Rashad Evans vs. Tito Ortiz 2 Trailer

July 26, 2011

Written by Pat · Filed Under Videos

Strikeforce: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Dan Henderson Prediction

July 25, 2011

Strikeforce Heavyweight bout: Dan Henderson vs. Fedor Emelianenko

Odds: (+190 Henderson /-250 Emelianenko )

Betting Pick: Henderson

Bet on this fight at Bodog.com

In the main event of the evening, all-time great “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko will look to prevent a completely unprecedented three-fight losing streak against former two-division PRIDE champion Dan “Hollywood” Henderson. Emelianenko will no doubt be remembered as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport, but back-to-back losses have many people wondering if time has finally passed him by. Henderson, for his part, is riding very impressive consecutive knockout wins, and is the kind of fighter who can test Fedor’s striking and his ground game. Fedor still has serious offensive tools, including great submissions and knockout power, but Henderson is a hard fighter to impose your will on and if Fedor really is on the back side of his career, this is going to be an extremely tough fight.

Whether he wins or loses against Henderson, Fedor Emelianenko will always be remembered as one of the most dominant champions in the history of the sport. For years, he ruled the Heavyweight division with an iron fist despite being relatively undersized for the division. Fedor’s punching power is extremely good and he has very effective submissions from a variety of positions. His ground and pound is one of his most formidable tools, as he has an unparalleled ability to dole out punishment from inside his opponents’ guards. In his first loss against Fabricio Werdum, he flattened Werdum with a power punch but was submitted when he leapt into the Brazilian’s guard trying to finish the fight. His last fight against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was a complete drubbing, as he was physically overwhelmed from start to finish. The Silva fight was much more telling than the Werdum fight, in that Fedor still looked effective against Werdum before being caught by one of the most prolific grapplers in the sport. One thing that makes this fight so interesting is that Fedor will enter with a size and weight advantage, which is rare for him.

Dan “Hollywood” Henderson was one of PRIDE’s most dominant fighters, holding both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight titles when the company folded. His stint in the UFC was not as successful as his PRIDE career, but he has rebounded nicely in Strikeforce. His last two fights have been dominant knockout wins, including a title victory in his last fight against Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante. Henderson is a very dominant greco-roman wrestler who is great at using the clinch to set up takedowns, neutralize his opponents’ boxing, and work his dirty boxing game. He also has very good shoot takedowns, powerful ground and pound, and extremely scary power punching. His submission defense is good, and he does have some submissions from top position, but that is the weakest part of an otherwise very well-rounded arsenal.

This is a very interesting fight for a number of reasons. On the feet, both of these guys have one-punch knockout power and a tendency to throw wild, looping power punches, so it could well be a matter of who lands first. Fedor has the more complete ground game, but Henderson is the superior wrestler and is much more likely to wind up in top position on the ground. Fedor has submissions off his back, but Henderson has very good defense. Basically, this fight is going to come down to whether or not Fedor is still the fighter he used to be, and after watching him get manhandled by Antonio Silva, I just don’t think he is. Henderson appears to still be at the top of his game, and Fedor isn’t, and that is going to make the difference. I think Henderson will fight defensively, control the pace of this fight with his clinch game, and secure a few takedowns to score points en route to a unanimous decision win.

Prediction: Dan Henderson via Unanimous Decision.

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

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

Strikeforce: Paul Daley vs. Tyron Woodley Prediction

July 25, 2011

Strikeforce Welterweight bout: Paul Daley vs. Tyron Woodley

Odds: ( +220 Daley /-280 Woodley )

Betting Pick: Woodley

Bet on this fight at Bodog.com

In a featured Welterweight bout, prolific British striker Paul “Semtex” Daley will look to put the first blemish on the record of undefeated wrestler Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley. Daley is an extremely effective striker with solid technique and devastating knockout power, but his wrestling and grappling are both terrible, which could really be a problem against a dominant wrestler with good submissions like Woodley. Daley does represent a big step up in competition for Woodley, though, so it remains to be seen whether Woodley’s stylistic advantage will be enough to overcome his disadvantage in big-fight experience.

Paul Daley is one of the Welterweight division’s most dangerous strikers. Although he was handily outstruck by Nick Diaz in his last fight, he is nevertheless a technically proficient striker with good punches, good kicks, a decent clinch, and a lot of knockout power. Daley’s problem is his utter lack of offensive wrestling, his total lack of a ground game of any sort, and his mediocre takedown defense. He throws hard punches, and if he lands has a great chance of knocking out anyone, but he is not great at keeping fights standing and once they go to the ground he is pretty helpless off his back. He can’t sweep, escape, or work for submissions, and is reduced to trying to hold on and force a standup. Against Woodley he is going to need to be very aggressive on his feet and not allow Woodley to set up his takedowns, because “T-Wood” has the wrestling and the submissions to really put him in a bad place.

Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley is one of Strikeforce’s best Welterweight prospects. Undefeated so far as a professional, Woodley is a very dangerous grappler with top-notch wrestling and excellent submissions. His standup is a work in progress, and against Daley he is going to be severely overmatched in the striking department. Luckily, though, his wrestling and submission game make him a perfect candidate to exploit the glaring holes in Daley’s style. The big thing for Woodley is that Daley is by far the most dangerous and successful opponent he has ever faced, and if he wilts under the pressure of his first big-time fight he could pay for it, because Daley’s striking is not to be taken lightly.

Although Daley has the bigger name and the more impressive resume, I don’t think he has the tools to hand Woodley his first loss. Daley is just too one-dimensional, and his inability to consistently stop takedowns or defend against submissions is going to be hugely problematic against a grappler as skilled as Woodley. Daley is a tough guy who should make this a fight, but I think Woodley will ground him early and often and work him over from top position. Daley might be able to do enough to hang on, but I think Woodley will dominate the action for a unanimous decision victory.

Prediction: Tyron Woodley via Unanimous Decision.

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

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

Zab Judah vs. Amir Khan Boxing Odds

July 22, 2011

Current Judah vs. Khan Betting Odds- Live on Saturday, July 23, 2011 The Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada will play host to the event live on HBO. Amir “King Khan” Khan (25-1) will square off with “Super” Zab Judah (41-6-0-2) in a Light Welterweight show down. They will be fighting for the WBA Super and IBF Light Welterweight Titles.

Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah