UFC 215: Johnson vs. Borg
Date: September 9, 2017
Arena: Rogers Place
City: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for the first time in promotional history with UFC 215: Johnson vs. Borg. The 12-fight card will kick off with preliminary action on UFC Fight Pass at 6:15 p.m. ET, and prelims will continue on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m., with the main card getting underway at 10 p.m. on Pay Per View. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are made available at Several Bookmakers.
Here is my parlay:
Women’s Bantamweight title bout: Valentina Shevchenko (-130) vs. Amanda Nunes (+110)
Gabe’s Thoughts: This is a five-round title fight and I definitely like Shevchenko over the course of five rounds in this rematch. She may or may not lose the first round or two, but I don’t see her losing rounds three, four and five. I think Nunes needs a finish to win this fight and I don’t like her chances of getting one. She may come close, but Shevchenko is very tough to put away, so I am not counting on it. I favor Shevchenko to win this fight inside the distance and see value in her at the current odds.
Gabe’s Call: Shevchenko by Submission (rear naked choke, 4:00 round 4)
Flyweight bout: Henry Cejudo (-330) vs. Wilson Reis (+270)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Reis is coming off an armbar submission loss to Demetrious Johnson at UFC on FOX 23 this past April and will be looking to bounce back into the win column following his failed bid for the title. He will be attempting to do so by taking on Cejudo, who himself is in need of a victory following a split decision loss against Joseph Benavidez his last time out. Both 125-pounders want another shot at the gold and the road there starts with this matchup. Unfortunately for Reis, I believe Cejudo holds the advantages in every aspect of this fight outside of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. While he may not have a Jiu-Jitsu advantage, he does have the general grappling advantage, being the much superior wrestler of the two. If he wants, I believe Cejudo can find success in taking Reis down and controlling him on the mat without being submitted. I could see him opting to wrestle and work his ground and pound, but I think it is more likely that he keeps this fight on the feet, where he outboxes the Brazilian for the majority of three rounds en route to picking up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards, and potentially securing a T/KO stoppage along the way.
Gabe’s Call: Cejudo by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Shevchenko (-130) and Cejudo (-330) at +130
