UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida vs Garbrandt Date: May 29, 2016 Arena: Mandalay Bay Events Center City: Las Vegas, NV The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Las Vegas, NV with UFC Fight Night 88: Almeida vs Garbrandt. The night of action features 11 bouts, culminating with a five round bantamweight showdown between two of the most feared, undefeated prospects in the division. Preliminary card action gets underway at 6pm ET on UFC Fight Pass and 7pm ET on FOX Sports 1, with the main card kicking off on the same channel at 9pm 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: Bantamweight bout: Cody Garbrandt (+130) vs Thomas de Almeida (-150) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think this is a “dog or pass” situation as far as a wager is concerned and personally, I opt to pass. I liked Garbrandt for a play at his opening price of +180 but didn’t pull the trigger on it. I considered him at +150 too but didn’t pull the trigger there, either. At +130, I think it’s too low for me to make a move. I do believe that this is a very close fight. I think the most likely outcome is the Brazilian knocking Garbrandt out, and the second most likely outcome is Garbrandt finishing him. I can see Garbrandt ending this fight with a knockout or a choke. However, should the fight hit the judges’ scorecards for a decision, which it could if their chins hold up, then I would favor de Almeida to earn the nod, having used his superior technical striking. I could really see this fight playing out so many different ways, and at +180, I thought Garbrandt was worth taking a shot on, but at the current odds, I just don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze. I think there is a good chance he wins this fight, but I don’t see much value in him at the current price to make a move, so this will be a fight I avoid at the sportsbook this weekend. Of course, if late actions creeps back in on the Brazilian and Garbrandt skyrockets to +200, I will be on that and would recommend you are too. Gabe’s Call: de Almeida by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Welterweight bout: Rick Story (+115) vs Tarec Saffiedine (-130) Gabe’s Thoughts: This is a very close fight to call and I do believe it is a coin-flip. At the current betting odds, I see no value on either fighter for a play, though if I had to choose a side, I would take Story for the underdog odds. I can see him winning this fight with a knockout or on the judges’ scorecards, whereas I can only see Saffiedine winning on the scorecards. I think this is a classic “sit back and enjoy” type of fight, so I’ll keep my wallet away from it and do just that. I say avoid this one, folks. Gabe’s Call: Story by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
