UFC Betting - UFC Betting Lines - UFC Predictions - UFC Odds - UFC Matchups - UFC Wagering Lines - Wager on the UFC

Keith Jardine (+155) vs. Brandon Vera (-195)

by Stan Leung
How to bet on UFC, Bet on UFC Fighting with UFC Handicapping


Bet on UFC 89 Bisping vs. Leben at BetUS.com

Bet on UFC 89 at BetUS.com

UFC 89: Bisping vs. Leben
October 18th, 2008 8 PM
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera
UFC Betting Pick: Keith Jardine +155

Bet this MMA UFC fight at BetUS.com

UFC Light Heavyweight fight: Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera

When it comes to fighters with a lot of promise that didn't quite deliver, there's only one solution: Make them fight each other. Is Brandon “the Truth” Vera (9-2) as good as he and the UFC thinks he is? To be honest the jury is still out but he seems to be more hype than hope these days. As a UFC bettor I have no idea why Jardine is a +155 underdog. The sportsbook oddsmakers have these UFC betting lines way off.

Brandon Vera has a big mouth and some decent talent. Sadly, when he was competing in the Heavyweight division, he didn't live up to the hype. Brandon said that he would hold both the Heavyweight and the Light Heavyweight titles in the UFC... but fell short of his first goal. He could beat the gatekeepers. But he couldn't beat the top tier fighters. He has beaten decent fighters like Justin Eilers at UFC 57 - Liddell vs Couture 3, Assuerio Silva at UFC 60 - Hughes vs. Gracie and an out of shape Frank Mir at UFC 65 – Bad Intentions. However, when it comes to stepping up to the competition he has not done so well against the likes of Tim Sylvia at UFC 77 - Hostile Territory and Fabricio Werdum at UFC 85 - Bedlam.


So Vera went back to San Diego and reinvented himself, with the help of his City Boxing team mates like Dean Lister. He worked hard, got down to 205, and started to pursue the second half of his goal. The man looked alright in his bout with Reese Andy, but to be fair Andy was a relative novice making his UFC debut. So really, his 205 debut must be considered unimpressive.


I don't think that you can fully take Vera's prior record into account for this fight. Heavyweight is a different world. What Vera can take away from his previous fights is experience in the spotlight. He's not going to have ring rust, he won't freeze up, and he's not going to see anything in his opponent that he'll be too nervous about. However does he have the skills to beat the Dean of Mean Keith Jardine (13-4-1) who is a real test with a bunch of skill?

Conversely, Keith Jardine is a fighter that seems to get no respect; yet he fights and wins. Jardine gets no respect even from the UFC. When he fought Chuck Liddell at UFC 76 – Knockout it was the main event fight and Jardine got paid $14,000 dollars to fight in the main event  ($7,000 to show, $7,000 to win) while Chuck Liddell got paid $500,000.

Jardine is not flashy, not a pretty fighter, has a weird fighting style but he is a top level fighter and the verdict is still out on Vera. "The Dean Of Mean" Keith Jardine has been on a crazy roller coaster ride.  He's been training with Rashad Evans for the last few months, but it is too soon to see what kind of an impact that this has on Jardine. Having his choice of any camp in North America, that isn't a bad one to pick! However he lacks consistency, and to be frank, there is only one foot of real estate that he should be training. But he trains with the best MMA fight team and club at Jackson's Submission Fighting with Greg Jackson. Look at the game plan when he cornered and trained Rashad Evans for his fight with Chuck Liddell at UFC 88: Breakthrough. Jackson will come up with a good place to fight Vera as well.

Jardine has problem fighting strong strikers and has KO loses to Wanderlai Silva at UFC 84 - Ill Will, Travis Wiuff and was unprepared during his KO loss to Houston Alexander at UFC 71 - Liddell vs. Jackson coming into this fight Jardine will be in shape and prepared for Vera. But Vera does not have the power like those fighters to hurt Jardine.

Bottom Line: Jardine has fought better competition in his career and has better training against Vera who through out his career has not trained as hard as he should. Vera does not have the knock out power to hurt Jardine and his grappling skills are still to be proven. Jardine has very good leg kicks and fights from weird angles. His lower legs kicks and mid kicks to the adnominal will hurt and confuse Vera as he will try to stay away and keep his distance. Vera can strike as he has 6 out of his 9 wins by TKO or KO, but don't let those stats fool you. Jardine will come into this fight as the better striker. On the ground Jardine has the advantage as well as he has his grappling is tested by great wrestlers like Rashad Evans and grapplers like Nate Marquardt and Georges St Pierre.

Jardine’s strikes are not just affective but he varies his range of motion which is an obvious signed of a well coached fighter. In his fight with Chuck Liddell, he had a total of 84 landed strikes; 39 landing to the head, 15 to the body and 30 to the legs. It is this type of variety in striking that Vera does not have.

UFC betting wise bet as much has you can on this fight. I have no idea why Vera is such a big favorite as I would have Jardine as the favorite in this fight. It is because Jardine got demolished by Silva is the main reason why he is the underdog which gave sportsbook odds makers doubt in their minds and set the opening UFC lines in favor for Vera. If you look at Vera’s last fight he had a lack luster fight against Reese Andy and won a decision, and that was a fight at the light heavyweight division. 


At +155 this fight is a steal.  Vera is a god kickboxing but he will be frustrated al night with Jardine’s unorthodox style of fighting and the game plan Greg Jackson has for this fight.

Bet on the UFC at Bookmaker.com - Where The UFC Line Originates

» Free Mixed Martial Arts Picks Archive «