UFC Fight Night 83 Date: February 21, 2016 Arena: Consol Energy Center City: Pittsburgh, PA The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Pittsburgh, PA for the second time in promotional history with UFC Fight Night 83: Cowboy vs Cowboy. The main card will be live on FOX Sports 1 at 9pm ET, with preliminary action preciding it on the same channel at 7pm ET. If interested in wagering on this parlay, or any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines are currently made available at Several Bookmakerss. Here is my parlay: Bantamweight bout: Augusto Mendes (+280) vs Cody Garbrandt (-340) Gabe’s Thoughts: Mendes is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt taking this fight on short notice, replacing a John Lineker who was forced to withdraw from the bout due to dengue fever. Mendes was slated to make a short notice Octagon debut a month ago against Charles Rosa, but had to withdraw from the bout shortly after signing his contract. He now gets his second short-notce opportunity and he aims to make the best of it when he squares off against American Top Team’s undefeated Garbrandt this Sunday evening. “No Love” hopes to make it three in a row for himself inside the Octagon with an impressive win over Mendes. I believe he will be enjoying a massive striking advantage in this bout and I see him finding success in keeping the fight standing and outstriking Mendes. Over three rounds of action, I favor him to find a T/KO finish, but I would not be surprised to see him take this fight on the judges’ scorecards. I think this is Grabrandt’s fight to lose and I like him to get his hand raised in this spot, ultimately advancing to 3-0 inside the Octagon. Gabe’s Call: Garbrandt by T/KO (strikes, 4:43 round 3) Women’s Bantamweight bout: Kelly Faszholz (+270) vs Lauren Murphy (-330) Gabe’s Thoughts: Faszholz is making her short notice promotional debut in this contest as a late injury replacement for Sara Moras. She is an undefeated fighter who owns all three of her professional mixed martial arts victories by way of submission. She is very talented on the ground and could have an advantage in the departemt against Murphy, who is a solid Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner in her own right. While I think Faszholz could have a potential advantage on the mat, I see this fight playing out on the feet, where I believe Murphy will enjoy a big edge. I think Murphy is the superior striker of the two heading into this women’s bantamweight contest and I see her employing her superior striking for three rounds of action to pick up a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. I could also see her mixing in some takedowns and enjoying some time in top position while successfully defending submission attempts. Faszhols is an interesting prospect, but I believe this is Murphy’s fight to lose, and I think she gets the job done this Sunday in Pittsburgh. Gabe’s Call: Murphy by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Parlay: Garbrandt (-340) and Murphy (-330) at -146 for 3.8u to win 2.6u
