UFC Fight Night 122: Bisping vs. Gastelum
Date: November 25
Arena: Mercedes-Benz Arena
City: Shanghai, China
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is heading to Shanghai, China for the first time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 122: Bisping vs. Gastelum. The 12 fight card is scheduled to get going at 3:45 a.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass, with the main card rolling along at 7 a.m., also on Fight Pass. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are made available at Several Bookmakers.
Here are my plays…
Welterweight bout: Muslim Sulikhov (-220) vs. Alex Garcia (+180)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Sulikhov is making his UFC debut against Garcia in this contest, who is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Tim Means. Garcia is arguably Sulikhov’s stiffest test to date, despite already having defeated some solid competition en route to the big show. I think Sulikhov should be a -170 betting favorite here in contest, so I see no betting value in him at his current offering price of -220. I don’t think Garcia is worth a stab at +180, either. He would have to reach +240 for me to pull the trigger, as I do favor Sulikhov to get the job done in Shanghai. Regardless of who gets his hand raised, I favor this scrap to end early, so I’ll take the Total of Under 1.5 rounds at -115, as I think that line should be a lot closer to -200.
Gabe’s Call: Sulikhov by T/KO (body-kick, 1:32 round 1)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds (-115)
Featherweight bout: Rolando Dy (-160) vs. Wuliji Buren (+140)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Truth be told, I don’t know much about Buren. What I do know is that I don’t trust Dy to back him with my wallet against anybody in the UFC, newcomer or not. Needless to say, there’s no way I can pull the trigger on either 145 pounder for a wager in this contest. That said, I do think the Over 2.5 rounds Total is worth playing at -155, as I think Dy is tough to put away, and he is not much of a finishing threat. I don’t know how this bout will play out, but I do favor it going the distance, and more than likely being lackluster. For my official pick, I’ll take a wild guess and say that the Octagon newcomer sweeps it on the cards.
Gabe’s Call: Buren by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 2.5 rounds (-155)
