The UFC is headed back to Canada this Sunday for a fight night card in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I’m actually looking forward to this card for 2 reasons……
Number 1, I’m excited to see the Holloway vs Oliviera fight. I think Holloway is a legitimate contender in the featherweight division and a win over Oliviera should set him up with a fight against one of the big 3 in the division. I’d love to see Holloway vs Edgar or Holloway vs Mendes if he gets the win on Sunday.
Number 2, I have a bunch of lineups in for this card at DraftKings.com. I love getting a few lineups in because it makes every single fight on the card interesting. I generally have at least some action on the majority of fights on the cards, thanks to my DraftKings lineups. This weekend there’s a $3 contest with $50,000 in guaranteed prize pool……..but that top place money is mine :P.
Click here to enter a lineup at DraftKings.com…..
Let’s get right into it. Here are my top bets for each of the fights on the main card.
2014 Record: 54-33 for +17.31 units.
2015 Record: 24-27 for -6.65 units.
Max Holloway vs Charles Oliviera
These guys are a couple of killers in the featherweight division. Holloway is ranked #5 in the division and is coming off a submission win over Cub Swanson that saw his winning streak jump to 6 in a row, since his tight loss to Conor McGregor. The Hawaiian seems to just keep stepping up his game and people forget the man is only 23 years old, seeing as he has 12 fights in the UFC to date in his career.
I already said I like Holloway, but Oliviera will be no slouch. The guy is the 7th ranked fighter in the division for a reason. He’s comming off of wins over Jeremy Stephens and Nik Lentz, both high rated fighters in the division, and his submission ability is one of the best in the UFC.
That said, Holloway is great at keeping the fight standing. I expect him to be the better man on the feet and to really take this fight where he wants to go. I think this fight will be a finish because both men could get tired if it does go past 3 rounds, but I’m going to make the safer bet and just take Holloway straight up.
Play: Holloway -220 @ BetOnline.ag
Erick Silva vs Neil Magny
Neil Magny took this fight on short notice, to fill in for the injured Rick Story, less than a month after he was man-handled by Demian Maia. Silva will be a better opponent for Magny, but I think it will likely be the same result. Magny will have had a short training camp and won’t really have had much time to digest his loss to Maia and what went wrong. I guess he was just ready to get back in the cage and put the loss to Maia behind him, but that might not have been the best choice.
Silva will still be a step up for Magny, similar to what Maia was, and in his first chance against a fighter at this level Magny showed a lot to be desired. Silva has shown many moments of brilliance in his UFC career, but he’s yet to really take that next step. He is coming off of two first round finishes of Mike Rhodes and Josh Koscheck, but neither fighter was really expected to pose much of a threat. I do think Silva is the more explosive fighter between these two men and that should show in the fight. As long as Silva doesn’t get caught being too aggressive, he should get the W.
Play: Silva -175 @ BetOnline.ag
Josh Burkman vs Patrick Cote
The Canadian content on this card begins here. Patrick Cote is one of the bigger stars in MMA in Canada and I expect him to get a win for Canada on this card. Cote has won his last 7 MMA fights in Canada, and I expect him to make it 8 in a row on Sunday. Cote should be able to out point Burkman on his way to victory.
What really jumps out at me is Burkman’s loss to Steve Carl at WSOF 6. I watched Carl on the recent season of TUF and wasn’t impressed. Burkman did follow that loss up with a knockout to earn his way back into the UFC, but then he’s put together losses to Lombard and Dong Hyun Kim, but I’ll admit both of those fighters are very strong in the division. Cote will be an easier fight for Burkman, but I still think he comes out on the losing side.
Play: Cote +110 @ BetOnline.ag
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs Tony Sims
This is a very difficult fight for me to call. Aubin-Mercier has looked great in his UFC fights so far, but Sims has also just been knocking people out over the last few years.
I think Aubin-Mercier will be able to keep this fight either in the clinch or on the mat and he should get the better of those exchanges with Sims. As long as he doesn’t get KO’d he will win this fight. I think Aubin-Mercier will have a great game plan in place from the Tristar Gym and he should be able to move the fight where he wants it.
Play: Aubin-Mercier -235 @ BetOnline.ag
Maryna Moroz vs Valerie Letourneau
I’ve taken a couple Canadians in the above two fights, but in this one I can’t not take Maryna Moroz. I foresee a title shot in the near future for Moroz. She absolutely decimated Joanne Calderwood in her first UFC fight and the 23 year old is ready to continue to showcase her skills.
Letourneau is definitely no slouch, with a couple wins in the UFC already, and a tight split decision loss to #2 ranked strawweight Claudia Gadelha 3 years ago, but I have trouble believing she will be able to keep up with the Ukrainian. I’m actually expecting a finish in this fight.
Play: Moroz -180 @ BetOnline.ag