In what should be an all-out slugfest, ex-hockey enforcer Steve Bosse will meet New Zealand brawler James Te Huna on this Saturday’s main card. The fight will be Te Huna’s first in nearly two years, after spending time on the sidelines with multiple injuries.
As a Kiwi, he should have plenty of Australian fans in his corner.
Bet on UFC Fight Night 85 odds at BookMaker.eu
James Te Huna -245
Steve Bosse +205
Over/under 1.5 rounds, over +161, under -190
Please note, the odds at BookMaker are updated daily. The lines listed here may have changed since this article was posted.
THE STAKES
Te Huna should be fighting like his job is on the line, period. He’s never been a high-ceiling talent to begin with, and he’s coming into the matchup with three straight losses. Although many of his losses have come against contenders like Alexander Gustafsson and Glover Teixeira, the New Zealand native is on extremely thin ice right now.
Bosse has more of a leash, but he’s coming off a loss to Thiago Santos in his UFC debut. The Canadian has an intriguing backstory as a former hockey enforcer, but the jury is still out on whether he can carve a role for himself in the promotion. Losing to a struggling fighter like Te Huna would be disastrous.
FIGHT BREAKDOWN
These guys are sluggers and little else. The only reason they’re on the main card is that Te Huna is an adopted Australian fighter, and there’s almost zero chance this doesn’t end in a KO.
Te Huna has been stopped in the first round in his last three fights, two by submission and a single-punch KO loss against a fading Shogun Rua. Most recently, he tapped to an armbar by an aging Nate Marquardt. He has glaring holes in his submission defense, but luckily for him, Bosse is far from a BJJ expert.
The 34-year old Bosse is a headhunter. He’s got eight KO/TKOs in 10 career victories, and seven of those eight stoppages was courtesy of his fists. The dude hits hard, no question. He might rely a little too much on his stopping power, and against upper-level opponents that will be a fatal flaw. Te Huna is not upper level though.
THE BETTING PERSPECTIVE
While Te Huna hasn’t fought in a while, I think his experience will be the deciding factor. Bosse is still relatively new to the fight game, and that’s something that was exposed in his UFC debut. Unless he’s made massive leaps in his game, an experienced UFC fighter like Te Huna should be able to outclass him.
Look for Te Huna to weather a first-round blitz and pick apart Bosse with a more technical approach. The pick is Te Huna to win by second round TKO.
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Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook! You can even wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Money lines, totals, props and money line are all available now. UFC Fight Night 85 takes place Saturday, March 19, 2016 at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. The card will stream on Fox Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET following the prelims starting at 7 p.m.
