Top Sportsbooks
ELITEXC SATURDAY NIGHT FIGHTS
MAIN EVENT – KIMBO SLICE VS JAMES THOMPSON
PLUS 4 OTHER GREAT FIGHTS – CBS TELEVISION MAY 31, 2008
EliteXC will make mixed martial arts history Saturday night when they air the first installment of “Saturday Night Fights” on CBS. This is the first mixed martial arts card offered on basic cable television. The card is pretty stacked from head to toe and of course, the main event features Kimbo Slice. We’ll take a look at each of the fights below and offer Our prediction and analysis along with the current updated odds from 5dimes.com
Main Event
-Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. James Thompson
Without a doubt, this is Kimbo Slice’s toughest opponent yet. James Thompson is a big, strong guy who comes out hard and fast in each fight. The problem is that Thompson has a jaw made of glass, and this approach does not work for him all the time. He has been knocked out 7 times. Despite what many think about Kimbo, he has some pretty good hands and throw vicious combinations. I am pretty confident that Kimbo will land a hook square on the jaw of James Thompson and drop him early in round 1.
Odds
Kimbo Slice -600
James Thompson +400
Prediction: Kimbo Slice KO/TKO Round 1
** EDITORS NOTE – Shop around for the best price. I’ve seen Kimbo as low as -450. Should be money in the bank
Heavyweights
-Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy
Brett Rogers is coming off of the biggest win of his career after knocking out James Thompson and is riding a 6 fight win streak coming into this fight. Rogers has stopped his opponents in all 6 of his fights, winning 5 by KO/TKO and one my submission. Oddly enough, the one submission victory he has is due to strikes. Brett Rogers hits hard, and Jon Murphy is going to have his hands full. Murphy is 4-2 in his pro career, and 3 of his wins are by TKO, so we know he can bang, but I think he will be overwhelmed with the power of Brett Rogers.
Odds
Rogers -280
Murphy +220
Prediction: Brett Rogers KO/TKO round 1
Middleweights
-Phil Baroni vs. Joey Villasenor
This is a pretty intriguing match up. Both guys have a good stand up Game. Baroni is a powerhouse and has good knockout power. Villasenor is a well-rounded fighter who has pretty good conditioning. Baroni always has a problem with his conditioning, and has lost 4 of his last 6 fights. I suspect he will gas in round 2, and Villasenor will take advantage of the fatigue in round 3.
Odds
Villasenor -115
Baroni -115
Prediction: Villasenor TKO/KO round 3
Female fight
-Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young
This is going to be a pretty good fight. Both fighters have strong muay thai backgrounds and like to stand up and knock opponents out. It will be interesting to see how Gina Carano comes into this fight. She has spent much of the year playing the role of “Crush” on American Gladiators. Kaitlin Young has only fought one time this year, so she doesn’t really have the upper hand in the activity factor either, but Kaitlin Young did fight three times in one night last November, destroying all three opponents in under a minute each time. She hits hard and fast and has a really strong clinch.
I’m not 100% confident in this prediction, but I have to stick with Gina on this fight. I hope she comes into this fight in shape, and if she does she can definitely win.
Odds
Carano -360
Young +280
Prediction: Gina Carano KO/TKO Round 1
Middleweight Championship
-Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith
Another slugfest, except this slugfest is for the middleweight championship. If any middleweight is going to take Robbie Lawler’s title, it could be Scott Smith. The guy likes to stand and bang and can absorb some punches. Both Lawler and Smith are hard to knock out, but someone will go down in this fight. I’ll have to go with Lawler, since he has the experience factor and has been in fights with some of the best mixed martial artists in the middlweight division.
Odds
Lawler -210
Smith +170
Prediction: Robbie Lawler KO/TKO Round 2
Larry Vollmer Jr. is a mixed martial arts blogger for the JOurnal News. Check out his blog at .
BET ON KIMBO SLICE AT 5dimes.com