Matt Hughes vs. Thiago Alves
Sportsbook.com Odds
- Hughes (-200)
- Alves (+160)
This will be a great match up between a legend and a star on the rise. Hughes is a superb and strong wrestler taking on Alves, a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. These are two very different styles and two extremely dangerous men.
Hughes is coming off a loss to St.Pierre for the second time. He needs this win to stay on top of the welterweight class. If he can’t put away Alves he may end up retiring. He’s had a great career so far, at 43 wins and only 6 defeats. This two time UFC Champion needs to get back to his old ways and use his wrestling skills and pure strength to dominate his opponent. If Hughes can over power and keep Alves on the mat, I see him winning.
Alves needs to keep Hughes guessing and on his feet, as well throw kicks and land power shots. I believe Alves will win this fight as long as he can deny Hughes’ take down attempts. By keeping Hughes on his feet and stopping his take downs, he will frustrate Hughes and catch him with a power shot.
Pat’s Prediction: I see Alves winning by a 3rd round KO. Being a (+160) underdog, I think this is a good bet.
Michael ‘The Count’ Bisping vs. Jason Day
Sportsbook.com Odds
- Bisping (-350)
- Day (+275)
This will be a good test for Bisping, who is 15-1. He is 5-1 in the UFC where he has showed some dominance. It’s going to be Day’s toughest opponent so far. He is not to be overlooked by Bisping. He should still be able to give him a good fight.
Bisping won The Ultimate Fighter 3 in the light heavyweight division. Bisping is a former Cage Warriors Fighting Champion in the light heavyweight division. He’s also a former Cage Rage light heavyweight champion, as well as the current FX3 light heavyweight champion. His strong points are his kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu. He has 15 wins. 10 of the wins by KO and 4 submissions, and only 1 loss. He has excellent kicks and knock out power. Bisping is very intense in the octagon and always puts pressure on his opponents. Bisping will most likely keep this fight on their feet, wearing down Day and going for the knock out.
This will be Day’s second fight in the UFC. He most recently TKO’d Alan Belcher in the first round. he has great conditioning and is very well-rounded. He has won five in a row and 10 of his last 11 fights. He’s looking to make a name and stay in the UFC. Plan on seeing him put it all out on fight night.
Pat’s Prediction: Bisping has the home crowd advantage. I don’t see him knocking out Day, but he will put on a show with a unanimous decision win.
Mike ‘Quick’ Swick vs. Marcus ‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ Davis
Sportsbook.com Odds
- Swick (-120)
- Davis (-110)
Marcus Davis stands at 5’10 and 170 lbs. He is a great boxer. He began boxing at the age 14 in the New England circuit where he compiled a record of 17-1-2. His MMA career is 14-3 with 5 KOs and 7 submissions. He is currently on an 11 win streak with his last lost coming in November 2005. He is a very dangerous striker and can also submit you. Davis is comfortable wherever the fight goes and is very well-rounded.
Mike ‘Quick’ Swick stands 6′ and 170 pounds. He specializes in kickboxing. He got his nickname ‘Quick’ from putting his opponents away in a hurry. He has won 6 of his last 7 fights and is currently at 11 wins and 2 loses. He didn’t look that great on his last fight against a tough opponent in Josh Burkman by a majority decision. he looked a little slower than usual and didn’t have that spark he usually carries with him. He is always dangerous though and likes to come out slugging.
This may be the hardest fight to judge on this card. These two Ultimate Fighter Alumni will both come in looking for a knock out. Expect one of them to get caught with a big punch.
Pat’s Prediction: I’m going with Swick, 3rd round KO.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Brandon ‘The Truth’ Fera
Sportsbook.com Odds
- Werdum (+135)
- Brandon (-165)
This will be a great fight between two big men. Werdum is a very skilled in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who will be faced with Vera, a great wrestler and Muy Thai fighter. They both have great ground skills and powerful hands.
Vera is coming off his first loss to big Tim Sylvia by a unanimous decision. Vera needs to get back to his winning ways and Werdum is standing in front of him. Expect Vera to be very aggressive and looking for big shots. 6 of his wins are by knock out and I see another one coming in this fight. If it goes on the ground he is also comfortable there.
Werdum is coming from a big second round TKO over Gabriel Gonzaga. His MMA record stands at 10 wins and 3 losses. Of these wins, 3 were by KO and 6 by submission. He also has heavy hands, but can submit you even easier. A win for Werdum can put him in line for a title shot soon.
Pat’s Prediction: I see Vera wanting this fight more and coming out very aggressive. It’s going to be very close and they will probably stand and trade shots until someone connects. I see Vera connecting first with a second round KO.
Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
Sportsbook.com Odds
- Marquardt (-185)
- Leites (+155)
Nate ‘The Great’ Marquardt is a submission master with 14 submission wins out of his 26. He is a good boxer, but doesn’t have knock out power. Nate is a seven-time middleweight King of Pancrase Champion. Nate possesses great cardio and is extremely well-rounded. He has won 7 of his last 8 fights with that loss coming to the champion Anderson Silva. Nate is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and likes to go to the mat and look for an arm or leg to submit his opponents.
Thales is a very dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. He will come in this fight looking to take Nate down. He has never been knocked out and is 12-1 with 8 wins by submission. Thales can also strike, but will be more comfortable taking this to the mat. It will be very difficult to submit Marquardt though as he is just as good.
Pat’s Prediction: This fight is going to be a tough call, but I’m going with Nate by decision.
