Tag: General MMA betting

Here are my Picks for WEC 53.  I have write ups for The Main and Co-Main event and will have the other 3 main card fights up shortly.  Along with my Quick Picks for the Prelims.

WEC 53 Betting Odds

 

Main Card

Ben Henderson over Anthony Pettis via Unanimous Decision.

• Henderson vs. Pettis Prediction Page.

Dominick Cruz over Scott Jorgensen via third round TKO.

• Cruz vs. Jorgensen Prediction Page.

Donald Cerrone over Chris Horodecki via Unanimous Decision.

Kamal Shalorus over Bart Palaszewski via Unanimous Decision.

Zhang Tie Quan over Danny Downes via second round T/KO.

 

Preliminary Card

Sportsbook.com Odds

Jamie Varner over Shane Roller via Unanimous Decision.

Ivan Menjivar over Brad Pickett via second round T/KO.

Eddie Wineland over Ken Stone via first round T/KO.

Will Kerr over Danny Castillo via Unanimous Decision.

Yuri Alcantara over Ricardo Lamas via submission.

Renan Barao over Chris Cariaso via submission.

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

Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis

Odds:  (-210 Henderson /+170 Pettis )

Betting Pick:  Henderson

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

In the main event of the evening, Lightweight champion Benson Henderson will look to defend his WEC title one last time before the impending merger with UFC. Standing in his way is well-rounded contender Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, who would like nothing more than to steal Henderson’s thunder and head into the big show with a title belt and a lot of momentum.

Pettis is as well-rounded as they come, with dynamic and powerful striking, solid wrestling, and extremely good submissions. The only loss of his career was a razor-thin split decision against tough veteran Bart Palaszewski. There are no big gaping holes in his game, and he can finish fights at any time, no matter where they wind up.

Henderson, the champion, is riding a ten fight win streak courtesy of dominant wrestling and submissions, especially his guillotine choke. Henderson has fought the WEC’s best at Lightweight and escaped without a scratch so far. No one has been able to stop his extremely powerful and athletic grappling game, and anyone who tries to take him to the ground tends to pay for it by being choked unconscious.

This fight, like all of Henderson’s other fights, is going to depend on whether or not Pettis can prevent Henderson from taking him down and controlling him. In short, the answer is no. Henderson is too fast, too strong, and too athletic to be stopped by Pettis, and he will wear him down on the ground before eventually choking him out for the submission win.

Prediction:  Ben “Smooth” Henderson via third round rear naked choke.

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

Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

Odds:  (-260 Cruz /+200 Jorgenesen )

Betting Pick:  Cruz 

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

In a huge bantamweight showdown, 135 pound champion Dominick Cruz will look to defend his title and his world #1 ranking against tough challenger Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen. Cruz has never lost at Bantamweight, but Jorgensen is riding a big win streak and has a very dangerous ground game. The winner of this fight will be crowned the first ever UFC bantamweight champion.

Jorgensen, who has put together five straight wins, is a very tough grappler who can control opponents with his wrestling or finish them with dangerous submissions. His standup is neither dangerous nor powerful, but he has solid defense and a good chin and is notoriously difficult to finish. He is going to be at a disadvantage in the striking game, and so he is going to have to try to force his takedowns past Cruz’s defense, which might prove a difficult proposition.

Cruz, the concensus world #1 Bantamweight, is a very tough and well-rounded guy. A solid technical boxer with good power, great wrestling, and solid ground and pound, Cruz is dangerous in every range. What makes him so tough to deal with is his defense. While he is a good offensive threat, he is not a prolific finisher, but he is very hard for opponents to control in any way and that helps him take fights over.

This is an interesting stylistic matchup. Both guys have solid wrestling and ground games, but Cruz is definitely the better striker while Jorgensen has better submissions. I think Cruz has to be the favorite here, though, just because fights start on the feet and Jorgensen is going to have to try to force takedowns, which is going to put him at risk. Jorgensen is tough and Cruz is not a great finisher, so this one will probably go the distance, but I expect that Cruz will handily win the striking and nullify Jorgensen’s wrestling en route to a unanimous decision.

Prediction: Dominick Cruz via Unanimous Decision. 

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