WSOF 18 – Moraes vs Hill is the first of 3 major MMA events taking place this weekend and I should have betting tips for all of them. The betting lines tend to shift fast on small MMA events like this and the odds almost always get worse when I release my picks for an event. As a result, you should place your bets as soon as possible, to ensure you get the maximum amount of value from the odds.
Don’t forget to stop by my
MMA Betting forum and let me know what you think of my betting tips, picks and predictions for WSOF 18…
[divider]
2 FIGHT PARLAY ACCUMULATOR | JOSH HILL vs MARLON MORAES | HAKEEM DAWODU vs TRISTAN JOHNSON
You have to be careful when you bet on small MMA promotions like the World Series of Fighting, because some of their fighters only get paid $2000 to fight and another $2000 if they win. This means that they often have to work a full time job to supplement their income, which means they aren’t going to be able to fully commit to training. I also don’t like it when professional athletes get paid small amounts of money, because it opens the door to the possibility of fight fixing.
If you think I’m being paranoid, you should go and do a quick Google search and try to find a single sport which hasn’t been effected by some form of corruption in the last 20 years.
I only ever bet on fighters competing on small MMA events, when I feel like they are working towards a bigger goal. Having a bigger goal to work towards leaves them less open to the possibility of taking a dive in a fight and it also means that they will be fully committed to winning. Marlon Moraes and Hakeem Dawodu both fit this description, because they both have a very bright future in the sport.
Marlon Moraes is the current WSOF Bantamweight Champion and he’s currently on an 8 fight winning streak. He’s one of the few guys competing outside of the UFC who is genuinely good at everything and he might actually be one of the best Bantamweights in the world.
Hakeem Dawodu is a Canadian Muai Thai Kickboxing prodigy with a professional MMA record of 3-0. He’s finished each of his wins with a devastating 1st or 2nd round knockout and I feel there’s a very good chance he’ll be adding another knockout win to his resume by beating Tristan Johnson.
Putting Moraes and Dawodu into a parlay pays around 1.58 | -172 | 29/50 and a 58% return on your money is excellent value when you take into account the big advantages that they have over their opponents.
Here’s a breakdown of these fights, which should give you a better understanding of why you should be betting on Moraes and Dawodu to win…
JOSH HILL vs MARLON MORAES
Marlon Moraes is currently on an 8 fight winning streak and he’s been wrecking people in the WSOF Bantamweight division. Josh Hill also holds an impressive MMA record of 10-0, but there’s a huge skill gap between these two guys.
Marlon Moraes is one of the few fighters outside of the UFC that’s genuinely good at everything, he literally has no holes in his game. He’s got a high level Muay Thai Kickboxing background, with good defensive wrestling and a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He’s also Frankie Edgar’s training partner, so he has the experience of working with one of the best Featherweights in the world on a daily basis.
Josh Hill is a reasonably well rounded fighter, but his striking isn’t in the same league as Moraes and most of his wins have been a direct result of him grinding on his opponents with takedowns and clinch work against the cage.
Moraes has superb takedown defence and he does a really good job of getting in and out without his opponents being able to get near him. This is a 5 round fight and Moraes is significantly better than anyone Hill will ever have faced before.
Josh Hill is fighting Marlon Moraes because he’s Canadian, he’s on a win streak and because there’s no one else left in the World Series of Fighting to match Moraes up with. Marlon Moraes should easily beat Josh Hill and take one step closer to competing in the UFC.
HAKEEM DAWODU vs TRISTAN JOHNSON
Hakeem Dawodu is a Canadian Muay Thai Kickboxing prodigy with an undefeated MMA record of 3-0. Dawodu has won all 3 of his fights by knockout and I expect him to add another knockout win to his MMA record by beating Tristan Johnson inside the distance.
I don’t mean to jump the gun or get carried away, but Hakeem Dawodu has some of the fastest hands I’ve ever seen in MMA. When he’s throwing strikes, they come so fast and accurately that it’s often difficult to tell how hard they land, because he throws his strikes with such perfect technique.
Tristan Johnson is a journeyman MMA fighter with a professional record of 9-5. Johnson doesn’t do anything particularly well, but he always brings it and he likes to keep fights standing. That will play right into the hands of Dawodu, who is an extremely high level striker.
Tristan Johnson is a decent striker offensively, but his defences are very poor and he often gets hurt because he’s unable to identify when his opponents are setting him up for something big. Having a weakness like this is absolute suicide against a guy like Dawodu and I believe it’s only a matter of time before Johnson gets knocked out in this fight.
If Dawodu strings a few more wins together, you can expect to see him in the UFC soon, this kid looks legit!
[adrotate group=”91″]
MY BETTING TIP: 2 Units [2% of your bankroll] on Hakeem Dawodu and Marlon Moraes to win at odds of 1.58 | -172 | 29/50
[adrotate group=”92″]
