Author: DaveB

UFC 163: Aldo vs. Zombie

Arguably the most dominant champion in the UFC returns to the Octagon in his home country of Brazil this weekend to headline UFC 163. Aldo was supposed to fight Anthony Pettis before injury forced him out of action.

Date: August 3, 2013
Time: 10pm ET/7pm PT
Location: HSBC Arena, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Broadcast: Pay-per-view
UFC Odds From Bovada

Main Card (PPV)

Jose Aldo (22-1-0): -750
Chan Sung Jung (12-3-0): +475

Enter Chan Sung Jung – the Korean Zombie whose penchant for creating a good fight may have won him this title shot rather than his recent results.

Jung has been good since making his way from the WEC to the UFC, make no mistake about it – beating Mark Hominick and Dustin Poirier. But Aldo is in a completely different league. The Zombie likely won’t abandon his style in this fight – he will move straight ahead and into the danger zones of the Champ. Jung’s aggressiveness has been his friend in the past but it will likely be the enemy here.

Aldo’s striking ability is legendary – his ability to keep his opposition at bay with lethal leg kicks has been nothing short of remarkable and his ability to counterstrike effectively against an over-zealous opponent has been insanely successful. Jung will have to take some chances and that plays right into Aldo’s hands.

Nobody has gotten close to Aldo the last couple of years and that likely won’t change Saturday. Jung can take a beating and keep on ticking and that may be the only thing that keeps him in this fight past the first round. Aldo gets it done in front of his home town fans in highlight reel fashion while Jung leaves Brazil battered and bruised.

Pick: Jose Aldo -750

Lyoto Machida (19-3-0): -350 vs. Phil Davis (11-1-1): +265

Another of Brazil’s favorite sons takes to the Octagon Saturday night when Lyoto Machida meets Phil Davis with a possible Light Heavyweight title shot on the line. Machida will be dependent on his patience, his stellar counterstriking game and his unorthodox Judo stance while Davis will attempt to turn this fight into a wrestling match.

Davis is an elite wrestler with an emerging striking game. He has been close to challenging for the title in the past but lost to Rashad Evans in a match in which he appeared totally outclassed. More mature and developed inside the Octagon, Davis will try to take that step again – this time as an emerging superstar instead of intriguing prospect.

Machida has reached the pinnacle of the Light Heavyweight Division – he has fought the best there is in the world with mixed reactions but one thing has been consistent – his style has been an absolute nightmare for his opposition to deal with. He can stop the takedown and make you pay for trying, he can outwait even the best in the business and he has a superb ground game to counteract what Davis will inevitably attempt to do.

Simply put – there isn’t a whole lot that Davis will be bringing to the Octagon that Machida hasn’t already seen. Davis’s only shot is to drag this fight to the mat quickly and Machida knowing that will most certainly have an answer. Machida is too patient, too good and too motivated to get back to the top of the ladder to be denied in this one. Davis still has some things to learn and Machida is a great teacher!

Pick: Lyoto Machida -350

Cezar Ferreira (5-2-0): -450 vs. Thiago Santos (11-3-0): +325

The winner of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Cezar Ferreira will attempt to prove his legion of doubters wrong on Saturday night when he takes on late injury replacement Thiago Santos. Ferreira won his contract after the favorite to win it all Daniel Sarafian was forced out of the competition with an injury and he defeated Sergio Moraes whom he already defeated.

Santos has some OK striking skills but her certainly but his all around game is not quite the caliber we expect on the main card of a UFC event. Ferreira has altered his training regiment since the show – he is now a member of the Blackzilians and has to be given credibility based upon that.

Not a ton is known about these two fighters but what is know is that Ferreira appears to be the better all around talent. [ad-3573245]

Pick: Cezar Ferreira -450

Thales Leites (20-4-0): -130 vs. Tom Watson (16-5-0): EVEN

Thales Leites returns from nearly a year away from the Octagon and four years away from the UFC to take on Brit Tom Watson who is fresh off a Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night effort against Stanislav Nedkov. This after an unflattering UFC debut loss to Brad Tavares.

There is no denying that Leites will bring a high level grappling game to the Octagon as well as experience against high level competition – he fought Anderson Silva and Alessio Sakara during his last stint in the UFC.

But Watson has been by far the busier of the two fighters and enters on a high and with a ton to prove. The crowd loves Leites Saturday – I love Watson!

Pick: Tom Watson EVEN

John Lineker (21-6-0): -450 vs. Jose Maria Tome (33-3-0): +325

Flyweights open the Pay-per-view portion of Saturday night’s card when the #7 ranked John Lineker takes on late injury replacement Brazilian and UFC virgin Jose Maria Tome. Tome is no slouch – he has won 33 times in his career and he hasn’t tasted defeat in his last 16 bouts.

But Lineker has a ton to prove and he last won two months ago in another fight in Brazil. Lineker is a good fighter and has faced some decent competition while Tome although his record is impressive has faced basically nobody of note.

Lineker takes this one by decision – he is the better fighter and has proven himself against the higher level of competition.

Pick: John Lineker -450

Preliminary Card (FX)

Vinny Magalhaes (10-6-0): -400 vs. Anthony Perosh (13-3-0): +300
Pick: Vinny Magalhaes -400

Amanda Nunes (7-3-0): -400 vs. Sheila Gaff (10-5-1): +300
Pick: Amanda Nunes -400

Sergio Moraes (7-2-0): -135 vs. Neil Magny (8-1-0): +105
Pick: Neil Magny +105

Ian McCall (11-4-1): -400 vs. Iliarde Santos (27-7-1): +300
Pick: Ian McCall -400

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Rani Yahya (18-7-0): -900 vs. Josh Clopton (6-1-1): +550
Pick: Rani Yahya -900

Viscardi Andrade (13-5-0): -170 vs. Bristol Marunde (12-8-0): +140
Pick: Viscardi Andrade -170

Ednaldo Oliveira (13-1-1): -150 vs. Francimar Barroso (15-3-0): +120
Pick: Francimar Barroso +120

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