UFC Light Heavyweight bout:  Stephan Bonnar vs. Igor Pokrajac

Odds:  (-220 Bonnar /+180 Pokrajac )

Betting Pick:  Pokrajac

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com 

In the main event of the evening, Ultimate Fighter Season 1 finalist Stephan Bonnar will face a tough test in well-rounded veteran Igor Pokrajac. Both of these guys have had up and down careers, but both of them have solid boxing and underrated submissions, so this promises to be a competitive fight and a great way to commemorate Bonnar’s legendary war with Forrest Griffin on the first Ultimate Fighter Finale.

Cro Cop Team’s Igor Pokrajac has won only one of his three fights in the Octagon, but he had a long and successful career fighting in Europe before ever stepping foot inside the Octagon. A dangerous striker with questionable defense, Pokrajac is something of a glass cannon the feet. He lacks dominant wrestling, but his submission game is quite effective and underrated.

Bonnar, who secured his spot in UFC lore by engaging in an epic battle with Forrest Griffin in the season finale of the original Ultimate Fighter, has had a very up and down road so far in the UFC. Aside from a positive test for steroids, he has also had a series of uninspired performances. Still, he has good boxing and very underrated jiu jitsu. He doesn’t have much power, but his technical standup is good, and he isn’t terrible at anything.

This is going to be a very close and competitive fight. Both guys have similar styles, in that they have good boxing and submissions. The big difference in this fight is going to be Pokrajac’s superior punching power. Both guys are going to land punches, but Pokrajac’s superior power is going to force Bonnar to be more defensive and that is going to be enough to give Pokrajac the edge. I think he will wear Bonnar down and eventually T/KO him.

Prediction:  Igor Pokrajac via second round T/KO.

• Pokrajac at +180 is a very attractive Underdog pick.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

Current UFC 125 Odds- Live on Saturday, January 1, 2011 the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada will host UFC 125 “Resolution”.  The Main Event is between Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar (13-1) vs. ”The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0-1).   Edgar is riding a 5 fight win streak and most recently defended his belt winning a Unanimous Decision over BJ Penn for the second time in a row.  Maynard is undefeated thus far and has a big test in front of him in Edgar.  The two met at UFC Fight Night 13 with Maynard taking home a unanimous decision victory and serving Edgar his only loss to date.  Now Edgar will get the chance to avenge his loss and give Maynard a loss of his own.  Or will Maynard who is the favorite in this fight become our new Lightweight Champion?

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Edgar         (+115)
• Maynard    (-145)

Betus.com Odds

• Edgar        (+110)
• Maynard   (-140)

Bodog.com Odds

• Edgar         (even)
• Maynard    (-130)

Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Vera   (+115)
• Silva   (-145)

Betus.com Odds

• Vera   (+120)
• Silva   (-150)

Chris Leben vs. Briann Stann

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Leben  (-150)
• Stann  (+120)

Betus.com Odds

• Leben  (-160)
• Stann   (+130)

Nate Diaz vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Diaz             (-105)
• Hyun Kim   (-125)

Clay Guida vs. Takanori Gomi

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Guida  (-150)
• Gomi   (+120)

Marcus Davis vs. Jeremy Stephens

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Davis         (+210)
• Stephens   (-270)

Mike Brown vs. Diego Nunes

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Brown  (-260)
• Nunes  (+200)

Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Baroni    (+190)
• Tavares  (-240)

Dustin Poirier vs. Josh Grispi

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Poirier   (+230)
• Grispi    (-290)

Daniel Roberts vs. Greg Soto

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Roberts   (-115)
• Soto        (-115)

Jacob Volkmann vs. Antonio McKee

Sportsbook.com Odds

• Volkmann  (+200)
• McKee        (-260)

Also on the card we have Chris Leben (25-6) up against Brian Stann (9-3), Takanori Gomi (32-6-1) is coming off a KO victory over Tyson Griffin and meets up with the always game Clay Guida (27-11).  Gomi is 1-1 in the UFC and a win here would be big for him.  Another great match up in Nate Diaz (13-5) vs. the undefeated ”Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim (13-0-1-1). With Brandon Vera (11-5) vs. Thiago Silva (14-2) both looking to get back in the win column.

Check back with us closer to the fight night as I will have updated UFC 124 Odds plus UFC 124 Fight Predictions.  And if you want to add a little excitement to your UFC 124 fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com.

UFC Welterweight bout:  Johny Hendricks vs. Rick Story

Odds:  (-215 Hendricks /+175 Story )

Betting Pick:  Hendricks

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com 

In what should be a competitive Welterweight bout, well-rounded youngster Rick “Horror” Story will face off with undefeated prospect Johny Hendricks. Hendricks is heavy-handed and well-rounded, but Story is ridiculously tough and has never been finished, so this could be a very competitive and exciting fight.

Rick Story is an extremely tough and well-rounded young fighter. Thusfar, he has only been defeated once in his UFC career, but most people agree he should have lost his fight with Nick Osipczak as well. Story is a big, strong fighter with solid punching power, good takedowns, ground and pound, and submissions.

His opponent, Johny Hendricks, is an undefeated up and comer who has good boxing with heavy hands to go along with solid wrestling, top control, and ground and pound. His best work is on the feet, though, where he is quite dangerous and can keep coming forward with accurate shots for the entire duration of the fight.

I think this matchup favors Hendricks. These two are similar in a lot of ways, although Story has better jiu-jitsu while Hendricks is the superior striker. I don’t think Story has enough wrestling to force a ground fight with Hendricks, though, and he will get battered around on the feet. Hendricks by unanimous decision.

Prediction:  Johny Hendricks via Unanimous Decision.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…

UFC Middleweight bout:  Demian Maia vs. Kendall Grove

Odds:  (-340 Maia / +260 Grove )

Betting Pick:  Grove

Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com 

In the co-main event, World number four Middleweight Demian Maia takes on tough Hawaiian Kendall “Da Spyda” Grove in an important match for his career. After his knockout loss to Nate Marquardt and his embarrassing performance against Anderson Silva, Maia badly needs a good performance here. Grove is a tough stylistic match for anyone, though, so Maia is going to need a great performance here to get back on track.

Maia has easily the best jiu-jitsu in the division, and arguably the best jiu-jitsu in the entire sport. While the rest of his game is still something of a work in progress, there is no denying the effectiveness of his submissions from every position. His takedowns are serviceable, and he can always try to pull guard if it comes down to it, but he does not have dominant wrestling, which can mean trouble if he is facing a superior striker, which is most everyone in the division.

His opponent, Kendall Grove, is a very dangerous fighter who has extremely formidable jiu-jitsu of his own and very good Muay Thai to go along with it. He is also exceptionally tall for a Middleweight, and his lanky frame and long reach create matchup problems for almost everyone. He will undeniably have a huge advantage against Maia in the striking department, so if he can manage to hold off Maia’s jiu-jitsu long enough he is in a good position to score the upset.

I think this fight has upset written all over it. Obviously Maia’s jiu-jitsu is unmatched in the division, but Grove can more than hold his own on the ground and has a huge striking advantage. Maia’s mediocre wrestling is going to cause him problems in this one, because not only is he going to have to wade through Grove’s strikes to secure takedowns, he is going to risk getting caught up in the clinch, where Grove is very effective. I think Maia is going to have a hard time getting Grove down and controlling him, and he is going to pay for it. Grove by T/KO.

Prediction:  Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove via third round T/KO.

• It is also worth noting that Grove is a massive betting underdog in this fight at +260, so I think this is an extremely attractive pick.

To add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds.   Check out my review of Sportsbook here…