UFC 159: The best of the undercard
Published:The Jon Jones v Chael Sonnen bout is undoubtedly top of the bill as UFC 159 rolls in to Newark, New Jersey later this month, but MMA fights are rarely anything but thrilling and this undercard is no different.
UFC maybe dominated by stateside battlers but England’s very own middleweight Michael Bisping will be among those entering the octagon at the Prudential Center.
The Count squares up against Alan ‘The Talent’ Belcher in a bout that sees both fighters looking to return to winning ways.
Bisping suffered only his fifth defeat in 23 professional fights when going down to a TKO against Vitor Belfort last time out.
His American rival has lost seven and won 18 of his outings so far, but Bisping boasts the more devastating power of the two – with 14 KOs to Belcher’s nine – and is priced as the 4/7 favourite to extend his record to 24-5.
Elsewhere on the card, an all-US battle pits Jim Miller against an in-form Pat ‘Bam Bam’ Healy.
Bam Bam has been struggling for KOs of late, last winning by knock-out in 2010, but with 15 submissions to his name and six consecutive wins, the 5ft 11-inch former Strikeforce star could prove too much Miller, who has lost two of his last four fights.
Finally, America’s Phil Davis looks to put together back-to-back wins against Brazilian opposition in his meeting with Vinny Magalhaes.
Mr Wonderful boasts an impressive pro record of 10 wins and just a solitary defeat and will be the more confident of the two, with Magalhaes’ record standing and 10-5.
This is reflected in the betting – which prices Davis as the 1/3 favourite and Pezao as the 11/5 outsider.
The Brazilian comes into the bout having won his last six fights but his time away from the UFC stage could prove his downfall against the superior Davis.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
