MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas today officially opened up the full MMA odds for Saturday’s UFC on FUEL TV 8 event through Several Bookmakers. The event takes place on the morning of March 3 in Saitama, Japan and airs the evening of March 2 in North America. Here are the openings odds for the full UFC on FUEL TV 8 card: ————————— Wanderlei Silva +145 Brian Stann -175 Mark Hunt +135 Stefan Struve -165 Takanori Gomi +250 Diego Sanchez -350 Yushin Okami +170 Hector Lombard -230 Mizuto Hirota -110 Rani Yahya -130 Siyar Bahadurzada +145 Dong Hyun Kim -185 ————————— Adam’s Analysis: The top three fights have already been out for a while now so I’ll use this spot here to talk about the new UFC on FUEL TV 8 odds released tonight. The first line I like is Hector Lombard, who opened at -230 over Yushin Okami, with the comeback being +170 on Okami. It’s likely that Lombard will knock Okami out in this fight and that’s why the line might seem steep considering how accomplished Okami is. Still, look for Lombard to win this fight and I would recommend him in a parlay at the current price. Next up we have Mizuto Hirota vs. Rani Yahya. Yahya opened a slight -130 favorite, while the comeback on Hirota is -110. This is an evenly matched bout that could go either way, but I would lean towards Hirota for the bet, especially if he hits plus money. And finally we have a welterweight bout between Dong Hyun Kim and Siyar Bahadurzada. Kim opened at -185, while the comeback on Bahadurzada is +145. This is another interesting fight between a striker and a grappler. Kim should be able to take this fight to the ground and dominate there, but if Bahdurzada can keep it standing he can win the fight by knockout. Still, I would lean Kim and like him for a bet at the current odds. UFC 160 Odds Released Kalikas also released the opening line for the main event of UFC 160 between heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Velasquez hit the books as a -600 favorite, while Silva is a +400 favorite. This is a very difficult matchup for Silva, and the public will likely come in on Velasquez. He might even get up to nearly -800 when it’s all said and done. Abbot vs. Villareal Booked for April Former UFC heavyweight contender Tank Abbott is returning to action this April when he takes on journeyman Ruben “Warpath” Villareal at a King of the Cage event on April 13 in California. Abbott hasn’t fought since 2009 when he knocked out nobody Mike Bourke, but prior to that he had lost in eight of nine bouts, including a KO defeat at the hands of Kimbo Slice. Villareal, meanwhile, lost both his fights in 2012 and overall was defeated in eight of his last nine bouts, with the only win coming over Don Frye at a Gladiator Challenge event. Manhoef vs. Larson Set For ONE FC 8 ONE FC has announced a middleweight bout between slugger Melvin Manhoef and UFC veteran Brock Larson, which takes place at ONE FC 8 on April 5 in Singapore. If Manhoef defeats Larson, don’t be surprised if he gets a contract with the UFC, because he was recently seen meeting with UFC president Dana White, who has admitted interest in the Dutch kickboxer. This should be a fun fight on a card headlined by Shinya Aoki vs. Kotetsu Boku.
