I know UFC 326's main event wasn't very Bad Mo' Fo-ish, but it's what mixed martial arts was built on.

There's a reason it's called "mixed martial arts", to emphasize the "mixed" part. But as the sport grows, the fanfare gets ruined by people who want highlight-reel knockouts. Which you can get in boxing or, dare I even say...

... Power Slap 🤮.

I got my pick wrong in the main event because I thought Max Holloway would use his boxing and range to keep Charles Oliveira at bay. However, if you know someone's plan and you're the one facing them, you likely plan around that.

Which is what Oliveira did at UFC 326.

He made Holloway fight the fight he wanted and denied him anything else.

Oddly enough, I wrote about that on my Substack for the same weekend of the event. It's crazy how it played out all in the same weekend.

I know controlling someone on the ground may not be BMF enough to justify holding that title, but as a jiu-jitsu hobbyist myself, I can tell you it takes a BMF to take you out of your fight and make you fight theirs.

On to the next one!

If you're taking notes (which I hope you are), we have more in store from the UFC this weekend with Josh Emmet vs. Kevin Vallejos.

Emmet has the power to drop and finish Vallejos. But he'll have to do it early, and I think the youthful Vallejos will likely try to make Emmet work early, so he can finish him later.

This is a sport where the young eat the old more than I'd like to see, so it's hard not to pick Vallejos in the main event.

These are the rest of my picks for this weekend:

• Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos, Kevin Vallejos, KO/TKO, Round 2
• Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson, Gillian Robertson, Submission, Round 2
• Ion Cutelaba vs. Oumar Sy, Oumar Sy, Unanimous Decision
• Andre Fili vs. Jose Miguel Delgado,Jose Miguel Delgado,KO/TKO, Round 1
• Marwan Rahiki vs. Harry Hardwick, Marwan Rahiki, KO/TKO, Round 2
• Vitor Petrino vs. Steven Asplund, Vitor Petrino, Submission, Round 3

Like I wrote in the beginning, if you're taking notes on the Notion Template that got you on this list, feel free to use mine. If you're reading this online, you can grab it here.

If you're not tech-savvy, just grab the physical notebook here.

I know my picks aren't always right, because fighting is like that, but they're not bad.

➡Follow me on 𝕏: @Carbazel​

📘 My books: Bow and Arrow Mysteries (my fiction writing)

📩 Mixed Martial Answers on Substack​

📃 Fight Night Card Companion: PDF​

🎥 My YouTube channel: The Blogboard Jungle​

📸 IG: @Carbeerzel​