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Take a break from your baseball blog for a minute and switch your attention to the UFC, where an-heavyweight card at UFC 146 in Las Vegas is anchored by a title match between champion Junior Dos Santos and former champ Frank Mir, who injured Dos Santos’ teacher, so he could bring a little extra to the table in a little over two weeks.

UFC 146 Odds – Saturday, May 26^th

Dos Santos (14-1) was supposed to fight Alistair Overeem, who ran into some legal troubles and had to be replaced, but most sportsbook reviews of that matchup had it as a striking showdown and now the champion may have to show his versatility. Dos Santos may have the best boxing in all of mixed martial arts, but he also has a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and he has stuffed 85% of attempted takedowns. This forces opponents to try and stand with “Cigano”, who has three “Knockout of the Night” honors under his belt and used them to demolish Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds at the first UFC on Fox card in November. He suffered ligament damage in that fight, but Dos Santos has said that his knee surgery went fine and he’s 100% for this fight. Bet on UFC 146 100% signup bonus.

Players that will use price per head software will try to factor motivation into this fight as well, as Mir (16-5) is coming off a brutal submission win over Nogueira that snapped the Brazilian’s arm and earned “Submission of the Year” in 2011 from Sherdog. Mir, who is a black belt in jiu-jitsu, may be the best grappling heavyweight on the planet and is now the only man to both knock out and submit “Big Nog”. He has improved his striking, but the key to Mir’s online sports betting odds odds will be to get this fight to the mat because standing up with Dos Santos hasn’t been the best plan prior to this bout.

The champion comes into this match as a massive -525 favorite over Mir, who is rated at +430, but is a former champion himself and a two-time former champion if you count his interim title. Mir has the most wins in the history of the UFC heavyweight division with 14, so he has plenty of experience to use against Dos Santos, who has been a beast since coming to the UFC and hasn’t even been really challenged. If Mir can’t take Dos Santos down, this fight isn’t going to last long and you have to think that Dos Santos would love to avenge Mir’s wins over his mentor, regardless of what he says in the pre-fight build-up. Take Dos Santos in your online sportsbook (click here to find out more) next Saturday.

Sports betting sharps were preparing for an epic striking matchup between champion Junior Dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, headlining UFC 146’s main card featuring all-heavyweight matchups. However, Overeem ran into some legal problems and it was to the benefit of Frank Mir, who is looking to hold the UFC title for a third time. But unless he can get Dos Santos to the ground, which barely no one has been able to do, it’s not going to end well for the challenger.

What: UFC Betting
When: Saturday, May 26th, 9:00 PM ET (confirm start time of PPV event)
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV
Pick: Junior Dos Santos

Why Bet On Junior Dos Santos (14-1)

Dos Santos is defending his title for the first time since he snatched it from Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds in November on the UFC’s first FOX card, and he has ended 11 of his 14 wins within the first round. Then Dos Santos went on the shelf with a torn meniscus, so he has to be a little worried about ring rust, which ironically was a problem with Velasquez. However, it has only been just over seven months between fights for Dos Santos, one of the best boxers in the UFC and possibly the best in the heavyweight division. His power has netted him three “Knockout of the Night” honors, but “Cigano” also has some of the best takedown defense out there as he has stuffed 85% of attempted takedowns. It would have been interesting to see what he could do against Velasquez, a wrestling specialist who never had a chance to attempt a takedown before he was stopped.

Dos Santos was, of course, training for Overeem, who is a specialist in striking, both Muay Thai and kickboxing, and his new opponent presents a different set of problems for the champion, who is a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, but he hasn’t won via a submission maneuver since December 2006 in his second fight and while his win over Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was classified a submission, Filipovic submitted due to punches. We haven’t seen much of Dos Santos’ mat work because of his excellent takedown defense, and that’s going to be tested in Las Vegas.

Why Bet On Frank Mir (16-5)

Mir was due to fight Velasquez on this card, but he was bumped up to the main event after Overeem’s troubles and now he has a chance to win the heavyweight title for the third time. He defeated Tim Sylvia back in June 2004, and then had to vacate the title because of a motorcycle that almost took his life. Mir then beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim title December 2008 before losing a unification match against Brock Lesnar in July 2009 after submitted Lesnar in his debut 16 months earlier. Mir could be the best submission artist in the heavyweight division as nine of his victories have come that way, and no one will forget his gruesome arm-breaking kimura against Nogueira in their rematch December. It was also the second time in his career that Mir has been given the “Submission of the Year” award. Mir also has the most heavyweight wins in the history of the UFC with 14, so he knows what it takes to come out on top in the octagon.

But like Dos Santos, Mir was training for a different opponent in Velasquez, who isn’t nearly the striker that Dos Santos is (which we saw in November). Mir has only stopped 50% of takedowns, but his jiu-jitsu is so good that he doesn’t mind getting taken down. However, all five of his losses have come by knockout and that isn’t a good sign against the top knockout artist in the division. While Mir has improved his striking by leaps and bounds, it still isn’t close to Dos Santos and he’ll have to figure out a way to penetrate Dos Santos’ takedown defense to force this fight to the ground; it’s the only way Mir has a chance to win.

How It Will Play Out

Currently, you can find Dos Santos as a UFC betting favorite in this fight at anywhere from -500 to -550, while Mir’s lines range from +300 to +422. This may seem like a lot, but Dos Santos has rolled through the heavyweight division and no one has had anything for his combination of power and takedown defense.

Unless Mir can get Dos Santos to the mat, this fight is going to be over quickly as Mir doesn’t have the best chin in the world, while Dos Santos is a knockout king. Ring rust could be a small issue with Dos Santos, but not enough to give Mir an edge. Stick with the champ, Junior Dos Santos, to grab a win with your online betting picks.

UFC 146 Betting Pick: Junior Dos Santos

It’s easily the biggest UFC fight of the year so far and perhaps the most anticipated bout in years when Jon Jones defends his light-heavyweight title against former friend and sparring partner Rashad Evans at UFC 145 in Atlanta on Saturday night. Jones is a -450 favorite on WagerWeb.com.

To say that Jones and Evans don’t like each other is an understatement. The two former teammates have had an ongoing war of words since March 2011, when Jones, shortly after defeating Mauricio Rua to claim the 205-pound title, revealed he would be willing to defend the belt against Evans.

The irony is that Evans was slated to face Rua for the title, but a knee injury suffered during training camp forced him to withdraw from the bout. That opened the title shot to Jones, who had helped Evans prepare for Rua.

Evans had vowed that he would never fight Jones, his teammate under the tutelage of trainer Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, N.M. He considered moving to middleweight or heavyweight to avoid such a confrontation. But Jones’ revelation offended Evans, prompting him to part ways with Jackson.

Jones (15-1), whose only career loss was via disqualification, has defended his belt twice with stoppages of former champions Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida. Evans (17-1-1) defeated Tito Ortiz on Aug. 6 and previously unbeaten contender Phil Davis in January to earn the shot at Jones.

Both Jones and Evans have beaten Jackson and Stephan Bonnar. But Evans suffered a 2009 knockout loss to Machida, whom Jones beat via submission last December. Bet on UFC 145 100% Sign Up Bonus.

This should be a contrast of styles. Sixty-four percent of his Jones’ attempts than have been successful, the best in UFC history among light heavyweights and eighth best overall, according to Fight Metric statistics. (Georges St-Pierre leads all fighters at 77.3 percent; Evans is second among light heavies, at 53.3.). And Jones has never been taken down in his 10-fight UFC career.

Evans has landed 48 takedowns in his 14 UFC fights, the most in the organization’s history among light heavyweights and tied for sixth place among all fighters. (St-Pierre leads here, too, with 68.) However, half of Rashad’s takedowns came during the first three UFC bouts. As his striking has improved, he’s been content to keep fights standing.

Jones is eight years younger, five inches taller and has a whopping 84.5 inch reach, which means he will have a 9.5-inch reach advantage over Evans. More than 84.4 percent of Rashad’s successful strikes land to the head, to just 11.2 percent to the body. But Jones may be too big and have too much reach for Evans to continuously get to Jones’ head.

The winner Saturday is expected to fight Dan Henderson next.

Place your UFC bets at our online sportsbook!

Sports betting players following the UFC have seen the heavyweight division become more competitive in recent times, and a loss can knock you down the pecking order; just ask Brenden Schaub, who was upset in Brazil last year. But he’ll get back into the octagon for UFC 145, and Schaub will take his frustrations out on a game Ben Rothwell.

What: UFC Betting
When: Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 PM ET
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Pick: Brendan Schaub

Why Bet On Brenden Schaub (8-2)

Schaub has been long thought of as one of the top heavyweight prospects even from his time on “The Ultimate Fighter”, where he lost in the finale of the 10th season to Roy Nelson, then Schaub went on a four-match winning streak, three of which ended via knockout. Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchscherer and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic were stopped by “The Hybrid”, while he also took down jiu-jitsu specialist Gabriel Gonzaga, but then Schaub was stunned by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August, but you have to take that with a grain of salt because “Big Nog” is a Brazilian legend, and in Rio de Janeiro, Schaub not only had to go against Nogueira, but also the rabid crowd and he may not have been ready for the moment, while his older opponent was. It was a good learning experience for Schaub, who can use that to continue his ascent up the heavyweight ladder.

Schaub has strong boxing skills, but he is also working on his wrestling and is a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and even though only two of his 10 fights have gone past the first round, he has good cardio and has stuffed 88% of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Schaub is also a former professional football player as he was on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills and he played in the arena football, and he has an exceptional combination of size and agility. Schaub just needs a little more experience before he can be counted as a true contender in an increasingly loaded heavyweight division, and this match will be a good start.

Why Bet On Ben Rothwell (31-8)

Rothwell comes into this bout as a UFC betting underdog as he looked awful in his last match, a loss to Mark Hunt in September in Denver, but like Schaub’s loss, you have to look a little deeper into it. Both Rothwell and Hunt struggled with their cardio in the high altitude of Denver, and it’s a safe bet to say that heavyweights will never fight in Denver again as the last half of the fight was all about survival. Rothwell has alternated wins and losses over his last six fights as he was KOed by Andrei Arlovski and former (then future) UFC champion Cain Velasquez, but “Big Ben” managed to defeat Chris Guillen by TKO and Gilbert Yvel via decision. During the win over Yvel in June 2010 in Vancouver, Rothwell also suffered a torn ACL, fighting the rest of the bout basically on one leg, and the fight with Hunt was his first in 15 months, so that was another factor in his loss. Coming off a huge layoff to fight for 15 minutes in Denver? That sounds like a recipe for disaster, and that’s why Rothwell has a lot of motivation entering this match.

“Big Ben” comes from kickboxing and wrestling, and he has a 3-0 record in pro kickboxing, so he can be a dangerous striker. He is also a capable submission artist, although Rothwell prefers to strike, and he has a few decent wins on his resume with a pair of victories over Krzysztof Soszynski and a split-decision win over Nelson when the two were in the IFL in April 2007. With a win in this fight, Rothwell can move up from the “gatekeeper” status that seems to be his ceiling, but he’ll also have to improve his takedown defense, where he has stopped just 30% of his opponents’ attempts.

How It Will Play Out

You can find Schaub as the UFC betting favorite here at around -330, while Rothwell comes in at +220 and this is a match that probably won’t go the distance as both have been knocked out before and it only takes one good shot. Both have a lot of motivation in this fight, but Schaub is just too good for Rothwell, who is probably as good as most of the second-tier mixed martial artists in the UFC, but his ceiling is pretty set, while Schaub still has some improving to do and he’ll showcase his skills en route to a victory in your online betting book.

UFC 145 Betting Pick: Brendan Schaub

Online betting sharps know that, sometimes, the best fights on a UFC card are actually in the prelims, and there is an example of that at UFC 145 as former UFC champion Miguel Torres looks to get back on the road to redemption against the up-and-coming Michael MacDonald, and the bantamweights will steal the spotlight with Torres eking out a win.

What: UFC Betting
When: Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 PM ET (prelims start at 7:00 PM ET)
Where: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Pick: Miguel Torres -130

Why Bet On Miguel Torres (40-4)

Torres has stated that he has more fights on his record than what his record says as he began his MMA career in smaller bars and clubs before moving through the smaller promotions in Indiana, where he grew up and went to Purdue. He made it to the WEC and won the 135-pound belt from Chase Beebe before losing it four fights later to Brian Bowels in August 2009, then he lost to Joseph Benavidez in his next fight. Torres is 2-1 in the UFC so far, but his battles in the octagon was nothing compared to the fight he had to save his career as “Angel” was booted from the promotion for making an insensitive joke on Twitter. However, Torres was extremely apologetic and did everything he had to do to get back in the good graces of president Dana White and was allowed to get back into the UFC.

In the octagon, Torres is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who has won 23 times via submission, but he also has a Muay Thai striking game where he can disable you with elbows and knees to set up his ground game. He will also be motivated to put on a show after the release fiasco, so expect Torres to come out with plenty of fire in Atlanta. Torres can be taken to the mat with an adequate wrestling game, but he is comfortable on the ground, so he doesn’t get rattled when he is in the guard position. “Angel” is a tough fight for anyone at 135 pounds, and he’ll be out to prove a point at UFC 145.

Why Bet On Michael MacDonald (14-1)

This is, by far, the biggest fight in 21-year-old MacDonald’s career and UFC betting players will have to worry about nerves being a factor here, because MacDonald certainly has the skill to compete. He is coming off a “Knockout of the Night” performance against Alex Soto in November in his third fight in the UFC, which followed up a split-decision win over Chris Cariaso in May. “Mayday” also earned the “Fight of the Night” in a unanimous decision over Edwin Figueroa in his UFC debut in March, so the kid likes to put on exciting fights. He has one loss in his career, which he avenged in the lower levels of the MMA ranks, so MacDonald should be on your radar when it comes to young prospects coming up in the company.

MacDonald is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but he is great knockout power for a bantamweight; eight of his 14 wins have come via knockout, and seven of those KOs came in the first round. He has gone the distance just twice in his career, so some may worry about his conditioning, but it doesn’t matter much when you’re ending the fight early. If this fight manages to get to the third round, keep a close eye on how MacDonald is breathing, especially against a veteran like Torres. As we stated, this is easily the biggest fight of MacDonald’s career and if he can control his nerves, he has a chance against Torres, but if he doesn’t, the veteran will pounce.

How It Will Play Out

Torres is favored in this UFC betting contest at -130, while MacDonald is listed at +110 in a match that could end up being the “Fight of the Night” and should be on the main card (although you’ll get to see it for free on the preliminary card). Both of these men aren’t afraid to trade punches and they can both handle themselves on the ground, so look for this to be a high-energy fight no matter where it is held.

In the end, you have to give the edge to Torres’ experience, although it is going to be a close three-round fight and at this point, MacDonald is just looking to build his experience. Torres has more to lose after his release and return to the UFC, and he’ll want to prove to White that he made the right decision, as well as put himself in a main-card bout for his next fight. In a highly entertaining bantamweight tilt, take Miguel Torres in your sports betting book.

Sports betting players following the UFC have seen the heavyweight division become more competitive in recent times, and a loss can knock you down the pecking order; just ask Brenden Schaub, who was upset in Brazil last year. But he’ll get back into the octagon for UFC 145, and Schaub will take his frustrations out on a game Ben Rothwell.

What: UFC Betting
When: Saturday, April 21st, 9:00 PM ET
Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
Pick: Brendan Schaub -UFC on FOX 3 Picks

Why Bet On Brenden Schaub (8-2)

Schaub has been long thought of as one of the top heavyweight prospects even from his time on “The Ultimate Fighter”, where he lost in the finale of the 10th season to Roy Nelson, then Schaub went on a four-match winning streak, three of which ended via knockout. Chase Gormley, Chris Tuchscherer and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic were stopped by “The Hybrid”, while he also took down jiu-jitsu specialist Gabriel Gonzaga, but then Schaub was stunned by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in August, but you have to take that with a grain of salt because “Big Nog” is a Brazilian legend, and in Rio de Janeiro, Schaub not only had to go against Nogueira, but also the rabid crowd and he may not have been ready for the moment, while his older opponent was. It was a good learning experience for Schaub, who can use that to continue his ascent up the heavyweight ladder.

Schaub has strong boxing skills, but he is also working on his wrestling and is a purple belt in jiu-jitsu and even though only two of his 10 fights have gone past the first round, he has good cardio and has stuffed 88% of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Schaub is also a former professional football player as he was on the practice squad for the Buffalo Bills and he played in the arena football, and he has an exceptional combination of size and agility. Schaub just needs a little more experience before he can be counted as a true contender in an increasingly loaded heavyweight division, and this match will be a good start.

Why Bet On Ben Rothwell (31-8)

Rothwell comes into this bout as a UFC betting underdog as he looked awful in his last match, a loss to Mark Hunt in September in Denver, but like Schaub’s loss, you have to look a little deeper into it. Both Rothwell and Hunt struggled with their cardio in the high altitude of Denver, and it’s a safe bet to say that heavyweights will never fight in Denver again as the last half of the fight was all about survival. Rothwell has alternated wins and losses over his last six fights as he was KOed by Andrei Arlovski and former (then future) UFC champion Cain Velasquez, but “Big Ben” managed to defeat Chris Guillen by TKO and Gilbert Yvel via decision. During the win over Yvel in June 2010 in Vancouver, Rothwell also suffered a torn ACL, fighting the rest of the bout basically on one leg, and the fight with Hunt was his first in 15 months, so that was another factor in his loss. Coming off a huge layoff to fight for 15 minutes in Denver? That sounds like a recipe for disaster, and that’s why Rothwell has a lot of motivation entering this match.

“Big Ben” comes from kickboxing and wrestling, and he has a 3-0 record in pro kickboxing, so he can be a dangerous striker. He is also a capable submission artist, although Rothwell prefers to strike, and he has a few decent wins on his resume with a pair of victories over Krzysztof Soszynski and a split-decision win over Nelson when the two were in the IFL in April 2007. With a win in this fight, Rothwell can move up from the “gatekeeper” status that seems to be his ceiling, but he’ll also have to improve his takedown defense, where he has stopped just 30% of his opponents’ attempts.

How It Will Play Out

You can find Schaub as the UFC betting favorite here at around -330 UFC Odds, while Rothwell comes in at +220 UFC Odds and this is a match that probably won’t go the distance as both have been knocked out before and it only takes one good shot. Both have a lot of motivation in this fight, but Schaub is just too good for Rothwell, who is probably as good as most of the second-tier mixed martial artists in the UFC, but his ceiling is pretty set, while Schaub still has some improving to do and he’ll showcase his skills en route to a victory in your online betting book.

UFC 145 Picks Betting Pick: Brendan Schaub

Sports betting players that follow UFC will see the company head to Japan for the first time since UFC 29 in December 2000, and the main event for UFC 144 should be wildly entertaining as lightweight champion Frankie Edgar defends his belt against Benson Henderson in a matchup of two wrestlers who are always adding to their game. In a fast-paced chess match, take the champion to retain his title.

What: UFC Betting
When: Saturday, February 25th, 8:00 PM ET
Where: Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Pick: Frankie Edgar -125

Why Bet On Frankie Edgar (14-1-1)

Edgar has held the UFC lightweight title since April 2010, when he upset longtime king and two-division champion B.J. Penn, and then in August of that year he erased any doubts by dominating Penn in the rematch. Following that, Penn took on Gray Maynard on New Year’s Day in a highly entertaining draw that was named the “Fight of the Year” by Sherdog, and Edgar showed the heart of a true champion by coming all the way back from a brutal first-round beating in which he was almost out. The script was the same for the rematch in October, but Edgar didn’t let this go to the judges as he recovered from another early onslaught to knock out Maynard in the fourth round, avenging the only loss of his career from way back in April of 2008. Edgar isn’t the largest fighter at 155 pounds and in the matches against Penn and Maynard, he was obviously the smaller fighter, but he willed himself to victory in three of the four matches, and his most impressive effort may have been in the Maynard draw.

But “The Answer” is also a well-rounded fighter with a wrestling background (he is also an assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University), and he surprised everyone with his ability to outstrike Penn in their pair of matches. Edgar is also a brown belt in jiu-jitsu and his cardio is as good as anyone in the UFC. It’s his heart that gives him an edge over many fighters; you just can’t keep Edgar down for long and he is going to come after you until he physically can’t anymore.

Why Bet On Ben Henderson (15-2)

Henderson is also a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, along with a black belt in taekwondo and a wrestling background, and like Edgar, he has also improved his striking throughout his MMA career. The former WEC lightweight champion has won all three of his fights by decision, but Henderson stays active throughout the match and you may not find a fighter who scrambles as well on the mat than the one they call “Smooth”; he is incredibly tough to take down and it’s even tougher to keep him down. Henderson showed he has done a lot of work on his striking as he dominated Jim Miller, while he showed his scrambling ability as well and got out of a few submission attempts by an accomplished black belt in jiu-jitsu. Then in his “Fight of the Night” victory over Clay Guida to earn this match, Henderson showed he could take a punch and not only could he keep up with Guida’s pace, he beat Guida at his own game with his quick transitions. Another aspect of Henderson’s game that shouldn’t go unnoticed is his ground-and-pound, which is brutal when he takes you to the mat.

Most UFC betting players know that Henderson has a lot of heart from his days in the WEC. Henderson has a couple of wins over Donald Cerrone, including one that was named the 2009 “Fight of the Year” by Sherdog and his 2010 loss to Anthony Pettis was a contender for that year’s honors as well. Henderson loves to put on exciting fights for the fans and he is always pushing the pace, which makes for a thrilling bout and that should be the case once again when he challenges for the 155-pound belt for the first time in the UFC.

How It Will Play Out

Now that UFC 143 Predictions and UFC 137 Picks are now in the books we move on. Edgar is a slight -135 UFC Picks betting favorite in this championship tilt, while Henderson comes in at +105 and this is definitely a “Fight of the Year” contender, when you look at the resumes of these two lightweights. The edge standing up probably goes to Edgar, who continues to work on his boxing and he proved he had knockout power in his third battle with Maynard. He probably also has a small edge when it comes to wrestling, if only because Henderson went to an NAIA school, but don’t underestimate him at all because Henderson is aggressive and forces you to make mistakes. They’re even on the mat and when it comes to heart, you won’t find two fighters at 155 pounds with more of it.

The nod has to go to the favorite, Edgar, as he has been a main-event fighter in the UFC before and the Japan show is going to be huge for the company as they haven’t been there in over 12 years. How will Henderson’s nerves hold up? If Edgar can avoid his usual slow start, he could end this fight quickly, but he may have to hold off a furious rally from Henderson in the later rounds. Take Frankie “The Answer” Edgar in your online betting picks.

UFC 144 Predictions: Frankie Edgar