Aldo Dominates, Henderson Gets The Sub, Jung Got Robbed

Posted on 25. Apr, 2010 by moneybags.

Jose Aldo showed why he is the best in the featherweight division. He is definitely one of the top 4 pound for pound in the world. Aldo kicked Faber’s leg into mince meat. Faber couldn’t get any punches on target due to the reach, speed, and head movement of Aldo. Aldo though did not finish Faber, I personally think out of respect. He was never in danger. Aldo had Faber in the crucifix for roughly 2 minutes and pounded his face with elbows and punches. However, Josh Rosenthal held back from stopping the fight. Which I thought was good. Old UFC right there.

Ben Henderson made quick work of Cerrone, stunning the bookmakers with a sweet guillotine early in the first. No surprise here. Go Smooth!

Another stunner that crushed many bettors tonight was the heavily favored Mike Brown who got KO’d by Manny Gamburyan early in the first round. Who picked Manny? Me.

The Garcia vs Jung fight was sick. Fight of the year candidate. Leonard Garcia is the definition of leaving everything in the cage. Garcia and Jung literally went ballistic in the cage and fired everything they had. IMO Jung got all the better of the striking for all 3 rounds. I don’t think Garcia won any round, however, Garcia was given the win.

The only loss for me tonight was the Njokuani vs Roller fight. Roller fought smart. I said if Njokuani could avoid the ground then he will win, however, he couldn’t avoid it and fought off Roller’s rear naked choke for nearly an entire round, but eventually tapped.

Scott Jorgensen took the win over Anothy Banuelos. Both fighters displayed alot of energy, but Jorgensen got the better of the mix ups, with Banuelos landing one really nice shot early that almost took Jorgensen out. However, the next two rounds Jorgensen dominated and bloodied up Banuelos badly while utilizing ground and pound for the rest of the fight.

For WEC’s first PPV event they showed the whole card due to most fights being finished. I really miss that.

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WEC Undercard Fights

Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by moneybags.

Ben Henderson vs Donald Cerrone

I called Ben Henderson to win this fight and the Varner fight. I’m kind of torn a little bit again here. Cerrone is a tough sob. A real tough sob, but Ben Henderson is kind of unstoppable, which then brings into the mix, fighter stamina. This is usually where Henderson has been able to take the most advantage in his fights. Cerrone couldn’t submit Henderson with a deep guillotine, a triangle with a shoulder lock that was cranking like crazy. I’ve seen Henderson also avoid being tapped in guillotines in the MFC as well. Its a huge advantage.

This fight is a pick em and the odds reflect it. Pick your favorite.

I’m staying with Henderson.

Shane Roller vs Anthony Njokuani

If Njokuani can avoid the ground I like Njokuani with the speed and reach. Early TKO for Njokuani.

Mike Brown vs Manny Gamburyan

Great fight. Most excited for this one. The odds show Brown @ -600. I think this is closer fight than that. Brown is clearly technically superior on the feet. Boxing is better, wrestling is better, and the jits is better.

Manny though has some power, not that Brown doesn’t, Gamburyan has that wild power because he swings large. You also can’t take away the Judo. I always sympathize with the Judo fighters.

Its so far illogical that Gamburyan wins this fight which is all the reason to take Gamburyan. Its a fun “what if” here because the odds don’t pay to take Brown. So I’ll be backing Manny here as he probably has the toughest fight of his career against the dominating Mike Brown.

Scott Jorgensen vs Antonio Banuelos

Jorgensen. He is on a roll now.

Other Fights On This Card

Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung

I’m not familar with Chan Sung Jung, so i have to avoid.

Tyler Toner vs Brandon Visher

Takeya Mizugaki vs Rani Yahya

Chad Mendes vs Anthony Morrison

Brad Pickett vs Demetrious Johnson

Alex Karalexis vs Anthony Pettis

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WEC Aldo vs Faber Predictions

Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by moneybags.

Jose Aldo vs Urijah Faber

Aldo has too much speed and the ground game is excellent. Urijah though has superior wrestling and control when on the ground. I see the fight making it out of the first round. However, I don’t see Urijah winning. He is a great fighter, no question about that. Jose Aldo is up there in pound for pound of all fighters. I just hope it hasn’t gone to his head and he is prepped.

I see Faber getting takedowns. I don’t know how long its going to last, but I don’t see Faber controlling Aldo for 5 rounds.

Strengths for Aldo
Reach, Speed, Jiu-Jitsu, Kicks, Knees, Explosiveness

Strengths for Faber
Strength, Speed, Wrestling

My pick is for Aldo to win.

Sportsbook.com has Aldo @ -280 which is better than Bodog @ -325

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WEC 47 Predictions

Posted on 01. Mar, 2010 by moneybags.

Main Card

(WEC Bantamweight Title Bout)

Brian Bowles (8-0-0) vs Dominick Cruz  (14-1-0)
Bowles too much strength on the feet for Dominick Cruz. Cruz is a great don’t get me wrong, Bowles is very strong for his division.

Its more common for these lower weight fights to go to a judges decision, but I think Bowles has enough to finish Cruz.

Miguel Torres (36-2-0) vs. Joseph Benavidez  (11-1-0)
Torres good on his feet and on the ground. I don’t see this fight going anywhere, but to the judges. Benavidez has excellent submission defense, and can handle the boxing just fine. He is not as good as a technical striker as Torres, which may give Torres a slight edge on the feet. However, expect Benavidez to take Torres down, Benavidez to avoid the submission, and potentially take a decision. If the fight doesn’t hit the mat, then Torres should win based on number of strikes. Expect kicks and long jabs from Torres.

Jens Pulver ( 22-12-1)vs Javier Vazques (13-3-0)
Another great fight that has a high chance of going to the judges.
Pulver has trouble against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu blackbelts and Vazques has had trouble against good strikers.

I lean towards Jens Pulver in this fight. I think Jens is a good commentator, hope he fills that role when he is done fighting.

L.C. Davis ( 15-2-0) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (12-3-0)
Fight of the night?

As long as the odds aren’t heavily skewed I like LC Davis in this one. If they get crazy, Taurosevicius.

Karen Darabedyan ( 9-1-0) vs. Bart Palaszewski (32-13-0)
This guy Darabedyan looks like a banger with Judo skills. I always go with that is my background as well. Darabedyan.

Preliminary Card

Diego Nunes (13-1-0) vs. Leonard Garcia (13-5-0)

Scott Jorgensen (8-3-0)  vs. Chad George (11-3-0)

Chad Mendes (5-0-0)  vs. Erik Koch (9-0-0)

Anthony Pettis (7-1-0) vs. Danny Castillo (8-2-0)

Courtney Buck (6-2-0) vs. Fredson Paixao (8-3-0)

Bendy Casimir (19-5-2) vs. Ricardo Lamas (7-1-0)

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WEC Varner vs Henderson Predictions

Posted on 08. Jan, 2010 by moneybags.

January 10th people. If you have Versus you can watch this one free.

Jamie Varner vs Ben Henderson

So excited for this fight. I picked Ben Henderson to beat Donald Cerrone a great striker and ground guy and that fight gave Henderson, a relative unknown, the interim belt. Now Varner and Henderson fight to make it undisputed. Varner has had alot of injury issues in 2009 and the reason why the fight is pushed to this weekend.

Varner is a very well rounded fighter with a sharp standup game that gave Rob McCullough a TKO sandwich. Henderson is a crafty slick tough guy who will tire you out and pull out a win when you are about to vomit. He does it all the time.

I don’t know if there is enough edge here to take Henderson, even though I think he is going to win. Well I take that back. I want him to win. I’m biased this fight so I will avoid making a pick.

BETUS has Varner @ -145 and Henderson @ +115

Urijah Faber vs Raphael Assuncao

Assuncao doesn’t possess the stand up firepower to put Faber out. Maybe on the ground though something could happen as Assuncao is good there. I think Urijah Faber will win, but with these ridiculous odds its an avoid.

With these odds, Assuncao is almost worth a play here in a hope he catches Faber in an arm bar or something.

BETUS has Faber @ -400 and Assuncao @ +300

Mike Brown vs Anthony Morrison

Mike Brown is on the comeback trail after being demolished by Jose Aldo. Considering that Morrison has lost to Micah Miller, Jim Miller, and the majority of his losses have been due to submission, you have to think American Top Team stud Mike Brown can give Morrison problems all over that cage.

Therefore, Mike Brown to win, but the odds are ridiculous.

BETUS has Brown @ -800 and Morrison @ +500

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WEC 45 Predictions

Posted on 19. Dec, 2009 by moneybags.

Donald Cerrone (155) vs Ed Ratcliff (155)

The cowboy, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone takes on hard puncher Ed “9mm” Ratcliff. Cerrone has faced hard punching before, but has Ratcliff faced a guy as tough as Cerrone? Not sure about that. Cerrone is a heavy favorite for a reason.

I like Cerrone to sub Ratcliff in round 2.

Bodog has Cerrone @ -500 and Ratcliff @ +300

Anthony Njokuani (156*) vs Chris Horodecki (155)

I think this is a fair line as Njokuani has shown some stiff KO’s lately. In this fight Njokuani is going to be a big problem in terms of height and reach. A really big problem that is. Horodecki kicks likely won’t be able to find their target. However, Njokuani has been shown to be susceptible to submissions due to his tunnel vision like overcommitment to the striking.

If there was ever a time to pick against Njokuani, I think this is a good time. Horodecki goes through a tough battle, but eventually secures an arm bar to win.

Bodog has Njokuani @ -180 and “The Polish Hammer” Horodecki @ +150

Joseph Benavidez (135) vs Rani Yahya (135.5)

Rani Yahya is a really great submission specialist, while Benavidez is great virtually everywhere. However, Yahya as a submission specialist is a level above. If Benavidez can just avoid getting submission he will likely win because he is the better striker.

I like Yahya to secure the submission and win in the 3rd.

Bodog has Joseph Benavidez @ -200 and Rani Yahya @ +160

Takeya Mizugaki (135*) vs Scott Jorgensen (135)

Jorgensen is a tough fighter who has been through some bad periods in fights and has hung in where he was in very precarious situations. So Joregensen is a tough guy, but does he have the tools to beat Mizugaki? I don’t think so.
I like Mizugaki to win.

Bodog has Mizugaki @ -175 and Jorgensen @ +145

*Both Mizugaki and Njokuani missed weight at the first weigh in, and came back and made weight for the 2nd weighing. Also skipping the rest of the fights on this card.

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WEC Cerrone vs Henderson

Posted on 09. Oct, 2009 by moneybags.

Donald Cerrone vs Ben Henderson

Cerrone a very good striker and ground player. Ben Henderson is a wrestling minded fighter with a tough chin, who is excellent at escape submissions.

This is a tough match to figure out. Cerrone and Henderson will end on the ground and I think if Henderson can avoid getting out struck, Henderson can stay on top of Cerrone and pound out a victory. I’ve seen Henderson fight some wars in the MFC and the guy is as tough as they come. Don’t let the nerdy glasses and long hair fool you.

The winner of this fight will face the current champion, Jaime Varner. The Cerrone / Varner fight was a really good one.

Usually the WEC cards are really lopsided in terms of talent between their favorites and their underdogs. This one is no different with many favorites at the -500 range+. However, these favorites are more likely to win than in other cards.

Bottomline: At +285, I like Ben Henderson here as a dog bet. This should be a great fight.

For the rest of the fight card, I would take the favorites across the board.

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Odds For WEC 41

Posted on 06. Jun, 2009 by moneybags.

These odds are from Intertops, the online sportsbook that has been online since 1996 and accepts both US and Canadian players as well as players outside these two countries. To open an account to bet on MMA you can do so by clicking here.

*Mike Brown +100
Urijah Faber -125

*Donald Cerrone -556
James Krause +350

*Jose Aldo -500
Cub Swanson +330

*John Grispi -167
Jens Pulver +115

Rolando Perez -115
Seth Dikun -115

Frank Gomez -167
Noah Thomas +125 (Noah Thomas is best known for being kicked off the ‘TUF’ show for fighting outside the ring and is a late replacement for Eddie Wineland)

*Manny Gamburyan -250
John Franchi +185

Rafael Rebello -140
Kyle Dietz +185

*Mike Campbell -357 (Mike Campbell was featured in the Tapout show that aired on Versus Network).
Anthony Pettis +250

*My picks.

Remember, these are the odds from Intertops, but there are lots of places to bet on mma, but some shops won’t allow US or Canadian customers. Find out which ones will and won’t accept you.

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Brown vs Faber 2 WEC

Posted on 28. May, 2009 by moneybags.

Mike Brown vs Urijah Faber

The rematch has Mike Brown putting his title on the line, against the old title holder, in his backyard, Urijah Faber. Now in their first meeting I picked Faber thinking his wrestling would give the upper hand and I underestimated Mike Brown’s strength. Brown’s standup has been nothing short of stunning in his last two fights. Early round KO’s over Faber and Leonard Garcia were really amazing considering those two can take a beating.

Faber is fighting in his hometown, but I like the belt to stay with Mike Brown this time.

Odds @ 5Dimes have Mike Brown +105 and Urijah Faber -125

Odds @ Bodog have Mike Brown +105 and Urijah Faber -135

Odds @ BetUS have Mike Brown +100 and Urijah Faber -140

Odds @ Bookmaker have Mike Brown -115 and Urijah Faber -115

Odds are not out for the fights below yet.

Jose Aldo vs Cub Swanson

Jose Aldo is a sensation only known to people who know the sport in a detailed fashion. I like Aldo here without worry.

Donald Cerrone vs James Krause

I like the Cowboy, Donald Cerrone, against a guy, who I’m not familiar with, but has a 10-10 record. The Cowboy takes this.

Josh Grispi vs Jens Pulver

This one should be a good one. I’m leaning towards picking Grispi here, but I’ll avoid it.

Mike Campbell vs Anthony Pettis

Mike Campbell – too strong and big.

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WEC Miguel Torres vs Takeya Mizugaki

Posted on 24. Mar, 2009 by moneybags.

WEC Torres vs Mizugaki takes place April 5th and can be seen on Versus live on DirecTV @ 9pm est.

*Miguel Angel Torres vs Takeya Mizugaki

I’ve watched what I could on YouTube for Mizugaki. Torres should win this one. Mizugaki, although having a tough chin, a gas tank, and a great sprawl, he swings wildly without covering his chin and his footwork at least in the past wasn’t very good. You compare that to Torres who has excellent footwork and boxing and you got yourself trouble. There is very little chance Mizugaki will tap Torres. The only chance Mizugaki has of winning this fight is a lucky punch connecting.

I like Miguel Torres to win despite being a huge favorite in his hometown!

Jeff Curran vs *Joseph Benavidez

Jeff Curran the 30-10-1 veteran is dropping down in weight to meet rising bantamweight star and Urijah Faber training partner, Joseph Benavidez. I think Curran is going to have a tough tough fight here. Benavidez has shown to have ridiculous wrestling, power punching, and submission escapes. If Curran can keep Benavidez from taking him down and keeping Joe on the end of his fists then I can see Curran maybe getting the TKO, but more likely a decision.

Curran is a real veteran fighting professionally almost as long as I’ve been an MMA fan. Will he have trouble making the weight, no, will it effect his gas tank in the fight. Yes. This will be how Benavidez will catch Curran. Joseph will put on a fast pace as usual, Curran will tire and either get subbed, or overrun enough to where Benavidez gets the Judge’s decision.

I like Joseph Benavidez to win.

Shane Roller vs *Ben Henderson

I’ve seen Shane Roller fight, I just can’t remember….checking YouTube….Nothing. I guess from previous WEC fights. I’ve seen Ben Henderson on the MFC fights on HDNET and I like what I’ve seen.

I’m picking Ben Henderson to win.

Eddie Wineland vs Rani Yahya

Rani is too much in the grappling/ground department for Wineland. Rani will sub Eddie.

Looks to be a great card with quite a few showcase matches.

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