UFC Fight Night 117
Vegasinsider.com
With another Saturday comes yet another evening of delightful cage matches in the octagon. Heading overseas to Japan for the first time in a while, UFC Fight Night 117 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title eliminator fight between Ovince Saint Preux and Japan’s own Yushin Okami.
As you can tell by the odds, Okami is being fed to slaughter against a contender who is well above his pay grade.
But there’s another draw at UFC Fight Night 117 that fans are dying to see. That man is Gokhan Saki.
So just who is this fellow? Basically, he’s a charismatic kickboxer who loves taking scalps. Gokhan Saki stands at an even six-feet tall and weights in at 228 pounds, which would slip in to the light heavyweight or heavyweight division depending on how he diets. Known as The Rebel, Saki has posted an astonishing record of 83-12 in 96 fights with one no-contest. Some people might point out that he’s already lost in MMA, but that matchup was back in 2004 so I don’t think anyone’s counting.
What fight fans will be yearning for, however, is that sweet punching power of Saki. He’s registered 59 knockouts in his career, which is awesome, but the best part is how he goes about his business. Saki lives in the phone booth. He eats punches for dinner willingly and then throws hams in furiously tight combinations that level opponents who tower over him.
In a sport that’s ruled by a guy like Dana White, who wants to put on entertaining fights, Saki could very well be just what the doctor ordered. Saki is lined up against Henrique da Silva, who is a 28-year old Brazilian who has lost his last three to go 12-3 SU overall. Da Silva doesn’t care for takedowns so this is a great showcase for Saki to highlight his talents as a stand-up guy (not in that way…he’s going to take da Silva’s head off).
There are downsides to Saki. He’s 33 years old and has already been involved in 96 professional fights and god knows how many others. There’s also no telling just how good of a wrestler he is, but as far as striking in a cage goes he may be one of the most talented that we haven’t seen in the octagon up until today. Besides, nobody is going to pretend that da Silva is entering this fight with some newfound grappling strategy.
We’re here to see Saki throw hambones, guys, and it’s going to be so fun to watch. At his age, it would be shocking to see him soar up the rankings to earn a shot at the championship, but that’s not why he’s being brought in. The UFC needs to beef up the mid-card, and they’ve done just that with this legendary import.
Fight Night 117 Fight Lines
Ovince Saint Preux (-470) vs. Yushin Okami
Claudia Gadelha (-270) vs. Jessica Andrade (+230)
Takanori Gomi (+290) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (-355)
Gokhan Saki (-180) vs. Henrique da Silva (+155)
Teruto Ishihara (-165) vs. Rolando Dy (+145)
Mizuta Hirota (+170) vs. Charles Rosa (-200)
Over/Under Totals for UFC Fight Night 117
By MMA OddsBreaker
Covers.com
Women’s Strawweight bout: Claudia Gadelha (-270) vs. Jessica Andrade (+230)
Gabe's Thoughts: Gadelha showed how elite her ground game is in her latest outing, where she submitted Karolina Kowalkiewicz via rear naked choke inside the opening round of action. I expect a similar outcome to this matchup, as I believe she will have a massive grappling advantage in this contest. I think Gadelha will dominate Andrade on the mat and likely secure a submission. I think she is more likely to submit Andrade than Kowalkiewicz, and she’s already submitted Kowalkiewicz easily, so I don’t see why this fight should not play out similarly. Her game plan should be the same, and the result should be the same, as well. Considering the Total for the fight is at Under 2.5 rounds with the dog price of +170, I think it holds a lot of value and is worth playing this weekend.
Gabe's Call: Gadelha by Submission (rear naked choke, 2:45 round 1)
Gabe's Recommended Play: Under 2.5 rounds (+170)
Light Heavyweight bout: Gokhan Saki (-165) vs. Henrique Da Silva (+145)
Gabe's Thoughts: Saki will be making his UFC debut against Da Silva, who arguably should have been cut following his last bout, which was a first round knockout at the hands of the Moldovian Ion Cutelaba. This is a classic striker versus grappler matchup in the UFC’s 205 pound division and I don’t see it lasting very long. I think either Saki stops Da Silva early with strikes, or Da Silva manages to take the fight to the mat and finishes it there. Regardless of who is successful with his gameplan, I do not see this fight lasting more than seven and a half minutes of action, which means I think the Total of Under 1.5 rounds is playing at the currently offered price of -175.
Gabe's Call: Saki by T/KO (strikes, 0:50 round 1)
Gabe's Recommended Play: Under 1.5 rounds (-175)