Middleweight mayhem from Messrs. Machida and Mousasi!
Two of the top strikers on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) roster will duke it out with a potential 185-pound title shot on the line this Saturday (Feb. 15, 2014) when former Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida squares off with former Strikeforce kingpin Gegard Mousasi.
UFC Fight Night 36, which takes place at Arena Jaragua in Santa Catarina, Brazil, airing live on FOX Sports 1, will also feature two more members of the Middleweight elite -- "Jacare" Souza and Francis Carmont will likewise lock horns for a place among the division's highest echelon.
That's not all.
The whole thing is free to watch on "Fight Pass" and FOX Sports 1, but what's the fun of fights without at least a little money on the line? Follow me for the latest UFC Fight Night 36 betting odds / lines below:
UFC Fight Night 36 Odds For The Under Card:
Joe Proctor (-185) vs. Cristiano Marcello (+160)
Ivan Jorge (-135) vs. Rodrigo Damm (+115)
Francisco Trinaldo (-175) vs. Jesse Ronson (+155)
Iuri Alcantara (-250) vs. Wilson Reis (+210)
Maximo Blanco (-115) vs. Felipe Arantes (-105)
Albert Tumenov (-165) vs. Ildemar Alcantara (+145)
Zubair Tuhugov (N/A) vs. Douglas Silva (N/A)
Thoughts:
One Brazilian and two foreigners make up this week’s under card betting line up: Iuri Alcantara, Joe Proctor and Albert Tumenov.
Reis is a legitimate Bantamweight; however, the problem is that Alcantara is a monster. He’s hard to take down, hits obscenely hard and should also enjoy a size and strength advantage over his countryman. The last two times Reis had to deal with fighters of Alcantars’s ilk, he was violently finished.
I don’t anticipate that trend ending here; therefore, bet appropriately.
Marcello’s inexplicable decision win over Reza Madadi weighs heavily upon my mind as I type this, but I favor Proctor by a sizeable margin in this match up. Personally, I don’t think Proctor is anything special, but Marcello has not demonstrated UFC-caliber abilities in any of his three Octagon appearances.
Indeed, he doesn’t have the speed or power to make his plodding stand up work and his takedown offense is more-or-less nonexistent. All Proctor has to do to win this fight is keep it on the feet; in fact, I think he’s got better than a 70 percent chance of doing so, making betting on him a statistically-profitable venture.
Tumenov is going to be giving up size, home-field advantage and UFC experience to the other Alcantara. It’s a good thing, then, that he is several levels above Ildemar on the feet. Not only is he a devastating puncher, he is significantly faster than "Marajo" with both hands and feet.
Though young and short on experience, the way he starched the very legit Yasubey Enomoto leads me to pick him as a worthwhile bet.
UFC Fight Night 36 Odds For The Main Card:
Lyoto Machida (-230) vs. Gegard Mousasi (+190)
Ronaldo Souza (-500) vs. Francis Carmont (+400)
Erick Silva (-1000) vs. Takenori Sato (+650)
Viscardi Andrade (-130) vs. Nicholas Musoke (+110)
Charles Oliveira (-600) vs. Andy Ogle (+450)
Thoughts: Really not seeing much here, unfortunately. If Jacare was still around -400, he might be a good parlay stuffer, but as is, Carmont’s preternatural sway over the judges makes Souza a bit too pricey.
If you’re going to bet on anyone on the main card, Machida might not be a bad choice. Mousasi’s wrestling is hit-and-miss and Machida boasts absolutely terrific trips. I don’t think you should get a second mortgage or anything, but a little on "The Dragon" might not hurt.
UFC Fight Night 36 Best Bets:
- Parlay -- Iuri Alcantara and Joe Proctor: Bet $50 to make $58
- Parlay -- Iuri Alcantara and Albert Tumenov: Bet $50 to make $62.5
Four Top 10-ranked Middleweight stand outs and tons of other prospects -- a perfect recipe for a quality "Fight Night."
See you Saturday, Maniacs.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver live UFC Fight Night 36: "Machida vs. Mousasi" results on fight night RIGHT HERE, 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.
Running Profit For 2014 Based On This Column: $54.20