UFC 155: Odds Favour Heavyweight Champion In Rematch

UFC 155: Odds Favour Heavyweight Champion In Rematch

By Michael Gales Dec 13, 2012

 

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UFC 155 betting has Junior Dos Santos as the 1.599* favourite to defend his heavyweight title in the rematch against Cain Velasquez 2.510* on December 29th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. To increase your chances of winning on Dos Santos vs. Velasquez II Betting, read the key fight statistics.

Dos Santos Favourite to Retain Title

Heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos is the 1.599* favourite to beat Cain Velasquez 2.510* for the second time. With both fighters claiming they were injured after the first fight, this one should be special as two of the best heavyweights go toe-to-toe.

Dos Santos (15-1) heads into the fight on the back of a ten fight winning streak and has lost just once in 16 bouts – against Joaquim Ferreira in 2007.

The 28-year-old will enter the cage at around 239lbs and stands at 6’4, with a Reach of 77. The champion is a skilled boxer and is described to have the “heaviest hands” in UFC.

Former champion Cain Velasquez is the 2.510* underdog to reclaim his title and get revenge against Dos Santos.

The Mexican-American has lost only once in his 11-fight career, which was in the last match against Dos Santos. That bout lasted just 64 seconds as a devastating overhand right to the temple finished Velasquez.

The 30-year-old is a well-rounded fighter and will weigh-in at a similar weight to his opponent, however he is 3 shorter and has a 4 reach disadvantage that could prove crucial.

Both Fighters Can Throw a Punch

Both Dos Santos and Velasquez are exceptional strikers with the former utilizing his solid boxing skills, while the latter favours kicks and a Muay Thai-style attack.

Challenger Velasquez currently averages the most significant strikes landed per minute with 7.09, while Dos Santos lands on average 6.87 strikes. Velasquez also lands more hit per minute (7.09 vs. 6.87), and is much more accurate (61% to 49%), but retains a striking defense on par with the champion (63% of strikes avoided).

No Submission Surprises

Don’t expect to see many submissions in the bout, as Velasquez averages just 0.6 submission attempts every 15 minutes. That paltry number dwarves Dos Santos’ attempts, however, which average out at no attempts every 15 minutes.

The stats show that the champ has won twice by submission, although the first time was way back in 2006, while the other was a verbal submission from an injured Mirko Filipovic rather than a true sub.

The 28-year-old’s only defeat was from an armbar, which could give Velasquez some inspiration, although he has never won a fight via submission.

Dos Santos’ Takedown Task

Dos Santos is definitely the underdog when it comes to takedowns – just 15% of his attacks are takedowns, compared to 47% from his rival. Despite averaging just 0.7 takedowns per 15 minutes of fight time, the Brazilian still retains an accuracy of 75%.

Velasquez attempts a takedown 6.6 times every 15 minutes, with an accuracy of 71%. Again, their defenses are tied (at 88% of total takedowns avoided).

Velasquez: Long Shot

Velasquez has a lot to do to overcome the champion, and in what will probably be a battle of striking, the result will almost certainly hinge upon whether his Muay Thai kicks can overcome the Dos Santos’ long arms and huge reach advantage.

*Odds subject to change

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