Mike Russow | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Gambling Addiction Enabler: ‘UFC on FOX 2? Edition

(Rashad Evans: He’ll put those hands on you worse than…well, you know. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)

The UFC returns to FOX this Saturday with a three-fight main card that could produce the next title contenders in two different divisions. It’s also packed with betting opportunities that will generously reward the risk-takers. And you’re not a chicken, are you? Huh? Bawk bawk bawwwwwk?? Yeah, that’s what we thought. So consider our UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis gambling advice after the jump, and be sure to come back for our liveblog, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. But first, the complete odds lineup, via BestFightOdds.com:

MAIN CARD (FOX)
Rashad Evans (-165) vs. Phil Davis (+175)
Chael Sonnen (-400) vs. Michael Bisping (+394)
Chris Weidman (-140) vs. Demian Maia (+128)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FUEL TV)
Evan Dunham (-314) vs. Nik Lentz (+300)
Shane Roller (-218) vs. Michael Johnson (+200)
Mike Russow (-150) vs. Jon Olav Einemo (+152)
Cub Swanson (-136) vs. George Roop (+125)
Charles Oliveira (-458) vs. Eric Wisely (+400)
Joey Beltran (-204) vs. Lavar Johnson (+183)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK.com/UFC)
Chris Camozzi (-170) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+160)

Let’s get started…

(Rashad Evans: He’ll put those hands on you worse than…well, you know. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)

MAIN CARD (FOX)
Rashad Evans (-165) vs. Phil Davis (+175)
Chael Sonnen (-400) vs. Michael Bisping (+394)
Chris Weidman (-140) vs. Demian Maia (+128)

PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK.com/UFC)
Chris Camozzi (-170) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+160)

Let’s get started…

The Main Event: This is Rashad’s fight to lose. His striking is better than Davis’s, and he’s not going to allow Mr. Wonderful to outwrestle him for five rounds. I say Evans keeps the fight standing and takes a win on the scorecards. Now, if you consider the intangibles — Rashad’s streak of bad luck, his high emotions coming into this fight, the rocky start of the Blackzilians camp (see: Anthony Johnson, Melvin Guillard) — then an upset starts to seem possible. But on paper, Suga holds more advantages, and you can bet comfortably on him.

The Good ‘Dogs: For starters, the two other fights on the main card are worth looking at. Chael Sonnen certainly deserves to be the favorite against Michael Bisping, but 4-1 odds is pushing it. (You have to think that Bisping has spent the last week drilling triangle chokes off his back nonstop.) A small wager on Bisping for the upset is smart, simply because the payoff is so inflated. As for Demian Maia, slating him as the underdog is close to insulting. Weidman may be the newest hot-shit wrestler/grappler prospect in the middleweight division, but he’s also coming into the fight on very short notice, against a veteran whose biggest strengths are on the mat. Weidman could be in trouble here. I also like the occasionally-brilliant George Roop at +125 against the generally-inconsistent Cub Swanson.

Prelim Steal: How is Mike Russow, who’s 3-0 in the UFC and hasn’t lost a fight in almost five years, only a -150 favorite against Jon Olav Einemo, who’s 0-1 in the UFC and hasn’t won a fight in over five years? Just because Einemo briefly had Dave Herman on the ropes in his UFC debut, we’re supposed to think that this fight isn’t a squash match? Forget that — this is free money. Bet big on Russow.

Official CagePotato Parlay: Sonnen + Russow + Oliveira + Beltran

Suggested wager for a $50 stake
– $10 on Evans
– $5 on Bisping
– $5 on Maia
– $5 on Roop
– $20 on Russow
– $5 on the parlay

Report: Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis to Headline ‘UFC on FOX 2? on Jan. 28

(Let’s just hope this fight doesn’t affect their friendship.)

Sources have confirmed to ESPN.com that a light-heavyweight meeting between former champion Rashad Evans and undefeated contender Phil Davis is slated to headline the UFC’s return to FOX, which will take place January 28th at the United Center in Chicago. The two fighters were originally supposed to meet at UFC 133 in August, but Davis was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury.

Evans is currently riding a three-fight win streak, including decisions over Thiago Silva and Quinton Jackson, and a second-round TKO of Tito Ortiz, who came in as Davis’s short-notice injury replacement. Davis has gone 5-0 in the Octagon, most recently out-pointing Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in March. You’d have to assume that if Evans manages to deal “Mr. Wonderful” his first loss, he’ll be awarded a title shot against the winner of Jones vs. Machida — but considering Suga’s run of bad luck when it comes to that sort of thing, anything’s possible.

In other UFC on FOX 2 booking news…

(Let’s just hope this fight doesn’t affect their friendship.)

In other UFC on FOX 2 booking news…

A heavyweight bout between Mike Russow and Jon Olav Einemo has been added to the card. Russow carries a spotless 3-0 record in the UFC — most recently defeating Jon Madesen by doctor’s stoppage TKO — and is riding a ten-fight win streak overall. He was supposed to return against Dave Herman at UFC 136, until Herman popped positive for marijuana.

Coincidentally, Einemo lost his UFC debut to Herman in June, and his only win in the last five years came at a show in Bosnia that’s not even recognized by MMA databases. In other words, Russow vs. Einemo is a bit of a squash match; if Russow was hoping for a step up in competition for his next outing, this ain’t it.

John Olav Einemo Back in UFC, Likely to Face Mike Russow at UFC on FOX 2

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsShortly after losing in his UFC debut in a bout that won Fight of the Night at UFC 131, John Olav Einemo was surprisingly cut from the UFC. As it turned out, Einemo was part of the fallout from an ongoing b…

Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News

Shortly after losing in his UFC debut in a bout that won Fight of the Night at UFC 131, John Olav Einemo was surprisingly cut from the UFC. As it turned out, Einemo was part of the fallout from an ongoing business issue between his Golden Glory management team and the UFC.

Now, it appears a resolution has been struck, as Einemo is back with the promotion and will take on Mike Russow as part of the upcoming UFC on FOX 2 card on January 28, MMA Fighting has learned.

Sources confirmed that both sides have verbally agreed to the bout.

Einemo (6-2) faced Dave Herman at UFC 131, and engaged in a hard-fought battle before falling in a second-round TKO. The fight had been his first MMA bout in over four years. But even after the spirited scrap, he was one of several Golden Glory fighters — including Alistair Overeem and Marloes Coenen to be dropped by Zuffa.

UFC president Dana White later said the issue stemmed from Golden Glory’s management practice of having promoters pay them directly instead of the fighters.

“We don’t work that way,” White said then. “It’s not the way we do business. It’s not how it works in the United States with the athletic commissions. You don’t pay the managers and the managers pay the fighters. You pay the fighters and the fighters pay the managers.”

It remains unclear how the issue was resolved, and whether Einemo — like Overeem — parted ways with Golden Glory or found a way to work within the UFC framework.

Meanwhile, Russow (14-1, 1 no contest) will be hoping to extend his impressive 10-fight win streak. In his most recent fight, Russow stopped Jon Madsen by TKO in the second round of their March 2011 encounter.

UFC on FOX 2 will take place from the United Center in Chicago. Four fights are expected to air on the network television broadcast, but the UFC has so far been mum on matchups.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Dave Herman Denies Using Marijuana, but ‘I Can’t Say I’m Not Around It’

Filed under: UFCDave “Pee Wee” Herman said he was “surprised” to learn he’d failed a pre-licensing drug test before his scheduled UFC 136 bout with Mike Russow, and while he insists he never ingested any banned substances, he’s readying himself for a s…

Filed under: UFC

Dave “Pee Wee” Herman said he was “surprised” to learn he’d failed a pre-licensing drug test before his scheduled UFC 136 bout with Mike Russow, and while he insists he never ingested any banned substances, he’s readying himself for a suspension just the same.

Herman said he was informed on Wednesday that he’d been denied a license by the Texas commission due to a failed drug test for marijuana, though a second test for steroids came up clean, he said.

“I do not smoke marijuana,” Herman told MMA Fighting. “I can’t say I’m not around it. I live in California. Pretty much everyone out here smokes weed. Maybe I need to pick my friends a little better. I don’t know.”

When asked if it was his belief that simply being in the presence of marijuana smoke might have caused the positive test result, Herman replied, “Like I said, I see people smoking weed every day.”

Susan Stanford, of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, told MMA Fighting that medical privacy laws prevented her from disclosing any information about Herman’s drug test results, but confirmed that “he was denied a license.”

Herman initially told Clinch Gear Radio that he’d been asked to take a second drug test after the lab where he was tested told him that it had lost his first sample. Stanford explained that the testing is done entirely through private labs, and the commission never has possession of the sample, but would have likely been informed if a sample had been lost.

On Thursday, Herman told MMA Fighting that the lab had asked him to submit two separate samples so that it could test one for drugs of abuse and another for steroids.

“When I talked to Texas they said that there wasn’t enough of the first sample to do both tests,” said Herman. “The first sample they just tested one thing and the second sample they tested something else. …They just said the first one was positive for marijuana. The second one wasn’t positive for anything.”

What surprised Herman most, he said, was when he read internet reports that claimed he had tested positive for both marijuana and steroids.

“It got worse and worse. The first article I clicked on just quoted me from my interview and it looked pretty much right. The second one was like, ‘[Herman] denies use of steroids.’ Then the third one was like, positive for marijuana and steroids. I’m like, how did you jump from that to that to that?”

The UFC’s Marc Ratner said he had no information as of yet, and hadn’t seen anything on paper regarding Herman’s tests or what possible repercussions he might be facing.

For his part, Herman is expecting to be suspended on top of losing his chance to fight Russow in Houston on October 8.

“I don’t think there’s anything I can really do,” he said. “Obviously, this fight’s already gone. Even if I go in today and pass everything, this fight’s already done. Pretty much I guess I just wait. They said I’ll probably have a short suspension. From researching other guys who have tested positive, the max suspension they’ve ever seen is 30 days. So I guess I wait 30 days and pass a drug test and try to get another fight lined up.”

In the meantime, Herman said he’s struggling to get over the disappointment of spending weeks preparing for the fight only to see the opportunity disappear and get replaced with the threat of disciplinary action.

“I was feeling good, was in really great shape,” he said. “I didn’t really want to get up and go to practice this morning, but I did anyway. I guess I just have a little extra time to hone everything and get better.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

UPDATED: Dave Herman Tests Positive for Marijuana, Pulled From UFC 136 Bout Against Mike Russow

(Come on. You’re telling me that’s not a pothead? / Photo via Sherdog)

Update: Herman only tested positive for marijuana. The report that originally stated he also tested positive for steroids came from a misinterpretation of his interview.

UFC heavyweight Dave Herman has confirmed that his scheduled UFC 136 main card bout against Mike Russow has been canceled, after his pre-fight drug tests came back positive for marijuana. Herman denies using the illegal substance. As he explained to Clinch Gear Radio:

“I went in to get in my drug test (on Sept. 15), and a week later, they called me and told me they lost my urine specimen. I had to come in and redo it. That was last week. I went back in that day. And [on Wednesday], they told me I failed. I said, ‘That’s impossible.’…[now,] Texas said they never lost it and the first one [tested positive] for drugs and the second was for steroids. I don’t even smoke…I haven’t even had a beer in two months.”

(Come on. You’re telling me that’s not a pothead? / Photo via Sherdog)

Update: Herman only tested positive for marijuana. The report that originally stated he also tested positive for steroids came from a misinterpretation of his interview.

~~To our knowledge, this is the first time that an MMA fighter has been flagged for performance enhancing drugs by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.~~ We’ll update you when we learn more about Herman’s potential punishment for the botched test, and his inevitable appeal.

At this point, it doesn’t appear likely that the UFC will find a replacement opponent for Mike Russow, who’s a perfect 3-0 in the Octagon. UFC 136′s preliminary-card rematch between Leonard Garcia and Nam Phan has been promoted to the main card to fill the space. The current lineup for “Edgar vs. Maynard 3″ is below…

Main PPV Card
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard (for UFC lightweight championship)
Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian (for UFC featherweight championship)
Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann (MW)
Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard (LW)
Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan (FW)

Spike TV Prelims
Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago (MW)
Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens (LW)

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic (HW)
Zhang Tie Quan vs. Darren Elkins (FW)
Aaron Simpson vs. Eric Schafer (MW)
Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio (MW)

Dave Herman Out of UFC 136; Says Positive Marijuana Test to Blame, but Denies Use

Filed under: UFC, NewsA heavyweight tussle at UFC 136 next week has been scrapped from the main card, and a featherweight rematch has been bumped up to take its place.

The UFC announced Wednesday that a bout between Dave “Pee Wee” Herman and Mike Russ…

Filed under: UFC, News

A heavyweight tussle at UFC 136 next week has been scrapped from the main card, and a featherweight rematch has been bumped up to take its place.

The UFC announced Wednesday that a bout between Dave “Pee Wee” Herman and Mike Russow is off because Herman had to withdraw, and Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan has moved up from the preliminary card to the pay-per-view slot.

But later Wednesday, Herman told Clinch Gear Radio that it was a failed preliminary drug test that knocked him out of the bout, saying he tested positive for marijuana – but denying any use of the banned substance. Additionally, a source close to Russow’s camp told MMA Fighting that marijuana was indeed the culprit.

“I’m still trying to figure it out myself,” Herman told hosts Jeff Dotseth and Stephen Quadros. “Basically, they said I failed my drug test. I went in to get my drug test. A week later, they called and said they lost my urine specimen and I had to come back in and redo it. And I came back in and they said I failed it. It’s impossible.”

Herman (21-2, 1-0 UFC) denied any use of marijuana: “I don’t even smoke. I haven’t even had a beer in two months.”

Herman told the show the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which regulates MMA in the state, initially said he failed a first test, then failed a second for steroids. He also said the commission asked him to take a second test because it lost his first sample.

Herman won his UFC debut in June with a comeback win over Jon Olav Einemo that won Fight of the Night honors. The Indiana native has been training with Team Quest. Herman started his MMA career 15-0 with 15 stoppages – 14 in the first round, including a 3-0 stint in EliteXC.

Russow (14-1, 1 NC, 3-0 UFC) beat Jon Madsen in March after a long injury layoff. A source close to Russow’s camp told MMA Fighting the heavyweight does not yet have another fight booked.

Garcia and Phan’s rematch moves from the prelims up to the pay-per-view. The two fought at the TUF 12 Finale last December with Garcia winning a controversial split decision and Fight of the Night honors. Garcia was unsuccessful in March in another rematch from a controversial split decision win when he was submitted by Chan Sung Jung. Phan is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Mike Brown at UFC 133 in August.

UFC 136 takes place Oct. 8 at the Toyota Center in Houston. It will be the promotion’s first trip to Houston since UFC 69. The show, which will be preceded by a UFC Fan Expo on Oct. 7-8, features a pair of title fights – the rematch between lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, plus a featherweight title bout between champ Jose Aldo and Kenny Florian.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments