UFC 202 Date: August 20, 2016 Arena: T-Mobile Arena City: Las Vegas, NV The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in the fight capital of the world, Las Vegas, NV on August 20, 2016 with UFC 202: Diaz vs McGregor II. Main card action will be kicking off on Pay Per View at 10pm ET, with preliminary bouts preceding it on FOX Sports 1 at 8pm ET and on UFC Fight Pass at 6:30pm ET. If interested in wagering on any bouts for this fight card, all betting lines will be made available at Several Bookmakerss. My Over/Under Totals are: Welterweight bout: Nate Diaz (+105) vs Conor McGregor (-115) Gabe’s Thoughts: This rematch is hard for me to call and I keep changing my mind as to what I think the result will be. (I changed the official result in this article alone a number of times; from Diaz by Sub to McGregor Unanimous Dec, to McGregor by Split Dec to now, Diaz by Split Dec.) I do believe this is a close fight, as I felt their initial meeting was. In that fight, I thought Diaz had huge value as a dog and recommended a big bet on him, as well as predicting a second round submission finish. To pat myself on the back furthermore, I was the only MMAOB staff member to officially pick him over McGregor in the staff picks. I have a feeling that this time around, these two will likely battle it out for all five rounds of action. McGregor should have learned from his errors and corrected his gas tank, so I think he will be ready for a five round bout this time around. Diaz can roll out of bed and go a full five rounds, so there is no concern there. The Total of Over 2.5 rounds is currently at +115 and I like that plus money for a play here. Gabe’s Call: Diaz by Split Decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 2.5 rounds (+115) 3u to win 3.45u Welterweight bout: Alberto Uda (+145) vs Marvin Vettori (-165) Gabe’s Thoughts: Uda last saw action at UFC Fight Night 88 just a couple of months ago, where he suffered a second round knockout loss against former RFA middleweight champion Jake Collier, marking the first blemish on his professional mixed martial arts career resume. He makes a quick return to action, likely against doctors orders, to take on promotional newcomer Vettori. The Italian welterweight prospect is making is Octagon debut on the heels of an impressive five fight winning streak, most recently including first round finishes of Cage Warriors veteran Jack Mason and UFC veteran Igor Araujo; the latter of which earned him his contract with the big show. Unless he gets caught early, I think this is Vettori’s fight to lose and I see him putting Uda away in under a round and a half. I think Vettori by first round finish is the most likely outcome to this fight, and while I favor it to come via T/KO, I could also see him taking this fight to the mat (whether by takedown or knockdown) and securing a submission, as well. At +115, I think the Total of Under 1.5 rounds is the right side for a play here. Gabe’s Call: Vettori by T/KO (strikes, 3:31 round 1) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds (+115) 1u to win 1.15u
