UFC 186 Fight Card: Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

UFC 186 has had its troubles, but it finally hits Montreal this weekend.
Headlining the action will be a flyweight title tilt between champion Demetrious Johnson and No. 7-ranked contender Kyoji Horiguchi.
Also on the card will be the return of Quinton…

UFC 186 has had its troubles, but it finally hits Montreal this weekend.

Headlining the action will be a flyweight title tilt between champion Demetrious Johnson and No. 7-ranked contender Kyoji Horiguchi.

Also on the card will be the return of Quinton Jackson. Rampage was previously pulled from the card after Bellator was awarded an injunction, but a judge overturned that decision this week.

Three other bouts line the main card in this Saturday’s pay-per-view. It will not be the most stacked action with heavy implications, but the bouts could deliver some exciting fights.

The main card is not a treasure trove of potential upsets for bettors to take advantage of, but there may still be some worthwhile action on the card. Where may you find it? That is what we will look at in this piece.

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Michael Bisping on Weidman: ‘I Would Take That Belt off Him in a Heartbeat’

Michael “The Count” Bisping never lacks strong opinions. 
Speaking with MMAJunkie.com ahead of his UFC 186 bout against C.B. Dollaway, Bisping discussed his matchup and other key upcoming tilts in the middleweight division. 
The UFC’s 185-pou…

Michael “The Count” Bisping never lacks strong opinions. 

Speaking with MMAJunkie.com ahead of his UFC 186 bout against C.B. Dollaway, Bisping discussed his matchup and other key upcoming tilts in the middleweight division. 

The UFC’s 185-pound class was recently showcased on national television at UFC on Fox 15, where No. 1 middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza submitted Chris Camozzi in the night’s co-main event, and top-five middleweights Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Luke Rockhold squared off in the main event.

Like Jacare, Rockhold blitzed his foe, scoring a submission victory in the second round after rocking Machida twice in Round 1. Unfortunately for both winners, the UFC has yet to commit to the next middleweight title challenger. Both Jacare and Rockhold showed up and took care of business in impressive fashion, and now, the organization must weigh its options to determine the next title contender. 

To Bisping, the choice is Rockhold, and he believes Rockhold could give current champion Chris Weidman fits inside the Octagon. Per MMA Junkie’s Rick Lee at a UFC 186 media luncheon Monday, Bisping said:

Rockhold and Weidman, listen, I’m not convinced on Weidman yet, I’m sorry. I know he’s getting a little smug up there the longer he’s the champion. It’s starting to go to his head a little bit, you know? I would take that belt off him in a heartbeat, and I’d probably favor Luke in that fight.

Since Bisping believes he’d snatch Weidman‘s belt “in a heartbeat,” it comes as no surprise that he also believes he has the tools to take care of Dollaway on Saturday evening in Montreal. 

“I’m going to look to put him away as fast as possible and in as entertaining a fashion as possible,” Bisping said. “Dollaway hasn’t got the best chin, I’m just going to throw it out there. I think once I start connecting with Dollaway, he’s going to be in trouble.

“After a while, he’s going to realize, ‘Man, I can’t win this fight,’ and he’s going to crumble. He’s going to crumble and he’s going to let me win this fight.” 

Dollaway, of course, disagrees with Bisping. While he is coming off a devastating knockout loss to Machida at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Dollaway, the former Arizona State wrestler is confident in his skill set. He sees a victory against Bisping in his future, and he knows exactly what he must do to achieve it. 

“I’m not going to give you details about [my fight plan for Bisping], but we have a way to take him down,” Dollaway told Fox Sports Arizona’s Alexa Tieu. “I just want to prove that I belong in the title picture and I know a win over Michael Bisping will put me back in that title picture. An impressive victory will leap frog me up there.” 

Currently, Dollaway is ranked No. 11 in the UFC’s official rankings, while Bisping sits one spot ahead at No. 10. 

As such, it’s a little premature to talk about either man as a title challenger. Even with a highlight-reel finish at UFC 186, it’s hard to picture either fighter getting a title shot without at least one or two more victories. 

Neither man has ascended to the top of the middleweight division during their lengthy UFC stints, but both have come close. Dollaway‘s matchup against Machida, should he have pulled out the victory, likely would have put him in a No. 1 contender’s bout for the championship. 

Bisping, meanwhile, is never far from title talks. He’s confident in himself, and he’s unafraid to speak his mind, generating significant buzz and publicity for himself every time he gets on a roll inside the cage. Like Dollaway, should Bisping have won his last fight against Rockhold at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping, we may be talking about him as a title contender right now. 

As it stands, though, both men desperately need a victory at UFC 186 to stay relevant in the UFC’s ever-deepening middleweight division. Even with a win, a future title shot is no guarantee, but a loss almost certainly closes the book on that opportunity. 

Who do you favor in this matchup? Is Dollaway‘s wrestling enough to take Bisping to the ground and control him there? Will Bisping take Dollaway to school on the feet?

Sound off, and we’ll discuss Saturday’s co-main event. 

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Bisping Focused on Dollaway but More Than Happy to Shut Jacare Up

Michael Bisping has never been one to shy away from confrontation.
The brash Brit has made a career out of talking the talk in the lead up to fight night then backing up the bantering when the cage door closes on fight night. The 36-year-old’s unique a…

Michael Bisping has never been one to shy away from confrontation.

The brash Brit has made a career out of talking the talk in the lead up to fight night then backing up the bantering when the cage door closes on fight night. The 36-year-old’s unique approach has made him one of the most captivating fighters on the UFC roster for nearly a decade, and made The Ultimate Fighter season-three winner a popular target for call outs from his fellow fighters in the middleweight fold.

That particular trend continued last week when surging contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza‘s manager did an interview where he claimed Bisping had turned down the chance to face the Brazilian grappling machine at UFC on Fox 15 in Newark, New Jersey. The former Strikeforce champion’s original opponent Yoel Romero was forced off the card with injury one week out from the event, which forced the promotion to scramble to find an 11th-hour replacement.

The UFC would go on to tap veteran Chris Camozzi to fill in for the American Top Team product, but Souza‘s manager suggested this only came to pass when Bisping—who is slated to face C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186 on April 25—declined the fight. Shortly after the news spread throughout the MMA community The Count took to social media to debunk the story and shared his thoughts on the matter at hand. 

The perennial middleweight contender was sure to make clear that although his focus is and has always been on The Doberman in the lead-up to their tilt in Montreal, he would be more than happy to slate settling his business with Souza as the next item on his agenda.

“I found it kind of funny that here I am fighting C.B. Dollaway, and it’s been no secret that this card has taken its knocks,” Bisping told Bleacher Report. “Why would the UFC want to remove the co-main event from a card that has already endured its fair share of setbacks? The UFC never came to me. They never offered me the fight and I certainly never turned it down. I’m focused on C.B. Dollaway, but let’s be honest both Jacare and his manager did provide a little distraction.

“If they think for one second I’m intimidated by Jacare, they are crazy. I’m going to smoke C.B. Dollaway in Montreal and if the UFC wants to book it, I’m down for a quick turnaround and I’ll shut that Brazilian up.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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UFC on Fox 15 Results: 5 Fights for Ronaldo Souza

The UFC middleweight division continues to grow more interesting with each fight. Chris Weidman sits at the top, with a number of challengers pushing him to take the title.
Ronaldo Souza is ranked in the No. 1 position, but the UFC can supplant him wit…

The UFC middleweight division continues to grow more interesting with each fight. Chris Weidman sits at the top, with a number of challengers pushing him to take the title.

Ronaldo Souza is ranked in the No. 1 position, but the UFC can supplant him with Luke Rockhold after his recent performance. With that in mind, here are some fight suggestions that will keep Jacare active and near the top of the weight class.

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UFC on Fox 15 Results: 5 Fights for Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida suffered a vicious defeat at the hands of Luke Rockhold during the main event of UFC on Fox 15 Saturday night. The former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger was stopped via submission for the second time in a car…

Lyoto Machida suffered a vicious defeat at the hands of Luke Rockhold during the main event of UFC on Fox 15 Saturday night. The former light heavyweight champion and middleweight title challenger was stopped via submission for the second time in a career that has spanned 12 years. The UFC will have to find other ways to keep The Dragon active, and these are some fight suggestions to do so.

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Jacare’s Manager Says Bisping Turned Down Fight, ‘The Count’ Denies Claim

UFC President Dana White has publicly stated on several occasions it is difficult finding fighters who are willing to face Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Apparently, Michael Bisping is on the list of those who have no interest in meeting “The Alligator” …

UFC President Dana White has publicly stated on several occasions it is difficult finding fighters who are willing to face Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. Apparently, Michael Bisping is on the list of those who have no interest in meeting “The Alligator” inside the cage. 

Or at least that’s the story coming from Souza’s camp. Bisping, on the other hand, says such an offer never came his way.

After the former Strikeforce middleweight champion turned UFC contender’s upcoming opponent Yoel Romero was forced out of their co-main event tilt at UFC on Fox 15 due to injury, the promotion set about scrambling for a replacement. The UFC was intent to keep the Brazilian grappling ace on the card in Newark, New Jersey, and offered the fight up to a multitude of middleweights. Per a report from Combate (h/t Lucas Rezende of Bloody Elbow), Souza specifically asked for Bisping to be moved into the fight, but allegedly, “The Count” wasn’t having any of it.

The feared submission artist’s manager, Gilberto Faria, told the news site the brash-talking Brit declined the offer to fight Souza at UFC on Fox 15 and decided to keep his upcoming bout with C.B. Dollaway at UFC 186 on April 25 intact. With Bisping putting in a full training camp to face “The Doberman” in Montreal, Souza’s camp thought he would be the ideal choice but claim The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 winner had different feelings on the matter.

Ultimately, the UFC tapped gritty veteran Chris Camozzi to the Octagon, and the Colorado native will get his rematch and shot at redemption this Saturday night in Newark.

Faria had this to say, per Rezende:

I think Chris Camozzi showed he is a warrior to take on Jacare like that. I’m actually surprised with his attitude, because he’s getting in trouble. I asked for Michael Bisping, because he’s fighting on the same week as Jacare, but Bisping doesn’t want any of it. He is always talking about how he wants to get to the top and fight for the belt, but when the opportunity presented itself, he didn’t want to fight. If he beats Jacare, he fights for the belt next, but he didn’t want to take the risk, he prefers to fight C.B. Dollaway.

It didn’t take long for news of Bisping supposedly turning down the fight with Souza to spread across the MMA community. Word of the situation eventually reached the scrappy Englishman, who wasted no time posting his response to the claims made against him. The perennial middleweight contender took to his Instagram account (h/t Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting) to shed light on how things did or didn’t go down in regard to fighting Souza.

Bisping is adamant he never received a call from the UFC about fighting Souza, claiming that, had that offer actually come his way, it is one he would have taken. He even went as far as challenging Souza to step into the Octagon once their respective fights are done, and he made it clear he would be up to settling their business once the Brazilian powerhouse is ready to get back into the cage.

Bisping posted this to his Instagram account, via Cruz:

Jacare’s manager has said I turned down a fight with Jacare. And now it is the headline on all the MMA websites. ‘Bisping was offered Jacare fight but turned it down’ that is complete b——t. The fight was never offered, the UFC didn’t talk to me at all. I have signed a contract to fight in Montreal on the 25th but if the UFC asked me, I would of done it. Just like I have every time the UFC asked me to step up.

Jacare is a great fighter, but his manager doesn’t need to tell lies to make him sounds like a bad ass. Have a word with him Jacare, he’s full of s–t. Oh, and by the way. When we both get these fights out the way, let’s do it!

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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