UFC 108 Upset Alert – Rashad Evans vs. Thiago Silva

It’s not quite the big-name grudge match that the fans expected for the New Year, but the Thiago Silva-Rashad Evans main event at UFC 108 on Saturday in Las Vegas still has the potential for major fireworks and could be a chance for bettors to cash in on an upset pick.

It’s a matchup of a former Ultimate Fighter winner and coach in Evans and Silva, who’s not as well known but still respected as a major threat in the division. Rashad is a guy who is now pretty well-known to all MMA fans after a knockout of Chuck Liddell and a TKO win over Forrest Griffin to claim the light heavyweight belt.

Silva vs. Evans might not have the same name appeal as the planned Rampage Jackson vs. Rashad Evans fight that was derailed by Jackson’s acting aspirations, but it is a compelling matchup between two title contenders.

Both guys were embarrassed by Lyoto Machida but that’s happened to the best of them, and both are attempting to diversify their skills even more in anticipation of another crack at the champion down the road.

The winner of the fight might be the guy who has evolved the most since their last few fights, and both have more potential they’ve yet to tap into.

Going into the fight, Evans is listed as the favorite at -220, compared with +175 for the underdog Silva.

The odds are most likely a case of Evans being the bigger name and also the possibility that the UFC gave him Silva as warm-up to what would be a huge fight with Jackson, but Silva’s talent is definitely underrated in this UFC 108 fight.

Silva made short work of Evans’ friend and training partner Keith Jardine in his last fight and that should provide extra motivation going in for the betting favorite Evans.

But Silva has a decided advantage in the submission game and he is a more complete striker with polished muay thai skills. Evans is a very good striker too and his stand-up game is evolving, but keep in mind when betting this fight that Evans was losing to both Liddell and Griffin in his fights with both guys, and Griffin and Liddell aren’t exactly elite strikers at this stage in their careers. They are one-dimensional first-generation guys who don’t compare with Silva.

Silva will be at a disadvantage in the wrestling facet of the fight as the underdog but Evans will have to be careful not to get submitted by the jiu-jitsu stalwart when the fight does go to the ground.

In the end, this should be a close fight for a while, but Silva’s more diverse stand-up game and ability to control the pace will be the difference as the underdog pulls off a solid betting upset at UFC 108 over Evans.

The pick: Thiago Silva (+175) by TKO in the second round.