UFC 101 Betting Preview
They’re not officially the main event because there’s no title on the line. But everyone knows the Anderson Silva-Forest Griffin match is the focal point of this Saturday’s UFC 101 event at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.
Silva is considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but if you look at the odds of his recent matches (supplied below), you can tell that Silva’s competition level hasn’t been up to snuff. So he’s making the move up from middleweight to fight the former light heavyweight champ, Forrest Griffin – no stranger to delivering big upsets against the likes of Quinton Jackson and Shogun Rua. Griffin also has a knack for delivering action; his last two appearances in the Octagon earned Fight of the Night honors.
Silva’s other fight at light heavyweight lasted 61 seconds, as he destroyed James Irvin in front of a salivating cable TV audience at UFC Fight Night 14. Griffin is a bigger threat than Irvin to put Silva on the ground and neutralize The Spider’s deadly strikes. Silva remains the more likely man to win this bout, but Griffin’s size advantage and his dedication to training protect his betting value in this situation.
The lightweight title bout between champion BJ Penn and challenger Kenny Florian is another case of natural talent versus determination. In this case, however, Florian has only recently started moving up the UFC ladder and doesn’t have anything close to Griffin’s resume. Penn, on the other hand, is looking for redemption in his own weight class after losing to Georges St-Pierre at welterweight. This is his fight to lose.
The main card is top-heavy with winners from The Ultimate Fighter series, including TUF 7 champion Amir Sadollah facing WEC recruit Johny Hendricks, and TUF 3 middleweight champ Kendall Grove taking on UFC/Pancrase veteran Ricardo Almeida. Sadollah and Grove both possess the enhanced betting value for Saturday night that comes with participating in TUF training. Recent records and odds are below.
Middleweight: Kendall Grove (+130) vs. Ricardo Almeida (-160)
Mar. 7, 2009: Grove (-185) over Jason Day (+155) by first-round KO
June 21, 2008: Grove (+155) over Evan Tanner (-185) by split decision
Mar. 1, 2008: Jorge Rivera (+265) over Grove (-325) by first-round KO
Apr. 1, 2009: Almeida (-280) over Matt Horwich (+260) by unanimous decision
July 5, 2008: Patrick Cote (+125) over Almeida (-135) by split decision
Feb. 2, 2008: Almeida (NL) over Rob Yundt by first-round submission
Welterweight: Amir Sadollah (-115) vs. Johny Hendricks (-115)
June 21, 2008: Sadollah (+125) over C.B. Dollaway (-155) by first-round submission
Mar. 1, 2009, WEC: Hendricks (-300) over Alex Serdyukov (+240) by unanimous decision
Dec. 3, 2008, WEC: Hendricks (-370) over Justin Haskins (+340) by second-round TKO
Mar. 15, 2008, HDNet Fights: Hendricks (NL) over Richard Gamble by first-round submission
Light Heavyweight: Anderson Silva (-365) vs. Forrest Griffin (+285)
Apr. 18, 2009: Silva (-525) over Thales Leites (+325) by unanimous decision
Oct. 25, 2008: Silva (-800) over Patrick Cote (+500) by third-round TKO
July 19, 2008: Silva (-600) over James Irvin (+400) by first-round KO
Dec. 27, 2008: Rashad Evans (+120) over Griffin (-160) by third-round TKO
July 5, 2008: Griffin (+200) over Quinton Jackson (-260) by unanimous decision
Sept. 22, 2007: Griffin (+275) over Mauricio Rua (-345) by third-round submission
Lightweight title: BJ Penn (-280) vs. Kenny Florian (+220)
Jan. 31, 2009: Georges St-Pierre (-245) over Penn (+175) by fourth-round TKO
May 24, 2008: Penn (-230) over Sean Sherk (+180) by third-round TKO
Jan. 19, 2008: Penn (-280) over Joe Stevenson (+235) by second-round submission
Nov. 15, 2008: Florian (-185) over Joe Stevenson (+145) by first-round submission
Aug. 9, 2008: Florian (-145) over Roger Huerta (+135) by unanimous decision
Apr. 2, 2008: Florian (-210) over Joe Lauzon (+170) by second-round TKO
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