UFC 74: Respect Fight Card

UFC 74 takes place Saturday, August 25th at 10:00pm est at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. Heres the complete fight card and the available odds at this time.

Main event:
UFC Heavyweight Championship title bout

*current champ

*Randy "The Natural" Couture(15-8-0) vs Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga(8-1-0)

Gonzaga -140 (risk $140 to win $100)

Couture +110 (risk $100 to win $110)

*No doubt Couture would have much rather fought Cro Cop, at least with him you know where he wants to fight you at which is on his feet. With Gonzaga its a crap shoot, he has proven to be both an accomplished wrestler who is comfortable on the ground and a devastating striker on his feet, as Mirko Cro Cop found out the hard way at UFC 70. Couture is old, but experienced and I think he will have all he can handle with Gonzaga. Couture is the fan favorite and I would expect the line to move towards a more even keel, so if you like Couture take him now, but if you like Gonzaga then wait until we get closer to the fight and the true line will come out making it less expensive. I gotta say that Gonzaga while less experienced looks to be more hungry and with the lack of respect he has been shown lately it is safe to say that he is like a wounded animal, unpredictable and wild. In my opinon, Couture should be worried.

Undercard Events:

Lightweights

Roger "El Matador" Huerta(20-1-1) vs Alberto Crane(8-0-0)

Huerta -535 (risk $535 to win $100)

Crane +285 (risk $100 to win $285)

*Huerta is a wrestler by trade but, he seems more comfortable on his feet as more than half of his 20 wins have come by way of KO/TKO from strikes. His considerable experience over Crane justifies the lop sided line and he should win handily. However, Crane is on an 8 fight win streak with all but 1 win coming by submission. Crane will definantly try to take it to the ground right from the start, he wants no taste of Huerta's standup strikes, but this won't help either as I said before, Huerta is a wrestler by trade and is 7 years the junior to Crane which counts for alot of stamina and recovery. Unless Crane can catch Huerta off guard and knock his lights out it will most likely be a disappointing night for him.

Welterweights

Josh "Kos" Koscheck(11-1-0) vs Georges "Rush" St. Pierre(13-2-0)

Koscheck +160 (risk $100 to win $160)

St. Pierre -210 (risk $210 to win $100)

* I am a big Koscheck fan, hes an up and comer and isn't afraid to take a hit. His most recent victory came against the heavy favorite Diego Sanchez at UFC 69 when he pounded out the rounds with Sanchez and earned an unanimous decision in 3 rounds. Koscheck is a versitile fighter and does not limit himself to a certain style although he has utilized the ground in 4 of his last 9 wins. He likes to strike quick and then shoot to take a stunned opponent to the ground for a submission. St Pierre is coming off a devastating loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69 and will be looking to climb back up the ladder to fight for the championship again. St. Pierre is a devastating striker which is no doubt why he is such a heavy favorite. St. Pierre will obviously give Koscheck all he can handle and try to keep the fight standing up, as tall as St. Pierre is I can see Koscheck making a quick strike and then try to shoot to take him down. Regardless I think this will be a great fight and the line is way too one sided in favor of St. Pierre, I would wait for the public to jump on the favorite as they always do and inflate the line and then I would jump on Koscheck for the simple value of the line. If you like St. Pierre then take him now!!!

Lightweights

Kurt "Batman" Pellegrino(16-2-0) vs Joe "Daddy" Stevenson(32-7-0)

Stevenson -270 (risk $270 to win $100)

Pellegrino +210 (risk $100 to win $210)

*Joe Stevenson has a ton of fights under his belt and for only being 25 years old hes well on his way to claiming the lightweight championship. Stevenson is a submission artist who isn't afraid to take a hit on his feet especially if hes waiting to catch you with a stunner to the chin and then take your legs out from under you to get to the ground where he is most comfortable. Batman Pellegrino on the other hand has far less experience and is basically the same fighter, he like to go to the ground as 80% of his wins have come by way of submission. For the fight to be intresting they should both stay on their feet, but I doubt that will happen and most likely it will go to the ground where Stevenson will be pounding on Pellegrino asking him, "who's your Daddy".

Middleweights

Patrick "The Predator" Cote(11-4-0) vs Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove(10-3-0)

Grove -240 (risk $240 to win $100)

Cote +180 (risk $100 to win $180)

Middleweights

Ryan Jensen(11-1-0) vs Thales Leites(10-1-0)

Leites -290 (risk $290 to win $100)

Jensen +230 (risk $100 to win $230)

Light Heavyweights

Renato "Babalu" Sobral(27-7-0) vs David Heath(9-1-0)

Sobral -260 (risk $260 to win $100)

Heath +200 (rosk $100 to win $200)

Heavyweights

Frank Mir(9-3-0) vs Antoni Hardonk(5-3-0)

Mir -190 (risk $190 to win $100)

Hardonk +150 (risk $100 to win $150)

*It has been a long time coming for Frank Mir, he has been out of the octagon for almost a year, Mir's claim to fame was submitting Tim Sylvia at UFC 48. Since then he has lost 2 out of his last 3 fights and seemed to fade out but so did the rest of the heavyweight division after Couture won it. Mir is best on the ground if you stand him up and beat on him he really doesn't like it, thats how you beat him. Hardonk is relatively unknown and just got his ass whipped at UFC Fight Night 9 by another scrub so basically this looks to be a welcome back match for Mir setup by Dana White to reinvigorate the Heavyweight division. The reason the line is as close as it is is because neither of these guys are that good and Mir has fan recognition which keeps the line high. I doubt it will be a very eventful fight, but Mir will probably take it only because Hardonk is that bad.

Lightweights

Clay "The Carpenter" Guida(21-5-0) vs Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio(14-4-0)

Guida -125 (risk $125 to win $100)

Aurelio -105 (risk $105 to win $100)

Keep checking back for more odds and a rundown of all the fights and my predictions.

UFC 75: Champion vs Champion

UFC 75: Champion vs Champion will take place on September 8th at 4:00pm EST in the 02 Arena in London, England.

GamblersPalace.com is proud to offer early UFC Odds on the UFC 75 whose title card will feature the current UFC Light Heavyweight champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson 27-6-0 in a battle against the current Pride Fighting Light Heavyweight champ Dan "Hollywood" Henderson 22-5-0. UFC had puchased the Pride Fighting League back in May and this bout will look to unify the belt at the Light Heavyweight division.
The bookmakers currently have Jackson medium favorite at -150(risk $150 to win $100) with Henderson bringing back a respectable +120(risk $120 to win $100). Both fighters are wrestlers by trade, however lately we have seen wrestlers who would much rather box it out with strikes instead of going to the mat. These 2 fighters are prime examples of this as 13 of Jackson's 27 wins have come by way of KO while Henderson has posted up 10 his 22 wins via KO. Jackson is on a 5 fight win streak coming off his championship fight win over Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell with a stunning knockout in the 1st round that left Liddell dazed and confused. This win has no doubt raised Jackson into the upper echelon of UFC fighters and he will no doubt dish out all that Henderson can take. Henderson on the hand is no slouch and has fought the best of the best in Pride, his last fight was back in February when he KO'ed Wanderlei Silva at Pride 33. This will be Henderson's UFC debut and I would expect hes bringing his A game but it has been a while since his last fight which is probably the reason for Jackson being favored so early. Regardless of the touts I believe this will be an all out war and there will be a knockout!!!

The undercard that night will feature a Heavywieght fight between Mirko Cro Cop 22-5-2 and Cheick Kongo 19-3-1. Currently Cro Cop is a heavy favorite at -330(risk $330 to win $100) with Kongo on the comeback at +250(risk $100 to win $250). Cro Cop is coming off a heartbreaking loss against Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 70 where he suffered a devasting kick to the head that rendered him unable to standup, this alone will be enough motivation for the knockout artist Cro Cop to easily dispose of Kongo. Cheick Kongo has been in the UFC for about a year now and has a few wins under his belt, his latest was at UFC 70 where he won by decision against Assuerio Silva. Other than that I really don't recognize anyone else hes fought, if the handicappers are right then it should be a short night for Kongo as he will most likely get knocked out by the Croation. Some other fights on the card that GP will be providing odds for as we get closer to the event date:

Matt "The Hammer" Hamill vs Michael "The Count" Bispin
Naoyuki Kotani vs Dennis Silver

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UFC 74: Respect Early Odds

There are early lines out for UFC 74 which will be held August 25th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The main event will be a Heavyweight title fight between the current champ Randy Couture 15-8-0 and challenger Gabriel "Napo" Gonzaga 8-1-0 who is fresh off his stunning 1st round knockout of Mirko "Cro Cop" in UFC 70.

Currently the lines available have Gonzaga favored at -125 (risk $125 to win $100) with Couture at -105 (risk $105 to win $100).

The undercard to the main event will be Welterweights: Josh Koscheck 9-1-0 vs Georges St. Pierre 13-2-0.

The bookmakers currently have St. Pierre a heavy favorite at -245 (risk $245 to win $100) while Koscheck brings back +185 (risk $100 to win $185).

Keep checking back for fight updates and major line moves as I will be adding more and more info on UFC 74: RESPECT.....

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UFC 73 Results

Well I picked 6 out of 9 right problem is that the 3 I missed were the ones I bet!!! Damnit

UFC 73 was by far the most anticipated MMA event of the year with 9 fights on the card, 2 of which were title fights in the Middleweight and Lightweight divisions. The night started off with sparks when Heath Herring a huge underdog nearly knocked out Pride Fighting champ Minotauro Nogueira with a kick to the head, but ended up losing the fight by decision. The Lighweight championship was nothing short of an all out war between Hermes Franca and defending champ Sean Sherk. The bout went all 5 five minute rounds and ended with Sherk by unanimous decision. One of the more anticipated fights of the night was between Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz at the Lightheavy Weight division. Sparks were flying and both fighters put on quite a show for the sell out crowd at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, but the crowd was left disappointed when the bout ended in a draw due to a point deduction incurred by Ortiz in the 2nd round when he was penalized for holding onto the fence to prevent a takedown. The main event of the night was the Middleweight championship bout between defending champ Anderson "The Spider" Silva and the challenger Nate Marqaurdt. With the ring of the bell Silva opened up with a quick flurry of striking combos, Marquardt tried to defend but was no match for the Brazilians speed and Nate "The Great" was TKO'd with 1:30 left in the 1st round.

Complete Results for UFC 73:
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUTFrankie Edgar defeated Mark Bocek at 4:55 of Round One by TKO.

WELTERWEIGHT BOUTChris Lytle defeated Jason Gilliam 2:15 of Round One by triangle choke.

LIGHTWEIGHT BOUTJorge Gurgel defeated Diego Saraiva by unanimous decision (30-27 on all three scorecards)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTStephan Bonnar defeated Mike Nickels by Rear Naked Choke at 2:14 of Round One.

HEAVYWEIGHT BOUTAntonio Rodrigo Nogueria defeats Heath Herring by unanimous decision (29-28 on all score cards)

LIGHT WEIGHT UFC WORLD TITLE BOUT
Sean Sherk defeats Hermes Franca by unanimous decision (50-45 on all judges scorecards)

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT
Tito Ortiz vs Rashad Evans. All 3 judges score the bout 28-28 for a unanimous draw mostly due to the point taken away from Ortiz in the 2nd round. MIDDLEWEIGHT UFC WORLD TITLE BOUTAnderson Silva defeats Nate Marqaurdt by TKO Rd 1 (Referee's stoppage due to strikes)

LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT
Kenny Florian defeats Alvin Robinson by TKO (Referee's Stoppage due to strikes on the ground) Rd 1

UFC 73 Picks

Hey Peeps, Click on this link to view the odds and my picks for UFC 73: Stacked, July 7th. Also don't forget to enter the handicapping contest and make some free cash!!!

UFC 73: Stacked Preview/Odds

UFC 73 should be the UFC event of the year, with a superstar fight card including Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva, and Sean Sherk.

On Saturday July 7th Arco Arena in Sacramento will host the "Stacked" event available on PPV. Some of the more notable of the 9 fights on the card are lightweight champion Sean "muscle shark" Sherk 35-2-1 vs Brazilian born Hermes Franka 19-5-0 as well as light heavyweights Tito "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz 16-5-0 vs Rashad "Sugar" Evans 15-o-0. The main event will be middleweight champion Anderson "The Spider" Silva 18-4-0 vs Nate "The Great" Marquardt 28-6-1.

Right now the books have the above mentioned fights available for early betting. The lightweight champion Sherk is an expected favorite at -230 (risk $230 to win $100) while Franca will bring a nice comeback of +180 (risk $100 to win $180). This should be a great fight between 2 proven fighters, however if it goes to the ground then expect Sherk to be the victor, hes too strong and stout to easily submit, Franca will have to win on his feet. If you like Sherk I would advise taking him right now, as the line will most likely move up as the wise guys come in and pound the number. If you like the Brazilian I would wait for a better price like +200 or so.

The bookmakers currently have Tito Ortiz posting as a slight favorite at -120 (risk $120 to win $100), while Rashad Evans is -110 (risk $110 to win $100) The truth is is that Ortiz has been getting beat up lately and facing Rashad Evans to start out your rise back to the top is no easy task. Evans is undefeated and has been beating people up lately. If you like Tito then take him right now!!! before the price gets driven up by the mass public making Tito the fan favorite, but if you believe that Evans will get the job done then wait for the + money and jump on him, these 2 fighters are very evenly matched so keep watching the lines as sooner or later there will be an imbalance and then you can take advantage of the value.

For the main event, middleweight champ Anderson Silva is a slight favorite at -165 (risk $165 to win $100) while the challenger Nate Marquardt is listed at +130 (risk $100 to win $130). At this point Silva looks like hes gonna wipe the floor with this guy, but Marquardt has a ton of experience and is no slouch. Right now the value is on Silva becuase it is considerably cheap for a favorite in a matchup like this, the line will most likely move up to -185 before its over.

I will post my picks for each fight early next week after the lines are settled and all the rhetoric is over. Whoever wants to can submit their picks against mine next week and if you beat me its worth a $25 free account!!! Simply comment on this blog whoever would like to participate and I will contact you indiviually.

*Note $25 free cash is subject to all bonus rollover requirements, which can be found in the bonus section of GamblersPalace.com home page.

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Penn - Pulver Fight Results

Penn had obsessed about grabbing a rematch with Pulver after losing to the then-UFC lightweight champion in 2002 and finally, after half a decade of clamoring for a shot at redemption, his dream came true. The 28-year-old from Hilo, Hawaii left no doubt as to who the better man was tonight, punishing Pulver from the start before choking out his bitter rival 3:12 into the second round inside the spectacular Pearl concert hall in the Palms Hotel. But Penn didn't just score a submission -- he tried his best to torture "Little Evil" before making the 32-year-old Miletich fighter tapout from a rear-naked choke. Penn easily scored takedowns in the first round and was able to systematically break Pulver's will. Penn landed stinging elbows and punches while in Pulver's guard and if that wasn't bad enough for Pulver, the "Prodigy" was able to achieve full mount almost at will. Penn looked like the hungrier and more skilled fighter, even though Pulver gave it his all. There were a few times during the skirmish where it appeared as though Penn (11-4-1) could have ended the fight early and gone for either an armbar or rear-naked choke, but he seemed content to keep a slower pace in an effort to administer a more potent beating. "He didn't go for the easy submission," Pulver stated immediately following his disappointing loss. "He tried to beat the hell out of me. I respect him more and more every minute. B.J.'s a savage; he's very good." It wasn't as if Pulver, whose record fell to 21-8-1, just stood around and took a beating because he enjoyed it. Pulver tried to make a fight out of it as well. He landed some crisp punches in the first and second rounds and delivered a few solid knees to Penn's ribs while in the clinch. But B.J. withstood the strikes and, whenever he wanted, either slammed Pulver down hard or just sucked him onto the canvas with single-leg takedowns. Every time Pulver was down he found a world of trouble -- armbars, triangles, omoplatas and a rear-naked chokes. Pulver masterfully escaped each attempt save for the final choke, a submission that was strung together perfectly. Pulver knew it was coming and defended Penn's arms and hands. Penn quickly maneuvered his left leg to the front of Pulver's body and trapped the Bettendorf, Iowa-based fighter's left arm so he was unable to defend the imminent choke. From there Penn sunk in the submission and forced Pulver to tap. The first UFC 155-pound champion had planned on retiring from active competition following his last fight -- a shocking knockout loss to undercard fighter and TUF 5 cast member Joe Lauzon -- but after receiving the offer to fight Penn a second time and following six grueling weeks as a coach on the reality television series, Pulver had a change of heart. Even with the loss tonight, Pulver was adamant that he's sticking around and will continue to grow as a fighter. "This is almost our way of saying goodbye," Pulver said of himself and Penn. "I'm going down to 145; I think he wants to go back up to 170. So we just put a stamp on a phenomenal weight class that I hope you guys love, enjoy, and will always embrace in the UFC: 155." Penn made himself unavailable for comments moments after the triumph over Pulver, his rival-turned-future training partner. Instead, Penn shouted into the microphone for everybody to visit his personal Web site -- bjpenn.com -- which ironically crashed due to a likely surge in traffic.

Pulver vs Penn 2: Picks and Odds

On Saturday night in Las Vegas, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn will look to avenge his UFC 35 loss against Jens "little evil" Pulver in the Ultimate Fighter 5 finale.

It has been a long time coming for Penn who thought his UFC career might be over with the devastating loss to underdog Jens Pulver. Since then Penn has made a comeback and padded his record with loads of experience beating current welterweight champ Matt Serra and disposing quite handily the Gracie brothers Renzo and Rodrigo. This time around Penn says hes more focused and better prepared for the striker style of Pulver. *Note live lines are subject to constant change. Penn is favored at -490(risk $490 to win $100) B.J. is an excellent grappler and strong. Hes lost alot of weight to make the 155 requirement, I think this will only make him more agile on the ground and he has definitely got the motivation to avenge his loss, he should be favored, but I would wait until later in the week to get a price at the books as it will come down dramatically as is the pattern lately with MMA lines. Jens Pulver is currently +340(risk $100 to win $340). I believe this is incredible value on a fighter that has already beaten his opponent once!!! Add to the fact that Pulver is a vicious striker with 13 of his 21 wins coming by way of knock out. Pulver is coming off a loss from UFC 63 by the hand of Joe Lauzon and a flurry of punches in the 1st minute of round 1. So he will have plenty of motivation to rebound from an embarrasing loss. Right now all the value is on Jens Pulver.....Get him while hes hot folks because that price won't last long. Who do you like?

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UFC 72: Victory Odds and Picks

UFC 72: Victory is to be held Saturday June, 16th in Belfast, Ireland. *Note all lines subject to continous change.

The Fight card will be headlined with a middleweight bout between former champ Rich “Ace” Franklin vs Yushin Okami. This will definantly be an intresting fight since both fighters have very similar standup fighting styles and are both comfortable on the ground should the fight go in that direction. Franklin 23-2-0 is favored at -210 (risk $210 to win $100) simply because he is the ex-champ and is probably a little bit better striker, which has been proven to be advantagous in a sport where one punch can end the fight. Okami +160(risk $100 to win $160) is fairly new to the UFC and was imported in from the Pride Fighting League that UFC recently aquired. With a record of 21-3-0 he is no stranger to MMA and is currently on a 6 fight win streak that includes most recently Mike Swick who Okami just destroyed. Hes a standup fighter with excellent grappling skills and should give Franklin all he can handle. I like Okami simply because of the value of the line and his ability to matchup well with Franklin.

Another featured fight will be light heavyweights Forrest Griffin vs Hector “Sick Dog” Ramirez. (Lines on this bout are not available yet, but should be up within a day or so.) Forrest Griffin 13-4-0 is a relative star in the UFC, but recent losses to Keith Jardine in UFC 66(TKO punches) and Tito Ortiz in UFC 59(split decision) have left him a fading star and another loss could be devastating for his career. This along with the fact that hes Irish and fighting in Ireland makes him the fan favorite automatically and gives him a little boost in confidence. Forrest is a grappler and is very comfortable on the ground as 6 of his wins have come by way of submission, this could be a key factor in the outcome because forrest is slightly bigger than his oppnent and has more experience. As for Hector Ramirez 6-2-1, this will be only his second appearance in the UFC having lost his first bout to James Irvin in UFC 65(TKO). Ramirez is a wrestler by trade, but has been known to throw devastating punches and has the power to deliver the “one hitter quitter” as 4 of his KO’s have come way of standup striking. I think this one will be a toss up, Griffin has shown weakness in his previous losses and Ramirez really has nothing to lose, my pick will depend on the line, Griffin will be favored and this might present enough value on Ramirez to make it worth it.

The third fight on the main card will be a middleweight fight between Rory “Outburst” Singer and Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald. First of all, I would like to state that these 2 guys could possibly have the worst nicknames in MMA!!! Personally if somebody called me “Outburst” I would probably punch them in the nose….anyways Rory Singer 12-7-0 has been in the UFC for about a year now, hes a wrestler with 7 wins coming by way of submission, which tells me that he like the ground, however 3 of his losses came by way of submission as well so he is not dominate in any specific style, he mainly relys on his strength to overpower opponents in whichever position he might find himself. Jason MacDonald 19-8-0 is another wrestler/standup striker, he has 16 wins by way of submission, which tells me that he is very technical and probably prefers the ground since 3 of his losses have come from KO/TKO and 3 by way of decision, I think he prefers the ground where he can slow down the rythem of the fight and take more control. If MacDonald can get Singer on the ground then I gotta think its over for Singer. Whatever the outcome look for a slow and technical bout, with MacDonald winning.

The last bout on the main card will be lightweights Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and Tyson Griffin. First of all lightweight fighter only weigh 155, these guys are small, as in stout and short with Guida coming in at 5′7″ and Griffin at 5′6″. I think we will see a standup striking bout and someone will get knocked out!!! Now my previous statement might sound foolish when I tell you that Guida 21-4-0 is a wrestler with 11 wins coming by way of submission, but the truth is, is that he really hasn’t fought anyone and many of his fights have gone to decisions, which tell me that he doesn’t know how to finish a fighter off, he draws it out on the ground and looks to the judges to win it for him, this strategy will not work against an opponent like Griffin who is comfortable standing up as well as on the ground, but Griffin will not be looking to get into a tickle match with Guida on the ground, hes going to be standing up and striking while defending against Guida’s take down attempts, Griffin looks stronger as well and if he catches Guida with a hook, it will be over. Griffin by KO 1st round!!!

*NOTE UFC 72 is in Belfast, Ireland and will be shown at 3:00pm est. on PPV so get your bets in the night before if you plan on partying Friday night or you might miss it.
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UFC 72: Victory Preview

UFC 72 will be held in Belfast, Ireland on Saturday, June 16th. The event is headlined by the middleweight matchup between former 185-pound champion Rich Franklin and highly regarded Japanese contender Yushin Okami. Some other notable fights will be light heavyweights Forrest Griffin squaring off against Hector Ramirez as well as Middleweights Rory Singer and Jason MacDonald. Right now Franklin is favored -210 with a comeback of +160 on Okami. I will be updating this blog with picks and odds as the week continues. Check back for more and feel free to leave your comments as I will answer them.

UFC 71: Odds & Picks

So like I promised, heres a rundown of all the fights and the odds for saturday night. I’ll start at the bottom and work my way to the main event.
To start off the night we have 2 light heavyweight fighters in Carmelo “The Fury” Marrero(6-1-0) vs Wilson Gouveia(8-4-0). Niether fighter is particularly well know however the odds are favoring Gouveia at -280 (risk $280 to win $100) with a comeback of +220 on Marrero(risk $100 to win $220). Gouveia is a Brazilian jiu jitsu blackbelt who likes to utilize takedowns and chokeouts while Marrero also utilizes the takedown with his background in wrestling. In this case I will have to take the underdog simply because neither fighter has an advantage over the other and if your getting more than 2 to 1 in a UFC fight and both fighters are equal then I have to take the dog.
Next up is a lightweight bout between Jeremy”Little Heathen”Stephens(13-1-0) and Din “Dinyero” Thomas(22-7-0). Stephens is an up and comer who at 20 years of age has already made a name for himself in the midwest MMA circuit and was scratched from a championship event after getting the UFC offer earlier this week. His age and inexperience will be a huge factor when going up against a UFC veteran like Din Thomas. The current line is Stephens +260 (risk $100 to win $260) while Din Thomas is a huge favorite at -300(risk $300 to win $100). Niether fighter is particularly great, but Stephens does have a promising career ahead of him especially if he can pull off an upset on saturday night, however his lack of experience in the octagon may be his downfall and this is why I have to go with Thomas in this instance, but I will wait to see if the line come down at all and I can get some buy back with him on the day of the fight.
Next on the card will be yet another light heavyweight bout between Sean Salmon(9-2-0) and Alan Belcher(9-3-0). Salmon trains with former UFC middleweight champ Rich Franklin and is on the Team Jorge Gurgel fight team out of West Chester, Ohio which means that he is a wrestler and will look to shoot for the take down against a taller more nimble Belcher. Belcher who is a last minute entry filling in for an injured Eric Schafer is more of a standup striker type of a fighter and will use his legs against a smaller, stouter Salmon. The current lines have Salmon favored at -125(risk $125 to win $100) and Belcher a close underdog at -105(risk $105 to win $100). Now I believe that this last minute change has put a big kink in Salmon’s plans as he has been trainging to fight another wrestler in Eric Schafer and all of a sudden he is fighting a standup striker who is bigger than him. Now his whole game plan changes and he has to be prepared to fight on his feet. On the other side, Belcher will have to have his full takedown defense working to ward off Salmon’s superior wrestling skills. For this fight I like the big guy Belcher, right now hes super cheap and I am looking for a knockout so the striker seems like the obvious choice.
Next up, light heavyweight Brazilian born Thiago Silva(9-0-0) vs James “Sandman” Irvin(12-3-1). This should be one of the better fights on the card, both fighters are standup strikers and have proven to give entertaining performances throughout their careers, it should be an all out war and there will definantly be a KO probably second round. Silva is a heavy favorite at -230(risk $230 to win $100) while the comeback on Irvin is +190(risk $100 to win $190). Before looking at the lines I would have definantly bet Silva to whip him, but upon further review I don’t like to pay more than 2 to 1 for a favorite in UFC where it is very common for the underdog to win. I probably won’t take a position on this fight unless I throw a small just for fun wager Irvin simply because hes coming off a win at UFC 65 and is a talented fighter who is very capable of getting the win.
Following the Silva fight is a middleweight bout between Kalib Starnes(9-2-1) and Chris “The Crippler” Leben(16-3-0). Both fighters are coming off of loses and both are hungry to get back to winning. Leben is best known for his appreance on Ultimate Fighter 1 that launched his career with the UFC, but has become bitter and unhappy with his contract and is looking to get picked up by another MMA fight league this tells me that his heart isn’t in it and before I even look at the line I like Starnes, simply because he has more to prove. Current lines have Leben favored at a whopping -230(risk $230 to win $100) and Starnes at +190(risk $100 to win $190). Both fighters can standup and strike as well as go to the floor. I definantly like Starnes in this one.
Yet another light heavyweight bout on the card is oldschooler Houston Alexander(6-1-0) vs top contender Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine(12-3-1). This to me is a huge mismatch between a cinderella man in Alexander and the established and feared Jardine. Without even getting into it, the current line has Jardine as the obvious huge favorite at -600(risk $600 to win $100) and Alexander at +400(risk $100 to win $400). Obviously I like Jardine to wipe the floor with this guy, but I’m not going to put up $600 to prove it!!!
Next up, another Middleweight bout between Terry Martin(17-2-0) and Ivan Salaverry(12-4-1). Both fighter have exceptional experience, but Terry Martin is just the better fighter. Martin will stalk his oppenents around the ring and likes to fight in close contact while Salaverry prefers to dance around and pick his shots from the outside. Vegas must be out of their collective minds because they currently have Salaverry favored at -150(risk $150 to win $100) with Martin at +120(risk $100 to win $120) you can be sure that I will be all over Martin on this one, it looks like the line is reversed!!!
Now I’ll take a look at the main undercard of the night, a Welterweight bout between Josh “The Peoples Warrior” Burkman(19-3-0) vs Karo “The Heat” Parisyan(24-4-0). With as much experience as these 2 have it would be hard to determine the odds, however in all of Vegas’s wisdom they have Parisyan a heavy favorite at -260(risk $260 to win $100) while Burkman is at an astonishing +200(risk $100 to win $200). Parisyan is a Judo specialist and will want to standup and stike against Burkman and why not? It seems to have been working with a 24-4-0 record and he is also feeling neglected by the UFC for not being recognized as a top contender which drove him to negociate a title shot should he win saturday night while all the more building his confidence and drive. But, do not count out Burkman who is comfortable on the ground as well as his feet, both fighters have alot of potential and when you look at the line it seems that all the value is on Burkman, after the weigh in I will watch where the line moves, but its looking like another bet on the underdog for me.
Finally, THE MAIN EVENT: Light Heavyweights Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell vs Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a rematch of a 2003 pridefight in which Jackson won by TKO in the second round. Oh but wait!!! Theres more to the story, first of all you have to understand that Chuck was battling a stomach flu before the fight and was probably more focused on not shiting himself in front of a packed stadium then the task at hand, fighting Jackson. Also, Chuck had torn some ligaments or something of that nature in his shoulder, which you can imagine severely hindered his fighting ability. Everyone urged him not to take the fight but being the guy that he his, he went out and fought anyways. Since that 2003 loss Chuck has been undefeated and seems more conditioned and ready as well as healthy. The current line has Chuck as a modest favorite at -185(risk $185 to win $100) with Jackson the underdog at +155(risk $100 to win $155). The line originally opened with Chuck -260 and Jackson +200, now that the line has had time to adjust we can see that the general public like Jackson to repeat and take over the Light Heavyweight belt, well I won’t say much, but I will say this…..THE PUBLIC IS WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! I like Chuck to defend the belt no problem.
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UFC 71: Liddell vs Jackson

This Saturday night at 10:00pm est Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell will square off against an old adversary in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in which Liddell will be defending his belt in a World Light Heavyweight Championship bout.
This isn’t the first time the two have fought, the first bout took place back in 2003 at a Pride Fighting event in Japan. Jackson defeated Liddell by TKO in the second round after a storm of punches finally wore down Liddell. Since then, both fighters have been undefeated. Making his debut to the UFC in UFC 67 Jackson pummeled Marvin Eastman by way of a KO in the second round and had earned the right to fight for the Light Heavyweight belt facing a familiar foe in Chuck Liddell.
The Breakdown:
Both fighters have dominated the Light Heavyweight division all over the world and this rematch should be nothing short of an all out war. Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell has a standup striker style that allows him to use his fists as his main weapons and likes to stand his oppponents up with his fists and then slip in a high kick to the head. He also makes it a point to stay very loose and on his feet, which would indicate that he is not comfortable on the ground and wrestling his opponents is the last thing he wants to do. Liddell is 9 years the senior to Jackson and at 37 years of age, you have to think that Liddell will not want to go the distance and he will try to setup the KO early in the fight. This could be a very dangerous strategy against a younger opponent who has already beaten you. However, I don’t see an alternative for Chuck, Jackson is almost 10 years his junior and has proven over and over again that it is very difficult to square him up for a knockout hit. In order to win I think Chuck will have to bait him in and then look for the powerful counter to try and catch him off guard, much the same way he did against Tito Ortiz in UFC 66. I just don’t believe that Chuck can get into a punching contest or a wrestling match with a younger and what looks to be, a stronger opponent in Quinton Jackson. Quinton Jackson also has a standup stiker style, but is also not afraid to pick up opponents and slam them into the floor. Jacksons biggest advantage is that he has already beaten Liddell once and will probably follow the same strategy again this time around, “if it aint broke, don’t fix it!!!” He can go out and win quick if he just stands up and starts off the fight by stalking Liddell and taking control of the Octagon. There is no size difference between the 2 and it will basically come down to who can establish a rythem first and start timing their opponents for the eventual counter punch/kick for a knockout. Thats right, you heard it hear, there WILL be a knockout in this fight, there is no lovelost between these 2 and there will definanlty be some fireworks, if not for strategy then purely for the fact that these 2 REALLY don’t like each other. The line on the fight is available at GamblersPalace.com, currently it is Liddell -190 (risk $190 to win $100)and Jackson +150 (risk $100 to win $150). I would have to say that earlier in the month the value on Jackson was excellent at +200 now that the touts have come in and opinions have come out the line has moved way down into more realistic numbers, Chuck was a fan favorite which is why he opened so high, but the fact is, is that Jackson is a talented and tough fighter who has already gone up against some of the top fighters in the business. This is a tough fight to pick with no overwhelming odds to sway opinion, Jackson is no slouch and I think that at +150 there is enough value to at least throw $50 on him, but I will wait until the weigh in on friday to make a decision. Another notable fight will be Welterweights Josh “The Peoples Warrior” Burkman vs Karo “The Heat” Parisyan. Karo looks to be the more experienced fighter with a record of 24-3, however Josh Burkman has risen quite rapidly through the welterweight division in the UFC and has proven hes a force to be delt with. The current lines are Parisyan -300 (risk $300 to win $100) and Burk +220 (risk $100 to win $220). Without too much knowledge about these 2 fighters I will have to considr the value placed on Burk and whether or not I think an upset is in the works, I mean hey its the UFC, stranger things have happened. I will also have to wait to see the weighins before I make a play, but I’m leaning towards the underdog, strictly for the value. I’ll have an updated picks blog out later this week after handicapping the rest of the fights on the card.
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