UFC Fight Night 131: Rivera vs. Moraes
Date: May 27
Arena: Adirondack Bank Center
City: Utica, NY
My Fights to AVOID betting are:
Women’s Strawweight bout: Jessica Aguilar (-130) vs. Jodie Esquibel (+110)
Gabe’s Thoughts: Truth be told, I don’t see either of these fighters competing in the UFC two years from now. Aguilar is now long past her prime. This is a matchup she would have been a -350 favorite in five years ago and would have won a one sided 30-27 unanimous decision. She’s declined and I think at this stage, Esquibel will be able to give her a tough fight. I still think Aguilar edges it out, I just wouldn’t trust her with my wallet, and you shouldn’t either. I see this as a bout that is best left avoided at the sportsbook this Friday night.
Gabe’s Call: Aguilar by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
Flyweight bout: Jose Torres (-175) vs. Jarred Brooks (+155)/b>
Gabe’s Thoughts: “Shorty” Torres is making is promotional debut against Brooks, who is coming off a controversial split decision loss to Deveison Figureido, which marked the first official loss of his professional mixed martial arts career. Depending on how you scored that fight, Brooks could still be considered undefeated, so we are essentially looking at a showdown between two undefeated fighters. I do agree with Torres being the betting favorite, but I think he is being overvalued at his current offering price of -175 here. I think Brooks should be a +120 underdog, so I think he holds some value at his current asking price of +155. I’m picking Torres to win in his UFC debut, but as far as a bet goes, I do think this is a dog or pass situation, and I am ultimately going to have to pass. This will be the first fight of the night to kick off the prelims at UFC Utica, and I think it is a scrap to skip at the sportsbooks, and simply sit back and enjoy.
Gabe’s Call: Torres by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
