Andrew Saunders | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Odds of Frankie Edgar Becoming the 3rd Multi-Division UFC Champion

At UFC 156, Frankie Edgar will take on Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight championship. Although the chance to hold UFC gold is enough to motivate any professional fighter, “The Answer” has the opportunity to become the third fighter in history to win…

Currently, online bookie Bovada has Edgar as a 2-to-1 underdog against Aldo, which translates into a 33.3 percent chance of obtaining this lofty goal. Despite what the odds suggest, Edgar has a much better shot at achieving greatness.

It is understandable that Aldo would be the betting favorite; however, it doesn’t appear that oddsmakers haven’t taken into account the effects of a 13-month layoff on the champion.

Anyone who saw UFC 129 knows that Aldo is susceptible to ring rust. After a training injury kept him out of action for seven months, “Scarface” faded immensely in the later rounds of his return bout against Mark Hominick.

When you consider that Edgar is able to keep his foot on the gas for 25 minutes while applying constant pressure to his opponent, the proverbial cards have been dealt in a way that suggests an upset.

In 2003, Randy Couture became the first man to hold gold in unique weight classes. After losing the UFC heavyweight championship, “The Natural” decided to cut down to 205 pounds and test his luck. He defeated Chuck Liddell for the interim light heavyweight championship and a place in the history books.

It wasn’t until five years later when B.J. Penn also joined the elite club. Penn surprisingly defeated Matt Hughes for the UFC welterweight championship in 2004, and then pummeled Joe Stevenson to capture the lightweight championship in 2008.

Since shocking the world with upset victories over Penn and former champion Sean Sherk, it is foolish to count Edgar out regardless of which opponent stands across the cage.

Even though Aldo has a reputation of being one of the world’s best pound-for-pound fighters, I would estimate that the odds on this fight are very close to even.

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UFC on FX 7 Results: What’s Next for C.B. Dollaway?

On Saturday night, C.B. Dollaway went into hostile territory by taking on hometown fighter Daniel Sarafian at UFC on FX 7. After 15 minutes of action, the pair earned $50,000 apiece and Fight of the Night honors, although it was Dollaway who emerged vi…

Regardless of what the hometown crowd would have you believe with their merciless post-fight booing, there is nothing wrong with “The Doberman” taking home the decision victory in last Saturday’s co-main event. After two rounds, the scores appeared to be tied up at 19-19, with the final frame determining who would have their arm raised.

In a back-and-forth frame, Dollaway would score a pair of takedowns, while Sarafian would earn an equal number of sweeps from the bottom. Nearly all offense was neutralized, and the round honestly could have been scored 10-10.

Ultimately, two judges leaned in favor of the American, much to the chagrin of the native Sao Paulo crowd.

With the victory, it is time to look ahead and see what’s next for C.B. Dollaway.

Currently holding a two-fight winning streak, as well as a co-main event victory, Dollaway sees his star rise with the UFC. This should allow the Ultimate Fighter finalist an opportunity to square off against a divisional notable.

Dollaway has a sloppy standup attack and is best when he can utilize his wrestling to grind out a decision victory. However, that isn’t a style that bodes well for him with a fresh batch of jiu-jitsu masters moving into the division.

There are a few options for Dollaway in his next contest, but I’ve settled on a pair of grapplers who have ties to the Strikeforce brand: Jake Shields and Roger Gracie.

Were his decision victory over Ed Herman not overturned due to a failed drug test, former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields would also be riding the momentum of consecutive wins. Like Dollaway, his standup leaves much to be desired, although his ground work can give opponents fits.

Although Shields has name recognition, his performances since joining the UFC have been fairly lackluster. Both of his official wins have been fairly controversial, with a UFC 144 victory over Yoshihiro Akiyama being name d one of the biggest robberies of 2012.

The other opponent, Roger Gracie, is a grappling wizard who earned submission wins in five of his six career victories. Like the aforementioned middleweights, Gracie needs to continue working on his striking prowess, as he tends to run into trouble against those who can thwart his takedown attempts.

Gracie holds a two-win streak of his own after picking up victories over Keith Jardine and Anthony Smith while fighting for Strikeforce.

The second-degree black belt would be a major challenge for Dollaway, who would be a fool to utilize his wrestling in that matchup. This would serve as a solid organizational debut for Gracie, who enters the UFC after the demise of Strikeforce earlier this month.

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UFC on FX 7 Results: What’s Next for Daniel Sarafian?

If you ask any of the Brazilians in attendance at Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 event, Daniel Sarafian was absolutely swindled out of a decision victory in the evening’s co-main event. In reality, the fight between Sarafian and The Ultimate Fighter&nbsp…

If you ask any of the Brazilians in attendance at Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 event, Daniel Sarafian was absolutely swindled out of a decision victory in the evening’s co-main event.

In reality, the fight between Sarafian and The Ultimate Fighter runner-up C.B. Dollaway was dead even heading into the final round, which was a back-and-forth round that could have been scored in either man’s favor.

After the hard-fought loss in the evening’s Fight of the Night, Sarafian unfortunately joins the long list of Ultimate Fighter alumni who came up short in their Octagon debut. After the razor-thin decision, it’s time to take a look at what’s next for TUF: Brasil fighter Daniel Sarafian.

Sarafian is a short and stocky powerhouse who utilizes looping punches and wild haymakers while standing, but also has a dangerous submission game at his disposal in the event that the fight hits the canvas.

Choosing an opponent for the Brazilian is fairly simple. Considering his lower-tier placement on the roster, as long as he faces someone also on the bottom rung of the division, it’s an acceptable pairing.

However, considering the excitement put forth by Sarafian against an 11-fight UFC veteran like Dollaway, there is no problem with giving the Sao Paulo native another UFC notable who happens to be down on his luck.

The signs point to a fellow slugger who prefers to bang but doesn’t mind submitting foes if absolutely necessary: Chris “The Crippler” Leben.

Chris Leben is one of the most popular stars to ever step foot into the Octagon. Part of that has to do with his memorable appearance on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, but primarily, it is because he is a game fighter with an iron chin and a desire to end contests in violent fashion.

At the pinnacle of his career, Leben won his first five contests inside the Octagon. However, his biggest wins came years later when he finished highly regarded Yoshihiro Akiyama and Wanderlei Silva.

Currently, Leben is on a career-worst 1-3 stretch in his most recent bouts. His most recent loss came against wrestler Derek Brunson at UFC 155, although he was previously scheduled to meet unranked Karlos Vemola on the card.

A fight between Sarafian and Leben is perfect for any Brazilian card, as the hometown star will be beloved by the audience, while Leben has the name-value to support main-card placement on any event.

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UFC on FX 7 Results: What’s Next for Ben Rothwell?

Not even the newfound fitness of Ben Rothwell was able to save him from the dangerous assault of Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC on FX 7. Succumbing to an arm-in guillotine choke in the second round, Rothwell came up short in putting together his first winning …

Turn back the clock eight months and you would find Rothwell coming off a monumental knockout win over Brendan Schaub at UFC 145. The impressive performance showed us that the kickboxer from Wisconsin has what it takes to compete on the world’s biggest stage.

After his third loss in five UFC appearances, it’s time that we look ahead to see what’s next for “Big” Ben Rothwell.

With Rothwell’s skills rooted in kickboxing, the UFC would be smart to pair him off against a fellow striker in hopes of generating a major knockout. Those sort of highlights are a great addition to any free event. Think about the historical significance of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry or Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop, which were aired on Versus and SPIKE TV, respectively.

Unfortunately, most of the strikers in the UFC are coming off wins, and UFC matchmaker Joe Silva rarely books fighters coming off victories against those coming off defeats.

By that logic, Mark Hunt, Pat Barry and Cheick Kongo are all off of the table. However, there is one impressive knockout artist who is technically on heels of a defeat: Travis Browne.

Carrying only one loss in his 15-fight career, Travis Browne has made a name for himself with highlight-reel finishes against Stefan Struve and Chad Griggs. Heading into the final quarter of 2012, Browne was considered to be the future of the heavyweight division.

At UFC on FX 5, Browne headlined the card by taking on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a fight that was expected to springboard the Hawaiian into the upper echelon of the division.

Unfortunately, after a few minutes of aggressive attack, Browne tore his hamstring and was forced to continue with severely limited movement. Unable to move out of the way of Silva’s monstrous 82-inch reach, Browne lost via TKO for his first professional loss.

Rothwell and Browne were originally scheduled to meet on the main card of UFC on Fox 4 back in August, but Rothwell was forced from the contest due to injury.

At the time of their original booking, both heavyweights were looking to keep building momentum after signature victories. If rebooked for 2013, this fight would allow one man to redeem himself with a win over a notable opponent.

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UFC on FX 7 Results: What’s Next for Gabriel Gonzaga?

After baffling “Big” Ben Rothwell on the feet and submitting him with an arm-in guillotine choke, Gabriel Gonzaga announced to the MMA world that he will not take his second chance with the UFC for granted.The win marks the second submission victory fo…

The win marks the second submission victory for Gonzaga since returning to the organization that made him famous. Last January, “Napao” needed little more than three minutes to dispatch of then-undefeated Ednaldo Oliveira.

Now that the former title contender is making waves in the heavyweight division, we’ve got to think about what comes next.

Gabriel has a world-renowned grappling game which has led to nine submission wins. However, with dynamite in his hands and feet, he is a well-rounded threat who can finish opponents anywhere that the fight goes.

Based on these skills, there aren’t many challengers who are particularly daunting, short of the division’s elite. With 14 trips into the Octagon under his belt, I think that it’s important to pit Gonzaga against another longtime UFC veteran.

Luckily for the big Brazilian, there are a couple of options who lay at his feet, in need of an opponent this Spring: Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson.

Cheick Kongo is the French kickboxer who has terrorized the heavyweight division throughout 17 UFC appearances. Like Gonzaga, the biggest win on Kongo’s resume came in a 2007 victory over Mirko Cro Cop.

Unlike his Brazilian foe, Kongo has never been able to parlay his momentum into a UFC title shot. Currently, Kongo has only one loss in his past six fights.

When you consider how long that these heavyweights were on the roster, it is fairly surprising that they have yet to square off at any point in their careers. A bout with Gonzaga could be exactly what Kongo needs to finally earn an elusive crack at the belt.

Roy Nelson has eight UFC appearances of his own, and like Gonzaga, has an unannounced allergy to winning by decision. Between the two fighters, they have 14 victories while fighting for Zuffa and not one of them went to the judges scorecards.

“Big Country” is also a well-rounded mixed martial artists who possesses incredible punching power to supplement his killer grappling skills. A fight with Gonzaga is the step up he deserves after wins over Dave Herman and Matt Mitrione.

The fight with Nelson was scheduled for UFC 146 after the Overeem/Mir/Bigfoot switcharoo shifted the entire card. However, the fight didn’t take place after Gonzaga was forced out due to an injury.

Personally, I feel that Roy Nelson is a more dangerous matchup for Gonzaga, however both fights would make for a solid addition to any card.

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UFC on FX 7 Start Time: When and Where to Watch Belfort vs. Bisping

On Saturday, January 19, the UFC returns to Brazil for their first offering of 2013. In the main event, middleweight favorites Vitor Belfort and Michael Bisping square off with a championship opportunity (somewhat) hanging in the balance.If Bisping is …

If Bisping is successful in defeating his Brazilian foe, he will collect a long-awaited title shot against Anderson Silva later in the year. However, Dana White has already made it clear that Belfort will not be afforded the same luxury.

In the co-main event, C.B. Dollaway returns to action after defeating Jason Miller last year. The man standing across the cage is fellow TUF finalist Daniel Sarafian, who was forced out of his tournament final due to injury.

However, if you don’t know where and when to tune in, it’s going to be hard to catch all of the action. That’s why BR MMA is here; to hook you up with the details.

Facebook Prelims:

Only one fight goes down on Facebook this time around, and it’s an interesting lightweight battle between two fighters looking to keep their job.

Francisco Trinaldo is possibly the largest lightweight that the division has ever seen, and he squares off against little-known C.J. Keith. Both men are coming off of losses in their UFC debuts.

To see this fight, tune in to the official UFC Facebook page at 5:35 p.m. EST.

FUEL Prelims:

At 6 p.m. EST, tune in to FUEL TV (assuming that you are lucky enough to have the channel in your area) for six fights full of UFC notables and rising stars.

Fights on the FUEL portion of UFC on FX 7 include:

Godofredo Pepey vs. Milton Vieira
Andrew Craig vs. Ronny Markes
Diego Nunes vs. Nik Lentz
Edson Barboza vs. Lucas Martins
Yuri Alcantara vs. Pedro Nobre
Wagner Prado vs. Ildemar Alcantara

While not all of the names may jump out at you as stars, Diego Nunes and Edson Barboza are both stars who could be featured on any pay-per-view main card.

FX Main Card:

When the clock strikes 9 p.m. EST, it’s time to flip over to FX (preferably the HD version) for the main card. On that event, you’ll see the following fights:

Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
Godofredo Pepey vs. Milton Vieira
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
Thiago Tavares vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

That’s it for the the live fights coming to you from Sao Paulo, however, make sure you tune in to FUEL TV at 11 p.m. for the post-fight show with Jay Glazer.

Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all things UFC on FX 7, including live results and post-fight analyses that you can’t find anywhere else.

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