Pick for May 16, 2020 (SATURDAY)
Game will start on 10:00 PM EST, UFC FIGHT NIGHT 176
Match: Ige, Dan - Barboza, Edson
WIN!!! - PICK: TAKE the DAN IGE to WIN this fight for 2 UNITS (1.98 ODDS).
Dan Ige (13-2) is set to face Edson Barboza (20-8) in the featherweight division. Ige has been impressing us for years now after his debut loss in a close decision vs. Julio Arce where he has since been able to reel off 5-straight wins. Ige has the ability to be competitive no matter where the fight takes place, but he manages to do his real work on the mat. Edson Barboza has the best kicking game in the business and is dropping down to 145 pounds after losing 4 of his last 5 at lightweight. Barboza was looking unstoppable before his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.. In all honesty, we feel the beating Khabib put on him that night took years off his MMA career and he hasn't been the same fighter since. There is no doubt Barboza will be the bigger, stronger man in this bout but Ige is being overlooked. We don't know how the weight cut will affect his ability to perform or keep pace should this fight see the later rounds. Dan Ige doesn't have the same following or name that Barboza has and this is where huge value can be found. This is a big spot for Ige where a win over Edson Barboza puts him in a real contender position and we think he is able to do just that. The wrong man is favored.
Best of luck and Grind On everyone.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 176 *These tips will not count to my stats here in this thread.LOSS - Take
Eryk Anders over Krzysztof Jotko (9:30p.m., Saturday, May 16th)
Eryk Anders (13-4) will throw down vs Krzysztof Jotko in a middleweight clash in which a new contender will emerge. Anders is an incredible athlete that played at the university of Alabama (Roll Tide!) however, his stint in the UFC has been inconsistent to say the least. He will take the aggressive, walk you down approach, in some fights and pick up wins vs. opponents such as Rafael Natal and Gerald Meerschaert, but will then be hesitant and find ways to lose vs opponents such as Elias Theodorou. In all honesty, that was a pathetic performance, and one that left a bad taste in our mouth. Anders has good strength and power, but his technique and overall want and grit is questionable. Jotko on the other hand is a technical, well-rounded martial artist with a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. If the best version of Krzysztof Jotko shows up here, we think he should have what it takes to handle Anders, but he has also been extremely inconsistent and isn't someone that can be trusted (especially as chalk). This could be an ugly fight, but one where the aggressor will probably win. If Anders pushes, and brings the fight to Krzysztof, then he should find a way to win a close decision using his power and strength advantages. It wouldn't shock us if he was able to win by KO either.
LOSS - Take
Marlon Vera over Song Yadong (9:00 p.m., Saturday, May 16)
Marlon Vera (15-5) will take on Song Yadong (15-4) in the UFC featherweight division in a bout that will kick off the main card. Marlon Vera is currently on a 5-fight win streak and is looking better and better each time we see him. He is well rounded and manages distance and space efficiently. Yadong on the other hand is a raw talent, that has some serious power for the division. This fight could play out in so many ways. We could see Yadong landing that devastating shot and putting Vera away. We could see Vera winning a point battle and eventually pulling guard to work off his back at some point where he can utilize his slick transitions or we could see Yadong landing a takedown where he is able to put a beating on Vera over the course of 3 rounds with his solid suffocating top game. The main issue here is the questionable fight IQ of Marlon Vera... He can be winning rounds before making some strange choices which makes his fights more competitive than they need to be. However, making him a +160 underdog in this fight seems a little far-fetched. This could go either way, but it's a coin-flip. We will take this price on a 50/50 proposition any day of the week.
WIN!!! - Take
Alistair Overeem over Walt Harris (11:00 p.m., Saturday, May 16)
The main event of the evening will see Alistair Overeem (45-18) take on Walt Harris (13-7) in the UFC heavyweight division. Before assessing this fight, we should bring attention to Walt Harris who has had an extremely difficult end to 2019. His step-daughter, Aniah Blanchard was abducted in October from a Chevron station in Alabama and went missing. Harris took to social media desperately looking for help to find her before her remains were tragically discovered in late November in a wooded area of Macon County. We want to pay our respects by bringing attention to this story and wishing nothing but the best for Walt Harris and his family in this difficult time. He will be bringing all kinds of emotion, anger and a heavy heart with him as he makes his walk to the Octagon Saturday night. It's impossible to predict how this will distract, or fuel him - so we will handicap this fight in a neutral manner. Harris has won his last 4 in the UFC and is looking better each time we see him. He has some serious power which can be seen with all his wins coming by KO. The issue is his resume. Beating Daniel Spitz, Sergey Spivak and old timers Aleksei Oleinik and Andrei Arlovski is nothing to write home about. Alistair Overeem on the other hand is a legend in the sport. His first fight in the UFC was back in 2011 and has an incredible resume as he has beaten fighters such as Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, Junior Dos Santos, and Brock Lesnar. His recent losses came at the hands of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Curtis Blaydes, Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic! Overeem is by far the better technical striker. His experience will be a huge factor in our opinion and this step up in competition for Harris should not be overlooked. Overeem always is at risk with his ever deteriorating chin, but his defense has been getting better. He managed to survive all 5 rounds in a one-sided winning performance vs. elite striker Rozenstruik before being knocked out with 4 seconds to go! That's both comforting and scary at the same time. He's tightening things up and improving his defense as he is fully aware of his porcelain beak, but he is always ripe to be knocked out. However - we wouldn't be surprised if Overeem was able to land a few takedowns here and beat up on Harris on the mat and perhaps even secure a submission. His ground game is often overlooked and he has the ability to take it there. In our opinion, Harris has one path to victory, whilst Overeem has many. We don't believe Harris should be favored and for that reason will take the ugly dog in Overeem. Hold your nose and let's hope he is able to avoid the KO blows that will be swung his way.