UFC Betting Sites – The Best MMA Online Bookies

Demetrious Johnson wasn’t the only legendary combat sports athlete to lay down his gloves at One Championship 168.

Liam Harrison has done it all in Muay Thai. The 38-year-old English fighter rose to prominence in the mid-2000s, becoming champion in multiple promotions around the globe. Of even greater important to his Muay Thai legacy is that Harrison took on many top-ranked Thai fighters and stadium champions, picking up a handful of incredible wins in the process.

By the time Harrison signed to One Championship in 2018, Harrison was already on the back end of his professional career. Still, “Hitman” managed to create a couple instant classics in his time with the promotion, and last night’s brawl with Seksan was no different. At 35 years of age himself, Seksan isn’t at the top of the elite either, but the former Rajadamnern Stadium champion remains very dangerous.

The fight was, as expected, a brawl. Things took a turn for the worse for Harrison when a crisp right hand after an exchange of elbows floored him. Harrison barely made it back to his feet, but in classic “Hitman” fashion, he started swinging huge once back on his feet. Harrison actually created some decent connections while badly rocked, but Seksan kept attacking to land two more knockdowns and force the stoppage.

The end sequence can be viewed in the video player above.

After the defeat, Harrison left his gloves in the cage, signaling his retirement. He confirmed as much in a backstage interview as well, explaining that he simply couldn’t withstand the damage anymore.

“It’s a shame, but my body just can’t take the shots that I could in my prime. It’s as simple as that really. I’m 38 years old, I’ll be 39 next week. I just can’t take the punishment that I could once take. To fight in One Championship against these elite level killers, you need to be able to take the punishment. Two years out of the ring, horrible injury, Father Time catching up on me.”

Harrison retires with a 90-26-2 record as a professional. He is best known for his heavy low kicks, thudding left hook, and ability to both brawl and point fight as needed.

Jonathan Haggerty’s incredible win streak came to an end in short fashion last night (Fri., Sept. 6, 2024) in the main event of One Championship 168, which took place inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

The 27-year-old English striker had won seven straight bouts leading up to his main event slot, capturing both the Bantamweight kickboxing and Muay Thai titles in One. In an attempted second defense of his Muay Thai world title, Haggerty rematched Superlek Kiatmuu9, a surging Thai veteran who had defeated Haggerty back in 2018.

Haggerty started the match strong enough, firing long distance shots and aggressively looking to build combinations. Unfortunately for “The General,” Superlek twice looked to time his attack with counter elbows, and the second landed flush. Haggery hit the floor, and though he was able to make it up just as the referee finished his ten count, the fight was called.

The full finish can be seen in the video player above.

It’s another tremendous win for Superlek. The 28-year-old Nak Muay is riding an amazing 13-fight win streak and entered this match up already as the One Flyweight kickboxing world champion. After the win, Superlek expressed interest in challenging Haggerty for his Bantamweight kickboxing belt as well, but a rematch versus the popular slugger Rodtang was also proposed.

Either way, it’s another huge win for the decorated knockout artist.

---

For complete One Championship 168: “Haggerty vs. Superlek” results and highlights, click HERE!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight grapplers Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady will go to war TONIGHT (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024) at UFC Vegas 97 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

At 38 years of age, Burns enters his latest main event slot in a difficult position. Riding a two-fight losing streak at that age is never great, but “Durinho” does deserve some context: he injured his shoulder almost immediately against the current champion (details here), and he was just about 90 seconds from defeating Jack Della Maddalena — another excellent fighter! — until ducking into a nasty knee (watch highlights).

Clearly, Burns still has something left in the tank.

As for Brady, he was unfairly written off for losing to Belal Muhammad. That loss isn’t looking so bad with hindsight, and he already looked very dominant in his first bounce-back performance. Victory here could raise Brady into the Top 5 and confirm that he’s an active title threat at this stage of his career.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Burns vs. Brady Betting Odds

• Gilbert Burns victory: -180
• Gilbert Burns via TKO/KO/DQ: +400
• Gilbert Burns via submission: +800
• Gilbert Burns via decision: +500
• Sean Brady victory: +150
• Sean Brady via TKO/KO/DQ: +275
• Sean Brady via submission: +1000
• Sean Brady via decision: +150
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Burns Wins

Burns has developed from rising jiu-jitsu specialist into well-rounded veteran over the years. The Brazilian is still excellent on the canvas, but he pairs those grappling skills with powerful overhands, heavy calf kicks, and a very physical wrestling game.

This is a really interesting match up in that it’s hard to see who holds which advantages. On paper, Burns is the better grappler, but Brady might have a slight wrestling edge. Conversely, Burns definitely hits harder, which is somewhat neutralized by Brady’s crisper boxing and sharp counters.

The most definitive advantage for Burns I can see in the match up is comfort in a firefight. The only real time that Brady was forced into a scrappy fight was against Muhammad, and Brady fell apart in the second round. Burns, for better or worse, has slugged it out with a who’s who of the Welterweight division.

He doesn’t always win, but he certainly doesn’t break. If Burns can push a high pace, get both himself and Brady fatigued, then start winging heavy punches, it probably works out well for the veteran.

How Brady Wins

Brady is a highly skilled fighter. His transitional wrestling and grappling are beautiful to watch, and he’s often able to shut down very skilled fighters with his top game. His boxing is genuinely quite nice too, a nice mix of smart combinations and well-timed counters.

I think a two-pronged attack would be best for Brady here. He should definitely test the defensive wrestling of Burns. It’s been a long time since Burns was really held down to a loss (Sept. 2016 vs. Michel Prazeres to be specific), but Brady is an expert in that realm. He just might be able to drag Burns to the floor and hold him there, particularly since Burns is 38 and has suffered several injuries in recent years.

The other area where Brady can find success is on the counter, utilizing his footwork and speed to punish Burns’ straightforward offense. If he picks and chooses when to exchange, Brady should be able to manage his own pace while still landing the better shots.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Burns vs. Brady Prediction

As with “Cannonier vs. Borralho” a couple weeks ago, we’re looking at a fight where the odds would be swapped 12 or 24 months ago.

Context be damned, it’s hard to argue for 38 years old and two straight defeats against a Top 10 ranked talent in his prime. Brady isn’t a perfect fighter, but he’s excellent at what he does and knows how to follow a gameplan. The only question is if Burns can replicate the Muhammad strategy of relentless pressure to force him into making mistakes.

There’s a simple reason I think he cannot: defense. Muhammad is a better defensive fighter than Burns, and he still walked through a lot of clean shots in the first round. I expect those same punches to stun Burns and convince him to ease off on the pressure, at which point, there’s no reason for Brady to fall apart.

Crisp counter punches and the occasional takedown lead Brady to a decision victory.

Prediction: Brady via decision (+150)

---

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 97 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, before the main card start time at 7 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 97: “Burns vs. Brady” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.