UFC 97 Knock Out Alert - Kongo vs. Hardonk

UFC 97: Redemption has some good fights lined up and while most Cheick Kongo-Antoni Hardonk battle.

Sports betting fans are not as familiar with these two fighters as they are Liddell or Silva, but they’ll get to know them very quickly.

Kongo and Hardonk are two heavyweights with knockout power that could shake the cage. What’s better is that neither fighter really has any ground skills.

This fight should be a real treat to watch, especially for the casual fans who don’t like to see when a fight turns in to mat wrestling.

While both fighters will be standing on their feet and trading, expect to see at least a few takedowns.

Hardonk will hope there aren’t any because he is completely incompetent on the ground. While Kongo isn’t much better, at least he knows the primitive ABC’s of the ground game.

Although Kongo isn’t so good on the ground, he might actually be smart to take the fight there. Kongo’s ground-and-pound could bring a quick end to the fight and although he’s nothing special on the mat, he’s significantly better than Hardonk in that area.

If the fight is determined while both fighters are standing, it really might be more of a tossup than people think.

Hardonk might be a pretty good UFC fighter if he had any semblance of a ground game and a lot of people wonder what his ceiling would be if he was able to maneuver off of his feet.

But sportbook betting fans could care less about daydreams and so could Kongo, who has a serious edge in this fight.

Expect Kongo to put a beat down on Hardonk and occasionally take him to the ground where necessary. If someone can pull a chokehold or submission, it might be considered a minor miracle.

Pick: Kongo (-300) in second round knockout