In a serious mix of international flavor, Brazilian bone breakar Luiz Cane will throw leather against Bulgarian butt-kicker Stanislav Nedkov at the upcoming UFC 134 event tomorrow night (Aug. 27, 2011) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Cane was, at one time, a top 205-pound prospect, thought to be an eventual challenger to the division throne. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with a penchant for knockouts (nine of 11 career wins), "Banha's" rise to the top was halted rather abruptly by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira's superior boxing at UFC 106.
A follow-up loss to Cyrille Diabate had him on the ropes but he eventually righted the ship with a first round technical knockout win over Eliot Marshall just last month.
Apparently that was enough to convince oddsmakers he's back on the right track, as he heads into tomorrow night as the -230 favorite.
Stanislav Nedkov will make his UFC debut over a year after he was initially signed to the promotion. An undefeated prospect from Bulgaria, "Staki" had two fight bookings fall through over the last year through a combination of bad luck and poor timing.
In 11 career fights, only two have went the distance, with an even mix of knockout and submission finishes. That's not enough information for oddsmakers, though, who have placed him as the +190 underdog.
His name might not be recognizable -- yet -- but he's a very dangerous fighter that poses a grave threat to the reemergence of Cane and his title hopes.
Luiz Cane (-230) vs. Stanislav Nedkov (+190) at UFC 134. Who ya' got and why?
To see the rest of the "Silva vs. Okami" odds and betting lines plus all the action for the upcoming UFC and Strikeforce events click here.
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