Sports Betting Tips and Game Handicapping Picks » Mixed Martial Arts

Frankie Edgar challenges BJ Penn

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:04:26 +0000

Edgar takes on Penn this Saturday.

Once again, BJ Penn is putting his UFC lightweight title up for grabs as he defends his belt again this time against Frankie Edgar in UFC 112. However, there are rumors that claim Penn is gearing up for another run at the welterweight title, leading most to believe that the reigning lightweight champ is not taking his challenger seriously.

However, while BJ Penn hasn’t denied the rumors of him moving up to welterweight, he says he’s not looking past Frankie Edgar. He knows how good of a fighter Edgar is and he can’t afford to take a guy of Edgar’s caliber lightly.

”Yeah, I think there is a possibility of that,” BJ Penn said in an interview, referring to a possible move to the welterweight division.

”I don’t in no way want to look past Frankie Edgar, he’s a good fighter. You never know what could happen. But if I go back to welterweight, maybe I’ll try to give it a run, maybe fight a couple of fights there, we’ll see how it goes.”

Oh yeah, and just when he said in his interview that he’s in no way looking past Frankie Edgar, he immediately went on about his chances against the large 170-pound fighters in the welterweight division like Thiago Alves and Jon Fitch.

”I think I could do good against some of the top welterweights,” Penn said. ”Yeah, pretty big guys, but you gotta live some times, you gotta step up sometime, huh?”

Penn also talked about a possible rematch with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, depending of course on the outcome of Hughes’ match with Renzo Gracie, also scheduled for UFC 112 this Saturday.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out...

Silva – Maia in UFC 112

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:02:11 +0000

The Spider will be in action again.

For the first time in history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMA athletes will slug it out in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, on April 10 as UFC 112: Invincible features middleweight title holder Anderson ”The Spider” Silva facing off against Demian Maia.

Middleweight champion Anderson Silva is 25-4 with 19 wins by TKO. He is a striker and has a dangerous jiu jitsu game. He is arguably the best fighter on the planet and has the resume to prove it. Silva is a perfect 10-0 in the UFC, including a successful title defense over Thales Leites last April before again moving up to 205 pounds to beat Forrest Griffin in August.

His opponent, Demian Maia, replaced an injured Vitor Belfort to get a shot at Silva. Maia (12-1) returned to action back in UFC 109, rebounding from his first career loss, a 21-second knockout to Nate Marquardt in August, with a unanimous decision over Dan Miller, which improved his UFC record to 6-1, including a previous victory over top 185-pound contender Chael Sonnen.

A left eyelid cut prompted the Nevada State Athletic Commission to medically suspended Maia until August, but he was not suspended from training and will apparently be healed and cleared to fight Silva this Saturday.

”It’s always tough when a top fighter like Vitor Belfort has to pull out of a big title fight, but we have found a high quality replacement,” said UFC President Dana White in a press release.

Top contender Chael Sonnen was not available due to injuries sustained in his fight with Nate Marquardt, so Demian Maia stepped in to fight for the title. Maia is an Abu Dhabi grappling champion and a five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion. He is 12-1 in MMA and is coming off a win over Dan Miller in UFC 109.

The Anderson Silva – Demian Maia fight will be...

We have UFC 109 before Super Bowl 44

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:08:07 +0000

Bettors take a trip inside the Octagon before they wet their pants watching the Super Bowl this Sunday.

And in case you didn’t get that, businessman extraordinaire and UFC President Dana White managed to squeeze his little UFC pay per view event right before Super Bowl XLIV.

You read it, before we get to see the Colts and the Saints play for the championship in Miami, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman, two Hall of Famers inside the Octagon, will headline UFC 109: Relentless as both try to make their way back to the title picture in the heavyweight division.

UFC 109 on Saturday, February 6 has 11 bouts on the card including the headliner that includes Randy Couture and Mark Coleman. There are five fights on the pay-per-view portion of the card and six preliminary bouts, two of which will be televised on Spike TV.

UFC 109 has a lot of big UFC odds favorites and that is somewhat unusual. Randy Couture is listed as -450 in UFC odds at SBG Global for his bout against Mark Coleman.

Not many people are giving Mark Coleman much of a chance. These two fighters were supposed to meet almost 12 years ago in UFC 17 but Couture was injured and pulled out. Couture is a five-time UFC champion and he has proven that he can still win big fights as he got a unanimous decision against Brandon Vera at UFC 105. Coleman was the first UFC heavyweight champion but he has not fought the same level of competition that Couture has faced recently. Coleman spent much of his career fighting in Japan.

The other co-main event has Nate Marquardt as a -400 favorite against Chael Sonnen. Marquardt is 8-2 in the UFC and was very impressive last time out in UFC 102 as he defeated Demian Maia. The only two losses suffered by Marquardt in UFC action came against Thales Leites and Anderson Silva.

Mike Swick is a -220 favorite over...

Dana White is not a fan of Kimbo Slice

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:58:10 +0000

Apparently, that’s what the UFC president wants you to think.

In case you didn’t know, Kimbo Slice is a part of the Ultimate Fighter 10 and UFC president Dana White has already made it public that Kimbo will fight inside the Octagon no matter what happens in the show and despite the fact that Kimbo lost his first fight in it.

And since Kimbo Slice already lost to a fat-ass like Roy Nelson before Dana White made it public that he’s going to the UFC anyway, it is only normal for some people to think that Kimbo is getting some sort of ‘’special treatment” from the UFC president.

When White was asked if it was true, his reaction didn’t surprise me at all.

”That’s bullshit,” Dana White said speaking to the claim made by some of the other fighters on the show that Kimbo had some sort of special treatment, including having his entourage, including his wife and kids, at his fight.

”His wife and kids were never there. His manager was there.”

”Let me tell you what, I’ve never seen such fucking crybabies in my entire life as the heavyweights. It’s unbelievable. The only difference with Kimbo and the other guys on the show was that if Kimbo made it to the UFC, his contract would be bigger than the others.”

As for the guy who beat Kimbo Slice in Ultimate Fighter 10, White had some well chosen words for him too. Apparently, Roy Nelson claims White gave Kimbo his own media to make personal phone calls throughout the show. And since he was the guy who beat Kimbo’s head to a pulp while he got him pinned in the crucifix position, he is questioning why White is still favoring Kimbo among every other guy in the reality program.

”Roy Nelson is a moron,” White bluntly stated...

Griffin gets a crack at Ortiz again

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:02:19 +0000

Can Griffin avenge his first loss in the UFC after Ortiz won a controversial split decision a few years ago?

That is the question most MMA fans are asking themselves heading to the highly anticipated rematch between Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz in UFC 106. And since the fight will be in Griffin’s hometown at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, you just know Las Vegas can’t wait for this epic encounter.

”The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz was originally scheduled to fight Mark Coleman. However, on October 5, Ortiz made it public that the fight was off, and it later became known that Coleman was suffering from a knee injury.

The UFC then confirmed that Forrest Griffin would step in to face Ortiz, setting us up for one rematch MMA fans were asking for since that controversial split decision.

For more than three years of waiting, the stakes for this much awaited rematch remain very much the same. For Forrest Griffin, it represents an opportunity to rebound from consecutive losses and reestablish himself as a contender for the light heavyweight title he once held.

For Tito Ortiz, this serves as his chance to prove that a fresh round of surgeries have him back to his old, incalculably grating self. Ortiz enters this fight trying to prove that despite his age, he can still fight with the best fighters in the world and win big.

If his shots still have some juice on them, Griffin is in a lot of trouble. Heck, he has already proven that he can take down Griffin and work the ground and pound gameplan to perfection.

Griffin still loses his discipline with alarming regularity and Ortiz will look to prey on that weakness. However, the last time these two warriors met, Ortiz could not sustain his ground and pound game past the first round and just barely survived two periods of attrition with Griffin.

This Saturday, survival will not be an option if...

Rich Franklin V Vitor Belfort in UFC 103

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:02:23 +0000

Saturday night will be a very busy night and as far as Dana White is concerned, he wants to be the premiere attraction.

In case you don’t know it yet, UFC 103 will be this Saturday when Rich ”Ace” Franklin fights Vitor Belfort as both MMA fighters try to salvage what’s left of their UFC career.

However, there’s this one little sporting event happening on the exact same time that Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort will hop inside the Octagon. It turns out that Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Juan Manuel Marquez are also scheduled to be in a ring this Saturday, and as expected, UFC president Dana White doesn’t like it one bit.

”Boxing is doing it to you again,” Dana White said on a newly released video from the UFC. ”They’re giving you the fight that you don’t want. Nobody asked for this fight with Mayweather and, what’s his name? What’s his name? Nobody even knows.”

Um… It’s Juan Manuel Marquez, and the entire nation of Mexico knows.

Of course, we can’t blame Dana White for feeling the way he feels about the whole thing. Rich Franklin is one of his major draws in the UFC and for a showboater like Floyd Mayweather trying to overshadow the UFC boss in what was suppose to be a huge Saturday payday is frustrating.

At least the guy’s still trying to woo you into watching this Rich Frankin – Vitor Belfort fight this Saturday, trying to rationalize why you should tune in to UFC 103 instead of the scheduled Mayweather – Marquez bout..

”On that same night, on that UFC card, you guys can all tune in and you can watch not one fight, you guys can watch five great fights that night for ten dollars less than what Floyd wants you to pay to see him run around in circles, and lay on the ropes, and move around and not fight.”

I have this feeling that the fight will be...

Randy Couture to fight next at UFC 102

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:21:13 +0000

Randy ''the Natural'' Couture returns for UFC's next PPV event.

In case you didn’t know, the card for UFC 102 on August 29 in Portland has already been announced with two former UFC heavyweight champions headlining the event. In case you didn’t get that, former heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will meet inside the Octagon. Whoever wins this one could be billed as the no.1 contender for Brock Lesnar’s title.

It’s only fitting for both Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to meet inside the Octagon now since the last time both fighters were inside the cage, they lost the championship belts once wrapped around their waists.

Brock Lesnar won the UFC heavyweight title by beating Randy Couture before Frank Mir could beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to win the interim heavyweight title a month later. And since Lesnar already reunited the two heavyweight titles by beating the crap out of Mir in UFC 100, it’s only fitting for Dana White to go find himself a new no.1 contender for the now undisputed title.

Whoever wins this one could end that search.

‘’We’re extremely excited to be heading to Portland,'’ UFC President Dana White stated. ‘’When you get two mixed-martial-arts legends who are all heart and have wanted to fight each other for years, plus the fact that Randy has roots in Oregon, that tells me that not only will the crowd be electric, but it’s also a night where the fighters will be looking to cement their legacies.'’

Yup, since UFC 102 will be in Portland, you just...

Georges St-Pierre vs. Thiago Alves

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:12:08 +0000

It's on at UFC 100.

On July 11 this weekend, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will defend his title against no.1 contender Thiago Alves at UFC 100, arguably the most anticipated event in the history of MMA.

It is understandable for people to pick Georges St-Pierre as the favorite to win and defend his title. After all, he’s been virtually carrying the welterweight division ever since he decided to have a career inside the Octagon.

Still, Thiago Alves remains confident that he’ll be able to get that title off of GSP’s waist. He even said that he’ll shock the world with, get this, a knockout victory over the biggest MMA star to come out of Canada.

Alves will rival St-Pierre in sheer size, as the two men are probably the two biggest fighters currently fighting in the welterweight division. But St-Pierre believes the Brazilian’s mass will not provide the difference in the contest.

Georges St-Pierre has been the better man in 11 of his past 12 contests, but many MMA observers agree with the champ in assessing Alves as his biggest test to date. St-Pierre admits there’s pressure as a champion in the UFC to keep his belt, but ‘’Rush'’ also finds that kind of pressure to provide extra motivation inside the cage.

With each win that St-Pierre collects, his legend and popularity grow, and the discussions of him as one of the all-time greatest double. And while some say the only real test for the 28-year-old lies in a 185-pound fight with the equally dominant Anderson Silva, St-Pierre believes Alves will provide all the challenge he needs.

‘’I'm always open to challenges, but right now I have the biggest challenge of my career ahead of me,'’ St-Pierre said. ‘’It’s Thiago Alves, so I’m not thinking about anything else. I made that mistake once in a fight before in my career, and it ended up being a loss on me. I learned a lot from that mistake, and I have never wanted to make that same mistake again.'’

‘’All of my focus is on Thiago Alves, and...''

Rich Franklin meets Wanderlei Silva

Jeffdstuff — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:28:20 +0000

In UFC 99, that’s the only fight you really need to know.

For the first time ever, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will host an event at the Lanxess Arena in Germany where former UFC middleweight champion Rich ‘’Ace'’ Franklin will face former Pride FC title-holder Wanderlei Silva in UFC 99: The Comeback.

Everybody from Germany are probably looking forward to this since ONE, it’s the first UFC event at Lanxess, and TWO, well, they don’t really have much of a choice.

You see, this Rich Franklin - Wanderlei Silva fight wasn’t really intended to highlight the show. UFC 99 was initially scheduled to have the B.J. Penn - Kenny Florian UFC lightweight championship match in the card’s main event but since Penn requested to have more time off from fighting, they had to reschedule the title bout, thus upgrading Franklin and Silva on top of the card.

Initially scheduled to co-main event UFC 99 with B.J. Penn and Kenny Florian, Rich ‘’Ace'’ Franklin and Wanderlei ‘’The Axe Murderer'’ Silva should have no problems putting up a show deserving of the top billing. They are after all, former MMA world champions.

Rich Franklin already lost to a Silva, Anderson Silva that is, TWICE. However, despite losing both meetings, those two fights are still considered by fight fans as two of the fights that define Franklin as a fighter. The guy just refuses to quit, it just so happened that he came face to face with a brick wall named Anderson.

Franklin’s opponent, on the other hand, is a whole different monster. Yup, Wanderlei ‘’The Axe Murderer'’ Silva is one of the tougher fighters you’ll see inside the Octagon and while he doesn’t have the technical skills an Anderson Silva possesses, he’s not called ‘’The Axe Murderer'’ for nothing.

Wanderlei Silva is probably on every fight fan’s list of the top fighters in MMA. For the last 12 years, Silva has dazzled fight fans with his relentless ground and pound and out-of-nowhere knockouts.

Don’t believe me? Just ask Keith Jardine...

SBG Global offers betting on the UFC

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:32:24 +0000

SBG Global has decided that it’s about time for them to tap (PUN INTENDED) into the MMA's target market.

You read it, SBG Global is now letting their clients bet on the UFC and place their bets on some of the most gruesome battles that will be waged inside the Octagon.

And as far as the biggest one coming in a few weeks, the Octagon is being prepared for a collision between the newly crowned UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida and Quinton ‘’Rampage'’ Jackson.

Yep, after Lyoto Machida shocked the world last weekend by beating Rashad Evans for the UFC Light Heavyweight title, he now has this monster in Quinton ‘’Rampage'’ Jackson looking to put an abrupt end to his reign on top of the division. And while Machida may have put to rest all the talk that he’s a boring fighter when he defeated Evans, for Rampage Jackson, he’s still BORING.

Rampage Jackson said, ‘’Lyoto is a weird fighter. He’s kind of boring. I think that style works for him, the way he makes people run after him. I mean, he’s good, he’s undefeated, but he’s boring. If I was the promoter of a show I wouldn’t have guys like that fighting on my show.'’

Of course, current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida is no pushover.

Like what Rampage Jackson acknowledged, Machida IS undefeated. And while he may be boring to some, Machida has put up that undefeated streak by proving everybody wrong time and time again. He has also proven that an unbeaten fighter can continue to improve. If that doesn’t excite Jackson or any bona fide fight fan, then I don’t know what will.

But then again, any bona fide fight fan should...