Welterweight bout: Brandon Thatch (-200) vs Justin “Fast Eddy” Edwards (+170) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 27 undercard features a welterweight match-up between rising prospect Brandon Thatch and TUF season 13 veteran Justin Edwards. Thatch is currently the favorite at -200 (bet $200 to win $100), while Edwards is the underdog at +170 (bet $100 to win $170) at Several Bookmakerss. Brandon Thatch (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) makes his Octagon debut riding an eight fight win streak, and all eight of those wins coming in the first round; five of them by TKO/KO and three by submission. Training in Karate since the age of 5, Brandon Thatch is an elite striker. He has a Muay Thai attack that is both exciting and brutal. He is great striking from out of range or from inside the clinch. He is in fact vicious inside the clinch with his devastating knees and elbows. Thatch is also talented on the ground, as he is an excellent grappler who likes to smother opponents and find submissions. He is a tough fighter and a definite finisher, always looking to put opponents away, be it by knockout or submission. Thatch has a very offensive attack on the ground; he will either get his opponent to tap or put him away with strikes. The only time Brandon Thatch went past the first round in his professional mixed martial arts career was also the only time he ever suffered a defeat, as he lost the bout via Split Decision. While he’s only made it out of the first round once in his ten fight career, Thatch’s cardio is in fine shape, as he trains in high-altitude at the Grudge Training Center in Denver, CO. Justin Edwards (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) returns to the Octagon for the first time since putting away Josh Neer by guillotine choke nearly one year ago. Edwards fights out of JG MMA in Bellafontaine, OH and holds the rank of brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Edwards has decent boxing and a very good chin. His gas tank is also good, so he is always game for three hard rounds. He was a contestant on season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he lost to eventual winner (and lightweight) Tony Ferguson via brutal first round up-kick, which also resulted in being the first and only knockout of Edwards’ fighting career, despite it not being on his official MMA record. “Fast Eddy” is a fighter who fights with a lot of heart. He has heavy hands and a dangerous guillotine choke, as he was able to put Josh Neer to sleep with it; Neer being a fighter who is near (pun-intended) impossible to submit with a choke, a la Benson Henderson and Brian Ebersole. Win or lose, I expect Edwards to leave it all in the cage. Brandon Thatch will be his toughest opposition to date, though, and he’s surely never faced such a talented striker, so whether he can take all the damage Thatch is capable of dishing remains a big question mark. Fight Prediction: I think Thatch overwhelms Edwards with strikes and the ref is eventually forced to step in. Gabe’s Pick: Brandon Thatch by TKO (knees, 1:52 round 2) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Brandon Thatch -200 for a MAX BET. My second MAX BET of the night. (“max bet” is the maximum amount your book limits you to or the maximum amount you limit yourself to per-one-fight.) If you parlay Thatch -200 with my other recommended max bet Brad Tavares -460, you will cut the juice from -200 down to -121. That is a play I like very much and am HEAVY on. So far, I am 3-0 with recommended max bets for MMA Odds Breaker; after Wednesday night, I hope to be 5-0 when these two favorites cash.
