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STOCK WATCH – UFC PARIS
Written By Jose “VonWeeden” Ramirez
After each UFC event, I will evaluate whether a fighter’s stock is going up or down. A fighter’s stock could be rising fast, slowly rising, neutral, slowly falling or falling fast.
Renato Moicano
Stock:
Rising Fast
Renato “Moneyman” Moicano injured his shoulder a few weeks before the fight. Moicano tweeted “I hurt my shoulder 3 weeks ago… but I couldn’t pull out of a main event… thank you my team for helping me training like that [e] get me ready for the fight.” Moicano went on to DESTROY one of the hottest UFC prospects in his home town.
Look for Moicano to rise up the Lightweight rankings, as he’s targeting Dan Hooker. “I don’t know how he’s in the top five, that’s unbelievable,” Moicano said. “It’s like seeing a turtle in a tree. Have you seen a turtle in a tree? Somebody put him there. That’s the whole thing, you know? He didn’t climb the tree, but he’s on the tree.”
2. Benoit Saint-Denis
Stock:
Falling Fast
Saint-Denis was one of the hottest prospects in the UFC, as a former special forces operator and a propensity to finish fights. Losing at home was bad. Getting pieced up on the feet to an inferior striker is worse. Moicano took Saint-Denis down in the first and mauled him, making Saint-Denis look like a prelim fighter at best. Doctor called a stoppage second round because Saint-Denis couldn’t see. This is back-to-back losses for Saint-Denis, he can’t afford a third loss in a row.
3. Nassourdine Imavov
Stock:
Slowly Rising
Imavov put on a clinic against Brendan Allen – a BJJ black belt. After losing the first round, Imavov took the fight to Allen, landing effective punches and utilizing his grappling to his advantage. Imavov showed he belongs in the top 5 and possibly take the #2 spot away from Adesanya next.
4. Brendan Allen
Stock:
Neutral
Brendan Allen was riding a seven-fight win streak prior to facing Imavov. Allen had an excellent first round, but could not find the same success later on. Allen is a good fighter, but his stock will depend on how he performs against his next opponent.
5. William Gomis
Stock:
Neutral
Gomis was the beneficiary of a Paris Special. Many believe he lost that fight 29-28. Gomis has good striking and extended his win streak to twelve, but that’s 2 split decisions and 1 majority decision in the last four fights. Gomis’ luck is bound to run out.
6. Joanderson Brito
Stock:
Slowly Falling
Brito’s fight antics cost him this fight, and with that, his fight IQ plummeted. Round three was an absolute disaster, as Brito just kept walking into punch after punch after punch after punch. Yeah, a lot of people thought Brito still won that fight, but he should have known he’s fighting in enemy territory. He let that slip from his hands. I suspect he will right the ship, but as the saying goes… “you can take the clown out of the circus but you can’t take the circus out of the clown.”
7. Bryan Battle
Stock:
Rising Fast
Bryan Battle with the loudest boos in France represented the US by putting away Jousset and taking on the entire French crowd. Gangsta move. Battle has really stepped up his game and is now on a 3-fight win streak (minus the eye poke). Watch for Battle to pierce the Welterweight top 15 rankings soon.
8. Kevin Jousset
Stock:
Neutral
Jousset’s five-fight win streak came to a screeching halt Saturday night, as Bryan Battle put on a striking clinic, serving the French kickboxer his first loss in two years. Its not time to sell on Jousset just yet, he can still bounce back and start another winning streak.
9. Morgan Charriere
Stock:
Rising Fast
The Last Pirate Morgan Charriere is back. After losing a split decision to Chepe Mariscal, Charriere bounced back with an emphatic KO win over Gabriel Miranda. Charriere made it look easy and I would LOVE to see a rematch between Mariscal and Charriere. Keep an eye out…this stock is gonna go through the roof.
10. Fares Ziam
Stock:
Rising Fast
HOLY COW! An insane KO of a tough Matt Frevola put the Parisian crowd in a frenzy, as Fares Ziam put on a striking clinic, earning a $50,000 bonus in the process. Ziam is certainly making enough noise to warrant attention and the top 15 Lightweights have been put on notice.
11. Matt Frevola
Stock:
Neutral – but Bearish Signals
A second straight loss to a Frenchman, Frevola is trending in the wrong direction, this time suffering a devastating KO loss to Ziam. Hopefully Steamrolla can right the ship and string along a couple wins to get his stock trending in the right direction again. Please stop feeding him to killers.
12. Ivan Erslan
Stock:
Falling Fast
Ivan Erslan was supposed to take care of business against gatekeeper Ion Cutelaba in Paris for his debut. Instead, the 32-year-old debutant lost a split decision. Erslan looked lost and gassed and back-pedaling the entire fight. Not sure how he’s going to do in the UFC, but if I were looking to invest, I’d pass on this stock.
13. Oumar Sy
Stock:
Neutral
There was a lot of anticipation to see what Oumar Sy could do in the Light Heavyweight division and if he had what it takes to make it all the way to the top of the division. Although he secured a victory, he was not able to put away his opponent, despite several opportunities. I need to see more from Sy before buying his stock.
14. Ludovit Klein
Stock:
Neutral
Klein came in as the card’s biggest favorite and DraftKing’s DFS’ most expensive fighter, but finished as the seventh most optimal fighter…Roberts was able to hold his own against Klein, even winning the first round on two score cards. Klein is still good, but I’d like to get a higher yield from my stocks…
15. Ailin Perez
Stock:
Rising Fast
The Queen of Twerk did her thing Saturday night after an Oscar-winning performance on the scales Friday. Ailin finished top 3 in DFS line-ups, finished a prospect that maybe shouldn’t be in the UFC and twerked all over her face, respectfully. Much has been said about her poor striking, but with grappling abilities as hers coupled with a lack of striking threat in the division, we’ll probably be seeing octagon twerks for a UFC belt.
16. Daniel Barez
Stock:
Slowly Rising
Barez is one tough son-of-a-gun. Second round Altamirano hit him with a spinning backfist, crushing his nose ala Mike Perry. Barez kept his composure and broke down Altamirano, securing a unanimous decision. Good things coming for this kid.
17. Victor Altamirano
Stock:
Falling Fast
Altamirano looked bewildered at times and outmatched against a game Barez. He had a couple moments in the fight, like his spinning backfist that smashed Barez’ nose, but he was unable to capitalize, ultimately losing to Barez via 29-28. This is three losses in a row…time to SELL SELL SELL!
18. Chris Duncan
Stock:
Rising Fast
Whoa!!! What a finish! First round submission and coming in the optimal DFS lineup with a $7400 salary – that’s called VALUE! Duncan showed grit, heart and skill. I want to buy in and stock up on Chris Duncan.
19. Bolaji Oki
Stock:
Falling Fast
I don’t recall ever seeing someone put themselves into a guillotine from guard…until Saturday night. I was bewildered by Oki’s decision-making, and his lack of any fight IQ quickly became apparent. Maybe Dana signed this guy too quickly…either way, Im staying AWAY from this stock with a ten foot pole.