posted July 18, 2008 at 16:46 in UFC / MMA Betting Trends

BetUS Sportsbook bettors who bet on mixed martial arts will see one of the best lineups ever put together for an MMA betting card when they see the initial Affliction:Banned MMA show (co-promoted, in effect, by Donald Trump) which will be held at the Honda Center in Anaheim. In one of those fights, former UFC star Matt Lindland will compete for the first time in 15 months against Fabio "Negao" Nascimento in a three-round middleweight contest.

BetUS MMA Betting Odds

Affliction MMA -- Middleweights (3 rds.)

July 19 -- Anaheim

MATT LINDLAND -450

FABIO "NEGAO" NASCIMENTO +325

For sports betting purposes, let's look at the contestants:

LINDLAND (20-5, 6 KO's), the -450 favorite in the BetUS mixed martial arts betting odds, is 38 years old and fighting for the first time since he was submitted by Fedor Emilianenko in April of last year. He has victories over the likes of Phil Baroni (twice), Pat Miletich, Travis Lutter and Jeremy Horn, and competed in the IFL a couple of times, scoring the wins over Horn and Carlos Newton, and serving as coach of the IFL's Portland Wolfpack as well. Lindland was a silver medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling in the 2000 Olympics, and won his spot on the Olympic squad through the courts, when he demonstrated that his opponent in the Trials had illegally tripped him. Lindland continues to make his voice heard; he is currently the Republican candidate for a spot in Oregon's House of Representatives. He fought for the UFC middleweight title back in May of 2002 and suffered a submission loss to Murilo Bustamante. He has also lost to Quinton Jackson, but like the defeat to Fedor, that happened when he was moving out of his weight class.

NASCIMENTO (8-3, 4 KO's), the +325 underdog at BetUS, is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter who turned pro in October of 2005 with a first-round KO of Alex Gaze at Show Fight 3. He stayed unbeaten until he was choked out by Demian Maia at Super Challenge 1. He scored KO win over Leandro Silva at Fury FC 4, and in his last fight he lost by submission when Rousimar Palhares caught him in a leg lock in the first round last December 6. There is very little known about him here in the United States.

True, Lindland has been out of action for a while, but this comes down to whether you trust he'll be in shape. Of course, few smaller men are going to be able to hang in there with Fedor Emilianenko, but Lindland was sharp in beating both Newton and Horn in those IFL matches. He is also going to have the edge in grappling against almost any opponent.

Here there is no question that he is the more experienced fighter, having been in with some of the world's best, regardless of weight class. He has banged around various promotions because he seems always wiling to speak his mind, and one of the reasons he may not have gotten farther is that he dared to wear the T-shirt of a sponsor that was not on board with the UFC at an official UFC function. Otherwise, Lindland may well have been a titleholder in the middleweight division.

With the new promotion being launched by Affliction, he is likely being groomed to fight for title, and they have chosen an opponent who may extend him a bit, but not a lot. Nascimento has an unimpressive record, and little in the way of reputation. Unless Lindland is completely shot, he should take his man out within a couple of rounds. We go that way, with Lindland as the -450 favorite in the BetUS mixed martial arts betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: LINDLAND TO WIN (-450) **