UFC 104 MACHIDA VS RUA PREVIEW AND BETTING TIPS

Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio Rua The main event of the night is set to be an absolute Brazilian barn-burner. Lyoto Machida puts his undefeated record on the line against Rua. The bookmakers are tilting this one heavily towards Machida and he carries a 2/9 price to win. Mauricio Rua is listed at 3/1 to pull this one off. Blue Square is offering up method of victory betting on this one and you can back Machida to win by KO or TKO at 5/6. A Machida victory by submission pays out at 9/2 while a decision victory can be backed at 5/1. Rua is a lengthy 9/2 to win by KO or TKO while the submission pays out at 10/1. A decision victory by Rua pays a whopping 16/1. I think there is a lot of contrast between these two fighters. It takes a lot to stop Mauricio Rua and when he performs he performs in style. I think that he has the value on his side and I think this one is a bit closer than many others think. I will be backing Machida by submission, but I think that a Rua KO or TKO is not out of the question at all. Cain Velasquez vs Ben Rothwell Undefeated Cain Velasquez puts his record 6-0 record on the line against Ben Rothwell. Velasquez's excellent striking is going to big him an advantage over Rothwell, who is fighting in his first UFC event. I think this is almost too big a stage for Ben Rothwell, who doesn't exactly boast the best record in the amateur and semi-pro fights he was participating in previously. I think Velasquez has more quality, but the fighters match up pretty well. Blue Square has Velasquez as a heavy 3/10 favourite with Rothwell at 11/5. Gleison Tibau vs Josh Neer Tibau lost the Ultimate Finale 9 in a split decision to Melvin Guillard and this is a very big opportunity for him to get things back on track. He will be hunting for a win here and you can back him at 10/11. His opponent, Josh Neer is just edging it in terms of the odds at 4/5. The bookmakers don't see very much between these two competitors, but I think that Tibau just has a better record in bigger fights. It may not mean much on the day, but with so little between these two- it can definitely make a difference. Joe Stevenson vs Spencer Fisher Joe Stevenson is a heavy favourite at 2/5 to get the victory over Spencer Fisher, who is listed by Blue Square at 7/4. Stevenson is vulnerable to the rear naked choke and assorted submission moves, but that's a move that isn't in Fisher's arsenal. I think Fisher will be looking to make this one go the distance, and if it does go to a decision, he will probably have earned the win. This will be one of those matches with a lot of rolling around on the ground. It's anyone's guess, but I'd say Fisher because he has a much better record. Anthony Johnson vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida This is one of the more interesting fights of the evening with Johnson facing a replacement for Matt Brown- Yoshiyuki Yoshida. Johnson is a firm favourite with Blue Square, listed at 3/10 for the outright win. Yoshida carries an 11/5 price to win this one. I think Yoshida is vulnerable to knock-outs, and I'm not sure if Johnson will necessarily be able to KO him. I think he will consider his best chance of a KO to be an unexpected kick to the head. I would back Johnson on an accumulator, but due to the lack of value, I don't recommend backing him outright.