Last week was the time to take advantage of the torrid run favorites this year in the UFC as the parlay of Sean Strickland -240/Jailton Almeida -170 earned 1.0 unit on a 1.06 unit investment.

To date digital readers are in the black as profitability stands 14-9 +8.73u.

10-2 were favorites at UFC 302 pushing chalk to 149-67-4 this year or 67.7% which is as high as I can remember tracking for favorites in the UFC during this past decade!

Regression must be coming but the great question… is when?

This week the UFC is in Louisville, KY for a card with thirteen scheduled fights, six of which are at the Welterweight (170lbs) division or heavier which may contribute to a higher potential for finishes as fight at 170 pounds and higher finish inside the distance at a clip of just over 59%.

Let’s Keep this momentum moving!

Nassourdine Imavov -130 vs. Jarod Cannonier +110 Middleweight (185lbs.) main event

Eighth ranked Imavov of Russian descent fighting out of France is an ascending talent in this division.

With a solid boxing base Imavov, 13-4 professionally has been developed his mixed martial arts arsenal under Fernand Lopez at the MMA Factory in Paris.

5-2-1 in the UFC, Imavov has been guided against more diversely and highly talented athletes every step of the way during his brief time in the UFC.

Now he gets his second firm test against a top five talent in Cannonier. In his first top five battle, Imavov was dominated by last week’s co main event winner and ex middleweight champion Sean Strickland.

The question to date is, has Imavov developed enough fight diversity and experience in the year and a half since he was squelched by Strickland to be able to compete effectively against Cannonier who by the way defeated Strickland?

In fourth ranked middleweight Jarod Cannonier we have an athlete finitely focused on a final run at a title for Cannonier, who has competed at Heavyweight, light heavyweight and now middleweight is now forty years of age though he competes like a man many years younger.

Cannonier has a granite jaw and an unbreakable will. He’s felt the power of sluggers well larger than his current division and has managed to best every middleweight he’s faced save for his bout against then champion Israel Adesanya.

At middleweight Cannonier is unusually fast and adroit while retaining the power he possessed when he fought at the higher divisions. Cannonier’s grappling is complete yet untested and his desire to earn another title opportunity drives him.

In this matchup Cannonier will possess advantages in speed, footwork, grappling  and power while Imavov will be the man twelve years younger who will also hold a four inch height advantage. Reach advantage goes to Cannonier which in essence negates any advantage Imavov’s height provides him.

Once the bell for this bout begins, it will be Cannonier who is the forward pressing aggressor while it will be up to Imavov to hold his ground and attempt to bully, berate and batter Cannonier as Cannonier forges ahead to gain pocket position then unload on Imavov.

Both of these men are durable and a finish by either seems unlikely at this point as expressed by the total in this fight coming 4.5 rounds to the over -160.

Imavov believes he’s ready to take the top five position from Cannonier and Cannonier believes that by slaying this young ascending talent he only solidifies further his claim to be the next middleweight in line for a title shot.

I believe Cannonier’s physical attributes, his mental capacity, experience and level of competition faced all provide him advantage in this fight.

Cannonier +110

L’udovit Klein -130 vs. Thiago Moises +110 lightweight (155lbs.)

This fight will be crazy as two willing lefties will get the Louisville crowd lit up with their striking prowess.

The Slovakian Klein is 5-2 in the UFC but his wins were earned against dubious talent many of whom are no longer in the organization. An athlete with a boxing background complimented with some BJJ, Klein steps up his level of opponent faced considerably when he climbs into the cage Saturday against Moises.

Moises is a black belt in BJJ who has trained among the slew of elite and diversely talented lightweight athletes in Florida’s ATT gym before returning to Brazil for this camp to train with the Fighting Nerds team, a white hot group of Brazilian killers.

Moises will be the taller, larger fighter in the cage Saturday and he’s competed against an elite level of lightweight competition which is how and why I favor him in this confrontation.

I believe Moises is the faster striker with more developed BJJ acumen and it’s his comprehensive Jiu Jitsu acumen that sets his advantage in this bout.

Moises +110

Total in this fight 2.5Rds Over -195

The ‘Bout Business Podcast is 15-4 over the last three UFC events and stacking profit each week. The podcast drops this Friday around Noon PT and is available at GambLou.com

Thank You for reading and enjoy this Louisville fight card.

GambLou

It’s Business!

From South America to St. Louis, Mo. we track for this week’s UFC Fight Night event.

This fight slate is comprised of thirteen scheduled bouts to be competed in the larger thirty-foot octagon with participants arriving from thirteen differing countries.

Six of the thirteen bouts feature athletes 170lbs or greater.

Finish rates in three round fights comprised of fighters weighing 170lbs and above are 58.3%, so we may witness violent finishes on this card, at least that is the hope!

Last week Alexandre Pantoja -185 earned a close decision victory over Steve Erceg as well my release of big dog Anthony Smith +435 won via first round submission. What was not anticipated was how efficiently Smith would dispose of Vitor Petrino his Brazilian foe as I advised the over 1.5 Rounds. Smith disposed of Petrino some two minutes into the fight.

Digital profit for 2024 now stands 12-8 +7.73 after last week’s success. The task this week is to keep momentum rolling as we search for profitability in this week’s event.

Derrick Lewis -145 vs. Rodrigo Nascimento +125 heavyweight (265lbs.) main event

Brazilian mixed martial artist Nascimento is the fifteenth ranked athlete in the division. The thirty-one-year-old is a blue belt in BJJ and overall, a well-rounded grappler/striker who steps up in level of competition for this his first five round main event.

Derrick Lewis is now thirty-nine and ranked twelfth in the division. Lewis is not a mixed martial artist rather he is a behemoth of a man who stalks opponents down in order to club them into unconsciousness with his singularly dimensioned one strike KO power.

Lewis is short on footwork, take down defense and stamina though early in fights he displays athleticism and explosion though the limit for his explosiveness is around four minutes, after that Lewis is a telegraphing headhunter.

At this stage of his career, when Lewis fights, he’s calculating how best to expend his precious energy as his one way to earn victory is to touch the opponent on the teeth. With one detonation Lewis can put adversaries to sleep with one telegraphed connection.

That is Lewis’ plan of attack in any fight.

Nascimento’s last three bouts have all gone to decision so he can effectively compete for fifteen minutes, and it must be his approach to take Lewis past the first five minutes to burden the ‘Black Beast,’ force him to tire and therefore make any takedown attempt that much easier to execute.

The issue for Nascimento may be his chin. Is his sole loss earlier in his career to journeyman Chris Daukaus who is no longer in the organization, Nascimento was knocked out and Daukaus has fractions of the speed and power that Lewis holds.

Should Nascimento who opened a pick-em against Lewis be ‘chinny’ as that fight against Daukaus indicated then it is fair to say that he is in real danger against a profuse pounder like Lewis.

The total in this fight is lines 1.5 Under -145 which is concerning if one is trying to make a case for the Brazilian traveling to the ‘show me state’ to compete against a pure knockout threat like Lewis.

Pass

Joaquin Buckley -170 vs. Nursultan Ruziboev +145 Welterweight (170lbs.) co main event

We last saw eleventh ranked Buckley 18-6 overwhelm top fifteen ranked Vicente Luque with his power striking in New York March 30^th. That display put Buckley in the rankings as well put the division on notice that this man is a natural born finisher.

Buckley rarely employs a wrestling base developed in high school as his vicious fighting style was groomed in the streets of East St. Louis.

Besides fighting in his home city, Buckley totes momentum into this fight and he is exuding great confidence. Confidence is one weapon UFC fighters often boomerang into dynamic success.

Ruziboev, 34-8-2 enters this fight with vast experience though there are legitimate questions surrounding the authenticity of his record as well the caliber of athletes he’s faced.

Fighting out of the Renzo Gracie camp in Philly which is known for its cultivation and refining of wrestling/grappling based talent, Ruziboev enters this fight off an impressive KO finish of the modestly talented Sedriques Dumas which he accomplished March 30^th on the same card as his opponent Buckley.

Ruziboev will hold seven inches of height supremacy and another four inches of leg reach besides his vast advantage grappling.

To date, we have not witnessed Ruziboev tussle against pedigreed UFC talent nor have we watched him have to endure any form or real trouble. That changes in this fight.

Once this scrap starts Ruziboev will look to distance himself strategically from the aggressive keg of TNT that is Buckley. Buckley will be impatient in his attempt to gain inside access and detonate hooks, crosses, elbows, and kicks on the tall man from Uzbekistan.

Ruziboev has everything to gain in this most intriguing battle. He must weather the furious first five minutes of this fight then find a way to clasp ahold of and press the explosive Buckley against the fence then onto the floor.

Then, after Buckley’s explosiveness is usurped by battle (that is the hope anyway) the fight could well turn to the towering, but well-structured grappler Ruziboev who uses a grinding methodology as opposed to immediate and sudden impact.

‘Styles make fights’ as Angelo Dundee used to chime and I regard this fight as exhibit ‘A’ for that quote.

Buckley opened -150 for this fight and his price has risen steadily early in the week.

The total in this fight is 1.5 over -130 which indicates potential success for the Uzbeki grappler as I do see this fight eclipsing that total.

I am back to an underdog release this week.

Ruziboev +145

GambLou ‘Bout Business Podcast with all my releases for this fight card will drop Friday mid-day Pacific time. Look for it at GambLou.com.

Enjoy the fights and thank you for reading.

The Monster fight card that is UFC 300 is upon us!

Thirteen matchups comprised with twelve athletes that are current champions or former champions. Each fighter on this card is worthy of headlining any Fight Night or PPV. In this case, we get the benefit of a whole slate of elite matchups.

Last week at UFC90 Chepe Mariscal who was released +105 earned a close decision win that in all honesty I had scored for his opponent.

In the UFC, fights going to the judge’s scorecards become very risky business as the criteria for judging fights has recently been tweaked to take into consideration ‘damage’ over ‘control.’

Compounding matters is the stringent inconsistency by which these decisions have been ruled under the ‘supposed’ new guidelines. At the end of the day, there will be results that are going to be rendered as difficult to understand, some even impossible to figure.

Such is the fight game when it comes to judging.

Heading into this epic UFC 300 fight slate digital results including that Chepe win stand 9-5 +7.27.

Last week’s second release, the first leg of a parlay involving Alex Morono -295 was a winner. He is paired with Jailin Turner -215 who fights in this event. The parlay placed last week returns 1 full unit on an investment of 1.04 units.

Let’s look at a handful of bouts.

Alex Pereira -130 vs. Jamahal Hill +110 Light Heavyweight (205lbs.) Championship

Hill, a brown belt in BJJ is the former champion who vacated the belt because of an Achilles injury suffered last July.

He is a deft boxer/striker with great movement and substantial power, but he is singularly dimensioned and has come into this fight with an abbreviated fight camp choosing to take advantage of being a headliner for this event at the request of the UFC who was struggling to find a banner main event matchup.

Pereira, the current champion, is also a brown belt in BJJ but under the instruction of a more renown Jui-Jitsu head, he is also a black belt in kickboxing where he is regarded as an ultra-elite, world class talent based on his body of work.

Pereira’s utilizes a formidable leg kick attack that immediately compromises opponents then when the adversary’s mobility is compromised, he moves in to inflict harm.

Hill’s decision to take this short notice five round championship off an Achilles injury that was incurred under a year ago coupled with Pereira being the more versed mixed martial artist and the more refined striker makes Pereira a bargain at current pricing.

Total in this fight 1.5 Rds. Over -175

Zhang Weili -485 vs. Yan Xiaonan +375 Woman’s strawweight Title

Yan was the first woman signed to the UFC from China. She is primarily a striker who has recently been awarded a blue belt in BJJ.

Yan’s primarily a boxer who is just becoming more comfortable wrestling at thirty-six years of age. She will be the slightly taller fighter in this bout but her level of competition pales in comparison to her Chinese adversary Weili.

Weili, the current champion is a brown belt in BJJ, a structured wrestler and a profusely powerful striker/kicker who is extremely focused on forcing aggression directly to opponents.

Zhang’s faced and defeated the elite of the division and is currently on her second stint as titleholder. Her five-round experience against a far superior level of competition, her more complete, diverse fighting arsenal and her innate power qualify her a deserving, heavy favorite in these five round championship bouts.

Total in this fight 3.5Rds. Over -150

Justin Gaethje -175 vs. Max Holloway +145 (155lbs.) BMF Championship

Gaethje defends the BMF belt he earned when he head kick KO’d Dustin Poirier last July.

Gaethje is a former D1 college wrestler who possesses fight finishing striking power. He utilizes numbing low leg kicks and is as forward pressing and aggressive a fighter as can be found on the whole of the UFC roster.

Gaethje has competed against the class of the division and since 2019 has only had setbacks against Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov both world class grappling/wrestling talents which Holloway is not.

On the Feet Gaethje is a chainsaw.

His opponent Max Holloway is the former champion at the 145lb. division. Holloway wandered up to lightweight five years ago to face the aforementioned Poirier only to undertake an absolute beating in that bout.

It is my position and Holloway’s, that he took that fight without the necessary due diligence required to compete at the 155lb. division.

For this bout Holloway’s eight months to adapt his already structured frame to lightweight as opposed to the three plus months he took previously for this challenge force me to regard him very seriously though it is quite possible his best days have left him.

Holloway is a fluid moving striker who accrues damage over time and with volume for he has little pure punching power. He chooses to sharpshoot opponents with matriculated precision striking and brilliant counters.

From the opening bell, it will be Gaethje who will apply an aggressive forward attack to feast while Holloway must use footwork/movement to maintain distance in his effort to piece up Gaethje with precision, volume fists, kicks, and elbows. The thirty-foot cage is an asset to Holloway.

This fight will be a stylistic masterpiece.

Total in this battle 3.5Rds. Over -165

Jailin Turner -240 vs. Renato Moicano +185 Lightweight (155lbs.)

Brazilian athlete Moicano is a black belt in both BJJ and Muay Thai striking. He is long, lean and can hold his own while fights are waged on the feet. Moicano is lethal in his grappling and his ability to dominate adversaries on the ground, which is his forte.

At thirty-four and after a couple of recent wins, Moicano has become highly marketable in the organization. The fighter has learned English and parlayed it with a heavy dose of trash talking. His newly founded effervescent personality coupled with recent favorable matchups have jettisoned him up the ranks of the division to his current rank of thirteen.

Turner, the tenth ranked athlete in the division is the man who will stand at the opposite end of the octagon from Moicano.

Turner will be the larger athlete in the cage holding a 4-inch advantage in height as well arm/leg reach. He is also six years younger.

Turner is 6-2 in the division since 202 with losses only to ninth ranked Dan Hooker and fourth ranked Mateuz Gamrot who is a chain wrestling machine.

It was that loss experience against Gamrot, a bout Turner took on just a few days’ notice that provides the foundation for my confidence in the handicap for this fight.

Turner will appear to be fighting at a higher weight class when the bell for this fight chimes. His height, length, larger frame, and his take down defense together will allow him to thwart the incoming grappling advances of Moicano.

To be competitive in this fight, Moicano must advance forward to engage. In a larger cage against a much younger, larger more adroit man this is a prescription for damage.

Turner is an ascending athlete in the division, and he is facing a scrapper in Moicano who is made for him when size, age and fighting style are handicapped.

Turner is currently -240 yet because of the parlay applied last week with Morono, digital readers hold Turner at the advantageous price of -104.

*Turner -1.04u to earn 1.0u

Total in this fight: 1.5 Pick-em.

*Those unable to realize the parlay prescribed in last week’s column may consider Turner ‘to win via Finish’ -165 which is available at DraftKings Sportsbook under the tab ‘Winning Method’.

Bobby Green -175 vs. Jim Miller +145 Lightweight (155lbs.)

In July 2009 at UFC 100 Jim Miller defeated Mac Danzig via decision. In July 2016 Jim defeated Takanori Gomi via finish in round one.

Now for UFC 300 the forty-year-old Miller takes on Bobby ‘King’ Green.

Miller 26-16-1 in UFC competition is a well-rounded mixed martial artist who has seen everything the fight game can offer throughout his storied career.

In this fight he finally gets a chance to face an athlete’s he has been scheduled to face three times prior with each of those bouts being cancelled for one reason or another.

Green is no spring chicken himself at thirty-seven, but he is one of few UFC fighters who was competing professionally when Miller competed in UFC 100.

Now these two cagey UFC veterans finally get their chance to ‘get it on.’

Unfortunately for Miller, Green is three years younger, he is the well more athletic combatant and he is a most under rated wrestler though he rarely utilizes his skilled wrestling in fights.

On the feet Green is a slick customer who moves with grace and fluidity. He is an expert counter striker who can damage opponents from any angle moving forward, backward, or laterally and he carries power in the quickness of his strikes.

The knock on Green used to be his lack of preparedness and commitment for bouts but on this stage and with Green coming in off a KO loss against Jailin Turner it is my handicap that Green will overwhelm Miller Saturday.

Bobby Green is simply too fast, too precise with his striking and too athletic for Jim Miller at this stage of Miller’s career.

Green opened -210 for this fight so I will gladly take the discount.

Green 1.80u to earn 1.0u

Total in this fight: 2.5Rds. Over -145

My ‘Bout Business Podcast has six releases lined up for UFC 300 with a few more to be dished after weigh-ins Friday. Catch the podcast only at GambLou.com.

Thank you for reading and enjoy this epic fight card.

GambLou

It’s Business!

Favorites roared back to 65% on the year after n 11-2 result in last week’s UFC LV89.

My releases of Justin Tafa +150 and Rose Namajunas in the second leg of a two-fighter parlay split resulting in a 1-1 + .57 profit for the week. That makes digital profitability in 2024 6-5 +3.52u which displays an average win of +143.

Realizing profitability when committed to remaining on the underdog side of UFC results can be challenging which is why I remain ultra-selective with my releases on this platform. It takes little to ‘pick them all’ and the result of that erodes win percentages, gross profit and return on investment which are my sole concerns for this column and why I do not undertake that pursuit.

Into this UFC FN Atlantic City, we march where fighters compete in the larger thirty-foot octagon. Featured on this card are nine area athletes looking to harness the momentum of the home crowd to earn victory and propel their careers.

Erin Blanchfield -185 vs. Manon Fiorot +155 women’s flyweight (125lbs.) main event

We last witnessed third ranked Swedish athlete Manon Fiorot defeat debuting flyweight and former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas last September.

In that three-round affair, Fiorot displayed extreme durability coupled with aggressive power striking/kicking in earning a razor close nod.

The striking Swede realizes a +2.7 significant strikes landed per round as well exhibits 91% take down defense thus far in her career. While she does remain singularly centered upon slugging her durability, toughness and UFC experience make her a justified top five fighter in the division.

In second ranked Blanchfield we have an athlete that is ten years younger than Fiorot which the numbers say provides a 67% advantage historically.

Besides her youth Blanchfield is decorated with a black belt in BJJ and she has ascended the ranks of the division by dominating each challenge she has faced.

Blanchfield steps up in class of opponent for this fight certainly but her well rounded fight arsenal, youth, and the fact that she is competing in her own back yard against a European athlete that is travelling in all spell advantage for the twenty-four-year-old Jersy product.

This fight opened a dead pick-em but by Tuesday of fight week (today) Blanchfield’s been steamed to the current -198 based on the advantages spelled out above.

Though Fiorot has faced a more accomplished level of UFC opponent, the fact remains that this is her first headline event as well five round fight. In her last bout against Namajunas Fiorot slowed substantially in the third round against Namajunas who was making her debut in the division.

In Blanchfield she will face the more versed mixed martial arts athlete that is not only ten plus years younger but one that has already experienced the distractions and pressure of headlining a UFC card.

Though early in the week I believe it is too late to jump on the Blanchfield train now even though I handicap her to be fairly priced. Instead, the advantages lie in the total for this bout which opened 4.5 pick-em and now stand 4.5 Over -135.

This fight will be keenly contested. I handicap Blanchfield’s youth and well-rounded pedigree as well the fact that she is the more conditioned fighter fighting in front of a home crowd to in unison create enough advantage here for her to slay this Swedish threat though I judge that it takes her all five rounds.

Blanchfield/Fiorot Over -135

1.0u to earn .74u

Vicente Luque -120 vs. Joaquin Buckley +100 Welterweight (170lbs.) co main event

Buckley is an unranked mixed martial artist who has a modest wrestling background but is a profusely powerful puncher. He is physically compact and extremely explosive relying on bludgeoning hooks, crosses, and elbows to render opponents’ unconscious.

17-6 professionally and 7-4 in the UFC, Buckley lands slightly more significant strikes per round than he absorbs, sports average take down defense which he should not have to employ in this predicted standup war and he averages 1.51 takedowns per fifteen minutes of fight time which he will not undertake unless he gets stung.

He unrelentingly presses forward and wastes little time attempting to engage opponents in order to compete in a good old fashioned ‘turn your lights out’ throwdown.

In Brazilian and eleventh ranked Vicente Luque we have another relentless warrior raised in the New Jersey area, so he will have family in attendance and will be backed by the crowd.

Decorated with black belts in Luta Livre Esportiva and BJJ, Luque is the more well-rounded mixed martial artist of these two. He hurls a high rate of power punches in all his battles while being more than willing to receive a shot on the schnoz in order to deliver one.

Once the bell rings for this confrontation fans will be treated to a couple of alpha males looking to immediately ring the other up to earn an impressive and quick victory.

I expect there will be little feeling out in this fight by Buckley who will want to stand firm and hurl.

Luque must, in my judgment use tactic in this fight and employ a diversity of attack to sap the slugger from St. Louis of his explosiveness. Patience will be Luque’s ally as he may extol his best damage after his barrel bodied aggressor begins to swell up and slow down. The question is, can he remain focused on utilizing patience?

This issue with planned tactic for either of these men is that they rarely employ it choosing instead to engage in war and finish their opponent.

In this bout, the experienced laden Luque who has battled the more accomplished level of opponent must remain premeditated and on plan to manage this fight past the first five minutes of competition.

Once into the second round, provided this fight arrives there, Luque may be the faster more damaging power puncher of the two.

Luque opened as a -160 favorite in this fight and early money on Buckley has compressed the price down to the current -110.

Buckley’s lure is based on his explosiveness, the belief that Luque is older than he is as well UFC investors are aware that Luque’s experience also translates into attrition for he has been in several debilitating duels.

Total in this fight is lined 2.5Rds Under -165 after opening Under -135.

Few, including myself, expect this bout to go to a decision.

Lupita Godinez-200 vs. Virna Jandiroba +170 women’s strawweight (115lbs.)

Mexican ‘Loopy’ Godinez, tenth ranked in the division displays all the pride, durability, and determination of the Mexican fighter. Her MMA game has drastically improved since she began training with flyweight champion Alexa Grasso at Lobo gym in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.

A purple belt in BJJ the undersized Godinez displays complete willingness to engage in the stand-up wars Mexican boxers are renown. She is also apt at the takedown and has been effective stopping take down advances from opponents though in this fight that ability will surely be tested.

Brazilian Virna Jandiroba is decorated with a Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a green/white prajied in Muay Thai.

Seventh ranked Jandiroba will be the taller, larger female in the cage Saturday. She has competed against a level of competition more accomplished than has her opponent.

In this battle of Mexico vs. Brazil we will witness a couple of females fighting to break into the elite of the division. Lined 2.5 rounds with the over -270 this fight has all the makings of being a razor close decision.

At the end of the day Jandiroba’s size, her level of competition faced, and her ground abilities all signify to me the verification that she is the athlete with the more complete skills. ‘Though an underdog I handicap Jandiroba to be the sleeper of this fight card.

Jandiroba +170 .60u to earn 1.02u

Jandiroba via decision price is not yet available but it will be a strong consideration.

The GambLou ‘Bout Business Podcast drops Friday around Noon PT. Look for all my final releases at WWW.GambLou.com.

Enjoy the fights and Thank you for reading.

GambLou

Profitable Sports Gaming

 

 

UFC 299 was an epic fight card where favorites ran 3-2 on the pay per view main card. Overall, on the slate, chalk realized a 9-5 result making the 2024 total for favorites in the UFC 64-30-3 or 66%.

This week the organization returns to Las Vegas for a fight card which will take place at the UFC APEX where again, the smaller twenty-five-foot cage is used and very few fans are able to attend.

Overwhelmingly the athletes express a desire to compete in front of packed arenas where they can feed off the ferocity of the attendees despite the organization’s zeal to continue to hold events at its own forum.

Last week I hit both underdogs released. Curtis Blaydes was released at a price of -110 but ended up closing a slight underdog, knocked out Jailton Almeida in the second round of their heavyweight bout.

Dustin Poirier +185 was fully disrespected by the betting public in his bout against Benoit Saint Denis. He displayed how critical it is to recognize a professional fighter’s entire body of work as opposed to being blinded by recency and the lack of formidable, elite competition.

Saint Denis was not prepared mentally or physically to step up so aggressively in level of competition this early in his promising career.

Poirier awarded Saint Denis his PhD. In MMA but look for Saint Denis to rebound after being knocked out. There is a learning curve in world class mixed martial arts!

Those two underdog releases put my UFC profitability for this column in 2024 to 5-4 +3.05u.

Now let us investigate a fight card that offers thirteen bouts featuring athletes less recognized by most fans than last week’s UFC 299.

This production begins at 1pm PT with preliminary action followed by the main card which drops at 4pm PT.

Tai Tuivasa -115 vs. Marcin Tybura +105 Heavyweight (265lbs.) main event

Number ten ranked Polish fighter Tybura 24-8, is a black belt in BJJ. Tybura’s grappling is the foundation for his fighting. His striking is not overly effective as he carries little speed, precision, or power in his hands though he does offer decent kicking power from distance despite telegraphing his intentions.

When matched against top seven heavyweight adversaries, Tybura’s lack of fluid footwork and precision striking leaves him exposed to being blasted when standing.

The singularly dimensioned Pole, as witnessed in his last bout, a first round KO loss against number one ranked Tom Aspinal, struggles against elite, well rounded heavyweight competition.

In Tai Tuivasa we have an athlete that enters the cage eight years younger than Tybura which is a great advantage.

The fun loving Australian, now training in California at AKA is a brawling Muay Thai based striker who carries an abundance of power in his hands and can end any fight with one pop to an opponent’s chops.

Tuivasa also lacks fluidity of movement and precision striking preferring instead to walk opponents down and engage in leveraged toe-to-toe brawls staged from the center of the cage.

Once the bell to this bout chimes, I look for Tuivasa to be on the hunt for hooks, crosses, knees, and uppercuts. Tybura will attempt to engage on the feet only long enough to clasp onto the Aussie, force him against the fence then try to drag the massive mauler onto the mat then attempt to gain top position where he can reign his own form of damage.

Where this bout takes place will go a long way in determining its outcome for Tuivasa is as ill prepared to grapple/roll as Tybura is to engage in an all-out stand-up fracas.

Total in this fight: 1.5Rds Over -180

Mike Davis -300 vs. Natan Levy +245 Lightweight (155lbs.)

Levy trains at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. He is only three fights into his UFC career realizing a 2-1 record.

Decorated with a third dan black belt in Uechi-Ryū Karate, a black belt in Kyokushin Karate, a black belt in Kung Fu and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Levy’s resume appears impressive, yet he has shown little ability to apply effective striking in his bouts.

Levy’s grappling/wrestling is much more refined than his striking despite his Karate accolades. Levy needs a victory over a legitimate UFC caliber opponent as the level of his previous UFC competition leaves much to be desired.

Natan steps up in class substantially to take on his opponent Mike Davis.

Davis, 10-2 professionally trains in Florida’s famous ATT. There he is able to train with an array of highly skilled professionals who offer a great diversity of specialized MMA skills.

Davis’s UFC record is 3-1 but he has faced a more stringent level of competition than Levy. His takedown defense, movement and cardio will also be differentiating factors in a fight that I expect could go all fifteen minutes.

After a second-round submission loss to Gilbert Burns in his debut Davis has rattled off three straight victories against very worthy UFC competition.

In this fight he will be challenged by the pressing grappling of Levy, but it is my judgement that Davis’s footwork and effective power striking makes him a legitimate favorite in this confrontation.

While both men have grappling backgrounds, I look for this bout to take place standing and it is on the feet that Davis’s youth, height and reach advantages coupled with his superior athleticism will provide him great advantage.

I normally avoid high priced favorites but in this fight Davis’s advantages are too glaring to overlook. Levy for his part is stepping up in class exponentially.

Rather than risk such a high-priced favorite straight up, I will choose instead to parlay Mike Davis with Rose Namajunas -168 who competes in the main event of UFC Las Vegas 89 next week at the APEX center against Brazil’s Amanda Ribas.

Namajunas, a former strawweight champion is making her second bout at flyweight after an ultra-close decision loss to top three ranked Marion Fiorot in her last outing.

Namajunas trains in Denver at altitude, has championship pedigree and is a fine accompaniment to Mike Davis.

This parlay application allows me to hold substantial price advantage on Namajunas next week provided Davis earns victory as a -310 favorite this Saturday.

Davis -310 to Namajunas -175 1u pays 1.07

Total in Davis vs. Levy 2.5Rds. -210 Over

Jake Filho -185 vs. Ode Osbourne +160 Flyweight (125lbs.)

The smaller twenty-five-foot octagon used in APEX bouts will have negligible effect on these two tiny athletes who enter the cage with differing specialties.

Osbourne, 12-6 is a southpaw striker who will sport a five-inch reach advantage in this fight. He is 4-4 in the UFC displaying skilled striking however his inability to fend off aggressive, forward pressing grappling/wrestling based athletes is extremely worrisome as he struggles mightily if/when grounded.

Osbourne must sell his soul to ensure this fight remains standing and if he can do so, he is in position to get his hand raised.

In Brazilian Filho we have a tough, cagey BJJ artist who is 15-3 professionally and 1-1 in UFC competition.

Despite Filho giving away UFC experience to Osbourne, his dynamic viper-like grappling enables him to engulf opponents then drag them to the dirt for a drubbing. Grappling defines his success.

In a ‘styles make fights’ matchup it is Osbourne who needs to remain standing in order to find success while Filho must find a way to clasp onto the longer striker, ground him, wrap him up, then choke the life out of him.

Total in this fight: 2.5Rds Under -210

Props are not yet released for this card, but I expect Filho to submit Osbourne sometime after a competitive first round.

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GambLou

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