The UFC heads to Canada this weekend for the very exciting UFC Fight Night 151 card. This card is led by a strong main event featuring Al Iaquinta and Donald Cerrone, while the Co-Main featuring Derek Brunson and Elias Theodorou also promises to be a cracker. We’ll preview each of the top 3 fights on the card, providing our 3 best bets in the process.
Al Iaquinta
The 31-year-old Iaquinta enters this bout with a solid 14-4-1 career MMA record to his name. He enters this one in relatively strong form, winning 6 of his last 7 fights. Iaquinta unfortunately lost the most important of these fights when he lost to Khabib for the Lightweight title last year. That said, winning performance of the night against Kevin Lee last time out holds him in good stead here.
Donald Cerrone
Cowboy has much more experience than his opponent in this one, ending up victorious in 35 of his 47 career MMA fights. His recent form admittedly hasn’t been all that strong, losing 4 of his last 7 fights. That said, two early finishes against Mike Perry and Alex Hernandez mean he enters this one in good form. With 17 career wins by submission, Cowboy has a huge edge on the ground in this matchup.
Prediction: Cerrone to Win $2.25
The underdogs have been doing brilliantly in main events recently and I think this fight will prove no exception. Iaquinta has been in some strong form recently but he definitely struggles against the top level competition. Cowboy can overwhelm him with his physical power here and also has the option of taking things to the ground. He looks better at Lightweight than at Middleweight and I think he gets into title contention with a win here.
Derek Brunson
Brunson enters this Co-Main event with a relatively solid career record of 18-7. That said, he has definitely been in some relatively poor form of late, losing 4 of his last 6 professional fights. With 11 of his career wins having come by KO, he’ll definitely be looking for the finish in this one.
Elias Theodorou
Theodorou enters this bout with a solid 16-2 career record and the #13 spot in the UFC Middleweight rankings. He has been in strong form of late, racking up consecutive wins over Dan Kelly, Trevor Smith, and Eryk Anders. He probably will need some more exciting wins to climb the rankings, with the majority of his wins so far being by decision.
Prediction: Theodorou to win $2
Theodorou has been incredibly consistent of late, especially when compared to a loose cannon like Brunson. While he doesn’t have the power advantage, I think he is more tactically aware than Brunson here. He can definitely outstrike Brunson and has an edge on the ground, making him strong value at $2.
Cub Swanson
The 35-year-old Cub has had a very strong professional MMA career, currently boasting a 25-10 record. His form has definitely waned recently though, with 3 straight losses and 5 defeats in his past 9. He just doesn’t have the power he once had and has gone 6 years without a finish.
Shane Burgos
Burgos enters this fight with a ton of hype, winning 11 of his 12 professional bouts to date. He had a very strong win over Kurt Holobaugh last time out, managing an impressive armbar finish in the first round. He is definitely an elite Featherweight on the ground and already has 5 submission wins to his credit.
Prediction: Burgos to win $1.57
It’s sad to say it but Cub simply isn’t the fighter he once was. He is outmatched significantly here, both on the feet and on the ground. I can see Burgos definitely getting the finish here but will happily take the straight up win at these odds.