Info for WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia

November 30, 2008

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Written by Pat · Filed Under General MMA betting, UFC betting

WEC 37: Miguel Angel Torres vs. Manny Tapia Prediction

November 30, 2008

Miguel Torres vs. Manny Tapia Odds

The main event of the evening sees WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres defend his crown against #1 contender Manny Tapia (-700 / 400 odds ) in a fight that will determine not only the WEC Championship, but the title of world’s #1 Bantamweight. The fight is guaranteed to be a barn burner, as both guys are well known for putting on exciting shows, not to mention that it is an interesting stylistic matchup.

Manny Tapia, known as “The Mangler”, came by his nickname honestly. Well known for going toe to toe with his opponents and blasting them out with dynamic punches, Tapia is the kind of fighter fans love to watch perform. His gameplan going into this fight with Torres will be identical to his gameplan in every fight: bring the pain to his opponent, square off, and let leather fly with reckless abandon. If he can lure Torres into standing and trading shots, Tapia’s chances of securing a victory are very high.

For his part, Torres will most likely be looking to avoid exactly those kinds of exchanges. While his Muay Thai is powerful and precise, it would not benefit him to stand and trade with a puncher of Tapia’s caliber. Instead, I would expect the champion to do everything in his power to get the fight to the ground, where he is the vastly superior fighter. As his current 15 fight win streak proves, Torres is an expert at playing to his strengths and exploiting the holes in his opponents’ games. While he will no doubt take some punishment, I think Torres should be able to effectively close the distance and eventually secure a takedown, at which point it is only a matter of time before his superior grappling pays dividends.

Torres takes this one with a hard-fought submission victory late in the third round.

Written by Pat · Filed Under General MMA betting, UFC betting

WEC 37: Waggney Fabiano vs. Akitoshi Tamura Prediction

November 30, 2008

Akitoshi Tamura vs. Wagnney Fabiano Odds

In a battle of former champions, one-time IFL Featherweight Champion Wagnney Fabiano is set to throw down with with former SHOOTO Lightweight Champion Akitoshi Tamura in a fight that promises fireworks. With both fighters riding impressive win streaks, look for a hard fought battle as they both try to insert themselves into the championship scene in a new promotion.

Wagnney Fabiano, a dangerous grappler with punishing Muay Thai who trains out of Brazil’s famed Nova Uniao camp, is the definition of well-rounded. With an impressive collection of first round submission victories and potent standup, especially in the clinch, Fabiano is a legitimate threat to end a fight from nearly any position. After a brief stint in small shows, Fabiano forcefully placed his name into Top 10 consideration, tearing his way through IFL’s 145 pound division, with only one of his six fights making it out of the opening round. He will have his hands full with Tamura, though, who is easily the highest quality opponent he has ever faced.

A long time SHOOTO staple, Akitoshi “Ironman” Tamura has captured impressive wins against world-class opponents such as Takeshi Inoue and Rumina Sato. While not known as a finisher, Tamura is well versed standing and on the ground, and is a notoriously slippery and hard to finish fighter. His gameplan against Fabiano will no doubt be to avoid the clinch, and force the standup exchanges into pure boxing, where he will be able to hold his own. I definitely expect Tamura to use his jab to keep Fabiano at bay and then shoot in for takedowns from the outside so that he can control the ground game from the top and minimize the danger of being caught in the Brazilian’s slick submissions.

In the end, this fight will come down to experience. Fabiano is an extremely skilled fighter, but Tamura has squared off with some of the best in the world and escaped with victories.

I see some heated exchanges, but in the end, the elusive Tamura will hold Fabiano off effectively en route to a narrow Unanimous Decision victory.

Written by Pat · Filed Under General MMA betting, UFC betting

WEC 37: Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez Prediction

November 30, 2008

Joseph Benavidez vs. Danny Martinez Odds

WEC newcomers Joseph Benavidez and Danny Martinez will look to assert themselves in a Bantamweight division that is stacked top to bottom with talent. With champion Miguel Torres defending his title against #1 contender Manny Tapia on the same night, both men will be working to put themselves in line for the next shot against whoever the champion is.

Benavidez, who trains with Urijah Faber in Sacramento, has put together an unblemished 8-0 professional record, most recently choking out Junya Kudo at Dream 5 in Japan. An extremely proficient grappler, 6 of Benavidez’s eight wins have come by way of submission. No doubt, he will be looking to add a seventh submission victory to his resume against Martinez, who is making his first step up to bigger shows.

Martinez, for his part, is no slouch on the ground. A well-rounded fighter who is solid on the ground and standing, he has had a successful career, moving around smaller promotions and amassing an impressive 12-2 record as a professional. While his future is no doubt bright, and he will almost assuredly be a mainstay in WEC for a while yet, he will have a hard time dealing with Benavidez’s superior grappling and athleticism.

I see this being a competitive fight which ends with Benavidez’s hand being raised after a third round submission.

Written by Pat · Filed Under General MMA betting, UFC betting

WEC 37: Bart Palaszewski vs. Alex Karalexis

November 30, 2008

Bart Palaszewski vs. Alex Karalexis odds

In an intriguing undercard bout, well-rounded International Fight League veteran Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski is set to face off with Boston-based Ultimate Fighter alum Alex Karalexis. Karalexis will be looking to hold on to his roster spot after a disappointing loss in his last outing, while Palaszewski will be aiming to recapture some of the success he gained, and subsequently lost, in the IFL.

Karalexis is a solid but one-dimensional puncher with knockout power but a complete lack of a ground game. He relies on his boxing to keep his opponents at range, and doesn’t work particularly well from the clinch. That said, his gameplan will be predictable. He’ll attempt to use his jab to thwart Palaszewski’s takedown attempts and set up power shots from the outside.

His opponent, Palaszewski, is a much more well rounded fighter who can end a fight with power shots or a submission. While he is not a noticably worse striker than Karalexis, I expect he will try to push his advantage on the ground, where Karalexis is a bit of a fish out of water.

Expect some early boxing from “Bartimus”, just to keep Karalexis wary of his standup, before he secures a takedown and easily submits his opponent early in the second round.

Written by Pat · Filed Under General MMA betting, UFC betting