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 any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. My Fights to AVOID betting are: Lightweight bout: James Krause (-130) vs Shane Campbell (+120) Gabe’s Thoughts: Campbell has the striking edge but I believe Krause is the superior mixed martial artist headed into this 155-pound contest. I think he mixes it up better than Campbell and I expect his advantage in grappling to be the difference in this bout. I see him using his superior grappling to score some takedowns and spend some time in top position, likely finding a submission along the way. Campbell has solid offensive striking skills, but he has holes in his defensive striking. Krause is no world beater on the feet, but I think he will have his moments on the feet here, as well. This is a close fight, but I favor Krause to get his hand raised. I think he should be a -160 betting favorite, so at the current betting odds, this fight has to be a pass for me. I do like Krause in this spot, but I have to avoid this one. Gabe’s Call: Krause by Submission (guillotine choke, 3:04 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Welterweight bout: Alex Garcia (-110) vs Sean Strickland (+100) Gabe’s Thoughts: This is a fun match-up in the UFC’s welterweight division and could be a contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. It is an important fight for both 170-pounders who look to climb up the divisions ladder with an impressive victory. I agree with tbe betting odds in the sense that this is more or less a coin-flip scrap. I would not be at all surprised to see either fighter get his hand raised in any fashion. This is a very close fight, and great match-making. Gun to the head, I’d say Strickland’s reach advantage benefits him as he batters Garcia en route to a decision victory or T/KO stoppage. Gabe’s Call: Strickland by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
