UFC 168 Betting Odds: Rousey vs. Tate, Weidman vs. Silva, More
Carrie Stroup with your UFC 168 betting odds for fights that include Rousey vs. Tate and Weidman vs. Silva. Be sure to claim your FREE $100 BET at Sportsbook.com here and remember you can wager on every play of this game right up to the final minute with LIVE IN-PLAY BETTING.
Ronda Rousey (7-0) vs. Miesha Tate (13-4)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Rousey -650, Tate +450
No two fighters in the UFC hate each other more than Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, who will square off in a title rematch at UFC 168 on Saturday night.
The two captains of The Ultimate Fighter will battle for the women’s bantamweight championship belt for the second time in two years, with Rousey locking in an arm-bar on Tate in the first round battle in Strikeforce on March 3, 2012. Rousey won the belt at UFC 157, when she defeated Liz Carmouche in the first ever women’s match in the UFC. In her career, Rousey has never had a fight go into the second round, defeating all seven of her opponents by her famous armbar submission. Rousey has incredible strength, and once she gets her opponents on the ground, the fight is over. Tate also has one fight in her UFC career, but she lost to Cat Zingano in that April 13 match by way of knockout in the third round. Tate is an experienced fighter that has shown she can win a match in many different ways. There is no denying that both of these women despise each other, so this fight will be more than just for a title.
The longest match that "Rowdy" Rousey has ever experienced is 4:49 into the first round, and that was in her last match on Feb. 23 against Liz Carmouche. While the 26-year-old Rousey hasn’t won a fight by knockout, she does have the ability to do some damage with her striking ability. She lands 1.69 strikes per minute, compared to 1.57 landed by Tate, and also has the edge in striking accuracy (55.9% to 39.6%). However, it is her takedown ability that is her bread-and-butter. She boasts an incredible 8.01 takedown average, while Tate averages just 3.46. While Rousey’s conditioning is very good, it is hard to know how she can do in the later rounds as she has never had to fight into the second round. This bout is personal for her, as she has been adamant about her dislike for Tate, who the 5-foot-7 Rousey has a one-inch height advantage over. Both women weight 135 pounds. If the heavily-favored Rousey comes out and fights the way she is supposed to, then she will be in great shape to get the victory. However, if Rousey comes out too hyped up and eager to embarrass Tate, then we could have a new champion.
"Cupcake" Tate has 13 career victories, with six of them coming by way of submission. She has shown her versatility with four wins by decision, and three by way of knockout. In her last victory on Aug. 18, 2012, she submitted Julie Kedzie with an impressive arm-bar in the third round. The 27-year-old Tate is an explosive fighter, who is always looking to push the pace of the fight. She also has terrific conditioning, which has helped her in her career be able to win those longer fights. For Tate, her defense has to be outstanding, but her career takedown defense is only 20 percent. That could spell doom in this title bout if Tate is unable to block Rousey’s takedown attempts. For Tate to win, she must keep the fight on their feet, and be ready to deliver the knockout blow when Rousey goes for the takedown.
Chris Weidman (10-0) vs. Anderson Silva (33-5)
Sportsbook.com Line: Silva -200, Weidman +160
Chris Weidman looks to defend his championship belt against Anderson Silva at UFC 168 Saturday in one of the biggest rematches in UFC history.
Weidman pulled off the shocking victory on July 6, knocking Silva out in the second round of their title bout at UFC 162. As he had done throughout his career, Silva was trying to bait Weidman into losing focus and averting his game plan. However, Weidman showed terrific poise in the Octagon, and did exactly what he intended to do to get the victory. With only 10 career fights under his belt, Weidman is still evolving as a fighter. He will need to be at his best again on Saturday, because Silva will be coming for him. Widely considered the greatest UFC fighter of all time, Silva will be out to prove that he is still the champ. He went to the game plan that he had used so many times throughout his career against Weidman, but it did not work last time. Both of these fighters have had a lot of time to look at the film and prepare during their training camps.
"The Spider" Silva’s resume stacks up against anyone who has ever stepped into the Octagon. Silva defended his belt successfully a record 10 times, and was on a 17-fight win streak before falling to Weidman. He has 33 career victories as a fighter, with 22 of those coming by way of knockouts. He also has seven victories by decision and four by submission. In his last victory in the UFC on Oct. 13, 2012, he defeated Stephen Bonnar with a vicious knee to the body with punches in the first round. These fighters are nearly identical when it comes to landing strikes per minute with Silva at 3.15 and Weidman at 3.14, but Silva is much more accurate landing those strikes at 67 percent, compared to 42 percent by Weidman. For the 38-year-old Silva, he does not have to prove anything, as he has already achieved more in the UFC than in any other fighter with a record 16 straight UFC wins. The Brazilian-born Silva has gone past the second round just four times in his UFC career. With that being said, still expect Silva to bring the fight to Weidman, rather than trying to get him to play his games. For Weidman, he still has a lot of people thinking that his victory was just a fluke against an overconfident and showboating Silva.
Weidman has shown early in his career that he is able to win a match in many different ways. Of his 10 victories, four have come by way of knockout, with three victories by submission and three by decision. None of his knockouts were bigger than his last one, when he delivered a fist to Silva’s jaw to take the belt away from him. "The All-American" who fights out of Mineola, NY has a terrific takedown game, where he averages 4.21 takedowns, compared to just 0.71 to Silva. He is also excellent at his takedown defense, where he is 100 percent. While many fans know Weidman only for his victory over Silva, he also has some impressive victories over Uriah Hall, Demian Maia and Mark Munoz. The 29-year-old Weidman has only been a pro since 2009, and can’t let the pressure of defending his championship affect him in this match. If he comes out focused and prepared like he did in their first fight at UFC 162, then Weidman has a great chance of again winning this fight between two men of equal height (6-foot-2) and weight (185 pounds).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
