Tag: General MMA betting

Here I have provided all the UFC 119 Fight Information you will need to help aid your betting decisions.  Read over the fight predictions, odds, videos, and fighter profiles.

Fight Odds & Betting Lines

• UFC 119 Betting Odds
• MMA Betting Sites

UFC 119 Fight Card

• Full UFC 119 Fight Card

Pats Expert Predictions

• Quick UFC 119 Predictions Page

Detailed Fight Predictions

• Mir vs. Cro Cop
• Nogueira vs. Bader
• Serra vs. Lytle
• Sherk vs. Dunham
• Guillard vs. Stephens

UFC 119 Fighter Profiles

• Frank Mir
• Mirko Cro Cop
• Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
• Ryan Bader
• Matt Serra
• Chris Lytle
• Sean Sherk
• Evan Dunham
• Melvin Guillard
• Jeremy Stephens

UFC 119 Promo videos  

• UFC 119 Weigh-In Video
• UFC 119 Promo Video
• Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo Fight Video
• Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry Fight Video
• Antonio Nogueira vs. Luiz Cane Fight Video
• Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg Fight Video

Heavyweight Bout:  Frank Mir vs. Mirko Filipovic

Odds:  (-260 Mir / +200 Cro Cop )

Betting Pick:  Frank Mir

In the main event of the evening, PRIDE legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic returns to the Octagon to challenge former UFC Heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Cro Cop was once one of the most feared men in the world, but age and a lack of quality training have somewhat tarnished his shine. Mir, in the meantime, is in the midst of a career renaissance following a near-fatal motorcycle crash a few years ago. Still, Mirko is a dangerous striker with a wide variety of offensive weapons, and underestimating him is a great way to end up in a coma.

Cro Cop, who made a name for himself in K-1 and then as PRIDE’s foremost Heavyweight striker, is deadly with all four of his limbs from a wide variety of angles. As he once famously summed up the efficacy of his high kicks, “Right leg hospital, left leg cemetery.” In addition to his kicks, he also has devastating boxing and some of the best takedown defense in the history of the sport. What is troubling for him in this matchup, though, are the fact that age has depleted his speed and power, his questionable submission defense, and his historically spotty chin.

Mir, who is probably best known for snapping Tim Sylvia’s arm like a toothpick and his heated feud with current Heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, is one of the best submission fighters in the world at Heavyweight. Recently, though, he has looked like one of the best strikers in the division as well, tearing Lesnar apart in the boxing before getting taken down and destroyed and send Cheick Kongo to bed early with a huge punch to the chin. The only part of his game that is still lacking is his wrestling. On the ground he is a submission machine, but he has trouble making sure fights wind up there. Luckily it is no longer as important as it once was due to the exponential growth of his boxing and his huge punching power.

This is still an interesting fight, but Mirko is just too old and worn down to strike the kind of fear into his opponents that he did 5 years ago. If Mir gets this fight to the ground at any point, it will be over within 30 seconds, and Mirko will probably be going to physical rehab for the next year or so. Unfortunately for Cro Cop, he probably can’t even stand and box with Mir anymore, either. Mir has too much power and too much skill for the visibly slowed Cro Cop, and that spells disaster for the Croatian. Mir will drop Cro Cop with punches before submitting him with relative ease.

Prediction:  Frank Mir via second round rear naked choke.

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…

Heavyweight Bout:  Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Ryan Bader

Odds:  (+150 Nogueira /-180 Bader )

Betting Pick:  Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

In the co-main event, Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader will face another stiff test in the form of Top 10 Light Heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Nogueira looked like a monster in his UFC debut, completely destroying Luis Arthur Cane, but looked very shaky in his last fight, a controversial split decision victory over huge underdog Jason Brillz. Bader, in the meantime, has dispatched all of his professional opponents in fairly routine fashion, although Little Nog does represent by far his toughest challenge to date.

Ryan “Darth” Bader, the Ultimate Fighter Season 8 winner, has looked completely dominant in all of his fights thus far. An accomplished wrestler, Bader has excellent takedowns and a smothering top control game. Unlike many wrestlers of his caliber, though, he also has solid technical boxing with a lot of punching power to go along with his grappling attack. The big question mark for Bader heading into this fight is whether or not his submission defense is up to snuff with the rest of his game. The only competent submission fighter Bader has ever faced, Vinny Magalhaes, got knocked out too fast to really test Bader’s defense, and that is an unlikely scenario agaisnt Little Nog, who is quite a dangerous striker in his own right.

Little Nog, long considered a top 10 Light Heavyweight, is a very well-rounded fighter with crisp, accurate, powerful boxing and world-class submissions. There is no question that he is the technically superior striker in this fight, and that he will give Bader’s submission defense a tough test. In his last fight, though, he looked somewhat lost in the wrestling, getting physically controlled by the unheralded Jason Brillz. Anything Brillz can do, wrestling wise, Bader can do better, so Nog is going to need a better game plan this time if he wants to avoid getting ragdolled for 15 minutes.

In the end, I think that this is a good fight for Little Nog. Bader is primarily a wrestler, but he is willing to stand and box, and that plays into Little Nog’s hands for sure. Just as importantly, taking Little Nog down is a far cry from a guaranteed safe game plan. Bader’s submission defense has never really been tested at all, much less to the extent that Little Nog is capable of testing it, and Bader has never had to deal with someone as good at sweeping and escaping as Nog is, either. I just think Little Nog has too many ways to win this fight, and that makes him a very attractive underdog pick, especially considering how skewed the betting lines for this fight are shaping up to be. I think eventually Noguiera will show Bader that, while his wrestling and striking are coming along nicely, he is going to need top-notch submission defense to survive at the top of the division. Little Nog by submission.

Prediction:  Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via third round arm triangle choke.

• Bet on the UnderDog Lil Nog @+150  for the victory and give Bader his first loss.

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…

Welterweight Bout:  Matt Serra vs. Chris Lytle

Odds:  (+110 Serra / -140 Lytle )

Betting Pick:  Matt Serra

The third bout of the evening is a showdown between two long-time UFC veterans with very similar styles, as Chris “Lights Out” Lytle takes on former Welterweight champion Matt “The Terror” Serra. Both Lytle and Serra have excellent jiu-jitsu, and both have a willingness to let their hands go, too. This is one of the more interesting stylistic matchups in recent history, even if the fight itself is not at all important to the shape of the division.

Chris Lytle is, without question, one of the toughest men ever to fight in Mixed Martial Arts competition. In 51 professional bouts, he has never been knocked out or submitted. The only time he has been finished was with a TKO by way of cut. Lytle has pretty good boxing, although he does lack dangerous punching power. His best work, though, is done on the ground, where he is prolific at submitting his opponents. Serra is one of the best grapplers in the division, though, so it is interesting to see how well Lytle will be able to play the position game on the ground instead of just committing himself to submission attempts.

Matt Serra, who shocked the world by turning a win on The Ultimate Fighter’s comeback season into a Welterweight title reign when he put Georges St. Pierre away with a flurry of punches, is one of the most prolific submission experts in the UFC, and certainly one of the best at 170 pounds. As St. Pierre, Frank Trigg, and others have learned the hard way, though, it does not pay to underestimate his striking. His boxing is not very pretty or technical, and he has a very short reach, but when he connects with a big shot his opponent is in a world of trouble. Against Lytle, a guy who can probably neutralize his ground attack to a high degree, that is going to prove an invaluable asset.

Stylistically, this matchup favors Serra. Both guys are extremely effective on the ground, but Serra is probably a little bit better, and he has the added bonus of not having to worry about his opponent’s punching power, a luxury that Lytle will not be afforded. Just because Lytle has never been knocked out does not mean that it is a good idea for him to stand in front of Serra and let him throw power punches, and I think that will make the difference. Serra will be in the driver’s seat during the striking exchanges and will most likely be the one who dictates when and if the fight goes to the ground. Once it hits the mat, the two will probably cancel out each other’s submission games, so the takedowns and striking are going to decide this fight. Serra by decision.

Prediction:  Matt “The Terror” Serra via unanimous decision.

• We have another UnderDog in Serra @+110 for the Win.

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…

Lightweight Bout:  Sean Sherk vs. Evan Dunham

Odds: (+175 Sherk / -215 Dunham )

Betting Pick:  Sean Sherk

The evening’s second bout pits former Lightweight champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk against undefeated prospect Evan Dunham in a very important bout for the recently cloudy Lightweight title picture. Sherk has long been one of the most dominant Lightweights in the world, but Dunham has stepped up in competition repeatedly and has so far been equal to the challenge every time.

Dunham, coming off a big split decision win over Tyson Griffin and an armbar victory over Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero, is a very complete and dangerous fighter. A black belt in brazilian jiu-jitsu, Dunham has a very good submission game from every position, but he also has solid striking and wrestling to complement it. Still, Sherk is easily the best opponent he has ever faced, and more specifically the best wrestler by a massive margin, so it remains to be seen whether he has what it takes to stop Sherk’s dominant takedowns and top control game.

Sherk, who had a rather successful stint at Welterweight in addition to his Lightweight title reign, is one of the most determined and effective wrestlers in the sport. His boxing is actually very underrated and technically sound, although his effectiveness is hampered by his complete lack of reach. Still, Sherk’s best work has always been accomplished by taking people down and grinding out wins from top position, where he is extremely good at controlling position and avoiding submissions.

Dunham is a star in the making, but he is not ready for this large a step up in competition yet. He had some trouble in his last fight dealing with Tyson Griffin’s wrestling, and Sherk is going to be even harder for him to handle. Dunham won’t get steamrolled, but most of this fight will probably take place on the mat with Sherk in top position, and that is not good news for anyone he fights. Sherk by unanimous decision.

Prediction:  Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk via unanimous decision.

• Bet on Sherk @+175 for the upset win over Dunham.

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…