Three Fights Worth Betting at UFC 186 Saturday Night in Montreal

By: Don Best Staff | Friday, April 24, 2015
UFC

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)


 
 
Real-Time Odds - it's what the pros use
 
Quick, Easy, Just For You
 
XML Feeds to power your apps
 
Expert Picks to grow your bankroll, start winning NOW!
 
Organize your plays with our Rotation Schedules