Author: Pat

Current UFC 135 Betting Odds – On Saturday, September 24, 2011, UFC 135 will air live from the Pepsi Center in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado. In the main event, former Light Heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will look to regain his title as he faces off with current champion Jon “Bones” Jones. Rampage is an extremely talented veteran with a wide variety of tools in his belt, but Jones has made everyone he has fought look like an amateur with his freakish reach, amazing physical strength, and well-rounded and technical skill set. If Jackson wants to get back the belt he once wore, he is going to have to face possibly the toughest challenge of his career, fighting a younger, larger, stronger guy with a very similar skill set to his own.

Main Card:

Jon Jones vs. Quinton Jackson

Bodog.com Odds

• Jones        (-500)
• Jackson   (+350)

Betonline.com Odds

• Jones       (-500)
• Jackson   (+375)

Matt Hughes vs. Josh Koscheck

Bodog.com Odds

• Hughes        (+300)
• Koscheck    (-450)

Betonline.com Odds

• Hughes
• Koscheck

Ben Rothwell vs. Mark Hunt

Bodog.com Odds

• Rothwell
• Hunt

Betonline.com Odds

• Rothwell
• Hunt

Nate Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi

Bodog.com Odds

• Diaz     (-250)
• Gomi  (+190)

Betonline.com Odds

• Diaz
• Gomi

Travis Browne vs. Rob Broughton

Bodog.com Odds

• Browne           (-340)
• Broughton    (+260)

Betonline.com Odds

• Browne
• Broughton

Preliminary Card:

Tony Ferguson vs. Aaron Riley

Bodog.com Odds

• Ferguson
• Riley

Nick Ring vs. Tim Boetsch

Bodog.com Odds

• Ring
• Boetsch

Junior Assuncao vs. Eddie Yagin

Bodog.com Odds

• Assuncao
• Yagin

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Cole Escovedo

Bodog.com Odds

• Mizugaki
• Escovedo

James Te Huna vs. Ricardo Romero

Bodog.com Odds

• Te Huna
• Romero

In the semi-main event, former Welterweight champion and future Hall of Famer Matt Hughes will face a tough test in top-notch wrestler Josh Koscheck in a fight pitting two guys with similar styles against each other. The rest of the card features Nate Diaz returning to the Lightweight division to take on former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi, a Heavyweight matchup between “Big” Ben Rothwell and former K-1 World Grand Prix winner Mark Hunt, and another Heavyweight match pitting Travis “Hapa” Browne against well-rounded Brit Rob “The Bear” Broughton.

Make sure to Check back with us closer to fight night as I will have updated UFC 135 Odds plus Fight Predictions.  And if you want to add a little excitement to your fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds.

Strikeforce HW GP Semi-Final bout:  Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Odds: ( -350 Barnett / +275 Kharitonov )

Betting Pick: Barnett

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In the main event of the evening, versatile Russian Sergei Kharitonov will square off against former UFC Heavyweight champion Josh Barnett in the second of two Grand Prix semifinal matchups. Kharitonov looked great in his last fight, destroying another former UFC champion in Andrei Arlovski with first round strikes, but Barnett is the bigger fighter and one of the Heavyweight division’s most versatile and dynamic fighters. Kharitonov is also well-rounded, but if he wants to advance to the Grand Prix final he is going to need to find a way to dictate the pace against Barnett and prevent Barnett from getting comfortable with his own game.

Sergei Kharitonov made a name for himself in PRIDE, and has continued to be a very solid Heavyweight contender in DREAM, K-1 Hero’s, and Strikeforce. Kharitonov is a dangerous finisher, with technical and powerful boxing to go along with very effective submissions. He is a threat to finish fights both standing and on the ground, and puts his game together very well. He isn’t a world-class wrestler, but he does have serviceable takedowns and a solid clinch game. Against Barnett, though, he is going to need a career performance, because Barnett is just as versatile, much larger and stronger, more experienced, and a far better wrestler. Barnett’s chin can be exploited and his ground game is one of the best in the Heavyweight division, so Kharitonov is going to want to try to be aggressive in the standup to put Barnett on his heels and keep him from scoring easy takedowns if he wants to pull off the upset.

Josh Barnett is one of the most dangerous and versatile Heavyweights in the world. He is a very skilled striker with knockout power in his hands, solid wrestling, and extremely good submissions from top position. Barnett’s career was somewhat derailed by a pair of high-profile positive tests for performance enhancing substances, but from a technical standpoint he is a good matchup against almost anyone in the division. The only real hole in his game is his cardio conditioning, which isn’t top notch, but he is still in deceptively good shape for someone who looks as flabby as he does. Barnett is a heavy favorite in this fight, and for good reason, but he needs to be careful and not get overconfident, especially on his feet. Kharitonov has the power to hurt him if he doesn’t fight smart, but if he can avoid big mistakes he will be well-positioned to advance to the Grand Prix finals.

I just don’t think Kharitonov has an answer for Barnett. Barnett is bigger, stronger, more experienced, and just better at everything. His superior reach will confound Kharitonov on the feet, he is a better wrestler, and he is better on the ground. I expect him to batter Kharitonov on the feet before eventually taking him down and submitting him.

Prediction: Josh Barnett via second round rear armbar.

To add  a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds. Check out my review of Bodog here…

Strikeforce HW GP Semi-Final bout:  Daniel Cormier vs. Antonio Silva

Odds:  (+135 Cormier /-165 Silva )

Betting Pick:  Cormier

Bet on this fight at Bodog.com

In the first of two Heavyweight Grand Prix semifinals, undefeated wrestling phenom Daniel Cormier will step in to replace Strikeforce Heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem against gigantic grappler Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Cormier is a dominant wrestler and very heavy-handed, but Silva is a big step up for him and is capable of testing his strengths and his weaknesses to their limit. Cormier is going to have to put on the performance of his career if he wants to become a surprise Grand Prix Finalist.

Daniel Cormier is 8-0-0 as a professional, using a devastating blend of truly world-class wrestling and heavy-handed boxing to carve out an undefeated record. His takedowns are dominant and once he is on top of his opponents, he is extremely difficult to defend against. He has brutal ground and pound and dominant positional control, and he also has fairly effective submissions to go along with it. Against Silva his submission prowess will not matter, because Silva is clearly the superior submission grappler. Against Jeff Monson, Cormier showed that he can survive a dangerous submission fighter, but he is going to have to be very careful to either keep this fight standing and try to outbox Silva or to constantly control position on the ground so he doesn’t give something up when he makes a mistake.

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva is coming off the biggest win of his career, a complete drubbing of former World #1 Heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Silva is a pretty gigantic Heavyweight, and he uses his size and reach extremely well. He isn’t the most technical boxer out there, but he has extremely heavy hands, good wrestling, effective submissions, and scary ground and pound. Silva works best taking his opponents down and just beating them down from top position. On the feet he is effective but somewhat slow and ungainly. There is no question that Cormier is the best wrestler Silva has ever had to face, so it will be interesting to see how he handles a standup fight or having to work off his back.

This is an interesting fight. Cormier has never had to deal with anyone who could test his wrestling and his striking at the same time on the level that Silva can. On the other hand, Silva has basically never fought anyone he couldn’t outwrestle and control on the ground. It’s entirely possible their wrestling will largely cancel each other out. I think Cormier is the better wrestler, and should be able to score at least a few takedowns during this fight, but he is going to have to be careful on the ground not to get swept and caught underneath Silva. In the end, I think Cormier is just a little more dangerous, and should be able to score enough points to earn a narrow decision win.

Prediction:  Daniel Cormier via Split Decision.

To add  a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds. Check out my review of Bodog here…

Strikeforce Middleweight bout:  Luke Rockhold vs. Ronaldo Souza

Odds:  (+350 Rockhold /-500 Souza )

Betting Pick:  Souza

Bet on this fight at Bodog.com

In a featured 185 pound matchup, Middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will put his title on the line against top contender Luke Rockhold, who is currently riding a six fight win streak and dominating the Strikeforce Challengers Series. This is a huge step up for Rockhold, though, and since his best work comes on the ground with submissions, the fact that he is being matched up against such a prolific grappler makes the task that much harder for him. If he wants a chance at taking Jacare’s belt he is going to need to fight flawlessly and turn in the best performance of his career.

Luke Rockhold, a long-time Strikeforce veteran, is riding a very impressive winning streak, having finished all six of his last opponents. Rockhold is a very solid grappler with decent boxing, good wrestling, and very effective submissions. He isn’t a dominant puncher but his boxing is solid enough and he is very effective at taking opponents down, working them over with ground and pound, and catching them with submissions. Against Jacare he is going to have trouble executing that gameplan, because Jacare’s jiu-jitsu is on a whole different level.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza entered the sport with a world-class jiu-jitsu background, and has continued to evolve as a fighter. Obviously his ground game will always be his bread and butter, but he has grown into a formidable striker with excellent technique and very fast hands. He is definitely a better submission grappler than Rockhold, and is probably a better boxer as well. The only advantage he will be giving up is in the wrestling department. Rockhold has better takedowns and is the more physical of the two.

I don’t see any way for Rockhold to win this fight. Jacare is better on the feet, he has far better submissions, and no matter how this fight plays out on the ground Jacare is going to have the advantage. Rockhold probably has better wrestling, but that isn’t much use when taking Jacare down is basically inviting him to submit you. Rockhold is a competent grappler and should be able to defend himself on the ground, but I think Jacare will pick him apart en route to a unanimous decision win.

Prediction:  Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza via Unanimous Decision.

To add  a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds. Check out my review of Bodog here…

Strikeforce Light Heavyweight bout:  Muhammed Lawal vs. Roger Gracie

Odds:  (-160 Lawal /+130 Gracie )

Betting Pick:  Gracie

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In a very intriguing Light Heavyweight matchup, former champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal will face off against undefeated submission phenom Roger Gracie. Lawal is clearly the more complete Mixed Martial Artist of the two, but Gracie is perhaps the most decorated submission grappler ever to compete in Mixed Martial Arts. Lawal is an accomplished wrestler, and vastly more effective in the standup, but if he gives up a single takedown to Gracie he is going to find himself in a lot of trouble, so this is the kind of fight where you don’t want to miss a second of the action.

Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal started his career on a seven-fight winning streak before having his undefeated record and his title both taken by Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante in his last fight. Lawal is a heavy-handed and aggressive boxer with very good wrestling and ground and pound. He is very good at securing takedowns, but he had some serious problems holding Cavalcante down and keeping him from escaping. Still, he is a dangerous fighter from top position with very powerful ground and pound. Against Gracie he would be pretty foolish to go for takedowns, because Gracie is lethal on the ground. King Mo will enjoy a huge advantage in striking technique and punching power, so as long as he concentrates on using his wrestling defensively and keeping this fight standing as much as possible.

Roger Gracie is easily one of the most prolific submission grapplers in the world. He is a long way from having a complete game, though, especially in terms of his striking technique. He once famously quipped, “If I ever knock someone out, it will be on accident.” Gracie sticks to what he knows, and what he knows is takedowns and submissions. Lawal is almost definitely the better wrestler, but he is not going to work well off his back at all, so Gracie might only need one takedown to win this. Gracie’s ability to work off his back is also going to confound Lawal, who has never had to deal with anything like Gracie’s submissions.

I think Gracie is going to be very difficult to deal with. His submissions, sweeps, and escapes are just insane, and Lawal is a guy most comfortable working on the ground from top position. I think Lawal will try to make this a standup fight, and eventually Gracie will find a way to trip him or take him down. On the ground, with Lawal on his back, Gracie will easily overwhelm him. Gracie by submission.

Prediction:  Roger Gracie via first round rear naked choke.

To add  a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds. Check out my review of Bodog here…