MMA Wagering Action – Cash in On Soszynski-Bonnar UFC 116 Light Heavyweight Rematch

Mixed martial arts gamblers everywhere will have an excellent chance to boost the annual betting bankroll when light heavyweights, Krzysztof Soszynski and Stephan Bonnar step into the Octagon for a rematch battle at UFC 116, which takes place on Saturday, July 3rd, live on pay-per-view beginning at 7 PM ET from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MMA Betting Odds
Krzysztof Soszynski -230
Stephan Bonnar +180

UFC 116: Lesnar vs. Carwin
Saturday, July 3, 7:00 PM ET
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

Name: Krzysztof Soszynski
Age: 32
Nickname: The Polish Experiment
Record: 21 – 9 – 1
Association: Team Quest
Height: 6’1" (186cm)
Weight: 205lbs (93kg)
Country: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Breakdown: Krzysztof Soszynski specializes in BJJ, boxing and wrestling and comes into this fight off a third round TKO (cut) victory over Bonnar at UFC 110 in February. In his fight prior to the last one, Soszynski was handed a unanimous decision loss to Brandon Vera at UFC 102 last August. While the 32-year-old has nine career losses on his MMA record, he has also lost just once in his last seven fights.

Name: Stephan Bonnar
Age: 33
Nickname: The American Psycho
Record: 11 – 7 – 0
Association: Xtreme Couture/Team Sityodtong
Height: 6’3" (191cm)
Weight: 205lbs (93kg)
Style: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu / Boxing
Country: Hammond, Illinois, USA

The Breakdown: Bonnar will be looking to snap a three-fight losing streak that started with his unanimous decision loss at UFC 94 loss to Jon Jones. Bonnar followed that up by losing to Mark Jones on another unanimous decision at UFC 100 last July before getting stopped by Soszynski on a third round TKO at UFC 110 in February. The kickboxing, Muay Thai and BJJ specialist has actually lost five of his last seven fights overall but was handed two of those losses by elite fighters, Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans.

Analysis: I think MMA gamblers have a fairly easy pick on their hands with this matchup as Stephan Bonnar just can’t seem to find any consistency in his up-and-down career.

I know Bonnar is a multi-talented fighter that almost beat Forrest Griffin in the finale of the Ultimate Fighter Season 1, but I think the equally versatile Soszynski has managed to really find out what he excels at over the last three years and eight fights.

Soszynski also has superior punching power, recording seven KO’s in his career as compared to just two knockouts by Bonnar. While Bonnar has been able to submit seven of his opponent in seven of his 11 career wins, I like the more versatile Soszynski to handle Bonnar and push him one step closer to getting booted out of the UFC altogether.

There’s a reason why Krzysztof Soszynski is a -230 favorite in this bout – and that’s because he’s clearly the better fighter in this one.

I like Soszynski to win this one on a second round TKO that comes in the form of powerful strikes.

Expert MMA Picks: Krzysztof Soszynski by Second Round TKO

Wimbledon ATP Semifinal Picks – Cash in as Red-Hot Djokovic Battles Hard-Hitting Berdych

Friday’s semifinal showdown between world No. 13 Tomas Berdych and world No. 3 Novak Djokovic, may not be the semifinal match that many prepared for or even want to see, but guess what tennis betting buffs, this match has the potential to be extremely memorable with two of the biggest hitters in the game today taking to center court for the right to reach the 2010 Wimbledon Finals.

This look at both players, followed by my in-depth analysis and expert ATP betting pick, will give devoted tennis gamblers all the insight they will need in order to make two bankroll-boosting bets on this semifinal showdown.

ATP Betting Odds

Tomas Berdych -115
Novak Djokovic -125

Moneyline
Over 42½ -120
Under 42½ -120

The Breakdown: Hats off to Tomas Berdych tennis gamblers! The ate-blooming 6-foot-5 Czech Republic native pulled off arguably the biggest upset of the entire tournament by beating world No. 2 Roger Federer 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the semifinal round. Berdych has gone a scorching 30-11 this season despite winning any singles titles, now looks like a player that will consistently live up to his immense potential.

Berdych however, will have to find a way to beat Djokovic for the first time after suffering two career losses to the Serbian one-time grand slam winner.

Not only that, but Berdych will be facing a red-hot Djokovic that has looked better than ever with each passing match. Other than going five sets in his opening match and four sets in his fourth round match against former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt Djokovic has looked absolutely dominant as he did in beating Andy Roddick conqueror, Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinal round.

Analysis: I really like Tomas Berdych and the mental growth he’s shown over the last 12 months, but I’m backing Novak Djokovic in this match.

The 23-year-old Djokovic has big strokes off of both wings and likely won’t make the unforced errors that Roger Federer made in his quarterfinal loss to Berdych on Wednesday.

Djokovic beat Berdych 7-5, 6-1 in Bangkok in 2008 and also took out the big-hitter in Miami last season.

While Berdych has improved dramatically over the last year – and almost certainly won’t go out with a whimper, I just don’t see him beating the younger, nearly-as-strong and slightly more versatile Novak Djokovic.

In addition to playing Djokovic to win this match straight up, I also like the Over 42 ½ Games as I am expecting a four-setter at the very least – and possibly five.

ATP Pick: Novak Djokovic SU Win/Over 42½ Total games

UFC 116 – Reljic the Best Bet While Carwin is Best Underdog Wager

UFC 116 is just about here and, surprisingly, the online betting odds regarding the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin fight haven’t changed all that much.  Lesnar is still a -145 favorite to beat the undefeated Carwin.

Unlike last Saturday’s Strikeforce Event where UFC/MMA betting was offered on only 4 fights, the sportsbook is offering wagering on 11 fights at UFC 116.  That’s a lot of opportunities for sports gamblers to make, and possibly lose, some serious dough!

So, let’s break down the UFC 116 Fight Card in terms of the best, worst, and overall best underdog bets.

 UFC 116:  Lesnar vs. Carwin

Where:  MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

When:  July 3rd, 2010 at 7:00 pm EST

TV:  PPV Live

Best MMA Bet:  Goran Reljic -165 to beat Kendall Grove +135

The 13-7-0 Grove has a great reputation at UFC as a tough, hard trying, difficult man to beat, but Reljic is a monster.  Although he has what’s considered a well-rounded game, Reljic garnered a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu while studying under Roger Gracie.  That’s a huge advantage.  The ability to both dominate on the ground, because of the Gracie training, and to fight standing-up, ala the most successful MMA fighters today, gives Reljic a huge advantage over Grove.  Grove has a height advantage over Reljic, but that should only help Reljic to get Grove to the ground, because he can attack Grove’s long legs.  The ground is where the BJJ training should give Reljic an advantage.  The 8 and 1 Reljic figures to be 9 and 1 after his fight with Grove on Saturday night.

Worst MMA Bet:  Gerald Harris -280 to beat Dave Branch +210

Don’t get me wrong, Harris should win this fight, but the UFC/MMA odds offer no value.  I mean, none at all.  Harris, at 15 and 2, is a mean dude but he doesn’t have the technique that Branch has.  While Harris has a huge advantage when this fight is off of the mat, Branch should have a huge advantage on the ground after training with Renzo Gracie.  That could be the deciding factor in this fight, Branch’s terrific Gracie grappling technique skills versus Harris’ traditional wrestling skills.  I’ll take a grappler over an old school wrestler any day.  If the fight goes to the ground, Harris could actually lose.  -280?  I don’t think so!

Best Underdog MMA Bet:  Shane Carwin +115 to beat Brock Lesnar -145

I’m surprised that more money hasn’t come in on Carwin to win this fight.  That actually scares me, but the truth is that Carwin should win this fight.  Lesnar has looked spectacular in his UFC bouts and he’s definitely a solid wrestler, but I don’t see enough technique out of Lesnar.  He’s big.  He can wrestle.  He can strike.  He’s fast.  Those are all very important but once an MMA fighters starts to battle guys like Carwin or Cain Velasquez, well-trained, smart and destructive men, technique becomes very important.  Lesnar hasn’t fought in almost a year.  Carwin lives to fight, is undefeated, and has terrific grappling and striking ability.  He should beat Lesnar.

Others MMA Picks

Yoshihiro Akiyama -210 to beat Chris Leben +165

Kurt Pellegrino +160 to upset George Sotiropoulos -200

Ricardo Romero -170 to beat Seth Petruzelli +140

Daniel Roberts -180 to beat Forrest Petz +150

UFC 116 is here!  Log onto the sportsbook and bet UFC 116! 

Wimbledon WTA Semifinal Picks – Cash in As Upstarts, Pironkova, Zvonareva Take Center Stage

Venus Williams?

Vanquished.

Kim Clijsters?

At home with her young daughter.

Justine Henin?

Better luck next year.

As a matter of fact tennis lovers, when it comes to this year’s Wimbledon semifinals, three of the final four remaining players are absolute shockers.

While world No. 1 Serena Williams remains alive – and is the undoubted favorite to win this year’s tournament with so many of the game’s top players having been bested – the other three female participants have scraped and clawed their respective ways into the semifinal round no matter how many fans – and brackets they’ve ruined along the way.

This in-depth look at the most unlikely of semifinal matches, followed by my expert picks, will put avid tennis gamblers on the right path toward making at least three winning wagers on Thursday’s matches.

With the WTA portion of the season’s third grand slam event scheduled to get underway at 7 AM ET on Thursday morning, let me get started.

WTA Betting Odds
Vera Zvonareva -3½ -140
Tsvetana Pironkova +3½ Ev

Moneyline
Vera Zvonareva -250
Tsvetana Pironkova +185
Over 21½ -115
Under 21½ -125

The Breakdown: World No. 21 Vera Zvonareva is a former top five player that has apparently found her game again after dealing with some troublesome ankle issues and laid a surprising 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 ‘smackdown’ on Clijsters in the quarterfinal round after pounding Jelena Jankovic (6-1, 3-0) and Yanina Wickmayer (6-4, 6-2) into submission with the greatest of ease.

Now Zvonareva must face a player in world No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova that is even hotter than she is and has won the only career meeting between the pair.

Pironkova pulled of the biggest upset in the women’s draw when she spanked Venus Williams 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday. The hard-hitting Bulgarian has not dropped a set and beat Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round.

Pironkova won the only career meeting against Zvonareva by beating the attractive Russian blond bombshell 6-0, 62 in Moscow in 2009.

Analysis: I’ll be totally honest when I say this may be the toughest match I the entire tournament to handicap. The fact of the matter is that no one (and I do mean no one) saw either of these two players reaching the semifinals by beating their higher-ranked and certainly more well-know opponents in their respective semifinal matches.

Not only that, but each player beat two of the strongest, big-hitting players on the WTA Tour as Zvonareva downed Clijsters and Pironkova took out Venus Williams.

For this match, I’m going to back the more experienced Zvonareva simply because the former top-five player is a bit less likely to experience stage fright on such a grand stage, (though Pironkova’s dismantling of Williams was a real eye-opener).

Zvonareva looked equally impressive against Clijsters after dropping the first set and impressed me even more on Thursday when she team with Elena Vesnina to topple the Williams sisters in an important double match that halted the Williams women from continuing their quest for the calendar year doubles grand slam.

While Pironkova has the edge in height, strength and power over Zvonareva, so did Kim Clijsters – and look what that got her … sent home.

I say it’s about time Vera Zvonareva had her time in the spotlight – and I believe this is that time.

I like Zvonareva to narrowly cover the WTA betting line as a 3½-game favorite and cash in for tennis betting buffs as a -250 moneyline selection, while the Over plays out against the 21½-game O/U total in a three-set thriller.

WTA Pick: Vera Zvonareva -3½ Games/Over 21½ Total Games

Wimbledon WTA Expert Picks –Young Kvitova Looks to ‘Shock the World’ Against Serena

The more I’ve watched young Petra Kvitova, the more I see a possible grand slam winner at some point in the near future.

Unfortunately, the powerful 20-year-old from the Czech Republic faces an enormous (un-winnable?) battle in taking the next step toward making her first grand slam finals appearance when she gets the tall task of trying to defeat world No. 1 and defending Wimbledon champ, Serena Williams.

This breakdown of Thursday’s match, which gets underway at 7 AM ET, will give devoted tennis gamblers all the insight they need in order to make three winning wagers on this surprise pairing.

WTA Betting Odds

Serena Williams -5½ -140

Petra Kvitova +5½ Ev

Moneyline

Williams -2500

Kvitova +900

Over 19 +105

Under 19 -145

The Breakdown: First and foremost, while Petra Kvitova has made it all the way to the semifinal round, I’ll be the first person to admit that she clearly didn’t have the toughest road to get there, though she did beat three very good players in Jie Zheng, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki in order to do so.

Kvitova struggled in her quarterfinal match against Kaia Kanepi, winning 6-4, 6-7 (8), 8-6 but did look absolutely fantastic in thrashing Wozniacki 6-2, 6-0 in the fourth round and Azarenka 7-5, 6-0 in the third round.

Still, facing the game’s most powerful – and mentally tough – player in Serena Williams is another story altogether.

And, speaking of Serena Williams, she has looked mostly phenomenal in not dropping a single set en route to the semis.

Williams knocked off veteran nemesis Na Li 7-5, 6-3 in the quarterfinal round and will have some extra motivation to beat her opponent after seeing big sis Venus get knocked out by upstart Tsvetana Pironkova in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday and then getting knocked out of the doubles portion of the field with Venus on Wednesday.

Tennis Betting Analysis: Again, WTA tennis betting enthusiasts, I am really impressed with the hard-hitting 6-foot Petra Kvitova, but the fact of the matter is that, unless she plays a flawless match, she, like many others before her, is going to be in for a long day against the best female player on the planet.

Serena will, no doubt, be in a foul mood – and will undoubtedly take out her frustrations on the ball – and her opponent – in this match.

While I don’t think Kvitova is going to necessarily hand the match to Williams on a silver platter, I just don’t see her overcoming Williams – or her first huge moment in the international tennis spotlight.

Serena Williams will undoubtedly win this match to cover the WTA moneyline as a whopping -2500 favorite, but something tells me that Kvitova is going to give it her all in covering the 5½-game spread as an Even Money wager.

Again, I like Petra Kvitova to cover the spread in a closer-than-expected match while the Over 19 total games plays out (just barely) against the 19-game O/U total.

WTA Pick: Serena Williams to win 6-4, 6-4

PGA Tour – Is There Value in Betting on Tiger to Finish in the Top 10?

Tiger Woods is a huge favorite to win this week’s AT&T National.

Sports gamblers shouldn’t be fooled by the fact that EL Tigre won this tournament in 2009, however.

The AT&T National is being held at Aronimink Golf Club in Newton Square, PA. It’s a different course then where the PGA Tour held the tournament in 2009. Aronimink is known for tough rough.

That means that being able to scramble (saving par or better after missing the green in regulation) is going to be imperative.

Tiger’s good at scrambling and should finish in the Top 10 at the AT&T National, but is he offering value to finish in the Top 10 at the AT&T?

PGA Tour: AT&T National

• Where: Aronimink Golf Club, Newton Square, PA
• When: July 1st thru July 4th
• TV: The Golf Channel, CBS
• Radio: XM-Satellite

AT&T National Top 10

Best Golf Bet A: Ben Crane +225

Crane is a good scrambler. He also has 5 Top 10 finishes in 2010 including a 7th at Byron Nelson, a 4th at TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship) and a 3rd at the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

His 12th at the Memorial could have been better and he did miss the cut at the U.S. Open, but Aronimink is sort of made for his game. He should do well this week.

Best Golf Bet B: Ricky Barnes +300

Scrambling shouldn’t be a problem for Barnes who is ranked 25th in that category.

He also has 6 Top 10 finishes on the year including a 5th at the Travelers Championship in his last start. He has 3 Top 10 finishes in his last 4 tournaments played on the PGA Tour. He’s a solid contender in this category.

Worst Value Golf Wager: Tiger Woods -500

Notice that I wrote worst “value” golf wager not just worst wager? Tiger has no business not finishing in the Top 10 at the AT&T National this week, but he missed the cut at the Quail Hollow and withdrew from The Players Championship.

The best he could do at the Memorial Tournament was a 19th place finish. Now, he tees-off on a course he’s not that familiar with. It’s just tough to lay that much money on El Tigre to finish in the Top 10 this week.

Best Underdog Golf Wager: JB Holmes +600

Holmes is ranked in the Top 20 in scrambling. That’s the good news. The bad news is that he hasn’t recorded a Top 10 finish in 8 straight tournaments.

That’s okay because Holmes recorded 3 Top 10 finishes in the first 8 tournaments he started this year. Maybe, he returns to that earlier season form, gets his swing going this week, and sneaks into the Top 10.

Others To Consider

Jim Furyk -120 – - 2 victories on the year and a nice 16th at the U.S. Open means that Fury’s ready to roll at Aronimink.

Scott Verplank +260 – - 3 Top 5 finishes in his last 4 tournaments gives Verplank a big shot to finish in the Top 10 in this.

Fredrik Jacobson +450 – - He’s ranked 3rd in scrambling on the PGA Tour. That should give him an advantage considering Arnomink’s rough.

This week golfers head to Newton Square, PA for the AT&T National! Log onto the golf sportsbook and bet the AT&T National!

European Tour – 72 Hole Group Betting the Open de France

Lee Westwood is the big time favorite in the golf sportsbook to win this week’s Open de France.

He’s such a big favorite, in fact, that he can’t be found in any of the groups in the 72 Hole Group Betting category in the sportsbook.

That could be a good thing to some sports gamblers as being able to bet on Martin Kaymer to defend his Open de France Championship without having to beat Lee Westwood might be a good thing.

European Tour: Open de France

• Where: Le Golf National, Paris, France
• When: July 1st thru July 4th
• TV: The Golf Channel

72 Hole Group Betting

Group A: Martin Kaymer +275, Luke Donald +325, Charl Schwartzel +325, Rory McIlroy +350, Ross Fisher +350

Analysis: It’s going to be tough to beat Kaymer in this group. So, I’m not going to try.

The young German shot a -13 on his way to beating Lee Westwood in a playoff last year at Le Golf National. Donald and Schwartzel definitely have a shot in this group, but Kaymer’s coming off of an 8th place finish at the U.S. Open in his last tournament on the PGA Tour.

McIlroy? Of course he can win, but he can also miss the cut in this.

That’s the sort of year Rory’s been having. I don’t believe Ross Fisher is at the level of the other 4 golfers in this group.

Golf Betting: Martin Kaymer +275

Group B: Rhys Davies +300, Robert Karlsson +300, Soren Hansen +300, Geoff Ogilvy +350, Adam Scott +350

Analysis: Although he finished in 74th place at the U.S. Open, Rhys Davies is the golfer to bet in this group.

Yes, Hansen did very well in last year’s Open de France, but Davies finished 2nd at the Madrid Masters and 2nd at The Celtic Manor Wales Open before his terrible U.S. Open.

He’s the one to beat in this group even though a case can be made for all of the participants.

Golf Bet: Rhys Davies +300

Group C: Francisco Molinari +275, Peter Hanson +325, Soren Kjeldsen +325, Richard Green +350, Heath Slocum +350

Analysis: Peter Hanson is coming off of a 77th place finish at the BMW International Open, but look what he did before that, a 1st at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca, a 13th at the BMW PGA Championship and a 16th at the U.S. Open. He also shot a 9 under at last year’s Open de France to lose by only 4 strokes to Martin Kaymer.

Molinari, the favorite in this group, shot a 3 under at Le Golf National last year.

Golf Wager: Peter Hanson +325

Golf Bet D: Thongchai Jaidee +325, Raphael Jacquelin +325, Anders Hansen +325, Robert Rock +325, Gregory Havret +325

Analysis: Havret surprised everybody at the U.S. Open but he shot a 10 over and missed the cut at last year’s Open de France.

He’s a throw out. In fact, out of this group only Anders Hansen finished within shouting distance of the winner in last year’s Open de France when shooting a 9 under and finishing in 4th place. He’s the bet.

Golf Bet: Anders Hansen +325

This week’s European Tour Tournament is the Open de France! Log onto the golf sportsbook and bet the Open de France!

Wimbledon Tennis Betting Odds – Free Federer vs. Berdych Wimbledon ATP Pick

World No. 2 Roger Federer will take on world No. 13 Tomas Berdych on Wednesday at the third grand slam event of the season when the ATP singles portion of this year’s Wimbledon tournament moves into its quarterfinal round.

Avid tennis gamblers everywhere will get the scoop on both players’ along with a potentially-profitable free ATP betting pick.

With Wednesday’s action scheduled to get underway at 7 AM ET, let me get started.

ATP Betting Odds
Roger Federer -5½ -110
Tomas Berdych +5½ -130

Moneyline
Federer -800
Berdych +425
O/U
Over 37½ -130
Under 37½ -110

The Breakdown: Roger Federer looked absolutely fantastic in beating the snot out of Jurgen Melzer in the last round, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Nevertheless, Fed will have his hands full with the still-blossoming Tomas Berdych, who has really improved his mental play over the last year or so to consistently hang with the sport’s elite players.

Ranked 13th on the ATP World Tour, Berdych snapped an eight-match losing streak to Federer by handing the men’s all-time grand slam leader a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6) three-set loss at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami in March.

Unfortunately for Berdych, nearly every time he has faced Federer in a grand slam event, he has gone down like a sack of potatoes. Federer beat Berdych in straight sets at the 2006 French Open and 2006 Wimbledon while also beating the Czech Republic native in three sets at the 2008 Australian Open.

The good news for Berdych and his backers is the fact that he nearly beat Federer at last year’s Aussie Open, falling in a thrilling five-setter – after winning each of the first two sets.

Analysis: I really like Tomas Berdych and I think he’s going to give Federer all he can handle – before ultimately falling to the game’s best shot-maker, likely in four sets at the minimum.

I like Federer to narrowly cover the 5½-game spread here as a -110 favorite, which means  tennis bettors  that really like Fed to win can back him at a respectable -800 for the Money Line win.

In addition to playing Federer to win this match, I also like the Over 37½ games as the last time these two met, the match played to a whopping 51 total games.

Expert ATP Pick: Roger Federer in Five Sets/Over 37½ Total games

MMA Betting Odds – Le Looking To Extract Revenge against Smith at Strikeforce San Jose

MMA gamblers will be treated to a fight of the night kind of matchup when middleweights Cung Le and Scott Smith step into the cage for their rematch showdown at Strikeforce San Jose: Fedor vs. Werdum this Saturday.

Saturday, June 26, 10:00 PM ET
HP Pavilion in San Jose, California

MMA Betting Odds

• Cung Le -400
• Scott Smith +250

Le will be looking to extract some serious revenge against Smith after losing what appeared to be a sure-fire win over Smith at Strikeforce: Evolution last December.

Strikeforce San Jose gets underway at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on Saturday, June 26, live on Showtime at 10 PM ET.

Here is a look at both fighters, followed by my in-depth analysis and expert MMA betting picks.

Name: Scott Smith
Nickname: Hands of Steel
Association: Capital City Fighting Alliance – Elk Grove, California
Age: 30
Weight: 185 LBS
Height: 6’0”
MMA Record: 16-6-1

Breakdown: Smith bounced back from a dismal loss in his previous fight to KO Cung Le on punches at 3:25 of the third round but went just 2-2 in four previous fights, including his third round submission (rear naked choke) loss to Nick Diaz in June of 2009.

Name: Cung Le
Association:  American Kickboxing Academy – San Jose, California
Age: 37
Weight: 185 LBS
Height: 5’11”
MMA Record: 6-1

Breakdown: Le will be looking to get back in the win column in a big way after having his six-fight MMA winning streak snapped against Smith the last time out. Le has recorded all six of his wins by either KO or TKO and is a veteran kick boxer that has vast experience in  Sanshou, Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Wrestling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Analysis: This fight is an immediate rematch from the pair’s fight at the Strikeforce: Evolution in December but I’m going on record right now to say that this bout may not be as competitive as many MMA observers and fans think it may be as I fully expect the more experienced and well-rounded Cung Le to pound Scott Smith unmercifully after giving away his emphatic win in their last bout.

Le beat smacked Smith around for three rounds before tiring late in the final round and getting caught by the fading Smith.

Cung Le has amazing power in both legs and KO power in his hands as well and should use his vast edge in experience to cruise take Smith down – for good this time. I like Cung Le to win this fight on a third round TKO.

Expert MMA Pick: Cung Le by third round TKO.

MMA Betting Lock Alert – Cash in as Chris Cyborg Santos Pounds Cuddles Finney

Mixed martial arts betting enthusiasts everywhere will be treated to what looks like another one-sided affair featuring the world’s greatest female MMA fighter Cristiane Cyborg Santos takes on
Jan ‘Cuddles’ Finney in a middleweight showdown at Strikeforce San Jose: Fedor vs. Werdum this Saturday at HP Pavilion in San Jose, California live on Showtime at 10 PM ET.

Saturday, June 26, 10:00 PM ET
HP Pavilion in San Jose, California

MMA Betting Odds

• Cristiane Cyborg Santos -2500
• Jan Finney +900

This inside look at both fighters, followed by my expert MMA pick will give avid MMA gamblers the insight they need in order to make a potentially-profitable wager on this bout.

With Strikeforce San Jose scheduled to get underway in just over 48 hours, let me get started.

Name: Cristiane Santos
Nickname: Cyborg
Age: 24
Weight: 145 lbs
Height: 5’8”
MMA Record: 9-1
Country: Brazil

Breakdown: Cris Cyborg Santos has won each of her last three fights in identical TKO fashion, finishing off all three of her opponents on punches. Santos finished off Marloes Coenen at Strikeforce Miami at 3:40 of the third round in January after knocking out the beloved Gina Carano last August. After losing the initial fight of her MMA career, Santos has now won nine straight fights.

Name: Jan Finney
Nickname: Cuddles
MMA Record: 8 – 7 – 0  
Height: 5’8" (173cm)
Weight: 135lbs (62kg)
Country: USA

Breakdown: Jan Finney has racked up almost as many wins in her career as Cyborg Santos – unfortunately, she’s also lost almost as many fights as she’s won. Finney did manage to beat
Adrienna Jenkins on a split decision at Freestyle Cage Fighting 40 in March and rides a four-fight winning streak into this bout.

Analysis: The female half of the Cyborg family name watched her husband, Evangelista, knock out Marius Zaromskis just last week and now she gets to pound on someone – and try to out-do her husband.

Jan Finney is coming up in weight for this fight and is a natural 135-pounder so she’s likely going to be in more trouble than most of Cris Cyborg’s opponents.

Cris Santos is by far the bigger, better and more skilled fighter in this match and has almost no shot whatsoever to lose this fight. The only way I see anyone beating Santos anytime soon for that matter is likely by submission – and that’s not happening here as Finney is just too small.

I have one question for MMA gamblers before closing out this pick. Who the hell gave Jan Finney the downright scary nickname, Cuddles? That was absolutely genius – and I’m sure Cris Santos is absolutely shaking in her boots – with laughter.

MMA Pick: Cris Cyborg Santos

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