Tag Archives: MMA Odds

UFC Fight Night 104: Dennis Bermudez vs. Chan Sung Jung Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks, , , , , , , ,

One of the UFC’s most charismatic fighters returns to the octagon after a three-year absence.

Zombie Returns

South Korean featherweight Chan Sung Jung will make his UFC return on February 4th at UFC Fight Night 104 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Known as the Korean Zombie for his uncanny ability to take heavy punishment, Jung left the UFC in 2013 in order to serve his two year mandatory military service to his home country. Jung hasn’t fought since his failed title bid against Jose Aldo at UFC 163.

Meanwhile, Dennis Bermudez will be getting his first main event appearance against the Korean Zombie. A finalist in The Ultimate Fighter 14, Bermudez is 2-2 in his last four bouts but has won two fights in a row. The Menace is coming off decision wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri and Rony Jason and will be looking to improve his current #9 ranking in the UFC’s 145 pound division. Jung is unranked but don’t let that deceive you.

Choke Artist?

Current odds have Bermudez a slight -135 favorite over Jung’s +123. The reason is likely the Korean Zombie’s three-year hiatus from the sport. On the other hand, Bermudez has won two in a row with both wins coming in 2016. However, Bermudez hasn’t had a really meaningful win since beating Max Holloway by split decision at UFC 160 in 2013. Prior to his win streak, he lost by stoppage to Ricardo Lamas and Jeremy Stephens.

Bermudez likes to wear his opponents down and beat them in a grinder. But while he’s an excellent wrestler, he doesn’t have good submission defense. Four of his five losses have actually come by submission. The problem here is that Chan Sung Jung is a submission artist, with 9 of his 14 wins by submission. It’s interesting to note that three of Bermudez’s four submission losses were via chokes and five of Jung’s nine submission wins were by chokes, too.

The Pick

Bermudez has a feared ground and pound game but remember he lost the TUF 14 tournament after getting caught with an armbar while hammering Diego Barandao. Having said that, the Korean Zombie should have the advantage if this fight goes down to the ground.

On their feet, Jung is the better striker and has the physical advantages over Bermudez at three inches in height and six inches in reach. Given the plus money, I’d risk the Zombie’s ring rust and pick him to submit Dennis Bermudez for the victory.

Bellator 170: Tito Ortiz vs. Chael Sonnen Odds and Prediction

Sports News & Picks, , , , , , , ,

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz and UFC light heavyweight title contender Chael Sonnen collide on January 21st in the main event of Bellator 170 at the Forum in Inglewood, California.

One Last Hurrah

Bellator continues to put up the blast from the past matchups, this time pitting 41-year old Tito Ortiz against the nearly 40-year old Chael Sonnen. But despite the fact that these two fighters are way past their athletic primes, they remain two of the more popular figures in MMA. Still, apart from being very good draws, there is almost nothing left in the tank for both.

Tito Ortiz has lost seven of his last 10 bouts and is coming off a 2015 loss to Liam McGeary at Bellator 142. He’s 2-1 in his Bellator career but has not won since a split decision win over Stephan Bonnar in 2014. On the other hand, Chael Sonnen has been an respectable 6-4 in his last 10 bouts. Sonnen is coming off a TKO loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 167, way back in 2013. He’s been hit or miss lately, though, splitting his last 8 bouts with four wins and four losses. Chael’s last victory came in 2013 against Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC Fight Night 26.

Wrestler Vs Striker

Sonnen was an All-American wrestler during his college days and was a good international Greco-Roman wrestler. Having said that, wrestling is the core of Sonnen’s MMA game. He is widely known for his double leg takedown, which used to be one of the best in the business. Chael does have respectable striking skills but typically he uses it to set up the takedown.

Ortiz, meanwhile, gained fame for being the ‘Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ who punched his way to superstardom. Known as one of the fighters who brought MMA to the mainstream, Ortiz used to own a punishing ground and pound game. His powerful hands give him the advantage here in the striking game, but he has a weakness of being foolishly lured to a slugfest which has led to defeat several times.

Plus Money

Sonnen opened as a -155 favorite against Ortiz’s +125. Those lines haven’t changed much since at -160 and +130, respectively. With two fighters who’ve been doing anything but fighting lately, it’s really hard to pick a winner here because you don’t know what each has got left in the tank, if any. It’s really another show for Bellator, but one that’s interesting to bet on.

The slightly younger Sonnen may have the fighting edge because of his style. Given Sonnen’s base and Ortiz’s striking, Chael will take his chances on the ground rather than on his feet against a heavy handed opponent like Tito Ortiz. Having said that, Ortiz himself has a polished ground game and can finish the fight on the mat too. The question, of course, is what remains of Sonnen’s game after the time he’s spent off the cage. This will be Sonnen’s first Bellator bout.

The value of the plus money on Ortiz is tempting and then there are the intangibles. First, Ortiz has fought more recently. He is also the naturally bigger man between the two and will be the crowd favorite since the fight will be in California. So, to pick between two aged veterans, I’d rather take my chance on the plus money and intangibles. It also doesn’t hurt that Tito felt slighted by Sonnen. Unsurprisingly, we’re taking Tito Ortiz by knockout.