posted July 4, 2008 at 18:54 in UFC / MMA Articles
Bet On UFC 86 JACKSON vs. GRIFFIN - Winning UFC Double-Play
The Independence Day weekend fireworks show I want to see are bombs! Bombs incased in four ounces of leather detonated by some really bad dudes at UFC 86 on Saturday evening at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Online UFC betting fans are in for a treat! On this spectacular card, I see two juicy money-making plays with one of the selections coming from the main event between light heavyweight champion Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson and Forrest Griffin. The other selection comes from the Patrick "The Predator" Cote and Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida contest.
Jackson (27-6-0) vs. Griffin (15-4-0)
If this fight was going to be decided by who has the biggest heart and most passion to bang, Griffin would be the lock of all time. I honestly think Griffin would fight any man on the planet with the winning purse up for grabs being a case of beer just to get into the cage. My type of guy, and a Buckeye native to boot! But despite all the great qualities in Griffin, the fight will be decided by who's the better man in the Octagon and that's Jackson.
Griffin will bring his all but it won't be enough. Jackson is too strong for Griffin and the more skilled fighter with a wider variety of arsenal. Jackson can get the job done standing or on his back. He is riding a three-fight winning streak and his last win came against PRIDE champion Dan Henderson on September 8, 2007 at UFC 75 by way of unanimous decision.
Prior to that fight, he beat Chuck ''The Iceman'' Liddell like a red-headed step child to become UFC's Light Heavyweight champion on May 26, 2007 at UFC 71 by posting a TKO at 1:53 in Round 1. The back-to-back victories made MMA history as Jackson unified the PRIDE and UFC belts.
Analysis: Jackson is listed at -260 in the BetUS UFC odds. That's a decent amount of lumber to lay on a fave in a title fight but it's worth the investment. Jackson is a package of dynamite and simply out classes Griffin. Griffin has won six of his last eight, and I'd love to see him win again as the underdog priced at +200, but I don't see it happening so my cheese goes on Jackson
Ok online UFC wagering fans, let's see if I have this straight. In a recent interview, Cote says, “Up until now, there has always been something wrong, either big or small, or physical or mental, before going into a fight".
So, Cote enters the UFC, gets his ass kicked in his first four bouts, puts a modest three fight winning streak together and waits until now to sugar coat his pitiful UFC debut? Hmm. Anyways, for his sake, I hope he has another excuse ready because after Almeida beats him on Saturday, he'll need one.
Almeida isn't known too well around the UFC online betting world but he's a solid wager. Almeida entered early retirement at the age of 27 on a six fight winning streak that included wins over Ryo Chonan, Kazuo Misaki and Nate Marquardt. He wasn't forced into retirement due to injury, age or lack of competitiveness to fight, he walked away to be a family man.
But like Brett Favre will soon decide: Love for the game can't keep you away. Almeida is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt that came out of retirement in February with an effortless, first-round guillotine choke over Rob Yundt at UFC 81. The New York native now 31-years old, fighting out of Hamilton, NJ, has a rock-solid ground game and will undoubtedly look to take the action to the mat.
Analysis: Prior to Cote's interview, I liked him at -115 several days ago. But with the line currently sitting at -150 in favor of Almeida and having time to dwell on Cote's comments, well, I'm jumping on Almeida and where the smart money is moving. Cote's mental stability is a little shakey and after all the excuses and craziness, who knows who will show up to the cage. Cote? His inner demons? There's just something about that interview that totally turned me away from him. As well, Almeida left on his A-Game and there's no reason he can't carry on where he left off. Maybe I'm crazy?
UFC Free Picks: Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson -260 and Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida -150
