**Dennis Siver (-125) vs. Andre Winner (+110) **
Dennis Siver (16-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has a strong kickboxing style, specializing in spinning back kicks. He also has attained the rank of purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Siver was born in Russia, but currently trains at the OC Fight Team in Germany.
After being cut following his loss at UFC 86, Siver has come back with a vengeance. He has beaten Paul Kelly and Spencer Fischer, both fights in which he was a significant underdog. His only loss in his latest stint was a decision to TUF winner, Ross Pearson.
Andre Winner (11-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) also was beaten by Ross Pearson, in the finale for the “The Ultimate Fighter” season 9. Born in Grenada, Winner moved to England at age 7. He has a background in Karate and Boxing, but later joined the same gym as Dan Hardy and Paul Daley.
In his fighting career, Winner doesn’t really have any significant wins. Both of the guys he beat, Rafaello Oliveira and Rolando Delgado, are no longer with the promotion. His two losses were to the aforementioned Pearson, and one of the more boring fights I’ve witnessed: Unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Nik Lentz.
I believe there is quite a bit of value in Siver here. In a previous interview, Siver hinted at his belief that this fight will stay standing. I don’t think this is his best path to victory, but I like Siver’s power more than Winner’s slight edge in speed. If this fight gets the clinch or the ground, I’d like to say the German has a distinct advantage. He is probably best known for his couple of wins via spinning back kick, but don’t sleep on his ground game. Siver has submitted 8 opponents since he started fighting. Worst case scenario, Siver will follow the gameplan of Nik Lentz and clinch. If he can bring it to the ground, I believe he will have a good shot at submitting him. The only way I see Winner taking this is if Siver continually gets beat to the punch, and doesn’t switch up his strategy—like in his loss to Ross Pearson. Dennis Siver via Unanimous Decision.