UFC 131 odds: Dos Santos -170, Carwin +140<\/strong><\/p>\nIn my opinion, replacing Lesnar with Carwin actually improves the main event. Lesnar\u2019s striking is non-existent; he relies almost entirely on wrestling. Carwin can wrestle but the big fella also has serious knockout power. Isn\u2019t he therefore a more interesting challenge for Dos Santos?<\/p>\n
On one hand, we might expect Carwin to test Dos Santos\u2019 takedown defense. After all, who wants to stand with JDS? He has outstanding boxing and serious power to match, so you\u2019d think his opponent would want to keep the fight where he isn\u2019t the most dangerous: on the canvas.<\/p>\n
But I think Carwin might get caught in a slugfest. As much as he\u2019s known as a \u201cwrestler,\u201d how often does Carwin actually attempt takedowns He prefers to stand? Also, during the few times we\u2019ve seen Dos Santos\u2019 takedown defense challenged, it\u2019s looked good. I see Dos Santos winning the punching exchanges and eventually scoring the knockout. <\/p>\n
His hands are almost as heavy as Carwin\u2019s and his technical ability is superior. Pick<\/strong>: Dos Santos -170<\/p>\nDemian Maia (14-2) vs Mark Munoz (10-2)<\/h3>\n
UFC 131 odds: Maia -105, Munoz -125<\/strong><\/p>\nCan Mark Munoz continue his crusade toward a middleweight title shot? Since dropping down from 205 to 185 pounds, he\u2019s gone 5-1. His next challenger is the dangerous submission artist Demian Maia. He\u2019s a fourth-degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. There\u2019s no greater threat to tap guys out in the middleweight division.<\/p>\n
But Maia is also pretty one-dimensional. His striking is remedial, among the very worst in the UFC. Also, Maia has a pretty slight build for a 185-pounder. He almost looks like he could fight a weight class lower. Munoz, on the other hand, is a big middleweight who once fought as a light heavyweight. He could outweigh Maia by 20 pounds on fight night.<\/p>\n
Maia\u2019s two losses have come to Nate Marquardt and Anderson Silva; both guys were strong enough grapplers to keep Maia from taking them down. More importantly, both guys had the striking ability to embarrass Maia. <\/p>\n
Munoz is an accomplished wrestler and he has heavy hands.<\/p>\n
I think he\u2019ll score a knockout over Maia this Saturday. Pick<\/strong>: Munoz -125<\/p>\nKenny Florian (14-5) vs Diego Nunes (16-1)<\/h3>\n
UFC 131 odds: Florian -300, Nunes +220<\/strong><\/p>\nKenny Florian is a choker, isn\u2019t he? He lost the Ultimate Fighter <\/em>finale to Diego Sanchez. He lost his first lightweight title fight against Sean Sherk. He lost his second crack at the belt against BJ Penn. He lost his No. 1 contender match against Gray Maynard.