Tag: michael bisping

UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort — Live Results & Commentary


(“And *that’s* what I think of your wife’s titties. Yeah! Boo me, bitches! BOO MEEEEEEEEEEEE!” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this gallery, click here.)

In the breakneck world of the UFC, a six-week hiatus between events feels like an eternity. But absence makes the heart grow fond, and if you’re anything like us, you’re super freakin’ pumped to watch some fights tonight. It doesn’t matter that the UFC light-heavyweight champion is defending his belt against a middleweight in a PRIDE New Year’s Eve-caliber squash match, or that the flyweight championship co-main event will very likely go to decision, or that Michael Bisping is the biggest asshole east of the Atlantic. Because when you add those guys up — and toss in Brian Stann, featherweight fight-finisher Charles Oliveira, and the return of Matt Hamill — you’ve got one of the most talent-rich UFC main cards of the year. Thanks, Jon.

Handling our liveblog for the UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort pay-per-view broadcast is beloved CagePotato feature writer Jim Genia, who will be stacking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and tell us what you’re drinking in the comments section.


(“And *that’s* what I think of your wife’s titties. Yeah! Boo me, bitches! BOO MEEEEEEEEEEEE!” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this gallery, click here.)

In the breakneck world of the UFC, a six-week hiatus between events feels like an eternity. But absence makes the heart grow fond, and if you’re anything like us, you’re super freakin’ pumped to watch some fights tonight. It doesn’t matter that the UFC light-heavyweight champion is defending his belt against a middleweight in a PRIDE New Year’s Eve-caliber squash match, or that the flyweight championship co-main event will very likely go to decision, or that Michael Bisping is the biggest asshole east of the Atlantic. Because when you add those guys up — and toss in Brian Stann, featherweight fight-finisher Charles Oliveira, and the return of Matt Hamill — you’ve got one of the most talent-rich UFC main cards of the year. Thanks, Jon.

Handling our liveblog for the UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort pay-per-view broadcast is beloved CagePotato feature writer Jim Genia, who will be stacking round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and tell us what you’re drinking in the comments section.

UFC 152 preliminary card quick results:
– Vinny Magalhães def. Igor Pokrajac via submission (armbar), 1:14 of round 2
– TJ Grant def. Evan Dunham via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Sean Pierson def. Lance Benoist via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Marcus Brimage def. Jimy Hettes via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Seth Baczynski def. Simeon Thoresen via KO, 4:10 of round 1
– Mitch Gagnon def. Walel Watson via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:09 of round 1
– Kyle Noke def. Charlie Brenneman via TKO, 0:45 of round 1

Greetings, Potato dudes.  It is I, Jim Genia, about to render you some UFC 151 livebloggery.  You ready for some MMA jibber-jabba?

First up: Cub Swanson vs. Charles Oliveira

Swanson was more or less a ham-and-egger during his tenure in the WEC, but he’s been looking good in the Octagon of late.  Oliveira, meanwhile, failed to make the featherweight cutoff by 0.2 pounds, so it’s okay to call him “Fatty” for this bout.

Round 1: Both men start off be feeling each other out with various kicks and punches, with Oliveira’s reach advantage apparent from the outset.  The Brazilian gets a takedown before a minute passes, but Swanson’s guard is solid and in no time the WEC vet is back on his feet.  If that brief turnabout instills Swanson with any confidence of his chances on the ground, his power on the feet makes it all irrelevant.  The American blasts Oliveira with a left hook body blow, and a few second later he wings an overhand right to the eye socket that drops the Brazilian like a sack of potatoes (tenuous pun intended).  That’s all she wrote.

Cub Swanson def. Charles Oliveira via KO (Punch) at 2:40, Round 1.

Next: Matt Hamill vs. Roger Hollett

TUF veteran Hamill – the toughest deaf dude around – returns from retirment to take on the Canadian Hollett, whose claim to fame is almost getting ganked by Bellator’s rigorous fighter contracts.  Question: how does Hamill choose his walkout music?  Okay, I’m going to hell.

Round 1: Hamill comes out aggressive, chasing his foe down with jabs and low-kicks.  It takes nearly a minute for Hollett to lose the deer-caught-in-the-headlights look and fire back with a right hand of his own, but someone stepped into this cage with a boatload of confidence, and it ain’t the Canadian.  The chase continues, with Hamill landing about six strikes for every one of Hollett’s.  The TUFer gets the takedown with a minute and a half left in the round, and after dumping Hollett onto the canvas, he wrestler-rides him and peppers the turtled fighter nonstop with a barrage of short punches.  Hollett makes it back to his feet with ten seconds left and nails the American in the gut with a punch, and then the bell rings.

Round 2: Hollett comes out pretty stiff, but Hamill just stands there, so the UFC rookie throws a few single punches and a spinning back-kick.  A minute and a half in, Hamill rushes forward and easily gets the takedown, but nothing really happens while he’s in Hollett’s guard, and the Canadian kicks him away and stands.  Hamill looks winded – did his barrage in the first round tire him out?  Hollett gains in confidence, and when it becomes apparent that Hamill is less-than-dangerous, Hollett opens up a little more with his punches (and he even throws another spinning back-kick).  The pace slows even more, with Hamill looking like he didn’t know this bout was slated for three rounds so he trained only for one.  He does get another takedown in the waning seconds of the round, but, blah.  The bell rings.

Round 3: Hamill comes out moving forward a little more, and after a minute passes, he shoots for a double-leg and succeeds in getting his foe down near the cage.  Hollett rolls to his knees and turtles again, so again the American rides him and feeds him some love-taps.  With a little over two minutes left Hollett gets back to his feet, but Hamill shoots for another takedown and we’re left wondering if the Canadian spent too much time training spinning kicks and not enough time wrestling.  Not much output by Hamill in terms of ground and pound from top position, but when referee Dan Miragliotta stands them, Hamill effortless gets Hollett down.  Time runs out with Hamill huffing and puffing while delivering the kind of punches from above that would instill fear in no man.  Regardless, it’s pretty obvious who deserves the decision.

Matt Hamill def. Roger Hollett via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Next: Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann

Bisping, a TUF 3 winner and the UFC’s resident mouthy Brit, is about to do the man-dance with Stann, who’s a strong puncher, a former WEC champ, and is most famous for being a member of the G.I. Joe team.

Round 1: As soon as Bruce Buffer announces that this bout is sponsored by Corn Nuts (“Corn to the core!”), expectations for fireworks are suddenly high.  The bout begins with Stann coming forward, Bisping circling out to his opponent’s weak side, and then some huggery against the cage.  They seperate about a minute and fifteen seconds in, and for about a minute they stand in front of each other and display some sweet boxing punches and footwork.  The Brit tries to mix things up with a takedown attempt – which Stann expertly stuffs – and then to two ding each other with kicks tot he man-berries.  After a brief pause they resume the bangfest, and after Bisping fails another takedown attempt, he eats a knuckle sandwich that wobbles him.  He survives to the bell.

Round 2: Bisping is clearly the better boxer technically, but Stann’s got the edge in power, so after about thirty seconds have passed in the second he goes for – and succeeds in getting – a takedown.  He lands in side-control, yet the dominant position yields no fruit and Stann reverses him.  The two scramble and wind up on their knees, and the Brit briefly gains the upper-hand with front head-control before they return to their feet.  With thirty seconds left Bisping nails another takedown, dumping the American onto his back, and the round ends with Bisping trying to land some big leather from above.

Round 3: Forty seconds into the third round sees Bisping getting another takedown, but Stann pops back up and feeds the Brit a right hand.  The TUF winner can clearly win on points if he can maintain the pressure with his takedowns and his jab, but Stann’s got the power to turn his thick Cockney accent into something Professor Higgins would be proud of, so anything can still happen.  Does the American manage to find the KO?  No.  Thanks to a three more takedown attempts, two of which are successful, Bisping is able to avoid slumber, and when time runs out it’s no stretch to imagine the Brit did enough to take it.

Michael Bisping def. Brian Stann via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Postfight, Bisping gives props to his opponent, stating that Stann is a “tough son of gun”.  Joe Rogan strokes him re: his cardio, and Bisping says that he’s hungry.  “This is mah time.”  Then he asks Rogan if he “laks dags”, and tries to sell him a Perriwinkle blue trailer.  Or something.

Next: Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson

It’s time for the first-ever UFC flyweight championship bout, with Benavidez and Johnson vying for a belt that probably weighs more than they do.  Seriously, Frank Mir has eaten more than their combined poundage in one sitting, so ascribe value to this fight accordingly.

Round 1: Benavidez takes the center of the Octagon and Johnson flits about like a yellowjacket, wary of the Team Alpha Male reps power while he tries to give him his sting.  Johnson succeeds in tagging him with a left, and after some brief (but furious) wrestling clinchwork, they continue to zoom about.  After Johnson hits him a right hand, Benavidez turns up the heat with his wrestling – clearly trying to slow his foe down.  With about three seconds left in the round, Benavidez rolls for an ill-advised kneebar, and Johnson pegs him with one hammerfist before the bell rings.

Round 2: Johnson continues to be an elusive ball of movement, and when Benavidez manages to tie him up in the opening seconds of the second round, Johnson is able to stifle every attack.  When they reset, Benavidez does score here and there with the occasional kick and punch, divining where his opponent will be with probably skill mixed with magic.  At the three-and-a-half minute mark Benavidez flubs a takedown, Johnson shucks him off and gets behind him briefly, and Benavidez manages to score in the final seconds.

Round 3: Benavidez keeps up the pressure and tries to land something heavy, and “Mighty Mouse” doesn’t let up in zooming in and out.  A right hand by Johnson manages to open a small cut near Benavidez’s eye, and at the three-minute mark Benavidez gets Johnson down for all of .4 seconds before they’re back on the feet.  Johnson nails him with another solid punch before the round ends – which probably earns him the round.

Round 4: Benavidez blasts Johnson with a right hand 45 seconds into the fourth, and he pounces on the fallen fighter and sinks a tight guillotine from mount.  Johnson survives, though, and swivels into a heelhook attempt.  Benavidez defends and gets back on top, but Johnson escapes back to his feet and winds up on top briefly when Benavidez whiffs a throw.  A seconds later they’re back on their feet, and Johnson flips the script and gets a takedown of his own, then another.  The round ends with Johnson in side-control.

Round 5: The final round, and I’d say it’s nigh-impossible to know for sure who’s ahead on points.  Forty seconds in and Johnson gets a double-leg takedown, and when Benavidez gets back up to his feet, Johnson dumps him down again.  But again they stand, and we’re back to the lightning-like delivery of strikes.  Johnson gets another takedown about a minute later – his ability to change levels making all the difference in the world.  Benavidez keeps looking for that stunning punch or kick, and he even goes for a fruitless takedown attempt of his own, and the clock runs down to zero with the crowd booing and Benavidez unable to hit Johnson with anything with meaning.  So who is the UFC’s inaugural 125-pound king?

Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)

Postfight, and Rogan asks him if winning is everything he expected.  Johnson says Benavidez is a great opponent, that “it means the world”, and that he did his job.

Next, the main event: Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort

UFC light-heavyweight demigod Jones earned his belt by destroying the best in the division.  Belfort earned this shot at the belt because Dan Henderson is old and damn his old knee and UFC 151 being cancelled.  Boo!

Round 1: Jones comes out in his usual crouch and Belfort responds by trying to kick him in the head (!).  The champ stands, plants a side-kick on Belfort’s knee, and almost effortlessly takes the Brazilian down.  However, before Jones can mount any offense, Belfort swings into an armbar from the guard, and sweet Jesus does he almost get it.  “Bones” defends, and after some work, manages to slip out of it.  From within Belfort’s guard, Jones delivers punishment, rendering him bloody while fending off two more armbar attempts.  The round clearly goes to Jones, but damn was that initial armbar close.

Round 2: Belfort starts off the second round winging a high-kick, while Jones seems to find joy by keeping the Brazilian on the end of his low side-kick.  The length of the champ’s limbs are most certainly presenting the challenger with a riddle, and though Belfort is able to fire off a couple more high-kicks and throw some punches to the body, the riddle remains unsolved.  With about a minute and a half left in the frame, Belfort pulls guard, but aside from a triangle choke attempt with only a few scant seconds left on the clock, neither man really hurts the other.

Round 3: Jones keeps up the long-distance onslaught with his kicks, and a minute into the round he lands one to the body that crumples the Brazilian.  Jones delivers an axe-kick to the body, but again, from within Belfort’s guard, he does nothing and they end up back on their feet.  With two minutes left, Belfort pulls guard, yet all Jones can seem to do is pass to half-guard and grind him half-heartedly.

Round 4: Belfort has about five seconds of pep in him, and he uses it to throw a high-kick and a few flashes of leather.  But he pulls guard and Jones doesn’t hesitate to slide into side-control, where he deftly applies the keylock that earns him the tap out.  Jones defends his belt.

Jon Jones def. Vitor Belfort via Submission (Keylock) at :54, Round 4

Postfight, and Jones says “he got that armbar in every way, shape and form… But I worked too hard to give up.”  He goes on to say he was going to let it break.  “It was numb.”  How does the win feel with all the adversity?  “It feels great…  I really feel like a stronger young man talking to you today.”

Rogan gives kudos to Belfort, too.  Says Belfort, the arm “was cracking and popping.”  The Brazilian alludes to a training injury that factored in to him dropping from that kick to the body.  Then Jones and Belfort join in and praise God together, and toss Watchtowers into the audience.

 

That’s it for me, amigos.  Adios, and don’t forget to tip your waiter.

UFC 152: Who Is on the Hot Seat?

The “hot seat” is a term commonly used in other sports to describe a person’s place on the team. For a starting player they could be in danger of losing their starting gig or a head coach may be close to getting fired. Most of these situations are the …

The “hot seat” is a term commonly used in other sports to describe a person’s place on the team. For a starting player they could be in danger of losing their starting gig or a head coach may be close to getting fired.

Most of these situations are the result of years of frustration from fans. In the case of fighters in the UFC, the hot seat can heat up after just one fight. It’s a predicament that many of the competitors on Saturday night’s show may find themselves in if they don’t have a good showing.

In the UFC you must provide production or you can quickly find yourself either on the prelims or even out of the company all together. Although some of these guys aren’t likely to fall that hard if they lose, it is a real possibility for others.

Everyone from the main-event fighters to the preliminary competitors needs to bring it or they will start to feel the sweat from sitting in the hot seat.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 152 Fight Card: Michael Bisping Will Beat Down Brian Stann

Over the last few years, Michael Bisping has been called one of the most overrated fighters in the world pretty frequently. Fans have been left wondering why Bisping has cracked the top five of most middleweight rankings without beating a legitimate to…

Over the last few years, Michael Bisping has been called one of the most overrated fighters in the world pretty frequently.

Fans have been left wondering why Bisping has cracked the top five of most middleweight rankings without beating a legitimate top ten opponent, and his detractors are quick to point out that Bisping’s only UFC losses have come against well known opponents with a lot on the line.

Still, despite his lack of high profile wins Bisping has remained in the UFC’s middleweight title picture for the majority of his career at 185, and this weekend he will finally earn the victory he’s needed to become a possible contender for Anderson Silva’s belt.

Brian Stann is a dangerous opponent for almost anyone in the middleweight division, and his punching power is going to force Bisping to fight to the best of his abilities this weekend. But ultimately Stann remains a one-dimensional striker that ‘The Count’ should be able to defeat.

If there’s been one legitimate knock on Bisping it’s been his somewhat susceptible chin, as he’s been rocked by solid right hands landed by everyone from Yoshihiro Akiyama to Jorge Rivera.

However, only Dan Henderson has packed the punching power to put Bisping away, and while Stann may possess the same one punch knockout ability as Hendo, he isn’t nearly as good as forcing the fight to take place on his terms.

While Henderson thrives at taking the fight to his opponent and has little concern about being taken down due to his superior wrestling game, Stann has a lot more trouble when the fight hits the mat and he can’t afford to completely let his hands go if he wants to remain upright against Bisping.

Bisping is likely going to want to strike in this fight—as he does in nearly every fight he’s in—but if Stann gets reckless with his strikes the opportunity is going to be there for Bisping to either get the fight to the ground or attempt to land a counter shot of his own.

Both on the mat and on the feet, Bisping is going to have an advantage in this fight and as long as he is able to keep Stann uncomfortable in the stand up department by mixing up his game this fight won’t even make it the distance.

Expect Bisping to win the first round with a combination of outworking Stann both on the feet and the mat; before finding his range in the second round and opening up with his punches.

Stann always has the threat of a knockout in his pocket, but Bisping will be able to avoid the big shot and eventually score a TKO stoppage of his own.

Chael Sonnen admitted that Bisping hits incredibly hard, and over his last few fights ‘The Count’ has gotten much better at generating power behind his punches.

That hard work will pay off this weekend—in a big way.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

[VIDEO] Full UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort Press Conference


(We hate to admit when Bisping is right, but we’re suddenly more interested in this fight than those little flyweights.) 

After that old man Dan Henderson ruined our chances of seeing Jon Jones fight someone at least in his weight class at the time at UFC 151, another old man/lion hybrid stepped up when nobody else would, resulting in a much better card and a much needed break heading into this weekend’s UFC 152 event.

And now that you’ve all sufficiently recharged your batteries and disposed of the last of your paychecks, check out a full video of the UFC 152 pre-fight press conference after the jump. As you can see, the staredown between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann gets pretty gosh darn intense for a couple men in three thousand dollar suits. Meanwhile, it appears that Jones has apparently stolen Dave Herman’s beard in an attempt to hide his chin from the dynamite hands of Vitor Belfort. Very clever, Greg. Very clever.

Full video after the jump. 


(We hate to admit when Bisping is right, but we’re suddenly more interested in this fight than those little flyweights.) 

After that old man Dan Henderson ruined our chances of seeing Jon Jones fight someone at least in his weight class at the time at UFC 151, another old man/lion hybrid stepped up when nobody else would, resulting in a much better card and a much needed break heading into this weekend’s UFC 152 event.

And now that you’ve all sufficiently recharged your batteries and disposed of the last of your paychecks, check out a full video of the UFC 152 pre-fight press conference after the jump. As you can see, the staredown between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann gets pretty gosh darn intense for a couple men in three thousand dollar suits. Meanwhile, it appears that Jones has apparently stolen Dave Herman’s beard in an attempt to hide his chin from the dynamite hands of Vitor Belfort. Very clever, Greg. Very clever.

Full video after the jump. 


(The conference starts at the 13:35 mark.)

This is probably one of the last times we’ll ask you, Potato Nation, so who you got and how?

–J. Jones

UFC 152 Open Workouts Recap: Michael Bisping 1, Heckler 0 [VIDEO]

To say the we like to have our fun at Michael Bisping’s expense would be like saying that Muhammad Ali liked to have his fun at Joe Frazier’s expense. Bisping is a polarizing figure in every sense of the word and one who is not likely to back down in the face of adversity. Therein lies his appeal. So if we could offer any advice to the Bisping haters out there, it would be to stifle said hatred when in “The Count’s” actual presence. Otherwise, you could quickly find yourself on the wrong end of a verbal (not to mention physical) beatdown in the near future.

Take this guy for instance:

As one can deduce from a basic ocular patdown — Skull t-shirt? Check. Dyed hair/soul patch/spray tan combo? Check. A faux gold chain draped over said skull t-shirt? Chiggity check yourself before you wreck yourself, Cotton — this guy knows A LOT about MMA. Hence his decision to heckle Bisping from the crowd during his UFC 152 open workout.

It did not go well.

To say the we like to have our fun at Michael Bisping’s expense would be like saying that Muhammad Ali liked to have his fun at Joe Frazier’s expense. Bisping is a polarizing figure in every sense of the word and one who is not likely to back down in the face of adversity. Therein lies his appeal. So if we could offer any advice to the Bisping haters out there, it would be to stifle said hatred when in “The Count’s” actual presence. Otherwise, you could quickly find yourself on the wrong end of a verbal (not to mention physical) beatdown in the near future.

Take this guy for instance:

As one can deduce from a basic ocular patdown – Skull t-shirt? Check. Dyed hair/soul patch/spray tan combo? Check. A faux gold chain draped over said skull t-shirt? Chiggity check yourself before you wreck yourself, Cotton – this guy knows A LOT about MMA. Hence his decision to heckle Bisping from the crowd during his UFC 152 open workout.

It did not go well.

“It takes more than two punches to win a belt,” the gentlemen we shall now refer to as “The Shituation” called out, clearly an acolyte of Freddie Roach.

“Oh yeah, cause you’d know. Where’s your belt, big boy?” Bisping responds, which is really the only response any fighter ever has to give a heckler with love handles.

And before Shituation can even begin to roll up his sleeves and reveal his wicked sweet tribal tats, Bisping hits him with the figurative one-two punch, which in this case is daring the guy to take a one-two punch from Bisping:

“Hey I can do a couple warmup rounds if you want to jump in. Let’s see how big your balls are, son.” Bisping challenges. The crowd appropriately gives the Brit his due credit with a collective “Awww snap!”

At this point, the heckler continues to pursue without actually stepping up and taking his medicine and is promptly escorted out of the building to the cheers of everyone else in attendance. On the Joe Rogan Scale of Heckler Annihilation, we give “The Count” and 8.5 out of 10. His performance would have been flawless had he decided against taking a final shot at The Shituation on his way out:

“You’re the tough guy, you got the Afflicition shirt on!” Bisping shouted before being wrangled back in by his boxing coach Jason Parillo. It’s a solid burn, one that is actually taken directly from the master’s playbook, but it loses some of its punch when you consider that Bisping is sponsored by the company he was just shitting on.

Bisping later claimed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that he only threw the man out because he was irritating Parillo, which, whatever. Bisping 1, Heckler 0.

And speaking of earning some fans, skip ahead to the 5 minute mark of the video to see Jon Jones jovially interacting with the pro-Belfort Brazilians in the crowd. He even goes in for the high five on one of them only to pull away at the last second. Cool as a cucumber, this guy is.

Waitaminute…Bones Jones and Michael Bisping both avoided yet another public relations nightmare and came across as likable dudes? On the same day?

–J. Jones

Gambling Addiction Enabler: UFC 152 Edition


(Oh, jeez. Has Michael seen this poster yet? He is gonna be piiiisssed.)

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

You know that saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well, such is the case with UFC 151’s trash (which coincidentally resembles the remnants of a totaled Bentley) and UFC 152’s treasure. And those of us who were smart enough to recognize a curse when we saw one and purchase our tickets accordingly will reap the rewards of the 151 fallout by being treated to two title fights on the very same card. Suck it, over-saturation!

This Saturday night, the GAE will attempt to go where no other MMA blog/website/”professional MMA gambler”(my favorite) has gone before, a perfect 4-0 generating plus money dating back to UFC 148. So follow us after the jump as we try to navigate through the good, the bad, and the ugly betting lines of UFC 152: Jones vs Belfort (courtesy of BestFightOdds).

Charlie Brenneman (-225) vs. Kyle Noke (+185)

I feel that the Spaniard will be able to get this fight to the mat and establish himself as the dominant fighter. Hovering around -225, the line is appealing when you examine how Kyle Noke has lost his last two UFC bouts coupled with how Charlie has found victory throughout his UFC career (Ed note: Except here). This fight falls into the good category for betting lines and Brenneman will find his way into my parlay as the well priced favorite here.


(Oh, jeez. Has Michael seen this poster yet? He is gonna be piiiisssed.)

By Dan “Get Off Me” George

You know that saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well, such is the case with UFC 151’s trash (which coincidentally resembles the remnants of a totaled Bentley) and UFC 152’s treasure. And those of us who were smart enough to recognize a curse when we saw one and purchase our tickets accordingly will reap the rewards of the 151 fallout by being treated to two title fights on the very same card. Suck it, over-saturation!

This Saturday night, the GAE will attempt to go where no other MMA blog/website/”professional MMA gambler”(my favorite) has gone before, a perfect 4-0 generating plus money dating back to UFC 148. So follow us after the jump as we try to navigate through the good, the bad, and the ugly betting lines of UFC 152: Jones vs Belfort (courtesy of BestFightOdds).

Charlie Brenneman (-225) vs. Kyle Noke (+185)

I feel that the Spaniard will be able to get this fight to the mat and establish himself as the dominant fighter. Hovering around -225, the line is appealing when you examine how Kyle Noke has lost his last two UFC bouts coupled with how Charlie has found victory throughout his UFC career (Ed note: Except here). This fight falls into the good category for betting lines and Brenneman will find his way into my parlay as the well priced favorite here.

Walel Watson (-200) vs. Mitch Gagnon (+170)

Hometown underdog Mitch Gagnon will be looking for his first UFC win against another good favorite here in Walel Watson. Watson lost his first ever professional MMA fight via submission, but since then has avoided being submitted and has been in the octagon with fighters of a much higher pedigree than Gagnon. While Mitch has a large list of submissions victories and an impressive UFC debut under his belt, Watson seems like the only fighter of the two that has the ability to win this fight both on the feet and on the ground, and is another solid parlay pick as well.

Seth Baczynski (-150) vs Simeon Thoresen (+130)

This fight is sitting around pick’em status with Thoresen as the slight underdog. Seth has a few submission losses on his record, but has a well-rounded ground game that may be the deciding factor considering Thoresen’s striking game is simply not at the level of the “Polish Pistola.” Add in the fact that Thoresen is fighting for the first time in North America and going after the underdog line could prove to be a bad decision. I am much more comfortable looking at the prop that this fight does not go the distance. Thoresen’s last five fights have not seen the judges cards while Baczynski has only been to a decision once in his last five fights.

Jimmy Hettes (-440) vs Marcus Brimage (+350)

File this one under the ugly. Jimmy Hettes is the right favorite, but the price is simply too high and not worth the risk to your parlay. Brimage is talented and beat a well respected Maximo Blanco his last time out, but the minute Brimage finds himself locked up with Hettes, he will most likely be on his back defending submission attempt after submission attempt. Marcus will not be easy to put away, but I do believe Hettes will win here, potentially submitting Brimage in the process.

Sean Pierson (+145) vs Lance Benoist (-165)

A fun fact here is that both fighters have been on the winning side of the cards in exciting fights against Matthew Riddle. Pierson is a veteran of the Canadian martial arts scene and will be looking to come back strong after losing via KO to Jake Ellenberger the last time he fought in Toronto. Since then, however, Pierson has gone 1-1, splitting a pair of UD’s to Dong Hyun Kim and Jake Hecht. Benoist is the younger fighter and the favorite, but Pierson is worth a look as the underdog and may find himself on the end of a favorable (think Nick Ring/Court McGee) decision win here. It’s Pierson or nothing for me. Not a parlay fight, but a look that the fight goes the distance may be the safest bet.

Evan Dunham (-185) vs TJ Grant (+160)

Not to sound like “that guy,” but Evan Dunham has only really ever lost to Melvin Guillard; his decision loss to Sean Sherk is perhaps the worst decision I have seen in UFC history. Dunham seems to have the advantage in the stand up game here and I think he uses his skills to keep this fight standing while out striking Grant en route to a decision victory. Grant will not be a walk in the park; he is well rounded and has the ability to push this fight to the cards like he has done with Hendricks, Kim, and Almeida in past losing efforts. The line sitting at around -200 for Dunham, however, is too alluring to pass up. Dunham for the win and fight goes the distance are both solid picks.

Igor Pokrajac (-175) vs Vinny Magalhaes (+155)

I will take the bad favorite here and suggest Igor keeps this fight standing, possibly finishing Vinny at some point during the contest. Everyone and their cat knows that if this fight goes to the ground Igor is in big trouble, and while Vinny has the ability to submit anyone, he also seems to be at a marked disadvantage when fighting stand up (Ed note: Vinny’s striking did look much improved in his last fight. Just sayin’.). The -200 territory that Igor is able to stop the takedown is bad, mainly because he seems to welcome the ground game in his fights which could be his undoing here. Lay your money on the prop that the fight does not go the distance because this one ends in either KO or submission before the end of the third.

Cub Swanson (+200)vs Charles Oliveira (-240)

Cub is tough fighter to figure out and while he has managed to put together two straight wins, there seems to be a ceiling that he cannot break through. It is easy to pick Oliveira here based on the assumption that he will finish Swanson via submission (like Lamas did), but with so few underdogs worthy of picking, I prefer to stay away from this favorite hovering around -250. The prop that the fight does not go the distance feels right as I do not believe that Oliveira and Swanson will waste any time trying to finish each other (Greg Jackson game plan aside).

Matt Hamill (-365) vs Roger Hollett (+305)

On one side, Hamill is coming off a year long retirement from MMA (so a vacation, I guess?), while on the other side, you have a relatively unknown fighter coming in on short notice to fight the man he was supposed to have fought before pulling out due to injury. Anyone else confused? The line on Hamill is just fugly, too many unanswered questions to go into -350 territory and not a clear cut case for the underdog to win other than home field advantage/judges gift. I do like the prospect that this fight goes the distance and instead of risking heartbreak betting on Hamill, I would rather pass and go with the fact that Hamill will be able to wrestle his way to a decision victory.

Michael Bisping (-185) vs Brian Stann (+160)

The price is very fair for Bisping if you look at the popular opinion that Bisping is simply better than Stann in every aspect of the sport. Personally, I think Stann is the better striker, not technically, but simply more dangerous. I do not think Wandy was a better technical striker than Bisping, but he won the fight by being more aggressive that night and delivering more damage than Bisping could. I think the book is out on Stann’s grappling deficiency and I would not be surprised at all to see Bisping go for the takedown and look for a submission. The glaring advantage Bisping has on the ground together with Bisping’s ability to take down excellent grapplers (Chael) leads me toward Bisping here.

Joesph Benavidez (-275) vs Demetrious Johnson (+235)

I am not exactly sure why Benavidez is such a heavy favorite, sitting close to -300 even, when both fighters have seen their only losses come at the hands of Bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz. Joe may have the advantage in the stand up, but this title fight feels more like a pick’em to me. Both fighters have defeated top level competition, both seem to have solid stand up to compliment their ground game, and their cardio levels are out of this world. I am much more comfortable suggesting along with most that this fight goes the distance and depending on what the lines are, I would look at playing over rounds up to fight goes the distance. Gun to the head I will go with Benavidez to bring home Team Alpha Male’s first UFC title.

Jon Jones (-800) vs Vitor Belfort (+600)

A -800 line that Jones wins this fight should have most people staying away from this one altogether. A puncher’s chance is what Vitor has and a Pterodactyl wing for an arm is what Jones has. For five to one on your money, do you think Vitor can get through Jones’ extended left arm, open hand, backing away style of defense to find the money with his fists? Sadly, I think not. Simple as that. The prop that this fight does not go the distance is also just as ugly sitting around -500. With minimums on props, risking $100 will bring you $20 is as close to a guaranteed investment as you can get in MMA. I think if there is a prop on under 1 ½ rounds available at -300 territory, jumping on it would be wise; Vitor’s either going to sink or swim quickly in this fight.

Parlay  1
Brenneman-Dunham-Bisping

Parlay 2
Brenneman-Watson-Pokrajac

Props
-Baczynski/Thoresen fight does not go the distance
-Dunham/Grant fight goes the distance
-Pokrajac/Magalhaes fight does not go the distance
-Swanson/Oliveira fight does not go the distance

Follow the usual CP breakdown of betting higher on the parlays and lower on the props and feel free to heckle when/if these parlay’s fall apart. But most importantly: May the winners be yours.