UFC 113: Rua vs. Machida Betting Preview and Picks
By James Zelbacher
The rematch mixed martial arts fans have been waiting for is finally here with UFC 113: Machida vs. Shogun 2. Returning live to the Bell Centre in Montreal, the UFC has put together a stacked card loaded with huge fights and tremendous value across the board.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Lyoto Machida
The long awaited rematch between Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will take center stage in the Octagon Saturday, hoping to settle the controversy regarding the winner in their first meeting.
Machida, the UFC light heavyweight champion, is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world. He will look to finish this fight the second time around utilizing his elusive and erratic fighting style with more aggression against Rua.
By not holding back and pulling the trigger, Machida will attempt to finish Rua early. According to Machida, he had many missed opportunities in the first bout that he could have capitalized on but he failed to act. This will not be an easy task as Rua is one of the most elite light heavyweights to ever fight in MMA.
As a former Pride FC middleweight Grand Prix Tournament Winner, Rua has fought the best in the world. With some of the best Muay Thai skills in the game (excellent leg kicks), Rua will look to implement a similar game plan as he did before by taking out Machida’s legs and finishing him on the feet.
No matter where this fight goes, both men will be ready for anything. Keep your eyes pinned on this matchup as the MMA world will finally get a true UFC light heavyweight champion.
For more in-depth analysis and a winning pick for UFC 113’s main event, check out Matt Fargo’s Covers Experts page.
Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley
The matchup is very favorable for Koscheck in this fight. As a true mixed martial artist, Koscheck has become one of the most elite welterweights in the world. His incredible wrestling is all that needs to be touched on in this fight.
Koscheck will look to emulate Georges St. Pierre by completely controlling and dominating his opponent. Even though his standup has improved exponentially, Koscheck will not want to risk standing with Daley. Koscheck will take Daley down, avoiding his elite Muay Thai skills and devastating left hook. He will ware Daley down on the ground and ultimately TKO or submit him.
Pick: Koscheck
Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione
Kimbo Slice (4-1) makes his pay-per-view debut against Matt Mitrione (1-0). Slice will have the bulk of the experience in professional MMA and an excellent fight camp to go with it in the American Kickboxing Academy (houses some of the most elite MMA fighters in the world). It’s a difficult bout to judge but a decent edge goes to Slice with the experience curve.
Pick: Slice
Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens
This is sure to be an extremely intense, fast-paced fight. Stout is coming off two dominating wins over tough UFC lightweight talent. He showed tremendous improvement in his past two performances, winning Fight of the Night honors in both unanimous decision victories.
Stout is a true warrior and he’ll be facing another warrior in Stephens. Stephens is a fighter who will never give up until he’s either knocked out or submitted. With both of these fighters having a very well-rounded MMA game, the deciding factor is in the skill set.
Stout is an ever-improving fighter with solid Muay Thai skills and a tremendous ability to scramble. He will be ready for a war with Stephens and will come out on the winning end in this matchup.
Pick: Stout
Patrick Cote vs. Alan Belcher
Cote is coming off over an 18-month layoff after his disappointing loss to Anderson Silva due to knee injury. He will have to work off some serious ring rust. Belcher posses excellent Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu skills. He has gone 3-1 in his past four UFC fights, only losing an incredibly-close split decision to Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Belcher will have a huge advantage in this matchup due to Cote’s lay off and also the fact that he continues to improve and impress every time he steps into the Octagon. The value here is hard to pass up.
Pick: Belcher