Wander Braga Off UFN 9 Card

The official UFC card shows Pellegrino no longer has an oppenent. It appears that Braga has run into immigration problems and will not be able to fight. Here's an article by MadSqabbles on some of the details.

WEC Betting Odds Released - Mar 24 Event

Bookmaker (US Bettors) and BetCRIS (non-US) have release their odds for the March 24th WEC event in Las Vegas. Three title fights are lined up and the under card has some solid bouts as well. In the smaller events like the WEC I tend to drop the size of my bets down and focus on under valued DOGS. These bets are based on the odds relative to the match ups.

Welterweight Title: John Alessio +110 vs Carlos Condit -140
This should be a great fight. Alessio (11-9) has some serious skills and with continued improvement could break into elite levels within a year. Carlos (19-4) is a proven Muy-Thai fighter who has picked up some very slick submission skills as well. Carlos will also have a 5” height advantage, which may counter Alessio’s strong jab. Condit’s biggest win was probably over Frank Trigg in 2006 via a triangle. Alessio will have to get this fight to the ground, maintain control, and pound out a win. A small bet for fun, 0.25 points on Alessio.

Featherweight Title: Dominick Cruz +550 vs Urijah Faber -750
Too one-sided, Dominick is not up to Faber’s level and there’s not enough value at -750.

Bantamweight Title: Chase Beebe +170 vs Eddie Wineland -210
Chase (9-1) is a very fast wrestler with excellent GnP, although almost most of his fights have ended by RNC they have come through opponents giving up they’re back due to blows. Eddie (11-4) is the current champ at 135 and is unbeaten in his last seven fights. Eddie’s primarily a stand up fighter and he’s looking to keep this one standing as well. This super fast paced fight will be very exciting and Beebe is solid enough for a small dog bet at these odds, 0.25 points on Beebe.

Hiromitsu Miura +400 vs Joe Riggs -550: Riggs we know is a solid fighter who has faltered many times in the ring. Miura is a young Japanese fighter who loves to throw big. With Joe’s tendency to stumble there’s enough value for a small dog bet here, 0.25 points on Miura.

Eric Apple +205 vs Brock Larson -255
Tommy Lee +125 vs Cub Swanson -155
charlie Valencia +200 vs Antonio Banuelos -250
Micah Miller +165 vs Jesse Moreng -205

You wanna make a bet....

Mike Swick vs Yushin Okami UFC 69 Matchup

These two are a bit of a mirror image, tall lean fighters, who like to stand up using a Muay-Thia /Tae-Kwon-Do style, and are undefeated in the UFC.

Mike "Quick" Swick (9-1) trains at AKA with the likes of Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch. His two most resent wins over Joe Riggs and David Loiseau have put him in line for a title shot but he's going to have to get through Okami first. Mike's finished most of his fights "Quick" with 6 of his wins coming in the first round via 3 TKO's and 3 submissions. (Highlight video)

Yushin Okami (19-3) has a solid record but has yet to face stiff competition in the UFC. His 3 wins here were over Kalib Starnes, Rory Singer, and Alan Belcher, not exactly an all-star line up. He does have a win over Anderson Silva in 2006, but it was only because he got knocked out with an illegal kick from the ground (Silva believed it was legal).

Watching Okami fight he shows alot of the same attributes you see in Swick, fast and accurate standup, and great angles, but he's missing the submission skills. Okami often shoots on other stand up fighters trying work the GnP; if he trys it with Swick, he might take a nap with a large knee imprint on his head or find out how good Mike's submission game is. On the feet this should be a high speed fight with a lot of great exchages.

In the end, Mike has the momentum and overall skill and should win this fight. My quick pick is Swick by 2nd round TKO (knee to the head).

You wanna make a bet....