UFC Fight Night 53 Date: October 4, 2014 Arena: Ericsson Globe Arena City: Stockholm, Sweden The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns with another double-header on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 53 in Sweden and UFC Fight Night 54 in Nova Scotia. UFC Fight Night 53 will be live from Stockholm, Sweden with an 11 fight card, including a four fight main card and a seven fight preliminary card. All 11 fights will be streaming live on the UFC’s online digital network, UFC Fight Pass. Preliminary action will be getting going at 12:10pm ET and the main card is set to kick off at 3pm ET. 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. Light Heavyweight bout: Ilir Latifi (-240) vs Jan Blachowicz (+200) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Latifi is going to use his powerful top game in this match-up to grind out the promotional newcomer Blachwicz for three rounds of action en route to earning a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards, and ultimately picking up his third consecutive victory inside the Octagon. Blachowicz will be his toughest fight since his loss to Gegard Mousasi in his UFC debut, but I think this is one test he will manage to pass with flying colors. I think Latifi’s Octagon experience is going to play to his advantage to this match-up, as his opponent Blachowicz will likely experience Octagon jitters and an adrenaline dump. That means even if he gets the better of Latifi for the first round of action, I think there is a good chance that Latifi comes back and takes the second and third rounds to pick up the win. I believe Latifi is the rightful betting favorite in this light heavyweight match-up, and at the current betting line of -240, I see enough value in him to include him as the first leg of my two-way parlay for the main card of UFC Fight Night 53 in Sweden. Gabe’s Call: Latifi by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Featherweight bout: Mike Wilkinson (+450) vs Niklas Backstrom (-600) Gabe’s Thoughts: Backstrom is a heavy 6-to-1 favorite over the Brit heading into this 145-pound contest, and rightfully so. I see him getting the better of Wilkinson, regardless of where the fight goes. I see him battering Wilkinson on the feet, and beating him up on the mat, if the fight goes there. I could see him earning a ground and pound stoppage or locking up a submission, most likely a choke. In any case, I see him having his way with the Brit, so if he does not secure a finish, I think he will comfortably pick up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. It is also worth mentioning that he will have quite a bit of a size advantage over Wilkinson, which should benefit him both in the striking and grappling departments. Even at -600, I think there is enough value in Backstrom to include him in this two-way parlay for Saturday night in Sweden. Gabe’s Call: Backstrom by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Latifi (-240) parlayed with Backstrom (-600) for -154 3.15u to win 2.05u
