UFC 137 Plays (So Far):
George Ropp at +250 vs. Hatsu Hioki - Risk $15 to win $37.50
B.J. Penn at at -115 vs. Nick Diaz - Risk $25 to win $21.74
These are lines I don't see improving, so I went ahead and made some of these early plays.
Let me start by saying that B.J. Penn has proven himself against much higher level competition.
I see either Penn taking down Diaz with his very underrated wrestling (where he will be difficult to submit), or getting the better of Diaz standing. Diaz may have a reach advantage, but physical disadvantages haven't exactly limited Penn's game. It is powerful wrestlers that have gotten the better of Penn. And unless Diaz adopts a Frankie Edgar-esque style of quickly moving in and out of the pocket standing, I see him having trouble with B.J. Penn standing. Diaz likes to brawl with fighters on the feet while B.J Penn is much more methodical.
I understand that Hioki has proven himself to be one of the best featherweights in the world, and doesn't necessarily need a win in the UFC in order to prove that. However, Roop is no slouch, and presents a very tough matchup for Hioki in his UFC debut. Roop has proven to be a very dangerous kickboxer in his wins over the Korean Zombie and Grispi. If he can keep the fight standing for long enough, he may very well pull off a huge upset knockout.
Let me also add that we have seen hyped Asian fighters disappoint in their American MMA debuts.
More plays will be coming soon
George Ropp at +250 vs. Hatsu Hioki - Risk $15 to win $37.50
B.J. Penn at at -115 vs. Nick Diaz - Risk $25 to win $21.74
These are lines I don't see improving, so I went ahead and made some of these early plays.
Let me start by saying that B.J. Penn has proven himself against much higher level competition.
I see either Penn taking down Diaz with his very underrated wrestling (where he will be difficult to submit), or getting the better of Diaz standing. Diaz may have a reach advantage, but physical disadvantages haven't exactly limited Penn's game. It is powerful wrestlers that have gotten the better of Penn. And unless Diaz adopts a Frankie Edgar-esque style of quickly moving in and out of the pocket standing, I see him having trouble with B.J. Penn standing. Diaz likes to brawl with fighters on the feet while B.J Penn is much more methodical.
I understand that Hioki has proven himself to be one of the best featherweights in the world, and doesn't necessarily need a win in the UFC in order to prove that. However, Roop is no slouch, and presents a very tough matchup for Hioki in his UFC debut. Roop has proven to be a very dangerous kickboxer in his wins over the Korean Zombie and Grispi. If he can keep the fight standing for long enough, he may very well pull off a huge upset knockout.
Let me also add that we have seen hyped Asian fighters disappoint in their American MMA debuts.
More plays will be coming soon