UFC Fight Night 37 Betting Odds
Carrie Stroup here with your UFC Fight Night 37 betting odds, courtesy of Sportsbook.com. Place your 1st bet here and get your 2nd bet for FREE.
Dong Hyun Kim (18-2-1) vs. John Hathaway (17-1)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Kim -400, Hathaway +300
Dong Hyun Kim looks for his fourth consecutive victory as he squares off against John Hathaway at UFC Fight Night in China on Saturday.
In his last match on Oct. 9, Kim was able to knock out Erick Silva in the second round of their fight at UFC Fight Night 29. Prior to that victory, his previous seven wins had been by way of decision. Kim's cardio is as good as there is in the sport, and he has the ability to eventually wear his opponents out and get the victory. However, that knockout power that he displayed in the win over Silva is what allows him to start getting bigger fights and try and move into the top-10 discussions. He will be going up against a fighter that is similar to him in John Hathaway, who has been victorious in his past three fights, all by decision. He has actually won his past six fights by way of decision, and he has the cardio to keep up with a guy like Kim. While they are very similar fighters, Kim is starting to emerge as a guy to look out for in the sport, and has a big opportunity to come out in this fight and continue that rise in the rankings.
While he has won most of his fights by way of decision (10 of 18), Kim has the ability to win a fight in knockout fashion, with seven knockouts and one win by submission. In fact, seven of his past 14 victories have been by knockouts. While the 32-year-old South Korean native is not going to win a lot of matches by submission, he is a very good wrestler that does allow him to wear his opponents out to help get the decision victory later in the fight. Coming into this match, he has a takedown average of 3.27, compared to just 2.74 for Hathaway. The two opponents are very close in takedown percentage, 48.4% for Kim and 47.6% for Hathaway, but Kim does a much better job of defending against the takedown (81%) compared to his opponent's 60% rate. While "Stun Gun" showed in his last fight that he has the knockout power, Kim needs to be careful in this fight as he is going up against a guy that also packs a serious punch.
The 26-year-old Hathaway has 17 career victories, with seven of them coming by decision. He also has seven wins by knockout, and three by submission. Hathaway’s biggest advantage coming into this fight is his punching ability, as he averages 3.49 strikes landed per minute, while Kim averages just 2.14. Kim is a little more accurate with his strikes (54% to 42%), but does not possess the power that "The Hitman" Hathaway has. He is one of the top MMA prospects in England where he hails from, and his 7-1 UFC record shows that he is a legitimate fighter. This is an intriguing match as these two fighters are very similar both in style and build (both 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds), and the winner will have to be very sharp and execute his game plan almost to perfection. Hathaway has talent to win this fight, and could lock up the biggest victory of his career.
Matt Mitrione (6-3) vs. Shawn Jordan (15-5)
Sportsbook.ag Line: Jordan -120, Mitrione -110
After losing three of his past four fights, Matt Mitrione will look to get back in the win column on Saturday when he matches up against a fellow former football player in Shawn Jordan at UFC Fight Night 37 in Macao, China.
Mitrione got off to a fast start in his UFC career, winning his first five matches. However, he is just 1-3 since that run, including a loss in his last bout to Brendan Schaub on Sept. 21. In that fight, Mitrione was choked out in the first round, unable to get anything going with a 14-7 striking disadvantage. Mitrione, who played six seasons in the NFL as a defensive tackle with the Giants and Vikings, does posses unbelievable knockout power though, as he dropped Phil De Fries in his most recent victory last April, winning in just 19 seconds. While his strength is one of his biggest advantages, he will have his hands full in that area against Shawn Jordan, a former LSU football player. Like Mitrione, he is coming off a loss in his most recent fight on Oct. 19, falling to Gabriel Gonzaga just 1:33 into the first round.
"The Savage" Jordan has 15 career victories, with 11 of them are coming by way of knockout. However, he also has the ability to win a fight by submission, winning three in that fashion with only one career win coming by decision. He enters this bout with four wins in his past six fights, and Jordan will have a takedown advantage in this fight though, as he averages 1.54 takedowns, while Mitrione does not have an average. With his strength and former days as a football player where he played fullback, Jordan does a great job of using balance and leverage, getting low to the ground and exploding up with the strength in his legs that support is 6-foot, 260-pound frame. The 29-year-old Jordan is also very good with his takedown defense, defending 77 percent of his opponents' takedowns, compared to Mitrione, who defends just 54 percent. In a fight between two closely-matched combatants, Jordan must take care of business and fight his style, because if he doesn’t, Mitrione can get back on the winning track in a hurry.
Like Jordan, most of Mitrione’s victories come by way of knockout, as five of his six wins have ended in that fashion, with two coming in the first round and 3 KOs occurring in round two. He also has one victory by decision. The 35-year-old Mitrione's big advantage coming into this fight is his strikes landed, where he averages 3.65 per minute, compared to just 3.14 for Jordan. Another big advantage will be his height, as he stands three inches taller than his opponent and outweighs him by five pounds. That could play a huge role in a fight like this as he can use his reach to keep Jordan away from him and really attack with his strikes. Both of these former football players are very strong, and have the ability to end the fight quickly, which is why the line is so even.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
