Maia vs Miranda – UFC 118 Betting Odds

The UFC is live from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts this Saturday night with UFC 118 – Edgar vs. Penn 2. The main event is rematch from the UFC 112 co-main event where Edgar shocked the MMA world by dethroning the UFC Lightweight champion Penn.  On the UFC 118 card is the challenger from UFC 112’s other main event, Demian Maia. Maia fought and lost to Anderson Silva on that night but Saturday he’s back to take on another fellow Brazilian Mario Miranda.  The fight could be one of the best on the card and will be a contender for submission of the night if Maia has anything to say about it.

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The UFC odds have Demian Maia as a strong -210 favorite. A bet on the underdog Mario Miranda will pay UFC bettors +165 on the moneyline.

UFC 118 Betting Odds
August 28, 2010

Demian Maia                     -210
Mario Miranda                 +165

Location: TD Garden – Boston MA
Game Time: 10:00
TV: PPV

Demian Maia was on a heck of a roll and looked like he was the next dominant Brazilian in the UFC; Maia ran off five straight submission victories in the UFC and won his first 11 fights, 10 coming via submission. He’s earned submission of the night four times during his streak and then something unexpected happened; he was caught by Nate Marquardt who knocked him cold 21 seconds into their fight. 

He bounced back, tapping out Dan Miller and after Vitor Belfort pulled out of his title fight with Anderson Silva, which opened the door for Maia to face the champion. Maia didn’t have an answer and his lack of standup game was so obvious that Silva began playing with Maia and clowning for the majority of the match.

Silva makes a lot of fighters look bad but combine that with the quick KO at the hands of Marquardt, you have to ask can Maia win a fight if he can’t take the fight to the ground.  We’ll find out Saturday as his opponent Mario Miranda, while versed in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, would rather stand and dirty box than take the fight to the ground.

Miranda has a solid Greco-Roman wrestling background but he should only use it to tie up the submission expert Maia.  The fighter I would compare Miranda to most in the UFC is fellow middleweight Chael Sonnen. They both like to clinch and impose their bigger bodies on their opponents to control and score points punching from the clinch.

If Miranda fights a smart fight against Maia and can avoid going to the mat, he can win this fight in ugly fashion. He’ll need to keep Maia on the fence and strike enough to sway the judges. I like his chances and I’ll take the +165 on Miranda.

UFC Betting Pick: Mario Miranda +165