posted March 31, 2008 at 16:03 in UFC / MMA Articles

Spike TV debuts a new season of The Ultimate Fighter reality TV show (featuring coaches Forrest Griffin and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) this Wednesday night, but the upcoming 3-hour Ultimate Fight Night live special from Broomfield Event Center in Colorado has created a lot of buzz with fight fans on its own. That excitement will no doubt create a lot of UFC betting action online, given that some of the major fights on this three-hour cable TV event present some intriguing betting opportunities.

The main event is a match that appeals to both the hardcore and casual fans, as Kenny "KenFlo" Florian (9-3) squares off against Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon (15-3) in Lightweight action (155 pounds). After losing to Sean Sherk in October of 2006, Florian has been on a roll (defeating Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Alvin Robinson, and Din Thomas). The knock against Florian in the past was that he couldn't finish fights, but that's simply not the case any longer. The BetUS UFC odds have Florian favored to win this tough fight at -220, which has created a very interesting play for those of you who think that Lauzon can pull off the 'upset' win.

Lauzon, who is +180 according to the BetUS UFC odds, has a real legitimate shot of winning this fight. He's 3-0 in UFC and made an impressive debut for the company by defeating Jens Pulver. Making Lauzon even more dangerous as a fighter is the fact that he now trains in Hawaii with one of MMA's top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, BJ Penn. Lauzon is not a slouch and with the BetUS UFC odds currently aligned the way they are now, betting money on Lauzon to win this fight is a very intriguing and legitimate play to make.

The UFN semi-main event features veteran Karo "The Heat" Parisyan (25-4) fighting against Thiago Alves (18-4) in Welterweight action (170 pounds). Parisyan has fought the who's who of UFC stars (such as Matt Serra, Diego Sanchez, and Georges St. Pierre) and is always a consistently tough fighter to pick against. Parisyan has a recent string of three victories (all by
Unanimous decision) and the BetUS UFC odds indicate that he is a strong favorite to win the fight at -180.

However, Parisyan is facing an opponent in Thiago Alves (+150 on BetUS UFC odds) that is a very dangerous opponent. Alves trains with the American Top Team camp in Florida and is no joke in the cage. Out of the eight fights Alves has had in the UFC, he's 6-2 and has only been involved in one decision. When Alves fights, he's aggressive and he looks to finish. With wins over Kuniyoshi Hironaka and Chris Lytle, Alves is certainly a worthy opponent for Parisyan to face on this card. At +150, Alves definitely presents an opportunity for UFC bettors to get some bang for their buck.

These two fights on the Ultimate Fight Night card are definitely worth watching and betting on, given that both of the underdogs on the BetUS UFC odds line are well-qualified and viable challengers to pull off the upset win. UFC matchmaker Joe Silva should be credited with booking two very-even match-ups that will no doubt create a lot of interest both with the casual and hardcore fans. There's definitely potential for some significant money to be made on UFC betting for this event.

Zach Arnold is owner and managing editor of FightOpinion.com, one of the world's leading sites covering the professional fight game.