This fight is a classic matchup between the old school and the new school. Michael McDonald has often said that he looked up to Urijah Faber when he was growing up and when McDonald competed in his first MMA bout at just 16 years old, Faber was already fighting for the WEC Bantamweight title. Growing up in the same city, McDonald was convinced that someday their paths would cross and on Saturday night the former training partners will square off for the first time in their own back yard. Both these fighters are from California, but this UFC event takes place in Sacramento California, the home of Urijah Faber.
Faber hasn’t fought in Sacramento since WEC 48 back in April 2010, when he lost a unanimous decision to none other than Jose Aldo. This brings us on to the first stage of our MMA betting tip analysis for this fight…
The level of competition that Urijah Faber has faced is much better than he level of competition that Michael McDonald has experienced. Faber has competed at the top of the Bantamweight division for the last 6 years and he’s only ever lost to the very best guys in the world. He’s won 4 out of his last 6 fights, with his only losses coming against the current UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz and the UFC’s Interim Bantamweight Champion, Renan Barao. Faber is also one of the only guys in recent history to go the distance with the very dangerous Renan Barao.
In contrast Michael McDonald has a relatively short history in the UFC. He’s won 5 out of his last 6 match ups, but the only notable opponents he’s beaten are Brad Pickett who has just dropped down to Flyweight and Miguel Torres who was released from the UFC due to poor performances.
Every now and again a young fighter comes along and storms a division. We’ve seen the likes of Jon Jones, Chris Weidman and Anthony Pettis all achieve greatness in a relatively short period of time, but we just haven’t seen enough of McDonald yet to understand whether this guy is legit. He was thrust into a title fight against Renan Barao and was badly beaten, he seems like the type of fighter who will bounce back and learn from his mistakes but he faces another extremely difficult test in the form of Urijah Faber on Saturday night.
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OUR PICK FOR THIS FIGHT…
Urijah Faber and Michael McDonald both grew up in California and I know this sounds crazy, but I believe that home advantage will play a big part in this fight. Sacramento, California is not only home to Urijah Faber, but it’s also home to his elite fighting team, Team Alpha Male.
Team Alpha Male have had a great year with all their fighters putting on excellent performances and picking up notable wins. With Urijah Faber being one of the most experienced fighters from this camp, I expect him to go out and put on a great performance in front of his fight team and home town fans.
The Californian Kid’s experience will also play a big part in this fight and it’s unlikely that this support will phase him. The last time he fought in Sacramento, the crowd were out in force with fanatical support and I have a feeling that this level of intensity will affect Michael McDonald’s ability to stay composed in the Octagon. At just 22 years old McDonald will be facing a legend of the sport who he has looked up to all his life, a hostile atmosphere and a product of a fight team that has been performing extremely well over the last year.
URIJAH FABER TO WIN[divider]
BEST ODDS AVAILABLE FOR THIS UFC FIGHT…
The best odds for this fight can be found at [adrotate group=”4″].
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UFC BETTING TIPS FOR UFC ON FOX 9…
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