One of the best strikers in the UFC Jones is also dangerous when the fight gets to the ground. Quick on his feet with the front kick Machida is also dangerous on the ground as we have already seen. The fight makes for the match of styles of the year in the UFC and is too close to pick.

The once reputed Huntington Beach Bad Boy, Tito Ortiz, is quickly becoming a fan favourite again. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will fight Ortiz on the undercard of Machida vs. Jones and should prove to be bout that won’t disappoint.

Not smart enough to stop coming after a fighter once he is hurt Nogueira knows only one speed. Healthy for the first time in five years Ortiz is like a new man in the ring. The fans will get their money’s worth on this one in spite of the fact that this fight will not go the distance.

In the heavyweight battle “Big Nog” Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira takes on Frank Mir which could be last fight for the loser. Looking bad in recent fights both Mir and Nogueira will be kicked to the curb by Dan White if one of them puts in a poor performance. Both fighters are under a lot of pressure in this one.

Can’t make this fight? No problem you can still get in on the action at an online sports betting site.

UFC 140 In Toronto Features Lyoto Machida VS Jon Jones by MMA Betting Journal

Jon Jones opened at -215, but he is now down to -185 in UFC 128 odds while Rua is paying +155.

Jon Jones (12-1-0) has taken the UFC by storm going undefeated while knocking off his opponents in both convincing and spectacular fashion. Jones has a freakishly long reach and he uses it to his advantage whether it is dominating stand up, or getting opponents to the ground where his excellent wrestling skills come in to play.

If there is any weakness in Jones’ game it’s that he hasn’t had his chin tested yet and testing chins is something Shogun Rua is pretty good at. The Pride veteran has showcased his power on a number of occasions.

Jones has also never faced a fighter as experienced as Mauricio Rua and Rua has shown that he can execute game-plans against unconventional fighters before. While Jones may be able to use his reach advantage to control stand up, Shogun can take a punch and he is technically the better striker so you have to think that at some point he will hit Jones harder than he’s ever been hit before.

We may not see it very often, but Shogun is also an excellent BJJ fighter. Jones might be able to get this fight to the ground, but he could be in for a big surprise when it happens.

I like Jones as a fighter, but I don’t think it is his time yet. Take the veteran Rua with the better pay day.

UFC 128 Jon Jones vs. Shogun Rua Preview by MMA Betting Journal

Bellator 36 goes this Saturday with four lightweight tournament quarterfinal bouts highlighting the card.

Bellator Odds

Rob McCullough -135
Patricky Freire +105

Carey Vanier -185
Lloyd Woodard +155

Michael Chandler -365
Marcin Held +285

Toby Imada -250
Ferrid Kheder +190

Waachiim Spiritwolf vs. Jaime Jara Bellator 35 Highlights by MMA Betting Journal

Jon Fitch is the UFC 127 odds favorite at -200 while B.J. Penn is +160 with both of these fighters looking to make a case as the next challenger for the welterweight title.

B.J. Penn (12-6-1 UFC) is a UFC legend being one of only two fighters to hold titles in two different divisions. However, he only has two wins at welterweight both coming against Matt Hughes and hasn’t won two fights in a row since 2009.

Penn returns to welterweight competition after failing to find an answer for the current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in two tries.

Penn’s last fight was the dismantling of Hughes last November. It took Penn just 21 seconds to win the rubber match by KO.

Jon Fitch (13-1 UFC) has looked pretty impressive since his loss to Georges St. Pierre winning five straight fights looking like a future champion.

Fitch is a very dangerous wrestler so don’t be surprised to see him try to get this fight to the ground where Penn’s striking advantage isn’t so pronounced.

The winner of this fight will likely be first in line for Georges St. Pierre, but the consensus is that GSP will fight Anderson Silva in a catch weight super fight if he gets by Jake Shields, so don’t be surprised to see the winner in the octagon again before sharing it with GSP.

The biggest problem with Fitch is that he is a boring fighter. His last eight fights have gone the distance and B.J. Penn has struggled with his conditioning. If he continues to struggle, this should go to Fitch who knows how to stay out of trouble and do just enough to win.

B.J. Penn vs Jon Fitch UFC 127 Preview by MMA Betting Journal

Jon Fitch is looking to not just beat BJ Penn, but finish him. He says in the interview that he plans to keep the pressure up on Penn and focus on fighting his fight rather than reacting to BJ.

BJ Penn is looking to finish Fitch early. He says he thinks Fitch’s camp will advise him to survive the first round and then go after Penn in the second. He does not plan on dragging the fight out because why wait when you can do in the first round exactly the same thing you can do in the second.

The UFC lines at betED have Fitch as the favorite at -200 while Penn is +160.

If both fighters go at each other the way they say they will, this could be a really great fight particularly if it lasts a bit.

Jon Fitch and BJ Penn Pre-Fight Interviews by MMA Betting Journal

The Strikeforce betting odds list Diaz as the heavy favorite at -500 while Santos is +300.

Evangelista Santos (18-13-0 MMA, 1-1 Strikeforce) fights like he’s in a frenzy going relentlessly after an opponent while opening himself up to counterstrikes.

He doesn’t have much of a ground game, but we almost never get to see it because he either knocks his opponent out or gets knocked out before the fight can go to the ground. It’s really too bad he has a glass chin, eight of 13 losses have come by knockout, because if he could take a punch he would be a top-level fighter. Out of his 18 victories, 11 have come by knockout.

This will be just Santos’ second fight at welterweight after frustrating losses at middleweight and light-heavyweight convinced him that he wasn’t going to make it in either division.

His lone welterweight fight was a first round knockout victory over Marius Zaromskis in which both fighters connected on a number of punches, but Santos definitely had the advantage and looked very good while inflicting a lot of damage on Zaromskis.

Nick Diaz (23-7-0 MMA, 5-0 Strikeforce) will present a much bigger challenge for the Brazilian. Diaz has a reach advantage and is a technically excellent striker. He may not be quite as much of a knockout threat, but he should be able to keep Santos at a distance punishing his reckless advances.

He may not need it, but Diaz also has the advantage on the ground. Even if Santos is able to close, Diaz could very realistically force a takedown before Santos makes things too ugly and win this fight on the mat.

While Santos has a chance, there are just too many ways for Diaz to win this fight.

Strikeforce San Jose: Nick Diaz vs. Evangelista Santos Preview by MMA Betting Journal

The general consensus seems to be that Belfort just needs to land one punch for Silva to look beatable, but Silva has beaten fighters like Belfort before so I don’t really know why they think this fight will go differently.

The second video is the traditional trailer for UFC 126 where Joe Rogan and Dana White talk about the fight and both fighters talk about the fight. They also talk about the Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin Fight. Franklin is the UFC betting favorite at -170 while Griffin is +140.

UFC 126 Videos: Previews and Predictions by MMA Betting Journal

The champion Souza is the favorite at -260 in Strikeforce Odds while Lawler pays +200.

The strategies for these two fighters should be pretty obvious. Lawler will want to stay on his feet and trade punches while Souza will want to get this fight to the mat as quickly as possible where he should be in control.

The challenge for Robbie Lawler (18-6-0 MMA, 2-2 Strikeforce) is that his wrestling training hasn’t really translated in to wrestling skills. He is still vulnerable to the takedown and is a one dimensional fighter.

Admittedly, he is very good at that one dimension with 15 of 18 wins coming by KO or TKO and he hasn’t lost any power over the years, but Lawler only really has a punchers chance.

While both Lawler and Souza are known as finishers, that is where the similarities end. Ronaldo Souza (13-2-0 MMA, 3-0 Strikeforce) is a balanced fighter who is comfortable trading blows, but specializes in the submission. Ten of his 13 victories have come by submission. While he doesn’t get victories by trading punches, he doesn’t get victimized while waiting for his opportunities.

Expect a cautious start as Lawler looks for holes in Souza’s defenses and Souza waits for an opportunity to get the takedown. Souza should get some good strikes in with Lawler worrying more about takedowns before finally going for the takedown and ending the fight.

Strikeforce San Jose: Ronaldo Souza – Robbie Lawler Preview by MMA Betting Journal

Considering how long Silva has owned the UFC‘s Middleweight division, it is no surprise that he is a big favorite in UFC 126 odds paying -270 to Belfort’s +210. But, we’ve seen plenty of fighters with better odds lose in recent events and Belfort is a serious contender who has to be respected.

Vitor Belfort talks about Silva’s many strengths and suggests he is going to try to push the pace of the fight even though many fighters have tried exactly this and failed against Silva.

UFC 126 Vitor Belfort Interview Video by MMA Betting Journal

Tyron Woodley talks about his fight with Tarec Saffiedine. He talks about pushing for the Strikeforce belt and about his opponents’ strengths. Strikeforce odds list Woodley as the heavy favorite at -225 while Saffiedine pays +185.

Strikeforce also posted the weigh in for all of the main card fighters from earlier today.

Strikeforce Challengers Pre-Fight Interviews and Weigh In by MMA Betting Journal