UFC on FOX 2 Fight Card: Final Betting Odds and Predictions

The UFC's groundbreaking deal with FOX is officially under way. This Saturday, the world's largest MMA organization will provide its first multifight card on network television.

The event's main card will feature a middleweight clash and two additional fights that will determine the top contenders in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.

Originally scheduled to fight Michael Bisping, Demian Maia will now attempt to keep the up-and-coming Chris Weidman out of the middleweight title hunt.

As a result of a Mark Munoz injury, Bisping was moved to a co-main event tilt against Chael Sonnen. According to UFC president Dana White, the winner of said bout will move on to a title fight against 185-pound champion Anderson Silva.

Finally, the main event will showcase two collegiate wrestlers looking to earn their shot against light heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones, as Rashad Evans and Phil Davis will square off in one of the most important competitions of their lives.

Now only days away from the January's biggest MMA event, it's time to take a look at where the betting odds have settled and which fighters are most likely to pick up wins under the bright lights of competing on FOX. 

Demian Maia vs. Chris Weidman

Betting Odds

Demian Maia +120

Chris Weidman -150

Fight Breakdown

Both of these fighters are most comfortable on the ground for very different reasons. Weidman is a former All-American wrestler, while Maia is considered one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the entire world.

For that reason, expect the majority of the bout to be contested on the canvas. For the portions of the fight that are standing, Maia has shown enough improvement in his boxing to lead me to believe he would have a very slight edge in the striking department.

Maia is also two fights removed from a fight in which he suffered a controversial loss to Mark Munoz, a former NCAA champion wrestler. That performance and Maia's submission victory over Chael Sonnen in February 2009 was excellent preparation for a bout against a wrestler like Weidman.

The Brazilian should be able to stuff a few of Weidman's takedowns and, in the event that he is dumped onto his back, Maia certainly has the ability to make his opponent very uncomfortable with submission attempts and sweeps.

Weidman will score his points, but Maia is better prepared for this matchup of styles and should walk away with a narrow victory in a fight that will look rather similar to Maia's fight with Munoz.

However, in this bout, Maia will be able to keep the fight standing longer and force more scrambles once he is taken to the ground.

Prediction

Maia defeats Weidman by unanimous decision.

Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping

Betting Odds

Chael Sonnen -400

Michael Bisping +300

Fight Breakdown

Heading into this fight, which neither Sonnen nor Bisping had a whole lot of time to prepare for, it is fairly clear what the game plans of both competitors will be on Saturday.

While Sonnen is going to attempt to take Bisping to the ground and grind away a decision win, Bisping will attempt to stuff the wrestler's takedown attempts and win a boxing match.

Given the success he has had with his wrestling in the past, it is probably safe to say Sonnen will be able to put Bisping on his back. From there, the question will be whether or not the Englishmen is able to submit his opponent, as every single one of Sonnen's UFC losses has come via a submission where his opponent was fighting off of his back. 

If Bisping had even one submission against a high-level opponent, this would be an extremely tough fight to call. However, Bisping doesn't seem to have the submission game off his back that he would need to deter Sonnen from taking this fight to the ground.

Even in the off-chance that Bisping does keep this fight standing, it wouldn't be safe to count Sonnen out of a stand-up fight. Sonnen found success against in the striking department against middleweight champ Anderson Silva, who is widely considered the best striker in all of MMA.

If Bisping is somehow able to stuff Sonnen's takedowns, his chances of victory would increase greatly. Though, with Sonnen's outstanding wrestling and ability to stand toe-to-toe with other excellent strikers, he's the safe bet to walk away with the win in this fight.

Prediction

Sonnen defeats Bisping by unanimous decision.

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis

Betting Odds

Rashad Evans -210

Phil Davis +170

Fight Breakdown

Having competed in MMA for a much longer period of time than Davis, Evans has been able to develop his striking to a much higher degree than his opponent. For that reason, the outcome of this bout between two former wrestlers will probably come down to whether or not Evans can stifle Davis' attempts to take the fight to the ground.

While Davis was a more accomplished amateur wrestler than Evans, having won an NCAA championship while at Penn State University, he is also still learning how to set up his takedowns in MMA. In his last appearance, Davis had trouble securing takedowns in the early going of his bout against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

Evans has much better takedown defense than Nogueira. So, unless Davis shows some major improvements in setting up his shots, this is Evans' fight to lose.

If he is able to keep this fight standing, Evans has the option of picking Davis apart in the stand-up or surprising the former NCAA wrestling champion with takedown attempts of his own.

Davis may turn out to have a better career than Evans in the end, but, at this point in time, Evans is more prepared to win this fight and make a run at the light heavyweight title.

Prediction

Evans defeats Davis by unanimous decision.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.