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Free Picks: UFC 187 Johnson vs. Cormier Betting Odds & Preview

UFC Betting Lines & Predictions

The best UFC (UFC 187) card in quite some time comes our way from Las Vegas this weekend when TWO titles will be on the line. Thanks to Jon Jones’s indiscretions the Light Heavyweight division will crown a new champion for the first time in four years and the Middleweight strap will also be contested.

UFC 187: “Johnson vs. Cormier”
Date: Sat., May 23, 2015 on pay-per-view (PPV)
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

A couple of Flyweights will try to earn a shot at Demetrious Johnson, Donald Cerrone will be in action and Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski will throw down.

It should be an interesting night of fights to say the least – let’s take a closer look.

UFC 187 PPV Main Card:

Anthony Johnson (19-4-0): +110
Daniel Cormier (15-1-0): -140

Surging Light Heavyweight Anthony Johnson will step in for Jon Jones to take on Daniel Cormier in what should be a terrific Light Heavyweight Title fight. On paper this bout is close – Cormier will attempt to use his evolving striking game and Olympic-level wrestling to neutralize Johnson’s terrific striking.

Obviously Cormier will have to stay out of harm’s way in this one – Johnson can end this fight at any time with the cinder block he calls hands. Cormier has had some success in the past against classic strikers however – he dominated Dan Henderson – no easy feat. But Johnson’s aggressiveness is tough to handle – just ask Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Johnson also had his way against a top tier wrestler in Phil Davis so we know Rumble can hand with someone who will work tirelessly to get the fight to the mat.

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That said Cormier’s power is unlike any that Johnson has faced so far in his career – Johnson’s improving takedown defense will have to be on another level for this fight. I think that power is the difference in this fight as Cormier prepares for a five round grinding type fight. It is hard to imagine Cormier leaving himself open at any time in the clash – he will pick his spots, close the distance carefully and dictate the pace in this one.

A frustrated Anthony Johnson puts up a good fight but has no answer for the inevitably frequent takedowns of Daniel Cormier!

MMA Betting Pick: Daniel Cormier -140

Chris Weidman (12-0-0): -500
Vitor Belfort (24-10-0): +350

A frequently rescheduled fight between Middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort finally goes down on Saturday night with the challenger Belfort hoping to ride a serious wave of momentum against the very tough and battle tested Chris Weidman – the same Weidman that handled Anderson Silva and Lyota Machida in his last few fights.

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Make no mistake about it – Belfort will be out to end this fight early and in typically violet fashion. He is as dangerous a guy in the first five minutes of a fight as there is. Belfort is a far cry from the cerebral fighters that Weidman has had success against lately however. Going against Belfort are the facts that he hasn’t fought in quite a while and he will be unable to rely on the testosterone-replacement therapy that made him the shredded machine he was a couple of years ago.

Keep in mind that Weidman has already taken on two of the best strikers the 185-pound division has ever seen and handled them. Weidman can strike with the best and he has the ability to take the fight to the mat and dominate on the ground if need be. Weidman is the best all-around fighter in the division and has shown the chops to follow a fight plan to a tee.

Simply put Belfort will have to hope for a knockout blow here – something that Silva and Machida were unable to accomplish. With diminished power due to the ban of testosterone-replacement therapy I don’t like his chances here. Weidman is too good, too smart and too hot to lose his belt here. There is nowhere this fight goes that Weidman won’t have a plan for.

MMA Betting Pick: Chris Weidman -500

Donald Cerrone (27-6-0): -500
John Makdessi (13-3-0): +350

Jon Makdessi steps in for Khabib Nurmagomedov to take on the #3 ranked Lightweight in the UFC Donald Cerrone. Makdessi is a nice fighter but has yet to face anyone close to the level of Cerrone – Makdessi fought just a month ago which could also hurt him here.

Cerrone will have an immense size advantage in this fight – a height and five inch reach advantage. It is hard to imagine Makdessi getting in close enough to score the necessary big blow to win this contest. Cerrone should be able to use his incredibly wide array of strikes – knees, elbows, punches and kicks to keep Makdessi right where he wants him. If the fight is contested in the clinch or on the ground, an even bigger advantage has to go to The Cowboy.

Cerrone is better than Makdessi in absolutely every aspect of the sport – the only thing that stops him is the added pressure of this big fight. Cerrone has wilted before and with a Title Fight likely on the horizon, he has to battle his demons and get it done when it matters most.

Clearly this fight is a mismatch – Cerrone gets it done with an early stoppage or a late submission – I can’t see this fight making it to the judge’s score cards.

MMA Betting Pick: Donald Cerrone -500

Andrei Arlovski (23-10-0): +325
Travis Browne (17-2-1): -450

Two athletic, powerful Heavyweights are ready to put on a show Saturday night when Andrei Arlovsky attempts to take down Travis Browne. Arlovsky is 8-1 in his last nine fights – seriously and is the #7 ranked Heavyweight in the UFC – double seriously! His last fight was an impressive KO victory over Antonio Silva.

But on Saturday Arlovski takes on steam-roller Travis Browne, a fighter that is not afraid to charge forward and to get hit with the purpose of delivering a shot himself. Brown has wins over Stefan Struve, Josh Barnett and Alistair Overeem thanks to his forward style – my guess is that Arlovski is the next victim.

Anything can happen especially in the Heavyweight division but my guess is that Browne’s attacking style is too much for the smaller and susceptible Arlovski.

MMA Betting Pick: Travis Browne -450

Joseph Benavidez (21-4-0): -550
John Moraga (16-3-0): +375

The winner of this fight will likely earn a second shot at Demetrious Johnson. Both fighters have similar styles and each has a ton on the line in this fight. Both are good strikers, solid wrestlers and each has a decent submission game.

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I have to go with the more athletic of the two fighters in this one – in such a tight fight on paper one advantage could be the difference – Benavidez has that athletic edge. Benavidez has taken on and beaten the better competition and is in that A- class of fighter while Moraga has been stuck in that B class of fighter for quite a while now.

MMA Betting Pick

: Joseph Benavidez -550

UFC 187 FOX Sports 1 “Prelims” (8 p.m. ET):

John Dodson (16-6-0): -450 vs. Zach Makovsky (19-5-0): +325
MMA Betting Pick: John Dodson -450

Josh Burkman (27-10-0): +225 vs. Dong Hyun Kim (19-3-1): -285
MMA Betting Pick: Dong Hyun Kim -285

Uriah Hall (10-4-0): -350 vs. Rafael Natal (19-6-1): +265
MMA Betting Pick: Rafael Natal +265

Rose Namajunas (2-2-0): -280 vs. Nina Ansaroff (6-4-0): +220
MMA Betting Pick: Rose Namajunas -280

UFC 187 Fight Pass “Prelims” (6:30 p.m. ET):

Mike Pyle (26-10-1): +215 vs. Colby Covington (7-0-0): -275
MMA Betting Pick: Mike Pyle +215

Leo Kuntz (17-1-1): +250 vs. Islam Makhachev (11-0-0): -235
MMA Betting Pick: +250

Josh Sampo (11-4-0): +265 vs. Justin Scoggins (9-2-1): -350
MMA Betting Pick: Justin Scoggins -350

Check out our Updated UFC 187 Odds.

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By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.