UFC on FX 8 Arena Jaragua, Jaragua Do Sul, Brazil Saturday, May 18, 2013 Bantamweight bout: Yuri Alcantara (-500) vs. Iliarde Santos (+400) Fight Breakdown: A bantamweight bout between Yuri Alcantara and UFC newcomer Iliarde Santos props up the UFC on FX 8 undercard. Alcantara is currently a hefty -500 (bet $500 to win $100), while Santos is +400 (bet $100 to win $400) at Several Bookmakers. Alcantara (27-4, 1 NC) is one of the best-kept secrets in the UFC bantamweight division and after his controversial No Contest against Pedro Nobre at UFC on FX 7 I expect him to have a real breakout performance in this fight. The 32-year-old is a very well-rounded fighter capable of winning bouts both with his striking and with his submissions and I think he’ll be a force at 135 pounds. Remember, this is a guy who knocked out Ricardo Lamas at lightweight back in the WEC. He’ll be fighting an unknown in the form of Santos in this fight but look for him to really display his skills and talents in a fight that I believe is a mismatch. Santos (27-6-1, 1 NC) is making his UFC debut in this fight and took the fight on short notice after an injury to Marcus Vinicius. The Brazilian native has been competing in MMA for a long time but he’s fairly unknown to fans in North America and there’s not much fight footage available on him. Still, it’s extremely difficult to like him in this fight against a stud like Alcantara and if he gets the upset victory I would be absolutely shocked. I don’t see him finishing Alcantara and his best chance to win the fight may be by a controversial decision. Fight Prediction: After what happened in his last fight, look for Alcantara to make sure there is no controversy this time around. I see Alcantara getting Santos to the ground early on and getting him into a dominant position where he’ll be able to nail him with strikes until the referee is forced to intervene and call the TKO finish. Adam’s Pick: Alcantara via TKO (click for latest MMA odds) Adam’s Recommended Play: Even at the high juice, Alcantara is a good parlay option because I can’t see Santos winning this fight. Another play you could make is the UNDER 2.5 rounds prop, which pays out +110, because I do believe there will be a finish in this fight. I’d also take a look at the Alcantara wins inside the distance prop when it comes out.
