The UFC debuting on the FOX Network back in November marked one of the biggest moments in the sport, and not just because the heavyweight title changed hands. Dana White has done such a spectacular job of promoting the UFC to the mainstream, and with another free rendition of the UFC on FOX coming this weekend there’s sure to be a lot of people tuning in to fill the sports void left by the NHL and NFL this weekend.
This is a sport that has a tremendous public appeal to sports fans. At its very core, mixed martial arts is simply guys punching each other in the face. Approaching boxing’s insane financial numbers is priority one for the UFC, and offering awesome, free fights to the general public will only serve to increase the rapidly growing throngs of UFC diehards who salivate at each and every card the promotion rolls out.
UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis will be absolutely no exception and the main card is packed with big names and plenty on the line. Let’s get to the card, which will come off the board Saturday night at around 9:00pm, just so you know.
PHIL DAVIS (+155) over RASHAD EVANS (-190)
The main event of Saturday night’s unreal card pits the undefeated Phil Davis against Rashad Evans in what could very well be a light heavyweight number one contender’s fight. The polarizing Evans has torn through Thiago Silva, Rampage and Tito in a three fight streak that sees him on the precipice of a bout with the seemingly invincible Jon “Bones” Jones.
The 32-year old Evans gives up an age gap of five years, a three-inch height disadvantage and over a half-foot reach disparity to the meteor known as Phil Davis. Also known as “Mr. Wonderful”, which also happens to be the name of the submission maneuver he invented, Davis will have to take this fight to the ground to have a better chance of winning and could use his big reach in this fight to frustrate Evans and bait him to the mat.
Davis is a wrestling specialist, having won the NCAA Division I championship in his weight class while also being honored as a four-time All-American. Those that do not know Davis yet will certainly know him if he can build his win streak to double digits and earn his third submission in his sixth UFC fight.
The veteran Evans has been promised a championship match with Jones should he win, and he’s certainly no slouch on the ground. The problem with people backing Evans on the ground here is that he hasn’t won via submission since his first two fights back in 2004. People these days know him as a grinder which is why his TKO over Tito Ortiz was a bit of a stunner.
Evans will surrender every possible advantage in this match to Davis, and on top of that, the latter is a more tactical and creative mat wrestler. His odds are tasty at +140, and while Davis has no guarantees of a championship shot if he wins, he can certainly up the ante if he submits Evans. This is undoubtedly Davis’s biggest test in his entire career, but after going the distance and winning against Nogueira last March, I have all the faith in the world that the underdog can pull off what only the bookies will deem as an upset.
CHAEL SONNEN (-500) over MICHAEL BISPING (+350)
Most UFC bettors are of the opinion that Michael Bisping is a douchebag and Chael Sonnen is the voice of the people. I happen to go the other way. I’ve always liked Bisping, especially for his brash attitude (the accent helps). Chael is more the voice of the douchebags, but that has nothing to do with his skill in the octagon.
The convicted money launderer and alleged steroid abuser from Oregon is a highly regarded wrestler, but still has plenty to prove since he lost to Anderson Silva and beat an outmatched Brian Stann in October’s UFC 136. It’s not that I doubt Sonnen’s talent, because that’s not up for debate. But he’s honestly one loss away from becoming the Rex Ryan of the UFC.
It’s probably pretty easy to tell how I feel about Sonnen, but I can’t negate that this is a dream matchup for him. Bisping was vulnerable to both the ground-and-pound and takedowns against Jason Miller, and Sonnen is as sneaky as ninjas get in baiting his opponents before dumping them to the canvas.
What I hate about betting on Bisping after the Miller fight was his inability to put a gassed, bloodied and defenseless Miller away. Bisping’s four-fight winning streak has been fun for his fans, but there’s no way you can leverage a bet on his side of the betting line considering his vulnerability to takedowns and his lacking knockout power.
CHRIS WEIDMAN (-140) over DEMIAN MAIA (+110)
Weidman is another young name that the UFC is confident in building around, which his pretty much what we said about Demian Maia when he ascended up the UFC ladder with five straight submission wins between 2007 and 2009. Then he was decimated by Nate Marquardt at UFC 102 in one of my favorite knockouts of all-time, and things have never been the same.
Sure, Maia earned a shot against Silva a year later and went the distance at UFC 112: Silva vs. Maia but that’s also the fight where Silva took pity on his opponent instead of vanquishing him back to the mid-card. Truth be told, for a guy that is known as a submission specialist and a masterful wrestling architect, I find it alarming that Maia hasn’t won by submission since 2009 (over Sonnen, no less) and is teetering at the end of his 15-3 career at the age of 34.
Weidman is not only much younger at 27 years old; he’s an impressive 7-0 through his career and has earned two straight submissions in his past two fights. While Weidman hasn’t faced a big name ever, Maia simply isn’t the guy we thought he was. Frankly, we can’t be sure if Weidman’s as good as we think he is, but he’s certainly strong enough in the octagon to warrant an opening fight wager on his side.
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When Jake Shields first went to the UFC many MMA betting fans were licking their chops at his 14-fight win streak and elite wrestling skills. However, a 1-2 record since joining the organization has all but disintegrated fans’ hopes that he would be another UFC betting stud.
