Lyoto Machida -400
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua +320
Lyoto ‘The Dragon’ Machida makes his first defense of the UFC light heavyweight title against former PRIDE standout ‘Shogun’ Rua. ‘Shogun’ has dealt with injuries and substandard performance since coming to the UFC, but looked very sharp in his UFC 97 domination of Chuck Liddell. ‘Shogun’ was considered among the ‘pound for pound’ best in the world during his time in PRIDE, and if he’s close to regaining his old form could be a formidable challenge for Machida as well as a good wagering value.
Cain Velasquez -295
Ben Rothwell +235
Heavyweight up and comer Cain Velasquez faces his toughest challenge to date as he takes on rugged Ben Rothwell. Velasquez sports an undefeated record and is pegged as a star of the future, but has shown problems with his standup punching defense. That could be a problem against the hard hitting Rothwell. Rothwell showed an almost ungodly ability to take punishment in his Affliction: Banned loss to Andrei Arlovski and definitely has a ‘puncher’s chance’ in this matchup.
Gleison Tibeau
Josh Neer
No line posted on this matchup, with Neer serving as a late replacement for injured Sean Sherk
Joe Stevenson -245
Spencer Fisher +195
Could be a good value opportunity on underdog Fisher in this battle of lightweight contenders. Stevenson has lost two of his last three fights, while Fisher has won his last three and four of five including polishing off Japanese veteran Caol Uno at UFC 99.
Anthony Johnson -315
Yoshiyuki Yoshida +255
Johnson has been tabbed as a star of the future by the UFC, but Yoshida is a much tougher opponent than this lopsided price would suggest. Yoshida has lost only one of his last eleven fights (to top level opponent Josh Koscheck) and may be a better rounded fighter than Johnson.
Head over to Sportsbook for the undercard betting odds.
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