This Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa is the final card before the milestone UFC 200 weekend, but the promotion is making sure the free FS1 offering shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s a smattering of stars, the first-ever women’s flyweight bout and even a former hockey enforcer-turned-MMA-knockout artist. Let’s break down your betting options.
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MAIN EVENT
Welterweights
Stephen Thompson -120
Rory MacDonald -110
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -160, under +140
Prediction: Thompson TKO MacDonald, Round 4
Surely you’ve seen how Thompson demolished former champion Johny Hendricks in his last bout to seize the mantle of “Hottest Fighter in the UFC”. We covered that first-round destruction in a detailed fight preview this week, so no need to delve into that here. What needs to be mentioned is that there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the weight class that can successfully oblige “Wonderboy” in a striking battle.
More importantly, Thompson’s takedown defense looked improved to the point where he was shrugging off the attempts of a former NCAA Division I champion. If MacDonald doesn’t have the threat of his wrestling, then this fight will take place in Thompson’s world. Rory might have a home matchup, but he’s gonna be eating a steady stream of kicks all night. As durable as he is, I doubt he holds up against Thompson.
Co-Main Event
Welterweights
Donald Cerrone -166
Patrick Cote +141
Over/under 2.5 rounds, over -125, under +105
Prediction: Cerrone UD Cote
It’s time to see how Cowboy will fare against a real welterweight. While Cerrone and Cote are the same height, it’s Cote who is naturally the bigger man -- dude is a former middleweight title challenger fighting a former 155-pounder. That being said, Cowboy holds the advantages everywhere else.
Physically, Cerrone is younger, faster and more athletic. Skillwise, Cerrone is a far more accomplished submission artist and a much more dynamic striker. Given that Cote very much prefers a kickboxing bout, the outlook does not look good for the Canadian. As usual, Cerrone might start off slow, but expect him to outclass Cote once he finds his rhythm and timing.
Middleweights
Steve Bosse -150
Sean O’Connell +130
Over/under 1.5rounds, over +180, under -215
Prediction: O’Connell TKO Bosse, Round 2
You might want to stay away from this bout entirely. These guys are both hard-charging knockout artists that come with a kill-or-be-killed mentality. The problem is that we don’t know enough about Bosse to make a pick. He’s 1-1 so far in the octagon, but those bouts accounted for a less than 90 seconds of actual cage time. He knocked out a midtier guy and was knocked out by another, so there are hardly any conclusions to draw.
Instead, we have to lean towards O’Connell’s experience and style. “The Real OC” loves himself a good clinchfight, and we don’t know how well Bosse -- who only recently transitioned to MMA from hockey -- can defend it. Of course, O’Connell has been known to throw caution to the wind, so he could end up unconscious.
Women’s Flyweights
Valerie Letourneau -177
Joanne Calderwood +152
Over/under 2.5rounds, over -325, under +265
Prediction: Letourneau UD Calderwood
The UFC picked a fun matchup for the first-ever women’s flyweight bout. Letourneau and Calderwood are both scrappy strikers who aren’t afraid of taking hits to dish out hits. I wouldn’t expect this fight to feature much wrestling or grappling, given that each woman loves to bang first, then everything else second.
In a kickboxing match, the edge goes to Letourneau, who is the more polished striker. She acquitted herself well against Joanna Jedrezjczyk, perhaps the best Muay Thai artist in the UFC, when everyone thought that staying on her feet would mean instant death. Calderwood is still quite raw in terms of technique, and that lack of depth will begin to show in rounds 2 and 3.
BEST OF THE REST
Elias Theodorou -285 vs. Sam Alvey +235
Ali Bagautinov -255 vs. Geane Herrera +210
Another native Canadian, Theodorou is also a male model with a luscious man bun and a jawline to die for. I still can’t forget the time that Kenny Florian called him Gaston. He’s coming off his first career loss, but he’s still a prospect that the UFC would love to develop as a Canadian star. He gets a winnable, but not easy, matchup against a good veteran in Sam Alvey.
Ali Bagautinov is a former flyweight title challenger that’s just trying to find himself since losing to Demetrious Johnson. Since then, he’s been suspended for testing positive for EPO, then lost to No. 1 contender Joe Benavidez at UFC 192. Herrera rebounded nicely from his first career loss with a second-round TKO of Joby Sanchez, but he might have bitten off more than he can chew here.
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. at UFC Fight Night 89 on June 18, 2016 at the TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Canada. FS1 will televise the card starting 9 p.m. ET.
