UFC 149: July 21, 2012 Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada UFC Welterweight Contender Matthew Riddle (-115) Profile: The rambunctious member of Rampage Jackson’s team on The Ultimate Fighter, Matthew Riddle (6-3) has seen every one of his professional fights inside the Octagon. While that may be an incredible feat by itself, Riddle has not had the most successful run in the UFC so far with a few fun but extremely sloppy brawls that simply went his way on the judges’ scorecards. The 27-year-old is a physical specimen yet has a tendency to lose his head once he gets hit, and he seems to be willing to make it an all-or-nothing slugfest, which sometimes works out for him and other times leaves him with his opponents getting their hand raised. In fact, two of his last three fights have ended with him losing a unanimous decision. UFC Welterweight Contender Chris Clements (-115) Profile: The man with fists made of cement, Chris Clements (11-4) is only a five-year vet of MMA, but he already has 11 wins with 10 coming by way of knockout. The 36-year-old Canadian welterweight won his UFC debut last April at UFC 145 against Keith Wisniewski via a hard-fought split decision. He is riding a five-fight winning streak overall after losing three of four and will get an opportunity to put on a show in front of his home crowd at UFC 149 against Riddle. Opening UFC 149 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened Riddle and Clements both at-115 (bet $115 to win $100). Early betting has been the MMA odds shift to Riddle as the -140 favorite at Several Bookmakers while Clements is now a +110 underdog (bet $100 to win $110). Like the heavyweight matchup Shawn Jordan vs. Cheick Kongo also on the UFC 149 main card, there is a 10-year age difference between the fighters that may be factoring into where the money has been going so far. Riddle is the younger of the two yet has far more experience in the UFC, with all of his pro bouts taking place there, starting with The Ultimate Fighter. However, he has not been terribly impressive early in his career and will be fighting an opponent who has finished 10 of 11 opponents in his wins and been finished in all of his losses. Eleven of Clements’ 15 bouts have been in Canada, and he should be extra motivated to fight there again.
