UFC 172 | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Jones vs. Teixeira: Biggest Keys for Light Heavyweight Title Fight at UFC 172

Jon Jones is set for the latest defense of his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship as he takes on veteran Glover Teixeira. After a close call against Alexander Gustafsson last time out, it will be interesting to see how Jones responds.
Teixeira is a win…

Teixeira is a winner of 20 straight fights after starting his MMA career 2-2. The last five of those wins have come in the UFC, including an impressive first-round knockout of Ryan Bader back in September. It was a showing good enough to earn him the title fight.

If Jones brings the same level of performance he did against Gustafsson, Teixeira will have a golden opportunity to walk away with the championship. Let’s check out the biggest key for each fighter heading into the UFC 172 main event.

Jones: Stronger Early-Round Performance

One of the reasons Jones’ fight with Gustafsson was so close was due to the seeming lack of direction the champion had in the early rounds. It was almost like “Bones” knew he was the superior fighter and thought that would be enough to win without a clear plan of attack.

Jones eventually picked up his intensity and aggressiveness in order to score the late comeback victory, albeit in controversial fashion. Above all else, it should serve as a learning experience in terms of taking every opponent seriously and going hard from the second the fight starts.

The fight also provided motivation due to the backlash. Mike Chiappetta of Fox Sports passed along comments from the champion about what he heard and how he’ll use it in a positive way moving forward:

Having the fight with Gustafsson, I got a taste of what it would be like if I actually lost. Hearing things like, ‘You suck,’ I ask myself, how can I suck after beating almost every legend in light-heavyweight history? But hearing this negative backlash from having such a close fight has motivated me to not ever lose. It’s like, if people can talk to me like this for having a close fight, imagine what guys who lose hear? It’s a different level of motivation I’ve gotten through having such a close fight.

To remain champion for an extended period of time, like Jones has, a fighter must learn and adapt. Gustafsson pushed him early, and it took him a while to respond. In turn, expect to see a far more prepared Jones early on against Teixeira.

The last thing he wants to do is let the challenger grab the early edge again. While he’s capable of coming back, he’s playing with fire every time he starts slow. It’s hard to see Jones falling into the same trap twice. Putting together a stronger performance early will ensure he doesn’t.

Teixeira: Take Risks to Gain Advantage

One mistake fighters often make when they are getting their first major title opportunity is being overly conservative. They fear getting knocked out early, but in turn they play right into the champion’s hands by not putting on enough pressure.

Teixeira needs to make sure he doesn’t fall into that category. If the challenger doesn’t take some chances in order to alter the complexion of the fight, Jones will win because he’s the better overall fighter. So the onus is on the Brazilian star to take some risks.

He’s in a good position to do that, too. As Josh Gross of ESPN.com notes, Teixeira enters the fight free from the pressure facing Jones, which puts him in position to utilize his experience, take some chances and potentially turn it into a close bout.

Again, if the fight proverbially goes according to script, Jones wins. Teixeira must do something during the fight, preferably within the first two rounds, to change that outlook and assert himself as a serious threat to the talented American.

Teixeira’s 20-fight winning streak and success since joining UFC shows he’s good enough to beat Jones. Everything must go exactly right in order for that to happen, though, including taking some risks in the early rounds to deliver significant strikes.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 172: Analyzing Best Under-the-Radar Fights on Stacked MMA Card

UFC 172 is unquestionably one of the year’s biggest cards, with Jon “Bones” Jones defending the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Glover Teixeira. But as good as that bout could be, UFC 172 is about much more than one fight.
There is plenty of…

There is plenty of talent on the card from top to bottom, and several fights feel like pick ’em contests in that there is no clear advantage. Those are often the best kinds of fights, so there will be great deal of show-stealing potential throughout the night.

Here are three under-the-radar contests that will have mixed martial arts fans on the edge of their seats at UFC 172.

Andre Fili vs. Max Holloway

There is always a certain amount of flair and excitement attached to featherweight bouts, and that will certainly be the case when Andre Fili and Max Holloway lock horns at UFC 172. Fili and Holloway are two of the fastest-rising stars within the division, and a win on such a big card would be a major coup for either of them moving forward.

Fili and Holloway are adept at scoring knockout victories, and there is no question that they will both go for the gusto. Because there won’t be any apprehension, this has definite Fight of the Night potential. According to Marc Raimondi of FoxSports.com, Fili vs. Holloway is a tilt that deserves a lot more attention than it has gotten during the build toward UFC 172:

On the surface, it would seem as though the 23-year-old Fili has the advantage. He enters the night on a nine-fight winning streak, while the 22-year-old Holloway has dropped two of his past three contests. His split-decision loss to Dennis Bermudez was certainly controversial, though, and it masks the fact that he performed quite well.

People are starting to sleep on Holloway, but that is an extremely dangerous game. Fili may very well look past him too, and he’ll ultimately get a rude awakening, with Holloway pulling off the minor upset.

Bethe Correia vs. Jessamyn Duke

Women’s MMA fighting has gained a ton of credibility since its inclusion in UFC, and it has even managed to outshine the men’s fights on several occasions. While mega-draw Ronda Rousey won’t be competing at UFC 172, a pair of credible contenders will rock the octagon when Bethe Correia and Jessamyn Duke do battle in a bantamweight matchup.

The 30-year-old Correia seemingly has the experience edge over Duke, and she also boasts a perfect record of 7-0. From a physical perspective, though, Duke is imposing in comparison to Correia. She has a seven-inch height advantage at 5’11”, and her length and reach figures to give her Brazilian foe some problems.

Duke is coming off a big win over Peggy Morgan in The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale, and she believes that Saturday’s meeting with Correia won’t be nearly as challenging, per Grant Gordon of the Glendale News-Press.

“It is nothing but a problem to be solved in front of you,” Duke said. “It’s just a problem to be solved and I find her easier to solve [than Morgan]. I know how she fights and what she does. I’m confident. It’s not an easy fight, but it’s a simple fight.”

Duke’s overconfidence could prove costly, as Correia‘s pit bull mentality has allowed her to beat bigger fighters many times in the past. With that said, Duke has all the tools, and she will pick up a statement win at UFC 172.

Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Many UFC fights are bolstered by trash talk and a blatant lack of respect between competitors, but that simply won’t be the case when Takanori Gomi and Isaac Vallie-Flagg meet in a lightweight contest Saturday night. Both Gomi and Vallie-Flagg are veteran fighters with excellent reputations, and they seem genuinely excited to face each other.

The 35-year-old Gomi hasn’t fought in more than a year since losing a split-decision contest to Diego Sanchez in March 2013. Vallie-Flagg enters the fight on a losing note of his own, as he dropped a decision to Elias Silverio in January.

Both men are looking to rekindle their careers, and a win could make that happen. Despite being one year Gomi‘s senior, Vallie-Flagg is actually at an experience disadvantage, with 19 career fights to Gomi‘s 44. He even admitted that he looks up to Gomi in some ways:

Because of that, this should be a straight-up fight with no cheap shots. One can only assume that it will go to the scorecards and perhaps be the closest bout of the night, but Gomi will find a way to win on the scorecards as he has so often over the years.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jones vs. Teixeira Predictions: How the Main Event Might End

It’s a good piece of promotion to sit down in front of anyone who’ll listen and proclaim that an underdog challenger isn’t the underdog everyone knows he is. If you came out and admitted otherwise, people on the fence might not be keen to drop $60 on h…

Dana White knows as much, and that’s why he’s chosen “Glover Teixeira is not a 5-to-1 underdog” as his main talking point leading up to UFC 172. It’s not accurate, but electing to state “Jon Jones is a justifiable favorite. He is going to murder Glover Teixeira,” might not be good for business.

Actually, maybe it is. Maybe people just want to see violence and they don’t care how competitive it is. That’s probably something to muse about at another time, though. Right now, the world is only a few short hours away from the Jones/Teixeira main event, and many are wondering how it might play out.

In pairing the two and trying to fit their styles into one another, it’s clear where the advantages lie for each. Jones is a better athlete, a younger man, a smarter fighter and a higher echelon of talent. Teixeira has more raw power and is perhaps more keen for a dogfight than the champion.

That likely means that Jones will attempt to pace the fight very deliberately before ramping things up when he feels it’s time to close the deal. Before that happens, Teixeira is likely to attack in bursts of relentlessness with an eye on putting the champion away early.

Those are, historically, the traits of each man, and nothing about them facing off indicates an interest in disrupting one another’s pattern. They both know what’s gotten them this far, and they’ll both live and die with it.

With that in mind, Jones is simply better by any metric one wants to apply outside of one-strike knockout power. And he’s been in there with enough one-strike danger in his UFC tenure that he knows how to handle it.

He’s dominated Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson and Lyoto Machida, all of whom have the ability to finish a man with a single strike and the collective of whom offer a varied palette of opponents.

Together they prove that not only is Jones good at not getting hurt against guys who specialize in hurting, he’s good at it against a variety of styles. Teixeira, for all his power, applies it pretty basically and isn’t anything the champion hasn’t seen before.

If you’re trying to envision how the main event might end, look back on Jones’ title defense against Jackson as an indicator. Jones controlled distance and pace for four rounds, then jumped on a chance to put a fading Jackson away.

Jackson did better than people thought he would, but the end result was totally unsurprising. It was a win for Jones, one that might have been a little too cautious but that was no less impressive once he went for the kill.

Expect the Teixeira fight to follow a similar narrative. He’ll likely do better than people expect, particularly early on, while Jones is measured and spends his time calculating the steps he needs to take to get out in front. Once he does that and begins taking those steps, he’ll slowly pull away until he’s earning a victory.

That victory is likely to come on the ground, either via strikes or via a submission opened up by strikes, as Jones’ top game is among the most hellacious in the sport. Human beings simply aren’t meant to survive the force he generates with his elbows, and Teixeira is no different.

So yes, Teixeira should be a 5-to-1 underdog and yes, Jones is a justified favorite. Add those facts together and you’ve got a recipe for violence at UFC 172. It’s not about Jones winning the main event as much as it is about how he’s going to do it, but we’ve seen the blueprint already and, if he follows it, it’s going to be long night for the challenger.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 172: Main Card Storylines to Monitor Saturday Night

The arrival of UFC 172 on Saturday night brings with it a loaded card at face value, highlighted by the sport’s best in Jon Jones as he continues to etch his name in MMA history.
His opponent is Glover Teixeira, a man who both offers plenty of intrigue…

The arrival of UFC 172 on Saturday night brings with it a loaded card at face value, highlighted by the sport’s best in Jon Jones as he continues to etch his name in MMA history.

His opponent is Glover Teixeira, a man who both offers plenty of intrigue and also has the look of a severe underdog—which are two traits that will be commonplace throughout the night’s events.

This makes for quite the spectacle. Alleged underdogs can shock the globe, or some of the most consistent names in the business can go about their dominant ways to the glee of supporters. Regardless, it’s yet another card from Dana White that fans won’t want to miss.

Focus

Simple—will two of the sport’s biggest names keep their eyes on the immediate prize?

It’s apparently tougher than it sounds. Phil Davis wants a shot at Jones’ title, but he first has to move past Anthony Johnson. That’s no straightforward task, especially if Davis continues to focus more on Jones than his fight Saturday night:

Davis oozes confidence, so why is this a problem? He could learn a thing or two from Jones, who appeared to make the same mistake in his last fight.

That last fight came against Alexander Gustafsson, who almost pulled off the upset. Jones confessed on the Jim Rome Show, via Fox Sports’ Damon Martin, that he overlooked his adversary:

Going into the Gustafsson fight, I had just beat Chael Sonnen. Somebody that almost beat Anderson Silva twice. I dominated Chael Sonnen in a minute and 30 seconds and I think for the first time in my career, I really started to feel myself. I really started to think maybe I’ve got this extraordinary talent and maybe I can’t be touched.

I went 80-percent,” Jones said about the Gustafsson fight. “I’m not making any excuses, Gustafsson did a great job in the fight, but I know I had a lot more in me. I did some of the cardio tests that I normally do and my numbers weren’t the same.

It’s hard to think Jones will make the same mistake twice, although he certainly enters a favorable matchup against Teixeira. The same can’t be said for Davis, who has to remain grounded and deal with the task at hand unless he wants to suffer the same lesson.

Can Underdogs Prove Their Worth to Stick Around in UFC?

There’s a lot on the line at the event. Health. Career trajectory. Food on the table. It goes on.

For some of the underdogs, it’s all at stake. Look at Teixeira. He’s won 20 straight fights and five since joining the UFC, but a loss to Jones in his first bout against respectable competition would cripple his credibility.

There’s Johnson, who is in a career revitalization of sorts at 205 pounds as a stone-fisted knockout machine who certainly has what it takes to drop Davis in one shot. David Kano of MMA Show News is one who believes in Johnson:

But a loss? Forget it. Johnson will have a tough time ever getting back to title contention.

Don’t just look at the top of the main card, though. In Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch, the latter should count his lucky stars he gets another shot at a top-10 opponent. A loss effectively ends his run.

Jim Miller vs. Yancy Medeiros? The latter has the makings of a major star after an impressive recent win—that was negated after a positive test for marijuana. In other words, he has yet to prove he belongs, although a win over a consistent contender like Miller would change things in a hurry.

Will the Hype of the “Stacked Card” Come to Fruition?

Look, a promoter’s job is to create interest in the product he or she touts. White can’t be blamed for hyping up 172’s card, but it’s certainly a wild card in the entertainment department.

His comments and actions, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith, sum up the situation perfectly:

Jones may simply bully Teixeira in the main event, especially if he can take things to the mat. The same goes for Davis, as Johnson simply isn’t comfortable in the wrestling department. Rinse and repeat, as Miller is a surefire victor if he applies a submission maneuver. Boetsch is a glutton for punishment who is in for a beating if he can’t close the distance against Rockhold.

Each match may end early. While a fun event, fans may feel robbed of time and/or money. That, or a few wild upsets happen and the event goes down as one to remember.

What’s it going to be?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 172 Fight Card: A Luke Rockhold Win Makes Him Suddenly Pretty Relevant

It’s March 2011.
Jon Jones isn’t the light heavyweight champion yet, but he’s a week away from the fight that crowned him the king he still is today.
Matthew McConaughey’s The Lincoln Lawyer is fixing to drop in theatres, and he’s still a hopeless dope…

It’s March 2011.

Jon Jones isn’t the light heavyweight champion yet, but he’s a week away from the fight that crowned him the king he still is today.

Matthew McConaughey‘s The Lincoln Lawyer is fixing to drop in theatres, and he’s still a hopeless dope of an actor who could never, ever win an Oscar. The idea is laughable.

Lady Gaga is fending off Katy Perry’s “E.T.” and Rihanna’s “S&M” at the top of the music charts, to the chagrin of anyone with ears.

And Zuffa just bought Strikeforce.

Dana White is sitting in his office and talking to Ariel Helwani, dropping a bomb on the MMA community that no one saw coming: The UFC’s parent company just purchased it’s main competition, swindling it from boss Scott Coker in the middle of the night.

It was a great time to be alive for MMA fans, as fantasy matchups began to become possible. What did this mean for Nick Diaz? Ronaldo Souza? The legendary Fedor Emelianenko?

They were all technically UFC property at that point, and nothing was off the table.

Quietly involved in that mix of available talent was a 7-1 middleweight who wasn’t getting much attention but who’d shown signs that he might be something. That man was Luke Rockhold, and by the time Strikeforce would be folded into the UFC, he’d be the promotion’s middleweight champion.

There was genuine enthusiasm for his arrival in the UFC, and people saw him to be a top contender. That was reflected in his choice of debut opponent, as he was given the now-legendary Vitor Belfort.

As was the story with most men who dared to enter the cage with the testosterone-infused Belfort, Rockhold was the victim of a highlight-reel knockout strike, and his stock plummeted. While most Strikeforce imports were holding their own, one of the organization’s most prominent became iconic for all the wrong reasons after only a few minutes in the Octagon.

A year later, though, and things have changed. Testosterone replacement therapy is illegal, and with that fact has come something of a reprieve for those who fell at the hands of athletes who were using the therapy. Rockhold, now looking to win his second in a row at UFC 172, is back in the game.

Besides the circumstances around TRT, the rest of the middleweight division has either faltered or stagnated.

Belfort, a top contender on TRT, is now in a holding pattern. He’s been replaced at the top by Lyoto Machida, who’ll fight for the title in July.

Perennial contender and Rockhold foil Michael Bisping just lost, dropping out of the top five for the first time in a long time.

Everyone else around Rockhold in the rankings—save for Souza, who is in his own holding pattern at the moment (and whom Rockhold already defeated)—is either fighting lower competition or behind Rockhold in the pecking order for a title shot.

And so his fight at UFC 172 becomes a sudden shot at relevance for the American Kickboxing Academy product. With a win over Tim Boetsch, a burly brawler who’s just credible enough to look good on an already solid resume, Rockhold could easily lay claim to a title shot.

Belfort seems keen to get back in there and is the only man clearly ahead of Rockhold based on their meeting last year, but from there, it’s pretty much wide open. And given the circumstances around Belfort‘s career at the moment, nothing involving his ability to fight or even be sanctioned is automatic.

That makes Luke Rockhold suddenly pretty relevant. Going into UFC 172, his fight hasn’t gotten much attention, mostly due to a Jon Jones headlining appearance and the antics of Phil Davis, but it might just be the fight to create the next contender at 185.

Who knew when you were listening to Lady Gaga on the way home from another bad Matthew McConaughey movie in 2011 that this would be the case by 2014? Funny how things change.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 172 Predictions: Breaking Down Top Fights on Saturday’s Main Card

Jon “Bones” Jones and Glover Teixeira’s clash for the light heavyweight title highlights a loaded card for Saturday night’s UFC 172 event in Baltimore.
While Jones looks to solidify one of the sport’s most impressive title reigns with another successfu…

Jon “Bones” Jones and Glover Teixeira’s clash for the light heavyweight title highlights a loaded card for Saturday night’s UFC 172 event in Baltimore.

While Jones looks to solidify one of the sport’s most impressive title reigns with another successful defense, Teixeira has not dropped a fight since 2005. Bones most recently derailed Alexander Gustafsson in a five-round classic, while Teixeira defeated Ryan Bader with a first-round TKO.

The title bout represents Saturday night’s marquee draw, but there are plenty of other bouts to excite MMA fans. Luke Rockhold has a fierce challenger ahead of him in Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch, and Phil Davis is out to prove he’s worthy of main event status in his fight with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson.

Let’s take a look at what the card has to offer in another enticing UFC tilt.

Where: Baltimore Arena, Baltimore, Maryland

When: Saturday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET

Watch: Pay-per-view (check local cable provider)

Live Stream: UFC.TV (subscription required)

Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch

Rockhold is out for redemption after suffering an early knockout loss to Vitor Belfort last May. In his way stands Boetsch, a brawler who has lost two of his last three bouts in the third round.

The defeat against Belfort hit Rockhold hard. As he told Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole, that blemish on his record will haunt him throughout his career.

I want that fight back. My goal is not to be the champion, not to win a belt or anything else. I want to be the best in the world. You only live once and so the way I see it, it’s worth it to try to go out and be the best at something. Even if I become champion, I can’t say I’m the best in the world while I still have that loss on my record.

After earning five straight submission victories in the opening round, Rockhold has not made an opponent tap out since 2009. Yet he’s earned three swift first-round knockouts, most recently cleaning out Costas Philippou during the opening minutes.

The jiu-jitsu fighter is a balanced tactician in the Octagon, armed with speed and well versed in all three areas of submission, striking and takedowns. One way or the other, he’ll find a way to beat Boetsch.

Prediction: Rockhold by TKO

Phil Davis vs. Anthony Johnson

Davis has his sights set on grander pastures, focusing more attention on Jon Jones than his actual opponent.

Rather than focusing on his upcoming bout with Jackson, “Mr. Wonderful” used Monday’s pre-fight conference call to poke Jones. He questioned the validity of his last victory over Gustafsson, claiming Jones’ opponent made him “look like a pirate.”

He didn’t change his tune during Thursday’s media day.

Davis has reason to exude confidence after winning his last three fights. The 29-year-old, who boasts a 12-1 record, is sculpted like a Marvel superhero with superior wrestling skills. Johnson, on the other hand, was last seen in UFC submitting to Belfort two years ago.

While Davis is the rightful favorite on paper, he could get in his own way by investing his time marketing a future fight with Jones. Johnson can take Davis down if he’s not careful, but Mr. Wonderful should live up to the nickname with a decisive victory.

Prediction: Davis by submission

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira

Although Teixeira enters the biggest fight of his career on a hot streak, he doesn’t have the chops to defeat Jones in the main event.

A Chuck Liddell disciple, Teixeira is a brawler, averaging 6.91 strikes per minute to Jones’ 4.15, per UFC.com. While that style has served him so far, he’ll struggle to make much leeway against Jones, who is faster with a wider reach.

Teixeira also has no experience fighting five rounds, which could hurt the 34-year-old if neither man quickly takes care of business. Although Jones is eight years younger, he holds more experience on the grand stage.

Bank on Jones cementing his seventh winning title defense to gain his 20th overall victory.

Prediction: Jones by decision.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com