UFC on FOX 26: Lawler vs. Dos Anjos
Date: December 16
Arena: Bell MTS Place
City: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with UFC on FOX 26: Lawler vs. Dos Anjos. The stacked 12 fight card is set to kick off with preliminary action on UFC Fight Pass at 4 p.m. ET. Prelims will continue on FOX Sports 1 at 5 p.m., with the main card getting going on FOX at 8 p.m. If interested in wagering on any bouts for these fight cards, all betting lines are made available at Several Bookmakers.
Here are my plays…
Light Heavyweight bout: Jared Cannonier (-185) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+160)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I see tremendous betting value in Blachowicz at his current offering underdog price of +160, as I believe he should be a -170 betting favorite heading into this 205 pound contest. On the feet, this is a close fight, but I would give the advantage to Blachowicz there. On the mat, there is no doubt that Blachowicz holds the advantage. It is also worth mentioning that he will have a height, reach and physical size advantage over Cannonier. At +160, I find it hard to pass this one up. I predict Blachowicz handily defeats Cannonier and sends him down to the UFC’s 185-pound division.
Gabe’s Call: Blachowicz by Submission (north-south choke, 3:45 round 3)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Blachowicz (+160)
Welterweight bout: Nordine Taleb (-150) vs. Danny Roberts (+130)
Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Roberts should be a -180 betting favorite heading into this 170-pound contest, so I see great value in him at his current offering underdog price of +130. I believe he is the superior striker in this matchup and I see him finding success in defending Taleb’s takedowns, keeping this fight standing and outstriking Taleb for the majority, if not entirety of three rounds for a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. A T/KO stoppage would not surprise me here, but I think a decision victory is the more likely outcome. At dog odds, I will have a hard time passing on Roberts here. My main concern is that Taleb will manage to make this a close contest and end up stealing a controversial hometown decision, which would be nothing new for Canada, but here’s to hoping that’s not what happens…
Gabe’s Call: Roberts by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: Roberts (+130)
