UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida vs Garbrandt Date: May 29, 2016 Arena: Mandalay Bay Events Center City: Las Vegas, NV The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Las Vegas, NV with UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida vs Garbrandt. The night of action features 11 bouts, culminating with a five round bantamweight showdown between two of the most feared, undefeated prospects in the division. Preliminary card action gets underway at 6pm ET on UFC Fight Pass and 7pm ET on FOX Sports 1, with the main card kicking off on the same channel at 9pm ET. If interested in wagering on any plays for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. My Over/Under Totals are: Lightweight bout: Erik Koch (+165) vs Shane Campbell (-190) Gabe’s Thoughts: This is a match-up between a pair of talented strikers who like to finish fights, and in this one, I think there is a good chance one of them does. I think Koch is the fighter in this contest with the better defense on the feet, so I lean with him to get the finish. I see value in Koch at his current offering price of +165, but I see more value in the Total of Under 1.5 rounds at +170, as I think he is most likely to win by finish; and if he were to lose, I could see a defeat coming in the same fashion, especially considering the fact that he will be dealing with some cage-rust following his extended layoff. I expect this to be a fun fight and my guess is that it’s a barn-burner until someone gets his lights put out midway/late into the opening stanza. Gabe’s Call: Koch by T/KO (strikes, 2:53 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds (+170) 1u to win 1.7u Heavyweight bout: Adam Milstead (-250) vs Chris De La Rocha (+210) Gabe’s Thoughts: In short, I think Milstead either puts De La Rocha away in this fight, and I see more value in the Total of Under 1.5 rounds at -200 than I do in hi straight up at -250. I think it is also the safer play, in case De La Rocha catches him and puts him away, or if he fades and De La Rocha finishes him late in the first round or early in the second. Milstead should get a quick finish here and either send De La Rocha down to the light heavyweight division or directly out of the promotion. Gabe’s Call: Milstead by T/KO (punches, 1:58 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds (-200) 2u to win 1u
