If the fights on the main card of Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 are nearly as close as the odds would indicate, fight fans are in for a quality night of fights.
Whether you enjoy a friendly wager on fight night or not, the odds often give us a good indication of what we can expect come fight night. With every line on the main card hovering around even odds it’s evident that Joe Silva did a great job of ensuring we have some intriguing matchups to watch.
Here’s a quick look at each of the four main card fights for Saturday’s action complete with the latest odds from Bovada and predictions for each fight. All odds via Bovada.
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Thiago Tavares
Odds: Nurmagomedov -190, Tavares +155
Khabib Nurmagomedov made his debut in 2012 and showed a lot of promise in a submission victory over Kamal Shalorus and followed it up with a decision victory over Gleison Tibau.
With six knockouts and seven submissions to his name, Nurmagomedov is capable of finishing the fight from anywhere and is a well-rounded fighter.
He’ll face his toughest challenge yet when he steps into the octagon against Tavares, though.
Tavares has plenty of experience in the UFC and has been in the organization since 2007. He racked up plenty of submission victories early on in his career but has developed a much better striking game in recent fights.
Prediction: Nurmagomedov by TKO
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Ben Rothwell
Odds: Gonzaga -120, Rothwell -120
The oddsmakers see this fight about as evenly as you can. Neither fighter is that strong of a favorite.
Gonzaga made his return to the UFC a little over a year ago with an impressive submission victory over Ednaldo Oliveira but hasn’t fought since. At 33 years old, a win will be crucial if he wants to make this run in the UFC mean anything.
Ben Rothwell is coming off of a huge upset victory over Brendan Schaub that earned him knockout of the night honors. His wrestling has always made him a difficult opponent for anyone but his latest win showed that he is dangerous in the striking game too.
This is an interesting clash of styles as the wrestling-heavy Rothwell could look to go to the ground against a very dangerous jiu-jitsu practitioner in Gonzaga.
Prediction: Rothwell via Decision
Daniel Sarafian vs. C.B. Dollaway
Odds: Sarafian -175, Dollaway +145
Daniel Sarafian will be making his anticipated UFC debut against veteran C.B. Dollaway.
Safarian was suppposed to make his UFC debut at UFC 147 in a fight for The Ulimate Fighter: Brazil title but ultimately had to pull out due to injury. Instead he’ll go against a fighter in Dollaway that has plenty of experience with a record of 6-4 in the UFC.
Sarafian is a dangerous prospect. He’s a compact middleweight for a penchant with submitting opponents and could find the notoriously suspect chin of Dollaway.
Prediction: Sarafian by TKO
Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping
Odds: Belfort -110, Bisping -120
Fans should love that this is the main event for a free card, it’s a pay-per-view worthy fight.
Belfort will make his return to middleweight after a failed attempt to capture the light heavyweight title against Jon Jones. Belfort is known for his ability to put opponents away early with his aggression so it will be interesting to see how the technical Bisping deals with Belfort from the opening bell.
Bisping catches a lot of flak for his brash personality, but he’s done a good job of backing it up lately. His fight with Chael Sonnen was much close than most anticipated and he defeated Brian Stann soundly.
Belfort fought admirably against Jon Jones and scored a solid win over Anthony Johnson recently, but Bisping appears primed for a title shot and continues to improve.
Prediction: Bisping by Decision
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