UFC Fight Night 67 Date: May 30, 2015 Arena: Goiana Arena City: Goiana, Goias, Brazil Flyweight bout: Jussier Formiga (-160) vs Wilson Reis (+140) Fight Breakdown: The UFC Fight Night 67 preliminary card on FOX Sports 1 will feature a flyweight contest between former Tachi Palace Flyweight Champion Jussier Formiga and former EliteXC Bantamweight Champion Wilson Reis. Formiga is the betting favorite at -160 ($160 to win $100) heading into this contest, with Reis being the underdog at +140 ($100 to win $140) Several Bookmakerss. Jussier Formiga (17-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is coming off an impressive unanimous decision victory over former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zach Makovsky, which followed a first round rear naked choke submission win over Scott Jorgensen, and he now enjoys a two-fight winning streak inside the Octagon, hoping to stretch it to three in his native Brazil this Saturday night. The Brazilian was ranked as the #2 flyweight in the world at the time the UFC announced their flyweight division, with his only loss coming to Ian McCall, who was ranked #1 at the time. He is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace; always a threat from both top and bottom positions. Formiga is good at latching on to an opponent’s back and scrambling his way into a submission. Training out of Nova Uniao in Brazil, he has put time in with championship level partners, such as Jose Aldo, Eduarto Dantas and Renan Barao. His all-around skill-set improves from fight to fight, though his striking does leave something to be desired. I expect the former Tachi Palace Flyweight Champion to have his conditioning in check for three hard rounds of action, if necessary. Wilson Reis (19-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC) picked up an impressive unanimous decision victory over the veteran Ivan Menjivar in his promotional debut, then dropped a split decision to fellow Brazilian Iuri Alcantara in his next outing. Following the defeat, he made the move down from the bantamweight division to 125-pounds, where he is now chasing after Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson and his UFC Flyweight title. First he defeated promotional newcomer Joby Sanchez via unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards, then followed it up with a first round arm-triangle-choke submission of the aforementioned Scott Jorgensen. The Brazilian’s striking is rudimentary but he has been making improvements in the department. Though what he lacks on the feet, he makes up for on the mat, as Reis is avery talented grappler; both with his wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The 30-year old generally likes to take opponents down, beat them up, and look for a choke. He is a well-conditioned fighter who will be ready for 15-minutes of action against Formiga when he enters the Octagon this Saturday night in his native Brazil. Gabe’s Call: Reis by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think this is going to be a close fight that hits the judges’ scorecards, and it could really go either way, but I slightly lean towards the underdog Reis. I think the Jiu-Jitsu will cancel each other out, but Reis, in my opinion has the better wrestling of the two, so I think he will spend enough time in top position to win at least two out of three rounds on the cards. However, I am not overly confident in that, as again, I do feel like this is a close fight. I am more confident in the Over 2.5 rounds total than I am in Reis, but I think there is value in him as a +140 underdog… Gabe’s Recommended Plays: 1) Formiga/Reis Over 2.5 rounds (-265) parlayed with Bektic (-400) and Dalby (-365) at +119 3.4u to win 4.05u, 2) Formiga/Reis Over 2.5 rounds (-265) parlayed with Bektic (-400) and Trinaldo/Parke Over 2.5 rounds (-225) at +148 for 2.7u to win 4.01u, and 3) Reis (+140) 1u to win 1.4u
