UFC 131 Fight Card: Early Betting Odds and Predictions

Every cloud has a silver lining. On June 11 at UFC 131, that lining will go by the name of Shane Carwin.

Though a second bout of diverticulitis forced the reportedly somewhat popular Brock Lesnar out of his scheduled showdown with Junior Dos Santos, Carwin's addition means the fight should now be—and please pardon my technical parlance here—a molar-rattling slobberknocker. Maybe a little lighter on star power, but heavier on the striking power.

But there's more to the card than the title eliminator. Though it may not be loaded with big names, it is long on talent, and features a lot of new faces in certain weight classes and the UFC itself. Lots of hungry guys on the card should mean plenty of action.

At this early stage of the game, betting odds are only available for the main event. And, not being a book maker myself, I'm not really willing to guess on the rest. 

But that doesn't mean we can't offer up a couple of predictions for each fight. I've got a pick for each matchup in here, as well as a secondary prediction for entertainment (prop betting?) purposes.

Please enjoy.

And don't forget to stay with Bleacher Report for more UFC 131 news and updates.

1. A Few Random Undercard Predictions

• Dustin Poirer's next fight will be on pay-per-view

• Sam Stout-Yves Edwards could be the fight of the night (with Stout coming out on top)

• For his second UFC fight, Chris Weidman will eat tomatoes out of a can, inside the Octagon!

2. Donald Cerrone vs. Vagner Rocha

Photo credit: FiveKnuckles.com

The Cowboy has stepped onto the porch of greatness before, but just can't seem to get through the front door. In his third match for the UFC, Cerrone should take an emphatic stride in that direction against unheralded jiu-jitsu black belt Vagner Rocha, who is making his UFC debut as a replacement for the injured Mac Danzig.

Prediction 1: Cerrone by TKO, Round 1
 

Prediction 2: Knockout of the Night right here

3. Demian Maia vs. Mark Muñoz

After winning five of his last six, Muñoz takes a big step up the middleweight ladder in this bout with Demian Maia. Maia might be the most talented jiu-jitsu practitioner in the UFC, and is also working hard on his stand-up, but he may have lost some of the pop on his fastball after being depantsed by Anderson Silva last April.  He wouldn't be the first.

Furthermore, Munoz has the wrestling pedigree to keep Maia from having his way on the ground. He'll land plenty of shots on Demian from vertical and horizontal orientations.

Prediction 1: Muñoz by unanimous decision

Prediction 2: Internet to be flooded with even more pictures of Muoz standing in front of some kind of grain elevator

4. Jon Olav Einemo vs Dave Herman

Photo credit: Sherdog

Perhaps the main card's weakest link at first glance, a closer look reveals that, well, that first glance was pretty accurate.

Einemo is 6-1 and making his UFC and North American fighting debuts. As a former jiu-jitsu world champion, it's not like they're pulling him off a bouncer's stool, but he'll still need to muster a monstrous effort to overcome Herman, who is 20-2 and also making his UFC entrance (as a replacement for Carwin) after fighting for about a dozen different promotions throughout his career. 

Still only 26, Herman is definitely the more well-known of the two, as he is an exciting and unabashed head hunter with an impressive 15-fight win streak and 16 striking-related stoppages to his name.

Prediction 1: Herman by TKO, Round 1

Prediction 2: Einemo chooses a nice, unpressurized boat for his return trip to Norway

5. Kenny Florian vs. Diego Nunes

Florian had a heck of a run at lightweight, but when push came to shove he simply couldn't solve the division's top contenders (and grapplers).

In his featherweight debut, he'll begin to mount a new title run against Nunes. But don't think for a second the UFC is starting Florian off on training wheels: Nunes is 16-1 and fighting for the second time in the UFC after outpointing fellow WEC refugee Mike Brown in his January debut.

Nunes is well-rounded and can pull some slick submissions (the guillotine is a favorite), but he may not be ready to swim in the deep waters, where Florian is sure to drag him.

Florian has a demonstrated appetite for gold, and with the winner of this contest perhaps not long for a title shot, he will be loathe to waste this opportunity.

Prediction 1: Florian by submission, Round 2

Prediction 2: Ken-Flo and Jose Aldo collide for the strap some time in 2011. And I will be purchasing that.

6. Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin

Bet US currently has the odds for this one as Dos Santos -190, while Bodog has it as -185 for Junior.

Either way, if you're the type that is inclined to place a friendly wager or two, now might be a good time to plunk some money down.

As a practicing environmental engineer, it's safe to say Carwin is not a dumb guy. With that in mind, it's probably equally safe to assume Carwin and his camp is adding an hour or five on the ol' exercycle to the daily training regimen.

Though he took the fight on short notice and was originally preparing for a far different fight against Einemo, the guess here is Carwin learned plenty from his loss to Lesnar, when he exhausted himself from striking in the first round and went on to tap to a choke in the second. 

And luckily for Carwin, there's no training possible that will allow him to lose (or Dos Santos to prepare for) the 47X sledgehammers at the end of his wrists.

Both men are 12-1, and both have several massive knockouts on their resumes. Dos Santos is a great young fighter, and will have his day. But this day will belong to the underdog.

Prediction 1: Carwin by KO, Round 2

Prediction 2: There will be a lot of punches thrown