Live on FX from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada are the UFC 158 prelims, which are full of Canadian standouts and vets looking to inch further in the increasingly deep UFC divisions. In the FX prelims main event, Patrick Cote (18-8) opened as a small -195 favorite (bet $195 to win $100) at Several Bookmakers over Bobby Voelker, a +155 underdog (bet $100 to win $155). Cote is a Canadian name recognizable to MMA fans, who has gone on a bit of a slide since rejoining the UFC ranks. Outside the Octagon, Cote is a perfect 13-0, but aside from a questionable DQ win over Alessio Sakara at UFC 154, Cote hasn’t seen success since a Ricardo Almeida split-decision win at UFC 86. This could explain his attempt to revitalize himself at welterweight. “The Predator,” however, can still stop people with his punching power on any given night, and ducking those fists in Cote’s home province will be Voelker (24-8), an exciting Strikeforce transplant who is coming off his trilogy against Roger Bowling. In what was a staple of the Strikeforce Challengers cards, Voelker won two of the three bouts against Bowling via TKO. The 33-year-old likes to get in brawls, which could play right into the bigger Cote’s hands. This is a big step up in competition for Voelker, who is also going to be stepping inside the cage for the first time in nearly two years. Between Cote’s recent form, questions about his drop to 170, and Voelker’s long layoff, bettors haven’t moved this line much, as it currently sits at -190 in favor of Cote, with Voelker at +158. Next up, Canadian featherweight Antonio Carvalho (15-5) opens as a moderate +170 underdog as he looks to make it three victories in a row inside the Octagon. His opponent, Darren Elkins (15-2), opened as a -230 favorite on the strength of his own four-fight win streak since dropping to featherweight. This will more than likely be a case of Elkins using his wrestling to take down Carvalho and control him from top position, doing his best to avoid the BJJ black belt’s submission attempts. Carvalho holds most of his wins via knockout, so Elkins, who possesses a stout chin, probably won’t want to toy around too much with someone who has the ability to alter his state of consciousness. Expect this to be an exciting fight with both men looking to launch themselves into the next echelon of the featherweight division. The public hasn’t moved too much on this line either, as the price on Elkins is now -245, with Carvalho a nearly unchanged +175. Jim Miller’s older brother, Dan Miller (14-6-1), only fought once in the UFC in 2012, that being only the second time he’s fought a single time in a calender year since his debut in 2005. Miller opened as a +170 underdog, and with only two fights in eighteen months, the question is if he has shaken off the ring rust enough to face the surging 23-year-old Jordan Mein (26-8), who opened a -230 favorite. A veteran of thirty four fights since making his pro debut at the age of 16, Mein made a name for himself by winning in impressive fashion across the independent circuit. His only missteps in his last ten fights have been to proficient wrestlers Jason High and Tyron Woodley, which could serve as a path to victory for Miller. Mein Joined Strikeforce in 2011, going 2-1 with impressive wins over Tyler Stinson and Evangelista Santos, but Miller is a huge test. Mein will have to overcome Miller’s size advantage, and general knowledge of the Octagon. This should be a fun fight with both men wanting to leave an impression in the impossibly deep welterweight division. In one of the more interesting line movements, early money came in on Miller, taking him all the way down to +130, before Mein supporters took the line back past the opener so that Miller’s price is now +190, while Mein is a -270 favorite. Tristar Gym member and Montreal’s John Makdessi (10-2) opens the FX prelims in a lightweight showdown against Daron Cruickshank (12-2). Cruickshank, who open as a -140 favorite, is on a six-fight winning streak and is currently on a streak of ten fights where he wins via T(KO), then either wins by decision or loses. I know it’s completely unscientific, but it has repeated itself enough to be mentioned. Makdessi, a +100 underdog, is coming off a huge win over Sam Stout at UFC 154 after dropping back to back fights to Dennis Hallman and Anthony Njokuani. He looked great in the Stout win, one of the biggest of his career. He has stand out kickboxing skills, and it could draw Cruickshank (7 KOs) into an entertaining stand up battle to start off the night. Between the two of them, there are 14 knockouts and 15 finishes with 7 decisions, so this should be good. Despite Makdessi being in his hometown, the line has still moved in favor of Cruickshank to a current price of -170 to Makdessi’s +130.
