The UFC is back in Las Vegas after a trip to Fight Island in Abu Dahbi. The good news is that we have an MMA card. The bad news in Vegas is that we constantly see fights canceled once the UFC leaves its bubble. So far, we have one fight scrapped and an opponent change. Of course, both the altered fights were ones I had bets on, so that limits a couple of the plays I was planning to write up. Let’s get into some UFC bets for Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva.
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UFC Bets and Picks for UFC Fight Night: Uriah Hall Vs. Anderson Silva
Andre Fili Moneyline +125
There is a ton of hype behind Bryce Mitchell now and I get it. I love him, as does every MMA fan. Mitchell has looked spectacular during his UFC run, wining all four of his fights in the organization with each win looking more dominant than the last. Physically, he is dominating opponents with his grappling which is covering up what I perceive as a weakness. From what I have seen of Mitchell on the feet, I think he’s going to have a ton of issues against Fili if this fight doesn’t hit the mat.
Mitchell has gotten his recent fights to the ground without much issue. I am not sure this fight will play out the same way since Fili is a big step up in competition. Early in his career, Fili struggled against wrestlers. This is a part of his game his sured up in recent bouts. Fili hasn’t gotten taken down in any of his last five fights in the UFC, raising his career takedown defense to 69%. If he can keep this fight standing, Fili should outclass Mitchell on the feet. I see this as close to a 50/50 which is why I am siding with Fili at plus money.
Greg Hardy To Win By Decision +340
Greg Hardy’s career is a disappointment thus far. It’s not that he isn’t talented, because he is. The problem I have is that he’s fights aren’t very exciting. When the UFC signed Hardy, I thought one of two outcomes were possible. He would suck and knocked out which many people would love to see given his background and legal issues. The other possibility was for Hardy to take his athleticism from the NFL and become an elite heavyweight in the UFC. Considering the lack of athletes in MMA that fight at heavyweight, this seemed like a possibility. Instead, we ended up with a pretty good fighter who doesn’t take chances and is usually in boring fights.
For sure, Hardy can knockout Maurice Green in this spot. The odds indicate this is the most likely outcome. However, I don’t think a finish is as likely as the odds suggest. Unless Green forces the action, Hardy is more than content to sit at range and pick apart his opponents on his way to a decision win. In fact, Hardy has not gotten credited with a knockdown in any of his last six fights and each of his last three fights in the UFC went to decision. In addition, Hardy has not landed more than 55 significant strikes in any of his fights. This is why the +340 by decision stands out as a good value to me.
Uriah Hall To Win By KO/TKO +175
Anderson Silva is 45 years old with one official win since 2012. At a certain point, age is an issue and I think this is where we are at with Silva. In his last fight, which was over a year ago, he was finished by a what looked like a fairly standard leg kick against Jared Cannonier. Silva’s leg buckled and he couldn’t continue. Given his age and mileage, it’s tough for me to envision him not getting hurt at some point during a five-round fight. I am sure he will have success at time, but these are pretty crazy odds for a Hall finish. Hall packs plenty of power, scoring a knockdown in three of his last four UFC fights. Considering his power and durability concerns for Silva, I think a Hall KO is the most likely outcome in the Main Event.
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