Silva vs. Okami Free Pick
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (TheSpread) – The main event of UFC 134 on Saturday night is for the UFC Middleweight Championship as Anderson Silva faces off with Yushin Okami.
View Real-Time Sports Betting Odds
According to oddsmakers, Silva, the champion, is the clear favorite to win the bout with odds of -625 while Yushin Okami has a money line of +425. UFC 134 takes place from the HSBC Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and will air live on Pay-Per-View at 9PM ET.
WHY PICK SILVA
Silva (30-4) is largely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He has won 14-straight fights since losing to Okami back in 2006 by DQ for an illegal kick. The loss doesn’t really represent how the fight played out, as Silva controlled most of the contest early on. Silva has one-strike KO power with both of his hands and feet and he also has a black belt in jiu-jitsu, which makes him dangerous on the ground. Silva is the champion, so he doesn’t have to be the aggressor, while Okami has to break out of his shell a little bit in this fight, and really push the pace. Also, this is the first UFC event in Brazil in quite some time, so Silva will have the full crowd support.
WHY PICK OKAMI
Okami (26-5) is a big, strong, wrestler that has given a lot of the top opponents in the division a lot of trouble. Okami is very unassuming, as he isn’t very flash and lacks a lot of technical striking, but he has found a way to win most of his fights, including his last three. If you were going to pick a fighting style to beat Silva, wrestling would be it. Silva has struggled to avoid takedowns against the likes of Chael Sonnen and Dan Henderson, so Okami could have success as well. Okami also has nothing to lose in this fight, as very few are picking him to win.
WHO TO PICK?
As I said, Okami has a lot better chances than many are giving him credit for. He has been the underdog most of his career and found a way to earn a title shot. He has the base skills to win and control this fight, but he lacks the one important aspect that Sonnen has, and that is aggression. Sonnen took the fight right to Silva from the opening bell, and that really worked to his favor. Silva likes to feel things out for the first minute or two to get his timing down. Okami can’t afford to let him do this, but I think he will anyway. I see Silva winning this fight by TKO in the second round.
UFC 134 FREE PICK: ANDERSON SILVA -625
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