There once was a point in time when Jon Jones and Rashad Evans treated one another like brothers. Fortunately for us blood-thirsty fans, those days are long gone. The two former training partners are set to put their fists in each other’s mouths this Saturday at the Philips Arena in Atlanta on the main event of UFC145. Clearly, there’s no love lost between the two, which only makes the fight that much more intriguing. And if the pre-hype, back-and-forth trash-talking is any indication, prepare to put your thermometers on stand by because “Hotlanta” is going to be on full fever pitch.Despite all the smoking hot sub-plots and storylines attached to the main event, oddsmakers have been cold on the challenger, listing him as a +325 underdog against the man – Jones is an overwhelming favorite at -425 – many consider as one of the most dominant UFC champions in recent history.
No sweat, right, “Suga” Rashad?
As for the undercard, there are a ton of fights that are worth looking at, and if you have the gambling itch, worth putting some moolah on.
The co-main event features a British-Canadian bragging rights war between two emerging welterweights in Che “Beautiful” Mills going up against rising Canadian hotshot, Rory “Ares” MacDonald. Mills’ impressive showing at UFC 138 – he pasted Chris Cope with vicious knees and punches – shot him up to a fight against the 22-year old MacDonald, already considered as one of the best young fighters in the game today. MacDonald’s 12-1 record (3-1 in the UFC) has turned heads, not just in the fighting game, but with the oddsmakers, who made Ares a massive favorite at -500. Meanwhile, Mills is listed at +350, which would seem high, except that he’s going up against a dude that’s already being pegged as the next Georges St. Pierre.
Other fights on the card include a battle of stagnant heavyweights in Ben Rothwell and Brendan “The Hybrid” Schaub, with the latter pegged as the favorite (-275) against the bruising Rothwell (+215). The fight is equally important for both dudes because each of them are coming out of losses and pummeling the other could do wonders to jump-start their side-tracked careers.
Another fight that’s worth our attention is the Miguel Torres – Michael McDonald throwdown. The former WEC bantamweight champion – that’s Torres, in case you didn’t know – is a slight favorite (-120) to come out on top against the equally impressive McDonald (-110).
All in all, it’s shaping up to be an interesting card with a main event that’s become personal for both men. Will Bones Jones continue his dominant string of victories, or will Rashad Evans defy the odds and make his one-time protege eat crow?
After a year of waiting, we’ll have the answer soon enough, because, in the words of UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, “It’s TIME!”
