UFC 196 Date: March 5 Arena: MGM Grand Garden Arena City: Las Vegas, NV The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Las Vegas, NV this Saturday night (March 5, 2016) with UFC 195: McGregor vs Diaz. The action-packed 12-fight card is set to get going with Fight Pass prelims at 6:30pm ET and televised prelims to follow on Fox Sports 1 at 8pm ET. Main card action will be underway at 10pm ET on Pay Per View. 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: Featherweight bout: Darren Elkins (+140) vs Chas Skelly (-150) Gabe’s Thoughts: I expect this to be a closely contested match-up in the UFC’s featherweight division and I think a majority of it will take place against the cage and on the canvas. Over the course of three rounds, I slightly favor the underdog Elkins, largely in part due to his advantage in cardio. That said, I am not confident enough to make a play on him and will ultimately skip this scrap this evening. For me, this will be a fight to avoid at UFC 196. Gabe’s Call: Elkins by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Welterweight bout: Diego Sanchez (+135) vs Jim Miller (-155) Gabe’s Thoughts: I see this as a real “dog or pass” situation, and I was eyeing a play on Sanchez as a dog but ultimately decided to pass, as I think there are currently too many question marks surrounding both fighters heading into this 155-pound scrap for me to be able to confidently pull the trigger on Sanchez. I think if Sanchez shows up prepared and Miller doesn’t, which is a possibility, then I expect Sanchez to cruise to a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards. I can’t blame anybody for taking a shot on Sanchez here, but personally, I am going to opt to skip this one and simply sit back and enjoy. These two veteran warriors will go to war and I hope to see a ‘Fight of the Night’ candidate. Gabe’s Call: Sanchez by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
