#former dan and phil fans rise UP

[doomedandstoned]

Vessel of Light Make Fiery Return with New LP, ‘Thy Serpent Rise’

~By Tom Hanno~

As we build up to the November 5th physical release of the third Vessel of Light album, 'Thy Serpent Rise' (2019), the band has given us access to the digital on the various sites (including CD Baby), which is where I purchased mine. Unbelievably, they seem to have exceeded even my very high expectations, and created their most aggressive, diverse, and best album to date.

I'm a huge fan of this band, and have been since I first heard the song "Vessel of Light," which is the last track on their self-titled debut EP. A year later, they released the full-length album, 'Woodshed' (2018) and I was hooked on their music, even deeper than before. Now, about a year later, we get more new music -- that's how prolific the writing of Dan Lorenzo is. There's always more on the way, it seems. Case in point: Dan just told me that he's already working on the fourth album, which I'm super excited about.

There're also new members to the group, which stems from the need for a live band. It seems their stellar performances got them a roster of full-time members, including former Overkill drummer Ron Lipnicki and former Hades bassist Jimmy Schulman. Judging by the sound of the songs, the new blood brought some new fire, as well.

Dan actually just confirmed to me that Ron and Jimmy helped inspire him to write differently, stating that the new guys are into different styles of music and that he kind of "writes to impress the other members." That mindset during the writing process has undoubtedly helped create their most aggressive and finest record to date.

Opening up the album with a brief but heavy intro that also serves as the title track, Vessel of Light immediately pulls you in with a slight Black Sabbath inspired tone. I asked Dan for a few words on his favorite track, and he picked this one. "I hate to admit this, but I always like the most recent thing I wrote the best. So the very last thing I wrote musically for the record was the intro, 'Thy Serpent Rise.' Being as Nathan Opposition lives in Cleveland, Jimmy, Ron, and I almost always rehearse in New York City, because Jimmy lives in NYC. Twice we had rehearsals at Ron's house with little tiny amplifiers and electronica drums. It was at Ron's house that I wrote the intro riff."

"Meet and Bone" seems to be indicative of that aggressive sound, part of which is due to the performance of vocalist Nathan Opposition, who sounds devilishly delightful. The lyrics are viciously performed and show a Phil Anselmo inflected tone. The other part is an element of groove that brings to mind Pantera's Far Beyond Driven album, which was my favorite album from Dime and company.

One of my other favorites is called "Rush of Blood" and it turns out that it's one of Nathan's favorites, as well. I'll let him explain: "I really like 'Rush Of Blood' right now. It has a very dark underlying message that has you misled for most of the song. It's meant to disturb you. So hopefully people are freaked out by the content. The riffs are just so heavy and dark, I felt a need to match them in lyrical intensity in the most vicious way possible. I really enjoy masking the intention in 'A Rush Of Blood' right until the last four lines. Sounds like a sadistic love song."

Nathan's right about those riffs; there's a darkness to them that's absolutely fantastic. Plus, his metaphors in the lyrics are very well put together, which helped me find this track even more enjoyable.

Track number six is a guitar instrumental with many layers and nuances. "Skin in the Game" is full of beautiful guitar playing. During our recent phone conversation, Dan told me that it had been originally written for and named after his wife, Gina. This explained to me why those parts sounded so beautiful and why I felt the emotions I did while listening to this short track.

One of the most crushing songs on Thy Serpent Rises is named "Eternal Sleep." This down-tuned monster is as heavy as Thor's beloved Mjolnir, and Nathan is once again using his voice to up the ante by using some of the best vocals I've ever heard from him. There're a few parts in this one that will absolutely crush you under the weight of these enormous-sounding guitar riffs.

"Decomposing Mental Health" continues that heavy vibe with groove-filled guitar riffs and fantastic rhythm section support. The shining star in this track is Nathan Opposition, whose vocals here are also his best on the album. The lead guitar section is thrash metal inspired and helps end this track on a very high note.

I'd tell you go listen to their stuff if you haven't already and then to listen to the three albums one after another. You'll hear three of my favorite albums, and from a group that is as near and dear to me as the almighty Doomstress is. You'll love Thy Serpent Rises by Vessel of Light, I'm sure of it, because I haven't stopped playing it since yesterday. Enjoy!

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#D&S Reviews #Vessel of Light #Doom #Metal #Heavy Metal #Tom Hanno #Doomed & Stoned

[furederiko]

I've sort of lost track of holidays and festives since the year began, but today's Good Friday!!! Meaning it's a good friday to post a Random News Digest as well... Ahahahaha!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The quest for young Albus Dumbledore has come to a close. Warner Bros has entrusted the iconic role to... none other than Jude Law. Which shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the Brit actor's long history with the studio, from the "Sherlock Holmes" series to the upcoming "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword". Personally, I still think Rafe Spall would make a better Albus, but perhaps the movie needs more of Law's... star power considering the first "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" wasn't exactly the big "Harry Potter" hit that WB expected. Beside, Law also suits the "younger man and quite a troubled man" criteria better than Spall.

The down side of this casting, is the general assumption that the sequels will put more focus on the bromancing frenemy between his Dumbledore and Johnny Depp's Gellert Grindelwald. It has been hinted that the two characters have shared a rather 'close' relationship in the past, perhaps even something that was somewhat romantically inclined. Okay, let me correct that. J.K. Rowling has said it herself that "Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald, and that added to his horror when Grindelwald showed himself to be what he was.", so it's more than just mere speculation. Thus, it IS going to be interesting to see how Law and Depp come to blow with one another, which is what many "Harry Potter" fans should be dying to see. Then why do I call it a 'down side'? Because at least for me, it's Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander...'s magical ZOO that was the prime highlight of the first movie. Those creatures, with the chemistry between Alison Sudol's Queenie and Dan Fogler's Jacob Kowalski coming hot in second place, are the part that I found to be delightful. These three characters, alongside Katherine Waterston's Tina, have all been confirmed to return, so one would easily wonder how these New Yorkers are going to fit in the story that takes place in Paris and Watford, England. Admittedly, Tina and even Newt himself, were pretty dull and boring for a lead. But it would feel like such a crime if they are put aside to the corner, as the spotlight is stolen by Law and Depp instead.

It is currently unclear whether the next movie will once again feature two separate storylines going in parallel with one another. But that's exactly what's currently generating the concern for some people. David Yates will be returning to helm the second movie, so let's just hope he'll find a way to make the sequel feel more... balanced and evenly focused. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2", a tentative title for now because I'm not even sure if it will be accurate to the story anymore, is set to be released next year on November 16th, 2018. That's when we'll see whether this will turn out to be a magical Brokeback Mountain between Law and Depp, or another adventure of Newt & Co.

DC Films

Pray tell, why are we getting another poster for "The Justice League"? The popular notion is that WB is launching one as preparation for that last trailer debuting in theaters alongside "The Fate of the Furious". Yet when you look at the timing, somehow it just feels rather inappropriate. I mean, why not release it alongside those character posters and teasers last month? Can't remember? Those ones that oddly arrived on the same week to Spider-Man's posters and trailer. Sounds dejavu? Because Marvel Studios had just debuted the trailer and first poster for their upcoming Thor movie as well! You know, the one that will premiere just two weeks ahead of "The Justice League"!

Aaaah yes, THAT is the reason why calling this as coincidence is hokey at best. As if WB is trying to convince audience that... yes, despite the muted colors and the joyless forced humor, their grand ensemble movie is as colorful and fun. Now I can't help but wonder if this is a direct answer to that hillarious FANMADE video that's casually making fun of Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne and Gal Gadot's Diana Prince... LOL. Anyway, my point is... hogging on another movie's spotlight is acceptable, since many studios have been doing this since the Hollywood's dinosaur age. But I do really wish WB would stop being so dickish, while at the same time, being utterly obvious about it. Stop positioning themselves as the angry envious rival, subtly but blatantly creating flame wars with Marvel, because it does them no good. Acting all offensive in a non-existent competition is the wrong thing to do, because it makes them look BAD instead!

"Wonder Woman" also made news because the movie is said to be tracking for a $83 million opening. Eventhough it is unfortunately lower than DC Films' previous two movies, it sure didn't stop fans from turning into bragging mode and stuff. After all, that's how the internet works, and sorry to say, precisely the way 'DC fans' tend to overreact with things both good and bad. Meanwhile, another outlandish rumor hit the internet, claiming that WB will release not one, not two, but FOUR Batman-related movies in the year 2019. Yeah, judging from the studio's track record on announcing DC projects, only to end up losing directors or getting back to first page rewrites... over and over again, that sounds too good to be true, right? Despite all that, just imagine the headlines and numerous thinkpieces immediately run by various entertainment, and fansites. Well, at least until WB's producer Jon Berg and DC Entertainment's President Geoff Johns themselves shot down this report in their own hillarious way. I don't know about you, but THAT is what I call FUN.

Last but not least, Dolph Lundgren has joined "Aquaman" to play merman(?) King Nereus of Xebel. Making him the third antagonist after Patrick Wilson's Orm, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta. That's not counting the likelihood of Willem Dafoe's Dr. Vulko turning evil, of course. Director James Wan has confirmed this casting himself, and Lundgren will likely join production when it begins on May in Hawaii. Although having the former Punisher sounds good, once again, this casting felt a little toooo obvious to be a coincidence. After all, we just got a hot rumor surrounding Sylvester Stallone's important role in the upcoming Guardians movie. And when you start remembering that Lundgren used to play as Stallone's rival/opponent in "Rocky IV" before teaming up in "The Expendables" series? Aaaaaah, it's another act of spite, right there! Oh WB, when will you ever learn...

Transformers

Have you seen the latest trailer for "Transformers: The Last Knight"? I certainly haven't, because I'm totally not looking forward to see this movie anytime soon. But I heard it was great, and well... probably the best one this movie has released so far. Honestly, after the lackluster tragedy that was "Transformers: Age of Extinction", I never would've thought that we're going to get a 5th movie of this winding-down franchise. And this is just the beginning of another array of sequels, because director Michael Bay himself has explicitly stated to MTV that... "There are fourteen stories written. And there’s good stuff. So, I would like to do one of them, though.". 14? SERIOUSLY?!! Dang it, for a guy who thought "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" was meant to be the last, this statement felt like an offensive mockery. Anyways, this 5th movie is set to arrive on June 23rd. I'm personally more curious about whether it will rake as much money as the previous one. Somehow I suspect it won't, but general audience seems to love this franchise... so, we'll see.

SONY Marvel Universe

SONY Pictures has found its Miles Morales! What for? That animated "Spider-Man" movie that is set to be released on December 21st, 2018. Yes, the same date that recently has been occupied by "Aquaman". The young actor privileged to lend his voice for the animated Miles is none other than Shameik Moore. Fans might argue that Morales is half black, half latino in the comics, whereas Moore is not. But this is an animated movie, which only requires his voice, so I don't think it should be a problem. The actor himself shot to fame following his debut in Rick Famuyiwa's "Dope", later starred in the Netflix drama "The Get Down", and will next be seen in "The Pretenders". Speaking of "Dope", who would've guessed that it was such a good movie, eh? I mean, most of its main cast has gotten big comic book roles now. Tony Revolori is soon to be seen as Flash in MCU's Spider-Man. Kiersey Clemons is Iris West in DC's who-knows-when Flash movie, a feature that was almost directed by Famuyiwa. Zoe Kravitz was in "X-Men: First Class". And now Moore. Should we expect anyone else from that movie?

Aside from Moore, another cast who has joined the movie is Liev Schreiber. Schreiber portrayed Sabretooth in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", and is currently well known as the lead actor of "Ray Donovan". According to the same report, Schreiber will be voicing the movie's antagonist/supervillain, though his character is being kept a secret for now. If I didn't know better, I have a feeling that Schreiber is going to voice Otto Octavius, or more popularly known as Dock Ock. Unless he's being assigned to voice Kraven the Hunter, which might also work when you put into account his previous ferocious comic book role. Then again, just like Moore, only his voice will be utilized, so he can practically play anyone. LOL. Hollywood's favorite duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller are writing and producing this movie, while Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey will co-direct the movie. Considering this is an animated movie, shouldn't they start working from now? I mean, animation is unlike live action movie, because it needs to be done at least 2 years in advance to achieve the highest quality. Let's just hope that this movie will be able to stand against the rising tide of "Aquaman" when it arrives next year. Otherwise, this might spell trouble for SONY's ambitious universe.

X-Men Universe

In a very surprising (but seriously pleasant) announcement, "Deadpool 2" has discovered its future-mutant Cable. And my oh my, it's Mad Titan Thanos himself, Josh Brolin!!! Yes, scoring his second Marvel role, Brolin's Cable will be featured in not one, nor two, but FOUR future X-Men movies. Popular speculation says that his next movie will be "X-Force", if not "New Mutants" as well. He's joining Ryan Reynolds who is returning to produce and star as lead character Wade Wilson, as well as Zazie Beets who will portray Domino. Interestingly, Brolin has played a comic book character before, as the titular character in the critically and financially failed DC movie "Jonah Hex". Which means, he and Reynolds are fated kindred spirits from the get go! That's nothing but true fact, no matter how Reynolds openly 'complains' about it... LOL.

No offense to David Harbour, Brad Pitt, or Michael Shannon, but Brolin sounds too perfect for this role. Not just in terms of looks, but also in the actor's ability to play the straight-faced man with a penchant to infuse his character with various kinds of intensity. "Old Boy", and "Sicario" are great examples of this. Created by Rob Liefeld and writer Louise Simonson, Cable is the complete opposite personality to the obnoxious, oddball, and foul-mouthed Deadpool. He's a tough, no-nonsense mutant whose gruff attitude and mysterious aura didn't waste time to attract a great number of fans. He has also been paired with Deadpool ever since. Suffice to say, it's a character that is right up on Brolin's alley, with "Men in Black 3" as its easiest example. With this sequel expected to arrive in 2018, production for the David Leitch feature is set to have a June start in Vancouver. Brolin is currently filming his Thanos role with Marvel Studios in Atlanta, and might even have completed his motion-capture part already. So rest assured, scheduling issue is not even a thing. Interestingly, both movies will be released next year, which means, 2018 would be a truly Marvel-ous year for Brolin!

Marvel Studios

Have you seen the mindblowing first teaser of "Thor: Ragnarok"? The long awaited teaser was simply rock and roll AWESOME, wasn't it! Not only director Taika Waititi delivered a Thor Odinson's movie that already felt distinctly different to his previous solo features, he also imbued it with his signature quirky fun but gorgeous colorful style. It felt like this least-favored franchise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally embraced its funky Asgardian glory and cosmic side, eh? As if that's not enough to please us, it has already scored an amazing achievement by being the most-watched trailer that both Disney and Marvel Studios ever released! Is this a good sign? Most definitely. In fact, this was such a splendid teaser, I'm actually hoping that Marvel Studios won't be releasing anything else after this. This one's more than enough to grab audience's attention.

The official poster that came afterwards, though? Perhaps it didn't quite leave a similar impression, but arguably still emitted a strong promise of colors and style. Especially with all those Rainbow-Bridge-tone illuminating the titular character. Just look all those gorgeous colors, right? Chris Hemsworth is looking cool with that new haircut, and of course, don't forget the absence of Thor's beloved Mjolnir. Seriously, this movie is going to be strangely fun but epic! November 3rd, 2017 can't come soon enough.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves too soon. "Ragnarok" is still 7 months away, and there's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" and "Spider-Man: Homecoming" that we need to anticipate first! With all three releases of the year looking equally fun and colorful, it would be a mistake to skip any one of them, right? HUGE mistake. And we can expect the first screenings reactions from "Vol 2" pretty soon. Why? Director James Gunn, along with stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista have kicked off the sequel's worldwide promotional tour in Tokyo, Japan last week. Not surprising, because it is set to hit theatres in Australia, Southeast Asia, and other international countries theatres starting on April 25.

As for the North American region, if I'm not mistaken, some of the press members are going to be the first to see it, just a few days from now. I bet early social media reviews and responses will arrive pretty much the same day. That's also the same reason why it's going to get harder and harder to avoid spoilers spreading throughout the internet. Even interviews and press roundup have slowly reveal details about the movie, much earlier than we expected. For example, Kurt Russell has spoken to Total Film (via Flickering Myth) on whether we'll be seeing a "Tango and Cash" reunion in this movie between his Ego the Living Planet, and Sylvester Stallone's mysterious character. Nah... I won't spoil anything about it, just go ahead and read the article if you're up with a little spoiler.

For the time being, "Vol 2" is tracking for a $150 million domestic debut. This is considerably close to the opening of "Captain America: Civil War", and also a solid improvement to the $94,3 million debut of the first "Guardians of the Galaxy" back in 2014. It's hard to predict whether this opening estimation is on point or not, because even "Beauty and the Beast" have magnificently surpassed its initial tracking number (and has broken the $1 billion mark yesterday). There's always a chance that the same accomplishment will occur with "Vol 2", considering the franchise is now sitting on everyone's top 5 most favorite among the MCU. Not to mention, "Vol 2" is the first movie that will kick start the 2017 Summer Movie season in the US. I guess we'll have to wait and see, and hope the best for the sequel. Because if it's good, then I bet Gunn would not shy away from returning to create a "Vol 3".

As for "Homecoming", several rather spoilery details of the movie might have landed online as well. In this case, regarding the "Daily Bugle" existence in the MCU, several scene descriptions from an event held in Tokyo, the possible appearance of other Avengers beside Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, as well as actress Angourie Rice's true role in the movie. Hailing down from a Tom Holland's fanbase account on Twitter, these reports felt... a little hard to fully believe, because it could very well be a subjective assumption on their part. So do take them with a huge grain of salt.

Finally, remember that candid photos of Elizabeth Olsen filming an action scene for "Avengers: Infinity War" in Edinburgh? There's a video version of it now, and one that looks rather... dire and serious. This scene once again hinting that Olsen's Scarlet Witch and likely Paul Bettany's Vision will come into blow with a CGed henchmen, presumably the Black Order members. If you're curious, then go ahead and check it on Youtube. Assuming it hasn't been taken down, of course. Inline with the casting announcement from FOX, it seems Josh Brolin would have concluded his part as Thanos in May so that he can join the production for "Deadpool 2" in Vancouver. Which is probably why the "Infinity War" production will then proceed with his Black Order members instead.

Netflix

This might sound surprising, but it's the last category for today! Yes, because I have no topics for the game section. LOL.

It wasn't long ago that we heard Marvel's "The Defenders" has wrapped its production, to pave way for the second season of Marvel's "Jessica Jones". Looks like Marvel's "The Punisher" has followed suit as well with its completion. A Twitter fanbase account for lead actor Jon Bernthal, reported that the cast has thrown away a wrap party for the production that began on October 2016. Judging from this, it's safe to assume that the series will in fact arrive later this year instead of next year. It's a little suspicious though, that it wrapped just a few weeks after "The Defenders" eventhough they started at relatively the same time. Considering the mini series only has 8 episodes, does this mean "The Punisher" might be a more compact/shorter series than those previous four? I sure hope so, because forcing these serialized shows into a 13 episodes with materials enough for maybe 10 at most, certainly didn't work charm. Said sentiment has even become one of the loudest talked-about criticism thrown at them. Here's hoping Netflix will realize this issue and solve it accordingly, because seriously, watching Marvel's "Iron Fist" alone has already worn me out.

Meanwhile, Netflix is reminding its audience that the 2nd season of "Sense8" will arrive in May 5th, by launching an official trailer. Which is highly necessary, because even I have forgotten that I've written about this fact before! YIKES!!! The inability of Netflix to set a fixed annual release date is admittedly troublesome, as it tends to wore out its devoted audience due to uncertainty of when to expect any continuations. "Sense8" and "Voltron Legendary Defender", as well as their uncertain delays are good examples of this particular issue.

IMHO, "Sense8" is a show that would have benefitted from having its second season arriving as soon as possible, preferably in mere months apart (just like the Network side, perhaps?). The first season was undoubtedly slow if not poorly paced, and the story only got interesting and intense in the last two-to-three episodes. It undeniably felt like an extended intro for the real story, thus forcing viewers to wait too long (remember, first season was launched in 2015!) to see what's next (one that hopefully explores the REAL intrigue behind them), simply doesn't do any good. Sure, there was a "Sense8: Christmas Special" on December 23rd last year, but I doubt many even knew it existed nor have watched it. I sure haven't, because even I only remember about it just now, FOUR months later. LOL. And to be honest, although I'm probably among the few who DID enjoy the first season, I've realized I'm not that anxious to see the second. Why? I have forgotten whatever was happening in it, so seeing this new trailer only succeeded in making me scratch my head in confusion. That is NOT good...

Thankfully, Netflix's bingewatch functionality helps to counter this problem. After all, unlike movies that come and go, we can view any of their original shows anytime we want. So those who haven't seen the first, can plan their start later by watching both seasons all at once. Trust me, I believe that would be more effective for this series. So right now, I'm patiently waiting for the critics' reviews first before actually checking the second season. While at the same time, re-watching the first season one by one, which might be a challenge because sadly this show doesn't have a strong rewatchability. My only hope is, I won't end up forgetting about this plan in just a few weeks after release. LOL.

#Random-News-Digest #random thoughts #news #movie #fantastic beasts and where to find them #dc #justice league #transformers #spider-man #animation #deadpool #Marvel Studios #thor: ragnarok #Spider-Man: Homecoming #guardians of the galaxy vol. 2 #Avengers #infinity war #netflix #the punisher

[auburnfamilynews]

Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Hey, we finally got a huge weekend of impact games!

Whoa! Week three’s in the rearview mirror, and Auburn is 3-0 with a huge showdown at Texas A&M Saturday afternoon. HOWEVER, there’s a ton of other good college football including a top ten showdown in Athens. How do we think these games are going to turn out? Let’s see...

Michigan @ Wisconsin (-3) (O/U 43.5)

I can’t quite figure out Wisconsin. Consecutive shutouts are good, but that offense? Ugh. Then again, Michigan has had their own struggles this season. I really thought Army would pull off the upset. Wisconsin 24, Michigan 17 - Josh Dub

I saw Wisconsin buzzsaw through USF in the opener while the only Michigan game I’ve seen was them nearly losing at home to Army. In addition to the game being in Madison, I’m gonna take the Badgers to win and cover. Wisconsin 27 Michigan 14 - Will McLaughlin

This is a fascinating matchup. I know we all got a kick out of laughing at Michigan going into OT to beat Army but you have to remember Oklahoma did the same thing last season and went on to win the Big 12 & land a bid to the College Football Playoff. Granted, Oklahoma absolutely shredded Army’s defense when they got the ball but could not for the life of them get a stop and were forced into having only 8 possession all game scoring touchdowns on half of them. A little different than Michigan’s performance.

Wisconsin, on the other hand, has been dominant out the gate. All the fancy maths LOVE them some angry Badgers right now with Wisconsin ranked 7th by SP+, 10th by FPI and 10th by Sagarin. The Badgers, unsurprisingly, feature another dominant rushing attack lead by Heisman hopeful Jonathan Taylor. With this game also in Madison, you REALLY have to like the Badgers chances.

But this might be the most important game in the Jim Harbaugh era. While Michigan has not been bad under their former QB, they haven’t been championship calibre which was the expectation when hiring Harbaugh. They still can’t beat Ohio State and are something like 1-14 vs top 10 opponents. If the switch is to flip, it feels like maybe this is the weekend for it to happen.... Nah... Go Badgers. Wisconsin 31 Michigan 20 - AU Nerd

Talk about a one sided rivalry. Blue leads this series 51-15-1. This time should be one of the ones that goes to the Badger-Badger-Badger-Badgers. Shea Patterson really hasn’t panned out like the fans and Jim Harbaugh would like and I don’t see any reason how he figures things out in Camp Randall. Take the Badger and go with the over. Sconny 31-17 - Drew Mac

Man, can you imagine thinking Wisconsin was going to be favored in this game in the preseason? Wisconsin has been downright dominating through three games, winning their two games 110-0 so far. Michigan has been one of the best defenses in the country so far, but their offense behind Shea Patterson has been real bad. Like 74th in SP+ bad. My head says Michigan will pull this one out, but my heart says go with the Badgers to make Michigan an early favorite to finish #3 in the Big 10 East. Badgers it is, 20-7. - Ryan Sterritt

Wisconsin can run the ball and Michigan has identity issues with their offense and a madman for a head coach. These are the kinds of games we forget when we see Wisconsin in the B1G Championship game at the end of the season. Wisconsin 35 Michigan 17 - Josh Black

Oh yay, an early morning B1G snoozefest. I’m not going to dwell here too long. Cheese 27 - Khakis 17 - AU Chief

Something something real men something leadership something prestige. Sconny 30 Michigan 10 - Son of Crow

Wisconsin is about one standard deviation ahead of Standard Wisconsin so far, but that hasn’t been against anyone with a pulse. Michigan really hasn’t cut loose yet, but they’ve had a week to plan. I think this one stays close, and both teams lean on their defenses. I’ll take Wisconsin to cover, but not by much. Wisconsin 19, Michigan 14. (Wisconsin wins and covers, UNDER) - James Jones

‘Scuse me while I go spend a few hours in the library reorganizing the card catalog. Michigan’s the miserly old librarian shushing people, and Wisconsin’s the high school sophomore who thinks he’s cool because he brought McDonald’s with him to work on his school paper. Badgers cover easily, 31-10 - Jack Condon

Tennessee @ Florida (-14) (O/U 49)

Tennessee isn’t dead yet. I think they’re just good enough to test Florida and put some things on film for Auburn to use. Dan Mullen will survive…this week. Florida 28, Tennessee 20 - Josh Dub

This game always produces some weird games even though most end up in Florida wins. Florida moves on without Feleipe Franks at QB and we’ll see who emerges at that position for the Gators. I would love for Tennessee to make this a game but I just don’t see it. Florida 27 Tennessee 10 - Will McLaughlin

Florida won in the most predictable of fashion vs Kentucky last weekend after being predictably outplayed for a good portion of that game. That series is just the same tragedy played out over and over made even more harmful by UK winning last year. Now Kat fans truly believe those games will go their way. You poor, said, obnoxious Elite 8 losers....

Anyway... I can’t explain why. Maybe it’s what I ate last night or my nerves for Auburn’s game this Saturday but there’s just this feeling that maybe Tennessee pulls the stunner. I mean it would be a very Dan Mullen thing to lose this game. But given the Gators disruptive OL, an offense that honestly looked better with Trask at QB and the general suckiness of the Vols, I don’t have the stones to pull the trigger. I do think Tennessee covers which they can kinda take as a win I guess? Florida 38 Tennessee 27 - AU Nerd

NOON KICK! Ugh! I love the people that say ‘Remember when this was a real matchup?’ No...I remember Spurrier beating Phil and Peyton around like rented mules but no...I don’t remember this being a matchup. Which brings us to this year! Florida has their backup QB who is better than Felipe Franks (sad that he got injured, but Trask is a better QB for this offense) and that doesn’t bode well for Tennessee. However, the Vols are better than their first week showing that 14 is a big number so I will take the Gators to win but will take the Vols and 14. Also, go under. Gatas 23-14 - Drew Mac

The trap has been set perfectly for this upset. Tennessee is in shambles, but maybe has a ray of hope after beating down an average FCS team. Florida, after stealing a come from behind win with their backup quarterback, is on the highest of highs right now. If only the Vols didn’t have Jeremy Pruitt, I might pick them in an upset here, but I can’t trust him to pull this one off. Florida is going to probably be down or tied at half time, but Gators win this with a few late scores 31-14. - Ryan Sterritt

Y’all are going to think I’m crazy but Tennessee didn’t just win last weekend, but showed that they’re still willing to get after it. Pruitt still has this team engaged and this is a game that could completely change the current narrative in Knoxville and I am so tempted to pick Tennessee. Florida’s front 7 on defense is why I’m not. Florida 27 Tennessee 13 - Josh Black

Hey, Tennessee finally go them one against he Mighty Moc’s of Chattanooga. Florida nearly blew it against Big Blue. They are apparently planning on running out both back-up QBs this week. That smells like a disaster, but who knows. Both these coaches can take a long walk off a short pier as far as I’m concerned but I guess I’ll go with the Hunchback of formerly of Starkville. Jorts 33 - People That Only Know One Song 17 - AU Chief

Hey I think Florida is gonna lose you guys. I mean, I don’t really, but I need to start picking against the grain because otherwise I’m not going to win. Tenn 21 Florida 20 - Son of Crow

SP+ does not know Franks is out and likes the Gators by 19. Do we really think Franks to Trask/Jones is a 5 point drop? I don’t. I also don’t think Tennessee figured anything out enough to go on the road and keep this one within two scores. Florida 34, Tennessee 17. (Florida wins and covers, OVER) - James Jones

Here’s Cam Newton clowning Tennessee while in a different shade of orange and blue. Glad we got him in the end. Vols are about to be 1-6. A new losing streak starts here. Gators 34-13 - Jack Condon

Notre Dame @ Georgia (-13.5) (O/U 56.5)

I am looking forward to this. Georgia is my least favorite team, by a very wide margin, but Notre Dame is my third or fourth least favorite team. I think Notre Dame will get exposed. This one will be over before halftime. Unfortunately, CBS threw all their eggs in one basket. Now we get to listen to Gary and Brad filibuster. Georgia 42, Notre Dame 14 - Josh Dub

Okay, this is where I know for darn sure I’m going out on an island. Look, Georgia is great but they have played Vanderbilt, Murray State and Arkansas State. No offense to those teams, Notre Dame is a much better football team than those 3 teams. While Georgia’s run game seems to be a huge advantage in this one, I just have a gut feeling that Notre Dame is going to rise to the occasion. Give me the Irish in a huge upset! Notre Dame 37 Georgia 34 - Will McLaughlin

Preseason I had this down as a loss. I just thought with the pieces needed to be replaced at WR, some question marks surrounding the Dawgs pass rush and UGA’s general ability to piss away golden opportunities that maybe the Fighting Irish would roll into town and pull the stunner.

But there’s one hitch in that plan. Notre Dame can’t stop the run...

Per Cole Cubelic the Irish have allowed 19 run plays of 10+ yards or more. They are one of 13 teams to do so. Those other 12 have played 3 games. ND has played 2...

You can beat the Dawgs if you can stop the rushing attack and pressure the QB. Not sure ND has those pieces. I think this turns into a romp with Kirby having circled this as his showcase game all summer. The Dawgs are bringing an enormous amount of elite prospects to campus, college gameday is in town and it’s UGA’s first opponent with a heartbeat. I expect a bludgeoning leading to more UGA hype and more 5* commits. Life is pain. UGA 42 ND 20 - AU Nerd

FINALLY! Georgia gets someone with a shot at actually scoring double digit points. The Irish have looked dominant in their 3 wins just as Georgia has, however the bookies don’t think this one will be close...and I agree sadly. Nothing would make me happier than seeing Georgia get run at home (especially if they put on those blood clot black jerseys) but it wont happen here. I think of ND as the Not Ready for Primetime Players of the college football world. Georgia proves me right because they hate me. Georgia and the Over. DAAAAWGS 45-20 - Drew Mac

I’ve never rooted harder for the Irish, including last year when UGA went to South Bend. After all of the shit they’ve talked in the last calendar year, Georgia deserves to get it handed to them at home, with Gameday in tow. They won’t, though. UGA is going to gash these poor Catholics on the ground, and even if the score is close, the game won’t be in doubt. 31-21 Georgia. Ugh. - Ryan Sterritt

Look y’all no one likes Notre Dame. But would I be willing to break out my old football jersey and helmet from playing days for the Briarwood Lions (look just like Notre Dame) for the sake of celebrating a Georgia loss at home? YOU BET I WOULD! Sadly this Georgia team is going to run through Notre Dame the same way Clemson did last season. Georgia 41 Notre Dame 17 - Josh Black

It’s hilarious to me that people are playing up this game like Notre Dame has a chance to win. Give me a break. Grown Men Barking 37 - Team That Won Their Last Title Less Than Thirty-nine Years Ago 24 - AU Chief

Guys I think Georgia might destroy this Notre dame team. I am shocked this line is so low. Maybe Vegas knows more than me, but maybe also Georgia just blows them out and you win money. Dwags 55 irish 4 - Son of Crow

Lol we get this at 13.5? It’s currently shooting up near 16 or 17. Fuck Georgia, but they’ll blast the Irish. Georgia 38, Notre Dame 16. (Georgia wins and covers, UNDER) - James Jones

Sadly, leprechauns aren’t real, and I think Georgia’s got their magic flute and armor to ward off spells. Bulldogs 45-23 - Jack Condon

Oklahoma State @ Texas (-5) (O/U 74)

Texas ain’t back, still. They’ll win, but they ain’t back. Texas 41, Oklahoma State 35 - Josh Dub

Well we learned 2 weeks ago that Texas wasn’t quite back yet. The Cowboys have won 4 straight in this series. Make it 5! Oklahoma State 41 Texas 35 - Will McLaughlin

In terms of most fun to watch, it’s hard to pick against this matchup. OKST features one of the best players in the country no one is talking about (or weren’t talking about) in Chubba Hubbard who I think was briefly an AU target. He’s been insane to start the season averaging 7.9 yards a carry and scoring 7 TDs. On the other side, Sam Ehlinger did all he could to go blow for blow with Joe Burrow but fell just a bit short. However, I think this time he gets it done in a wild but entertaining affair. Gotta go with the over. Texas 42 Oklahoma State 38 - AU Nerd

Sam Ehlinger has been an absolute beast this season, physically taking this Texas squad on his back and trying to drag them to victory. If it weren’t for getting Burrowed, they would have done it against LSU. Mean while Okie State has quietly been very efficient at gutting opponents offensively while having a not so terrible defense. This one will be fun, but Okie State has won the last 6 in the series and while the Horns have looked good, I still need them to win one of these game before I truly believe the hype. Okie State straight up and under. Cowboys 42-31 - Drew Mac

Time to hop back on the “Tom Herman can’t win as a favorite” train. SP+ even has this game as a pick’em, so yeah, give me the Cowboys to come in and pick off Texas for, let me check, THE EIGHTH TIME THIS DECADE. Pokes 40-34 in Overtime. - Ryan Sterritt

I think Texas is a legitimate top 10 level team this year and may end up splitting the OU games again because I believe they’ll play twice. Texas 48 OSU 38 - Josh Black

I like the Cowboys. Always have. I would love to see their superior color of orange roll into Austin and and show the world that, Texas is indeed not back. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Men of a Certain Age 35 - Town Full of Weirdos (And Keep It That Way) 34 - AU Chief

Okie State is a fun team to watch yet again. I genuinely believe in this Texas team, though. They torched a really good LSU secondary and won’t see ANYTHING like that again the rest of the season. Look at that O/U man, the big 12 is W I L D. I think Ehlinger is a good QB, and the Horns have weapons all over that offense. We are beginning to see Tom Herman’s stamp on this team, and I think Texas runs away with this win. UT 42 OKState 31 - Son of Crow

There’s an SEC angle to this one: is LSU really that good throwing the ball now, or is Texas just a standard Big 12 defense? Oklahoma State has looked good under new OC Sean Gleeson. I think they keep things close in an absolute barn burner. Texas 45, OK State 42. (Texas wins, OK St covers, OVER) - James Jones

Texas is strutting into DKR with the Ted Nugent t-shirt and the cigs rolled up tight in the sleeve. They got a job, workin’ for the city (workin’ men, huh?). Keep a little money in their pocket. Still thinkin’ about getting back in JC or somethin’ though. Horns in a fun one, 40-37 - Jack Condon

Cal @ Ole Miss (-2) (O/U 44)

Cal is sneaky good, folks. Maybe? Hard to say. All I know is Ole Miss is sneaky bad. Maybe not even sneaky bad, maybe just plain bad. Cal 27, Ole Miss 14 - Josh Dub

I was trying to figure out how in the world Cal became ranked in the Top 25? Well a win at Washington would certainly help matters but have been fairly unimpressive in wins over North Texas and UC Davis. This will be a 9AM kick Berkeley time but keeping with my theme of picking games this week, I’m picking the underdog straight up. Cal 24 Ole Miss 21 - Will McLaughlin

This will be a bizarre game. Cal seems to be trying to copy the Michigan State philosophy of playing smother defense but frustratingly bad offense only to beat you in the most hair pulling of ways. Of course, it also makes them VERY susceptible to being upset.

Ole Miss’s brief flirtation with great defense is over having surrendered 29 points to Southeastern Louisiana. But this game is basically a toss up per the math folks I trust. Given it’s at home and Cal’s penchant to not be consistent at all, I actually do think Matt Luke gets it done. It won’t be pretty and will have you questioning your sanity by the end of the game but the Rebels defense the SEC’s honor. Ole Miss 28 Cal 21 - AU Nerd

Wow....um....so Cal beat Washington and Ole Miss lost to Memphis and squeaked by Piggy....alright. Bears (the west coast ones) straight up and over. Cal 34-24 - Drew Mac

Ew, gross. Two top 20 defenses and two bottom 40 offenses. Exactly what everyone thought when this series was scheduled! I would say I expect Cal to win this one, but I’m not sure I can really trust them to 4-0 to start the season. Then again... the Pac 12 has to beat someone, right? Golden Bears over Black Bears, 20-18. - Ryan Sterritt

Ole Miss is catching 2 points because they’re at home. Ole Miss is a very bad football team. Cal 27 Ole Miss 21 - Josh Black

Both these teams may stink, but this is a matchup I might actually tune in to watch, just because it’s not one you see every day. Berkley and Ole Miss might be the two most contrasting places in this great nation of ours. It’s one of those things that reminds me what makes college football so fun. Unfortunately, the fun stops on the field. By virtue of it being a road game for Cal, and Ole Miss still being a school that recruits SEC talent to a a degree, I’m going with the that school up north. Admiral Akbars 24 - The Other California Bears 13 - AU Chief

This game seems super gross. Cal is good on one side of the ball: Defense. Ole Miss is good on 0 sides of the ball and is categorically terrible on defense. This game is the football equivalent of potty training. It’s going to go terribly, and even the successes won’t feel worth it at the time because of all the hours you’ve spent washing poop off your hands. Cal 15 Ole Miss 10 - Son of Crow

SP+ likes Ole Miss because the recruiting rankings aren’t totally fazed out. That, the weather (hot as all get out), and Cal’s body clock really has me leaning Ole Miss. HOWEVAH, I just can’t get past how terrible Ole Miss looked against Memphis, and Cal’s defensive line is legit. I think that unit carries them through in a low-scoring game. California 17, Ole Miss 10. (Cal wins and covers, UNDER) - James Jones

Ole Miss ain’t gonna be able to lie their way through this affair. Cal’s fairly salty, and I don’t think the Rebels have the guns. Yella Bears 28-9 - Jack Condon

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[alamante]

His constituents are complaining about the state’s crumbling transit system. His own party wants to strip him of gubernatorial powers. The soccer team he owns is living in dire conditions, and one of his sons has been in trouble with the law.

What’s a newly elected governor with no experience in elected office to do? He takes a vacation far, far away.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy raised eyebrows last week as he embarked on a swanky 11-day trip to Italy, where he owns a $7 million home he bought during his 23-year stint at Goldman Sachs.

The trip comes just six months after Murphy — a Democrat and former diplomat under President Barack Obama — was elected to the top job in the state.

The governor’s office initially declined the reveal where Murphy was going for his holiday, but NJ.com solved the mystery and reported that Italy was the destination. The state’s taxpayers will pick up the tab for protecting the governor while he’s on vacation, with the tab reaching as much as $100,000.

Trouble is, when Murphy returns, New Jersey’s problems will still be there waiting for him. Here’s a look at some of them.

Broken promises

Despite the governor’s promises in February to ease overcrowding and service issues on New Jersey’s transit system by adding extra rail cars, commuters are complaining that not much progress has been made to actually alleviate the problem.

The plan to add new cars was short-lived. New Jersey leased 10 rail cars from the Maryland Transit Administration to alleviate the overcrowding, but returned them just eight weeks later when the lease ended.

“If my Uber bill this summer is any measure of success, improvement would not be the term I would use.”

– New Jersey commuter Niklaus Gunter

“What relief plans? I haven’t seen any relief,” one commuter told NJ.com.

“If my Uber bill this summer is any measure of success, improvement would not be the term I would use,” commuter Niklaus Gunter seconded. (Users of NJ Transit often wind up paying for cab or Uber/Lyft rides when their trains and buses fail to show up as scheduled.)

For what it’s worth, the NJ Tranist system appears to continue to crumble, with nearly a dozen trains getting canceled on Tuesday morning alone, infuriating commuters. NJ Transit at first offered no explanation, but later vaguely said the installation and testing of a rail safety system called Positive Train Control (PTC) and lack of staff were the reasons for cancellations.

“NJ Transit has taken steps to address these issues by recruiting and training additional locomotive engineers. We anticipate a class graduating within the next couple of weeks that will add nine engineers to the roster,” the statement from NJ Transit reads.

“In addition, we have increased the number of current classes from two to four, running concurrently with staggered graduation dates, to continue the qualification of new engineers,” it added.

Power strip?

The New Jersey governor’s struggles to solve issues may also embolden already existing calls from within his own party to strip him of powers when it comes to deciding how much money various taxes and programs should raise each year, NorthJersey.com reported.

The power to set revenue estimates is crucial as it determines how much the state will need to hike taxes to fund spending priorities. Democrats suggest the role should be shifted to a three-member panel consisting of experts, a move that they say would take politics out of budget calculations and increase transparency.

But Murphy has fought back against the proposal, saying it would upset the balance of power between him and the legislative branch of the state government.

“New Jersey’s Constitution carefully divides the authority in the budgetary process between the Legislature, who has the power to appropriate funds, and the Executive, who has the authority to certify revenues,” Murphy spokesman Dan Bryan said in a statement to the outlet.

“Unlike his predecessor, Governor Murphy is committed to certifying revenues that are realistic, responsible, and sustainable, and feels that it is unwise to disrupt the separation of powers that has existed in this area for over 70 years.”

Soccer team under scrutiny

Closer to home, Murphy is also facing questions about a professional women’s soccer team he co-owns. The club, called Sky Blue FC, faces allegations that it’s mismanaged and provides poor living conditions and subpar facilities to its players.

“Some players were forced to live with an elderly man who repeatedly made inappropriate comments to the players and made them feel uncomfortable.”

– The Equalizer report on Murphy’s soccer team.

The team’s players include U.S. women’s World Cup star Carli Lloyd.

Carli Lloyd, a star on the U.S. women’s national soccer team, is among the players on Phil Murphy’s sad-sack Sky Blue FC club.

The governor bought the team a decade ago as a way to impress his daughter. According to NJTV, he “has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in this losing proposition” just so “his daughter, who plays soccer, could see that women can play soccer at the professional level as well.”

But the club’s training facilities lacked locker rooms or even running water, the Equalizer reported. The players have had to use portable restrooms and have worn dirty gear during practices because there are barely any laundry services.

Another report, published by the soccer news site Once A Metro, detailed the mismanagement of the team and how little interest Murphy actually has taken in it, though it has cost him nearly half a million dollars in recent years.

The report alleges the club failed to provide decent housing for some players, forcing them to sleep on couches, and use sheets of cardboard to cover broken windows. The Equalizer reported as well that “some players were forced to live with an elderly man who repeatedly made inappropriate comments to the players and made them feel uncomfortable.”

Murphy admitted that the conditions weren’t acceptable and said the team deserved better treatment. “I don’t find the status quo tolerable — and these players deserve better,” he said in a statement, according to NorthJersey.com. “They deserve to operate in a professional and supportive environment so they can do what they do best — play the game, inspire fans, and build community through the power of the world’s most popular sport.”

Troublemaker son

But Murphy’s rough six-month reign as governor isn’t his only headache. His 20-year-old son, Joshua Murphy, who relentlessly campaigned for him during the 2017 election, had multiple run-ins with the law since Murphy’s rise to prominence.

In June, prosecutors dismissed a complaint concerning the governor’s son, NJ.com reported. He faced charges of underage drinking and disorderly conduct as he allegedly shouted obscenities at a campus police officer on Halloween as he was partying with two young women. According to police, Joshua Murphy ended the night on the ground in handcuffs.

In February, the son drove off a steep slope in Connecticut, the outlet reported, citing police records. His SUV was found by a motorist. According to police reports, Murphy said he crashed the car at early morning and he was unable to contact anyone for help because his phone didn’t work after the crash.

The governor and his wife lashed out against the media for reporting about his son’s endeavors, saying Joshua “has been living a nightmare” thanks to media inquiries.

Lukas Mikelionis is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @LukasMikelionis.

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[medproish]

UFC on FOX 29 was everything fans hoped it would be. Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje put on the FOTY war everyone expected it to be, producing the rare fight with high expectations that live up to those expectations. Poirier scored a minor upset when he put away Gaethje in the fourth round, but it was hardly the only awesome performance of the night. Alex Oliveira stopped one of the all-time great action fighters in the history of the sport when he disposed of Carlos Condit. Michelle Waterson and Cortney Casey put on a performance that would have been FOTN on any other card. Did I mention there was an omoplata on the card too?

As with any card, there were winners and there were losers. There were also those who don’t really fall into either category. Let’s delve into who fell into those categories.

Winners

Dustin Poirier: Easily the biggest winner of the event, Poirier appeared to be falling right into Gaethje’s long game. Instead, Poirier caught the seemingly indestructible Gaethje with a brutal left hand that sent the Colorado native stumbling and launched Poirier into title contention. The thought has long been that Poirier isn’t athletic enough to challenge the top of the division. This victory appears to have debunked that theory. Gaethje doesn’t always use all of his physical gifts to the best of his abilities, but he is a plus athlete. I got my doubts Poirier gets a title shot next, but the fact he’s in the conversation is more than anyone would have expected out of him.

Alex Oliveira: Coming off a loss to Yancy Medeiros, Oliveira needed a rebound if he wanted to maintain his reputation as an up-and-comer in the welterweight division. Sure, this contest was against Carlos Condit, but Condit hasn’t been the Natural Born Killer we all knew and loved. Well… he hadn’t been in his previous two contests. Oliveira not only got the best version of Condit we’ve seen in years, he submitted him. Only Demian Maia has been able to do that in the last decade. I would point out he made a bloody mess of Condit, but plenty of people have done that over the years. Nonetheless, Oliveira is back on track.

Antonio Carlos Junior: There has been high expectations for the man known as Shoeface ever since his appearance on TUF Brazil. He appears to finally be living up to what was expected of him. Granted, Tim Boetsch was a stylistically favorable contest for him, but ACJ did what he was supposed to do. Remember, he was supposed to do the same thing to Dan Kelly a few years ago. Dominating Boetsch the way he did may be more impressive than a win over Kelly would have been at that time.

John Moraga: There were many who weren’t sold on Moraga’s resurgence after his KO of Magomed Bibulatov. Understandable, given Moraga had never displayed that type of power. He didn’t show that power here, but his offense was as consistent as it has ever been against Wilson Reis, coming close to cinching in guillotines on the submission expert and surviving Reis’ own attempts to submit him. Moraga is unlikely to challenge for the title again, but he has reestablished himself as a top-notch gatekeeper at the least.

Brad Tavares: I know Twitter exploded with this revelation, but I’ll say one more time for everyone anyway: Tavares secured his first stoppage victory since 2011 when he stopped Phil Baroni at UFC 125. Doing so against Krzysztof Jotko – as opposed to someone like Bubba McDaniel – makes it that much sweeter. It’s hard to believe Tavares can climb much higher than he he’s currently at, but he certainly earned his shot to prove otherwise.

Gilbert Burns: For someone who has a reputation as a deadly ground game, Burns has been operating on his feet an awful lot as of late. Then again, his striking has appeared to be just as deadly, securing KO’s in his last two contests. Granted, nobody is going to call this a breakout performance given Dan Moret was making his UFC debut, but it was about as aesthetically pleasing as it gets. Here’s hoping Burns gets a step up in competition to prove his worth in his next contest.

Lauren Mueller: This is one tough chick. She took some heavy shots from Dobson, but refused to back down, continuing to march forward to deliver her nonstop brand of offense. Like with most young and inexperienced fighters, there are plenty of holes that could be exposed, but Mueller looks like she could have a real future in a division short on much name value.

Adam Wieczorek: I saw it tweeted the odds for Wieczorek securing a submission win was at +800. I can only imagine what a bookie would have given had anyone been willing to say specifically it would be an omoplata. Amazingly enough, that’s what happened as the young Pole secured just the second in UFC history. As much as I love Ben Saunders, Wieczorek’s looked a lot more painful too. It should be noted though, that was about the only positives in the fight for Wieczorek. Nonetheless, it was badass enough he ended up in this column.

Alejandro Perez: Perez dug himself a hell of a hole after the first round. Matthew Lopez took him down a couple of times and came pretty damn close to sinking in an RNC. Perez stormed back in the second with a steady stream of offense, being the aggressor rather than looking for the counter. It worked well enough he stopped Lopez on his feet, extending Perez’s unbeaten streak to six wins. Don’t think too many saw that coming….

Luke Sanders: It wasn’t a flawless performance by any means as Sanders nearly gave away the contest with inactivity, but he got the job done. In all likelihood, the performance saved his job, which is why he ends up in the winner’s column. He’ll likely need a better performance to win his next contest.

Losers

Carlos Condit: I didn’t want to put Condit here. He looked good. In fact, he looked very good up until he ate that upkick. The issue is he has now lost four in a row and is 2-7 since winning the interim title over Nick Diaz. There is no good way to spin that. In fact, we can’t spin Condit’s losses as him continually facing elite competition anymore. Oliveira is good, but he isn’t that good. Given Condit looked good enough that he can still produce some fun contests – and actually win them – I have no clue if he’ll come back for another fight. If he doesn’t, I might be fine with that.

Tim Boetsch: This wasn’t a majorly damaging loss to Boetsch. Most were expecting it. But it could be a sign that Boetsch is on a steep backslide for his career. I could be jumping the gun on that as ACJ may be a certifiable contender at this point, but it’s just as likely Boetsch is no longer the powerhouse he once was. I would have put him in the neither column, but he wasn’t competitive either.

Wilson Reis: Reis is in this column less because of his performance and more because of the final result. Reis was competitive with Moraga, even coming close to submitting the Arizona native before the bell sounded. What puts him here was this was his third consecutive loss. Granted, each of his opponents were either champions or former title contenders, but three losses is still three losses. He’ll probably come back as the man he lost to suffered a similar losing streak and was able to snap that streak. Still….

Krzysztof Jotko: Entering 2017, Jotko looked like he was a rising star in the middleweight division. He had won five straight, including a decisive win over longtime middleweight stalwart Thales Leites. Since then, he’s lost three straight. Even worse, he didn’t look like he wanted to be in the cage at all. It’s hard to find a single minute where he was winning the contest with Tavares. I don’t think he’ll be released quite yet, but it wouldn’t be a shock if he was either.

Dan Moret: Let’s be fair, Moret was thrown into the deep end. He could very well be a quality UFC competitor. The problem is Burns is a plus athlete whose striking has come into its own. Moret stood little chance coming in on short notice. By the end of the night, he was on the receiving end of a walk off KO. Nobody wants to be on the end of that.

Dhiego Lima: Somebody in the UFC front office doesn’t like Lima. His one big weakness is wrestling. Who do they match him up with? A man who only knows how to wrestle. Yushin Okami took him down in the first round and the next two rounds were wash, rinse, repeat. This is his second chance on the roster. It might be coming to an end. If I’m a betting man, the chances of getting a third chance don’t look good.

Arjan Bhullar: While I gave Wieczorek credit for his omoplata victory, Bhullar deserves as much credit – if not more – for walking into it and cinching it as tight as he could when he continued to drive forward. Sure, it was stupid – hence, Bhullar in this column – but Bhullar dominated the contest up to that point. I’d still bet he’ll be a longtime fixture in the division, but it’s clear he still needs a lot of experience.

Matthew Lopez: This loss hurts a lot. Lopez was in firm control of Perez in the first only for the narrative to completely flip in the second round. To think, Lopez was fighting Raphael Assuncao last year and could potentially be looking at a pink slip. And some of us had such high hopes for the fun scrambler….

Patrick Williams: Tough loss for Williams as his loss to Sanders was probably the best all-around performance of his UFC career. He hurt Sanders and was the more active fighter over the second half of the contest. Wasn’t enough and he’ll likely end up on the unemployment line.

Neither

Justin Gaethje: It’s impossible to ever put Gaethje in any loser’s column… at least in terms of opinion. The way he puts his health on the line is maddingly entertaining to the point MMA fans will scream “take my money!” anytime he’s on the card. But he did lose to Poirier and lost any chance of getting fast tracked back into title contention. He’s still going to be must-see-TV for the UFC as he has yet to put on a boring fight in his career. Hell, he’s likely to headline whatever card he’s put on next despite having lost his last two fights. But he did lose his last two fights and his fighting style isn’t conducive to a long career. He may not be able to get back into title contention before his body begins breaking down. Here’s hoping he can.

Israel Adesanya: There was a lot to like about Adesanya’s performance. His strikes were pinpoint once he figured out what Marvin Vettori was trying to do and showed his usual varied arsenal. However, he struggled to stop takedowns when he wasn’t against the cage… again. He came close to giving away the fight thanks to that. Plus, it was the second consecutive contest in which he started slow. That could cost him as he climbs the competitive ladder.

Marvin Vettori: I know I’m in the minority that scored in favor of Vettori – leave your nasty comments below if you wish – but I have no problem with Adesanya being scored the winner. What cost Vettori in the end was his willingness to remain on his feet with the former professional kickboxer. Given Vettori’s track record as a grappler… why? The Rafael Cordeiro protégé has progressed on the feet to the point he held his own at times – which is why he isn’t in the loser’s column — but that wasn’t smart.

Michelle Waterson: Don’t get me wrong, I love the Karate Hottie. I don’t know anyone who has a grudge against the former Invicta champion. But she didn’t deserve that victory over Cortney Casey. She got lucky the judges favored her top position as opposed to Casey’s submission attempts from the bottom. To be fair, Waterson was competitive in a contest that would have been a viable FOTN on just about any other card. I know I’ve said that, but it is an important factoid. Still, I wish the UFC would stop trying to make a star out of her. Then again, what would you expect when she’s represented by the WME-IMG agency….

Cortney Casey: It was the second fight in a row that Casey came out on the wrong end of a close contest. Unlike her contest with Felice Herrig, I thought she deserved the win this time around. She came far closer to ending the contest about four or five times than Waterson ever did. Given her exciting style, Casey isn’t in any danger of losing her job despite her 3-5 record. But her inability to take a clear cut decision over the likes of Waterson and Herrig indicates she isn’t likely to become a breakout contender in the division.

Muslim Salikhov: Sure, Salikhov ended up getting an impressive KO victory. But everything leading up to that was subpar. He was on his way to losing a decision to a short notice opponent who was once fodder for Michael Page. Not a good sign. The King of Kung Fu is an unorthodox competitor, but he may be too unorthodox for his own good.

Ricky Rainey: Rainey was competitive with Salikhov – if not winning – right up until Salikhov put him out cold. That may not sound that great, but very few were expecting the Bellator retread to be more than a body for Salikhov. Plus, he was short notice. I still don’t expect Rainey to pick up a win in his UFC run, but it doesn’t appear like it would be the shocking development most would expect it to be heading into this contest.

Shana Dobson: Dobson came out on the short end of the stick in this contest, but it wasn’t due to a lack of improvement. She put together a hell of a performance against Mueller. She just couldn’t match the nonstop offense from Mueller and there is little if any shame in that. Then again, the win was there for the taking…. Like Mueller, Dobson could end up being a mainstay in the flyweight division

Yushin Okami: I admit Okami was absolutely dominating in his performance over Lima. But he’s suffering from the same issue that got him released from the UFC in the first place: nobody enjoys watching Okami doing his thing. I get that he does what he needs to do to win and that’s a smart thing. But don’t be surprised to see Okami released after his first loss if he continues to perform in this manner.

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