UFC 134 Fight Card: Final Betting Odds and Predictions

With the time until UFC 134 in Rio de Janeiro now measured in hours instead of days, the time for talk is almost over.

You know what that means. The time for gambling has almost begun.

In that spirit, here are the final betting odds and predictions for every bout on the UFC 134 fight card.

Because gambling is illegal in most places, this is for entertainment purposes only. Though if you wanted to place a friendly wager or two using, say, Goldfish crackers, I suppose I wouldn’t judge you too harshly.

All odds are from Bodog.com

Yves Jabouin vs. Ian “The Barn Owl” Loveland

Bantamweight bout

Jabouin:  +165
Loveland:  -215

The hard-hitting Jabouin could use a win.  He’s not going to get it against Loveland, whose only loss in his last eight fights came at the hands of top contender Joseph Benavidez.

"The Barn Owl" will get the unanimous decision and claim his "perch" in the UFC’s "fledgling" 135-pound division.

Yuri Alcantara vs. Felipe Arantes

Featherweight bout

Alcantara: -500
Arantes:  +350

The 24-3 Alcantara makes his UFC debut this Saturday. The jiu-jitsu black belt enters Rio on an 11-fight winning streak, of which six came by submission and four by KO or TKO. 

His opponent is 13-3 and also making his Octagon debut. I don’t want to take anything away from Arantes, but, well, it’s kind of unavoidable. He really doesn’t appear to stand much of a chance against the well-rounded and promising Alcantara.

Alcantara by second-round submission.

Erick Silva vs. Luis Ramos

Welterweight bout

Silva:  -275
Ramos:  +215

A longtime veteran of Brazil’s Jungle Fight promotion, the 27-year-old Silva has not lost in five years. Interestingly, he has also never faced a non-Brazilian opponent or fought outside his home country.

Given that Silva trains in jiu-jitsu under the Nogueira brothers and regularly works with the likes of Anderson Silva and Jacare Souza, something tells me his winning streak won’t stop in his UFC debut this Saturday, especially given that Ramos took this fight on less than a month’s notice.

Silva by first-round submission.

Bonus bet:  Here's wagering Mike Goldberg accidentally calls Erick Silva “Anderson Silva” at some point during the fight.


(Photo credit:  Tatame.com)

Raphael Assuncao vs. Johnny Eduardo

Bantamweight bout

Assuncao:  -175
Eduardo:  +145

An accomplished ground fighter, Assuncao will try to recover from the crushing first-round knockout he suffered at the hands of Erik Koch in his UFC debut last March.

But wait…I think...are those the upset alarms I hear in the distance? Did someone fire up the sirens? Oh, wait...that was me. Fire it up, baby.  Someone please let the dogs out. 

Because Johnny Eduardo, 25-8 and coming into the UFC from the Shooto promotion, has the toughness, experience and hunger to hand Assuncao his second consecutive loss.

Eduardo by unanimous decision.

(Photo credit: Fiveknuckles.com)

Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell

Welterweight bout

Thiago:  -480
Mitchell:  +325

Thiago has solidly established himself as a gatekeeper in the welterweight division. That’s by virtue of both his recent wins (over Mike Swick and Jacob Volkmann) and losses (to top contenders Jon Fitch, Martin Kampmann and most recently Diego Sanchez in a Fight of the Night performance).

After dropping two straight, the much-respected Thiago should get back in the black in front of his countrymen.

Thiago by unanimous decision.


(Photo credit:  Josh Hedges/Graciemag)

Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller

Middlweight bout

Palhares:  -315
Miller:  +245

Rousimar Palhares is one nasty dude. His calling card is an aggressive brand of jiu-jitsu that he wields not just to win fights but to finish them.

Miller is a consummate grinder who looks to keep out of trouble and outlast opponents with superior strength and wrestling.

It’s not going to work against a fighter whose nickname is Portugese for “tree stump.”

Palhares is a hungry middleweight trying to work his way to the next level at 185. Miller appears to be an apt stepping stone.

Palhares by third-round submission. Submission of the Night right here.

Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher

Lightweight bout

Tavares:  -210
Fisher:  +170

The younger, stronger Tavares would seem to have the advantage over the older, smaller Fisher. On paper, he should be able to press Fisher against the cage or the mat and cruise to the decision win.

But for me to take the chalk here, I'd have to bet against the wileyness factor. And that is something I am not in the habit of doing. Especially for a guy like Fisher, whose wiley quotient is off the charts.

So sound the alarms again, because I think Fisher will delve into his bag of tricks to keep Tavares on his feet and at a safe distance. Over the course of 15 minutes, the King will slowly beat the fight out of Tavares.

Fisher by unanimous decision.

Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov (first Bout of Main Card)

Light heavyweight bout

Cane:  -210
Nedkov:  +170

Luiz Cane has amassed a 4-3 record over four years in the UFC. He has a propensity for standup wars and even notched a Knockout of the Night bonus, with an assist from Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.

He’ll welcome Nedkov, an undefeated but unpolished prospect from Bulgaria, to his first fight in both the Octagon and the Western hemisphere.

It could be a good fight, but the more experienced Cane will have the upper hand here.

Cane by unanimous decision.


(Photo credit:  MMALinker)

Ross Pearson vs. Edson Barboza

Lightweight bout

Barboza:  -325
Pearson:  +250

I’ve been looking forward to this one for months.

The matchup has serious pyrotechnics potential, as undefeated Jose Aldo clone Barboza looks to make a strong statement against British brawler Pearson.

Both combatants will probably try to keep this one vertical. As always, Pearson will bring his hammer, but it will be a crude weapon indeed pitted against the surgical saw that is Barboza’s punishing Muay Thai.

Barboza by first-round KO. Knockout of the Night right here.

Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Heavyweight bout

Schaub:  -250
Nogueira:  +195

I respect Big Nog as much as anyone, but I believe this fight that will show that his tank is finally on E.

Schaub by second-round TKO, and a hope that he moves on from this knocking-out-washed-up-legends phase.

Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

Light heavyweight bout

Rua:  -280
Griffin:  +220

Rua is the clear favorite here. But that has been the case before with these two.

I really want to fire up the sirens again for Griffin in his quest for the double-dip upset. What’s holding me back?  Two words: Anderson Silva. 

Going into UFC 101, the general assumption was that Griffin would use his superior size and bottomless gas tank to take Silva to the ground and punish him there.

He didn’t do that. He chose to bang instead. We all know how that turned out.

It’s just who Griffin is. Yeah, he can do some things on the ground, but that’s not the way he’s wired. It’s one of his best and worst qualities as a fighter. 

People are saying Shogun will win if he can lure Griffin into a striking match. I don’t think any luring will be necessary.

Shogun by unanimous decision. Both men take home Fight of the Night honors.

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

Middleweight bout

Silva:  -625
Okami:  +425

The incumbent middleweight champ is also the night’s heaviest favorite.

This fight has been dissected to death, so I won’t do it again other than to say that Okami simply does not have the firepower to threaten Silva. He can win, but would need to fight a perfect fight.  Against the best fighter in the world, I don’t see it happening.

Silva by third-round TKO.


(Photo credit: Sherdog.com)