Bet On UFC 86

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On Saturday, July 5, the online UFC betting family will look on as undisputed light heavyweight champion Quinton ''Rampage'' Jackson defends his hotly contested title against Forrest Griffin at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This 205-pound championship war could be one for the ages, but from an online sports betting standpoint, the best fight of the night may be the middleweight matchup between Patrick "The Predator" Cote and Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida.

Cote is riding a three-fight winning streak over Scott Smith, Kendall Grove, and Drew McFedries, who was Cote's most recent victim. Cote posted a TKO at 1:44 in Round 1 at Fight Night on Jan. 23 versus McFedries. However, prior to the current winning streak, Cote lost his first four fights consecutively as he entered the UFC, accounting for his 13-4 overall MMA record.

His stagnant start in the UFC is a bit misleading. Two of the four he took the distance and each of Cote's opponents during the losing span were good fighters and well respected, which included his online UFC wagering debut against Tito Ortiz.

Cote's decision defeat to Chris Leben was questionable and disputed. And, in his loss to Joe Doerksen, he had the fight there for the taking before getting submitted in the closing moments of the final round.

Cote's turn around can mostly be credited to an adjusted training regimen. He's been training with world-class wrestlers in Montreal and working on Muay Thai skills with coach Mark DellaGrotte, fortifying his stand-up game which has always been his strength.

Cote, who has the utmost respect for Almeida, is not taking this lightly and rightfully so, because both guys are very equal in talent. In fact, BetUS Sportsbook UFC odds list each fighter priced at -115. Parity on paper alone will make this an interesting and exciting bout. But, as UFC online betting fanatics know: They don't fight on paper.

Almeida isn't a household name around the UFC online wagering world but don't be fooled, because he's a worthy fighter with a respectable 9-2 overall MMA career mark. Almeida entered early retirement at the age of 27, as family duties called, on a six fight winning streak that included wins over Ryo Chonan, Kazuo Misaki and Nate Marquardt.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt master came out of retirement in February with an effortless, first-round guillotine choke over Rob Yundt at UFC 81. The New York native, fighting out of Hamilton, NJ, has a rock-solid ground game and will undoubtedly look to take the action to the mat.

Almeida is 2-2 in the UFC and the four guys he's entered the Octagon with have been lesser opponents. The fight against Cote will by far be his stiffest UFC challenge. Now 31-years old, it will be interesting to see if the layoff will help or hurt his cause on fight night as he returns to the cage.

Analysis: Cote's ground game is slightly underrated but his new training regimen will pay major dividends when the fight goes to the ground. He is coming off two very impressive knockout victories and is quickly climbing atop the middleweight division title contender's list, and Cote knows a win at UFC 86 would be his biggest jump to date. He brings a ton of momentum to the Octagon and will come ready to fight.

Free UFC Picks: Patrick "The Predator" Cote -115


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