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Leben vs. Stann Pick

LAS VEGAS, NV (TheSpread) – The co-main event of UFC 125 on Saturday is a middleweight contest between fan favorite and rising star Chris Leben and former solider Brian Stann. Here is a look at my pick for this bout.

UFC 125 takes place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will air live on Pay-Per-View at 10PM ET. Leben enters the fight as the favorite according to oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com as he has betting odds of -165 while Stann comes into the fight with odds of +135.

Chris Leben (25-6)

Leben has got new life to his career due to his amazing set of wins over Aaron Simpson and Yoshihiro Akiyama over a span of three weeks this past summer. Leben has always been an exciting fighter and he puts it all into his fights. He is primarily a striker but has under-rated ground skills. He has had a lot of success against strikers in his career, but struggled against grapplers and guys that had better boxing technique than he did.

Brian Stann (8-3)

Stann was a former light heavyweight that moved down to middleweight after struggling at the larger weight. A former Army Ranger, Stann has the right mindset to be a successful MMA star, but he lacks the overall skill that can push him over the top. His only real chance to win this fight is to get it to the ground and use his size and strength to control Leben, but to do that, he will likely have to eat some punches.

Who To Pick?

Leben is riding a nice wave of momentum and seems to be the better fighter. I am a little surprised his betting odds are what they are, but that just makes a pick of him more enticing. While Stann has faced tougher challenges in actual combat, Leben has faced tougher challenges in the octagon and that will be the difference. Look for Leben to score a KO in round three. UFC 125 FREE PICK: CHRIS LEBEN -165

Bet on UFC 125 Odds

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