UFC 96 Lines and Picks
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (-300) vs Keith Jardine (+240)
On paper, Keith Jardine is a tough matchup for Rampage in the UFC 96 odds . Jardine (14-5-1) is inconsistent but he fares well against counterpunchers, as he proved in the past with wins over Forrest Griffn and Chuck Liddell.However, Rampage (29-7) is still the better UFC 96 odds pick here. He’s a strong wrestler and should overpower Jardine on the ground. He also has much better natural power plus a better chin; in other words, Jardine ain’t knocking Rampage out, whereas Rampage can definitely drop Jardine with a good shot. All Rampage needs to do to win in this online betting matchup is walk forward on Jardine, as aggressive fighters have destroyed the Dean of Mean that way (Wanderlei Silva, Houston Alexander).
Online betting pick: Jackson (-300)
Gabriel Gonzaga (-200) vs Shane Carwin (+160)
It’s understandable that Gonzaga (10-3) is the sportsbook favorite here, as he’s the known commodity and has fought for the heavyweight title in the past, but I like Carwin (10-0) to pull off the upset here. Carwin hasn’t faced any world-class competition but no fighter has lasted past the first round against him. Carwin can outmuscle and ground ‘n’ pound the overrated Gonzaga.
Online betting pick: Carwin (+160)
Other quick picks:
Take Matt Hamill at -200 over Mark Munoz. Hamill is a solid mid-tier fighter who pummels mediocre competition and struggles against top dogs. An online betting matchup against the inexperienced wrestler Munoz, who is really just a greener version of the wrestler Hamill, is just the kind of fight Hamill usually wins. Gray Maynard’s fights haven’t been too exciting of late, as he never seems to finish anyone off, but hasn’t lost in the UFC yet. Pick him at -200 to grind out a win over Jim Miller. Looking for an upset? Why not try Jason Day at +190 over the overhyped Kendall Grove? Grove is part of Team Penn, and Team Penn isn’t exactly setting the world on fire right now.
