Following the Anderson Silva debacle at UFC: 112, President Dana White revealed that he was both disgusted and ashamed at what he saw in the octagon that night, and would not tolerate that sort of performances from any fighter competing in a UFC octagon. The card for UFC: 113 seemed to be the perfect follow-up event, which featured a majority of Mixed Martial Artists that preferred an attacking, striking style, with the mentality that fans seemed to love the most. The sports betting result was exactly what White wanted, although not entirely.
The Good
In one of the most highly anticipated rematches in UFC history, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua backed his word by going right after the previously undefeated Lyota Machida, scoring a first round knockout to earn the UFC Light Heavyweight title. The initial meeting between these fighters resulted in the judges awarding Machida the decision, despite many feeling that Rua actually deserved the win. Shogun promised fans that this time around things would be different, that he would ensure this title fight wasn't decided by the judges, and lived up to his word.
The Bad
Paul Daley took a swing at John Koscheck after their UFC betting bout, a sucker punch that connected just below the eye, in retaliation after Koscheck repeatedly taunted "Semtax" towards the end of their contest. Daley has since been released by the UFC.
The Ugly
Former internet sensation and Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights alumni Kimbo Slice was absolutely dominated by Matt Mitrione in their bout, and has also been released by UFC President Dana White, who cited "ineffectiveness" as the reason for his dismissal.
While The Masters online betting has stolen much of the media spotlight heading in to this weekend, the Mixed Martial Arts betting attention will turn back to the UFC this weekend, and UFC: 112: Invincible, which will go down this Saturday overseas in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates. A card that promoters are boasting as one of the best in recent years, a closer look at the scheduled bouts would reveal that this will be one of the more lopsided events. Four of the top six bouts will have favorites that have odds -500 or greater, and a quick look at the names headlining the card are an indication of just why that is.
Anderson Silva will put his middleweight championships on the line for the sixth time since winning it back in 2006 at UFC: 64 over Rich Franklin. Ranked the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world by Sherdog.com among other MMA websites, the list of opponents that have fallen to "The Spider" is nothing short of impressive, with names including Forest Griffin, Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, and Nate Marquardt. Demian Maia will be the latest to step in to the octagon with Silva, who is a best online sportsbook -600 favorite leading in to the fight.
BJ Penn is an even bigger favorite as he defends his lightweight title in his fight with Frankie Edgar, at -800. Although Penn has struggled taking the step up to fight at the welterweight level, he has been absolutely dominant at the 155-pound division, and is facing an opponent that lacks in overall talent compared to some of the fighters Penn has already successfully defended his title against. Matt Hughes will be -500 as the favorite in his welterweight bout with Renzo Gracie, in the latter's UFC debut. Hughes has not been in UFC octagon since dropping Matt Serra by decision in May of 2009, a fight that he won by unanimous decision. While Gracie is a talented fighter with an arsenal of different submission moves, at 43-years old he may be overmatched at this point in his career. While on the under card, Phil Davis is also -500 in the sports book as he looks to achieve a perfect sixth win by ending Swede Alex Gustafsson's undefeated run.
Meanwhile, it appears as though UFC President Dana White has his sights set on Afghanistan as the next venue to host its first event for the world's number one ranked Mixed Martial Arts promotion. White has told the media that he is looking to solidify an event in the war-torn region within the next two months time, a card that will be to help boost the moral of troops overseas. While the Afghanistan event will be an ambitious event in itself, White is also attempting to hold another sports betting event on a US aircraft carrier in the near future, although for the time being he is concentrating on a land-held event in Afghanistan.
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UFC: 111 was probably the most exciting and entertaining cards of the young year, with two title fights including the fight of the night in the main event bout between welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and number one contender Dan Hardy on the weekend the Final Four odds were determined.
St. Pierre dominated his sports book fight, never appearing at risk of losing his title, but the main story of this fight was the heart and determination of his challenger, Hardy. Despite being locked in to both a devastating arm bar and a kamora, Hardy refused to tap. It even appeared as through St. Pierre pulled Hardy's shoulder right out of the pocket on the arm bar, but that didn't stop him. With the Kamora locked, Rush continued to look at his corner for advice. He didn't want to break his arm, but Hardy just wouldn't submit. St. Pierre wound up letting go, and the fight went the distance although it was determined by unanimous decision.
In the light heavyweight interim title bout, Shane Carwin continued his undefeated streak by knocking out Frank Mir in the first round. It appeared as though Mir may have been a little too cocky heading in to this fight, and Carwin took advantage to remain a perfect 12-0, including all five of his fights in the UFC ending with first round knockout wins.
Kurt Pellegrino celebrated his UFC betting return to the octagon with a second-round submission of Fabricio Camoes. Jon Fitch and Jim Miller beat Ben Saunders and Mark Bocek respectively, each by submission, while Nate Diaz knocked out Rory Markham just 2:47 in to their first round bout in a fight that could rival the Michigan State-Butler pick.
UFC: 111 This Saturday Night
The Mixed Martial Arts world received shocking news on Thursday when it was revealed that Thiago Alves would not compete at UFC: 111. Originally scheduled to meet Jon Fitch this Saturday night, Alves was forced to withdraw from the match after he failed a pre-fight CAT scan. The scans revealed an irregularity in the 26-year old’s brain. The extent of the irregularity is unknown, as well as whether or not it was a pre-existing condition or something that has developed over his career. The Brazilian has already scheduled a visit with a brain specialist to determine the significance of what the CAT scan revealed.
President Dana White said on Thursday morning, just before the NCAA March Madness Odds Sweet 16 play got underway, that if the revelations were accurate that the situation could be career ending. Alves was looking for revenge at UFC: 111, after he was knocked out by Fitch the first time these fighters met, as well as another shot at the UFC welterweight title in what was to be a number one contender bout. The last time the 26-year old, was in the octagon, he fell to welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre in a loss that ended a seven-match win streak.
White told the media before Thursday’s March Madness predictions that Alves has been replaced by Ben Saunders, who was originally scheduled to fight Jake Ellenberger at UFC: 111. Ellenberger has been dropped from the card altogether, while the lightweight bout between Kurt “Batman” Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes will now be featured on the event’s main card.
It was also revealed on Thursday that light-heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera will need surgery to repair a dislocated cheekbone that he suffered in his book per head UFC on Versus contest with Jon Jones. The fight didn’t even last the first round, as Jones repeatedly took it to an overmatched Vera, knocking him down two times before delivering a direct elbow to the face that sent him to his knees at which time referee Herb Dean stepping in and ended the fight. Vera’s manager, Matt Stansell told reporters that the elbow broke his cheekbone in three places, and is preventing him from seeing out of his right eye, while pushing the actually eyeball forward. The injury is projected to keep Vera out for a minimum of four-to-six months.
In other UFC news, welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre told Sherdog.com in a recent interview that he is not underestimating his latest opponent. Although many observers have been quick to rule challenger Dan Hardy unworthy of his status as number one contender, St. Pierre feels otherwise, calling Hardy, “a legitimate threat”, noting that a fight can end in an instance, and all it takes is one punch. While it is true that the champion has dominated what has traditionally been one of the most competitive weight divisions, he will not underestimate a striker that can steal a win with one punch, the way a team can steal a game with a last second shot in March Madness betting.
Looking ahead to this weekend, Strikeforce – Challengers 7 will happen on Friday in Fresno, CA, while UFC: 111 goes this Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
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