Old school, meet new school.
Jose Aldo — the first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight champion and bearer of just one loss in the last decade, takes on rising superstar and current interim 145-pound champion Max Holloway this Saturday evening (June 3, 2017) in the main event of UFC 212, which takes place inside Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Former women’s Strawweight title challengers Claudia Gadelha and Karolina Kowalkiewicz will do battle in the pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, too, as will Middleweight veterans Vitor Belfort and Nate Marquardt.
UFC 212 is a mixed bag, to be certain, but it’s ripe for the plundering. Let’s go!
What Went Wrong at UFC Fight Night 109?
I understand Reza Madadi’s loss perfectly. He had more issues keeping down Joaquim Silva than I expected and “Netto BJJ” did an excellent job of exploiting the late notice by working Madadi’s body all night. Fair play to Silva, who remains undefeated (3-0) in UFC.
I still don’t understand Volkan Oezdemir vs. Misha Cirkunov. Yes, it was to the ear and yes, Cirkunov didn’t see it coming, but that punch looked like it had nothing behind it. The whole scene looked like a re-enactment of Tank Abbott vs. Steve Nelmark as performed with Sock’em Boppers and yet Cirkunov — who hadn’t even budged when hit by Ion Cutelaba — collapsed.
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is weird.
UFC 212 Odds For The Undercard:
Marlon Moraes (-175) vs. Raphael Assuncao (+155)
Antonio Carlos Junior (-210) vs. Eric Spicely (+175)
Matthew Lopez (-210) vs. Johnny Eduardo (+175)
Iuri Alcantara (-300) vs. Brian Kelleher (+250)
Viviane Pereira (-120) vs. Jamie Moyle (EVEN)
Luan Chagas (-245) vs. Jim Wallhead (+205)
Deiveson Figueiredo (-160) vs. Marco Antonio Beltran (+140)
Thoughts: The fundamental issue here is that so many of these fights could go so many different ways. I have Moraes beating Assuncao, but Moraes has given away rounds before. I have Carlos beating Spicely, but Carlos has run out of steam before.
You see the dilemma.
The one standout bargain there is Beltran, based solely on the fact that Figueiredo was dropped twice and nearly stopped in his last fight by a lesser opponent. Beltran will have a three-inch height advantage and is generally a strong enough scrambler to keep it standing. Viva Mexico!
UFC 212 Odds For The Main Card:
Jose Aldo (-110) vs. Max Holloway (-110)
Claudia Gadelha (-300) vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (+250)
Vitor Belfort (-150) vs. Nate Marquardt (+130)
Paulo Borrachinha (-335) vs. Oluwale Bamgbose (+275)
Yancy Medeiros (-115) vs. Erick Silva (-105)
Thoughts: Jose Aldo is still the Featherweight G.O.A.T.
I’m not disputing the magnitude of the Conor McGregor loss in any way, shape or form, but nobody in the history of the division has accomplished as much as Aldo. He makes top-tier fighters look downright pedestrian and he does so with regularity. Though I’ve been a Holloway fan for years, Aldo is just a different breed of striker; therefore, bet on the local boy.
Other than that, you could probably squeeze some value out of the opening fight. Silva hasn’t looked good since tapping Josh Koscheck two years ago and Medeiros — for all his many faults — is ridiculously tough and packs some heat in his hands.
UFC 212 Best Bets:
- Single bet -- Marco Antonio Beltran: Bet $30 to make $42
- Single bet -- Jose Aldo: Bet $70 to make $63.63
- Single bet -- Yancy Medeiros: Bet $30 to make $26.08
Is UFC 212’s main event enough to carry the card? That’s for you to decide, but I know I’ll be tuning in. See you Saturday, Maniacs!