UFC on FX 8 Arena Jaragua, Jaragua Do Sul, Brazil Saturday, May 18, 2013 Light Heavyweight Bout: Fabio Maldonado (-245) vs. Roger Hollett (+205) Fight Breakdown: A light heavyweight bout pitting brawler Fabio Maldonado against Roger Hollett takes place on the UFC on FX 8 undercard. Maldonado is a -245 favorite (bet $245 to win $100), wile the comeback on Hollett is +205 (bet $100 to win $205) at Several Bookmakers. Maldonado (18-6) is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division and also one of the best boxers in the UFC, a fighter known for his devastating body shots. The 33-year-old Brazilian may be only 1-3 in the UFC but don’t let that poor record fool you as he’s a much better fighter than that record indicates. Considering he’s lost three fights in a row and needs to defeat Hollett in order to stay in the UFC, I think you can expect an extremely hungry Maldonado in this fight and that spells disaster for Hollett. Hollett (13-4) has only fought once in the UFC but it was a poor decision loss to a fading Matt Hamill at UFC 152. The 34-year-old Canadian is a big, strong guy and has some knockout power of his own but his technical striking is lightyears away from where Maldonado’s is and the only way I see him winning this fight is by getting the takedowns on Maldonado and riding him out. And since I don’t think he’ll be able to do that, I just can’t see him winning and I actually see him getting stopped for the third time in his career. Fight Prediction: I really do believe Maldonado is one of the best boxers the UFC has today and after getting the snot beat out of him by Glover Teixeira at UFC 153, I expect him to be very motivated to bounce back with a big win. Look for Maldonado to outbox Hollett on the feet and eventually hurt him and finish up the job with some brutal punches. Adam’s Pick: Maldonado via TKO (click for latest MMA odds) Adam’s Recommended Play: I really like Maldonado to win this fight and I think he’s undervalued at -245. Feel free to throw him into a two-man parlay with someone else on the card and also look for the Maldonado wins inside the distance prop. If that’s at plus money, I’d recommend a small play on it, but nothing crazy since Hollett is tough and it could go to decision, but I doubt it.
