The NFL Hall-of-Fame Game kicks of the NFL scores season with the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys going at it. But there is plenty more to bet on.
Make sure you don't miss UFC 117. It may be the summer's best MMA card. It's got a great rivalry, a wild trash talker, the most polarizing fighter in the biz, a big rematch and a portly fan favorite. There's plenty to enjoy on Saturday. Here are my picks for the three main bouts.
UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP: Anderson Silva (26-4) vs Chael Sonnen (24-10)
Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Chael Sonnen knows how to sell a fight. He's far and away the UFC's top trash talker and he's relentlessly attacked Anderson "The Spider" Silva's character. But can he back up all his chatter and use his wrestling to dethrone the champ?
The pick: Anderson Silva. If you read my recent blog post about Sonnen, you'll see my theory as to why Silva will stop clowning around, actually engage Sonnen, and win the fight in spectacular fashion. Good opponents like the Olympic wrestler Sonnen bring out the best in Silva. Our favorite Anderson Silva fights came against stars like Forrest Griffin, Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson.
Silva only dogs it when he feels his opponent is unworthy, as he did against Patrick Cote, Thales Leites and, most famously, Demian Maia last April. It's almost like Silva is insulted if the competition isn't fierce enough. But Sonnen is fierce. He's tough, he's an expert grappler, and he'll stay very busy. He's willing to put himself in harm's way to get his hands on Silva – and he'll get hurt as a result.
Expect a valiant effort from Sonnen but Silva should pull off a spectacular finish and extend his middleweight title defense streak to seven fights.
Sports betting secrets of the pros
Roy Nelson (16-4) vs Junior Dos Santos (11-1)
This heavyweight tilt gives the winner a title shot against the winner of Brock Lesnar and Cain Velasquez. For Junior Dos Santos, that makes sense. Thanks to his powerhouse boxing, he's beaten some quality B-plus opponents. Fabricio Werdum, Mirko Cro Cop, Gilbert Yvel, Gabriel Gonzaga – you name him and Dos Santos has run through him. But some people would be surprised to hear that Roy "Big Country" Nelson is so high on the ladder. Don't be. The TUF winner has outstanding BJJ and two straight impressive knockouts over Brendan Schaub and Stefan Struve.
The pick: Junior Dos Santos. This isn't an easy choice by any means – Nelson is the real deal – but Dos Santos has been positively untouchable in the UFC. He's big, he's fast, he's athletic – and I think he may drop Nelson before Big Country even has a chance to take him down.
Jon Fitch (22-3, 1 NC) vs Thiago Alves (16-6)
Not many fight fans seem to appreciate that both Jon Fitch and Thiago Alves are among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world; they're stuck under George St-Pierre's shadow. But the winner of this rematch could land another crack at GSP.
The pick: Jon Fitch. This fight could go either way – especially because Alves' Muay Thai is powerful enough to put anyone to sleep – but Alves hasn't fought for over a year. Has he evolved? Fitch will probably deploy the same strategy GSP used to beat Alves last year. He'll grind and bully his way to victory on the ground.
For more information: The best sports betting picks from world-class sports handicapper experts to beat the Vegas odds is on the OffshoreInsiders.com Network. It's where professional gamblers get their picks.
