posted June 16, 2008 at 16:25 EST in UFC / MMA Free Picks

The UFC presents the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 7 on Saturday, June 21 from Las Vegas, with the sports betting fighting frenzy to be held at The Palms Hotel & Casino. You won't find the best UFC fighters in the world on this show, but there are some intriguing online wagering matchups. We'll take a look at a few of them.

BetUS UFC Betting Odds

Middleweights

EVAN TANNER -200

KENDALL GROVE +160

This is a textbook example of a "crossroads" fight. Tanner talks openly about the alcohol rehabilitation that has allowed him to come back and resume his career. He was out of action from April of 2006 to March of this year, when he was KO'd in two rounds by Yushin Okami. Tanner is the former UFC middleweight champion, but that was over three years ago. He has since lost to Rich Franklin and David Loiseau, and before he went on hiatus he choked out Justin Levens, a fighter with a 9-6 record. What does he have left? Enough to take care of Grove perhaps, who has not scored significant victories in his MMA career, and is a much-maligned UFC fighter, with questions surrounding his chin. Like Tanner, Grove was taken out in one round in his last outing, and he has been halted by strikes in the last two bouts. I prefer Tanner, who has competed at higher class level. Make it a second-round knockout.

Lightweights

SPENCER FISHER -200

JEREMY STEPHENS +160

Stephens has fought largely in the "backwoods" of mixed martial arts, finding in organizations like the MCC and Jungle Madness before moving to the UFC in May of last year. He got beat in his UFC debut but has rebounded with a couple of wins. Fisher has won 15 of 16 fights outside of the UFC. He holds a victory over Thiago Alves, who just recently beat Matt Hughes. He hasn't fought since last November, as he is coming off a shoulder injury. Stephens brings probably more power into this fight. I'm going to go with a minor upset in this one, with Stephens stopping Fisher some time in the second round.

Middleweights

DREW McFEDRIES -135

MARVIN EASTMAN +105

McFedries is the younger guy, but he is also the less experienced, with only nine MMA fights under his belt. He has been taken out in the first round twice in his last three bouts - once by submission and once by strikes. Eastman is a grizzled veteran, having been an active fighter since June of 2000, when he actually scored a win over future light heavyweight champion Quentin Jackson. Later he lost the rematch, but he has fought the likes of Vernon White, Rich Franklin and Vitor Belfort as well. He's got much more experience, and even though not all of that has been successful experience, the 37-year-old has something of a head of steam, with two straight wins, including middleweight title in the IFO. I favor the more well-traveled Eastman, in a fight that will go the distance.

Welterweights

DIEGO SANCHEZ -500

LUIGI FIORAVANTI +350

A former Marine who spent some time in Iraq, Fioravanti is a fighter who likes to engage in the standup, and in that way he'll encounter a willing partner in Diego Sanchez, who has done that, albeit in a loss to Josh Koscheck a year ago, for almost the whole fight. Of course, Sanchez, a former middleweight who moved down to the welterweight division, has a more varied background with his wrestling experience. The number is generous here, and think Fioravanti, if he can keep things upright, has a chance to extract an edge. But he is generally a fighter who aims for the knockout, and Sanchez has not been stopped yet in his career. The more versatile fighter by far, it is hard to imagine that Sanchez will fight his opponent's fight. Look for him to take things to the ground and end it.

(Charles Jay of www.ebookies.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)