UFC 152 puts Vitor Belfort back in a title fight for the first time since being front kicked in the face by Anderson Silva. The middleweight contender will challenge for the light heavyweight gold due to contenders turning down fights and a string of i…
UFC 152 puts Vitor Belfort back in a title fight for the first time since being front kicked in the face by Anderson Silva. The middleweight contender will challenge for the light heavyweight gold due to contenders turning down fights and a string of injuries.
When Dan Henderson pulled out of UFC 151, Belfort’s name did not come up in the discussion of replacements. When the event was canceled, it was just assumed Lyoto Machida would then accept the fight against Jon Jones. That did not happen.
Now, Belfort takes advantage of an unlikely opportunity in Toronto.
Over the course of UFC history, there have been several other unlikely title challengers.
Here are five other unlikely title contenders that have challenged for UFC gold.
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).
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
At UFC 152, Michael Bisping and Brian Stann will square off in a battle of good and evil and a potential No.1 contender bout.If this decides the next contender for Anderson Silva, who has the better shot? Both men are strike-first fighters, but which c…
At UFC 152, Michael Bisping and Brian Stann will square off in a battle of good and evil and a potential No.1 contender bout.
If this decides the next contender for Anderson Silva, who has the better shot? Both men are strike-first fighters, but which could be a potential hazard to the champ?
First, let’s examine Michael Bisping.
Bisping is a technical striker with an underrated jiu-jitsu game. He would be facing a powerful, technical striker with a superior jiu-jitsu game in Silva.
If Bisping wants to get in a technical match with Silva, he would be in big trouble. He has proven to not have the greatest amount of power in his hands. To take out Silva, one cannot outstrike him, but out-power strike him.
Bisping obviously doesn’t have the clinch work or wrestling chops to match Silva. Silva’s weakness is defensive wrestling, but Bisping does not have the offensive wrestling to drag the champion down.
So his game plan would be to stay on the outside and try to win a technical striking battle. That strategy will get him knocked out within two rounds.
Then, you have Brian Stann.
Stann is like Dan Henderson, minus the fact that he lacks the offensive wrestling chops. He has extremely powerful hands and underrated technique.
Getting into a striking battle, though dangerous, would be Stann‘s best option. Silva is powerful and accurate, but Stann has the jaw-rattling, one-punch knockout power to put anybody away.
Therefore, when examining who has the better shot, I would have to go with Stann. Stann‘s power outweighs anything Bisping has to offer.
Jon Jones will continue to showcase why he is the most dominant UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in history when he demolishes Vitor Belfort at UFC 152. Belfort is outmatched and Jones will show it in dynamic fashion. In the wrestling department, Jones h…
Jon Jones will continue to showcase why he is the most dominant UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in history when he demolishes VitorBelfort at UFC 152.
Belfort is outmatched and Jones will show it in dynamic fashion.
In the wrestling department, Jones has a significant advantage. The UFC Light Heavyweight Champion will be able to dictate where this fight takes place. That is a big advantage. Belfort has worked on his wrestling abilities over the years, but it does not come close to Jones’ abilities.
The former junior-college wrestler has been able to out-wrestle everyone he has faced to date. And that includes the likes of Matt Hamill and former All-American Ryan Bader. Belfort is no match for Jones in this department.
If he does hit the mat, Jones also has the advantage there. His ground and pound is brutal. His long limbs allow him to generate more power in tighter spaces. He has showcased his brutal ground-striking ability against most of his opponents, but none more impressive than breaking Brandon Vera’s orbital bone with a nasty elbow.
His length has also helped his submission attacks. He submitted Bader, Jake O’Brien and LyotoMachida inside the Octagon. He put Machida to sleep in his second title defense and dropped him like sack of potatoes.
Defensively, it has also helped. Against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, he was able to use his length to keep Shogun from diving under and grabbing a leg. He avoided a potential leg lock and being swept. His control from on top is extraordinary. Belfort does not have the jiu-jitsu to threaten the champion.
Where Belfort could pull off an upset is on the feet. No one will deny his explosive power. However, against Jones it will be dealt with expertly.
The champion utilizes his reach better than any fighter in the world. It also allows him to be creative with his striking. With Greg Jackson in his corner, he has developed into one of the best strategic fighters as well.
Belfort has to get inside Jones’ reach in order to land his powerful punches. Jackson and Jones know that and will keep him on the outside and render him useless.
At every turn Jones will make Belfort look as if he does not belong inside the cage with him. It is not that Belfort is not a good fighter, but a testament to how good Jones truly is. He is the greatest 205-pound fighter in mixed martial arts history. And he is only 25 years old.
Jones will decimate the challenger.
He will chose where the fight takes place, how he wants to brutalize Belfort and when he wants to finish the fight. He can choose to be methodical and draw out the pain and suffering inflicted on Belfort, or end the title fight in the first five minutes.
Jones is a special talent. He will continue to show his dominance and begin to make a case for being the new pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet. Belfort has nothing to offer the champion, and it will be a miserable experience inside the cage for him.
Matt Hamill is out of retirement and will be back in the Octagon at UFC 152, gracing the main card for the first time in a fair while.His opponent will be Roger Hollett, a Canadian making his debut on the card. Hollett is a Bellator veteran with good f…
Matt Hamill is out of retirement and will be back in the Octagon at UFC 152, gracing the main card for the first time in a fair while.
His opponent will be Roger Hollett, a Canadian making his debut on the card. Hollett is a Bellator veteran with good finishing ability and underrated skills.
Charles Oliveira has made an explosive debut at 145 pounds in 2012—two fights and two submissions. At UFC 152 he will try to extend his featherweight record to 3-0 as he meets Cub Swanson inside the Octagon at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Sh…
Charles Oliveira has made an explosive debut at 145 pounds in 2012—two fights and two submissions.
At UFC 152 he will try to extend his featherweight record to 3-0 as he meets Cub Swanson inside the Octagon at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Should he get past Swanson he will undoubtedly be a potential contender for the UFC Featherweight Championship and Jose Aldo.
Why is Do Bronx able to leap up the rankings in less than a year? Because the featherweight talent pool is still quite shallow and he has been putting away his opposition in impressive fashion.
Oliveira made his debut at featherweight in January at UFC on FOX: Evans vs. Davis. In under two minutes he captured the submission of the night with a calf slicer. A rarely seen submission awed the crowd.
He would return to the cage on June 1 against Jonathan Brookins. The former Ultimate Fighter winner was coming off an impressive KO victory over Vagner Rocha, but Oliveira put him away with an anaconda choke in the second frame.
A victory over Cub Swanson, who is also seeking his third straight W, would put him in prime position to challenge for the strap.
Champion Jose Aldo is currently sidelined with a foot injury but is still expected to defend the title against Frankie Edgar later this year. Who else is in contention?
Erik Koch originally was slated to face off against Aldo before an injury put him on the shelf, Chad Mendes made quick work of Cody McKenzie in his last outing and Chan Sung Jung is still awaiting his next fight after dispatching of Dustin Poirier. Ricardo Lamas is often forgot about as well.
Mendes, having just been knocked out by Aldo earlier this year, is still likely another fight or two away from getting another shot at the gold. That leaves Chan Sung Jung and Ricardo Lamas as the only other two potential contenders in the mix.
A win would put Oliveira right there with both men who are also on three fight winning streaks.
Timing is everything. Should Oliveira escape without injury he will be in prime position to be on Joe Silva’s shortlist should another injury happen.
The keys to a title shot in the UFC are to win and be exciting. Oliveira has been accomplishing both. His victories have been featured on Fuel, FX, and now his bout with Swanson will open the PPV telecast of UFC 152.
Each exciting bout earns him more fans and more clout within the division.
Oliveira‘s drop to featherweight has proven to be the correct decision. His stature makes him one of the bigger fighters in the division with some of the best jiu-jitsu as well. With an ever improving striking game he is quickly becoming one of the most dangerous fighters in the UFC.
Coming away with a victory at UFC 152 is up first. Swanson will certainly try to make his own case to be the next contender.
If he is able to stop Swanson, Do Bronx will definitely become a dark horse contender for Aldo’s featherweight crown.
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