The UFC’s schedule has slowed down a bit towards the end of the summer, and UFC 191 will be the last event before things really ramp up for the big end to 2015 that the organization has planned. UFC 191 will feature the rematch between flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, and the fighter who gave him his toughest defense, John Dodson. The former TUF winner was able to clip Johnson a couple of times early in their January 2013 bout, but faded as the match wore on and saw the champion take over. Since that time, Johnson has made incredible improvements in all aspects of his game, while Dodson has spent a bulk of his time recovering from a bad knee injury. The co-main event is a fight that would have been one of the biggest that could have been made in MMA back in 2005, and somehow it’s still a relevant fight between a pair of heavyweight contenders in 2015. Andrei Arlovski has experienced a stunning resurgence since rejoining the UFC for his most recent run, and Frank Mir has scored a pair of first round TKOs after dropping four straight bouts at one point. Both fighters have recovered from periods in their career where many were calling for their retirement to once again find themselves in the top 10 at heavyweight. The UFC 191 main card also features Anthony Johnson’s first bout since falling to Daniel Cormier in his light heavyweight title bid. He’ll be taking on fellow heavy hitter Jimi Manuwa. Rising strawweight star Paige VanZant will open up the pay-per-view card in what many consider a showcase bout against Alex Chambers as well. The preliminary card for UFC 191 features a couple of stellar matchups to boot, as lightweight strikers Paul Felder and Ross Pearson square off in the Fox Sports 1 headliner. However, perhaps the most anticipated fight of the entire card is the bantamweight debut of John Lineker, as he takes on fellow bomber Francisco Rivera in a bout that seems almost destined for ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas completed the lineup of betting odds for UFC 191 today at Several Bookmakers, and you can check them out below: ——————–
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——————– Brad’s Analysis: I think Jessica Andrade beats Raquel Pennington again, but the first fight was closer than people will remember, and I’m not willing to pay the price on Andrade when this line eventually gets bet up. If it stays where it is, or action comes in on Pennington because of how competitive the first fight was, then I may consider Andrade as a parlay leg. Clay Collard’s last performance is leaving me with enough questions that I’m going to stay away from betting him against Tiago Trator, even though I believe he’s the better fighter in nearly every area. My eyes tell me that he was hurt to the body early in the Benitez fight and that was the root of his terrible performance, but my brain isn’t quite ready to believe that was the sole reason. On the other hand, Trator was surprisingly knocked out in his last outing after a high-energy, but sloppy UFC debut. Collard will be the most skilled fighter he’s faced in the UFC, and I can’t back him either. This is a fact-finding fight for me, and it should be a fun one, which is a nice bonus. Joe Riggs is done. Joe Riggs is also better than Ron Stallings in pretty much every area. I’m not entirely sure which of these holds more weight, but I actually lean towards Riggs’ skill. Stallings is fairly similar to the type of fighters that Riggs beat on his way to becoming ‘Fight Master’ and as long as his body holds together (not a given by any means) I think he wins this one. I really don’t think I can bring myself to bet Joe Riggs in 2015 unless I’m getting a much bigger number though. In another fight straight out of Bellator, Nazareno Malegarie is taking on an undefeated Brazilian who has faced a very poor quality of competition. Malegarie is best at 145, while Joaqium Silva has spent his career primarily at 170, so seeing them meet at 155 will be interesting. I lean towards the superior grappling skills of Malegarie, but if Silva is able to hurt him with his big right hand early, or use his size and strength to shut down Malegarie’s grappling, I wouldn’t be shocked. This is another pass for me on the undercard here.