Money Making Armando’s picks for: UFC 166 Velasquez vs. Dos Santos III

With October rolling on, fight fans know the wallet depleting holidays are just around the corner as gift giving appears in abundance come December and February. In order to prepare for those days, what better way than to pick up some extra cash for loved ones by using some casual MMA sports book investing?  Here are some educated guesses for this weekend’s UFC 166 PPV event from the Toyota Center to maybe help relieve the stress of some incoming financial burdens once the year ends.  

(If you guys don’t get around to catching the free prelims on Fox Sports 1 or the main card on PPV, feel free to follow Boxeomundial on Twitter for real-time results for Saturday’s event from Houston, Texas.)

UFC 166 Main Card

Cain Velasquez (12-1) vs. Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos (14-1) III, 5-round UFC Heavyweight Title Bout

What can be said about these two elite monsters that hasn’t already been discussed in their two previous fights or the countdown shows leading up to the closing chapter in their trilogy?  We know without a shadow of a doubt that they come to trade leather, put on fantastic fights and are diverse strikers in their own unique way. “Cardio” Cain (-230), breaks opponents down with superb conditioning and relentless aggression while Junior (+195) applies a great combo of speedy, powerful hands and leg kicks  to control his opponents, keeping them at bay. However, as we saw for their first encounter at UFC on FOX, it wasn’t the true Velasquez in the Octagon as results of ring rust and shoulder surgery therefore resulting in his 1^st round KO defeat at the hands of his challenger. Thus in the rematch, Velasquez’ dominance materialized in his ease to control the pace, distance and rhythm of the 5-round battle seeing as how he was operating at 100% efficiency while this time Dos Santos stated that personal problems outside of the ring and injures plagued his performance that December night at UFC 155.

The intrigue of this final chapter has increased exponentially for the simple fact that both men are now entering their battleground without any issues or reasons to hinder what should be a Fight of the Year-type match. If either man wasn’t at their best prior to the UFC 166 headliner, they can secure a convincing win silencing any doubt with the greatest price on the line, the UFC heavyweight belt.

Owning KO victories over Gabriel Gonzaga, Fabricio Werdum, Frank Mir and Mark Hunt, it’s difficult not to favor Junior Dos Santos against any man lurking in his weight class, except when that man is defending champion, Cain Velasquez. The Californian may not equal Junior in firepower but Velasquez’ unbelievable conditioning, collegiate wrestling and solid ground game gives him a more diverse arsenal as well as options to explore on any given night. The newly minted BJJ black belt already holds a win over Junior Dos Santos and should capture one more comeSaturday night in Texas be it by another unanimous decision or a possible finish in the championship rounds.

Daniel “DC” Cormier (11-0) vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson (17-4), 3-round Heavyweight Bout

Olympic wrestler and Cain Velasquez training partner, Daniel Cormier (-600) meets the next threat to his perfect record in former IFL champion, Roy Nelson (+425) for the UFC 166 co-main event from the Toyota Center.  As of late, Nelson has been caught in the cage putting on strictly two types of performances; he is knocking opponents out cold or he is being thrashed for 15 minutes. This is evident by his last 8 performances inside the Octagon that amounted to 4 unanimous decisions losses and 4 knockout victories. A talented grappler and skilled technician, its Nelson’s inconsistency that hinders   the TUF Season 10 winner’s chances at stepping into UFC title contention. On the other hand, Cormier has made a career out of executing perfection and his latest offering shouldn’t be any different.

The better, more conditioned wrestler should thwart any offense that Nelson can muster as Cormier peppers him with jabs and hooks from the outside in order to constantly set up takedowns. If Nelson has a chance at the upset thanks to landing that powerful right hand of his, it will be in the 1^st round, but as soon as Cormier is in the clear he can ground and pound his way to a unanimous decision verdict.

Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (21-3) vs. Diego “The Dream” Sanchez (26-5), 3-round Lightweight Bout

The last Strikeforce lightweight champion in the company’s history, Gilbert Melendez (-700) makes his UFC PPV debut opposite the very first The Ultimate Fighter winner, Diego Sanchez (+500).  Yet, when odds makers calculated Melendez as a noticeably high favorite those numbers can’t measure Sanchez’ heart, will and desire to grasp triumph. The New Mexican has been in some memorable wars throughout his career in both the 155-pound and 170-pound divisions showcasing his bottomless gas tank as well as willingness to leave it all in the cage. That type of attitude coincidentally mirrors his opponent on Saturday therefore almost guaranteeing that these lightweight standouts steal the show with “Fight of The Night” honors. Unfortunately, heart and desire alone may not compensate for the higher level of skill that Melendez possesses, proven by his recent 7-fight winning streak that spanned almost 4 years taking the likes of Benson Henderson to stop Melendez’ winning ways via split decision in their title tilt this past April.

In contrast, their level of opposition and experience are on completely different sides of the spectrum. Gilbert Melendez has been riding along the upper echelon of the division and atop the Pound For Pound list for some time no wso he has way more tricks up his sleeve to subdue his crafty opponent earning a probable 3^rd round TKO victory. But, Diego Sanchez is always a gamer and won’t go quietly into the night making this fight a likely back-and-forth thrill ride for the fans.

Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga (15-7) vs. Shawn “The Savage” Jordan (15-4), 3-round Heavyweight Bout

The other set of giants paired of up to collide on the PPV card, Gabriel Gonzaga (+185) and Shawn Jordan (-230) are both coming off of fantastic 1^st round finishes. Gonzaga needed all of 17 seconds to put out Ed Herman’s lights via strikes at UFC 162 this past July, while Jordan on the other hand was more frugal with his time needing 59 seconds to stop Pat Barry with a barrage of punches at UFC 161 this past June. Statistics can work for or against promoting a fight but in this case, the numbers just don’t lie and they highly favor fireworks in this colossal affair. Out of these warriors’ total matches, a mere 3 of them have gone to the judges in a combined 41 total bouts. Of those 41 bouts to their credit, 30 were victories and 29 of those victories came by way of either knockout or submission. So in other words, whoever gets hit cleanly first is going to sleep or whichever fighters locks in a hold, is taking an arm or leg home. In this case, I’m picking the most likely upset of the main card as Gabriel Gonzaga should excel no matter where this battle goes imposing his fight thus getting the finish early in round 2.

John “The Magician” Dodson (14-6) vs. Darrell Montague (13-2), 3-round Flyweight Bout

The opening match-up on the PPV finds 1-time UFC title contender, John Dodson (-550) taking on Darell Montague (+325) in what promises to be a high-octane scrap.  The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 winner, Dodson, returns following his decision loss to flyweight king, Demetrious Johnson, this past January to face former Tachi Palace Fighting Championships and Gladiator Challenge 125-pound belt holder, Montague. The two men carry fast feet, quick hands, deadly submissions and amazing conditioning into the Octagon so this is the match that may very well be worth the $45 pay-per-view ticket price alone. Curiosity also enters the Octagon that night for this battle of flyweights since Dodson emerges following one of the longest spells of inactivity in his career to welcome a former champion into his UFC debut. There is a chance that Montague overcomes the infamous “UFC jitters” of a first time Octagon visit to overwhelm the resurging New Mexico native, but a more likely scenario is John Dodson returning to his winning ways with a come from behind finish in the 2^nd round once he finds his timing and range.

There you have it fight fans, some logical approaches to the illogical game known as the fight game. Best of luck on your ventures this coming weekend regarding the UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos event live from the Toyota Center and above all, enjoy the fights as history unfolds this Saturday live in Houston, Texas.