Latest UFC on FOX 2 odds and betting guide for 'Evans vs Davis' in Chicago

They’re ready for their close ups.

This Saturday (Jan. 28, 2012), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again hit the big stage, making its second trip to the primetime airwaves of the FOX nationwide television network.

Leading the way will be Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, who have yet to be at a loss for words when espousing their inevitable victories. In addition, British Baron of Braggadocio Michael Bisping will take on Lord Loudmouth Chael Sonnen to earn the next crack at middleweight champion Anderson Silva, while Chris Weidman steps up on short notice to face the Brazilian jiu-jitsu demon, Demian Maia.

All in all, we have a fantastic set of fights awaiting us this Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. And where there’s awesome fights, there’s money to be made.

Join us after the break for an in-depth look at the odds behind UFC on FOX 2: "Evans vs. Davis" as we examine the betting lines for the upcoming myriad mixed martial arts (MMA) match ups:

UFC on FOX 2 Odds for the Under Card:

Chris Camozzi (-170) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+140)
Joey Beltran (-225) vs. Lavar Johnson (+175)
Shane Roller (-260) vs. Michael Johnson (+200)
Charles Oliveira (-600) vs. Eric Wisely (+400)
Cub Swanson (-145) vs. George Roop (+115)
Mike Russow (-150) vs. Jon Olav Einemo (+120)
Evan Dunham (-400) vs. Nik Lentz (+300)

Thoughts: Some tempting underdogs and profitable favorites -- I like it.

As far as favorites go, your best bets are Dunham and Camozzi. Dunham pretty much does everything better than Lentz and should be able to handle him in much the same fashion that Mark Bocek did, if not even more one-sidedly. The Camozzi pick is based on Jacoby’s outright incompetence in his Octagon debut, and while I’ve definitely seen the sort of exponential leap between fights Jacoby would have had to make to be competitive in the UFC happen (cough, cough, Alex Caceres, cough), Camozzi still strikes me as a bargain anywhere better than -200.

The two underdogs I have my eye on are Roop and Einemo. While Roop is painfully inconsistent, Swanson is even more so. And unlike Cub, Roop can say he arguably beat the consensus number two-ranked featherweight in the world in Hatsu Hioki. Roop is the better striker of the two and excels at using his reach to nullify his opponents at range.

I’m quite confident he’ll defeat Swanson, and is worth a straight bet as an underdog.

Though Einemo looked pretty mediocre against Dave Herman in his UFC debut, that doesn’t change the fact that Russow’s primary weapon is his grappling and "The Viking" has won gold at ADCC. This one strikes me as a favorable style match up for the durable Einemo, who has shaken off the built-up ring rust and should be able to take care of himself wherever the fight goes. Put some straight money on "The Viking."

UFC on FOX 2 Odds for the Main Card:

Chris Weidman (-150) vs. Demian Maia (+120)
Chael Sonnen (-400) vs. Michael Bisping (+300)
Rashad Evans (-210) vs. Phil Davis (+170)

Thoughts: Again, some nice match ups -- let’s see what’s under the hood.

While I would have preferred that Maia open up as the favorite, Weidman still strikes me as a profitable bet. Weidman is a bonafide grappling prodigy -- after two years on the mat, he held his own against Andre Galvao (the same Andre Galvao who beat Rousimar Palhares and won the absolute division this year). He’s only gotten better since then. This is probably going to come back to bite me in the future, but I’ll say it anyway:

Weidman is champion material. It won’t be easy, but he WILL beat Maia this Saturday. Put your money on it.

I have no doubt in my mind that Chael Sonnen is more than capable of winning his fight with Michael Bisping with ease. I doubt "The Count" can stay on his feet and I’m practically certain he has nothing to offer Sonnen off his back. Still, Sonnen has too many submissions losses for me to put money on him against anyone at -400, so I recommend steering clear of this fight.

Even at -210, there’s still money to be made on Rashad Evans. Not only is he far more proven than Davis and a black belt in his own right, but Davis has been out of the cage for more than 10 months, which is the longest fightless stretch of his career. Evans’ stand up is solid, superior to Davis’s, and their wrestling should cancel out or at the very least only favor Davis slightly. I’m always wary about Evans fighting because his chin (while not glass by any means, is definitely questionable), but Davis doesn’t have the stand up tools to exploit that.

Go big on Evans, in conjunction with a smaller favorite elsewhere on the card.

My UFC on Fox 2 Best Bets:

• Parlay: Chris Weidman and Evan Dunham -- Bet $20 to make $21.67
• Single Bet: John Olav Einemo -- Bet $40 to make $48
• Single Bet: George Roop -- Bet $40 to make $46
• Parlay: Rashad Evans and Chris Camozzi -- Bet $70.32 to make $94.55

Two fights with title implications and a fight between two of the most decorated grapplers in the middleweight division ... all in one night? Works for me.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver live UFC on FOX 2 results this Saturday, which is as good a place as any to talk about all the action inside the Octagon, as well as what you've got riding on the sportsbook.

See you then, Maniacs.