UFC Fight Night Mir vs. Duffee betting preview

It’s been a hectic month for fight fans, with the UFC pumping out five cards in July. In the middle of that schedule is Wednesday’s Fight Night 71, which is headlined by a heavyweight bout between Frank Mir and Todd Duffee at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.

Here’s a look at the biggest fights on the Fight Night card and their MMA fight odds:

Frank Mir (+155) vs. Todd Duffee (-205)
Mir looked to be down and out in the heavyweight division, taking a four-fight losing skid into his meeting with Antonio Silva at a UFC Fight Night in February. However, the former champ showed there was something left in the tank with a dominating first-round KO victory.

Mir looks to be a gatekeeper of the division for the young Duffee, who has strung together three straight wins after losses to Mike Russow and Alistair Overeem (in K1). Duffee hasn’t been able to get over the hump and a win over Mir on his resume would help him take the next step. He’s known for ending his fights quickly but has also shown that he can be hurt.

Mir won’t have much luck getting the big man on his back so this has slugfest written all over it. Duffee has the strength and speed advantage but Mir always has a puncher’s chances, especially as an underdog.

Josh Thompson (+155) vs. Tony Ferguson (-205)
Thompson is just 1-3 in his last four fights but his record could be significantly different if he were to sway a judge here or there. Each of those defeats have come via split decision, giving some added value to this underdog.

Ferguson is a much bigger fighter, owning a five-inch reach advantage and standing two inches taller than Thompson. He’s tearing up the 155-pound division with five straight wins heading into Wednesday, and earning some big bonuses for Top Performance and Submission of the Night along the way.

Ferguson is smart enough not to mix it up with Thompson and will look for chances to take this fight to the ground.