UFC Bantamweight bout: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland
Odds: (-500 Faber /+300 Wineland )
Betting Pick: Faber
Bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com
In the semi-main event, fan favorite Urijah Faber makes his much-awaited UFC debut against tough veteran Eddie Wineland. Both of these guys have a wealth of experience and well-rounded skill sets, so this one has the makings of a fight of the night candidate.
Faber once ruled the 145 pound division with an iron fist, but was forced to move down to 135 after a string of disappointing losses. In his first fight as a bantamweight, he looked stellar in submitting Takeya Mizugaki in the first round. 135 is a much more natural weight for him, and he was a top contender a weight class up. Faber has excellent striking, with good punches and kicks, and some extremely effective submissions. His wrestling is also pretty dominant. There are no really glaring holes in Faber’s game, and now that he is no longer giving up a size advantage to most of his opponents, he is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Although he lacks Faber’s star power, Eddie Wineland is no pushover himself. Wineland is very tough, has a great chin and great cardio, and has very effective striking and submissions. His wrestling is also very underrated, and he actually won his last fight with a KO from a huge slam. Against Faber he is going to have to put it all together perfectly and fight a mistake-free fight if he wants to capture the biggest win of his career.
I think Faber is just too much for Wineland. Both guys are very well-rounded, but I think Faber has the better wrestling and submissions, and that is going to make the difference here. If Wineland has a hole in his game, it is his submission defense, and Faber’s superior wrestling and jiu-jitsu should put him in a position where he can capitalize on that weakness. Faber by submission.
Prediction: Urijah “The California Kid” Faber via third round rear naked choke
To add some more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Sportsbook.com Odds. Check out my review of Sportsbook here…
