UFC 175 Preview
By Sportsbook.ag
Event: UFC 175
Date: July 5, 2014
Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center
City: Las Vegas, Nevada
Middleweight Title Bout: Chris Weidman (11-0) vs. Lyoto Machida (21-4)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Weidman -185, Machida +150
Undefeated Chris Weidman looks to retain his middleweight championship as he goes up against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Weidman has never lost in the octagon, with his past two victories coming against one of the UFC’s best fighters of all time, Anderson Silva. However, there are some who still question how great Weidman truly is. Both of those fights ended early in the second round, with the last one ending with Silva breaking his leg while kicking Weidman. However, every time Weidman has entered the octagon, he has taken care of business. Besides the two wins against Silva, he also has victories against Mark Munoz and Demian Maia. However, he will be facing another very difficult matchup as he goes toe-to-toe with Lyoto Machida.
"The Dragon" Machida has gotten things back on track, winning his past two fights after a loss to Phil Davis. In his last victory against Gegard Mousasi on Feb. 15, he lost the significant striking advantage 36-28 and had to hang on to get the unanimous decision victory. The 36-year-old Machida has a ton of experience and has been in many big fights in his career, and this may be the last opportunity for him to get a chance at a belt. While Machida will be ready to go, WEIDMAN is simply too good right now to lose this fight.
Of his 11 career victories, Weidman has won by knockout in five of those matches. He also has three wins by both submission and decision, with five of his victories coming in the first round. The 30-year-old New York native has a ton of talent, and has the ability to win any kind of match. Weidman will have a big advantage when it comes to striking, landing 3.15 significant strikes per minute in his career, compared to just 2.64 for Machida. While he is not as accurate landing those strikes (55% for Machida, 42% for Weidman), he is extremely powerful with his punches.
Weidman also has a huge advantage when it comes to grappling, posting a takedown average of 4.0, compared to just 1.5 for Machida. Weidman was a two-time All-American wrestler at Hofstra University and defeated both Phil Davis and Ryan Bader in his college wrestling career. Saturday is the opportunity for the 6-foot-2 Weidman (one inch taller than Machida) to quiet his critics, however, it will not be easy against Machida.
"The Dragon" Machida has 21 victories in his career, with 11 of those wins coming by way of decision. His conditioning is terrific for the sport, where he has the cardio to go the entire fight with nearly anybody in the sport. However, the Brazilian has shown the ability to win any match, tallying eight knockout victories in his career, with another two coming by way of submission. The biggest advantage Machida has is the experience in the sport. Many times in UFC championship matches, the experience between the fighters heavily favors the champion. However, this is not the case in this match, as Machida has been in more big fights than Weidman in his career. At 36 years old, this may be Machida’s final opportunity to get the title. If he is able to take this fight into the championship rounds, then he has a real chance to seize the middleweight belt.
Women's Bantamweight Title Bout: Ronda Rousey (9-0) vs. Alexis Davis (16-5)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Rousey -1400, Davis +750
Ronda Rousey looks to continue her MMA dominance as she defends her bantamweight title belt against Alexis Davis at UFC 175 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
For the first time in her career, Rousey is coming off a victory by way of something besides an armbar. In her last match against Sara McMann on Feb. 22, she won in the first round by way of knees to the body. Of her nine career fights -- all Rousey victories -- only a match against Miesha Tate at UFC 168 made it past the first round. Rousey has proven in her career to be too strong for her opponents, eventually taking them to the ground to get the armabr locked in. The one thing that concerns some people about Rousey is how much does she care about the sport. She has already said that she will be taking a long break after this match, so there could be some concerns on her focus for this match.
Her opponent, Alexis Davis is coming off a very difficult victory against Jessica Eye at UFC 170. She was able to get her fifth straight win, but by way of split decision. For Davis, she has an opportunity to become the first fighter to defeat Rousey, but it is going to take a big-time effort from Davis. She is a terrific athlete, who is as well of a conditioned athlete as there is in women’s UFC. However, she can’t afford to let the magnitude of this fight to get the best of her. Davis is a great competitor, but in the end, the heavily favored ROUSEY is truly too dominant not to win quickly.
Of her nine career victories, eight of "Rowdy" Rousey’s wins have come by submission. All eight of those wins have come by way of armbar, with her only other victory being the knockout victory against Sara McMann in her last match. As the case is in any match Rousey is in, she will have a huge advantage in the grappling department. Rousey averages an astonishing 7.73 takedown average, compared to just 0.86 for Davis. Rousey is so strong that she simply overpowers her opponents and gets them to the ground. Any time she gets her opponent to the ground, she has a great chance of locking in the armbar. While the 27-year-old California native has not won a lot of matches by knockout, she has the powerful fists to win a fight in that fashion. If Rousey is focused and locked in on this fight, it will be difficult for Davis to get the win. However, in the UFC there is always a chance, and Davis must use her striking ability.
Davis has 16 wins in her career, with seven of those wins coming by both submission and decision, with her other two victories coming by knockout. She has prevailed in eight of her past nine bouts with the lone defeat coming by majority decision to Sarah Kaufman in what many regard as one of the best fights in the history of women's MMA. However, the Canadian-born Davis will have an advantage over her opponent in significant strikes per minute, averaging 4.97 compared to 3.13 for Rousey, and holds the slight striking defense edge (53% to 52%). She has a takedown defense rate of 57%, but she absolutely has to keep this fight on her feet. If the 5-foot-6 Davis is able to stand with the 5-foot-7 Rousey, then she has a chance to get the win. However, if she gets taken down to the mat, then her chances of winning may fall with her.
Ohter UFC 175 Bouts
Odds provided by Sportsbook.ag:
Middleweight Matchup
Luke Zachrich +150
Guilherme Vasconcelos -185
Middleweight Matchup
Bubba Bush -185
Kevin Casey +150
Bantamweight Matchup
George Roop -230
Rob Font +185
Middleweight Matchup
Chris Camozzi -320
Bruno Santos +240
Welterweight Matchup
Ildemar Alcantara -150
Kenny Robertson +120
Bantamweight Matchup
Urijah Faber -1200
Alex Caceres +700
Bantamweight Matchup
Marcus Brimage -115
Russell Doane -115
Middleweight Matchup
Uriah Hall -400
Thiago Santos +300
Heavyweight Matchup
Stefan Struve -155
Matt Mitrione +125
UFC 175 Betting: Weidman must be wary of Machida's KO magic
MMAOddsbreaker.com
The main event of UFC 175 is a five-round title fight between UFC middleweight champion Chris “All-American” Weidman and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.
The current betting line for the fight lists Weidman as a -185 favorite while Machida is a +160 underdog. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas originally opened up Weidman at -150 and Machida at +110, meaning the action is on the favorite, Weidman, to retain his title.
Weidman (11-0) is the current UFC middleweight champion. At 30 years of age, he’s really carved out a nice career for himself, going 7-0 in the UFC with two wins over Anderson Silva to cement his place as the top 185-pounder on the planet.
With a mix of high-level wrestling, slick submissions and power in his strikes, Weidman is a dangerous matchup for anyone in the division and, after beating Silva twice, is no doubt the top guy in his weight class.
He was originally set to fight Vitor Belfort, but after Belfort couldn’t use TRT he was pulled from the bout and replaced by Machida, who presents a very intriguing matchup for the champ. Although Weidman will have a wrestling advantage like he always does, Machida is great at defending takedowns and it’s likely he won’t clown around as much as Silva did in their fights when the fight stays standing.
Machida (21-4) is the former UFC light heavyweight champion. The 36 year old is 2-0 since dropping down to 185 pounds with huge wins over Gegard Mousasi and Mark Munoz that earned him his shot at the title. Overall, he is 13-4 in the UFC and when it’s all said and done, he will likely be placed in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Known for his deadly striking, Machida has knockout power in his hands and feet and his elusive karate style makes him a hard guy for anyone to deal with. He also has very good wrestling - underrated actually - and he uses his defensive wrestling to keep fights standing and out-strike his opponents on the feet en route to victories.
If there’s any flaw in Machida’s game, it’s that his style tends to leave him open to controversies on the judges’ scorecards and if the fight with Weidman goes the full five, that could happen once again. But it’s more likely someone gets finished, and since Weidman is undefeated so far, it makes sense Machida is the underdog, although of course he can never be counted out.
UFC 175 Odds and Picks
By: Hugh Citron
Sportingnews.com
LAS VEGAS -- This Saturday night here in Las Vegas, the UFC middleweight title is on the line when champion Chris Weidman defends his belt against former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. The bout headlines UFC 175 and is part of a great weekend of fights and fun for MMA fans in the city.
Weidman, the champ, is a 9-to-5 favorite to retain his title, with Machida getting 8-to-5 odds on the takeback.
Weidman (11-0) has had an incredible last two years in UFC, beginning with a second-round stoppage of always-tough Mark Munoz in July 2012, then stunning the MMA world by taking the belt from long-time champion and fighting legend Anderson Silva, also with a second-round stoppage in July 2013.
Weidman validated his status as a champion to be dealt with when he was able to once again get a second-round stoppage over Silva in the December rematch. Even though the fight ended in a horrible manor with Silva breaking his leg on a checked kick by Weidman, no one can deny that Weidman was dominating the fight throughout.
While Weidman was the underdog in both of those title fights, entering as a favorite – as he does Saturday vs. Machida – carries a lot more pressure.
Since dropping from 205 to 185 pounds, Machida (21-4) has looked amazing, first stopping Munoz with a head kick in the first round last October. That fight was basically over as soon as it began, as Machida’s karate stance had Munoz confused from the start – one could tell it was just a matter of time before "The Dragon" would finish him.
Machida’s last fight was an absolute clinical performance, ending with a unanimous decision win over Gegard Mousasi in February.
The Linemakers’ lean: When breaking down a fight, I always try to play out in my mind how it might go. Analyzing this one comes down to one question: Will Weidman's power and great wrestling be able to overcome the speed and striking ability of Machida?
Weidman loves to come forward and impose his will on his opponent, which could play right into the challenger’s plan. Machida is a great counter-striker and is very hard to take down. Machida has done very well in the past against top-flight wrestlers, including taking the light heavyweight title away from Rashad Evans back in 2009. I look for Machida to stay away from the Weidman takedowns and win rounds with his striking and speed.
I’m going for the upset Saturday night and taking Machida to become the new middleweight champion.