The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to FOX this Saturday (Dec. 13, 2013) with UFC on FOX 13: Dos Santos vs Miocic. Live from the US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ, the fight card is stacked with 13 scheduled bouts, including the four-fight main card that will be live on FOX at 8pm ET. If interested in wagering on any of the bouts on this fight card, lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. The first of three main card heavyweight bouts gets the action started when Gabriel Gonzaga and Matt Mitrione make their trip to the Octagon. Like with many heavyweight bouts, this one is not expected to go the full three round distance. They are both capable of ending the fight on the feet, though I would give an advantage to Mitrione there, as he has been making improvements in his stand up due to his time spent training under Blackzilians head striking coach Henri Hooft. This is a ‘winner vs loser’ match-up in the UFC’s razor-thin heavyweight division, as Gonzaga is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Stipe Miocic, while Mitrione is riding high on a two-fight winning streak consisting of two first round knockouts. Despite the fact, this is a big fight for both men, as Gonzaga would be Mitrione’s biggest career win, and defeating Mitrione would put the Brazilian right back into the mix of things. The Ultimate Fighter Season 10 veteran opened as a -150 betting favorite over the veteran Gonzaga, who opened as the slight underdog at +110. There has been a little back and forth action, but current betting lines remain +110/-130. Next up is another heavyweight contest, and arguably the most highly anticipated scrap on the entire 13-fight card. Promising a finish within the first 30 seconds of the fight is Alistair Overeem, who is ready to bounce back into the win column when he enters the Octagon on Saturday night to face off against fellow Dutchman Stefan “The Skyscraper” Struve. Struve was scheduled to return to action after an extended layoff against the aforementioned Matt Mitrione at UFC 175, but suffered an unfortunate panic attack in the locker room moments before the bout, resulting in the contest being pulled from the program. Following that incident and coming off his third round jaw-breaking knockout defeat at the hands of Mark Hunt, this could very well be a “do or die” fight for the 26-year old. Overeem opened as a -245 betting favorite at the sportsbook for this contest, with “The Skyscraper” having underdog status at +175. Action has since come in on Overeem, driving current betting lines to -275/+235. Sandwiched between three heavyweight bouts in the co-main event of the evening is a lightweight contest that will see the return of Nate Diaz, as he gets set to take on red-hot Rafael dos Anjos. The Brazilian currently rides a two-fight winning streak, consisting of TKO victories over Strikeforce import Jason High and former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, respectively. Dos Anjos is 8-2 in his last 10 fights and the 30-year old is on the doorsteps of a title-shot, so a win over him would be big for Diaz in his return to the Octagon. Off a TKO victory over Gray Maynard in his last outing, the Stockton, CA native is eager to make it two in a row against the dos Anjos, ultimately taking his spot in the UFC’s 155 pound rankings. The Brazilian opened as the betting favorite in this scrap at -190, with Diaz being the underdog to win at +150. Action has since rolled mostly in the way of dos Anjos, bringing current betting lines to +220/-240. Headlining the main card for UFC on FOX 15 is the last of the three heavyweight contests and a fight which will likely earn the victor a number one contender bout for his next outing. Action is certainly expected when former UFC heavyweight champion Junior “Cigano” dos Santos squares off against Ohio’s Stipe Miocic. The winner will likely be paired up against #3 ranked UFC heavyweight Travis “Hapa” Browne for his next outing, and that fight will likely decide who takes on the winner of Werdum vs Velasquez, which is supposed to take place in June. The former champion opened as a -270 betting favorite for this contest, with his opponent Miocic being an underdog at +190. Action has since come in on the Brazilian, making current betting lines for the five round main event -400/+355.
