Tag: UFC betting

UFC 118 Fight Information – Penn vs. Edgar 2

Here I have provided all the UFC 118 Fight information you will need to look over and help with your betting decisions come fight night.
Fight Odds & Betting Lines

UFC 118 Betting Odds
MMA Betting Sites

UFC 118 Fight Card

Full UFC 118 Fight Card

Pats Expert Predictions

Quick UFC 118 Predictions Page

Detailed Fight Predictions

Penn vs. Edgar 2
Couture vs. Toney
Maia vs. […]

Here I have provided all the UFC 118 Fight information you will need to look over and help with your betting decisions come fight night.

Fight Odds & Betting Lines

UFC 118 Fight Card

Pats Expert Predictions

Detailed Fight Predictions

UFC 118 Fighter Profiles

UFC 118 Promo videos  

 

Predictions for UFC 118 – Penn vs. Edgar 2

Here are my Fight picks for UFC 118.  I have detailed fight predictions for the Main Card and quick picks for the Preliminary Card.
UFC 118 Odds
BJ Penn over Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision.

Penn vs. Edgar Prediction Page.

Randy Couture over James Toney via first round submission.

Couture vs. Toney Prediction Page.

Demian Maia over Mario Miranda via submission.

Maia vs. […]

Here are my Fight picks for UFC 118.  I have detailed fight predictions for the Main Card and quick picks for the Preliminary Card.

UFC 118 Odds

BJ Penn over Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision.

Randy Couture over James Toney via first round submission.

Demian Maia over Mario Miranda via submission.

Kenny Florian over Gray Maynard via second round rear naked choke.

Nate Diaz over Marcus Davis via unanimous decision.

UFC 118 Preliminary Card Quick Picks

Sportsbook.com Odds

  • Joe Lauzon over Gabe Ruediger via unanimous decision.
  • Andre Winner over Nik Lentz via second round TKO.
  • Dan Miller over John Salter via unanimous decision.
  • Nick Osipczak over Greg Soto via unanimous decision.
  • Mike Pierce over Amilcar Alves via first round TKO.

UFC 118: BJ Penn vs. Frankie Edgar 2 Prediction

Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn
Odds:  (-300 Penn /+220 Edgar )
Betting Pick:  BJ Penn
The main event is a huge rematch for the Lightweight title, with champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar looking to retain his belt against the man he just took it from, BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. Their first fight ended with a […]

Lightweight Championship bout: Frankie Edgar vs. B.J. Penn

Odds:  (-300 Penn /+220 Edgar )

Betting Pick:  BJ Penn

The main event is a huge rematch for the Lightweight title, with champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar looking to retain his belt against the man he just took it from, BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. Their first fight ended with a controversial decision, as many felt that Penn did enough to win three of the five rounds despited the ridiculously lopsided scores. The question is whether Penn will be able to assert himself better, or if Edgar really has “The Answer” for Penn’s multi-faceted attack.

The champ, Frankie Edgar, is an extremely well-rounded fighter. Although he is not a prolific submission finisher, his jiu-jitsu is very good and he is extremely difficult to submit. In a similar vein, his boxing is not very powerful but his accuracy, footwork, and head movement are top notch, which makes him very difficult to hit and very adept and counterpunching. Where he really shines, though, is in the wrestling, which he proved by being the first and only Lightweight who ever managed to take down BJ Penn. His slippery boxing style coupled with dominant takedowns and good submission defense make him one of the toughest fighters in the world to come out with a win against.

Obviously, BJ Penn is one of the most dynamic fighters in the world. A very technical boxer with a good amount of punching power, Penn is also one of the best jiu-jitsu artists in the world, having never been submitted and holding a whole host of impressive submission wins. His takedown defense is also notoriously hard to crack, although Edgar did manage it in their last fight. The one problem Penn is going to face more than any other is that his offensive wrestling just isn’t good enough to take Edgar down. He could probably dominate from top position on the ground, but to get there he is probably going to have to get taken down himself and sweep Edgar, and that is a daunting task for anyone.

Personally, I thought that Penn won the first fight with Edgar, although it was certainly very close. It is clear that Penn has a better chance of finishing the fight, with punches or on the ground with a submission, but Edgar has also never been finished and is extremely resilient and hard to get a hold of. Still, I think Penn’s gameplan will be much more aggressive this time around and that he will win the boxing exchanges enough and stop Edgar’s takedowns enough to actually earn the decision.

Prediction:  BJ “The Prodigy” Penn via unanimous decision.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC 118: Randy Couture vs. James Toney Prediction

Heavyweight bout: Randy Couture vs. James Toney
Odds:  (-550 Couture /+350 Toney )
Betting Pick:  Randy Couture
In the semi-main event, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture will try to settle years of internet and sports talk debate as he faces former champion boxer James Toney. Toney is past his prime and has no legitimate credentials outside of […]

Heavyweight bout: Randy Couture vs. James Toney

Odds:  (-550 Couture /+350 Toney )

Betting Pick:  Randy Couture

In the semi-main event, UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture will try to settle years of internet and sports talk debate as he faces former champion boxer James Toney. Toney is past his prime and has no legitimate credentials outside of boxing, but he is easily the highest-profile and most skilled professional boxer ever to compete in MMA, which makes this at least somewhat interesting.

Obviously, Randy Couture is one of the fighters whose name will forever be synonymous with MMA and the UFC in particular. A multiple-time champion in two weight classes, Couture’s continual defiance of age and expectations made him the sport’s foremost legend. It is clear to any impartial observer, though, that age has finally caught up with him and that “Captain America” doesn’t have many more miracles up his sleeve. Against skilled fighters in their prime, Couture will never be a contender again. Luckily for him, Toney is neither a skilled fighter nor in his prime, so Randy might be able to cap his career off with one more high-profile win.

James Toney was an extremely formidable boxer in his heyday, but age and an almost miltant aversion to exercise have put an end to any legitimacy he ever had. Compounding the issue is the seemingly nonchalant manner in which Toney is handling the switch of sports. If you take Toney’s hype talk at face value, he doesn’t seem to think that such things as wrestling and jiu-jitsu are going to make much difference, and that is clearly not going to be a very profitable mindframe for him.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that it is impossible for Couture to lose this fight. His chin is hardly made of granite, and he does have a tendency to get caught and dropped in most of his fights lately. Conventional wisdom is that a boxer like Toney wearing 4 oz. gloves is going to put away anyone he connects with, Toney did score a KO victory in his last bout, but was never a very heavy-handed puncher to begin with. Still, he does have a puncher’s chance, but if he wants to cash in on it he is going to need to do it with one of his first two punches, because that is the maximum he will be allowed to throw before Couture clinches with him, shoves him into the cage, works him over, throws him on his back, and submits him in routine fashion.

Prediction:  Randy “The Natural” Couture via first round rear naked choke.

  • A bet on Toney @+350 isnt a bad idea.  If Toney can clip Couture before he goes for the takedown he can win this fight.  Randy likes to clinch, not known to shoot much, I think Toney can possibly get some shots in.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC 118: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard Prediction

Lightweight bout: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard
Odds:  (-155 Florian /+125 Maynard )
Betting Pick:  Kenny Florian 
The third fight of the evening is a gigantic Lightweight clash with very clear title shot implications. With BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar meeting in the main event to decide a champion, Kenny “KenFlo” Florian and Gray Maynard will duke it […]

Lightweight bout: Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard

Odds:  (-155 Florian /+125 Maynard )

Betting Pick:  Kenny Florian 

The third fight of the evening is a gigantic Lightweight clash with very clear title shot implications. With BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar meeting in the main event to decide a champion, Kenny “KenFlo” Florian and Gray Maynard will duke it out with the winner almost assuredly receiving the next shot at the belt. Maynard has been cementing his status as a top contender since his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, while Florian has been firmly ensconced near the top of the division for a few years now.

Gray Maynard, who first appeared as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter Season 5 but was eliminated by Nathan Diaz just before the finals, has remained unbeaten since entering UFC competition in earnest. A dominant wrestler with solid punching power, Maynard is the only fighter who holds a win over current Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. In his last two fights, though, Maynard has not lived up to his potential. Although he won both fights, his decision over Roger Huerta was very controversial and his decision over Nathan Diaz was an outright robbery. Still, if Maynard executes his optimal gameplan of throwing power punches and forcing takedowns, he is going to be extremely difficult for anyone in the division to stop.

Kenny Florian has proven over the past few years that he belongs at the top of the Lightweight division. While he has fallen short in his attempts to capture the title, he has consistently dominated everyone else he has faced with his formidable mixture of powerful muay thai and top notch jiu-jitsu. He looked like a monster in his last two fights, completely dominating tough contender Clay Guida and dangerous veteran Takanori Gomi before submitting them both with rear naked chokes. Having also beaten Roger Huerta, Joe Lauzon, and Joe Stevenson convincingly, Florian has one of the most impressive resumes in the UFC at 155 pounds.

I think Maynard is in trouble here. Florian showed against Clay Guida that his takedown defense is serious, and he will viciously outbox Maynard. Furthermore, Florian is one of the better grapplers in the division, so even if Maynard is able to execute takedowns he is not out of the water, as Florian could sweep him or submit him off his back. I think Maynard is going to come into this fight gun shy like he was against Nathan Diaz, and Florian is going to make him pay for it by dropping him with punches and choking him out.

Prediction:  Kenny “Ken Flo” Florian via second round rear naked choke.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC 118: Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda Prediction

Middleweight bout: Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda
Odds:  ( Maia / Miranda )
Betting Pick:  Demian Maia
The second bout is a Middleweight showdown pitting jiu-jitsu phenom Demian Maia against well-rounded AMC grappler Mario Miranda.  His fights with Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt showed just how far Maia still has to go in the standup department, but no […]

Middleweight bout: Demian Maia vs. Mario Miranda

Odds:  ( Maia / Miranda )

Betting Pick:  Demian Maia

The second bout is a Middleweight showdown pitting jiu-jitsu phenom Demian Maia against well-rounded AMC grappler Mario Miranda.  His fights with Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt showed just how far Maia still has to go in the standup department, but no one can doubt his submission prowess.  He may have his hands full with Miranda, though, who has a solid submission game of his own on top of some solid wrestling and striking.

Mario Miranda, a native of Brazil, is a very well-rounded fighter who has only lost once, to superhuman prospect Gerald Harris in his UFC debut.  He earned his way into the UFC with solid grappling, a dynamic striking attack, a solid chin, and good submission defense.  In his last fight he got back to his winning ways, dropping former champ David Louiseau with punches in the second round.  There is no question what Miranda’s key to victory in this fight is.  While he is fairly skilled on the ground, he needs to keep this fight standing and exploit Maia’s questionable chin and lack of striking technique if he wants any chance of making it two in a row.  If he allows Maia to tie him up and drag this fight to the ground, it is only a matter of time before he is submitted.

Maia is a rarity in the sport at this point in that he is a one-dimensional fighter who is still capable of competing against the upper echelon of the division’s talent.  His standup is rudimentary at best and he is not a dominant takedown artist, but there is no question that he is the most dangerous guy in the UFC to be on the ground with.  From every position, Maia is capable of submitting opponents in a huge variety of ways.  You never have to wonder what his game plan will be, because his only offensive weapon is his submission game, but still most of his opponents find it impossible to prevent him from doing his thing.

Miranda is a good fighter who is only going to get better, but Maia is too much for him.  Miranda can end fights on the feet, but he is not a dominant, world-class striker, and it is going to be extremely difficult for him to keep Maia from taking him down or tying him up and pulling guard.  The second this fight hits the mat it is elementary, because no one in the division can survive long on the ground with Maia, who takes this one by submission.

Prediction:  Demian Maia via second round arm triangle choke.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.  They allow you to start with as little as $20, and you can bet on all of the fights for the night. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…