UFC 158: March 16, 2013 Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada UFC Middleweight Contender Nick Ring (-180) Profile: After being forced out of The Ultimate Fighter 11 due to a severe knee injury, Nick Ring (13-1) had nearly a year of arduous rehabilitation before he could make his UFC debut at UFC 127. The 33-year-old Canadian proceeded to win his first two fights in the Octagon and extended his unbeaten streak to 12-0 before he finally lost at UFC 135 via unanimous decision to fellow middleweight contender Tim Boetsch. He bounced back and got some revenge by beating TUF 11 winner Court McGee at UFC 149 and was originally supposed to fight another TUF 11 competitor in Costa Philippou at UFC 154 but got sick on the day of weigh-ins and could not compete. Ring is a solid fighter who also has a 4-1 pro boxing record, which combined with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt makes him dangerous both standing up and on the ground. UFC Middleweight Contender Chris Camozzi (+140) Profile: The notoriously hard to finish Chris Camozzi (18-5) has seen quite a bit of success in the UFC despite already being cut by the promotion once after going 2-2 during his first run. Since being welcomed back to the Octagon, Camozzi has upped his aggressiveness and has tallied a three-fight winning streak in the middleweight division, most recently dominating Luiz Cane en route to a unanimous decision win in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 26-year-old already has a lot of experience and is a guy who likes to brawl, sometimes to his detriment. He has good size for the middleweight division, possesses knockout power (five TKOs in his career) and uses his striking to set up submissions when his opponent gets desperate and tries to take him to the ground. Camozzi is a purple belt in BJJ and also owns seven submission victories with a renewed sense of patience in the cage. His main weaknesses though are that faster opponents seem to have their way with him, and he is still susceptible to taking unnecessary shots. Opening UFC 158 Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Ring a slight -180 favorite (bet $180 to win $100) while Camozzi opened as a +140 underdog (bet $100 to win $140) at Several Bookmakers sportsbook. Ring had to bow out of a higher-profile matchup with Philippou due to illness and could have really climbed the ranks had he won that fight. Instead, he will be taking on another dangerous opponent in Camozzi, who has quietly won three straight bouts, capped by his UD victory against Cane in Brazil last October. This will be a step up in competition for Camozzi, but he is capable of grinding out a win here after reaching the third round in his last five fights along with seven of his past eight. However, Ring has also seen his last four bouts go to the third, going 3-1 with the lone loss of his career coming against Boetsch. Those four fights represent Ring’s only work in the UFC while Camozzi has fought seven times in the organization with a 5-2 mark. Camozzi hopes to use his experience to his advantage, as he has nine more pro bouts under his belt despite being eight years younger. Ring will be fighting in his home country though, going 8-0 in eight previous appearances.
