UFC 207 - Nunes vs Rousey - Vegas

Status
Not open for further replies.
What up fellas...just reading through the thread but wanted to give my thoughts on some matches. I'll post my bets as well.

If I didn't get to a specific fight that you want broken down or my opinion no one ask or send me a PM and if I have time I will do it.

Amanda Nunes (13-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (12-1)

Entering this contest there has been myriad speculation regarding Rousey's state of mind. Coming off a vicious knockout in 2015 Rousey went on a protracted hiatus from the fight game as she entertained Hollywood. In the interim she would make countless bizarre statements along the way. Now that she has finally returned to the cage with intentions to right the ship and get her title back, she has went on an unprecedented media blackout tour which has only exasperated the chatter of what the former bantamweight champion's mental state is. All as she prepares to enter the cage Friday night against what I believe to be her toughest opponent to date.

Don't get it twisted, Rousey is still among the most dominant female mixed martial artist to ever compete and her grappling is top of the food chain stuff. She is also exceptionally strong in the clinch were she will drive gut busting knees to the midsection that have the power to fold her opponent up like a lawn chair. However, even when she was the champ, the one weakness in the Rousey arsenal was her striking game. That said, she has made exponential progress since her inception into professional mixed martial arts. Nevertheless, Rousey doesn't want to stay on the feet for prolonged periods of time against most of her competitors as she is still fundamentally flawed in the department. What's more, I find it troubling that she has stuck with a bonafide know nothing of a coach in Edmond Tarverdyan. Be it out of loyalty or hubris, this is not a wise decision in my opinion.

Opposing Rousey is the current 135 pound female queen-pin of the division Amanda Nunes. A versatile fighter, Nunes is a BJJ black belt, a Judo brown belt and a Muay Thai wrecking machine. An absolute powerhouse of a striker, nIne of the champions thirteen victories have come in the form of a knockout. A statistic which is unusual for WMMA competition. Coming into the fight Nunes appears to be in fantastic condition and in excellent spirits. Most importantly though, she doesn't seem to be intimidated by the bright lights. Moreover, the champion will enter the cage without having any outside distractions. Training at ATT with a stable of other killers has Nunes fully prepared to fire on all cylinders tonight.

Technically this should be a close contest, and on paper the grappling may cancel each other out. However, I believe that Nunes is strong and athletic enough to remain vertical and use her superior striking to tune Rousey up on the feet. I anticipate the champ bombing on Ronda from pillar to post. Most likely getting her out of there inside the first frame. I have no idea where Ronda's head is at but I know for sure that Nunes has hers on straight with full attention to detail.

Nunes is fit and prime to do what she does best which is kicking ass. We might see the Ronda of old which is always dangerous, but I feel like she already has one foot out the door — pointed towards Hollywood — which is not where you want to be when locked in the cage with a Lioness.

No way I can play RRR as a near 2-1 favorite.

Pick: Nunes by TKO

Dominick Cruz (22-1) vs. Cody Garbrandt (10-0)
A prototypical wrestle–boxer, Cody Garbrandt is a heavy-handed slugger with tight boxing technique and a solid background in amateur wrestling. A plus athlete, Cody predominately uses his wrestling in reverse to stay up right where he can throw hands with his opponent. Having a boxing background, Cody accumulated a sterling record of 32-1 as an amateur. Whilst a brutal power puncher, Cody is not just a brawler but rather a skilled pugilist with excellent fundamentals. Possessing tight hooks and stellar counterpunching, at 135 pounds Garbrandt has the type of fight ending power that is a rarity in his neck of the woods. Constantly on his front foot, Cody is marching his man down and trying to engage them into a fire fight. Sporting a flawless 10-0 record with nine career knockouts, this has been a sound strategy thus far. In fact, Cody enters tonight's championship bout having dusted his last three opponents in succession thus placing him in contention to rip the BW strap off of Cruz's shoulder tonight.

Meanwhile Dominick Cruz is the best bantamweight to ever lace up a pair of 4 ounce gloves and now that he is injury free, he's set on making up for lost time. Already having a spectacular 2016 where he defeated TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber en route to winning and defending the 135 belt, Cruz will aim to end the year in top form. Incredibly, Cruz has not lost a single fight since 2007 when he was caught early in a guillotine by Faber. Since then, the fleet footed champion has been absolutely dominant.

The speed and quickness of Cruz make him all but impossible to hit and if you do lay a glove on him, it's most often a terse glance. Cruz’s uncanny ability to zig and zag while popping his foe with strikes has made him a nightmare matchup for anyone. A cerebral fighter, Cruz often seems to be playing chess while his opponent is playing checkers. Sticking and moving Dominick is ostensibly a ghost out there. Worse still, once you think you have a bead on him in the striking department, he quickly changes things up and uses his top level wrestling to transition into a successful blast double leg takedown. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

While Cody has a chance to catch Dominick early and put him to sleep with his heavy hands, I find it to be highly unlikely that such scenario present itself. For as good a boxer that Cody is, the one problem he has demonstrated is an inability to cut angles properly. Instead, The Team Alpha Male product does a lot of chasing out there. This is a major liability with him facing someone as nimble as Cruz.

Ergo, I anticipate Cody chasing and swinging at a lot of air while simultaneously getting punched in the face and dumped on his ass a lot. With the exception of a well matched TJ Dillashaw, there hasn't been anyone who has been able to solve the Dominick Cruz conundrum of yet. That said, I don't believe Cody is going to be the first to do so.

Look for Cody to become increasingly frustrated as the fight wears on while Dominick does what he does best — hit and take no damage in return. I believe that Cruz should be a 4-1 favorite so I like playing them straight up and as a leg in a parlay.

Pick: Cruz by decision

T.J. Dillashaw (14-3) vs. John Lineker (29-7)

A winner of his six straight, John Lineker is on at absolute fucking rampage. Height and reach be damned, the concrete fisted Brazilian is coming at you with all 5'3" of himself where he just dares you to stand still for a solitary moment. One of the heaviest handed fighters in all of the sport, Lineker possesses the ability to completely obliterate anyone he faces if he gets his hands on them. However, the Brazilian is going to be up against it tonight as he faces what — is for all intents and purposes — the worst stylistic match up he could imagine.

Undoubtably, T.J. Dillashaw holds an edge over Lineker in every category besides power. Dillashaw is extremely athletic and possesses some of the best footwork in the sport. On the outside TJ will use his speed, reach, range and quickness to land a variety of strikes interspersed with beautiful transitions into the takedown. Whether he is just sniping from the fringe or setting you up for an unexpected high head kick, TJ has become one of the most dangerous strikers in the lower weight classes. Furthermore, his style should be exactly what is needed to put a stop to the Lineker win streak. Much like with Cruz with Garbrandt, I expect Dillashaw to use his quick feet to get in and out as he strikes the Brazilian from multiple positions. I expect Dillashaw to have John spinning like a top all night long.

TJ is going to inflict damage to Lineker while taking none in return. Once Lineker starts becoming frustrated he will become increasingly reckless which will only further play to TJ's game. This is because as Lineker starts chasing, we'll see the former champion using the Brazilians momentum against him to time well executed takedowns.

This will either be a clearly win for TJ by decision or else a late stoppage somewhere in the third round. At -190 I do believe that Dillashaw makes for awesome parlay fodder.

Pick: Dillashaw by decision

Pyle vs. Garcia

With quick and heavy hands, the 29-year-old Garcia has the potential to put any man too sleep if he connects cleanly. Specifically, the Dominican Republic native is a shark in round one and with a lightning quick RNC he's proven to be a monster grappling ace as well. With a 3-2 record since making his UFC debut in 2013 Garcia has recently alternated wins and losses and that is on the verge of being considered a bust if he is to lose to Pyle. The heavily muscled fighter is like quick starter with heavy hands yet he has historically been vulnerable in the cardio department in tilts that have gone past the opening stanza so that bears watching.

Though Garcia is the deserved favorite merely by his speed, athleticism and the fact that he is 12 years his opponents junior, Pyle will enter with with the more versatile skill-set. Furthermore, if the now mulletless one is able to weather the early storm he'll be in a great position to leave victorious. With his superior conditioning, Pyle can potentially put himself in the driver seat in the latter two frames of the bout if he isn't stung early. I believe that Pyle can win a decision or even stop a fatigued Garcia late in the fight, yet at 41 years old I just don't believe that he has been the left in the time to hang with someone as athletic and powerful as Garcia. Moreover, "Quicksand" has dropped four of his last six fights and looks to be on the way out. Lastly, he's never had the stiffest of beards and that too appears ever more crackable. Worse still, his striking is fundamentally flawed as he keeps his chin up high in the air like a flagpole to be teed off.

Pyle's chassis has taken more abuse than a Syrian war zone and I believe Garcia drops yet another bunker busting bomb that obliterates the salty dog veteran.

Prediction: Garcia via TKO (r1)

Vettori vs. Junior
I am a bit bullish on the young Italian Marvin Vettori and he looked fantastic against the Brazilian Alberto Uda. A solid prospect, Vettori is an athletic fighter with quick twitch muscles and good speed to compensate his strength. What's more, his grappling seems tight and his top control heavy. Overall, Vettori has the potential to make some noise in the UFC though I'm not sure it would be as a middleweight given that his frame appears better suited for the 170 pound class.

With only eight professional mixed martial arts fights to his name, the young 26-year-old Brazilian has been up and down since becoming the “TUF: Brazil 3” heavyweight champion. Following his successful run on the reality series tournament, "Shoe Face" dropped down multiple weight classes and appeared to be a can't miss prospect. This is of course before he lost as a heavy favorite to the 39 year-old Judoka Dan Kelly. Since the loss to Kelly, we've only seen ACJ once, though that single outing did get the Brazilian back into the win column and his conditioning appeared to be in check. Nevertheless, ACJ remains a beast in the 185 pound division where his 6'1" frame and submission wizardry pose problems for potential opponents. With ever improving striking to go with his natural athleticism, "Shoe Face" pushes a hard pace and is a monster to deal with if he gets on top of you.

While Vettori and Carlos Junior are both skilled grapplers, there's no doubt who the superior man on the mat is. A versatile fighter with heavy hands and usually sold cardio, Carlos Junior should have the edge standing and a significant advantage if it hits the floor. Marvin is by and large a wooden plodder who wades into the pocket heavy on the front leg. The aforementioned style of Vettori's will present ACJ the opportunity to shoot the single and put him on his back. If the Italian can keep from getting himself submitted, he might be able to make it interesting in the final stanza. However, I don't see him having much success no matter how long the fight plays out. Regardless of whether he gets finished or not, I just see it being too much too soon for the young European prospect.

Prediction: Carlos Junior (via r2 SUB)

Means vs. Oliveira
Now competing as a welterweight where he doesn't have to kill his body to make weight, the 31-year-old Tim Means looks better than ever. Timmy has quietly put together an incredible run as he has won six of his last seven and eight of his last ten bouts. Coming off two consecutive outstanding performances, Means appears to be in the best form of his career. Meanwhile the Brazilian Cowboy has put together a nice streak of his own, and has been successful north of 155 a few times himself. In a nice piece of match making, Oliveira has also won two in a row and like his counterpart eight of his last ten.

This is a difficult fight to predict given that both men have fight ending power, are very similar in their styles and are in the prime of their career. Both men come from Muay-Thai background and are definitely finishers. Specifically, the duo have 28 career TKOs between them. Though both are predominately known for their striking prowess, the one aspect that separates them is perhaps Oliveira's grappling. Make no mistake, it isn't that the Brazilian is a BJJ ace, but his TD's are persistent and stifling.

Oliveira likes to initiate the clinch and use his physicality and athleticism to break his opponent down and bring them to the mat repeatedly. Once there — if nothing else — he can rack up top control time.

Also it should be noted that Means won't have that advantageous reach edge he's accustomed to having. Specifically he'll be at a two inch deficit despite being three inches the taller. As such I anticipate the two trading shots on the fringe on equal footing. Ultimately though, I see Olivera turning to his wrestling as he's made a technical staple in his game of late. Without much technically or anatomically to separate these two, it is the "Brazilian Cowboy's" wrestling that should be the difference. Indeed, I see Oliveira putting Means' back on the cage to negate the American's voluminous striking attack while giving the Cowboy cage control time.

Look for the Brazilian to initiate the clinch, press his opponent against the cage where he'll then successfully transition into takedowns. I suspect Olivera utilizes this strategy to rack up points and put Means on his back enough that he'll be able to win a grinding three round decision.

Olivera UD
Amazing prediction on Dilly vs Bumeker
 
Took tarec most sig strikes +120, borg most td's -150, cruz cody r5 outcome to distance +100 and cruz most sig strikes -110. Gonna add more to r5 outcome if line holds later

i like pretty much all of these, with maaaaybe the exception of cruz-cody dec, BUT i have no problem w/that, either.
 
What up fellas...just reading through the thread but wanted to give my thoughts on some matches. I'll post my bets as well.

If I didn't get to a specific fight that you want broken down or my opinion no one ask or send me a PM and if I have time I will do it.

Amanda Nunes (13-4) vs. Ronda Rousey (12-1)
Does the value proposition change for you GoodFella for those of us who bet Ronda at -130 or -140ish?
 
Ez slackin too many mince pies i reck

i don't even know what a mince pie is, lol.

what i can tell you is

i'm playing werewolves within every night for hours

^ that guy said he streamed a couple hours, and i googled it.. yep, he did, lol. i show up a few mins in. (was my first night w/the game, i'm so much better now)


but yea, i prolly should have made a part 2 at some point. at this point i'll just wait a few more hours and we'll make a pbp thread, lol.
 
93 pages? This must be some type of record, especially since there was no drama/bickering

we're at 39 pages now.. if anyone doesn't know, you can increase the # of posts per page. it helps for me, less page turning etc when i am trying to catch up, reading on toilet, etc =P
 
Cody simply for the unknown factor. I know everything i'm getting with Lineker. With Cody, as much as I favor Dom, still have to keep in mind how amazing hes looked and how no one can say with full confidence how hell do against the top guy since hes spent his time before this smoking guys just outside the top 10.
That's reasonable. But I gotta say I'm with EZ on this, Lineker's knowns are why I favor him to get the win vs Cody. I know he will come forward and swing for 3 rounds, won't get tired, and is unlikely to be finished. Which you can't say for Cody, we just don't know. Although, last time I went with the known quantity in Sage, it didnt work out for me (or for you!)

Anyways, I took the over as well as Lineker. As EZ said, I think the chance of hitting both is higher than losing both. Though you could argue that point as well.
 
I, for one, am shocked that Cruz isn't -300 or -400 against a very unproven Garbrandt. I mean Cruz was -425 against Faber, who I would still favor over Garbrandt if they fought today.

Cruz has the PERFECT stylistic matchup to frustrate the hell out of a young, relatively inexperienced guy like Garbrandt. Plus after all the interviews showing how big of a hot head Garbrandt is and how emotional he will be in this fight. I feel like if your not betting Garbrandt KO round 1, you are just throwing you money away because after that adrenaline dump wears off and he starts to build up that lactic acid in his arms from swing at air for 5-7 minutes he is going to be fodder for Cruz's takedowns. Hell, I could see Cruz even getting a finish from GnP in rounds 2-4.

i agree, man. if the -5.5 didn't open +120.. like if it was -150 or something, i'd be doing 4+u straight on cruz near -200, wouldn't even bother parlaying it. i think this line is way too close. it's scary ever committing to a -5.5, not really my style, but i think he dominates the fight as long as it lasts and/or cruises to an easy decision.

and yes, those puns were very much intentional.
 
Would just like to say thanks to everyone here for sharing their insight with no drama or bickering. Makes a change from the immature teenagers over at SBR! Really glad I joined.

Good luck all!
 
That's reasonable. But I gotta say I'm with EZ on this, Lineker's knowns are why I favor him to get the win vs Cody. I know he will come forward and swing for 3 rounds, won't get tired, and is unlikely to be finished. Which you can't say for Cody, we just don't know. Although, last time I went with the known quantity in Sage, it didnt work out for me (or for you!)

Anyways, I took the over as well as Lineker. As EZ said, I think the chance of hitting both is higher than losing both. Though you could argue that point as well.
I really think people are going to be surprised when Tj's constant angling, shifting, speed and diversity greatly lower Lineker's output. Please watch the first 3 mins of the Dodson fight when Lineker was trying to figure him out. Some of those misses were crazy sloppy, and he barely threw anything. TJ is not going to work in the same pattern all fight like Dodson did, not a chance. I can easily see him keeping Lineker confused the duration of the bout. We shall see. This is def one of my more confident bets in awhile though
 
Cruz rd 3/4/5 +2000/+2500/+2800 @BetStars, can be turned into a Cruz wins in rd3-5 bet at about +724 if im correct.

very nice. i only stabbed at cruz +19xx on 5d for rd 5, we always get worse options than euro's for these!

anes yes, your calculations are correct, i did a makeshift quick calculation and it's CLOSE to +729 (and this number is not exact), so +724 is prolly spot on.
 
While I agree with that Nunes may well gas hard out of the first and must avoid the ground, I trust her camp to prepare her, it's quite a simple gameplan to follow.
One thing also, when has Ronda ever in any of her fights shown good evasive footwork? She squares up straight to generate power in the pocket and almost skips forward to get there. I trust Nunes to be good enough to land her power, and remember she used brutal leg kicks too which she shouldn't have to worry about getting about getting taken down off.
I think a big part of my lean is that there is a clear gameplan to beat Rousey now, and I have zero faith in Edmond in closing any of those holes effectively. While Nunes isn't the perfect fit like Holm, surely a power striker in the first round is a hell of a mental adjustment period.
I am not saying Rousey has no chance. It's Rousey. But with all this considered, if Nunes did wreck shop I would feel pretty stupid for not making the bet. Less so if Nunes goofs into the clinch.

All fair points. However, I'm much less confident in Nunes' ability to execute a gamplan than you are. If she was a bigger underdog, I'd be with you. But at -140, I had to take Ronda. I mean, Nunes was a much bigger dog against Tate and McMann than she is against Rousey. IMO too much stock is being put into Nunes performance against Meisha, who seemed to be coming in off a brutal weight cut and focused on media more than fighting.
 
Pedantic, but every time you call that prop decisions over x½ instead of fights go distance over x½ which is how it is actually worded and graded, I'm reminded of the time we had a rare technical decision in round 2 of a fight and of course that fight didn't count!

was rd 3, right? omielanczuk

you can't get a technical dec in rd 2

it's rd 3 if a 3 round fight, it's rd 4 or 5 if a 5 round fight

(if an accidental foul ends the fight in those situations)
 
i agree, man. if the -5.5 didn't open +120.. like if it was -150 or something, i'd be doing 4+u straight on cruz near -200, wouldn't even bother parlaying it. i think this line is way too close. it's scary ever committing to a -5.5, not really my style, but i think he dominates the fight as long as it lasts and/or cruises to an easy decision.

and yes, those puns were very much intentional.
Dominick "Dominate Cruise" Cruz
 
I really think people are going to be surprised when Tj's constant angling, shifting, speed and diversity greatly lower Lineker's output. Please watch the first 3 mins of the Dodson fight when Lineker was trying to figure him out. Some of those misses were crazy sloppy, and he barely threw anything. TJ is not going to work in the same pattern all fight like Dodson did, not a chance. I can easily see him keeping Lineker confused the duration of the bout. We shall see. This is def one of my more confident bets in awhile though
To respectfully play devil's advocate, he clearly took the first round off to conserve himself for a 5 round fight vs Dodson. Won't have to do that here.

Don't be surprised if the judges favor Lineker's pressure and aggression.
 
To respectfully play devil's advocate, he clearly took the first round off to conserve himself for a 5 round fight vs Dodson. Won't have to do that here.

Don't be surprised if the judges favor Lineker's pressure and aggression.
what are you talking about bri...errr Buddy. Didn't look like he was taking anything off lol just trying to figure out what to do. Eventually he did since Dodson did the exact same pattern the whole fight.
 
very nice. i only stabbed at cruz +19xx on 5d for rd 5, we always get worse options than euro's for these!

anes yes, your calculations are correct, i did a makeshift quick calculation and it's CLOSE to +729 (and this number is not exact), so +724 is prolly spot on.

i took the sub round 5 for cruz at +5100. Couldn't resist it. Obviously hes going to knock him out in the fifth now
.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top