UFC 219 is set to occur this Saturday night (Dec. 30) at Las Vegas, Nevada, and let us just say that it doesn’t scream”quality” like previous end-of-year UFC cards.
Normally the UFC piles its card of this year in the top to bottom. Rather, in 2017, we get a main event between Holly Holm and Cris Cyborg. Though it has the potential to become a great fight, it does not necessarily scream”buy this pay-per-view!”
Additionally, this is a very hard card to bet on as there are not a lot of fights which it is possible to get a powerful read on. Many of the favorites, like Cyborg and Khabib Nurmagomedov, deserve to become overwhelming favorites, yet might also readily get merked with their competitions. Danger lurks.
That said, we need to generate some plays. So let us do the best we can to come across a few golden underdogs, some worthy props, along with a rewarding softball. Also checking out my Best Bets for UFC Futures from last week, where I proposed a few’dogs (Carla Esparza and Neil Magny) who still hold some value.
Golden Underdogs
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori (-222) vs. Omari Akhmedov (+187)
At first glance, this moneyline in BetOnline seems perfectly acceptable, but when you have a better look at this preliminary matchup, you can find some solid reasons to take the puppy in Omari”The Wolverine” Akhmedov (17-4).
Although Marvin Vettori (12-3) is a larger fighter that loves to throw down, averaging 3.13 significant strikes landed per minute, he does not have enough power to shoot Akhmedov out via (T)KO, so this fight might wind up being a grappling event. While Akhmedov has shown previously that he has some power in his own hands (seven wins by knockout and also two”Battle of the Night” bonuses at the UFC), in which he excels is in the wrestling department. The Dagestani grappler may easily wind up controlling the struggle if the bulk is invested at the clinch or on the mat.
The sole kryptonite I watch for Akhmedov is his gasoline tank. Will he strike a cardio wall just like he did in successive knockout losses to Sergio Moraes and Elizeu Zaleski? In both of those losses, Akhmedov started strong but faded badly in the later rounds.
He followed up those losses with two hard-working decision wins Kyle Noke and Abdul Razak Alhassan, the latter an upset at UFC Fight Night 109. Right now I am leaning towards”The Wolverine’s” hard hands and wrestling acumen for another possibly profitable upset.
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