What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Except, possibly, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight belt after this weekend (Sat., Nov. 16, 2013).
For the first time since UFC 100, 170-pound kingpin Georges St-Pierre will defend his 170-pound belt in the United States, taking on bearded knockout machine Johny Hendricks in the UFC 167 main event from MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 20th Anniversary pay-per-view (PPV) show will also feature a clash between standouts Light Heavyweight superstars Chael Sonnen and Rashad Evans, as well as a pivotal bout between St. Pierre protege Rory MacDonald and legendary power puncher Robbie Lawler.
It's one hell of a card; therefore, follow me for the latest UFC 167 betting odds / lines to see if we can make the PPV pay for itself:
UFC 167 Odds For The Under Card:
Donald Cerrone (-115) vs. Evan Dunham (-105)
Rick Story (-210) vs. Brian Ebersole (+175)
Erik Perez (-335) vs. Edwin Figueroa (+275)
Jason High (-290) vs. Anthony Lapsley (+245)
Gian Villante (-340) vs. Cody Donovan (+280)
Sergio Pettis (-410) vs. Will Campuzano (+330)
Thoughts: Interestingly, it’s the (numerically) closest and widest fights that intrigue me the most: Donald Cerrone vs. Evan Dunham and Sergio Pettis vs. Will Campuzano. In the former, it’s a stylistic clash that favors the less-favored fighter, while in the latter a veteran is being undervalued.
As maddeningly inconsistent as Cerrone is, I feel there is one perceivable trend: He seems completely lost against an opponent who refuses to back down. He loves to step in deep with massive leg kicks, which fails against a foe who won’t retreat, and his tendency to leave himself wide open throwing a knee to the body is a massive liability. His punches are also simply nowhere near as sharp as his kicks.
Dunham is one of the division’s most hard-nosed fighters. And retreat is not in his vocabulary. He is not a damaging puncher, but what he is is relentless, durable and one of the finest wrestlers at 155 pounds. Cerrone has the talent to make this a blowout. I just think his porous defense and whatever stylistic or psychological issues make him so weak on the back foot make this an awful fight for him.
Bet appropriately.
Pettis is tremendously talented. He is also much less experienced than Campuzano, who has faced tougher competition and firmly established himself as one of the premiere Flyweight fighters on the planet. Further, Campuzano is three inches taller and has been on the big stage before. Is this enough to overcome Pettis’ potential? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s certainly enough for a bet at +330.
UFC 167 Odds For The Main Card:
Georges St-Pierre (-265) vs. Johny Hendricks (+225)
Rashad Evans (-185) vs. Chael Sonnen (+160)
Rory MacDonald (-350) vs. Robbie Lawler (+290)
Josh Koscheck (-110) vs. Tyron Woodley (-110)
Tim Elliott (-145) vs. Ali Bagautinov (+125)
Thoughts: Let me just put it out there that I have a gut feeling that Hendricks pulls the upset. His last six fights have gone something like this: Vicious knockout, tight decision, vicious knockout, tight decision, vicious knockout, tight decision.
In other words, if the pattern continues, St-Pierre is going to be eating canvas inside two minutes.
Do I have any real evidence for the upset besides a trend? Not really. The entire fight, to me, hinges on Johny’s right hand. If he can take away GSP’s safety lead and force him to circle to Hendricks' left, he has more than enough thump to end it instantly.
I’d say $15 or $20 on "Bigg Rigg" wouldn’t be out of place.
As far as bets with a solid chance at paying dividends go, I like Elliott at -145. I’m a big fan of Bagautinov and feel that he’s a handful for most of the division. I am also cognizant of the fact that he’s extremely small for the weight class and isn’t terrific off his back. Elliott has excellent wrestling, stupendous durability, and dangerous ground-and-pound. As hard as Ali hits, Dodson couldn’t budge Elliott and I’m pretty sure I saw Gaudinot blast him with a clean knee on a takedown to absolutely no effect.
Elliott should be profitable.
UFC 167 Best Bets:
- Single bet: Will Campuzano -- Bet $20 to make $66
- Single bet: Evan Dunham -- Bet $40 to make $38.09
- Single bet: Johny Hendricks -- Bet $20 to make $45
- Single bet: Tim Elliott -- Bet $60 to make $41.37
- Parlay: Evan Dunham and Tim Elliott -- Bet $30 to make $69
UFC 167 includes a title fight and elite fighters across the board. And that works for me just fine.
See you Saturday, Maniacs.