UFC Fight Night 87 Key Matches
UFC 87 will be the inaugural event of the sport to be held in the Netherlands, bringing with it some unfinished business amongst its ranks.
Alistair Overeem v Andrei Arlovski
Home country fighter Alistair Overeem tops the main card, with the Dutchman due to fight Andrei “Pit Bull” Arlovski for the very first time in his career.
Two years the junior of Arlovski, Overeem boasts not only a greater reach but also a far superior personal record of 40-14, compared to Arlovski’s 25-11. On neutral territory, Overeem would be the clear favorite, but on home turf he is set to be unstoppable as a fervent Dutch crowd witnesses UFC action live and in living color for the first time.
Overeem has won four of his last five fights, going unbeaten in the calendar year of 2015. Of those four victories, two ended in a unanimous decision for Overeem, indicating that the upcoming match with Arlovski may not be entirely one-sided. That noted, the power of his fists laid waste to Junior dos Santos in his most recent fight
The high likelihood of a KO or TKO is reflected by the average price of a decision or TD, for either fighter, currently set at 5/1 (500).
Antonio Silva v Stefan Struve
Stefan Struve also makes a UFC bow in his home country, but on the back of a defeat (by UD) suffered at the hands of Jared Rosholt back in November.
That result represented Struve’s third defeat in four fights, but his opponent Antonio Silva possesses an even worse recent record. With age and reach firmly in favor of the Dutchman, he is the clear favorite to win handsomely at Fight Night 87.
Good value for money can be found however, with a Struve victory (by any method but submission) at an average of 5/4 (125). May 2012 was the last occasion on which Struve won by submission, with an armbar successfully applied to Lavar Johnson, giving punters some additional encouragement as they negotiate the win method market.
In complete opposition to the above, those interested in the submission method market can back an Armbar of any type at 12/1 (1200).
Albert Tumenov v Gunnar Nelson
In this Welterweight clash, Tumenov is the overwhelming favorite to destroy Nelson, and it is not difficult to see why. While Nelson is reflecting on two defeats from his last three outings, Tumenov will enter the Rotterdam arena on the back of five straight wins, with the Russian most notably dispatching Alan Jouban via a brutal first round display just six months ago.
8/5 (160) is the average price stated for a KO, TKO or DQ either way, but a much more tempting prospect can be found in the fight duration market – or specifically, speculating as to when the fight will end. Tumenov is an exceptional boxer, whose raw power is practically unrivalled in this category, and it should not take him very long to hit his stride.
A win for either fighter in the first round is available at an average price of 40/17 (235).
FINAL PREDICTIONS / ACCUMULATOR
- Either fighter (likely Overeem) to win by KO/TKO/DQ
- Struve to beat Silva by KO/TKO/DQ/Decision
- Either fighter (likely Tumenov) to win in the first round
Approximate return from $10 bet: $452
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