UFC Fight Night 98: Dos Anjos vs Ferguson Date: November 5, 2016 Arena: Mexico City Arena City: Mexico City, Mexico The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to make it’s return to Mexico City, Mexico with UFC Fight Night 98: Dos Anjos vs Ferguson. The 13-fight card is set to kick off on UFC Fight pass at 6:30pm ET with preliminary action, which will continue on FOX Sports 1 at 8pm and culminate into the main card on the same channel at 10pm. If interested in wagering on any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakers. My Over/Under Totals are: Welterweight bout: Erick Montano (+140) vs Max Griffin (-160) Gabe’s Thoughts: Montano is coming off a third round guillotine choke submission loss to Randy Brown and is looking to get back into the win column in this quick return to action where he takes on 0-1 UFC welterweight Griffin, who comes off a unanimous decision loss to Colby Covington in what was his promotional debut. This is an important fight for both 170-pounders, as a loss could mean being placed on the chopping block. I think Griffin has a decent chance of finishing this fight early, despite Montano being durable and tough to put away. Though, should the Mexican fighter make it out of the first round, I think he will stand a good chance of putting Griffin away within the following seven and a half minutes of action, as I expect Montao to be the fresher fighter heading into the second and third frames of action. If Griffin fails to find an early finish, he could find himself in trouble in high elevation. Gabe’s Call: Montano by Submission (guillotine choke, 3:04 round 3) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 2.5 rounds (-115) 1.15u to win 1u Bantamweight bout: Douglas Silva de Andrade (-160) vs Henry Briones (+140) Gabe’s Thoughts: Both 135-pounders are coming off extended layoffs in this rare “winner vs loser” match-up in the UFC’s bantamweight division. The Brazilian is coming off a unanimous decision win over Cody Gibson, while Briones is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Cody Garbrandt. They’ve both gone to the scorecards with different Cody’s and seen different results. Not to make any accusations, but this is also the first fight for both since USADA. Long layoffs and everything in mind, including elevation in Mexico City, I think this bout still hits the judges’ scorecards for a decision more often than not. I would expect the Mexican to have the better cardio in Mexico, so I lean towards Briones taking the nod on the cards. I think he holds a little bit of value at +140, but the Total of Over 2.5 rounds at -155 is the play I like here. Gabe’s Call: Briones by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 2.5 rounds (-155) 1.55u to win 1u
