UFC 187 Date: May 23, 2015 Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena City: Las Vegas, NV Heavyweight bout: Andrei Arlovski (+360) vs Travis Browne (-450) Fight Breakdown: Saturday’s UFC 187 main card on Pay-Per-View will be featuring a heavyweight tilt between Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski and Travis “Hapa” Browne, with Arlovski currently a +360 ($100 to win $360) underdog and Browne being a -450 ($450 to win $100) betting favorite at Several Bookmakerss. Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (23-10-1 NC MMA, 12-4 UFC) made it two in a row in his second stint with the UFC eight months ago in Brazil at UFC Fight Night 51 by taking out hometown favorite Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. He now looks to extend his Octagon winning streak to three this Saturday night when he squares off against a former training partner in Travis Browne. “The Pitbull” is a true veteran of the sport and a very well-rounded mixed martial artist who holds his own in every aspect of mixed martial arts. He is solid on the feet and packs power in his hands, owning an impressive 16 of 23 professional mixed martial arts career victories by way of knockout. His defensive grappling is good; he has a solid base and is hard to take down. Offensively, the Belarusian’s grappling is on-point, as he comes from a Sambo background, owning multiple titles in the sport. Training in high-altitude out of Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albuquerque, NM, Arlovski has excellent cardio and should be game for a 15-minute affair, should this reach the judges’ scorecards for a decision. Travis “Hapa” Browne (19-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) bounced back into the win column with first round TKO over Brendan “Big Brown” Schaub at UFC 181 five months ago and he now looks to make it two in a row against the former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski on his road towards earning his own gold. Browne changed training camps from Jackson-Winklejohn MMA in Albuquerque, NM to the Glendale Fight Club in Glendale, CA, where he has been honing his striking under the tutelage of Edmond Tarverdyan. The Hawaiian is a striker who packs knockout power in every limb, and likes to implement them all in his fights. Much like his foe, Browne is undoubtedly a knockout artist, as well, with 13 of his 17 professional mixed martial arts career victories have come by way of T/KO; 10 of them in the first round of action, with seven of them in under two minutes. The 32-year old is a very fast athlete who possesses excellent footwork and moves well around the cage. His Muay Thai is solid and improving, and he is effective with his counter striking. Recently promoted to a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, “Hapa” is talented on the mat, as well. His submission game and grappling are improving. His defensive grappling is very good, too, as he does a phenomenal job of defending takedowns. In fact, he owns two UFC wins over opponents (Gabriel Gonzaga and Josh Barnett, respectively) via knockout using his elbows during takedown attempts. Browne is a durable fighter with a good chin and above average conditioning. He will be ready for three rounds of action in this contest, if necessary. Gabe’s Call: Browne by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Thoughts: Browne eventually finding a T/KO finish is probably more likely, but I think there is a good chance Arlovski toughs it out and ends up losing it on the cards. I think this could be a type of fight where Browne technically outstrikes his opponent with his improved striking skills, rather than searching for the knockout finish. I feel like with that type of game-plan, he will outpoint Arlovski on the feet over the course of three rounds, while possibly hurting him once or twice. Contrary to popular opinion, I think this fight hitting the cards is a very realistic and likely outcome. Gabe’s Recommended Parlays: Browne (-450), Dodson (-450) and Cerrone (-500) at -127 for 3.85u to win 3.05u and Arlovski/Browne Over 1.5 rounds (+110) and Cerrone/Makdessi Under 2.5 round (+115) at +351 for 1.75u to win 6.15u
