UFC Betting News - Liddell vs. Franklin

Liddell vs. Franklin

UFC 115 By Nick Spear

The main event of UFC 115 pits Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell (21-7) vs. Rich “Ace” Franklin (26-5). The prevailing thought was that this fight was going to have Liddell fight Tito Ortiz for the third time (Liddell won the previous two) to go with their coaching rivalry on the current season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, it was announced that Liddell will be instead fighting Franklin, who is also rumored to be taking over Ortiz’s coaching spot on The Ultimate Fighter. Both men are former UFC champions in their respective weight classes and are considered good all around fighters, but are beginning to show their age. The conventional wisdom, both by the sports bookies and commentators, is that this will be a well-contested fight that will see Franklin outlasting Liddell for the win. Who are you betting on. As a UFC bettor this is a tough fight to pick. All the lines are available at www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets.

Liddell is a UFC legend who at 40 years old has his best years behind him. He held the UFC light-heavyweight championship for two years in the mid 2000’s. He has beaten some of UFC’s biggest names, including two victories each over Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. He is one of UFC’s most popular stars, extending his career into TV and movies, and is credited as one of the stars that brought UFC to the forefront. He is extremely well-rounded, with a background in karate, kick-boxing and wrestling and is known for his strength, holding the UFC record with 10 KOs/TKOs. In the last few years, his age is beginning to get the best of him. He hasn’t fought in over a year and has only had won victory in his past five matches, being knocked out in three of them.

Like Liddell, Franklin is a seasoned UFC veteran. He held the UFC middleweight belt for a year before losing it to Anderson Silva and has beaten top UFC fighters like Ken Shamrock and Wanderlei Silva. He is also highly polished, training in muay thai, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He coached in the second season of the Ultimate Fighter and it is widely believed he will replace Ortiz this season to coach opposite Liddell. He also hasn’t had his best stretch in the last year, losing two of his last three matches.

Liddell and Franklin of UFC’s premier fighters even if their twilight years and both have the ability to win against top talent. Liddell, while stronger, has also showed a recent weakness to being KO’d. There is some debate over whether or not Franklin has the strength to KO him, but most believe that Franklin will overcome Liddell, whether by TKO/KO or Decision. Franklin is not young at 35, but he still has a significant advantage over the older Liddell. It would be a huge mistake to count Liddell out, because if he comes out in good form it will be very difficult for Franklin to contain him. However, Liddell’s recent performances do not seem to suggest that this will be the case and it looks like the match will fall to Franklin.

UFC Betting News - Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann

Paulo Thiago vs. Martin Kampmann

UFC 115 by Nick Spear

Paulo Thiago (13-1) and Martin Kampmann (16-3) square off in one of the two welterweight matches at UFC 115. Ranked as one of the world’s top welterweights, Thiago is hoping to continue his ascension in the UFC welterweight division with this fight. Kampmann, once viewed as a serious contender in the welterweight division, has seen his star fade after two big losses. Thiago is probably the better fighter, both on his feet and on the ground, and is also the more aggressive one so as long as he comes out strong he should be able to take this match, and UFC betting thinks the same as the bets roll in for Thiago.

Since his upset win over Josh Koscheck in UFC 95, Thiago has been considered one of the better fighters in his division. He has won three of his first four fights in UFC has taken home both Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night honors. His only loss came to John Fitch by decision in UFC 100. Thiago is an adept striking fighter and has black belts in both Brazilian jiu-jistu and judo. Multiple rankings place him in the top ten welterweights in the world and a win in this match would only increase his stature and prominence in the division.

After finding success in a variety of leagues, Kampmann joined UFC in 2006. He performed well, winning his first four matches, including winning a Submission of the Night. However, his rise was stopped in a loss to Nate Marquardt in his first main card match at UFC 88 in September 2008. He rebounded, headlining UFC Fight Night 18 and beating Carlos Condit April 2009, but saw his growth again stunted with a loss to Paul Daley at UFC 103 in September of 2009. Like Thiago, Kampmann can fight on his feet and on the ground, having almost as many wins by submission (6) as he does by knockout (7). Kampmann needs a victory in this match to protect his relevancy in the UFC world and keep the faith of UFC betting.

Both fighters could use a victory in this match to help advance their careers. A victory for Thiago in this match augments his already strong credentials in his division. Kampmann needs a victory to keep him from slipping into mediocrity. As much as Kampmann needs this win, he has never been able to shine on the main carrd and Thiago is the better, more daring fighter. It is very much Tiago’s match to lose. When UFC betting who are you backing? Go to www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets

UFC Betting News - UFC 113 Dragon vs Shogun

Machida vs. Shogun 2 the rematch from their classic fight in 2009

A lot of time has passed since October 24th 2009. That night in xxx Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida beat Mauricio Rua on a controversial decision by the judges after the two light heavyweights battled it out for five rounds. UFC bettors were on the edge of their seats as the decision came in; the Dragon was named the victor.

The betting world was divided on the decision. Mauricio Rua promised revenge. Well the clock has been ticking ever since, and payday is fast approaching. May 8th 2010, at the Bell Centre in Montreal these two 205 pounds warriors will go at it once again, and this time Rua vows not to let the judges decide the bout.

UFC betting is in a frenzy over this fight, who will you bet on.

Lyoto Machida is a deadly combination as a Japanese Brazilian MMA fighter from Salvador, Brazil. His father a Japanese Shotokan karate master has laid the groundwork for the Dragon’s as of now undefeated UFC career. At 16-0 Machida has laid waste to everyone he has faced so far, including Mauricio Rua.

Mauricio Milani Rue is a Brazilian MMA with impressive wins over Chuck Liddell, Rampage Jackson, and Alistair Overeem twice. His super aggressive sometimes called wild with his stomps and soccer kicks to downed opponents while fighting in Pride FC. He is the younger brother of fellow MMA fighter Maurilo “Ninja” Rua, another favorite of UFC betting.

UFC 113 is going to be a key point in both of these fighters MMA careers. If the wild Rua loses again, his hopes of UFC stardom are probably over. Lyoto even at 16-0 needs to make up for his overly defensive showing against Rua in October, the fans were chanting for Rua, and Lyoto spent the last two rounds retreating. Rua’s trainer has called his fighters the Machida antidote.

Can Lyoto deal with the barrage of leg kicks he took in their first fight? Can Rua continue to keep the pressure on the patient Dragon? Lyoto has spent the last 7 months focused on adapting to Rua’s style, many think that time will allow him to come out much stronger than he did in October. We will find out Saturday who is ready to take this to the next step.

After their 25-minute war where Lyoto took more hit than he ever had in his UFC career, UFC fans are counting the seconds until they can see these two animals enter the ring again. UFC bettors are lining up to get a piece of this action. Get over to www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets.

UFC Betting News - UFC 114 Jackson vs Evans

Rampage Jackson vs. Evans UFC 114-May 29^th, 2010 by Nick Spear

The main event at UFC 114 pits recent rivals and former heavyweight champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (30-7) vs. “Suga” Rashad Evans (14-1-1) against each for the first time. After intense verbal sparing on the 10^th season of Ultimate Fighter, Jackson and Evans were originally going to fight in August 2009 but postponed it due to a conflict with Jackson’s role in the upcoming “A-Team.” The fighters are considered extremely well-matched and there is no clear favorite going in to the fighter. The betting lines generally give Jackson a slight advantage, but there is a lot of talk that Jackson is in less than perfect shape and may be more focused on his budding movie career. This may give the quicker Evans the chance to overcome Jackson’s brute force. This will be a very close fight making UFC betting a tough call for this matchup.

Jackson is a PRIDE and UFC legend who has transcended the sport to achieve mainstream popularity. He won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in May 2007 from Chuck Liddell and held it for a year until he lost to Forrest Griffin in June 2008. Since then he has beaten Wanderlei Silva December 2008, an old nemesis who had bested him in their first two fights, and Keith Jardine in March 2009, but has not fought since then. He has spent the last year filming the new “A-Team” movie and coaching on Ultimate Fighter Season 10. This has led to worries that he may not be in the best shape and may be rusty after a year off from fighting, made especially worrisome by reports that he has done things like retaken up smoking. Still, Jackson is a devastatingly strong puncher and an excellent wrestler who can beat almost anyone when he fighting his best.

Evans also has created a significant name for himself in with UFC bettors. He holds victories over Chuck Liddell, Thiago Silva and Forrest Griffin, which gave him the light heavyweight title that Jackson lost. He lost the title to Lyoto Machiada in May 2009, but won his next and most recent bout against Silva in January of this year. He took time off between the Machiada fight and the Silva fight to appear as a coach on Ultimate Fighter Season 10. Like Jackson, Evans is a strong puncher and a great wrestler and is considered to be in excellent shape for the match, something to keep in mind when betting on UFC fights like this. That scrape of information could be the difference in a win and a loss.

The variables surrounding this match make it extremely difficult to predict and also make for a very exciting and close match. Jackson on paper may look to be the better fighter, and if he comes out with his best he could be too much for Evans to handle. However, the worry that he won’t be in this form and that his movie career and recent issues with UFC president Dana White have him looking beyond his MMA career are a cause for concern. Evans quickness and recently shown take-down skills could be a problem for Jackson even in the best of circumstances. The bookies may favor Jackson, but this is definitely a fight that could go either way. Get over to www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets.

UFC Betting News - UFC 114 Nogueira vs Brilz

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Jason Brilz UFC 114-May 29, 2010 by Nick Spear

The original UFC 114 fight card had Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (18-3) fighting Forrest Griffin on May 29^th, 2010. However, on May 4^th Griffin was forced to pull out with an injured shoulder and he was quickly replaced with Jason Brilz (18-2-1). What was once a highly anticipated fight now seems to be sort of a dud. Nogueira, a seasoned MMA veteran who is looking to make a name for himself in UFC, was already considered the clear favorite by the UFC betting lines in the bout against Griffin and things should be no different against Brilz. Brilz has a respectable record, but has never fought anyone in Nogueira’s class and this win would be huge for his career. Nogueira should win this fight, but needs to be careful not to underestimate the relatively unknown Brilz. The UFC betting is undecided on his ability this far.

Nogueira is the twin brother of UFC former heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and is in his second UFC fight after a career in PRIDE and Affliction. Nogueira was very impressive in his debut at UFC 106 in November 2009 with a TKO over Luiz Cane that was named Knockout of the Night. He is an extremely formidable fighter who is both an expert in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and is an accomplished boxer, making him dangerous both on his feet and on the ground.

Brilz is fighting fighting in his fifth UFC match. He is currently 3-1, with his last victory over Eric Schafer in March of this year. While maintaining a good record, this fight pits Brilz against a far more accomplished and talented than he has ever faced and would be a significant boost in his career if could achieve the victory. A wrestler by training, Brilz showed in his victory over Schafer that he can win against fighters who are seen as the clear favorite, even by UFC betting.

This is Nogueira’s match to lose. With less than four weeks to prepare, Brilz should be easily outfought by the Brazilian veteran. Brilz is in no way a pushover and it would be a huge mistake for Nogueira to treat him lightly, but if Nogueira fights well the victory should be his. Is this an easy fight to bet on? UFC betting is divided. Head over to www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets.