One of the main card bouts at World Series of Fighting 11 is a three-round middleweight bout between Jon Fitch and Dennis “Superman” Hallman. The current betting line for the fight at Several Bookmakers lists Fitch as a -340 favorite (bet $340 to win $100) while Hallman is a +280 underdog (bet $100 to win $280). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas originally opened up Fitch at -385 and Hallman at +265, and so far the action has been back-and-forth as the lines have tightened. I think the lines are right on the money and believe Fitch deserves to be a big favorite as I think he will win this fight. Here’s why. Fitch (25-6-1) is considered one of the top grinders in MMA. The 36 year old was one of the elite welterweights in the sport for many years before hitting a downswing recently, as he’s won only two of his last six bouts, although to be fair he has fought near-elite competition. He has some great wins on his record over the likes of Thiago Alves (x2), Ben Saunders, Mike Pierce, Paulo Thiago, Akihiro Gono, Diego Sanchez, Josh Burkman and Shonie Carter and he’s fought the likes of Georges St-Pierre, BJ Penn, and Johny Hendricks. He has excellent wrestling and he likes to take his opponents down to the mat and grind them out there for decision wins. He also has excellent submission defence, and for many years he had a solid chin until Hendricks cracked it a few years back. He has been on a losing streak as of late but keep in mind the level of competition he has fought. Although Hallman is a tough and underrated fighter, Fitch is basically a better version of him and should win this fight, and that’s why he is a big favorite heading into the matchup. Hallman (53-14-2, 1 NC) is one of the most accomplished fighters in the sport. The 38 year old is a grappler at heart and has won 41 MMA fights via submission. He has wins over Matt Hughes (x2), Karo Parisyan, Ben Saunders, and John Makdessi amongst others. He has decent wrestling and once he gets a hold of his opponents he often takes them right to the ground, where he likes to take their back and lock in a rear-naked choke. However, while he does have great submissions his striking is very poor and he also has bad cardio. He’s more-or-less a one-tricky pony, and if he doesn’t finish his opponents via submission he has no other way to win his fights. Although he is very experienced, he has battled through some personal issues and injuries the last few years and seems to be hitting the tail end of his career. He can still win fights, but against guys like Fitch who are very good fighters and bad matchups for him on paper it won’t be easy, and that’s why he is a big dog this weekend. While he does have to watch out in the first round for Hallman’s rear-naked choke, I see Fitch using his typical gameplan of grinding his opponent out and taking the fight into the deep waters to win a clear-cut decision on the judges’ scorecards. At -340 I think Fitch could be worth putting into a two-team parlay as I believe he will defeat Hallman in this match. The fact the fight is at middleweight makes it a bit weird, but based on the style matchup this really is Fitch’s fight to win or lose and I see him getting his hand raised. I also favor the OVER 2.5 rounds total, which is -250.
