UFC Fight Night Breaded
UFC Fight Night will be held on Saturday night in Tampa. It takes place at the Sun Dome, which means that the stars will not be shining. Dana White is holding back his stable of superstars for the more prosperous pay-per-views. That’s how we end up with a main event of Joe Lauzon vs. Jeremy Stephens. Due to the disappointing card, I will be saving my $200 and the Breads will be watching this one from home.
I do see four potential money making opportunities. And who knows, many times these smaller cards offer the most excitement. Let’s face it…it can’t be any worse than last week’s UFC 94!
Joe Lauzon -180
Jeremy Stephens +150
Ever since his showing on The Ultimate Fighter 5, the UFC has pushed for Lauzon (16-4-0) to become a star. This will be the second Fight Night that he headlines. The last one added him to Kenny Florian’s growing list of bloody victims. The goofy looking kid from Mass has Dana on his side, and that’s a good friend to have.
His opponent is Jeremy Stephens (16-3-0). Stephens is a tenacious striker, as evidenced by this shot to Rafael dos Anjos. Equally as impressive as the KO is the celebration. He lists his heroes as UFC fighter Josh Neer and God. There’s a joke in there somewhere, but I’m going to leave it alone.
Lauzon will not want to trade blows with Stephens. He’ll need to endure some shots and get Stephens’ back to force the tap. I think he can do it. Should this fight go to the judges, it’s advantage Lauzon. Strange things happen with judges when it comes to Dana’s pets. Just look at Michael Bisping.
Mac Danzig -120
Josh Neer -110
TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig (19-5-1) comes off a unanimous decision loss to Clay Guida. Ordinarily, that would’ve made me happy, but for some unknown reason, I was on Danzig. Usually calm and collected at all times, Danzig was visually frustrated for the entire fight.
The last time that Neer (24-7-1) crossed my path, I was losing a good chunk of change backing him against Nate Diaz. More importantly than the money, I lost my mind. I dislike Diaz more than most terminal diseases. Neer has proven that you don’t have to be smart to defeat him, as he has lost to Nick Diaz as well. Beaten by the brothers dim. Ouch.
Imagine what a guy with brains could actually do here. Danzig is at one with the universe, and he should outsmart his opponent en route to the submission of the night.
Anthony Johnson -300
Luigi Fioravanti +235
Hometown hero Fioravanti (13-4-0) hails from St. Petersburg, FL. OK, I made that up. Yes, he is from here, but no, we’ve never heard of him. Anthony Johnson (6-2-0) will most assuredly garner more cheers from the crowd.
Johnson has created quite a buzz. The exciting young fighter is fresh off his revenge victory over Kevin Burns, which he ended in magnificent fashion. Whether striking, kicking or on the ground, look for complete domination from Johnson. Fioravanti lists his strength as “good takedown defense”. I’m afraid that’s not going to help if you’re asleep on the way down.
Kurt Pellegrino -205
Rob Emerson +165
I have dubbed this as the “Kilmer Fight”. And no, not because it will start out smooth and finesse, then turn ugly right before your eyes. The “Kilmer Fight” pits Batman against The Saint. I’m not sure which movie was worse, but Emerson is easily the weakest fighter here.
What happened?
Emerson (10-6-1) has never impressed me. Since his TUF beginnings, he has received more chances than any mediocre fighter that I can recall. He is coming off a 12 second TKO over Manny Gamburyan, but after Manny lost yet again last week, it’s starting to look like he was highly overrated.
Pellegrino (18-4-0) has also added to my grief by losing to Diaz. He has rebounded with a solid win over Thiago Tavares. This spread may actually move in Pellegrino’s favor, as Emerson is the more recognizable name to the casual fan. It would be nice if the -205 actually went lower, but whatever you can get him at should be a cashing ticket. Pellegrino is the ‘Top Gun’ here, and will certainly bring the ‘Heat’.
