UFC 132 Fight Card: Early Betting Odds and Picks for Every Fight

July 2 and UFC 132 are still a ways away, but I can already see the fireworks  on the horizon.

Leben-Wanderlei, Faber-Cruz, Ortiz-Bader, Dong-Condit, Roller-Guillard…and the hits just keep on coming.  This is a fight fan’s fight card, with each matchup offering potentially scintillating action.

Early betting odds are out for several of the fights, so let’s take a look and make a few preliminary picks.

Odds, when available, came from SportsInteraction.

Stay with Bleacher Report for all the UFC 132 news and updates as this loaded fight card approaches.

10. Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner

This will get the undercard off with a bang. Most likely literally.

Two big-time bomb throwers, with each needing a win to keep their UFC careers on track (or extant).
What’s not to like?

Njokuani put on a fight of the night performance in his loss to red-hot, undefeated
Edson Barboza, who may be the only lightweight better at Muay Thai than Njokuani.
If it was possible to build momentum through a loss, Njokuani did it there.

There’s a chance the evening’s first fight could double as KO of the night.

Pick: Njokuani

9. Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson

Brad Tavares is 7-0 in his MMA career. Only one of those fights has gone the distance.

Simpson is a well-seasoned fighter looking to reinforce his place in the UFC.

This could be a protracted mat war, but both have the power and skill set to end this fight with fists or a chokehold.

It’s tempting to go with the wily veteran, but the gut says this will be a changing of the guard on the outskirts of the middleweight rankings.

Pick: Tavares

8. Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugazi

One of those it’s-a-shame-there-can-only-be-one-winner kind of fights.

Mizugazi primarily works to control opponents on the ground, which he can and has done against many good fighters.

But in this particular meeting, Bowles may prove indomitable. A W probably positions Bowles for the next bantamweight title shot. It’s not hard for me to picture Bowles scrambling for superior ground position and then sinking in a choke or forcing Mizugazi back to verticality.

Pick: Bowles

7. George Sotiropoulos vs. Rafael Dos Anjos

After losing to Dennis Siver at UFC 127 in his native Australia, Sotiropoulos
will try to get back on the horse at UFC 132. And by “horse,” I mean “Rafael dos Anjos.”

This could be a jiu-jitsu clinic, with the two black belts holding 15 submission wins between them. But the bigger, longer-limbed Sotiropolous seems capable of employing a wider array of skills than dos Anjos when the bullets are flying.

Pick:  Sotiropoulos

6. Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller

Guillard:  -357
Roller:  +235

Will Melvin Guillard finally seize the moment? Will he cash in on his potential and claim his destiny as a great UFC lightweight?

To be sure, Guillard has the momentum after ripping off a four-fight win streak. But in my estimation, it seems the time is right for Guillard to once again spit the bit.

That’s right.  Fire up the sirens. This is your underdog o’ the night.

If history—which I like to pay attention to—is any indication, Guillard is headed for a fall. The guy is wildly talented, but for various reasons can never seem to get out of his own way.

I know, I know. He’s training with Greg Jackson now. He’ll fight smarter. No more mistakes. This time it’s really different. But forgive me if I reserve belief until I have the proof in front of my eyes. And hey, if Guillard can pull out the win, I'll be happy for that, and more power to him in his effort to do so. But until that happens, fans can be forgiven if they err on the side of caution before assuming a chronically inconsistent fighter has finally hit his stride.

This is especially true given that Roller has the wrestling to control and frustrate Guillard. And a frustrated Guillard is prone to...well, you know.

Pick:  Roller

5. Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Siver:  -152
Wiman: +110

The evening’s first main card fight should be quite the appetizer.

Neither of these lightweights makes any bones about their styles. They like to bang and then bang some more.

Wiman is on a three-fight win streak, but still seems to be a step down in competition for the German.

Siver and his saber-toothed kickboxing carried him to an underdog victory over Sotiropolous.
I don’t see the tune changing much now that Siver is the favorite.

Pick:  Siver

4. Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

This one has all the trappings of a welterweight title eliminator.

Condit is always, always going for blood, and that always means he’s a threat. But Kim and his patient, well-rounded game may succeed in smothering Condit’s fire.

Pick:  Kim

3. Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader

Ortiz: +350
Bader:  -588

I don’t feel the need to add even more writing to the Tito Ortiz wall, especially when
these odds do plenty of communicating on their own.

Pick:  Bader

2. Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva

Leben: +135
Silva: -189

Hoooo-leeeee crap.

Quite possibly the most exciting fight on paper of the entire summer lineup, The Crippler and The Axe Murderer will be your fight of the night.

I feel like a breakdown here would be superfluous. Neither fighter is going to worry much about that type of stuff, so why should I.

Just buckle your seatbelt; something’s gotta give. Most likely, that something will be a face.

Pick:  Silva (though the Leben odds are tempting)

1. Uriah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz (For UFC Bantamweight Championship)

Faber:  +105
Cruz: -147

You know the history. You know the stakes. And in a nutshell, this fight has all the makings of a classic.

Both men are multi-faceted fighters, though Cruz definitely prefers to box and Faber likes to grapple.

In their first meeting, for Faber’s then-featherweight title, The California Kid handed Cruz his only MMA loss by slapping on a rear naked choke.

This time, though, it’s Cruz with the strap.

What makes this exciting is that either man can hold his own in the other man’s world. Both of these men are extremely tough, with only three stoppage losses combined in 47 pro fights. You know that means: 25 minutes of MMA sumptuousness.

This will be the rare fight for which the word “war” will not feel like painful hyperbole. I think it will just be a matter of who can impose will.

I think the younger Cruz will have the energy to outpoint (if not finish) Faber, avenge the only loss on his record and earn the star status he deserves in the UFC. 

Pick:  Cruz