Jared Cannonier (age 37) will have a 6 inch reach advantage over southpaw Kelvin Gastelum (age 29)
Jared Cannonier has faced 4 southpaws in the UFC:
Shawn Jordan, Ion Cutelaba, Dominick Reyes, Anderson Silva
Interview from Jared Cannonier:
“Kelvin has got a good wrestling base.
He’s got knockout power in his hands.
He’s not afraid to mix it up with bigger guys.
He’s been in the middleweight division since he had come up from the welterweight division. He’s not necessarily a big middleweight.
You know, he’s got the heart of a Mexican warrior and a big ass head to go along with it.
Kelvin Gastelum is a formidable opponent, just by name.
I respect the man a lot, I respect what he’s done, I respect the energy he brings into his fights.
I feel like I have the striking advantage.
Me personally, I think I have a different presence in the Octagon, in a fight in general.
It’s an indomitable presence, if you will.
So I’m interested to see how he deals with it.
He’s going to make his adjustments, and then I’m going to make some more adjustments.
I’m definitely going to put my hands on him, I’m going to try to not get hit by him.
I want to hit and not get hit, and I want to come out of there with not one scratch, no broken limbs or shit like that.
I want to go out there and put him away quick, fast, and in a hurry.
Wherever the fight goes is where I intend to finish the fight.
That’s always my intent. I’m just ready to go in there and throw some hands.
That’s what’s going to happen. No matter what happens, no matter where it goes.
I assume he’s going to have to wrestle.
Because when the fire starts coming in, what else can you do?
The best option for you is to wrestle.”
-Jared Cannonier
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UFC Vegas 34
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Gastelum
Saturday, August 21, 2021
6 pm eastern
parlay
+231
Mana Martinez -180 "Manaboi"
Cortney Casey -200 "Cast Iron", 5 inch reach Advantage
William Knight -240 "Knightmare"
#UFCVegas34
Words I found:
Mana Leomana Martinez:
started training karate at the age of 4
Karate black belt, purple belt BJJ
Favorite grappling technique: Armbar
Favorite Striking technique: Leg kicks
Martinez enters with 7 wins in his most recent 8 fights.
His lone loss in the stretch came against Drako Rodriguez on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020
Mana Martinez defeated Jose Johnson via KO/TKO in 32 seconds on May 16, 2021 at Fury FC 46
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Cortney Casey:
brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
5 inch reach Advantage
Age 34
Casey Cortney has been competing in the UFC since 2015.
She is a real veteran in the sport and holds wins over fighters like Randa Markos, Jessica Aguilar, and Angela Hill.
Long, rangy striker that isn’t afraid to take fighters to the mat and look for submissions.
Following a length run at 115 pounds, Cortney Casey announced her arrival in the Featherweight division by tapping Mara Romero Borella with a bonus-winning arm bar.
One month later, she stepped up on short notice against Gillian Robertson, who caught her in a rear-naked choke late in the third round.
Casey’s physicality and relentlessness allow her to trade hands with many in the division.
Casey once went to 3 consecutive split decisions and has a lack of upper-body movement.
Casey is woeful to watch but her physical advantages and aggression have carried her in a division where you are rarely punished for sloppy striking defense. Lost when she ends up on her back, Casey instead needs the fight to remain standing. From there, Casey just plants her feet and launches five/six punch combinations. It is a shame then that Casey doesn’t move her feet, head or land many of the shots during those blitzes.
Cortney Casey has allowed 15 takedowns from 25 takedown attempts in her last 6 fights, since 2018.
(Liana Jojua’s only gameplan is to take the fight to the mat and submit an opponent. Being beaten on the feet handily by Diana Belbiţă in a previous fight, Belbiţă screwed the pooch when she entered Jojua’s guard before being submitted by an armbar. Jojua is a one-trick pony)
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William Knight quote:
“I used to fight three times in one month. MMA, Muay Thai, and MMA again.
Or I would fight in a tournament, fight five times in one night, and two weeks later, fight 205 in the cage.
People don’t understand, I come from a wrestling background.
I wrestled four, five times in one day after weighing in.
So the grind is real. They would say it’s different because striking is involved, but when you hit me, I get ramped up.
It’s not like ‘okay he’s hitting me to hurt me.’ People think that I’m hurt, or I’m staggered, I’m ramping up.”
That comes from my past, that I don’t like speaking on, but I was abused as a child.
So me as an adult, I like to ramp up. It ramps me up, it wakes me up, it’s like an adrenaline rush.”
Knight isn’t going to beat many at the mid-range, but he is an extremely powerful grinder who batters the leg before getting up close to land dirty boxing. Unfortunately, when backing up he leaves his chin wide open and aimed at the ceiling.
Knight is a powerhouse of a man who can hold his own on the feet and threaten with the occasional takedown. Knight is a fire hydrant. He’s short, stocky, hugely powerful and extremely explosive, and he has a solid wrestling base.
