Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Prediction

UFC Lightweight Bout:  Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Odds:  (-315 Maynard /+245 Guida ) Betting Pick:  Maynard Bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv In the main event of the evening, Gray “The Bully” Maynard, coming off the first loss of his professional career, will look to get back in the win column against aggressive wrestling […]

UFC Lightweight Bout:  Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida

Odds:  (-315 Maynard /+245 Guida )

Betting Pick:  Maynard

Bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv

In the main event of the evening, Gray “The Bully” Maynard, coming off the first loss of his professional career, will look to get back in the win column against aggressive wrestling dynamo Clay “The Carpenter” Guida.  Guida, known for his signature mane of curly hair and the breakneck pace of his fights, is one of the most aggressive and effective wrestlers in the Lightweight division, but Maynard is a world-class wrestler in his own right with punishing striking to go along with it.  Guida, as good as he is, is going to have his hands full trying to force Maynard onto his back while avoiding his thudding power punches.  If Guida wants to pull off an upset, he is going to have to show some huge strides in his boxing defense.

Clay “The Carpenter” Guida is one of the UFC’s most exciting and aggressive fighters.  A long time veteran, Guida has carved out a niche for himself with great wrestling and top control, unstoppable cardio, and arguably the most aggressive fighting style in the sport. Guida is a great wrestler with a punishing top control game, and will keep shooting for takedowns nonstop until he succeeds.  His boxing is very rudimentary and not overly powerful, but he does tend to pile on a very high volume of punches to compensate.  Against Maynard, he is going to have to pick his shots much more carefully, because if he wades forward letting his hands go recklessly he is either going to get dumped on his back and pounded, or he is going to eat a huge haymaker and go to sleep.

Gray “The Bully” Maynard is clearly one of the UFC’s top Lightweights.  He appears to have met his match in Frankie “The Answer” Edgar, but his potent mix of power punching and dominant wrestling make him one of the most effective and dangerous Lightweights in the world.  As good as Maynard’s wrestling is, he has shown a distinct preference for keeping fights standing and letting his hands go, and in that regard Guida is the perfect opponent for him.  Guida’s whole game plan is always to go for takedowns first and foremost, and his boxing is pretty ineffective, which means that Maynard can use his wrestling defensively to keep the fight standing and exploit his drastic striking advantage.

This is going to be a rough fight for Guida.  Over the course of his career, one thing has remained true.  Anyone he can outwrestle, he beats, and anyone he can’t outwrestle, he loses to.  In that sense, Maynard is a nightmare opponent, because Guida just can’t outwrestle him and Maynard is way more dangerous on the feet.  I think Guida will try to take Maynard down, fail repeatedly, and eventually get put down with punches.  Maynard by T/KO.

Prediction:  Gray Maynard by second round T/KO.

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Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer Prediction

UFC Welterweight bout:  Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer Odds:  (-190 Pyle /+155 Neer ) Betting Pick:  Pyle Bet on this fight at Bovada.IV In a featured Welterweight bout, two skilled and dangerous veterans will go at it as Josh “The Dentist” Neer squares off against Mike“Quicksand” Pyle.  These guys are both experienced veterans with a […]

UFC Welterweight bout:  Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer

Odds:  (-190 Pyle /+155 Neer )

Betting Pick:  Pyle

Bet on this fight at Bovada.IV

In a featured Welterweight bout, two skilled and dangerous veterans will go at it as Josh “The Dentist” Neer squares off against Mike“Quicksand” Pyle.  These guys are both experienced veterans with a lotof tools in their belts.  Pyle fought all over the world before makinghis way to the UFC in 2009, and has put together an impressive 5-3record against quality opponents since then.  Neer, for his part,washed out of the UFC once, but has returned in full force and iscurrently riding a very impressive six fight winning streak.  Both of these guys have been around the block and both of them have the ability to finish fights standing and on the ground, so this could be a very entertaining and competitive fight despite the fact thatneither man is really in the Welterweight title picture.

Josh “The Dentist” Neer is one of the toughest and most versatileWelterweights on the UFC roster.  After dropping three of four UFCbouts in 2008 and 2009, Neer has won eight of his last nine, with thesole loss coming at the hands of highly-regarded Bellator veteranEddie Alvarez.  One thing that sets Neer apart is that he is one ofthe sport’s most prolific finishers, having scored the T/KO or submission in aremarkable 88% of his 33 professional wins.  He is not the most technicalfighter in the UFC, either standing or on the ground, but he fights very aggressively, has fight-ending power, and is not afraid to eat a large amount of punishment in order to set up his own offense.  Another thing that sets Neer apart is the strength of his chin, which seems sometimes to be made out of granite.  What’s so interesting about this fight is that both Pyle and Neer are versatile and experienced enough to fight wherever they need to and to counter any attempts at imposing a game plan, so this is going to be a fight that develops organically and could end with a finish anywhere and at any time.

Mike “Quicksand” Pyle is another tough and versatile veteran with years of experience fighting top-notch opposition.  Also, like Neer, Pyle is a prolific finisher, having finished 87% of his 22 professional wins, the vast majority of those coming by way of submission.  Although his submission stats are gaudy, they are also misleading in that they make it look like he is not a powerful or dangerous striker, and nothing could be further from the truth.  Pyle has very good boxing and can hurt opponents with knees and kicks as well.  The one disadvantage he will bring into the Octagon against Neer is that his chin, while hardly made of glass, is much easier to crack than Neer’s is.  Still, it is entirely possible that he can strike with Neer and win exchanges, so it’s not like he is locked into a game plan of trying to force takedowns and work a top control game. Just like his opponent, Pyle has the tools and the experience to fight competitively anywhere he needs to.

This has all the makings of a rough and tumble, very competitive matchup.  Both guys are hard to impose your will on, both guys can finish fights standing and on the ground, and both guys are tough and difficult to finish.  That said, this will probably come down to who makes a big mistake first.  These are two of the best Welterweights on Earth when it comes to fighting aggressively and finishing opponents, so a slip up from either one of them could well prove disastrous.  I think the slight edge has to go to Pyle, though, because I think his wrestling is a little better and he is a little bit more dangerous in the submission game.  There’s no question that this fight could go either way, and neither guy winning could ever be considered an upset because they are so similar and evenly matched, but I think Pyle will find an opening to get this fight to the ground, start applying pressure, and eventually lock up a submission in the later rounds.

Prediction:  Mike Pyle by third round rear naked choke.

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…

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Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley Odds

Current Betting Odds – On Saturday, June 9, 2012, Manny Pacquiao will attempt to defend his WBO Welterweight Title against Timothy Bradley live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Pacquiao is one of the most prolific champions in the history of the sport, but Bradley is undefeated in his professional career […]

Current Betting Odds – On Saturday, June 9, 2012, Manny Pacquiao will attempt to defend his WBO Welterweight Title against Timothy Bradley live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Pacquiao is one of the most prolific champions in the history of the sport, but Bradley is undefeated in his professional career and, despite his lack of public profile, a lock on the Top 10 pound-for-pound list.  Obviously, the fight the public has been clamoring for is the long-awaited Pacquiao vs. Mayweather fight, but public perception of Pacquiao’s showdown with Bradley is quite skewed.  Bradley may not be the box office draw that Pacquiao or Mayweather are, but he is a very skilled fighter coming off a big win against a former champion in Joel Casamayor. Pacquiao is coming off one of his worst performances of the last decade, a controversial decision over Juan Manuel Marquez that the vast majority of observers feel like he should have lost, and looks beatable for the first time in recent memory, so this is a very compelling fight that is flying somewhat under the radar.

Timothy Bradley is an extremely skilled and dangerous fighter who has had a successful career moving back and forth between Light Welterweight and Welterweight.  Unbeaten as a professional, Bradley held both the WBC and WBO Light Welterweight titles at the same time before moving up to Welterweight to demolish a tough opponent in the form of Luis Abrego.  This is Bradley’s first shot at Welterweight gold, but he is a top competitor with great power and speed.  The only question mark for Bradley is how well his chin will be able to hold up against the notorious power punching Pacquiao brings to the table.  In a 2009 title unification bout against Kendall Holt, Bradley was dropped twice despite outboxing Holt for the majority of the fight and earning the decision victory.  Against Pacquiao that could prove problematic, because it seems that no matter how many times Pacquiao moves up in weight, his punching power always seems to translate and remain devastating.  Bradley has the quickness and the technique to hang with Pacquiao, especially if Pacquiao comes into this fight like he did the Marquez fight, but he is going to have to fight carefully to protect his chin.

Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao is, with the possible exception of Floyd Mayweather Jr., the most accomplished boxer on the face of the planet and one of the all-time greats in the history of the sport.  Known for his speed, footwork, and outrageous punching power, Pacquiao has continually moved up in weight and continually dominated.  In his last fight, though, he looked sluggish and showed a lot of difficulty dealing with the precise counter-punching style Marquez threw at him. Despite his continued success, Pacquiao has been surrounded by controversy for years, with insiders and observers positing that his music, film and political careers are distracting him from training properly.  In addition, Pacquiao’s refusal to change up his training routines have caused concern in some corners, and rumors that he has debilitating calf issues have popped up repeatedly.  Nevertheless, underestimating one of the greatest fighters of all time is never the course of prudence, and Pacquiao has become a legend by continually defying expectations and dominating weight classes far above where anyone ever thought he could enjoy success.  At this point, Pacquiao doesn’t have any surprises left.  Everyone knows what you get when you watch a Pacquiao fight, and that is an aggressive power-punching style coupled with speed and footwork far beyond what is normal.

At this point, Pacquiao has proven his dominance so many times in so many weight classes that I would find it impossible to pick against him unless the opponent was Floyd Mayweather Jr.  That said, the money lines on this fight seem hugely out of sync with reality.  At -450, I can’t imagine betting on an aging Pacquiao who is coming off one of the worst performances of his career and has a crowded personal and professional life that has to take away from the focus he is able to put on training.  In addition, Bradley lacks the same name recognition as a Marquez or a Mayweather, which could easily translate into Pacquiao taking this opponent less seriously than others.  Bradley is being severely underrated at a whopping +325, and even though it is likely that Pacquiao will confound him with his southpaw style and unorthodox angles, if Manny comes into this fight without sufficient focus or training, or if his power is depleted because of the calf problems that seem to have plagued him for the last three or four years, Bradley has the speed and the tools to thwart Pacquiao’s offense in much the same way Marquez did.  The only problem I see with a bet on Bradley is that he is not one of the sport’s foremost knockout artists, and as the Marquez fight showed, betting on judges to score a fight against Pacquiao might not be the wisest course of action.  In the end, Pacquiao probably takes this fight, but a bet on him at these odds is just too risky.  A bet on Bradley could pay big dividends, but it rests on the hopes that judges will not be dazzled by Pacquiao’s profile and name value, which is a long shot at best.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Pacquiao  (-450)
  • Bradley    (+325)
  • Over 9.5 Rounds   (-280)
  • Under 9.5 Rounds  (+190)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Pacquiao   (-450)
  • Bradley      (+350)
  • Over 9.5 Rounds   (-240)
  • Under 9.5 Rounds  (+190)

UFC 148: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 2 Odds

Current UFC 148 Betting Odds – On Saturday, July 7, 2012, UFC 148 will air live from their home base in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  In the headlining bout, Middleweight champion Anderson “Spider” Silva will look to defend his title for the second time against Chael Sonnen, who came half […]

Current UFC 148 Betting Odds – On Saturday, July 7, 2012, UFC 148 will air live from their home base in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.  In the headlining bout, Middleweight champion Anderson “Spider” Silva will look to defend his title for the second time against Chael Sonnen, who came half of a round from unseating the champion in their first matchup. This is a highly anticipated rematch, both because of the personal animosity between these two and the fact that Sonnen has already showed that his unstoppable wrestling and top control game are a solid counter to Silva’s world-class striking.  Silva’s only weakness is his takedown defense, and Sonnen is perfectly positioned to exploit that flaw.  Sonnen is going to have to be more careful on top to avoid getting caught in another submission, which has long been his Achilles’ heel, but Silva is going to need a drastically different game plan this time, because spending 4 plus rounds on your back getting pummeled is not a winning strategy.

Main Card:

Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Silva         (-260)
  • Sonnen   (+200)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Silva        (-250)
  • Sonnen   (+210)

Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Faber   (+140)
  • Barao   (-170)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Faber  
  • Barao  

Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Griffin   (-300)
  • Ortiz      (+230)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Griffin   (-300)
  • Ortiz      (+250)

Cung Le vs. Patrick Cote

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Le      
  • Cote  

Betonline.com Odds

  • Le      
  • Cote  

Dong Hyun Kim vs. Demian Maia

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Hyun Kim  (-150)
  • Maia            (+120)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Hyun  (-150)
  • Kim     (+130)

Preliminary Card:

Ivan Menjivar vs. Mike Easton

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Menjivar
  • Easton

Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Mendes
  • McKenzie

Gleison Tibau vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Tibau
  • Nurmagomedov

Melvin Guillard vs. Fabricio Camoes

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Guillard
  • Camoes

Constantinos Philippou vs. Riki Fukuda

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Philippou
  • Fukuda

John Alessio vs. Shane Roller

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Alessio
  • Roller

In the semi-main event, jiu-jitsu ace Renan “Barao” Pegado steps up on late notice to replace injured Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz against former WEC Featherweight king Urijah “The California Kid” Faber.  Pegado is riding an insane 27 fight winning streak, having not lost since his first professional bout in 2005, but the versatile Faber is a huge step up in competition for him, so this is actually a very compelling last-minute addition.  In another featured bout, former Light Heavyweight champions Forrest Griffin and “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz will meet in a rematch of their controversial 2009 fight, which Griffin won by split decision. Rounding out the card are a Middleweight bout pitting tough veteran Patrick Cote against Strikeforce legend Cung Le and a Welterweight bout between submission wiz Demian Maia and judo standout Dong Hyun “Stun Gun” Kim.

Make sure to Check back with us closer to fight night as I will have updated UFC 148 Odds plus Fight Predictions.  And to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds.

UFC 147: Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin 2 Odds

Current UFC 147 Betting Odds – On Saturday, June 23, 2012, UFC will return to its Brazilian roots as UFC 147 airs live from Jornalista Felipe Drumond Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  In the main event, Brazilian superstar and PRIDE legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will look to recapture some of the magic of […]

Current UFC 147 Betting Odds – On Saturday, June 23, 2012, UFC will return to its Brazilian roots as UFC 147 airs live from Jornalista Felipe Drumond Stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.  In the main event, Brazilian superstar and PRIDE legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will look to recapture some of the magic of his prime as he squares off against former UFC Middleweight champion Rich “Ace” Franklin.  Both of these guys are former champions with great striking, but both are past the primes of their careers.  Silva showed in his last fight against Cung Le that he still has some of that old brutality left in him, but it remains to be seen whether he has enough left in his tank to deal with Franklin’s sound technique and underrated wrestling game.

Main Card:

Wanderlei Silva vs. Rich Franklin

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Silva           (-170)
  • Franklin    (+140)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Silva         (-170)
  • Franklin (+150)

Fabricio Werdum vs. Mike Russow

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Werdum   (-500)
  • Russow    (+350)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Werdum   (-500)
  • Russow     (+350)

Yuri Alcantara vs. Hacran Dias

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Alcantara  (-275)
  • Dias              (+215)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Alcantara
  • Dias

Preliminary Card:

Milton Vieira vs. Felipe Arantes

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Vieira
  • Arantes

In the semi-main event, another popular Brazilian will be featured as Heavyweight submission ace Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum will look to halt the momentum of surging journeyman Mike Russow.  These guys are two of the Heavyweight division’s most proven submission finishers, and the matchup of Werdum’s flawless technique and Russow’s stifling, bruising top control style should make for an interesting fight.  Also featured will be a Featherweight bout pitting Iuri “Marajo” Alcantara against Hacran “Barnabe” Dias and a Lightweight showdown between Milton “Miltinho” Vieira and Felipe “Sertanejo” Arantes.

Make sure to Check back with us closer to fight night as I will have updated UFC 147 Odds plus Fight Predictions.  And to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds.

UFC on FX 4: Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida Odds

Current UFC on FX 4 Betting Odds – On Friday, June 22, 2012, the fourth installment in the UFC on FX series will air live from the Revel Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  In the headlining bout, former title challenger Gray “The Bully” Maynard will look to rebound from the first loss of […]

Current UFC on FX 4 Betting Odds – On Friday, June 22, 2012, the fourth installment in the UFC on FX series will air live from the Revel Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey.  In the headlining bout, former title challenger Gray “The Bully” Maynard will look to rebound from the first loss of his professional career against aggressive wrestler Clay “The Carpenter” Guida.  These are easily two of the most skilled wrestlers in UFC’s Lightweight division, but it remains to be seen whether Guida’s hyper-aggressive style and seemingly limitless gas tank will be enough to trump the Octagon control and heavy-handed slugging of Maynard. Guida’s aggressive style and tenacious wrestling make him tough to deal with for most opponents, but he is going to have a hard time forcing Maynard to the ground and his boxing lacks the technique or power to shut Maynard down, so Guida is going to have his hands full in this one.

Main Card:

Gray Maynard vs. Clay Guida

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Maynard   (-315)
  • Guida         (+245)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Maynard   (-325)
  • Guida         (+270)

Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Stout    (-335)
  • Fisher  (+255)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Stout     (-305)
  • Fisher   (+255)

Brian Ebersole vs. TJ Waldburger

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Ebersole        (-235)
  • Waldburger  (+185)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Ebersole         (-260)
  • Waldburger   (+220)

Ross Pearson vs. Cub Swanson

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Pearson      (-190)
  • Swanson    (+155)

Betonline.com Odds

  • Pearson    (-190)
  • Swanson  (+165)

Preliminary Card:

Hatsu Hioki vs. Ricardo Lamas

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Hioki    (-200)
  • Lamas  (+160)

Ramsey Nijem vs. CJ Keith

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Nijem  (-190)
  • Keith   (+155)

Steven Siler vs. Joey Gambino

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Siler            (+150)
  • Gambino   (-135)

Matt Brown vs. Luis Ramos

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Brown   (-165)
  • Ramos  (+135)

Rick Story vs. Broack Jardine

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Story       (-365)
  • Jardine   (+275)

Nick Catone vs. Chris Camozzi

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Catone     (-225)
  • Camozzi  (+175)

Dan Miller vs. Ricardo Funch

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Miller   (-500)
  • Funch  (+350)

Dustin Pague vs. Ken Stone

Bovada.Iv Odds

  • Pague  (-160)
  • Stone   (+130)

In the semi-main event, long-time rivals Spencer “The King” Fisher and Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout will meet in a decisive rubber match. These two have met twice before, with each of them winning one fight by decision, so bragging rights are on the line here as well as placement in the jam-packed Lightweight division.  Rounding out the main card are a Welterweight bout pitting Brian Ebersole against TJ Waldburger and a Featherweight showdown between Ross Pearson and long-time veteran Cub Swanson.

Be sure to Check back with us closer to fight night as I will have updated UFC on FX 4 Odds plus Fight Predictions.  And to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds.