UFC Fight Night 117 takes place on Friday, September 22, 2017 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Light heavyweight contenders Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Ovince St. Preux will collide in the main event. The card airs live on FXX. Bet on the latest UFC odds at BookMaker.eu now!
The Saitama Super Arena is a hallowed MMA site, home to some of the greatest events in the sport’s history. It’s where many of the legendary PrideFC events took place, giving us the best years of legends like Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Cro Cop, Antonio Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva. This Saturday, MMA is coming back to the venue, this time for a UFC Fight Night.
Unfortunately, Shogun Rua won’t be able to headline the festivities - injuries have deprived the former Middleweight Grand Prix winner an opportunity to fight in the country that made him a star. Replacing him will be Japanese native Yushin Okami, a former middleweight title contender who was cut from the UFC in 2013. “Thunder” will meet No. 6 light heavyweight Ovince St. Preux.
Also on the card is a co-main event showdown between Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Andrade - the two most physically savage strawweights on the roster. Native Japanese star Takanori Gomi will look to score a win in his home country, and kickboxing champion Gokhan Saki makes his UFC debut against slugger Henrique da Silva.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu and pick out the best betting values.
UFC odds at BookMaker.eu
Main Event
Ovince St. Preux -485
Yushin Okami +360
Over/under 1.5 rounds, over -180, under +140
The Brief Breakdown
OSP has had some real cardio problems lately, but he appeared to have addressed the issue in his last matchup against Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Still, even if his gas tank runs empty again, he should still be able to beat Okami on short notice.
No disrespect to Okami, but the Japanese native has been fighting at welterweight lately, meaning he’ll be moving up two weight classes in his return to the UFC. Plus, he’s stepping in on just a few days notice. For a guy that’s at his best when he’s muscling up opponents with his wrestling, fighting a significantly bigger submission is a really tough task.
UFC Betting Tip
There are simply too many obstacles for Okami to overcome here. The price on OSP isn’t anything more than parlay fodder, but the round total is interesting. If you want to gamble, throw a small bet on the under, as St. Preux does have a history of early finishes.
UFC Odds Pick: Parlay St. Preux at -485
Strawweight
Claudia Gadelha -280
Jessica Andrade +225
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -201, under +161
The Brief Breakdown
This comes down to whether Gadelha can take Andrade down and go full honey badger with her world-class BJJ skills. If not, Claudinha’s got an uphill battle on the feet against a serious bomber. Unless she’s made serious strides at her new training camp, Gadelha won’t be as comfortable as Andrade in a standup war.
While Claudia is the only fighter to consistently take down Joanna Jedrzejczyk, she still relies too much on overpowering opponents then using technique to get it to the mat. Trying to do that against a powerful, compact fighter like Andrade would be like trying to take down a fire hydrant.
Betting Tip
Gadelha is without a doubt the second best strawweight in the world, but this is just a bad style matchup for her. Lay the price on Andrade and enjoy the underdog odds.
UFC Odds Pick: Andrade to win at +225
Lightweight
Takanori Gomi +280
Dong Hyun Kim -355
Over/under 1.5 rounds, over +140, under -180
The Brief Breakdown
Here’s a matchup that should get plenty of roars from the famously quiet Japanese crowds. Gomi and Kim are brawlers that love to swing for the fences. Expect these guys to meet in the middle and trade punches until somebody goes down.
A decade ago, Gomi was arguably the best lightweight in the world. These days, he’s a one-round fighter with a cracked chin. Kim isn’t a particularly skilled striker, but cardio isn’t an issue and he’s a better counterpuncher than people give him credit for. That’s enough to fade the Japanese star, who could very well retire after this matchup.
Betting Tip
Lay the price on Kim. As a rule of thumb, never bet on guys that consistently gas early - in this case, that’s Gomi.
UFC Odds Pick: Kim to win at -355
QUICK PICK
Gokhan Saki -175 vs. Henrique da Silva +145
Saki is one of the best kickboxers on the planet, a former world, Dutch and European Muay Thai champion with a GLORY title to boot. His opponent, Henrique da Silva comes into the bout with three straight losses - including a 22-second KO courtesy of Ion Cutelaba in his last outing. That would suggest that Saki has a chance to land a death blow, but kickboxing is not MMA. Ask Conor McGregor how easy crossing over is.
UFC Odds Pick: Da Silva to win at +145
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UFC Fight Night 117 takes place on Friday, September 22, 2017 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The card airs live on FXX.
