UFC 178 Date: September 27, 2014 Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena City: Las Vegas, NV UFC 178 will be live on Pay Per View this Saturday at 10pm ET with a five-fight main card, with televised preliminary action kicking off at 8pm ET on FOX Sports 1. After the fights have concluded, the UFC will be awarding a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for the most exciting bout of the evening. To place a wager on this prop, or any others for UFC 178, you may do so at Several Bookmakerss. I believe these UFC 178’s FOTN contenders hold the most value: Nunes/Zingano +900 — This women’s bantamweight match-up marks the return of number one contender Cat Zingango, who with a win over Nunes, will position herself for a shot at Ronda Rousey and her gold. She last saw action at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale nearly a year and a half ago, defeating former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate via TKO in come-from-behind fashion in the third round. After the win in her promotional debut, she was set to challenge Rousey, as well as coach against her on a season of The Ultimate Fighter. Unfortunately, she suffered a knee injury and was replaced by Tate. After the extended layoff, she is ready to return and let everybody know that she is in fact still the number one contender. On the other side of the Octagon will be the first Brazilian to pick up a win inside the Octagon in Amanda Nunes, who currently enjoys a two fight winning streak in the promotion with a pair of first round TKO stoppages. She now looks to extend that streak to three, while simultaneously taking Zingano’s spot in the UFC’s women’s 135-pound rankings. I think this is going to be a very fun fight, regardless of how long it lasts. Being a women’s fight makes it’s chance chances of taking home the bonus that much more likely, so as long as it is an exciting fight and the main card produces finishes and/or not the most exciting fights, this fight should be in good shape to take home the honors. At +900, it’s worth a shot. Should these ladies take home the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, it would mean the first time for both. Masvidal/Krause +1000 — I feel there is good value in this prop at the current betting line of +1000, as I feel these pair of lightweights, given their styles, will produce exciting fights much more often than not. The only way I could see that not being the case is if Masvidal decides to wrestle for all 15 minutes and finds success in doing so. I don’t see that happening. Even if he does find success in winning rounds by using his wrestling, I think Krause will give him enough fits on the mat, and keep getting back to his feet to keep the action going and fight fans on the edge of their seats. Yes, I think Alvarez/Cerrone and McGregor/Poirier both have a better shot at taking home the bonus, but at the current betting odds of +250 and +300, I see no value in those plays, especially considering that the likelihood those fights result in an early finish is much greater than Masvidal/Krause ending early. This 155-pound scrap, in my opinion, has a better chance of going all three rounds than those two fights do, so with that in mind, a small stab at +1000 sounds like a play worth making. This bout makes a quick turnaround for Masvidal, who defeated Daron Cruickshank via unanimous decision less than two months ago to put him on a two-fight winning streak. Krause last saw action at UFC 173 nearly four months ago, defeating former WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner via injury TKO to put himself back in the win column following a controversial TKO loss to Bobby Green. Should these pair of lightweights take home the evening’s bonus, it would mean the second time for both strikers. Lee/Tuck +1200 — I would say this is my dark horse to take home the bonus. I expect both of these 155-pounders to bring it and leave it all in the Octagon, as they both search for a big victory, likely earning them a “name opponent” in their next outing. I think both of these lightweights are talented in their own rights and see them both having a future in the UFC. At the current betting line of +1200, I think there is enough value to warrant a small stab, as I feel these two will produce an entertaining fight more often than not. Should these two take home the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors, it would in fact mean the first time for both 155-pounders, who combine for a total of five Octagon appearances.
