Under Maintenance
We deeply apologize for interrupting your reading but Vendetta is currently undergoing some important maintenance! You may experience some layout shifts, slow loading times and dififculties in navigating.
UFC San Diego Best Bets
UFC San Diego Best Bets
Last week’s best bets did not turn out great, but UFC San Diego is a good opportunity to right the ship. This card consists of an interesting collection of UFC veterans, unproven talent, and debutants. The only issue is, we once again sit with a card that has a lot of favorites that are sitting at -200 and higher. Thankfully, in the closer-lined bouts, there are live dogs. Regardless, there are bets to be made. Here are three of the best bets for UFC San Diego.
*All lines are taken from FanDuel and are accurate as of 9 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11. *
Devin Clark +124
Devin Clark will face Azamat Murzakanov on the main card of UFC San Diego. This is a really interesting matchup. I lean Clark, but I do believe Murzakanov is the best prospect in the light heavyweight division — although Clark is a bad stylistic match-up for Murzakanov. First off, Clark is a credentialed wrestler, while at the same time, Murzakanov is a powerful and quick striker. His most probable path to victory is to land a knockout blow. If Clark attempts to wrestle, he should be able to control Murzakanov and take his striking out of the equation — this should also wear on Murzakanov’s gas tank. Plus, Clark is a fairly large light heavyweight while Murzakanov is quite small for the weight class, which will make it even harder for Murzakanov to get back to his feet. With this in mind, I have a hard time not picking Clark to win this bout. Clark being a +128 dog only makes it sweeter.
Da’Mon Blackshear +106
Da’Mon Blackshear and Youssef Zalal are one of the more interesting matchups on UFC San Diego. Blackshear is making his UFC debut and has a 12-4 record. As of late, he has gotten hot, winning his last four bouts. On the other hand, Zalal started his UFC career 3-0, but has dropped his last three bouts. Now, he sits at 3-3 in the UFC and is 10-5 in MMA. Zalal is also dropping from featherweight to bantamweight for this bout. I like Blackshear for the same reason I like Clark: wrestling. I love taking a strong wrestler as an underdog, and Blackshear is a tremendous wrestler. Specifically, he wins scrambles and comes out in a dominant position. I think he can utilize that skill to win rounds and eventually win a decision. He also threatens submissions and often finds them; however, Zalal has displayed good submission defense in the past. I doubt Blackshear is able to find a submission, but he is good at threatening a submission to assist in transitioning to a more dominant position. While this fight is standing Zalal will have a big power advantage, but Blackshear should fight with more volume. As long as he avoids massive power shots and can land a couple of takedowns, Blackshear should win. At plus money, that makes him a good bet.
Lupita Godinez By Decision -150
Lupita Godinez is taking a massive leap in competition as she faces the No. 13 ranked strawweight, Angela Hill, at UFC San Diego. Despite being less experienced and unranked, Godinez is a -390 favorite. It is very evident why. She has a massive wrestling advantage. Hill is not known for her takedown defense either. At 37, I do not anticipate that will change. Godinez will ride her wrestling to a win. The bigger question is, how does she win? The decision prop looks nice. In Godinez’s eight wins she has two finish wins while Hill has only lost by finish twice in her 12 career losses. This seems like a good recipe for a Godinez decision win.
