I think IF Penn wins it would most likely be KO/TKO rather than sub. I believe Penns striking is superior to GSPs (even w/ his new jabs) especially at the time GSP fought Fitch and he killed Fitch in the stand up. BJ hits hard also. If he doesn't get to Fitch in the first though I still don't trust his cardio or size against Fitch until he proves otherwise
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Interesting fact: George Sotiropoulos lost the last 2 full rounds he fought; 1st round against Lauzon and 3rd round of the Pellegrino fight, while Batman was injured and down 2 rounds.
Siver looked sharp against Andre Winner who was also looking real sharp that night, this coupled w/G-Sot's ability to get tagged (Batman splattered him to the ground at the closing bell), then add G-Sot's suspect mummy-looking torso and Siver's hands and feet...
Home field advantage, momentum and raw talent restore confidence somewhat (G-Sot also keeps distance well and Siver won't use the kitchen-sink pace Lauzon used), but win or lose I already know I shouldn't have put so much into this guy!Comment -
Crazy to see Hunt on an undercard. The guy did an atomic butt drop. That should count for something.Comment -
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I'll most likely put my money on fitch. He's a grinder and knows how to win fights.Comment -
People want to bet on Rivera because they want to see Bisping get KO'd. All Rivera has is power. That's how he wins fights. And he doesn't have the cardio to keep up that power for very long on top of him basically having nothing else. Bisping could win this fight in his sleep with a even a mediocre game plan.Comment -
Looks like Bisping is genuinely very pissed off with Team Rivera and has requested that Rivera's striking coach not be present at the weigh-ins!...
UFC 127: Time to cut Michael Bisping some slack after Jorge Rivera smack
By Gareth A Davies Boxing and MMA Last updated: February 19th, 2011
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Sydney and UFC 127 might be the time for Bisping bashing from American fans to abate somewhat. But then again, fight sports need heroes and ‘villains’. With Bisping, he appears to fall into the latter category, although the British mixed martial artist told me recently that he rarely, if ever, has anything rude said to his face by sports fans. Quite the contrary. He has had the burden, in a sense, of carrying the UK torch in the UFC, an organisation utterly barren of a British belt holder in its history.
Jorge Rivera, Bisping’s middleweight opponent a week on Sunday in the Australian city where the UFC has created its newest burgeoning home, has been trading on Bisping’s infamy to build noise around the fight – but he might have just gone a step too far.
Bisping is privately fuming that Rivera has been conducting a mocking campaign, being rude about his wife and children. “Completely disrespected,” are the words directly from Bisping. Prior to the smack talk, there were those in Bisping’s camp concerned that he was not taking the threat of Rivera strongly enough. Bisping anger is genuine and I understand after initially wanting to be kept apart from the American in build-up week, has got over the hump – so to speak – and his team are delighted with the way he has been channelling his anger in training. It may backfire on Rivera as I’m told by camp insiders that Bisping is “completely focused”. There was a little more heat, moreover, towards Matt Phinney, Rivera’s striking coach, who has also, in the British fighter’s eyes and ears, overstepped the mark. There have been requests to the UFC to keep Phinney away from Bisping at the weigh-in, I understand.
Posturing aside, although Rivera certainly has a dig on him, their records show differing elevation. Yes, Bisping has been the UK ‘poster boy’ for the UFC, but he has earned that mantle. Bisping has finished six opponents in his UFC career, while Rivera has stopped three; Rivera has been in one fight of the night; Bisping has been in three.
Bisping is overly-criticised. We know it, he knows it. The US fans are more indulgent in it, after the Matt Hamill victory in which the judges sided with Bisping, and arguably for his attitude in winning TUF. His determination in the televised series, and the moment in which he refused to be Hamill’s training plaything for Tito Ortiz’s trainer’s pet was the moment of the series. It suddenly made everyone else on the show realise that Bisping believed he was a winner, and would not be shaken off.
Having been accused several times of being too supportive of British fighters in the UFC, just consider the facts: in five years in the UFC, Bisping has lost three times – two of them close, split decisions to Rashad Evans and Wanderlei Silva – and of course the knockout to Dan Henderson, his worst career moment.
He took the Evans fight on six weeks’ notice, we might recall. There were the calls that Denis Kang would be too much, that Akiyama would take him, he outpointed Chris Leben in a one-sided clinic…let’s cut the guy some slack.
Bisping has told me, moreover, that he has never turned down a single fight the UFC wanted him to be in. Not every fighter on the roster can say that…
Rivera is 39 the day after their fight. Bisping will celebrate his 32nd birthday soon afterwards. If Bisping stays focused, and avoids the Rivera haymakers, because he has dangerous hands without question, he is likely to pick Rivera off from distance, and then take him to the ground. It should be a good contest. I’ll reserve my final pick until after I spent time around the two protagonists next week.Comment -
WTF Sportbet/5dimes released the Lytle/Ebersole and Pearson/Fisher lines last night!
Pearson came out at -120 according to bestfightodds....did anybody grab this?Comment -
haha, just noticed that as well. Would have been all over Pearson at -120. I'll be on Fisher at this point if the line continues to creep over +180.
Jeff Joslin did a nice job of sharpening Fisher up for his last fight.Comment -
wow, all the early money coming in on PearsonComment -
Zhang vs. Reinhardt and Blackledge vs Perosh to be shown on Facebook.
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Hmm...someone jumped on Fisher. Good time to get Pearson in a parlay, down to -160 but I'll wait a night.
Fisher had nothing for Siver, whom Pearson outpointed...call it MMAth but I'll take Pearson if I don't pass altogether.Comment -
Anyone taking a shot on ebersole? This guy has some exp.--60 fights!Comment -
all the lines are outComment -
Looks like they threw Brock's boy the fat wrestler a fight he couldn't lose. Or could he? His striking offense and defense is horrible.Comment -
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I think I am sitting this event out. Nothing on this card looks good to me. Wanted to play Gustafsson, but not at -275.Comment -
Is there any way rivera beats bisping? That's a lot of juice. Plus, I hate bisping.Comment -
I thought Mark Hunt already had his one contracted fright from the PRIDE acquisition (McCorkle) The guy has lost 6 straight fights
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I too... am not crazy 'bout this card.
Might play Fitch, and insure it with Penn inside the distance as I don't see Penn winning via decision...
Or I may just lay a small bet on Fitch inside the distance; gut feel
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Guys I picked for a few different parlays, more or less played: G-Sot, Bisping, Pearson, Penn, & Hunt.
Hunt because Tuch shouldn't be such a fav, he used his temple to block Schaub's right...who does that?! Add in he's fat just like Hunt and Hunt's strength is Tuch's weakness + home field...43/57-Tuch; making Hunt worth the small shot...at least more so than the other sizable 'dogs, to me.
Pearson, moderately. Because of the (imo functional) MMAth I used earlier.
G-Sot because he's the craftier fighter + home field + momentum of streak/aspiration for shot. Siver is so lethal though...still worries me.
Bisping was another early & quick bet I somewhat regret. Banking on cardio & age. At the end of the day Rivera's videos were just lame, if I were Bisping I would put whatever anger to the side and simply enact my game plan, and knowing he's a professional; I think he has it covered...He better!
Penn is one of the livest 'dogs on the card imo. 45/55-Fitch, only because it's his weight class and size might be a problem...but I believe Penn when he said he gave Couture a fit in wrestling, and seeing how he took on Machida in bad shape and at such a disadvantage; Fitch won't simply take Penn down and keep him there. Penn had a dangerous guard in the 2nd Edgar fight and Fitch's wins at this point will never fully convince me (they do convince me he gets the TD). The closest he's ever been to fighting top competition was GSP. The second closest was not being able to finish year-layoff/outta shape Alves. Their line was even but what exactly makes vacation Alves -110 but active Penn +170? And Penn the underdog having a better chance in the books to finish over Fitch the favorite...what does that say? Penn has 2 ways to win and Fitch has 1. No inside the distance prop for me though, the possibility for Penn edging a D (if he were the winner) seems likely to me. Constantly a tough fight to cap, all my plays with it are small.
Props I took, some straight and some in parlays:
Sotiropoulos decision +313: I think Sot will outbox (or at least keep distance) on the feet and outgrapple on the ground, but I just don't see him getting the sub, Siver is formidable enough to last to a D.
Bisping inside +185: down to +130 now, should have played sub but value was lost and seeing Bisping finish here is starting to get harder to see than picturing Rivera get the KO...played enough.
Rivera KO +451: back up.
Siver inside +480: back up. I could also see Siver stuffing & hunting/winning exchanges for the D (if he wins)...but if it goes to a decision I trust Sot kept it close and/or has the hometown judges in his favor.
Fitch in 3rd +2475: assuming Fitch wins; most of us agree it's a decision. I will assume it's a one sided decision because anything else means Fitch is likely (imo) edged or comes up on the wrong end of a "controversial" fight. (If I remember right, didn't Penn beat Edgar the first 2 rounds of their first fight?) Anyway, since I see Fitch's only way of winning as a one-sided decision; I'm taking the chance that the fight is one-sided enough for Fitch to finish (maybe like how Hughes did it, minus rib injury). It's the odds and the irony.
Fitch/Penn draw +5500: I sat on the burner about this fight too long - both guys so evenly match in terms of skill in respective styles...last time I felt like this was Edgar/Maynard 2. Nothing wrong with a small long shot.
Still thinking about playing either Camozzi or Te Huna for various reasons. Wanted a play on Blackledge since Perosh looked so horrible last time but learned Blackledge wasn't anything special, either...given the home field for Perosh and not wanting to look into Blackledge...pass.Comment -
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Did anyone else think the Countdown show was weak?Comment -
How do you even go in on a fighter w/ SBR points? Someone link me up b/c I'm having navigational issues.Comment -
This is such a lousy card for betting on imo, my only bet right now is Fitch by decision. Wanted to bet on Gustafsson but the odds are to bad. But Im really looking forward to that fight! hopefully Gustafsson winsLast edited by Mr.Kitty; 02-24-11, 04:40 PM.Comment -
You don't, I just mean the amount of points I have will justify me depositing $200+ in a SBR approved book. 5dimes because of their prop lines. I have been using a local since ******** transactions started getting declined and the only way to deposit is through **.
Sirchadwick, they normally don't post up MMA lines until the day before the event, but if someone goes and asks in live chat we may get them sooner.
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