Best Underdog Picks for UFC Fight Night 156
By Dylan Bowker in Mixed Martial Arts News
Updated: March 31, 2020 at 12:19 pm EDTPublished:
- UFC Fight Night 156 goes Saturday, August 3rd at 12 PM ET
- Who wins the long-awaited lightweight bout between Miller and Guida? Can Mickey Gall rebound from a tough loss?Â
- Dylan Bowker picks the best underdogs on the card
UFC Fight Night 156 goes this Saturday (Aug. 3rd) at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Also known as “UFC on ESPN 5: Covington vs. Lawler,” the card features some intriguing bouts even beyond the high-stakes welterweight main event.
There are a few women’s flyweight bouts that should round out the rankings for the relatively new division. Also, there’s a lot of strong lightweight and welterweight fights that tie the card together. Below, check out my bout breakdowns and predictions for the best underdog bets.
Guida vs Miller Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Clay Guida | +138 |
| Jim Miller | -158 |
*Odds taken 08/01/19
This lightweight tilt promises to be action-packed. Both of these men are stalwarts among the top 155ers in the world and its kind of curious that they haven’t fought prior to this. Since moving back to lightweight, Guida has gone 3-1 and is coming off of a victory over the former two-division champion BJ Penn.
Guida outpaces Miller
Both men have been reliable action fighters over the years. Guida is already a UFC Hall of Famer for his barn burner of a fight with Diego Sanchez year back. A collision course between Miller and Guida was invariably going to happen and MMA hardcores are clamoring for this one.
The Carpenter knows how to lay down the hurt 👊@ClayGuida – Live Saturday on @ESPN – #UFCNewark pic.twitter.com/460012Euk1
— UFC (@ufc) July 31, 2019
I think both will be able to keep up a torrid pace but I think Guida will be able to maintain more of a sustained effort throughout. I’ve got Clay “The Carpenter” Guida in this bout.
Pick: Guida (+138)
Touahri vs Gall Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Salim Touahri | -127 |
| Mickey Gall | +107 |
Touahri has almost double the pro experience that Gall has. Both are coming off losses but it seems like more is being made about Gall’s defeat. Mickey Gall gassed early and got steamrolled by Diego Sanchez in a pretty one-sided affair.
Touahri is winless in the octagon though and has gone 0-2 in the promotion. I think Gall will learn from the experiences in his last fight and put on a statement performance this time.
Gall gets back in the win column
Gall is a New Jersey native and will certainly garner a raucous reaction on fight night. Time will tell whether the partisan crowd galvanizes Gall’s efforts or proves to be too much of a pressure.
https://twitter.com/LynchOnSports/status/1156334200246562818
Gall’s bread and butter is Jiu-Jitsu but his opponent has never been submitted in his pro MMA run. I have Gall winning and getting his New Jersey compatriots fired up at UFC Fight Night 156. Likely by decision but a finish would be quite the feather in Gall’s cap.
Pick: Gall (+107)
Meerschaert vs Giles Odds
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Gerald Meerschaert | +147 |
| Trevin Giles | -172 |
Meerschaert has been a pro for seven years longer than Giles. Despite this, Meerschaert isn’t a long in the tooth, aging fighter. In fact, it almost seems like he’s just beginning to enter his athletic prime.
Meerschaert enters free agency with a victory
Gerald Meerschaert is pulling a bit of a brazen maneuver here as he’s opting to fight out the last bout of his UFC contract. This is a must-win kind of scenario and it will be interesting to see how the pressure affects Meerschaert. Giles is coming off of his first career loss after notching two wins in his first couple of UFC fights.
Sam Alvey's only SUB loss was by Guillotine vs Gerald Meerschaert R5 at Combat USA – Championship Tournament Finals (2010) #UFCSaoPaulo pic.twitter.com/whJPjW0cCm
— HONKY EXTRAORDINAIRE (@Mr_Honky) September 19, 2018
I have Gerald Meerschaert securing the win this Saturday.
Pick: Meerschaert (+147)
Sports Writer
A part-time writer and full-time broadcaster, Dylan has hosted MMA talk shows Lights Out and Pure Fight Radio with featured guests like Jens Pulver, Roy Nelson, Miesha Tate, and covered some of the biggest MMA promotions like Rumble in the Cage, Unified MMA, and King of the Cage.
