UFC Fight Night 91: McDonald vs Lineker Date: July 13, 2016 Arena: Denny Sanford Premier Center City: Sioux Falls, SD The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is set to make it’s inaugral trip to Sioux Falls, SD for UFC Fight Night 91: McDonald vs Lineker. This will be first official fight card under the new UFC regime. The 12-fight card is set to get going with preliminary action on UFC Fight Pass at 5:30pm ET and continuing on FOX Sports 1 at 7pm ET. Main card action will be underway at 9pm ET, also on FOX Sports 1.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: Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson (-750) vs Landon Vannatta (+525) Gabe’s Thoughts: Ferguson was originally scheduled to take on Michael Chiesa but the injury bug struck and forced Chiesa out of the contest, resulting in undefeated Jackson-Wink MMA product Vannatta getting the call to make is UFC debut on short notice. Naturally a featherweight, Vannatta will be competing a weight class above in this contest against Ferguson. I think he has a bright future in the UFC’s 145-pound division but see him having a tough time getting past the TUF 13 winner. I think Ferguson’s size and strength will ultimately be the difference in this contest. I think “El Cucuy” should be a -600 betting favorite headed into this contest, so I see no value in him for a play at his current offering price of -750. This has to be a fight I recommend avoiding at the sportsbooks this week. Gabe’s Call: Ferguson by T/KO (punches, 4:05 round 3) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID Flyweight bout: Ben Nguyen (-120) vs Louis Smolka (+100) Gabe’s Thoughts: This is the toughest fight on the entire card for me to call and the odds indeed reflect that. This is very much a coin-flip fight, so I am in agreement with the current betting odds and see no value in either fighter for a play. I am a fan of both 125-pounders and believe they are excellent prospects in the division. I also expect this to be a highly entertaining scrap; likely a contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. But as far as a wager is concerned, I would of course have to recommend to avoid this one at the sportsbooks this Wednesday. Gabe’s Call: Nguyen by Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: AVOID
