UFC Fight Night 86 Date: April 10, 2016 Arena: Arena Zagreb City: Zagreb, Croatia The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be making a trip to Zagreb, Croatia for the first time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 86: Rothwell vs Dos Santos. The main card will get going at 2pm ET on FOX Sports 1, with preliminary action preceding it on the same channel at noon ET and 10:30am ET on UFC Fight Pass. 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: Heavyweight bout: Ben Rothwell (+110) vs Junior Dos Santos (-130) Gabe’s Thoughts: Rothwell seems to be on the way up, while Dos Santos appears to be on the way down, as for as the UFC heavyweight ladder is concerned. I can see Rothwell winning this fight by T/KO, submission r on the judges’ scorecards after five scheduled rounds of action. As far as he avoids the Brazilian’s knock-out punch, I think Rothwell will walk away with the win and make a claim as the number one contender to the UFC heavyweight championship gold. Gabe’s Call: Rothwell by T/KO (punches, 1:33 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Rothwell (+110) 4u to win 4.4u Women’s Strawweight bout: Cristina Stanciu (+160) vs Maryna Moroz (-185) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think this women’s 115-pound contest will be much closer than the betting odds currently suggest. I think Stanciu will win the first round of this bout and favor her to win the second, but I think Moroz will take over in the third and final frame. If Stanciu avoids being submitted in the final stanza, I think she will walk away with a victory on the judges’ scorecards. It could be unanimous or split, and could very well come down to the second round. I think she is capable of finishing Moroz in the first round, but more often than not, I think she takes this one on the judges’ scorecards. I would not at all be surprised to see Moroz get her hand raised, but at these odds, I think Stanciu is the right side for a wager. Gabe’s Call: Stanciu by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Stanciu (+160) 1.5u to win 2.4u Lightweight bout: Damir Hadzovic (+250) vs Mairbek Taisumov (-300) Gabe’s Thoughts: I was initially eyeing a play on Taisumov for this contest but after looking into it, I see Hadzovic as a live dog and like him for a wager. I am going to make a value play, as well as pick him to win the fight straight up. I think he is capable of winning this fight on the feet or on the mat, and as long as Octagon jitters don’t play too big a factor, I like him to walk away with a unanimous nod from the judges’ at Octagon-side in this contest following three rounds of competitive action. Gabe’s Call: Hadzovic by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Hadzovic (+250) 2u to win 5u Featherweight bout: Lucas Martins (-115) vs Robert Whiteford (-105) Gabe’s Thoughts: I believe Whiteford is the superior mixed martial artist heading into this 145-pound contest and I think he should be a -250 betting favorite, so I really like him for a play at his current offering price of -105. I see him taking Martins down and dominating him on the mat, either en route to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards or a possible finish along the way. Gabe’s Call: Whiteford by Submission (rear naked choke, 3:11 round 2) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Whiteford (-105) 4.2u to win 4u
