UFC on FUEL TV 3 Odds: Lightweights Jeremy Stephens (+210) vs. Donald Cerrone (-260)

Jeremy Stephens (+210) Profile: Stephens (20-7) has fought nearly half of his pro MMA career in the UFC, going 7-6 in 13 bouts.  His last fight came against Anthony Pettis at UFC 136 and resulted in a split decision loss on October 8, 2011.  The 25-year-old has a lot of good experience for being so young, and each of his last five fights has gone to the third round.  The only two losses for Stephens during that stretch came against Pettis and Melvin Guillard, and both resulted in split decisions.  In his last four wins, two earned Knockout of the Night honors and one was named Fight of the Night. Donald Cerrone (-260) Profile: Cerrone (17-4, 1 No-Contest) saw his six-fight winning streak end with a unanimous decision loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 141.  In his last seven bouts, the 29-year-old has been involved in three Fights of the Night, one Submission of the Night and one Knockout of the Night.  Cerrone’s previous two losses before falling to Diaz both came against current UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson for the WEC title.  The victims during his winning streak included Dennis Siver (first-round rear-naked choke submission), Charles Oliveira (first-round TKO), Vagner Rocha (unanimous decision), Paul Kelly (second-round rear-naked choke submission), Chris Horodecki (second-round triangle choke submission) and Jamie Varner (unanimous decision). Odds Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened Cerrone as the -260 favorite (bet $260 to win $100) while Stephens is a +210 underdog (bet $100 to win $210).  Cerrone has a more impressive record and has faced more top contenders during his career, although Stephens has more experience in the UFC with more wins overall.  Both are exciting fighters who have earned a lot of post-fight awards for their performances, so this bout should not disappoint MMA bettors or fans looking for a fierce battle.  Stephens has knocked out 14 of the 20 opponents he has beaten, and four of his seven losses have come by decision with the other three resulting in submissions.  Cerrone is a submission specialist who has only knocked out one of his opponents.  Of his 17 wins, 13 have ended by submission, and three of his four losses have come via decision.  Cerrone learned a tough lesson in his last fight against Diaz and will likely work hard to keep Stephens from outpointing him with a higher volume of punches.  If that turns out to be the case, Stephens will need make sure he delivers quality over quantity to win over the judges.

Written by Matty

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