The UFC will make its seventh appearance on Fuel TV this afternoon as Renan Barao and Michael McDonald battle for the interim bantamweight (135lbs.) belt. Today’s event, which will take place at the Wembley Arena in London, England, is scheduled to get underway at 3:00pm ET. The latest UFC Fight Predictions and Odds have Barao, the current interim belt holder, listed as a -275 moneyline favorite ($100 wins $275) to win the main event.
When bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz went down with a knee injury Brazilian fighter Renan Barao wasted little time securing the interim strap. The Natal native, who is 6-0 under the Zuffa umbrella (WEC, UFC), scored a unanimous decision victory over former WEC lightweight champion Uriah Faber to fill, if only temporarily, the void left by Cruz.
Barao now has an opportunity to ensure a meeting with the champ when Cruz returns to action, but it comes against a talented striker in Michael McDonald. McDonald, a 15-1 fighter out of Modesto, California, is 4-0 since joining the UFC and, unlike most small fighters, he possesses rare knockout power.
Nine of McDonald’s 15 wins have come by way of KO/TKO, including his last two battles inside the Octagon. The 22 year old scrapper defeated Alex Soto 56 seconds into the first round in November of 2011 and he knocked out Miguel Torres at the 3:18 mark of the first round last April.
Barao is the favorite here for a reason, though. The Brazilian, who owns 31 wins in 32 fights, has six knockouts and 13 submission victories to his credit. He is, by all accounts, the superior grappler and he has enough weapons to keep McDonald’s powerful right hand in check.
Free Pick: Take Barao -275. Potential Parlays: Barao -275 with James Te-Huna -250. Live Dogs: Dustin Porier +135, Matthew Riddle +155.
UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald Fight Odds
Renan Barao -275 vs Michael McDonald +215
Cub Swanson -135 vs Dustin Porier +135
Jimi Manuwa -260 vs Cyrille Diabate +200
Gunnar Nelson -220 vs Jorge Santiago +170
James Te-Huna -250 vs Ryan Jimmo +190
Che Mills -185 vs Matthew Riddle +155
Terry Etim -340 vs Renee Forte +260
Paul Sass -115 vs Danny Castillo -115
Josh Grispi -135 vs Andy Ogle +105
Stanislav Nedkov -115 vs Tom Watson -115
Ulysses Gomez -260 vs Phil Harris +200
Vaughan Lee -200 vs Motonobu Tezuka +160
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