Posted on
1/16/2008 5:42:56 PM
Wager On UFC 80 - Undercard Ready to Rock
By Robby Maddux
In addition to UFC 80's main event between Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and B.J. "The Prodigy" Penn for the UFC World Lightweight Championship, Saturday's RAPID FIRE undercard live from Newcastle, England features many stellar battles much to the delight of the UFC betting community.
Leading up to the main event, heavyweight warriors Gabriel "Napao" Gonzaga (-240) returns to the Octagon to take on submission expert Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum (+190).
Gonzaga last stepped into the cage on Aug. 25 in UFC 74 when Randy ''The Natural'' Couture scored a third round technical knock out successfully defending his UFC Heavyweight title.
Couture manhandled Gonzaga, slamming him and breaking his nose, and showed the UFC world why he was the champion. It will be interesting to see how Gonzaga rebounds from that loss as the hefty favorite at -240.
Despite losing to Couture, we all know Gonzaga is one bad dude, and most
UFC wagering fans remember when the Brazilian nearly kicked the head off favored
Mirko Cro Cop prior to his defeat to Couture.
Gonzaga has won four of his last five fights, with the four wins coming in spectacular fashion with none going the distance, and he owns a MMA record of 8-2-0. Striking and submissions are his specialties so he's comfortable standing up or on the ground.
Gonzaga's only other defeat came against the man he'll fight Saturday in a rematch of 2003 when Werdum posted a technical knock out victory.
Werdum is also coming off a lackluster loss against Andrei Arlovski. In that fight, Werdum did not appear to be in his best physical condition, but he occasionally landed some good shots against the former UFC champion who earned a unanimous decision victory in UFC 70.
Werdum will attempt to take the fight to the mat as quickly as possible, because his strong suit is a ground game. He brings a MMA record of 9-3-1 to the Octagon.
Werdum, a former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, has never been knocked out or submitted but UFC odds list him the puppy at +190.
Look for this fight to be fast-paced and exciting, possibly even the best fight of the night. The winner will move one step closer to a title shot. The loser will have people doubting his future in the UFC.
Kendall "Da Spyder" Grove (-300) will also be in action against Jorge "El Conquistador" Rivera (+220) on this fantastic night of UFC action.
Grove, a native of Hawaii, has had great success in world of MMA since being introduced to the sport in late 2002. After successfully winning Season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter, he's manufactured a respectable record of 10-4-0.
Rivera (14-6-0), meanwhile, is a talented boxer and boasts wins over Travis Lutter, David Loiseau and Dennis Hallman. But he comes into this fight having lost four of his last six bouts.
Grove is coming off a technical knock out loss to Patrick Cote in UFC 74. But prior to that defeat, he had won three straight fights.
At 6' 6" (198 cm), Grove has a major height and reach advantage over the 6' 1" (185 cm) Rivera. For that reason, it's unlikely Rivera will stand in the middle of the cage and trade bombs with Grove. However, nine of Rivera's 14 wins have come by way of knockout or technical knock out, and he has only tapped out twice by submission.
Also on the card, Jess"The Joker" Liaudin vs. Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis; Wilson Gouveia vs. Jason "The Punisher" Lambert; Antoni Hardonk vs. Colin "Big C" Robinson; Paul "Tellys" Kelly vs. Paul "Relentless" Taylor; James Lee vs. Alessio "Legionarius" Sakara and Per Eklund vs. Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout.
And being your home for UFC betting action, we have UFC odds on them all. So don't miss this awesome night of money-making and bone crushing excitement.