UFC 178 Date: September 27, 2014 Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena City: Las Vegas, NV UFC 178 will be live on Pay Per View this Saturday at 10pm ET with a five-fight main card, with televised preliminary action kicking off at 8pm ET on FOX Sports 1. If interested in making this parlay, or any other wagers for this UFC fight card, you will be able to do so at Several Bookmakerss. Here’s my two-way parlay for UFC 178 in Las Vegas: Featherweight bout: “The Notorious” Conor McGregor (-265) vs Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier (+225) Gabe’s Thoughts: Poirier will be McGregor’s toughest test to date and the betting odds current suggest he will pass it, as he is a two and a half to one favorite over the 10-time UFC veteran. Both of these 145-pounders are currently riding three-fight winning streaks inside the Octagon, so a win will be huge for either of them. If one comes in impressive fashion, it could arguably set them up for a potential title shot. I personally believe that McGregor will indeed pass this test in Dustin Poirier. I feel he will completely outclass the Louisiana native on the feet en route to a stoppage. If he does not get the stoppage, I think he will manage to win all three rounds to pick up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. The only way I can personally see Poirier winning this fight is by catching McGregor with a submission. I don’t think he can knock him out or win a decision, but I think there is a slight chance of a tapout. I think McGregor should be a -500 favorite in this featherweight scrap, so at the current betting line of -265, I love him as the first leg of my two-way parlay for UFC 178. Gabe’s Call: McGregor by T/KO (strikes, 2:13 round 2) Bantamweight bout: Dominick Cruz (-400) vs Takeya Mizugaki (+325) Gabe’s Thoughts: I expect Cruz to cruise back into control and best Mizugaki on the feet for all 15 minutes of action en route to picking up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. I think Cruz will be sticking to what he knows best and is most comfortable with, so I expect a classic and dominant performance by the former champ. Outside of a flash knockout or lucky guillotine, I don’t see how Mizugaki gets his hand raised. At the current betting line of -400, while a heavy favorite, I see value in Cruz, as I think he should be -700. However, that is only considering his extended layoff. Had he not been away from action for so long, I would have said at least -1300. I believe this is a perfect stylistic match-up for him to win. He is a “decision fighter” who is facing a fighter who has the same label, so the threat of a finish is not really present, as it usually has been in most of his bouts. With Mizugaki not being much of a finisher and Cruz being the superior “decision fighter” of the two, I again think that Cruz should be in great shape here. Gabe’s Call: Cruz by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: McGregor (-265) parlayed with Cruz (-400) for -139 5u to win 3.6u
