"Natural Born Killer" and "Hitman:" With mixed martial arts (MMA) nicknames like that, how could it be anything but amazing?
In a rematch of their 2009 war, Welterweight elite Carlos Condit and Martin Kampmann will battle this Wednesday night (Aug. 28, 2013) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., headlining the second show for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on FOX Sports 1 network.
In addition, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos will face off in the UFC Fight Night 27 co-main event that is sure to have local leg specialists seeing dollar signs, while The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winners Kelvin Gastelum and Court McGee will also be in action in separate matches.
For a free, middle-of-the-week card, combat sports could do much worse. And if you're interested in some humpday gambling, we've got just what the doctor ordered.
Follow me for a closer look at the odds behind UFC Fight Night 27: "Condit vs. Kampmann 2:"
UFC Fight Night 27 Odds For The Under Card:
Hatsu Hioki (-175) vs. Darren Elkins (+135)
Brandon Thatch (-245) vs. Justin Edwards (+175)
Dylan Andrews (-290) vs. Papy Abedi (+210)
Abel Trujillo (-125) vs. Roger Bowling (-115)
Zak Cummings (-135) vs. Benny Alloway (-105)
Jason High (-130) vs. James Head (-110)
Thoughts: Really not seeing too much of note here -- an Elkins underdog play might make sense, but Hioki’s inconsistency and the fact that he’s a beast when he’s on makes that a bad idea. Head seems a little undervalued, so he might be worth something in a parlay, but if I had to pick just one guy on the undercard to bet on, I’d go with Cummings.
Alloway just can’t wrestle to save his life, while Cummings is decently well-rounded and has a solid submission game. Cummings’ long time out of action is somewhat worrying, but the fact that his only losses are to very solid opponents and the fact that he can wrestle at all has me confident in him.
UFC Fight Night 27 Odds For The Main Card:
Carlos Condit (-250) vs. Martin Kampmann (+210)
Donald Cerrone (-165) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (+145)
Robert Whittaker (-140) vs. Court McGee (+120)
Brad Tavares (-360) vs. Bubba McDaniel (+365)
Kelvin Gastelum (-230) vs. Brian Melancon (+190)
Erik Perez (-160) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (+120)
Thoughts: Okay, somebody’s going to have to explain to me why the hell Mizugaki is an underdog to Perez. I know "Goyito" has some marketing push behind him, but none of the people he has beaten are currently with the promotion, while Mizugaki has beaten the likes of Bryan Caraway and Rani Yahya, not to mention arguably beating Chris Cariaso and giving Brian Bowles a run for his money.
Mizugaki is far more experienced and a far better wrestler. And with just one technical knockout loss and one submission defeat, I don’t see him getting finished by Perez. I expect Takeya to win handily and recommend betting heavily on him.
Of the rest, Cerrone seems the best play. Dos Anjos is a very, very good fighter, but his mid-range, kick-heavy striking style seems a phenomenally poor way to fight "Cowboy." Cerrone is lost on his back foot, but if he can get his opponent moving backward like Evan Dunham did, he has bone-crushing power in his kicks. He also packs an underrated wrestling game and stands four inches taller than "RDA."
As fond as I am of dos Anjos, this is just not a good match up. Therefore, bet accordingly.
UFC Fight Night 27 Best Bets:
- Single bet: Zak Cummings -- Bet $40.50 to make $30
- Single bet: Takeya Mizugaki -- Bet $50 to make $60
- Parlay: Zak Cummings and Donald Cerrone -- Bet $30 to make $54
- Single bet: James Head -- Bet $30 to make $27.27
If the main event doesn't win at least one "of the night" bonus, I'll eat my hat.
See you tomorrow, Maniacs!