UFC Fight Night 81 Date: January 16, 2016 Arena: TD Garden City: Boston, MA The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be making it’s return to the TD Garden in Boston, MA on Sunday, January 16th for UFC Fight Night 81: Dillashaw vs Cruz. The first Fight Night card of the year, UFC Fight Night 81 comes stacked with a 12-fight card that guarantees fireworks from start to finish. Preliminary action for this fight card will get underway at 6pm ET on UFC Fight Pass and will continue at 8pm ET on FOX Sports 1, with main card action to follow at 10pm ET on the same channel. If interested in wagering on any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. My Fights to AVOID betting are: Welterweight bout: Ben Saunders (-115) vs Patrick Cote (-105) Gabe’s Thoughts: I agree with the betting odds for this 170-pound contest, in the sense that it is a very close fight. Although personally, I give a slight edge to Cote. I can see this fight playing out several different ways and do believe Cote has the slightly better chance of getting his hand raised. That said, I don’t see any value in him for a wager at his current offering price of -105, so I’m going to make a pass here. I see this as being a fight that is best left avoided at the sportsbooks come January 16th and do believe it will be an entertaining scrap, regardless of the outcome, so leaving my wallet out of it, I will surely sit back and enjoy. Preferably with a frosty beverage in hand. Gabe’s Call: Cote by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Lightweight bout: Daron Cruickshank (+205) vs Paul Felder (-245) Gabe’s Thoughts: Initially, I thought Felder was going to be a key parlay piece for me, but after doing my homework on the fight, I am not nearly as confident. In fact, I have switched sides and am slightly leaning towards Cruickshank to edge out a win on the judges’ scorecards. I see this fight as being a “dog or pass” situation, and while I think there is value to be had against Cruickshank, I just don’t trust him with my wallet at this point, especially against a tough opponent like Felder. Felder can win this fight by T/KO or decision, and heck, a submission would not blow me away, either. On the other hand, I think the odds of Cruickshank finishing Felder are slim and think a decision win by outpointing him over three rounds is his best chance at getting his hand raised. I see that outcome as being the most likely one to this 155-pound match-up, and again, I do think there is value with “The Detroit Superstar” as his current underdog tag of +205, so I can’t blame anybod for taking a shot. However, for me, it’s going to be a no-go and ultimately a fight I will be avoiding at the sportsbooks come January 16th. As for my pick, I will need to see the weigh-ins to make it official, as Felder’s size advantage alone could sway me back to him. Gabe’s Call: Cruickshank by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Middleweight bout: Ed Herman (+170) vs Tim Boetsch (-200) Gabe’s Thoughts: I see this as another “dog or pass” situation where I am ultimately going to have to take a pass. I think it’s a close fight and do think Boetsch has a better chance of getting his hand raised, however I can’t trust him with my wallet at this point, and the same goes for Herman. I’ll be rooting for “Short Fuse” but can’t pull the trigger on him for a play, even at his current underdog tag of +170. Gabe’s Call: Herman by T/KO (uppercut, 1:36 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
