Selamat fight fans (the speak English in Singapore but I like this bit). We are back with another ESPN+ fight night (morning) in Singapore which should make for one of the most boring main events in the history of MMA! Not much to sugarcoat here, this is a pretty shitty card. Like for fucks sake Michael Johnson is co-maining and he has lost 4 out of his last 6. We have 2 of the most prolific grapplers the 170 weight class has ever seen. That is a recipe for disaster, especially in this case where they have the striking ability of a very aggressive toddler.
The bright side of all of this, there is something to bet on before college football starts at noon. Long have I been trying to occupy my time before kickoff, and now I have something to keep me and my wallet occupied. As always, there are a ton of juicy O/U bets to make on this card, I will try to update you on twitter on which ones I am riding, they are too much of a gut feeling to advice upon in advance. This will be a bit of a thinner blog than usual since there isn’t much of value really happening on this card.
Let’s get this show on the road, here are my picks for UFC Singapore:
Main Card
Demian Maia vs Ben Askren Welterweight Bout
LIke yea we get it, this was absolutely the fight to make and I am super happy Dana gave it to us. But did you really have to make it a 5 round main event? There is always the hope when 2 grapplers fight each other that they respect each other’s ability so much that they keep it standing, but I don’t think either has the ability to have that kind of fight. Maia is 41 years old and looking to gain ground on Cowboy to be the most winningest fighter in UFC history. He is at 21 wins coming off 2 straight victories against far lesser competition (sorry Lyman but Tiger did not have you ready for that one at all) than Askren. Before those victories he dropped 3 straight to strong wrestlers and none of them were close fights in the slightest. I unfortunately see much of the same in this next fight.
Askren got rattled by Lawler early in their fight after getting slammed on his head while attempting a submission, but survived the onslaught and got a controversial submission win. In his next UFC bout Jorge Masvidal immediately threw a flying knee and knocked him out so he would never have to see his boring wrestlefucking for the next 15 minutes. Maia does not have the ability to provide an early attack in order to stop Askren and that will be his undoing.
Ben Askren by Decision -165 2 units
Michael Johnson vs Stevie Ray Lightweight Bout
Jeez has Michael Johnson had a rough go of things. He rattled off 2 wins before facing Josh Emmett, who he was beating convincingly, then got knocked the fuck out with 45 seconds to spare. Johnson has lost to some of the best lightweights of all time and beaten some all time greats as well, including Barboza and Poirier. I feel like this Stevie Ray fight is pretty much a tune up for him. He hasn’t faced nearly as good of competition and has lost to far worse fighters. I am giving this one to Johnson without giving it a second thought.
Michael Johnson by TKO 2nd Round -255 2 units
Frank Camacho vs Beneil Dariush Lightweight Bout
Frank Camacho has arguably the coolest name in fighting. I don’t know why but that is the name that can lead an action franchise. Other than that, he isn’t anything special. He hasn’t impressed me in previous bouts and I really do not think he has what it takes to beat Dariush. I freaking hate how I keep going for the favorite, but these matchups haven’t been great, more so feel like they were made to give confidence to the favorites.
Beneil Dariush by Decision -170 2 units
Ciryl Gane vs Don’Tale Mayes Heavyweight Bout
If you are going to ride an underdog, do it for the heavyweight fights. These guys can knock each other out so fast and make a huge favorite fall flat. In terms of me wanting to make my record better, I am still going to ride with the heavy heavyweight favorite Gane. I love me a big boy that can submit people, it is so interesting to watch. You are forcing a 235+ lb man to quit against his will, there is nothing more dominating than that (no homo).
Ciryl Gane by 2nd round Submission -360 3 units
Muslim Salikhov vs Laureano Staropoli Welterweight Bout
I found me an underdog to take! Muslim is an incredible standup fighter with his only 2 losses being by submission, he clearly lacks on the ground. Laureano is also a great striker, but I believe has the grappling edge. On this main card, this is the only fight I feel is close enough to feel comfortable taking the underdog. I won’t say my confidence is crazy high, but this is by far and away the hardest fight Muslim has had since joining the UFC.
Laureano Staropli by Decision +135 1 unit
Prelims
Randa Markos vs Ashley Yoder Strawweight Bout
Randa Markos by Decision -135 1 unit
Alex White vs Rafael Fiziev Lightweight Bout
Rafael Fiziev by 2nd Round TKO -190 2 units
Enrique Barzola vs Movsar Evloev Featherweight Bout
Enrique Barzola by Decision +160 1 unit
Maurice Greene vs Sergei Pavlovich Heavyweight Bout
Quick bit about Greene here. He looks like he is in the best shape of his life. If his eyes are able to look in the right direction here, I think he can take this fight.
Maurice Greene by 1st Round TKO +200 1 unit
Loma Lookboonme vs Aleksandra Albu Strawweight Bout
Aleksandra Albu by Decision +105 1 unit
Raphael Pessoa vs Jeff Hughes Heavyweight Bout
Raphael Pessoa by 3rd Round TKO +195 .5 Unit
Ok by the end of this I decided to take a bunch of underdogs. I hope these fights are more entertaining than they seem, but I am finding it real hard to get excited for this card. I am sorry to bring this negative energy. Even if these were bum fights it wouldn’t matter because we can still bet on them to make it edge of your seat entertainment. I am hoping this card puts me back into my groove after a couple of bad weeks in a row, it has all the makings of a bounce back in my eyes. Hope these picks add some cash to everyone’s pockets. May luck be your lady tomorrow morning.