UFC 61 Fight Night Free Picks: http://www.betdsi.com/events/sports/mma/ufc-championship/ufc-fight-night-61-betting Fight Card – Main Card Antonio Silva vs. Frank Mir – Heavyweight Silva (18-5, 1 NC) is better known as “Bigfoot” and is known for his incredible power, but he has two first-round KO losses and a draw against Mark Hunt that was turned into a no-contest because he failed a drug test following the fight. This isn't Silva's first time having issues with drugs, so he might need a decisive win and to prove he did it cleanly to stay in the UFC. Mir (16-9) has held the UFC heavyweight title belt on both an interim and undisputed basis in the past, but he has lost four straight (including two by TKO) and never looked like winning any of those fights. Mir is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and is arguably the best grappler at heavyweight, but Silva is a load to bring to the mat and even though he is known for his striking, he is also a black belt in BJJ. The loser might be out of a job in the UFC in this match. Edson Barboza vs. Michael Johnson – Lightweight Barboza (15-2) is well known for bringing excitement to his fights, winning “Fight of the Night” four times and he is 9-2 in 11 matches in the UFC, but he gets overlooked in a competitive 155-pound class and a win would keep him in the mix for at least a title eliminator. Johnson (15-8) has won his last three in impressive fashion and finished second to Jonathan Brookins at The Ultimate Fighter: GSP vs. Koscheck, but he got into legal trouble that essentially ended his 2014 in July. Both men like to stand and strike, although Johnson has a wrestling background he can turn to. Barboza is more of a Muay Thai striker, but he does have a purple belt in BJJ. Cezar Ferreira vs. Sam Alvey – Middleweight Ferreira (8-3) won the The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil middleweight tournament and has won three of his last four and he returns home, where he has fought four of his last five fights. He is well-rounded, but Ferreira is a third-degree black belt in BJJ and two of his losses have come via KO, so he might be better suited to take this to the mat. Alvey (24-6) has fought from 170 to 205 pounds, but he has fared best at 185 pounds and the Wisconsin native has split his first two UFC matches. He can wrestle, but Alvey's strength is his KO power as he has won 15 fights via that route and he should want to keep this fight standing up as Ferreira is definitely better on the ground. Rustam Khabilov vs. Adriano Martins – Lightweight Khabilov (17-2) had a six-win fight streak stopped by former lightweight champ Ben Henderson, but the Russian gave a good account of himself and really showed how much depth there is at 155 pounds. Martins (26-7) bounced back from a KO loss to Donald Cerrone to knock out Juan Puig and while he has KO'd 12 fighters in his career, Martins is also a world-class grappler that has won two world championships. This could end up being the “Fight of the Night” between two men that would love to shoot up the ranks at 155 pounds. Iuri Alcantara vs. Frankie Saenz - Bantamweight Alcantara (31-5, 1 NC) puts a three-win streak on the line and he is dangerous wherever the fight goes with 13 KO/TKOs to go with 12 submissions. Saenz (9-2) started out at flyweight, but beat Nolan Ticman in his UFC debut at 135 pounds and he also sees to be well-rounded with three KO/TKOs and two submissions. Alcantara has the edge in experience and the crowd will definitely be behind the Brazilian native, but Saenz, who hails from Phoenix, won't roll over as he looks to continue his five-fight winning streak. Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sean Strickland – Welterweight Ponzinibbio (19-2) comes from Argentina and has split his first two UFC matches, and overall he has 11 KO/TKOs to go with six submissions, so he'll look to use his striking, but he won't be worried if the fight goes to the mat. Strickland (15-0) brings his perfect record into the octagon and has won his first two UFC fights, and he has seven KO/TKO wins to his credit to go with four submission wins. However, he is used to fighting at 185 pounds and it'll be interesting to see how the weight cut feels for Strickland.

• published: 19 Feb 2015
• views: 23