PFL CHALLENGER SERIES WEEK 8 - 2nd Chance

Betting card + breakdown

PFL Challenger Series Week 8 - 2nd Chance

Betting Card

Paulo Henrique +150 Bet 1 unit to win 1.5

Evelyn Martins + Chris Brown = -115 Bet 1.15 units to win 1

Kendly St Louis vs Paulo Henrique (Laia)

Kendly St Louis was victorious in his short notice PFL Challenger Series debut and was robbed of getting a contract. St Louis took that fight up a weight class and on 24 hour notice. Initially, Kendly was only there to corner a teammate, but instead he fought and he got the finish! Kendly is on a 5 fight winning streak and his last loss was a second round TKO against Viacheslav Borshchev. St Louis rocked Slava and nearly submitted him in that fight, before getting finished in the second round. The kid is very athletic, hits hard and has good bjj. However, he doesn’t take damage well. I Don’t like his body language when he’s tired or getting hit, but he is tough and has shown he can battle through it.

Paulo didn’t win his Challenger Series fight, but he won over the fans. This dude was able to get out of some deep submission attempts. The Brazilian may be made of rubber. He lost a very close split decision, to a very tough opponent. Henrique is as tough as they come and he puts on an impressive pace. He was violent in his last win. They called it a slam to ground and pound, but he really didn’t slam anyone. He was getting taken down with a body lock, reversed it, landed on top and pounded the dude out. He’s well rounded and has been around the game a long time. Henrique is a deaf fighter and says he looks up to Matt Hamill.

St Louis is the favorite and for good reason. This fight takes place at his natural weight class and he looked so good on short notice, what can he do with some time. Well the thing is he isn’t getting much time here and now he has to make 155. Not only that, but his one weakness is gassing out and facing someone with an incredible pace. That is what Henrique does. Henrique is the tougher of the two and I expect him to find success as the fight goes on. Paulo Laia Henrique is the dog play of the night

Evelyn Martins vs Jackie Cataline

Evelyn Martins is part of the new breed. She has been fighting mma her entire life. She started off with Maui Thai and shortly realized she wanted to make the transition to MMA. She knew she needed grappling so she moved to America and joined American Top Team. She was fighting 24 year old girls when she was only 15. Now at only 20 years old she has put in training hours with the likes of Amanda Nunes. This girl is the real deal and a true prospect. Looked amazing in her last PFL Challenger Series fight

Jackie Cataline has never had an mma fight. She is however a very very decorated wrestler. She said that the biggest transition she’s had coming over to mma is her cardio. She said she was so good at wrestling that she wasn’t even worried about her cardio. This scares me a bit. She doesn’t have the drive to make herself the best. She was great and that was good enough. An attitude like that is very hard to change. She looked great in her last fight. She is showing improvements.

Cataline is a monster and will be a problem if she sticks with MMA. She is going to get caught against martins here. Martins will batter her on the feet and if Cataline is able to get through the strikes and take her down, Martins will end up subbing her out. I like Martins and I like her inside the distance 

Raiden Kovacs vs Denzel Freeman

I will not be touching this fight. Both of these guys look fraudulent to me. Freeman is -500 based off his wrestling pedigree and beating absolute cans. He does have a decision loss to Johnny Eblen and that loss is probably the best thing on his resume.

Kovacs is massive and that’s about it. His striking is so so bad. The guy is so hitable, he does have a decent chin despite getting knocked out twice. He took a lot of damage in those losses. He has good trip takedowns, uses his size when in the clinch.

Freeman round 1 tko is most likely. Freeman -500 no thanks

Chris Brown vs Quemuel Ottoni

Chris Brown has such a fun style to watch. Breezy throws strikes from odd angles, he has one of the best front kicks in the game, he is extremely flexible and is capable of kicking you in the head from range and standing right in front of you. Brown uses his athleticism to excel on the ground. He has sneaky takedowns and his get up game and reversals are beautiful to watch. He’s battle proven over the years and if he can get in to the tournament he can make a run. His first PFL Challenger series fight was a very hard fought split loss to Carlos Leal. That fight truly could have gone either way.

Ottoni is the only man to beat Alex Pereira in MMA. Yes, that Alex Pereira. Beating Pereira in any combat sport will always be impressive, but it was back in 2015 and Pereira gassed out. Ottoni is very tough. He’s meat and potatoes on the feet. He is hitable, but has an iron chin. Ottoni prides himself in his ground game, but honestly he’s no killer down there

Ottoni is a tough dude and this line is a little wide, but with that said I fully expect Brown to win this fight

Ali Omar vs Sanon Sadeck

This is the fight I’m having the hardest time picking. Omar hasn’t fought in 2 years now. He’s only 25 years old and he’s coming off a hard fought loss. That loss was a very close Dec that could have gone either way. Omar is a striker, but has good wrestling and takedown defense. He trains out of syndicate MMA and is at a point where we could see serious improvements fight to fight. He’s got power in his hands. Throws excellent knees and has a great clinch. Very athletic

Sadeck is 3-1 and is an EXPLOSIVE athlete. This kid is special. He’s a former soccer player and army veteran. His striking is beautiful to watch. He moves very well. He has good takedowns and good timing on his entrances. Watching him strike you would think he would have more knockouts on his record. He throws hard as shit. He trains out of Roufussport and seems to be a real deal prospect

For as good as Sadeck is I am scared of the potential in Omar. The kid is tough and scrappy. I’m staying away from this fight. If anything small dog play