UFC 142 goes down this Saturday from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and though it doesn’t feature quite as epic a lineup as the UFC’s return to Brazil at UFC 134, the fact that the card has still maintained its two marquee match-ups is something to brag about, if only due to how cursed a card this has been. So if you, like Siyar Bahadurzada, Paulo Thiago, Stanislav Nedkov, and Fabio Maldanado, find yourself watching the action from the sidelines on Saturday night and suddenly in need of some extra dough, then we are here to help. Check out the betting lines below, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for some sound betting advice.
Preliminary Card
Antonio Carvalho (-225) vs. Felipe Arantes (+175)
Mike Pyle (-460) vs. Ricardo Funch (+340)
Yuri Alcantara (-195) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (+160) Sam Stout (EV) vs. Thiago Tavares (-140) Gabriel Gonzaga (-120) vs. Edinaldo Oliveira (-110)
UFC 142 goes down this Saturday from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and though it doesn’t feature quite as epic a lineup as the UFC’s return to Brazil at UFC 134, the fact that the card has still maintained its two marquee match-ups is something to brag about, if only due to how cursed a card this has been. So if you, like Siyar Bahadurzada, Paulo Thiago, Stanislav Nedkov, and Fabio Maldanado, find yourself watching the action from the sidelines on Saturday night and suddenly in need of some extra dough, then we are here to help. Check out the betting lines below, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for some sound betting advice.
Preliminary Card
Antonio Carvalho (-225) vs. Felipe Arantes (+175)
Mike Pyle (-460) vs. Ricardo Funch (+340)
Yuri Alcantara (-195) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (+160) Sam Stout (EV) vs. Thiago Tavares (-140) Gabriel Gonzaga (-120) vs. Edinaldo Oliveira (-110)
The Main Event: While there is little denying Jose Aldo’s dominance up to this point, a glaring factor leading into his fight with Chad Mendes is that he has NEVER EVER faced a wrestler as strong as “Money.” And though he’s brought in Gray Maynard to help him prepare for the Team Alpha Male standout, you can only catch up so quickly to a PAC-10 wrestler of the year who has achieved the rank of All-American as well. If Mendes wants to win this, it’s obvious that he’s going to have to take it to the ground, which is easier said than done against a guy like Aldo. Kenny Florian tried it for the majority of five rounds to little avail, but Mendes might just have a speed advantage over the champ which could allow him to put “Scarface” on his back early and often.
And of course, there is always that cardio factor to contemplate. We’ve seen Aldo go five rounds on multiple occasions, but he has shown a tendency to coast, if you will, in the championship rounds. Mendes, on the other hand, has yet to go five rounds, but has never looked even remotely tired in any of the eight decision victories he has collected in eleven fights. But Aldo will be fighting in front of his hometown crowd, so you can damn well rest assured that he’ll be trying to end things early and get back to the sex filled game of beach volleyball that is Brazilian life.
The Good Dogs: At first glance, it seems a little odd that Sam Stout would be billed as a slight underdog against Thiago Tavares, who has never been a man of consistency in his octagon career. But perhaps the bookies are basing Stout’s mindset heading into this one on that of his teammate, Mark Hominick, who didn’t exactly look like himself in his seven second knockout loss at the hands of Chan Sung-Jung. Personally, we’re not buying that, and think Stout should easily hand Tavares an ass whooping, though it won’t really net you much if he does.
Michihiro Omigawa also looks pretty tempting at +160; he showed some crisp, varied striking attacks in his most recent win over Jason Young, and should really be on a two fight win streak considering the fact that everyone but the judges knew he beat Darren Elkins at UFC 131. You could place a bet on Terry Etim if you feel so inclined, but there was little to take away from his 17 second guillotine of Edward Faaloloto (which was Etims first fight in nearly two years, BTW). We recommend you take any leftover cash you might have and make a side bet with your friends as to which limb of Mike Massenzio’s Rousimar Palhares is going to tear off, or how long he will hold the submission after the ref intervenes, or how early he will begin to celebrate, or…
Stay the Hell Away From: The Johnson/Belfort match, for obvious reasons. This is Johnson’s first fight in a weight class remotely close to the one he should be fighting in, and if he feared Dan Hardy’s hands enough to warrant a three round grapple fest, God knows what he’s going to do against a guy like Belfort. Just sit back and enjoy this one, because it ain’t going the distance. We were going to add the recently un-retired Gabe Gonzaga to this list, but if the man is good at one thing, it’s crushing relative unknowns (and we’re secretly praying that Oliveira comes down with a case of the octagon jitters). Also, Rousimar Palhares. Just stay away from him in general.
Official CagePotato Parlay: This one is tough, because a lot of the favorites are listed miles ahead of their competitors, so we’re going to have to stretch out our parlay if we want some real return.
Aldo + Barboza + Pyle + Palhares+ Gonzaga
50 bucks gets you $207.91 back. Not bad for a parlay composed entirely of favorites.
This Saturday night, Edson Barboza will head to his native country of Brazil to take on English submission specialist Terry Etim at UFC 142 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Quickly emerging as one of the lightweight division’s brightest young prospects, Barboza will look to extend his current undefeated streak to 10-0, with hopes of solidifying his place in the UFC’s stacked 155-pound title mix.
A product of The Armory Training Center in Florida, Barboza made his professional debut in 2009, reeling off six consecutive victories and capturing the Ring of Combat lightweight title before signing with the UFC in 2010. Utilizing crippling leg-kicks and precision striking, the Brazilian dispatched of Mike Lullo via TKO in his Octagon debut, which he followed up with back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances against Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson to improve his UFC mark to 3-0.
Now just days ahead of what will be his second homecoming in less than six-months, LowKick.com had an opportunity to speak with Barboza about this weekend’s match-up. Here’s what he had to say about his training at The Armory, his title aspirations, and how his striking stacks up against other UFC lightweights.
This Saturday night, Edson Barboza will head to his native country of Brazil to take on English submission specialist Terry Etim at UFC 142 from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Quickly emerging as one of the lightweight division’s brightest young prospects, Barboza will look to extend his current undefeated streak to 10-0, with hopes of solidifying his place in the UFC’s stacked 155-pound title mix.
A product of The Armory Training Center in Florida, Barboza made his professional debut in 2009, reeling off six consecutive victories and capturing the Ring of Combat lightweight title before signing with the UFC in 2010. Utilizing crippling leg-kicks and precision striking, the Brazilian dispatched of Mike Lullo via TKO in his Octagon debut, which he followed up with back-to-back “Fight of the Night” performances against Anthony Njokuani and Ross Pearson to improve his UFC mark to 3-0.
Now just days ahead of what will be his second homecoming in less than six-months, LowKick.com had an opportunity to speak with Barboza about this weekend’s match-up. Here’s what he had to say about his training at The Armory, his title aspirations, and how his striking stacks up against other UFC lightweights.
Only Jon Fitch managed to avoid a post-fight drug test at UFC 141. The only explanation that NSAC executive director Keith Kizer gave for this omission was that “he lost” Which begs the question — why were those nine other losers tested, then? Do you think Brock Lesnar and Nam Phan felt like pissing into cups after the beatings they took?
Only Jon Fitch managed to avoid a post-fight drug test at UFC 141. The only explanation that NSAC executive director Keith Kizer gave for this omission was that “he lost” Which begs the question — why were those nine other losers tested, then? Do you think Brock Lesnar and Nam Phan felt like pissing into cups after the beatings they took?
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com it was his understanding that the bond was not posted, therefore Overeem received a check for $385,714.28 — his bout fee and win bonus. Overeem will also earn a signficiant portion of UFC 141’s pay-per-view proceeds.
Golden Glory’s legal representation released a statement in response saying that they won’t give up so easily:
“This was a short-term possibility that KOI and Golden Glory were prepared for. Seeking the initial writ was merely the first step in a long-term litigation strategy that KOI and Golden Glory will prosecute in Nevada. The writ of attachment remedy remains fully available to my clients and will be sought as to Mr. Overeem’s future pay-per-view payout, which we expect will be more lucrative than his initial fight purse. Rest assured, now that we have had the opportunity to troubleshoot complex international hurdles – and without a long holiday weekend to contend with – future writs of attachment will be utilized to ensure that Mr. Overeem makes good on the commissions owed to my clients and his Golden Glory training team, who helped him achieve the success he now enjoys.”
Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer told ESPN.com it was his understanding that the bond was not posted, therefore Overeem received a check for $385,714.28 — his bout fee and win bonus. Overeem will also earn a signficiant portion of UFC 141′s pay-per-view proceeds.
Golden Glory’s legal representation released a statement in response saying that they won’t give up so easily:
“This was a short-term possibility that KOI and Golden Glory were prepared for. Seeking the initial writ was merely the first step in a long-term litigation strategy that KOI and Golden Glory will prosecute in Nevada. The writ of attachment remedy remains fully available to my clients and will be sought as to Mr. Overeem’s future pay-per-view payout, which we expect will be more lucrative than his initial fight purse. Rest assured, now that we have had the opportunity to troubleshoot complex international hurdles – and without a long holiday weekend to contend with – future writs of attachment will be utilized to ensure that Mr. Overeem makes good on the commissions owed to my clients and his Golden Glory training team, who helped him achieve the success he now enjoys.”
Nate Diaz: $149,000 (includes $37,000 win bonus, $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
def. Donald Cerrone: $105,000 (includes $75,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Johny Hendricks: $127,000 (includes $26,000 win bonus, $75,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
def. Jon Fitch: $60,000
Alexander Gustafsson: $32,000 (includes $16,000 win bonus)
def. Vladimir Matyushenko: $40,000
Jim Hettes: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
def. Nam Phan: $8,000
Total disclosed payout: $1,594,714.28 — 49% of which went to main eventers Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar.
The above figures do not include additional revenue from sponsorships, undisclosed “locker room bonuses”, and cuts of the pay-per-view revenue, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.
Nate Diaz: As ferocious as he looked against Donald Cerrone, part of me thinks that Nate is going to get rudely decisioned as soon as he goes back to facing wrestlers; guys like Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and Gray Maynard have already proved that putting Diaz on his back is his kryptonite. But I don’t want to see that happen, at least not right away. Next month’s UFC 144 event provides two compelling options for Nate’s next opponent — either the winner of the Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon scrap, or Ben Henderson if he loses his title challenge to Frankie Edgar. Either matchup would give Diaz an ideal dance partner for another guaranteed Fight of the Night.
Donald Cerrone: Not to steal the thunder from Diaz’s masterful performance, but Cerrone looked like shit on Friday. Sorry, it needed to be said. The highly technical fight-finisher that we’ve come to know and love was M.I.A., replaced by an outgunned cowpoke who was as sloppy as he was tentative. Cerrone needs a rebound fight to find his mojo again. Setting him up against fast-rising Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson would be a great test for both fighters. Either Cowboy gets back on track against a solid opponent, or Ferguson continues to prove that he’s more than just a TUF-guy.
(Come on, Fitch wasn’t out. He was just resting his arms.)
Nate Diaz: As ferocious as he looked against Donald Cerrone, part of me thinks that Nate is going to get rudely decisioned as soon as he goes back to facing wrestlers; guys like Clay Guida, Joe Stevenson, and Gray Maynard have already proved that putting Diaz on his back is his kryptonite. But I don’t want to see that happen, at least not right away. Next month’s UFC 144 event provides two compelling options for Nate’s next opponent — either the winner of the Anthony Pettis vs. Joe Lauzon scrap, or Ben Henderson if he loses his title challenge to Frankie Edgar. Either matchup would give Diaz an ideal dance partner for another guaranteed Fight of the Night.
Donald Cerrone: Not to steal the thunder from Diaz’s masterful performance, but Cerrone looked like shit on Friday. Sorry, it needed to be said. The highly technical fight-finisher that we’ve come to know and love was M.I.A., replaced by an outgunned cowpoke who was as sloppy as he was tentative. Cerrone needs a rebound fight to find his mojo again. Setting him up against fast-rising Ultimate Fighter 13 winner Tony Ferguson would be a great test for both fighters. Either Cowboy gets back on track against a solid opponent, or Ferguson continues to prove that he’s more than just a TUF-guy.
Johny Hendricks: Beating someone as high on the welterweight totem pole as Jon Fitch should put Hendricks “in the mix” and then some. But like Nate Diaz, he should have to win one more before it’s title-shot time. Give him the loser of Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit at UFC 143 and make him earn it the hard way.
Jimy Hettes: In one performance, Hettes went from regional phenom to early front-runner for Breakout Fighter of 2012. Now carrying the scalps of two TUF 12 cast-members (Alex Caceres and Nam Phan), it’s time to give the 24-year-old a step up against a veteran. If the UFC decides to keep around the struggling Tyson Griffin, he could be a perfect gauge of Jimy’s development — though I have a feeling that Hettes would stroll through him, too.
Dong Hyun Kim: Maybe getting steamrolled by Carlos Condit was the best thing that could have happened to him. The Stun Gun we saw on Friday — who broke the record for number of crane-kicks landed in a three-round fight — looked like a brand-new man, just as comfortable on his feet as he has been on the mat. More than ever, he’s still a force in the 170-pound division. Since Rory MacDonald is busy through the spring, I’d set Kim up against Brian Ebersole, who’s 3-0 in his current UFC campaign.
Jacob Volkmann: Volkmann should take his ideas and political passion and run for local office in Minnesota. That way, we wouldn’t have to see him fight or hear him speak ever again. “Glassectomy“? Ugh. Leave the comedy to the professionals, buddy.
