UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev

The official Tapology discussion thread for the event!

Let’s go Ankalaev

Semelsberger vs. Fletcher
Matt Semelsberger, TKO, R3
Oko

I will tattoo a swastika on my forehead if Khali Roundtree win beside DQ or injury on pretty much any form of ******** win, Khali Roundtree is a power puncher and can always KO someone in the first round, But anything else and he lose, Karl on the feet will fight for 3 round and out point him, And Karl is also a willing grappler, That why he lose, He should disengage grappling situation instead of taking vettori back for a example, But in this fight grappling ain't dumb because for 1 it will gas Roundtree and also Rountree subs him I will piss myself laughing because it ain’t happening

Karl is a lock and I'm taking a shot on Karl by submession at +1000

* Edited at 03.09.2022, 5:33 PM ET *

Yeah he graduated in '17 I believe, right before I got here. Small DII school in a small town but not far from Columbia. Wrestling program is pretty good here. Cody Garbrandt wrestled a year here too.

@Duck lol are you sure you're not having another 'Hooker is definitely going to beat Makhachev' moment?

Karl is most definitely not a lock. Idk if you’re just reading into the situation wrong or just trolling lol

I buy everyone who bet Khali roundtree a helmet which said I am stupid with all the money I won on Roberson

Also , let signuture and image bet it then

* Edited at 03.09.2022, 7:26 PM ET *

@Duck I have no idea who wins that fight. I'm just saying there's no way Karl is a sure bet.

Also you'd better hope Karl wins after that meltdown because if he doesn't I'm not going to be able to resist memeing you.

I think it's kinda halirous he sees Roberson actually taking Roundtree down. This dude went 1 for 3 on Kopylov, did you see how trash his grappling is last fight. Unless he pulls a good Ole Beef Wellington where somehow he gets a bogus armbar then maybe but no way in hell you can be confident either way. 

Prachnio went 0-2 on TD's against Roundtree, Eryk Anders got his takedown stuffed in the 2nd round. Roberson maybe can get him down in the 3rd other than that nada.

* Edited at 03.09.2022, 7:40 PM ET *

@Crimson he could do it. If he can stuff Sanchez and Anders I wouldn't bet on it. He has been subbed before and I don't trust his cardio. I kind of lean Roberson but yeah, absolutely no confidence in that pick.

* Edited at 03.09.2022, 7:58 PM ET *

I have a strange feeling Khalil tries some wrestling in this fight. I've only watched his last 4 on ESPN+ and I don't think I remember him ever trying any offensive wrestling, and that doesn't necessarily mean he can't do it. If you're going to show off some surprise wrestling it would be against Roberson. 

I listened to the media day interviews and 2 things stuck out. First was John Morgan asking Rountree the usual "how do you see this fight playing out" and Rountree was like "...I prefer not to answer that question" and I thought it was weird. Then in a few interviews with Karl he was like very very dismissive that Khalil could ever even possibly think of wrestling like as a relief from his last couple fights. I could definitely see Khalil being like "oh you have completely eliminated that possibility in your mind and training, I can use that against you" and thats why he didn't wanna answer. Or at least like, knowing he can go to that for Plan B if it doesn't go as planned. 

This is probably me just overthinking **** though in reality this is complete 50/50 I'm picking Roberson just because I have a connection to Neptune NJ but I'm probably going to flip flop throughout the week. And I'm interested how he does without the bad weight cuts cause he was like falling out of fights and getting hospitalized trying to cut to 185. But there's no way I could be that level of confident in most people against Rountree after that Anders fight. When he shows up he's a beast. 

Matt Semelsberger   vs.   AJ Fletcher 


Really hard fight to predict. Semelsberger is legit and can take legit beating.Not many fighters can exchange with Kaos in  boxing range and make it out of three rounds. Semelesberger is the overall better striker with the more proven gas tank and Chin. But Fletcher is also the real deal. Very solid fighter in his own right. He also carries big power and is definitely the better wrestler, which is what makes trying to work out ho takes this extremely difficult--especially since there's a serious problem with Semelsberger's record in that he has never faced a wrestler as close to as good as Fletcher.


Yes. his TDD is listed at 100% but that's come against guys who are almost exclusively strikers. This is a trend that goes back far further than his tenure in UFC. He's built a record of beating up guys who flat out cannot grapple or wrestle, and when he has faced a guy that could do both he has been subbed. He has crushed a LOT of cans, too.


Basically it depends if Fletcher gets him to the ground or not. If he can, he will win comfortably. He has excellent top control. If he can't you're looking at either a 30-27 or a late TKO for semelsberger.


I'm gonna pick the dog in this one. Fletcher, dec.

Fletchers competition is definitely worse. Dudes fought more guys with losing records than winning. I also couldn’t watch many of his fights; definitely suspect about how good he actually is

I bet all the people who doesn't think Robinson is a lock, Is also picking Mckinny, How did Tapology become so clueless at picking MMA, It astounding how stupid they are are picking this great sport

* Edited at 03.09.2022, 9:33 PM ET *

It's hard to say. I agree his comp has sucked but on the other hand he's beaten them all dominantly. All comes down to semelsberger's TDD.