Blue Chips Beat Report | From PredictionStrike & Alex True

This is it everyone. The moment we have all waited for. We have watched, all season long, and it all comes down to this weekend! The two best in the sport come together to face off, and by the end of the weekend, we will finally have a new champion!

Wait? Did you think I was talking about the football game happening tomorrow? Hell no, you can turn on Stephen A for NFL analysis, I’m here for something else tonight! One of the most highly anticipated fights in UFC history happens in mere hours, and you’re worried about which running back should I start? You can worry about that tomorrow, and hopefully with some new found gains from UFC 284 in hand!

Now, you might live under a rock, or maybe you don’t follow MMA very closely, but even you might have heard of the two men fighting tonight. Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski, the baddest MFer on the planet, takes on the the pride of Dagestan, Islam Machachev. This is one you’re going to want to stay up for ladies and gentlemen, and to help get us educated, I want to invite back Brady Grove, host of the official MMA podcast of RotoBallers, Tap That MMA.

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Alex: Not since Jon jones vs Daniel Cormier have we seen the pound for pound number one fighter square up against the pound for pound number two fighters in the world, and for the exact reason the MMA community is head over heels excited for the main event between Islam makhachev vs Alexander Volkanovski. Two names that are synonymous with success, and we have the privilege to watch them enter the octagon across from each other TONIGHT! Let’s cut right to the chase, who comes out victorious, and how do you see it happening? Are either side worthy of an investment?

Brady: It's hard to imagine a fighter as dominant and accomplished as Alexander Volkanovski being the underdog in any situation, but in Prediction Strike terms, I absolutely love Islam Makhachev--who is surprisingly the cheaper of the two. With Volk coming up from 145-lb., you've got to think that Islam will be able to get the fight to the ground (albeit, probably at a lesser frequency and with less control time than he's used to). I think in the case where Volk wins (probably around 40 out of 100 fights), I think it's mostly via a unanimous decision victory where he's able to stuff Islam's takedown attempts and win the kickboxing battle through five rounds. That being said, even in a lesser sample size against tough competition, I favor Islam in this fight, and I think he's the more likely of the two to end the fight inside the distance whether it's a G&P TKO or submission.

Alex: In our co main event, we find Josh Emmett taking on Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title. If Josh Emmett sounds familiar to you PS users reading, it’s because he is a Prediction Strike partner! I clearly have a bias in this fight, so help the readers decide if they should invest in either side.

Brady: Another fight where I can't believe which of the two is the cheaper fighter, so I'm all over Yair in the co-main event. Emmett has been impressive over the winning streak that got him to this point, but all in all, this is a 50/50 matchup, with Yair being the one with the higher upward trajectory and greater ability to put this fight away by spectacular finish. If Emmett wins, it will be by decision where he takes three of five rounds and probably in a manner that MMA fans contest.

Not only that, but as a long-term investment, Yair is definitely the one who poses a greater threat of eventually becoming a more full-time champion in one way or another.

Alex: I know this might sound crazy, especially considering how incredible the main event is, but UFC 284 is kinda… mehhh. Sure there are some great fights, but it falls kind of flat. Help me get excited! What’s one fight on the card that is must watch, and why?

Brady: Hands down Tyson Pedro vs. Modestas Bukauskas. I'm really interested to see how both of these guys end up looking in the spotlight, with Pedro being on home turf. Tyson has looked phenomenal against a lesser level of competition since his return from a lengthy hiatus, while Bukauskas had to pick up two Cage Warriors wins just to get back into the UFC after a three-fight losing streak against a tough stretch of opponents.

Ultimately, I think Pedro is an excellent value for his price, because I at least have seen enough to know that he is beyond Modestas at this point, and I think he does it by first-round KO again. Regardless of the outcome, this fight screams fireworks. I’m investing in Pedro, but if you want to kick back and watch two big fellas throw hammers, this is a fight for you.

Alex: There are some top tier talent on this card, obviously headlined by the best two fighters on the planet, but there are also a ton of up and comers that aren’t household names yet. Sometimes the best stock investments are getting in early on tomorrow's superstars. Who is someone on this card you will consider a sleeper stock of the night?

Brady: Jimmy Crute has a bit of an Edmen Shahbazyan vibe to him, in that, he took two straight losses to high-quality competition, (one being due to early injury), and it seems like the whole world was immediately ready to give up on him. I've been a little hard on Alonzo Menifield this past year, but in giving him his credit, I still think that Jimmy Crute wins this fight 60-65 times out of 100, and I think he does it inside the distance. In this light heavyweight division, a still-considered-to-be prospect like Crute picking up a win in impressive fashion could have him right in the mix for fights to catapult him up the 205-lb. rankings.

Thanks again to Brady for everything he does for the Prediction Strike community, and thank you for having me on the podcast a couple weeks ago! I can’t wait to join you again and talk about stocks! For all you readers, remember to give a follow to the RotoBallers MMA podcast, Tap That, on all major providers. Also, remember to follow him on Twitter @rotobrady. If you don’t want to do either of those, then it’s your loss. At the very minimum, make sure to check out the PS Discord where Brady shares some of his favorite investments before every card.

I hope everyone enjoys the incredible fights we have tonight, and let it be a delicious appetizer to the BIG GAME sized entree we have tomorrow! What an incredible weekend we have for Prediction Strike, so let’s make that money!