UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Silva 2
The Heavyweight Title will be on the line this Saturday when Antonio Silva tries to avenge a devastating loss to Cain Velasquez and in turn take his belt. Silva has emerged as maybe the best of the “B fighters” in the UFC after knocking out Alistair Overeem last time out.
Date: May 25, 2013
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast: Pay-per-view, FX and Facebook prelims
UFC Odds From Bovada
Main card (PPV at 10 p.m. ET)
Cain Velasquez (11-1-0): -750
Antonio Silva (18-4-0): +475
Without that third round knockout win, it is highly, highly unlikely that we would see Silva with another shot against a guy that pummeled him in their only meeting.
Velasquez is no Overeem – that’s for sure. He has THE BEST cardio in the Heavyweight division, superb takedowns, intense ground control, frightening ground and pound and a stand-up game that is ever-emerging. He is the total package! There are no holes in Velasquez’s game – there is no way he gasses like Overeem did against Silva.
Silva holds black belts in jiu-jitsu and judo and he will have a pretty good reach advantage so an argument can be made for him having a chance in this fight. But Velasquez is simply on a different level – Silva was a tad lucky against Overeem after being outmuscled for the majority of that fight. He won’t be so lucky against Cain. Velazquez uses his superior speed, athleticism and all-around game to get it done early against Bigfoot!
Pick: Cain Velasquez -750
Junior dos Santos (15-2-0): -400
Mark Hunt (9-7-0): +300
Mark Hunt has the displeasure of facing Junior dos Santos this Saturday in his first fight since losing the title to Cain – Junior will be motivated. Hunt however enters Saturday’s tilt on a four fight win streak and brings an iron jaw and a set of cinder block fists into the Octagon against one of the best boxers the UFC has ever seen. Needless to say – this should be a striker’s battle that doesn’t end well for one of these combatants.
dos Santos, despite his loss to Velasquez last time out is still in that elite category of Heavyweights – as well rounded and dangerous as anyone out there. Hunt on the other hand looks to have caught lightning in a bottle and still appears to be that one dimensional fighter that a guy like dos Santos feeds on.
Hunt is definitely a sentimental favorite but sentiment means nothing when the Octagon doors close. dos Santos brings a power that Hunt has never tasted and a gas tank that will prove to be the envy of the Super “Sized” Samoan. On paper this fight isn’t close and it shouldn’t be in the Octagon either.
Pick: Junior dos Santos -400
Glover Teixeira (20-2-0): -300
James Te-Huna (16-5-0): +220
A pair of fighters on impressive win streaks meet on Saturday night when Glover Teixeira puts his 18 fight streak on the line against James Te Huna who has won four straight ahead of this fight. Te Huna is coming off decision wins against Joey Beltran and Ryan Jimmo while Teixeira enters off a dominant win over Rampage Jackson last time out.
While both of these guys are certainly tough, Teixeira possesses the better all-around game – a black belt in jiu-jitsu to go along with some impressive stand-up chops. Teixeira has definitely been in the Octagon with some superior competition and I see him dictating where this fight goes. After mixing it up on the feet, Tex takes this fight to the mat and ends it with his patented and frightening ground and pound.
Pick: Glover Teixeira -300
Gray Maynard (11-1-1): -220
TJ Grant (20-5-0): +175
While Gray Maynard may not exactly be the most exciting fighter in the UFC, he is still viewed as one of the most dangerous in the stacked Lightweight Division. On Saturday he takes on an emerging TJ Grant who has won four straight since dropping a weight class. Both fighters rely on their wrestling chops, their top control and their stifling styles to get it done – a potential snooze-fest it is!
That said Maynard may look to shed his “boring fighter” reputation in this one and take a few risks in order to get back to “absolute elite” status in the UFC. Maynard can’t simply lull his way to victory if he hopes to get a title shot – he needs a little flash. That plays right into the underdog in this one. Grant is a Welterweight fighting at Lightweight – his size and power could be the determining factor. Gray is going to take some chances and he will pay the price as TJ Grant posts an enormous upset. [ad-3573245]
Pick: TJ Grant +175
Donald Cerrone (19-5-0): -300
KJ Noons (11-6-0): +220
Two of the most entertaining strikers in the Lightweight division will collide this Saturday night as Donald Cerrone takes on K.J. Noons in the opening bout of the UFC 160 main. Cerrone possesses intense Muay-Thai and Noons has some of the best boxing in the Lightweight division.
There seems to be a formula for defeating Cerrone – a high volume and a wide variety of strikes really seem to take him off his game. But that said Cerrone’s strength is his ability to land quality kicks on an opponent that relies on movement. That’s precisely what happens Saturday – Cerrone catches Noons with a kick to end his night early and provides a rather rude welcome to the UFC for Noons.
Pick: Donald Cerrone -300
Undercard (FX at 8 p.m. ET)
Mike Pyle (24-8-1): +125 vs. Rick Story (15-6-0): -155
Pick: Mike Pyle +125
Dennis Bermudez (10-3-0): -300 vs. Max Holloway (7-1-0): +220
Pick: Dennis Bermudez -300
Colton Smith (4-1-0): -220 vs. Robert Whittaker (10-2-0): +175
Pick: Robert Whittaker +175
Khabib Nurmagomedov (19-9-0): -300 vs. Abel Trujillo (10-4-0): +220
Pick: Khabib Nurmagomedov -300
Undercard (Facebook at 6:30 p.m. ET)
Stephen Thompson (6-1-0): -160 vs. Nah-Shon Burrell (9-2-0): +130
Pick: Nah-Shon Burrell +130
Brian Bowles (10-2-0): -300 vs. George Roop (19-9-1): +220
Pick: George Roop +220
Jeremy Stephens (20-9-0): -240 vs. Estevan Payan (14-3-0): +190
Pick: Jeremy Stephens -240
