The UFC this weekend announced a number of new matchups for upcoming fight cards, and for today’s Odds and Ends I’ll give a quick breakdown and my initial lean for all the matches. The first matchup is a heavyweight bout between Mark Hunt and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva which headlines the UFC’s return to Australia this December. Since it’s the main event, the fight will be set for five rounds, but I don’t think this one lasts past one. It’s a close fight but based on Silva’s soft chin and Hunt’s mammoth punching power, I lean Hunt for the win although I am concerned about his recent injury layoff. My initial thoughts are that Hunt opens around -200 with the comeback on Silva at about +150. That number on Hunt might seem high to some, but Silva is a guy who historically gets no credit from the public and I really do think people are going to expect Hunt to win by KO here. Either way, the bet I really like in this fight is the under, as there is no way this one doesn’t end in a finish. Next up is a high-energy lightweight fight between Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz at the TUF 18 Finale, which is a trilogy fight between the pair after they split the first two matchups. With both fighters coming into this match off of losses, I expect both men to be highly motivated for this fight and I expect a “Fight of the Night” candidate here. This is a close match but I would imagine Maynard opens as a slight favorite, perhaps at -140 or so with the comeback on Diaz at +110. It’s a fight that screams pass to me as I can see either guy winning, but if I had to pick a side I’d go with Diaz as he has improved significantly since the pair’s second fight while it appears as though Maynard is on the decline. Additionally, a welterweight bout between Brian Ebersole and Rick Story has been added to the stacked UFC 167 card and this is a fight I expect to be nothing but all-out fun between two underrated 170 pounders. Because of the long layoff for Ebersole, Story should be the favorite in this fight. I’d say that Story should open at -180 with the comeback on Ebersole at +140 or so, but it will be interesting to see where the public takes the line if it does indeed open around that mark. The next fight is a featherweight battle between Cole Miller and Andy Ogle, which will take place at UFC Manchester in October. It’s another close match but my initial lean is Ogle to come through with the upset in his hometown, although I do expect Miller to enter the match as a slight favorite, perhaps in the -150 range as the public has very little respect for Ogle’s talents. And finally, Bellator has booked a heavyweight fight between Cheick Kongo and Mark Godbeer. I’m assuming that Bellator wants Kongo to win this fight and they’ve given him a far less experienced opponent, but don’t be surprised if there’s an upset here. Realistically, though, Kongo will be about a 2-to-1 favorite here.
