Saturday’s UFC 145 betting card is much more than Jon “Bones” Jones defending his light heavyweight title against “Suga” Rashad Evans. While the main event might be the most intriguing matchup between the former friends and training partners, there are several other fights on the main and preliminary cards that offer MMA bettors plenty of opportunities to win money. There is a little of everything in the 12 total bouts between the two cards, starting with a featherweight fight between Marcus Brimage (4-1) and Maximo Blanco (8-3-1, 1 No-Contest) that will be one of two shown on Facebook. Blanco will be making his UFC debut after losing in his only appearance in Strikeforce to Pat Healy via rear-naked choke submission last September 10. Meanwhile, the 5-foot-4 Brimage will be giving up three inches in height to Blanco but already has a UFC win under his belt, earning a unanimous decision win over Stephen Bass at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale last December. Brimage competed in TUF 14 but lost to Bryan Caraway in the quarterfinals last December 3. TUF 10 finalist Brendan Schaub (9-2) will fight on the main card later in the evening and try to rebound from a first-round knockout loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira when he faces veteran heavyweight Ben Rothwell (31-8). Schaub had won four straight bouts before falling to Nogueira at UFC 134 last August 27, which brought back memories of his previous loss to Roy Nelson, also a KO in the first round. The former pro football player is a -255 favorite and will meet another fighter coming off a loss in his last bout in Rothwell (+195), who has dropped two of his three appearances in the UFC. Rothwell was a TKO victim of former heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and also lost a unanimous decision to Mark Hunt at UFC 135 last September 24. One of the most exciting young fighters in the UFC will also get a chance to show he belongs among the top contenders at bantamweight when rising star Michael McDonald (14-1) takes on Miguel Angel Torres (39-4). The 21-year-old McDonald is the EVEN money underdog and has won seven in a row, including all three of his UFC bouts so far. He earned Knockout of the Night honors in his last fight against Alex Soto at UFC 139 last November 19, finishing him off in just under a minute. The UFC 145 odds see Torres as a small -130 favorite despite going 3-3 in his past six bouts. Torres is 2-1 in the UFC and is the former WEC bantamweight champ.
