Author: Ben Fowlkes

UFC 126: By the Odds

Filed under: UFCSuper Bowl weekend must be a difficult time for habitual gamblers. When the big game rolls around, you can bet on everything from the opening coin toss to the final score to whether Christina Aguilera will wear a cowboy hat while singin…

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Super Bowl weekend must be a difficult time for habitual gamblers. When the big game rolls around, you can bet on everything from the opening coin toss to the final score to whether Christina Aguilera will wear a cowboy hat while singing the national anthem.

Of course, if you’re actually considering betting on a pop star’s accessories you should immediately check yourself into a treatment facility, but that’s not the point. The point is, when you hear stuff like that it makes those of us who love to roll the dice on things we can actually evaluate with semi-intelligent analysis (two grown men fighting each other, for instance) seem pretty darn reasonable by comparison.

There’s plenty to evaluate on Saturday night’s fight card in Las Vegas, so how do the online oddsmakers see UFC 126 going down? Follow me below for a look at the latest betting lines.

Eleven Ways of Looking at UFC 126

Filed under: UFCFrom predictions to observations to useless information and even more useless opinions, here’s some food for thought in advance of UFC 126 from Las Vegas on Saturday night:

I. Vitor Belfort’s mental game will be his biggest obstacle to…

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From predictions to observations to useless information and even more useless opinions, here’s some food for thought in advance of UFC 126 from Las Vegas on Saturday night:

I. Vitor Belfort’s mental game will be his biggest obstacle to overcome. Throughout his career, Belfort has been spectacular when things go well early on. It’s when they start to turn against him that he crumbles. At times Belfort seems like he’s waiting to find out whether he’s going to win rather than going out and making it happen. His best chance is to catch Silva with something in the first round – maybe even the first two minutes. If he gives Silva a chance to figure out his timing and range, forget it. Of all the things Belfort does well, battling through adversity isn’t one of them.

II. Miguel Torres will punch a hole in Antonio Banuelos’ head. It will be swift, and it won’t be close.

The Cut List: Who Desperately Needs a Win at UFC 126?

Filed under: UFCAs former WEC fighters make their way into the UFC, it’s make-or-break time for some of the men who have just barely been clinging to roster spots.

If you’re a UFC lightweight with more losses than wins lately, you have to be looking …

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Paul KellyAs former WEC fighters make their way into the UFC, it’s make-or-break time for some of the men who have just barely been clinging to roster spots.

If you’re a UFC lightweight with more losses than wins lately, you have to be looking over your shoulder and wondering how long you’ll have a job now that there’s suddenly a talent surplus in your division. If fighting in the UFC were like an office job, this is the point where you’d look up one morning and see a bunch of new hires standing around with cardboard boxes full of their stuff, sizing up your cubicle with their eyes.

Join me below as we take a look at the UFC 126 lineup and ask which fighters could find themselves out of work unless they can keep their place at the table with a victory on Saturday night.

Siyar Bahadurzada: I’m Not the One Being Unprofessional Here

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsAfghan-born fighter Siyar Bahadurzada may regret some of the language he used when lashing out at Strikeforce over the internet last week, but he stands by the sentiment, Bahadurzada told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition …

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Afghan-born fighter Siyar Bahadurzada may regret some of the language he used when lashing out at Strikeforce over the internet last week, but he stands by the sentiment, Bahadurzada told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

Though Bahadurzada said he signed a contract to fight for Strikeforce in April of 2010, he has yet to be offered a fight with the organization, and said repeated attempts to contact Strikeforce about the situation have been ignored.

“It’s pretty frustrating, because [it’s] a year of my career when I’m in top shape,” Bahadurzada told Helwani. “Look at my last three fights. They’ve been knockouts or technical knockouts. I feel that my reign is coming right now. I’m 26 years old. I’m growing every day. I’m better today than yesterday and I’m sure that tomorrow I’ll be better than today. They are making me wait for so long [in] my prime, and this is a very expensive year for me. I’m an athlete. I cannot fight until I’m 60 years old. I have to fight right now, [in] my prime, to get as much belts and as much glory as possible and make a lot of money. They have me waiting and waiting and waiting.”

Falling Action: Best and Worst of Strikeforce – Diaz vs. Cyborg

Filed under: StrikeforceStrikeforce hit us with another night of fun finishes and very few surprises on Saturday night, as both champs retained their titles and a Heisman Trophy-winning running back beat up the guy who was hired solely to get beat up b…

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Strikeforce hit us with another night of fun finishes and very few surprises on Saturday night, as both champs retained their titles and a Heisman Trophy-winning running back beat up the guy who was hired solely to get beat up by a Heisman Trophy-winning running back.

Success? That depends on how you define the word when it comes to fight promotion. For a look at the aftermath of Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg, join me below as we examine the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

The MMA Wrap-Up: Post-Strikeforce Edition

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After a night of exciting finishes and some questionable behavior from fans at cageside, The MMA Wrap-Up returns to look at what we learned at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg on Saturday night in San Jose, and what it means to be a Strikeforce champion these days.

All that, plus a wintry snowscape background to make you feel nice and cozy about wherever you happen to be watching this video.

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After a night of exciting finishes and some questionable behavior from fans at cageside, The MMA Wrap-Up returns to look at what we learned at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg on Saturday night in San Jose, and what it means to be a Strikeforce champion these days.

All that, plus a wintry snowscape background to make you feel nice and cozy about wherever you happen to be watching this video.