After devastating Urijah Faber in his last fight, current Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder Renan Barão will face another Team Alpha Male fighter in TJ Dillashaw in the main event of UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. The event, which will be held at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will also feature established mixed martial arts fighters such as Dan Henderson and Robbie Lawler.
All told, it should be an entertaining night, but you can make it even more exciting with by creating a betting account now and reading on for a breakdown of this big time MMA card.
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UFC 173 Barão vs. Dillashaw Betting Preview
Bantamweight – Renan Barão (34-1-0, 1NC) vs. TJ Dillashaw (10-2)
Clearly one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA today, Renan Barão has his sights set on extending his phenomenal 35-fight unbeaten streak. The last time the Brazilian hotshot lost was back in 2005.
In his most recent fight, Barão badly battered former champion Urijah Faber with a series of strikes in the first round of their UFC 169 match, forcing referee Herb Dean to stop the fight. It was Barao’s second straight knockout victory after stopping Eddie Wineland during the undercard of UFC 165.
[sc:UFC240banner ]As shown in those two fights, Barão is a mean striker. He clocks foes with blistering attacks with his punches and kicks. He is also very good in taking down opponents, and is just as adept at preventing them from bringing him down to the mat. Barão has defended 95% of opponents’ take down attempts in his UFC career.
Fighting out of Team Alpha Male, TJ Dillashaw is aiming to accomplish what stablemate Faber has failed to do against Barão twice: win. Dillashaw is an aggressive wrestler with a very good ground and pound game.
Against Barão, Dillashaw will have to avoid the champion’s strikes, and it would work more to his advantage if he tries to bring the fight to the ground, where he has excelled in his last UFC fights. He has three wins apiece via submissions and knockouts. The former wrestling standout from Cal State Fullerton is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Mike Easton last January.
Writer’s Prediction: Barao wins with second round TKO.
Light Heavyweight – Dan Henderson (30-11) vs. Daniel Cormier (14-0)
After scoring a huge knockout win against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in UFC Fight Night 38 last March, 43-year old Dan Henderson looks for another upset win at UFC 173. Hendo will go up against a beast in Daniel Cormier, who has been undefeated so far in the UFC. Both Henderson and Cormier are world-class wrestlers, but each of them possesses knockout power, too. Henderson packs a bomb in his right fist, while Cormier can also flatten out an opponent with his powerful punches, which Patrick Cummins was unfortunate enough to experience in their fight last February.
Writer’s Prediction: Daniel Cormier wins via unanimous decision.
Welterweight – Robbie Lawler (22-10, 1NC) vs. Jake Ellenberger (29-7)
The hard-hitting Robbie Lawler failed to win the UFC welterweight title when he lost via unanimous decision to Jonny Hendricks in the main event of UFC 171. Despite the loss, Lawler gave a good account of himself as he fought Hendricks toe-to-toe, going back-and-forth with the current division champion. Prior to that fight, Lawler had stitched together three straight victories (two KO’s, one split decision) against quality opponents.
Lawler will certainly be in for another war against Jake Ellenberger. “The Juggernaut” is looking for a win after a long layoff. He lost to Rory MacDonald in his most recent match, which happened in July of last year. Ellenberger has won seven of his last eight fights.
Writer’s Prediction: Robbie Lawler wins via unanimous decision.
Bantamweight – Takeya Mizugaki (19-7-2) vs. Francisco Rivera (10-2, 1NC)
Takeya Mizugaki started his UFC career with a win-loss-win pattern in his first four fights, but after beating Jeff Hougland in 2012, the 30-year old Japanese fighter hasn’t lost since. He is currently riding a four fight winning streak. Francisco Rivera also has won all of his last four fights, three of which came by way of knockouts.
Writer’s Prediction: Takeya Mizugaki wins via split decision.
Lightweight – Jamie Varner (21-9-1, 2NC) vs. James Krause (20-5)
Badly needing a win, Jamie Varner is in desperation mode in his upcoming fight against James Krausse. Varner has lost three of his last four fights, including back-to-back defeats to Gleison Tibau (split decision) and Abel Trujillo (knockout). Against Krausse, he’ll have a chance to prove he still belongs in Dana White’s promotion. Krausse has a 1-1 record in the UFC.
Writer’s Prediction: Jamie Varner wins via submission.
