posted October 24, 2009 at 17:00 EST in UFC / MMA Free Picks
UFC 104 Betting - Spencer Fisher vs. Joe Daddy Stevenson
by Nick Meyer
In the UFC, people throw around the term “gatekeeper” like it’s a bad thing. But considering the talent and depth of the UFC’s lightweight division, it’s not a bad way for guys like Spencer “The King” Fisher and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson to make a living.
Watching the two gatekeepers go at it this Saturday at UFC 104 should make for one of the best fights and best stylistic matches of the night, if Fisher can stay off of his back and out of Stevenson’s ground and pound range, that is.
Fisher is the lanky, flashy striker with the slick submission game who happens to be one of commentator Joe Rogan’s favorite fighters. Just hearing Rogan go nuts over Fisher during the most mundane moments should be enough to make this fight exciting.
Then there’s Stevenson, the short, compact, powerful wrestler with a penchant for slapping rear-naked chokes on his opponents with blinding speed and delivering ground-and-pound beatings that leave both his face and his opponent’s face in many cases bloodied and battered.
The odds in the Sportsbook for this one has Stevenson listed as a -260 favorite to +200 odds for the underdog Fisher.
As mentioned previously, the key for Fisher will be to stay off his back and to use his guard to keep Stevenson at bay if he happens to get there.
Fisher is probably a better offensive jiu-jitsu specialist than defensive, so staying out of takedown range will be key in this one.
Fisher will try and work the jab and use the threat of knees to accomplish that, but he has the tendency to get a little wild with his strikes and that could be trouble, giving Stevenson the opportunity for the takedown.
Stevenson will end up on top at some point during this fight and then it will be up to Fisher to somehow scramble to his feet.
Both fighters have shown some chinks in their armor in recent fights, but Fisher is the guy with the higher upside and he had been getting better until his recent unimpressive decision win over Caol Uno.
Fighting Uno wasn’t pretty but Fisher got the win over a wrestler with similar abilities to Stevenson, and that should make all the difference going into this one as Fisher will have a good idea of what to expect.
If Fisher makes the necessary adjustments to his style and comes out with a game plan to exploit his size and striking advantages over Stevenson, he’s fully capable of pulling the upset in this one. And that’s why I like “The King” to win.
