UFC 198 Werdum vs. Miocic Main Card Fights Betting Preview

Posted by D.Zamzack on Thursday,May 12, 2016 4:43, EDT in

Okay mixed martial arts betting enthusiasts, if you’re looking to increase your annual betting bankroll or get back in the black after a rough start to your MMA betting campaign, then you’re going to get three great chances to do just that! Thanks to the bettor-friendly management at mybookie.ag and this expert UFC 198 betting breakdown, you’re going to get some expert insight into a trio of bouts that all have the look of ‘near lock’ outcomes. Okay, with that said, let’s get started.

UFC 198 Werdum vs. Miocic Main Card Fights Betting Preview

When: Saturday, May 14 at 7:00 PM ET
Where: Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil

Demian Maia vs. Matt Brown

UFC 198 Odds: Demian Maia -280 Matt Brown +220

Analysis: Demian Maia (22-6) enters this fight on a four-bout winning streak that includes a unanimous decision win over Gunnar Nelson at UFC 194 in December. Maia has won 45 percent of his fights via submission while winning nine bouts via decision and three by way of knockout. Maia has also been on the wrong end of five decision losses and one KO defeat. Maia is averaging 1.87 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 44.2 percent while also averaging 2.95 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 31.3 percent. More importantly, Maia has been rock solid over his last four bouts after losing two straight and three of six bouts overall between January 2012 and February of 2014. Maia is one of the elite grapplers in the welterweight class and one of the best takedown defenders in any weight class. This bout marks Maia’s ninth fight in his homeland of Brazil.

Matt Brown (22-13) enters this fight coming off an impressive first round submission (guillotine choke) win over Tim Means at UFC 189 in July. Brown has shown plenty of KO power in winning 59 percent of his fights by way of knockout. Brown averages 3.84 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 54.2 percent while also averaging 1.83 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 48.9 percent. The bad news is that Brown lost each of his previous two bouts via unanimous decision prior to his last fight and has been on the wrong end of a whopping nine submission losses and four submission losses in his career.

Demian Maia may be 38-years-old, but he’s the clear-cut pick to win this bout against 35-year-old Matt Brown. Matt Brown is undoubtedly a powerful striker as his five knockouts in his last eight fights suggest, but he won’t be able to get past Demian Maia’s stellar defense, nor will he be able to overcome the hometown crowd that will be rooting for Maia as he makes his first career fight in Brazil. I’m going with Maia for the second round submission win!

The Pick: Demian Maia via second round submission

Corey Anderson vs Mauricio Rua

UFC 198 Odds: Corey Anderson -225, Mauricio Rua +175

Analysis: Make no mistake bout it MMA betting buffs, this bout has the chance to be the most exciting on the entire UFC 198 card. Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua (23-10) enters this fight coming off a solid unanimous decision win over Antônio Rogério Nogueira at UFC 190 in August. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak but Rua has lost four of his last six fights and six of his last 10 bouts overall. With an insane 19 knockout wins in his 23 career victories, Rua has won a whopping 83 percent of his fights via KO. Rua is averaging 3.6 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 51.2 percent while also averaging 2.26 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 47.7 percent. Still, Rua is clearly no longer the elite fighter he one was. The good news is that the native Brazilian will be fighting in front of his home crowd in this bout.

26-year-old Corey Anderson enters this fight on a three-fight winning streak that includes a unanimous decision win over Tom Lawlor at UFC 196 in March. Anderson has won 56 percent of his fights by way of decision and is averaging 5.03 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 45 percent. Anderson is also averaging 3.98 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 47.6 percent. Anderson has suffered one KO (punches) loss in his career and will appear in his fourth fight since last September in this bout. This will be Anderson’s second career fight in Brazil and second outside the United States so he’s no stranger to South America.

I always liked Shogun Rua, but he’s going down in this bout and going down hard! Corey Anderson is younger, stronger and faster t this stage of his career and will take Rua out via a unanimous decision.

The Pick: Corey Anderson via unanimous decision

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Cristiane Justino vs Leslie Smith

UFC 198 Odds Cristiane Justino -1200, Leslie Smith +700

Analysis: While 30-year-old Cris Cyborg (15-1) will make her UFC debut in this bout, there’s no denying that she’s been one of the best female MMA fighters on the planet for years now! Cyborg basically destroyed the competition in both, Strikeforce and Invicta and has won five straight fights while winning 87 percent of her fights via knockout. Cyborg is coming off a commanding first round KO (punches) win over Daria Ibragimova at Invicta FC 15 in January. Cyborg averages 7.29 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 47.9 percent while also averaging 1.53 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 66.6 percent. This bout marks Cyborg’s sixth fight in her home country of Brazil.

Leslie Smith (8-6-1) enters this fight coming off a unanimous decision win over Rin Nakai at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir in March. Unfortunately, she has compiled an underwhelming 4-4 record over her last eight bouts. Smith averages 5.27 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 35.2 percent while also averaging zero takedowns with an accuracy percentage of zero percent.

Look, there’s no sense in beating around the bush with this pick. Cris Cyborg is going to annihilate Leslie Smith in this bout! I like Cyborg to finish off her opponent via a first round KO that comes via punches!

The Pick: Cris Cyborg via first round KO