Is "The Force" strong in this "Darth?"
Ryan Bader intends to find out later tonight (Weds., Sept. 4, 2013) when he faces the Next Big Thing™ at 205 pounds, Glover Teixeira, who is currently riding a 19-fight mixed martial arts (MMA) win streak populated by 17 finishes. Their Light Heavyweight battle will serve as the main event of UFC Fight Night 28, which goes down at Mineirinho Arena in Belo Horizonte, Brazil (which I am told is actually not one of Minas Tirith's nearby neighbors).
One of the premiere grapplers of all time will also be in action as "Jacare" Ronaldo Souza attempts to secure a spot in the Middleweight Top 5 against arguably the best spoiler the division has ever seen in Yushin Okami, while Jussier Formiga looks to shut down the vengeful Joseph Benavidez.
There's lots of talent on display, not to mention some intriguing Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) gambling options.
Follow me for a closer look at the odds behind UFC Fight Night 28: "Teixeira vs. Bader:"
UFC Fight Night 28 Odds For The Under Card:
Felipe Arantes (-185) vs. Edimilson Souza (+160)
Lucas Martins (-145) vs. Ramiro Hernandez (+125)
Ivan Jorge (-230) vs. Keith Wisniewski (+190)
Elias Silverio (-140) vs. Joao Zeferino (+120)
Sean Spencer (-120) vs. Yuri Villefort (EVEN)
Thoughts: I’m most likely asking for it here, but I’ve got my eye on a couple of underdogs here: Hernandez and Zeferino.
I know Martins wound up winning his last fight, but I also know that said victory came after taking a massive beating from Jeremy Larsen, whose right hand had the accuracy of a Patriot missile aimed at a zeppelin. The power is there, the technique is not. Whether the fear of a takedown was to blame is irrelevant, since Hernandez also possesses a competent takedown game and is a very skilled striker.
You may not have heard of Hernandez, but I can certainly see him trouncing Martins.
Silverio is a solid fighter. The issue is that he’s a solid Welterweight coming in on short notice. Though Zeferino did not particularly impress against Natal, the fact remains that he is a career Middleweight with a solid grappling attack and twice the experience of Silverio. I simply don’t see Silverio staying off his back. And while I am concerned about Zeferino’s cardio, I am willing to chalk it up to Octagon jitters and the short-notice nature of the fight.
Bet on the "Samurai."
UFC Fight Night 28 Odds For The Main Card:
Glover Teixeira (-440) vs. Ryan Bader (+350)
Ronaldo Souza (-265) vs. Yushin Okami (+225)
Joseph Benavidez (-525) vs. Jussier da Silva (+415)
Francisco Trinaldo (-320) vs. Piotr Hallmann (+260)
Rafael Natal (-260) vs. Tor Troeng (+220)
Ali Bagautinov (-280) vs. Marcos Vinicius (+240)
Thoughts: Natal is a good fighter, sure, but -260 against Troeng seems a little excessive. Yes, Troeng got smoked against Josh Samman; however, so have a lot of other fighters. And Natal is nowhere near the threat on the feet when compared to Samman. Troeng has only lost once since 2008 -- he’s 12-1-1 since losing to Daniel Acacio and his only loss since then was to Thales Leites. Natal is powerful, but wild, and with Tor’s strength and skills, I can definitely see him putting Rafael on his back.
Therefore, a moderate bet on "The Hammer" should pay dividends.
If you just want to go with a favorite, I see Bagautinov as essentially a lock. Not only is this Vinicius’ first cut to 125 pounds, but he hasn’t looked impressive since the elimination rounds of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). He lost twice on the show, lost two rounds to one of the weakest fighters on the cast in Wagner Campos, and got crushed by Johnny Bedford. Bagautinov has a list of "Master of Sport" titles as long as my arm, hits hard and can most certainly wrestle "Vina" to his heart’s content.
He’s your anchor of the night.
UFC Fight Night 28 Best Bets:
- Single bet: Ramiro Hernandez -- Bet $40 to make $50
- Single bet: Tor Troeng -- Bet $30 to make $66
- Parlay: Joao Zeferino and Ali Bagautinov -- Bet $20 to make $39.80
- Parlay: Ramiro Hernandez and Ali Bagautinov -- Bet $30 to make $61.80
For a mid-week free card, combat sports fans could do a hell of a lot worse. I'll be watching, at least, and hopefully you will, too.