Liz 'n Ronda at the Honda.
This Saturday (Feb. 23, 2013), Anaheim, Calif., will play host to a landmark moment in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) history as the first-ever women's title fight goes down at the Honda Center, serving as the crown jewel of UFC 157's female mixed martial arts (MMA) tiara.
Newly-minted division queen Ronda Rousey will look to continue her unprecedented reign of terror against United States Marine Corps veteran Liz Carmouche, a massive underdog who could send tremors through the UFC front office and the rest of the combat sports universe with an unlikely victory.
In addition, Dan Henderson will finally return to the Octagon for the first time since his war with Mauricio Rua, taking on former 205-pound champion Lyoto Machida in the co-main event of the evening.
History is not the only thing that can be made this weekend, however, if fight fans know where to look on the fight card to score some betting bucks.
Follow me below for a closer look at the latest odds behind -- and best bets for -- UFC 157: "Rousey vs. Carmouche:"
UFC 157 Odds For The Under Card:
Brendan Schaub (-135) vs. Lavar Johnson (-105)
Michael Chiesa (-215) vs. Anton Kuivanen (+165)
Dennis Bermudez (-420) vs. Matt Grice (+300)
Caros Fodor (-150) vs. Sam Stout (+110)
Neil Magny (-175) vs. Jon Manley (+135)
Brock Jardine (-190) vs. Kenny Robertson (+150)
Nah-Shon Burrell (-125) vs. Yuri Villefort (-115)
Thoughts: Now, you might think that my recent poor performances might have weaned me off of using favorite-loaded parlays as my main means of income, but I didn’t get to where I am today (living in a cardboard box, typing my articles on a typewriter with half the keys missing before sending them to Myers via carrier pigeon for scanning) by being good at pattern recognition.
Thus, I declare Fodor and Chiesa your lynchpins for the weekend.
The Fodor pick should be fairly self-explanatory, but I get paid to write so let me do it just because that is the expectation. While he isn’t that well-known, he’s got boatloads of talent, while Stout hasn’t beaten a current member of the UFC roster since Jan. 2010. Plus, Stout’s last win was on account of his wrestling, an area in which he is decidedly inferior to "The Future."
Fodor can definitely win this on the ground and probably also on the feet ... bank on it.
As far as Chiesa, as big a fan as I am of Kuivanen and as well-rounded as he is, he doesn’t have anything that can shut down Chiesa’s wrestling attack. He’s got some amount of power, but Chiesa has showcased some solid durability. Unless Kuivanen has dramatically improved his takedown defense, which is a real possibility considering how much better it looked against Mitch Clarke than against Justin Salas, Chiesa should be able to take this one.
Moderate parlay with "Maverick," possibly with McGee in tow, is therefore a good bet.
UFC 157 Odds For The Main Card:
Ronda Rousey (-1200) vs. Liz Carmouche (+775)
Lyoto Machida (-230) vs. Dan Henderson (+190)
Urijah Faber (-380) vs. Ivan Menjivar (+315)
Josh Koscheck (-475) vs. Robbie Lawler (+380)
Court McGee (-290) vs. Josh Neer (+210)
Thoughts: I've got to be brutally honest: I’m not seeing much here. Four of these fights on the pay-per-view (PPV) main card are, in my opinion, not even remotely competitive. In the other, Lyoto Machida vs. Dan Henderson -- the underdog has thunderous one-shot stopping power -- adding a further element of unpredictability, while the favorite’s speed and technique advantages make an underdog bet ill-advised.
If you’re going to bet on the main card, put some on McGee because Neer’s only attack is grinding, which McGee is better at. Plus, considering McGee’s insane cardio, he shouldn’t be debilitated by the weight cut.
Don't even think about putting money on Carmouche to win in the main event unless you think flushing it down the toilet is some kind if silly joke -- she is in way over her head against Rousey.
UFC 157 Best Bets:
- Single bet: Caros Fodor -- Bet $75 to make $50
- Parlay: Michael Chiesa and Court McGee -- Bet $40 to make $38.83
The only thing better than senseless violence is full-on, girl-on-girl senseless violence.
See you Saturday, Maniacs.