UFC Odds

Step away from your hockey blog for a minute because it’s time to start thinking about UFC 146 next Saturday, and it’s the first all-heavyweight card in the history of the company. The main event was to feature champion Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, but the latter failed a drug test and was replaced by former two-time champ Frank Mir. Here is what you should consider when looking at the odds for this match.

Styles Make Fights

You’ll often hear the saying, “styles make fights” in regard to mixed martial arts and Dos Santos, who was training for a fellow striker in Overeem, had to switch it up for Mir, who is a fantastic grappler and may have the best jiu-jitsu of any heavyweight on the planet. Dos Santos, who is the sports betting online favorite at -565, will want to keep this fight standing up so he can use his boxing and knockout power, but Mir will want to take it to the mat where he can try and lock in a submission.

Motivation

Speaking of submissions, Mir broke the arm of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in 2011 and even though Dos Santos says that isn’t motivation for him, “Big Nog” is Dos Santos’ mentor and jiu-jitsu teacher and you have to think that he’ll want to avenge his loss. Mir is looking to become a three-time heavyweight champion and he knows he is coming in as a huge underdog. Motivation will have a lot to do with the outcome of this matchup at online betting sites.

Even NBA fans will tune into the main card for UFC 146, where you’ll find an all-heavyweight card for the first time in the history of the company, but that isn’t all that is on the agenda at the MGM Grand. There are two parts to the prelims for UFC 146 as there will be three fights airing on the UFC’s Facebook page, and then another four on FX, and here are a few tips for betting on these fights.

The prelims obviously won’t get the attention that the main card will, especially with this gimmick of having all heavyweights on the bill, but sports betting players can still make a little cash if they simply do the legwork and research on the fighters, especially the ones that you’ve never heard of before. Check their resume and see where they come from and what camp they fight out of because you can find out if they have been training with fighters you are familiar with. That will give you an idea of their style and what they like to do in the octagon.

That is really the only tip you need if you’re planning to wager on the prelims because you should be pretty familiar with the guys on the main card, which of course is headlined by a bout between heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos and former champ Frank Mir, who stepped in for Alistair Overeem after the Dutch star failed a drug test. Make sure you have a good knowledge of the fighters before you make your picks at betting websites.

While NHL scores will take up a lot of attention on Saturday, there will be another type of fisticuffs going on in Atlanta where UFC 145 takes place, headlined by the 205-pound grudge match between former teammates Jon Jones, the current champion, and Rashad Evans, who held the belt himself at one point. Here is some advice to take with you heading into the night’s fights.

Watch Out For The Big Favorites

There are a lot of large online betting favorites on this card, but don’t assume the favorites are going to roll throughout the event. In the UFC and combat sports as a whole, all it takes is one punch to change the look of a fight and an underdog could be ready to pounce and take advantage of the situation.

Don’t Forget About The Prelims

The main card isn’t all you can bet on nowadays as the preliminaries are also being aired now on Facebook and on various networks, and you can find some value in that part of the card. It’s also easier to know who the preliminary fighters are, thanks to our next tip.

Research, Research, Research

Like any sporting event, you have to be willing to do your research before you make you picks, and with the internet now, there is no reason why you can’t go back and look at a fighter’s last few bouts to figure out how they’ve done and what they have to work on. It could be the key to a successful sports bet on Saturday night.

Even NHL fans were shocked at the news that Alistair Overeem had failed a drug test ahead of UFC 146, which is scheduled to take place on May 26^th in Las Vegas, but the show must go on and here is a look at the rest of the all-heavyweight main card as it stands now.

Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir

A pair of former champions collide in this bout and the winner could go on to face champion Junior Dos Santos, and this will be a clash of wills as Velasquez will want to control this fight through his wrestling, but Mir knows what he’s doing on the mat. This will be closer than you expect, but take Velasquez for the decision.

Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva

Those who work with price per head sportsbook software know that Nelson is a tough customer, but he could be sent to the 205-pound division if he doesn’t beat “Bigfoot”, who is making his UFC debut. Nelson doesn’t give up fights easily, but he’ll fall here.

Shane del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Gonzaga faces another fighter stepping into the octagon for the first time, and del Rosario has never met a grappler of Gonzaga’s caliber, which will serve as a learning experience in his second professional loss.

Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve

This could end up being the fight of the night and it probably won’t the distance. Hunt will score early, but eventually get caught in Struve’s long limbs for a submission and that’ll be the difference in your sports betting book.

Between a soccer blog, NBA news and the NHL playoff races, there is a lot going on in the sports world right now, but in three weeks, UFC 145 in Atlanta could steal the spotlight. Here is a look at the main card.

Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans – Light Heavyweight (championship match)

Jones is a massive -555 favorite against his former teammate, who is also a former 205-pound champion, but you have to lean towards Jones; if you bet on March Madness (which you can read about here), Jones would be Kentucky. It’ll take Evans’ best effort to defeat the champ.

Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills – Welterweight

MacDonald is favored at -465 in his first fight since August, and Mills won “KO of the Night” in his UFC debut in November, so this should be an explosive show. Take MacDonald as he is more versatile.

Brenden Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell – Heavyweight

Schaub is a -255 favorite in this bout and he should be able to take out Rothwell, who has lost three of his last five fights and could be out of the UFC.

Mark Hominick vs. Eddie Yagin – Featherweight

Yagin should be the underdog after losing his UFC debut in September, but Hominick has lost two in a row and needs a win to get back into title contention at 145 pounds.

Marck Bocek vs. Matt Wiman – Lightweight

Both men are solid on the ground, but Wiman should be a slight favorite because he has an edge standing up and that could be the difference when you’re sport betting online.

Even March Madness fans will be getting excited for UFC 145 because they know the importance of rivalries on the court, so they can appreciate one in the octagon. Light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones will face off with former teammate Rashad Evans, who is a former 205-pound champion himself and believes that Jones only has the belt because he was injured. The two will get to settle the score in Atlanta.

Jones (15-1) would be Kentucky if he were a 2012 March Madness betting option; his lone loss came on a controversial disqualification. There isn’t much he can’t do as “Bones” is a strong wrestler with fantastic Muay Thai striking, and his jiu-jitsu is improving with each fight. He is also incredibly confident in his abilities and while some call him cocky, you have to be in this sport.

Evans (18-1-1) says he has taken Jones down in training, and he is coming off a dominating win over Phil Davis in which he used his superior wrestling to control his opponent, and his boxing is always getting better. But Evans’ best weapon may be his mouth and mental strength because he’ll have to get in Jones’ head to throw the 24-year-old off his game.

The champ is a -565 favorite in this bout, while Evans is a dangerous +450, and this has been a long time coming as both have suffered injuries ahead of their previous attempts to fight. It’s going to be a tougher match than people think, but Jones is on another level and if he keeps his wits, he should be able to pick up the decision in your sports betting book.

NHL trade deadline rumors will be in the spotlight this weekend along with UFC 144, the UFC’s first card in Japan in over 11 years; it shouldn’t surprise fans that mixed martial arts has a strong following around the world and only in the last 10-15 years as North America caught up. But most of the fighters that fans know are male; there hasn’t really been a good representation of the females in the fight game.

In Japan is where you will actually find all-female promotions, which receivers far more attention as those betting March Madness odds will give to the women’s side of college basketball. If you had to name a star of female MMA, it would probably be Gina Carano, who was featured in magazine for her looks, although she can get around in the cage as well…well, she could until she ran into Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos in a match to be the first-even Strikeforce women’s 145-pound champion.

However, Santos has been found guilty of using steroids and stripped of her belt, and there are no shows on the horizon featuring female fighters in the UFC, which has bought out all competition, including Strikeforce.

Some fans still think of women’s MMA as a sideshow and that is really hurting the future of the women’s game. The UFC is in a unique position to try and raise the profile of that side of the sport, but they don’t seem interested in that. Don’t expect to see female MMA fighters in your sports betting book any time soon.

It’s definitely not a Bet Online scam if you see mixed martial arts in your sportsbook, as it has grown by leaps and bounds since its initial stages, going from a one-night open-weight tournament to a sport that has weight classes, pay-per-view events on almost a weekly basis and some of the sport’s biggest stars are household names. Here is some advice if you’d like to add MMA betting to your arsenal, and where you should go to do it.

The first thing you should do is get to know the fighters and their styles, and this is the most important aspect of MMA betting that you’ll have to understand before you start making picks. Would you wager on Super Bowl odds before knowing anything about the two teams? If you’re smart, no, you wouldn’t. There is also a saying that “styles make fights”, and by understanding the different styles that will give you an idea as to how you will wager.

But you should also know what sportsbooks to look for when getting into the MMA betting game, such as sportsbooks that allow you to make parlays. A lot of books will only let you wager on single matches, while some offer parlays and you can also bet on how the fight will end, and when. You should also check out books that offer lines outside of the UFC, although they are the dominant force in the sport.

These are just the basics, but there is plenty more to learn about MMA betting before you head to your best online sportsbook.

Super Bowl odds is usually the focus of the first weekend in February as the NFL gets set to crown their champion for this season, and the UFC usually holds a card on that weekend to hype up the crown on Saturday night. This year is no exception as UFC 143 takes place in Las Vegas, and the interim welterweight title will be up for grabs as champion Georges St. Pierre had to back out with a knee injury.

UFC 143 Odds – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET

Nick Diaz (26-7, 1 NC) was supposed to fight St. Pierre, whom he called out after a destruction of former two-division champion B.J. Penn in October, and if he claims the interim welterweight belt, he’ll have his shot at GSP, arguably the No.2 fighter in the UFC. Diaz’s volume-punching style left Penn befuddled and if the match goes to the mat, he is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Carlos Condit (27-5) was also due to fight GSP, but after Diaz’s actions following his win over Penn (he called GSP out in the middle of the octagon), he was bumped, so he’ll have a chip on his shoulder against Diaz. Condit is a dangerous Muay Thai who has knocked out his last three opponents, but he also has 13 submissions under his belt.

Diaz is favored at -175, while Condit is listed at +140 and this is going to be a very close fight. Both men are tough as nails and they have incredible endurance, so five rounds won’t be a problem for either. Condit is more explosive, while Diaz is more technical, and we’re going to go with technique, although it’s going to be tight. Lay a sports bet on Nick Diaz on Super Bowl weekend.

Finally, the UFC returns to Denver, Colorado and the Pepsi Center for the first Pay Per View event in nearly 20 years with UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage. After rehabbing his hand and getting back in to fighting shape for the past several months, UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones is ready to make his first title defense against one of the biggest names in the sport in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Jones has been dominant since arriving in the promotion and at just 24-years old he is only beginning to tap in to his immense potential. Rampage is known for his aggressive style, and that has set the stage for one of the most highly anticipated main event matches of the UFC betting year.

As has been the case with a lot of Pay Per View events, UFC President Dana White has had to deal with numerous injuries affecting his card, but in this case more than in the past he has taken those bumps in stride. After scrapping a bout between Norifumi Yamamoto and Damacio Page when both suffered injuries, White may have actually found a more intriguing back up plan with the addition of a tilt between Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck taking its place. With Nate Diaz, Travis Browne, and Takanori Gomi all in action on the main card, you don’t have to go fishing long for a reason to catch UFC 135 later this sports betting month.