For the past decade, Memorial Day Weekend has served as one of the biggest on the UFC’s calendar, providing a ton of memorable moments. Last year, for the first time since the Memorial Day card started back in 2006 (with Matt Hughes vs. Royce Gracie), a Fight Night card took the weekend slot rather than a big Pay-Per-View. That trend continues this year as well, with the added wrinkle that the Octagon will set up shop in Stockholm, Sweden rather than Las Vegas. It is fitting then, that the biggest star in Swedish MMA is headlining the event.
Top-ranked contender Alexander Gustafsson has been on the wrong side of decisions in two of the greatest light heavyweight bouts in UFC history, and given the now 30-year-old’s struggles with injuries and resulting inactivity, that may be as close as he gets to wearing UFC gold. However, with the return of Jon Jones and surprise retirement of Anthony Johnson, Gustafsson may be closer to a title shot than any fighter with just two wins since the beginning of 2013 could expect. The win he needs to get there is arguably the biggest of his career, however.
Second-ranked Glover Teixeira is in a similar position to Gustafsson, with his only losses coming to Jones, Johnson and Phil Davis (the first loss of Gustafsson’s career), but he has even fewer years left in his MMA career. Whether that means age has finally caught up to him, or he’ll be more motivated to make good on his smaller window of opportunity remains to be seen, but he certainly presents danger to Gustafsson in multiple facets of the game.
While the betting line for this fight opened with Gustafsson at -175 and Teixeira +135, it seems the early public is leaning towards age (and the Swede) getting the best of the 37-year-old Brazilian. Based on the live odds, Gustafsson has ballooned up to a -265 favorite, with the comeback on Teixeira at +225.
The only other bout with a line currently released is also in the light heavyweight division. A pair of the very few prospects at 205 pounds right now will square off for their chance to move up into title contention. Latvian-Canadian Misha Cirkunov opened a -260 favorite against Swiss striker Volkan Oezdemir (+180). The powerful Cirkunov has reeled off eight straight victories — all by finish — with the most recent over Nikita Krylov cementing him as a rising star at light heavyweight.
Oezdemir’s path to his current No. 5 ranking was far more unexpected. After racking up a 9-0 record in Europe, Oezdemir was brought into Bellator. He picked up a win in his first appearance but was submitted by Kelly Anundson in his follow-up outing, and subsequently let go. Following that setback, Oezdemir moved up to the heavyweight division, scoring a pair of wins. He was then scheduled to fight for Titan FC’s heavyweight title, but his opponent pulled out of the bout the week of with a staph infection. Luckily for Oezdemir, Jan Blachowicz had just pulled out of his bout with Ovince St. Preux, and a replacement was needed on two weeks’ notice. Despite having to cut significant weight, Oezdemir made it and earned himself a decision over OSP, which vaulted him way up the UFC rankings.
UFC Fight Night 109 also features journeyman Ben Saunders against Peter Sobotta, in what could be an entertaining welterweight scrap. At the same weight, but seemingly more guaranteed of fireworks is the second UFC appearance for Razak Al-Hassan. The dynamic judoka quickly dispatched Charlie Ward in his UFC debut, and if there’s one criticism that’s been levied at Omari Akhmedov, it’s that his chin may not be particularly stout.
Continuing the trend of action fights is the middleweight bout between Jack Hermansson and Alex Nicholson. Hermansson likes to put tremendous pressure on his opponents while Nicholson could fairly accurately be described as a brawler, which seems like a combination destined for an entertaining fight. The final main card bout features Nordine Taleb facing UFC debutante Oliver Enkamp. Not only is Enkamp making his first appearance inside the Octagon, but he’s coming in to this bout as a short notice replacement for Emil Weber Meek.
Even the prelims for UFC Fight Night 109 provide several bouts worth watching. The 12th-ranked bantamweight Pedro Munhoz takes on fellow skilled grappler Damian Stasiak in the featured prelim, Sweden’s Nico Musoke returns to the UFC for the first time in nearly two-and-a-half years against Bojan Velickovic, and undefeated welterweight Darren Till faces Jessin Ayari. Marcin Held also looks to finally get his first UFC victory against Damir Hadzovic while Chris Camozzi and Trevor Smith could be fighting for their UFC lives in a middleweight bout.
MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the full slate of UFC Fight Night 109 betting odds today at Several Bookmakers. Check them out below…
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UFC Fight Night 109: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira
May 28, 2017
Ericsson Globe | Stockholm, Sweden
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Main Card (FS1 – 1 PM ET)
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Glover Teixeira +135
Alexander Gustafsson -175
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Over 2.5 -150
Under 2.5 +110
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Volkan Oezdemir +180
Misha Cirkunov -260
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Over 1.5 -140
Under 1.5 +100
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Peter Sobotta +125
Ben Saunders -165
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Over 2.5 -175
Under 2.5 +135
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Omari Akhmedov +180
Abdul Razak Alhassan -260
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Over 1.5 +130
Under 1.5 -170
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Oliver Enkamp +220
Nordine Taleb -300
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Over 2.5 -170
Under 2.5 +130
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Alex Nicholson +130
Jack Hermansson -170
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Over 2.5 -165
Under 2.5 +125
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Preliminary Card (FS1 – 11 AM ET)
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Damian Stasiak +335
Pedro Munhoz -505
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Over 2.5 -160
Under 2.5 +120
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Trevor Smith +150
Chris Camozzi -190
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Over 2.5 -135
Under 2.5 -105
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Reza Madadi +140
Joaquim Silva -180
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Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
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Nico Musoke -105
Bojan Velickovic -135
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Over 2.5 -190
Under 2.5 +150
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Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass – 10 AM ET)
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Jessin Ayari +195
Darren Till -275
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Over 2.5 -170
Under 2.5 +130
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Damir Hadzovic +220
Marcin Held -300
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Over 2.5 -130
Under 2.5 -110
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