There were no new fight bookings yesterday, so for today’s MMA Odds and Ends I’ll instead give my quick thoughts on some of the props available for UFC Fight Night 52 that I see having value. Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson OVER 1.5 rounds (-170) The main event between Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson is a tremendous battle between two heavyweight sluggers with iron chins, and I think it will be a Fight of the Year candidate when it’s all said and done. And while I do know heavyweight fights often end in round one, in this particular case I think both men are just too tough and I can’t see either guy being stopped early in the fight. So give me the OVER 1.5 rounds total at -170. It’s actually my favorite prop play on the entire card, and I think it’s a winner. Amir Sadollah vs. Yoshihiro Akiama goes to decision (-185) The fight between Amir Sadollah and Yoshihiro Akiyama is definitely a weird fight to bet, and I don’t think taking a side here is a wise decision. However, I do think the prop on the fight going to decision has some value at only -185. If you look at both fighters’ UFC careers, they almost always go the full distance, and I think that coming off of a long layoff each, they’ll both be tentative early and sluggish late, leading to the fight making it the full 15 minutes. Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Jon Delos Reyes does not go to decision (-170) Flyweight fights often go the distance, but in the case of Kyogi Horiguchi and Jon Delos Reyes, I just see too much finishing ability between these two and I can’t see this fight making it the full three rounds. Again, it’s flyweights so their power isn’t as great as the other weight classes, but in this particular matchup I think both men are finishers and both guys won’t want to leave it to the judges. So at -170, I see some value in the prop on this fight not going to decision. Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Takenori Sato UNDER 1.5 rounds (-160) Usually I never play UNDER 1.5 round totals because it doesn’t give much room to operate, but in the case of Hyun Gyu Lim vs. Takenori Sato I see a lot of value in the UNDER 1.5 rounds total at only -160. This is a huge mismatch — the biggest mismatch on the card easily and one of the biggest in quite some time in the UFC — and I have a hard time seeing it get out of the first round. I expect Lim to absolutely destroy Sato with his knees in the first round and at only -160, UNDER 1.5 has value in this spot. Maximo Blanco vs. Dan Hooker does not go to decision (-135) The opening main card bout between Maximo Blanco and Dan Hooker should be a very exciting featherweight affair, and it’s a fight I don’t see making it the full 15 minutes. There’s just too much stopping ability in this spot between both men, so at only -135, I feel like there is definitely value in the prop on Blanco vs. Hooker not going the distance as I really think one of these two men gets finished sometime inside of three rounds.
