UFC 102 betting has a pair of intriguing fights headlining this card, which will be held in Portland, and this would be the event to bet on the underdogs.
UFC 102 Fight Card – Saturday, August 29, 10:00 PM ET
Randy Couture (16-9) vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (31-5-1-1)
Neither of these legends have fought since 2008, when Nogueira lost the interim heavyweight belt to Frank Mir at UFC 91, while Couture had his heavyweight title taken from him by Brock Lesnar in the next event. This bout could signal the end of someone’s career as a main-event draw, and Couture is a -175 favorite in this contest. Despite his record, Nogueira is 13 years younger than Couture, and you would think that would give Nogueira an online betting edge. Another thing: Couture got manhandled by Lesnar, while Nogueira lost to Mir after being hospitalized with a staph infection. “Minotauro” is out to show that loss was a fluke. Make Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira your UFC 102 betting pick as a +145 underdog.
Thiago Silva (13-1) vs Keith Jardine (14-5-1)
Silva is well versed in the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, but he lost to fellow Brazilian Lyoto Machida at UFC 94 in a light heavyweight title bout via knockout. Jardine (the “Dean of Mean”) has dropped three of his last fights, and he seems to fare better as the sports betting software underdog, as wins over Chuck Liddell and Brandon Vera show. Jardine is a tough customer who doesn’t go down easily, but Silva is known as one of the most powerful fighters in the light heavyweight division: 10 of his 13 wins have come by knockout, including nine in the first round. Silva’s fights don’t last very long, and Jardine has a chance if he can stretch the fight out and test Silva’s stamina. Jardine comes into this fight as a -160 favorite, which is a strange position for him, and Silva will be very hungry to recover from an embarrassing loss to Machida. This fight shouldn’t make it to the third round. Put Thiago Silva in next week’s sports picks as a +130 underdog.
