UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will put his title on the line tonight as he meets Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva for the second time. The two big men are headlining this evening’s UFC 160 card, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (10:00pm ET start time). UFC 160 fight predictions and odds have Velasquez listed as a prohibitive -800 money line favorite ($100 wins $800) to take out Silva in the main event showdown. Also on the main card is a scarp between former UFC heavyweight strap holder Junior dos Santos and heavy handed brawler Mark Hunt. Dos Santos, who lost his belt to Velasquez in December, is a -425 favorite to end Hunt’s four fight winning streak.
When Cain Velasquez (11-1) and Antonio Silva met in the Octagon in May of last year, the former was coming off the first loss of his career. Velasquez relinquished his heavyweight championship belt and title to Junior dos Santos via first round TKO the previous November and that clearly did not sit well with the former Arizona State wrestler.
Velasquez took his frustrations out on Silva, knocking out the big Brazilian just 3:36 into the opening frame. Velasquez, who went on to regain his title with a unanimous decision win over dos Santos in December, out-struck Silva 28 to 1 in the lopsided affair.
Silva has since recovered, earning impressive TKO victories over Travis Browne and Alistair Overeem to improve to 18-4; however, nothing about either of those performances would suggest he is ready to take Velasquez’ belt.
Velasquez is the better, more powerful striker and his ground game is vastly superior to Silva’s. That said, this is the fight game and anything can happen inside the Octagon, which makes laying $800 to win $100 difficult to do.
UFC 160 Fight Predictions: In order to avoid the heavy, heavy chalk here, parlay Velasquez with dos Santos and Glover Teixeira. Yes, Silva did overcome the odds against Overeem, but that had everything to do with Overeem’s lack of respect for Silva and a ridiculously ignorant game plan (i.e. a Rocky style punch eating extravaganza). Velasquez will not mimic Overeem; he is concerned with winning, not showing up his opponents, and he has the best overall skill set in the heavyweight division.
UFC 160 Betting Odds: Velasquez vs. Silva
Cain Velasquez -800 vs. Antonio Silva (Pay Per View)
Junior dos Santos -425 vs. Mark Hunt +325 (Pay Per View)
Glover Teixeira -340 vs. James Te-Huna (Pay Per View)
Gray Maynard -225 vs. TJ Grant (Pay Per View)
Donald Cerrone -340 vs.KJ Noons (Pay Per View)
Dennis Bermudez -285 vs. Max Holloway +225 (FX Network)
Mike Pyle +115 vs. Rick Story -145 (FX Network)
Colton Smith -225 vs. Robert Whittaker +175 (FX Network)
Jeremy Stephens -250 vs. Estevan Payan (Facebook)
Brian Bowles -280 vs. George Roop +220 (Facebook)
Khabib Nurmagomedov NA vs. Abel Trujillo (FX Network)
Stephen Thompson NA vs. Nah-Shon Burrell (Facebook)
UFC 160 Betting Preview
What UFC bettors need to know about betting UFC 160 on Saturday (5/25/13) -- with insight from Pregame.com's Vegas Runner and host Ken Thomson.