UFC 120 is making its return to the O2 Arena in London, England. The O2 has previously hosted UFC 75 and 85. The main event features prominent British fighter Michael Bisping against Yoshihiro Akiyama. The co-main has slugger Dan Hardy taking on Carlos Condit. After winning another 2.03 units at UFC 119, my running total is + 5.05 units since the start of thesportsjury.com.
Michael Bisping (-200) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (+165)
Michael “The Count” Bisping (19-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) is the poster boy of British MMA. Bisping won the season 3 Ultimate Fighter show at light heavyweight. He normally uses a stick and move approach since he has above average boxing skills.
Bisping has beaten fighters such as Matt Hamill, Chris Leben, and Denis Kang. Wanderlei Silva, Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson have all stopped him.
Yoshihiro Akiyama (13-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is an expert in the martial art of Judo. Akiyama currently holds a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Judo and another black belt in Karate.
“Sexyama” is coming off of a fight of the night loss against Chris Leben. His only other UFC fight was a semi-controversial win over Alan Belcher. I think it is pretty interesting his only other loss is to world renowned kick boxer Jerome le Banner who had an 80 pound weight advantage. In Akiyama’s MMA debut he beat World Champion boxer Francois Botha via armbar in the first round.
This fight will be a lot closer than the odds suggest. The only way I can envision Bisping winning this fight is out pointing Akiyama. Bisping is the more technical and faster striker, but Akiyama has an edge in the power. Akiyama also has a huge advantage in any sort of clinch or ground games. I think Akiyama actually has a very good chance of coming away with a knockout win in this fight, if Bisping gets into a slugfest. YoshihiroAkiyama via TKO round 3.
Dan Hardy (-165) vs. Carlos Condit (+160)
Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (23-7 MMA, 4-1 UFC) returns to the cage after his quest for a title against GSP came up short. Hardy is a very good striker and has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He also has a purple belt in BJJ.
Hardy showed tremendous heart in his last fight, a defeat at the hands of the best fighter in the world, Georges “Rush” St. Pierre. He was able to defend multiple submission attempts, but his lack of takedown defense was the thing I remember most from the fight. His biggest wins in the UFC are over Mike Swick and Marcus Davis.
Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit (25-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is the former Welterweight Champion of the WEC. Condit is a well-rounded fighter and he trains with the famed “Jackson’s Submission Fighting” Team.
Condit has won his last two fights over top up-and-comers Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenburger. Condit has a knack for finishing fights with 24 of his 25 wins ending in a submission or knockout. His only UFC loss was a split-decision to Martin Kampmann.
Condit has a clear advantage on the ground in this fight, but I worry that he will want to stand up and trade with Hardy. Dan Hardy has 1 punch knockout power, and it would be unwise for Condit to go with that strategy. I’m banking on Greg Jackson having a great gameplan of getting this fight to the ground by any means necessary. From there, I think Condit will administer some solid ground and pound, but won’t be able to finish Hardy. Carlos Condit via Unanimous Decision.
John Hathaway (-445) vs. Mike Pyle (+395)
John “The Hitman” Hathaway (14-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is coming off of an impressive upset win over Diego ** **
Sanchez at UFC 114. Hathaway is a bit different than most of the UK’s fighters because he has a formidable ground game. Currently he trains at London Shootfighters, but has also worked out with 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu and American Top Team.
Unblemished in the loss column, Hathaway has beaten the aforementioned Sanchez, fellow Brit Paul Taylor, and Rick Story.
Mike “Quicksand” Pyle (20-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is one of the primary trainers at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He has won by submission in 17 out of his 20 wins.
Pyle’s biggest wins to date would be Dan Hornbuckle in 2008 and Jon Fitch in 2002. Some of the guys to defeat Pyle: Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, and Rory Markham.
This is Hathaway’s fight to lose. He has an advantage on the feet and on the ground. At these odds though, I will make a small play on the veteran Pyle. John Hathaway via Unanimous Decision.
Cheik Kongo (-185) vs. Travis Browne (+170)
Cheik Kongo (15-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has a strong kickboxing background and he trains at Wolfslair MMA with Rampage Jackson and Michael Bisping.
He has most recently defeated Paul Buentello and also beat Mirko Cro Cop in 2007. He showed very limited ground skills when he was defeated by Cain Velasquez, and succumbed to a very quick submission at the hands of Frank Mir.
Travis Browne (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) uses a nice blend of wrestling and ground and pound to secure TKO’s. He has had 6 first round stoppages.
His only notable wins are over TUF competitors James McSweeney and Abe Wagner. He also defeated former NFL player Michael Westbrook.
This is a big step up in competition for Browne, but Kongo is the perfect opponent for his style. Kongo has subpar wrestling and Browne tends to get takedowns and start throwing. I think the line is so far in Kongo’s favor due to his well known name, and lack thereof for Browne. If Cain Velasquez wasn’t able to finish Kongo, I don’t think Browne will either. Travis Browne via Unanimous Decision.
Claude Patrick (-165) vs. James Wilks (+155)
Claude Patrick (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is currently riding a 11 fight win streak. He is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has amassed 9 submission victories, all chokes.
Patrick’s only notable win is over Ricardo Funch, and he was defeated by former UFC fighter Drew McFedries in 2002, his 2nd fight.
James Wilks (7-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was the winner of season nine of The Ultimate Fighter. He is from England, but has lived and trained in the US since 2000. Wilks has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a brown belt in BJJ.
Wilks has beaten Peter Sobotta and DeMarques Johnson. His only UFC defeat is to Matt Brown.
This fight will probably hit the ground and I think Patrick has a slight edge there. I feel the line is well set, and won’t be betting on it. Claude Patrick via submission, round 3.
Official Main Card Picks
Yoshihiro Akiyama TKO 3
Carlos Condit UD
John Hathaway UD
Travis Browne UD
Claude Patrick SUB 3
Official UFC 120 Bets Akiyama- 0.5 units to win 0.83 units Condit- 0.5 units to win 0.8 units Pyle- 0.1 units to win 0.395 units Browne 0.4 units to win 0.68 units
1.5 units risked to win 2.705 units.