UFC on FX 4 Friday, June 22, 2012 at 9 p.m. (ET) on FX Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey Brian Ebersole (-275) Profile: Ebersole (49-14-1, 1 No-Contest) is a veteran journeyman of the MMA world. Currently, he is riding a 10-fight winning streak with his last loss coming at the hands of Hector Lombard on September 12, 2008. His entry into the UFC happened suddenly as a last-minute replacement to fight Chris Lytle in Australia. The 31-year-old took advantage of this fortune and ended up defeating Lytle in what would be Fight of the Night at UFC 127. Ebersole followed that up by destroying Dennis Hallman at UFC 133 with a first-round TKO (elbows) and then edged out Claude Patrick in a grapple-heavy split decision at UFC 140. TJ Waldburger (+215) Profile: Waldburger (15-6) is also a veteran to the fight game at only 24 years old. At 17, Waldburger turned pro and traveled along the independent circuits, amassing wins over the likes of Pat Healy and Shannon Ritch until he found a home on HDNet and Shark Fights. Then, in September of 2010, the UFC signed him, and he has wasted no time in going 3-1 with one decision victory, one KO loss to Johny Hendricks and consecutive submission wins over Mike Strumpf and Jake Hecht. Waldburger trains out of Grappler’s Lair in Texas and holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, although he is a good example of the new breed of complete mixed martial artist who is solid in every area. Opening MMA Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas has installed Ebersole as the -275 favorite (bet $275 to win $100) while Waldburger opened as a +215 underdog (bet $100 to win $215) according to the MMA odds. Ebersole’s experience gives him a clear advantage against Waldburger, who is taking a step up in competition against one of the hottest fighters in the UFC. While Waldburger is experienced for his age, he does not have a signature win yet in his young career since winning the Shark Fights welterweight title in 2009. Beating Ebersole would put him on the map, but a victory against the Aussie will not be easy since he has lost only once in the past five years. Ebersole also has more to lose in this fight and needs to keep winning if he is going to make an appearance in the MMA OddsBreaker MMA Fighter Rankings.
