Saturday UFC and Basketball Bonanza *The leans below will not count to my stats here in this thread. Follow or fade, it's up to you!UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs OleinikLOSS - Take
SCOTT HOLTZMAN over Beneil Dariush (9:10p.m., Saturday, August 8th)
We have a lightweight matchup kicking off the main card of "UFC on ESPN+ 32" between Scott Holtzman (14-3) and Beneil Dariush (18-4). Beneil Dariush looked like a real contender when he entered the UFC, winning 6 of his first 7 fights with high level kickboxing, a patient fighting style and a Black Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu to match. However, after he suffered a devastating loss to Edson Barboza, things slowed down a little. He followed that up with an underwhelming performance vs. Evan Dunham which ended in a majority draw, and then was knocked out brutally once again at the hands of Alexander Hernandez. Since that loss however, he has managed to reel off four straight victories, but do not let the record fool you as before submitting Drew Dober in 2019, he was on the wrong side of a 10-8 first round. There is no doubt that Dariush has tremendous talent and technique, but his heart and overall durability is in severe question at this point. Enter Scott Holtzman... Holtzman is a very tough out for anybody. He brings a high-pressure approach and comes to fight each time as he looks for hard overhands and head rattling uppercuts as his opponents come forward. Holtzman does have a workable ground game which can be seen by his brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he will not want to test that out against Beneil. Dariush has his confidence back, which usually would be considered a good thing - but against such a high motor opponent in Holtzman, who feels he has something to prove, this is a spot where you'll want to stay more careful in your approach. As we mentioned before, the chin and durability of Dariush is a huge question mark, and we think this is potentially an awful matchup for him. It is easy to see why the oddsmakers set this line. You only must look at each fighter's resume to understand who has fought the higher-level competition and performed on the bigger stage. That is about the extent of a public bettors' research and the books know this, setting Dariush as the -200 favorite. However, seasoned mixed martial arts bettors know that talent alone does not win you fights. Matchups are everything, and we believe this is a spot where Holtzman can shine and shut the lights out. He will have to be careful and avoid the clinch/grappling approach of Dariush, but we think it's only a matter of time before a big shot lands and Beniel is finding himself in a world of trouble. We will take the value with the dog here, which has a lot of bite.
LOSS - Take
ALEKSEI OLEINIK over Derrick Lewis (11:10p.m., Saturday, August 8th)
In the main event of the evening we have a heavyweight matchup between Aleksei Oleinik (59-13) and Derrick Lewis (23-7). This is a fun fight and one that will be a clear "hindsight bet" once we know who wins. There is not too much to say on this fight in all honesty... Derrick Lewis is not the best mixed martial artist, and lacks a lot of technical ability, but he possesses some freakish power. He is one of the hardest hitters in the organization and if he lands remotely clean, you will find yourself being removed from consciousness. The weird thing about Derrick Lewis is his lack of consistency. Sometimes he brings some real determination to the fight and pushes himself to win by any means necessary, and other times he will simply look like he does not want to be there. Aleksei Oleinik is one of the best submission fighters in MMA history. He has 59 wins, and an astonishing 46 of those have come by submission! Derrick Lewis has only been submitted once, but that statistic can be thrown out. He has not grappled with anybody like Aleksei. If this goes to the ground, Oleinik will be able to finish. The way Derrick Lewis tries to stand back up is awkward and utilizes brute power. That will not work here. He will give up his back and that will spell the end. There is of course the possibility that he stays standing, and that is where things could get ugly for Oleinik. However, it should be noted he isn't as bad on the feet as most think - he is serviceable and Derrick Lewis will not be able to simply run forward and throw haymakers with no worry of the strikes coming back. Lewis has not shown good cardio, nor the ability to consistently stop takedowns. There is a clear path to victory for both fighters, but we have to take the more talented technician here, and as long as he survives the early portion of Round 1, we think he will find a way to get win number 60. While we do not love the wild variance that could take place in this bout, value is value and that is the golden rule to making long-term profits.
NBAWIN - Take
INDIANA PACERS +8 POINTS over Los Angeles Lakers (6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 8th)
This game is a great example of two teams that have two opposing thought processes with remaining games of the restart before playoffs start. LA has its seeding sewn up and they have absolutely nothing to play for so they will be resting guys. The Pacers on the other hand can get as high as the 4th seed in the East so they will be balls to the wall from here on out. The points are a nice little bonus in this game but Indiana will have a solid chance to steal a win in this one.