Tag: General MMA betting

Below are my UFC 123 Picks.  I have full write ups on the Main Card and Quick Picks for the Prelims.  Read over the Predictions and see which fights interest you.  Also check out my UFC 123 Information page to help with your betting decisions.

UFC 123 Betting Odds

Lyoto Machida over Rampage Jackson via Unanimous Decision.

• Machida vs. Jackson Prediction Page.

BJ Penn over Matt Hughes via Unanimous Decision.

• Penn vs. Hughes Prediction Page.

Gerald Harris over Maiquel Falcao Goncalves via second round T/KO.

• Harris vs. Goncalves Prediction Page.

George Sotiropoulos over Joe Lauzon via Unanimous Decision.

• Sotiropoulos vs. Lauzon Prediction Page.

Phil Davis over Tim Boetsch via first round T/KO.

• Davis vs. Boetsch Prediction Page.

Mark Munoz over Aaron Simpson via seconr round T/KO.

• Munoz vs. Simpson Prediction Page.

 

UFC 123 Preliminary Quick Picks

 

 Sportsbook.com Odds

• Brian Foster over Matt Brown via unanimous decision.
• Edson Barboza over Mike Lullo via second round T/KO.
• Tyson Griffin over Nik Lentz via unanimous decision.
• Karo Parisyanover Dennis Hallman via unanimous decision.
• Paul Kelly over TJ O’Brien via unanimous decision.

UFC Light Heavyweight bout: Phil Davis vs. Tim Boetsch

Odds:  (-625 Davis /+425 Boetsch )

Betting Pick:  Davis

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

In what promises to be an entertaining Light Heavyweight bout, IFL veteran Tim Boetsch will square off against former NCAA Division 1 National wrestling champion Phil Davis. Boetsch has had mixed results in the octagon, but is a very tough guy with effective Muay Thai and a good clinch game. Davis, for his part, is a physically gifted wrestler with good striking and submissions, so Boetsch is going to have his hands full here.

Tim Boetsch burst onto the UFC scene with an exciting win over David Heath in which he memorably threw Heath on his head like a ragdoll. Since then he has basically alternated wins and losses, but he is a dangerous opponent for anyone because he is a large, strong Light Heavyweight with very effective and versatile striking. The biggest impediment to his success is his cardiovascular conditioning, as he tends to gas out relatively quickly.

Phil Davis has no cardiovascular problems at all. A dominant wrestler with a stifling top game, good punching, great ground and pound, and effective submissions, Davis has it all. The only real question mark he brings into the ring is how well his chin will hold up, since it has never been sorely tested.

Honestly, it is unlikely that Boetsch will have much for Davis. He has a chance to do some damage in the standup, but it is unlikely that Davis will spend much time trading shots with him. I expect Davis to overwhelm Boetsch physically with his superior strength and wrestling, taking him down and working him over before finishing him once Boetsch gasses out. Davis by T/KO.

Prediction:  Phil “Mr Wonderful” Davis via first round T/KO.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC Light Heavyweight bout:   Quinton Jackson  vs. Lyoto Machida

Odds:  (+215 Jackson / -275 Machida )

Betting Pick:  Lyoto Machida

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com 

In the main event of the evening, two former Light Heavyweight champions, both coming off losses, will try to reinsert themselves into the title picture as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faces Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida. Machida tasted defeat for the first time in his last fight, while “Rampage” saw his return to the ring spoiled by Rashad Evans. Both of these guys are still firmly at the top of the division, though, so all it would take is a win here to put either of them back in the title picture.

Rampage, who became a star in Japan’s PRIDE organization and later captured the UFC Light Heavyweight title by knocking out Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, is a very dynamic fighter with great wrestling, great submission defense, a solid chin, and extremely heavy hands. While he tends to not use his offensive wrestling very much, he is very good in the clinch and nearly impossible to take down. Usually, he prefers to stand and let his hands go, something he does to very great effect. He has a ton of punching power, and his accuracy and handspeed are pretty good too. Still, to survive against a striker of Machida’s caliber, he is going to want to score some takedowns and control range with the clinch as much as possible.

Machida is definitely one of the premier strikers in the world. Although he was knocked out in his last fight by Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, there is no denying the effectiveness of Machida’s kickboxing or how difficult he is to hit. To go with his striking he has a very underrated submission game. That said, on the ground underneath Rampage is not where he wants this fight to take place. As always, he would rather turn this into a technical kickboxing match where he can backpedal and counterpunch until he finds an opening.

This is going to be a hard fought match, because Machida is hard to get a hold of and Rampage is hard to put away. Rampage is the more versatile fighter, but Machida’s style is frustrating and Rampage showed he can be taken off his game in the Rashad fight. I think Machida should take this one with superior footwork, movement, and hand speed. Machida by decision.

Prediction:  Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida via Unanimous Decision.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…