RFA 23 Date: February 6, 2015 Arena: The Hangar at OC Fair and Event Center City: Costa Mesa, CA RFA 23 will be live on AXS tonight at 10pm ET with a five-fight main card that is sure to produce fireworks. If interested in wagering on this card, these lines will be made available to you at Several Bookmakerss. Here are my plays for the card… Bantamweight title bout: bout: Joe Murphy (-245) vs Terrion Ware (+175) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think this fight is a coin-flip and I slightly lean with Ware getting his hand raised, so at his current underdog odds of +175, I think there’s enough value to warrant a wager. This should be a competitive fight, and one that will more than likely hit the judges’ scorecards, where I think it could potentially be anybody’s fight. I think this bout is more evenly matched than the current odds indicate, and I assume they will get tighter by fight time. Gabe’s Call: Ware by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-29) Gabe’s Recommended Plays: Ware (+175) .6u to win 1.05u Middleweight bout: Gabriel Checco (+240) vs Joseph Henle (-320) Gabe’s Thoughts: I don’t agree with the current betting odds for this match-up, as I think Checco has a better chance at winning than said odds indicate. The Brazilian is not the most talented middleweight, but he possesses the weapons to put away a tough-to-finish fighter like Henle, so I see that as being a realistic outcome to this bout, especially considering Henle’s inactivity. I could end up eating my own words here, but I think it’s ridiculous for Henle to be a -320 favorite. Yes, if this fight hits the judges’ scorecards, I do think that he is the more likely party to get his hand raised, though not likely enough to warrant -320 odds at the sportsbooks. Checco is a dangerous fighter and he is hungry; in a fight I would otherwise avoid betting, I can’t pass him up at his current underdog price of +240, in which I see value. Gabe’s Call: Checco by T/KO (strikes, 0:48 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Checco (+240) 0.5u to win 1.2u Lightweight bout: Raoni Marcelos (-210) vs Jamal Parks (+160) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Parks has a good chance of extending his winning streak to 6-0 and staying undefeated after this contest, in which he faces the biggest challenge of his professional mixed martial arts career. On the same note, Parks is arguably the toughest opponent Marcelos has ever faced. Bottom line, I think Parks should be a slight betting favorite headed into this match-up, so at the underdog price of +160, I like him for a play. Gabe’s Call: Parks by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Parks (+160) 1.25u to win 2u
