which underdog fighter has a chance at winning in UFC 125?

Jordan23 · 01-01-11, 03:14 AM

I will probably say Gomi has the best chance to win.

Jordan23 · 01-01-11, 03:16 AM

And trust me my friend underdogs win all the time in the UFC.. a lot of fighters are a product of the UFC "hype machine" so be careful not to get sucked into it. You just have to know fighters and matchups. That really doesn't come over night. You'll learn that styles make fights.

thealfa · 01-01-11, 03:20 AM

underdogs win all the time? I hope that's true. I haven't followed MMA or UFC as closely as boxing so I wouldn't know. I know Brock Lesnar was hyped up to win but lost quick against an underdog, didn't he? Well for UFC 125, a lot of these fighters don't even ring a bell to me, so I am betting on the favorites. Who is Gomi? You say he has a chance?

Originally posted by Jordan23

And trust me my friend underdogs win all the time in the UFC.. a lot of fighters are a product of the UFC "hype machine" so be careful not to get sucked into it. You just have to know fighters and matchups. That really doesn't come over night. You'll learn that styles make fights.

bogbat · 01-01-11, 04:27 AM

I liked Gomi originally after hearing several interviews Guida and his camp have made it no secret that he does not intend on exchanging on the feet at all and will shoot for take downs and clinch up against the fence at every opportunity. Also, you have to assume that Greg Jackson and co. have prepared Guida well to avoid Gomi's big right hand.

The only dog I like remotely on this card is Frank Edgar.

Jordan23 · 01-01-11, 04:31 AM

Originally posted by thealfa

underdogs win all the time? I hope that's true. I haven't followed MMA or UFC as closely as boxing so I wouldn't know. I know Brock Lesnar was hyped up to win but lost quick against an underdog, didn't he? Well for UFC 125, a lot of these fighters don't even ring a bell to me, so I am betting on the favorites. Who is Gomi? You say he has a chance?

Yes you just have to know how to pick the underdogs.. The only bad thing is in MMA sometimes the judging will mess you up.

Jordan23 · 01-01-11, 04:33 AM

Originally posted by bogbat

I liked Gomi originally after hearing several interviews Guida and his camp have made it no secret that he does not intend on exchanging on the feet at all and will shoot for take downs and clinch up against the fence at every opportunity. Also, you have to assume that Greg Jackson and co. have prepared Guida well to avoid Gomi's big right hand.

The only dog I like remotely on this card is Frank Edgar.

I think Maynard is going to beat Edgar. I've made no secrets about that. But you never really know with Frankie. He is very good. The only question marks I have about Gray is whether or not he is going to gas in the championship rounds. He has never been in a 5 round fight.. and sparring for a 5 round fight and being in a 5 round title fight are 2 different things. If Gray doesn't gas I'm predicting he will win this fight 48-47.

spargament · 01-01-11, 04:43 AM

Frankie Edgar no question.

The difficulties he had with Maynard the first time around don't seem to be as much of a factor this time around, as those weaknesses would have been exploited as if not more effectively by BJ Penn, and we all know how those two matches turned out.

It was very evident in the UFC giving Edgar the shot at Penn initially over Maynard how they feel about these two fighters.

Maynard on the feet will get tooled if he can't get this to the ground. We heard all about his improved striking before the Nate Diaz fight, and honestly, he was inches away from losing the decision in my opinion against a guy who is treading water in the division because he decided to go AGAINST the game plan, stand up, and exhibit sloppy striking.

Edgar can really use his quickness to his advantage in this bout, and I expect him to retain his title.

This fight honestly did not excite me from the get, regardless of the 'revenge the loss' angle. I'm much more excited about the prospect of an Edgar/Pettis fight than the matchup taking place on this card.

Frankly, the value on this card pales to what i anticipate for the next one

robotralph · 01-01-11, 07:41 AM

Brian Stann has a great chance of hitting. Leben can hit hard, but he gasses out.

Stann has a lot more tools to win. Leben can throw bombs all three rounds while Stann can wrestle out a victory.

rocky mattioli · 01-01-11, 08:32 AM

i think the better question would be,"which favorite do you feel strongly enough to open the wallet on?"........

and imo,that`s a tough question...this may be the ultimate underdog card....seems that every dog on this card is live...

if i were picking a fave that i felt most comfortable with,it would be grispi.....

i could be very wrong,but i`m very impressed by stoppage wins over guys like l.c. davis,micah miller and mark hominick....alll in the 1st round...

while poirier`s win over micklewright was also impressive,it`s not on the level of grispi`s recent stoppages....

i`ve been seriously impressed by this guy...he looks like a guy with "elite" potential...

the one worry is how he might fare if the fight gets extended.....he does have a heelhook loss and a maj. decision earlyier in his career...so that`s a concern...maybe i`m overrating him...we`ll see...

still,i like grispi enough to do what i seldom do(by seldom i mean once a year)...i`m laying the -250-ish....

hope i`m not whistling past the graveyard.....

happy new year to the braintrust...

rocky mattioli · 01-01-11, 09:56 AM

Originally posted by rocky mattioli

i think the better question would be,"which favorite do you feel strongly enough to open the wallet on?"........

and imo,that`s a tough question...this may be the ultimate underdog card....seems that every dog on this card is live...

if i were picking a fave that i felt most comfortable with,it would be grispi.....

i could be very wrong,but i`m very impressed by stoppage wins over guys like l.c. davis,micah miller and mark hominick....alll in the 1st round...

while poirier`s win over micklewright was also impressive,it`s not on the level of grispi`s recent stoppages....

i`ve been seriously impressed by this guy...he looks like a guy with "elite" potential...

the one worry is how he might fare if the fight gets extended.....he does have a heelhook loss and a maj. decision earlyier in his career...so that`s a concern...maybe i`m overrating him...we`ll see...

still,i like grispi enough to do what i seldom do(by seldom i mean once a year)...i`m laying the -250-ish....

hope i`m not whistling past the graveyard.....

happy new year to the braintrust...

actually,i found an old tape of grispi in which his kicks got him in trouble vs a grappler by the name of bernardino....he was on his back the entire fight and imo,lost this fight......

i think i`m backing out of my straight play on grispi...i have him in a few parlays...but after seeing that video,i can`t justify laying the wood with a guy that gets taken down like that...and doesn`t show the ability to escape.....

i can afford to lose the pars if things go south....

snake11eyes · 01-01-11, 10:37 AM

If you're looking for favorites like you said, the ones with the minus next to their name. Grispi -253 is a solid choice followed closely by Stephens -240. I just don't see how Davis can win this unless he gets really lucky. If you want an underdog the ones with plus next to their name Stann +140 and Vera +120 have a good chance to pull a small upset. If you look at the odds this is a really competitive card from top to bottom as there are no huge favorites.

lasker · 01-01-11, 11:25 AM

A lot of these matchups seem very competitive, at least on paper, both on the undercard and main card. As for which dogs are best, Nunes and Volkmann stand out to me on the undercard, Stann and Edgar on the main card.

Lincoln73 · 01-01-11, 03:06 PM

marcus davis is a shot fighter. Lil Heathen is as sure a thing as you can find on this card.

jacktheknife · 01-01-11, 03:25 PM

Seriously, what's all this love for Nunes over MTB?

Poppa Catfish · 01-01-11, 03:38 PM

anything can happen I suppose, and Nunes isn't terrible and he is at or around +200. Brown has also not shown up to fight recently, that is probably fresh in people's minds.

I have Brown in a parlay, but I can understand why people are taking a shot on Nunes

jacktheknife · 01-01-11, 05:14 PM

"People" flinching I understand, but Hoff, Brooks and lasker have a controlling interest of sharp. And they're unanimous on Nunes?

Vaughany · 01-01-11, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by robotralph

Brian Stann has a great chance of hitting. Leben can hit hard, but he gasses out.

Stann has a lot more tools to win. Leben can throw bombs all three rounds while Stann can wrestle out a victory.

I highly doubt Stann will wrestle his way to a victory, would be very happy if he did tho and took a decision!

GreatUnrest · 01-01-11, 05:32 PM

Gomi is the best dog imo. Vera has a shot too but I wouldn't bet it.

Poppa Catfish · 01-01-11, 05:37 PM

Originally posted by jacktheknife

"People" flinching I understand, but Hoff, Brooks and lasker have a controlling interest of sharp. And they're unanimous on Nunes?

They see value on it, since they only have to hit about 1/3 of these to make a small profit. I doubt very much that they would be on this play if it was Nunes at +145 or so. Just look at how many units they put on this play.

goblinburner · 01-01-11, 05:47 PM

To be honest man its the main event i know it sounds crazy because of edgars last lost was against him. Maynard is stronger and a better wrestler but edgars guard is ridiculous and his cardio is way more improved from that fight. I could see him takeing down maynard to be honest it might be a quick ground and pound night night for maynard. Maynard stand up has improved but not enough to compete with edgar take edgar at even and call it a day

Squareguy · 01-01-11, 05:49 PM

There are no "no name" fighters on this card....

Underdogs in MMA always have a chance. Some playbooks had Soukoudjou at +2500 when he knocked out Little Nog....+200's and lower win quite often.

Eccocide · 01-01-11, 05:58 PM

Originally posted by goblinburner

To be honest man its the main event i know it sounds crazy because of edgars last lost was against him. Maynard is stronger and a better wrestler but edgars guard is ridiculous and his cardio is way more improved from that fight. I could see him takeing down maynard to be honest it might be a quick ground and pound night night for maynard. Maynard stand up has improved but not enough to compete with edgar take edgar at even and call it a day

I think ppl underestimate Grays TD's and wrestling. He has hit over 80% of his takedowns in the UFC, and was 8 of 10 on takedowns in their first fight. And Edgar isnt going to GnP Maynard out lol. I think this is a very close fight but that is a very unlikely outcome unless Edgar hurts him standing. He's not taking him down and finishing him IMO.

Pratik · 01-01-11, 06:12 PM

Do Marcus Davis! Theres no way Stevens is worth -270

thealfa · 01-01-11, 09:41 PM

Nate Diaz vs. Kim? how come no one said a word about this fight? I heard of Diaz. Not Kim.

Poppa Catfish · 01-01-11, 09:56 PM

so far all of them

rocky mattioli · 01-01-11, 10:01 PM

so glad i backed out of my staright on grispi...guy had no stand-up...totally exposed...

that video i posted earlier in the thread was abviously sent from the gods...

Vaughany · 01-01-11, 10:16 PM

Originally posted by rocky mattioli

so glad i backed out of my staright on grispi...guy had no stand-up...totally exposed...

that video i posted earlier in the thread was abviously sent from the gods...

ha yeah great decision Rocky! Main reason I avoided betting on him straight up was because I hadnt seen much of his stand-up. Most the guys he submitted initiatied the takedown which lead to the guillotine, Poirier was never going to look for a takedown and as far as I know Grispi doesnt have a high level wrestling background so didnt know whether he'd be able to takedown Poirier...and he didnt! So basicly to many unknowns!

Poppa Catfish · 01-01-11, 10:32 PM

That was a very awkward pulling guard too, he has been exposed big time. Grispi should take on McGuillotine next. Catchweight