap startled both of us. The man stiffened, and fell to the side like he had gotten hit by a sledgehammer...which, he might as well have. Bristol pulled herself forward, ragged breaths shooting steam into the cold night air. Her rifle fell down as kneeled next to me, and pulled me up to a sitting position. Leaning on each other, we climbed to our feet and I grabbed the .454. She held the bottle of tequila up for me to see, and didn't even need to say anything. I pulled out the torch and lit the rag, and Bristol reared back like she was throwing a grenade. Her aim was perfect.
The Molotov sailed through the air and blew against the side of the tree. Fire spread all along the trunk, screeches from the tree, a cacophany of all its still living victims, providing a macabre chorus as its death cry. The tree would burn for quite a while most likely.
E: "Come on. Lets get out of here."
She didn't respond. Tucked under my shoulder, her breathing was ragged, rough, her body hot against mine. We tried to walk, but she held fast.
B: "Re...remember what you said...earlier? About the seeds...?"
She spoke softly, almost calm. Like she had accepted this. I laid her against the ridge and kneeled in front of her, reaching out to push her parka aside and lift her bandages. Small roots sprouted from the wound, which was festering, and an angry red.
E: "...fuck."
B: "Hah...yeah, this sucks..."
I stood there, cursing internally. She had the instinct to be apart of our Agency...that, and she was a fighter, a survivor...a decent fucking person, actually. I pulled the revolver and aimed it at her.
E: "I really wish I didn't have to do this."
B: "I know." She stared up at me, scared, but knowing this was going to have to happen. "You aren't gonna look away?"
E: "I never do."
B: "Just...don't tell me when you're gonna-"
I pulled the trigger. My face didn't change, but I just stood there...breathing. Tears made their way down my cheeks, and I pulled a cigarette free and lit it.
After the tree had fully burned, I had to do the same to Bristol, as it was the only way to ensure the destruction of the seeds. I climbed the rise again to see Mike Sandover's body lifeless, with a giant hole in his head. I burned his body too, and that of the cultists as well, then began the long trip back to the Ranger station.
I called Brain on the way back, and by the time I was done with the report, I had made it back. The parking lot was empty...Celery was gone. I put out a mark on him (more on that later), and jumped in the truck. Time to find a bar to get wasted at.
End Of Transcription.
There is another one. I'll let you guys know what happened to Celery next time, but until then? Stay out of the fucking woods.

Not sure if we have some UFC fans here, but hopefully we do, we have a sick card waiting, hopefully it overcompensates for the disappointment that Crotone Spezia was today.
I have some predictions set up being done, so while I wait I will be doing predictions on reddit for the next 2 ufcs. Hopefully we can make some money this Christmas. Lets get down to the details.
Prelims
Chase Hooper vs Peter Barrett
This is the classic Prelim fight with not much to it. Hooper is a big kid, has a frame advantage over most of his opponents and despite his awful striking, he has a chin that can take some shots. Barrett simply said is just not very good. This fight is simple, will Hooper be able to take Barrett down and control/submit him. The answer is most likely yes, I do not think Barrett has the movement to be able to avoid clinching, whether Hooper can take him down or wrap him up from there is a different question. Once he does however, it's most likely a wrap. The x factor here is that Barrett has a significant experience / manhood advantage, possible strength advantage too. I wouldn't trust my money on either but if you are looking for value consider the +300 Barrett line, if you are feeling adventurous the KO line is +1000 but as I said, Hooper is tough. I wouldn't feel too good betting on Hooper via SUB due to the too many unknowns here, and the fact that Barrett is actually going to a good camp, whereas Hooper keeps focusing on BJJ focused camps.
Sergei Spivak vs Jared Vanderaa
Another relatively straight forward fight, Spivak looks to be the more well rounded fighter, with better striking and maybe better ground game, but his odds are just too slim and Vanderaa can just take him down and ground and pound him to oblivion, like Tybura could have done. Can end in several different ways, I would favour Spivak by Decision but also possible Vanderaa with Sub/TKO
Gavin Tucker vs Billy Quarantillo
Fight of the night candidate if Tony injures himself bungee jumping. You have probably seen everyone riding high on Billy and picking him which isn't surprising. I was able to take him on -110 since I felt like those were some good odds at the beginning of the week but that line quickly changed and now he is a serious favourite. The Carlyle fight was pretty damn close, it showed that Billy might have problems with really good grapplers who had the strength advantage, as long as their cardio was better than Carlyle's, those were my notes after this fight. Gavin surprisingly well fits that criteria. Billy leaves his chin open, and although Tucker throws mostly single shots he might catch him coming in, Billy has no ability to counter Tucker's wild rushes that he does when he throws combos so his only chance is pressuring Gavin with strikes. I am really going against everyone in this but as of now, if you are looking for value +300 on Tucker by Dec might be it. Of course, no one would be surprised to see Billy beating him purely by higher striking output, pressure, and better cardio. Wouldn't be surprised if we see this fight ending with a finish on either side, the props for which are insane - +800ish for Billy/Gavin by Sub, depending on your betting strategy those might be interesting to take a look at as well.My prediction for this is Billy by Dec, but the value is on Tucker by Dec, the fight *can* definitely be closer than people are making it out to be.
Renato Moicano vs Rafael Fiziev
Sadly the odds reflect this fight a bit too well. And no, Moicano picking Fiziev apart since he's "better everywhere" isn't one of those, unless something wild has happened in preparation to Fiziev he will be trickier more seasoned striker and he will be winning the exchanging and getting a decision win or a KO/TKO. The problem is Moicano's ground game, and although I do not believe he will be able to simply outwrestle Fiziev, that is usually a flawed way to approach this. There are many ways with which you can take somebody down without being the better wrestlers - opportunistic takedowns, trips, pulling guard, sweeps etc. Depending on how big the gap on the ground is between them, we don't know how good is Fiziev's submission defense, all it takes is Moicano doing just one of those to get Fiziev out of there quickly with a sub. However, that's always possible for any grappler vs striker fight, and here that is a chance we have to take, since I do believe Moicano wont be able to "Khabib" Fiziev to the ground. For the things I mentioned, as long as we are willing to take the risk my prediction is Fiziev by DEC or KO/TKO. If you are going for the latter, I would consider the 2nd round, that is most likely when Fiziev will start letting his hands go after being cautious during the first one, from the takedown threat. He probably won't be able to have the energy to finish Moicano in the 3rd but that is too dependent on how the fight plays out. You can't find certainty here in which outcome since it purely depends on Fiziev's mindset, and we don't have that information.
Cub Swanson vs Daniel Pineda
Love this fight but not ideal for betting. The Father Time factor here plays a huge role, has that caught up with Cub. He did lose many times in a row, but to the upper echelon of the division. No shame in those losses. There's something to worry about how Gracie was landing shots on him though. Once again, how age affects a fighter is out of our control and this is a risk we need to take. As betters we always juggle with risk, but we look for consistency, if we had that our life would be much easier, so we try to avoid fights that lack this. This might be one of those fights. Cub is coming from a horrendous injury that might be career ending for 20 year olds, let alone 37. That paired with Father Time, too much damage taken, and a long layoff is a recipe for disaster, especially against an aggressive game opponent. Swanson did also say that at first his sparring was awful but then it got better, the first part of this sentence worries me, seems to me like the cues that fighters give that they are not the same anymore. I see this fight going one in two ways, and those will be the predictions for this fight, either we get close to our usual Cub, and he wins a decision - +300 odds good value, or we don't. If we don't my money is on Pineda finishing Cub. That can be due to his leg kicks, his pressure or just Cub realizing he isn't the same and quitting. In this case, Pineda finished him, there's some value to be found on +250 Pineda to finish Cub in round 1 or 2.
Main Card
Junior dos Santos vs Ciryl Gane
Let's get this over with, Ciryl Gane is gonna win this fight. Yes there's the argument that Gane might get cold feet facing a legend or just HW power + luck and JDS good boxing tagging him but then again, no. My assumption is that Gane will be very careful, since that is the time he should become a big name in the HW division. He wouldn't just rush and demolish JDS, which is also not his style against lesser opponents let alone a legend. He will be taking his time probably and JDS managed to survive until the second round while looking like his old self almost vs the more dangerous Jarzinho. Gane wouldn't want to screw this up either by not being careful. Those things considered my prediction is very bold, pays off greatly - Gane by Decision +300. You might also consider Gane by KO Round 3 +1000. Of course, there are other things that can happen, it's Heavyweight after all but considering the things I listed above those are not only very likely outcomes, but also giving us extremely high odds
Kevin Holland vs Ronaldo Souza
I was astonished when I saw Jacare was the underdog here, I took him by Submission at +270, but since then that price dropped significantly to +200 and he is now the favourite, I guess people were able to see the risks clear headed. Souza is a tough mf, he fought the best of the best, including the current LHW champ to a split decision, this very well might be one of the biggest competition jumps we have seen recently for a guy like Holland, which to top all that, like it isnt bad enough, has extremely bad fight IQ. That by itself seems like a recipe for disaster, thus me finding a value on Jacare by Submission.Weirdly enough, the thing here that tells me there might be opportunities to bet on Holland is his bad fight IQ, he took lots of chances against opponents like Brendan Allen, spends lots of times on his back in many fights, losing rounds. However, now I believe he will no longer try to prove himself against opponents he has no idea how good they might be, he knows exactly how good Jacare is, so maybe that will try to make him avoid the takedown. Will and Skill aren't the same though, and Holland's TD defense last time we saw it was atrocious, so I stick by my prediction, although for the current odds it might be too risky, Jacare can always lay GnP his way to a decision win. For the brave ones, +500 on Holland by KO seems quite good, assuming Jacare might start to tire out late and him rocking 8 inches reach advantage + cleaner striking. The decision for Holland although possible is very slim and too dangerous. All in all, Jacare was the better pick, currently you need to decide that for yourself, my prediction remains the same - Jacare for the win.
Mackenzie Dern vs Virna Jandiroba
I don't like this fight. I can just tell you that it's Virna by Decision, and you might see the value in that. With fighters like these that have too many holes to exploit and too many unknowns, volatile results can happen, I dont like putting my money in such positions so take it or do the smart thing and avoid it.
Tony Ferguson vs Charles Oliveira
Here we are boys, Tony is back. Straight to the chase, things to consider for Tony. His style is widely based on his supreme confidence in his striking, will he have that now? Won't repeat the same thing again, but how did the last loss affect him, he looked like a beaten dog the last time Gaethje hit him, did that take away El Cucuy, I fucking hope not, but do we know for certain. Fighting is a very mentality oriented game. And as you know for the past year, Tony has been on a ride in that aspect that we will rarely see for any other fighter on the roster. We just have no idea how that affected him. Skillwise, Oliveira has broken under pressure before, and that is the one thing Tony brings - intensity, will, pressure and output, he just breaks people. But if you hear a million people repeating that for years, and you were Oliveira, maybe just maybe, after being told that same thing is your weakness also, you would do very well to prepare for that and mimic it in training. Did he have the time to do so, my assumption is that he has a decent plan. Oliveira's downfall has usually been his confidence in his BJJ and being too careless with it. I think now he will try to use reactive takedowns to get Tony to the mat, take his back in the meanwhile. I don't see that consistently working but it might do so just once, winning him 1 round out of 3, which is halfway to a win. It's also possible that he outstrikes Tony, since Charles has some serious striking technique now and paired that with a good game plan it might just work. Issue is that he does not have the same counter striking Gaethje does, so he most likely will fail at that.This fight is dependent on game plan and Tony's mentality and ability to be his old self through damage. We can have a quick domination on either side, but I won't count on that. I listed Charles' ways to win, but maybe I am a bit biased here picking Ferguson by Decision at the godlike price of +330. Consider a late TKO for Tony as well, but me personally would avoid that when it's an old dog versus a hungry new comer.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno
Main event between those two warriors, stepping up to save the card. Brandon offers extremely improved boxing, but tendency to leave his chin open in exchanges, you know how that ends here. His ground game is unbelievable and he might be matching Fig on that front. I believe Moreno's gameplan should be keeping his distance during the first round, playing on the counters, while avoiding big shots with lateral movement. Slowly start mixing up striking with takedowns in the later rounds hoping to not have to face early on power and be able to come on top during in rounds 3,4,5. Easier said than done. Deiveson is just a total beast, however he might have problems with Moreno's game plan in the beginning, and they will have to start trading eventually and we know how that ends. Either Moreno shoots for bad takedowns, gets caught and submitted or he gets clipped and put down. I trust Moreno here, to use a good strategy paired with decent defense, lateral movement and solid chin (he has never been finished in his career) to get out of the first round. With all that said, my prediction is Figueiredo by Submission/KO. His pressure is too great and Moreno will have to start engaging him eventually or taking him down which most likely won't end well. I would be extremely cautious on simply betting Fig by flat finish at a price this low since Moreno's toughness might lead to an upset, with this fight getting to a decision, unlikely but not justified for a price that low. As you have seen there's no much value on that bet, so I advice you to pick Figueiredo by Submission at +450 or Figueiredo KO/TKO Round 2 or Round 3 +400.
Besides the one off picks I mentioned above, I know most of you love playing on Parlays, although you know that isn't profitable, it's not always about profit, but just enjoying the fights. Just don't bet too much on those, but here are some to include:

Pick 3:
TuckeQuarantillo Dec
Gane Dec
Fiziev KO/Dec
Souza
Ferugson Dec

A wilder one, Pick 2:
Quarantillo Round 3 finish - +3000
Figueiredo Round 3 KO/TKO - +1200
Fiziev Round 2 KO/TKO - +1000
Gane Round 3 KO/TKO - +1000
^ You shouldn't treat those seriously, they are just for fun round based finishes you might come up with based on the things discussed here. For serious predictions, see only the individual fight discussions.
Apologies for typos,
Happy Betting!

Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. For anyone interested, I highly recommend signing up for the actual site at f4wonline and checking out the full archives.
PREVIOUSLY:


1-7-2002	1-14-2002	1-21-2002	1-28-2002
2-4-2002	2-11-2002	2-18-2002	2-25-2002
3-4-2002	3-11-2002	3-18-2002	3-25-2002
4-1-2002	4-8-2002	4-15-2002	4-22-2002
4-29-2002	5-6-2002	5-13-2002	5-20-2002
5-27-2002	6-3-2002	6-10-2002	6-17-2002
6-24-2002	7-1-2002	7-8-2002	7-15-2002
7-22-2002	7-29-2002	8-5-2002	8-12-2002
8-26-2002	9-2-2002	9-9-2002	9-16-2002
9-23-2002	9-30-2002

Keiju Muto was officially named president of All Japan Pro Wrestling this week at the company's 30th Anniversary party with Motoko Baba stepping down and handing over the reins of the promotion. It marks the end of the Giant Baba era of AJPW and the beginning of the company entering the modern world of professional wrestling. This was demonstrated with AJPW's new TV show, which as expected, was announced as Muto's first new act as president. It was similar to a K-1 hype show, with highlights and interviews and a more realistic, shoot-style approach (oh god, just what Japan needs more of). Muto is working with K-1 promoter Kazuyoshi Ishii and Ishii has suggested AJPW needs to step up the entertainment aspect of its shows. The in-ring is good, but he believes they're lacking things like elaborate ring entrances and big video screens to make it more viewer-friendly. It's true that K-1 pretty much pioneered the big production presentation that both WCW Nitro and WWF's Raw later copied. Anyway, this show was all building up to a big card in November which will feature AJPW wrestlers along with K-1 and PRIDE fighters. Are we sure this new AJPW president isn't just Inoki in Muta face paint?
Anyway, Muto also announced plans to run the Tokyo Dome next year and possibly run shows in the U.S. as well. Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiro Mori gave a speech at the party, which is the equivalent of Bill Clinton showing up to give a speech at a WWE event. Mori is close politically with Hiroshi Hase, who wrestles for AJPW when not serving in government, so it's believed Hase pulled the strings to get Mori to speak. Motoko Baba will still have a financial stake in AJPW but has no title and will not be working in any official capacity. Even though Muto is technically in charge, Ishii has gained significant power throughout the industry and he has his fingers not just in AJPW but in K-1 and PRIDE as well, and there's a lot of feeling that Ishii is the one who is truly steering the ship. In fact, AJPW's new TV deal was mostly done as a favor to Ishii by the network. Dave finds it interesting that AJPW is evidently planning to follow NJPW's lead in mixing wrestling with MMA. That direction was a significant part of the reason Muto left NJPW to begin with, after having disagreements with Inoki about mixing the two. But MMA is the hottest thing in the world in Japan right now and that's where the big, record-setting money is, so it appears Muto is going along with Ishii's plan.
Another interesting note is regarding the way AJPW is owned. Way back in the day, Giant Baba split the company into multiple subsidiary companies that own various parts of the overall thing. All Japan Pro Wrestling Inc. is the company that Muto is taking over. However there's also Giant Service Inc. which Motoko Baba still owns and is not giving up. That company owns all of the trademarks, copyrights, and merchandising rights for AJPW talent. Then there's Baba & Jumbo Inc., which is owned by longtime AJPW referee Kyohei Wada. That company owns the physical rings and stage equipment, the trucks that move the equipment from town to town, etc. Muto doesn't own that either.
Vince McMahon made an off-hand remark about ECW at the latest stockholder's meeting that got some people talking about the possibility of ECW being revived under the WWE umbrella. Vince was asked about the possibility of bringing it back and said he'd like to, and give it a late-night time slot to let it run as its own separate entity. He also talked about wanting to purchase the ECW video library in bankruptcy court and talked about possibly making ECW a third brand in the future. Dave says that there's no way to make ECW viable as a brand right now. Dave thinks ECW as a brand wouldn't work. For starters, it would need to have Paul Heyman in charge because he's the only one who understands how to make "ECW" work for that cult audience. And they would also need wrestlers to carry it and right now, WWE is struggling to make people care about 2 brands without the problems adding a 3rd would bring. And would it be a touring brand? A small cult brand on a late night show doing its own tours would be a money-losing disaster. They could do it as its own TV show, but that would likely mean just filming it before Raw or Smackdown, at which point it's basically the same thing as Velocity, just with a different name. And what if it's a success? If someone gets over on late-night ECW, then you can bet your ass Vince is just gonna move them to Raw or SD so he can make money with them in prime time and tour them in big arenas. They could rename OVW and give Heyman control of that and put that on TV if they wanted, but then it's just developmental under a new name. And the reality is, ECW was a cult favorite because it wasn't WWF or WCW. The second you give Vince McMahon control of it and it becomes ECW under the WWE banner, it loses that underdog, outsider feel that made it so popular to begin with. All in all, Dave just doesn't think this can feasibly work. However, he does think there might be some big money in "one or two nostalgia PPVs." (Literally 3 years before One Night Stand and 4 years before the TV revival of ECW and Dave called every bit of it).
Other notes from the stockholder's call: WWE has recently shut down its planned record label, Smackdown Records. Vince admitted it was a mistake. He talked about the new movie production studio and talked about releasing low-budget straight-to-video movies with WWE wrestlers (4 years later, we'd get the first one: See No Evil, starring Kane, which actually was in theaters). He talked about their restaurant in Times Square and said it was horribly mismanaged. Vince also talked about creating some sort of service allowing fans to view their old video library, which would be a way to make some money off the vast video library they own, which includes WCW. And, if Vince has his way, the ECW library as well (12 years later, we'd finally get the WWE Network).
The next two big stories are recapping the latest UFC show (where Ricco Rodriguez beat Randy Couture to win the vacant UFC heavyweight title) and the latest PRIDE show which featured nothing notable other than Ryan Gracie breaking Shungo Oyama's arm in the main event. So on to the next...
Sports Illustrated wrote a story on WWE's decline over the past year. Before going into it, Dave wants to make clear that WWE is fine. Even if things were dire, they have enough cash reserves to last a long time. And even if Smackdown ratings decline, they're still the #1 show on UPN by a wide margin. And their TV contract with TNN is guaranteed for at least 3 more years. So have no fear, all the outrage over the gay wedding angle and the lesbians notwithstanding, WWE isn't on death's door. Of course, in a few years, if ratings continue to decline and the TV landscape keeps changing, who knows what kind of TV deal they'll be able to strike next. Then it might be time to worry. But for now, they're fine. The SI story claimed the wrestling business has never been in worse shape, which is not true. Even though WWE's revenue has declined by more than $30 million this year, it's still one of the most profitable years ever. Prior to 1998, WWE had never had anywhere close to a year like that. The 80s, which many considered the boom period of wrestling, wasn't even making 1/5 of that much revenue. And yet, in other ways, the story is correct. The wrestling business is in bad shape right now, with one company holding a monopoly in the U.S. which hurts everybody. Wrestling as a whole is absolutely declining in popularity at a staggering rate. Vince McMahon was asked for comment for the piece and his only response was, "Why is a sports magazine interested in an entertainment story?" Dave thinks that's pretty funny because a huge Sports Illustrated cover story on Hulk Hogan in 1985 is partially what put Hogan on the map as a mainstream star. (If you've never seen it before, here's the full Sports Illustrated story on Hulk Hogan from 1985. And yes, if you're curious, it does indeed feature several quotes from a 24-year-old wrestling journalist named Dave Meltzer).

READ: Sports Illustrated 1985 cover story on Hulk Hogan and WWF

The trial of Nicole Bass vs. WWE continued this week and has become a major headache for WWE since it's getting a lot of media publicity, especially in New York. Surprisingly, the biggest national news outlet to take Bass seriously was Fox News, which ran a big segment on the case and was one of the few not to mock Bass' appearance, saying that scripting sexual things for characters is fine but said WWE has no right to allow the exploitation and harassment to continue after the show is over. Anyway, as the trial continued, Vince McMahon continued to testify. Linda McMahon and Jim Ross were also both on call to testify, forcing both to sit in New York and miss company business. The biggest testimony this week came from Sable, who claimed that Vince promised to portray her on TV as a classy intellectual woman but instead turned her into, well....Sable. She said she left the company after she was asked to expose her breasts on television and participate in a lesbian storyline, both of which she refused to do. WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt tore into Bass on the stand and reduced her to tears at one point, berating her about inconsistencies in her story and getting her to admit that her demand for $120 million in damages was excessive. Bass claimed that Shawn Michaels called her "mister" on Raw and she was horrified and embarrassed, but the other side argued that Bass' entire gimmick on Howard Stern's radio show (where she initially became famous) was based on the idea that they thought she was really a man. So that's where it stands now, the trial is still ongoing.
OVW's big Fall Brawl show took place a few weeks ago, featuring all the top WWE developmental names and OVW alums like Lesnar, Cena, Orton, Rico, and more working matches or appearing. Dave has seen the tape and decides it's a good time to give his opinion on WWE's current crop of developmental stars. Let's make these quick:

Charlie Haas - good athlete and does good moves, but not ready yet
Damaja - can talk, good size, but never seems to get WWE's interest
Lance Cade - looks like a young Barry Windham, young and can move but nothing about him that really grabs your attention otherwise
Kevin Fertig - just another big guy who's not very good right now
Travis Tomko - has an impressive look but also kinda looks like a low-rent version of Leviathan. Not good in the ring yet
Matt Morgan - from Tough Enough 2, very little experience, but great look and can move well. May have star potential but it'll be awhile
Sean O'Haire & Mark Jindrak - former WCW tag team champions, worse than ever. They've been taught a totally different style than what they were taught in WCW and neither of them is picking up on the WWE style at all.
Rob Conway - decent worker but doesn't stand out
Nick Dinsmore - also a good worker but doesn't have a look that will fit in with the WWE system
Shelton Benjamin - great athlete and picked up the basics almost as fast as Kurt Angle and has a lot of potential. Slowed by injuries and hasn't shown much growth in recent months. Will probably be on the main roster sooner than later
Jackie Gayda - has the star look WWE wants far more than anyone else in OVW (in other words, she's hot and stands out in a crowd). Hasn't wrestled since that match but Dave expects her to be back on TV sooner than later because of how she looks
Nova - people who remember his flashy matches from ECW would think he's gotten worse, but really he's just trying to learn the WWE style and he's just kinda average when it comes to that. He's also smaller than WWE usually likes
Doug Basham - good talker, good wrestler, probably the most well-rounded guy in OVW, but fairly generic look. Dave figures if they bring him up, he'll probably get lost in the shuffle

Bob Sapp will be making his wrestling debut for NJPW at the Tokyo Dome next week in a match against Manabu Nakanishi. Dave says it better be a quick squash win for Sapp (nope but it turned out okay).
Yuji Nagata got married this week, which is not the fun part of this story. NJPW actually filmed an angle at the wedding in which Masahiro Chono goaded him on in front of the guests, resulting in Nagata agreeing to put the IWGP title up against Kazuyuki Fujita at the Tokyo Dome.
The hype for this NJPW Tokyo Dome show is still mostly built around Chyna on TV. She did multiple promos and a match on their show this week. She's still using the pedigree as her finisher and pinned El Samurai with it in a tag match. She then did a promo vowing to beat up Hiroshi Tanahashi later in the show and called him too green to be in the ring with her. Then said at the Tokyo Dome, she's going to show her shoot fighting skills and break Chono's arm and then she beat up the interviewer. In another 6-person tag match, she did indeed do some mat wrestling with Tanahashi and it was actually good. Later in the match, they did some more high-flying stuff which was mistimed, but for the most part, Tanahashi was the only person in NJPW Dave has seen that was able to get anything halfway watchable out of working with Chyna. But all in all, this is a mess and Dave can't understand what NJPW is thinking.
Word is that Inoki's recent UFO-branded MMA/wrestling show at the Tokyo Dome was possibly the single biggest money losing show in history. If you recall, the crowd for that show was only about 5,000 paid, in a stadium that holds 55,000+. Dave has heard upwards of several millions of dollars were lost on this event.
Riki Choshu did an interview shitting on his former employer, NJPW. Choshu said he'd watched their recent TV shows and didn't like it. Said he didn't like Chyna wrestling with Tanahashi. He said he might could look past it if she was a good wrestler, but she's not, so he hates it and doesn't like the idea of men and women wrestling each other anyway. He also predicted the upcoming NJPW Tokyo Dome show would flop.
Pancrase legend Minoru Suzuki was scheduled to face NJPW star Kensuke Sasaki in a shoot fight at their upcoming event. But Sasaki isn't quite going to be healed up yet from a foot injury he's had, so instead, NJPW sent Jushin Liger to issue the challenge instead. The event is in November and will be Suzuki vs. Liger in what will be Liger's first ever shoot. Dave thinks this isn't going to go well for Liger (it does not. But it does come back around 18 years later and played a big role in Liger's last major feud).
Major League Wrestling's 2nd ever show took place in New York at the Manhattan Center, the old home of Raw. It featured Chris Candido vs. Terry Funk in a match where the crowd was brutal towards Tammy Sytch at ringside and she was said to be upset at how the fans treated her. And the main event of Satoshi Kojima winning the vacant MLW title over Jerry Lynn. This is actually on YouTube, enjoy!

WATCH: MLW's 2nd show - 2002

Regarding the big influx of money and company purchasing ownership in TNA, the deal still isn't finalized. But most in the company seem optimistic that it will be soon. If they don't close the deal soon, TNA's future doesn't look promising (yeah, this Panda Energy deal saved them. They weren't gonna survive 2002 if this hadn't worked out but it did, and now, 18 years later, they're still hanging on somehow).
The marketing firm TNA sued a few weeks back has filed a countersuit against TNA, claiming slander, libel, breach of contract, and more. Another graphic design company also sued TNA for $56,000 claiming they haven't been paid for designing company logos and other artwork. TNA and getting sued by people they owe money to, name a more iconic duo.
Notes from Raw: they spent half the episode taking shots at Monday Night Football, which came off pathetic. Trish vs. Victoria was not only the best WWE women's match in a long time, but really one of the best matches on Raw overall in quite some time. Kane beat Jericho for the IC title in a match that was pretty much a one-man show with Jericho single-handedly making this watchable. Pretty much that's it for notable stuff from this show.
Notes from Smackdown: probably the best WWE TV show of the year. Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero ladder match was incredible and one of the best matches of the year, with Eddie (the heel) even getting a standing ovation when it was over. Dave gives it 4.5 stars. And then there was Benoit vs. Mysterio vs. Angle in a triple threat that gets 4 stars. Dave really hopes one of these guys will break through the glass ceiling one of these days and start being treated on par with main eventers like Undertaker and Triple H.
Despite Hulk Hogan's recent claims on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show that he has a handshake agreement only with WWE, that is, of course, not true. He does have a contract and it expires in February of 2003. Hogan only signed for one year, while Nash and Hall (who came in with him as the NWO) each signed 2-year deals. Most people expect Hogan back on TV around November since that's when his book comes out (that was the plan, but it doesn't happen that way. We'll get there). Anyway, Hogan could always go elsewhere and do other things when his deal expires, but realistically, there's nowhere else in wrestling where he can make the kind of money he demands other than WWE. The obvious way to bring him back is a feud with Lesnar, since that's who put him out. But they can't have Lesnar losing to Hogan and Hogan probably isn't gonna wanna come back just to get destroyed by Lesnar again, so they may just move on from that entirely (yup).
The movie "Helldorado" that Rock is filming in Hawaii is going to have a name change. No word on the new name yet, but the script isn't changing. Just the name. Rock plays a bounty hunter who is doing one last job. One might say he's running down someone...
Mike Awesome, Shawn Stasiak, and Horace Hogan were all released. They were unhappy with Awesome, feeling like he returned out of shape after being out with a knee injury. And Stasiak had been given a million chances but they finally decided he just doesn't have it. Horace Hogan never impressed in developmental. Dave thinks the writing is on the wall for David Flair soon too (yup).
WWE has had talks with Ultimo Dragon about him coming to WWE. Dragon is 36 and fresh off coming out of retirement. Dave saw his recent comeback match and he was better than most, but was still clearly limited. There's also the issue of his Toryumon promotion in Japan because if he signs with WWE, he'd be in America full time and it's kinda hard to run a Japanese promotion that way (yeah, he ends up turning control of the company over to someone else while he's gone and it eventually morphs into Dragon Gate).
Spanky (Brian Kendrick) will be getting a tryout at some upcoming WWE shows. Spanky has already verbally accepted a 3-year deal with Zero-One in Japan, but hadn't officially signed anything yet when WWE came calling. He was in their developmental system for years and WWE management never seemed to know he existed, but then he started making a name for himself on the indies and in Japan and now they're interested again. Dave assumes it would have to be a main roster offer because he's not going to turn down a 3-year deal in Japan to accept a $25k-per-year gig in OVW.
Dave off-handedly mentions that Bob Holly is out of action for now after getting dropped on his head by Lesnar on Smackdown. Yeah, turns out this was an extremely serious injury and broke Holly's neck. He was out for over a year. I'm sure Dave will have more details on it in coming issues, but yeah, it was nasty.

WATCH: Brock Lesnar breaks Bob Holly's neck

Terry Taylor has been trying to get back in WWE since WCW folded, but couldn't get a call back. He still has a lot of heat from his previous tenure in WWE. Refresher: after Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara left without notice and jumped ship to WCW, McMahon tried to get all the key backstage people to sign contracts that had non-competes that would prevent them from working for WCW if they were let go. Taylor refused to sign it and eventually left the company over it and went to WCW. Anyway, this week, John Laurinaitis went to bat for Taylor and finally he got a tryout to come in as an agent. He laid out the Rikishi vs. Chavo match on Smackdown but it went poorly and Vince ended up yelling at Taylor over a spot in the match he didn't like. So no word where things stand, but Taylor is not re-hired as of yet.

NEXT WEEK: examining the failure of the brand split, a look at the meteoric rise of Bob Sapp, Nicole Bass loses WWE lawsuit, and more...

Hello!
So, before i get into the nitty and gritty, I want to disclaim that this card was an ass to predict, it seems like your average fight night, with some hidden treasures. Ultimately though, I feel like it's not my best write up, but if a card doesn't really interest me and get me hyped, then I don't feel super motivated to dig deep, still, i tried my best to bring good content and i hope this suffices. If not, i'll get better next time :)
(c) - Champ
(D) - Debut
FLS - Fight Lose Streak
FWS - Fight Win Streak
NS - No Streak
(#x) - Rank in Division
Lets go!
Prelims
Bantamweight
Nate Maness (12-1-0, 2 FWS) v Luke Sanders (13-3-0, NS) - Maness has a significant height advantage over Sanders in this bout (4 inches), and with Maness’s skillful ability to avoid takedowns and keep a decent balance, I don’t see Sanders being super successful in the wrestling department. Maness is a very patient boxer, who has accurate hands but not necessarily a flashy fighter, he tends to not waste energy throwing shots that probably won’t hit, he kinda waits until their his opponent moves into a certain position or angle, or he counters, either way, Maness is best on the feet compared to on the ground, I fully expect both Maness and Sanders to trade shots because Sanders seems to be allergic to wrestling. Sanders has always been a game fighter, someone who is always willing to just strike and hope for the best. He has been knocked out quite a few times, but he has also shown significant power, especially in his left hand, his somewhat wide and floaty stance allows him to hop in and out of danger, but typically when he’s hopping in, he’s firing an overhand left. That left hand is going to be absolutely imperative for this fight, because Sanders is an excellent southpaw and knows the proper foot placement in order to land the most damage with his left hand, and with Maness being an Orthodox fighter, it’s going to be pretty clear to me that Sanders is going to be focusing on a knockout, utilizing his hopping style to land heavy lefts. I’m not sure if Maness’s head movement is good enough to dodge or move away from it, so I feel like Sanders has this one, simply because i’ve seen more of Sanders compared to Maness, and his debut fight against Munoz wasn’t the best to analyse with… So, yeah, Sanders has this.
Sanders via KO R1
Flyweight
Sumudaerji (12-4-0, NS) v Malcolm Gordon (12-4-0, NS) - **Sumudaerji is a very, very fluid striker, his long stance allows him to land lead leg kicks, and sidekicks almost effortlessly, especially if his opponent is the type to advance and not find a way around it. Sumudaerji’s dexterity on the feet is something beautiful and we’ll see more of it in this fight. Sumudaerji has 10 knockouts in his career and no doubt will rack more up as he fights in the UFC, but for now, all I can really see is incredibly fluid movement and great, great kicks. Gordon had a very rough debut against Albazi, so I can’t actually talk much about that fight, but what I can tell you is that he has a relatively high finish rate, 4 KO’s, 6 submissions and his last decision win was in 2015, so we might see a fairly action paced fight here. I have Sumudaerji on this one, I liked what i was when he fought Soukhamthath, keep an eye out for those kicks because they’re going to be amazing.
Sumudaerji via KO R2
Featherweight
Kai Kamaka III (8-2-0, 6 FWS) v Jonathan Pearce (9-4-0, NS) - This is going to be a fucking scrap. Kamaka has absolutely made shockwaves the night he fought against Kelley, the amount of volume, ferocity in his strikes and his powerful takedowns have absolutely blown me away. The fact that he kept that performance up for 3 rounds is telling of how much of a competitor he truly is. Kamaka is a very fast and powerful striker and he just doesn’t slow down, he has near endless cardio and I can see him being a very interesting prospect for the UFC. I highly recommend you guys watch his fight against Kelley because boy was it one of the most entertaining double debut’s of the year. Pearce is a very good knockout artist who got knocked out by Lauzon last year, but his fight on DWCS was an absolute war and earned my respect. He outstruck his opponent 176 to 87, landed 4 solid takedowns and won by a devastating knockout in the third, Pearce is always down for a good and rough fight, he’s got excellent boxing, strong wrestling and is just a very solid well rounded fighter. I am however worried about his weight cut but apparently he fought at bantamweight back in 2017 so… maybe i’m not super worried, but we’ll soon see during the weigh ins. I love Kamaka, I feel like he’s got this.
Kamaka via UD
Women’s Flyweight
Rachael Ostovich (4-5-0, 2 FLS) v Gina Mazany (6-4-0, NS) - I don’t want to go too deep into this one guys, give me a break because there’s not much to say. Combined, the record from both fighters is 10-9, which is still fucking terrible. Ostovich is probably going to win this one, maybe not, she’s got a decent grappling game, but her striking is terrible. She’s going to need to wrestle in order to get a win, because I can’t see her striking to great efficiency this fight. I mean, I don’t want to see her strike, I don’t even want to see her in the UFC, she’s at best a Bellator level fighter. Mazany isn’t much different, she hasn’t had a very successful career in the UFC and I highly doubt she ever will. Mazany has always been somewhat scrappy, i think? I don’t know, I really don’t care as well, there’s so many good fighters out there, why keep these two? Mazany has lost all 4 of her fights in the UFC by the way, she’s food for prospects. Fuck if i care about this one. Mazany is bigger than Ostovich, and is coming down from Bantamweight, so maybe she’ll be stronger. I got Mazany on this but I just can’t care enough about it.
Mazany via UD
Bantamweight
Martin Day (8-4-0, 2 FLS) v Anderson Dos Santos (20-8-0, 2 FLS) - A fight for their careers. Both fighters have lost both of their bouts in the UFC. Day could have easily gotten the win over Liu if the fight wasn’t in China, not trying to start controversy but China has consistently been a shady place to have UFC fights, whether its biased reffing, judging, or crowds… Anyway, Day absolutely dominated that fight, outstruck Liu cleanly, knocked him down, took him down, and did everything he needed to win but didn’t. Day has a high volume of activity, whether it's on the feet or on the ground, he’s always looking for ways to look for a finish. He’s fast and capable of getting into very good positions to get a submission or maintain dominance on the ground. He’s got a fairly big challenge ahead of him in the very experienced Dos Santos. Dos Santos has 16 more fights than Day, which is a shitload of more experience, but with experience comes age and wear and tear, and I feel like Day will just win this one straight out. Dos Santos has excellent BJJ and has a heavy ground game, but he’s not that great on the feet, so I fully expect Dos Santos to try to drive Day to the cage for a takedown. I just feel like Day is more than capable of handling Dos Santos, he’s younger, faster and can hopefully avoid the takedowns.
Day via UD
Women’s Bantamweight
Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-4-0, NS) v Norma Dumont (4-1-0, NS) - Another fight that ultimately doesn’t matter too much. Evans-Smith has had a very rough time in the UFC, she has been inactive for almost two years and hasn’t really had any significant wins against anyone of note. She just seems to be a filler fighter who is being fed to Dumont, but that aside, Evans-Smith is a fairly well rounded fighter, she doesn’t exactly excel anywhere, she’s just alright. Dumont is a fairly decent Featherweight who just doesn’t have much experience, I don’t know what her background is other than MMA, she only has 5 total fights, and she got knocked out by Megan Anderson… I don’t know, I can’t say anything about this fight simply because there’s nothing to say. I got Smith on this one but I don't even know.
Smith via UD
Main Card
Billy Algeo (13-5-0, NS) v Spike Carlyle (9-2-0, NS) - Algeo has absolutely shown heart and love for competition during his bout against Lamas (who is a very tough debuting matchup). Algeo is always down for action, he went toe to toe with Lamas and held his own, albeit he did have some issues that might not be issues, and that’s his tendency to leave his hands down, its effective for his style but all it takes is one accurate shot to rattle him and he’s done. His striking though is truly beautiful, his hands are fluid and he can throw a head kick almost effortlessly, Watch out for Algeo because he’s going to impress with his super relaxed floaty style of kickboxing. Carlyle throws fucking bombs when he fights, he’s aggressive, very strong and has solid boxing, but he gets overzealous and gasses a bit. His ground game is also fairly good, but mostly from a wrestling perspective. His main weapon is his pressure, he’s going to advance forward, throw heavy punches and look for a takedown, then apply ground and pound. I see Algeo being the far superior striker, I see him using excellent footwork to avoid the forward momentum that Carlyle has. I see Algeo toying with him for the first round, and eventually finishing him in the third. Interestingly enough, 80% think Carlyle is going to win.. Maybe i’m going against the tide here but i’m confident in Algeo.
Algeo via KO R3
Welterweight
Miguel Baeza (9-0-0, 9 FWS) v Takashi Sato (16-3-0, NS) - Holy shit what a fight. Baeza is a great distance boxer, he’s excellent at range, he's capable of landing very clean shots and reading where his opponent is going, he’s an expert striker and the way he handled the veteran savage in Matt Brown was beautiful, but I did notice one thing, he kinda crumbles up close and in the clinch, he’s not as effective and doesn’t have the same firepower or skill set that he can utilise compared to at a distance. Baeza is only two fights deep in the UFC, and in both fights has highlight reel knockouts, so he’s most definitely going to be an interesting addition to the UFC and if he can get past Sato, then he’s in the spotlight for greatness. Sato has been around for quite some time, I feel like he’s the only Japanese fighter around that can really represent his country, and he does it with significant power. His one-two combo is gorgeous and will be important for this fight since he’s fighting a distance based fighter. Sato has had a somewhat decent start in the UFC, with only one setback, but the one thing that always remains constant when he fights is power and speed with his punches, he’s a vicious striker and has a shitload of power. This is going to be a war and I honestly can’t wait to see it. I got Baeza on this one though, his height might be an issue for Sato’s one two, as it will be harder to land on the chin, and Baeza has just been an impressive fighter since day one. War Baeza.
Baeza via KO R2
Heavyweight
Josh Parisian (#1 Michigan) (D) (13-3-0, 6 FWS) v Parker Porter (10-6-0, NS) - This feels like an unfair fight. Parisian is a beast of a debutant and I can’t wait to see how quickly he can end this fight, I know that sounds mean for Porter fans out here, but Porter is so easy to hit and Parisian has significant power. Parisian hasn’t had a fight go the distance in 3 years, and i know that doesn’t sound like that far ago, but between then and now, he’s had 10 fights, all of them finishes, all of them no doubt highlights. Parisian is one scary dude and I just feel like he’s going to bulldoze through Porter. Porter didn’t show us much when he debuted against Daukaus, he showed that he can be outstruck and he showed that he can be stopped, but he didn’t really show much else. He’s got significant power for sure, everyone at heavyweight does, but he doesn’t have what it takes to defeat Parisian. Very confident on this one.
Parisian via KO R1
Co-Main Event
Light Heavyweight
Anthony Smith (#8) (33-16-0, 2 FLS) v Devin Clark (12-4-0, 2 FWS) - This is a fun one, but also a worrying one. Smith has been destroyed in his last two fights, and as a long time Smith fan that just breaks my heart. I don’t think he’ll be destroyed this time around because he knows for a fact that his career is on the line and it’ll be hard to get back from a 3 FLS after being a title challenger. Smith is very well rounded but has an exceptional ground game, that is, when he is in control of what is happening on the ground. He’s also a fairly decent striker but with no particular style, kickboxing seems to come to mind, but for the last two fights it’s been mostly him on the ground. I’m not gonna doubt Smith and say he’s done, because he could definitely bounce back and he doesn’t have an ex-champ or high level fighter ahead of him, but he does have a great wrestler as an opponent and I sincerely hope he’s worked on takedown defence. Clark is someone who so many people doubted when fighting Menifield, I recall someone in my UFC 250 post saying shit about Clark and then Clark proved them wrong, absolute domination from Clark, shut down Menifield’s aggression masterfully. Clark is maybe going to do the same this time around, but he’s got a Black belt in BJJ ahead of him in Smith and if he does take it to the ground he’s going to have to be super careful. Clark is a grinder, he’ll work hard for all 3 rounds to maintain domination and deal damage along the way, he’s a road full of potholes, Round 1 being the starting destination, and the end of the fight being your destination. Throughout all 3 rounds, he’s going to cause damage, it doesn’t have to be powerful strikes, he can just pepper and annoy and still get the win. You know what, fuck it, I rarely do these, but if you want to bet on Smith winning (he’s most likely going to win) go for it, but Clark knows what to do to eliminate the stand up game of Smith and I sincerely hope he pulls a Menifield and just controls the fight. I got Clark on this one.
Clark via UD
Main Event
Heavyweight
Curtis Blaydes (#3) (14-2-0, 4 FWS) v Derrick Lewis (#5) (24-7-0, 3 FWS) - This is one that i’ve been waiting for, for a long time. Blaydes is one of the best heavyweights that the UFC has at the moment. His wrestling is outstanding, his stand up is effective and his cardio, for a Heavyweight? Absolutely fucking impressive. Blaydes is a next generation fighter and I don’t think he’s at his peak yet, If he can get past Lewis, he’s up there, and the only way to get past Lewis is to take him down and smother the fuck out of him, do whatever to keep him on the ground. It has been proven though, that Lewis doesn’t like being on the ground, who woulda thunk. Lewis has a decent ground game, in that his ground game is mostly standing the fuck up. I don’t give a shit how many people this pisses off, Lewis is going to knockout Blaydes effortlessly after standing up twice. I know that Lewis is a meme at this rate but he’s got stupid amounts of power and determination. He may be unfit but boy when he lands, he lands hard. This is a tough one to predict… well, not really, it’s kinda easy because Blaydes has all the tools to win, but Lewis is a wild card, Lewis is a “flip a coin, if heads, knockout, if tails, he loses” types of fighter, there’s no way around that. I love my boy Lewis, and I feel like he’s gonna win via knockout. Feel free to predict that Blaydes wins though, because he most likely will. But this is a personal choice for me.
Lewis via KO R3
That's it!
Again, sorry if there's a lack of... analysis. Some of these fights just doesn't have a lot going for them analytically.
If you wish to support me please message me and i can provide details on how you can do so.
If you would like to follow me on twitter, you can find me @Slayer_Tip or if you want, add me on discord and we can have a super friendly chat about all things MMA: Slayertip#7013
Lets have a fun discussion down below, let me know if you agree/disagree with my picks :)
But for now, have a beautiful week, take care of yourselves :)

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