Strikeforce never die!
Former Heavyweight Grand Prix contestants -- and one-time opponents -- Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva and Andrei Arlovski will battle once again this Saturday night (Sept., 13, 2014) in the main event of UFC Fight Night 51, which takes place at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium in Brasilia, Brazil
In addition, Gleison Tibau will look to pick up his second victory since being felled by Michael Johnson, facing Poland's Piotr Hallmann, while The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winners (from separate seasons) Leonardo Santos and Efrain Escudero duke it out in another intriguing Lightweight match up.
The whole shebang will air online via Fight Pass; therefore, let's put our money to use in a slightly different way. Check out the latest odds behind "Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2."
UFC Fight Night 51 Odds For The Under Card:
Godofredo Castro (-170) vs. Dashon Johnson (+130)
Igor Araujo (-210) vs. George Sullivan (+160)
Francisco Trinaldo (-185) vs. Leandro Silva (+145)
Sean Spencer (-185) vs. Paulo Thiago (+145)
Johnny Bedford (-185) vs. Rani Yahya (+145)
Thoughts: Yet again, not seeing terribly much under card value here. Trinaldo and Spencer seem like decent bets, but there’s nothing that stands out.
Trinaldo’s physical might lets him run roughshod over most opponents, serving to mitigate the vulnerabilities his wild standup presents. A fit Trinaldo should steamroll "Buscape," but that’s exactly the issue. Like clockwork, Trinaldo gasses midway through the second round.
Luckily, he usually does so after racking up a lead and I am confident in his victory, but be careful betting on him.
As much as I like Thiago, he hasn’t looked good in ages. He hasn’t developed the wrestling to impose his Brazilian jiu-jitsu and his striking isn’t sound enough to be an effective primary attack. Spencer should be able to piece him up from long distance even though he lacks the power to put away the hometown favorite.
Parlaying with "Black Magic" seems a solid plan.
UFC Fight Night 51 Odds For The Main Card:
Antonio Silva (-450) vs. Andre Arlovski (+360)
Gleison Tibau (-230) vs. Piotr Hallmann (+170)
Leonardo Santos (-210) vs. Efrain Escudero (+160)
Wendell Oliveira Marques (-135) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (-105)
Iuri Alcantara (-300) vs. Russell Doane (+220)
Larissa Pacheco (-125) vs. Jessica Andrade (-115)
Thoughts: The two opening fights are, in my opinion, the best avenues for profit -- Alcantara and Andrade both strike me as safe investments.
I honestly believe Alcantara is going to smash the hell out of Doane. "Marajo" has crippling power in his left hand and a very nasty ground game. Watching Doane struggle with Marcus Brimage doesn’t give me confidence that he can handle the bigger, more powerful Alcantara ... especially since Iuri will bring in a three-inch height advantage.
The Brazilian is your parlay anchor.
Pacheco just turned 20 years old and has a bright future ahead of her, but I don’t think she’s ready for Andrade. "Bate Estaca" is a brawler, but her punches are tighter than Pacheco’s swings and she ought to have the advantage on the ground considering Pacheco’s willingness to abandon position for submission. Andrade has faced the better competition and will not have the possibility of UFC jitters that Pacheco could face.
In other words, a moderate bet on Andrade seems wise.
UFC Fight Night 51 Best Bets
- Parlay -- Iuri Alcantara and Jessica Andrade: Bet $50 to make $74.50
- Parlay -- Iuri Alcantara and Francisco Trinaldo: Bet $30 to make $31.50
- Parlay -- Jessica Andrade and Sean Spencer: Bet $30 to make $56.40
It's not the best card in the world, but at least this one won't put you out $60 like a pay-per-view (PPV) ... just $9.99.
See you Saturday, folks.
Running Profit For 2014 Based On This Column: -$233.90