UFC 88 Breakthrough Picks & Predictions
August 21, 2008
Get ready UFC fans as we are gearing up for yet another big time event in just a matter of weeks. On September 6th the UFC will head Phillips Arena in Atlanta Georgia for UFC 88: Breakthrough. This pay-per-view event has a number of great fights including the main event of Chuck Lidell vs. Rashad Evans, and another good one in Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill. To get you going on the upcoming event, professional handicapper Jason Lowry is going to take a look at each of the fights on the main card, and give you his predictions on who he sees winning the fights.
Chuck Liddell vs. Rashad Evans
Liddell -280
Evans +210
If this is anything like the St. Pierre vs. Fitch fight of UFC 87, then this fight alone is worth it all. Liddell comes in as the big favorite after he looked great in his fight against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 79, which was much needed after two straight losses. Liddell is an elite striker than can send you to the ground with a devastating punch or kick. Evans is undefeated in MMA, including a 6-0-1 record in the UFC. Evans most recent win came against Michael Bisping at UFC 78. Evans has a great takedown ability, but he too can land some big time shots. We think this is going to be a close one, and we see Liddell continuing his quest back to greatness.
Prediction:
Liddell -280
Rich Franklin vs. Matt Hamill
Franklin -240
Hamill +190
This should be a very interesting fight, as you have Franklin, a dominating middleweight fighter, moving up to 205 for this fight. In the other corner you get Hamill, who continues to impress, with top of the line wrestling skills. Hamill will have his work cut out against the former champ, and its hard telling what you will get in this fight, but we see it coming out good for Franklin. We aren’t sure he can handle 205 in the long haul, but we do see him taking home the victory in this one.
Prediction:
Franklin -240
Karo Parisyan vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida
Parisyan -280
Yoshida +210
parisyan comes in with a 26-5 record, but after rolling off 3 straight wins in the UFC he came up short in a TKO loss to Thaigo Alves back in April. Yoshiyuki is making his 2nd fight in the UFC, after an impressive choke out of Jon Koppenhaver at UFC 84. This fight doesn’t quite have the build up of the top two fights, but we think an upset is in the making, as we see Yoshida pulling out the win.
Prediction: Yoshida +210
Dan Henderson vs. Rousimar Palhares
Henderson -200
Palhares +160
After going 2-0 to start his time with the UFC, Henderson is in need of a win after consecutive losses to Quinton Jackson and Anderson Silva. Henderson has great power, but really hasn’t been able to showcase it in the UFC yet. Palhares is another fighter looking for his 2nd straight win to start his UFC career, after a submission win over Ivan Salaverry. We don’t think it happens in this one, as we see Henderson winning by knock out early in this one.
Prediction:
Henderson -200
Martin Kampmann vs. Nate Marquardt
Kampmann Even
Marquardt -140
Kampmann has rolled off 4 straight victories to start his UFC career, and all but one of them have come by the way of submission. But don’t think this guy doesn’t have the power to send opponents to the floor, as he has shown in previous MMA fights that he can knock guys out. Marquardt is the much more experienced fighter in this one, but he is coming off a tough split decision loss to Thales Leites at UFC 85. We think this one goes down to the wire, and Kampmann is our man coming out on top.
Prediction:
Kampmann Even
If you are looking to get a bet in on the upcoming UFC event, head over to BetUS.com and get an account up and running today. Also, if you are still looking for more, be sure to check out these great UFC 88 predictions.