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Gambling Addiction Enabler: ‘UFC on FUEL TV: Gustafsson vs. Silva’ Edition

After what has been a long six weeks, a UFC event is finally on the horizon, Potato Nation. And thank Allah, because we were starting to get desperate. Like a Jencum addict without a balloon desperate. In either case, tomorrow night’s UFC on FUEL event provides the perfect opportunity for us to regret ever becoming gambling addicts in the first place, so let’s skip the bullshit and get right to it. Check out the betting lines, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for our advice on where to place your hard-earned cash. .

Main Card
Alexander Gustafsson (-220) vs. Thiago Silva (+180)
Brian Stann (-400) vs. Alessio Sakara (+325)
Paulo Thiago (-145) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (+125)
Dennis Siver (+150) vs. Diego Nunes (-170)
DaMarques Johnson (+140) vs. John Maguire (-160)
Brad Pickett (-230) vs. Damacio Page (+190)

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
James Head (+200) vs. Papy Abedi (-240)
Tom DeBlass (-200) vs. Cyrille Diabate (+170)
Magnus Cedenblad (+225) vs. Francis Carmont (-265)
Yoislandy Izquierdo (+190) vs. Reza Madadi (-230)
Besam Yousef (+250) vs. Simeon Thoresen (-300)
Jason Young (-185) vs. Eric Wisely (+160)

Here we go…

The Main Event: Given all the praise Gustafsson has been receiving as of late, combined with the fact that Thiago has been out of action for over a year now, the spread is a bit closer than we would have imagined. It might be due to Gustafsson’s recent list of victims, which includes the now retired Matt Hamill and the 41-year old Vladimir Matyushenko, or it could be attributed to the fact that we’ve yet to see Gustafsson’s chin really tested. Given Silva’s well documented power, he’s not a terrible choice if you’re looking to go balls out, but we’re going to stick with “The Mauler” here. He’s undoubtedly quicker than Silva and a smarter fighter to boot. He should have this, more than likely by way of second round GnP TKO.

The Good Dogs: At first glance, Siver looks pretty good as a slight dog. He’s coming off a tough loss to Donald Cerrone, however, prior to that he put together an impressive four fight win streak over good to mid-range competition. But when you take into account that he’s making his featherweight debut, and took two tries to make weight, he could be in for a long night against Nunes, who will likely hold the speed advantage over the German. It’s a tough call, but should be a great fight no matter which way it goes. Just for the heck of it, we’ll place a small bet on Siver, because the man has looked Goddamn brilliant in most of his victories.

And speaking of great fights, look no further than the Paulo Thiago/Siyar Bahadurzada scrap, which has FOTN written all over it. Thiago has been struggling as of late, recently rebounding from a two fight losing streak by decisioning David Mitchell back at UFC 134, but is one tough SOB in victory and defeat. Bahadurzada, on the other hand, has been on a killing spree over the past three years, scoring five wins by way of (T)KO in his current six fight win streak. The fact that he’s making his UFC debut does not tilt the scales in his favor, nor does the fact that Thiago has never been finished before, but like we said, it all comes down to how much you’re willing to lose. If that number is relatively high, a side bet on Bahadurzada is more than justifiable. Just keep him out of your parlay.

Looking over the rest of the card, one name that pops out is Damarques Johnson, who is coming off an impressive KO victory over a less than impressive opponent in Clay Harvison. We’ve only seen Maguire fight once in the UFC, on the other hand, and though he demonstrated a great grappling base when he decisioned Justin Edwards at UFC 138, he has yet to face anyone with as much experience as Johnson. If “Darkness” can keep it standing, look for him to end this one early. The fact that Cyrille Diabate is listed as a significant underdog to an injury replacement opponent on less than a week’s notice in Tom DeBlass should tell you the direction that one’s going to go. Steer clear.

The Sure Thing: Brad Pickett. Damacio Page hasn’t fought since his rematch with Brian Bowles at UFC Live 3 in which he was choked out at the exact same time he was choked out in their first meeting. He’s got some decent power, but is simply too one dimensional to handle a seasoned veteran like Pickett, whose only losses in the past five years have come to top contenders in Scott Jorgensen and Renan Pegado.

Prelim Steal: Reza Madadi, who more than lives up to his nickname.

Official CagePotato Parlay: Gustafsson + Stann + Pickett + Carmont + Madadi

Suggested wager for a $50 stake
-$20 on the parlay
-$5 on Silva
-$5 on Siver
-$10 on Bahadurzada
-$10 on Johnson

-J. Jones

Brian Stann Puts Michael Bisping on Notice

(Seconds after becoming the world’s first active-duty UFC Champion, Brian Stann happened to witness a gang of streetwise thugs kidnapping WWE superstar John Cena’s wife. And now he won’t stop until until the streets…are safe again. Brian Stann IS The Marine 2: The Actual Marine .)

We’re not going to suggest that Brian Stann might be looking past his upcoming UFC on FUEL TV 2 bout with Italian striker Alessio Sakara, because here at CP, we don’t just jump to conclusions. But granted Stann is successful come April 14th, he already has his next opponent in mind. And believe it or not, it’s Michael Bisping. When asked on the subject of dream opponents by EsNewsReporting, Stann was quick to reply:

Michael Bisping. I wouldn’t try to do anything but walk straight through him with a right hand. Here’s the deal: I don’t know Michael personally, sometimes I think he gets a bum rap and I’ve learned not to judge people off the media and things of that nature. After my last fight he had a few comments about my technique and who I was as a fighter that I thought were a little odd. He called me a ‘white belt’ and said that I was ‘exposed’ so I’d love to see him put his money where his mouth is. We can fight and we can solve that. He may be a great guy, I don’t know, and maybe he is, but I would just like to compete against him since he made those comments.

Both Bisping and Stann are coming off losses to number one middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, the only difference being that Stann succumbed to a second round arm triangle choke at UFC 136 and Bisping dropped a controversial decision at the second UFC on Fox event. Like we said, if Stann makes it by Sakara, who has been a gatekeeper of sorts in his UFC career, a match with Bisping would make perfect sense, don’t you think?

Whether Stann is looking past Sakara or not remains to be seen, but you can definitely tell that Bisping has gotten inside the former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion’s head. Sure, Alessio hasn’t fought in nearly a year, forced out of bouts with everything from ACL tears to bad tuna fish sandwiches, and sure, Sakara’s jaw will probably be to reduced to ash when Stann’s fist finds it. But the fact that he’s already got Bisping on his mind says something about the Brit’s “world renowned” trash talking abilities, and he hasn’t even started yet. A word to the wise Brian, no good comes from looking past an opponent.

NO GOOD.

Check out the full video interview below.

-J. Jones

Brian Stann Hired as Analyst for Future UFC on FOX Events

Props: @BrianStann

If nothing else, at least the commentary will be much better for UFC on FOX 3 than the organization’s previous attempts on the network.

Those of you who tuned in for UFC on FUEL: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger more than likely left impressed by Brian Stann’s commentary throughout the evening. Already known for his ability to produce the most professional responses during interviews at will, Brian Stann seamlessly transitioned to the role of analyst. Stann was very confident while analyzing the fights, handling his first commentary gig like it was just another day at the office. Needless to say, the impressive showing granted him a role as an analyst for future UFC on FOX events.

The UFC’s attempts to give fighters active roles as commentators during UFC on FOX broadcasts have seen mixed results. The organization’s debut on FOX saw Brock Lesnar do a great job in both analyzing the fights and promoting his upcoming bout with Overeem. However, when Lesnar lost that fight and subsequently retired, the UFC could not continue to use him. It attempted to fill the void he left with UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and Light-Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.

Props: @BrianStann

If nothing else, at least the commentary will be much better for UFC on FOX 3 than the organization’s previous attempts on the network.

Any momentum that Randy Couture built with his solid commentary during UFC on FOX 2 was completely destroyed by Jon Jones’ nightmarish performance. From blatantly reading his “analysis” (perhaps “his” analysis is more appropriate) of the fights to nervously laughing his way through questions about Rashad Evans, Jones couldn’t have done a worse job at earning new fans for both himself and the UFC if he choked out Curt Menefee and refused to check on him. At least Evans seemed to enjoy Jones’ performance, albeit for the wrong reasons.

Before Stann’s next commentary gig, he has a fight against Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL 2. That fight goes down on April 14th in Stockholm, Sweden.

Booking (Rumor) Roundup: Svedish Edition

(Ain’t that the truth.)

Yesterday, the UFC announced that its second UFC on FUELTV event was set to transpire in Stockholm, Sweden, prompting fight booking rumors to materialize faster than an Ikea entertainment center. First off, a clash between middleweight strikers Brian Stann and Alessio Sakara is apparently in the works, and promises to be what JR would call, “a good old fashioned slobber knocker.”

After putting together a three fight win streak between 2008 and 2010, “Legionarius” has not fought since dropping a unanimous decision to last minute replacement and fast rising middleweight contender Chris Weidman at UFC Live 3. Sakara was set to face Jorge Rivera on two separate occasions, at UFC 118 and 133, but was forced to pull out from both fights due to some bad fish and a torn ACL, respectively. Stann similarly saw a three fight streak snapped at UFC 136, when he was dominated on the mat by Chael Sonnen en route to a second round arm triangle submission. Given Sakara’s somewhat suspect chin, you gotta imagine this match is Stann’s to lose.

When the UFC first announced the location of this event, there were a couple of names, mainly Alexander Gustafsson and Papy Abedi, that most figured would have to be included on the card. Though “The Mauler” has yet to be given an opponent, Abedi has already been booked to take on James Head. Abedi will be looking to rebound from a first round submission(!) loss to Thiago Alves in his UFC debut back at UFC 138 when he takes on Head, who is also coming off an unsuccessful octagon debut. The Oklahoma native was choked out by Nick Ring in the third round of their UFC 131 battle.

(Ain’t that the truth.)

In other fight booking news, Shane Roller will be stepping in for an injured Cody Mckenzie to take on TUF 12 alum Michael Johnson at UFC on Fox 2, and bantamweight contender Dustin Poirier is set to face UFC newcomer Max Holloway, who is replacing the injured Ricardo Lamas, who was replacing the injured Erik Koch. Sheesh. Not that we have anything against Holloway, but we really can’t wish the best for any fighter with the audacity to carry the nickname “Lil Evil,” because every time we hear that phrase, we are reminded just how far the real “Lil Evil” has fallen. And that makes us sad pandas.

UFC on FUELTV 2 goes down April 14th at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

-Danga

Jorge Rivera vs. Alessio Sakara Finally Happening at UFC 133

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe much-delayed fight between Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara is finally going to happen at UFC 133.

“Better late than never, verbal agreements are in for what should be an action-packed match between Alessio Sakara and Jorge Ri…

Filed under: UFC, News

The much-delayed fight between Jorge Rivera and Alessio Sakara is finally going to happen at UFC 133.

“Better late than never, verbal agreements are in for what should be an action-packed match between Alessio Sakara and Jorge Rivera at UFC 133,” UFC President Dana White said in the promotion’s announcement.

UFC 133 hasn’t been formally announced, but it’s expected to take place on August 6 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

UFC on Versus 3 Live Blog: Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman Updates

Filed under: UFCLOUISVILLE, Ky. – This is the UFC on Versus 3 live blog for Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman, a middleweight main-card bout at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Ky.

Sakara (15-7, 1 NC, 6-4, 1 NC UFC), who trains at American …

Filed under: UFC

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – This is the UFC on Versus 3 live blog for Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman, a middleweight main-card bout at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville, Ky.

Sakara (15-7, 1 NC, 6-4, 1 NC UFC), who trains at American Top Team, comes into the bout with a three-fight winning streak. He knocked out James Irvin last March at the UFC’s first Live on Versus card. Sakara has been on the shelf for nearly a year, despite several booked bouts, due to his father’s death, an injury and a bad case of the flu at UFC 122 in November.

Weidman (4-0) is Sakara’s third opponent for the card – Maiquel Falcao and Rafael Natal both pulled out with injuries. An All-American wrestler at Hofstra, Weidman trains with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra in New York and is Ring of Combat’s middleweight champion.