MMA Betting – Welterweight Throwdown – Diaz and Davis at UFC 118

The Pay – per-view portion of UFC 118 kicks off with a fight that has attracted a lot of UFC 118 Betting attention. Nate Diaz takes on Marcus Davis in a fight that could raise a few eyebrows in the UFC Welterweight division.

Event: UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2

August 28, 2010
10PM ET/7PM PT
TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Broadcast: Pay-per-view & Select Movie Theaters

Marcus Davis (22-7): +165
Nate Diaz (12-5): -210

Nate Diaz fights his second 170 pound fighter after an unspectacular run at 155 pounds. Dias won his first fight at Welterweight against Rory Markham after losing his last Lightweight fight to Gray Maynard. He is a tough kid who was born to scrap.

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Diaz is a dangerous fighter – he’s a tall lanky guy who can be as dangerous on his feet as he is on the ground. His awkward style incorporates strikes from anywhere and a strong grappling game is often overlooked inside the Octagon. His huge heart also serves Diaz well. He uses his length very well and is able to inflict damage from the outside with his jab. When Diaz moves in he is great in the clinch and when the fight goes to the ground he has a super slick submission game.

Marcus Davis is a boxer who also has some ground skills. In fact, Davis actually has more submission wins than knockout wins! “The Irish Hand Grenade” has had a tough time of late but would love to erase a poor few years with a win on Saturday night. Three losses in five fights make it difficult for the MMA Betting public to trust Davis at this time.

Davis has been beat up recently by some Top Tier fighters in the UFC. Ben Saunders, Dan Hardy and Mike Swick really put a hurt on Davis, although he was able to rebound with a win over “C” level fighter Jonathan Goulet. Davis has been the victim of some poor defense in his recent bouts and will have to be super sharp against a very unpredictable Diaz. He will have to keep this fight standing because Diaz will have a decided edge on the ground.

MMA Betting Outlook:

Nate Diaz will have a 6 inch reach advantage in this fight and because Davis will have to keep the fight standing, I don’t like his chances. Diaz will be able to pick Davis apart with his long limbs and heavy hands. As soon as Davis gets close to Diaz, Nate will be able to employ his very good Muay Thai clinch and beat him up some more. If the fight goes to the mat, Diaz is super slick and very skilled on the ground. Unfortunately for Davis, Diaz will have the advantage in almost anywhere that Saturday’s fight goes. Davis is a tough guy but appears to be on his way down the Welterweight ladder while Diaz could very well be on the way up.

MMA Betting Pick: Nate Diaz (12-5): -210