Tag: General MMA betting

UFC Heavyweight Bout:  Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva

Odds:  ( +125 Hunt / -155 Silva )

Betting Pick:  Hunt

Bet on this fight at Bovada

In the main event of UFC Fight Night 33, two of the Heavyweight division’s most effective sluggers will go toe to toe as former Strikeforce champion Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva squares off against against former K1 World Grand Prix champion Mark Hunt. These are two huge, powerful men who are more than willing to let their hands go and more than capable of absorbing punishment, so this has all the makings of an exciting main event.

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, despite losing three of his last five fights, is nonetheless one of the most formidable Heavyweights in the world. What makes Bigfoot unique in the Heavyweight division is that he hits way harder than most grapples and grapples far better than most strikers. He isn’t the best in the Heavyweight division at either, but very few Heavyweights have the same versatility and ability to end fights standing and on the ground. Against Hunt, though, he is going to have to be careful. Hunt has a chin of granite and is shockingly difficult to take down for a kickboxer, so Silva is going to have to be careful to make sure he doesn’t leave himself open to Hunt’s strikes while trying to set up his offense.

Mark Hunt is a former K1 World Grand Prix champion and one of the most decorated Heavyweight kickboxers ever to compete in MMA. While Hunt was always a force to be reckoned with, he spent much of his career getting decidedly mixed results. Since debuting in the UFC, though, Hunt has shown that he is a long way from over, having won four of his last five fights with the only loss coming to former Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos. Silva is a good matchup for Hunt in a lot of ways, in that he is not a particularly quick fighter and he is usually willing to engage in slugfests. Hunt just has to keep Silva from taking him down, because he is neither mobile nor accomplished enough to do much off his back with Silva on top of him.

Ultimately, I think this matchup favors Hunt. He’s hard to take down and Silva is a lumbering opponent. On the feet, Hunt hits harder and has a better chin. I don’t think it will take long for this to devolve into a slugfest, and Hunt is better equipped to survive and finish than Silva. Hunt by T/KO.

Prediction: Mark Hunt by second round T/KO.

To Add a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds. Check out my review of Bovada here…

UFC Welterweight Title Bout:  Geroges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks

Odds:  ( -280 St-Pierre / +220 Hendricks )

Betting Pick:  St-Pierre

Bet on this fight at Bovada

In the main event of UFC 167, UFC Welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Georges “Rush” St. Pierre will put his title on the line against surging contender Johny Hendricks. St. Pierre has dominated the UFC Welterweight division for years with his dominant wrestling and top control, but Hendricks has blazed his way to a title shot with solid wrestling of his own and devastating punching power. If St. Pierre wants to avoid a repeat of the nightmare he experienced against Matt Serra, he’s going to need to show off some of the dynamic striking he used to rely on more.

Johny Hendricks has put himself into title contention with a combination of close, grinding wins and spectacular knockouts. Hendricks is a tough, durable fighter with solid wrestling and good takedown defense. What separates him from the pack at Welterweight, though, is his devastating power punching. St. Pierre is by far the sport’s most dominant wrestler, and Hendricks is going to have to be on point stuffing his takedowns, but St. Pierre has been notoriously shy about getting punched since his loss to Serra, and if Hendricks can stuff a few takedowns and make St. Pierre pay with strikes, he will be in a great position to win this fight.

Following Anderson Silva’s recent loss to Chris Weidman, Georges St. Pierre has cemented himself atop the MMA pound-for-pound list. With one minor aberration aside, St. Pierre has ruled the Welterweight division with an iron fist for years. There is nothing that St. Pierre can’t do at a top level, but he has become increasingly reliant on grinding out wins with unstoppable takedowns and positional control. It is not always the most exciting thing to watch, but it is undeniably effective. No one has found an answer for St. Pierre’s wrestling yet, and he has destroyed other wrestlers, top strikers, and world-class grapplers with equal efficiency. Against Hendricks, who has good takedown defense and one-punch knockout power, St. Pierre will need to be careful in extended engages on the feet. He also needs to time his takedown attempts well, because if he gets stuffed and hit on the way out, he might find himself in trouble.

Johny Hendricks is definitely a top Welterweight and quite possibly a future UFC champion, but picking against St. Pierre is a fool’s bet. Until someone can keep St. Pierre from taking them down literally at will, he is not going to lose a fight if he fights for control. St. Pierre has utterly outwrestled multiple wrestlers as effective as Hendricks, and I don’t see Hendricks being able to keep this fight standing long enough to be effective. St. Pierre will ground and pound him through five long rounds en route to a unanimous decision.

Prediction:  Georges St-Pierre by Unanimous Decision.

To Add a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds. Check out my review of Bovada here…

UFC Welterweight Title Bout:  Geroges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks

Odds:  ( -260 St-Pierre / +200 Hendricks )

Betting Pick:  St-Pierre

Bet on this fight at Bovada

In the main event of UFC 167, UFC Welterweight champion and pound-for-pound king Georges “Rush” St. Pierre will put his title on the line against surging contender Johny Hendricks. St. Pierre has dominated the UFC Welterweight division for years with his dominant wrestling and top control, but Hendricks has blazed his way to a title shot with solid wrestling of his own and devastating punching power. If St. Pierre wants to avoid a repeat of the nightmare he experienced against Matt Serra, he’s going to need to show off some of the dynamic striking he used to rely on more.

Johny Hendricks has put himself into title contention with a combination of close, grinding wins and spectacular knockouts. Hendricks is a tough, durable fighter with solid wrestling and good takedown defense. What separates him from the pack at Welterweight, though, is his devastating power punching. St. Pierre is by far the sport’s most dominant wrestler, and Hendricks is going to have to be on point stuffing his takedowns, but St. Pierre has been notoriously shy about getting punched since his loss to Serra, and if Hendricks can stuff a few takedowns and make St. Pierre pay with strikes, he will be in a great position to win this fight.

Following Anderson Silva’s recent loss to Chris Weidman, Georges St. Pierre has cemented himself atop the MMA pound-for-pound list. With one minor aberration aside, St. Pierre has ruled the Welterweight division with an iron fist for years. There is nothing that St. Pierre can’t do at a top level, but he has become increasingly reliant on grinding out wins with unstoppable takedowns and positional control. It is not always the most exciting thing to watch, but it is undeniably effective. No one has found an answer for St. Pierre’s wrestling yet, and he has destroyed other wrestlers, top strikers, and world-class grapplers with equal efficiency. Against Hendricks, who has good takedown defense and one-punch knockout power, St. Pierre will need to be careful in extended engages on the feet. He also needs to time his takedown attempts well, because if he gets stuffed and hit on the way out, he might find himself in trouble.

Johny Hendricks is definitely a top Welterweight and quite possibly a future UFC champion, but picking against St. Pierre is a fool’s bet. Until someone can keep St. Pierre from taking them down literally at will, he is not going to lose a fight if he fights for control. St. Pierre has utterly outwrestled multiple wrestlers as effective as Hendricks, and I don’t see Hendricks being able to keep this fight standing long enough to be effective. St. Pierre will ground and pound him through five long rounds en route to a unanimous decision.

Prediction:  Georges St-Pierre by Unanimous Decision.

To Add a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds. Check out my review of Bovada here…