posted December 22, 2008 at 11:00 EST in UFC / MMA Articles
UFC 92 Betting Breakdown
by Robby Maddux
On Saturday, Dec. 27, online MMA betting will be unprecedented when UFC 92—THE ULTIMATE rocks the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with a fight card featuring three super events worthy of main event status at any venue.
In the feature attraction, Forrest Griffin makes his first light heavyweight title defense against unbeaten “Sugar” Rashad Evans. Griffin owns a 16-4-0 MMA record and brings a three-fight winning streak into the Octagon, which includes his 205-pound championship victory over Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson at UFC 86 on July, 5 by way of unanimous decision.
Griffin made his way into the world's MMA top-series as TUF's inaugural winner. Since winning TUF Season 1's first six figure UFC contract, this guy has repeatedly delighted online UFC betting fans with his desire and passion to bang. Griffin has won seven of his last nine bouts, making him the modest BetUS UFC odds favorite priced at -140. The champ is well rounded, with good grappling skills and his heart and love to scrap makes him a dangerous fighter standing or on the ground.
Griffin always brings his A-Game and readiness to throw to the Octagon, but against Evans (Even), he better bring a little something extra or his reign as light heavyweight title holder will be short lived. Evans will step into the cage with an unbeaten MMA 17-0-1 record on the line, having most recently won by way of a devastating Round 2 knockout against Chuck ''The Iceman'' Liddell, who's one of the sport's popular and feared fighters.
Evans' unbeaten mark includes victories over some of the biggest names in the business such as Liddell, Michael Bisping, Sean Salmon, Jason Lambert and Stephan Bonnar—with his draw coming against Tito Ortiz. Evans has made a living with great takedowns and takedown defense. But don't be misled, he has power in both hands and has won via knockout in three of his last five bouts.
With both fighters having good standup and ground skills, this will be an intriguing and exciting MMA betting event that could end in multiple fashions. The champ most likely would like to keep the fight standing to bang. If Evans decides to throw with Griffin and trade punches, UFC betting fans are in for one hell of a brawl that will leave one man on his back starring up at the lights. There's no decisive advantage in either fighter's standup game, as both are capable of ending the fight with one punch. The challenger's excellent takedowns and takedown defense could be the difference maker, because those skills will enable Evans to dictate where the fight takes place, standing or on the mat and that gives him an edge.
Also on the card, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will do battle for the third time. And make no mistake about it online MMA betting brethrens, there is no love lost between the two former champions. These are two of the hardest hitting, aggressive and feared fighters on the MMA planet, who are meeting for what could easily be dubbed World War III.
Silva, the former 205-pound PRIDE champion, posted a pair of devastating victories over Jackson when they fought in the PRIDE organization. In the first two fights, Silva's knees and kicks were the difference, dominating enough to force the referee to rescue Jackson in each bout.
The most recent meeting between the two UFC powers was on Oct. 31, 2004, in Saitama, Japan. Since then, Silva has gone just 5-5 and has split his last two UFC bouts. The Brazilian lost by unanimous decision to Liddell at UFC 79 in what was a slugfest, but returned to the Octagon in his most recent performance to knock out Keith Jardine in just 36 seconds of Round 1 at UFC 84 on May 24 to create an overall MMA record of 32-8-1.
A win would most likely earn him a light heavyweight title shot sometime in 2009.
However, Silva has recently stated that’s not his entire motivation, because inflicting another beating on Jackson would be equally as meaningful. He'll attempt to successfully pull the three-peat with incredible striking power, bone crushing knees, intensity and world-class experience.
Jackson joined the UFC at the start of 2007 and in May of the same year won the light heavyweight belt by knocking out Liddell at UFC 71. He successfully defended it against Dan Henderson in a PRIDE versus UFC showdown before surrendering it to Griffin at UFC 86. A win by Jackson would also put him in line for an eventual 2009 title fight. He'll try to prevent the sweep by Silva utilizing wrestling talent, raw strength and his notorious destructive slams. Overall, Jackson is 28-7-0 in MMA competition and has comparable dislike for the guy who's already whooped his ass twice, which has the possibility of playing havoc on Jackson's psyche. If he displays the slightest sign of lacking confidence, expect Silva to instantly become even more aggressive which could ultimately be the deciding factor.
If you bet on UFC action, this is one you do not want to miss, as legitimate hatred brought to the Octagon on both sides may create a 205-pound blood bath. It's unlikely this bout will end with two men standing and both are predicting at least the Fight of the Night, if not the Fight of the Year. It shouldn't be a surprise if that becomes the case. Oddsmakers agree and are giving each fighter coinciding respect, pricing Jackson at -110 and Silva -130.
As well, former PRIDE heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira will defend his interim UFC belt against Frank Mir. Not only will the interim championship be on the line, more importantly, so will a shot at UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to unify the title with the reigning champion in the first half of 2009 in what will be dubbed a Super Fight.
Nogueira has produced an impressive 31-4-1 MMA record with incredible stamina, great jiu-jitsu and boxing skills. At UFC 81, he took the interim UFC belt from the much larger Tim Sylvia with a third-round submission choke. Nogueira was undersized by 5'' and 23 pounds against Sylvia. But when he steps in the Octagon at UFC 92, he'll stare Mir in the eyes with both men standing at 6'3'' and each fighter weighing 240 pounds. Nogueira will attempt to retain his interim belt and earn his trip to the Octagon to face Lesnar as the healthy UFC wagering favorite of -350.
Meanwhile, Mir will try to get the job done at UFC 92 as the underdog with solid sports betting value of +250. Mir owns an MMA record of 11-3-0, great submissions and an
improved striking game, which he must utilize to the fullest to pull the upset over the more experienced Nogueira that could end up a factor.Mir is coming off back-to-back wins, including an impressive Round 1 submission leg lock victory over current UFC heavyweight champion Lesnar in his most recent outing at UFC 81. Mir would love another shot at Lesnar with the interim UFC belt in tow. Like Nogueira, Mir also beat the bigger Sylvia, scoring his win by way of a first-round TKO at UFC 48. Nogueira and Mir have proven themselves versus larger competition. Something one of the two will have to authenticate again against the 6'3'' and 268-pound Lesnar.
UFC 92 on Saturday, Dec. 27, will end the betting MMA year with a bang, literally. 2008 will long be remembered and THE ULTIMATE card has all the makings to be one of the best of the year. If you bet on MMA action in the Octagon, this one you don't want to miss!
