Since there was no real news of note or any new fight announcements on Thursday, instead of doing the usual Odds and Ends that would cover that today I’ll give my take a few of the fights that are happening during this insanely busy weekend for combat sports. Specifically, I’m going to name five fighters who I believe are worth betting on, and here they are. Tim Means (-350), Legacy FC 23 Tim Means takes on Pete Spratt in the main event of Legacy FC 23 and I think he’s going to have a rebound performance after two-straight losing efforts in the UFC. It was obvious that Means’ problem in his fights with Danny Castillo and Jorge Masvidal is his wrestling, but going up against another striker in Spratt that shouldn’t be too much of a concern as the fight is very likely to stay on the feet. At -350 I think that Means has some value as a parlay key, as I expect him to win a decision or possibly defeat Spratt via TKO. Patricio Pitbull (-220), Bellator 99 Patricio Pitbull vs. Deigo Nunes should be a hell of a main event for Bellator, and although I expect it to be a pretty competitive affair, I do think that Pitbull is going to get his hand raised, and at -220 I think he’s a very good bet. I think Pitbull is one of the most underrated featherweights in the business and I really think he’s going to take care of business Friday night against Nunes and move one step closer to a rematch with Pat Curran. Akop Stepanyan (-135), Bellator 99 Akop Stepanyan vs. Justin Wilcox is one of the other featherweight quarterfinals at Bellator 99, and it’s a fight that I believe Stepanyan will win. Wilcox has shown that his problem is strikers, and Stepanyan is leagues ahead of him in that department. Although Wilcox trains at a good camp in AKA, he’s been off for more than a year and he’s cutting to 145 pounds for the first time. So, all things considered, Stepanyan presents very good value at -135. Mike Kyle (-120), WSOF 5 Mike Kyle vs. Andrei Arlovski is a very solid fight for WSOF considering the lack of heavyweight depth outside of the UFC, and after really thinking about it more since the line came out I think Kyle is the right side here. Kyle hits hard and Arlovski’s chin is obviously questionable so when you combine those two, Kyle at a Pick ’em price seems like a decent play. And, wait for it… Leonard Garcia (-150), Legacy FC 23 OK, OK, I know what you’re thinking — “How can he actually recommend betting on Leonard Garcia?” And I wouldn’t disagree if you thought it was a bad idea, because at first I did too. But then I thought about it more, and when you consider Garcia is training out of the undefeated Team Alpha Male camp and fighting a guy in in Nick Gonzalez who is nothing special, Garcia at -150 isn’t the worst bet you could make the weekend. Again, it’s Leonard Garcia, a guy who has lost five of his last six fights, so you can’t go too crazy, but if you want action on the Legacy card then Garcia is probably the best option considering the price.
