UFC 117 Full Card Preview
The UFC 117 fight card is a stacked one! There is a great mix to experience and prospects, grapplers and strikers and fighters in need of a win to keep their jobs with the UFC. Saturday night will give us a glimpse into the future of the UFC with 11 quality bouts.
Event: UFC 117: Silva vs Sonnen
Date: Saturday, August 7, 2010
Time: 10PM ET/7PM PT
Location: Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
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Main Card:
Anderson Silva (26-4-0): -400
Chael Sonnen (26-10-1): +300
You don’t have to like Anderson Silva but you do have to appreciate the fact that nobody has even come close to matching his talents over the past few years. He will be motivated to shut Sonnen’s HUGE mouth and to prove to Dana White that he is still the premier draw in the organization.
Pick: Anderson Silva -400
Jon Fitch (25-3-0, 1 NC): Even
Thiago Alves (22-5): -130
Two of the best Welterweights on the planet do battle on Saturday night. Fitch will look to smother the dangerous striker Alves while Alves will attempt to avenge a 2006 loss to Fitch. A win by either puts them right back in the Welterweight Title picture. I like Fitch’s relentlessness and the fact that he’s won 19 of his last 20 fights. Alves is coming off a 1 year, medically induced hiatus as well.
Pick: Jon Fitch – Even
Clay Guida (26-8-0): -120
Rafael dos Anjos (14-4-0): -110
Is there a more exciting fighter in the UFC than Clay Guida? He puts everything on the line in every fight! Rafael dos Anjos is one of the most feared submission specialists in the Lightweight division but I don’t think that he’ll be able to deal with the pace of Clay Guida.
Pick: Clay Guida -120
Matt Hughes (45-7-0): +145
Ricardo Almeida (12-3-0): -175
Matt Hughes will try to put away another Gracie fighter when he takes on Ricardo Almeida. Hughes has the experience and the recipe for defeating Gracie trained fighters. Don’t believe me? Check out what he did to Royce Gracie and Renzo Gracie. Matt Hughes is too strong a wrestler and too experienced to lose this fight.
Pick: Matt Hughes +145
Junior dos Santos (11-1-0): -350
Rory Nelson (16-4-0): +250
Rory Nelson has had a pretty good ride but his victories have come against Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve – both “C” level fighters. Junior dos Santos is an “A” level fighter who will likely knock Nelson out like he’s done to so many of his other competitors.
Pick: Junior dos Santos -350
Preliminary Card:
Dustin Hazelett (14-5-0): -115
Rick Story (10-3-0): -115
Dustin Hazelett was a huge UFC prospect but injuries and untimely losses have set him back a bit. Rick Story is a new Welterweight prospect who’s straight ahead style may play right into Hazelett’s hands. Hazelett can submit you from anywhere and take advantage of any mistake you make. Story is good for at least one of those mistakes.
Pick: Dustin Hazelett -115
Phil Davis (6-0-0): -700
Rodney Wallace (9-2-0): +450
Phil Davis has all the tools for a long career in the UFC. He is proficient at almost every aspect of MMA but holds one intangible that you can’t teach – heart. Rodney Wallace’s 5’9” frame will not be able to handle the all around game of Davis whose record will remain perfect.
Pick: Phil Davis -700
Johny Hendricks (8-0-0): -450
Charlie Brenneman (12-1-0): +325
Johny Hendricks puts an undefeated record on the line and comes In with an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. Brenneman may be able to hang around for a while but Hendricks is too good to stop.
Pick: Johny Hendricks -450
Stefan Struve (23-4-0): -200
Christian Morecraft (6-0): +160
Two of the tallest fighters in the UFC meet in a Heavyweight showdown on Saturday night. Struve has fought some tough customers and it appears he has learned something with every outing. Struve will dominate this fight anywhere that it goes.
Pick: Stefan Struve -200
Tim Boetsch (11-3-0): lines not available
Todd Brown (15-1-0, 1 NC): lines not available
Tim Boetsch has been in the Octagon with some big names and should dominate Todd Brown who took this fight on short notice.
Pick: Tim Boetsch
Ben Saunders (8-2-2): -220
Dennis Hallman (64-13-2 1 NC): +175
Hallman is a veteran of 80 fights – there is not much that he hasn’t already seen. Saunders is a prospect with a dangerous Muay Thai game. Hallman will look for a Saunders mistake in order to submit him and the young and relatively inexperienced Saunders will likely oblige.
Pick: Dennis Hallman +175
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