On Saturday March 1st at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio the question of who is the best MMA Middleweight in the world will be answered.  Ultimate Fighting Championship presents UFC 82: Pride of a Champion with the featured fight of the night being the Middleweight Championship bout between UFC Champ, Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs Pride Champ, Dan “Hendo” Henderson.  This bout finally unify the Middleweight championship belts after the UFC bought Pride Fighting Championships last year.  The night will be filled with action packed bouts that will not disappoint and totally be worth the $49.99 on Pay Per View.   Below is the fight card for the night with current betting odds and my picks.

Middleweight Championship

Anderson “The Spider” Silva 20-4-0 vs Dan “Hollywood” Henderson 22-6-0.
Silva is a modest favorite at -175(risk $175 to win $100) I say modest because if your not paying 2 to 1 in MMA then its not that expensive.  Silva is coming in with the most momentum, Henderson who is the dog at +135(risk $100 to win $135) and is coming off a loss back in September of 07′ against Quinton Jackson relenquishing his Pride Light Heavyweight belt.  Both fighters are extremely dangerous on their feet and both like the strike.  Silva seems to be quicker than Henderson and it may come down to who can take a punch better, Silva is the most diverse when it comes to striking, he likes to throw knees and be the agressor while Henderson likes to box and trade punches with you relying on his toughness to outlast you and wear you down.
My Pick:  I like “The Spider” in this one, after watching some of his previous fights he looks too fast and efficient while I think Henderson has lost a step or 2 since his loss to Jackson plus the fact that he is a natural 205 pounder and had to come down to 185 for this bout, it could throw off his balance and hinder the effect of his striking.

Heavyweights

Heath “The Texas Crazy Horse” Herring 27-13-1 vs Cheick Kongo 21-3-1.
Herring is coming off a tough decision loss to Antonio Rodrigo Noguera in which Herring had the fight won and failed to finish him off when he had him pinned down on the ground and rather allowed him to get up, it was all down hill from there.  Since that fight he seems to have gotten back into tip top shape, but still has much to prove and is coming into this fight as the dog at +135(risk $100 to win $135) and he will have his hands full with the up and coming Cheick Kongo at -175(risk $175 to win $100) and has been ripping through the ranks of the UFC elite with his most notable win over Mirko CroCop at UFC 75 by unanimous decision.  This guy is getting better with every fight and you will no doubt see him vie for the heavyweight title in the near future. Both fighters like to stay on their feet and for Herring to have a chance he needs to take it to the ground where Kongo’s ability is questionable. ¼br> My Pick:  If they stay on their feet then Kongo has the advantage, hes taller and I think tougher than Herring, if Herring does his homework he won’t trade punches with Kongo and rather shoot for the legs and take him to the ground.  I think Herring is back to form and will follow the above advice and go to the ground where Kongo is vulnerable.  Take the dog. 

Middleweights

Alessio “Legionarius” Sakara 16-6-1 vs Chris “The Crippler” Leben 17-4-0
Sakara +125 (risk $100 to win $125)
Leben -155 (risk $155 to win $100)
My Pick:  Leben is force here, and the -155 is cheap enough to risk it.

Yushin “Thunder” Okami 22-4-0 vs Evan Tanner 34-6-0
Okami -240 (risk $240 to win $100)
Tanner +180(risk $100 to win $180)
My Pick:  I like Tanner in the upset, Okami is overrated and can be put down easily if you stay on your feet.

Welterweights

Chris “The Professor” Wilson 12-3-1 vs Jon Fitch 20-2-1
Wilson +400 (risk $100 to win $400)
Fitch -650 (risk $650 to win $100)
My Pick:  These guys are not particulary well known(at least to me) and all the value is on the dog throw down $50 at +400 and thank me later.

Heavyweights

Jake “Irish” O’Brien 10-0-0 vs Andrei “Pit Bull” Arvlosky 13-5-0
O’Brien +230 (risk $100 to win $230)
Arvlosky -355 (risk $355 to win $100)
My Pick:  Arvlosky is overrated and this O’Brien guy is a new comer with something to prove, hes alot bigger than the Pit Bull and this could be the upset of the night. Take the dog.

Welterweights

Dustin Hazelett 12-3-0 vs Josh “Kos” Koscheck 11-2-0
Hazelett +295 (risk $100 to win $295)
Koscheck -445 (risk $445 to win $100)
My Pick:  Koscheck is going to destroy this guy, but the -440 is waaaay too much to pay for it.  Its worth throwing a $10 fun bucks bet on the dog just in case there is some kidney shot that put Kos down.

David Bielkheden 12-5-0 vs Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez 19-2-0
Bielkheden +300 (risk $100 to win $300)
Sanchez -550 (risk $550 to win $100)
My Pick:  Sanchez is a lock, but at the same time throw down some fun money on the dog at +300, its worth a $20 bet.

Lightweights

John “The Hurricane” Halverson 16-5-0 vs Jorge Gurgel 14-3-0
Halverson +165 (risk $100 to win $165)
Gurgel -215 (risk $215 to win $100) 
My Pick:  Gurgel is going down big time, this is another excellent opportunity to pick up some nice dog money.

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What exactly does Shaq’s return to the Pacific division mean???  Well to tell you the truth it really doesn’t mean much, Snaq’s(opps!!!) I mean Shaq’s performance has really gone down hill lately, take a look at the numbers below:

I mean they are giving this guy $20 million this year!  And what are they getting for it? An over the hill, overweight 36 year old has been whose ego is so big that it is laughable and I am almost embarrased for him because he doesn’t know how dumb he looks also he has now given himself yet another new nick name in Phoenix, (cue the drumline…..In an announcers voice)”Ladies and gentlemen your Phoenix Suns are proud to welcome the newest edition to the team, put your hands together for……The Big Cactus“ Give me a break!!! What a douche, this is the same guy that made mafia references to himself as the God Father while in Miami.  So what have we learned? 1. Shaq’s numbers have seemingly taken a nose dive kamikaze style and wouldn’t even be considered a threat by my hometown highschool basketball team. 2. Shaq has continued the ego trip that has made him the douchbag that he is today by giving himself another new nick name that sounds totally retarded. And 3. Actually we didn’t learn this, but I am imforming you of this fact right now, Shaq was only brought in as name recognition and someone to rough up Kobe who is easily shaken, his presence will stir up the Western Conference and force teams to rethink their game plans(they can draw alot more charging penalties now).  Shaq will be there to push around Yao Ming, heckle Dirk, punk Greg Oden, bitch slap Kobe and physically abuse Andrew Bynum who is definantly not ready for the likes of Shaq Fu (this kid can’t even get into the bar yet for christs sake, whats he doing in the NBA?). 

Shaq will make his debut as a Sun tonight against none other than the Lakers, which is perfect because I am a staunch Laker Hater and would like nothing more than to see them get pounded.  The game will be in Phoenix and televised on ESPN the current spread on the game is Phoenix -4 with the over/under total 222.  Obviously they don’t expect much defense in this game which I think is a mistake, the presence of “The Big Cactus” should raise some pulses and disrupt the rythem of the game for both teams. Take the Under 222 right now! Get it before the odds makers read my blog and figure out the mistake they have made.

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On Saturday, February 16th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, Undefeated World Champion middleweight Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik will take on Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor in a rematch of there September 2007 bout in which Pavlik a heavy underdog stunned the former champ in the 7th round with a hard jab and then followed with a combination that resulted in the KO making him the new Middleweight Champion of the world.  Taylor was no doubt shocked by the kid from Youngstown and has no doubt been counting down the days to the rematch and a chance to regain his title that he had held for so long. 

For this bout the bookmakers have wised up to Pavlik’s ability and have him the favorite at -180(risk $180 to win $100) with Taylor the underdog at +140(risk $100 to win $140). The over/under on the fight is currently at 10.5 rounds with the over at +150(risk $100 to win $150) and the under at -190(risk $190 to win $100), which indicates that the bookmakers are looking for a knock out and as hard as these 2 hit that is very possible.  At these odds the bookies are making it hard for the bettor, but there is no reason to think that Taylor cannot come back and claim his title, the fact is that he punched himself out too early and didn’t finish him in the 2nd round when the opportunity presented itself.  You can bet that Taylor will not underestimate “The Ghosts” ability again and will be better prepared to fight a more strategic fight.  With Taylors past track record I gotta go with the ex-champ, no disrespect to Pavlik, but Taylor has the experience to get it done while Pavlik being a first time champ might have softened a bit basking in the comfort of holding the world title for the last 4 months. I also like the over 10.5 rounds this will be a much more calculating fight as both fighters have been studying each other neither wants to hit the mat face first.  Take the dog!!!

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When rappers start flashing brief cases and gangster rolls full of Euros rather than dollars in their music videos then you know there is a problem in America and more importantly the world as the U.S. dollar is the most used currency throughout the globe.  The current exchange rate is 1 Euro = $1.45.  So basically if you go to Europe for vacation (if your an American then this is highly doubtful, but bare with me) and you exchange $100 bill for Euros then you will get back exactly 68.57 Euros.  Even the Canadian dollar is worth more than the Green Back, not by much, but when you consider that just 10 years ago the USD was worth almost double you can see the regression and trends that have taken place that leads us to the state we are in today. I mean how embarrassing! the Looney is worth more than a G Washington.  With 2/3 of all USD in circulation residing outside the U.S. the global impact of the devaluation is critical and reaching a boiling point when you consider that the new international currency could be the Euro.  What will this do to the U.S. economy in an age when we are competing with China’s booming economy and the price of oil is going through the roof.  The next President in office will have alot of decisions to make and sweeping reforms are in order.  We have to cut spending and quit printing money whenever we feel like it.  The most recent blatant misuse of the federal reserve was this $168 billion dollar stimulus package that congress has passed that basically gives a $600 check to 50 some million families and then a little extra for every kid in the family as a way of boosting the economy.  Is this a JOKE???  What can you do with $600? Nothing, when surveyed 80% of the people who would be receiveing this check said they would pay towards their credit cards or save it.  So how is this supposed to boost and economy that is based on consumerism?  The answer is that is won’t and if anything we have only devalued our dollar even more and hurt the economy, bringing us closer and closer to losing our status as the number 1 economy in the world.  This November whoever you vote for, please make sure they are fiscally responsible and have a plan to put the dollar back on top and to secure the U.S. as the lone economic super power of the world.  VOTE RON PAUL!!!!!!!!!

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