UFC middleweight veteran Kendall Grove welcomes Tim Boetsch to the 185-pound division when they hook 'em up at UFC 130: "Rampage vs. Hamill" this Saturday night (May 28, 2011) from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Grove (12-8) is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Demian Maia at last December's Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 12 Finale on Spike TV, but that hasn't prevented "Da Spyder" from crawling in as the -160 favorite.
Still, the lanky Hawaiian is 2-3 over his last five fights and has struggled to recapture some of the momentum he had coming from his impressive performance as TUF 3 champion.
Boetsch (12-4) is also coming off a loss after being submitted by Phil Davis at UFC 123: "Rampage vs. Machida" last November. While tapping to the "Philmura" marked his first defeat since stringing together a four-fight winning streak, "The Barbarian" has apparently decided his talents would be better served by shedding a few pounds.
He's unproven in his new weight class and playing the role of +140 underdog as a result.
Are the oddsmakers calling it like they see it? Or playing it safe? Take a look at how these two middleweights stack up and decide for yourself.
185 lbs.: Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove vs. Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch
Backgrounds (last five fights):
Grove:
Record: 2-3
Notable wins: Submitted Jake Rosholt at UFC 106, squeaked past Goran Reljic at UFC 116
Notable losses: Crushed by Mark Munoz at UFC 112, outworked by Demian Maia at TUF 12 Finale
Strengths: Terrific grappler, underrated striking, long reach
Weaknesses: Questionable heart, unmotivated, often plays to opponent's strengths
Boetsch:
Record: 4-1
Notable wins: Beat the brakes off four people you've never heard of
Notable losses: Run over by the Phil Davis Express at UFC 123
Strengths: Strong like bull, power puncher, aggressive
Weaknesses: Unproven at 185, susceptible to submissions
Kendall Grove (-160) vs. Tim Boetsch (+140) at UFC 130. Who ya' got and why?
For more MMA odds and betting lines from UFC 130 or to see how the numbers stack up for different events check out odds aggregate OddsShark by clicking here.
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