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Josh Barnett vs. Pedro Rizzo Affliction Banned betting odds were available at a majority of the online sportsbooks.
Odds on this fight varied between -350 and -450 for Josh Barrett with the best odds on the favorite found at BetUS.com. The best available payout on Pedro Rizzo was $300 for every $100 bet at Sportsbook.com. We have seen the payout potential as much as $335 at other sportsbooks not endorsed by Gambling911.com.
Josh Barnett is an American heavyweight mixed martial arts fighter and a professional wrestler. He has an MMA record of 22-5-0 as of July 2008. He holds notable wins over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Hunt, Randy Couture, Aleksander Emelianenko, Hidehiko Yoshida, Dan Severn, Jeff Monson and Yuki Kondo. Josh is currently ranked 3rd in the heavyweight division by http://www.fighting-mma.com/
A graduate of Ballard High School in Seattle, Washington, Barnett became the youngest UFC heavyweight champion after defeating Randy Couture in early 2002. Later that year, the title was stripped from Barnett after he allegedly tested positive for EQ aka Boldenone, an anabolic steroid. His fighting license was temporarily suspended by the Nevada Athletic Commission. Barnett and Matt Hume, his trainer at the time, vigorously disputed the results of the NSAC testing.
Pedro Rizzo is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter and professional kickboxer. He has a professional MMA record of 16-7-0 as of September 1, 2007. Rizzo is considered to be an excellent striker among MMA athletes. He is a former WVC heavyweight champion, and former contender for the UFC heavyweight belt. Rizzo is the current UAFC Heavyweight Champion.
Rizzo is also a four-time Brazilian Muay Thai champion, with a professional record of 31-0-1 (30 KO) in kickboxing.
The ;predicted outcome according to MMA Fighter News:
Rizzo's ground skills are solid, though perhaps unspectacularr. On the other hand, his submission defense is excellent-he's never been submitted in a professional MMA match-and he's not easy to takedown.
But he has proven susceptible to being knocked out recently, if you tag him. Of course, who isn't susceptible to that?
Prediction: If this fight stays on the feet, Rizzo will likely win by either decision or stoppage. Still, these days Barnett has a lot more on his feet than he used to and should be able to survive there for a while. Eventually, expect him to get the fight to the canvas where he'll utilize his wrestling skills to achieve a superior position.
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Tyrone Black, Gambling911.com
Originally published July 19, 2008 6:04 pm EST
