Author: MMA Betting

Current UFC Fight Night 44 Betting Lines – On Saturday, June 28, 2014, UFC Fight Night 44 will hit the airwaves live from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. In the main event of the evening, long-time veteran Cub Swanson will square off against heavy-handed slugger Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens in a featured Featherweight matchup. Stephens has won three fights in a row after an unfortunate three-fight win streak and will be looking to keep that momentum going. Standing in his way is Swanson, a dangerous, well-rounded veteran on a five-fight win streak. This has all the makings of a spectacular main event, so be sure to tune in.

Main card:

Cub Swanson vs. Jeremy Stephens

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Swanson  (-260)
• Stephens  (+200)

Betonline.com Odds

• Swanson   (-250)
• Stephens  (+210)

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nicholas Musoke

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Gastelum  (-400)
• Musoke     (+300)

Betonline.com Odds

• Gastelum  (-380)
• Musoke     (+315)

Cezar Ferreira vs. Andrew Craig

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Ferreira  (-190)
• Craig         (+155)

Betonline.com Odds

• Ferreira   (-184)
• Craig          (+159)

Ricardo Lamas vs. Hacran Dias

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Lamas  (-200)
• Dias       (+160)

Clint Hester vs. Antonio Braga Neto

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Hester  (+125)
• Neto      (-155)

Joe Ellenberger vs. James Moontasri

• Ellenberger  (-235)
• Moontasri     (+185)

Preliminary Card:

Colton Smith vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Smith       (+175)
• Ferreira  (-225)

Johnny Bedford vs. Cody Gibson

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Bedford  (-250)
• Gibson    (+195)

Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Andy Enz

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Guimaraes  (+150)
• Enz                 (-185)

Ray Borg vs. Shane Howell

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Borg       (-450)
• Howell  (+325)

Oleksiy Oliynyk vs. Anthony Hamilton

Bovada.Iv Odds

• Oliynyk     (-150)
• Hamilton  (+120)

In the semi-main event, undefeated prospect Kelvin Gastelum will look to keep his momentum going as he faces athletic veteran “Nico” Musoke in a Welterweight bout. The rest of the card features Cezar Ferreira against Andrew Craig, Ricardo Lamas squaring off against Hacran Dias, and Client Hester against Antonio Braga Neto.

UFC Middleweight Bout:  James Te Huna vs. Nate Marquardt

Odds:  (-225 Te Huna / +175 Marquardt )

Betting Pick:  Te Huna

Bet on this fight at Bovada

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 43, Nate “The Great” Marquardt will look to halt his three-fight skid in a featured Middleweight showdown against James Te Huna. With both of these guys coming off multiple losses in an increasingly crowded UFC Middleweight division, a win here is vital if they want to guarantee their future employment. Despite their recent poor results, both of these guys are dynamic and effective fighters who should put on a competitive and entertaining main event.

Nate “The Great’ Marquardt was once one of UFC’s most formidable Middleweights, but his career has been on a marked decline for the last few years. He’s lost his last three fights and is coming off two straight ugly knockouts. Clearly, his chin is a weakness, and one that Te Huna is more than capable of exploiting. Marquardt has good boxing and footwork, and he’s going to need them to keep himself out of trouble. I don’t think this is a fight that he is likely to finish, so if he’s smart, he will fight for points and try to clinch and control the action.

James Te Huna is making his debut at 185 pounds after getting finished in his last two fights at Light Heavyweight. Te Huna is something of a one-dimensional striker with good punching power but suspect grappling and submission defense. Against Marquardt, he will definitely be the better and more powerful striker. The question is whether dropping down a division will give him the size and strength advantage he needs to nullify Marquardt’s superior grappling technique.

Ultimately, I like Te Huna’s chances here. He’s the better striker, and I think Marquardt, who isn’t the world’s most dominant wrestler, is going to have a hard time taking him down if things go poorly in the standup. I expect some back and forth action, but eventually I think Te Huna will catch Marquardt with a big punch to ensure a successful Middleweight debut. Te Huna by T/KO.

Prediction:  James Te Huna by second round T/KO.

To Add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds. Check out my review of Bovada here…

UFC Flyweight Title Fight:  Demetrious Johnson vs. Ali Bagautinov

Odds: (-650 Johnson / +425 Bagautinov)

Betting Pick:  Johnson

Bet on this fight at Bovada

In the main event of UFC 174, UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson will look to defend his title against Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov. Johnson has firmly cemented himself as the best fighter in the world at 125 pounds, but Bagautinov is riding an eleven-fight win streak and has the kind of versatile skill set that can give anyone problems. Will Johnson continue to thrive at his natural weight and build a pound-for-pound case for himself, or will Bagautinov prove that he is the future of the UFC Flyweight division?

Ali “Puncher” Bagautinov has put together an impressive eleven-fight win streak with a mix of effective grappling, good submissions, and solid striking. In terms of talent and technique, there is no question that he is a formidable opponent for anyone. The question is how well he will handle such a huge step up in competition. Despite his long win streak, this is only his fourth UFC fight and Johnson is the toughest fighter he has faced by a very wide margin. If he keeps his head and performs up to his abilities, he can make this a really good fight, but the pressure has proven too much for other contenders before.

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is a long-time veteran who has really found a natural home at 125 pounds. He has beaten every other top Flyweight UFC has to offer, and none of the fights were all that close either. Johnson began his career fighting bigger, stronger opponents and still putting together a nice record for himself. Now that he is fighting guys his same size, he’s not only the faster and more technical fighter in the Octagon, he’s also frequently the strongest. The big obstacle for Johnson is going to be complacency. When you’ve already handled most of the world’s best Flyweights, it’s easy to look past your opponents or not always train as hard, and Bagautinov has got more than enough skills to capitalize on that mistake.

Ultimately, Bagautinov is not ready for this fight. He should be tempering himself against some of UFC’s other top Flyweights, but Johnson’s domination of the division has left open a spot for a title challenger and so Bagautinov is being thrust into the spotlight. He’s too talented and too athletic to get steamrolled, but I don’t think there’s anywhere he is really going to be able to put Johnson in trouble. Expect Johnson to control the action in a fast-paced bout, retaining his title by unanimous decision.

Prediction:  Demetrious Johnson by Unanimous Decision.

To Add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds. Check out my review of Bovada here…