January 19th Milwaukee Wisconsin Brandon Vail

With only about 70 days left to the begin of baseball season lets talk about farm systems and who you need to be watching out for this season. Today I will talk about the top five and then come back and talk about more teams later.

1)Baltimore Orioles

You would hope so after many years of terrible baseball.. The team has been drafting at the top of the draft or the last five years. Player you need to watch out for though are Gunnar Henderson SS/3B, he did get called up late last year and he really looked good so I expect him to be a good players for years to come. Grayson Rodriguez will not make it there on the opening day roster but in a month or after a injury of two he will be up and he is going to stay up and pitch for years for this teams and they Ace.

2) LA Dodgers

What can I say they draft so well and know how to make their players good. Most likely you will see Bobby Miller come up and pitch with the exit of Trevor Beaur . If Will Smiths get hurts expect Diego Cartaya to come up and take his place as of right now he is in single A but he is the Dodgers stop prospect.

3) Cleveland Guardians

There is two things Cleveland does well 1 is devolving great pitchers and 2 is not spending money. Have a great farm system helps that number 2. Cleveland has 5 players in the top 100 and 2 of them are pitchers and be ready to see them sometime this season ,Daniel Espino right now is in AA but he falling though and you might see him at some point maybe even out of the bullpen.

4) Cincinnati Reds

The Reds Farm system is here really because they traded star players for young prospect. Which is good cause the Reds are allergic to spending money. The Red also have 5 prospect in the top 100. 3 of them are SS so the Reds will have no problem at SS in the future. The closest one out of them is Elly De La Cruz who can play SS or even 3B. Elly De La Cruz right now is in AA where he is batting a crazy .305 AVG in 47 games.

5) Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have 4 prospects in the top 100. I have all read talk about Corbin Carrol, I will instead talk about Druw Jones (OF) who was the 2nd pick behind Jackson Holiday. Druw Jones right now is the no.12 prospect which is insane cause he has no stats on mlb.com. Which is a slap in the face to all the prospect that have been grinding to get on this list. So lets talk about Jordan Lawlar (SS) and man he has been flying though the minors he was on four different teams in 202., he was not battening under .285 AVG till he got to AA where he ended his season batting .212

CHICAGO, IL JANUARY 21, 2023 JACOB DIETRICH

First PPV of 2023 is officially here ladies and gentlemen. As I said with the recaps, I will be way more constant with these weekly for both Bellator and UFC events. Along with everything before we breakdown some fights, please take the time to follow on social media @wocmain

Terrance McKinney fights don’t last long. He is well rounded but wild. He doesn’t get paid by the hour and he makes sure showing this as he is 3-1 inside the UFC with every fight stopping in the first round. His opponent, Ismael Bonfim, is making his UFC debut and while I am sure as thrilled as he is to be making his debut in his home nation of Brazil, he could be in for a culture shock. His last three fights being on Dana White’s Contender Series and in the LFA have all gone to decision. With the step up in competition and the UFC hoping to market a Paddy Pimblett vs Terrance McKinney fight, I think we see Terrance with his arm raised on Saturday night.

Prediction: Terrance McKinney (-135)

For Paul Craig and Johnny Walker, I think Craig is being disrespected in the betting lines. Walker is a good fighter but he could possibly be getting cut with a loss in this fight. He hasn’t proven in the past that he can win big fights. If there was a good comparison for Walker in sports it would be Kirk Cousins. They both look amazing against lesser competition but as soon as a real opponent is across from them they look mentally defeated and can’t prevail. Paul Craig is a real opponent and someone that could begin making waves in the light heavyweight division which has been the worst men’s division in mma for quite some time since Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have left it.

Prediction: Paul Craig (+165)

The next fight to keep and eye on will be between Jailton Almeida and Shamil Abdurakhimov. Jailton Almeida is 3-0 as a heavyweight since moving up and with the #15 contender in the division across from him this weekend, I expect that trend to continue as he looks to break into the top 15. Almeida is someone that I believe is going to be a real problem for future heavyweights and while I don’t think he is getting a title fight anytime soon, I can see making his way into the conversation in future years. He is a heavier favorite on the card so it won’t be worth placing money on the 31 year old but a I think everyone needs to just appreciate greatness on this fight

CHICAGO, IL JANUARY 18, 2023 MIKE KIRKWOOD

Well the PGA Tour is full swing from here on out after two great events in Hawaii. We now move on the American Express played in LaQuinta, California at PGA West. Something this tournament has provided in previous years is low scores and with lovely weather in the forecast of sunny and 60’s, I don’t see that trend breaking here. Last years winners, Hudson Stafford, shot 23 under and with him playing in the LIV Golf Tour, we are guaranteed a new winner.

As a fan there are three players I am looking at throughout the tournament here. First being Xander Schauffele, before the Tournament of Champions where he pulled out with injury, he had finished top ten in his last 4 starts. I think this could continue on a course that allows someone like him to score and I wouldn’t mind taking him in every prop bet possible. Rickie Fowler is another high profile name in the field this weekend and if you listened the podcast (can be found below), you would hear that Jacob found him at +110 to finish top 40. As long as he makes the cut, that should be the easiest bet of the weekend. A lesser known player found in the field is Doug Ghim. Ghim is +275 to have a top 40 finish and while he has had a rough past few months missing cuts, I think this could be a nice weekend for the Chicagoland-native. Last year at the event he shot -7 and while he did miss out on the top 40, he was able to rack up a couple top 20 performances later on in the summer. I think this could be a breakout year for the kid and it could start today.

Someone to possibly keep an eye on as he may not play up to his own standard would be Jon Rahm. While he may still finish top 20, Rahm is an interesting pick as we get closer to The WM Phoenix Open. Rahm who went to college in Arizona will surely perform in Phoenix however, with the event coming up quickly, he may het lost in his head and start preparing a little to early for the stadium course at TPC Scottsdale. I’m not saying to bet against Rahm as he is probably the best golfer in the world, but I wouldn’t put all your chips on him either.

Prediction: Xander Schauffele

CHICAGO, IL JANUARY 15, 2023 JACOB DIETRICH

UFC was back in 2023 and we kind of started it the way 2022 closed. With a Sean Strickland headlined fight night card. Strickland won the fight as the betting underdog (odds were very close as I got him at +105) and while his ranking may not change from number seven in the middleweight division, he is definitely going back in the right direction.

Sean Strickland is both loved and hated by many. He lost the final fight night by a controversial decision to number three middleweight, Jared Cannonier. In this fight, Strickland stepped in on very late notice to save the card after Kelvin Gastelum had to be removed due to a gnarly face injury suffered in camp. Strickland was appreciated as many believe he is the only person in the world that would step up to take on the rising prospect of Nassourdine Imavov. He pushed his pace and had control for much of the fight, so much so before the results were announced he stepped towards the judges table saying they were the reason he had to fight in this bout. Truthfully, Strickland is a money hungry animal, I believe he would have taken this fight regardless. He can be called many names but one that everyone should be calling him is fearless. He is not afraid to take a fight regardless of who the opponent is which we saw when he faced off with Alex Pereira last summer. A fight I would love to see next for Strickland is Sean vs. Derek Brunson is a title fight eliminator. Both guys have been around but both are on the outer layer of this title fight onion and one needs to be peeled off to bring more clarity. Both men are getting older and while neither would need to be cut, we could be talking about retirement for Brunson or turning Strickland into the ultimate gatekeeper to get into the top 5 of the middleweight division for the loser of that fight.

Imavov is only 26 years old so by no means is he heading in the wrong direction. Without a doubt, Sean Strickland is the toughest test that Nassourdine has had across the octagon and it isn’t really a debate. He was defeated on points and at times looked to have some promise but this didn’t last as Strickland was able to avoid danger and force himself to go forward and land strikes of his own. Imavov will be back likely by summer of 2023 since he didn’t take a crazy amount of damage and all he will need is time to get back to the gym and get a new plan but the fight I would love for the young man would be to be up with Jack Hermansson in a fight night main event. I think this is a winnable entertaining fight. We are coming to the end of the Jack Hermansson experiment, he is 1-2 in his last three fights with his win coming in a very boring three round affair with Chris Curtis in July last year. Hermansson is ranked 9 at the moment and with a win Imavov could be in the top 5 looking to face off against guys like Paulo Costa, Dricus Du Plessis, or if Luke Rockhold decides to fight again.

Hunter and Jacob discuss the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix annoucement, Jake Paul and his PFL ventures, Dana White addressing the media over his incident on NYE, UFC Fight Night Strickland vs Imavov preview, Conor Mcgregor liking gay porn (man masturbating) on Instagram, and more. Please check us out on social media @wocmain.

CHICAGO, IL JANUARY 14, 2023 JACOB DIETRICH

Happy first card of UFC in 2023. And thank you T-Mobile Arena for likely throwing up the incorrect graphic displaying the return of Jon Jones on March 4th. He will instead be fighting UFC heavyweight contender, Ciryl Gane. The UFC is yet to touch on this but assuming that the arena that has the fight booked is displaying this graphic, is likely a sign of things to come. With this as a possibility, let’s talk about the event.

Jon Jones Return

The biggest part of this story is that this would mark the return of former UFC light heavyweight, Jon Jones. He has not been active since pre-COVID and this is the first appearance of him since his latest arrest. This return also marks the biggest news that will likely have people once again speaking about the events occurring rather than attention on Dana White and the incident that occurred on New Years Eve. Jones is looked at as the greatest light heavyweight of all time if not the greatest fighter of all time. Jones has one loss on his record which came to a disqualification due to illegal downward elbows.

Winner Gets A Title Fight?

This is the biggest question. What is this fight? With the ongoing title fight negotiations with current heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, is this fight for an interim belt or is this a new title fight to become the undisputed champion? If this is a title fight, there would have to be surprise that on the other side of the octagon from Jones is not Stipe Miocic. If this is the undisputed title fight then this is the first heavyweight title fight since Ngannou defeated Gane in Anaheim one year ago in January 2022.

Who Wins The Fight?

This question all depends on one thing. Is Jon Jones going to be as quick as he once was. When it comes to agility, I would think Gane may be the only heavyweight that could keep up with Jones. In terms of power, neither guy should be overlooked. Experience however, is where there is plenty of difference and it heavily leans on the side of Jon “Bones” Jones. At the end of the day, I would never say anyone else’s name as the man is coming home. He will be the next heavyweight champion and be looked at as the greatest MMA fighter of all time.

MILWAUKEE, WI JANUARY 14, 2023 SAM HERLACHE

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 10: Raul Rosas Jr. reacts after defeating Jay Perrin in a featherweight fight during the UFC 282 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 10, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Zuffa LLC)

CHICAGO, IL DECEMBER 13, 2022 JACOB DIETRICH

I was wrong about this kid. I didn’t believe in the hype coming off DWCS. He still needs to grow up by my god, he has what it takes to compete with anyone. The only issue I can still present is due to his age, he is obviously still growing so we will see how weight cuts effect him in the future. However, one fight in he has passed every test. He can improve on the mic, but again, with his age I am not sure anyone would be good on the mic. I would like to see Rosas only twice this year as we continue allowing the kid to develop and I wouldn’t rush him with top 15 talent just yet. I think he should continue showing that he can beat the people that he should be able to and then once he hits his 20’s we will see where his body is and what he can really do gaining strength. Rosas just fought but I know with UFC going to Vegas in March and in San Antonio, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this kid on one of those two cards. The Mexican fans are attaching to their newest representative and both are very accessible for the fans to come show their support. Let’s see if the kid keeps rolling but we might be witnessing a future great.

Our Top 25 List Of Fighters To Watch in 2023

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3. ____________
4. ____________
5. _____________
6. ___________
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13. Raul Rosas Jr.
14. Sullivan Cauley
15. Juliana Miller
16. Tom Aspinall
17. Andre Petroski
18. DeAnna Bennett
19. Shane Burgos
20. Terrance McKinney
21. Tyson Pedro
22. Fedor Emelianeko
23. Muhammad Mokaev
24. Raquel Pennington
25. Mohammed Usman