UFC 99 Betting Preview

The additions of Mirko Cro Cop and Cheick Kongo to the UFC 99 card made what was a pedestrian event by league standards to a monster in Cologne, Germany.

The early BetOnline UFC odds are out now for the June 13 event, and the main event has Rich “Ace” Franklin as a solid bet over Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva in a light heavyweight fight that should be a stand-up war.

Franklin is currently favored with odds of -150 to +110 over Silva, in what is being dubbed as a match between one of the UFC’s most technical boxers (Franklin) and one of its wildest, most unpredictable muay thai fighters (Silva).

The muay thai clinch game will no doubt be a point of emphasis for Franklin, considering he was brutalized by Anderson Silva in their first fight and Wanderlei Silva is probably equally skilled in that department.

There are plenty of other fights to keep an eye on in regards to UFC 99 lines, including the Spencer Fisher-Caol Uno fight at lightweight.

Fisher is currently a +200 to -150 favorite over Uno, who is coming off of a loss to lightweight superstar Shinya Aoki and has lost 2 of 3 fights coming in. The Japanese star Uno is a good wrestler and grappler who prefers the rear naked choke.

Fisher combines the tough mindset of Pat Miletich’s famed camp with a crafty striking and submission game and counts a win over welterweight challenger Thiago Alves as one of his best victories. Fisher’s game is a little more refined but the Uno brings an element of the unknown into the fight in his first UFC bout since 2003.

Marcus Davis and Dan Hardy will also do battle at UFC 99 and there’s a little bit of bad blood between the two as Hardy has questioned whether or not “The Irish Hand Grenade” is a true representative of the country, since he was born in America.

Davis has as much knockout power as any welterweight in the UFC, which has him sitting as a -220 to +170 favorite going into the fight. Hardy on the other hand has a solid all-around game and is a wiry-strong, unpredictable-at-times fighter who has won his first two UFC wagering fights since coming to the organization.

At the welterweight level, Mike Swick will face Ben Saunders in what looks to be an even matchup between two guys who are just a notch below the division’s elite tier.

Swick has only lost 1 time in 9 fights inside the Octagon and is an athletic, exciting, well-rounded fighter, yet he still flies under most fans’ radar screens. Saunders on the other hand is a monster at the weight class’ standards at 6-foot-3 who is listed as a Jeet Kune Do fighter in the style of martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Swick and Saunders should pull out all the stops in a fight that has Swick as a solid -215 to +165 favorite. This one has Fight of the Night potential along with about five others on the card, which should make for an exciting night in Germany on June 13 at UFC 99.

Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial

The PGA Tour continues their run through Texas on the golf betting schedule this week as some of the tour’s best head to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth for the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

There is guaranteed to be a new champion at the Colonial this year. Last season Phil Mickelson shot 14-under par to edge Tim Clark and Rod Pampling by a single stroke. With Mickelson’s world suddenly turned upside down by his wife’s recent breast cancer diagnosis he’s taking an indefinite break from golf and won’t be returning to the Colonial this week to defend his title.

With Mickelson out and Tiger Woods taking a pass on the Colonial the top-ranked golfer in the field this week will be No. 3 Paul Casey. The lesser-known Casey climbed up to No. 3 just this week after a win on the EPGA last weekend. Casey shot 17-under par in the BMW European PGA Championship for a one-stroke victory over Ross Fisher. That was Casey’s second EPGA Tour win of the season and 10th of his career. Casey also has one PGA win to his credit this season, having won the Shell Houston Open at Redstone in April. Since he’s coming off an EPGA victory, and because he’s the top-ranked golfer in the field, expect Casey to be at or at least near the top of the golf odds this week.

In North America on the PGA Tour last week Rory Sabbatini found his way to the top of the leaderboard for the first time in nearly two years. Sabbatini carded a 19-under par in the HP Byron Nelson Championship for a two-stroke victory over Brian Davis. Oddly enough, before winning last weekend Sabbatini’s last tour win came in the 2007 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. With four Top-10 finishes this season Sabbatini appears to have found his game again and is definitely a contender for a win this weekend.

Besides Sabbatini seven other former Crowne Plaza champions have also committed to play at Colonial again this weekend. The standout from the set is Kenny Perry, who is a two-time winner of the Crowne Plaza, having won in 2003 and 2005. Perry, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, won the FBR Open back in January and has three other Top-10 finishes this season.

The other six former Crowne Plaza champions are Tim Herron (2006), Steve Flesch (2004), Corey Pavin (1996 and 1985), Tom Lehman (1995), Fulton Allem (1993), and Ian Baker-Finch (1989). From that pack of winners only Flesch and Lehman have posted at least one Top-10 finish on Tour this season, while Allem and Baker-Finch will be making their first appearance on the Tour in 2009. Allem plays mostly on the Champions Tour, while Baker-Finch hasn’t played in a PGA Tour event since 2001. In other words, don’t expect either of them to compete for the title this weekend.

Crowne Plaza Invitational – Picking the 1st Round Leader

The Crowne Plaza Invitational is this week’s PGA Tour Event. Some of the better golfers in the world will be playing at the European Open and Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will both be on the bench for this tourney.

But that shouldn’t keep BetOnline online sportsbook betting fans from hitting the windows and making wagers on the Crowne Plaza Invitational. The Sportsbook is currently offering wagering opportunities in a number of categories.

One such category is to bet on the 1st Round Leader.

Let’s analyze some of the better wagers in the 1st Round Leader category.

PGA Golf Betting: Crowne Plaza Invitational 1st Round Leader

1. Geoff Ogilvy +3000 – - Ogilvy can either be a superstar on Thursdays or down right awful. Okay, he’s never awful but often times he’ll shoot par. When he’s on, though, he’s really on like when he shot a 67 to open the Mercedez Benz and then a 66 to open the Sony Open a week later. Ogilvy hasn’t been that great in his last two tournaments. So, he should be looking for a hot start in the Crowne Plaza.

2. Kenny Perry +2000 – - Perry should be ready to win the Crowne Plaza Invitational. So, a wager to lead after the 1st round at 20 to 1 odds might be an automatic bet for most gamblers. Perry has had some terrific first rounds even though his second rounds are usually better. Like Ogilvy, Perry needs to get back on track. A fantastic 1st round would do that.

3. Zach Johnson +2000 – - Johnson’s the hot golfer and the hot golfer always needs to be considered to be leading after the 1st round. He shot a 68 to open the Valero Texas Open in his last. He would probably need to do better by at least a stroke in the Crowne Plaza, but he could do it because he’s one of the few golfers that has won two tournaments this year.

4. Jim Furyk +2000 – - Furyk has had some great first rounds this year even though he’s only ranked at #26 on the money list and hasn’t won a tournament yet in 2009. He shot a 66 to open both the Northern Trust and The Masters and a 65 to open the Transitions Championship. He could easily be leading going into Friday.

5. Sean O’Hair +3500 – - O’Hair more often than not has to get off to a good start in tournaments. When he shoots in the high 60’s, 67 to 69, he sticks around and has a chance at winning the tournament. If he shoots any higher than that, he folds and misses the cut. O’Hair has a shot to lead after Thursday’s round because he missed the cut in the last tournament he played. He never misses two cuts in a row and could improve upon his best 1st round this year, a 67.

6. Paul Casey +2000 – - Casey usually doesn’t do so hot in the first round of a tournament, but when he does, he’s practically unbeatable. Casey’s best round was a 66 in the Shell Houston Open. Of course, he won it. If Casey is ready, he’s had a couple of weeks to prepare for this, then watch out. He could easily shoot a 66 or even a 65 in the 1st round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

Best Long Shot

Brian Davis +5000 – - Simply put, shooting 17 straight rounds of par or better with 13 of those rounds at better than par is amazing. That means that Davis is just playing lights out right now. The play hasn’t translated into a victory, but his confidence is soaring and he will be going into the Crowne Plaza off of a 2nd place finish in the Byron Nelson. Best reason to like Davis as a long shot in this category? He’s shot 8 straight rounds of 69 or better including a 66 and 64 to finish out the Byron.

Crowne Plaza Invitational Matchup Betting

Golf is a fickle sport. Sometimes you think you’ve got what it takes to do well enough to shoot a par or better and end up embarrassing yourself.

Other times, you think you’re gong to be awful and end up having the best round of your life. Luckily, when it comes to gambling on golf the BetOnline online sportsbook offers some of the best wagering categories available.

Because of the different money making opportunities, betting golf can be very profitable for most gamblers.

One of the best opportunities is to pick the winner of individual matchups.

Let’s take a look at some of the better individual matchup wagers available to gamblers in this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational.

Golf: Crowne Plaza Invitational Matchups

1. Paul Casey -130 vs. Jim Furyk Ev – - This is a very close matchup as both golfers should be ready to show their best after less than fantastic showings lately. Furyk has been more consistent with a 5th place finish in the TPC Sawgrass and an 11th place finish in the Quail Hollow, but Casey hasn’t missed a cut this year. He’s also won a tournament, the Shell Houston Open. I see Furyk getting the leader over Casey early but Casey coming back on Saturday and Sunday.

Pick: Paul Casey at -130

2. Geoff Ogilvy -125 vs. Kenny Perry -105 – - Perry is the underdog in this matchup even though he has won twice at Colonial, where the Crowne Plaza will be held, by a score of -19. Both guys need to get back on track after terrible last tournaments. Perry is the likelier guy to do well as he knows Colonial well and should be ready for his best after taking a couple of weeks off. He’s also going off at better odds.

Pick: Kenny Perry at -105

3. Steve Marino +105 vs. Brian Davis -135 – - Brian Davis is getting no love after shooting 8 straight rounds of 69 or better and finishing second in last week’s Byron Nelson Championship. Davis has finished 5th, 5th and 2nd. Marino? Not even close.

Pick: Brian Davis at -135

4. Charlie Wi -110 vs. Kevin Na -120 – - Wi has made the cut in 10 out of the 13 tournaments he’s played in this year with 3 top tens. Na has made the cut in only 8 out of the 13 tournaments he has started this year, but in those tournaments he has finished in the top ten 5 times. Na missed the cut in the Byron Nelson. Before that, he finished 3rd at TPC Sawgrass. I see him bouncing back to win this matchup.

Pick: Kevin Na at -120

5. Paul Casey -140 vs. Geoff Ogilvy +110 – - Again, when Casey is on, nobody can touch the kid, but when he’s off, he can finish in the high 20s or low 30s. Ogilvy is still one of the best on the Tour and should be ready to play well after having a less than great TPC Sawgrass and an even worse Quail Hollow. Plus, the odds on Ogilvy are great.

Pick: Geoff Ogilvy at +110

6. Justin Leonard -130 vs. Stephen Ames Ev – - Leonard should be terrific at Colonial where he has done very well before. Not only that, but Leonard for some reason plays better when he’s in Texas. Ames is a good golfer, but Leonard is the play in this. Hometown boy does good enough to win this matchup!

Pick: Justin Leonard at -130

Champions League Final – Manchester United vs. Barcelona

Rome, Italy – The Champions League final is finally upon us. Less than a few hours away from kick off and a match that will put to rest the all-important question: who is the greatest football team in the world? What an exciting day it promises to be for football lovers around the world.

Defending champions Manchester United are vying for back-to-back European titles but high-flying Barcelona, who lost to the English Premier League side in the semis last year stand in their way. There isn’t much wiggle room between these two teams if you are looking at prices in the soccer betting market. Whichever way you slice it, there is value to be had as the market is paying out better than evens.

Perhaps the one big thing that stands out is the fact that Man U are ahead of Barcelona in almost every soccer betting line, but the futures market serves up the tightest line to win the cup outright. Barcelona are at -110 while Man U are marginally favoured at -130. That speaks volumes.

Manchester United vs. Barcelona

Match Time: 02:45 P.M. Eastern Time Wednesday May 27 2009

Venue: Stadio Olimpico – Rome – Italy

Soccer Betting Line:

FC Barcelona pk +105 +190 2½ O +125 U -145 1 O -135 U +105 Draw +220

Manchester United pk -125 +130 2½ O +125 U -145 1 O -140 U +110 Draw +220

Alternate Betting Line:

FC Barcelona -½ +195 2 O -155 U +125

Manchester United +½ -225 2 O -155 U +125

Prop Betting:

FC Barcelona -110

Manchester United -130

Soccer Betting Analysis: So what is a soccer bettor to make out of this penultimate matchup in the 2009 UEFA Champions League?
Well, if you are a Man U fan than for the most part the market is on your side. Man U are tipped more favourably on each and every soccer-betting offering. United have the best defence in the Premier League. They have the cleanest sheets in Champions League action this season and they play a fast and physical game that has frustrated many European sides.

The market tips Barcelona as the underdog but not so far out that they are out of the equation. The opposite, they are nipping at Man U’s heels. They play an attractive fluid football. They have produced excellent results in domestic action and they are rejuvenated for it. The three-man attacking front of Henry, Messi and Eto look at times unstoppable. They showed some vulnerability against Chelsea FC in the semis and some would have it they were lucky to get away with the equalizer in the dying minutes. No matter how you slice it though, they are through to the final and there are many who believe they deserve to be there, in spite of a little help from lady luck and Norwegian officials.

Soccer Betting Verdict: This match is expected to be one of the most exciting clashes in UEFA Champions League history. In terms of outright winning the match and the cup it is too close to call with any certainty. The betting trend comes down to which side fans are pledging allegiance. If stats during the course of the competition were an indication than Man U are the better play and Man U fans can be optimistic their bets will payout. However, can Barcelona really be ruled out? After all, all the stats in the world can be made mute in one match, 90 minutes of scintillating football. Will Barcelona have the answer to the dilemma that Man U have been? For passionate punters looking for value the best play is on the totals. Both sides are expected to adopt an attacking approach and betting over 2.5 goals is the plum pick in the marketplace.

Betting on the UEFA Champions League Final

The UEFA Champions League Final takes place today (Wednesday 27 May), in Rome, Italy. Kick-off is scheduled for 2.45pm EST. Defending Champions League holders Manchester United take on Spanish giants Barcelona in the biggest game in world club soccer, and the biggest game in soccer betting this year. If there is one game of soccer you should watch this year, then this is it.

Two of the best players in world football also face each other; Manchester United’s Portuguese wonder boy Christiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Argentinean star player Lionel Messi. Ronaldo won the world footballer of the year trophy, the Ballon D’or, last season ahead of Messi, who had to settle for second place. That is why newspapers around Europe include headlines such as: ‘Ronaldo v Lionel Messi’ or ‘the best player in the world vs. the runner-up’. Both these players are in their prime, are fantastic footballers and have the ability and courage to attack defenders all the time;  just having these two on the pitch means we are going to have an exciting game of football.

Both Manchester United and Barcelona have lots of other star names. Manchester have Berbatov, Rooney and Tevez, while Barcleona have Iniesta and Thierry Henry amongst others. Manchester United are English Premier League champions this season and Barcelona are champions in the Spanish League and they also won the Copa del Rey. With these two leagues being arguably the best leagues in Europe, if not the world, having these two teams in the UEFA Champions League Final makes it a tribute to the competition.

No team has won the Champions League Final two years in a row. Can Manchester United do it? Manchester United are slight favorites at +130, whereas Barcelona are at +190. There are lots of prop bets on this game including first to score, player to score a hat trick, and even a Ronaldo vs. Messi match bet scoring option. Ronaldo is listed at +400 as first goalscorer, while Messi is listed as +600, both these are attractive bets. Check out the BetOnline Sportsbook for all these prop bet options.

Get live UEFA Champions League odds and lines right here and bet on who you think will win the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.

Machida’s Karate Makes Oddmakers Look Brilliant

If you bet on MMA and floundered Saturday’s event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas, in case you haven’t heard by now, you missed a remarkable Octagon sports betting spectacle. The main event was a historic light heavyweight championship bout, which made for the first time in the sport’s history two fighters battled for the division’s crown with both contenders being undefeated.

So when the Octagon’s door closed, fans betting UFC online knew when the door re-opened one of the two would exit with his first career loss. For many MMA wagering fans, it came as a shock that challenger Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida was being installed the betting favorite over the champion, Rashad ”Sugar” Evans. It raised the daunting question: Was Machida being over priced and receiving too much respect from oddsmakers? It was a question that would be answered in the second round. 

Rashad ”Sugar” Evans vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida

By way of replacement, undefeated champion Evans put his title on the line against unbeaten contender Machida, who stepped in for the recovering Quinton ”Rampage” Jackson. Despite being the challenger, Machida was the man getting oddsmakers respect. He went off the board at BetOnline UFC odds at -200; Evans +150. If you bet on UFC, you may have been one of thousands who dumped money on the champion leading up to fight time.

Evans took a record of 18-0-1 into the scheduled five-round championship fight, while Machida toted a perfect 14-0 mark into the Octagon. With a combined 32-0-1 record, it was the first time in UFC history a light heavyweight belt was contended for, featuring unbeaten fighters vying for the 205-pound title. 

With 1:30 left in the second round, Machida hurt Evans with a straight left to the head that sent him to the ground. Surprisingly, Evans got up and fought back on heart, trying to get back into the match, but Machida’s accuracy was too much for the champion to withstand. After a devastating overhand right delivered by

Machida followed by a left hook, Evans was put down for good that forced referee Mario Yamasaki to halt the bout at 3:57 of Round 2, and online UFC betting fans supporting Evans saw their wagers become a bust.

It was Evans’ first career lost, as Karate master Machida remains unbeaten at 15-0, including a 7-0 UFC record that’s deemed him new boss in the light heavyweight class while making oddsmakers look brilliant. Evans falls to 18-1-1.

Your next chance to cash in on action inside the Octagon comes on Saturday, June 13 at UFC 99: The Comeback, as UFC invades Germany for the first time. The main event pits former UFC middleweight champion Rich ‘Ace’ Franklin against former PRIDE champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva.

Vick, Favre and Brady Could Impact Super Bowl Odds

The drama involving both Brett Favre and Michael Vick could seriously impact the odds in the BetOnline online sportsbook futures section. The return of Tom Brady also should have a huge impact on the betting odds regarding the current Super Bowl favorite, the New England Patriots.

The truth is that some teams would be hugely impacted, odds wise, by signing Brett Favre or Michael Vick. Brady’s healthy would dramatically impact the odds on practically ever other favorite in the AFC.

Let’s take a look at all three quarterbacks in regards to certain teams’ Super Bowl winning chances.

Brett Favre Impact

** Minnesota is the only team considering signing Brett Favre.

Minnesota Vikings +1800 – - There is only one team that is in the running for Favre’s services and that’s the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s the thing, if Favre does end up in Minnesota, then the Vikings’ odds should drop. Why? Because they will no doubt be a better team with Favre than they would be without him. Their other two quarterbacks just don’t compare and Favre no doubt would increase the chances of the Vikings winning a Super Bowl. With Favre throwing to Adrian Peterson out of the backfield and Bernard Berrian on the edge, the Vikings could be scary, but Coach Brad Childress has to be very careful about overworking Favre and Favre will have to absolutely take his clues from Childress. Childress has a brilliant offensive mind. This could work.

Prediction? I’m betting that Favre does end up with the Vikings. So, I’m going to say that betting Minnesota at 18 to 1 right now would be a very good wager.

Michael Vick Impact

** Three teams could be impacted should they sign Michael Vick.

New Orleans +2200 – - This is the one team in the NFL that makes sense to give Michael Vick a shot. He stays in the South where he’s comfortable and he’ll be playing in front of fans that no doubt will open their arms for him. He gets to sit behind a proven starter in Drew Brees and offensive guru Sean Payton no doubt will find a way to use Vick in the goofy Wildcat Offense that Bill Parcells created in Miami last year. This is the team that would use Vick’s abilities like no other. Reggie Bush and Michael Vick together in the backfield? Really? Are you kidding me? Now, as far as winning a Super Bowl, how would it impact bettors? Big time! The fact that New Orleans should have a better defense with Gregg Williams at the helm and they already have one of the best offenses without Vick means that they become good enough to win a Super Bowl with Vick.

Prediction? This team drops to roughly +1000 to +1400 after signing Vick. Again, Vick and Bush in the backfield…

New England Patriots +550 – - The truth is that nobody knows if Tom Brady is healthy enough to play quarterback at the same level he was playing it at two years ago. That means that Michael Vick becomes big time insurance. He’ll keep the Patriots’ odds in the sportsbook steady, but I doubt he’ll be enough of a factor to lower them. That’s going to depend on Brady. The key with the Patriots is that they will use Vick creatively the way that the Dolphins use Ronnie Brown. Vick could make for an excellent scat back and the Patriots no doubt would like to keep their offense explosive considering Brady’s health. Vick would have an impact, but it wouldn’t be as great as some might think.

San Francisco 49’ers +5000 - – The 49’ers are only missing one thing – - a real quarterback. Guess what? I’m going to believe that Shaun Hill can do what Coach Mike Singletary needs out of him and that the 49’ers can be a decent team with him at quarterback. So, if Vick adds the scatback/wildcat dimension to the 49’ers offensive game, they become pretty good with Frank Gore at running back, right? Add the fact that their defense is decent to good and all of a sudden a 50 to 1 shot is no worse than 30 to 1 in my eyes.

Tom Brady’s Impact

** Tom Brady’s health could seriously impact two teams in the AFC East Division.

New England Patriots +550 – - If Brady is healthy, then the odds on this team drop from 5 ½ to 1 to no better than 3 ½ to 1 in the sportsbook. Everybody believes that the Patriots should win the Super Bowl as it is. With a healthy Brady, they become the undisputed favorites to get another Super Bowl victory. Now, if Brady doesn’t come back the same, then what happens to them? Well, they already lost Matt Cassell and really nobody else on the squad looks capable of helping them win games. I see them floating up to around 20 to 25 to 1.

Miami Dolphins +4500 - – The Dolphins schedule should be their undoing but with an unhealthy Brady, they suddenly can put two more victories into their win column. We also have to remember that they won the AFC East, okay? So what if their outside schedule is tougher. They’re still a very good team. Considering the fact that they aren’t getting any respect as it is, they could go down to 30 to 1 if Brady comes up limping during the pre-season or stay right around 45 to 1 . They’re a good bet either way in my opinion because they should be better than they were last year which most likely will offset the tougher schedule.

The Fight you should know about – Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller

The main card matchup between Chael Sonnen and Dan Miller hasn’t been discussed a whole lot, except among the most ardent UFC fans, of course.

But it has the makings of an intriguing, close matchup between a jiu-jitsu specialist in Miller and a top-flight wrestler in Sonnen. It also could have more of an impact on the pecking order in the middleweight division than most people realize.

Because the division is starved for contenders and Miller could suddenly vault up the rankings with a signature win in combination with his sterling record of 11-1.

Sonnen has had a very good career and faced some tough competition, but most of the time, he has fallen short in his prime time matches. He lost to former WEC star Paulo Filho but he was able to avenge that loss, proving he is capable of adapting.

He has been submitted multiple times, however, most recently by Demian Maia. There’s no shame in being submitted by Maia, who is one of the best middleweight fighters around and perhaps the top jiu-jitsu guy in all of MMA these days, but it is part of a trend. Jeremy Horn also submitted Sonnen as did Filho in their first fight.

Sonnen has a tendency to be a bit too stubborn in his quest to gain position with his wrestling and finish his opponents by ground and pound, and that is both his strength and his weakness in many cases.

Miller seems like just the right combination of solid wrestling skill and jiu-jitsu prowess to take out Sonnen. With that in mind, Sonnen might instead opt to keep this fight standing to throw a curveball and also work on what some consider is one of his lesser areas.

Because of Miller’s versatility, however, he should eventually take control of the fight and expose some of Sonne’s weaknesses. Sonnen is one of the best wrestlers in the UFC but his game still needs a lot of refining and Miller will be able to expose some of those weaknesses in front of a big crowd in Las Vegas for UFC 98.

This could be the coming out party that Miller has waited for, and it should be his fourth straight win in four tries since entering the world’s premiere MMA organization from the International Fight League.

UFC 98 Preview – Sherk to Jerk Frank Edgar Around

Normally I don’t trust guys with two first names, and this is no exception. Sean Sherk is a dominating wrestler who holds a 33-3-1 SU record, with 13 submissions. At 5’6 and 155 pounds, he is a powerhouse who has only polished his striking ability over the last few fights.

Frankie Edgar is a punch 9-1-0 SU fighter, who lost to Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 13 due to unanimous decision. Though he is a very talented wrestler, he lacks the definitive power that Sherk possesses in spades. The only think tipping in Edgar’s favor is the amount of pressure that Sherk will be facing.

Though Sherk stands with 33 victories in his corner, he must win this fight ton continue his ascension up the ranks. While Sherk has been trying to prove that he can stay on his feet and strike, and that would be a costly error. If he gets caught on the chin by a guy like Edgar, then his competitive days are O-V-E-R.

Sean Sherk (-300) vs. Frank Edgar (+200)

Saturday, May 23rd — UFC 98 — 10:00pm EST

If you want to get your UFC betting night off to a good start, then siding with Sherk is the way to go. Sherk will return to the mat and dominate the inexperienced Edgar who has usually shown difficulty in beating guys naturally stronger than him. A combination of swift take-downs and relentless top control will keep Sherk in the mix for contenders and send Edgar back to the drawing board.

UFC 98 Free Pick: Sherk -300

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