One of the main card bouts is a three-round heavyweight bout between Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski. According to the current betting lines available at Several Bookmakers, Browne is a -450 favorite (bet $450 to win $100) while Arlovski is a +360 underdog (bet $100 to win $360). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened up Browne at -405 and Arlovski at +285, and so far the public is all over Browne. I favor Browne to win this fight and agree with him being the favorite. Here’s why. Browne (17-2-1) is one of the top heavyweights in the game. today. The 32-year-old Hawaiian is 8-2-1 in the UFC with wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Brendan Schaub, Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve with his only losses coming to Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum. A gigantic heavyweight who stands at 6’7″, Browne has an extremely long reach and he has crazy power in all of his limbs. He has finished 15 of his 17 wins, including 13 by knockout, and he has seven stoppages in his eight UFC victories, which demonstrates his ability to finish fights. He is very athletic for a heavyweight as well, as he’s fast on the feet and flexible with all his limbs. He has solid wrestling overall and he has an underrated ground game. He’s simply one of the best in the division. His flaws are his cardio, as he tends to slow down as fights go longer, and he also has been knocked out before so his chin is a bit iffy. But all things considered he’s an elite heavyweight fighter, and with an impressive win over Arlovski he could get a title shot. Arlovski (23-10-1) is one of the most popular heavyweight fighters of all time. The 36-year-old Belarussian is a former UFC champion and has compiled a lifetime record of 12-4 while fighting in the Octagon, defeating the likes of Schaub, Silva, and Werdum. He also has big wins over Roy Nelson and Ben Rothwell during his time away from the UFC. Arlovski is a strong, powerful heavyweight with big-time power. He has finished 19 fights in his career, with 16 of those wins coming by knockout. He has very good boxing and he is fast and light on the feet which allows him to move in and out and hits his opponents. He also has underrated wrestling and an underrated ground game if it gets there. Arlovski’s issue has been and always will be his chin. He has a weak chin, and seven career knockouts against is a big number for someone who has been in the sport as long as Arlovski has been. Somehow he’s been able to not get knocked out in the last four years, but he also hasn’t been fighting the best competition during that stretch. And it’s that chin that’s the reason Arlovski is such a big underdog in this fight. He has skill, but that chin has always held him back, and going up against a big, power striker like Browne, it makes sense that there aren’t many believing in Arlovski this weekend. I don’t see this fight going the full three rounds. Both guys are extremely dangerous on the feet and both have been knocked out before, and I expect someone to go to sleep in this fight. Arlovski has done a great job in recent years of avoiding hard shots to the chin, but Browne is the best fighter he’s fought in a while. Browne has an extremely long reach and he has that special knockout power that can stop anyone in the division. And I think that’s what happens here. I think both guys circle around the Octagon for a few minutes but eventually I think Browne finds his range and catches Arlovski’s chin. It’s hard not to like Browne in this spot, but it is a heavyweight fight, and the -450 betting line is quite high. In fact, it’s probably too high considering Arlovski has knockout power himself. There’s no way I’d pick Arlovski here, but I don’t think laying massive juice on Browne is the best idea, either. The pick is Browne by knockout, but the high line makes this one a pass.
