UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones II
Date: July 29, 2017
Arena: Honda Center
City: Anaheim, CA
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Anaheim, CA for the seventh time in promotional history this Saturday (July 29, 2017) with UFC 214: Cormier vs. Jones II. The stacked 12-fight card is scheduled to kick off with preliminary action on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30 p.m. (ET), with televised prelims following on FXX at 8 p.m. and the main card getting underway on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are available at Several Bookmakers.
Here are my top plays for the UFC 214 prelims…
Featherweight bout: Jason Knight (-120) vs. Ricardo Lamas (+100)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I’ve been riding with Knight on his current four-fight winning streak, but I think it comes to an end on Saturday night, as I think Lamas is a bad stylistic matchup for him. He may very well have the advantage on the feet, but I believe Lamas has the superior wrestling, and I expect that to be the difference in this 145-pound contest. Knight is an exceptional grappler in his own right, but I see Lamas finding success with his takedowns and defending Knight’s submission attempts from the bottom. I think Lamas spends the majority of 15 minutes of action in top position en route to earning a unanimous-decision victory in this contest. I see this fight hitting the judges’ scorecards for a decision, and I do favor Lamas to get his hand raised. At +100, I believe he is the right side for a wager in this contest, as I think he should be a -180 betting favorite in this bout.
Gabe’s Call: Lamas by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Lamas (+100)
Catchweight (140 pounds) bout: Aljamain Sterling (-125) vs. Renan Barao (+105)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Personal bias aside, I really like Sterling in this matchup. I believe he is on his way up while Barao is on his way down. I think he is capable of out-striking and out-grappling Barao. FightMetric has Barao’s takedown defense at 100 percent, which is inaccurate, as he was taken down by TJ Dillashaw. I guess it was not scored as an “official” takedown, so I think there is a good chance that Sterling will become the first fighter to “officially” put Barao on his back. Whether on the feet or on the mat, I do favor Sterling in this contest. I think he should be a -190 betting favorite here, so I’ll gladly take him at his current offering price of -125.
Gabe’s Call: Sterling by T/KO (punch, 1:34 round 1)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Sterling (-125)
