UFC Fight Night 45 Date: July 16, 2014 Arena: Revel Casino Hotel City: Atlantic City, NJ Lightweight bout: Joe Proctor (+140) vs Justin Salas (-160) Fight Breakdown: The main card for UFC Fight Night 45 on FOX Sports 1 will be featuring a lightweight contest between Joe Proctor and Justin Salas, with Proctor being a betting underdog of +140 ($100 to win $140), while his opponent Salas is the favorite at -160 ($160 to win $100) at Several Bookmakerss. Joe Proctor (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Cristiano Marcello five months ago and will be looking to make it two in a row on Wednesday night against Salas. The Massachusetts native is a well-rounded mixed martial artist with decent cardio and boxing skills. He does a good job of employing his knees on the feet and doing damage with them, which is how he stopped Jeremy Larsen in his promotional debut. Proctor is talented on the mat, as well, and possesses a solid submission game which he refines daily with teammate and fellow UFC 155-pounder Joe Lauzon. His conditioning has been on point, so I expect him to be ready to go a full 15 minutes against Salas, should the fight hit the judges’ scorecards. Justin Salas (12-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is coming off a first round TKO of Ben Wall just two months ago and makes a quick turnaround, as he looks to make it two in a row inside the Octagon. A two-time All American and two time State Champion high-school wrestler, Salas continued his successful wrestling career at the University of Wyoming, where he was an NCAA Division I wrestler, until 2003, when he decided to quit school and wrestling and become a professional mixed martial artist. It proved to be a wise choice, as he’s made it to the big show with impressive performances on the regional circuit. Salas followed a three-fight win streak with a string of victories over recent UFC signee Joe Ellenberger and former UFC lightweight Rob Emerson, turning it into a five-fight winning steak and earning a call from the UFC. The 32-year old works solid takedowns, iss excellent and dominant on the mat and possesses great cardio. However, he does have a questionable chin, and is not the greatest striker, though he has been showing improvements in that department, as was evident with his TKO of Ben Wall in his last outing. Gabe’s Thoughts: I think this will be a close fight and unless Proctor is able to stop him, I think Salas will manage to grind him out, if not manage to earn a stoppage of his own, though a decision is much more likely. I see this fight hitting the judges’ scorecards more often than not, and I could also see Proctor taking the nod, even if he does not deserve it, which makes me favor the over 2.5 rounds prop at -170 more than the line on Salas at -160. Gabe’s Call: Salas by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Proctor/Salas Over 2.5 rounds (-170) 3.4u to win 2u
