UFC 134 Rio Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Main Card Favorites and Vegas Odds

UFC 134 Silva vs Okami Odds, Favorites, Free Picks, Tips and Expert Predictions – Silva vs Okami Free Bets from UFC Vegas Handicapping Expert Eric Moore from the National Sports Advisors: Check out the UFC 134 Silva vs Okami Betting Tips, Vegas Odds, Free Bets and Handicapping preview from expert UFC handicapper/tipster Eric Moore below. If you are interested in betting on UFC 134 Silva vs Okami and want betting lines, than simply skip to the latest UFC Betting odds from Bodog.

UFC 134 Rio Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

Light Heavyweight Bout

Luiz “Banha” Cane vs. Stanislav “Stucky” Nedkov

Luiz “Banha” Cane (15-3, 1NC) is coming off of a first round TKO victory of Eliot Marshall. In 2008-9 Cane put together an impressive three fight win streak where he showcased quick hands and major power. In that stretch he earned himself a Knockout of the Night against Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou 4:15 into the second round. Cane was rapidly moving up the Light Heavyweight ladder until he ran into Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in November of 2009. Nogueira looked smooth and powerful landing a left hook that put Cane on the mat.

Stanislay “Stucky” Nedkov (11-0) is stepping into the octagon for the first time at UFC Rio. He spent the beginning portion of his career fighting inBulgariawhere he amassed an impressive 7-0 record. Over the course of his eleven fights Nedkov has shown he can end fights standing or on the mat winning five fights by knockout and four by submission.

This is going to be by far the toughest fight in Nedkov’s (+175) young career. This will be the opportunity for a young fighter to step up into the big lights and prove he deserves to be there. Unfortunately he drew a very tough and well rounded fighter in Cane (-225). Not only does Cane have BJJ black belt skills on the ground but his hands can put anyone to sleep with one well placed punch. Look for Cane to work over Nedkov on the feet and swarm when he senses the fight swinging his way.

UFC 134 Prediction – Luiz “Banha” Cane by way of TKO

UFC 134 Rio Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

Lightweight Bout

Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson vs. Edson “Junior” Barboza

The Ultimate Fighter 9 winner Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson (14-4) has won five of his last six fights. In his third fight inside the octagon Pearson was able to win a unanimous decision over Dennis Siver which also earned both of them the Fight of the Night bonuses. Pearson has the ability to finish fights anywhere ending five by submission and three by knockout.

With only two years of professional fighting experience Edson “Junior” Barboza (8-0) is a fresh face in the sport of MMA. Barboza has finished five fights in the first round and six by way of TKO or KO. He has only gone the distance once which was in his most recent bout against Anthony Njokuani. That victory earned him Fight of the Night honors and the attention of the UFC.

This is going to be a standup war that is guaranteed fireworks. Both of these fighters are known for their muay thai and they’re going to show it off. Pearson (+210) has been in the game longer and has an impressive resume of fights. Both of these men possess power but a slight advantage goes to Barboza (-280). When this fight dissolves into a slug fest look for Barboza to land short punches that will stagger Pearson but won’t put him out. This will be a tightly contested fight but in the end Barboza comes out on top.

UFC 134 Prediction – Edson “Junior” Barboza by way of unanimous decision

UFC 134 Rio Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

Heavyweight Bout

Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub vs. Minotauro Nogueira

Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub (9-1) made it to the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 10 where he was knocked out by Roy Nelson. Since that loss Schaub has gone 4-0 and has beat name guys like Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Filipovic. His dramatic win over Mirko earned him Knockout of the Night and an exclamation point on his current four fight win streak. Schaub has made a point of dispatching his opponents early with seven of his eight wins coming by TKO or KO and six of those ending inside the first.

A true legend of the sport Minotauro Nogueira (32-6-1, 1NC) is the former Pride and UFC Heavyweight Champion. Nogueira is without a doubt one of the greatest ever to compete in the sport of MMA but recently has seen a downslide in his performance. Having been knocked out twice in his last three fights Nogueira is reaching a point in his career where he can no longer take all the punishment that his body in the past would just shrug off. Even though he has lost the last two out of three he is still a dangerous opponent having won a massive twenty fights by submission.

This has the feel of a “passing of the torch” fight. Schaub (-240) has been tearing through the competition with relative ease and no signs of stopping. On the other hand it’s felt like Nogueira (+190) is just trying to hold on to the past glory that he so rightfully earned in his Pride days. Nogueira needs to get this fight to the mat as early as possible and work his excellent BJJ. This is a bad matchup for Nogueira because Schaub is going to look to keep this fight standing and is strong enough to keep it there. Schaub keeps this fight on the feet and takes advantage of the diminished chin of Nogueira.

UFC 134 Prediction – Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub by way of TKO

UFC 134 Rio Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

Co-Main Event – Light Heavyweight Bout

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Forrest Griffin

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (19-5) is the former 2005 Pride Grand Prix and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Even though 1-2 in his last three fights doesn’t seem like much until you see all three were for the title with him winning it sandwiched between two loses. His last bout was the only time in his career where he appeared to not be competitive in a fight where Jon Jones took his title. Shogun is an ultra aggressive muay thai striker that utilizes leg and body kicks with deadly accuracy. It was the fear of the kicks that led him to his knockout win over then champ Lyoto Machida.

Also a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Forrest Griffin (18-6) is incapable of being in a boring fight.Griffinis the original winner of The Ultimate Fighter and has risen to stardom from it. He is a fighter that likes to stand in the pocket and trade strikes while using kicks when he needs to create space. In his last bout with Rich Franklin he dictated the pace of the fight and never let Rich get comfortable. Forrest hasn’t finished a fight since 2007 when he choked out Shogun.

This is a rematch of a bout contested back in 2007 where Shogun wasn’t near healthy and it was obvious. Shogun (-240) is 2-0 in rematch bouts where he lost the first matchup, first against Mark Coleman and then Lyoto Machida. Forrest (+190) is riding a nice two fight win streak coming into this fight with both going to decision. Since 2007 both of these fighters have evolved their game and this fight will reflect that. Both fighters like to kick and trade in the pocket. The difference will be that Shogun has slightly better standup and will be able to use his aggressive style to create openings. Bettors can count on Shogun getting on the right track and back in the title picture.

UFC 134 Prediction – Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by way of KO

UFC 134 Rio Odds, Free Picks and Predictions

UFC 134 Main Event – Middleweight Championship Bout

Anderson“The Spider” Silva vs. Yushin “Thunder” Okami

Anderson“The Spider” Silva (28-4) is the most dominant middleweight champion to ever step foot inside the octagon. Currently on a fourteen fight win streak a mind boggling nine of those have been fighting for or defending the middleweight crown. He is one of the most unorthodox strikers ever to put on gloves and he showed it against Vitor Belfort. With both fighters just throwing out feelers Silva blastedBelfortwith a front kick and followed up with punches to finish the fight. He has twice ventured up to 205 and crushed James Irvin and Forrest Griffin. “The Spider” at this point is the most feared man in MMA.

The last man to score a win against the most feared man in MMA was Yushin “Thunder” Okami (26-5). The win came by way of a DQ when Silva hit Okami with an illegal up kick and he wasn’t able to continue. Okami has a three fight win streak and was the winner of a title eliminator match in November against Nate Marquardt. Okami is a ground and pound fighter that uses excellent judo to control his opponents.

This fight has many similarities to the title defense of Silva versus Sonnen. Sonnen was able to control the pace of the fight with takedowns and pretty good striking to the point where he was in the fifth round and winning the fight. It was in the final minutes of the bout that Silva was able to throw up a triangle and secure the victory. Minus getting tapped out Okami (+300) is going to look to employ that very same strategy. Get in tight and Silva (-500) on his back so he can’t use that unorthodox muay thai striking that has ended so many fighters nights. The problem occurs when trying to stay active while avoiding the submissions of Silva. Also Silva has to be prepared for this since he fought five rounds against a guy that did the same thing Okami is going to try. Silva will come in better prepared and with a better strategy for a guy looking to take him down and win a decision. Silva will continue his reign of terror over the middleweight division and again leave people wondering what it is going to take to beat him.

UFC 134 Prediction – Anderson “The Spider” Silva by way of KO

UFC-MMA Betting Odds from BoDog Sportsbook

Latest Vegas Odds for UFC 134 Betting
Anderson Silva vs Yushin Okami
Anderson Silva -480
Yushin Okami +380

Mauricio Rua vs Forrest Griffin
Mauricio Rua -220
Forrest Griffin +180

Brendan Schaub vs Minotauro Nogueira
Brendan Schaub -230
Minotauro Nogueira +190

Ross Pearson vs Edson Barboza
Ross Pearson +250
Edson Barboza -300

Luiz Cane vs Stanislav Nedkov
Luiz Cane -210
Stanislav Nedkov +175

Thiago Tavares vs Spencer Fisher
Thiago Tavares -240
Spencer Fisher +200

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