UFC 255 *The leans below will not count to my stats here in this thread. Follow or fade, it's up to you! 
WON - Take
Alan Jouban over Jared Gooden (7:40p.m., Saturday, November 21st)
In the featured fight-pass prelim, we have a welterweight bout between Alan Jouban and Jared Gooden. This should be an interesting one for sure. Jouban has been back and forth as of late and cannot seem to make up his mind whether he wants to be a fighter, or a UFC expert analyst for ESPN. Jouban has been up and down in his recent fights and has not won a fight since 2016 (if we are excluding a washed Ben Saunders). Jouban is very measured and high-level striker with supreme accuracy and flashy creativity. He will be facing off against Jared Gooden who will be making his UFC debut. Gooden has a lot of power, raw talent and athletic ability and finds himself in a very fortuitous position facing off against a name most people know. If he can find that chin of Jouban, then he will be able to springboard himself up the rankings and put the world on notice. This also is not out of the question considering Jouban's ever deteriorating ability to take a shot. However, excluding being caught, we feel Jouban is just too seasoned here for the newcomer and we always look to take advantage in these spots and that should come as no surprise to our subscribers. Small wager on the more proven mixed martial artist here with more ways to win.
WON - Take
Antonina Shevchenko over Ariane Lipski (8:35p.m., Saturday, November 21st)
In the women's flyweight division we have a matchup between co-main event champion Valentina Shevchenko sister, Antonina Shevchenko and "The Queen of Violence" Ariane Lipski. Both these women have not yet lived up to the hype we expected. Lipski came into the UFC after being a destroyer on the local scene, however she lost her first 2 fights with the promotion. It's just an entirely different level in the UFC and these high-profile fighters from smaller organizations come to that realization, usually in dramatic fashion. Since fighting for her UFC career however, she has put together two nice wins in a row albeit against some poor competition. She will be facing off against Antonina Shevchenko, who will look to bounce back from a loss she suffered in May against Katlyn Chookagian. When it comes to striking, we have no qualms about her kickboxing ability. She has a pro record of 39-1 in that department and has won 4 gold medals in world championship Muay Thai. Her issue however in the UFC comes down to an adaption and translation issue with her skillset. She seems a little trigger shy and does not have the same confidence we see from her outside of mixed martial arts. We have no doubt that if Antonina can let her hands go, she will be able to tag and hurt Ariane. This fight could play out a number of ways but we feel confident enough in the abilities, experience and overall competition level of Antonina, and we expect her to win this and potentially turn that corner and look the best she ever has.
LOST - Take
Brandon Royval over Brandon Moreno (9:30p.m., Saturday, November 21st)
Epic featured prelim here as Brandon Royval will be facing off against Brandon Moreno in a bout between two exciting flyweight prospects. Moreno is a brawler by nature and couples that with a slick, high level grappling game. After an up and down start in the UFC, Moreno has looked good as of late taking care of studs such as Kai Kara-France and Jussier Formiga! While everyone thinks of Moreno as a dangerous, power striker - he really utilizes that style to set up his ground-game. In his 17 wins, he has 10 by submission and only 2 by way of knockout. It should also be noted that he is exceptionally durable, which can be seen by all 5 losses making it to the judges. He has never been finished. He will be facing off against Brandon Royval, who in our opinion is flying under the radar and is being heavily disrespected by the oddsmakers. Make no mistake, win, or lose - Royval is an exceptionally talented martial artist with a ton of potential. He has won 4 straight and is undefeated in the UFC taking care of both Tim Elliot and common opponent, Kai Kara-France via submission (in a fight where he clearly took a leap in his abilities). Royval has some grappling ability of his own - so this could be extremely exciting indeed when it gets in the clinch or on the mat. We feel this fight should be a pick'em' and wouldn't surprise us in hindsight that Royval should have been the favorite. One cause for concern which is stopping us going bigger here - Royval has never really been dragged in deep waters and tested. Make no mistake - Moreno will take him there. Regardless, that +160 price tag is extra tasty, and we will bite.
WON - Take
Paul Craig over Mauricio Rua (10:10p.m., Saturday, November 21st)
Kicking off the PPV, we have a rematch between Paul Craig and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. There is not too much to break-down here and the first fight was a weird one to say the least. Craig put an absolute beating on Rua in round 1, but completely gassed and Rua turned back time, dug deep and was able to take it to a draw. Rua has still been able to win in the UFC despite being 38 years-of-age. However, his last fight against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira was a clear, clear sign of a decline. It looked like it is time for him to retire. He is a Black Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu but has not been able to utilize that in the UFC at all. Rua wants to stand, and utilize his high level striking to wear you down. Paul Craig on the other hand, is a fighter we quite like. We see a lot of hate for him, and we know he cannot put together any kind of streak - but he has been failed by his chin, and conditioning more than his skillset. Rua has shown no ability to rectify rematches in his career, and Craig wants a win vs. this name on his resume. He has openly critiqued his performance and his disappointment with how the first fight played out and promises to finish Shogun. Perhaps he will, perhaps he will not but we cannot deny the clear differences in their abilities at this point in their careers. Craig wins if he keeps that weak chin out the way.
WON - Take
Katlyn Chookagian over Cynthia Calvillo (10:35p.m., Saturday, November 21st)
Next up, we have a women's flyweight contender bout between Katlyn Chookagian and Cynthia Calvillo. This is a great fight! Let us start with Katlyn. She has been exceptionally good so far in the UFC and has shown clear improvements from fight to fight. She holds a Brown Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under none other than Renzo Gracie, so you know her ground game is legit. Chookagian stays within herself for the most part. You will not see her taking many high-risk, high-reward chances. She fights measured, long and looks for the opportunities as they become available. She is more than happy to fight a point scoring battle for all 3 (or 5) rounds and earn a decision. Her opponent, Cynthia Calvillo is a clear prospect the UFC are always trying to push. She is involved in main events often and is on the biggest cards. We understand it - she is incredibly talented, tough but a little raw and risky at times. She can also strike well, but her main plan will be to get this to the ground. Chookagian will own the minute-by-minute striking advantage and rack up much more volume. The issue is, when Calvillo takes this to the mat, we are not convinced she will simply be able to outwork and out grapple Katlyn. We don't doubt her wrestling will be effective and that is the reason for this price-tag, but once it hits the mat she will have to avoid some pretty tough spots and we are not convinced she can do that for all 3 rounds. This is going to be a close fight, and this fight feels very mis-priced. Value on the dog all day here.
WON - Take
Tim Means over Mike Perry (11:05p.m., Saturday, November 21st)
Now - THIS IS A FIGHT! We have a war lined up here in the welterweight division between Tim Means and Mike Perry. Both guys come to fight! Let us start with Tim Means who is a technical, yet unorthodox striker who slashes with elbows and knees. He has been in some wars in the UFC but overall has the advantage in the skill department in most fights. He fights long and keeps good distance but do not get us wrong - he will happily swing leather with anyone. He will take on Mike Perry - who love or hate him as a person, BRINGS IT! Mike Perry is probably the most violent fighter in the UFC, and he is all about throwing down until someone falls over. Perry possesses the power advantage that is for sure, but means holds the cardio, grappling and technical advantages. If Perry comes crashing forward (like we expect) he could walk right into a dipping or slicing elbow that will cause some serious damage. We think in a normal environment and situation, this should be priced as a pick'em' but there is no denying or hiding away from the personal issues we have seen outside the octagon with Mike Perry. He is clearly showing some potential mental health problems, has been involved in many domestic abuse issues, and is also behind and owing a healthy amount of taxes to the IRS. This is a money fight for Perry, and he will be looking for that bonus cheque. It is not really a fight that can be broken down too much, as these will be swinging and ANYTHING can happen, but we will side ever so slightly with Tim Means. This is a fight of the night candidate and I highly doubt we see the scorecards here.
