UFC Betting Sites – The Best MMA Online Bookies
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RIO DE JANEIRO — MMA legend Royce Gracie and heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos visited the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio on Thursday, and MMA Fighting tagged along with the popular Brazilian fighters. Dos Santos, who was visiting the statue for the first time, and Gracie were mobbed by tourists and locals atop the mountain and talked about what it’s like to have the UFC in town for UFC 134.
A video of the journey is below.
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, News, Videos
RIO DE JANEIRO — MMA legend Royce Gracie and heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos visited the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio on Thursday, and MMA Fighting tagged along with the popular Brazilian fighters. Dos Santos, who was visiting the statue for the first time, and Gracie were mobbed by tourists and locals atop the mountain and talked about what it’s like to have the UFC in town for UFC 134.
A video of the journey is below.
(The Royce Gracie of our generation poses with the Anderson Silva of his generation. Props: facebook.com/ufc)
On August 27th, Rio de Janeiro will be Blowout City. Aside from two matches on the preliminary card — Loveland vs. Jabouin and Assuncao vs. Eduardo — every fight at UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami features a fighter who’s a 2-1 favorite or higher. In times like these, it’s not about picking the winners, it’s about picking the upsets. So where they at? Check out the UFC 134 gambling lines below (via BestFightOdds), and consider our advice after the jump.
Main Card (PPV, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT)
Anderson Silva (-471) vs. Yushin Okami (+425)
Maurício Rua (-220) vs. Forrest Griffin (+225)
Brendan Schaub (-230) vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (+216)
Edson Barboza (-300) vs. Ross Pearson (+280)
Luis Cane (-200) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (+195)
Spike TV Prelims Live (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
Thiago Tavares (-205) vs. Spencer Fisher (+200)
Rousimar Palhares (-275) vs. Dan Miller (+252)
Facebook Prelims (6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT)
Paulo Thiago (-389) vs. David Mitchell (+340)
Raphael Assunção (-160) vs. Johnny Eduardo (+149)
Erick Silva (-270) vs. Luis Ramos (+246)
Yuri Alcantara (-437) vs. Felipe Arantes (+379)
Ian Loveland (-195) vs. Yves Jabouin (+180)
(The Royce Gracie of our generation poses with the Anderson Silva of his generation. Props: facebook.com/ufc)
On August 27th, Rio de Janeiro will be Blowout City. Aside from two matches on the preliminary card — Loveland vs. Jabouin and Assuncao vs. Eduardo — every fight at UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami features a fighter who’s a 2-1 favorite or higher. In times like these, it’s not about picking the winners, it’s about picking the upsets. So where they at? Check out the UFC 134 gambling lines below (via BestFightOdds), and consider our advice after the jump.
Main Card (PPV, 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT)
Anderson Silva (-471) vs. Yushin Okami (+425)
Maurício Rua (-220) vs. Forrest Griffin (+225)
Brendan Schaub (-230) vs. Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira (+216)
Edson Barboza (-300) vs. Ross Pearson (+280)
Luis Cane (-200) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (+195)
Spike TV Prelims Live (8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT)
Thiago Tavares (-205) vs. Spencer Fisher (+200)
Rousimar Palhares (-275) vs. Dan Miller (+252)
Facebook Prelims (6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT)
Paulo Thiago (-389) vs. David Mitchell (+340)
Raphael Assunção (-160) vs. Johnny Eduardo (+149)
Erick Silva (-270) vs. Luis Ramos (+246)
Yuri Alcantara (-437) vs. Felipe Arantes (+379)
Ian Loveland (-195) vs. Yves Jabouin (+180)
The Main Event: If you think Okami can pull off a Sonnen-esque bullying of Anderson Silva without getting triangle-choked in the last round, feel free to throw your money down on the big payoff. But I don’t see it happening. Silva won’t let Okami get close to him. He’ll invent a new way to knock Okami out, or rout him to a decision. He ain’t losing in his home country, certainly not to a mere mortal like Yushin.
The Co-Main: Here’s where things get interesting. When Griffin and Shogun first met in 2007, Forrest was a +260 underdog. Today, he’s still a +225 underdog, despite the fact that he won their first meeting, and is currently riding a two-fight win streak. This match will depend entirely on what kind of shape Rua shows up in. If we see the Shogun that blitzed Machida last year, then Forrest is a dead man walking. Otherwise, the odds on Forrest are too juicy to pass up. We’d roll the dice on him.
The Other Good ‘Dogs: Newcomer Johnny Eduardo is facing a steep jump in competition, but his aggressive striking might allow him to overwhelm the struggling Raphael Assunção. Plus, Thiago Tavares is a bit overvalued here at -205, and the well-traveled Spencer Fisher is worth a small risk.
Absolutely Don’t Bet On: David Mitchell is cannon-fodder, drafted to re-build Paulo Thiago. Luis Ramos is a late replacement for Mike Swick, and he’ll be facing Erick Silva, who has been drawing tons of “next big thing” buzz in Brazil. Dan Miller will very likely be submitted via leglock.
Play It Straight: Big Nog is aging badly, returning from major surgeries, and has used up the last of his career comebacks. Brendan Schaub is fired up to win, and I think he takes it with his fists; -230 is not a terrible price for a straight bet. You may also want to consider money on Luis Cane, whose opponent is making his UFC debut with over a year of ring-rust.
Official CagePotato Parlay: A. Silva + Schaub + Palhares + Thiago. $20 bet returns $36.12 profit. I know, that’s barely worth the effort. Add in FoGriff and Edson Barboza and that twenty-spot becomes $189.50, but you’re playing with fire.
(Jake Salyer of Tulsa, Oklahoma, manages to pull off a double-armbar submission in his MMA debut. The Diet Butcher would be proud. Props: GorillaTacticsMMA via ‘Okwiseguy’)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Lorenzo Fertitta: I Would Love to Do Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson at UFC on FOX (MMA Mania)
– Cain Velasquez Talks UFC 139 Title Fight, Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem, and Being a Father (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
– Going Streaking: Anderson Silva’s Record UFC Run on the Line at UFC 134 (NBC Sports MMA)
– Phil Baroni: Nobody Dry Humps the New York Bad Ass and Gets Away With It! (Exclusive Interview) (LowKick)
– ‘MiddleEasy/Whoa! TV Gym Expeditions’ Visits Birmingham, England (MiddleEasy)
– Felice Herrig on This Weekend’s Cancelled Fight and State of Women’s MMA (TheFightNerd)
– Royce Gracie Wants One More UFC Fight, but Ready to Move on Without It (MMA Fighting)
– “Strikeforce HW GP Semifinals” Official Trailer (5thRound)
– Josh Neer Headed Back to the UFC Against Keith Wisniewski in October (Five Ounces of Pain)
– “(UFC) Is the Only Sports Property That Is Pure and Works Literally Around the Entire World.” (FightOpinion)
– UFC Hopes to Be in Pre-Production on Australian Version of The Ultimate Fighter by the End of the Year (MMA Convert)
– FOX Deal May Be Just What New York Needs (MMA Payout)
(Jake Salyer of Tulsa, Oklahoma, manages to pull off a double-armbar submission in his MMA debut. The Diet Butcher would be proud. Props: GorillaTacticsMMA via ‘Okwiseguy’)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…
– Lorenzo Fertitta: I Would Love to Do Anderson Silva vs. Dan Henderson at UFC on FOX (MMA Mania)
– Cain Velasquez Talks UFC 139 Title Fight, Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem, and Being a Father (BleacherReport.com/MMA)
– Going Streaking: Anderson Silva’s Record UFC Run on the Line at UFC 134 (NBC Sports MMA)
– Phil Baroni: Nobody Dry Humps the New York Bad Ass and Gets Away With It! (Exclusive Interview) (LowKick)
– ‘MiddleEasy/Whoa! TV Gym Expeditions’ Visits Birmingham, England (MiddleEasy)
– Felice Herrig on This Weekend’s Cancelled Fight and State of Women’s MMA (TheFightNerd)
– Royce Gracie Wants One More UFC Fight, but Ready to Move on Without It (MMA Fighting)
– “Strikeforce HW GP Semifinals” Official Trailer (5thRound)
– Josh Neer Headed Back to the UFC Against Keith Wisniewski in October (Five Ounces of Pain)
– “(UFC) Is the Only Sports Property That Is Pure and Works Literally Around the Entire World.” (FightOpinion)
– UFC Hopes to Be in Pre-Production on Australian Version of The Ultimate Fighter by the End of the Year (MMA Convert)
– FOX Deal May Be Just What New York Needs (MMA Payout)
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News
Mixed martial arts pioneer Royce Gracie will be in Rio this weekend when the UFC heads back to his home country, the nation that is credited with giving birth to the sport. Gracie, of course, won’t be competing at UFC 134 in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still hopeful of one more match.
There’s a caveat to that, as he’s not looking for just any match. There’s only one fight he wants, and only one organization that can give it to him. Even though Gracie realizes that time is running short to make it a reality, he hopes to have a shot to avenge the one loss he still thinks about. He wants to fight fellow legend Matt Hughes.
“That’s the only one,” Gracie said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I want to be able to show up to the fight. [Last time], I didn’t show up. It happens.”
Gracie said that the first fight against Hughes — a first-round TKO loss at UFC 60 back in May 2006 — was the only time in his career he didn’t have his A-game, not peaking on the right day.
“That’s the only one missing,” said Gracie, who avenged his only other in-ring loss by defeating Kazushi Sakuraba.
Gracie said that he has spoken with UFC president Dana White about the possibility, but that he doesn’t know if it will ever happen. Hughes, meanwhile, has a match coming up with Diego Sanchez at September’s UFC 135.
At 44 years old, Gracie still keeps himself in good shape, saying he lives “a professional athlete’s life,” by running every day and consistently training. He also travels an extensive schedule, teaching seminars and spreading the message of Gracie jiu-jitsu.
Still, he’d carve time for one more training camp for one last shot at the UFC, and one more shot at Hughes. He said he wouldn’t be interested in any other offer from any other organization, suggesting he is mostly at peace with the possibility of never fighting again.
“If it happens, good.” he said. “If it doesn’t happen, good.
“Been there, done that,” he continued. “You have to know when to stop in this sport. It’s very hard. I saw an interview from BJ Penn. He was saying it’s very hard to stop because when you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter. But you have to know when to stop.”
So for now, Gracie will continue teaching his art and in the more near-term, he’ll travel to Rio to revel in the homecoming of the sport he helped build the foundation for.
Whether or not he gets that last fight, he has much to be grateful for and there is much to celebrate him for. Regardless of the outcome of one match against Hughes, his contributions to the sport will always be an enormous reason for MMA’s growth, and now he gets to enjoy it firsthand in the country in which he grew up.
“It’s good it’s in Brazil,” he said. “It’s back where it all started with my father. It’s coming back home. There’s so much talent in Brazil, so many guys that will probably never get discovered. It’s a chance for them to come out and train more. After all, UFC today became a job, it became a sport. Kids wake up in the morning and say, ‘I want to be a UFC fighter one day, just like they do in baseball.”
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, News
Mixed martial arts pioneer Royce Gracie will be in Rio this weekend when the UFC heads back to his home country, the nation that is credited with giving birth to the sport. Gracie, of course, won’t be competing at UFC 134 in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean he’s not still hopeful of one more match.
There’s a caveat to that, as he’s not looking for just any match. There’s only one fight he wants, and only one organization that can give it to him. Even though Gracie realizes that time is running short to make it a reality, he hopes to have a shot to avenge the one loss he still thinks about. He wants to fight fellow legend Matt Hughes.
“That’s the only one,” Gracie said on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour. “I want to be able to show up to the fight. [Last time], I didn’t show up. It happens.”
“That’s the only one missing,” said Gracie, who avenged his only other in-ring loss by defeating Kazushi Sakuraba.
Gracie said that he has spoken with UFC president Dana White about the possibility, but that he doesn’t know if it will ever happen. Hughes, meanwhile, has a match coming up with Diego Sanchez at September’s UFC 135.
At 44 years old, Gracie still keeps himself in good shape, saying he lives “a professional athlete’s life,” by running every day and consistently training. He also travels an extensive schedule, teaching seminars and spreading the message of Gracie jiu-jitsu.
Still, he’d carve time for one more training camp for one last shot at the UFC, and one more shot at Hughes. He said he wouldn’t be interested in any other offer from any other organization, suggesting he is mostly at peace with the possibility of never fighting again.
“If it happens, good.” he said. “If it doesn’t happen, good.
“Been there, done that,” he continued. “You have to know when to stop in this sport. It’s very hard. I saw an interview from BJ Penn. He was saying it’s very hard to stop because when you’re a fighter, you’re a fighter. But you have to know when to stop.”
So for now, Gracie will continue teaching his art and in the more near-term, he’ll travel to Rio to revel in the homecoming of the sport he helped build the foundation for.
Whether or not he gets that last fight, he has much to be grateful for and there is much to celebrate him for. Regardless of the outcome of one match against Hughes, his contributions to the sport will always be an enormous reason for MMA’s growth, and now he gets to enjoy it firsthand in the country in which he grew up.
“It’s good it’s in Brazil,” he said. “It’s back where it all started with my father. It’s coming back home. There’s so much talent in Brazil, so many guys that will probably never get discovered. It’s a chance for them to come out and train more. After all, UFC today became a job, it became a sport. Kids wake up in the morning and say, ‘I want to be a UFC fighter one day, just like they do in baseball.”
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, Bellator, News, Videos
The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another two-hour live show. Here’s a list of who will be stopping by.
* MMA legend Royce Gracie will talk about the UFC’s return to Brazil on Saturday night and whether he still wants to fight again inside the Octagon.
* Phil Baroni will discuss his ONE FC fight on Sept. 3 against Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
* Kendall Grove will stop by to discuss life after the UFC and his ProElite debut on Saturday night against Joe Riggs.
* Reagan Penn, BJ Penn’s younger brother, will also talk about fighting on the ProElite card and why he chose to make his MMA debut.
* Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney will talk about Bellator 48, the organization’s upcoming season and more.
* And MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta will stop by to preview UFC 134 and discuss the UFC’s new television deal with FOX Sports.
And of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.
*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, Bellator, News, Videos
The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another two-hour live show. Here’s a list of who will be stopping by.
* MMA legend Royce Gracie will talk about the UFC’s return to Brazil on Saturday night and whether he still wants to fight again inside the Octagon.
* Phil Baroni will discuss his ONE FC fight on Sept. 3 against Yoshiyuki Yoshida.
* Kendall Grove will stop by to discuss life after the UFC and his ProElite debut on Saturday night against Joe Riggs.
* Reagan Penn, BJ Penn’s younger brother, will also talk about fighting on the ProElite card and why he chose to make his MMA debut.
* Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney will talk about Bellator 48, the organization’s upcoming season and more.
* And MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta will stop by to preview UFC 134 and discuss the UFC’s new television deal with FOX Sports.
And of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.
*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.
Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.
Now that the UFC has a solid broadcast deal with Fox, the rate at which the sport of Mixed Martial Arts will grow seems insurmountable. As the popularity of the UFC brand grows, so will that of its fighters, so it seems only prudent to not forget the f…
Now that the UFC has a solid broadcast deal with Fox, the rate at which the sport of Mixed Martial Arts will grow seems insurmountable. As the popularity of the UFC brand grows, so will that of its fighters, so it seems only prudent to not forget the fighters who helped bring the UFC to where it is today.
So let’s take some time to recognize and rank the current UFC Hall of Fame inductees, and hope that the stars of tomorrow don’t overshadow the legacy of these greats.