Few mixed martial arts names are as big as Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, but the fact remains that many offshore betting handicappers believe that his best days are behind him. Eryk “Ya Boi” Anders has plenty of momentum with two wins in his first two fights under the UFC banner. UFC Fight Night 125 will take place on Saturday night with the feature bout on the main card coming in the middleweight class between Machida and Anders. The main card features six bouts that can all be seen on FS1.
UFC Fight Night 125
Date and Time: Saturday, February, 3 2018, 10 p.m. Eastern
Location: Arena Guilherme Paraense, Belem
MMA Betting Online Odds at SBG: Lyoto Machida +220. Eryk Anders -300
UFC Fight Night 125 TV Coverage: FS1
The main card for UFC Fight Night 125 offers a solid lineup for MMA offshore betting action. In bantamweight action John Dodson will face Pedro Munoz. A women’s flyweight bout is scheduled between Valentina Shevchenko and Priscila Cachoeira. The lightweight division will offer Michel Prazeres vs. Desmond Green. Timothy Johnson will face Marcelo Golm in the heavyweight division. There will be one additional middleweight bout when Thiago Santos faces Anthony Smith.
Anders and Machida
The middleweight bout between Anders and Machida has been among the most highly anticipated online sportsbook bouts in recent memory. The 39 year old Lyoto Machida has a record of 30 bouts with 22 wins and eight losses. Out of his 22 wins, Machida has nine by knockout, two by submission, and 11 by decision. Out of his eight losses three were by knockout, two by submission, and three by decision. However there has been a recent downturn in Machida’s fortunes with four losses in his last five bouts. The Dragon has lost his last three bouts. In his last bout on October 28 Machida lost in a first round knockout to Derek Brunson. The native of Brazil currently resides in Palos Verdes, California. The Southpaw fights out of team Black House in Los Angeles.
Eryk Anders
Eryk Anders is undefeated in his ten career bouts. Of his ten career wins, six were by knockout, one by submission, and three by decision. The thirty year old is 2-0 in his UFC career. “Ya Boi” is coming off a December 9 win over Markus Perez. A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Anders fights out of Spartan Fitness in Birmingham.
Matchup to Watch
This matchup is between a fading old pro in decline and a new up and comer with plenty of promise. In his last 14 bouts dating back to 2010 Machida has ended up as the loser eight times. The former UFC light heavyweight champion had only one successful title defense bout before losing a rematch to Mauricio Rua. His career has never been the same since. Anders on the other hand is all future. The youth advantage really shows for Anders when comparing the numbers. Anders has 5.7 significant strikes landed per minute compared to 2.62 for Machida. Another offshore betting advantage for Anders is his 2.51 takedown average compared to just 1.32 for Machina.
UFC Fight Night 125 Offshore Betting Odds Picks
Eryk Anders is the pick for this one based on his youth and momentum. Machida’s slide since 2010 cannot be ignored.
UFC Betting Online Pick: Eryk Anders
UFC Betting Online Score Prediction: Anders in a second round knockout.