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UFC 155 Dos Santos vs. Velasquez Handicapping | Betting Preview | Free UFC Picks

The Rematch

Headline: The Rematch – dos Santos defends Heavyweight Title Against Velasquez at UFC 155

It seems that it has been a long time since we saw any UFC action but the wait will certainly be worth it when the Dana White and Joe Silva put on their latest MMA event. UFC 155 comes our way this weekend from Las Vegas and it features a long awaited rematch between two of the young studs of the Heavyweight Division.

The fun doesn’t stop there however – the card is chalk full of terrific fights, many of which have Title implications. Lets’ break it down.

UFC 155: Dos Santos vs. Velasquez 2
Date/Time: December 29, 2012, 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast: Pay-per-view, FX prelims

MAIN CARD

Junior Dos Santos (15-1): -190
Cain Velasquez (10-1): +155

In a rematch of one of the most anticipated Heavyweight fights of 2012 Junior dos Santos will look to employ a similar fight plan against Cain Velasquez and retain his Heavyweight belt. The first fight ended in 64 seconds! Striking was the difference in that fight and in all likelihood will be this weekend as well.

dos Santos has anointed himself as one of the best strikers the UFC has ever seen – his boxing is like no other in the Heavyweight division. He also has the ability to avoid getting hit himself and to snuff any sort of takedown attempts by his opponents. If and when a fight hits the ground, which has become increasingly unlikely as Junior’s career has gone on, dos Santos can use his strong grappling to maintain control or simply get back on his feet where he is the most dangerous man in the world.

Velasquez is a wrestler first and foremost. That’s not to say that he does not possess a good striking game. But for Cain to be successful the fight has to hit the mat and he has to employ his ground and pound game. As mentioned, getting Junior to the ground and keeping him there has proven nearly impossible for any Heavyweight he has faced including Velasquez a year ago.

The fact remains ahead of this fight that Junior’s strength play right into Cain’s weaknesses and vice versa. Dos Santos uses power punches and Velasquez has shown that his chin isn’t exactly in the upper echelon. On the flip side, Velasquez is a takedown artist – dos Santos has some of the best takedown defense on the planet. It all adds up to a similar fate for Velasquez – his game just doesn’t stack up against the Champ. In knockout fashion….

Pick: Junior dos Santos -190

Joe Lauzon (22-7): +180
Jim Miller (21-4): -230

Two of the more exciting Lightweights do battle in the second last fight on Saturday. Jim Miller, a former Title Contender will look to get back in the win column after a loss to Nate Diaz when he takes on the exciting finishing machine, Joe Lauzon. Both these fighter can finish a fight anywhere it happens to go but Miller is a notch or two above Lauzon in just about every aspect of MMA.

Look for Lauzon to come out quickly, establish his good overall striking game and try for a few slick submissions. But like a true professional, Miller should be able to weather the storm, wear Lauzon down, utilize his elite submission defense and pounce on an inevitable Lauzon mistake.

Miller himself is quite a submission fighter – I like him to get it done on Saturday against a fighter who is not as good as the UFC has built him up to be. Miller puts his name right back in the thick of the Lightweight Title conversation with a nice win. [ad-3573245]

Pick: Jim Miller -230

Tim Boetsch (16-4): -110
Costa Philippou (11-2): -120

Two fighters that have been streaking lately meet in Middleweight action at UFC 155. Both Tim Boetsch and Costa Philippou have been on nice runs lately but a closer look reveals the fact that both have barely won their last few fights. Boetsch has the wrestling and power edge along with the distinction of having the bigger heart while Philippou will have a slight boxing advantage and OK takedown defense.

In a battle of “C+ Level” fighters, I like the power to prevail in this one. Boetsch’s win against Yushin Okami in his last fight certainly opened my eyes enough to give him the edge in this one. While I think the fight goes the distance, I think the power shots of Boetsch and his “never say die” attitude wins out.

Pick: Tim Boetsch -110

Alan Belcher (18-6): -110
Yushin Okami (27-7): -120

Yushin Okami and Alan Belcher will try to get their names into the Middleweight Title conversation when they meet on Saturday night. Okami is terrific in almost all aspects of MMA – only a monumental comeback in his last fight against Tim Boetsch kept him from remaining in the top tier of UFC Middleweights. Belcher is a fairly well rounded fighter that has beaten the likes of Wilson Gouveia, Patrick Cote and Rousimar Palhares recently – he is on quite a roll.

The problem that I see with Belcher ahead of this fight is his lack of defense – he got tagged repeatedly against Gouveia and he nearly succumbed to a leg lock against Palhares. All told, Belcher appears to have some serious hole in his defense – not a good trait when facing a methodical, experienced Okami. Belcher’s previous three opponents failed to make him pay for his mistakes – against Okami he won’t be so lucky!

Pick: Yushin Okami -120

Chris Leben (22-8): -160
Derek Brunson (9-2): +130

Chris Leben brings his legendary toughness back to the Octagon on Saturday against Derek Brunson, a former Strikeforce Middleweight. While Brunson has his supporters, I am not one of them. He was KO’d in his last fight against Jacare Souza – a fighter that had not recorded a Knockout in his previous 18 fights. Leben is twice as powerful as Souza!

Leben is an absolute beast – he has proven that someone has to finish him in order to win – Brunson is not exactly a UFC caliber finisher just yet. Take the Crippler to foot stomp his way to victory!

Pick: Chris Leben -160

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Jamie Varner (20-7-1): +100 vs. Melvin Guillard (30-11-2): -130
Pick: Melvin Guillard -130

Brad Pickett (22-6): -110 vs. Eddie Wineland (19-8): -120
Pick: Brad Pickett -120

Byron Bloodworth (6-2): +325 vs. Erik Perez (12-4): -450
Pick: Erik Perez -450

Michael Johnson (12-6): -240 vs. Myles Jury (10-0): +190
Pick: Myles Jury +190 in an upset

Leonard Garcia (15-9): +300 vs. Max Holloway (6-1): -400
Pick: Max Holloway -400

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Phil De Fries (9-1): +250 vs. Todd Duffee (7-2): -350
Pick: Todd Duffee -350

Chris Cariaso (14-3): +155 vs. John Moraga (11-1): -190
Pick: John Moraga -190

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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.