The Weekend Review - #2
Is Devin Haney A Superstar? No Mas In Bournemouth and What Next For Anthony Smith.
Evening all,
Another weekend in the bag and another couple of winners for us!
We went 3/5 for this week and were very unlucky not to land the Haney by KO/TKO.
Again, the numbers went up after The Early Picks post went out and with a HUGE weekend coming up…if you have not upgraded, now is the time to do it.
HANEY…SUPERSTAR.
If you weren’t on the bandwagon already, Devin Haney produced a performance this weekend that will silence all doubters.
To dominate a fighter like Prograis in that manner was a statement and the only thing missing was the finish.
Haney had Prograis hurt a few times and not following up looked to be through choice rather than a lack of finishing instinct.
In one sense, to have that level of composure in a fight of this magnitude is impressive but I can understand the frustration from some that he didn’t get the finish.
For us, it would have landed a nice 7/1 winner but for him it would have rubber stamped the perfect performance.
I want to sit and write 2000 words about everything Haney did and how amazing the fight but the gulf in class was so much that it was borderline uncompetitive.
I mean no disrespect towards Prograis, he is brilliant but he was just outgunned in every department.
The best I could give him was share of the first round (even that was generous) and after that it was just a systematic beatdown.
Haney’s feet controlled the entire fight and you could hear the desperation in the corner of Prograis from as early as round three.
I also think Haney benefited from being up in weight. It’s no secret he was boiled down at 135, at 140 he looked big, strong and full of gas.
He could have done 24 rounds at that pace.
All in all - Haney IS a superstar and well on his way to becoming p4p number one.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Immediately after the fight, both Devin and Eddie mentioned 147 which I am not against but not yet.
We seen the birth of a star at 140 and I would be keen to watch him dominate a second division before going up again.
A fight with Ryan Garcia makes obvious sense and I think that is next and a fight with Tank Davis would do ridiculous numbers.
As I said on Friday, I believe Devin Haney is a future great and there will be more weight classes after this but for now…I hope he dominates 140.
Starting with Ryan Garcia in Q1 of 2024!
PARO MAKES A POINT.
Liam Paro stole the show on the Haney vs Prograis undercard with a dominant stoppage over Montana Love.
I was really impressed by this performance considering he has been out for over a year and I wouldn’t be surprised if we seen him get a big push from Eddie Hearn in 2024.
He is a marketable guy who can clearly fight and although he might be a little off the top boys at 140 just yet…I think in time he can compete.
Really look forward to watching the next steps of his career.
NO MAS IN BOURNEMOUTH.
Chris Billam-Smith by KO/TKO was my strongest bet this weekend but for eight rounds, I was worried.
Mateusz Masternak came to fight which is something I never doubted but CBS was caught cold and for large parts, he was losing the fight.
At the half way stage, I thought it might be the challenger that got the stoppage but his decision not to come out from his stool left everyone bewildered.
We have since heard it was a broken rib that forced Masternak to retire from the fight but I have a had time accepting that when you look at someone of the wars the man has been in.
Obviously, I predicted him to be stopped but my thoughts were maybe on his feet…a mercy stoppage by the ref.
Not like this.
This decision is just everything Masternak isn’t.
He has walked through some big shots in his career so maybe Father Time finally caught up but it felt different.
I am not suggesting anything ‘dodgy’ was at play.
But it was a strange ending.
However, CBS won’t mind.
It was a solid first defence and he has managed to pull out a win when he wasn’t at his best.
All roads now lead to an all British clash with Richard Riakporhe in 2024 and if that does come to fruition…Chris Billam-Smith will need to perform much better than he did this weekend.
The undercard was horrific but a word to Ben Whittaker who improved to 5-0.
Whittaker is a modern day fighter and his style suggest he understands the need to entertain as well as perform.
This is a numbers game at the end of the day and views matter and thats what Ben Whittaker brings.
Technically, he is obviously very talented.
A very good amateur and he has settled as a pro but I hope 2024 brings some step ups.
I am already sick of seeing him showboat against fighters way out of their deep.
If he continues to do it when he moves up the levels then I am all in but we have seen this dancing round journeymen one too many times, in my opinion.
He is 26 and a standout amateur…we can skip this.
UFC REVIEW.
A slightly underwhelming card from the Apex (might be playing a part) but there will still some storylines to go over.
The main event was what it was.
Song Yadong was a step ahead of Gutierrez the whole way and he took the path of least resistance.
I mentioned in Friday’s Final Word that Yadong needs to take the jump now.
He needs to announce himself as a contender or he will get lost in the mid divisions of the UFC.
The performance didn’t do much to enhance his reputation but the call out of Petr Yan was clever.
That is a fight that would catapult him and while Yan is apparently moving to boxing to fight Conor McGregor…I hope he sticks around and that fight is made.
The co-main event cashed us a bet but it was a tough watch.
I am a fan of Anthony Smith and has been brilliant in the UFC and to watch him get knocked out in that manner was rough.
I never liked this matchup for Smith (hence our bet) but it played out worse than I even imagined.
He was a step behind the entire fight and when you are facing a puncher like Rountree, that is a dangerous spot to be in.
To give Rountree credit, he looked really sharp and that is five impressive wins on the bounce now.
Heading into 2024, the light heavyweight division will continue to be in flux but Rountree is as deserving as anyone for a title shot.
I’d like to see Smith call it a day after that, he is reaching a point in his career where he will only be viewed as an opponent and he is too good for that.
He is part of an amazing podcast with Michael Bisping and he is a brilliant analyst.
Hopefully he moves on and closes the door on a brilliant UFC career.
We landed a winning bet on Andre Muniz who was brilliant as an underdog and although we picked Haqparast to win by decision, he obliterated Jamie Mullarkey in two minuted to get his UFC career firmly back on track.
Those were the two standout performances on an otherwise underwhelming card but I am sure that won’t be the case as we head into this weekends huge UFC 296 card.
COMING UP.
On Thursday we will be back with a massive edition of The Early Picks post so make sure you are subscribed below for that.
Friday’s Final Word will hit your inbox at 8pm and I will be opening the chat facility this weekend for those of you that are awake for both UFC 296 and Sunny Edwards vs Bam Rodriguez.
Can’t wait!