UFC fans get to see a pair of Pride legends in San Jose at UFC 139, as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua brings his knockout power against Dan Henderson, who has never lost via KO and is marking his third run in the UFC. This light-heavyweight clash could be a classic.

UFC Odds – Saturday, November 19^th

Rua (20-5) bounced back from losing the 205-pound belt to Jon Jones by destroying another former champ, Forrest Griffin, in a rematch in Rua’s debut, which was won by Griffin. Price per head players know that there are few who are more explosive than “Shogun”, who wants another shot at the title and a win over Henderson would show that he is on the road back to the top.

Henderson (28-8) has won belts in Pride and Strikeforce at 185 and 205 pounds, but he’s coming off a win over Fedor Emelianenko at heavyweight, although he didn’t weight much more than his normal 205 pounds. He has won his last three fights by KO, and Henderson sets up his heavy-handed shots with a strong wrestling game. Henderson also defeated Rua’s older brother, Murilo, back in November 2001.

“Shogun” opened as a favorite of around -160, and that’s a fair line considering the stature of these two. Rua is younger than Henderson by almost 12 years, and he showed in his last fight that he may have been hurt in the Jones fight. But Henderson is extremely tough and as was mentioned, he’s never been knocked out. Still, we’re going with a “Shogun” on a mission in our best online sportsbook.

UFC fans will get a show at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England, as a pair of exciting middleweights step into the octagon looking for a chance to move up in the ranks at 185 pounds.

UFC Betting – November 5^th, 9:00 PM ET

Chris Leben (22-7) comes into this match as a +200 underdog in your bookie software, but his exciting style always gives him a chance while leaving him open to strikes as well. Leben, an alumni of the first “Ultimate Fighter”, knocked out Wanderlei Sivla in July and he always comes to brawl until he (or his opponent if all goes well) falls. But he has an underrated ground game, which doesn’t always show because of his preference to stand and give the fans a thrill.

Munoz (11-2) is a former wrestling champion who has some of the best ground-and-pound in the game, and he is working to improve his jiu-jitsu as well. Munoz has won his last three fights and one of his two losses was a split decision against Yushin Okami, so he has had a good run and Munoz is looking to step over Leben to get into title contention.

The “Filipino Wrecking Machine” is a -240 favorite in this contest, and it’s a very good possibility that this fight won’t go the distance. Both have knockout power and look to use it, but this fight could come down to Leben’s ability to stuff Munoz’s takedowns and if he gets taken down, can he survive? Can he submit Munoz from his back? Tito Ortiz came up with a huge upset and we’re taking Chris Leben for the upset as well in our best online sportsbook.

At UFC 136 on Saturday night, Kenny Florian will be looking to remove the title of ‘choke artist’ from his resume. Florian a fighter that has moved around four weight classes throughout his career has become a fan favorite despite his inability to capture a title. The last time bookie software pundits had Florian winning a title was against former Lightweight Champion BJ Penn. However, as many of you already know Florian was unable to get the job done. Entering Saturday night’s fight with Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, should sports betting enthusiasts believe Kenny Florian can end Aldo’s reign atop the UFC’s latest division?

On Saturday night at UFC 136, Kenny Florian will be making his third attempt at capturing UFC gold, when he takes on former WEC Lightweight turned Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.  Florian received his first UFC title fight when he was 29 at UFC 64, when he took on Sean Sherk for the vacant Lightweight title. Unfortunately, as was the case in his second opportunity against BJ Penn in 2009, Florian ended up with the loss.

Now in his upcoming battle with Jose Aldo, fans can make the argument that Florian shouldn’t even be in the Featherweight division. Essentially, Florian only moved to Featherweight, after losing to Gray Maynard for the Lightweight title eliminator. As a result of that fight, Florian dropped down in weight and destroyed Diego Nunes in both his Featherweight debut, and eliminator for Aldo’s title.

On paper, this fight still appears to favor the younger Aldo, as he is on a 12-fight win streak, in which he has literally destroyed the Featherweight division. The one questionable fight for Aldo came in his most recent fight against Canadian Mark Hominick, who took the Champion to the limit.

In the most rare UFC betting situations, a championship bout will end in a draw with the champion retaining his title and the challenger left scratching his head, focusing on all that went wrong that night that could have made the difference in him fulfilling his aspirations. When Gray Maynard gets his rematch against UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 136 on October 8, 2011, all the frustrations that come with those thoughts are bound to explode like an oil drum set on fire. Maynard has defeated Edgar before back in 2008 when the two were still rising stars in the sport, and heading in to the third contest between these combatants, all bets are off.

Maynard actually scored the decision in the first round of the title fight between these two, but after Edgar took the second the judges called a draw in the final round, resulting in an uproar from UFC fans that expected otherwise. Fast-forward nine months later and these two combatants are preparing to step in to the octagon against one another for the third time, and fans have to wonder if this is the time that Edgar finally solves the only opponent that has ever beaten him. Neither fighter is known for having incredible knockout fishing power and both thrive on their experience and technique, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if this one went to the judge’s decision once again, with Edgar finally beating Maynard to retain his sports betting title.

Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, Jon “Bones” Jones? That may be a trio of names that are soon grouped together as three of the most dominant pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today if the UFC Light Heavyweight champion can continue to progress at the level has so far in his short time in the promotion. At just 24-years old, Jones has never actually been beaten by an opponent through 14 professional fights, and it may very well be the case that he is destined for bigger things as we approach UFC 135 later this UFC betting month.

The UFC Light Heavyweight division has been one of the most exciting in the sport, with a ton of competition vying for the championship belt as it has repeatedly changed hands. Jones is looking to put an end to that after defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128, as he looks to make his first title defense against one of the biggest sports betting names in the sport in Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. With consecutive wins over Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill, Jackson has earned his shot at the belt and will hope that Jones isn’t in his top form after rehabbing an injured hand that has kept him out of action since he won the title. With both prepared to stand up and go blow-for-blow, it will make for one of the most exciting main events of the fishing season, and could be another chapter in the story of one of a rising superstar.

When Mauricio “Shogun” Rua laid out Forrest Griffin with a series of punches at UFC 134, he not only answered sports betting question marks about where he stood going forward, but also raised major question marks about the future of his opponent. Shogun needed just under two minutes to put Griffin on his back and keep him there, and that knockout win will have major implications on both fighters going forward.

For Shogun, the win is proof that he still belongs at the top of the light heavyweight pyramid, as he waits his shot at the title belt he lost to new UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones. Rua lost his first title opportunity to Lyota Machida, then won the rematch, then conceded the title to Jones at UFC 128. There is little doubt a this point that he will eventually get another shot at the title, the only question mark now is when it will come. For Griffin, the picture is a lot more complicated after having his win streak halted following consecutive wins. Forrest was able to take down both Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin in successive UFC betting victories, but the way in which he was knocked out by Rua is a clear indication that the 32-year old isn’t ready for anything bigger at this point in his career. There is no reason to think that he will be forced to go fishing for something more in another promotion just yet, but UFC 134 may have been the last stand of Forrest Griffin at an elite level.

While Saturday’s UFC betting 134 card is headlined by Brazilian star Anderson Silva taking on Yoshiro Okami, most fans both hardcore and casual to the MMA have forgotten about the semi main event. To co-headline the sports betting debut of the UFC in Brazil, UFC officials have set up a showdown of former Light Heavyweight Champions, when Mauricio Shogun Rua takes on The Ultimate Fighter Season One winner Forrest Griffin. Here is a preview of the fight everyone has forgotten about.

The last time Brazilian Light Heavyweight Shogun Rua was in the octagon, it was the end of March, and he was picking himself up off the canvas, after losing the Light Heavyweight title to current champion Jon Jones. Since that time, Rua has been on a soul-searching journey, in an attempt to determine if he still belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of UFC greats.

On the other side of the octagon on Saturday night, will be another man searching his soul, as Forrest Griffin tries to decide if the MMA all together is for him. After losing his Light Heavyweight title a couple of years ago, Griffin has found himself in purgatory. One day he will have a fight with a potential contender for the Light Heavyweight title, and the next day he will be fighting a washed up fighter trying to reinvent their image in the octagon.

For Griffin, his upcoming fight against Shogun Rua could be argued to fit into either category. Essentially, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility, that the winner of this fight receives the next Light Heavyweight title shot, after Rashad Evans in November. Conversely, if either fighter loses this fight Saturday, they will most likely be cut from the UFC. Meaning to say, Rua needs to reinvent himself fast if he wants to stay relevant in the world of MMA.

In the world of MMA, the 2011 sports betting season has appeared to be challenging of sorts. Essentially, fans and experts are finding that the monthly cards of both Strikeforce and the UFC have been rather hit or miss. With UFC 133 in the books, fans appetites for destruction are as fresh as ever. Today we wonder, is the UFC betting 134 card stacked or a bust in the making?

On paper, by all accounts, the only way that UFC 134 can be disappointing is if all of the fighters get sick and fight conservatively, away from their normal styles. The card is headlined by a Middleweight title fight, featuring champion Anderson Silva, taking on a man he absolutely hates, Yushin Okami. The back story of this fight is quite intriguing, as the duo met up in the first round of the Middleweight tournament Rumble On The Rock back in 2006. During that fight, Silva kicked Okami in the face, and despite possibly being able to continue, Okami was declared the winner, because the kick by Silva was illegal at the time. Now, literally five years later, Silva has a vested interest in decimating Okami, after he was robbed of a win.

The other spectacular fight on the UFC 134 card is the semi main event, which features two fighters in need of a title. Light Heavyweights, Mauricio Rua and Forrest Griffin meet in the octagon, to determine who should be the number one contender, to the winner of Rashad Evans and either Jon Jones or Rampage Jackson later this year. In theory, this fight will also have a lot riding on the line, as another loss to Rua, may have UFC President Dana White, quick to pulling the plug on any attempted comeback.

UFC on Versus 5 will feature two of the bigger sports betting names in the promotion’s welterweight division, as Dan Hardy clashes with Chris Lytle this August at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The main event was recently confirmed by UFC president Dana White, who among a ton of injuries and inconsistent performances seems to have found a gem for this event on VERSUS.

This fight will be huge for Hardy, who has now lost three in a row dating back to his fight against UFC Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Hardy was not intimidated by St. Pierre, but he was dominated in the octagon, and things didn’t look much better for him against Carlos Condit or Anthony Johnson. His style and personality are what make Hardy such an intriguing character, but the sportsbook promo fact remains that if he can’t find ways to win, whatever popularity he has garnered will fade away. In order for him to remain relevant he will need to find a way to break Lytle, who had his four-fight win streak ended this past February after taking down Kevin Burns, Brian Foster, Matt Brown, and Matt Serra in the past two years. Lytle lost to Brian Ebersole at UFC 127, and many feel that despite his consistency, he has never really been challenged by some of the top talent in the promotion.

In roughly nine days, sports betting MMA handicappers will be travelling to Philadelphia to watch UFC 133. The card is headlined by UFC betting legends Rashad Evans and Tito Ortiz squaring off in a Light Heavyweight fight. While the main event has taken the spotlight away from the rest of the fighters on the card, fans wanting to wager on UFC 136 will find many other good fights on the card. Here are a few fights to keep your eyes on.

Middleweight Vitor Belfort v Yoshihiro Akiyama – UFC 133 will also mark the return of Vitor Belfort, who most fight fans last saw with his face kissing the canvas of the octagon at UFC 126 after being knocked out by Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva. Akiyama on the other hand is a fighter that has taken all three of his fights in the UFC to decision, but hasn’t put in a stellar performance yet. With so much riding on this fight for each fighter, look for both to come out guns a blazing.

Featherweight Mike Brown v Nam Phan – This fight features two top tier Featherweight fighters on the planet, as former Bantamweight Champion Mike Brown takes on Nam Phan of TUF St. Pierre v Koscheck fame. Both fighters bring an exciting striking style to the table, and could steal fight of the night honors. Comparable to Belfort and Akiyama, both Brown and Phan are coming off losses in their last fights. However, this time at least one will be walking out with the victory.

Welterweight Rory MacDonald v Mike Pyle – UFC 133 has some Canadian content on the card, as Rory MacDonald a 22 year old from British Columbia takes on Mike Pyle. Macdonald at 11 and one in 12 fights has to be considered the favorite in this fight. However, the 35 year old Pyle is riding a three fight win streak, and should not be underestimated.