Saturday's UFC 186 main card certainly lacks the luster of
last week's FOX event, but that does mean there are not plenty of wagering
opportunities out there for MMA bettors hungry for action. The main event in
Montreal pitting UFC flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson
(21-2) against No. 7 contender Kyoji Horiguchi (15-1) may be off limits for
some due to the extremely high price on the owner of the 125-pound title. However,
many of the other 11 bouts on the card may be worth betting.
Johnson opened as a massive -1100 favorite (bet $1,100 to
win $100) against Horiguchi, who is riding an eight-fight winning streak yet was
a +625 underdog (bet $100 to win $625) at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as
of Friday night. Three other bouts on the main card are especially intriguing though based
on the betting odds, so let's take a look at the three matchups preceding
Johnson-Horiguchi on the main card.
215-Pound Catchweight
- Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (35-11) vs. Fabio Maldonado (22-7): This fight
is taking place at catchweight since Jackson was a late add back on the main
card following a contract dispute with his former employer Bellator, who nearly
prevented him from returning to the UFC for the first time in over two years. Maldonado
is a deceivingly tough opponent who has won four of five inside the Octagon and
has a chance to pull off the upset by outscoring Jackson over three rounds.
Middleweight - Michael
Bisping (25-7) vs. C.B. Dolloway (15-6): Bisping has split his last eight
fights in the UFC, dropping his last one via second-round guillotine choke
submission to Luke Rockhold in Australia last November. While he has never lost
two in a row in his MMA career, the same cannot be said of Dolloway, who is
coming off a first-round TKO loss to Lyoto Machida in Brazil last December. For
what it's worth, Rockhold finished Machida by rear-naked choke submission in
the second round last week in the main event at UFC on FOX 15 and looks to be next
in line for a title shot against the winner between champ Chris Weidman and
Vitor Belfort at UFC 187 next month.
160-Pound Catchweight
- John Makdessi (12-3) vs. Shane Campbell (11-2): This is an all-Canadian battle
between two fighters with different experience levels and sizes despite similar
records. Campbell, a Muay-Thai specialist, is an injury replacement for Abel
Trujillo and will make his UFC debut with six-inch reach and three-inch height
advantages. Meanwhile, Makdessi is coming off a loss to Alan Patrick via
unanimous decision at UFC 169 early last year but had won three in a row prior
to that following two consecutive losses and among eight straight bouts in the
organization overall.
UFC 186 Picks: Maldonado
(+250), Bisping (-135), Campbell (+145)