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UFC Fight Night Melbourne: Robert Whitaker vs. Derek Brunson Odds and Pick

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With Luke Rockhold pulling out, UFC Fight Night Melbourne got a new main event. And good for the fans, one of their own will be fighting in the headliner of this November 26th event.

7th ranked Robert Whitaker faces #8 Derek Brunson in a battle of middleweight dark horses. With the likes of Rockhold, Yoel Romero and Jacare Souza getting more attention, these two fighters are probably the sleepers in Michael Bisping’s weight class. While not much attention given to them, these two have slowly built serious reputation in one of the UFC’s most talent laden division. The winner of this bout is definitely headed for bigger fights while the loser goes back to scratch.

Too Close To Call?

Derek Brunson is the favorite at -150. Robert Whitaker is pegged at +125, so this is basically a pick’em bout. Both fighters are riding high on a five-fight winning streak, but Brunson has been more impressive with four consecutive first round knockout victories.

After being known as a grinding wrestler early in his career, Derek Brunson has developed his striking skills. In fact, he’s evolved into a serious knockout artist and his current winning run is proof of that. Whitaker also possesses heavy hands, but in terms of genuine, one-punch knockout ability, it’s Brunson who has the edge.

Brunson’s Advantages

Whitaker is the busier striker with a 4.95 significant strikes landed per minute average as compared to Brunson’s 2.94. But he also absorbs more strikes per minute at 4.07 versus Brunson’s 2.24. Both are nearly as accurate with their striking with Brunson having a 44% to 40% advantage. But the key in this fight should be Brunson’s length. The American has a significant 4-inch reach advantage over his opponent.

Derek Brunson’s Division II NCAA wrestling background gives him another edge over Whitaker. He averages 3.58 takedowns landed per 15 minutes while Whitaker only lands 0.61 over the same period. Whitaker though has significantly improved his takedown defense in recent years. He’s given up only one takedown in his last five bouts. But if this fight goes to the ground, it’s definitely the more experienced Brunson who has the edge.

Whitaker vs. Brunson Prediction

What’s going for Whitaker though is the fact that this fight is in Australia. Fighting in front of his home crowd has brought out the best of Whitaker. In his UFC career, Whitaker is 4-0 in Australia and that includes his The Ultimate Fighter Smashes victory in 2012. Both fighters have significantly improved from the first time we saw them compete inside the Octagon. But at this stage of their careers, Derek Brunson is the more complete fighter. Whitaker is going to make this a good fight. But Brunson’s power is going to win this for him.

UFC Fight Night 99: Gegard Mousasi vs. Uriah Hall Betting Odds And Prediction

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Gegard Mousasi looks to improve on his current winning run as he faces Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast.

Moving Up The Ladder

Mousasi’s coming off a stoppage of former champion Vitor Belfort and has gone 5-1 in his last 6 bouts. The only blemish on his record during this stretch has been his 2015 knockout loss to Uriah Hall at UFC Fight Night 75. Now Mousasi not only has an opportunity to avenge that loss, he also has the chance to improve his current standing as one of the middleweight division’s top contenders. The Dream Catcher is currently ranked 5th in his weight class and a win over the 10th ranked Hall will surely boost his stock.

Surprisingly A Big Underdog

Surprisingly, Hall opened as a big underdog to Mousasi despite beating him in their first encounter. Mousasi opened as a -500 favorite while Hall a +325 underdog for the rematch. This is the same scenario during their first bout where Mousasi was a -350 who went as high as -725 during fight night. Back then, Hall was a live underdog who won five of his last six bouts. This time around, Primetime is coming off back to back defeats to Robert Whitaker and Derek Brunson. With the fight two weeks away, Mousasi has remained at -500 while Hall has fallen back at +476.

More Complete Fighter

Between the two, Mousasi is the better all-around fighter. Nothing exceptional about Mousasi’s game except the fact that he’s skilled in almost every aspect of MMA. He’s a very good kickboxer, an underrated wrestler and has smooth submission skills. Hall meanwhile is the flashier athlete who’s always got that puncher’s ( or kicker’s) chance. But despite being one of the top prospects when he first came out, Hall has never put up a serious run and has been beaten by mediocre opposition in the past.

Better Striking Defense

In the striking department, both average almost the same number of strikes per minute with Mousasi at 3.67 and Hall at 3.13. Similarly both have near identical accuracy at 52% vs 50% in favor of Hall. The difference though is defense as Mousasi stops 69% of his opponent’s strikes while Hall defends just 55% of them. Translated to significant strikes, Hall takes more punishment per minute at 2.88 strikes against Mousasi’s 1.17. The difference there could spell a unanimous decision win for Mousasi.

Not A Threat

While Hall is a threat with his flashy kicks and punches, he isn’t so much on the ground. In fact, he only averages 0.3 submission attempts per 15 minutes. Mousasi meanwhile is more active at 1.2 submissions attempted per three rounds. Hall doesn’t also have an impressive takedown average, landing just 41% of his attempts. On the other hand, Mousasi is better at 61%. The differences aren’t much but if you take a look at them, they could spell the difference in this bout. Mousasi has well-timed takedowns and even if he doesn’t convert them to submission, these can win him rounds.

The Pick

Uriah Hall will always be a dangerous opponent because of his athleticism. But knowing what happened in their first bout, Gegard Mousasi will adjust. Unless he gets nailed by another spinning back kick, he’s going to wear Uriah Hall down round after round. He can do it by jabbing away at him or taking him down on the ground. Look for Mousasi to win on points and don’t be surprised if he wins every round of this bout.

UFC 207 Rumors: Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt to Fight For Title?

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Cody Garbrandt may have leapfrogged ahead of the Top 5 bantamweights all the way to a title fight with Dominick Cruz.

That’s because according to the latest MMA news, Garbrandt is the front runner to get the next crack at the Dominator. The bout was first reported by Ariel Helwani:

What Rankings?

Ranked 6th in the UFC’s bantamweight title following his win over Thomas Almeida last May, Garbrandt may have talked his way to a title shot. There is no doubt that Garbrandt’s had an impressive 2016 with three wins and three first round knockouts. But more than his fight resume, it was his back and forth trash talk with Cruz that’s made this bout a story.

Aside from Garbrandt, top ranked bantamweights like T.J. Dillashaw, Jon Lineker and Bryan Caraway all deserve a shot at the bantamweight gold. But in the tradition of Bisping-Hendo 2 at UFC 204 and McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, the fight that made the most financial sense got the nod.

Dominator Once More

After a long struggle with injuries, Dominick Cruz returned earlier this year to capture the title he never lost inside the Octagon. Cruz bested erstwhile champion T.J. Dillashaw in a surgical five rounder. The Dominator then followed that up with a win over rival Urijah Faber at UFC 199.

Before those two victories, Cruz fought just once from 2012 to 2014 because of different and recurring injuries. But Cruz set his sights on regaining his old title and did so in what experts call the Greatest Comeback story in MMA history.

Garbrandt is an immaculate 5-0 with 5 KOs in the UFC. Without doubt, his biggest win came against  the highly touted Thomas Almeida in the main event of UFC Fight Night 88. Garbrandt is one of the division’s hardest hitters but the question is if he can find his target.  Dominick Cruz’s hit and run style may not be a good fit for Garbrandt, who loves to brawl.

Year End Extravaganza

The bout is reportedly being worked out for UFC 207 on December 3th0, 2015 UFC 207 will be headlined by the women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Amanda Nunes and the comebacking Ronda Rousey. It will mark Rousey’s first octagon appearance since losing by knockout to Holly Holm at UFC 193.

The UFC typically ends the year big with an explosive final event. Rousey’s return will be big enough to do that. Adding Cruz vs. Garbrandt would be icing on the cake for they UFC’s year ender.

UFC 207 Odds: Ronda Rousey vs. Amanda Nunes Odds and Preview

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She’s back.

After spending one year away from MMA, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey returns to the octagon on December 30th to face current champion Amanda “Lioness” Nunes in the main event of UFC 207 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White made the ‘major announcment’ at The Herd on Wednesday:

Major Announcement

White’s ‘major announcement’ really didn’t come as a surprise. The signs were leading to it.

Last month, White told Brazilian sports outlet O Globo that a Rousey-Nunes bout was possible before the end of the year. White also said earlier this month that Rousey’s comeback fight would be the biggest PPV the UFC has done. If that wasn’t at UFC 205, where else would that be but at the company’s year end show.

In September, Rousey’s coach Edmond Tarverdyan told reporters that a Rousey vs. Nunes bout was being discussed and that the main issue was Ronda working her way back into form after a minor knee injury in the summer. Apparently, Rousey is better now.

A Better Rousey

After a dominant run as the UFC’s inaugural women’s bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey suffered a shocking knockout defeat to Holly Holm at UFC 193 last November. Prior to that defeat, Rousey won her first twelve bouts, all by stoppage including 9 by armbar stoppage.

She became a star, both inside and outside the octagon but things came falling down when she was knocked out cold by Holm. The seemingly invincible woman broke down and shunned the limelight. The longer she stayed outside the Octagon, the more people thought she would never fight again. But after a year off, Rousey is back and presumably better not just as a fighter, but also as a person.

The Lioness

Ronda’s opponent couldn’t have been tougher. With Rousey wanting to get her old belt back, she will have to fight the current champion, Amanda Nunes.

The Lioness won the title with a dominant first round KO of Rousey nemesis Miesha Tate at UFC 200. Nunes has a 13-4 MMA record but is an impressive 6-1 in the UFC. Five of those win were by stoppage and Nunes has beaten Shayna Baszler, Sara McMann, Valentina Schevhenko and Tate in succession. She is considered one of the best strikers in the sport and one with genuine KO power.

It can be recalled that Rousey lost to Holm, a former boxing world champion, because the latter had the better striking game. It will be extremely interesting to see how Rousey will deal with an equally versatile striker like Nunes.

Opening as Favorite

Despite her long absence, Ronda Rousey opened as a -200 favorite against Nunes’ +160. Oddsmakers point to Rousey’s popularity as the main reason for these numbers. Nunes has the better striking but the real question is whether she can keep the fight standing up.

Rousey’s power throws and judo are superb and once Rowdy takes the fight to the ground, we know what’s going to happen next. No opponent has ever matched Ronda’s skill on the ground, as she submitted one challenger after another before a much improved striking game saw her self-destruct against Holly Holm.

If Ronda keeps the striking exchanges at a minimal and focuses on grappling and wrestling, she is seen as having the advantage over Nunes. Nunes, meanwhile, must avoid getting her arm exposed on the ground because that’s almost a bait for Rousey.

Bellator MMA

UFC Loses Another Star Fighter With Rory MacDonald Going to Bellator

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Bellator MMA has added another marquee name to its roster. This time, it’s former UFC top welterweight contender Rory “Red King” MacDonald who’s decided to jump ship.

Free Agent Find

The 27-year old Canadian became a free agent after completing his six-fight UFC contract with a loss to now top welterweight contender Stephen Thompson last June.

After the defeat, MacDonald had negotiations with Bellator and the One Fighting Championships. Earlier in the year, MacDonald and the UFC could not come terms to a new contract, forcing the Red King to test the free agency waters.

This Tuesday, the UFC informed MacDonald’s management team that it will not be matching the offer made by Bellator. The following day, MacDonald was officially removed from the UFC’s welterweight rankings, fueling speculations that he had already parted ways with the UFC and had signed with Bellator MMA.

During Friday’s Bellator 160 broadcast, the signing was officially announced and Bellator President Scott Coker had the photo to confirm it:

MacDonald becomes the second high profile UFC fighter to leave in free agency in as many years.

Last year, former UFC Lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson also signed with Bellator after failed contract negotiations with the UFC. Henderson has since fought for the Bellator Welterweight title and will fight for the promotion’s Lightweight title next following a win on Friday’s event.

The Next Big Thing

Once described as the next big thing in the UFC, MacDonald was a protege of former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Fighting out of Tristar MMA in Montreal, Canada, MacDonald has an 18-4 record. He holds notable wins over the likes of B.J. Penn, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia and current UFC 170-pound king, Tyron Woodley.

MacDonald lost in his bid for the UFC title when he was stopped in the fifth round by Robbie Lawler during the consensus 2015 Fight of the Year winner at UFC 189. Following that defeat, MacDonald took time off before losing again to Thompson last June.

The Red King joins a solid Bellator Welterweight division which includes champion Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Douglas Lima, Benson Henderson and hot prospect Michael “Venom” Page, among others.

Said MacDonald of the signing via official statement:

“There are multiple reasons why I choose to fight for Bellator MMA and Scott Coker,” One, they have given me the opportunity to develop and grow a business together. Two, because I already feel respected by the promotion as a professional athlete. And last but not least, because Bellator is offering a setup that no-one in the world can offer me.”

UFC 203: Travis Browne vs. Fabricio Werdum Meeting Coming

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Fabricio Werdum’s UFC Heavyweight title run began with a 2014 victory over Travis Browne at UFC on Fox 11. Werdum’s 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 unanimous decision win led to an interim title bout against Mark Hunt at UFC 180 and then to a unification match against Cain Velasquez at UFC 188.

Travis Browne knows that had he won that bout, it could have very well been his own title run. Now Browne has the chance to get that one back and get back to the title picture as well.

Stepping In On Short Notice

Ben Rothwell, Werdum’s original opponent for UFC 203, pulled out of the bout on Thursday with a knee injury. Insiders are saying Big Ben tore a meniscus and may have suffered an ACL injury. With that development, the UFC scrambled to look for a replacement foe. Multiple sources are confirming that Travis Browne has verbally agreed to step in on short notice and that Werdum himself has given the thumbs up for the rematch to happen.

Given all this, an official announcement is expected shortly.

Browne has gone 2-2 since his loss to Werdum in 2014. Most recently, Hapa suffered a first round KO loss to former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 200. On the other hand, Werdum is coming off a first round knockout loss himself. Vai Cavalo was knocked out by current UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 198 in Werdum’s own backyard in Brazil.

Werdum was calling for an immediate rematch. However, the UFC gave the first crack at Miocic to 4th ranked Alistair Overeem. The pair will fight for the UFC Heavyweight title at the main event of UFC 203.

Getting Back To The Title Picture

For Travis Browne, the opportunity to fight Werdum on less than 30 days notice could be a blessing in disguise. As we said, not only will he have the opportunity to get revenge, he will have the chance to shoot right back in the title picture with a victory. Werdum is currently ranked as the Top contender while Browne is at #7. But despite his recent skid, Hapa could vault right back in the Top 5 if he wins.

While Miocic is the champ, the UFC’s Heavyweight division has become a wider field. In the past, it was just dominated by Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. But because most ( if not all ) of the contenders have punching power, nobody can be counted out. That can be well said about Travis Browne who has 14 KOs in 18 wins. If he can seize this opportunity, he has a shot at finally nailing that elusive title shot.