UFC Fight Night 74 Date: August 23, 2015 Arena: SaskTel Centre City: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Nasvhille, TN for the third time in promotional history this Saturday (August 8, 2015) for UFC Fight Night 73: Saint Preux vs Teixeira. The 13-fight card will get going with Fight Pass prelims at 6:30pm, with FOX Sports 2 prelims to follow at 8pm and main card action being live at 10pm ET on FOX Sports 1. If interested in wagering on these plays, or any plays for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. Here are my live dogs for UFC Fight Night 74: Featherweight bout: Charles Oliveira (+200) vs Max Holloway (-240) Gabe’s Thoughts: Holloway has the striking advantage heading into this contest but Oliveira has been making drastic improvements in the department, which have been evident from fight to fight. Should the fight play out on the feet and reach the judges’ scorecards, I think he can be competitive but will ultimately lose a unanimous decision. However, that is not how I expect this 145-pound five round main event scrap to play out. I think the Brazilian will find a way to take the fight to the mat, even if by pulling guard, where he will hold a massive advantage over the Hawaiian. If he fails to secure a submission finish on the mat, I think he will win the round(s). Though should Holloway survive early trouble but continously find himself on the mat with Oliveira, I think he will eventually get submitted. That said, I think “Do Bronx” can wrap this one up the first time he gets a takedown, pulls guard or goes for a leg. I could see him edging out a decision with takedowns but more often than not I think he finishes this fight by submission. Gabe’s Call: “Do Bronx” by Submission (achilles lock, 1:17 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Oliveira (+200) 2.5u to win 5u Welterweight bout: Josh Burkman (-135) vs Patrick Cote (+115) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Cote should be a -160 favorite in his Canadian backyard heading into this contest, so I like him for a value play at his current underdog tag of +115. The main reason I think he should be the favorite is because the fight is indeed in his backyard and the fight is likely to hit the judges’ scorecards, where the pro-Cote crowd could have an influence, should he not be deserving of the nod. I think Cote either wins a very close decision or walks away with it, all depending on how Burkman shows up. If Burkman is on top of his game and injury-free, I think it’s a coin-flip fight, and I side with the underdog in his backyard. Gabe’s Call: Cote by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Cote (+115) 2u to win 2.3u Flyweight bout: Chris Beal (-165) vs Chris Kelades (+145) Gabe’s Thoughts: Beal has solid takedown defense, but I think Kelades will manage to take him down, as well as grind him out against the cage. I see Kelades scoring takedowns and spending time in top position on the mat over the course of three rounds for a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. On the feet, Beal should have an advantage but I would not be surprised to see Kelades make it competitive, especially in later rounds, considering that he will have a cardio advantage heading into the bout. I think Kelades should be a -180 betting favorite in his Canadian backyard heading into this 125-pound contest, so at his current underdog price of +145, I do like him for a wager. Gabe’s Call: Kelades by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Kelades (+145) 3u to win 4.35u Note: I also have a play on Yves Jabouin (+170).
