Venue: Philips Arena (Atlanta, Georgia)
Date: September 7, 2008
On a strong card featuring many great wrestlers, the UFC Monster will be in Atlanta for this much-anticipated event. This is the first UFC event ever for this city, but Atlanta is a hotbed for MMA fans. It should be a rabid crowd and some great matches! I'm juiced up for it!
Chuck LiddellFormer middleweight champion Rich FRANKLIN (25-3) used to be the poster boy for the UFC. No longer. He can't beat Anderson "Spider" Silva. So, Rich has gone up to the very stacked 205-lb division. And, in Matt "the Hammer" HAMILL (6-1) he is getting no bargain as an opponent. Despite being deaf, former RIT wrestler Hamill is a takedown machine who will look much larger than Franklin when they enter the ring. Hamill is great at controlling an opponent and his brute strength often puts him in a superior position to unload his vicious ground-in-pound attack. But, at 25-3 Franklin has shown some great striking power, with knees, legs, and fists. He also is the superior submission fighter. But, again, Franklin is on the downside of his great career, and Hamill at +210 offers too much value for a pass. Take HAMILL +210 to beat Franklin in a shocking TKO fight stoppage midway through the second period.
Former Olympic wrestler, 38-year old Dan HENDERSON (22-7), is yet another world class Greco wrestler who has gone on to have a great MMA career, mostly in Japan. Hendo's fight resume contains the names of MMA's best. But, he is on a 2-fight losing streak and his opponent, Rousimar PALHARES (17-1), is a submission beast who was the first to submit Ivan Salaverry recently. Ironically, the only time Henderson has been submitted in his 11-year career was in his last fight, against Anderson Silva, who is known for KOs! Once again, we have a rising star as a big underdog against an old veteran. The UFC Monster is going for the underdog trifecta with another price too good to pass up. Take PALHARES +190 to put Henderson into retirement.
Nate "The Great" MARQUARDT (29-8-2) is one of the most athletic and well-rounded fighters in the UFC. He can beat you on the ground or with strikes, and he can even beat himself, as he did in has last fight by giving away too many penalty points for striking on the back of the head! His opponent, Martin KAMPMANN (13-1), is almost a mirror image of Nate. Kampmann is mostly known for his striking skills, but he is very competent on the ground , as well. He is on a 4-fight winning streak in the UFC, but that will end tonight, as a very focused Marquardt submits him with a second round rear-naked choke. Take MARQUARDT -145 to get back into the win column.
Undefeated Dong Hyun "Stun Gun" KIM (10-0-1) takes on Matt BROWN (10-6) in a fight that has been moved to the main card due to a late back injury to judo expert, Karo PARISYAN, who was to fight Yoshiyuki YOSHIDA. Kim has six KOs in his 10 victories, while his opponent has never been knocked out. Dana White, UFC President, likes KOs, and my guess is that is why this fight moved to the main card. Dana sees a KO coming. So do I. Take KIM -450 to taser Brown
On the four fight undercard:
Canadian Jason MACDONALD (21-10) defeats the very tough Jason LAMBERT (23-8) with a 3rd round submission by triangle choke. This is a fight worthy of the main card. Take MACDONALD -170 to grab the victory.
In another interesting match-up, Ryo CHONAN (14-8) gets a shot at Roan CARNEIRO (12-7). Chonan is the last man to have eaten Anderson Silva! He did it with a bizarre rare "flying scissors ankle hook". It was a fluke move in a fluke fight. Carneiro is no Spider. Take CHONAN -120 to win here.
Thiago TAVARES (17-1) brings his Brazilian jiu-jitsu to the mat against the veteran and heavily tattooed Kurt PELLIGRINO (17-4). Which Pelligrino will show up? It will have to be the best one to defeat Tavares. And, I don't see it happening. Take TAVARES -325 to win by third round armbar submission.
Big Tim BOETSCH (7-2) gets a chance to bounce back from his surprising upset loss to Matt Hamill. He does with a convincing and powerful first round KO over Michael PATT (15-2).
So, that's it. A 10-fight card reduced to nine, but with plenty of action promised! I can't wait.
Let's try to make some money with our "fictitious" $1000 bankroll.
� Lay $100 to win $215 on Rashad Evans to melt the Iceman.
� Lay $110 to win $231 on Matt Hamill to shock Ace Franklin.
� Lay $130 to win $247 on Rousimar Palahares to send Dan Henderson into retirement.
� Lay $145 to win $100 on Nate Marquardt to end Kampmann's UFC winning streak.
� Lay $ 90 to win $ 20 on a bridge jump on "Stun Gun" Kim to stay unbeaten.
� Lay $120 to win $100 on Ryo Chonan to beat Roan Carneiro.
� Lay $119 to win $ 70 on Jason MacDonald to defeat Jason Lambert.
� Lay $97.50 to win just $30 on Thiago Tavares over Kurt Pelligrino.
� Lay $ 90 to win $20 on another bridge jump on Tim Boetsch to get back on track.
So, in summary, we are laying $ 1001.5 to win $ 1033 on the fight card.
Good luck and enjoy the fights!
More later.
The UFC Monster
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