MMA Betting - Antonio “Minotoro” Nogueira vs. Luis Cane at UFC 106

Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira is almost a carbon copy of his brother, a former UFC Heavyweight Title holder, right down to the middle name and the nickname, both of which are just a few letters off from his twin Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro”  Nogueira's namesakes.

Minotoro Nogueira is also comparable to his slightly bigger brother in terms of talent as well, which could be trouble for Luiz Cane at UFC 106 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

But Cane can handle himself just fine against elite competition and he has proven it in the past, and that's part of the reason why this fight between two possible UFC Light Heavyweight Title Contenders is so compelling.

The Cane-Nogueira fight has surprisingly not been hyped up much at all by the UFC going in, but it could be a technical MMA fan's dream and it should be competitive as the spread between the two fighters in the BetUS Sportsbook is pretty close going in.

Nogueira is a -140 favorite to Cane's +110 odds as the underdog, and this is a fight that could swing in any direction depending on how each fighter reacts to the other's game plan in the heat of the battle.

Cane is a regarded as a brawler, a Brazilian who fights in the same style as fellow light heavyweight contender Thiago Silva with tremendous power and incredible muay thai skills. He is definitely one of the most feared strikers in the UFC's light heavyweight division, and his ground game is obviously solid as well. After all, he is a Brazilian.

But Nogueira's striking is no slouch, either. He has trained extensively with the Cuban National Boxing Team and has more than held his own from all practice accounts. Then there's his ground game, which isn't quite as smothering as his brother's but still happens to be among the absolute best in the division. Nogueira is crafty, powerful, and well-schooled on the ground and he has the ability to submit anyone at any time.

While Nogueira doesn't have quite the knockout power of Cane, he should have a slight technical advantage on the feet.

This fight will come down to the favorite Nogueira trying to score points and soften Cane up with his boxing while Cane will go for the knockout.

While Nogueira has been knocked out before and doesn't quite have his brother's legendary chin, he will come into this fight as the more seasoned and technically sound fighter, giving him the advantage.

Cane didn't look that great in his UFC debut against Steve Cantwell, a fight many thought he lost, and the step up in competition will be too much for the betting underdog to handle at UFC 106.

The pick: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (-140) by submission in round two.