UFC 131 odds update: Over or under on Carwin-JDS lasting two rounds?

Two hard-hitting rhinos collide tonight in Vancouver when Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos lock horns at UFC 131. Both fighters say they're willing to trade shots. If that's the case, is there any chance this main event/title eliminator makes it to the third round?

Las Vegas sportsbooks tabbed JDS a good-sized favorite and the betting public has backed the Brazilian. Dos Santos is now a minus-200 choice. There's intrigue around the round proposition bet. The over/under for the fight is one and half rounds with the under checking in as a strong favorite at minus-160.

Adam Hill joined me on "The MMA Insiders" show on ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas to give our selections on many of the fights at UFC 131.

The biggest moves on the card have come with Krzysztof Soszysnki, Vagner Rocha and Jon Olav Einemo.

Soszynski, a big light heavyweight, is fighting a last minute replacement in Mike Massenzio. The former college wrestler normally fights down at middleweight and only weighed in at 201 pounds for this 205-pound bout. Soszynski has steamed from minus-240 to minus-400. Bettors are either impressed with Jon Olav Einemo's jiu-jitsu resume or his pure size. His opponent Dave Herman has been bet down from minus-270 to minus-200. During the week, Donald Cerrone was a huge 5-to-1 favorite over Rocha. Bettors looking for some value have sided with Vagner Rocha, who is now down to plus-300.

Round prop bets:

Carwin Rnd 1 - 3/1
Carwin Rnd 2 - 6/1
Carwin Rnd 3 - 15/1
Carwin Dec. - 8/1
Santos Rnd 1- 9/5
Santos Rnd 2 - 5/2
Santos Rnd 3 - 7/1
Santos Dec. - 6/1
Draw 25/1

UFC 131 betting odds (Courtesy Venetian Las Vegas):

Shane Carwin (+170) vs. Junior dos Santos (-200) - Heavyweight

Diego Nunes (+220) vs. Kenny Florian (-300) - Lightweight

Vagner Rocha (+300) vs. Donald Cerrone (-400) - Lightweight

Jon Olav Einemo (+170) vs. Dave Herman (-200) - Heavyweight

Mark Munoz (-125) vs. Demian Maia (-105) - Middleweight

Yves Edwards (+130) vs. Sam Stout (-160) - Lightweight

Jesse Bongfeldt (+300) vs. Chris Weidman (-400) - Middleweight

Jason Young (+250) vs. Dustin Poirier (-350) - Featherweight

Mike Massenzio (+300) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (-400) - Light heavyweight

James Head (+105) vs. Nick Ring (-135) - Middleweight

Joey Beltran (+110) vs. Aaron Rosa (-140) - Heavyweight

Darren Elkins (+210) vs. Michihiro Omigawa (-260) - Featherweight

You can watch UFC 131 right here on Yahoo! Sports

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Josh Barnett's Licensing Issues Likely to Keep Grand Prix Out of California

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DALLAS -- Just minutes after wrapping up the quarterfinals of the heavyweight Grand Prix, Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker was already discussing plans for the semifinal round, which he said would take place some time early this fall.

As far as where the event will go down, that's a trickier question, but Coker added, "We're open to anything."

Anything, that is, except the state of California, where semifinal participant Josh Barnett is still not licensed.

"I guess that's a caveat," Coker said.

Barnett has not held a license in California since 2009, when he defeated Gilbert Yvel at Affliction: Day of Reckoning. Since his inability to get licensed for a fight with Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction: Trilogy in July of that same year, he has been embroiled in a series of unsuccessful attempts to get back in good standing with the California State Athletic Commission, but is currently still without a license in the state.

Coker doesn't expect that to change any time soon, he told MMA Fighting following Saturday night's Strikeforce event. In fact, the Strikeforce CEO doubts that the issue will be resolved before the tournament finals, which are tentatively slotted for February of 2012, he said.

"That's between Josh and the commission and I think Josh is willing to do that, and I think that will get done at some point," said Coker. "But I don't think it'll get done before this tournament's over. ...I don't think he will fix the issue with the commission by then. That's one of those things that will take time, so I don't think it will happen before the tournament is over. So we're going to go where we have to."

As far as what states are still in the running, Coker said that most other commissions Strikeforce has discussed a possible event with have expressed a willingness to allow Barnett to fight. It's just a matter of choosing between them, he added, and getting the next round scheduled, most likely in September or October of this year.

"Actually about two-thirds of the states we've talked to have welcomed us," Coker said. "So we have a lot of choices."

 

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Strikeforce Morning After: Alistair Overeem Wins, Misses an Opportunity

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Alistair Overeem knees Fabrico Werdum in the face Saturday night in Dallas.We tuned in to Showtime on Saturday night wanting to see Alistair Overeem come out swinging wild haymakers, throw vicious knees in the clinch, and demolish Fabricio Werdum. We wanted Overeem to continue to look like the unstoppable force he's looked like in the last couple of years, both in MMA and K-1, and maybe make a case that he's the best heavyweight fighter in the world.

Instead, Overeem came out and fought somewhat cautiously, not wanting to fall into any of Werdum's many traps on the ground, and he won a one-sided unanimous decision. And we were disappointed.

Overeem is a great, great fighter -- undoubtedly one of the best in the world. No one should dismiss the quality of the performance he put on against a good opponent in Werdum on Saturday night. And yet it also felt as Overeem walked out of the cage in Dallas like he had missed an opportunity to prove that he's not just one of the best, but the very best.

Again, this is not meant as a criticism of Overeem: Werdum is one of the top heavyweights in MMA, and Overeem beat him handily. But there's been a buzz growing over the last couple of years, as Overeem has grown ever more muscular and looked all but unbeatable, that the Demolition Man was the perfect fighting machine, that no one could possibly last 15 minutes in the cage with him. We didn't see that superhuman Overeem on Saturday night. We saw a very good fighter, certainly. But not a world beater.

Heading into Saturday night, I considered Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos the top two heavyweights in MMA, but I was hoping Overeem might do something to change my mind. If Overeem could knock out Werdum even more savagely than dos Santos did in 2008, maybe we could make the case that Overeem deserved to be considered the true king of the heavyweights.

Now I think it's even clearer than before that Velasquez and dos Santos are a step above the rest. The Overeem-Werdum fight was a skillful display between arguably the sport's best striker and arguably the sport's best grappler, and it was the most significant victory over Overeem's MMA career. It was not, however, nearly as impressive a performance as Dos santos's win over Shane Carwin, or Velasquez's win over Brock Lesnar.

Overeem will now move on to the next round of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament, where he'll face Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva in what should be a tremendous fight. I'm already excited about seeing that one.

But when Overeem and Bigfoot step into the cage, they'll be fighting for the No. 3 spot in the heavyweight rankings. Velasquez and dos Santos are the two best.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=1002668&pid=1002667&uts=1308464987

Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Photos
Alistair Overeem knees Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos trade shots at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin attempts to take down Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos (right) rocks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos kicks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin is bloodied up at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos punches Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Blood drips down the face of Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos


Notes from Strikeforce
-- Werdum should have been docked a point, or at least warned by the referee, for stalling: Werdum's tactic of flopping onto his back and then taking his time when the referee told him to stand back up is a foul, and the ref was wrong not to enforce it.

-- The first fight of the undercard, a split decision win for Isaac Vallie-Flagg over Brian Melancon, was a good example of a good fight by regional MMA standards -- but not by the standards of the UFC, which are the standards fans should expect from Strikeforce now that both promotions are under the Zuffa banner. The fight was entertaining at first, with good back-and-forth exchanges and plenty of action, but after a few minutes both men started to tire out, and by the end of the fight it felt like neither man had anything left. Vallie-Flagg and Melancon put on a reasonably good show, but neither one of them is really at Zuffa level, at least not yet.

-- Strikeforce and HDNet really dropped the ball with the pacing of the undercard. Initially, there were supposed to be five fights in HDNet's two-hour broadcast window. That's doable, but you have to hustle to get it all in. Unfortunately, they didn't hustle, and when the first three fights all went to decision, they decided to move up the HDNet main event (JZ Calvan vs. Justin Wilcox) and push back Todd Moore vs. Mike Bronzoulis until afterward, so that it wouldn't be televised. As it turned out, Calvan vs. Wilcox ended in plenty of time for Moore vs. Bronzoulis to make it on the broadcast, but they didn't show it anyway. The whole thing was a mess.

-- According to CompuStrike, Chad Griggs landed 28 strikes in the 66 seconds he was on the ground with Valentijn Overeem. Overeem had no answer for Griggs, and his performance was, frankly, embarrassing.

Quotes from Strikeforce
-- "I think one fight might go to a decision. The rest, all of them, could be knockouts or submissions." -- Bas Rutten at the outset of the HDNet undercard broadcast. In reality, not a single one of the HDNet fights ended in a knockout or submission.

-- "I have no doubt in my mind that the winner of the Strikeforce Grand Prix tournament will be the greatest heavyweight fighter on the planet." --Frank Shamrock. Shamrock may think so, but the vast majority of MMA fans and media members will consider the UFC heavyweight champion to be the No. 1 heavyweight in the sport.

"Fabricio is one of the best grapplers in the world -- I consider him the best grappler in MMA. So we don't want to play with him on the ground," Alistair Overeem. That cautious approach of avoiding going to the ground with Werdum was smart from a tactical standpoint, but fight fans don't tune in to an Overeem fight hoping to see caution.

Good Call
-- Say what you will for Josh Barnett, but he knows how to promote himself -- and knows he's better in the cage afterward with the microphone in his own hand than he is being interviewed by Gus Johnson. So Barnett made the call to take things out of Johnson's hands and just give a post-fight soliloquy rather than a post-fight interview.

Bad Call
-- Referee Leon Roberts was too close to the action and too slow to react during the Conor Heun vs. Magno Almeida fight: When Heun shoved Almeida to break free from a clinch, Almeida fell back into Roberts, knocking him on his butt. If you're going to be a ref, you need to be aware of where you are in relation to the fighters and nimble enough to get out of the way.

Stock Up
-- Jorge Masvidal looked sensational in his unanimous decision victory over KJ Noons. I was skeptical before Saturday night about whether any Strikeforce lightweights were worthy of stepping into the cage with the promotion's champion, Gilbert Melendez, but after seeing that fight I now think a Masvidal-Melendez fight would be a good one.

Stock Down
-- Brett Rogers desperately needs to change up his training and get with a real camp that can teach him to be a complete mixed martial artist. Rogers has already gotten as far as he's going to get just by being a hard puncher. If he's ever going to progress to the next level, he needs a good coach to break him out of his bad habits and build him back up, with a real ground game and diversified striking. If Rogers doesn't move to a new camp, that tells us he's satisfied with his 2009 upset of Andrei Arlovski being the signature win of his career.

Fight I Want to See Next
-- I'm excited about Overeem vs. Silva. But the fight I'm most excited about now is dos Santos vs. Velasquez. That's where we'll see who's really the best heavyweight in the world.

 

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Strikeforce Live Blog: K.J. Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal Updates

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DALLAS -- This is the Strikeforce live blog for K.J. Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal, a lightweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum card at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Noons (10-3) lost last October in a Strikeforce welterweight title bout against Nick Diaz. Masvidal (21-6) in March defeated Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision. The winner here will likely face Gilbert Melendez for the title.

The live blog is below.




Round 1:
Noons comes charging across the cage and Masvidal checks his progress with a leg kick. Big overhand right from Masvidal, followed by a glancing knee to the head. Noons stays on him, backing him up against the cage, but unable to pin him down. Masvidal is doing a good job of predicting where Noons' head is going to be and meeting it with a punch. Noons ducks under a punch and eats a knee from Masvidal. Masvidal drops down for a takedown and gets it. Noons works for a kimura up against the fence, but eventually has to give up on it so he can work to his feet. Another knee to the head from Masvidal and Noons is bleeding from his forehead. The cut is causing a mess around his eyes. Masvidal drops Noons with a kick as he goes to slip a punch. Masvidal jumps on the stunned Noons and hammers him with right hands. Noons turtles up and avoids the choke, but barely survives the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-8 Masvidal.

Round 2: Masvidal slips out of the way of a Noons punch and lands a nice left. Noons, to his credit, is still coming forward with punches and elbows. Masvidal gets a takedown, despite Noons' attempt to hold the fence, but can't keep him down. Noons' forehead is swollen badly now right over his eye. Another takedown for Masvidal and some nice elbows on the ground. Noons gets his back on the fence and works back to his feet. He's still agressive, even though he's starting to look a little Quasimodo-ish. Masvidal goes for another takedown and Noons gets warned a few more times to grabbing the fence. Noons turns the tables and gets Masvidal down on his back for some punishment, but Masvidal gets back up and lands a good knee before the round ends. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Masvidal.

Round 3: Noons is stalking Masvidal to start the third, and Masvidal keeps slipping away from him. Noons' face is lathered in blood now, and his forehead has a lump the size of a baseball on it. Masvidal shoots for a takedown and Noons gets another warning about grabbing the fence, but this time I actually don't think he did it. Spinning back kick from from Masvidal, but he seems like he's less aggressive than Noons now, though still roughly as effective. Takedown for Masvidal, but Noons is back up quickly. Masvidal puts him down again and ties up an arm, but can't let loose with anything significant. Masvidal keeps Noons firmly on the mat, and he seems content with riding this one out to a decision. Noons is bloodied and battered when the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Masvidal.

Jorge Masvidal def. K.J. Noons via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

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Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum Photos
Alistair Overeem knees Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum on Saturday, June 18, 2011 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos trade shots at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin attempts to take down Junior dos Santos at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos (right) rocks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos kicks Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin is bloodied up at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos punches Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Blood drips down the face of Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos

Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

UFC 131 Photos


 

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The welterweight audio debate: Can someone take GSP’s belt in the next two years?

With Georges St-Pierre set to face Nick Diaz in October, it's looking more and more like the UFC's welterweight champ will make 170 pounds his permanent home. Is that a good for the sport? If GSP gets by Diaz, what's next?

Yahoo! Sports' lead MMA writer Kevin Iole joined myself on Las Vegas' "The MMA Insiders" show to debate the topic of the 170 division. Iole says if you believe the division is catching the champ, is just wishful thinking (4:27 mark).

During the "opening round" we also discussed the Diaz-GSP fight, Dana White vs. Roy Nelson vs. Frank Mir and the UFC president's World Cup concept for "The Ultimate Fighter."

Make sure you listen to part two with Kenny Florian and part three with Shane Carwin. "The MMA Insiders" airs each Friday from 6-7 p.m. and streams live here.

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