Name: Ben Saunders
Opponent: Sergio Moraes
Odds: +245 (bet $100 to win $245)
If you’re looking for a reason to bet against Ben Saunders, it usually isn’t hard to find one. Everyone can point to issues with most journeymen, which seems to be the name we’d use for him now given his three-stint, 15-fight UFC career. However, this time there’s a reason to bet on him as well.
Ben Saunders surprisingly does well with big bodied fighters who like to try to use their size to their advantage. Jake Ellenberger tried to impose his size against the cage against him and wound up eating a knee to the body. Court McGee tried to muscle him to the floor and make it a grappling contest, and was stuffed nearly every time. Jacob Volkmann did get it to the floor and was promptly slapped with an armbar.
Sergio Moraes’s style isn’t quite like any of them, but it also isn’t like the lean distance strikers that have given Saunders trouble in the past (Jouban, Lima, Swick). So, if Saunders can continue to use his awkward length to stymie the size and pressure of a bigger fighter, this becomes a very winnable fight for him.
2018 Totals
Record: 13-14
Earnings (based on $100 bet/event): $646
Return on Investment: 24%
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