Tag: UFC betting

UFC Heavyweight bout:  Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle

Odds:  ( Struve / McCorkle )

Betting Pick:  Struve

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

The Co-Main event of the evening sees skilled Dutch grappler Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve will face off with undefeated prospect Sean “Big Sexy” McCorkle. Both of these guys are skilled and well-rounded and do their best work on the ground, so this should be an interesting stylistic matchup. Of course, Struve’s extreme height and reach make any fight he is in an interesting physical matchup as well, so this should be a compelling and competitive affair.

McCorkle, an undefeated young prospect who made a name for himself fighting on smaller shows, made a successful UFC debut a few months ago by armbarring K-1 and PRIDE veteran Mark Hunt barely a minute into the first round. McCorkle has very effective submissions, solid punching power and wrestling, and devastating ground and pound, which makes him a very dangerous fighter.

His opponent, Struve, has some extremely effective jiu-jitsu from every position and effective Muay Thai which utilizes his length and reach very well. He is not the most powerful striker, and his long frame makes his takedown defense somewhat problematic, but he is good at landing punches from range and once the fight goes to the ground he is excellent at sweeping and using his long limbs to secure submissions.

This is an interesting matchup. Both guys have good submissions, but Struve’s are probably better. On the feet, Struve has the edge in reach and technique, McCorkle has the edge in power. McCorkle is probably the better wrestler, as well, but I still think this fight favors Struve. McCorkle is going to have a hard time getting in range on the feet due to Struve’s ridiculous reach, and if he manages to take it to the ground he still has to deal with Struve’s world-class submissions. I think eventually the step up in competition is going to be too much for McCorkle to deal with, and Struve will capitalize on a mistake and submit him.

Prediction:  Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve via second round rear naked choke. 

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC Lightweight bout: Jim Miller vs. Charles Oliveira

Odds:  ( Miller / Oliveira )

Betting Pick:  Miller

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

In yet another competitive Lightweight matchup, skilled veteran Jim Miller and undefeated prospect Charles Oliveira will go at it. Both of these guys have top-notch ground games all around, so this should be an evenly matched fight, and a win here will do a lot to help the standing of the winner in the division.

Charles “do Bronx” Oliveira is a tough, undefeated Brazilian with a solid ground game and excellent submissions. Only once in 14 fights has he gone the distance, and a majority of his wins are by submission. While he has looked dominant so far in his career, Miller is not only a huge step up in competition, he is someone capable of testing Oliveira’s strengths to the limit, so he is going to need a career performance if he wants to keep his record untarnished.

Miller, a long-time veteran of the UFC who has never been finished as a professional despite facing top level competition for a few years now, is a very skilled wrestler and submission fighter who also has underrated and technically sound boxing. His biggest advantage going into this fight is his experience advantage. While he doesn’t have that many more fights than Oliveira, the level of competition he has faced is substantially higher.

I think this one favors Miller. Both guys have great ground games, but Miller’s is proven against better opponents, and Miller has better striking and wrestling. It should be a competitive fight, but Miller should do enough to take all three rounds and the judges’ decision.

Prediction:  Jim Miller via Unanimous Decision.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs. Mac Danzig

Odds:  ( Stevenson / Danzig )

Betting Pick:  Stevenson

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

In the second bout, two former Ultimate Fighter winners will go at it as Joe “Daddy” Stevenson tries to get back in the win column against Season Six winner Mac Danzig. Both of these guys have had sort of rough roads as of late, so a win here is crucial if they want to maintain relevance in the Lightweight division.

Mac Danzig is a skilled grappler with decent technical boxing, although he lacks power. Despite his wide array of skills, he has had a rough road in the UFC so far. His submissions are good, but his punching lacks power and he is not a very imposing character physically, which coupled with his lack of quality wrestling has really held him back. He does have the ability to hang in there with anyone though, and can give people problems with accurate punching and good hand speed, and has good enough submissions to capitalize on any big mistakes on the ground.

Stevenson, who won The Ultimate Fighter Season 2, is a very good wrestler with good submissions as well. His striking is actually fairly decent, but he is hampered by a lack of reach and he doesn’t have much power. Still, he is very good at securing takedowns and maintaining positional control, and he has great submissions and good submission defense, so he is a very dangerous fighter on the ground overall.

I think this matchup favors Stevenson. Neither guy has the power to overwhelm the other with striking, and Stevenson is the stronger guy physically and has much better wrestling, so he will be in the driver’s seat when the fight goes to the ground. Stevenson should control the majority of this bout and earn the unanimous decision victory.

Prediction:  Joe “Daddy” Stevenson via Unanimous Decision. 

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC Welterweight bout:  Thiago Alves vs. John Howard

Odds:  ( Alves / Howard )

Betting Pick:  Alves

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com

In the opening bout of the televised card, Thiago Alves will look to right his ship after two tough decision losses against skilled veteran John Howard. Alves is one of the best strikers in the division and has good takedown defense, but has missed weight recently and looked lethargic in his fights. Howard has some good wrestling and punching power, so if Alves is off his game he could be in trouble.

John Howard, who went 4-1 in his first five fights in the UFC, is a very tough guy who is pretty decent at everything but isn’t great at anything. Early in his career he showed some solid submission skills, but for the last few years he has been depending on punching, takedowns, and ground and pound to get the job done. Against Alves he is going to have to try to force a ground fight, because in a kickboxing match he will get destroyed.

Alves, the world’s third-ranked Middleweight, has extremely effective and powerful Muay Thai and can overwhelm opponents from range or in the clinch. He doesn’t have much of an offensive ground game, but his takedown and submission defense are both top-notch. In a standup fight he will crush Howard, so as long as he can stay upright and not gas out, he is in a good position to win this fight easily.

I think Alves is just way more than Howard is capable of handling. On the feet this will be a total mismatch, and Howard doesn’t have dominant enough wrestling to overcome Alves’ excellent takedown defense. Howard will get stuck in a standup fight, picked apart, and eventually T/KO’ed.

Prediction:  Thiago “Pitbull” Alves via first round T/KO.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…