MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas today opened five betting lines for the TUF 18 Finale card at Several Bookmakers, and here they are below. ———————– TUF 18 Finale: Diaz vs. Maynard November 30, 2013 – Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV ——————– MAIN CARD Gray Maynard +100 Nate Diaz -140 — TBA TBA “TUF 18” men’s tournament final — TBA TBA “TUF 18” women’s tournament final — PRELIMINARY CARD Tom Niinimaki +130 Rani Yahya -170 — Akira Corassani +190 Maximo Blanco -270 — Walt Harris +170 Jared Rosholt -230 — Drew Dober +220 Sean Spencer -300 — ——————– Adam’s thoughts: In the main event of the evening, Nate Diaz takes on Gray Maynard in a battle of fading veterans. Both fighters are coming off of brutal TKO losses, Diaz to Josh Thomson and Maynard to TJ Grant, that has set both of them backwards in the rankings. Diaz has actually lost two in a row while Maynard has only won one of his last four fights, and both have looked worse than ever in their last few fights. So this is an interesting matchup pitting them against one another. If I had to lean towards someone, it would be Diaz, who is a bit younger and fresher, but he isn’t a lock by any means and Maynard has already defeated him in the Octagon (although it should be noted Diaz subbed Maynard on TUF). In a heavyweight fight, new UFC fighter Walt Harris takes on fellow debutee Jared Rosholt. Harris is a solid prospect who UFC president Dana White liked and signed to a deal, while Rosholt is getting the chance to fight in the UFC off a string off TKO wins on the regional circuit. Both of these guys have some promise, but at the odds I would definitely rather take a stab at the dog Harris to come through with the win. And in a welterweight bout, Sean Spencer takes on Drew Dober. The fight on paper may seem closer than the odds indicate but keep in mind Dober took the fight on short notice and is actually moving up a weight class for this one. I definitely leaned Spencer immediately when the fight was announced, but this line is a bit too high for me to bet. Still, I don’t think it’s a spot to really bet on the dog as I don’t see Dober doing enough to get his first UFC victory on less than 10 days’ notice.
