UFC Fight Night 115: Volkov vs. Struve
Date: September 2, 2017
Arena: Ahoy Rotterdam
City: Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Rotterdam, Netherlands for the second time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 115: Volkov vs. Struve. The 12-fight card is scheduled to get underway with preliminary action at 11:45 a.m. ET, with the main card kicking off at 3 p.m. ET. The card will be broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass in its entirety. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are made available at Several Bookmakers.
Here is my parlay:
Heavyweight bout bout: Alexander Volkov (-120) vs. Stefan Struve (+100)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I agree with the betting odds in that this is more or less a coin-flip matchup, which is why I don’t favor a wager on either fighter at these odds. I slightly lean towards Struve for my official pick, but I think this is anybody’s fight. While I don’t see any betting value on either heavyweight for this main event contest scheduled for five rounds, I do think the Total of Over 1.5 rounds at -170 holds some value, as I think that line should be at -260. While I could definitely see this fight ending inside the distance, I favor a potential finish to come later in the fight rather than early.
Gabe’s Call: Struve by T/KO (punches, 3:54 round 5)
Welterweight bout: Leon Edwards (-275) vs. Bryan Barberena (+235)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Edwards is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Vicente Luque and currently enjoys a three-fight winning streak inside the Octagon, including victories over Albert Tumenov and Dominic Waters. He will be looking to make it four straight against Barberena, who is coming off a first round TKO of Joe Proctor just four months ago in Nashville. I think Edwards is the rightful betting favorite in this contest and see value in him at his current offering price of -275, as I think he should be a -380 betting favorite here. Barberena is well-rounded, but so is Edwards and I think Edwards is just the superior fighter, especially at 170 pounds. Size and strength will be on the side of Edwards, as well, I believe. This may be the fight that makes Barberena opt to drop back down to the UFC’s 155-pound division, where he made his debut. Edwards managed to finish Tumenov, so I won’t count him out of putting Barberena away, however I do favor him do get the job done on the judges’ scorecards over the course of three rounds to earn the unanimous nod.
Gabe’s Call: Edwards by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Volkov/Struve Over 1.5 rounds (-170) and Edwards (-275) at +116
