Gaston Bolanos

Declarative pick, with no method caveat: "Aswell should win."

A good striker with real power, a dynamic attack and nasty spinning elbows, but one who gets wild enough at times that it's called the thing holding him back from being a truly solid striker. That same wildness is flagged as a path to getting taken down, though his grappling isn't expected to be tested often; his takedown defense is decent, and once on top he lands good elbows.

root beer fight, but Lee is the pick

A good, dynamic striker with real power and a standout spinning elbow, Balanos's biggest weakness is his grappling, though he is said to be improving there and now shows decent takedown defense and nasty ground and pound. His striking is said to suffer because he worries about the grappling matchup.

He names Le as his pick, then admits the fight 'could' go either way and notes he's siding with an underdog -- a direct admission of outcome doubt right after the pick.

Good striker built around power and a dynamic, well-used spinning elbow, with some finishes from it, though he can get wild attempting it. His grappling and takedown defense looked improved in his last outing, though the analyst is not sure whether that is real growth or a weak opponent; good elbows in ground and pound when on top.

Names Bolanos as the pick, explicitly addressing and downplaying Romious's takedown path (saying it 'isn't a worry' since Bolanos isn't shooting takedowns on him) rather than leaving it unrebutted; expects Bolanos to land big shots and finish via decision or TKO.

A Muay Thai striker with good power and a dynamic, genuinely solid spinning-elbow attack, though he can get a bit wild. His grappling has been a weakness historically -- submission defense has cost him before -- but his most recent fight showed improving defense and more willingness to work back to his feet. Against Romious's far better grappling he is at a real disadvantage if taken down, so the fight is expected to live on the feet.

names McGhee as the pick, repeated with a named mechanism (grappling edge, enough on the feet); no hedge on the win itself.

Trained in Muay Thai; hits hard with an explosive, sometimes wild output built around a signature spinning elbow. That same wildness can leave him out of position and open to being taken down, and he has a history of struggling once a fight reaches the mat. Rated live and tough to solve standing, but not favored given the grappling gap.

Graded lean. He says he leans Bolanos and then ranks the under as a better bet than the pick. Both of Phillips's routes stay open: a submission off the grappling, or a knockout from his power. The Bolanos win is described by way of a finish, and he admits his own submission-defense concern. Method call (a knockout) is not what lowers the grade; the open routes and the preference for a different bet are. Defensible alternative: coinflip.

Bolanos is a Bellator-based striker with a Muay Thai background and a lot of power, picked to find a finish. The worry is submission defense, since most of his losses have come that way, which gives Phillips a real path. The analyst prefers betting the fight not to go the distance over backing a side.