UFC 94 BETTING TIPS: BJ PENN TO WIN IN THIRD ROUND

Welterweight Title Bout- Georges St-Pierre vs BJ Penn: This re-match is being tipped by many to be, quite possibly, one of the premier fights of 2009. St-Pierre won via decision last time and I have a feeling that Penn has been analyzing that fight over and over and wondering what specifically went wrong, aside from incompetent judging. That one really could have gone either way, to me and I have a feeling that striking is going to be the difference in this one. I think Penn is a better stand-up fighter and I imagine he'll really get under St-Pierre's skin towards the end of the second. It may be worth backing him for a win in the 3rd and you're looking at stellar odds for the Penn victory. Betfair is backing St-Pierre at 1.58 and Penn is way back at 2.58. Back Penn all the way. Lyoto Machida vs Thiago Silva: I think Silva may make this one a little tougher for Machida than many others had previously thought and I'm looking forward to a good contest. However, I think Machida will have Silva chase him all over the octagon and then set something up towards the end of the fight. Machida will be looking for a third round TKO, but I think he'll take this one via decision. Machida is 1.33 on Betfair and there isn't much value there, truth be told. Stephan Bonnar vs Jon Jones: This one is going to be a real brawl and you can bank on a non-submission victory. I think you'll get a better portrait of how Bonnar is going to do within the first two minutes of the first round. He's been out of action for a while, but he's one of the best fighters in his weight category on his day. Always a joy to watch, I'm going to back Bonnar to take this one, but I'm not as enthusiastic about him as I used to be. Bonnar can be backed at 1.57 with Betfair. Karo Parisyan vs Dong Hyun Kim: This is Karo's first fight back since his loss to Thiago Silva and he's going to look at this fight as a statement of intent. He's going to be looking for a title shot this year and he needs to not just win this fight, but put in a dominant and exciting performance. The bookmakers seem to think the same thing and he can be backed at 1.36 as the out and out favourite. Nate Diaz vs Clay Guida: This is a close one and you're going to see an awful lot of ground action in this one. Guida can pace himself well and I know he'll be a handful for Diaz the whole way through. Diaz is great at breaking holds and reversing them into submissions, and he has quite a repertoire. However, I'm bucking the trend and backing Clay Guida at 2.1 as I think he has more to prove and he'll be ready for what Diaz is going to throw at him.