UFC 104 Betting - Velasquez vs. Rothwell

There has been much debate about who is the “next big thing” in the UFC’s heavyweight division, and UFC 104 will match two of those contenders as Cain Velasquez takes on Ben Rothwell at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Velasquez was originally scheduled to take on Shane Carwin in this one, but the UFC put Carwin up against Brock Lesnar instead and then snatched up Rothwell, a former IFL Heavyweight Champion, to take Carwin’s place.

The result is a matchup that could be just as exciting and perhaps just as much of a barn burner as was originally expected. Make no mistake fight fans, this is a definite contender for fight of the night.

BetUS has Velasquez listed as a -300 favorite to +220 odds for the underdog Rothwell (30-6 MMA record).

With odds like that, expect the action to start moving slightly toward Rothwell’s direction as Saturday draws closer.

With that being said, Velasquez (6-0 MMA record) has earned his position as the unquestioned favorite in this one.

His last match, a win over feared striker Cheick Kongo, was a huge win and an impressive one at that, but it also revealed some chinks in Velasquez’s armor.

Velasquez’s wrestling, athleticism, and smarts in the Octagon were all on full display in the win over Kongo, but at the same time his weaknesses as a striker at times were exposed.
Kongo is a tough guy for anyone to strike with but the smaller Velasquez was dwarfed and his striking looked a bit sloppy compared to the powerful Frenchman.

He did what he had to do to win the fight, but he took it to the ground out of necessity after getting tagged with some big shots.

Rothwell doesn’t have anywhere near the kind of athleticism that Kongo has but he is a big, strong, 265-pound beast who is good on the ground and on the feet.

He should outweigh Velasquez by a good 30 pounds or so come UFC 104.

That could mean a tough night for Velasquez if Rothwell manages to get on top of him. But it’s not likely to happen as Velasquez has the quickness and wrestling ability to control the fight should he get in trouble.

His striking skills also will translate better in this one, giving him the chance to win the fight in a variety of ways.

Rothwell will be tough to finish, but in the end, expect Velasquez to use this fight as a springboard to what could be a future title shot in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

The pick: Cain Velasquez (-300) by unanimous decision.