Fight fans, there are only few days left before the start of an epic MMA weekend. With nearly 40 fights taking place on three straight nights of fightings, there are a lot of underdogs that you need to consider. We’ve selected a few that make intriguing plays. Let’s start with Thursday’s UFC Fight Night 90.
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UFC FIGHT NIGHT 90
Thursday, July 7
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Coverage: UFC Fight Pass
LIVE UNDERDOGS
Derrick Lewis +130 vs. Roy Nelson -161
Mike Pyle vs. Alberto Mina
Belal Muhammad vs. Alan Jouban
Nelson’s career has been spiraling downward, as “Big Country” has lost five of his past seven. Lewis comes in on the strength of a three-fight winning streak -- all of which have come by first-round knockout. If Lewis doesn’t punch himself out against the notoriously durable Nelson, he has a marked speed advantage against Nelson and should be able to land enough big punches to pull off a minor upset.
Alberto Mina might be undefeated, but he’s faced extremely soft competition. Yes, he upset Yoshihiro Akiyama, but “Sexyama” is way past his peak as a fighter. Pyle is the type of dangerous journeyman that could easily end Mina’s fairytale career. This fight should be close to a toss-up.
Alan Jouban is a giant welterweight with vicious KO power, but we haven’t seen many layers to his game. His opponent, Belal Muhammad, will be making his UFC debut on short notice and is understandably the underdog. But Muhammad has solid experience in good regional promotions, and has the type of grappling-centric approach that could stymie Jouban’s aggressive standup.
THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER 23 FINALE
Friday, July 8
Las Vegas, Nevada
LIVE UNDERDOGS
Claudia Gadelha +148 vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk -178
Ross Pearson vs. Will Brooks
Thiago Tavares vs. Doo Ho Choi
The first time Gadelha and Jedrzejczyk met, J-Check escaped with a split decision victory that many felt should have gone the other way. Even if you look at this bout in a vacuum, it’s obvious that this is a bad style matchup for the champion. Gadelha is savage athletic grappler, who will look to close the distance as often as possible to neutralize Joanna’s need to keep range to get her Muay Thai off.
Will Brooks will make his UFC debut, and he comes with some hype as Bellator’s reigning lightweight champion. However, we’ve seen champions from other promotions struggle in the UFC. Whether it’s octagon jitters, a higher level of competition or something else entirely, highly touted imports tend to struggle in their first fights.
Doo Ho Choi is building a fearsome reputation as a knockout artist, and his recent run of stunning KOs is likely driving his line as a favorite. But Tavares is the type of suffocating submission artists that could smother the Korean for three rounds.
UFC 200
Saturday, July 9
T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Coverage: Pay-per-view
LIVE UNDERDOGS
Kelvin Gastelum +140 vs. Johny Hendricks -165
Brock Lesnar +143 vs. Mark Hunt -167
Enrique Marin +265 vs. Sage Northcutt -320
Gastelum is the type of athletic young gun that could give the fading Hendricks a ton of problems. He’s strong enough to neutralize Hendricks’ wrestling, and quick enough to avoid the killer left. If the former champion can’t get this fight to the ground, this fight is a toss-up.
While Mark Hunt could end Brock Lesnar’s night with a single punch, there’s just no real preparation for the massive, explosive Lesnar. Stipe Miocic proved that Hunt can be taken down and controlled, and Lesnar is 20 pounds heavier than Stipe and a million times meaner when it comes to ground and pound.
There are already negative reports from Sage’s sparring partners, saying that there’s no way he can improve if he doesn’t train with a real camp. Considering how amateur he looked against Bryan Barberena on the mat, it’s a horrible sign against Marin, who has five submissions in eight career victories.
HOW TO BET
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 90 takes place on July 7 on Fight Pass, The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale takes place on July 8 on FS1, and UFC 200 takes place on July 9 on pay-per-view.
