UFC Fight Night 81 Date: January 16, 2016 Arena: TD Garden City: Boston, MA The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be making it’s return to the TD Garden in Boston, MA on Sunday, January 16th for UFC Fight Night 81: Dillashaw vs Cruz. The first Fight Night card of the year, UFC Fight Night 81 comes stacked with a 12-fight card that guarantees fireworks from start to finish. Preliminary action for this fight card will get underway at 6pm ET on UFC Fight Pass and will continue at 8pm ET on FOX Sports 1, with main card action to follow at 10pm ET on the same channel. If interested in wagering on these plays, or any plays for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. Here are my plays: Light Heavyweight bout: Ilir Latifi (-270) vs Sean O’Connell (+230) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think this fight is a lot closer than the current betting odds suggest. As for my official pick, I keep going back and forth, but I think this is a very close fight that could easily go either way. At +230, I think O’Connell is the right side for a play here and I will be pulling the trigger on him for the value. I see this fight playing out on the feet, and I don’t think either 205-pounder has an advantage in striking. Latifi does however have advantages in power, as well as wrestling. The power could be the difference, but I think O’Connell has just as good as chance of finishing Latifi as Latifi does him. This is a fight I could see either fighter winning inside the distance or on the judges’ scorecards; all four outcomes are very realistic to me, so at +230, I think “The Real OC” is worth the squeeze of the trigger on a play. Gabe’s Call: O’Connell by T/KO (punches, 2:28 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: O’Connell (+230) 2u to win 4.6u Featherweight bout: Charles Rosa (-285) vs Kyle Bochniak (+205) Gabe’s Thoughts: Bochniak fought last friday under the CES banner and recorded a first round rear naked choke submission victory, and he gets a quick return to action with this bout, his Octagon debut. Replacing an injured Augusto Mendes, who was a late replacement himself for an injured Jimy Hettes, Bochniak aims to remain undefeated by going 7-0 as a pro. He is a well-rounded mixed martial artist wtih excellent conditioning and solid boxing skills. His Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu game is on point, as well. He is a good prospect at 145-pounds, but Rosa is definitely a big step up in competition for him and it will certainly be the biggest test of his professional mixed martial arts career. As for my official pick, I am undecided, and have gone back and forth, but as for a wager, I think there is value to be had with Bochniak at his current underdog tag of +205, as I think this scrap will be closer than those odds suggest. Gabe’s Call: Bochniak by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Bochniak (+205) 1u to win 2.05u Bantamweight bout: Joey Gomez (+190) vs Rob Font (-230) Gabe’s Thoughts: New Hampshire’s Gomez is making his promotional debut on short notice, replacing an injured Patrick Williams. This fight will be a big step up in competition for the undefeated fighter and he has a real stiff test ahead of him in the form of Boston’s very own Font. Font scored a first round knockout over veteran George Roop in his Octagon debut but has not seen action in a year and a half since, so considering the extended layoff, cage rust could be a factor with him. I think this is a close fight on the feet, but believe Font will have a grappling advantage heading into this contest and see him employing it to seal rounds in the eyes of the judges at Octagon-side. Both fighters are undoubtedly finishers, but I think this particular fight has a good chance of playing out for all 15-minutes for a judges’ decision. The Total for this bout is set at 1.5 rounds and the Over is -120. Gabe’s Call: Font by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 1.5 rounds (-120) 2.4u to win 2u
