First UFC 228 embedded vblog #1 is up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8GMpf5wyYcNot a lot of notes for this one.
--Carla Esparza was taken down a few times by Claudia Gadelha in her last fight. If Claudia can get Esparza down, MMA logic says Tatiana Suarez might definitely get Esparza down. Of course, Gadelha's takedowns were setup by her kickboxing. The feints and setups Gadelha used to get Esparza down need to be taken into account. That said, Suarez could be a betting lock, here.
--Tatiana Suarez was ranked #3 in the world for her divison of wrestling when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. That diagnosis hurt her chances for olympic stardom as it took her 2-3 years for her cancer to fully go into remission, iirc.
--Both Niko Price and Abdul Alhassan are explosive and athletic fighters with high finish rates of their opponents. I'm not a fan of playing under or inside the distance props. If the under 2.5 rounds prop is offered I might take it. Even under 1.5 rounds might be #worth. I probably wouldn't take under 1.5 personally. But for those who enjoy over/under Price vs Alhassan and Tatiana Suarez vs Carla Esparza could be worth looking into.
--For those who enjoy playing underdogs, Cody Stamann could be worth a look.
--Irene Aldana vs Lucie Pudilova and John Dodson vs Jimmie Rivera could be over 2.5 round fights. Those lighter weight divisions don't see a lot of finishes some days. I never play over/under. Just throwing this out there to try to produce some conversation.
--I don't have any picks for the main event. How well Darren Till's weight cut goes will be crucial here. I think its best to wait till after weigh ins to make bets on the main event. To see how weight cut drama unfolds.
Leans posted above were.
-Tatiana Suarez ML
-Niko Price vs Abdul alhassan under or in the distance
-Suarez vs Esparza under
-Cody Stamann ML
-Aldana vs Pudilova over 2.5
-Rivera vs Dodson over 2.5
4/6 leans were correct. 66.6% accuracy. (My actual accuracy on calls might be higher than that)
Maybe I'll start posting picks in the future. I usually do ok calling mixed martial arts outcomes.
There were some good fights on this card. Some impressive performances. A lot of heart showed by Carla Esparza, Darren Till, Karolina K, Aldana, Pudilova and maybe a few others--even if they lost their fights.