UFC 211
Date: May 12, 2017
Arena: American Airlines Center
City: Dallas, TX
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to return to Dallas, TX for the fourth time in promotional history with UFC 211: Miocic vs. Dos Santos II. The incredibly stacked 14-fight card is scheduled to kick off with preliminary action on UFC Fight Pass at 6 p.m. ET, which will continue on FX at 8 p.m., with the main card getting underway on Pay-Per-View at 10 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines are available at Several Bookmakers.
Here is my parlay:
Lightweight bout: Eddie Alvarez (-110) vs. Dustin Poirier (-110)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Alvarez is returning to action after suffering a second-round TKO at the hands of Conor McGregor at UFC 205 last November, when he lost his UFC lightweight title. He will be looking to return to the win column by taking out Poirier, who recently bounced back into the win column himself with a majority decision call over veteran Jim Miller. This fight is arguably the toughest test of Poirier’s career, but I think it is one he is capable of passing. I do agree with the current betting odds in that this is a coin-flip matchup that could go either way, so I see no betting value in either fighter and won’t be playing them. However, I do think this fight hits the judges’ scorecards a majority of the time, which makes me favor the Total of Over 1.5 rounds at -235.
Gabe’s Call: Alvarez by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Middleweight bout: Krzysztof Jotko (-170) vs. David Branch (+140)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Branch is giving up his WSOF middleweight and light heavyweight titles to return to the UFC for a second stint, and he has a tough task ahead of him in the form of Poland’s Jotko. This is a classic old school versus new school matchup, and I do believe that it is a very close fight. At the current odds, I would have to say that it is a dog or pass situation, and ultimately it is going to be a pass for me. I would not blame anybody for taking Branch at +140 here, but I don’t think it’s personally enough to make me want to gamble against Jotko, who is constantly improving down at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, FL. While I can’t confidently back either fighter here at these odds, I do like the Total of Over 2.5 rounds at -225, as I think that line should be -300 and see this fight hitting the judges’ scorecards more often than not. As far as official pick is concerned, I keep going back and forth and will likely have to see the weigh-ins before making my mind up, but for now, I’ll say…
Gabe’s Call: Branch by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Alvarez/Poirier Over 1.5 rounds (-235) and Jotko/Branch Over 2.5 rounds (-225) at +105
